135 Respective Progress

Unaware of the grueling battle that awaited him, Naruto, once prepared, hurried with Sasuke toward the village gates to meet Kakashi, Sakura, and their client, Tazuna.

With the two boys gone, the Uchiha estate—already quiet due to its sparse occupancy—suddenly felt even more vast and desolate. Kurama gazed at the empty rooms and courtyard and sighed softly. When Sasuke and Naruto were around, he hadn't noticed how lonely the house truly was. Now that they were gone—especially the lively and boisterous Naruto—the fox realized how ill-suited this environment was for a small household.

It was no wonder that in the original story, Sasuke preferred to live in the tiny apartment provided for orphans in the village rather than stay alone in this sprawling mansion, which should have been his after the total annihilation of his clan. This feeling of being completely swaddled in solitude and silence, isolated from the rest of the world... it was, quite frankly, rather terrible.

With this thought, Kurama turned his head and instinctively looked at the black-haired Hades standing beside him. Sensing his gaze, Hades turned his head slightly, his eyes conveying a silent question: "What is it?"

The fox smiled and shook his head. "Nothing," he said softly. "I just suddenly felt that it’s very... good, not to be alone with only Mokona at a time like this."

Hades looked at him deeply upon hearing this. "I thought you would say something like that much later." He turned to face Kurama completely, his lake-like, tranquil green eyes fixed steadily upon the fox. "Five years... has that been long enough?"

Long enough for Kurama to sort through his thoughts and feelings, and to find an answer he could give Hades without regret?

The fox remained silent. He met the gaze of the dark-haired Lord of the Underworld for a long moment, then suddenly curled his lips. Under Hades' slightly startled expression, he gave a carefree, radiant smile.

"Why would it ever take five years?" He chuckled, raising a hand to grasp a strand of smooth, satin-like black hair that hung over the god's shoulder. "Understanding one's own heart... it is truly only a matter of a single moment."

"While a momentary spark might offer a vague answer, it is not always entirely true or reliable. A reaction in a given instant could merely be an impulsive, fleeting emotion. Determining whether there are emotional factors solid enough to sustain that reaction into something lasting—that is what I have been attempting to do all this time, isn't it?" The fox raised an eyebrow, his soft voice filled with ease and poise.

Hades watched him steadily, neither rushing him nor interrupting. He knew that one day Kurama would voluntarily reveal his response and the reasons behind it, so he had remained patient and unhurried throughout these five years. This patience and tolerance—or rather, this utter indulgence—had earned the Lord of the Underworld the result he desired most.

The dark-haired deity curled his lips, his eyes deepening. "Of course." His voice was low, laced with a subtle, hidden charm. He leaned in, slowly closing the distance between them until their breaths mingled. "So... do you have your conclusion now?"

Under the intense gaze of those bottomless green eyes, Kurama blinked with composure. "Naturally... I do."

He smiled, pulled Hades down by the nape of his neck, and kissed those lips—lips that were, as he had expected, somewhat cold, yet unexpectedly soft.

For a moment, the room was perfectly still.

***

"Confess, just when did you start coveting me?" Kurama leaned lazily against Hades' back, asking with a smile that seemed both casual and intensely curious.

Although they had only just defined their relationship with a kiss minutes ago and were in the initial stages of getting to know one another, there was no awkwardness between them. Clearly, Kurama's five years of preparation had played a significant role, providing them with ample time to test and adapt to each other's domain and life.

Hades’ expression remained unchanged, though his brows arched slightly. "Coveting?" The Lord of the Underworld spoke with a hint of a smile, his voice as cool and detached as ever. "Perhaps that is not entirely inaccurate." He turned his head and looked at Kurama with softened eyes. "Do you remember the 'Gift of the World' that finally succeeded under your help?"

The fox nodded. "Of course." He paused, then his eyes widened. "You mean... it has to do with that?"

The deity looked at him with a smile. "Yes... and no." He seemed to be teasing, yet he spoke in an earnest, serious tone. Before Kurama could look completely baffled, he continued, "When I first sensed your existence, the source of that aura was that very 'Gift of the World'."

At that time, Hades had been routinely channeling energy into the unformed "Gift," checking its growth while waiting for the final, harsh conditions required for it to mature. In a moment of total vulnerability, his mind was suddenly invaded by a powerful, unexpected consciousness.

The surprised but unflustered god prepared to expel the intrusion when he heard a young, weak voice repeating over and over: "Want, want to grow! Want, want to mature! Want, I want so much... that person, I want him so much..."

Hades realized in an instant that this mysterious, powerful consciousness, capable of infiltrating his cosmos without setting off any alarms, was the very "Gift of the World" he thought had yet to form a clear sense of self. The Lord of the Underworld was instantly invigorated! Since he had obtained this "Gift" from another world, he had spent time beyond counting nurturing this little fruit. After such long, arduous effort with only minimal progress, this discovery ignited a spark of anticipation in him. If someone existed who could satisfy that anticipation and ease his restlessness, even a patient and detached god like Hades would be eager to meet this visitor from another world.

