127. The Nine-Tails and the Nine-Tails

After dropping Sasuke off at school, Kurama did not leave in a hurry. He stood quietly in place, nodding and smiling politely at the people around him.

Surrounding him were many unfamiliar faces, presumably other parents of the students. Most of these individuals, dressed in ninja attire, observed Kurama from a distance with either curiosity or a faint hint of wariness, seemingly intrigued by this person who had suddenly appeared overnight as the "guardian of the Uchiha clan's sole surviving descendant."

The demon fox stood calmly, smiling, and allowed them to watch him. Before long, several women, charmed by his gentle and warm aura, grew bold enough to approach and strike up a conversation. Upon discovering that he was, in fact, as refined and elegant a young gentleman as he appeared, the female ninjas gathered around him in such staggering numbers that the local men were put to shame. Surrounded by the demon fox, they moved together to a nearby small park to chat about household matters.

"…Could someone tell me if the person who was just saying 'the claim that he is a distant relative of the Uchiha is highly suspicious' isn't the same one who just rushed up to talk to that red-haired lad?" A male ninja twitched his mouth and turned to look at his "abandoned" companions.

The men stared back at him in silence.

"The one laughing the loudest with that boy is the same person who was whispering last night, 'Could it be that under the guise of looking after little Sasuke, he's actually eyeing the property left behind by the Uchiha?'" A tall, thin middle-aged man remarked gloomily.

Seeing his fellow sufferers (if one could call them that) turn to look at him, the man—who was actually quite handsome and well-featured—grinned and laughed: "By the way, that’s my wife."

The men silently offered him their condolences and blessings. (Hey!)

The man waved his hand generously. "Don't overthink it. These women look fierce when they’re on missions, but when they’re off-duty, they’re just like the tofu-selling girl down the street—overly sympathetic and overflowing with maternal instincts. Look at that boy’s face… honestly, it’s easy to see why he would trigger those feelings in them, isn't it?"

The men turned their heads to look at the young red-haired boy, who was now surrounded by three layers of women that had grown even larger in just a few minutes. Though unwilling to admit it, they had to agree that the man made a valid point.

The handsome man patted the shoulder of the first young man who had spoken: "So, relax. Think back to the days of Itachi and Shisui Uchiha; didn't they receive the exact same treatment? Although Itachi always kept a cold face in front of strangers, in private, my wife often spoke about how cute and endearing he was. It’s just a pity…"

Pity for what? Although the man sighed and left the sentence unfinished, the faces of the men grew somewhat somber.

Kurama, standing in the very center of the women, curled his lips slightly. It seemed that no matter how discreet and low-profile Itachi’s actions were, there were still those in this village who understood his true nature. Perhaps it was because Konoha was this kind of village that even though Itachi knew the upper echelons were rotting from the Root down, he was still willing to protect it with all his might.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, yet Kurama remained smiling, patiently and gently responding to the barrage of questions from the women. His attitude was so considerate that the female ninjas, regardless of age, were all beaming, appearing incredibly happy and relaxed.

***

No matter how pleasant the conversation was, the women still had missions to complete. By the time the morning was halfway over, the female ninjas had all dispersed to their respective duties.

The demon fox went from being surrounded by a crowd to walking alone. He did not show any change in demeanor; even on his own, he walked down the street with a free and easy grace. From a distance, he stood out distinctly from the hurried ninjas, as if he occupied a small world of his own, undisturbed by external affairs.

An old man, who had been observing his every move from the shadows since Kurama appeared at the school gates that morning, reached up to adjust his hat and stepped forward to walk beside him.

"You don't seem surprised by my appearance?" the old man said with a smile.

Kurama turned his head to meet the old man's gaze. "I would have been surprised if you hadn't appeared."

The old man—the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—couldn't help but chuckle softly at this.

"How has Sasuke been doing these past few days?" Setting aside the topic of whether or not the meeting was a surprise, the Third Hokage turned his head and looked straight ahead.

Kurama’s expression remained unchanged. "Everything else is fine," he said softly, his voice carrying a trace of hidden pity, "but sometimes he is gripped by nightmares in the middle of the night, and no matter how I call to him, he won't wake up. And when he finally wakes up on his own, he lies in bed with his eyes open until dawn..."

The Third Hokage did not respond. The old man walked silently by Kurama's side, his once kindly, smiling face now completely expressionless.

Though he remained silent, Kurama’s account did not falter. "Hades and I have watched over him for many nights, but even with us by his side, the nightmares still invade his dreams from time to time."

"That child lacks a sense of security and has been deeply hurt. Even though he no longer rejects our presence, he is still..."

