I'm not happy with this chapter as I had to force myself to write in hopes to get out of this deep slump I've been in lately. So my apology if this is not quite up to par.

Lest you fade here all alone

Chapter 13

Rei appeared in the hallway of Naruto's apartment. Sensing the original's arrival, the shadow clone, left on the lookout outside, dispelled itself. There was no need of one when he himself was here.

"Gaara, you're okay now," Rei murmured to the little redhead in his arms. "I won't let anyone hurt you anymore."

The boy shifted to take a careful glance at the blond's face. Then, his attention got stolen by the completely new and unfamiliar surroundings. Rei put him down so that he could examine everything easier.

"You can stay with us as long as you want."

Gaara blinked at those words before looking up at the man. "Us?"

Rei smiled. "That's right. I want you to meet someone." He turned to the side and said, "Naruto, you can come out now."

His curiosity piqued, the young Jinchuuriki followed his line of sight and froze when another kid peeked from around the corner.

Rei motioned towards the little blond who kept himself half-hidden behind the doorframe to another room. "Gaara, meet Naruto, my nephew." He put a hand on Gaara's head. "Naruto, this is Gaara. He's going to stay with us from now on."

Two boys just stared at each other without uttering a word. Both confused and cautious, yet with hope shining through their guarded expressions.

"Kits," Rei called, getting an identically wide-eyed look from both kids. "I don't know if you can sense it at this age, but you're both the same. You both have the Bijuu sealed inside you."

Gaara's brow furrowed as if he couldn't quite comprehend what was said.

Naruto's jaw dropped, blue eyes suddenly sparkling. "Really?!" He finally stepped out of his safe spot and closer to other Jinchuuriki, asking curiously, "Which one do you have?"

Gaara wrung his hands nervously. "The Ichibi…" His voice went low with something akin to dread.

A big, toothy grin swept across Naruto's face. "And I have the Kyuubi!" The boy bounced closer, a radiant ball of excitement and eagerness, bubbly optimism ready to overflow and spill everywhere. "You want to be friends, 'ttebayo?!" Unfortunately, his explosive enthusiasm was met with a flinch and his smile quickly withered in the sharp silence that followed.

"Gaara had a bad day, Naruto," Rei said. He watched as the blond boy turned that statement in his mind, as the realization slowly dawned on him. Rei did tell him that no matter which village the Jinchuuriki lived in, they were treated equally horrible.

"Playground bad?"

Rei hummed in assent, but then added, "Worse."

And with this knowledge, Naruto's demeanor mellowed down from his hyper-energetic to something softer, more amiable. He was still obviously excited and anxious to befriend the other boy, but his overzealous attitude got reined in and suppressed. He changed his approach to the one he would use on a skittish stray animal. "Don't worry, Gaara, I won't let anyone hurt you anymore! From now on, you're under Naruto Uzumaki's protection!" Naruto declared, unwavering in his conviction. He puffed his chest and thumped a fist against it. "They will have to go through me first, 'ttebayo!"

Rei couldn't fight an amusement tugging the corner of his lips up. Naruto's genuine desire to protect his fellow Jinchuuriki was truly a marvelous thing to witness. It would do only good for both boys. Naruto needed someone to take care of, to share all of his bottomless affection. Gaara was perfect for the role of that recipient so he could start healing and learning to trust other humans again.

Gaara gawked at Naruto like he was an alien from another planet. "Why?"

"Because it hurts, doesn't it?" Naruto asked and smiled. The curve full of so much sadness and understanding, it cut Gaara's breathing a little short. "Being alone. Feeling alone even among other people. Them looking at us like we're different, not needed by anyone. And we might be a bit different! We both have Bijuu inside us…" He trailed off, unconsciously putting a hand on his stomach. After a moment, he added in a hurry, "But there are nine of us! And I bet the Bijuu are just as lonely as we are! So all of us just have to stick together, cause we have only each other!"

Rei chuckled at the little blond's inspiring speech and couldn't help but chime in, "And you all have me. Whatever happens, I'll always be on your side."

Boys turned at him, the same look of awe and admiration on their faces.

