Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 3: Akatsuki no Kurama

Izuna had to admit that Naruto interested him. At first he was apprehensive but then he grew curious. Who was Naruto Uzumaki? Why did he sound familiar? He was so different from the others he had known. The people of Ame treated him like a demigod, the Akatsuki treated him like a child, and his father always was pushing him to be stronger than Itachi one day.

But Naruto was different. He neither worshiped him nor treated him like a child. His pride wouldn't allow him to let Naruto provide everything for him so he asked Naruto to show him how to hunt. When Naruto didn't answer him, he thought that that was a no. But the next day, Naruto woke him and Jin up and took them hunting with him. They spent five hours going over the way to stalk the animal, how to become one with nature, and how to kill the animal quickly with minimal damage.

It was enlightening, watching their silent protector become one with nature like a panther. He became a predator and his aura was similar to his father's but without the malice.

Then Jin plucked up the courage to ask Naruto show him how to cook the food. Naruto explained in that monotone voice of his how to cook the animals thoroughly without burning it and even showed them herbs used to flavor the meat and berries.

Naruto seemed to know them like the back of his hand, almost like a medical ninja.

Izuna could honestly say that he respected Naruto a little. He could see why Jin called him Naruto-sama.

One morning Izuna was woken up by a frantic Jin.

"Wake up, Izuna. Naruto-sama is gone!"

Izuna just squeezed his eyes closed. "He's probably gone hunting or something. Or a mission."

"But all his things are gone. And he always leaves me in a hotel when he's on a mission."

Izuna frowned and sat up. He looked around the camp to see that the camp was indeed empty. The fire pit was smoldering, indicating that it had went out a while ago.

'I knew it.' Izuna thought furiously. 'I can't trust anyone. 'Naruto-sama' just abandoned us.' Izuna ignored the twinge of sadness.

"We'll just travel on our own then." Izuna said determinedly.

Jin looked worried. "But Naruto-sama-"

"Abandoned us." Izuna cut in. "He abandoned us and left us to survive on our own."

Jin but his lip, his eyes watering at the thought that his hero had abandoned him. He followed Izuna slowly.

The boys walked through the forest, Izuna leading and Jin stumbling after.

The two froze as they heard a voice.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here. Two brats wondering through the forest. This is our lucky day. We can sell them on the slave market. People pay good money for children."

They spun around to see a group of twenty bandits staring at them with greedy expressions. The leader of the bandits gasped.

"Well, I'll be. We hit the jackpot, boys. These are the missing sons of Orochimaru and Madara. I wonder how much Konoha will pay for them. Or one of the other four hidden villages."

Izuna quickly gained his ground. "Second rate bandits like you won't be able to touch us." he said arrogantly, mirroring his father's attitude.

The bandits laughed. "As if you shrimps can stop us. Your little friend seems to be terrified."

Jin was terrified. He had never been this scared in his life. His eyes was watering until he remembered something that Naruto had told him.

Flashback- 3 months ago

"Naruto-sama, my father told me that emotions are useless to a shinobi and that a good shinobi doesn't show emotions." he said fiddling his thumbs. "But I can't help but be afraid when I'm in a fight. Does that make me a horrible shinobi?"

Naruto paused as he was polishing his sword. "It is normal to feel fear. If you didn't, you would be a fool. But it is not ignoring your fear or hiding it that makes you a good shinobi. It's acting to complete your mission despite your fear. If you can overcome your fear, you can be a good shinobi."

Flashback end

Jin stood tall. "You won't take us." Jin said firmly.

The bandits laughed. "We'll see." They moved forward.

Izuna quickly formed hand signs. "Fire style: Fire ball Jutsu."

The fireball, though weak, took most of his chakra. The fireball only gave three bandits second degree burns.

Izuna formed more hand signs ignoring the depletion in his chakra. "Fire style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

Multiple fire balls flew through the air and gave more second degree burns.

Izuna panted as his chakra dropped too low for him to use more fire jutsu. His eyes began burning.

The bandits stopped. "Oh, look the brat managed to get the Sharingan. Not that it matters."

Jin glanced anxiously over at Izuna to see that his left eye had two tomae and his right eye had one tomae.

Jin formed hand signs then slammed his hands against the ground. "Earth style: Swamp of the Underworld."

Jin pumped enough of his chakra into the ground that the bandits sunk to their knees. The leader got away while the other bandits struggled fruitlessly to get out.

The leader chuckled darkly. "Smart brats. But now you're almost out of chakra."

He pulled out his sword. "I think that I'll cut you up a bit and make sure that you can't get away." He swung his sword down on the frightened boys but with two poofs of smoke, they were replaced with logs. The two boys panted. They weren't able to teleport far. Just enough to get them out of range of the attack and replace themselves with logs. It had taken the last of their chakra.

