Chapter 1: The Nine-Tailed Fox
The sound of water drops echoed through a dark, old, sewer-like corridor, while a stagnant pool of water, reaching up to the ankles, lay on the ground. Certain parts of the walls were covered with rusty pipes and a light layer of moss. There was not the slightest sign of life around; only the monotonous sound of dripping water could be heard.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
Right in the middle of this desolate, dark, and gloomy corridor, a young man in his mid-twenties lay on his back. His body was completely motionless. He had black hair and a light stubble; his body contours made it evident that he was highly athletic and had undergone rigorous training. A very balanced, solid muscular structure stood out. After lying motionless in the water for a while, the young man’s eyes began to twitch slightly, and suddenly, with a violent cough, he shot up into a sitting position.
“COUGH! COUGH- UGH! My head...”
The man held his head, rubbing it with his hands. Having just woken up, his consciousness hadn’t fully returned yet, and he felt groggy. He sat there in the water for a while, and after trying to perceive his surroundings and gather his senses, he slowly stood up. As he took a deep breath and stretched his muscular arms out to the sides, loud popping sounds began to come from his joints.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The man stopped stretching his arms and began to stretch and twist his waist to the right and left. Similar bone-cracking sounds echoed again in the silent corridor.
CRACK! CRACK!
When he finally stopped stretching, he muttered to himself through a drowsiness he still hadn’t quite shaken off.
“Looks like I slept in a bad position... My body has gone stiff; every muscle aches in a weird way.”
After rubbing his eyes hard once more, the man scanned his surroundings with a sleepy gaze. At that moment, he noticed a strange detail; the clothes he was wearing were completely soaked. He muttered to himself again.
“I sweat through the night, did they turn off the AC?”
The man began to examine his surroundings more carefully. First, he turned left and saw yellowish, dirty walls where old, rusty pipes stretched all along. He blinked his eyes with an indifferent demeanor. Then, when he looked right, he was met with the exact same monotonous wall. When he turned forward, there was an endless, dark corridor stretching ahead. When he looked behind him, the view was no different. Still unable to shake off his sleep-induced stupor, the man froze where he stood.
“Am I having a dream again?”
He pinched his arm in the hopes of waking up, but not only did the scenery around him remain unchanged, it also quite clearly hurt. After pausing for a moment, not knowing what to do, he raised his hand without hesitation and landed a heavy slap on his own face.
SLAP! UGH...
Feeling the pain explode on his face in all its reality, he understood for certain that the situation he was in was no dream. From that moment on, his military instincts kicked in; he instantly sobered up, and with a highly cautious movement, his hand reflexively went to his waist. However, his fingers could not find the familiar cold metal he was searching for.
“Where is my gun?”
The man quickly looked both in front of and behind him, staying on high alert. Wasting no time, he leaned his back against the wall he assumed was solid and scanned the dark corridor with his eyes one last time. After making sure that there was no one in sight and that he was alone, he crouched down toward the water with the same cautious demeanor and quickly patted his ankles...
“Great! My knife and backup gun are missing too...”
He quickly stood back up. Now, all his muscles were taut as a bowstring, and his body had taken on a rigid, upright posture. He stood on alert, ready to engage in close combat against an attack that could come from any direction at any moment. He tried to remember what was going on and how he got here. While straining his mind, he sought a logical explanation, taking the utmost care not to make even the slightest sound.
‘Where am I? How did I get here? What was I doing last? Calm down, focus... They can’t be playing a prank on me; doing something like this in the military is sheer stupidity, it would result in a dishonorable discharge... Was I kidnapped? No, that’s impossible. Kidnapping a soldier from a military base with over 1000 troops is impossible, let alone a soldier sleeping in a dorm full of 5-man special forces units...’
The man continued to scan his surroundings inch by inch with his eyes. When he turned his gaze upward, he saw nothing but a boundless darkness; it was as if this strange place had no ceiling. He looked around for any cameras or tracking devices to see if whoever brought him here was watching him, but he found nothing other than rusty cracks in the wall. After waiting silently in place for about fifteen minutes and listening to the environment, he decided to move forward rather than wait blindly. Before determining his direction, he lightly stretched and cracked his neck.
CRACK! CRACK!
“I don’t know who you are, but you messed with the wrong guy.”
As he began to advance with heavy steps, he stripped off his T-shirt—which was clinging to him and restricting his movements because it was soaking wet—in a single motion. On his now bare upper body, several bullet and deep knife wound scars from old missions were clearly visible. These scars on his body and his cold-blooded demeanor made it obvious in every way that he was a highly experienced soldier accustomed to harsh conditions. As he moved down the corridor, he walked close to the wall to avoid making himself an open target, taking every step slowly and with extreme care to prevent any splashing sound as he trod through the water. Due to the eeriness of the surroundings, he muttered to himself with a slightly tense expression.
“A pit isn’t going to open up in the floor like in Indiana Jones, right?”
