5

Summary:

Kurama contemplates his life choices

Notes:

CW in this chapter for canon typical violence and blood. And child endangerment, I guess, but that's a warning you could put on the entire series sooooooo

You all cracked me up with your responses to Kushina's tantrum! I swear I have nothing against her, she's just a hothead :') I promise I'll make it up to you all soon <3 I've got the next chapter written, because I split it from this one after ended up being over 15k. try to wait at least a week between updates thrive on suspense.< p>

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

If there was one thing Kurama had an abundance of, it was patience. Human lifetimes were nothing but the blink of an eye to him and his long existence. 

Still, it was surprising to Kurama how quickly his host was growing and changing. The blurred outlines of the world that Kurama could see through his eyes were slowly sharpening, and his useless nubs that passed for hands could now grip and grab. Naruto was mobile, and vocal, and an absolute menace to everyone around him. With the limited (nonexistent, really) entertainment in his prison, watching Naruto terrorize his family and friends was the only enjoyment he got day in and day out. 

He didn't know if he should have expected things to change after his confrontation with Kushina Uzumaki, but things stayed just as dull as ever. Of course, he completely ignored the threat from the boy's mother. She didn't return to the mindscape, and other than the occasional exasperated sigh or annoyed scowl when Kurama not-so-subtly lent Naruto the tiniest sliver of his chakra, she mostly ignored him. 

Occasionally, Kurama caught Kakashi staring at Naruto with an unreadable expression, but he always melted when the boy would smile and reach for him. The fox was irritated that Kushina had so flippantly revealed the truth after he warned her against it, but he wasn't exactly surprised. His experience with his Uzumaki hosts had taught him that they weren't exactly known for their impulse control. And really, Kakashi wasn't the worst human he could think of to find out the truth. It might even work in their favor, since he spent the most time with Naruto, outside of his family. 

With nothing else to do, Kurama kept watching, and waiting. Sometimes, particularly right after his confrontation with the stubborn Uzumaki woman, he was tempted to take control of Naruto's body just to get him away from that damned village. He wanted to crush their buildings that were still being re-made, and shred the stupid Tomato Head with his claws. He wanted to rain fire and death upon them, and then take Naruto somewhere far, far away. He'd gone as far as planning how he could control Naruto's body until he was old enough to learn how to take care of himself. The seal may be stronger than ever, but this time around his chakra wasn't split in half, and Naruto was still a weak, useless baby. Taking over probably wouldn't be that hard. 

But then…what next? Would he, the great Kyuubi, raise a human child from within his mind? Would he destroy the home Naruto fought so hard to protect in their other life, kill the friends he had yet to make, and raise him in isolation? 

Even if the idea had been practical, which it wasn't, he couldn't go through with it. Feeling the joy radiate through Naruto's body when his parents held him close reminded the fox why he chose this time in the first place. It was ridiculous how much satisfaction he got from his host's happiness. 

Sage, he really had gone soft. 

Every time he tried to think about why , all he could he hear was Naruto, his Naruto, with his stupid declaration of, "Because you're my friend, you dumb fox." 

Friendship. Love. Stupid, useless, human emotions. It made him voluntarily imprison himself in a weak, defenseless, human infant. It made him allow himself to be leashed, and scolded like a pet . Would Kushina have dared speak to him that way if he'd still been sealed inside her?

…what was he thinking, of course she would. Her stubborn fearlessness was one of the few things he actually admired about her. Not that he would ever admit that, particularly after their confrontation. He found himself passing the time by fantasizing about all the ways he could kill his former host. He was very creative, after all, and had plenty of free time. 

The only real excitement in his life occurred on the rare occasions Naruto managed to fall into the mindscape. It happened far earlier than before, since Kurama was keeping their connection as open as possible. Still, with the seal so fresh and the boy so young, it was only by chance that he ever appeared. And it was honestly a little annoying, dealing with his nonsensical jabbering and insistent fur-tugging, but Kurama allowed it anyway. He would even admit that he enjoyed their meetings, and had taken to whispering in the back of the boy's mind while he was awake too. When Naruto would smile and laugh at the sound of his voice, the people around him seemed to assume that he was just reacting to something in the environment. It didn't seem to cross any of their tiny minds that he might be smiling because of Kurama . 

