Betaread by Skye!

Lest you fade here all alone

Chapter 17

"Rei! Rei! Rei!" With an excited shout, Naruto tumbled out of the forest, leaves and cobwebs entangled in his hair, and almost faceplanted when he tripped over a root hidden in the grass.

Rei watched the little blond fight with the stray branch that hooked onto his t-shirt, blue eyes bright with amusement. Even after an entire day running around, it didn't seem that the boy was running out of energy anytime soon. On the other hand, Gaara chose to leisurely walk together with him and Kakashi for the past couple of hours, leaving the other Jinchuuriki to roam around on his own.

Naruto rushed back to rejoin the three of them on the road but kept staring at Rei. Sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks created such a happy expression that it inevitably put a smile on Rei's face.

"What is it, kiddo?"

The fact that Rei paid attention to him and didn't simply ignore him only boosted Naruto's already high mood. "What do people do during festivals?"

Kakashi moved his book out of the way so that he could see the little Uzumaki. "Konoha has festivals, too," he said, a bit confused. "Haven't you visited them before?"

"Yeah, but…" Naruto's gaze dropped, and he fiddled with his t-shirt hem for a few seconds. "But I was always alone. I've never visited a festival with someone else."

Kakashi's eye widened minutely before it darted back to his book. But his brow was furrowed and his gaze unfocused, most likely already drowning in misplaced guilt about things he should have or could have done but didn't, despite not being in the best of state himself.

Rei never held his absence in his childhood against the man. And Naruto didn't either, especially when Kakashi was already present in his life so much earlier than in Rei's past.

"But now I have you, Rei, and Gaara, 'ttebayo!" Naruto stared at Kakashi as he spoke with nothing but pure happiness in his voice and a tinge of awe on his face, completely oblivious to the man's inner turmoil. "It's going to be my first time visiting a festival with my family." He perked up at the thought, dazzling blue eyes snapping up to look at his uncle again. "Can we eat yakitori together? And play games together? All three of us?"

"Sure, kit, but that's a plan for once we reach the place. It'll still take us a few more days." Rei brushed his hand through Naruto's hair, combing out leaves and cobwebs, and chuckled when the boy beamed at him. "We'll have to camp out until then. There's a small river up ahead; I think it's a good place to stop for today."

"Sounds like a good idea. Sun's starting to go down," Kakashi noted, gaze glued to the pages in front of him. "We could eat fresh fish tonight." He peeked over the top of his book at the kids. "You want to help me catch some?"

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered as he raced off ahead to reach the river first.

Kakashi's eye closed, mirroring the smile hidden under the mask.

Rei glanced at Gaara. Despite being quiet by nature, the redhead would have offered Naruto at least a few words. He always was carefully attentive to his friend. He still was. His teal eyes followed Naruto, but a pinch sat in between his brows as he pondered on something.

Rei had yet to learn what kind of problem the kid was working through. He would have to talk with him about it. Looking at Kakashi on his other side, he sighed softly. He would have to speak with that one as well.

"Hurry up, 'ttebayo!"

Rei grinned. At least someone was all but bursting with happiness and didn't require any pep talks for the time being. "We're coming, Naruto!"

To Naruto's absolute chagrin, the three of them didn't pick up the pace, no matter how much he urged them. When they finally arrived, he had already found a perfect spot for camping on the bank and stood on the rock, trying to spy fish in the stream that he definitely was going to catch today.

"That's a good spot, kit. Good job."

The boy preened under Rei's praise before Kakashi beckoned him to come.

"All you need to catch a fish is a bit of ninja wire and a bait," the man said as he pulled a bundle of wire from his backpack.

Naruto stared at him with eyes blown wide from overflowing anticipation. "A bait? Like an earthworm?"

"That's right."

"Cool!" Turning to the other Jinchuuriki, Naruto asked excitedly, "You want to search for some earthworms, Gaara?"

Gaara was startled from his staring at the river by the sudden question. His eyes widened as it sunk in, and his head spun to look at his friend so fast it must have hurt.

Rei almost laughed at the flash of disgusted horror on his face. He would have never guessed that Gaara couldn't handle worms and bugs very well. He gave the poor kid a helping hand. "Gaara, do you want to help me gather sticks for the fire?"

