Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was dark in the village of Konoha, the breeze was light and the night was clear. To anyone who didn’t know any better the night was peaceful, the village as a whole was peaceful. At least to everyone besides a small blonde boy who couldn’t have been older than six. He knew better than anyone this village was far from peaceful. Especially at the current moment given he was trying his absolute best to outrun a decently sized group of drunks that had been chasing him for the last twenty minutes. He was trying his best to keep the distance between him and the leader of the group, but it was getting harder to do that.

He was exhausted and didn’t know how much longer he could keep up the sprinting. He was desperately trying to find an alley or a sharp turn he could make to make a clean escape but so far he hadn't had any luck. He chanced a quick look behind him and felt his heart drop, they were getting closer and closer to him. He dreaded to find out what would happen if they caught him. He glanced again around the streets and could have cried. Up ahead was an alleyway, he wasn’t too sure where it led but it had to be better than running through the open streets. He just had to make it a little longer, just a little longer until he could make that sharp turn and have a better chance at getting away.  

However, life had never been kind to the little boy, and in the seconds it took for him to find an alley. He managed to miss the indentation in the road. Before he knew it, he felt a sharp pain in his ankle and he was tumbling to the ground. He skid across it and collapsed onto his back. He tried to get up, tried to move before the villagers could get ahold of him, but like always, he was just shy of getting away. He was grabbed up by the front of his shirt, feet dangling aimlessly while the villagers cackled at him. He tried to struggle, tried to get free but it was no use, the leader of the group had a firm hold of him. 

“Let me go.” He tried to plead. He didn’t even do anything wrong, he was just sitting by the lake.

“Why would I do something like that? Did you let our families go?” the villager snarled back at him. The little boy flinched, he didn’t know what they were talking about. He had never done anything to anyone’s family. He tried not to cry, he knew it wouldn’t help. 

“ANSWER ME BRAT!” The man screamed in his face. The little boy couldn’t help the cry he let out. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Honest!” He tried, but it was the wrong thing to say, it always was. The next thing he knew he was thrown to the ground, cringing at the way his knee bashed into the gravel. He scrambled on his hands and knees trying to get up, but a bottle connected suddenly to the back of his head.

The little boy collapsed in a heap in the middle of the street immediately struggling to get up. He blinked rapidly trying to stay conscious, but the next blow to his jaw sent him reeling backwards. He fell boneless to the ground, black clouding his vision until everything went black. 

The little boy gained awareness again slowly, and then all too quickly at once. His eyes snapped open the second he felt the water all around him. The villagers were trying to drown him! He sat up quickly, trying to figure out where he was- a sewer? They had thrown him in a sewer? The little boy sighed, sounding like he had lived far more years than he had.

He slowly got to his feet, surveying his surroundings, it definitely was a sewer. Though, he had never been in a sewer with a giant cage in it. He stared at the cage for a bit, it was- really dark over there. Was something in it? Something that could hurt him?  He cautiously made his way to the bars, trying to make as little noise as possible. He squinted his eyes trying to see anything in the darkness, but there was nothing. At least, nothing that he could see. 

“Hello?” He called out hesitantly, terrified that something would jump out at him. However, nothing did, no movement, no sound. He decided to test his luck, so he got a little closer to the bars. 

“Is anyone in there?” He called out a little louder. Suddenly there was a flash of orange and a thunderous growl, the little boy stumbled and fell into the water. Face to face with the largest fox he had ever seen in his life. Its growls shook the water he was sitting in, all he could do was look up at the fox and cower away from it. 

“What do you want from me, little mortal.” The fox hissed out at him. The little boy's eyes widened, it could talk, the fox was talking to him. This had to be a dream- a nightmare? He didn’t know but he wanted to wake up. 

“I uhm, nothing Mr. Fox. I just, I really want to know where I am.” He stuttered out, he really didn’t mean to upset the fox. Maybe he had woken it up? He didn’t know but he didn’t mean to. 

“I’m- i’m Naruto. I uhm I don’t know how I got here.” He tried again when the fox didn’t make a move to respond to him. 

“I know who you are, child.” The fox hissed again, its entire body coming into view. It laid down near the bars and stared at Naruto. The boy wanted to cower away further, terrified that the fox was angry at him.

“We’re in your mind, specifically my seal. Your body is unconscious.” The fox said shortly. Naruto stared. Seal.. like the thing on his stomach? Was- was the fox sealed inside him? He had heard one of the Shinobi around the village say something about seals. How did the fox get in him?

“You’re too young to be asking all of those questions. Yes I’m sealed in you, yes someone did it to me. No, I won't tell you how it happened.” The fox paused.

“At least not now.” It finished. Naruto’s eyes went wide. The fox could hear what he was thinking? The fox above him chuckled, he looked back up. 

“I uhm- thank you Mr. Fox. How uh, how do I get out of here? Do you know?” Naruto asked quietly. The fox made a noise, it almost sounded disappointed. 

“You’ll be out soon, I just have to finish healing you so you can wake up.” Was the fox’s next short reply. Naruto jolted, the fox had been healing him? That’s why he always woke up like nothing had happened after nights like tonight? Naruto felt the tears well up in his eyes, and he tried not to let them fall. The fox was trapped inside him and he still healed him? How could it be so nice?

“Thank you Mr. Fox, that’s really nice of you.” He replied quietly, voice thick with unshed tears. The fox was quiet for a few seconds, and Naruto wiped the tears off his face hurriedly. 

“Uhm, do you.. Have a name? I don’t want to have to call you Mr. Fox forever, unless. Unless that’s what you want.” He quickly stuttered out. Naruto watched the fox’s ears twitch repeatedly, and it was silent for a good long while. Maybe he had upset it? He seemed to be pretty good at that. Maybe he should apologize. 

“It’s Kurama, child.” The fox- Kurama finally replied, Naruto beamed, his eyes lighting up. He was going to reply when his vision got blurry. He was on the edge of panic but figured, maybe he was finally waking up. He tried to yell thank you, but he didn’t know if Kurama had heard him. He would just think it when he woke up and hope that Kurama would hear him.  