And it seemed that they likely never would. Kushina had refused his help, and as far as Kurama knew, she hadn't told Minato about the visions she'd been given. They hadn't even gotten either of the Sannin to return to the village. So basically, Naruto's parents were useless, but there was nothing Kurama could do about it. The boy needed human parents, and Kurama needed his host strong, and preferably happy. With Naruto too young to understand Kurama's words, and his squishy body too soft for combat, he wasn't any help either. Kurama did choose to share some memories that he thought Naruto would enjoy, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that they would carry any meaning for the boy right now. 

One thing that remained difficult for Kurama to track was human ages. Their lifespans were just so short compared to his that he felt like he blinked and lost track of the years. However, he had enough awareness to know that the upcoming celebration plans aligned with Naruto's first birthday. 

Naruto's first birthday, and the anniversary of his journey through time and space. For the humans of the village, it was the anniversary of their near destruction. Wisely, Naruto's parents understood that. There would be no grand celebration for the boy, no public acknowledgement of the milestone. When prompted, the boy's parents brushed it off as being too concerned with planning the festival for the village, but Kurama had witnessed them confiding in their close friends that they feared the young jinchuuriki might be targeted. 

The caution was warranted. Kurama could feel that while Naruto was not outwardly hated by the majority like in his previous life, there were certainly individuals that had ill intent. No one dared shun him if he was with his parents, of course. Whether out of respect for the Hokage or fear of the Red Hot Habanero's temper, no one was foolish enough to be outright cruel when the boy's parents were around. Even being with Kakashi, his reputation well-known even now, was generally enough protection. His guardians (and the not-so-secret ANBU detail trailing them) were enough to discourage anything outright hostile, but people were far less subtle about pulling their children away or whispering "demon" if the boy was only with Kakashi, or if they thought Naruto's parents couldn't hear them. Still, it was a marked improvement from their previous life, and Naruto was oblivious anyway. 

When the occasion arrived, Kurama rumbled a genuine, "Happy birthday, runt." The greeting reverberated in his host's mind, but of course went unanswered. Still, Kurama could feel the boy's emotions, so he knew that Naruto had indeed heard him and was happy to be acknowledged. 

The actual day itself was quite anticlimactic. Naruto got to eat a big helping of something sugary and unhealthy for breakfast, which he obviously loved, and both the boy's parents and Kakashi fussed over him more than usual. But as they'd promised, there was no party. Naruto, and by extension Kurama, spent the day being passed between his various guardians as they scrambled around, frantically setting up for the village's celebration of the "defeat" of the great Kyuubi. Kurama scoffed at that. Naruto enjoyed the festivities, pointing excitedly at the various stalls and vendors that had set up. Most of the villagers that approached them to sing praises of their beloved Yondaime also offered a quick "happy birthday" to Naruto as well. Kurama could feel the ones that weren't genuine about it, that were trying to keep up appearances but looked upon the young jinchuuriki with disdain. 

There were presents, of course. Toys, clothes, sweets, and other useless human things. How Naruto hadn't become ill from all the junk food he was eating, Kurama didn't know. And because of the potential threat against their son, gifts presented by any non-trusted friends were taken by Naruto's ANBU guard for careful assessment before he'd be allowed to have them. He whined unhappily every time a toy was kept out of his reach, despite the fact that he already had an armful of presents from his parents and Kakashi. 

As the night went on, speeches were made, tears were shed, and a very tasteless puppet show (at least in Kurama's opinion) marked the celebration, so Kurama did his best to drown out the ruckus. Of course Naruto enjoyed all of the noise and flashing lights. He made grabby hands at every game stall they passed, which usually resulted in the vendor trying to hand the boy the biggest prize, because Sage forbid they make the Hokage's runt work for anything. Kurama would have to make sure he didn't end up acting like a spoiled little brat. Still, part of him was pleased with the attention his host was getting, because it had been so sorely missed in the boy's other life. 

