Third person pov

There's a smell in the air. One Kurama thinks he may recognize.

He doesn't like what that implies.

~~~

Ayumu's office is filled with only the quiet fluttering of the curtains, brushed by the barest breeze fluttering in through the windows, which have been cracked to bring in fresh air. Kakashi is perfectly still, his posture textbook and his lone eye trained on a single spot on the wall behind Ayumu's head. It's pretty clear he's not going to cooperate.

Ayumu smiles nonetheless. Getting Kakashi to talk had never been his first priority. Just getting him in the room was a momentous occasion-- one he would very likely be popping a bottle open to later. Kakashi Hatake was attending a therapy appointment in a therapist's office, and the manhandling it had taken to get him here had only been minimal.

Scheduling him in right after Naruto had been a stroke of genius. Everyone had their eyes on the boy right now, wary after his kidnapping, wary because of the fox. Kakashi was one of the ones most dogged in his pursual of Naruto's safety, always lingering, not wanting to fail again.

He'd been right outside the door as soon as Naruto finished. With the help of Kushina Uzumaki's fiery temper and willingness to full-body tackle, dragging him through the door had practically been cake compared to Ayumu's past attempts to ask him... well, anything, really.

Slightly giddy with his success, Ayumu couldn't help the way his smile widened slightly. Kakashi twitched slightly. Was that irritation? Ayumu jotted it down, half to annoy him more. Showing emotion was good considering they'd already been here twenty minutes and he'd hardly blinked twice, let alone showed emotion.

Then again, Ayumu hadn't said anything either. It was a bit of a powerplay, trying to get Kakashi to start the conversation, but Ayumu doubted he'd reply if he tried to speak first anyhow. 

He had around three clipboards worth of questions and notes on the young man, who had about as many problems as you'd expect from someone lost everything and then joined ANBU at 13, of all ages. Honestly, what had they been thinking?

Ayumu stared intently at Kakashi for another moment before humming and nodding to himself, looking down to doodle a few flowers on his clipboard. Kakashi twitched again, and Ayumu pursed his lips, nodding some more as though he had just written a profound and riveting observation. 

The silence continued. There was the faintest tinkling of windchimes from somewhere outside further down the road, and Ayumu could see Kakashi shift in his peripheral, almost as though the man were considering making for the windows. He'd find very quickly that the glass was reenforced and that, despite being slightly open, they were very much still locked and would not go up anymore than that.

Ayumu paused, considering. He wouldn't put it past Kakashi to blow a hole in the wall just to get out of the suffocating aura that was beginning to build. He shrugged to himself. If he did take that route, it would tell Ayumu plenty-- probably at least a page's worth of more notes. 

The image he had of Kakashi's psyche was still a blurry one, but it was a clearer image than anything anyone else had gotten before. Kakashi Hatake was a notorious mystery, closed off from the people and world around him. His constructed front was impeccable for a man his age; especially considering all he'd gone through.

But Ayumu is very, very good at his job. And in this room? It's his court, and no one else's. 

He draws some more flowers. He wonders if he can get a field to sprout in Kakashi's mind too, the same way Naruto's gotten one going in his own scape. Speaking of-- he's set to talk to that fox again soon. Not looking forward to that, but he feels he's gotten past the fear of it and is now healthily numb to his circumstance.

Kakashi shifts some more. Ayumu glances up, stares for a moment, and looks down to doodle his flowers more vigorously. He couldn't see Kakashi's eye twitching, but Ayumu's got a second sense for these things and can practically feel it.

A few more minutes tick by. Kakashi clears his throat. Ayumu hums again, a bit louder, and adds some bushes to his flower field. Apparently, that's the straw that breaks the camel's back, because Kakashi's entire expression twists under his mask. 

"Alright." Kakashi snaps out harshly, glaring. "What the hell have I done that you could possibly be writing down?" 

Ayumu looks up, smiling brightly. He settles his clipboard down onto his knee, completely ignoring the question as he folds his hands together. The picture of polite, kind professionalism.

"Kakashi! I'm so glad you felt ready to start the conversation. That was very brave of you." Ayumu commends. Kakashi's expression does something funny in response. "Now, I'm told you graduated as a genin when you were only five. Quite a young age to become a ninja, wouldn't you agree?"

Kakashi groaned. Ayumu smiled wider and started writing.

~~~

Things had taken some... adjusting to.

