Third person pov

It's a well known fact that, after the return of his apparently-not-so-dead parents, Naruto grew like a weed-- or perhaps like a flower would be more appropriate to say. With steady meals and affection to guide the way, the time had flown at a riveting, startling place.

Life as a Shinobi brings with it many absurdities. Almost any ninja you ask will be able to bring up at least one instance of something unexplainable that happened to them during their career, something no amount of logic could even begin to justify. Something that seemed so impossible that it sounded like an absolute lie when you said it out loud.

Minato and Kushina, living through the Third War on the front lines, had several of these instances. Of moments they looked back on and squinted at, wondering if they'd really happened or if they'd just hit their heads a little too hard. 

Normally, such events were one time things. So short and fast you could blink and miss it. Something that confounded you for the rest of your life, that you laid awake thinking about. 

Somewhere along the line, their son had become one of those things. Minato had realized this the first time he caught his son, at the ripe age of eight years old, skittering along the ceiling with glowing red eyes, the remnants of home-made beef jerky sticking out of his mouth. Minato had thought he was hallucinating until it happened a second and third time.

Naruto marched to the beat of his own drum. It's one of the many, many, many reasons he was the absolute best child to ever exist in all the history of children existing. He was unlike any other Minato had ever met, brilliant and strange and just... his son. 

His son, who was weird. Concerningly weird. Minato didn't personally mind, and he knew Kushina didn't seeing as a whole lot of said weirdness had been inherited from her to begin with, but they weren't the problem. The council was.

They were going to take one look at Naruto and they simply weren't going to understand. That all on its own was terrifying.

Minato knew he was going to to have to face the aftermath of the bomb he'd dropped eventually. Minato is incredibly good at evasion tactics-- including but not limited to jumping out his office window and running when he felt familiar chakra approaching-- but it was only a matter of time before he was cornered. And when he was, they were going to want to talk to Naruto themselves.

Naruto was charming. He was adorable, resourceful, and the fastest learner Minato had ever seen. Minato's son was every ounce of brilliance he and Kushina held mashed into one, and then some on top of it. He was the best of both of them. He was just also... very... spontaneous?

Yeah. Spontaneous was a good word. A great word, even! He didn't conform to anyone's expectations of him at all. He was going to say what was on his mind and he wasn't going to try and give false platitudes to a bunch of "crotchy old fucks who don't know how to mind their own business." Naruto's description of the council, not his.

"Alright. We have to convince them that you and Kurama are absolutely not risks to the health and overall safety of the village." Minato proclaimed. They were holding court in Ayumu's living room. To say the man was displeased by their sudden appearance would be a vast understatement. "Right now, they're nervous and scared, and that means they're unpredictable. We have to approach this delicately."

"Hypocritical coming from someone who dropped it on them with absolutely no warning and didn't wait around to give more than a two sentence explanation, ya know." Kushina drawled out drily. Next to her, Naruto offered a fist bump. She took it. "You could've at least warned us before you did it."

Minato pressed his lips into a thin line. In the corner, Ayumu pursed his and slowly clicked his pen. He'd gotten a new clipboard, this one bright green. The color made its presence all the more glaring as he started to scribble on it. 

To be fair, it was two in the morning and they had fled here after Choza Akimichi tried to forcibly break past the seals Minato put on their front door by expanding and punching his way through. Ayumu's overall exhaustion was reflected in his irritated silence and mismatched pajamas, as well as his hair, which was a mess compared to its usual neatness.

"Maa, maa. Minato-sensei had to tell them something." Kakashi came to his defense, draped dramatically over the loveseat like he was on his deathbed. "Honestly, we should've said something ages ago when we decided to let Naruto continue talking to Kurama to begin with."

Minato completely agreed with the sentiment, but it was too late for that now. They were in it. The council knew and they were actively hunting them for sport. Hence why they were here and not at their home, which may or may not be in shambles right now. Depending on the success of the village's clan heads' attempts to get in.

"The plan was to explain, then have Naruto remove the seal after." Minato gave his son a pointed look. Naruto just shrugged. Ugh, why's he so adorable? "Unfortunately, this is a no-takes-backs situation. So, plan. How do we convince them that Kurama isn't going to eat them?"