Naruto only fussed a little during the Hokage's grand speech about sacrifice and rebuilding and blah blah blah. Kurama may or may not have whispered nonsense to him to make him giggle at very inopportune times. He wanted to inconvenience the Hokage, but he only succeeded in making the crowd "aww" at the boy's antics. Of course, the kid was too charming for his own good. 

The fireworks were Naruto's favorite. He stared up in wonder, pointing and squealing as the various colors lit up the sky. Kurama had a vague recollection of Naruto enjoying the fireworks in their other life, but he had to watch them from a distance because he was never welcome at the celebration. In this life, he was almost the centerpiece. People naturally flocked around him. Whether it was because of his status as the Hokage's son, the bizarre human fascination with the juveniles of their species, or just because he was Naruto, the boy couldn't stay out of the spotlight. And he loved it. 

At least one of them was having a good time. Kurama was just trying to avoid leaking killing intent at the drunk shinobi who were playing some rendition of "pin the tails on the Nine-Tails". 

The only enjoyable part of the night was when Naruto spotted the Kyuubi puppet during a show and pointed gleefully, yelling "Ku-ra! Ku-ra!" It made Kurama almost wish the boy's parents knew his name, so they would realize that their precious baby's first word was the name of the dreaded Kyuubi. But alas, they assumed it was nothing but gibberish and ruffled his hair with an affectionate chuckle, not realizing the important milestone that had just occurred. 

Not surprisingly, Naruto eventually passed out, drooling on his father's shoulder. Kurama knew the celebration continued long after Naruto was taken home and put to bed, but he was glad to be gone. It was better that most of the world remained in the dark about Kurama's intentions and his journey through time, but he still grumbled irritably about being painted as the villain in every story. He hadn't even been the one to attack the village! If the damn Uchiha had just let him be, he'd still be sealed in Kushina. He may have wanted to smash the village to pieces, but it hadn't been his decision that day. He didn't care the least bit about what the humans thought of him, but Sage it was annoying how closeminded they could be. 

Fortunately, the day came and went without any incidents, but Kurama still felt strangely on edge. Maybe it was because he was still used to how Naruto was treated in their other time, or just a sixth sense. Either way, he felt his hackles raising for no apparent reason, and his tails twitching on their own accord. 

The day that it finally happened wasn't a particularly special day. 

With nothing else to do as usual, Kurama was lazing around in his prison, watching Naruto take in the newly rebuilt Uchiha district as he was carried in his mother's arms. Kurama didn't remember what it looked like in their future, because Naruto never went there. He could guess, however, that this was an improvement, because there was more life and cheer on the faces of the occupants than Kurama ever recalled. To be fair, most of the Uchiha still looked like they'd been given a particularly rancid scrap of meat, but they always kind of looked like that to Kurama. 

Kushina was walking with her Uchiha friend; Mikoto, was it? He seemed to recall that name on Kushina's lips frequently when she was his host. The pair received polite nods, and even the occasional wave as Mikoto showed her friend around. Kakashi was met with suspicious and hostile stares, but he didn't react. At least he'd finally started staying out in the open and not lurking in the shadows, as if everyone didn't know that he took his "guard duty" much too seriously. Kurama had seen the Hokage try to offer other tasks, but Kakashi was adamant about "protecting" Naruto. As if Kurama couldn't do that. Kurama heard Kushina say something about "trauma" or "fear of abandonment", but it was meaningless to him. It was a joke, anyway, pretending that he was just a guard, like he didn't live in their house and eat their food. He was just a glorified babysitter. Stupid humans. 

Mikoto was prattling on about something that Kurama couldn't care less about. Some Uchiha history, or significance of a building. As if it didn't look like every other building in the area. As far as Kurama was concerned, the sooner they were away from all the Sharingan users, the better. Not that most of them would have the power to control him, but he still felt uneasy being around so many of them. 