Despite the situation he was in, the man was remarkably calm. Thanks to his military discipline, he didn’t panic, wholeheartedly believing that no matter how bad or complicated the situation was, he would find a logical way out. After walking through the water for about ten more minutes, he encountered a fork in the dark corridor. He carefully looked first into the dark void on the right, and then into the corridor on the left. After a brief situation assessment, he decided to proceed through the right tunnel. He whispered to himself in a routine manner.
“Always start from the Right…”
He continued to advance into the darkness. After walking for another fifteen minutes or so, he noticed a dim beam of light up ahead, at the end of the corridor. Realizing he was getting closer to his target, he began to move forward with much more cautious steps. Holding his breath against a possible ambush, he was putting in the utmost effort to glide like a shadow, ensuring he didn’t make even the slightest splashing sound. He had no weapons on him; if the people inside were armed and realized he was coming, they would undoubtedly pull the trigger instantly. His only hope right now was that the attention of those inside wasn’t directed toward the corridor.
As he got very close to the passage where the light was coming from, he pressed his back tightly against the wall and tilted his head slightly to peer carefully inside. However, the sight he beheld was very different from what he had expected; the inside was completely empty. Before him stretched only an endless, vast space covered in water. This state of desolation quite surprised him. Wary of the possibility of a trap, he remained completely motionless against the wall for several minutes and didn’t step inside until he was absolutely certain that the room was truly empty.
But there was a crucial detail Altay didn’t know at that moment; deep within that vast space, a figure lying behind gigantic bars had already noticed him. When this entity inside first sensed the approaching person, he had mistaken him for the little blond brat, but upon paying closer attention, he realized it wasn’t him. He didn’t sense the slightest bit of Uchiha chakra from the newcomer, and even more bizarrely, no chakra whatsoever was emitting from this being. This situation greatly piqued the curiosity of the ancient figure behind the bars, for it had been hundreds of years since he had seen a living creature without chakra in his life. As the giant figure watched him from the darkness, he thought to himself.
‘Well, what is he looking for here? How can he be here? Was he sealed away too? Or is he after my power like the others? But I don’t feel any sense of negativity... this is strange, humans always have malicious thoughts, each one of them has ambitions. Hashirama @£#$@! Madara @£#½$! Mito @£#$£@! Whoever it was, all of them had evil thoughts, they had ambitions... but there is no negativity or dark thoughts in this chakra-less human? Just what kind of human is this?’
Meanwhile, the young man decided that his wait outside had been sufficient and finally decided to enter. Kurama continued to watch this chakra-less intruder from the darkness with utmost care, intentionally keeping his presence hidden. The moment the man stepped inside, he scouted his surroundings with full attention. With a quick maneuver, he pressed his back against the wall right next to the entrance, looking for a safe spot, but there was nothing noticeable other than the darkness on the horizon. When this ambiguous game of cat-and-mouse thoroughly annoyed him, he finally gave up completely on hiding and moving stealthily. Hardening his steps, he openly walked toward the center of the room, taking a long, hard look at his surroundings. He couldn’t see any way out other than the corridor he had come from. Weighing all the possibilities in his head, the man finally made his decision; after taking a breath deep enough to fill his lungs with air, he shouted with all his might and in a harsh tone of voice to draw the enemy out.
“YOU BASTARDS! WHERE ARE YOU? DON’T HIDE LIKE COWARDS, COME OUT AND FACE ME! WHY THE HELL DID YOU KIDNAP ME!?”
The soldier’s booming voice echoed violently in the spacious, water-filled room and all the connecting dark corridors. Even Kurama couldn’t help but flinch slightly at this shout. For a human to step up and dare to challenge so openly in this legendary seal space containing the Nine-Tailed Fox was something utterly unheard of!
‘Kidnapping? He’s not here for me? He doesn’t want my power? Is he lying... no, I didn’t sense him lying, he is telling the truth... I’ll observe a bit more, he hasn’t noticed me yet...’
As the man listened to his voice bouncing off the walls and returning, he continued to look around and shout to provoke the environment.
“COME OUT, YOU COWARDS! I’M UNARMED BUT I’LL TAKE YOU ALL ON! @#$£$@! COME OUT IF YOU’VE GOT THE GUTS!”
He stood in the middle of the flooded room for another minute or two, shouting and screaming at the top of his lungs, waiting for a response. Kurama, meanwhile, contented himself with watching these meaningless flailings from the darkness. When no response or attack came, the man finally gave up; he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Left alone with the turmoil in his mind, he muttered to himself.
“Where the hell is this place? Where is the exit? Am I really the only one here?”
Thinking that this one-sided theater had gone on long enough, Kurama decided to break his silence. After all, he was the strongest living tailed beast and had a majestic pride to protect. From the darkness, he spoke with an extremely authoritative and mysterious tone.
“You are not alone.”