"Yes."

This time Rei did chuckle at the immediate reply and the shining, eager eyes as if he had just offered to pluck the stars off the sky.

"Sorry, Naruto, I'm gonna steal your friend for a while," Rei said with an amused smile. "Looks like you'll have to look for earthworms by yourself."

"That's alright!" Naruto agreed cheerfully. A moment later, Kakashi called him again, and he turned to listen to him.

"Let's go, Gaara."

The boy didn't need the second urging. He turned and all but fled into the forest ahead of Rei. With another quiet laugh, the blond followed after him.

They travelled deeper into the forest as they gathered sticks. Eventually, they came across a small clearing and a fallen tree covered with dry branches, perfect for keeping a campfire throughout the night.

After a few minutes of silent work, Rei asked, "What's on your mind, kit?"

Gaara frowned, picking up a stick and throwing it into the pile on the small sand cloud he made, but he didn't answer.

Rei allowed him a moment to convert what exactly bothered him into words. His patience paid off when a soft, slightly unsure voice reached his ears.

"Naruto said we're family."

"That's right, he did."

Gaara's frown deepened. "You didn't disagree with him."

"I didn't," Rei assented easily as he walked over and dropped his sticks on the sand cloud. "How does that make you feel?"

Gaara glanced up, meeting kind blue eyes for a few seconds before looking away again, glaring at nothing specific. "My mother died. My father doesn't like me. I know I have older siblings, but I'm not sure I even remember what they look like. And Yashamaru…" he trailed off, a pang of grief and anger flashing through his eyes. Then, he spoke again, barely above a whisper, "Yashamaru was also family."

Ah, so that was going on with this kid. Until now, to Gaara, the concept of family was associated only with abandonment and betrayal. Whatever good memories he had made with Yashamaru got destroyed the moment the man tried to kill him.

But Gaara told Rei about his worries, opened up, and let himself be vulnerable in front of another person. And that right there looked like a sign that he had started to heal. He should only get better from here on out.

Rei squatted down, put his hands on the boy's shoulders, ignoring a little flinch at the touch, and ducked his head down to catch his gaze. "Family isn't always blood. Sometimes random people simply insert themselves into your life and refuse to leave." He grinned at Gaara's deadpan stare because wasn't that precisely what Rei did to him? Rei's grin dimmed a moment later, twisting into a sad smile. "I also grew up alone without any family or even a friend. Eventually, I managed to cobble one together. It was a small and broken thing, but it was mine, and I'd have died for it in a heartbeat. In the end, they died for me. Everyone I ever loved—my friends, my newfound family—died. And I was left all alone again."

He took his hands away from Gaara's shoulders to clasp them together, staring at the ground as if remembering something far more painful than what he had voiced.

Gaara shifted a little, unsure how to react. He hadn't expected such a tragic personal story to come out of Rei, who offered him only smiles and kindness and was so open and easy to talk to about anything and everything.

A shuddering breath followed as Rei gathered himself back under control.

"But here I am again," he continued, "building a new family for myself and preparing to treasure them even more than I did before." Rei smiled, so much affection lingering in that curve that it took Gaara's breath away. "Who said that you can't choose your family? You can, and it doesn't make it less real. Once you meet people that want you in their lives, accept you for who you are, who you love, and most importantly, who love you back, you have to hold onto them and never let go."

Gaara stayed silent as he processed what Rei told him. His intelligent eyes studied the man's face. Family, not blood, were still concepts he didn't quite understand. This was probably the first time someone told the kid they wanted him in their lives. "Why did you choose me?" he finally asked.

"Because you needed a family lest you faded there all alone."

Another silent minute ticked by. Ultimately, Gaara nodded. Then a small yet so heart-wrenchingly beautiful smile bloomed on his face.

The sight made Rei's heart soar. It was such a rare occasion! He felt as if he was the lucky recipient of a treasure. "By the way," the man said, suddenly recalling something, "would you like to see your brother and sister?"

A frown returned to Gaara's brow as he thought over that question. In the end, he responded softly, "I don't know."