"Now," Rei clapped his hands, "how about you two have a bath while I prepare dinner? After that, we can go for a walk, show Gaara around. Maybe a forest? I don't think he ever saw one." Naruto beamed and nodded furiously. Gaara was clearly feeling lost in the sudden change of his life. He just stood there, staring blankly, but didn't protest. Rei counted that as a yes. "Naruto, he doesn't have any spare clothes. Can you share some of yours with him?"

"Leave it to me, 'ttebayo!" the boy exclaimed. He took his fellow Jinchuuriki by his hand and tugged him to follow. Insistent, but not pushy. "Come with me."

Allowing himself to be led away without a fuss, the redhead stared at their linked hands in utter disbelief.

Naruto threw a bright grin over his shoulder. "You can pick whatever you want."

Gaara's gaze shifted to look at the other boy. His hold on Naruto's hand tightened.

Rei watched them go with a small smile before he moved to do his own task of getting the bath ready. He kept one ear on the chatter in the other room. Mainly Naruto's cheerful blabber and boisterous laughter, the young blond doing most of the talking, with occasional short comments and measured questions from Gaara.

When the boys walked into the bathroom, Gaara was clutching the orange t-shirt. Rei suppressed a smirk. Of course, Naruto would jump at the opportunity to dye the first friend he ever made in his favorite color. That he just gave his undeniably most favorite t-shirt to another person also didn't seem to bother the young blond—he came in glowing in happiness.

"Alright, you two go ahead and I'll see what I can make today." The man gave each kid a passing pat on their heads on his way out of the bathroom.

"Ah, actually… Rei!"

Rei stopped and looked back at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

The boy shuffled his feet. "Can we go for Ichiraku Ramen?" he asked shyly. "Gaara said he never had ramen!"

Gaara slowly nodded his head. "Naruto said it tastes very good."

"And you need to eat ramen after a bad day, 'ttebayo!" Naruto stated like it was a universally accepted law.

"Fine, you brat," Rei agreed, mussing his nephew's hair in a brisk show of affection. "Ramen it is."

"Yatta!" Naruto fist-pumped the air, a sunny grin instantly blooming in all its strength. "Ichiraku ramen is so good!"

Gaara appeared to be greatly interested. "Is it really that good?"

"Of course! Rei's cooking is good, but Ichiraku Ramen is the best, 'tteb—!"

Rei closed the bathroom's door behind him, a burst of short laughter under his breath left unheard by the two Jinchuuriki. He had some time to kill now that the dinner plan was off the table, quite literally, so he decided to start brainstorming for his new project. The idea for it was still in its infancy, but it was on the same scale of difficulty as time traveling. It promised to be fun. Being as old and powerful as he was had its drawbacks, so he tried to find entertainment in everything this new world could offer.

Rei loved a good challenge.

Life was troublesome.

It was especially troublesome when the subject of interest was nowhere to be found.

At least clouds today were great. White, just floating along where the breeze took them. Perfect objects for observation.

Sitting on a low boulder and facing the sky, Shikaku let out a world-weary sigh. The forest rustled as if echoing his misery but the river nearby gurgled as happily as ever. This was a pretty remote area at the edge of the village near the less popular training grounds and, at this time of day, there was not a single living soul around.

He always came to this place when his usual spot for cloud watching just wasn't enough anymore, when he ran into a particularly hard problem.

For example, inability to meet a certain person.

Shikaku rubbed his chin, thinking. There was only one option left—asking Naruto. His curiosity grew each day the elusive Rei Uzumaki couldn't be found and while he truly wanted to avoid using a child to contact the man, right now he was at his wits' end.

A wind carried a fragment of laughter and Shikaku glanced at the sandy riverbank that could be seen through the trees. A young boy was squatting next to the water, brilliant golden mop shining in the sunlight.

Naruto Uzumaki, huh. What a strangely convenient coincidence.

Shikaku heaved himself up from the boulder and shuffled towards the river. As he came closer, the view to the bank opened up and he noticed the second boy. Bright red hair, 'Love' tattooed on the side of his forehead, and wearing what was unmistakably Naruto's clothes, an Uzumaki spiral displayed proudly on his chest.

A child Shikaku never had seen before. Definitely not from Konoha. There had been no true redheads in the village since Kushina's death.

