Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Naruto panted in exhaustion as he continued running. He didn't know how much further he could go. No matter how fast he pushed his legs he couldn't seem to get any distance on them. As he turned a corner of an alley he ran into a wall scraping his arm on a jagged brick sticking out. Wincing in pain he took his dirt covered shirt and quickly tied his arm.

He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand leaving a dirt mark on his sweat soaked forehead. Refocusing on his situation he heard their shouts getting closer and closer. Naruto quickly ran out of the other end of the alley and towards a bridge that would lead out into the forest everyone feared to go near.

He reached the bridge only to trip over a large rock. Tumbling to the ground he realized his ankle hurt. Standing up he tried to continue running only to collapse in pain when he put pressure on his foot. Looking around frantically, Naruto tried to find somewhere to escape.

He limped over to the edge of the bridge wondering if the water was deep enough to save him from a high drop.It was too late, the ones he had been running from finally caught up. A mixture of civilians and ninja surrounded Naruto in a half circle on the bridge. Naruto glanced frantically around looking for an escape other than the one behind him.

"We've got you now, Demon" Some unnamed civilian said viciously.

"Kill him!" Another shouted.

Slowly they started advancing toward Naruto gleefully. Naruto, seeing no other choice, flung himself off the bridge. Naruto closed his eyes waiting for the impact of water but when it didn't come he peeked open one eye. Naruto screamed in fear when he realized he was floating midair wind seeming to be doing a mini tornado under him.

Quickly glancing downward he saw he was a foot away from hitting the water. The villagers were above him on the bridge staring down in rage.... but there was something weird going on. They seemed to be frozen... as if time had stopped.

"Kit." A deep voice seemed to echo everywhere but... nowhere at once.

"H-Hello?" Naruto asked in a hoarse voice.

"Kit, Will you accept my power?" The voice echoed around him.

"P-power? Who are you? What power?" Naruto rasped out wincing at his parched throat.

"I am Kyuubi, the nine tailed fox, but you can call me Kurama. I was sealed within you 11 years ago and have watched over you as you've grown. Before now I didn't even have the strength to communicate with you but I'm strong enough now and I want you to know you are not alone, and you never were.”

"Is that why the villagers hate me?" Naruto asked tearfully.

"Yes, they see you as the spawn of me, and while I did not birth you I do see you as my son."

"B-Birth me?... Are you female?"

The voice echoed everywhere in laughter. “No but I have the ability to get pregnant. I have not found my mate though so I've never had children. As I have been with you since your birth you have absorbed a lot of my chakra and thus there is a chance for you to not only have a mate but to also get pregnant."

"You've been here since I was born... Did you know who my parents were?"

"Yes Naruto, your mother was my previous container, Kushina Uzumaki. The Sandaime gave you her last name to protect you from assassins because of your birth father. The Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze."

"My parents... did they love me?"

"Very much so Naruto, I grew fond of your mother, that day confirmed my opinion of her. She fought for you until her dying breath. I was being controlled by someone claiming to be Madara Uchiha, but I Know that man's scent and that was not Madara. I think there is someone out there assuming his identity. I did my best to resist the control but by the time I broke free it was too late so I allowed the Yondaime to seal me away."

Naruto was speechless at everything that was revealed. He managed to sit cross legged on the wind. Now that he wasn’t in fear of his life, at least for the moment Naruto started focusing on the things around him again.

"What is this wind doing?" Naruto asked, he had never seen anyone else do this in his limited experience from within the village and he was excited to learn something new.

"You have an affinity for wind chakra so when you were in danger you unconsciously activated it to save you. I have a great feeling you will be a prodigy with wind once you start learning it."

"Alright and why is everyone frozen?"

"Ah I was wondering when you were going to ask about that. Each one of my hosts gain power from my chakra, your mother was able to create unbreakable chains to fight with. Which there is a chance you might still have the ability but that is unlikely because it would seem you are able to freeze time, although it is most likely for a limited amount of time. So you should probably make your escape home soon, I don’t want your power to stop working and put you in danger again.

Naruto smiled happily before asking "How do I get down?"

"Ah, just will it to happen. I assume it works like normal chakra but I haven’t seen this power before so I can’t really say for sure.”

Naruto nodded and started to concentrate and soon he started drifting towards the bank of the river. "Do you think I would be able to will it to take me home so I don't have to walk? I’ve been running for the past four hours and twisted my ankle at the end there. I don’t think I sprained it but right now it hurts to walk on.”

"You can but be careful of prying eyes. We don’t know who you can trust with your secret currently but for the time being your time power seems to be working. I have some theories of what you could possibly do with it at a later date, I don’t think you could freeze time often but if you train it up you could probably manage to make it last longer."

Naruto nodded tiredly and willed it to take him home. He floated through alleyways and above houses when it was needed. The odd thing to see was everyone frozen midstep all around him as he glided by. Some were pulling down laundry and others were cooking.

“Kurama what power were you talking about?”

“You have the ability to change the way the seal is holding me. Currently it allows about less than a quarter of my chakra to flow to you and be used. I am a master at seals and will teach you everything I know. In doing so I will also teach you how to change the seal to your advantage. All I ask is that you create a clone and allow me to walk around somewhat free for a little while. So that means I will also teach you the Kage Bunshin technique. This technique will allow you to gather information through the clone. Once dispersed you gain all the information that the clone learned and with your large chakra reserves you can have dozens if not hundreds of clones although I wouldn’t recommend that because the influx of information could give you a migraine.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“Naruto, I told you earlier I have watched you grow up, I see you as my kit.”

“Oh…”

“I don’t expect you to answer my offer tonight. You have gained a ton of information and you are most likely in some form of shock. You need to sleep.”

Finally Naruto’s apartment was in sight. He willed the wind to open his window. Inside the moonlight was shining on the clutter of Naruto’s house. Naruto sighed he really needed to clean. The wind gently set him on his bed, he had his wind bring him his night clothes. Once he had his clothes in hand the wind dispersed.

“Kurama I can sense the wind all around me now it feels comforting.”

“That's interesting. I can't recall anyone else ever being like that before. You could probably sense enemy ninja nearby and any other inconsistencies, I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually you could use the wind to sense everything in your vicinity.”
Naruto finished changing his clothes into his night clothes and curled up under his blanket falling asleep instantly.