"You don't have to decide now. Tell me if you ever make that decision, alright?"

"Okay."

Rei stood up and looked at all the sticks gathered on top of the sand cloud. "I think this is enough." He grinned at the boy. "Let's go back and see if Kakashi and Naruto caught us dinner."

Gaara didn't object, and they turned to go back to their campsite, the sand cloud trailing after them. After a moment, the boy muttered, "...I could catch many fish in a moment."

Rei chuckled, and it earned him an annoyed glare. Who could have thought this little guy would actually pout for such a reason? "I know you can," Rei assured and reached out to ruffle Gaara's hair. And this time, there was no flinch. "But we should let those two show off on occasion."

Gaara only huffed under his breath.

So childishly petulant, Rei bit his lip, fighting another bout of laughter that threatened to spill out. "How about next time you do it?" he offered.

That seemed to pacify the boy if a tiny twitch up of the corners of his lips was any indication. "I'll catch a lot," he promised, surprisingly determined.

Rei gave an encouraging pat on his head. "We'll be counting on you at that time."

When the sun hid below the horizon, casting vibrant hues of pink, orange, and purple across the canvas of the evening sky, the fish that Kakashi and Naruto caught had been all eaten, and preparations for the night had been finished.

The crackling fire danced in the darkness, casting flickering shadows on the trees that surrounded the clearing and illuminating the faces of four people huddled around it: the kids settled down on the sleeping bags that they lay down next to each other, and the adults sat on the ground, leaning against a mossy log.

"How about a story before you go to sleep?" Rei asked as he poked the campfire with a stick.

The wood crackled and popped as the flames devoured it, sending sparks flying into the night sky.

The suggestion immediately received the entirety of Naruto's attention. "What kind of story?"

Rei's blue eyes shimmered with reflections of fire. "A ghost story."

Naruto seemed to hesitate. "A real one?"

"Ghosts aren't real," Gaara muttered from beside him.

Rei let a small, knowing smirk curl slip on his face. "Ah, but you see," he said, his voice taking on a mysterious tone, "you might think that ghosts aren't real, but their stories have a way of lingering in the hearts of those who listen. As if those restless ghosts were around, still present, watching, as if waiting to be heard. It's rather strange, isn't it?"

The contrast of the dancing flames and the darkness pressing all around intensified the aura of sudden eeriness. The kids leaned in closer, their eyes wide with anticipation. Naruto's excitement was palpable; even Gaara's stoic expression brightened with curiosity.

Kakashi smiled at their reaction as he leaned back against the log, his body wrapped in relaxation and contentment.

A subtle grin flashed across Rei's features but promptly vanished as to not look particularly eager to dive into the scary narrative. "In a small, forgotten village stood an old, abandoned mansion," he began. "Villagers avoided it, whispering of its haunting past hidden behind the safety of their closed doors. They spoke of a tragedy that had befallen the original occupants decades ago and the strange incidents surrounding the place that sent shivers down the spines of the bravest souls.

"One late evening, twelve daring kids were drawn to the mansion by curiosity and the thrill of adventure. They ignored all the warnings they had ever heard from their parents and ventured bravely inside, wanting to challenge each other in a hide-and-seek game within those haunted walls. And so, the twelve kids assigned one among them as the seeker and then scattered across the entire mansion searching for hiding spots."

Naruto's eyes glittered with fascination, excitement mixed with a twinge of unease. Gaara listened intently, seemingly engrossed despite his earlier scepticism.

"The seeker's voice bounced off the dilapidated walls as he loudly counted down. The rest of the kids crept around the mansion, and the deeper they went inside, the more a peculiar sensation felt real, as if unseen eyes followed their every move, or as if shadows were filled with whispers, and footsteps echoed through the empty halls…" Rei trailed off for dramatic effect, watching the boys shift uncomfortably as he did. His mouth tugged upward again before settling back into seriousness.

"'Ready or not, here I come!' the seeker called out, turned on his flashlight, and started searching for his friends. It took him a while to find them, but in the end, the group was gathered back together. It was late already, and the kids found it harder to shake off the feeling of being watched by something unseen, so they decided to leave.

