Third person pov
"You be safe, Naruto. Listen to Kakashi and Ayumu and don't go wandering off, okay?" Minato swept down to press a kiss to Naruto's forehead. The blonde haired boy received it with grace. "I'll be back later and we can go try out another one of the restaurants here! Trying some traditional Suna cuisine could be fun, right?"
"Believe it!" Naruto agreed eagerly, giving his best smile in hopes of reassuring his dad that he would, in fact, be perfectly fine if he went off and did whatever important kage stuff he had to do. Presumably talking about sealing things and boring treaty stuff. Naruto wished he could go with him. If his dad did have to do any sealing stuff today, it would probably be on the very Jinchuriki he was looking for, right? What else was there to seal?
His dad had made it clear that what he was doing was too dangerous and too secret for Naruto to tag along, though. Even Kashi couldn't go. Just his dad and the creepy old stalker dude that none of them liked, and that was it. Which Naruto understood, but that meant he had to try and find his fellow tailed beast jailer out in the wild. And that was assuming said jailer was even a person, too.
The main issue with this was that Naruto has to be extremely, extremely subtle about it. Saying anything out loud would alert... well, everyone-- his dad, Kashi, Kurama-- that he knew about his own predicament. He had no other excuse as to why he'd be seeking out a tailed beast container. He'd totally give himself away, and if he did that, he could put Kurama in danger. What if his dad found out and tried to put another seal on top of the other and Naruto wasn't able to talk to his friend anymore?
The thought of Kurama trapped in complete isolation, lonely and with no window to the outside world? Naruto's heart was normally pretty sturdy, up to taking every manner of hit, but even he felt like it could crack right down the middle at the mere notion of Kurama being left in the dark like that. Naruto had only been alive six years and has known intimately the effects of disdain and malice, the grief that can come with being completely alone.
Kurama had experienced that for so much longer, and in so much more depth. Naruto has worn the label of monster, but Kurama has had it seared into his very identity. He'd been around a long time, alone and locked away as though he weren't alive and a thinking, feeling being. He was big and he was terrifying, but that's all people saw. They didn't care that he was so much more.
If Kurama was misunderstood, the other tailed beasts probably were too. Naruto was sure they'd done bad things, but so had other people! They'd imprisoned them as weapons and abused their powers as their own. It wasn't fair. Besides, if Kurama could change and be nice and not hate Naruto, maybe his siblings could too! He just had to be very, very round-about in his approach. So that nobody caught on.
He watched his dad go, trying to formulate some sort of plan. If it was a person the tailed beast was sealed in, they'd be naturally easier to find, probably not as secret. Naruto's own status was clearly not well known, but some sort of rumor had to have spread if people were calling him a demon. Naruto could see now that it wasn't just him they were calling a monster-- indirectly, it had been Kurama too.
It was odd to realize that it had never actually been about Naruto at all. It was nothing he'd said or done. Some people obviously knew he had Kurama in him. Others had just gone along with the animosity of those who were aware of his condition, jumping on the bandwagon to fit in because they couldn't see any reason not to. Naruto felt oddly at peace to finally have a real reason for the way he was treated, even if none of what they'd done was justified.
Not the point right now. Point was, if Naruto had been mistreated and people had inevitably known despite efforts to keep it a secret, there was a good chance people here knew about their own Jinchuriki too. And if people here knew it too, then all Naruto had to do was find someone who was being very obviously avoided in the village. Someone people were repulsed by, who created a berth in the crowd wherever they went.
It was a shoddy plan at best. It was an assumption that whoever was here was being treated the same as Naruto, if they were a person at all-- for all he knew, the tailed beast could be sealed in a cookie jar somewhere. But it was all he had and it was the only way he knew how to keep an eye out without drawing attention to his newfound awareness, so he'd have to roll with it and hope for the best.
