IN NARUTO AS KURAMA

Golden light radiated from Shiro's palm, illuminating the dim sealed space. Waves of chakra peeled off his body, coalescing into a swirling mass of energy. Moments later, a towering fox materialized before him, its massive frame shimmering with raw power.

Shiro stepped back, nodding with approval at the newly-formed Nine-Tails construct. "This level of power… nearly rivals the Sage of Six Paths himself. Creating a Nine-Tails from scratch wasn't as difficult as I thought."

With a series of intricate hand seals, Shiro summoned a fragmented, translucent soul from within himself, sending it into the chakra construct. The fox's eyes glowed with consciousness, and it let out a low growl, testing its newfound existence. Shiro, now returned to his humanoid form, crossed his arms.

"Good. This should stabilize the causality of this plane," Shiro muttered, watching the chakra fox adjust to its form.

A moment later, Uzumaki Naruto appeared in the sealed space, summoned by Shiro.

"Master!" Naruto greeted, his voice full of admiration.

"Come here," Shiro said with a smirk, gesturing toward the colossal Nine-Tails. "What do you think of your backup when I'm not around?"

Naruto's eyes widened with awe as he stared at the majestic fox. "Wow, this is amazing! Master, how did you make this?"

Shiro ruffled Naruto's messy blond hair. "This is nothing for me, but listen carefully—this Nine-Tails will protect you in my absence. If the day comes when you're in mortal danger, it will bring me to your side immediately."

Naruto nodded, his expression serious. "I understand, Master. Thank you!"

With a gesture, Shiro transferred a system reward to Naruto: the Six Attribute Escape Techniques. The energy surged into Naruto's body, and for a brief moment, the boy felt as if he were one with nature itself. His chakra surged, responding to the infusion of elemental mastery.

Naruto exhaled sharply. "Master, this feels incredible. But… does this mean you're leaving?"

Shiro gave a soft chuckle, patting Naruto's shoulder. "Of course not. I'll stay to see you pay back the shame Konoha inflicted on you—with your own hands."

Naruto's eyes burned with determination. "I'll make you proud, Master!"

At that moment, Minato Namikaze appeared in the sealed space, carrying two scrolls. He approached Naruto with a warm smile, his golden hair catching the ambient light of the space.

"Dad! What's that?" Naruto asked, pointing at the scrolls.

"These," Minato said, handing them to Naruto, "are the techniques I developed: the Rasengan and the Flying Thunder God Technique. They'll make you stronger, so strong that Konoha will regret ever mistreating our family."

Minato's gaze softened as he touched Naruto's cheek. The bitterness of his family's suffering had long since eroded his belief in the Will of Fire. Now, his sole focus was on his son.

---

Hokage's Office

Shimura Danzo slammed his fist onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk. His voice thundered through the room, filled with rage. "Hiruzen! Are you completely blind? Reducing surveillance on the Jinchūriki is pure madness! Do you realize how important he is to the village's security?!"

Hiruzen sipped his tea calmly, unshaken by Danzo's fury.

Danzo continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "I've said it before—hand the boy over to Root, and I'll mold him into the perfect weapon! You're too soft to handle a responsibility this great."

The Third Hokage placed his cup down gently and stared at Danzo with quiet authority. "Danzo, that's enough."

"No, it's not enough!" Danzo roared, his aura flaring. "I refuse to stand by while you let the village crumble under your weak leadership. If you won't act, my Root will retrieve the Jinchūriki tomorrow."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, and for the first time, his voice rose in fury. "Danzo! Are you the Hokage, or am I? Konoha is not a place where you rule unchecked. Remember your place!"

The room grew heavy with tension as the two men clashed, their opposing philosophies laid bare. Danzo hesitated, his confidence wavering under Hiruzen's glare. Finally, he turned on his heel and stormed out, muttering, "If anything happens to the Jinchūriki, the blame lies squarely on you."

As Danzo disappeared, Hiruzen sighed deeply, speaking softly to himself. "Danzo, your ambition stretches too far. You leave me no choice…"

---

Back in the Sealed Space

Shiro watched as Minato and Naruto trained together in the distance, shaking his head. "They're so slow. This will take all night."

With a flicker, Shiro vanished, reappearing on the Uchiha Clan grounds. His presence was like a storm, a powerful chakra pulse radiating from his body.

"Who's there?!" a sharp voice called out.

Shiro moved with blinding speed, snatching a thin figure by the collar. It was a young girl with raven-black hair—Uchiha Izumi. Her legs flailed helplessly as she struggled in his grip.

"Let me go!" Izumi shouted.

Shiro raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Ah, Uchiha Izumi. The girl hopelessly in love with Uchiha Itachi." Leaning closer, he whispered mockingly, "I'm here to kill your precious Itachi. He's far too irritating."

Izumi's face twisted with fury. "You monster! I won't let you hurt him!"

Her emotion heightened developing a single tomoe, Shiro smirked, tightening his grip. "Interesting. You're developing nicely."

Before he could say more, a kunai whizzed through the air, aimed straight at his back. It bounced harmlessly off his chakra-infused body with a metallic clang.

In a flash, Uchiha Fugaku appeared, his Mangekyō Sharingan glowing ominously. He pulled Izumi to safety, his gaze locked onto Shiro.

"So, this is your idea of a discussion? Harassing my clan's children?" Fugaku said coldly, his voice dripping with menace.

Shiro smirked, unconcerned by the patriarch's anger. "Relax, Fugaku. I was merely testing her potential. A single tomoe in such a short time? Impressive. You should thank me."