It seemed that Naruto wasn't the only Uzumaki Rei took under his wing.

While the man was pondering on the identity of the new kid, Naruto sprung up with a grin on his face. "Look, look, Gaara!" he shouted, pointing at the soggy sand castle he just built. It was already losing its form, sand moving with the water residue, flowing home to the river nearby. "I bet you can't build something like that with the sand in the desert!"

Gaara stared at the sandcastle for a moment before he glanced down at his own feet. Lifting his hand, he furrowed his brow in concentration, and a fine, highly detailed sandcastle just rose out of the ground in an instant.

Shikaku's eyes widened slightly at the ability, whereas Naruto's practically jumped out of their sockets. "Awesome!" the boy all but yelled at the top of his lungs. "That's so cool, 'ttebayo!"

The redhead blinked as if such idea had never occurred to him. He tilted his head to the side, gaze sharp, inquisitive. "You think it's cool?"

"Of course!" Naruto replied rapidly. "I can do something cool too! One of Rei's clones finally taught me. Watch this." He made a cross sign with his fingers, lips curling into a cheeky smirk, and—

—and that was the moment the boy saw the man standing at the side and observing them. His smile vanished together with any signs of previous joy, replaced by a weary, suspicious frown, so unfitting and out of place on his young features. Naruto stepped forward to stand in front of Gaara, putting himself between his friend and what he perceived as a possible threat.

Shikaku never sought Naruto Uzumaki out before, never truly looked at the boy, never paid enough attention to notice the subtle things about him. And now he found himself on the receiving end of those tenacious blue eyes and he had to suppress a shudder from unmistakable familiarity to Minato. But, on the other hand, a display of such a fierce protectiveness was so incredibly Kushina, he couldn't help the growing amusement at the sight.

While Naruto's readiness to defend his friend was endearing, the steely edge with an underlying danger that appeared in Gaara's teal eyes was everything but. Sort of passive bloodlust, lethal calmness. The sand started lazily swirling around the kid's feet and, nope, Shikaku didn't want to find out what else, besides building sandcastles, he could do with it.

"What do you want, Old Man?" Naruto asked, glowering at the Nara. "We're not bothering anyone here."

Shikaku also tried not to think about why a seven years old child would act so defensively, almost hostile. "Well," he said, careful not to make a move that the kids might take as threatening, "I was looking for your uncle."

The blond's eyes narrowed and nose scrunched up; pure Kushina's trait when she studied someone to gauge exactly how much bullshit was being thrown her way. Shikaku almost laughed. "I was wondering if you could tell me how I could meet him or where to find him," he elaborated instead.

"Are you stupid? Not gonna tell you where Rei is!" Naruto stated with vehemence. "If you can't find him, it means he doesn't want to meet you." He took the other boy's hand and turned to leave. "Come, Gaara, let's go."

The man watched them go, a bit bewildered. After the kids disappeared out of his sight, he slouched with a frustrated groan, hand coming up to massage his neck. A quiet laugh behind made him pause.

"Never thought I'll ever see the Head of the Nara clan being called stupid."

"You've never met my wife," Shikaku commented coolly as he turned around, heart beating with excitement and a lop-sided smirk forming, because… finally!

Cladded in his flamboyant colors, Rei Uzumaki met his gaze steadily, a pleasant, confident smile on his face as the one in complete control of the situation. A shiny headband around his head caught the sunlight, highlighting the swirl of Uzushiogakure. That was new; the last time Shikaku saw him, he had no such thing.

A few seconds passed by as the two measured each other up.

"You're a hard man to find."

The blond's grin widened, clearly finding Nara's struggles to contact him hilarious. "Indeed, I am," he agreed. "I've heard that you were looking for me. How can I help you?"

Shikaku wanted to know this man, to figure what made him tick. The request would be a bit out of the blue, but this way was the best. "How about a shogi match with me?"

One could tell so much from how a person played shogi. What tactics they used, what figures they protected, what they targeted, how they moved their pieces—every single detail in the gameplay could tell myriads of things about a player. The Nara could read his opponent like an open book.

Rei chuckled again, bright, jubilant, and tinged with barely noticeable fondness. "Can you be even more cliché?"

