Chapter 18 Clear Space
Two months after Naruto began training, he first noticed something unusual about Kurama, and another four months passed before he realized that something might be amiss.
It happened on a rest day. Kurama insisted that Naruto take one day off every week to allow him to recover from the hellish training, but this did not mean that they stopped training completely.
Kurama once saw a special jonin at the 19th training ground, attacking a group of chunins with darts, with a speed and power comparable to shooting.
He asked Naruto if he would like to do some inner strength and breathing training ahead of time on his day off.
The cunning Kurama knew that Naruto would definitely agree after seeing the actual effect.
So, Naruto sat on a rock next to the waterfall and started practicing his breathing.
He began to understand the source of power and how to control the inner power, just as he gradually forgot about time.
He opened his eyes and found that it was already dark, which surprised him because he didn't expect that he had practiced for so long, and this time Jiu Lama didn't remind him of the time.
He tentatively sent an inquiry signal to the sealed space, but received no response.
He sighed, skillfully entered the sealed space, and came to the clear blue water.
This place was very different from what it was three years ago. Back then, it was dark and depressing, like a sewer. But now, it was full of light, although he didn't know where the light came from.
The pale golden light, like the afterglow of the setting sun after a storm, passed through the black cage, forming broken rays of light. The air was filled with a dreamy atmosphere, as if one was in a warm room, enjoying the warm afternoon sunshine, making one drowsy.
The water is clear and transparent, as cool as a mountain spring. The golden sunlight shines through the water and casts shadows on the wall, like flickering dust particles, flowing slowly.
The sleeping giant beast was bathed in the golden sunlight, and the hair on its tail looked like a flame lily, bright red as blood.
"Nine Lamas?"
His voice, like an echo in a canyon, reverberated in the sealed space, but Jiu Lama remained motionless.
It was lying not far from him, Naruto could even touch its body, so he reached out and gently stroked the hair on Kurama's nose - this had become a common action for him.
Jiu Lama slowly opened his bright red eyes. His eyes were confused and unfocused, completely different from his usual self.
"Little ghost? What time is it now?" Its voice was low and hoarse.
This question is very strange, because Jiu Lama’s sense of time is much better than his.
"Around nine o'clock, you seemed to fall asleep."
Jiu Lama wrinkled his nose, as if he couldn't believe that he actually fell asleep.
"It seems so." It muttered, shaking its head like a puppy, as if trying to drive away sleepiness. "Did you finish your practice?"
Naruto grimaced, but he wasn't angry.
"I said I would finish it, didn't I? I'm a man of my word, even if at first I thought 'just breathing' was silly."
"I know you will, idiot," it said lazily and began to doze off again, but Naruto did not disturb it and continued to stroke its fur gently until it fell asleep again.
This was really strange, as Kurama generally needed less sleep than him, but since it needed to rest, Naruto wouldn't disturb it.
He stayed in the sealed space for a while, and suddenly, he was filled with gratitude towards this creature made of blood and chakra. It was not only his family, but also the most important person to him in this world.
He doesn't know how to express this feeling to Jiu Lama, nor does he know whether this proud fox can understand it, but he will treasure this feeling in his heart forever.
He still has a long way to go.
But he would keep his promise.
---
Jiu Lama slept until the next day.
Naruto didn't blame it, because he was the same, but he would fall asleep in class and be scolded by Iruka-sensei, but Kurama wouldn't.
However, this time, Mr. Iruka stopped him after class and asked him seriously if he had not had enough rest recently.
Naruto smiled sheepishly and apologized to the teacher again.
Teacher Iruka shook his head helplessly and touched his head with a smile.
"Let's go get some ramen?" he asked.
"Is that even a question?" Naruto said happily.
Teacher Iruka treated him to a bowl of ramen with pork belly, and then, as usual, asked about his recent situation.
Naruto told him that he had been training hard, which was true, he just hadn't told his sensei who exactly he was training with.
Just as he finished eating ramen, Kurama woke up.
"What? Ramen again?"
"You should go back to sleep, you grumpy old man," he retorted, but Kurama's words reminded him of something else.
"Hey, Iruka-sensei?"
Teacher Iruka took a sip of ramen soup, raised his head, and asked:
"What's wrong, Naruto?"
“Can you teach me how to make curry?”
Teacher Iruka was stunned for a moment, seeming a little surprised.
"Of course." He smiled, "You're finally interested in food other than ramen."
*******
Over the next two weeks, Jiu Lama did not show any symptoms of drowsiness again.
Naruto was busy memorizing the process of C-rank missions and did not connect the two things until similar things happened once a week. He realized the seriousness of the problem and began to worry.
Although Kurama seemed to be fine except for falling into a deep sleep for no reason, and it insisted that it was fine and told Naruto not to worry, Naruto felt that things were not that simple. He felt that Kurama was deliberately hiding something.
Two days before the end of the school year, one morning two weeks before Naruto's birthday, he finally found the answer.
He had just fallen asleep, having stayed up all night studying a scroll he had "borrowed" from the archives only an hour before, when he heard a loud roar, like a flash flood, followed by a violent crash that jolted him awake from his sleep.
He felt like there was a ball of fire burning in his abdomen, from below his belly button all the way to his ribs. He lifted the quilt and covered his stomach, but was surprised to find that he was not on fire.
The skin around his seal turned bright red, as if it was infected, and it was spreading outward, burning his pajamas. He heard a slight hissing sound, accompanied by an unstable energy, as if something was devouring his clothes. He quickly took off his pajamas and threw them to the other side of the room.