It's strange to drop into a world that's lived over half a decade without you. Kushina had never been one to have many friends. She was social and she was loud, but her brashness didn't' mix well with others sometimes, and her passion was often too much for any regular person to handle. Add her (previous) status of Nine Tailed Fox container on top...

Well, she'd never been that popular. Perhaps more so when Minato became Hokage, and her status inevitably rose with his. But that was almost solely political. People who wanted to make nice with her as the wife of the village's leader, not because she was Kushina Uzumaki. 

Mikoto had gone so long without her. She was more mature now, Kushina could tell. There was a rift between them, a divide she wasn't sure how to breach. It made her ache a little inside, because Mikoto was the one friend she made for herself, and she'd been the absolute best in all ways. 

Having her at a distance now didn't feel right. But Kushina didn't know how to fix it, or if she even could. On the surface things were fine-- they still talked and chatted. But Mikoto had gone through so much without her, had been without Kushina's companionship for over six years. And for Kushina-- 

It was just like yesterday. Mikoto looked a little older now, lines beginning to show around her eyes. Kushina's years absent had been stressful ones.

She and Minato were determined to fix it though. The Uchiha were about to move back, and the Uchiha Police Force was getting a revamp that would hopefully paint them in a better light. They were the glue of the village in many ways, a way to uphold peace. They served the community, a power that existed outside the genin, chunin, jonin, ANBU that made up the military. 

It wasn't so bad. Kushina was glad to be back at all. She had everything she needed, minor complaints aside. She had her son and she had her husband, and she had Kakashi, and what more could she really want? It was hard, but not as hard as it might've been if she were alone.

(If she were alone... she's not sure she would've made it at all, actually, even with as hardheaded as she is.)

Naruto is a tiny ball of energy, just as hyperactive as she was at that age, but with Minato's whip-sharpness. Learning about some of the stuff he'd been through while he was alone... it wasn't easy to stomach. It made Kushina mad-- at herself, at the village, at the world. 

She understood the civilians' fear, but her understanding why didn't justify a thing. The fact of the matter was that Naruto never, ever should've been treated in such a manner. Kushina wasn't sure how to feel towards Konoha. She was conflicted, glad to be back, loving her home, but hating it for what it had done. 

A sewer. Her six year old son's mind... it was a sewer. And how was that acceptable? 

"It looks like it's just you and me today, ya know." Kushina rubbed her hands together in a scheming matter, grinning down at Naruto, who mirrored her expression exactly. For all he looked like his dad, that smile was undoubtedly hers. "Our first mother-son outing. Unsupervised. What shall we do with our time?" 

"That old pervert guy's still running around." Ah, yeah. Jiraiya. Kushina had jumped on that hate train too after hearing of the abandonment. "I vote we water balloon him. Believe it." 

"With paint." Kushina added, grin growing. 

"Bright orange." Naruto contributed. He glanced over his shoulder, as though to make sure there was really no one else around to listen, before he leaned closer. He lowered his voice significantly. "...Do you think we could stop by and nail Sasuke with one?"

Mikoto would kill her for it later, because it turns out that neon orange paint is really hard to get out of clothing. And hair. And off skin, but really, the splotches on his face are hardly noticeable! 

