Secret? No More!

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Walking over to him, Ryomaru took a seat beside the blond boy. "Why aren't you playing with the others?" he asked, his voice gentle.

The boy turned to look at him, his bright blue eyes blinking in surprise. "I… I'm not good at their games," he said, his voice just above a whisper. His gaze dropped to the ground, his small fingers fidgeting with the hem of his orange jacket.

Ryomaru studied him for a moment. "You don't have to be good at something to enjoy it," he said, a reassuring smile gracing his lips.

Sighing, the blond boy revealed the truth. "No one wants to play with me," he admitted, his voice laced with a bitter tinge of resignation.

Ryomaru was taken aback. "Why would they do that? Are you a naughty boy?" He asked innocently. "Mum says naughty boys don't have friends."

Naruto's head snapped up, his gaze meeting Ryomaru's. A defiant spark lit up his blue eyes as he exclaimed, "I am not naughty!"

Ryomaru couldn't help but giggle at his outburst. His laugh was light, infectious, and for a moment, it brought a small smile to Naruto's face. "Then why is it?" Ryomaru asked after his laughter had died down, his eyes still twinkling with amusement.

Naruto's gaze dropped back to the ground, his hands clenched in his lap. "I don't know," he confessed, his voice barely audible. "No one likes me. They call me the fox devil, beat me, throw stuff at me, and don't play with me."

Ryomaru looked at the boy's distinctive whisker-like marks, realization flickering in his eyes. "Oh, you are a Jinchuriki," he said softly, memories of Killer B's tales flooding his mind.

Naruto blinked, surprise written all over his face. "What is a jin-"

He was cut off when a sudden gust of wind swept over the park, stirring up leaves and dust. A moment later, several figures in black masks descended from the sky, landing in the park with deadly precision. Ryomaru recognized them immediately: ANBU.

Before he could react, one of the ANBU cast a genjutsu, trying to put everyone in the vicinity to sleep. But Ryomaru had been trained for such instances. He quickly formed a hand seal, murmuring, "Kai." He felt the genjutsu dissipate around him, his mind clearing from the induced drowsiness.

His heart pounded in his chest as he stepped in front of Naruto, taking a defensive stance. This was not a situation he was accustomed to, especially in a foreign village. However, he couldn't allow the fear to paralyze him. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his chakra. The energy within him stirred, responding to his command. In a rhythmic sequence, he let his chakra flare out, a subtle message to any Cloud shinobi in the area.

Opening his eyes, Ryomaru glared at the ANBU, his ice-blue eyes sparkling with resolve. "What do you want?" he demanded, his voice strong despite the chaos erupting around them.

Ryomaru's gaze flicked across the park, his heart sinking at the sight of the unconscious children strewn across the grass. The once lively park had turned eerily silent, the laughter and cheer replaced by a tense dread. In the midst of it all, he stood alone, shielding Naruto from the masked shinobi looming over them.

"What are your intentions? Why are you getting close to our Jinchuriki and playing tricks on him? Is Cloud trying to steal our weapon?" The voice of the ANBU was icy, void of any trace of empathy.

Ryomaru felt a rush of anger surging through him. The use of the word 'weapon' sent his blood boiling, the sheer disrespect and dehumanization tugging at his heartstrings. The blonde boy behind him was no weapon. He was just a child, no different than the ones who lay unconscious around them.

"Who do you call a weapon? He is a person!" Ryomaru retorted, his voice echoing across the silent park. His ice-blue eyes narrowed, his gaze fierce as it locked onto the ANBU. He felt his hands curl into tight fists at his sides, his body rigid with indignation.

Images of his Uncle B flashed through his mind, his stories of loneliness, isolation, and constant judgment ringing clear in his ears. B wasn't a monster, nor was he a weapon. He was one of the kindest people Ryomaru knew, a man who treated him with love and respect, who always had a story or a silly rhyme to share. His Uncle B was proof that a Jinchuriki was as human as anyone else.

And this blonde kid, Naruto, he was just the same. Just a boy, trying to fit into a world that saw him as something else. He too was a person, deserving of respect, kindness, and love. The fact that others failed to see that, to see him for who he truly was, infuriated Ryomaru.

"Stop referring to him as an object," Ryomaru demanded, his voice ringing with authority. He stepped forward, positioning himself between the ANBU and Naruto. "He is Naruto. He is a boy. He has a name. Not a weapon, not a tool. He is a human."

Ryomaru took a deep breath, trying to quell the burning rage within him. He wasn't a man of aggression or confrontation, but there were some things he wouldn't stand by and tolerate. Dehumanizing a child was one of them. No matter what village he was from, no matter what role he played, every child deserved to be treated with respect and dignity.

As the figures appeared out of nowhere, the tension in the park seemed to thicken. Among them stood A, the formidable Raikage, whose broad shoulders and imposing stature sent an unspoken message to those who dared to threaten his clan. His dark eyes fell on the ANBU, filled with an intensity that seemed to challenge them to retaliate. Despite his relatively detached relationship with Ryomaru, A was fiercely protective of him. He was a stern leader, an unwavering pillar of strength, who believed in inculcating a sense of pride and duty in his son. He had his own unique way of showing love, expressed in his unyielding faith in Ryomaru's capabilities.

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