"Oh, I miss that little sweets shop that used to be around the corner from your place," Kushina sighed longingly.

Kurama rolled his eyes. Like mother like son, apparently. Food was always on the forefront of both of their minds. 

Mikoto hummed thoughtfully. "I know it's not the same, but the couple that owned that place did open a new shop. They even have ice cream now!" 

That, of course, prompted a trip to said shop, where Naruto made a mess of himself trying to grab a scoop of ice cream with his bare hands. It went about as well as expected, and ended with a very scrunched up, confused Naruto experiencing what Kurama learned was "brain freeze". He'd have to remember that terminology. He never knew that a frozen desert, of all things, had such an incredible power. It's applications for combat should be considered. 

Following their brief stop, they returned to the house of the clan head. Mikoto called out a chipper, "I'm home!" as they entered, and Kurama could hear a quiet response from another room. 

Naruto was deposited onto the floor with the two Uchiha brats. He immediately toddled over to the younger one, grabbing at his friend's arms and chattering like he was telling the most important story in the world. The Uchiha brat blinked slowly in response. 

Kurama could hear Kushina telling Kakashi that she and Mikoto had some business to attend to, leaving him in charge of the group of kids. So apparently it wasn't just a social visit. Of course, the younger children had no idea, and were completely in their own world. 

The older Uchiha brat though, the clan killer, Kurama didn't really know what to do with. In this time he seemed harmless enough, and had some level of fondness for Naruto. Despite the younger age, he was significantly less awkward with the young ones than Kakashi, who always managed to make a mess of things when he was left in charge alone. 

Case in point. "Ah, Itachi. How is…training?" Kakashi clearly had no idea what to say to the kid. 

The younger boy stared blankly at Kakashi, just as expressionless as Kurama remembered. "It is going well, thank you for asking." 

"Right. Good." Kakashi mumbled awkwardly. 

Kurama snorted in amusement. For a supposed genius, he sure could be clueless. The younger ones, at least, seemed to be a good buffer. Kakashi would coo softly at both of them and engage in their menial little games. Even the clan killer–Kurama should probably stop calling him that–seemed to soften when the young ones badgered him for attention. 

Of course, Naruto was going to charm another Uchiha, which meant Kurama would have to give a shit about him too. Oh well. At least this one would be a strong ally, once he was older. That was assuming Kurama had successfully stopped the events that would lead to the clan's downfall. Only time would tell. 

Kakashi stared out the window, his arms crossed lazily over his chest as he leaned against the wall. "It's such a nice day. Is there a park nearby?" He glanced back at the group of kids. "Want to help me wrangle these two? Seems like a shame to be inside on a day like this." 

"If it is alright with my mother and Naruto's mother," Itachi responded cooly. 

Kakashi waved him off. "Of course. Pretty sure both of them would skin me alive if I took their kids somewhere without asking first." He pushed off the wall and disappeared for a few minutes. When he came back, Naruto squealed happily, as if he'd been gone for hours instead of mere minutes. "Alright, let's go. Both of them agreed that it's too nice to be inside. And you were volunteered to help me." 

Itachi didn't seem upset by the development. He nodded in understanding and helped usher both of the younger ones toward the door. Kakashi picked them up and carried one in each arm, with Itachi walking silently at his side. Both of the young ones were grabbing at Kakashi's hair and mask, but his hands were too full to stop them. He kept jerking his head around to stay out of their reach, looking completely ridiculous and a little bit insane. Both of the young ones giggled at the display, and Kurama didn't miss the very brief, but amused smile from Itachi. 

"There is a park in the compound," Itachi explained, "but the playground is not quite finished. The rest of the land is open, though. I've taken Sasuke there a few times." He led Kakashi toward the aforementioned area. 

Sure enough, there was an open field, surrounded by thick woods. There was a bit of a chill in the air, Kurama thought, but his chakra would keep Naruto plenty warm. Plus, they were right under the direct heat of the sun. 