(Naruto's laughter makes it worth it. Kushina lets herself listen, lets herself memorize the sound, breathes, and adjusts. Kushina Uzumaki is a lot of things. Adaptable, as luck would have it, happens to be one of them.)

~~~

Naruto's dad had been cool enough on his own, but add his fiery mother into the mix? They're quite possibly the coolest thing like, ever. It's like his father's the kindling and his mother's the flame. Together, they're electric, a towering blaze so large and bright it's hard to wrap his head around at times.

Their love for each other is explosive. Naruto struggles to comprehend it, but somehow their love for him is even more. It's all-encompassing, and Naruto realizes that it's exactly the reason his dad was able to pick up without his mother and keep going at all. He's still not super sure how to feel about it. Abashed, confused, tearful. 

(Undeserving, but that's a detail for him and Ayumu to analyze later.)

He doesn't regret learning about love, because it truly is wonderful in all its incomprehensible glory. He just has no idea what to do with it or with himself. He revels in it, soaks it up like a sponge, but he also cringes in the face of it. Now that he can recognize it, now that he knows--

Let's just say he needs to work on his self worth issues and leave it at that.

It takes some time for his parents and Kashi to calm down after the kidnapping, and even then they're still strung tight. It helps that his mom totally fucked the ones who did it in their metaphorical asses, so they all know they're not coming back anytime soon. It still doesn't stop them from checking on him in regular intervals.

Having a dad that can travel from one location to another in literal seconds is cool until it's not. Every twenty minutes there's a flash outside the academy window. His dad will squint in briefly, usually jump-scaring a few of his classmates in the process despite having done it so many times that they should be used to it. Iruka-sensei will make a sound like he's just been stabbed, and then his dad will leave again.

Which is totally fine! Naruto sorta gets it. Like, he doesn't, but the idea is there. Parents like their kids, they don't like their kids getting kidnapped. So if one does get kidnapped, you'd sorta be worried about them after they were retrieved, right? Because it happened once, who's to say it wouldn't happen again?

Had he just jinxed that? Maybe. Not the point-- he's getting to that. The point is that he understands why his dad wants to check in. It's just that it makes absolutely no sense, because Kashi and the dogs already watch him every waking moment of the day, making his flash-steps past the windows entirely unnecessary. 

"This is a drag." Shikamaru drawled as the room erupted in yet another round of unnecessary screams. The thunder beginning to roil outside and dim the room wasn't helping the atmosphere. "Why're all these dogs here if he's just going to show up anyway?"

Naruto looked at the ninken all lounged about. Bull had been splayed out on his back snoring like a garbage disposal for the past thirty minutes or so, but Iruka-sensei was too afraid to try and get him to stop. Probably because every time he skirted near any of the dogs, suspicious creaks would come from the ceiling, signaling Kakashi's ominous moving. Again, not helping the atmosphere. 

"I don't know. They all think I'm going to get kidnapped again." Naruto sighed. Shikamaru gave him a look. "Like, the guys who did it got totally murked anyway, so I'm not sure what they're so worried about. And I didn't even die, believe it!" 

"If only." Sasuke muttered, only to shriek when Bisuke snarled and faked a snap at his leg. This of course caused the room to fill with even more screaming. Naruto wasn't one to get headaches, especially not in response to sound, but this level of noise was beyond even his typical loudness.

Iruka-sensei looked completely defeated, shoulders slouching in a way indicative of his lack of will to even try anymore. Naruto didn't blame him for giving up. Honestly, he's surprised it didn't happen sooner. This has been going on for way longer than it should've.

Naruto sighed, slouching into his desk and shooting another glance at Shikamaru. Only Shikamaru wasn't doing normal Shikamaru things, like muttering about how troublesome things were and burying his face in his arms. He was sat up straight, staring at Naruto with attentiveness Naruto was pretty sure he'd never actually seen him show before.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Shikamaru squinted at him, frowning ever so slightly. Which was apparently an odd enough occurrence that even Pakkun raised his head. Concerning? Maybe. A lot of things are concerning these days, but Ayumu says a lot of problems aren't really problems, we just perceive them that way. If Naruto pretends everything is fine, he can fake it until he makes it!

After another moment of eye contact, Shikamaru made a face. Naruto wasn't sure if he was offended or not.

"...Are you meaning to tell me you actually got kidnapped?" Shikamaru looked him up and down, like he'd find physical evidence of it. Scratch what Naruto said before, he's definitely offended now. "Really?" 

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Naruto asked, genuinely bewildered. He gave Shikamaru the judgmental look he deserved. "That'd be messed up. Kidnappings are no joking matter, Shikamaru. Believe it."

Pakkun nodded in agreement. If Pakkun was agreeing, then there was no doubt that Naruto was in the right here. Did this officially make him smarter than Shikamaru? Quite possibly. He wonders if he'll be allowed to get ramen to celebrate. He knew Kurama's smarts were bound to start rubbing off on him at some point!

"You've lied about it before." Shikamaru said, which was absolutely the least true thing he'd ever heard in his life.

Look. Naruto knows lies. He used to smile all the time without meaning it, and that was a lie. He used to say he was fine, and those were lies! He didn't tell the truth about Kurama, and he omitted knowing he was a fox at all to his face, and those counted as lies. He gets it-- he's not the most honest person in the world on those fronts. 

But when it comes to other things? Like-- like serious stuff? He'd never lie about that. Like, come on, man. Who was fucked up enough to fuck around about kids getting taken? Because that's not a list he's on, nor is it one he wants to be on.

"I wasn't lying about those either." Naruto said in the most affronted tone he could muster. Pakkun whipped around to look at him. Shikamaru made that face again. "I wasn't! It's not my fault those kidnappers were so shitty I was able to get away on my own!" 

There was a thump from the ceiling that made Naruto immediately regret opening his fat mouth, but what the hell else was he supposed to do? Let Shikamaru slander his name? Um, yeah, absolutely not. Kurama would get all huffy if Naruto didn't uphold the illusionary reputation the fox thought he had. Something about pride and dignity-- he had no idea.

"You've been kidnapped before?" Pakkun asked, seeming overly distressed by the idea. Which sure, sort of horrifying to think about, but they obviously hadn't succeeded in doing anything everlasting. Aside from traumatizing him a little, but Naruto felt like that just added to his character development more than anything.

Besides, if he hadn't been traumatized, he never would've met Ayumu! So it was a... uh... not a win-win situation, but definitely something. At least he has Kurama. He feels like having Kurama and not being traumatized in some way physically went against the laws of the universe and was thus statistically impossible. 

"Just a few times." Naruto's nose scrunched. Shikamaru cocked a brow.

"You've mentioned being kidnapped on at least five separate occasions in the time that I've known you, Naruto." Shikamaru said drily, though there was a concerned glint in his eyes. "I think that qualifies as more than a 'few' times." 

Naruto gave him a dirty look as another creak overhead sounded. Somehow, this creak sounded more frantic. How could creaking wood sound frantic?

"It hardly matters now." Naruto sulked grumpily, sinking down into his chair. More thunder boomed outside. "It's not like it's gonna happen again. Not with all the eyes on me-- believe it!"