Chapter Text

Naruto’s mind became aware of his surroundings after waking from a relatively peaceful sleep considering what he had just gone through the night before. Naruto sat up slowly allowing the rest of his body to wake up. Blinking his eyes open, Naruto blurrily looked around his apartment. He sighed at the mess that was his room, while he wasn’t a messy person he allowed his house to look messy because it added to his image on the off chance someone visited his house. 

“Kurama?” Naruto asked the air around him.

“I’m here kit, I was watching over you while you slept. An ANBU visited while you were sleeping and he wasn’t here for long. He checked on your health and then moved on, also a kunoichi visited to check on you.”

Naruto smiled happily, they were his two protectors, they always checked on him when they were able to get away from their work.

“Kurama I accept your offer.” Naruto stated formally. Right after saying that Naruto felt happiness swell from within the area he associated with Kurama.

“Alright kit first things first I’m gonna teach you the kage bunshin jutsu. Once I do that you will be able to summon me into the clone as you create it by pushing a little of my chakra towards it. Not too much or it will destroy the clone.”

“Alright Kurama what should I do first?”

“So here is a little background information and then I will tell you the hand signs you must make to create them. When you create a Bunshin it splits your chakra in half meaning that 1st clone is half as strong as you. So If you made 100 clones each of them would get a 100th of your chakra. Following me so far?”

“Yes Kurama.”

“So because of this it typically can deplete a ninja’s chakra relatively fast, with you having my chakra and healing abilities it shouldn’t affect you as much but you must be careful. Also unlike the Shadow clone you learn at the academy these clones are physically real, and they take on your characteristics during the time you made them, so if you created one while seriously injured they too will be seriously injured. This is another thing you hopefully won’t have to worry too much about.”

“Would I be able to transform them to look like somebody else then?”

“Yes Naruto very astute. Also remember that because they look like you, you could transform yourself to look like someone else and use that clone as a distraction to get away. And as I said yesterday you retain the information of the clone when it disperses, so sending the clones to gather information can be used to your advantage, or even training. You could learn one thing while a clone focuses on another.”

Naruto’s excitement grew quickly the more he learned about what this technique would help him to do.

“Alright now to do this and get me into the clone you will have to concentrate on my chakra and trickle just a little bit of it into the clone while creating the Tiger seal.”

Naruto nodded and focused intently on where he could feel Kurama’s chakra creating the hand sign Naruto stated “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu” In a poof of air the clone made its appearance. The clone that came out looked nothing like how he was expecting. The clone was taller than him and had long red hair held in a high ponytail with two golden pins, and gleaming emerald eyes that had a hint of red at the center where the pupils were slit. He was wearing a white kimono with a sash around his waist.

“K...Kurama?” Naruto spoke hesitantly.

Suddenly Naruto was engulfed in arms that spun him in circle. Naruto tried breathing but he was being held to tightly against the man’s chest.

“C-can’t breathe K...Kurama.”

“Oh dear I’m sorry” Kurama exclaimed before setting Naruto down gently.

“It’s alright Ku’chan” Naruto said cheerfully. “I have you here now so I want you to hug me as much as you want, you know that I don’t get much physical affection.”

“N.. Naru.” Kurama said tearfully.

“Now what?” Naruto asked changing the topic.

“Right now I want us to clean your apartment but before that I will discuss with you everything I want to teach you.”

“Okay in that case let’s get settled down and discuss that.”

“Alright Naruto I know you are 11 and have learned a ton of stuff but I want to go through all the basics with you again so you have a better foundation of learning once we do that I will teach you the history of your village, once that is done I will take you through chakra manipulations and help you learn more about your wind. Once that's done I will teach you the fuuinjutsu I promised you and also help with you time manipulation. How does this sound?”

“That sounds perfect Ku-chan the teachers of the academy weren’t very helpful with my learning and actually sabotaged it while I was in the academy so while I know how to do some of the basics I haven’t been able to catch up with everyone else. I didn’t want to get caught trying to learn it at the academy because the teachers would punish me for ‘ruining’ the books even if I didn't’ So I have tried to teach myself what I could from the books I could get a hold of but all of them have overly complicated words I can’t figure out and none of the shop keepers would sell to me.”

Kurama anger was increasing the more he was reminded about those incompetent fools who shouldn’t have a teaching degree in the first place. “Don’t worry anymore Naru I will teach you everything you want to know. As you are my kit and I am actually able to help now you don’t have to be alone any longer my son.”

“Naruto’s eyes blurred with tears as he flung himself at Kurama “Daddy.” He cried.

Kurama pulled Naruto to his chest and hugged him tightly. “Son.” Kurama confirmed. So that's where they sat, both no longer alone after years of being forsaken.

Chapter Text

After hugging for awhile Naruto finally released Kurama and backed up wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his hands.

“What now?” He sniffled.

“First things first we are going to clean your apartment top to bottom.”

“Alright Ku-chan we'll have to buy the proper supplies for that.” Naru said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Alright Naru we will go to the Sandaime to request money to get you new furniture and the supplies needed to fix up your apartment. He will probably be suspicious of me but I will claim to be an Uzumaki who happened to hear of another Uzumaki being here but she died before I got here and it wasn’t until recently I heard of her having a son. I will claim to be your uncle and ask for citizenship here. We know that the clones aren’t a permanent resolution but you being a Uzumaki means you are most likely going to be a natural. So that means you will probably be able to figure out a seal to make it permanent.”

“Yea Old man Hokage will definitely be suspicious but if I give him my puppy dog eyes he won’t be able to resist.”

“Alright Naru. So I doubt that any of the maintenance people will do it correctly if they know that you live here so I will most likely have to scare them into submission. Before I do that we will investigate whether or not they are one of the kyuubi haters. Once the maintenance is done and your water and electric is working properly we will repaint your apartment, the paint is chipping and I hear that paint used to be lead based which can actually be rather bad for anyone who is around it for a long time. I don't necessarily know if your apartment was painted with lead based paint but better safe than sorry.”

Naru’s eyes widened. “Does that mean if the paint was lead based I would have gotten sick if it wasn’t for my advanced healing?”