As Itachi said, the playground didn't seem to be finished. It was fenced off and the structures were only partially completed. Still, neither of the young ones seemed upset when they were placed in a large tuft of particularly long grass. At least they were easy to entertain at this age. Immediately, both boys started plucking the blades of grass around them. Kurama grumbled at Naruto not to eat them, but he didn't understand. Fortunately, Kakashi managed to keep the boy from eating dirt. Meanwhile, the younger Uchiha brat had grabbed his brother's hand and toddled over to an apparently very important clump of weeds. He was pointing and babbling half-coherent sentences. Itachi smiled and nodded along like he knew what the gibberish meant. 

Kakashi laughed lightly, and even Kurama felt himself huff with amusement. Still, the uneasiness hadn't left him. He felt hypervigilant. There was one other pair of older children at the park, but they had been summoned by an older relative shortly after their group arrived. That left the park empty, besides the four humans that Kurama wished he didn't have to keep such a close eye on. Things were honestly easier when he wanted to kill everyone. 

The young ones chased each other around, occasionally convincing Kakashi or Itachi to join in. Kurama was half tempted to plug his ears to ignore the loud, happy shrieks from his host, but he resisted. At least the kid was having a good time, even though Kurama didn't really understand the point of many of his activities. Chase made sense, because it built speed and stamina, but some of their games just seemed pointless. He assumed humans were like fox kits, that needed to wrestle and play to practice future hunting and fighting skills, but they seemed to go about it in the least efficient way possible. What making towers out of mud had to do with honing battle skills, Kurama had no idea. 

It was very sudden when Kurama felt the shift.

Kurama noticed the wave of malintent before any of the humans could react. And then he felt the familiar chakra of the ever present guard around Naruto blinking out of existence. Kakashi tensed, his instincts seeming to tell him that something was wrong, but he wasn't a sensor so he couldn't tell anymore information. He subtly shifted closer to the younger boys, taking up a more defensive position. The older Uchiha looked up at Kakashi quizzically, his brows furrowing as he seemed to be reading the teen's body language. Prodigy or not, his skills at this time were a far cry from his formidable self in Kurama's time. He might be gifted, but he was still a child, and Kurama didn't know how useful he'd be in a fight. 

Kurama wanted to warn Kakashi, but there was nothing he could do. It wasn't worth testing the seal now and potentially exhausting their connection before the fight even started. He needed to save both his and Naruto's strength in case his protection or his healing was needed. He tried grumbling a warning to Naruto in his mind, but of course the boy couldn't understand. Naruto did seem to shiver involuntarily, his head swiveling around to try to make sense of what he was feeling. 

All Kurama could do was extend his own senses as far beyond Naruto's as they could go. To be fair, it wasn't much in their current state. The seal was too tight, and he was cursing himself for not bothering to test it sooner. In the previous timeline, Kurama hadn't even awoken until Naruto was much older, and starting to understand hatred. The seal had a lot more time to decay. 

The world around them seemed to be holding its breath, a far cry from the previously light atmosphere. There was the sudden flutter of wings as all of the birds in the area seemed to take off at once and the leisurely birdsong suddenly silenced. 

Lowly, Kakashi murmured, "Itachi. When the fighting starts, take the boys and run." 

Wisely, the older Uchiha brat didn't verbally respond, but he did incline his head to indicate he'd heard. He continued to engage with the younger children, but Kurama could tell his attention was on their surroundings. 

The two young ones, of course, were clueless. They both seemed briefly curious about what had caught the attention of their guardians, but they quickly lost interest and returned to pulling at the blades of grass around them. Their usual babble filled the otherwise eerie silence. 

All at once, chaos erupted around them. Kakashi intercepted some kind of projectile and uncovered his borrowed eye. Lightning crackled at his fingertips as he engaged the first pair of attackers. More surrounded him, trying to overwhelm him with numbers. At the same time, the older Uchiha did as he was instructed and grabbed the two younger children. It was awkward and clearly laborious for him, given that he was still quite small himself, but he managed to get enough of a hold on both of them to pull them away from the fight. 