He woke up slowly at first, he could hear the crickets and frogs outside, could smell the grass. He opened his eyes and was met with the dark sky, no buildings on either edge of his vision. He sat up, gingerly just in case something was still sore. That happened sometimes, he looked around, he was back on the shore of the lake. Naruto knew for a fact he had been attacked in the street. He looked around, trying to find whoever had moved him, he glanced near the trees and that’s where he saw it. A flash of silver that told him Dog had moved him, maybe he had gotten to Naruto before the beating got too bad. He quickly got to his feet and wobbled over to the trees, ankle still just a bit tender but nothing egregious. 

Thank you. He thought to himself, hoping the fox would hear him. He made it to the trees, looking around trying to find any sign of Dog. Suddenly a leaf floated down past his face and he looked up. There sitting on one of the higher branches was Dog. Naruto smiled wide and waved at him. The man tilted his head and waved back, Naruto liked to think that meant the Anbu was smiling at him. The man pointed across the lake and Naruto followed his finger. He was right next to the wall behind his apartment, Dog had brought him home. He could cry for the second time tonight, but he fought it. He turned back to the tree and smiled at the Anbu again. 

“Thank you so much Mr. Dog.” He said, hoping he didn’t sound as teary eyed as he felt. The Anbu tilted his head and dropped down from the tree in a flash, patting him on the shoulder. He walked forward, towards the lake and Naruto followed him, seemed like Mr. Dog was going to walk him home again. He did that sometimes, Naruto reached for one of the straps on his pants and held on to it. It made him feel better and Dog never seemed to mind it much.

They walked in silence, which Naruto was used to. He knew Mr. Dog wasn’t technically allowed to talk to him, he didn’t mind all that much. Sometimes Dog would grunt or hum at him and he thought that was more than enough. He was just happy to have someone who seemed to like him, even a little bit. It was comforting to know that at least one person cared about his safety. 

They made it to the wall relatively quickly, and Naruto stooped down to move the small metal sheet that was covering the hole he used to get into his apartment's yard. Dog kneeled with him, and made sure Naruto didn’t get cut on any of the sharp edges. Naruto would never have the words to tell the Anbu how much he appreciated him. He thanked Dog again and crawled through the hole. He heard Dog put the metal piece back as he climbed the stairs up to his tiny apartment that Hokage Grandpa got for him. He got in quickly and locked the door behind him, collapsing into bed almost immediately. He didn’t realize how tired he was. He might not be hurt anymore, and he was thankful but he was exhausted to his bones.

He kicked off his shoes and scrambled under his blankets. Trying his best to get comfortable without having to change. He didn’t have the energy to put on his pajamas. Naruto managed to get comfortable and buried his face in his pillow. He hoped tomorrow would be better. 

Maybe he would make Mr. Dog a little gift. 

~~Xx~~

Chapter Text

It had been a few days since the incident in the street, Naruto hadn’t left his little apartment much in that time. He hoped that his obvious absence from the streets of the village would quell the hatred of its occupants, at least for a little while. He had spent most of his time attempting to make the gift for Mr. Dog. He didn’t have much in terms of skills or money but he did have about five kunai that had been a gift from the Hokage when he turned five. The Hokage had also gifted him a scroll on how to care for the blades. So, he had decided to try and carve the kanji for Dog on one of the kunai with the other. It had been slow going, he was trying his best to make the gouges clean, and make sure the kanji was still legible. It looked okay to him, he could read them, and the gouges were deep enough that they wouldn’t wear flat. At least he hoped. 

The only issue he had now was finding Dog to give him the gift. He really only saw Dog when he was in trouble, and he really didn’t want to get chased on purpose. What if that upset Dog? So he was currently brain storming the best way to find the Anbu, maybe he could go to the Hokage and ask? The only problem there was what if that got Mr. Dog in trouble? He didn’t want to do that either. Naruto frowned down at his hands. Logically asking the Hokage was the safest option all around. Because even if he did get chased it wasn’t always a guarantee that Dog would be there. He had missions sometimes too. Naruto nodded to himself, the Hokage couldn’t get that mad at Mr. Dog. Especially if it was his job to look after Naruto. 

Naruto nodded to himself again and rolled out of his bed, he scrounged around his small kitchen for paper to wrap the gift and then got dressed. He pulled on his barely held together bag and carefully slipped the wrapped kunai into it. He glanced out the window in his living room, noticing that not too many villagers were out on the streets with how hot it was today. That gave him more of a chance to make it to Hokage tower without incident. The little boy smiled to himself and dashed out of his house and down the stairs and into the street. He still made sure to keep to the edges of the street, just to be extra cautious. The Hokage tower wasn’t incredibly far from his apartment thankfully, so hopefully everything would be okay.

He carefully maneuvered around the villagers and walked up the stairs to the tower. Now all he had to worry about was getting to the Hokages office without incident. He was usually pretty good at that. He didn’t think it would be too much of an issue. The only thing that would maybe stop him would be one of the older board members. Naruto didn’t know the man’s name, but the looks he gave Naruto made him feel unsafe. He skirted around the desk at the front and dashed towards the stairs behind it. He could feel the eyes of several what he hoped were Anbu tracking his movements as he climbed the stairs. He hoped with everything in him that they knew that he wasn’t a threat to the Hokage. Naruto tried to shake that thought and dashed up to the final landing of the stairs and skidded to a stop. Several of the board members were standing in the doorway of the Hokage’s office. Naruto glanced around and beelined behind a potted plant to hide. He knew the board didn’t like him and it looked like they had just finished a meeting they weren’t happy with.

The little boy tried to breathe quieter than he normally did, he knew the board were civilians, but he was still terrified they would find him. He watched as they descended the stairs, hearing the irritated mumbles that floated between them. Part of them wondered what had upset them so bad, but he knew better than to try and find out. He waited a little longer before slinking over to the door of the Hokage’s office. Naruto took a deep breath, and then knocked solidly twice, he heard very faintly the sigh the man let out. 

“Enter.” The man said, voice stronger than that of other men his age. Naruto hesitated minutely and then pushed the door open. He smiled awkwardly at the Hokage as the door shut behind him. The man paused, seemingly perplexed that Naruto was here. He cocked an eyebrow before speaking to the boy. 

“Ah. Naruto, I didn’t expect a visit from you today. Has something happened?” He asked, taking a drag off his pipe. Naruto briefly considered telling the older man about what the villagers had done to him. However, given that nothing had been done the last time he had said anything, he knew better than to try. Which, probably should upset the little boy, but he was used to adults not caring for him. 