"The seeker, who happened to be the oldest in the group, started counting each of his twelve friends to ensure that everyone had been found and was not lost somewhere in the mansion. 'One, two, three…' he started and went all the way to twelve. He frowned as he placed a hand on his chest." Rei mirrored the action from the story, placing his hand on his chest, then dropped the voice to a low pitch as he spoke, "'Thirteen,' he said."

Naruto sucked in a startled breath, and even Gaara's eyes widened in surprise.

"The seeker thought he made a mistake, so he counted them all again. And again. With each count, they were always one too many. Thirteen figures, including the seeker himself, were huddled together when only twelve should have been present. Confused and alarmed, they recounted, hoping it was a mere trick of the light or their imagination playing tricks on them, but no matter how many times they did it, there were always thirteen of them. 'We're all obviously here, so your joke is not funny,' one of the kids said. 'I'm going home,' another declared. No one tried to stop them, so they left the mansion and went home.

"The seeker also went home. His parents scolded him for returning late and then ushered him to his room while saying, 'You two should go to sleep.'"

Gaara didn't react much, but Naruto gripped his blanket tighter at that part.

"The boy was tired; he didn't pay attention to the wording. The realization came to him only when he was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the mysterious thirteenth player. His friend sometimes had a sleepover, and his parents didn't mind, but he was alone today, wasn't he? He thought, and then, he noticed something. A shadowy figure stood silently at the side of his bed. It leaned forward and whispered," Rei also leaned forward, flames casting weird shadows on his face, and his voice warped into a deep, creepy whisper as he uttered the next words, "'Let's play again.'"

The forest around them quieted, a breeze gently rustling through the leaves and a soft trickling of the river creating a symphony of sounds, filling the air like ghostly whispers.

A sudden loud splash in the water made Naruto jump and Gaara flinch, both their heads instinctively swirling toward the direction of the sound.

Rei leaned back with an amused smile. "In the morning, all twelve kids disappeared, and no one could find them," he finished his story. "But from that day, villagers sometimes heard a voice from the abandoned mansion. A cheery voice as it loudly counted down. As if the lost kids continued to play the hide-and-seek game."

As if on cue, the flickering light of the flames illuminated the dark forest, and two Jinchuuriki could feel goosebumps prickling along their arms. Those shadows looked like dark silhouettes of the lost kids.

Rei stifled a chuckle. Instead, he stood up with a clap to draw the flittering attention of the boys from whatever their imagination conjured back onto him. "Alright," he chirped. "You three should go to sleep. Kakashi and I will…" he trailed off, schooling his expression into confusion. "Wait." He looked at the two kids with his brow furrowed. "Three?"

Naruto froze in the motion of rubbing his sleepy eyes. Second later, the meaning of those words sunk in, and his hand shot out to grab Gaara's as he turned his head to look behind him.

Of course, nothing and no one was there.

An explosive laugh burst out of Rei before he could stop it, leaving him slightly breathless. A pillow flew towards him, and he snatched it before it hit him. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized, holding another bout of laughter but unable to wipe the grin off his face. "I couldn't help myself."

Naruto huffed, still angry, cheeks flushed out of embarrassment. "Am not afraid of ghosts, 'ttebayo."

Rei walked over with a comforting, "I believe you." Squatting down and dropping the fluffed-up pillow Naruto threw at him, he gently urged the small blond, "Time to rest now, Naruto. Gaara, you too."

The redhead nodded, making himself comfortable in his sleeping bag.

Naruto plopped down on his back with another huff, letting his uncle tuck him in. "There are no ghosts in this forest, right?" he asked hesitantly, fidgeting with the corner of the blanket.

"No," Rei replied, brushing his fingers through the boy's hair. "And even if there are, they won't touch you with me around."

A shy smile flashed across Naruto's face before he pulled the blanket up and hid under it, shifting in his place to find a more comfortable position for the night.

"Goodnight, kits." A gentle stroke through Gaara's hair followed the soft voice, cocooning them in warmth and safety.

Rei lifted his hand, fingers curled, and rotated his wrist in a circle, manipulating a flow of natural energy to wrap around the two Jinchuuriki. He watched their features relax, muscles going lax, and they both were out like a light in a couple of minutes.

