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Chapter – 1135 The Key to Harnessing the Power of Tailed Beasts
🕑 Added 2025-03-01 08:34:57 +0000 UTCIn a private room of the Colosseum, Konohagakure
With his hands folded behind his head, Naruto stood at the center of a room, shifting uncomfortably as the perverted old man before him examined him from every angle. After a few moments of silence, Naruto could no longer hold back the uncomfortable feeling. “Ano… Jiraiya-sama… what is it?” he asked hesitantly.
Jiraiya hummed thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes as he studied Naruto. “Hmm… it’s really surprising…” he murmured.
Naruto frowned, tilting his head in confusion. “What’s so surprising?”
But Jiraiya didn’t respond, remaining deep in thought.
Kakashi, sensing his concern, asked, “Jiraiya-sama, what did you find?”
“The seal hasn’t been unlocked, the Nine-Tails is still sealed… and the boy’s consciousness is perfectly intact… this is really strange…” Jiraiya murmured, stepping back as he studied Naruto, his hand resting thoughtfully on his chin.
Yes, Jiraiya was deeply concerned.
He feared that the Nine-Tails might have been gradually taking over Naruto’s consciousness, enabling him to harness its power. This was precisely why he had examined the seal—to check if it had been tampered with by anyone or weakened by Nine-tails’ power. However, to his surprise, the seal was completely intact, and Naruto’s consciousness remained unaffected. Despite this, the boy was still able to tap into the Nine-Tails’ power. How exactly this was happening was what left Jiraiya utterly baffled.
Naruto blinked, even more confused by Jiraiya’s words. He had no idea what the perverted Sannin was muttering about.
At that moment, Hiruzen spoke up, voicing the question that had been on everyone’s mind—Kakashi, Elder Koharu, and Jiraiya included.
“Naruto, how exactly are you able to control the Nine-Tails’ chakra?”
Despite the seal being completely stable, Naruto has been able to harness the power of the Nine-Tails multiple times. Each time, he has manifested more tails than before, which has naturally raised suspicion among everyone.
Naruto scratched his head, unsure how to answer the question. Finally, he said, “Even if you ask me how I’m able to control the Nine-Tails’ chakra, I don’t really know… I just follow what Kuroto-sensei told me to do, and as a result, I can use it.”
The four people in the room blinked at his response before asking in unison, “And what exactly did Kuroto ask you to do?”
Naruto shrugged. “Kuroto-sensei told me to communicate with the Nine-Tails and form a friendship with him if I didn’t want to be restrained and wanted to use his power.”
Since Kuroto himself is a perfect Jinchūriki of Ryūmyaku and had given Naruto advice that was actually helping him harness the power of the Nine-Tails, they assumed it must have been some profound or complex technique.
However, to their surprise, the advice was something completely unexpected and so simple.
Elder Koharu frowned and murmured, “Hyuga Kuroto advised you to com-communicate with the Nine-Tails?”
Naruto nodded. “Yes, Kuroto-sensei told me that the key to harnessing a tailed beast’s power is gaining its approval and forming a bond of friendship with it.” He paused before continuing with a grin, “So whenever I get the chance, I try to talk to the Nine-Tails. Though, to be honest, it’s just me sitting in front of him and talking.”
Folding his arms across his chest, Naruto pouted. “The stupid fox never replies. It’s just me talking for hours…” As he said this, he heard a cold snort from the fox but ignored it and continued with a grin. “But hey, the fox is still helping me, and since then, I’ve been able to use his chakra.”
Leaning in slightly, he added in a hushed voice as if sharing a secret, “I think the fox is a total tsundere. Kuroto-sensei thinks so, too—he says the fox is definitely a tsundere.”
Hearing Naruto’s taunt, the Nine-Tails twitched in irritation but continued pretending to be asleep.
On the other hand, all four people were takenaback to hear Naruto’s answer.
They could hardly believe their ears. What they were hearing seemed impossible.
The Nine-Tails was the strongest and most ferocious of all the tailed beasts—an embodiment of pure hatred.
It bore a deep grudge against Konoha and was feared as a nightmare by most shinobi. Even the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and his wife struggled to truly tame its power, and the beast had played a significant role in the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, along with many other ninjas, on the night twelve and a half years ago.
For decades, Konoha had lived in constant fear of the Nine-Tails going berserk and wreaking havoc upon the village. The Third Hokage himself had always been wary of its uncontrollable destructive potential, to the point that he never once deployed it in battle, no matter how dire the situation became for Konohagakure. Instead, the Jinchūriki was kept confined behind heavily sealed walls, ensuring that the beast could be restrained immediately if it ever lost control.
And yet, now, a twelve-year-old boy claimed to be taming the Nine-Tails simply by talking to it and forming a bond of friendship?
Everyone in the room struggled to wrap their minds around the sheer absurdity of it.
Kakashi turned to Naruto and said, “Naruto, can you wait outside with Mika for a moment?”
Naruto shrugged and nodded. “Alright, Kakashi-sensei… but how long do I have to wait? I’m really hungry…”
“Just a minute,” Kakashi reassured him. “I need to have a quick word with Sandaime-sama. After that, we’ll head out to eat.”
“Okay,” Naruto agreed before stepping outside the private room.