“No sir, nothing happened.” He said with a smile that he knew didn’t reach his eyes. “I actually had kind of a favor to ask.” He finished, voice getting much smaller toward the end. The Hokage gave him a hard look, probably expecting the boy to beg to join the academy early again. Naruto stuttered and quickly attempted to quiet that thought. 

“No! Uhm- not about the academy again. I uh- promise!” He said trying his best to sound believable. Because really it wasn’t about the academy this time. He had given up on that a few months ago. 

“Hm.” He replied shortly. “Alright. What is this favor then Naruto?” He finished, suddenly sounding tired. A tiny frown worked its way to the corner of Naruto's face. Was he that much of an annoyance for the Hokage? He thought the man liked him, at least to some degree. On the other hand though, the Hokage really never did check on him, or believe him about the villagers. Maybe he was just like the rest of the adults Naruto knew. Maybe the Hokage thought he was a burden like everyone else did. His frown deepened a bit before he decided to speak. 

“I just- I was wondering if you knew where Mr. Dog was.” He said quietly. “I had something that I wanted to give him for helping me.” Naruto knew he sounded as small as he felt. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. The Hokage very obviously did not want to see him today. He heard the next suffering sigh the Hokage let out and was more than ready to abandon this completely. Go back home and just stash the gift somewhere and hope Dog could find it. He should have known better than to ask for an on duty Anbu. Why did he even think this was a good idea in the first place? Especially with the way the Hokage was currently looking at him like he had asked the most impossible question.

Suddenly though he heard a small puff behind him and the Hokage’s mild surprised noise. The little boy swung around quickly, a massive smile forcing its way onto his face when he saw Dog. He went to hug the man, but stopped before he could even move. Dog’s body language read seething anger, oh no. Had he upset the Anbu? That wasn’t his intention, not at all. This was a bad idea, he knew it. He should know better than to do things like this. He had upset the one person in the village that had ever shown care for him. Naruto felt like crying, today had not gone at all the way that he planned it to. 

Almost as if he read Naruto’s mind, the tall silver haired man ruffled the boy's hair. Still visibly angry, but Naruto could tell it wasn't him that Dog was angry at. The Anbu gave the Hokage a pointed look before gently grabbing Naruto’s shoulder and forming a hand sign. Naruto vaguely recognized it as the same one Dog used when he would seemingly disappear. That was the only warning he got before they suddenly teleported away. Naruto stumbled harshly, not used to the feeling at all. Dog knelt down and helped steady the boy, looking him over subtly. Naruto steadied himself and looked up at the man with a shaky smile. 

“I’m sorry if I got you in trouble with Lord Hokage. I didn’t mean to, honest! I just wanted to give you a gift for helping me all the time whe-” Naruto’s voice was cut off suddenly when Dog’s gloved hand covered his mouth. The man shook his head quickly, shoulder shaking with what Naruto could tell was a chuckle. The boy breathed a sigh of relief as the Anbu released him. 

“Well, uhm that’s good at least. OH! Let me show you the gift. Uhm I didn’t really have much to work with so I really hope you like it!” Naruto finished with a smile, swinging his bag around and pulling the wrapped kunai out. The boy hesitated, terrified that the Anbu was going to hate it. He frowned a little, Anbu had tons of kunai, would Dog even like this? He shook his head, a determined look on his face suddenly. Even if Dog liked it a little bit that would be good enough for him, he nodded to himself and looked up at Dog. He held his hands out, the kunai balanced on top of his open palms.The man looked at him for a few seconds before gingerly taking the wrapped kunai from him. 

Naruto watched with rapt attention as Dog unwrapped the kunai. He watched as the wrapping paper fell away and Dog saw the inscription on the blade. He held his breath as Dog inspected the inscription, and then spun the kunai around in his hand. He couldn’t tell if the man liked it, but watched anyway as he stowed it away in his gear pouch. The man tilted his head at him and Naruto could have cried, he was smiling. 

“Thank you Naruto.” 

~~Xx~~

Chapter Text

Naruto’s eyes widened comically had- had Dog just spoken to him? Before he could help it tears welled up in his eyes and a cheek burning smile made its way across his face. Dog had spoken to him! He couldn’t believe it! Not only did Dog like his gift he actually spoke! Naruto had never heard a single word out of the Anbu, and the first ever time he talks is a thank you? Naruto was over the moon. This had completely made his day, all melancholy from the interaction with the Hokage completely washed from his mind.

“I’m so glad you like it!!! You’re welcome Mr. Dog!!” He rushed out. Probably louder than he should have and could have sworn he heard a quiet chuckle from the Anbu. Naruto lunged forward and caught the man in a hug before he could stop himself. He was so happy, Dog had actually liked his gift! He didn’t feel the way the Anbu violently tensed, nor did he notice how hesitantly he returned the hug. He did however, feel the squeeze Dog gave him before Naruto leaned away from him. Face splitting smile still on his face like it was carved there. 

The man ruffled his hair again as he sat down fully next to Naruto. No hint at all that he had been absolutely shell shocked by the hug. Naruto would have no way of knowing that was the first hug that Dog had received in a very long time. Nor would he know how much the hug meant to him. Natuto smiled at the Anbu again, little giggles escaping him. He could not get over how happy Dog sounded, or that he had spoken to him. Nothing could have prepared Naruto for that.

“I’ll use it all the time. I promise.” The man said to him quietly, and Naruto could hear the smile in his voice. He beamed again. 

“Really!! It’ll keep you safe I swear!! I made it so that it would!” The little boy exclaimed. 

“And! If it ever wears down I can carve you a new one I promise!” He finished, looking like the incarnation of the sun in the afternoon light. Eyes bright and smile so wide it was a wonder it wasn’t splitting his face open. The little boy couldn't have known but he had just made the Anbu’s entire day. 

Maybe even his week. No one had ever been so kind to him, not for innocent reasons. In his life kindness always came with a price. Not only that but the Anbu fully believed this Kunai would keep him safe. Especially with the conviction that Naruto proclaimed it. He couldn’t help but to ruffle the boy's hair again, he had no idea how else to express just how happy he was. Positive emotions had always been very few and far between for the Anbu. He had always struggled to express them.  