At the echo of the voice, the man jumped, reflexively leaping to his feet within seconds. He assumed a flawless close-combat stance. Despite this unexpected situation, his facial expression was incredibly calm; as he scanned the area, he replied in an extremely serious tone.
“Who are you?”
But the answer rising from the darkness was merely a laughter so cold it would make one’s blood run cold, and exceedingly mocking.
“HAHAHAHA!”
The man, with alarm bells ringing in his mind, pushed his level of focus to its absolute peak. Without lowering his guard, he began to slowly approach the dark corner where the sound came from, wading through the water. As he advanced, he saw a colossal cage rising from within the dark. Suddenly, in the midst of the pitch-black darkness, large, glowing, blood-red feral eyes appeared. Immediately after, razor-sharp teeth gleaming as if struck by moonlight came into view. The sight that emerged was utterly chilling and terrifying. Yet, the man didn’t take a single step back; he fearlessly stared straight into those lethal red eyes. Although the fearless stance of the human before him surprised Kurama, he continued his performance.
“Human, approach.”
Showing not a hint of hesitation, the man waded through the water, drawing a bit closer to the giant cage. But as he did so, he also muttered.
“This scene feels familiar to me from somewhere...”
When the young man reached the front of the cage and saw the figure inside, he was dumbfounded. Before him stood a giant Fox with red fur, 9 tails standing majestically behind it, and a face that was both charismatic and equally terrifying. The spiritual pressure the beast exuded into the atmosphere was horrifying, but the soldier didn’t seem to care much at all; he simply kept his eyes fixed, staring at the Kurama in front of him.
Kurama, thinking that the man had frozen in fear or gone into shock at this sight, wanted to intimidate him even further. He raised his massive claws and suddenly attacked toward the cage with immense speed. His claws came to a violent halt mere centimeters from the man’s face; the terrifying impact of the strike unleashed a massive shockwave of air. The stagnant water on the floor violently rippled with this pressure, and the young man’s hair was whipped around and disheveled by the sheer force of the wind.
Despite this, the man continued to stand his ground with his feet planted firmly, not moving a single muscle, wearing that same bewildered expression; his eyes were still locked onto Kurama. Under the impression that the man had gone stiff with terror and couldn’t move, Kurama replied with a cold voice that made his hatred for him evident.
“Human, you have trespassed into a place you should not have entered! This is the domain of the Kyuubi, the strongest of the tailed beasts! Prepare to di-”
However, before Kurama could even find the chance to finish his line, the man cut in, in a state of absolute shock.
“KURAMA!”
With this word spoken at such an unexpected moment, it was now Kurama’s turn to be dumbfounded. This ordinary human in front of him had used a word he never expected from him. Pulling himself together after a brief silence, the fox spoke in his deep, slightly furious, and hateful voice.
“Human, how do you know my name.”
But the young soldier didn’t even hear him. He just continued to stand there in the water with that bewildered expression, his eyes staring into space as he tried to comprehend everything going on around him. Ignored, Kurama spoke this time in a much louder and angrier tone.
“ANSWER ME! LOWLY HUMAN! HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME!?”
The young man finally showed a reaction. However, this reaction was the kind of move that completely bewildered and baffled Kurama; the man suddenly, without any mercy, delivered a hard punch to his own face.
BANG!
The man staggered from the sheer force of his own punch, and the cheek where the blow landed instantly began to bruise. Shaking his dizzy head, he took one last look at his surroundings and then spoke.
“What the hell is going on!? Why am I here? How can this be possible!”
Behind the bars, the monster fox fell utterly silent.
‘What is the deal with this man? Is he crazy? Why is he punching himself? WHY DOES HE KNOW MY NAME? Could it be related to the old man? Only those fools and the old man know my name.’
Taking deep breaths, the man ignored the stinging in his face and tried to pull himself together. Then, he lifted his head and looked directly at Kurama with resolute eyes. This sudden shift in the man’s gaze caused Kurama to flinch for a moment. After weighing the situation in his mind and thinking it over, the soldier spoke.
‘First, let’s understand the situation.’
“Are you the Kyuubi, Kurama? The last and strongest of the 9 tailed beasts?”
This casual affront to Kurama’s pride changed things. Intensifying the feral gleam in his eyes, he roared in an agitated voice that clearly showed he was infuriated.
“HUMAN, DO NOT SPEAK MY NAME WITH YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!”
Instead of answering in the face of this threat, the man was mentally shaken once again; grabbing his head with both hands, he crouched down into the water in sheer frustration. The giant fox, who would normally terrify a human, couldn’t help but be taken aback once more by the erratic reaction the man gave. He thought the man before him had severe psychological issues and had completely lost his mind. Still, to maintain his authority, he spoke again.
“HUMAN, I WILL ASK ONE LAST TI-”
However, showing not an ounce of respect to the legendary beast standing before him, the man recklessly cut off his words by suddenly shouting.
“ARGH! SHUT YOUR MOUTH! YOU OVERGROWN FURBALL, I’M TRYING TO THINK HERE!”