~~~ 

Dude.

He'd been fucking asking for it, really. Remember when he said he'd probably jinxed it about the not getting kidnapped again thing? Again, asking for it. He should've known better not to tempt fate like that, since it apparently hated him. 

Honestly, all he'd been through in his six short years on this planet? Inconceivable. It's a miracle he's still alive. Or maybe not a miracle and just Kurama's crazy healing factor, which is definitely a possibility and probably the most likely one, but you know. 

There are eyes boring into the side of his head. Naruto very valiantly ignores them, lips pressed into a thin, firm line. At least they haven't outright attacked him this time like the ones in the woods did. No injuries here. Actually, he's doing great when you look at things comparatively.

Nevermind that his parents are literally never going to let him out of their sight again. Goodbye to the rest of his childhood, because he can already tell it's going to be spent indoors, likely handcuffed to a responsible adult or his mom. 

He's not even entirely sure how this happened to begin with, with Kashi and the ninken and his dad all looming around. Maybe Kashi had still been reeling over the bomb he dropped on Shikamaru about having been genuinely kidnapped before or something.

Surprise, surprise. Add another tally to that unpleasant list. Does he get bonus points for not getting kidnapped alone? He thinks he should like, so totally get points for that.

"This is a drag." Shikamaru says after a beat of silence, likely after carefully trying to figure out if their kidnappers were in earshot enough to beat him for opening his mouth. "I never should've talked to you, or asked. This is all your fault."

"And yet you still did. Mores a pity." Naruto had no idea if he'd used that in the right context, but Kurama had sarcastically said it once, so it had to be good. "We should totally escape. Believe it."

Before they decided to do some weird ritual on him, or stone him to death, or whatever these people had gotten in their heads that they needed to do. This was starting to get old. Was abduction going to become a regular part of his routine? Kurama was not going to go for that.

Speaking of Kurama, fuck. He was going to be so mad. He'd given Naruto like, explicit instructions not to get into anymore trouble. And what does he do? Gets kidnapped. Immediately. Naruto should be better than this by now! 

Shikamaru looks like he wants to say something else, but his mouth snaps shut before he gets the chance. Just seconds before the door opens, too. The masked man has no identifiable headband on his person, and Naruto has to wonder if they're ninja at all. Their footsteps had seemed too loud for it the whole time they'd been here, but maybe they were just confident and comfortable. 

Naruto's got no idea where the hell they are. In truth, he hadn't even been the first one grabbed. Shikamaru had gotten scooped up, a hand chopping at the back of his neck and sending him limp, and Naruto had followed half a second after. So really they could argue that Shikamaru was the one kidnapped, and that Naruto was the extra accessory here. If they wanted.