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, both the little boy and the Anbu watching the ducks swim in the lake. Dog however, could tell from how Naruto was fidgeting that he had something to say. The man tilted his head, nothing had ever kept Naruto from blurting out what was on his mind. This had to be something the little boy thought was important. He wouldn’t have to wait long at all before finding out what he wanted to say it seemed. He watched the Naruto straightened up, and prepared himself for whatever the boy could say.

“Uh.. Mr Dog. Why did the Hokage seem.. mad at me today?” Naruto managed to get out. He was scared of asking, horrified of the answer. He chanced at glance at Dog who looked tense again. He watched the way Dog clenched and unclenched his hands and rushed to say something. Anything that would keep him from being mad at him 

“If- if I can’t know that’s- that’s okay! I’m sorry for asking!! I just really don’t want you to get in trouble. I’m sorry.” Naruto rushed out, more than aware at how scared he sounded. He didn’t want to get Dog in trouble or make him mad. That was his main fear. Dog had been the only person who was consistently kind to him. He was terrified of losing that, especially since the Hokage seemed to like him less and less everyday. He wouldn’t know what to do if Dog was mad at him. Let alone if Dog hated him. Naruto would never forgive himself if he caused Dog to hate him. 

“He’s not mad at you.” The Anbu replied quietly. Naruto’s head snapped to look at him. Brought out of his internal spiral quickly. He could hear the subtle way Dog’s tone changed. His eyebrows drew together as he tried to figure out what that meant. Why his tone had changed. Hokage Grandpa wasn’t mad at him.. but he had looked mad! He looked livid like he was going to- oh. The Hokage wasn't mad at him. He was mad at Dog.. he knew it. He knew that he was going to get Dog in trouble. He knew better he shouldn’t have asked. Oh this was all his fault Dog was in trouble and it was all his fault. Naruto could feel the tears in his eyes. Could feel how quickly he was breathing. 

He had ruined everything, Dog was going to hate him for getting him in trouble. All for a stupid kunai when Dog had hundreds of them. This felt worse than in the Hokage’s office. Because at least this time he knew it was his fault. He felt the first tear slide down his face, quickly followed by several more. He needed to apologize, he didn’t want Dog to hate him, he would beg if he had too. Before he could look up to start apologizing he was pulled roughly into a tight hug. Naruto went completely still and before he could help it he was sobbing into Dog’s chest. 

Broken sobs that hurt his throat, and made him sound pathetic. He tried to apologize between the crying but all that could be heard were desperate mumbles and heart breaking sobs. Dog for the most part was completely out of his depth. Doing his best to soothe the sobbing child in his arms. He held the boy closer if that was possible and rubbed his back. He didn’t know what to do, but he did know that the sound of Naruto’s sobbing was breaking his heart. They sat like that for a while, Naruto sobbing, and Dog doing whatever he could to try and calm Naruto down. 

“I’m- I’m sorry Mr. Dog. I- I didn’t mean to get you i-in trouble.” Naruto finally managed to softly stutter out some of his tears, quieting down. 

“I just- I just wanted to do something nice. B-because you’ve been s-so nice to me. Please don’t be mad.” The little boy sounded terrified. Dog was absolutely perplexed. Why would he be mad at Naruto? The little ray of sunshine had done nothing wrong. Dog was the one who had gotten himself in trouble. He knew he wasn’t allowed to make contact with Naruto. The Hokage had made that very clear. When he was given this mission he had been given strict rules to never let Naruto see him. He was to observe from the shadows and only intervene if strictly necessary. 

He squeezed the boy again before moving one of his arms to ruffle his hair. Naruto looked up at Dog shocked. 

“I’m not mad at you Naruto” The silver haired man said softly. Naruto’s eyes widened. Dog wasn’t mad at him? 

“You haven’t done anything wrong.” He finished, head tilted. That same tilt that Naruto knew meant he was smiling. 

“But.. but I got you in trouble.” The little boy basically whispered. Dog shook his head with an air of finality. 

“I got myself in trouble. You don’t have to worry about it.” Dog replied, gently wiping the tears from Naruto’s face. Naruto looked the Anbu for a long time. He could tell Dog didn’t want to talk about ‘getting himself in trouble’ but he was so confused. His face scrunched in concern before he nodded at Dog. That’s okay. He didn’t need to know, must be one of the things he wasn’t allowed to know. 

“Okay. I believe you Mr. Dog.” He said finally, a small smile worming its way back onto his face. If Mr. Dog said not to worry about it then he wouldn’t. He saw the Anbu’s head tilt again and he giggled quietly. Out of no where they both heard the sound of a hawk cawing. Dog’s head snapped up to the sky and Naruto watched the way his entire body tensed. He knew the hawk meant Dog had to go, he had seen many Shinobi rush to the Hokage tower at the sight of the bird. Dog looked back down at Naruto and gently lifted him off his lap and back into the grass. 

“I have to go.” He said quietly, and Naruto nodded. He had to go.. the Hokage wanted to talk to him. Naruto frowned, he hoped Dog would be okay. 

“Thank you again for the kunai Naruto. Please be safe.” Naruto smiled up at the Anbu and nodded. He would do his absolute best to be safe. He watched the Anbu’s head tilt before he formed a hand sign and disappeared. Naruto’s smile dropped immediately. He could feel the cold heavy weight of dread setting in his chest. 

He really hoped Dog would be okay. 

~~Xx~~

Chapter Text

Dog had not been okay, or at least that’s what Naruto had been assuming. He hadn’t seen even a glance of Dog in four years. That day at the lake was the last one he had ever spent with the Anbu. For a long while he thought that Dog really did hate him. That he abandoned him because Naruto had gotten him in trouble. The boy had spent many many nights searching for him, sobbing when he couldn’t find him and hating himself for pushing Dog away. 

However, roughly a year ago, when he was admitted to the academy he had a meeting with the Hokage. That had cleared everything up for him. The old man had looked- different when Naruto walked it. Not because of the obvious irritation about Naruto’s academy ID card. No it was something else. Naruto spent the entire conversation not paying attention to a word the man said. Trying to figure out why he almost looked- nervous. No nervous was the wrong word, antsy maybe. That was a better word. The Hokage looked antsy and he kept glancing to the corner of the room right next to Naruto. The boy knew nobody was there visibly at least , there was probably an Anbu up in the ceiling. Why would an Anbu be making the Hokage antsy? They were his guards weren’t they? He remembered squinting at the old man who had almost tripped over his words.  