A crooked grin slithered on Shikaku's lips as he gave a one-shoulder shrug that could be taken either way.

The blond rolled his eyes. "I'm bad at shogi. No, really, I am," he insisted once he received the look of disbelief. "My friend was obsessed with it and he taught me the rules, but I'm just bad at it." He shook his head. A sad, wistful smile bloomed without his knowledge. "Never was good at battle tactics and strategies on the table. I'm more think-on-my-feet type of guy." Rei hummed, thoughtful for a brief moment. "How about going for a simple cup of sake?"

Shikaku scratched his stubble. He couldn't completely hide his disappointment, but didn't seem that the Uzumaki was purposely avoiding playing shogi with him. And a drink didn't sound bad either. Before he could agree, another Rei appeared out of nowhere with two small unconscious bodies tucked under his arms.

Shikaku raised an eyebrow. He came up and discarded dozens of reasons for such actions in a few seconds, but nothing seemed to fit what he knew about Rei Uzumaki. Until the newcomer carefully lay the bodies down and he noticed blank masks on their faces.

Root.

Rei who brought the Root members dispersed into the chakra cloud. The real one frowned, blue eyes burning with sudden rage, one that poured out of him, and the air crackled, thrummed with invisible power.

Shikaku stiffened, held in place by the force of that overwhelming pressure.

Only now he understood what the Hokage's warning meant. Rei Uzumaki was strong, ridiculously so, and yet kept himself wrapped up in secrets and deception. Standing in front of him wasn't like standing in front of a huge mountain; one could at least see the peak of it. It was more like staring at the abyss of an ocean—impossible to see the bottom.

A complete mystery. An enigma worth solving.

Rei closed his eyes for a brief moment and his fury calmed, countenance showing a new intent. Another shadow clone popped into existence and immediately flashed away. The original moved forward, quick and graceful, with no sign of his previous nonchalant, all focused purpose.

He crouched down between two Root ninjas and reached for their masks. A barely audible agitated buzz increased and a cloud of kikaichu suddenly surged forward from one of the bodies, swarming Rei from all sides. On the next moment, they dispersed, converging into a group again and retreating to their owner where they quieted down. A few stayed behind, fluttering about Rei's hand that hovered just shy of touching.

Impressive. Shikaku could feel his admiration growing. The man not only didn't hurt the kikaichu, but somehow managed to pacify them without moving an inch.

But the Aburame Root member could only mean one thing. Shikaku scowled as the Uzumaki took off the masks, revealing two sleeping faces of preteen boys.

"How could a clan give away one of their own to be a slave for that lunatic?" Rei questioned. It might have been a soft, quiet inquiry, but there was an undeniably hard edge to it. He put his palms on top of each kid's foreheads, features taut with concentration.

Shikaku stared at the boy with auburn hair, an image of Inoichi's haggard face as he drank himself into oblivion floating to the forefront of his mind. "With a lot of guilt for the rest of their lives," he murmured.

The other man made a noise of acknowledgment, but didn't comment.

"Did Danzo send them after Naruto?"

"Yes, he did," Rei replied, standing up. Whatever he was doing, he seemed to be finished. "Getting bold at testing the limits of my patience. He's just asking for a visit." He bared his teeth into a savage grin that spoke of a bloodthirsty beast. An apex predator unafraid of asserting his position when necessary. "You try taking something of mine and I'll take everything from you."

The blond's words brought a chill down Shikaku's spine. He didn't envy those who crossed this person's path and went against him. This type was the worst enemy one could have; relentless and unstoppable in pursuit of the target he set his eyes on.

Rei turned to the side and called out, "Come down, Dog and… erm." He cocked his head to the side as a flicker of confusion crossed his face. "I don't think I ever learned your codename and I know for sure you Anbu fellows get all touchy about someone using your real name while you have your masks on." He waved at the direction of the unseen spectators for them to show themselves. "Dog and the guy with Mokuton, come down here."

Mokuton user's existence was top-secret. Not even mentions of his bloodline limit in his files to avoid potential leakage in case of document theft. But this outsider knew exactly who he was and what his bloodline limit was. Most curious. Rei's knowledge about Konoha didn't stem only from what he might have stolen using his superb stealth, he had another way to collect information.

