Third person pov

Naruto doesn't tell Mr. Yamanaka about Kurama crying. He doesn't tell anyone about Kurama crying, because he knows that would be a step too far. If he were to cry in a vulnerable situation, he knows he wouldn't appreciate it being spread around to strangers. Especially if he were someone like Kurama, who put on a rough exterior to try and seem aloof to things like emotion and sentiment.

Because he was keeping the crying under wraps, it also meant he had to keep the progress of their hug to himself too. If people knew Kurama had allowed Naruto to hug him without trying to eat him-- or whatever large, grumpy rats in cages did-- they'd want to know why Naruto had hugged him in the first place. 

Naruto could always lie about the reasons, of course. It just didn't feel particularly right to, especially since he was supposed to be as honest as possible in therapy. Therefore, it was his call to omit the details. Besides, he didn't think Kurama would really want people to know he'd allowed himself to be hugged either. It totally went against his whole though-guy image. 

The one thing he did share, however, was the presence of their new flower. A mark of real progress that Naruto honestly hadn't thought he'd be seeing anytime soon. He'd told the doggies first upon rolling out of bed, since they were all sprawled about his bed and on the floor asleep. They'd been overjoyed to hear the news. 

His dad had picked him up and spun him in a big, exuberant circle when Naruto had launched out of his room to make the announcement, nearly bowling him over in the hall in the process. Minato had nearly cried, he'd been so happy. Kakashi had grinned and lifted him up on his shoulder, and they'd spent the morning drawing fields made up of the same type of daisy that Naruto had seen grow in his mindscape, with the occasional guest appearance of a fruit tree or two. Kurama would need things to snack on, after all.

"I don't feel any different about myself." Naruto said contemplatively. Ayumu was sat next to him on a nearby bench whilst they watched the platoon of jonin and various ANBU who'd be accompanying them to Suna rush about with supplies, trying to get everything organized before they departed. "I know it's only a single flower, but you'd think I'd have noticed at least something having changed."

Honestly, Naruto had a theory that the flower wasn't actually his, but Kurama's instead. That when he'd overheard Naruto talking to Ayumu, maybe a part of him had believed what Naruto said. Maybe he'd really taken it to heart, because it was being said out loud in the real world, and maybe he'd finally let some of the words sink in instead of him just allowing them to roll off his back when Naruto hugged him.

"Even if you don't immediately notice a difference, that doesn't mean no progress was made. This is only the beginning, Naruto. Now that it's started, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the rest of your flower field follows." Ayumu smiled at him encouragingly. He was dressed in his jonin vest rather than the more casual clothing he normally wore in the office during their meetings, headband wrapped around his forehead. 

"I guess you're right. I wish there was a way to make even more grow, even faster." Naruto pouted, kicking his feet out slightly. He rested his hand on Pakkun's head, the pug asleep in his lap. "Kurama deserves the best, you know? I think we're really getting closer! At least, I hope we are. He's so cool, believe it!" 

"I believe it, Naruto. He sounds like a good friend." Ayumu agreed genuinely, and Naruto felt a pleased sort of flame light in his chest. He liked it when other people said good things about Kurama. Kurama totally deserved it. If he'd really been shunned his whole life, called a monster, and locked away-- well, that was the worst thing in the world. Naruto knew first hand how sad and bitter that could make a person.

Naruto watched, excitement curling in the pit of his stomach as everyone rushed about. They were bringing a cart of supplies so that they wouldn't have to rely on Suna to provide anything for them when they got there. Apparently their alliance was 'definitely not doing as great as it maybe should be' according to his dad. Naruto had no idea what that exactly meant, but it probably wasn't good.

"Naruto!" Minato called. Naruto blinked rapidly as his father appeared in a (badass, really cool, amazing) flash of yellow right before his very eyes. Ayumu jumped slightly as the man bent down to lift his son up, beaming brightly at him as he did so. Naruto tightened his grip on Pakkun, grinning past his surprise at the sudden contact. "You ready to go?"