Crickets. Chirping crickets. 

"...I'm willing to speak up on the matter." Ayumu offered after a beat. He sounded as haggard as he looked. They weren't paying him enough. "If you get out of my house. Right now." 

"We could just ignore them." Kakashi offered. Ayumu clicked his pen again, and he quickly backtracked, sweat beading his brow. Only just now had he graduated from weekly sessions to monthly. No need to say goodbye to all that progress. "Ignore the uncomfortable questions and set healthy boundaries that fit within the confines of what we are obligated as shinobi to disclose versus what breaches the line into our private lives, which should be kept separate."

Wow. He'd been trained well, hadn't he? Minato never thought he'd see the day. Just what was happening during those therapy sessions? Kakashi looked like he was about to have some sort of PTSD-related attack if things kept along this route. 

Ayumu slowly unclicked the pen. Naruto's eyes pinged between all of them, his head whipping every direction. He brought his hands together in a sharp clap, and Minato could almost see the lightbulb going off over his son's head. Carefully, Minato started to shimmy the camera he had in his pocket for moments like this out. Naruto's expression was too cute not to document.

"I've got it! Why do we have to convince them to go with it when we can just threaten them instead?" Naruto beamed. Minato paused, camera still held in hand. He and everyone else in the room narrowed their eyes skeptically. "No, really! We just say Kurama will eat them and destroy the village if they don't sit down and be quiet about it, and what're they gonna do? It's foolproof! Believe it!" 

Minato opened and closed his mouth. That... was not foolproof. In fact, that was a terrible idea that was going to end with Naruto getting kidnapped even more. Maybe even targeted for assassination, which was as far from okay as okay could get.

Kushina seemed to agree with the sentiment if her expression was anything to go off of, like she was questioning every decision they'd ever made as parents that had led them to this point. Kurama's influence clearly hadn't been that bad, but there was still evidence of it right here. Or maybe some of that had come from Kakashi...

Glancing at him, the masked man was pointedly not looking their way. Ayumu flipped to another page on his clipboard, evidence of how dire the situation was growing.

"...Okay. I see your point now. We need a plan." Kushina agreed grimly, determination shining in her eyes. "Alright, team. Let's do this. How do we convince a bunch of whiny old people and wary clan heads that Naruto isn't a threat without using threats, blackmail, or any other morally dubious methods of persuasion?" 

Silence rang. Naruto, who had opened his mouth to speak, closed it all over again at the blackmail comment. Kakashi was once again pretending the ceiling was the most interesting thing he'd seen all day. Kushina was twitching in the way she always did when she had no ideas, and for once, Minato was just as lost as she was.

How were they supposed to pitch the Nine Tailed Fox-- the literal Kyuubi, considered by most to be a demon, a construct of pure hatred-- to a group made up half of scared people and half of stuck up pricks who thought they knew better than everyone else? 

How were they going to convince them that he was harmless? Had turned over a new leaf, was good, was friendly (enough not to destroy the village), and would be an asset going forward? A genuine, honest to god benefit?

Minato had given it his best go and it had ended with him fleeing the scene. Which meant they had only one other resource before they were entirely out of hope. 

Sheepishly, they all turned to look over at Ayumu. The man was already tense, like he'd been anticipating this. He held out staring them down for about ten seconds before he broke under their desperation and sighed heavily, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

"You are paying me for this." It wasn't a request. "First, we pinpoint what they are fearful of and make it a priority to target those concerns directly, with provable, sound facts. Gathering anyone who knows about Kurama to give statement and opinion of their own will also be important. Most valuable are going to be the remarks of Itachi Uchiha and Shikamaru Nara, the heirs of two incredibly smart, incredibly influential clans."

Naruto beamed like the sun. Clasping the fabric of his shirt over his heart with one hand, Minato snapped a photo with the other. That one was going on his office wall. No question. If he couldn't find the room, he'd make the room.

