Naruto: Seishin – The Bond That Binds

After the strategic meeting with Natasha and Tony to outmaneuver S.H.I.E.L.D., Naruto retreats alone, meditating near an ancient, partially reconstructed temple he rebuilt using Mokuton. There, he sits in silent resonance, reaching inward to find Kurama once more in the psychic plane.

---

> The space was empty. Not black. Not white. Just… inward.

Naruto stood in the center of the psychic plain.

The wind blew gently — but it wasn't real. It was memory.

And then…

— "Took you long enough, bakayarō."

The voice. Deep. Dry. Unmistakable.

Naruto slowly turned his head.

Kurama was there.

Not a shadow. Not an echo. Him. His scarlet fur, his fangs, his eyes. But most of all — that look… alive.

Naruto froze.

Then whispered:

— "Kurama…"

The fox smiled.

Not a soft smile. A grin full of fangs. But genuine.

— "You really think I'd let myself be resurrected and not get a proper talk out of it?"

Naruto closed his eyes.

— "I missed you."

Kurama didn't answer right away. He sat down slowly.

— "You mourned me like a brother. But you kept living. That… that was good."

Naruto stepped closer.

— "I wanted to go back. A hundred times. I even searched for forbidden jutsu. But… I understood. You weren't meant to return before."

Kurama nodded.

— "I was meant to come back now. When you had changed."

Kurama turned his head, gazing toward a sky that existed only in their shared memory.

— "So… this world. This is where you ended up?"

Naruto sat down beside him.

— "Yeah. It's noisy. It's dangerous. But… it's full of broken people. Like me."

Kurama growled softly.

— "And you're planning to fix them all?"

— "Not all. Just the ones who don't want to be alone anymore."

The fox said nothing. Then, slowly:

— "And this woman… Natasha?"

Naruto looked up.

— "She saved me. Not by taking a hit for me. By looking at me like no one ever has. Not even Jiraiya."

Kurama growled again.

— "Then she deserves to know you. All of you. Even me."

Naruto turned toward him.

— "You want to show yourself?"

— "I want her to know who I am. Because I'm you. And you're me."

---

Kurama locked eyes with Naruto.

— "Do you know what it felt like? Dying?"

Naruto looked down.

— "I don't want to imagine."

— "Then imagine the void. But not a black void. A cold one. A place where even memories vanish. I watched the world move on… without me."

Naruto clenched his fists.

— "I'm sorry."

— "Don't be. You loved me hard enough that the system itself found a way to bring me back."

The blond looked up, surprised.

— "You know?"

— "I know everything you feel. Just like before. That's our bond. Even in death."

Kurama stepped forward.

— "So listen carefully, Naruto. This power, this longevity, this strength you're sharing… What you give to Natasha… give it proudly. Because for the first time… you're building a world. Not just saving one."

---

Naruto closed his eyes.

— "Do you think I can do it? Live here? Really love?"

Kurama let out a deep, low laugh.

— "You faced Kaguya. Madara. A parasitic god. Even the void between worlds. And you're still doubting whether you can say 'I love you' and build a damn house?"

Naruto smiled. Finally.

— "I missed you, old fox."

Kurama nudged him with his snout.

— "And you've grown. That reassures me. Because now… I can walk with you. Without carrying you."

Naruto looked at his hands.

Then raised his head:

— "Then stay with me. Not as a power. As… my friend."

Kurama looked surprised. Then, in a deep but gentle tone:

— "Alright, Naruto. Friend. Brother. Myself."

And in the silence of their inner world, a seal glowed beneath them.

An ancient spiral, intertwined with a new symbol.

Not a prison.

A hearth.

A home.