"Believe it!" Naruto crowed before he hesitated, eyes sliding past his father to the white-haired man loitering on the outskirts of the group. "Um. But you do know that stalker dude is like, totally here, right? I still think we should get a restraining order against him. Or at least find out where he lives so we can blow his house up. That'll send a message. We can even blame it on that one Danzo dude, since he's apparently a terrorist already." 

"Jiraiya doesn't have a house in Konoha." Minato responded immediately, more on reflex than anything. Ayumu slowly pulled his clipboard out to write something down, but Minato thought Naruto's plotting was very clever and adorable! Especially since Danzo deserved it. And honestly, so did Jiraiya. "He's unfortunately going to be coming with us. If he bothers you at all, tell Kakashi or I right away and let us handle it. He's not dangerous-- just a little annoying is all."

"So he's a homeless stalker. Do you know how much worse that is?" Naruto complained as Minato swung the boy onto his hip. Naruto adjusted his hold on Pakkun to make sure the pug was at maximum comfort. "Homeless stalkers don't have anything to lose. I would know. Some of them seemed to think I was the reason they were homeless-- crazy, right? Luckily, they were all sort of starved and not as fast as I am, so I was able to outmaneuver their shanks for the most part. It's the projectiles you have to really look out for, though."

Minato gave Naruto a horrified look. Ayumu began to write faster. 

"Every word out of your mouth is another grey fur in my pristine coat." Pakkun noted in a desolate tone as they approached the group, who seemed to finally have finished their preparation. Everyone shifted, eager to get going and smugly thrilled to be accompanying the Fourth on his first excursion out of the village since his return. It was a high honor. "I'm not sure if I want you to stop talking or not, pup."

"By all means. Tell us more." Ayumu murmured distractedly, seemingly having moved onto a bulleted list of some kind. Minato could feel the dredges of his sanity slipping down the drain and held Naruto close, planting a firm kiss on the side of his son's head and deciding he wasn't going to put him down for at least three hours. The boy seemed largely unconcerned by his own claims. He wondered if the his son could hear how close his father's heart was to giving out.

"If he says anything else, everyone is going to see me cry and I'll lose what little respect I still have here." Minato said in all seriousness. Kakashi gave him an odd look at the lack of context. "And Jiraiya is-- well, I suppose he's technically homeless, but he's not someone you need to worry about. He's just... someone who let me down is all." 

Naruto look skeptical but didn't say anything more on the matter. He did shoot Jiraiya some nasty looks over his father's shoulder, pointing two fingers at his own eyes and then thrusting them his direction in the universal 'I'm watching you' sign. The sannin looked sufficiently weirded out and startled. Naruto would take what he could get. A boy of his short stature had to work with what he had.

The looming gates of Konoha opened with a mighty creak that sent Naruto's heart thumping faster than a jack rabbit's foot. He couldn't stop his eyes from growing at the sight of the long road outside, the trees lining either side of the wide dirt path. He'd never been outside the village before, and just seeing the entrance open sent something in him spinning with both apprehension and exuberance.

Naruto loved his home. The people in it hadn't treated him well and that's something he'd never be able to forget, even if he'd already deemed to forgive them, but he was born here nonetheless and it was all he'd ever known. Knowing how much more was out there beyond the walls was a lot different than actually seeing it. The idea that there could be places out there-- entire villages-- where no one knew or hated him... it was hard to wrap his head around, even if he logically knew it was true.

Everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath as they stepped past Konoha's main threshold, like they expected something to go wrong the moment they stepped foot out of the village with their Jinchuriki. The clueless Suna representative clearly had no idea why they were being so apprehensive, glancing back at them with raised brows as they awkwardly inched their way out. Minato held his son close, staying vigilant all the while. Kakashi's ninken sniffed at the air, ears pricked.