But anyway. In true kidnapping fashion, they've been taken to a dusty, dank, windowless room. Probably a basement somewhere. It smells like cat piss and damp soil, so it's either that or the poorly made home of some unsuspecting grandma. 

The man paused, staring at the two of them. Naruto and Shikamaru stared back, tied up and huddling shoulder to shoulder. Shikamaru was squinting, trying to get a better look at who they were dealing with. Naruto was too hungry to really care, glancing past the guy and out the door. It was a dimly lit staircase leading up-- definitely a basement, then.

He'd been taken to basements before. Sorta sucked since there was usually only one way out of them, but whatever. They could deal with it-- would have to if they didn't wanna die, or whatever.

The tension is stifling. Naruto shares a look with Shikamaru as another dark figure comes down the stairs, dressed just as obscurely as the first. It's a woman, probably about as tall as Kashi is if Naruto wanted to compare. Her eyes were the only thing visible, a nondescript hazel that narrowed contemplatively.

They were staring at Shikamaru. Which was like, totally another point in the 'they probably weren't after me' category for Naruto. Yay, go team! It probably won't make Kurama any less upset, or his parents any more reassured, but Naruto is taking what he can get these days.

"...Rabbit." Yeah, definitely a code name, but at least they had something. "Do either of these children look like Sasuke Uchiha to you?"

He should've fucking known.

A mile away. Naruto should've seen this from a mile a-goddamn-way. Were they serious right now? They seemed serious right now. Naruto couldn't believe this was happening. Was he properly processing this right now? Because if he was, it had just implied that all of this was Sasuke's fault. Which was no surprise, but Naruto also can't wrap his head around the fact that this is how he's being victimized. 

When are things not Sasuke's fault? Trick fucking questions, things are always Sasuke's fault, and fuck him. He got them kidnapped? Are you for real? Naruto felt his jaw drop, affronted that they'd want a loser like that chicken ass, offended that somehow they'd been taken instead, pissed that Sasuke even existed to put them in this situation. 

Shikamaru grimaced at his side, muttering something about Sharinpans and young people. Fuck if he knew. Naruto was too busy being angry that his entire whole complete total undivided life had just been ruined by the likes of that little rat bastard.

Just-- look. Sasuke's not the worst. But Naruto also hates him on principle, you know? Legally required, don't ask him why. Everyone needs a little healthy rivalry in their lives, and Sasuke practically begged for it the moment he told Naruto he smelled like stale ramen and a dumpster of flaming shit. 

They had an unspoken scoreboard. And Naruto getting kidnapped because of him? Absolutely pathetic. That was like, so many points to Sasuke. Naruto was going to get laughed at later! It was going to be humiliating! 

Unless he could get himself and Shikamaru out of here on his own. Without anyone ever knowing. Which really, now that he knows what he knows, that's the only viable option.

"Y-You said that he was friends with the Hokage's son. S-Spikey black hair, black... black eyes? Pale?" The man, Rabbit, stuttered out. Naruto audibly scoffed.

Great. So definitely Sasuke's fault Naruto was taken, but Naruto's fault Shikamaru was taken. This is the lamest situation he's ever been in. As far as kidnappings go, he's an expert, and this one sucks actual, literal balls. Take it from a seasoned professional. 

"Me and that asswipe aren't friends." They were bitter rivals 'til the end, actually. "How'd you even mix that asshole up? He wears a giant Uchiha fan on his back like, every day."

Uchiha pride was a real thing and Sasuke had it in spades, because he's a loser. But genuinely, actually, how did they mix him and Shikamaru up? They look absolutely nothing alike. Shikamaru isn't even that pale, for all the time he spends in the sun cloud gazing and taking naps.

The woman gestures to him pointedly in agreement. Shikamaru shifts, testing the tightness of the ropes. The Rabbit dude twitches uncomfortably. Naruto hopes he expels his bodyweight's worth of sweat. He deserves it. 

"Yep. Got the wrong kids." Shikamaru drawled, sounding both tense and bored at the same time somehow. "Luckily we haven't seen your faces, so you can just let us go and try again later." 

Naruto nodded in agreement, ignoring the way the seal on his stomach was starting to burn. When he'd been knocked unconscious earlier, had he ended up there? Was it a replay of what happened before where he wasn't awake in the mindscape either? Fuckkkk. Probably. That made things so much worse.