Still what? Kurama did not continue, but he trusted that the Third Hokage’s own imagination would provide the answer.

The old man remained silent for a while longer. The two walked on in silence until they turned into the now-deserted street belonging to the Uchiha clan, at which point the Third Hokage let out a long sigh and stopped.

"Sasuke... I leave him to you."

Without continuing the previous topic, the old man spoke with a sincere expression, his eyes looking at Kurama with a softness filled with complex emotions. Kurama knew that as the Hokage of the village, for the Third to say these words was, in fact, the greatest show of concern he could offer Sasuke.

He nodded with a generous smile. "Rest assured, Third. I am Sasuke’s 'family.' Even without your request, I would take good care of him."

The old man took a deep look at Kurama, nodded, and turned to leave the Uchiha district.

Only after watching him leave did Kurama turn back and chuckle softly to himself.

"His purpose in coming to see me was certainly not just for the sake of Sasuke," he said in a detached tone, as if speaking to himself. "But since he changed his mind later on..."

That meant the Third was truly more kind and benevolent than certain others.

A cold yet gentle aura of the King of the Underworld circled around him the moment he finished speaking: "To be able to accommodate the existence of Gen and Sui... he is clearly more suited to be a leader than the other one."

This was why Kurama hadn't bothered to hide the summoning of Gen and Sui from the prying eyes of the Anbu members.

Understanding that Hades was referring to Danzo, the demon fox nodded in agreement: "In terms of breadth of mind and character, that is indeed true." It was no wonder that when the Second Hokage chose his successor, he had discarded Danzo without hesitation in favor of the Third.

"Setting that aside, Hades," Kurama shifted his focus to the calm, black-haired King of the Underworld, "since you were already here, why didn't you just join me in taking Sasuke to school?" It was awkward to hide his form and keep it from the little boy.

The King of the Underworld's expression remained entirely unchanged: "I did not leave the house to take Sasuke to school."

"Then..." What were you there for?

He instinctively wanted to blurt out the question, but in the end, for some reason, he stopped abruptly. The demon fox lowered his gaze and took a step forward.

"Let's go back," he said softly.

"...Hmm."

After half a second, the King of the Underworld's slightly amused reply came from behind.

Kurama inexplicably felt his earlobes grow hot. This was… not good.

He silently quickened his pace, feeling a strange mix of inexplicable joy and embarrassed confusion.

***

Because it was Sasuke’s first day back at school, Kurama didn't just drop him off in the morning; when afternoon dismissal arrived, he went to the school gates early, standing there with several other idle parents to wait for the little boy.

Watching the group of children burst out of the school gates, running toward their parents or heading home in small groups, the demon fox felt a momentary daze, as if he had returned to the past for an instant. Back then, he had been in the position of these children, happily running toward his own family...

He shook his head, casting aside the memories that had suddenly surfaced. Kurama smiled with a sense of nostalgia and reached out to pull the Uchiha boy who was walking toward him. "You worked hard today, Sasuke."

The little boy had a serious face, but his eyes were shining: "Hmm... thank you for picking me up, Kurama."

The frank expression of gratitude made the demon fox’s heart soften. He thought that if this little guy wasn't being so moody, he would be quite cute and endearing.

Just as he took the boy’s hand and prepared to turn away, his gaze inadvertently shifted, and he saw a blonde boy standing alone in the corner, looking with envy at the other children who were being picked up by their families.

Kurama moved his eyes and tapped Sasuke on the shoulder: "Is that... your classmate too?"

Sasuke followed his gesture and looked over. He saw the "dunce" who was always at odds with him standing there, looking dejected and staring longingly at the other students.

Perhaps it was the shared feeling of losing all one’s kin that made Sasuke—who usually despised this troublemaker—hesitate. After his lips parted, he didn't say anything derogatory. He simply replied with a quiet "Hmm," then lowered his head and said nothing more.

Having spent enough time with him to understand his temperament, Kurama knew that this was Sasuke's way of saying he didn't hate Naruto quite as much anymore.

The demon fox thought for a moment, then, holding Sasuke’s hand, walked gently toward Naruto with a smile.

"Hello..."

He had just begun, leaning down to meet Naruto’s gaze, when he suddenly felt a sense of falling, only to find himself in a dark, enclosed space.

"The scent... of a demon fox..."

A strange, low, gravelly voice suddenly rang in his ears. Kurama turned slowly, and through the bars of a cage, he met a pair of narrowed, fox-like eyes.

"Nine-Tails?"

The entity lowered its head, almost pressing against his cheek, and asked in a deep voice.