Moments after Naruto left, Hiruzen murmured, “He doesn’t seem to be lying…”
“But still… is this really the truth? Could it be that Naruto is mistaken, and the Nine-Tails is actually influencing him to say something like this?” Elder Koharu questioned skeptically.
Jiraiya shook his head. “I’ve already confirmed his condition. The seal is perfectly intact, and Naruto’s mind isn’t being influenced in any way.”
Kakashi nodded. “I’ve been observing Naruto as well, and he doesn’t seem to be acting any differently…” He paused for a moment before suggesting, “Maybe… this is all really the result of communication and understanding.”
“Is that even possible? Forget about whether understanding is really the key to tapping into the power of tailed beast or not. How can anyone communicate with such a beast? Do those beasts even communicate?” Elder Koharu asked, unconvinced.
Kakashi replied, “Well, none of us are Jinchūriki, so we can’t say for certain. But Kuroto is, and considering that he has perfect control over Ryūmyaku—and that he gave Naruto this advice based on his own experience—perhaps it’s not as complicated as we think. Given the results, Naruto’s attempts to communicate with the Nine-Tails aren’t in vain. So maybe it is possible… maybe those beasts really do respond if we make the effort to reach out to them.”
“Is that so?” Jiraiya murmured thoughtfully.
Kakashi nodded, “Yes,” and urged everyone to consider, “Think about it… Mito-sama and Kushina-sama, along with many other Jinchūriki, failed to harness the power of tailed beasts. What do they all have in common? They tried to suppress and forcibly control their tailed beasts in order to use their chakra while constantly battling the risk of losing themselves in the process. The ever-present fear of the beast taking over their consciousness and wreaking havoc was always there. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with Naruto. Instead, he’s able to access the Nine-Tails’ power with surprising ease. Why is that? The only difference is that he’s attempting to communicate with the Nine-Tails instead of trying to suppress it—and, surprisingly, it seems to be working.”
He paused for a moment before adding, “Perhaps Kuroto was right. Communication and understanding might really be the key to harnessing the power of tailed beasts.”
Elder Koharu pressed her lips into a thin line. The idea seemed absurd to her, yet she couldn’t find any argument to refute Kakashi’s reasoning.
Elder Hiruzen sighed, “If that’s really the case, then I have always been wrong…” and added regrettably, “Let alone urging Mito-sama and Kushina to communicate with the Nine-tails, I didn’t even think that such a thing was possible… and look at how their lives turned out…”
Elder Koharu tried to assure Sandaime, “Hiruzen, you couldn’t have known such a thing is possible… it’s not your fault…”
But Hiruzen shook his head. “No… I was the Hokage. The responsibility falls on me. If I had encouraged them to communicate with the Nine-Tails instead of restricting them, perhaps their lives would have been different… better.”
As he reflected, he realized that Kuroto had never once restricted Naruto’s movements, even though the boy was being targeted by the Akatsuki. Despite the immense danger surrounding Naruto, Kuroto had allowed him the freedom to grow, learn, and communicate. He knew that if it were up to him, he would never have allowed Naruto such freedom.
This was evident from how he had treated the previous two Jinchūriki.
In contrast to the situation Naruto is facing, Uzumaki Kushina and Uzumaki Mito had lived under far less immediate threat to them, yet he—Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage—had kept them confined. They had never been allowed to move freely, never permitted to leave Konoha, forced to live as prisoners within the village’s walls.
At the same time, because he had always feared the Nine-Tails and the potential catastrophe if it broke free, that fear had extended to Mito and Kushina as well. They, too, had come to fear the beast sealed within them. And with that fear, they had never attempted to communicate with it.
Seeing the guilt-ridden expression on Hiruzen’s face, Jiraiya said, “Sensei, that’s all in the past… You don’t need to dwell on it now. Things are finally moving in a good direction.”
Hiruzen nodded. “I know…” he sighed, but he couldn't shake the lingering guilt.
At that moment, an ANBU operative entered the room and announced, “Elder Hiruzen, Elder Koharu, Jiraiya-sama… Hokage-sama requests your presence.”
“Hyuga Kuroto is summoning all three of us?” Elder Koharu frowned, wondering what could require the attention of all of them.
The ANBU nodded. “It appears to be a matter concerning the barrier around the arena. Your assistance is needed.”
“Hmm… I see. Then let’s not keep the Godaime Hokage waiting,” Hiruzen said.
With that, the three elders and Jiraiya left the private room, following the ANBU.
As they stepped out of the room, Hiruzen turned to Kakashi and said, “Since the three of us will be occupied, stay with Naruto… after all…”
Kakashi nodded. “Yes, that was my intention, Sandaime-sama.”
Satisfied, Hiruzen turned to Naruto and said, “Naruto… make sure you win the Joint Chūnin Promotion Exam.”
Naruto grinned confidently. “Of course! That was my plan from the start.”
“Good… then I look forward to your performance in the semifinals,” Hiruzen said with a smile before departing with Koharu and Jiraiya. Meanwhile, Kakashi, Naruto, and Mika headed off in a different direction.
As they walked, Hiruzen murmured with a smile, “I’m truly glad Naruto has grown into such an incredible young man, despite everything he’s been through… Both Minato and Kushina would be proud of their son.”
“Yeah,” Jiraiya nodded, a similar smile on his face. “I bet they would.”