"Oh! Shisui also knows, and so do Teuchi and Ayame at the ramen stand! Believe it!" Naruto chirped out. Kushina and Minato boggled at him. "And Gaara, obviously! He can write a letter or something, right? Oh, we can totally ask Lee too, and I think his teammate Neji knows also. Sometimes he gives me really weird looks, and stares at my stomach with his eye-thingy on."

Minato put his face in his hands and groaned. Ayumu resignedly clicked his pen again. This was going to be a long morning.

~~~

If Shikamaru has learned anything in his time being friends with Naruto, it's that he's fucking crazy.

Naruto isn't the type of friend a Nara would typically keep. Insanity seems to follow him, mayhem abound, and Shikamaru has learned well over the years that being around him is a sure way to get yourself involved in a crisis. From their very first abduction together, to the three that then followed over the years, there's never a dull moment when he's around.

The thing is that Naruto is interesting. He's bright, a well of knowledge that Shikamaru thrives off of to an extent. His energy is an antithesis to essentially everything Shikamaru has ever claimed to be, but he makes up for it with his zeal, his loyalty, and the sheer interest he arouses in everything he does.

He's always getting himself mixed up in something new. Some unseen thing that nobody else ever has before. With the Nine Tailed Fox in his stomach and a willingness to throw himself into danger without a hint of hesitation, Shikamaru feels like he learns something new every day that he spends with the blond moron. To a Nara, that's priceless.

Knowing is power. Knowing things nobody else does is even more so. Shikamaru's stuck with Naruto throughout the years and he's never regretted it for a second, not even that one time they somehow got stranded in rain country with Rock Lee of all people and almost drowned after falling in an icy river. Which was a whole ordeal all on its own, but at least he has a cool story to tell now.

Naruto's loyalty is nothing to scoff at. He'll have Shikamaru's back in anything, for anything. What kind of shinobi, what kind of Nara, would he be if he didn't return that tenfold? His dad had always said friends were the most valuable thing for a ninja to have. People you could fully trust down to your bones were hard to come by.

Naruto's a rarity. Shikamaru's gotten to know him and has been known in return, and honestly? Naruto's too good for half the shit the village throws at him. Shikamaru forgets that sometimes, but sitting here at the dinner table with his father sat across from him has been a stark reminder. 

"Why're you asking how Naruto's been?" Shikamaru eyed him dubiously. He'd almost want to assume the blonde had been kidnapped again, but no... no, this was something else. "You just saw him yesterday. He almost uprooted the tree in our courtyard."

He had. It had been miraculous and spectacular. Between the Fourth Hokage and Kakashi of the Sharingan, not to mention his absolute beast of a mother, Naruto was shaping up to be a well and true monster at the rate he was going. And Shikamaru was going to gleefully witness it.

Safely. From the sidelines. Whilst taking intermediate naps in-between the grievous injuries that Naruto is sure to both acquire and afflict through his bullheadedness and spontaneity.

"I had just... wondered how he was doing. If he seemed different to you." Shikaku prodded, not bothering to hide the furrow in his brow. Shikamaru would only see through it if he tried. "I got some startling news from the Hokage today. We've been trying to pin him down to learn more, but..."

Shikamaru squinted at his dad for the few seconds it took for it to click. He blinked. Oh. Right-- he'd known this day was coming eventually. 

"Oh. He told you about Kurama." Shikamaru realized. Shikaku immediately blanched as his son sat up straighter, a light of near feral interest coming on in his eyes. "Hey, wait. Does this mean he actually did it? Is the seal finally off?"

"Finally off?" Shikaku sounded horrified. Shikamaru was already standing, shoving his half-finished plate back. His mom would whack him for it later, but she was out eating with a friend. He could deal with it later.

"I can't believe he didn't say anything!" Shikamaru couldn't stop the excitement in him from growing, because this was interesting. And there was nothing more he loved than interesting things. "I'll be back later!" 

Shikaku opened and closed his mouth speechlessly. His son had known. His son knew and seemed... shockingly unconcerned considering this was the Nine Tailed Fox they were talking about. Kurama? That's what Minato had insisted his name was before he smiled, waved, and then took off faster than anyone could blink.

Shikaku's mind had been going wild with the implications of what this meant. The fear that came hand-in-hand with uncertainty danced along his ribs, making his sides feel tight and constricted. He wanted to bash his head against the nearest wall just to get rid of the feel of it.

What the container of the Eight Tails had with his tailed beast had taken years upon years to cultivate, and even then there was still a seal. Rumors of him isolating himself away on an ancient island just to avoid hurting other people whilst he got a hold on his power had run rampant in the earlier days of the Third War, and Killer B--

He was an adult, a trained shinobi. Naruto was a child hosting a malevolent chakra structure that had wanted for nothing more than destruction practically its entire existence. It was made of hate-- the history books, Mito's own journals, even Kushina's accounts all spoke of such. Acrid power that bubbled and festered like an infected wound. The Kyuubi was seen as a curse.

The idea that his son knew about it, had been interacting anywhere near such a thing, made his chakra fluctuate wildly. This whole time, Minato had known the danger lurking beneath Naruto's skin. And this whole time, he'd stayed silent. He'd let Shikamaru grow up next to it, next to a boy in contact with a demon, and that... was terrifying.

"Shikamaru, wait--" Shikaku started to say, but Shikamaru cut him a sharp glance over his shoulder. The words died in Shikaku's throat at the glare. It was harsher than any other look he'd ever gotten from his son, stilling something inside of him.

"Whatever you're assuming, I suggest you stop now. Take a minute and think about it. Really think." Shikamaru toed on his sandals, eyes tearing away from his father's. "If Kurama was going to kill me, he'd have done it by now. He's saved me more than once, and he's done the same for Naruto. How do you think we kept escaping those kidnappings? Don't let fear and hate cloud your judgement. You'll be no better than everyone else if you do."

Shikamaru sounded bitter and almost resigned as he said it. The boy didn't look back as he walked out the door, his new headband glinting sharply from its place tied around his upper arm. Shikaku watched him go, throat tight and mind already beginning to race anew. 

It seemed... he had a lot to think about.