Suna was big, though. Not quite as large as the Leaf, but close enough that there was no way Naruto could possibly explore the place fast enough to find whoever the heck he was looking for. People liked to talk, though. Naruto was the subject of many hushed, disdainful whispers. If he could follow those, no doubt he'd find who he was looking for! He'd find his fellow tailed beast holder in no time, believe it!
"Kashi, Kashi!" Naruto spun on his heel, leaping to wrap his arms around the man and beam up at him in a move he knew would sway him. The man's one visible eye crinkled, hands coming down to grapple at him and pull him up into his arms. Naruto went willingly, throwing an arm around his neck. "Can we explore? I wanna see everything, believe it!"
Naruto could see uncertainty flash across Kakashi's face, the man sharing a look with Ayumu, who gave a kind smile and a shrug. The masked man seemed to purse his lips behind his facial covering in response. Naruto kept his expression open and bright, his fingers internally crossed. His dad had come here on a specific mission, yeah, but Naruto had a mission of his own now! And he was determined to complete it no matter what.
"...Alright. We can walk around a little, Naruto. Just so long as you stay with me at all times." Kakashi hummed, cradling Naruto like he was still a baby. Naruto's grin grew to blinding levels. Kakashi squinted against the shine. "We should be safe here, but it never hurts to be careful. You're the Hokage's son, after all."
Right, he is the Hokage's son. Which he like, knew. It just felt weird to think of the implications was all. Naruto Uzumaki, son of the Legendary Fourth Leader of The Village Hidden in the Leaves. The infamous Yellow Flash! It still seemed like something out of one of his daydreams.
"I get it, I get it. Stranger danger is very real, don't get kidnapped, don't follow anyone back to their house because they tell me they have puppies. I've totally got the memo, believe it." Naruto gave a mock salute, wriggling in Kakashi's arms excitedly. "Dad's gonna be busy for like, ever! No way can we just sit around doing nothing! Let's go! I'll be careful!"
Kakashi sighed and gave a reluctant nod, and Naruto's giddiness grew.
~~~~~
It was weird to walk around a village that didn't hate him. They had no preconceived notions about him, no ideas about who he was or wasn't supposed to be. They smiled back at him and waved in the face of his friendly enthusiasm, seeming curious but not malicious in any way. It filled Naruto with an odd, almost bitter sense of freedom. One he wished he could have at home.
He'd get it, though! One day he'd prove himself, prove he and Kurama weren't the monsters everyone had branded them. With Kurama and his dad and Kashi and Ayumu and the doggies as his friends, he was sure he'd get there. And Sasuke maybe. Naruto still wasn't sure if they were actually friends or not. Sort of? It was definitely an I piss on you, you piss on me type of relationship.
Naruto made sure to hold Kakashi's hand at all times. That would prolong the amount of time they were able to be out and about since he'd feel reassured Naruto wasn't going to-- he didn't know. Get snatched up or something. If Naruto could outrun a bunch of jonin after playing his pranks he could probably kick some kidnappers in the nuts and scream at the top of his lungs if need be, though.
Still, knowing he had a tailed beast in him... it was no wonder his dad had been so reluctant to the idea of bringing him out of the Leaf. He wasn't a very well guarded secret in all honesty. Like, sure, nobody was screaming that he had the Nine Tailed Fox in him from the rooves or anything, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out with how all the villagers treated him. Someone could totally come snatch him up in an attempt to get Kurama.
"Is there anything in particular you wanted to see, Naruto?" Ayumu asked kindly. It was just them three on the streets, but Naruto had to wonder how many of the ANBU they'd brought were tailing them right now. "Suna's pretty big. It's split into different districts, a lot like Konoha is. There's a lot to do. We probably won't get to even a quarter of it today!"
That meant he had to be careful to pick an effective area. He needed gossip, and if he wanted gossip, he needed people. The shopping district could be good, but... if this Jinchuriki was treated anything like Naruto was, they'd be as far away from there as possible. Unless they wanted to get themself beat up that is. The different vendors hadn't been forgiving to him, refusing to sell to him, and sometimes chasing him with various weapons of choice if he dared cross the front of their store or booth.