A pair of the attackers split off, heading straight for the trio. They clearly didn't expect much resistance from the children, and foolishly seemed to be letting their guard down ever so slightly. 

"Give us the jinchuuriki, brat. There's no need for you or the other kid to die today," one of them threatened. 

Itachi froze, like he was afraid, but Kurama was close enough to sense that it was a farce. The two idiots seemed to relax even further, assuming they'd have no resistance from a child. Unfortunately for them, the lapse in judgment gave Itachi enough of an opening to slip one of his clones behind the attackers, stabbing him in the neck before he knew what hit him. One down. The other enemy finally seemed to realize the mistake they'd made and quickly disposed of the clone, before rounding back on Itachi with intent to kill. 

The kid had no choice but to engage the attacker, and was holding his own well enough. Kurama could tell without a doubt that if he'd been any other brat, he wouldn't have stood a chance. Still, he was clearly outmatched, and the element of surprise was gone. Whoever these attackers were, they were obviously skilled, and the older Uchiha had very few of his future skills that made him such a dangerous opponent in Kurama's time. 

Kakashi was struggling in his own fight. There were bodies around him that indicated he was a formidable opponent, but Kurama could see that he was bloodied and starting to slow. He'd managed to summon one of his ninken, probably to get help, but Kurama didn't know if it would make it in time. One of the attackers had immediately set off after the ninken, and it was clear they were starting to get the upper hand in the fight. 

What happened to the damn ANBU guard?! Stupid, useless creatures! What was the point of having them around if they were just going to be killed off the second combat started? Had they even made a dent in the enemy's defenses!? 

Kurama could feel that Naruto was starting to panic. In fact, both of the young ones were whimpering with distress. They didn't know what was wrong, but they clearly didn't like what was happening. 

With both Kakashi and Itachi preoccupied, one of the attackers slipped away from their frontal assault and took off toward the now undefended children. Kurama saw Itachi valiantly try to throw off his much more experienced attacker, and he almost managed it, before the older shinobi caught him by the back of the neck and slammed him so hard onto the ground that Kurama heard the unmistakable sound of bones cracking. The boy didn't get up again, but Kurama could sense that he was still alive. 

Now unhindered, the attacker limped over toward his companion, who was towering over the two kids. Kurama could see every detail through Naruto's eyes, because the boy was staring up at the unknown shinobi with obvious fear. 

"Fucking kid, what the hell?" The injured one grimaced. "Stupid brat got the jump on me," he grumbled to his companion. "Now grab the jinchuuriki so we can get the hell out of this shithole village." 

The other one snorted in amusement at his companion's expense, but he did as he was told. He reached down and roughly heaved Naruto over his shoulder. "You're just bitter because you let a stupid kid beat you up." 

Both of the kidnappers took off as soon as they had Naruto. Kurama could hear Kakashi calling out for Naruto, before he was cut off with a strangled yell and a gurgling sound. Naruto was screaming and thrashing on the kidnapper's shoulder, and received a rough smack in response. 

"Agh, don't tell me we have to listen to the stupid brat cry the whole way!" the one carrying Naruto complained. 

"Just break a few fingers or something until it stops screaming," the other one replied. "Kids this age are supposed to be almost as smart as a dog, right? It will figure it out quickly enough." 

Within his prison, Kurama was raging. He felt more like an animal than he ever had, gnawing at the bars of the cage and snarling violently. He felt feral, and full of bloodlust. He would kill them! He would rip them apart and decorate the earth with their entrails! How dare they talk about hurting his jinchuuriki, comparing him to a dog!

Understandably, his young host was completely panicked. Despite the rough handling from his kidnappers, he continued to wail pathetically. The kidnappers didn't appreciate that at all. With Naruto's senses, Kurama could taste the blood in the boy's mouth after one of the kidnappers hit him particularly hard. Kurama almost broke his teeth trying to pry the bars of his prison apart. He would not let anything happen to his host, his friend. Kurama had promised that he would not fail the boy again. 