“Yea Naru. The maintenance will take awhile so we will get some clothes shopping done and eat some food while we are out. Your clothes are eyesores.”

“I know Ku-chan but it’s the only thing that I could buy that was cheap. I’ve grown to like the color and it has helped my stealth training. The higher level Chuunin have problems finding me if I want to stay hidden and the Lower level Jonin take a little bit longer than the mid to high leveled ones.”

“That's amazing Naru so I’ll sharpen your stealth skills as well. It will be to your advantage. I expect all I have planned will take the whole day so tomorrow we will focus on getting you new weapons and such. I know the ones you have now are not battle safe. The shopkeepers extorted a ridiculous amount of money out of you for the weapons that are in the worst conditions.”

“Yea I know but there wasn’t much I could do so I learned to throw the dull ones hard enough that they pierce the target anyways and I’ve learned to throw the ones that aren’t balanced correctly at a certain angle that they still hit the target.”

Kurama’s eyes narrowed. “Just think… If you had gotten a proper education you would be ahead of everyone in your class.”

“The reason I fail all my written tests is because I can’t really understand what is written and I have difficulty writing out the words correctly.”

“We will have to change that around and by the time you graduate when you turn 12 you'll be at the head of the class.”

“Alright let’s go see the Old Man then.” Naru said.

******************************************************************************

They left his apartment and started traveling towards the Hokage’s tower. The civilians they passed glared at Naruto and looked at Kurama with concerned faces.

Finally they reached the tower and walked inside. Naru ignored the secretary and made his way toward the Hokage’s office. Once there, he knocked on the door and waited for permission to go in. At the Hokage’s loudly stated ‘enter’ Naru pulled open the door and walked inside shifting nervously.

“Naruto!” The Hokage said. “What can I do for you today?” Naru could see the Hokage glancing at Kurama suspiciously.

“Old man, This man right here is Kurama….. Uzumaki.” Naru hesitantly looked at the Hokage. “He found me today and said he was an Uncle. We are hoping to get him citizenship and have him move in with me. Can he please old man?” Naru said already using a little bit of his puppy dog eyes.

“I’ll have to interrogate him to confirm his intentions and if he clears my interrogation then he can get his citizenship.”

“Thank you old man!” Naruto exclaimed happily.

“You’re welcome Naruto.” The Hokage said softly fondness shining through his eyes. “Just step into the hall for a moment and I’ll do the interrogation.”

Naruto hightailed it out the door.

*With Kurama*

The Hokage chuckled a little before turning serious. “What are your intentions with Naruto?”

“Family.” Kurama stated firmly. “ I had heard of a certain female Uzumaki that used to live here but she died before I managed to get here so I took to wandering the countryside. Just recently I heard of another Uzumaki who lived here and as soon as I found out I made my way here to find him.”

“Family…” The Hokage whispered to himself. “Naruto needs family especially family that will take care of him. Alright I believe you.”

Kurama sighed in relief. 

“Before I give you the paperwork for citizenship I must tell you something. This is not to leave this room.” The Hokage stated firmly.

Kurama nodded solemnly.

“Naruto is the container for the kyuubi no kitsune.” He said.

“I… I actually figured that was why all the civilians glared at him. It was well known within Uzushio that Kushina was the Kyuubi's container so it was only logical Naruto would be the next in line for that.”

The Hokage’s eyes widened a bit at that information. “How many of you survived?”

“Not a lot of us the Uzukage held back the enemy forces for as many of us to escape as possible there was maybe a hundred who escaped and we scattered. I’m not sure how many there are left.”

The Hokage nodded sadly.

“Naruto you can come back in now.”

Naruto flung the door open looking at them questioningly. 

“Welcome the newest citizen of Konoha.” The Hokage stated.

Naruto flung himself at the Hokage and hugged excitedly yelling his thanks before he turned to Kurama and tackled him to the ground.

The Hokage watched fondly as Kurama struggled to sit up with Naruto in his arms. 

“Hey old man there was one other things. We were wondering if we could get the funds to get supplies to clean up and get maintenance done on my apartment and then buy new furniture, clothes and food to stock it up?”

“Yes I’ll give you the funds needed and if it turns out to not be enough come back for more.” The Hokage said happily, clearly this man planned on taking care of Naruto.

The Hokage had the proper funds gathered and given to Naruto.

“Thank you Old Man.” Naruto said bowing respectfully at the Hokage.

The Hokage nodded warmly at Naruto and then shooed them away.

Chapter Text

Kurama and Naruto made their way to the market to get the cleaning supplies and search for a plumber and electrician to come look at the apartment.

They found the store with the cleaning supplies and went inside to collect what they would need. Kurama ended up filling the cart with one of almost every item.

Once they had collected everything they went to check out. The employee behind the register glared at Naruto and tried to raise the price three times its original price. Kurama growled at her.

“If you would like I could bring the Hokage here and show him the service you are giving a valued customer.” 

The employee turned white and shook their head violently. “No need to bring Hokage-sama into this.” They stuttered.

“Then you will give us a discount for half the price of the total. Or I will bring you pain.” Kurama’s eyes flashed in anger.

Once Naruto and Kurama paid they quickly dropped everything off at the apartment before they went hunting for a plumber. The plumber agreed to look suspiciously quickly, so Naruto hesitantly lead him to the apartment and the plumber set to work. While he was working Naruto left a clone behind to watch him and they went off for an electrician. They eventually managed to find one and the electrician agreed rather quickly as well. Naruto’s suspicions flew through the roof with both of them and he began thinking up hundreds of scenarios of his apartment blowing up and the like.

Once they were back at the apartment Kurama cornered the to repairmen and demanded answers. “Why did you guys agree to help us so quickly! I know how everyone treats my Naru and you guys are acting very suspicious.”

“H-H-HOKAGE-SAMA THREATENED US!” They cried in unison quivering where they stood. “He said if we didn't help you and do it right he would toss us in the interrogation department with Ibiki and A-A-Ankooo. We don’t want to dieeee.”

“Ku-chan th-that explains everything. Anko-san can be scarier than even Ibiki sometimes.”

“Alright boys get back to work, then.” Kurama said cheerfully.

Both repairmen gathered their supplies and began to work earnestly.