Kakashi stared at him, his eyebrow slowly arching up in a curious question.

"When not agitated, natural energy has a soothing effect on living beings," Rei explained, throwing a few additional sticks into the fire, then sitting back down to his previous spot next to Kakashi. "You could say I covered them with an extra blanket made out of pure calming energy to keep potential nightmares away," he finished before turning to the other man with a bright grin. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Ghosts like in your story? No," Kakashi replied lightly though his single eye drilled into the blond with startling sharpness. "Is that Senjutsu?"

"Are we playing Twenty Questions now?" A nondescript eye-smile was the only answer to that. Rei rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "Senjutsu doesn't control natural energy outside one's body, so, no, it's not Senjutsu." Not elaborating further, he instead put forward his own question, "Did you volunteer for this mission?"

"No."

A lie. Rei could tell from the slight tension in the man's shoulders and a little twitch of his hand towards where he kept his book. He tilted his head to the side, staring at his old sensei. "Why is it so hard to admit caring about someone?"

"It's not your turn to ask a question," Kakashi deflected it with practiced ease. "Are you the older brother or the younger?"

Rei blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

"Are you Minato's older brother or the younger one?"

Oh. Rei never thought about that. No one had asked him before; everyone was too surprised that Minato even had a brother. "Younger," he decided after a moment. Being the younger brother made more sense, though he couldn't understand why Kakashi needed to know this detail.

"You still must be older than me."

Rei narrowed his eyes. Kakashi was obviously trying to shift this conversation as far as possible from his previous question, but at this point, Rei felt too curious to care. "Yeah." By quite a lot, but his old sensei didn't need to know that. "What are you getting at, Kakashi?"

"So why does Naruto call me an old man?"

Kakashi probably didn't want to sound so petulant himself, but he did, and Rei lost it, doubling over with a wild cackle. He tried to keep it quiet enough not to wake the kids, so it made his body shake with the force of his laughter, and he could feel it in his lungs so hard that it took his breath away. Gasping for air, he struggled to regain composure amidst the uncontrollable mirth.

Pouting Naruto was cute. Pouting Gaara was precious. Pouting Kakashi, though? Priceless.

Rei fanned his hot face, cheeks aching from the too-wide grin. "I can't believe you're sulking over such a trivial thing."

Kakashi shot him an aggrieved glare. "I'm not sulking," he grumbled. "I just think it's unfair."

"You're acting like a petulant child, and you know it."

The other man scoffed, sliding down to the log to rest his head on it. "I'm going to sleep," he declared as he folded his arms over his chest and closed his eye, deeming this conversation over.

Rei snorted. Moments like this reminded him that this Kakashi was barely out of his teenage years, and teasing him was much easier than his older version from his past. "Go ahead." He smirked. "Children should sleep early."

"Shut up," Kakashi bit out, eliciting a snigger he ignored. "Wake me up in a few hours for a watch change."

Rei paused with his hand over one of the storage seals on his person. "That's not necessary," he murmured as he activated the seal and grabbed his note journal before getting comfortable against the log for the night. "You can sleep all night."

Kakashi turned his head just to give him a dubious look.

Rei opened his journal. "My body doesn't require sleep anymore, so I can stay awake all night without issue."

Kakashi stared, confusion and disbelief painted all over his face despite most of it being hidden.

"I can sleep, of course, but usually, I simply meditate in case I need to rest my mind." Rei sounded so nonchalant about that fact as if he didn't care at all, instead putting all his attention on his notes. "I'm fine for the time being."

Feeling the gaze at the side of his face not getting any less intense even after a few minutes, Rei looked at Kakashi. After a long moment of keeping his eyes locked with the latter's single one, he heaved a defeated sigh and threw his arm with the journal over the log, turning his body towards him. "It was a gift," he finally said, eyes flicking to the fire and expression softening. It was a different kind of softness from the one he had when looking at the kids; this carried more wistfulness and was layered with deep melancholy. "A gift that my lifelong partner sacrificed his life for. Something I never wanted but needed to survive."

Kakashi's eyebrows drew together. "Survive what?"

