Chapter 2 Companions
When transferring the seal that sealed Kurama to his son, Minato Namikaze inadvertently removed the barrier used to isolate chakra in the seal.
Therefore, there is no obstacle between Naruto's chakra system and Kurama's, and his chakra can directly act on Naruto's body, and vice versa.
This also means that Naruto's chakra has more powerful healing abilities, but also more terrifying destructive power.
Kurama stayed by Naruto's side, and even though it couldn't appear in a physical form, it still wrapped Naruto in chakra until he stopped crying.
It tried to ignore the strange feeling in its heart, a feeling it had never had before, which told it that something had changed, forever.
******
Kurama guided Naruto out of the Forest of Death.
It did not clearly point out the direction, but was a feeling from the heart, an invisible pulling force that urged Naruto to move in a certain direction.
The presence of Jiu Lama made him feel at ease, as if a huge stone in his heart had fallen to the ground.
Naruto could feel the change in Kurama, it was an indescribable feeling, as if the distance between them was closer, but also as if there was an insurmountable gap between them.
He could still feel the enormous energy contained in Kurama's chakra, but he was no longer afraid because he knew that power would not hurt him.
This feeling is very strange and unfamiliar, but he does not reject it. Instead, he feels an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
He eventually headed in the direction of the Nara clan, even though he had never been there.
He likes Shikamaru and is always smiling. Shikamaru's attitude towards him is completely different from that of other villagers. He always listens to his troubles patiently and looks at him with gentle eyes, as if he is a rare treasure.
Shikamaru's parents never stopped him from getting close to Naruto, which was rare in the village.
He also likes Kiba, the lively and cheerful boy from the Inuzuka clan. He knows that Kiba initially approached him to anger his mother, but he doesn't mind because he knows that Kiba truly considers him a friend.
Naruto traveled through the dense forest. The rugged mountain roads and sharp thorns constantly tested his patience.
He carefully avoided those obstacles and chose the flat road as much as possible. After passing through a dense bush, he came to a small river.
The clear river water flowed slowly, making a gurgling sound. The woods on the other side of the river were equally dense, so he decided to walk upstream along the river bank to avoid being scratched by thorns again.
The river is not wide, the water is clear and you can see the bottom. The deepest part is only waist-deep.
The riverbed is flat with only a few shallows. The river flows slowly and finally merges into a huge waterfall.
There is a green pool under the waterfall, surrounded by tall trees, one of which is a willow tree that is particularly eye-catching. It is towering into the sky, with lush branches and leaves, and its thick branches hang down to the water surface, like a kind old man, gently caressing the water surface.
Naruto was attracted by the huge willow tree. He dragged his exhausted body to the shade of the tree and felt relieved. He sat down on the root of the tree and wiped the tears that kept flowing with his sleeves.
However, the tears did not stop, but came more the more he wiped them away.
He looked down at his sleeves and found that they were covered in blood and dirt, and the originally bright orange fabric was torn to tatters.
He gritted his teeth, unzipped the zipper, and took off the stained orange sportswear.
He could no longer control his emotions and let his tears flow freely.
He felt useless and cowardly, but the more he blamed himself, the sadder he became, and the more he couldn't help himself.
After an unknown amount of time, his crying gradually subsided and turned into intermittent sobs.
At this moment, he felt the familiar burning sensation again, which was Kurama's chakra.
He knew that it was Jiu Lama who saved him and drove away the three terrible tigers.
He had felt the violent power contained in Kurama's chakra countless times, but he had never been so grateful for it and dependent on it as he was now.
He felt a warm chakra flowing through his body, a completely different feeling from before, soft and soothing, like a spring breeze blowing across his cheek.
The chakra seeped out of his skin and turned into a red mist, slowly condensing in front of him.
Finally, a huge figure appeared in front of him. It was a nine-tailed fox slightly larger than a horse. Its body was not solid, but made up of chakra. The edges were blurred, like a mirage.
"I thought you couldn't leave the seal," Naruto whispered, his voice still hoarse.
Kyuubi crouched down beside him, its nine giant tails swaying gently as if to comfort him.
"I can't leave the seal. This is just a shadow of me, boy. It's made of chakra." The Nine-Tails said calmly. Its voice was still low, but it lacked a bit of its usual temper.
Naruto's eyes were wet again. "I'm sorry." He choked and said, "I shouldn't have run around, I shouldn't have run out of the village-"
"Stop talking." Jiu Lama interrupted him, with a barely perceptible tenderness in his tone, "This is not your fault."
It extended a paw and gently stroked Naruto's cheek.
The claw was not physical, but it conveyed a warm power that made Naruto feel extremely at ease.
"Do you know that man, child?" asked Jiu Lama.
Naruto shook his head.
"Is he important to you? Like Iruka-sensei, or Uncle Teta, or Aunt Ayame?"
Naruto shook his head again.
"Then why do you care what he says?"
Naruto was stunned, he didn't know how to respond.
"Does Iruka-sensei think you're a monster?"
Naruto shook his head again.
"Then why would you trust a stranger?"
The tears stopped, Naruto raised his head and looked at Jiu Lama in surprise. He had never seen Jiu Lama so gentle, which shocked him greatly.
Why? Why did that person's words cause such great harm to him? That person was neither his relative nor his friend, but just a stranger he met by chance.
Then, he figured it out. He could not care, he could forget what that person said, because there were still many people who cared about him and loved him.
"You're right, Jiu Lama." He wiped the tears from his face and burst into laughter. "You are so smart. You must be afraid of nothing."
Jiu Lama looked at him quietly without speaking for a long time.
"…That's not the case," it said finally.
Naruto tilted his head and asked curiously:
"What would scare a tailed beast?"