Naruto and Kurama gathered their bought cleaning supplies and began to scour the apartment head to toe. They tossed all the trash and furniture outside and began to scrub every inch of the apartment until even the chipped paint on the walls sparkle.

They both stood up wiped dirt off their pants and sighed in unison. Turning to look at each other surprised they said. “Are we.. Speaking in Unison?” Naruto screamed in fear and yelled. “Stop its weird.”

“My little Naru, you’re adorable.” Kurama cooed at Naruto.

“I’m gonna check on the repairmen.” Naruto said flushing. He walked into the kitchen and stared in amazement. Not only had the plumber replaced the sink with a new one he had replaced the fridge and all the piping, as well as the sink the shower and the toilet. 

“Ah…” Is all Naru can say.

“Did I do good Naruto? Will you tell Hokage-sama I did good?” They guy asked Naruto frantically.

“You did amazing!” Naruto said excitedly shining a bright genuine smile at the Plumber almost blinding him. “What's your name though you never told us.”

“My names Inoue, N-naruto.” The guy stuttered. The man was baffled at how nice Naruto was being to him and the smile Naruto had flashed was so genuine and sweet that a golden halo of light seemed to surround him, it could make anyone smile. The man’s opinion about Naruto was changing. He no longer believed Naruto was the demon fox but an angel sent down to protect them from the demon fox by restraining its power. “Naruto-sama, if you ever need repairs again don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll help even without the Hokage’s tor… I meant threatening.” Inoue said reverently.

Naruto blinked in surprise but smiled his genuine smile again. “Thank you Inoue-san. It looks like you are done so let me go gather the money for your payment.”

“No Naruto-sama the Hokage already took care of everything on your end for me. I’ll be going home now my wife and kids are expecting me soon.”

“Bye Inoue-san enjoy the rest of your day.” Naruto beamed.

Inoue waved his goodbyes and left.

Naruto went to search for the electrician and found him out back placing in solar panels.

“Ah what are you doing?” Naruto asked the man confused.

“I’m placing in solar panels so you don’t have to rely on city electricity anymore, Hokage-sama said to. I've replaced all the faulty wiring within your building and replaced all the light bulbs that should last you awhile.”

“Okay.” Naruto said nodding. “What's your name sir? You never told us either.”

“My name is Takeshi.” The man stated.

“Thank you Takeshi for all your hard work.” Naruto said giving his angelic smile again. The guy froze at the unexpected lights shining in his face. He blinked dazedly and rubbed his eyes. What was he seeing, it looked like an angel. But it couldn’t be Naruto had just been standing there.

“Naruto-sama just come get me if you ever need any help with you electricity.” The man stated dazedly. “Hokage-sama took care of your bills and I have just finished so I’m going to get my stuff gathered up and head home to my husband.” 

Naruto said his goodbyes and went in to where Kurama was leaning against the window watching where Naruto had been standing previously.

“Naruto you really should smile your genuine smile more often, I’m pretty sure they think you are an angel protecting the village from me now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Ku-chan. My smiles not that great.” Naruto huffed.

Kurama just smiled and shook his head. “Let’s go gather the supplies to repaint your house Naru.”

Naruto nodded and they made their way back to the market.

*Meanwhile*

“He is an angel I tell you!” Can be heard in two different houses.

*Back to Naru*

“Achoo” 

“Nooo Naruto you can’t get sick your advanced healing shouldn’t let you.” Kurama cried on his knees at Naruto’s feet.

Naruto tugged on Kurama’s ear to pull him up off the ground.

“Stop it Ku-chan you’re embarrassing me.” Naruto huffed.

*In the Hokage’s tower* 

Laughter can be heard resonating throughout the Hokage’s tower. “I knew Naruto could bend the civilians to his will, and he has that man wrapped around his little finger.”

*With Naru*

“Let’s just get the paint Ku-chan.”

They make their way to the paint store and gather the needed supplies before going to decide on colors.

“For my bedroom I want a burnt orange color Ku-chan, if you're making me get rid of my clothes I want orange walls.” Naruto said pouting. “I grew to like orange.” He reminded the man.

“Alright my little Naru orange its is but the dining room has to be a cream color and the kitchen dark brown, the living room will be a lighter brown. We’ll make the bathroom a forest green color. I’ll make the second bedroom a bright red like my hair.” Kurama said excitedly.

Naruto nodded, he was alright with the colors they went with his orange anyways.

They paid for their supplies, it was normal price word had gotten around about the other shop apparently. Kurama pouted a little put out about not being able to get a discount.

They made their way back to the apartment and started the next project of repainting.

Night Time hit quickly and they ended up passing out on the bed they had left just in case they didn't get to shopping for furniture that day.

The next morning they were up bright and early. Naruto and Kurama ate breakfast before picking up where the left off. They finished the painting by noon and got changed to go buy new furniture.

“Alright Naru we’ll need two beds, a couch a table, chairs, curtains, dressers, nightstands and a table for the living area. Ah I can’t think of anything else right now.”

They ran from store to store picking out the needed items in designs they liked. They set up for each item to get delivered to their apartment by 6 in the evening.

Once everything was picked out and delivery was set they made their way back and sat down to wait.

The furniture was delivered and they made the delivery guys place everything in their designated spots. Once everything was situated Naruto plopped on the could sighing tiredly. Kurama sat down next to him and pulled Naruto over to cuddle with him.

“Naru if holding a clone gets tiring let me know and I’ll go away for a bit so you can regain your energy.”

“I don’t want you to go.” Naruto cried in distress.

“Naru I won’t go anywhere you don’t want me to.’ Kurama whispered quietly.

Naruto sniffled and curled up in Kurama’s lap. “You promise?”

“Yes Naru, I promise.”

“Okay.” Rubbing his eyes tiredly Naruto stifled a yawn.

“Tomorrow Naruto we’re going to get you your new clothes and then I’ll start up your basic lessons.”

“Okay Ku-Chan.” Naruto murmured before passing out curled up in Kurama’s lap.

Kurama chuckled before laying down on his side on the couch with Naruto cuddled to his chest.