~~~

Naruto met Rock Lee when he was seven years old, on a hot summer day when the air was painfully sticky and all he wanted to do was eat his weight in popsicles and lay on the floor in front of his oscillating fan at home. He'd felt like he was melting where he stood, the sun beating down on him hard.

Kashi was his top babysitter. He took the duty on with great pride, allowing Naruto to shadow him dutifully and doting over him as any adoring older brother might. Where most kids would eventually grow annoyed by the antics, Naruto still drowned in the affection, sucking it up like a sponge and beaming beneath his head pats and closed-eye smiles.

It was fairly common for Naruto to accompany him out of the house. His dad had work and his mom was on active ninja duty again, kicking ass and taking names as was in her nature. She was an absolute beast on the field. Obviously they were going to throw her at their enemies and laugh when she burned them to the ground like it was nothing-- that was like, the best part of having a mom, bedtime stories and hugs aside.

Naruto's got normal friends. He's always had normal friends. In fact, as a certified regular child, he can in fact confirm that yes, Shikamaru is about as plain and to-the-point as you can get. Maybe a little lazier than most, but nothing like... uh. This.

Meeting Might Gai is like meeting a cracked out gym bro that really, really likes the color green. He's like, absolutely horrifying, but the longer you stare the more you kind of love it. Naruto's numb to the absurdity his life brings but even meeting him has his brows furrowing a little bit. Kashi, exasperated as he is, even bends to his whims to do silly challenges despite their insanity.

Gai is like, Kashi's only friend. It's monumental. News to share with Ayumu. Kashi actually interacts with real human beings outside Naruto and his parents! It's absolutely crazy, but the facts cannot be denied. They'll be out walking, Gai will see them, and then they're helpless to escape.

It's great! And it becomes even greater when Gai shows up with a small clone of himself that he obtained from... fuck knows where. Naruto's never planned to ask, and he definitely isn't about to now. A part of him fears the answer, honestly.

Naruto's friendship with Rock Lee had seemed unconventional at first, but it worked out perfectly. Lee is crazy, and Naruto is also crazy, and therefore it was basically meant to be. While Kashi and Gai run around like chickens with their heads cut off, they hang out and get up to mischief. It's a great way to bond! 