The fear and desperation from his host seeped into the seal. Naruto was really too young to understand anger and hatred, which usually served to weaken the seal for Kurama's previous hosts. But the strong emotions, along with Kurama's sheer willpower, would hopefully be enough. Kurama could feel the seal resisting his chakra, and his influence. He swore in every language he knew, violently thrashing against the walls of his prison. 

And finally, he felt a snap. 

Though it was nothing compared to the power they shared in their previous life, it should still be enough to save them. Kurama let his corrosive chakra surround Naruto, causing the kidnapper holding him to shriek in pain and drop him as he was burned. He would have to be careful, with Naruto's body still so small and weak, but he should be able to make quick work of these fools. One tail only, so he didn't overwhelm his host. Truthfully, he didn't know if more than one tail was possible now anyway, and he wasn't willing to endanger Naruto to find out.

Naruto's consciousness appeared in the mindscape, confused and shaking. He had tears dripping down his cheeks from pain and fear. It wasn't the first time Naruto had visited him here, but it was the first time he'd done so awake. 

"It's alright," Kurama cooed as softly as he could. It was a challenge for a being as large and powerful as him. "I will protect you," he promised. 

Of course, the boy didn't understand. He was still too young. But he recognized Kurama as safe, and toddled over to him, slipping in between the bars. Kurama let the boy curl up at his side, clutching at his fur and dribbling snot and tears everywhere. He curled his tails around the boy protectively as his chakra seeped through the seal, feeling his own consciousness taking control of his host's body. 

Kurama felt Naruto's useless nails sharpen into claws, and his teeth became elongated. He wasted no time launching himself at the kidnapper that had manhandled his young host, slicing through him with a combination of claw and chakra. The man was dead before he even hit the ground. The other kidnapper let out a startled yell and made a laughable attempt to defend himself. Kurama snarled, and even though it sounded a tad pathetic in his host's squeaky voice, it still made the would-be kidnapper shake with fear. There was a bit of a back and forth as Kurama slashed out at the attacker with his chakra claws, not quite used to the limited range of this small body. He had to dodge a few times, and it was awkward to maneuver with Naruto's stubby, still developing limbs. Fortunately, his chakra cloak was enough to give him the edge he needed, particularly since Itachi had already wounded him. Kurama managed to latch onto him and rip his throat open with Naruto's pointed teeth. 

In his host's body, Kurama crouched on all fours, snarling and bristling. Even if Kakashi's ninken hadn't made it for help, the unmistakable feeling of his chakra would have every shinobi in the area aware of their presence now. Their rescue party should be on the way.

He thought about letting go and waiting, but his mind wandered back to the scene they'd left behind. Kakashi was probably dying, if he wasn't dead yet, which would mean the two Uchiha brats were undefended. He didn't particularly care…

…but Naruto did. Even if now he was too young for their deaths to mean anything, he knew how important Kakashi and the younger Uchiha brat would become to his host. Kurama couldn't allow harm to come to Naruto's precious people. Unfortunately, that description could probably fit virtually anyone the boy interacted with, the damn extrovert. But still, Kurama knew these two were especially precious to Naruto. 

With a long suffering sigh, Kurama raced back to the clearing on all fours, bursting through the treeline. A quick glance to the side confirmed that the Uchiha brats were still alive. The younger one had shuffled over to his unconscious sibling and was looking down at him with wide, confused eyes. Kurama could feel that the older boy was breathing evenly, though definitely injured.

He turned back toward where he knew Kakashi had been fighting, and was met with a chorus of surprised gasps and stares. Kurama knew he must be a strange sight in Naruto's tiny body, but the blazing aura of his chakra was apparently still intimidating enough. Kakashi was on the ground, bleeding, but conscious. Only a couple of the enemy shinobi remained, standing around Kakashi and looking uncertain in the face of Kurama's wrath.