There was a moment of stillness, and then... nothing. Nothing happened. Naruto looked around curiously. It didn't look any different than the forests inside Konoha, yet it was unfamiliar all the same. Minato nodded to his men, sharing a look with Kakashi. The silver haired ANBU was coming along as a regular jonin this time around, mostly for Naruto's ease and comfort. Not that they'd told the blonde little boy that.

"Well." Minato blew out a breath of air and gave a lopsided grin, pointedly not looking Jiraiya's way. "I don't guess we'll make it to Suna standing around waiting for something bad to happen. Let's do this, everyone!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" 

~~~~~~~

It was a lot of running, but Naruto didn't really mind all that much. It made it less monotonous, and he had his dad and Kashi to chat with. Pakkun too, but he slept for the most part, giving only the occasional grumbled comments. Ayumu was there too, and Naruto made sure to include him so he wouldn't feel left out. Naruto hated feeling left out, and Mr. Yamanaka was definitely his friend, even if he was also his therapist at the same time.

It normally took ninja two days to get from Konoha to Suna, but they were estimating it would take three for them due to their cart of supplies and plans not to run the entire time. The first break they took to walk allowed Naruto to stretch his legs and get some of his pent up energy out. It also gave Minato's arms a break-- though, he'd hold Naruto forever if his son would let him.

"It already looks different! There are so many different plants, and I don't even know which ones are too poisonous to eat or not anymore!" Naruto gushed excitedly, earning a concerned glance from Kakashi, who had taken to tailing him whilst Minato chatted with some of the ANBU about formation. Off to the right, a group of jonin were already getting lunch started. "This one has really shiny leaves though, so it'll probably make you sick if you eat it."

"Did you try eating random plants often when you found yourself hungry, Naruto?" Ayumu asked, hovering with a disarming smile. Naruto squinted, feeling oddly psychoanalyzed. Which he knew was kind of the point, but it was still a little weird to have it happening out in like... the wild. Outside the office. 

"I mean. Not that often." Naruto allowed, which was... technically true. "I'm great at finding food."

"Say anything else and I think the guilt will eat me alive, little man." Kakashi hummed, reaching down to pat his head. Naruto allowed it to happen, reaching up to grab the masked man's hand and hold it right after. So he would feel better, of course. "You'll never have to worry about food ever again with us around. I think your dad even made sure to have ramen be our lunch today. They're boiling the water now."

"Believe it." Naruto breathed out, stomach already rumbling. He wondered if Kurama liked ramen or not. Ayumu gave Kakashi a contemplative look.

"...Do you feel guilty about things that weren't your fault often, Hatake-san?" Ayumu asked after a moment. Pakkun let out a bark of laughter. Kakashi stared at the therapist for a beat before spinning on his heel and beginning to lead Naruto towards where they were already beginning to serve ramen cups out to the group. "How regularly do you take on responsibilities that were never yours to worry about to begin with? Hatake-san? Hatake-san!" 

Kakashi walked faster. Naruto squeezed his hand in solidarity. Ayumu was a little too good at his job sometimes.

Minato watched Naruto fondly, cooing over everything he did. How could a singular child possibly be so cute? Even when he was just breathing, he was perfect in every conceivable way. He knew his jonin were sharing amused looks at his expense but he couldn't bring himself to care, smiling dotingly as Naruto tore his way through six ramen cups all on his own, stopping only occasionally to slip Pakkun and the other ninken a few pieces of pork. Kakashi pretended not to see, smiling beneath his mask.

Naruto was clearly having fun, bouncing about but obediently never straying far from where his dad was stationed in the formation. He was bright and sociable, a ball of energy that Ayumu seemed to take great interest in observing. He'd never gotten to really see Naruto in his natural state, after all. He was taking a lot of notes, seeming a bit astonished to find that Naruto really did smile and act cheerful a majority of the time.

It was lighthearted, and Naruto made what was usually a grueling journey fun and an experience Minato was going to cherish for the rest of his life. Not even Jiraiya existing on the outer dredges of their little group, watching but never approaching, could bring Minato down. Not when Naruto was so interested in everything, so cheerful and eager to ask his father and everyone else questions about anything that crossed his mind.