Chapter Text

Naruto blinked his eyes open sleepily. He felt warm and most important of all, he felt safe for the first time in a long time. He was staring directly into Kurama’s chest and some of his hair had moved onto Naruto’s cheek. Naruto struggled to bring his hand up to scratch his cheek, glancing up he realized that Ku-chan was still sleeping and they were both curled up awkwardly on the couch. 

“Ku-chan.” Naruto said hesitantly. When that didn’t illicit a response Naruto tried to struggle his way out of Kurama’s grasp. Finally with a gasp Naruto slipped out of his arms and onto the floor with a hard plop. That was what woke Kurama up. 

“Naru! Naru are you alright!” Kurama exclaimed fearfully.

“Yes Ku-chan, I’m fine you wouldn’t let go of me.”

“Oh…. Well now that we are awake we should get ready to go get you new clothes.” Kurama said excitedly.

Naruto sighed in apprehension. Ku-chan sounded like he would be a fashionista and while Naru has never been dragged on a shopping spree with one he has seen the terrifying sight of others being forced to.

“I think we’ll focus on getting you darker tones of red, green and blue, maybe gold for the colors of your clothes.” Kurama explained.

“That sounds alright.” Naruto said in agreement.

After getting a game plan together they got ready for the day and ate breakfast before making their way to the shops to begin the arduous process of matching up clothes.

The first shop they went in a woman was standing near the front desk waiting for some poor unfortunate soul to come in so she could attack the with her knowledge of fashion and what would be best to wear.

The moment they walked in Kurama flung out a hand and pointed at her. “YOU!” Kurama said firmly.

She squeaked in fear and stood straight saluting at Kurama. “Yes SIR.” She exclaimed. Then she looked confused at her reaction.

“I require your assistance.” Kurama stated.

“What can I help you with sir?” She asked.

“I need all the clothes you have in his size in the darker tones of red, green, blue and toss in some gold as well. Then I need your dress kimonos in shades of white, black and red.” 

She nodded frantically and left to gather the requested clothing.

“Ku-chan… she responded weirdly to your commanding voice.”

Ku-chan bent down closer to whisper at Naru. “Let me tell you a secret, I could tell she was in her own fantasy world imagining inappropriate things so me talking loudly snapped her out of it and her response was born out of fear of her boss.”

Naru giggled a little at that.

“Here’s everything I could find in what looks like would be his size, I’m normally pretty good at guessing someone’s size so it should fit.”

“Good work.” Kurama told her while examining the clothing. Quickly rearranging everything in piles of what he liked and didn’t like he started throwing clothes into Naruto’s arms. “Go try these on Naru.” Naruto nodded and made his way that way.

He quickly tried on all of the clothes before coming out with the ones he liked. 

“I like this one Ku’chan.” Naruto said happily at Kurama.

“Okay Naru we’ll get those and this black kimono with white butterflies then we’ll make a quick trip to get you new shoes and then head home.

“Okay Ku-chan once these are bought I’m gonna change into them.” Naruto said lifting up his favorite set.

Kurama paid for them, and Naruto went back to the changing room and quickly changed into them.

“Let’s go Ku-chan I’m getting hungry too so lets be quick at the shoe shop.”

“Alright Naru this one won’t be as difficult as we’re just getting you a new set of sandals and open toed boots for your ninja training.”

Naruto nodded and they began the walk to the other shop. It was a few shops down, they quickly went inside and got the needed shoes.

“Alright Naru let’s grab food on the way back home.” Kurama said.

“I want a shish kabob Ku-chan.” Naru said staring at him pleadingly.

Kurama instantly gave in. “Lets go Naru there’s one near home.”

Naruto grinned happily and they began the walk home with the bags they had acquired on their arms. They made a stop at the vender before continuing on to the apartment to put away the clothes and have a quick lunch.

“Hey Naru now that we have your clothes we’ll begin the basic lessons tonight but we won’t work on it too long you start the Academy tomorrow so after school we will find out the needed supplies for not only school but also what I’ll need to teach you the basics. Tonight though I’ll begin to teach you to read.”

Naruto nodded while chewing thoughtfully. “Reading is definitely the most important thing for me to learn to progress.”

“We will begin after we eat and go until dinner.”

“Alright Ku-chan.” Naruto said.

“Alright Naru.” Kurama said handing him a piece of paper with the alphabet written on it. “I want you to study each symbol and memorize them then once you’ve memorized them I’ll read each letter off.

That’s how they spent the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Naruto blurrily blinked his eyes open rubbing them tiredly to clear his vision. Kurama had exhausted Naruto by having him spend hours just teaching him how to read the letters of the alphabet before making him write them all out. He probably wrote the alphabet a good 60 times and his hand still ached for it. Finally though, after hours of Naruto doing that he had started to memorize each letter. 

Kurama had told him that next he would start learning how to read the letters in the form of words and that later that night Kurama was going to help him learn by making him read his academy books out loud to him until he understood what was said in the books. Naruto was excited for his next lesson he finally felt like he was progressing in life and would actually be able to do something with it.

“Naruto!” Kurama called from the kitchen. “Today's the day you start your next year at the academy. You need to start getting dressed so you can leave soon.”

“Okay Ku-chan!” Naruto called back. He sat up and stretched, letting out a grunt. He was dreading heading to school today but he knew it was necessary to go so he could become a ninja. Naruto climbed out of bed and gathered his clothes before making his way to take a quick shower. Once he was done he dressed and made his way to the kitchen to sit down at the table. 

Kurama was just finishing making breakfast when he walked in.

“Hey Naru, I was wondering if maybe it would be alright if I used a transformation jutsu on myself to turn me into a small fox so I could follow you to school?”

“I would love it if you did I don't want to go alone anymore.” Naruto said sadly.

“Alright we’ll eat first and then I’ll transform.”

Naruto ate his food at a sedate pace making sure not to over stuff his stomach. He was just starting to get used to eating actual meals that didn’t consist of only ramen as well as the fact he didn't always get three meals a day.

“Alright Naru we should head out shortly so you can make it on time with a few minutes to spare.” Kurama said before walking to the side and quickly doing the transformation jutsu.

Naruto slipped on his shoes and with Kurama at his heel walked out the front door. He locked the door and pocketed his keys before turning around and walking in the direction of the academy.