Rabbit shakily jerked, like he was thinking of actually letting them go. Naruto hoped so. The guy deserved a good punch to balls, and as soon as these ropes came off? Naruto was hashing it out. 

Speaking of the ropes, they actually weren't that tight. Naruto wriggled his wrists a bit, ignoring the burn of the fibers chaffing his skin raw. Compared to getting stabbed a few weeks ago, the minor pain was nothing. If they weren't the kids these guys wanted--

They could be let go. Or they could not be. And if they weren't, Naruto really, really wasn't liking what that was probably going to entail. 

The woman grabbed Rabbit before he could get any closer, her grip on his upper arm hard. Naruto watched the interaction with intent eyes, shifting slightly so he could reach where Shikamaru's hands were tied. Shikamaru tilted to accommodate, subtle and pulled taut like a bowstring. 

"Are you crazy? We'll have the Nara clan head and Yellow Flash coming down on our heads in minutes if we let them go now!" The woman snapped out. Which was absolutely correct, but Naruto sorta wished she hadn't come to that conclusion. "We can't let them go. Not until we have the boy."

"How are we supposed to get him now? Two kids are missing-- no way they're not watching all the others." A new voice claimed, deep and gruff. Heavy footsteps lumbered down the stairs. "This was our one chance and you fucking blew it. No one has ever awakened a Sharingan so young. And the boy's not even a prodigy-- not like his brother. He'd be helpless against us."

Alright, Naruto could appreciate the sick burn. He could also appreciate that he'd just gotten Shikamaru's right hand free. Up top, side-to-side, and down low. Is he skilled, or is he skilled?

The seal on his stomach started to burn hotter. Kurama was definitely mega pissed. Naruto was feeling pretty awake, so he gave himself a solid amount of time before he had to inevitably succumb to sleep and face the music. A problem for future him.

He should probably be panicking more, but it was hard to panic when he'd been through this so many times. Not to mention that his kidnappers were all very clearly idiots. That definitely helped. Besides, having Kurama inside of him... well, it was reassuring. Having a giant, all-powerful fox that would go to bat for him.

Shikamaru was reassuring too. Not that Naruto'd ever wanted anyone to be kidnapped because of him. It was just-- kinda nice not being alone. Shikamaru was also majorly smart in a lot of ways that Naruto simply wasn't and likely never would be, so he was Naruto's best bet at getting out of this alive, Kurama aside. 

"We'll figure something out!" The woman snapped. Touchy, touchy. "In the meantime, we can't keep them here. The demon brat's chakra is too big, even with the barriers up."

Alright, so probably still in the village. Naruto got Shikamaru's other hand free, ignoring the way Kurama's chakra was beginning to swirl and swirl within him. He furrowed his brows at the sensation, turning himself so Shikamaru could carefully free him as well. Kurama wasn't normally so present. 

It was harder to feel the fox when he was awake. Naruto had felt his presence more often since the sprouting of their newer flowers, but this was different than just a vague awareness of his being there. This felt like fire climbing up through him. It didn't hurt, per se, but it was filling him rapidly and making his skin tingle. 

"C-Can we just kill him?" Rabbit asked before freezing, eyes widening through the holes of his mask. "O-Or will that release the fox?" 

Well, shit. At least that confirmed that they were probably Konoha natives, or at least working for one.

Shikamaru's hands stilled. He turned, giving Naruto another scrutinizing look. He immediately blanched for some reason, which was super strange considering how straight-faced he'd stayed this whole time. Naruto blinked back at him, his eyes burning slightly. Was it getting warmer? He felt like he was getting warmer.

Shikamaru stared at him, very still and not blinking. Naruto rose a careful brow at him, wiggling his hands the rest of the way out of the ropes he'd loosened. Was there something on his face? There was probably something on his face, knowing his luck. Great.

"We have to assume it will. We can't risk that." The woman sighed, audibly annoyed. Maybe don't kidnap children if you don't want to deal with the complications that come with it? Believe it. "We can knock him out, but the Nara is too dangerous to keep. Young or not--"

"His father's going to be on us. Jonin commander and all." The gruff man said. "Though, I'm not sure he's any worse than the Fourth. Apparently he all but strangled a guy in the street just for touching the little monster."