The Hokage had cleared his throat, ensuring Naruto would be retaking the photo. He remembered agreeing just to get away from the man. He was fed up with being in the office. He remembered that too. What he remembered most however, was the glint of silver and the sheer force of irritation that came from the corner of the room when he walked out. Just as he was closing the door he saw Dog jump down from the rafter. More angry than Naruto had ever seen him. He remembers having the epiphany that the Hokage must have been the reason Dog no longer guarded him. He remembers being belligerently angry about it too. 

Which lead him to where he was currently. Panting The Great Stone Faces, he had just finished painting a green X on the current Hokage’s face when he heard yelling below him. Down on the road below the mountain he could just make out the silhouettes of Iruka and Mizuki Sensei. The boy let out a startled laugh and rushed to climb back to the top of the mountain. He couldn’t let them catch him or he would be in serious trouble. Iruka Sensei had already been mad at him for messing up the clone jutsu earlier today. He rushed down the side of the mountain, refusing to use the road since he knew that’s where Mizuki and Iruka Sensei would be. 

He had made it to the road into the village, smiling and laughing. He was almost safe, if he could just get to his house they wouldn’t be able to touch him! However that joy was short lived because suddenly he was jerked backwards by the collar of his jumpsuit, hard. He choked and thrashed violently until he was dropped in front of Iruka Sensei’s feet. Naruto coughed violently and looked up at the man with a glare. That hurt, a lot and he could hear the quiet irritated growl of Kurama under his skin. Iruka Sensei had the grace to look regretful but that lasted mere seconds before he launched into a rant. Telling Naruto all about his failures, how he should be ashamed of painting the Hokage’s faces. How he knew better than to do that. 

But did he? Did he really? Naruto had grown up alone, he took care of himself, fed himself, tried to teach himself. Nobody had told him not to paint the faces. He hadn’t been told a lot of things. Even after joining the academy, nobody took time to explain things to him. To teach him things he couldn’t understand. Kurama has been the one to help him learn to read and write. That had only happened after Iruka Sensei thought he was joking about not knowing how to do it and laughed at him. So really he didn’t know better, he narrowed his eyes at the man. Not hearing a word that he was saying, just waiting for him to be done yelling. He knew he’d be dragged back to class, be made an example of in front of everyone. He didn’t care, at least not anymore. He was used to it. 

Iruka Sensei was finally done yelling and was looking at Naruto pointedly. He rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah whatever Sensei. Let’s just get back to class.” He replied, sounding more irritated that he meant to. Iruka Sensei gave him a long hard look, then suddenly he sighed, face going soft. Naruto squinted, not trusting that at all. Iruka Sensei had never been soft with him. 

“You’re right Naruto, come on. Back to the academy.” The man said, voice quieter than Naruto had ever heard. Naruto frowned and followed behind his Sensei quietly. 

“He is acting strange kit.” The Fox rumbled inside his head. Naruto nodded to himself. 

“He really is Kura. I don’t know what his deal is.” Naruto replied, making very sure to not say anything out loud. He had made that mistake once and it ended badly. He heard the fox’s answering grumble and frowned again.

He wasn’t sure what was up with Iruka Sensei but he had a sick feeling whatever it was wouldn’t change the public humiliation he was sure to face when they got back to the academy. Another thing he didn’t understand, having an entire class watch him fail at something didn’t make him better at it. Sure it made him train harder but that never changed anything. He couldn’t do simple Jutsu’s, sure he knew why he couldn’t but. It’s not like he could walk up to his teachers and tell them that the reason he couldn’t perform the jutsu’s was because of Kurama. The Fox made his already hefty chakra stores nearly double what they were already. He frowned harder. 

This wasn’t fair. Why was he being punished instead of taught? Why were they so quick to chalk it up to him not trying to learn instead of helping him? If they would just answer his questions it would help! Why was he so different from everyone else in the class. His classmates got their questions answered, they got individual help. Naruto? He got ignored, he got instructed to pay better attention. Told he just wasn’t trying hard enough. It was mean, it was mean and unfair he didn’t do anything to anyone! Why was he being punished for things he didn’t do! He glared at Iruka Sensei’s back, suddenly more upset than he had been in a long while. All the boy wanted was for someone to pay attention to him. To help him. That’s why he acted out all the time, that’s why he did pranks. If someone would just listen to him maybe- maybe he could actually succeed at something! 

He wasn’t just some dumb kid, he wanted so badly to learn but how was he supposed to do that when everyone had it out for him? When everyone was bound and determined to see him fail? There was only so much he could do alone, he wasn’t allowed in the library. The Hokage had brushed him off. God forbid he ask Iruka or Mizuki Sensei. Everyone just shunned him or told him to figure it out. Sure Kurama helped, and he helped a lot but there was only so much he could do sealed inside of Naruto. The boy’s glare turned toxic. What was even the point of becoming a Shinobi then? If the village he was supposed to protect hated him. If everyone around him wanted him to fail. Maybe he would, maybe he’d give up and hide. Hide from the world, from the people who hated him, hide from everything. Kurama’s growl rumbled against his skin soothingly. 

It was times like these that Naruto really missed Dog. 

~~Xx~~ 

Chapter Text

Naruto was right about the public humiliation. He was stood in the front of the classroom listening while Iruka Sensei scolded him again. Well listening was a strong word, he was half hearing what his teacher said and half paying attention to what Kurama was mumbling to him. 

“I can try and back up in my cage. Maybe give you a shot at making at least one clone.” The Fox rumbled, Naruto couldn’t help but smile. Kurama was trying so hard. It made his heart warm. He remembered how reluctant the Fox was around him at first.  

“I don’t want you being uncomfortable Kura, that cage is already small. If I could change it I would.” The boy replied, more than aware that his small smile had made Iruka Sensei livid. He felt more than he heard the rumble Kurama let out as he paid more attention to his teacher. 

“You think this is funny Naruto? Alright then. Since you are so confident skipping class. Why don’t you demonstrate the clone jutsu for us then!” Naruto scowled at the man. 