Kurama growled, and even though it sounded less intimidating with his host's small frame, it still made the enemy shinobi flinch. They seemed to be weighing if it was worth trying to finish their mission, or if they should just turn tail and run. They opted for the latter. Cowards. 

With a snarl, Kurama took off after the fleeing enemies. One, he caught with his chakra claws, dragging them to the ground and slicing straight through their body in an instant. The remaining two whirled on him and attacked, trying to catch him off guard. 

Kurama had to be careful, fighting in this underdeveloped body. Naruto wouldn't be able to take a lot of damage, even with Kurama's healing abilities. That made it a little more difficult to take out the remaining two, who fought with obvious fear and fury in their eyes, but he wasn't called the strongest of the bijuu for nothing. With more effort than he cared to exert for such a menial task, the last two fell like the rest of their squad of would-be kidnappers. With a huff, Kurama ripped his claws out of the lifeless body of the last attacker. 

Naruto's body was covered in blood, and he sported a few injuries that Kurama hadn't been able to avoid. He was letting his chakra already heal his young host, but he knew there would be repercussions for borrowing his host's body. The boy wasn't used to using Kurama's chakra, nor was he used to exerting his body like this. Naruto was already terrified and stressed from the ordeal, and would probably pass out the moment Kurama's influence faded. In the mindscape his cries had faded to the occasional sleepy hiccup as he pressed himself into the fox's fur. 

By now, everyone would have felt his chakra. Even humans without any chakra sensing ability wouldn't have been able to miss it. The boy's parents would be here any moment, undoubtedly. Naruto would be safe. Still, he didn't want to relinquish control until he knew for sure, so he remained crouched on all fours, scanning the landscape with his slitted eyes. 

"Naruto?" 

Kakashi's voice, weak but steady, caught Kurama's attention. Kurama turned his head toward the teen with a bored expression. "He's fine." 

It seemed like Kakashi was trying to sit up, but he was too weak. He craned his neck to get a better look at Naruto, at Kurama. His borrowed Sharingan was still visible, and his other eye was drooping with exhaustion. Briefly, Kurama thought about healing him and the older Uchiha brat, but he really didn't have enough chakra to spare, and he didn't care enough anyway. Besides, he was barely able to safely keep control of Naruto's body, and he didn't want to push it. 

"You're the Kyuubi," Kakashi rasped. 

Kurama tilted his head. "Yes." 

There was a beat of silence, and obvious uncertainty rolling off of Kakashi. "You…you came back here to…save me?" 

Kurama didn't bother responding beyond a quiet scoff. Anytime he bothered to do anything that wasn't related to death or destruction, the humans acted like he'd traveled through time all over again. Had he not proven his dedication to his host, to his friend? Apparently their tiny human brains still couldn't comprehend it. Useless creatures. 

Kakashi was still staring, obviously struggling to stay conscious. Kurama looked past his collapsed form as he sensed very familiar chakra signatures approaching. "The runt's parents are here," he announced, before withdrawing his chakra from Naruto. 

As expected, the boy immediately collapsed as soon as Kurama was no longer in control. He shuddered with exhaustion, and fell forward. Kurama knew he was fine, because Naruto was in the mindscape, twisting tendrils of Kurama's fur in his fingers and babbling with wonder. 

The outside world, however, was lost to Kurama. As soon as Naruto lost consciousness, Kurama could no longer see through his eyes. It would be up to the boy's parents to protect him now. Hopefully they would do a better job than they had today.

Notes:

I haven't been making a good effort to respond to comments like I used to but I read every single one and I appreciate them. Seriously. I hope I can get back into the habit of responding again, but sometimes I just don't have the spoons.

This is not aimed at anyone in particular, but I would like to say that I am not particularly interested in suggestions/criticism. I know I'm just hypersensitive but it makes me feel really anxious and discouraged so I would appreciate just clicking away if you don't like what I wrote. I'm very much an amateur, and I don't really know anyone else in the fandom or have a beta so I'm just doing the best I can :)