When Naruto entered the sealed space, the Nine-Tails was completely absorbed in a drama.
Of course, it was still watching Investiture of the Gods.
From the episode number on the screen, Naruto could tell the big fox hadn't stopped watching since it got its paws on the remote.
"Yo, big fox, good evening," Naruto greeted it.
"Stupid brat. Evening," the Nine-Tails replied, eyes still glued to the screen, tone half-hearted.
Truth was, the fox didn't want to talk to Naruto at all—it was way too into the show. But it also knew that if it ignored the kid, he'd just keep bugging it even more, which would be even more annoying. So it chose the path of least resistance and replied.
Naruto frowned, ran over, and hit pause on the TV.
"Hey, big fox, didn't anyone ever teach you manners? When someone talks to you, you should look at them. That's called respect."
The Nine-Tails froze. It didn't expect to get lectured by a brat.
It almost snapped back in anger, but then it realized arguing would just drag this out and cut into precious drama time. So it suppressed the rage and replied seriously, "Good evening."
Satisfied, Naruto nodded and smiled."Starting today, let's be friends. Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?"
Naruto's logic was simple: since the big fox wasn't fighting him anymore and literally lived inside his body, they might as well be friends.
The Nine-Tails stared at the little human with his sincere expression and suddenly spaced out—for a second, it saw the shadow of that old man… the one who created the Tailed Beasts.
He had been the only human who never looked at them like monsters and treated them as equals.
But that man had died long ago.
Since then, no human had looked at them that way again.
And now, after a thousand years, another human was seriously asking for its name.
After a pause, the Nine-Tails finally said,"My name is Kurama."
Even though it didn't really like people calling it that, right now, it told this human child the truth.
"So your name's not just 'Nine-Tails'—Kurama, huh? Got it. I'll remember that," Naruto said with a big smile.
At that moment, Naruto was truly happy—he'd finally made a real friend.
Sure, that friend was a giant fox, but Naruto didn't care.
They were both intelligent beings. One wasn't more noble than the other.
"Kurama, wait here for a sec. I'll be right back!"
With that, Naruto left the sealed space.
Kurama didn't pay much attention. The emotional moment was nice and all, but hey—he had a show to watch.
But just as it reached for the remote again, Naruto popped back in.
This time, he was dragging in a second TV and a game console from the study space.
"Let's play! I've got Contra, Super Mario, Jackal, Double Dragon—they're all really fun," Naruto said, grinning.
These were all two-player games Naruto had enjoyed for a long time, but he'd never been able to beat them—because he'd never had anyone to play with. Now that he had a friend, Kurama was the first one he thought of.
Kurama looked unimpressed."Hmph. What's so fun about your dumb games? I'm watching my show. Don't bother me, Naruto—we'll do our own thing."
Ten minutes later…
"Wait, Naruto! How'd you get thirty lives?!"
"Told you, no living creature can resist the power of fun," Naruto quipped.
But he still taught Kurama the classic Contra cheat code: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A B A.
…
"YES! We beat the level!"
"Of course. I'm amazing."
No one knew how much time had passed, but together—boy and fox—they went from clumsy to pro and finally cleared Contra.
They high-fived in victory.
Naruto, seizing the moment, grabbed the little fluffy fox and hugged it tight, nuzzling it like a plush toy.
Kurama had condensed a mini version of itself—a chakra-formed clone about Naruto's size—so it could sit on the couch and hold the controller properly. The real body had gone to sleep while the clone handled all the fun.
In this smaller form, Kurama had none of its usual fierce aura. It looked like a peaceful, adorable little fox, complete with the same realistic fluff and feel.
Naruto was instantly hooked—this fox was perfect for cuddling.
Unfortunately, the fox wasn't into it.
Still, while Kurama was riding the high of their game win, Naruto took full advantage and hugged it for all it was worth.
Eventually, Kurama came to its senses and, with a fed-up little kick, launched Naruto off the couch.
"Oi, Naruto. Aren't you supposed to be studying?"
After a bit of a break, Kurama brought it up.
It was already hours past Naruto's usual "fun time." Normally, he'd be deep into his studies by now—but he was still here playing games.
Sure, the games were fun, and playing with Naruto was even more fun—but Kurama still felt the need to remind him.
He didn't want his Jinchuriki slacking off. Naruto was still a kid, and there was a lot he needed to learn. Unlike Kurama, who could afford to laze around all day.
Even Kurama had done a lot of studying when he was young.
"I split off a Shadow Clone earlier when I grabbed the game console—it's studying for me," Naruto said with a grin, giving Kurama a side glance.
Man, I really wanna keep cuddling that fluffy fur. Best texture ever.
Kurama, hearing that Naruto had it covered, didn't say more.
So the games resumed. This time, they were plumbers saving a princess—Super Mario time.
And just like that, they played all the way until morning.
Though they didn't beat the game yet, Naruto decided it was time to stop.
His body had rested enough.
"I'll come play again during my breaks," Naruto said with a grin, then left the sealed space.
Back in the study space, Naruto dismissed the Shadow Clone.
He staggered slightly as all the memories and knowledge hit him at once.
It took a bit before he fully digested it all.
Turns out, one Shadow Clone was his current limit when it came to using clones for non-physical knowledge-based learning. Maybe he'd be able to handle more when he was older, but not yet.
So he decided: one clone would stay in the study space around the clock to keep learning.
That way, he could learn faster without burning out.
As for the rest of his time, he could use it to learn other skills, play games, or watch shows to relax.
Balance—he had that down.
He split off a new Shadow Clone to continue studying and finally left the study space.
After packing up today's bento, Naruto headed out toward his usual training ground.