“Yeah sure Sensei”. He replied, disinterested. The man met him with his own scowl. Naruto closed his eyes and focused, making the handsigns for the clone jutsu. He opened his eyes and caught the moment Iruka glanced over at Mizuki. He smiled hard and suddenly switched his hand signs. A cloud of smoke appeared in the room and Naruto could feel the eyes of everyone in class on him. When the smoke cleared instead of a clone, there stood Naruto transformed into a girl. His signature Sexy Jutsu, he smiled cruelly at Iruka Sensei who’s jaw had dropped wide open. The rest of the class was sat in stunned silence. 

“NARUTO!” Iruka Sensei managed to scream before his nose gushed blood and he fell backwards into a dead faint. Naruto let the transformation fall and bent over cackling hysterically. It worked! His jutsu had worked! He glanced over at Mizuki Sensei who was trying desperately to wake Iruka Sensei up. Naruto managed to quiet his cackling into giggles and stood back up. He made his way to the back of the classroom to sit down. Still giggling to himself as Iruka Sensei regained consciousness. 

“NARUTO! YOU HAVE TO START TAKING THIS STUFF SERIOUSLY. THE GRADUATION EXAM IS TOMORROW AND AT THIS RATE YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO PASS.” Iruka Sensei bellowed out the second he got back to his feet. The room was silent before the entire class started quietly chuckling. Amused by his perpetual failure in class. Naruto scowled at his teachers and buried his face in his arms. He’d show them. He’d show all of them. Maybe he didn't need some stupid headband to be a ninja. Maybe he didn’t need to pass the class at all. 

“It may not be needed, but it would make leaving easier. If that’s what you decided later in the future kit.” The quiet rumble of the Fox’s voice filled his subconscious. Naruto sighed to himself. The Fox was right, but at this rate he always was. 

“I know Kurama. I just wish they would actually give me the tools I need to get better.” The young boy replied. 

“It’s not like I do this on purpose.” He said after a while.

“I know kit, I know..” The Fox said, quieter in his head than he’d ever been. Naruto clenched his teeth. This sucked. He knew he would fail tomorrow, and he knew he’d have to repeat the class. Maybe… maybe he could ask the Hokage for help? The boy shook his head quickly. No. The old man had taken the one thing Naruto ever cared about away from him. He would not be asking that man for anything. 

He glanced up to the front of the classroom, Iruka Sensei was writing something on the board about kunai trajectory. He scowled. What good would drawings of kunai do any of them. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have this lesson outside? He frowned, whatever it didn’t matter. He was good enough at throwing kunai and shuriken. So what if no one else could do it. Wasn’t his problem. The lesson ended about an hour later and Naruto was more than ready to get home. 

“Naruto stay back after class.” The boy smacked his head on his desk. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. When had anything been that easy. 

“You. Will be cleaning every bit of paint off the Hokage faces, and I will be monitoring you to make sure you do it.” Iruka Sensei said the second everyone was out of the room. Naruto let out a frustrated growl. 

“Fine.” He huffed out, rougher than he meant. Naruto bolted out of the classroom and made a beeline to The Great Stone Faces. Ignoring Iruka Sensei’s shout to slow down. He was a Chuunin he could catch up if it bothered him that badly. He made it to the faces ages before Iruka did and had to sit and wait. He assumed his teacher had all the things he needed to clean the mountain. When the man finally caught up he was scowling and sat a bucket of water and a cloth down in front of Naruto. He looked like he wanted to say something but the boy just snatched up the cleaning supplies and climbed up the mountain. He didn’t want to hear anything Iruka might have to say to him. He was sick of the lectures. Sick of Iruka thinking that belittling him made the man a good teacher. 

He had gotten done with nearly all of the faces in silence when he noticed it was getting dark. He scowled, any later and he would have to have instant ramen for dinner instead of Ichiraku. Which he guessed wasn’t the worst option, he had just been looking forward to seeing Teuchi today. Naruto wiped the last of the paint off the Fourth Hokage’s face and tossed the bucket back down towards the ground. Startling Iruka who had been lounging against the wall of the mountain. It almost made Naruto laugh. The man glanced up and seemed genuinely surprised Naruto had actually cleaned. 

He made his way down the mountain and stood next to Iruka. Looking at him expectantly. Ready to be told he could go home. He was tired, he was covered in sweat and cleaning supplies. The faster Iruka told him he could leave, the faster he could eat and go to bed. Iruka looked at him pensively before speaking. 

“Ichiraku on me?” He asked, a smile on his face. Naruto looked at him for a long time before begrudgingly agreeing. Free food was free food, even if it came with another lecture from Iruka. They walked to the ramen stall in silence, which seemed to unnerve Iruka at least from what Naruto could tell. Sure the boy was usually talkative, but he just didn’t have it in him today. Iruka Sensei had embarrassed him in front of everyone again today so he felt entitled to a little silence. 

They made it to the stand and that was when Naruto brightened like the sun. The warm smile of Teuchi cheering him up exponentially. The man and his granddaughter had become some of the most important people in his life. They fed him even when he couldn’t afford it. Which was far more that anyone else had ever done for him. They also let him hide in the stall sometimes when people were chasing him. 

“Hi old man!” He greeted happily. Teuchi looked over at him with a fond smile and set his already made order down in front of him. 

“Naruto! How’s my favorite customer?” Naruto beamed at him. Just about to answer.  

“Oh, hello Shinobi San. What would you like?” Teuchi finished, almost as an afterthought. Which secretly pleased Naruto. The boy ignored Iruka as he ordered, more than happy to sit and enjoy his ramen. It was as good as it always was, warmed him up from the inside and made him feel loved. Teuchi and Ayame always made him feel welcomed and were more than happy to see him. He finished his bowl before he knew it and Teuchi quietly removed the empty one and placed a new one in front of him with a smile. Naruto thanked him quietly and dug into his second bowl. He could feel Iruka’s eyes on him a fact that he was trying very hard to ignore. 

“Naruto?” He heard Iruka start, the boy sighed softly and put his chopsticks down. Looking over at Iruka to at least seem like he was paying attention to what the man was saying. 

“What do you think the lecture is about this time Kura?” He asked the Fox tentatively. 

“Something about Shinobi values, the importance of the Kage, and respect if I had to guess.” The Fox replied, a hint a mirth in his voice. Naruto fought the smile creeping up his face, tuning back into Iruka. 