Having friends is one of the best feelings in the world. The novelty of getting to know Lee in all his unique glory is a privilege he covets. Naruto isn't as fast to trust as people think he is. For all that he comes off as a bumbling and loud idiot, he's more cautious than most his age.

But Lee accepts him, strangeness and all, and doesn't bat so much as an eye at learning about Kurama. He's a friend on par with Shikamaru, someone that Naruto would absolutely trust with his life in a heartbeat. If anyone aside from Shikamaru is going to have his back, it'll be Rock Lee. And he'll do it gallantly and dressed all in green, too.

Them getting kidnapped together those few times-- it has nothing to do with the forming of their friendship. Though Naruto is beginning to see connections there... but never mind that. The role their subsequent abduction may or may not have had in the forging of their bond is in the past! And the people who did it are in the ground! 

"Anyway, so that's where you guys come in. I have to convince the council that Kurama doesn't suck! Believe it!" Naruto chirped out. Lee nodded avidly. Shikamaru gave a grunt of acknowledgement from his place face-down in the grass. "So, what do you think? You guys up for it?"

Shikamaru grunted again, but Lee was a man of not so few words. He beamed like the sun, straightening importantly. He raised his fist, and with it came a fire ignited in his eyes.

"Yosh! We will do our utmost to support you during this daring trial, Naruto!" Lee proclaimed boldly. His fist raised higher. "They will see the true youthfulness of the bond you and Kurama share, and come to realize his true value as an ally of the Leaf! If we work together, I am certain we can bring them around!"

Just seeing him so pumped up was getting Naruto pumped up. He was completely right. They had this in the bag! Kurama was... uh... kinda amiable to other people these days! They just have to convince other people of that and Naruto will be all set.

He knows what could happen if they fail. He knows he took a chance, freeing Kurama as suddenly as he had, but it was beyond time. Naruto didn't really give too much of a shit about anything else. The village already shuns him. May as well continue rocketing down the winding path he's kept along his entire life thus far.

"You're an idiot." Kurama intones from within him. "You and your runt friends are going to get me sealed all over again. You think they'll accept this so easily? It took your impudent parents years."

That sounds like a challenge if Naruto has ever heard one.

"Believe it!" Naruto cheered, high fiving the now-vibrating-with-excitement Lee loudly. "Ayumu says the best way to go about this is by being considerate and with moderate gaslighting, which seems like something Shikamaru'd be good at."

"Already working on my dad." Shikamaru admits, turning his head to the side so that his cheek squishes against the ground. He looks tired. "He's the most reasonable of the bunch, though, and even he seems afraid you'll suddenly flip a switch and claw my face off out of nowhere. We've got our work cut out for us. We'll have to come off as casually confident as we can, but not arrogantly so. Which means following my lead, you two. Unless you want Naruto locked up somewhere for life."

"It will be nothing compared to our time in the Land of Earth!" Lee boasted. "This springtime of youth we now face ahead of us is nothing put up against such an international crisis!" 

They all simultaneously shivered at the reminder of the Land of Earth incident. Never again. Naruto still couldn't look at a melon without breaking out into an intense sweat.

"...Right. Well. Let's change the subject." Naruto decided executively, feeling offput by the mere mention. He'd never step foot in Iwa for the rest of his days if he had anything to say about it. Nevermind that they didn't really like the Leaf anyway. "I'm thinking we go for the clan heads first. If we get them on our side, those stubborn old farts that make up the inner circle won't be able to do shit."

Lee pumped his fist again. Shikamaru gave Naruto an appraising look. In the back of his mind, Kurama's sleepy snort of amusement echoed. Naruto felt warmed by it, knowing he was probably leisurely napping away in the sun right now. Just the mental image made this all worth the trouble.

"That's the smartest thing I've heard you say since you ripped the Kazekage apart at the seams for being a dick." Shikamaru sounded surprised. 

Naruto opened his mouth to rebut that, because that had been almost two years ago and surely he'd said something smarter since then, but then paused. He... had a point. Man.