They made it with five minutes to spare. Naruto walked into the classroom quietly with his hand in his pockets. Staring at the ground he made his way up the stairs to his seat. They didn't actually have assigned seats but it was the seat he had claimed as his own. No one was at the desk so he was by himself for the moment.

“ Ku-chan I feel like today's gonna be a long day .” He projected towards Kurama. 

“ I have the same feeling too kit .” Kurama sighed.

“ I’m going to try to start reading one of the books Ku-chan, why don't you hop on the desk next to me. You can help correct me that way. ” Naruto asked.

“ Good idea kit .” Kurama said proudly.

Naruto pulled out a book and slowly started reading through it while Kurama corrected his pronunciation. 

It wasn’t long before a shadow appeared over Naruto and Naruto looked up from what he was doing. In front of him was the one and only Sakura Haruno.

“What are you doing with that fox Naruto!” She screeched at him.

“Nothing?” Naruto said wincing at the pain from his sensitive ears being bombarded by a noise so high in the spectrum of sound.

Sakura reached forward aggressively to grab at Kurama.

“You’re probably harming him. I’m taking him away from you.” She screeched again. The moment her fingers got anywhere near him Kurama snapped his maw at her making her flinch backwards out of fear. 

“You beast!” She screamed. “He tried to bite me!”

Iruka chose that moment to come in the classroom. “What is all the screaming about?” He said.

“That fox tried to bite me!” Sakura said. Flinging her arm in the direction of Kurama to point at him.

“If he was trying to bite you he would have bit you Sakura-chan. That was a warning for you not to touch him. You didn't even ask if it was alright if you touched him” Naruto explained quietly.

“Sakura you should know better than to try to pet someone else's animal without their permission.” Iruka scolded.

Sakura tensed a little in anger before stomping to her seat.

“Hey Naruto, how long have you had your fox?” Iruka asked curiously. "I've never seen you with him before."

“I’ve known him for years but I just convinced him to stay with me three days ago, before that he lived in the forest. Ku-chan is smart and understands a lot of stuff.”

Iruka nodded and made his way to the front of the classroom to start getting everything ready for the days lesson.

Sasuke walked through the classroom door and all hell broke loose. All the fan girls, with Sakura and Ino in the lead, ran to the front of the room. Naruto sighed and went back to his reading. 

Once again he was interrupted by a shadow over top of him. When he looked up this time it was Sasuke.

“What do you want teme?” Naruto asked annoyed.

“Hnn” Sasuke said and then sat down next to Naruto. Naruto sighed exasperatedly and once again focused on his reading.

Suddenly Naruto’s seat flew to the side at an awkward angle and he was flung onto Sasuke. Sasuke's chair fell sideways and Sasuke landed on his back with Naruto on his chest.

Naruto blinked in confusion and realized his position. He was on top of Sasuke…. And their lips were connected. Naruto flung himself off of Sasuke and stood before stumbling backwards in shock.

“ Ku-chan did that just happen? Did my first kiss go to th...that teme! ” Naruto asked frantically.

“ It did. ” Kurama growled angrily. Kurama sat on the ground his tail lashing back forth. Naruto could tell he was contemplating murder. He sent soothing thoughts towards Kurama, after all we can't have people out to get Kurama for murder. 

“That didn't happen.” Naruto muttered before sitting back down and pretending that none of Sasuke’s fangirls were screeching angrily.

Iruka called for silence and everyone settled down in their seats all the fan girls glaring at Naruto and muttering angrily.

Naruto listened to what Iruka was teaching and while he didnt understand everything he managed to maintain some of the information that was taught. Towards the end of class Iruka passed out a quiz to take so he could see the information everyone managed to retain. When he got to Naruto Kurama froze and sniffed the air.

“ Ku-chan? ” Naruto thought worriedly.

“ It’s nothing kit, I’ll tell you later. ” Naruto nodded still worried.

Kurama hopped on the desk and helped Naruto with the quiz. There were seven questions. Naruto would slowly read them out and tell Kurama the answer he thought it was and then Kurama would help him to write out the answers.

Once he was done Naruto turned it in and sat back down to wait to be dismissed.

“ How do you think I did Ku-chan? ” Naruto asked.

“ You did good kit, I’m proud of you. Even if you didn't get all the questions right, you still managed to read and write the stuff down. ”

Naruto flushed happily at the praise.

Once the last person turned their quiz in Iruka dismissed them for the day.

Naruto walked out of the academy and began his walk home. On his way he ran into the plumber from before. But this time he had two kids with him.

“Inoue-san!” Naruto said excitedly. “It’s nice to see you again. Who are these little ones?” Naruto asked bending down slightly to smile at the boy and girl clinging to Inoue's hands. Both of their eyes widened in awe at Naruto.

The man blinked frantically at the bright aura Naruto was putting off.

“Naruto-sama! I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, these are my kids, Yuki and Ryo. How is your plumbing, is it working well? I can fix it if it isn't.” The plumber said stumbling over his words in an attempt to say them as quickly as possible.

“It's working great for now Inoue-san don't worry.” Naruto said happily.

“I’m glad!” Inoue exclaimed. “I must be going now have a nice day Naruto-sama.” The plumber said before running off.

“B...bye.” Naruto said sweat dropping.

“What a strange man.” Naruto muttered. *With Inoue* "Papa. He's really pretty!" Yuki said excitedly. "Yes Yuki he is, and that is why he is our Guardian Angel." *With Naru*

Naruto walked up to his apartment and unlocked the door.

“Alright Ku-chan change back please.”

Kurama quickly changed back with a poof of air.

“Now why did you freeze when you smelled Iruka-sensei?”

“..... He’s my mate.” Kurama said.

"Wait what!"

Chapter Text

"What!" Naruto yelped in surprise. Iruka-sensei was the Kyuubi’s mate? What were the odds! Naruto worried briefly over what Iruka’s reaction would be since he had heard that Iruka had lost his parents in the Kyuubi attack. After a quick second he decided that he would kick Iruka’s ass if he hurt Ku-chans feelings. Naruto refocused on Kurama when he realized the man was waiting for Naruto to snap out of his contemplations.