But Naruto needed information. He could try to find a playground. Children loved to blabber, especially about things they found scary or interesting. Naruto wouldn't be able to directly ask questions about it, though, nor could he coax it out of them. Kurama would pick up on that if he did if he were listening. Talk about tricky, but Naruto was nothing if not dead set on finding Kurama's sibling.
"Can we go see the shopping district? After all that talk on the way here about pottery and how they make all sorts of different stuff, I totally wanna see some!" Naruto infused his voice with as much enthusiasm as humanly possible. He was nothing if not a good actor. "Maybe we can get a present for dad! Since he's stuck with that weird pervert dude all day. We could buy a plate for him to throw at him!"
"That sounds like a great idea, Naruto!" Kakashi looked delighted, so Naruto knew he'd made the right choice. Ayumu made a face that suggested they may be talking about this later. "Let's go! Your dad's favorite color is red, so keep an eye out, okay?"
Naruto hummed in agreement, glad he was able to get Kashi so pumped up. Definitely helped his mission. One point Naruto, zero points whatever opposing force was against him this time. He was sure there was one out there somewhere. Probably several. He'd not going to think too hard about it, half because it might make him cry if he does, half because optimism is key and he refuses to let anyone or anything rain on his parade.
Suna's different. Pretty in its own way, but different. Naruto definitely prefers towering trees and thick canopies of leaves. How they survive without rolling hills of grass and an abundance of rivers, Naruto has literally no idea. To each their own, he guesses. He's not about to culture shame them, no matter how unappealing living in the desert sounds.
There's a lot to see and buy. The sellers here are just as enthusiastic as the ones in Konoha, maybe even more so due to the lower tourism rate. Suna's hard to get to, is in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, and it's hot. They do make really badass pottery though. Some of their incense cone burners are insane. Naruto wants the three headed dragon one with individually carved scales all over it.
Naruto keeps his ears carefully open. He disguises his wandering gaze as natural curiosity, head whipping every which way in search of anything that may lead him to his target. They find several plates-- some for his dad to keep, some prime for throwing at the old stalker's head. Naruto can't believe his dad's being forced to deal with that guy all day. That's got to be classified as torture of some kind, right? Maybe they can sue.
People are curious about them. Leaf ninja aren't common visitors to their village, apparently-- especially not after the Fourth, uh... died. That still felt awkward and uncomfortable to say. At least he'd come back! Now everything was great! Except for the part where Kurama's like, you know, sad and stuff. But they're getting there. They'll have more flowers in no time!
Naruto almost doesn't think he's going to pick up on anything at all as they go about. He lingers in booths and around restaurants where people are more prone to chatter, taking his time looking at the goods and inspecting them. His interest isn't entirely feigned. Things really are different here. There's an abundance on the arts just like Naruto was told, and the skill is translated through almost every product he lays eyes on.
He's got his hands on what is simultaneously the ugliest yet most well made vase he's ever seen in his entire life when he hears the first inkling of what he needs. Kashi hovers right at his side, looking between two mugs trying to decide which one he wants to purchase. Ayumu is on the other side of the very large, canopied booth, which is more of a tent than anything.
"Did you hear?" A hushed voice murmurs just outside the booth. Naruto stills imperceptibly, squinting and pretending to look into the vase he's holding. His attention zeroes in on the woman talking. "That child-- he attacked someone else. He's gone completely crazy since he killed his uncle."
"He was always crazy, Mishi. And he's no child." Another woman muttered back. "He's a monster. He'll kill us all if we're not careful, just like he did Yashamaru. Why the Kazekage allows us to terrorize us all, I still don't know."
Bingo.