"Is the food different there?" Naruto asked, leaning as far left in his father's arms as he could to better talk to the Suna representative whilst they ran. The man looked pleased to have a youth so curious about his home, but also a little terrified. This was the Fourth Hokage's only child, after all. Just having the kid breathe in his direction was enough to have him sweating. "How do you even get food, if it's all sand? Wouldn't farming be really hard?"

Suna sounded really cool, but Naruto needed to know what to expect in all aspects of the place just in case. He knew Konoha and how it worked like the back of his hand. This? This was new territory, and as raring as he was to get there and go, Naruto couldn't deny the nerves climbing up the back of his throat that told him he needed to be ready just in case. His ever-present edge felt sharper, even with his father, Kashi, and the doggies here to protect him.

"Most of our food is imported from outside the village. A great majority of it from the Land of Fire, in fact. Suna specializes in pottery, basket weaving, and textile creation. We trade product for product, often times dishes, blankets, and clothing." He informed the boy, who soaked up the information like a sponge. "We also manufacture construction material on a smaller scale, though that mostly gets used in the village to create new homes and businesses." 

"I wonder if any of our dishes are from Suna." Naruto murmured wondrously. Minato grinned adoringly down at him. The Suna representative could almost see sparkles flying around the man. "I sort of hope not, because I accidentally dropped and broke one the other day. If someone took the time to make that by hand then I'd definitely feel bad."

"You didn't drop it. You threw it." Pakkun noted. And then, after a moment of thought, "At Jiraiya, actually. I think it hit him too."

"Of course it hit him." Naruto gave the pug an offended look. "I have excellent aim. Just ask Sasuke-teme. I nailed him in the back of his ugly head with a rock hard enough to cause further damage to... whatever's going on up there. Believe it. I still can't believe his mom lets him leave the house with hair like that. Fugaku-san sort of has a mullet thing going on though, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Kakashi swallowed his laughter, turning his head away. Minato glanced up and tried to smother his smile. They had to be good influences. That meant not condoning throwing plates at people, no matter how much they disliked them. Though, one could argue Jiraiya deserved it if he was going to be creepy and linger outside their house like that was actually going to solve anything.

They set up camp as it neared sundown, and Naruto happily munched on the provided sandwiches as Kakashi and Minato got into a physical fight with their tent. They were all going to share one in the center. Minato wouldn't normally position himself in the most protected part of camp, but with Naruto along for the ride he wasn't willing to take any risks. He was his first priority, always.

The tent was cozy and the fit was snug, but it wasn't the smallest Kakashi and Minato had been forced to share with others either. The little boy fit between them perfectly, content to roll over into his father's space to give Kakashi more room. The dogs all laid themselves outside, surrounding the tent lazily and dozing off almost as soon as they laid down. Everyone was tired from their day of travel.

"Well, nobody tried to kill us. I'd count that as a win." Kakashi hummed, hands cushioned behind his head. 

"That's a pretty low bar." Minato mused as Naruto wriggled, trying to get comfortable. Pakkun was sprawled out at his side, as Naruto absolutely refused to sleep without him anymore. Kakashi was past feeling betrayed. There was no point. "But you're right. It was a good day. I think Naruto had fun, too."

"My favorite part was where Mr. Yamanaka called Kashi out on his feelings and cornered him into answering a bunch of questions he didn't want to." Naruto announced boldly, shying into his father's side when Kakashi made to lightly swat at him. "I can't wait to tell Kurama about it. He'll be proud at you for being vulnerable."

Minato's laughter was loud enough that the entire camp heard it. Kakashi swat at him too.

~~~~~~~~

"I could not give any less of a shit than I already do about your mutt man's progress in talking about his 'feelings'." Kurama sneered. He was laying down longways in his cage today, his tail stuck out between the bars. Naruto had no idea why it was so furry if he was a rat, but Kurama's ears were also a little long, so who knows. 