Rei smiled. A small, curving smile, grief, and sadness written in the lines of his features. "The Hokage must have told you about that thing."

Kakashi stared, devoid of understanding.

"The thing that Inoichi witnessed."

A startled expression crossed Kakashi's face. All he could say was a quiet, "Oh." He didn't dare or maybe didn't want to ask more, conversation fizzling into silence.

It blanketed their little camp, disturbed only by the crackling fire for a while.

"Do you miss him?" Kakashi practically whispered the question. "Your partner?"

"Of course I do. I miss them all. Every day," Rei said. Then, he fixed the other man with a stern gaze.

The one that reminded Kakashi of Minato-sensei so much his heart ached.

"It's alright to miss the people we lost, Kakashi, but it's wrong to let our grief control us and stop us from moving forward. Or making new bonds."

Another minute of silence passed as the two men stared at each other.

Rei broke it with a little smack over Kakashi's head with his journal. "Sleep on it, kid."

Kakashi bristled at being called a kid, wanting to snap back, but Rei's tone was so caring, albeit teasing, and so heartbreakingly gentle that, in the end, he simply huffed and decided to let it slide this time.

It had been about an hour, and Gaara was quite sure that he and Naruto were lost. There was no other explanation for why they had already passed the same tree for the third time. The village wasn't even that big, it shouldn't be possible to get lost, but he had no idea where they currently were or where Rei was.

They had arrived at this village past midday. The festival was just starting, so after a satisfying lunch, they roamed, played games, watched performances, and had a good time together. The moment Rei and Kakashi rested on a bench, Naruto wandered off. Gaara noticed it in time and followed to keep his friend safe.

The sun had already dipped closer to the horizon, and they were very lost.

Gaara glanced around the street and vendors lining up the sides while keeping a close eye on Naruto, who marched forward as if he knew where exactly to go. He very much doubted that.

The air thrummed with the harmonious sounds of taiko drums and the laughter of people. Vibrant lanterns swayed gently above the crowd, casting a soft glow over the festive stalls, spreading mingling scents of grilled yakitori and sweet treats.

Naruto halted and now scanned the street back and forth.

"We're lost," Gaara deadpanned as he stopped beside his friend.

The blond, ever the optimist, grinned and waved dismissively. "Lost? Nah! We're just adventuring, 'ttebayo!"

"We passed that tree," Gaara motioned at it with his head," three times already."

The other boy's attention snapped at him in an instant. "What?" Then, he narrowed his eyes at the offending tree. "Really?"

"We're lost," the redhead stated again.

"We're not lost," Naruto huffed, crossing his arms in false confidence. "Don't worry, Gaara. I remember the way back perfectly! We need to take—"

They both flinched when a crashing sound reached their ears. Looking toward the direction of the noise, they saw an elderly man lying on the ground, debris from a broken stall and fish-shaped pastries scattered around him.

"Honey!" An elderly woman rushed to his aid, carefully helping him up.

They both froze when a shadow fell on them. As they looked up, their faces contorted with fear. A burly man loomed over them, teeth bared into a malicious grin, with two more standing right behind him.

"I told you that you better give me everything in your stall for free, geezer," the man said mockingly, fueled by a mix of bravado and alcohol. His friends cackled as if they just heard the funniest thing in the world. "Why wouldn't you listen?"

The joyous mood shattered, the atmosphere became tense, filled with unease, and the crowd hushed. People exchanged worried glances, unsure how to react to this ugly scene unfolding before them. Some whispered in hushed voices, while others averted their gazes, uncertain whether to intervene or simply walk away.

"But this is my family's livelihood!" the elderly man protested, desperately holding back his tears. "You can't—"

"Shut up!"

The couple flinched at the harsh shout. The crowd began to stir, muttering amongst themselves.

"You all shut up if you don't want the same thing to happen to you, too!" the burly man yelled. His speech was slurred, but it still held the clear edge of threat. Looking back at the stall owners, he pulled his lips into a leer.

Before he could do anything else, a small child suddenly slid to a stop in between him and the elderly couple and spread his arms to the side protectively.

"Leave them alone!" Naruto demanded, anger blazing as he glared at the man. "They did nothing to you!"