After tracing Kurama's aura and discovering he was in the Underworld—and had already caused two major incidents, imprisoning Thanatos and fighting Hypnos—Hades, the master of the realm, had essentially seen his entire core ruling class provoked by this visitor.

Hades had ordered Hypnos to bring the red-haired youth to his palace. In the privacy of his chambers, Hades felt a strange, resonant "kindred" aura from Kurama that echoed something within himself. This led him to treat Kurama with unusual gentleness, subconsciously placing him on the same level as a partner to be treated with equal respect.

Of course, this was not enough for a cold-hearted deity who had not been moved by anyone in thousands of years to develop "romantic feelings." At the time, Hades simply found Kurama different from any human or god he had ever encountered; his personality, style, and attitude toward the Lord of the Underworld were fresh and intriguing.

This mindset lasted until the "Gift of the World" finally matured after his contact and energy exchange with the fox. After settling the deep-slumbering Kurama, Hades chose to fuse with the "Gift" he had watched over for years. The moment their consciousnesses merged, his mind was flooded with a barrage of images and information—all of it intimately related to Kurama.

Kurama, lost and desperate upon arriving in the YuYu Hakusho world.
Kurama, gradually opening his heart to accept this world and his changed self.
Kurama, fully integrated into the identity of Yoko Kurama, forming deep bonds with his companions.
Kurama, reaching out to push his dearest friend away at a critical moment.
Kurama, making a deal with the witch and embarking on a long, endless journey with Mokona.
Kurama, shedding his anxieties and showing his brilliance again in one strange world after another.

Kurama, Kurama, Kurama...

His entire mind was filled with this name, as if to fill the emptiness in Hades' own chest. The Lord of the Underworld frowned, gasping as he returned to reality from the intense impact. He had successfully merged with the "Gift of the World" and become a rare "Favored One." Yet, at that moment, he had no heart for celebration. His entire being was firmly occupied by the existence named Kurama.

Whether his eyes were open or closed, Kurama’s image appeared before him. Smiling, stern, wearing a cunning smirk, feeling helpless over his inability to change Genkai’s first "death"...

Hades could not stop caring about him. He began spending more and more time in the room where Kurama was kept, eventually moving him to his own bedroom. He would sit by the bed for hours, staring silently at the sleeping fox.

If Hades hadn't realized his feelings by then, he wouldn't be the reserved, calculating Lord of the Underworld. It wasn't that the "aftereffects" of the fusion forced him to feel love; rather, because it was Kurama, the familiarity and identification born from that forced participation in his life had the potential to evolve into love. Hades knew perfectly well that if it had been anyone else, he would never have developed such feelings. Because... "They are not you."

Leaning over to draw near to Kurama, seeing the warm smile in the fox’s eyes, the god curled his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to his lover’s forehead.

Kurama smiled and pinched the deity's cheek. "Are you really Hades?" He expressed "serious doubt." "He wouldn't say such sweet and mushy things."

The Lord of the Underworld looked at him with an indulgent smile. The fox stared at him for a moment, then burst into a laugh. "Alright, I'll let you pass." He said "reluctantly."

The god continued to smile in silence. Kurama turned his head away. "Speaking of which... I wonder how Sasuke and the others are doing."

***

How were Sasuke and the others doing?

In fact, while Kurama and Hades were finally confirming their relationship after five years, Team 7 was undergoing their first real skirmish of the mission. Unlike the original story, the powerful Sasuke and Naruto had tacitly chosen their targets the moment the attack began. Before Kakashi’s substitution technique even concluded, they had already lightning-fast neutralized all three attackers and tied them up in front of their client, Tazuna.

Kakashi, who had been hiding in the shadows, intending to test the trio's real-time combat abilities through this sudden attack, was left completely deflated. He emerged from the bushes, gave the two boys a weary glance, and turned to offer individual guidance to Sakura, who had been left completely sidelined by the swift conclusion of the battle.

After this, Tazuna confessed his identity and the reason for the attack, and Team 7 decided to continue the mission under Kakashi's lead. Everything that followed seemed no different from the original story: the encounter with the rogue ninja Zabuza Momochi, the grueling battle that left Kakashi severely injured, the intervention of the masked boy Haku, and the final confrontation on the bridge.

Everything seemed identical. Yet, this "lack of difference" was, in itself, the greatest difference. Naruto and Sasuke’s strength was lightyears beyond the original timeline. Even if they had intentionally suppressed their power to avoid alerting the Konoha higher-ups, they should not have been as "battered" as in the original story during their victory over Zabuza and Haku.

After the battle, Naruto and Sasuke, having indirectly caused the deaths of their opponents, were not in high spirits. They helped Tazuna scare off the corrupt merchant Gato and followed Kakashi toward their temporary lodgings in the Land of Waves. The mission was complete; it was time to leave.

But as the three of them walked away, none of them noticed that the fingers of Zabuza Momochi and Haku, who had died side-by-side, twitched—just a tiny, subtle, but undeniably real movement.