The bandit growled. "That's it, I'm cutting off your legs. And maybe your hands too. There's plenty of men who will still buy you for what you can do with your mouth."

The two boys' eyes widened as the bandit moved closer.

"Naruto-sama." The two whispered inaudibly as the bandit raised the sword above his head.

The sword was swinging down.

"Naruto-sama!" The two squeezed their eyes shut.

There was a clang as metal met metal. The two opened their eyes to see their guardian angel blocking the two handed sword with his white katana.

"Who are you?" The leader snarled.

Naruto tilted his head, looking like he was putting minimal effort in his block while sweat was pouring down the bandit's face as he tried to chop Naruto in half.

"I am their guardian. But you probably know me as the Nightmare Yuurei." Naruto said in monotone. But what scared the hell out of the bandit was his eyes. It was like the fires of hell was burning in them. Then he felt as if his body was engulfed in flames. He screamed as imaginary flames scorched his body. He barely noticed that he dropped his sword and was on the ground, writhing in agony.

Finally, when the pain was at its peak, he felt a sharp pain that was just a twinge at his neck compared to the extreme pain that was engulfing his very nerves. Then everything went black.

Naruto looked blank now as he dropped the hand seal for the genjutsu he had cast. His uncaring eyes surveyed the rest of the trapped bandits. He threw the body and head of the leader among them then formed the hand signs to a jutsu that Izuna had wanted to learn, but didn't have enough chakra for.

"Look away." Naruto commanded as he finished the sequence. Izuna and Jin closed their eyes.

"Fire style: Dragon Flame Jutsu." The fire rushed out of Naruto's mouth and engulfed the bandits and the leader's corpse. Their screams echoed in the silent forest. Naruto held the jutsu until their bodies were reduced to ash. He let his hands fall to his side, his eyes blank again.

Jin and Izuna opened their eyes as they felt Naruto's hands on their head. "Sorry I'm late. I had a mission."

They opened their eyes when they heard two poofs of smoke and saw two more Naruto's. The two Naruto clones picked them up then followed the original.

Izuna's eyes were wide. 'He didn't abandon us. He saved us.'

Jin was smiling. 'I knew Naruto-sama wouldn't leave us.'

They stopped in a clearing and the two clones sat them down. The clones disappeared into the trees while Naruto went through his pack. He pulled out two pills and handed one to each boy. They ate it and felt their chakra begin to replenish.

"Could you explain why you left the campsite?" Naruto asked, not betraying a single emotion.

Izuna gulped. "We...I thought that you had abandoned us. So I talked Jin into following me. I apologize and I understand if you don't want me to travel with you anymore." Izuna said, bowing.

Izuna was shocked as Naruto handed them each a cup of tea. "I will not force you to leave nor will I force you to stay. You are free to do as you wish. Call me and I will come."

Izuna drank the tea that soothed his sore throat from the fire jutsu. For the first time he felt as though someone truly cared for his well-being. He felt safe.

Naruto mused the strangeness of his actions against the bandits. He hadn't lost his temper like that in ten years. Back in those days when he was a hyperactive knuckle-headed ninja seeking acceptance from the citizens of Konoha. It was strange, feeling this protectiveness that far outstripped the concern for his former comrades. The only one who came close was Sasuke. But Sasuke was dead to him as was the rest of his past. It died in the Valley of the End.

Naruto sighed as he gave Jin and Izuna their food then sat back to eat his own. These past ten years he had earned his name as 'Nightmare Yuurei', wandering the Elemental Countries and the islands like a wraith. He also liked using wraiths and phantoms in his illusions. Yet no one ever saw his face. He was more of a bed time story "Be good or the Nightmare Yuurei will come and haunt your dreams." It was his business. He was hired for an assassination, he plagued their dreams with their worst nightmares and, when they were most vulnerable, he killed them.

Feeling emotions after so long was like rain after a drought. After Kyuubi had left this plane he had truly lived up to his moniker, too numb to feel even despair. His eye were circled black, he lost weight, and he seemed dead. It made his depressed thirteen year old self look alive.

But he met Natsuke, who reminded him of Tsunade. She was able to make him live a little, unknowingly reminding him of his promise to Kyuubi. He had to live.

And now, feeling this camaraderie, this protectiveness, this familial love, he felt a little scared. He had been this way for ten years and despite the attempts made by Natsuke and his Akatsuki informant, he had stayed as cold as ice.

Naruto was determined that he would not let these two get harmed. Despite their origins, they had the eyes of innocents. They had yet to see the true cruelty of the world. He would protect that innocence even at the cost of his life.