“-you just have to keep trying Naruto. I know you have it in you to become a great Shinobi okay?” Iruka was apparently finished. Naruto plastered on him most believable smile and nodded. 

“I will keep trying Iruka Sensei! Believe it! I’m gonna be the greatest ninja their is!” He said, trying his best to sound as excited as he was pretending to be. It apparently worked because Iruke smiled and nodded, taking another bite of his ramen. 

“Very nice kit.” Kurama rumbled to him. Naruto smiled and nodded to himself before finishing his second bowl. He was tempted to ask for a third, however he was tired and ready to be away from Iruka. So he denied Teuchi’s offer of a third bowl, thanked Iruka and made his way back home. Well- home was a stretch he guessed. The apartment the Hokage paid for him to live in really wasn’t that great. He couldn’t really complain, he guessed. It was better than sleeping on the streets or living in the orphanage. 

He sighed as he made his way up the steps to his apartment, noticing that his door had once again been painted. Which meant someone had scrawled some sort of violence on it again. Naruto knew that if the Hokage wasn’t paying his rent his landlord would have kicked him out ages ago. He shuffled into his room and collapsed on the bed, bone tired. 

Tomorrow was going to suck. 

~~Xx~~

Chapter Text

The harsh sound of the boy’s alarm sliced through the calm morning air, Naruto jolted awake. Glaring hatefully at the alarm, even though it did its job of waking him up. He quickly rolled to silence its screaming and sighed loudly. He really didn’t want to do this today, but not showing up was not an option. Iruka had proved that many times by showing up at his apartment and dragging him to class. He got up begrudgingly, rifling through his closet and sighing once again. He really wished he could afford actual clothes. His jumpsuit was on its last leg, and he knew that orange wasn’t a good color for a ninja.

On the off chance that he did pass today. He would be a walking target, really he already was. The boy shrugged on his clothes and made his way out of his apartment, not bothering to lock the door. It had been broken for so long that everyone already knew he had nothing to steal. He rushed down the stairs, and through the alley out onto the main street. He glanced around, thankful that the street was still mostly empty, given how early it was. At least he wouldn’t have to be on guard on the way to his next public embarrassment. 

However, he still made sure to be very careful when passing a villager, just to be sure he wouldn’t give them any reason to bother him. If he was completely honest he was starting to hate this village, and the villagers. They never treated him like anything better than the dirt they walked on every day. The boy frowned, even the Hokage was starting to treat him like an obligation. Which if you asked Naruto was completely unfair given that the Hokage at one point was the only adult Naruto thought he could trust. He was broken out of his thoughts suddenly by a bug landing on his nose. The boy's steps faltered as he crossed his eyes to see the little creature. A small smile slid across his face as he recognized the beetle. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Shino-kun?” He asked the creature quietly, not surprised at all by the faintest chuckle he heard behind him. The beetle took flight off his nose, fluttering in front of his face for a few moments before darting behind the blonde. He turned around just in time to see the beetle land on his sort of friend’s finger. Naruto smiled wide and waved enthusiastically at the boy behind him. 

“Good morning Naruto-kun.” The boy said quietly, catching up to Naruto. Naruto smiled and continued walking, doing his best to keep pace with Shino. 

“Good morning! The little guy seemed happy to see me.” Naruto replied, day already better. 

“Yes, he was. I believe he likes you.” Shino said, and Naruto could hear the smallest smile in his voice. 

“He likes me! That’s super cool!” He was a little weirded out the first time one of Shino’s beetles had landed on him. However as the two continued to be partnered for things, and cross paths, Naruto had grown fond of them. He remembered telling Shino he would attempt to name every single beetle, and Shino telling him kindly that he couldn’t possibly name millions of beetles. Naruto gave Shino another smile, content to walk to the academy in comfortable silence. He and Shino weren’t terribly close, however, Shino was the only kid his age that didn’t mind his company. That was more than good enough for the blonde, he hadn’t had a friend since Dog got reassigned. Besides, Shino was incredibly nice to him, and on some occasions would randomly leave ‘extra’ food on his desk during lunch. It was more than he could ever ask for, and Shino never made it seem like a burden. 

The walk to the academy was peaceful, aside from the occasional beetle coming to inspect his face, or his hair. Not that he minded, it was just a little ticklish when they walked on his face. Quicker than Naruto would have liked they made it to the classroom and parted ways. Shino to his desk near the front, and Naruto to his desk in the back. He sunk heavily into his seat and slouched backwards. He glanced at the front of the room and saw all the headbands stacked on Iruka’s desk. His heart stuttered and he frowned down at his desk. 

“Do you think I’ll actually pass today Kura?” He thought glumly, glancing back up to the front to see Mizuki walking in. 

“I don’t know kit. Maybe if the clone jutsu isn’t on the test you’ll be able to. You can usually manage the other two jutsus just fine.” Kurama replied, his voice sounding a little- sad almost. Naruto frowned again, he didn’t want Kura to be sad. It wasn’t his fault none of the teachers would give him proper help with his insane chakra stores. The Fox could only do so much while being sealed inside him. 

“Well! Even if I don’t, there’s always next year eh Kura? Maybe I’ll be able to find someone to help me with chakra control.” He replied, voice sounding more chipper than he felt, which he knew Kurama would know. He heard the deep chuckle and smiled to himself. 

“Yeah kit, always next year.” The Fox replied, sounding a bit amused, obviously aware of Naruto’s attempt to cheer him up. Naruto was broken out of his thoughts by the door slamming open and the sound of what could only be Ino and Sakura yelling at each other. He covered his ears and groaned, smacking his head onto his desk. Kami why were those two always so loud ,some people would actually like to keep their hearing. He raised his head back up and glared at them as they pushed their way to Sasuke’s table.

 Naruto almost felt bad for him, the way everyone fought for his attention. However he was always quickly reminded about the hateful words Sasuke would hurl at him given any chance and no longer felt bad for him. He glanced back at the front just in time to see Iruka start yelling at everyone to sit down and be quiet. He folded his arms on the desk and face planted into them. He knew he had likely bombed the written exam yesterday, and would likely fail the practical portion today. He also knew he would be the last person called for the practical, right after Sasuke, he grimaced. Always being after Sasuke made him think that his teachers judged him more harshly, since Sasuke was top of the class. 