"Then the clan heads we will go after first! In fact, I know just the person to recruit! My teammate, Neji, will surely be amiable to our cause should we explain ourselves!" Lee was already standing. "Yosh! Youth!" 

Naruto adjusted the headband on his forehead, mind feeling somewhat faraway. This would either go great, or it wouldn't go at all. He guessed they were about to find out.

~~~

When Naruto says the village eventually came around to him, he means that in the loosest sense of the word.

His mother and father were like a pair of wards, keeping their hatred at bay but not able to completely banish it. Naruto knows that the likelihood of it simply fading out of existence isn't high, and he's long since resigned himself to the fact that he's going to have to do more to prove himself if he's going to achieve true acceptance within his home. And that... is total ass.

Naruto shouldn't have to throw himself into all the danger being a ninja brings just so they won't despise him. Maybe they don't openly glare or try to deny him service, or sell him rotten goods anymore, but he can feel their discomfort in the way they avoid his gaze, and shift their feet. 

Naruto tries not to become combative in the face of it. He pushes back the natural defensiveness that prickles and makes his hairs raise on end, choosing to beam a grin instead when he spots their sneers. It doesn't really bother him that they look at him like that. It's that they look at Kurama like that.

He gets why they haven't said anything about it yet. Looking from the outside in, it sounds absolutely insane. Naruto, befriending the legendary Nine Tailed Fox, believed to be a construct of pure hatred and destruction? Yeah, alright, Naruto wouldn't believe that either if he were in their shoes.

That doesn't make it suck any less. He wishes he could shout at the top of his lungs just how awesome Kurama is. He's Kurama's number one fan! His top advocate! He's been lobbying for him to his parents for years now and he's finally made real ground, getting them something close to trusting and comfortable with the mention of him. 

That had already been hard enough, and they actually love him. Trying to achieve any level of that trust with the villagers... well, it seems a bit like a pipe dream. But flower fields in his mind and a giant tree for Kurama to laze under had seemed like one too, so maybe not all hope is lost. Naruto's never been one to give up.

First things first though-- the council, and all the uptight wannabes that make it up.

Some of them are fine. Most of the clan heads are alright, most either friends with his father or friendly enough. That's a leg up they're going to abuse to its dying breath, he already knows, though he's obviously not going to say as such out loud. He's instead going to sit here like a good little boy and keep his trap shut.

"A true rarity." Kurama teases. He pauses, contemplative. "I could just eat them. It would be far easier than all this pathetic drivel."

He could, but then they'd have all the clans after them. Which would suck major balls. Besides, he doesn't think Shikamaru would really want to be friends with him if he willingly let Kurama eat his dad, anyway.

Everyone in the room looks past the point of just tense. They look like they're standing in front of a live explosive tag of epic proportions, staring at Naruto like he's about to blow. Each and every one of them has an expression upon their face as though they're about to march off to war. It would be hilarious in any other situation.

Ayumu lurks like a specter in the background, the bags under his eyes truly speaking to how little sleep he got. A semi-delusional Ayumu was just as effective as a fully-functioning one though, so Naruto wasn't too worried about it. With his clipboard, anything as possible.

Shikamaru was lounging next to him, leaned back in his seat so far he looked like he was about to tip out of it. He didn't react to Lee bouncing in his own seat, nor to the way his father was drilling holes into the side of his head. He just closed his eyes like he was about to drift off into a nap. Knowing him, he might.

On Lee's other side was Neji Hyuga, who fidgeted uncomfortably as his asshat of an uncle glowered at him from across the room. Naruto wondered if Lee had actually explained anything to him or if he'd just dragged him here assuming he'd figure it out. Based on the lost expression on his face, Naruto would bet his ramen on the latter.

His mom and dad were sat side by side, backs ramrod straight and smiles straining. Kakashi was shamelessly reading his porn. Naruto... kinda didn't want to be here. He had better things to do than to convince a bunch of shallow-minded idiots-- sorry Mr. Nara and typically-amiable company-- of something he already knew as fact.