Child-- that meant they were younger than eighteen at the very least. The monster thing was familiar. He couldn't believe his prediction had been right! Whoever they were, this boy was mistreated just like Naruto was! Which wasn't a good thing in the slightest, of course. And the killing thing was also super concerning, but Naruto was willing to bet he had a reason. Kids didn't go around killing people for no reason in Naruto's experience.
"Just don't take Kimiko to Jakun park for a while. I heard he's always there." The voices were fading. Naruto wanted to jump in place he was so excited. A name! The name of a park! Hours of walking around looking at varying qualities of pottery had all been worth it, even if a quarter of his brain had melted! "I've heard he attacks anyone who gets too close. He could crush her if you're not careful. It's not worth it."
If he was always at this park, that meant Naruto could probably find him there at any given time-- including right now. But he was willing to bet Kashi had heard what was said too, as observant as he was. Not to mention his ears were way, way better than a normal person's. That meant Naruto had to delay. Besides, he had no idea where Jakun park even was. He had to play the long game.
Being patient had never been Naruto's strong suit, but for this he could persevere. He settled down his vase as casually as he could manage, reaching out to grab a different one. He wondered if this guy was around his age or if he was older. He had to be old enough to go to a park on his own-- but then again, Naruto was a tailed beast container and nobody had ever cared where he ran off to.
It's a little painful. And by a little painful, Naruto means it's literally excruciating to stop himself from showing how he feels outwardly. Kurama could pick up on his behavior, or Kashi could, or god forbid, Ayumu. He'd probably smelled it or something with the way he kept glancing down at Naruto, even though he'd been too far away to even hear what Naruto had overheard from those women. Him and his therapy powers were insane.
They stop for lunch and don't hear from his dad at all. Naruto tries to focus on his ramen as best he can. He'd paid attention to as many street signs as possible. From what he can tell, Jakun park is somewhere closer to Suna's southern wall, the one right behind the residential area of Suna. Close to where they're staying. It's perfect-- almost like fate, Naruto is pretty sure.
Dropping off their bags, Naruto doesn't have to fake being energetic enough to bounce off the walls. Ramen always gets him gears turning, what can he say? It's like oiling the hinges! Kashi seems exasperated by his intensity, but he goes along with Naruto anyway. Ayumu decides to stay back and take a break. Naruto tries not to feel too relieved. No way the man wouldn't know something was up.
Naruto can tell they're going to find him. His gut feelings rarely ever lead him astray. His palms feel sweaty with anticipation, his nerves spiking. Naruto bottles this all up the way he used to bottle up everything, putting on a mask of joyful normalcy like it's a second skin. He's not sure what he's going to do when he finds Kurama's sibling. He honestly hadn't thought that far ahead. He's sure it'll come to him on the fly.
"Look! A park!" Naruto crows out, thrusting a finger in the direction and immediately dragging Kakashi behind him. "Let's go! I bet ours are better, but I've got to see for myself! This whole place is a giant sandbox already, so they've got to have something cool to make up for that!"
The park isn't much of a park at all. There's an old swing set and a sectioned off sandbox, which Naruto is pretty sure is cheating considering this is the actual desert. Mostly the place is just a bland, leveled field, two sad soccer ball goals made out of rickety wooden posts sat at opposite ends. It's just about the most depressing park he's ever seen, only a few benches scattered about. Kashi seems less than impressed. Naruto's eyes climb the area.
There are only a few kids present, but they're far off to the side, kicking a ball back and forth between them. Naruto's eyes automatically shoot to the opposite side from where they are, searching. There are a few pathetic excuses for trees, a little shriveled and sad. They look more like tortured bushes than anything, but they still provide some minimal amount of shade.
"Let's head out, Naruto." Kakashi hums. "It looks like there's not much here."
Naruto slips his hand out of Kakashi's, eyes zeroing in on a small form. It's familiar, and something in him clicks into place. There.