Mizuki started calling names for the practical portion, and Naruto used that time to sink into his mind. 

“Hi Kura.” He said quietly, leaning against the bars. He felt the Fox shift, and his snout came to press near the bar he was leaning on. 

“Hi kit.” The Fox replied, sounding as fed up as Naruto felt. He sighed, just wanting to sit with Kura until his name was called. The Fox was and likely always would be a very big comfort for the boy. It’s why he wished so bad that he could do something about the cage. He knew removing the seal wasn’t likely the best idea given how young he was. Regardless of the fact that he and Kura were friends. He just wanted the Fox to be more comfortable, this water sucked. Naruto’s eyes suddenly snapped open, wait. This was his mind, so- in theory he should be able to decide how it looked.

They boy sat up straight into a meditative position, ignoring the Fox’s questioning growl for now. He focussed hard, imagining the clearing in the forest he trained in. The little pond, and the circle of trees that bracketed it. He thought of Kura’s cage as more of a deep creak that ran around him, hopefully bigger than that cage. He even imagined a little bridge that crossed the creak and a sign post for the seal. He focussed hard, willing with everything he had for the scenery in his mind to change, when he heard the surprised grumble he snapped his eyes open. 

The boy could have cried in joy, it looked exactly as he imagined, Kurama had space now. Space to move, space to stretch. He looked at the Fox who, if Naruto wasn’t imagining it, looked nearer to tears than he did. He ran across the bridge and stood in front of the Fox, eyes streaming and a massive smile planted on his face. 

“I know it’s not perfect, and I know you’re still sealed but… I really hope this is more comfortable.” He said quiet, and hopeful. The Fox looked at him for a long time and Naruto could swear he saw the fur around Kurama’s eyes darken with tears. 

“This is more than comfortable kit. This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a very long time.” Kurama replied, settling his nose against Naruto’s chest. Naruto hugged it to the best of his ability. He was so happy, Kura finally had space to move. Dry space with comfortable grass and no more bars. 

“You’ve always been here for me. It killed me that you were stuck in that tiny cage, in a sewer. It was the least I could do.” Naruto felt the chuckle against his chest and squeezed Kurama’s snout a little tighter before letting him go. He watched as the Fox settled down and stretched his full body out. Probably for the first time in a long time, he couldn’t help but smile harder. Kura’s ears twitched suddenly and he let out a quiet growl. 

“Your turn for the exam kid. Shino is shaking your shoulder.” Naruto embraced the immediate blurring of his vision and sat up in his body. Wiping the tears from his face. 

“It’s your turn Naruto-kun” Sino said quietly. Naruto smiled at him and nodded in thanks. He got up and made his way to the connected exam room and took a deep breath. Already anticipating failure, he shut the door and looked over at his teachers. Mizuki looked friendly enough and Iruka had this look on his face like he was already anticipating disappointment. Naruto’s heart sank. He was so sick of everyone around him looking at him like that. Nobody ever gave him a chance; they just expected him to fail right off the bat. He frowned hard at Iruka and made his way into the middle of the room, in front of the shared desk. 

“Good morning Naruto-kun.” Mizuki said with a smile. Naruto smiled back and nodded, glancing over at Iruka. 

“Good morning.” The boy replied, waiting for Iruka to tell him what the exam was going to be over. 

“Morning Naruto. Your exam is to correctly perform the Transformation Jutsu, and the Clone Jutsu.” Naruto’s frown deepened. Well that was that then, he was absolutely going to fail. The boy grit his teeth and nodded. He made the hand signs for the transformation and focussed hard. Suddenly the room filled with smoke and a near perfect mirror of Mizuki stood before the two teachers. Iruka looked genuinely surprised and Naruto fought the urge to glare. He released the transformation and glanced at Mizuki, who gave him a supportive smile. That heightened his spirits a little bit, at least one of his teachers looked proud of him. 

“That was very good, Naruto.” The surprise had leaked into Iruka’s voice and Naruto clenched his teeth so hard he thought he heard them crack. 

“The Clone Jutsu now please.” Iruka finished and Naruto sighed, already knowing how this was going to end. He formed the handsign, clenched his teeth again and focussed as hard as he could. When the smoke cleared this time, he felt his heart drop into his stomach. He had managed three clones for once, but they all looked sickly, wrong, pale and wobbly. He dispersed them immediately, embarrassment seeping into him. Naruto didn’t want to see the look on Iruka’s face so he just stared at the floor. After an irritated sigh, the man spoke. 

“You fail Uzumaki.” He said, voice blank and professional. Naruto nearly scoffed, so he was Uzumaki now? Not Naruto, not even brat. No, Uzumaki. He glared at the floor, of course. Of course he was, he knew Iruka was fed up with him. 

“C’mon Iruka.” Mizuki spoke up, Naruto snapped his head up shocked. 

“He’s very clearly trying, and that Henge was damn near perfect. Can’t you pass him this time?” Naruto felt the shock turn to tentative hope.

That however was shattered immediately the second he saw Iruka’s face. Irritation, and maybe- disgust was written all over it. He should have known better than to believe Iruka would pass the deadlast, trouble making prankster. 

“No Mizuki, not only would it be unfair to all the other students who managed at least two functional clones. It would be irresponsible to let a child incapable of these jutsu to pass.” Iruka said with an air of finality to his voice.

Naruto clenched his fists, nails biting into his palms hard enough to draw blood. He nodded at Iruka, not trusting his words and bolted out oof the classroom. Incapable. Iruka had called him incapable, which wasn’t even the truth! He could obviously do it! He just didn’t have the chakra control to perfect it. He burst through the back doors of the academy and bee lined to his swing. He collapsed into it, trying hard not to cry. 

Iruka was just like the Hokage, just like everyone else in the village that saw him as a burden. Wasn’t it his job to help Naruto? To listen to him? To teach him? Why couldn’t anyone see that he really was trying. That he really wanted to learn, that he was just like them. Having Kurama sealed in him didn’t change the fact that he was still just a kid. Still just a kid who deserved love, who just needed a little help. He roughly wiped the tears off his face. Determined to not let any of the other kids see him cry, especially not Sasuke or Shino. He was right yesterday, becoming a ninja really wasn’t worth it at this point. Who would he even have to protect? 

“Hey Naruto!” 

~~Xx~~