Once he had Naruto’s attention again he began explaining. "Iruka-san is my mate, and because of him being my mate if I mate with him he'll have the same lifespan that I have. You also have my lifespan because of my chakra having mixed with yours as thoroughly as it has, and with that fact so too does your mate. Right now I will not pursue Iruka-san. He tolerates you right now, if barely, and I refuse to mate with anyone that is anything less than adoring towards you."

Naruto blushed at how protective Kurama was towards him. "I love you Ku-chan." Naruto said tearily hugging Kurama around the waist and squeezing before realizing what Kurama had said. “I HAVE A MATE TOO?” Naruto squeaked his body flushing in embarrassment.

“Yes Naru. You’ll know who they are by their scent, I can’t explain what it is about their scent that will tell you, you’ll just know.” Kurama explained. Nodding thoughtfully Naruto sat down on the couch.

"Alright Naru, since you’re done with the school for the day we will train for the rest of the evening. Go ahead and create a clone and have them start learning to read better. While they do that I'll work on getting your body ready to battle. Be warned I will not relent on how difficult your training is because while I don't want to cause you harm I also know what happens to shinobi and I do not think I would survive if something happened to you because you weren't trained enough." Kurama explained.

Naruto nodded determinedly. "I'll do my best Ku-chan."

Naruto created a clone and sent him to read the pile of books Kurama had set up for Naruto. “All of these books are on Konoha's history, because learning history stops one from making the same mistakes that others have made. Reading this will also teach you some things about what humans are willing to do to win.”

While he was explaining what the clone would be reading the clone sat down and grabbed the top book on the pile. Walking away from where the clone was sitting Naruto and Kurama gathered the equipment the would need for the training session and changed into clothes more fitting for the rigorous training Naruto was sure to go through. Once they were dressed Naruto and Kurama left to head to an empty training ground where they would be able to train in peace without the scrutiny of an unwanted audience. Finally they found one that was a distance away from the rest that would give them the isolation they needed to be able to train they began to set up their stuff for a training session. 

"Alright Naru-chan I'm gonna show you a series of stretches that I want you to do everyday before I give you a set amount of laps to run around Konoha. These stretches will help you become more flexible which will increase your mobility and allow you to dodge more objects thrown at you more easily. The running around the village will increase your endurance which will allow you to last longer in a battle. We will be adding weights onto your legs so you can gain more speed from the laps I will be having you do, I have the weights here in this bag and once we are done discussing your training I'll have you put them on and we will start. After a few weeks of having your weights on I'll have you remove them to get used to having them off after having them weigh you down for so long. We will be starting you at 5 pounds. After you do your laps we'll work on chakra control. We will keep going until your clone disperses when it's done reading through everything I gave you to read. Then I will quiz you on what your clone learned and clarify anything you have questions about."

Naruto nodded wearily, it was gonna take a ton of work but he would do it. He had to!

"One other thing, we will work on your time and wind control once you've learned enough chakra control."

Naruto sighed sadly but nodded in understanding he couldn’t wait until he started learning about them, it was so cool! 

Kurama pulled out the weights and walked up to Naruto. "As I said before we'll start you at 5 pounds and once you have hit a hundred laps and can do it easily I'll increase the weight. Now these are made with a little known seal that allows the user to push chakra in and increase the weight." Kurama bent down and began to strap on the weights they were made with a black material and on the inside had a soft layer made to stop irritation of the leg. They were relatively small, deceptively so considering how much weight they could gain. Once they were on Naruto moved his leg around a bit to get a feel for them. They didn't hinder his movement very much and they didn't feel very heavy right now, but he knew once he started running he would begin to feel them in earnest.

"Alright Naru, I'll show you the stretches and then have you copy me. I'll correct you while you do it so you can learn the correct positioning. And then I'll have you start with 10 laps around Konoha. When you get back that's when we'll start the chakra control lessons."

Kurama moved into an area clear of debris and began to teach Naruto the stretches. Once he had a general idea of the movement required Kurama got up and had him continue the stretches while Kurama stood above him watching intently. "Very good Naruto, you seem to have gotten it down, tomorrow I'll watch you and make sure that you remember them. Now up you get I'll lead you through your first lap so you know the way and then let you do the last nine. While you do that I will get everything ready for teaching you chakra control and then wait for you here." With that said Naruto and Kurama took off.

The path that wound around Konoha was a long one with many obstacles in the way. They finished the first lap and Kurama left Naruto to finish. He gathered a pile of leaves and some chakra paper and sat down to wait. 

9 laps later Naruto sat down next to Kurama panting. "Alright Naru well done, I'll let you take a breather to regain your breath. Then we'll start on the chakra control." 

After a 10 minute break Kurama got up and picked up the pile of leaves he had gathered.

"Alright Naru I want you to practice with these leaves. You'll let a very small amount of your chakra into these leaves and I want you to be able to have these stick to any part of your body. Once you have the ability to stick it to any part of your body I want you to continuously work on it so you can do it without even thinking about it. I'll show you how to do it, hold onto my shoulder so you can feel the movement of my chakra easier. Once you think you have it down I'll let you practice yourself." Naruto reached forward and grasped Kurama's shoulder. Kurama slowly manipulated his chakra to make the leaf stick to the palm of his hand. He continuously did it until Naruto nodded and backed away.

"Alright Ku-chan I think I have it." Kurama nodded and handed him the leaf.

Naruto spent the next 3 hours working on chakra control, after the first hour Naruto had figured out the amount needed to not shred the leaf completely and once he had that down it didn't take long to get it to start sticking to every surface he could then it was just muscle control. He kept working on it until his clone dispersed, once he got the influx of memories he told Kurama.

"Alright Naruto this here's is the quiz I wrote up to the books you read. If you have any questions at the end I'll go over them with you. Then I want you to return to chakra control but this time I want you to use you clothes to practice, with you always having clothes with you it'll be easier if you practice with those."

Naruto started on his quiz and answered all the questions to the best of his abilities. Once he was done he handed the quiz to Kurama and waited for him to grade it.

"Very good Naruto you answered all the questions correctly. I want you to keep this quiz and go over it a few more times. All of these questions are relevant to what I'm sure you'll be learning in class soon."

"Okay Ku-chan." Naruto said happily.

