After the war, Naruto was left with simple missions.
Instead, the world kept spinning and Sasuke was not with him, he had chosen to leave to atone for his sins.
I missed him a lot, it's nice to see him again during a mission, but it wasn't nice un...
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"Kurama, lie down, I'm really tired and you're so comfy," asked a sixteen-year-old blonde. His eyes closed, clothes tattered, and bloodstains all over his body.
"Excuse me? I'm not a stuffed animal for you to hug, kid," the fox replied, but contrary to his words, he leaned down and used one of his tails to gently lift the tired blonde and place him in his front paws.
Kurama was lying in the mental space with his container in front of him, trapped between his paws. A soft hum of satisfaction escaped his lips as he felt the fox's soft fur and hugged one of his tails.
The fox turned his eyes, amused. The two remained silent for minutes.
"What do you plan to do, pup?" the fox asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I don't know, Kurama, maybe being a simple ninja is enough for me, I don't think being Hokage is for me anymore," Naruto replied in a drowsy voice, rubbing his face against the fox's tail.
"Has the dream of being Hokage ended?" the bijuu asked, leaning his face closer to his container.
"No, I always wanted to be Hokage because it was the only way to be noticed, to not be looked down on or mistreated. But after this war, I've learned many things, Kurama. I've proven my strength and value, that's enough."
The bijuu nodded in agreement and let his container drift off to sleep, watching over his rest and caring for his body in the external world.
When the blonde had fallen asleep, his body still stained with blood, Kurama wrapped him in his chakra to keep him warm. The blonde deserved that sleep, after saving the ninja world, sealing half of all the bijuus within and saving them in the process. The least he deserved was rest.
Kurama had taken charge of the body and remained on high alert for any threat, yes, the war was finally over. His container was exhausted, he could feel it, and so was he. He needed to sleep and recover some of his chakra. If necessary, he would drag Naruto with him. He too deserved rest.
But Kurama feared something might happen to Naruto. He couldn't trust his friends, despite their willingness to give their lives for him in the war. Naruto and his brothers were his only bond, the only people who mattered.
He knew the blonde would refuse to sleep. Kurama would refute. They truly needed it, having spent so much chakra, and it was a harsh blow for the blonde's body to store even more chakra from his brothers. The fox estimated they would need three to four months of deep sleep.
The bijuu tensed upon sensing the Uchiha idiot near Naruto, keeping his eyes closed, waiting to see what the fool would do. After their fight, Kurama had gathered even more hatred for him. He too was guilty of Naruto's weakness.
Sasuke stood a few meters away from Naruto, watching him sleep. Without approaching, he simply observed him for long minutes. Kurama wanted to emerge and growl at him to stay away from Naruto.
But the Uchiha just stood there, frozen, staring at Naruto's silhouette. He too was weak, almost more so than Naruto, but unlike him, he hadn't received such a massive surge of chakra, his body and chakra weren't unbalanced.
He stayed a few more minutes, then left in complete silence. Twenty minutes later, Sakura, Kakashi, and Tsunade arrived.
Tsunade still retained her youthful appearance, thanks to Naruto's generous transfer of chakra, facilitated by their shared Uzumaki lineage.
"Naruto, are you okay?" Sakura asked, kneeling before him, concern etched on her face as she reached out to touch his cheek.
When Naruto didn't respond, Tsunade stepped closer.
"Naruto, kid, talk to me," Tsunade urged, her voice tinged with nervousness.
Kurama, the Nine-Tails, turned his attention to the scene and appeared.
"He's sleeping," he replied, meeting Tsunade's gaze.
Sakura took a step back, Kakashi assumed a defensive stance, and Kurama struggled to stifle a laugh at the absurdity.
"Why?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow, poised for battle. Her student, Sakura, gazed worriedly at Naruto.
"He's exhausted," Kurama explained. "The war, the immense chakra consumption, and the sudden surge from his brothers, coupled with the final battle, have disrupted his chakra and physical balance."
As Kurama finished speaking, Sakura's hand flew to her mouth, Kakashi looked away, and Tsunade growled.
"What should we do?"
Kurama scoffed. "You know better than I do, doctor."
"It can't be," Tsunade denied, her nervousness now evident, while Sakura looked on anxiously.
"What's going on, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked.
"Naruto's chakra is misaligned, his body is exhausted. If he uses it, it could have severe consequences," Tsunade explained.
Sakura's eyes widened in alarm. Kakashi remained silent.
"What does that mean?" Sakura asked again.
"He'll sleep," Kurama said. "Naruto is fully merged with me. My way of recovering chakra is through sleep, and Naruto must do the same to restore balance to his body. Even then, months after waking, using chakra will be difficult for him."
"How long?" Tsunade asked gravely.
"Five or six months, possibly a year," Kurama replied.
"Will he be defenseless the entire time?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, and it's time for you to step up. You must protect him. His body will enter a coma, but he won't need food or water. The chakra from my brothers and me will sustain him. When Naruto awakens, he'll be more attuned to the natural world of chakra, but his essence will remain unchanged."
"When will this happen?" Tsunade asked seriously, her nervousness evident but resolute.
"I'll let my kid decide when he's ready," Kurama said. "He'll want to say goodbye to everyone. For now, he's just sleeping normally; he'll wake up in a few hours. I'll talk to him then. His safety will be in your hands, and I swear on my existence that if anything happens to him, I'll destroy your precious village to continue with the world.
Kurama's gaze locked onto theirs, his intensity unmistakable. He didn't care what they thought of him; Naruto's well-being was all that mattered.
As Kakashi took Naruto, Kurama remained alert, but returned to his mindspace to see his little blond.
Two weeks later, Naruto Uzumaki slipped into a deep slumber, safeguardedby the united Elemental Nations.
••••
Ufff! I think the prologue is quite serious for what's to come. Kskskss. Yes, I have more stories, but there's a special someone who asked for this one. She's super excited about it, and soam I!
This story will have two versions, inEnglish and Spanish. I will also upload the Spanish one.
My special someone prefersitthat way).
Don't worry, it's not as serious as it seems; Kurama is just being dramatic.