Currently, the creature was pretending he didn't notice that Naruto had climbed on top of it and snuggled into the fur. Honestly, it was good it wasn't hairless. It was far more comfortable this way, fluffy and surprisingly silky. Naruto had been uncertain at first, but now he felt boneless and warmer than he ever had in the cold depths of his mindscape.

It had been a bit of a risky decision when he woke up in their shared sewer to find it sticking out in all its gargantuan length, but he'd quickly come to the conclusion that Kurama secretly wanted him to approach and give him affection. Seeing as he'd hardly twitched when Naruto climbed his way onto it and sunk into the softness, luring him to it had clearly been the plan all along. Naruto was fine with that. It meant he didn't have to stand the whole time, and he got to hug his friend.

It was honestly a bit of a surprise. Not even a bit of a surprise-- a lot of a surprise. It had been a few days since the crying incident and Kurama had been relatively normal ever since, if not a little more snappish. Their flower had grown little leaves though, so Naruto knew he couldn't possibly be mad for real. To find himself here on his friend's tail was only further proof of that.

"I'm not going to tell him you said that. I already promised him you'd be proud of him." Naruto responded, digging his hands into the fur. It was the most comfortable thing he'd ever laid on. Kurama radiated heat like a furnace too, successfully turning him to jelly. "I'm excited to go to Suna, though. Do you like the desert?"

"No. I don't like anything." Kurama's tone was flat. He had his massive head resting on his paws, his eyes shut. He'd refrained from looking at Naruto ever since the boy had climbed on him, likely so he could have plausible deniability if this ever got brought up again. Then he'd be able to argue that he didn't even know he was there, he was so 'puny' and 'flea-like'. "Least of all you."

"If you don't like anything, that means you don't like killing people and destroying lives! Which you totally said were your favorite past-time, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed brightly, lifting his head to beam properly at him. Kurama didn't spare him a glance, though his ears did twitch irritably. "I knew you were a good person."

Kurama let out a loud huff of air through his nose, but the lack of immediate denial was practically enough to send Naruto shooting to his feet and bouncing off the nonexistent walls. Kurama was definitely in a good mood today. Which was great, because Naruto was also in a great mood! It meant they could be in great moods together! Naruto thought that made everything at least ten times better.

"I'm not a person, you impudent brat. I am the great Nine Tailed Fox." Kurama grumbled without heat. He'd sort of given up his passion for the whole nine tailed fox thing. Naruto squinted into the darkness of his cage in search of the other eight supposed tails but saw no evidence that they were there. Definitely suspicious. "You are a mere worm in my presence. An ant, really. Not even one of the ones that bites."

"Argentine ants are sort of badass. They systematically murder other ant colonies, even ones with bigger stingers, with their massive numbers." Naruto noted, which was oddly the thing that made Kurama crack an eye open to glance at him. It was a rather nasty look. And a bit of a confused one, actually. Naruto took any new emotion as a success. 

"Your shallow reservoir of knowledge is pathetic. There are things you should actually know that you're too incompetent to learn, and yet you hold onto useless facts such as this." Kurama closed his eyes again. "You know nothing useful. How such a thing is possible astounds me. It's a miracle you know how to breathe properly."

"I know how to hide a body. I've never done it before, but I definitely could if I wanted to. Trust me." Naruto informed helpfully. Kurama opened his eye again, seemingly affronted. Naruto felt his chest warm at the sight of his irritated companion, and he smiled perhaps a little too sappily for the creature's comfort. "You're the best friend ever, Kurama. Believe it."

He was immediately flicked off his friend's tail, but it was definitely worth it. Naruto caught himself on the water with his chakra, laughing all the way. And for all Kurama's huffing and puffing over his 'misplaced sentimentalities' and 'idiotic ramblings', Naruto didn't think the rat looked as annoyed as he was pretending to be to begin with.