Naruto massaged his wrists, lips peeling back as he scowled. Shikamaru leaned away from him slightly, still staring at his face. Naruto tried to calm his breathing, telling himself he wasn't going to get overly upset to the point of irrationality. 

He'd gone his whole life being called a monster. This was no different-- their opinions probably mattered least of all. Child kidnappers were the bottom of the barrel. 

It was just different now that he really knew about Kurama. Now that he loved him. Because when they called Naruto a monster, it wasn't really him they were talking about. It was his friend. And that only made the roiling of Kurama's chakra through him worse.

"In that case we're fucked!" The woman grit out, throwing her hands up in her frustration. Naruto shimmied himself a bit, feet planted. "We should bail out now. Leave the kids here and get as far away as we can. This whole thing is pointless if we're just going to end up dead anyway!"

Naruto nudged Shikamaru imploringly, ignoring the strange jolts beginning to go through him. Kurama's anger was like a storm brewing up through him, sporadic flashes of lightning rushing up through his chakra pathways like the pulsing of a heart. 

Shikamaru shook himself off, slack expression tightening back up. He tore his gaze away from Naruto's face, muttering about how troublesome things were and shaking his head. He shifted his feet similarly to Naruto's, though neither of them did more than that. There was no telling what the skill level of these three was.

There was no telling if they were the only three.

Naruto turned his eyes to the cracked, water-stained ceiling, silently questioning his life and what it had become. Kidnapped. Sasuke's a goddamn plague. Maybe all Naruto's bad luck isn't even his own-- Maybe Sasuke's been spreading it to him. 

These guys couldn't be worse than that snake dude and the other terrorist guy, probably. Again, Naruto has so far remained unharmed aside from maybe his ego over the whole Sasuke thing. Literally the most humiliating moment of his life, thanks. Aside from that, his growing hunger is probably the only real issue.

"We won't make it a mile before Hatake coins us." The gruff ninja sighs. Rabbit squeaks in terror. "This was a shit idea. I don't care how goddamn fast Rabbit is, we should've--"

Naruto's seal flares, hard enough that the light shines through his shirt. Their heads snap over. Similar to the way Shikamaru had stopped at the sight of him, the three of them seem to blanch as well, though it's harder to tell with the face coverings. They stop breathing, that's for sure.

Something orange and angry has begun to leech out of Naruto, encasing him like a hesitant shell. It mostly hovers around his arms, though he can feel it crawl up the sides of his face and thread through his hair as well, like an extra set of ears layered over his own, longer and more vicious. Shikamaru gulps. 

Naruto pulls his hands forward, staring at them, all pretense of pretending to be still tied up gone. The ropes fall slack and pool around him, and Naruto is pretty sure he witnesses the three kidnappers lose their actual souls in real time. The orange chakra bubbles, starting to turn red.

In his ears, his swears he hears Kurama roaring. He's not sure why he's so mad about it this time, or what's different enough that he's able to get out when he couldn't before. Maybe because they've finally reached an acceptance with one another? Everything is out in the open. There's no more secrets. 

These kidnappers aren't very good ones. They haven't even hurt him. Maybe Kurama's just pissed it happened at all. Too soon or something? Yeah, that sounds like it could be it. He's not going to complain. But if the chakra just now started to bubble out, then why had Shikamaru--

Naruto pauses, observing the claws. He turns to look at his classmate. Shikamaru looks less freaked out now and more lost.

"...Are my eyes red?" Naruto asked, trying not to sound too hopeful but failing horribly. Kurama has red eyes and they're so badass.

"Slitted pupils, too." Shikamaru nodded, frowning in a way that told Naruto he was probably going to have a lot to explain later.

For now, though, he just grinned. He ran his tongue over his teeth, the canines sharp enough to prick and sting as he whipped his head back towards their kidnappers with newfound glee. He wondered if he could learn how to do this on command. Sasuke thought he was special with his Sheeringgun? Hah. Don't make him laugh.

"Awesome." Naruto breathed out before launching himself forward, chakra in the soles of his feet. 

The kidnappers all let out shrieks of terror. Naruto's laughter was maniacal. 

~~~~

This book is set to end at chapter 35! On patreon's early access, it has officially finished! You can read up to chapter 35 there, as well as the first two chapters of Book 2, Six Years After! 

I also posted a new Naruto story here on Wattpad if anyone is interested (: It's a healer Naruto story in which he saves Shisui!