"I have a question though. About Uzushio. I read something about there being a clan from there called the Uzumaki clan..... I was wondering, am I from there?"

"Yes Naruto, your mother Kushina is actually the daughter of the last clan leader. Your father Minato's family branched off from the Senju clan which the first two leaders of Konoha are your great great uncles and Lady Tsunade is your aunt. She left Konoha a long time ago and I don't think she is aware of you. If you'd like we could try to contact her."

"Yes! I want more family here Ku-chan and I hope she will be apart of that." Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically. 

"Alright Naru We will send a letter first thing in the morning." Kurama and Naruto gathered up their supplies and made their way back to the apartment to have dinner and get ready for bed for the night.

Chapter Text

When they arrived at the apartment Naruto made his way to his room to pick out the clothes he would wear the next day before grabbing nightclothes to change into. He took a shower and then went to eat the dinner Kurama had made.

“I’m nervous Ku-chan, do you think Lady Tsunade will like me?”

“From what little I’ve heard she lost her husband and brother during the last war and has a fear of blood. She left Konoha and became a gambling alcoholic, I think you will be just the push she needs to get back her will of fire.”

“Really? She won’t hate me for you being sealed inside of me?”

“Lady Tsunade was never one to judge based off of that, actually her grandmother was Mito Uzumaki, my first container. She will respect your sacrifice.”

“Ku-chan it’s no sacrifice for me to have you….” Naruto said tearfully.

“Naru!” Kurama said before glomping Naruto. He backed away and pinched Naruto's cheek.

“Brush your teeth and go to bed. We'll figure out what to say to Lady Tsunade tomorrow.”
Naruto nodded and did as he was directed.

As Naruto laid in bed that night he wondered what Tsunade looked like. He fell asleep to images of family in his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto woke up the next day feeling giddy. Ku-chan had promised to help him write a letter to the Sannin Lady Tsunade, now known to himself and unknown to her as his aunt. Kurama said that she had left years before he was borning meaning she was not aware of him. Naruto hopped out of bed and changed into the clothes he had sat out for the new day. Walking into the kitchen he sat at the table to patiently wait for Kurama to finish cooking breakfast. Once Kurama was done and had brought the food to the table is when Naruto chose to inquire once again about sending the letter.

"Hey Ku-chan can we look into sending that letter to Tsunade now?"

"Of course Naru, after we are done eating we will write the letter and take it to a carrier to be sent."

Naruto beamed happily and ate his breakfast. They finished quickly and moved to the living room to start writing the letter.

"We'll have to make sure to word it to where it doesn't sound like someone is trying to send her into a trap." Naruto murmured.

They spent the next 20 minutes writing the letter and changing it so it didn't sound like it was fake.

Naruto included a picture of himself as proof. "I hope she wants to meet me." Naruto said wistfully.

"Anyone who doesn't want to know you is an idiot." Kurama snapped in anger.

"Of course you would think that Ku-chan," Naruto said, amused before sighing. "I have to go to the Academy class will be starting soon.

Kurama nodded and transformed into his fox form. Naruto angled himself for Kurama to easily be able to jump on his shoulder before making his way out of the door.

He made his way across the rooftops to get to class not wanting to interact with any civilians.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three days went by before a letter reached Naruto. Kurama and Naruto stared at the seal for a moment, recognizing it as the Senju symbol, Naruto swallowed apprehensively.

“Its from Lady Tsunade.” Kurama declared.

“I’ll… just go ahead and open it.”\

‘Dear Naruto,

You were correct in me not being aware of you. If I had been aware I would have come back. That stupid old man should have informed me. I am on my way back, this will reach you a day before I arrive. I’m going to give that old man hell. I started researching you to verify it wasn't fake and you should have had a better life. I heard you were adopted and I can only hope he was aware you were going to write to me and he’ll let me get to know you.

Signed,
Senju Tsunade (To you Auntie)

“She wants to get to know me Ku-chan!” Naruto said elatedly.

“Of course she does Naru-chan, anyone not an absolute moron wants to know you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Same day)

Naruto had made a ton of progress with learning the history over the past 3 days and was almost done learning the complete history of Konoha. Kurama had told him after he was done learning the history he would help Naruto with writing and then sign language along with the ANBU corps hand signs, Naruto figured they would all be helpful to making him well rounded which would make any missions he takes easier in the future.

With the healing factor helping him along Naruto was also progressing rapidly with his weight training, and exercising. His stretching also helped make him more flexible and with him still growing he was probably gonna be even better since the younger you are the more flexible you tend to be.

Naruto was currently doing the chakra exercise Kurama had shown him that first day.

“Good job Naru. I expect you to use your shirt from now on and constantly be doing the exercise. Once you are able to do that without having to concentrate we will move onto learning the basic academy jutsu’s and hopefully with this you will be able to make a clone that will allow you to pass the exams at the end of the year, which isn’t that long from now.

“Naruto?” A voice said at the edge of the clearing.

Naruto turned in shock to see Shikamaru of all people. “HEY!” Naruto said in shock. “Sorry, hi Shikamaru.”

“What are you doing?”

“Training….? I need to get better and I finally have someone willing to help me.”

“No one was helping you before?”

Naruto shook his head. “Until Ku-chan came along I could barely read.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Troublesome.” He muttered. “Do you need any help?”

“No thank you Shika I know you like to relax so if you wanted you could just lay at the edge of the clearing and watch, Ku-chan is really good at training me.”

Shikamaru nodded and leaned against a tree settling in to watch. “If you ever need help just ask me Naruto. I know all the civilians hate you for some odd reason, and never understood it. We are friends and I’ll help with whatever you need.” Shikamaru declared.
“Shika.” I said shakily before jumping on him. “Thank you.”

Shikamaru awkwardly patted Naruto’s back. “Troublesome.” He muttered while blushing.

Kurama watched the whole thing happily. “Alright Naru you’re suffocating him.”

Naruto jumped back in shock before apologizing.

Shikamaru just waved him off.

“Training Naru chop chop.”

Naruto spent the rest of the evening practicing before they packed up for the evening. They walked Shikamaru home before retiring themselves. They ate and said their goodnights.
Naruto laid in bed that night exhausted but happy. He had a friend, Ku-chan, and soon an Aunt.