Sitting hunched between two of the sad trees is a boy around his age, terribly small and with the saddest eyes Naruto has ever seen on someone other than himself. There are dark rings around his eyes that tell of little sleep, a bandage taped to his forehead. His hair is a bright red and hangs over it slightly, but Naruto can still make it out even from a distance.
He sits huddled up, one arm wrapped around his legs, his knees drawn up to his chest. His other hand is occupied with a stick that he uses to draw lines in the sand in front of him. He looks tiny, and Naruto wonders if he ever looked that small and alone. Something in his heart aches desperately, and he finds he can't look away.
That has to be him. And even if it's not, Naruto isn't sure he'd be able to walk away. The boy is an echo of himself. Loneliness seems to roll off of him in waves. Naruto finds himself trudging forward like a man possessed towards where he sits, his focus so single-minded that he doesn't hear Kakashi call for him. His sandals don't sink into the sand, the chakra control Kurama taught him keeping him from doing so, but an abundance of sand still gets uncomfortably between his toes and under his soles.
Naruto can see the moment the boy hears him coming. His head snaps up, seafoam green eyes wide and alarmed, maybe a little scared. The emotions are overcome with hostility just as fast, his eyes narrowing and lips twisting into a defensive snarl that would look aggressive to anyone else. Naruto can tell he's more afraid than anything. He knows because he's felt that way too.
It feels odd to see someone just like him, in age, in demeanor, in circumstance. Naruto feels... weird. He's never run into anyone just like him, and he feels oddly emotional as he stops a good six feet from the boy, peering down at him with a smile he can't stop from growing. Something warm bubbles in him, starting in his feet and making its way up into the base of his chest, filling him completely.
He wants to laugh, but Naruto knows that would give the wrong impression, so instead he just smiles. The boy looks confused, shoulders tense and hand clenched around his stick so tightly his knuckles are white. He pulls his knees even closer to his chest, like making himself smaller will cause Naruto not to see him. There's confusion there, his initial burst of rage fading to make way for it.
Naruto notices then that his eyes aren't just rimmed with dark, but with red too, like he's been crying. Naruto can't count the number of times he curled up somewhere secluded just to let it out for once. He wonders if it has anything to do with the injury on his forehead or not. It would be rude to ask, he knows, so he doesn't. Even if the nosy part of him wants to.
Kakashi stops a ways behind him but Naruto doesn't turn to look. He releases a breath he knows comes out a little shaky, crouching down to be at the same height as who he's certain is going to be his new best friend-- in human regards, of course. There's a warm feeling in his bones that reminds him of Kurama, and he wonders if the old fox maybe knows who this is, knows what he hold inside of him.
"Who are you?" The boy demands, his voice soft but not lacking in aggression. He sounds as tired and defeated as he looks, empty. "I'll kill you, you know. I can crush you in seconds."
"That's super sick." Naruto decides, because it is. He wonders if he'd crush Sasuke if Naruto asked him to. Maybe once they're a little closer. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki! What's yours?"
The boy looks... flabbergasted to put it simply, reeling back slightly. Like he's got no idea what to think of Naruto or what to do at his nonchalance in the face of a literal death threat. Kakashi is very still behind him, watching with keen eyes that Naruto can feel burning into the back of his head. Naruto's determined though, refusing to let up. He holds his new friends gaze.
He can almost feel it if he reaches out. There's a pulsing, unusual undertone in the air, one that mingles with his own like a pair of in-tune heartbeats. He wonders if the boy can feel it too to an extent. The redhead unravels slightly, the arm around his legs loosening. He rests his stick on the ground cautiously, never taking his eyes off of Naruto, searching his eyes for signs of some kind of lie and frowning when he finds none. He looks at Naruto like a prey might a predator, waiting for him to pounce.
Naruto doesn't move. Doesn't say anything else, doesn't ask any questions. He just sits there and he waits, his gaze boring into his new friend's, trying to communicate that he means no harm. There's an sense of immediate kinship Naruto feels, one that tells him he isn't wrong. His esteemed detective work has paid off. He's found one of Kurama's siblings, and just like him, this boy is jailing them.