While Shikaku pondered on this new piece of the puzzle, two masked ninjas landed on the ground without a sound. Apparently, the Nara wasn't the only one bothered by the fact that Rei knew.

"How do you know about Mokuton?" the slightly shorter one demanded. He sounded frustrated for some reason, impatient.

The blond gazed at him. "You don't realize it yourself? Ah, that explains things," he said more to himself rather than the others. "Due to the nature of your chakra, you're loved by natural energy. It's so dense around you, that you're like a shining beacon to my senses, impossible to miss. I saw your arrival from miles away."

Shikaku filed another observation about mysterious blond Uzumaki—the ability to sense natural energy, most likely a Sage.

"That's how Hashirama gained his Sage mode. You do have the potential to reach it too," Rei said. The young Anbu shifted under his thoughtful, yet piercing gaze, and there was noticeable tension in the line of his square shoulders. "It is unfortunate that your chakra seems to be at odds with the natural energy at the moment. But I can teach you if you want."

Suspicion was just rolling in waves from the ninja. "Why would you teach a stranger?"

"Why not?" And there it was again, in his cheeky smirk. Something peculiar, something hidden. As if this was some sort of inside joke to him, or perhaps something he knew while they didn't and he reveled in their ignorance. "Well, the offer will stand indefinitely, if you ever change your mind."

Shikaku added another observation to the list: Rei Uzumaki was very knowledgeable and willing to share it with a chosen few. How he chose these people, he still had to find out.

"Anyway…" Rei glanced down at two Root members and pursed his lips. "I interrupted your eavesdropping, because I want you to do something for me." Not hearing any objections, he continued, "I destroyed all seals that were placed on these kids. Now they are free from Danzo's control. Bring them to the Hokage and tell him to return them to their clans, to their rightful families." His expression hardened. "If he gives them back to that lunatic again, I will take them with me. Uzushio will always be a home for the unwanted and abused."

There was something in a way he said it—home—like it was the most sacred thing in the world. Something deeper than just offering a place for others, something that he had wanted desperately himself, and now was fully loyal to the cause he felt was right. After losing everyone and everything in the past, he was just a lonely person gathering other lonely people and giving himself and them a chance at having a family.

Shikaku could truly say now that he sincerely admired and respected this man.

The Anbu moved to pick the unconscious kids.

"Oh, and also," Rei spoke again, "inform the Hokage that I'll visit him tomorrow for whatever business he has with me."

Dog dipped his head in affirmative, hefted his live cargo on his shoulder, and disappeared into foliage like a shadow, his companion following suit soon after.

Rei clicked his tongue. "Anbu is not doing Kakashi any good," he muttered to himself, staring at the spot where the ninjas disappeared with a concerned look.

"You seem to care about Kakashi," the Nara commented off-handedly.

The blond shot an amused glance. "Of course. I have to look after him. He was family to my brother."

An already familiar, enigmatic smile returned. The one Shikaku just couldn't figure out. And it bothered him. Very much so.

"Let's meet tomorrow evening for a cup of sake?"

"Sure," the Nara drawled back, trying and probably failing to not appear eager for their meeting. "Sasagin izakaya* at 8."

"I'll be there. Now, please excuse me, my presence is required somewhere else." With these parting words, Rei vanished.

What a convenient means of transportation, the lone man mused. No need to move at all, not even a single step, but one thought and you were at your destination. Like those clouds being carried by the breeze instead of traveling themselves.

Shikaku turned away with a sigh and slinked away.

Lucky troublesome blonds.

*izakaya - is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks.

A/N

I just like the idea of Gaara being taken as an Uzumaki by default just because he's together with Naruto and has red hair :D

Am I the only one who's been bothered by the fact that Mokuton is the only ability (as far as I know) that can actually create live things out of chakra? Because trees are living things, even if they're lesser form without sentience. That's what Rei meant when he talked about Mokuton user's chakra. I hope my attempt to deepen the lore with my own concept won't fall completely flat ^^

Also, I hope Shikaku's meeting Rei wasn't too disappointing… It's always Shikaku playing shogi with future Naruto, so I wanted to change things up.

I have a discord channel now: discord. gg/a7tQPPa