Naruto had been down this road before. They weren't going to want to hear him. There was a good chance that no matter what he said or did, they'd always look at him with fear and disgust in their eyes. Acceptance wasn't the goal here, though. Compliance was.

"Great, great! We're all here!" Minato chirped as soon as Itachi Uchiha ducked into the room, Shisui stumbling in after him and looking for all intents and purposes like he had no idea what the fuck was going on. "Let's get started!" 

"I agree. You have avoided us long enough, Lord Hokage." Koharu sneered at him. Naruto idly wondered when the witch was going to finally have a heart attack and drop dead. The day couldn't come soon enough. "You have plenty of explaining to do. Starting with why you thought it was okay to allow your son direct contact with a chakra being constructed of pure hatred! There is no doubt he is corrupted!" 

Immediately, the room erupted with shouts. Naruto blinked, forcing himself not to leap to his feet and shout back. This was off to a super great start!

Naruto's dad seemed to be thinking along the same lines, nose scrunched up and lips twisted. His mother looked moments away from pulling out a wooden hammer and calling order. Naruto was literally fighting tooth and nail not to say something. Anything. Someone duct tape his mouth right now, he's not gonna make it.

Like an avenging angel, Ayumu swept forward, glaring green clipboard and all. The annoyance on his face was severe enough to quell even his own cousin, Inoichi Yamanaka, the head of his clan. He demanded attention and authority, his face set in a scowl and judgement obvious in the glint of his pale eyes.

"You'd think this was a meeting made up of academy children and not noble clan heads, the way you're all acting." He didn't even say it in an insulting tone of voice, just as though it were a fact. "This is a discussion that must be had with maturity, from both sides. It is pertinent we all reach an understanding considering Naruto and the future security and prosperity of this village. There is a story here that you are obligated to hear in full before you make such harsh judgements, so I ask that you sit down and listen with an open-mind before you damn anyone for their decisions."

"This is the Nine Tailed Fox." Hiashi Hyuga spit. Neji tensed, looking even more lost. Yep. Definitely was not warned. "Unsealed! There is nothing to discuss!"

More clamor. Ayumu sighed, and Naruto and his family all blanched when he lowered his clipboard. Which was just as bad as him raising it was, possibly worse.

"This is Kurama. Unsealed, yes." Ayumu corrected, grimacing. "Which means if he wanted to eat you, he would've. And yet he hasn't. There is a reason for that. Do you want to hear it, or are you going to continue shouting as though that will fix anything?"

It was interesting to watch Hiashi Hyuga's frustration flash across his face. Naruto had no idea a human could turn so many colors. Was that a healthy shade of purple for a person to be? Was Ayumu going to get assassinated by a member of the Hyuga clan for this? So many questions, so few answers.

Bubbling inside him, Kurama's chakra swam. It was warm and present. The fox was obviously awake, listening to the proceedings with swishing tails and stress abound. Naruto shifted in his seat. He had explicit instructions not to say anything unless instructed to. Explicitly instructed to. Clearly instructed to.

Shikamaru was eyeing him warily as he held his breath, swallowing the many, many curse words waiting to leave his tongue. The silence in the room was heavy.

"He's right. You don't know the first thing about Kurama, or the story of how he and Naruto got to know one another, or what led to the seal being removed to begin with. You have no idea how many times he's saved us in a tight spot." Shikamaru piped up when it seemed no one else was going to, Ayumu holding the room at a stand-still whilst the Hyuga clan head sputtered. 

"Yosh! Kurama is an ally that values youth and new life!" Lee chirped out before Shikaku could open his mouth, fist raising, determination alight. "He is an avid fan of flowers, you see! He holds much love in his heart, for Naruto and for all Naruto holds dear! He is a mighty protector!"

There was a notable pause in the air as everyone processed. Ayumu smiled at their contribution. Naruto wanted to make a contribution. Naruto wanted to make a contribution so bad. 

"...Flowers?" Tsume Inuzuka asked stupidly. Naruto and Kurama both snorted.

"Flowers." Ayumu agreed, smile going benign. "Which you would all know. If you would sit down and listen for more than two seconds." 

Quietly, the still-standing clan heads all awkwardly sat down, lips pursed. Ayumu picked his clipboard back up and beamed at them.