His fellow jailer is distrustful. Someone hurt him deeply, Naruto can tell. Beyond what the scornful words of the village could do. This damage has split him right down the middle, leaving his emotions open and raw in his expression. He seems so much older than he's supposed to be, and Naruto's chest aches for him. He thinks that if this boy isn't a monster, then Naruto definitely isn't either. Which he knew, but now Naruto thinks that maybe he can really, actually believe it.
"...Gaara." The boy finally says after what feels like forever. Naruto's grin widens. Gaara looks perturbed.
"It's nice to meet you, Gaara!" Naruto chirped out, contentment curling through him. He stood, perhaps too fast based on the way Gaara flinched, stepping forward and offering a hand. Sand swirled ominously around them but Naruto did react to the stir. "Do you want to be my friend? I don't have many, and I really want someone to show me how to make a sand castle. I'm from Konoha, so I'm not very good at making them, you see?"
Gaara stares at the hand like it'll bite him. There's something about the fear on his face that makes Naruto's determination swell even higher, like a flame fanned. He wants to help him. He will help him, and they will be best friends, and fuck if Naruto'll take any criticism. Gaara is like him. Naruto's never... he's never had that before. He's never had a person he can look at and feel like he's looking in a mirror.
Gaara's expression twists then, with distrust and perhaps anger. He reaches forward with his face set darkly. Naruto doesn't so much as flinch as sand swirls together at lightning speed, pulling closer and closer as Gaara's hand approaches his. He hears Kakashi make a noise of concern behind him as the sand swells. Naruto feels his grin grow, something in his bones warming further even in the face of Gaara's contempt.
And then the boy's hand is in his all of a sudden, the sand halting less than an inch from Naruto's wrist. Gaara's face crumbles in surprise as Naruto wraps his fingers around him before he can yank back. Alarm and shock race through the redheaded boy's expression, his seafoam green eyes dropping to look at the still-hovering sand with something akin to betrayal. It was supposed to block him, Naruto realizes. It was supposed to crush him.
Naruto yanks Gaara up before the boy can react, not letting go. Gaara stumbles to his feet like a newborn fawn, unstable and a little shaky. He stares at Naruto's hand wrapped around his with big eyes, his disbelief blatant. When he looks back up to meet Naruto's gaze, Naruto beams even wider. He's got him. He's actually, really got him. And he's not even dead for it!
"Awesome!" Naruto chirps out, glancing down at the sand, which warbles awkwardly. Like it wants to encase Naruto but can't quite. He wonders if it's Kurama's doing. The thought makes him even giddier. "Let's go, Gaara! Kind of weird that you guys even have sandboxes when the whole village is literally a pit of sand, but I didn't come here to judge, believe it. I can already tell we're going to be best friends!"
Naruto drags the speechless boy off to go build their sand castle, ignoring the sand that tries to rise up at him again only to quiver and slink back. Kakashi trails at a distance, anxiously fluttering and obviously wanting to approach but not wanting to risk Gaara reacting with violence. Gaara is too surprised to do much other than let himself get dragged along. Naruto bounces along, ignoring the trio of mothers that quiet and grow pale as soon as they see who Naruto has with practiced ease.
Naruto deposits Gaara in the sandbox, plopping down right across from him with a beaming grin. Gaara blinks rapidly at him, drawing his shaking hand close to his chest. He glances down at it like he's trying to wrap his head around the fact that Naruto really just held it. Naruto wonders when someone was last able to touch him. Maybe the sand knew Naruto meant no harm! Or maybe that was his tailed beast and it sensed Kurama!
"Alright! Sand castle!" Naruto beamed, clapping his hands together. Gaara peered at him, expression still slack and eyes still rounded. "Where do we start?"