Gaara blinked. He didn't even notice when Naruto left his side.

"Who the heck are you?" the burly man growled. He stepped forward menacingly, hands clenched into fists, but the little blond didn't budge. The man noticed this and scoffed, taking another step forward. The other people shifted backward nervously at this; Naruto, however, only narrowed his eyes, his body tensing.

The man suddenly lunged forward with his arm outstretched. "Come here, you little bastard!" he hissed as he aimed to grab the boy. "I'll teach you a lesson!"

Naruto darted to the side, forming a cross seal with his fingers. A shadow clone popped into existence and immediately reached for the tablecloth at his feet. The original snatched the other corner, dragging the tablecloth until it was straight and taut, and then slammed it across the back of the man's knees.

The man yelped as he lost his balance. His knees hit the hard ground, but he caught his fall with his arms. Not for long, though. The next moment, Naruto jumped on his head, successfully smashing his mug into the dust.

"That's what you get for hurting others, stinky old man!" Naruto cheered with a triumphant grin as his defeated opponent groaned in pain.

One of the burly man's friends snapped back from surprise, mouth twisting into a cruel sneer. He pulled a knife from behind him and swung his arm with it, aiming at Naruto. The latter turned, eyes widening at the approaching blade.

Gaara's heart skipped a beat. Sand shot out of the pouch he carried tied to his belt, instantly forming a shield in front of Naruto. The knife smacked harmlessly into the sand, tendrils rising out of the shield and wrapping themselves around the blade, snaking along the assailant's arm and all around his body.

A single command and there would be only a single bloody corpse left. This person wanted to hurt Naruto. His only friend. Someone who wanted to be part of his family.

Lips pulled into a snarl, Gaara's fingers twitched. The sand tightened around the man.

A gentle hand enveloped his fist, halting his command over the sand. "It's okay now, Gaara."

Rei was smiling down at him as kind as always.

"Naruto's safe now; you protected him. Good job."

"Yeah, 'ttebayo!" Naruto agreed loudly. "Thanks, Gaara!"

Tension seeped out of Gaara's shoulders, expression relaxing. His hand dropped, and the sand flowed down, filtering back into his pouch.

"Good job, you too, Naruto," Rei praised as the little blond jogged to the three of them.

Naruto flashed a bright grin, his cheeks reddening slightly at the praise.

"Leave them to us now, alright?" After receiving two nods from the kids, Rei turned to Kakashi. "You want to do it, or should I?"

"I'll do it," Kakashi volunteered, walking past Rei and the boys towards the three men.

The burly man finally lifted his head. Blood dripped from his nose, and he vainly tried to wipe it off. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gaze flicking to the ninja headband on Kakashi's head. He paled.

Kakashi pulled a piece of ninja wire as he approached, stretching it between his hands. "I don't enjoy violence, but please, do resist," he chirped with the sort of deadly cheer that sent goosebumps down their spines.

"Sh-shouldn't it be 'please, don't resist'?" one noted meekly.

"No, no, you heard correctly." Kakashi offered the three drunkards a polite eye-smile. "Make your best effort to resist."

Unfortunately for Kakashi, these men had no bravado left to put up even the slightest resistance against a ninja. Local men were quick to show Kakashi where he should bring them.

The situation was taken care of, and people were safe, so Naruto threw them out of his mind and instead asked his uncle, "Where have you been until now? We were looking for you!"

Rei raised an eyebrow at the boy's unexpected indignant tone. "You mean you were lost?" he teased and grinned when Naruto scowled in displeasure. "Kakashi and I watched you two walking around in circles. We found it really funny."

"We weren't lost, 'ttebayo!" the little blond retorted.

At the same time, Gaara deadpanned, "I told you we passed that tree three times." Naruto shot him a glare which he ignored with grace.

Rei chuckled, glancing at the people that were slowly gathering around them. The kids didn't seem to notice, so they got startled when one of them spoke out:

"Excuse me."

Gaara tensed. Naruto flinched and retreated closer to his uncle. Both stared at the crowd surrounding them wearily. Situations like that never ended well for them, so they never expected people to suddenly bow down.

"We just wanted to express our gratitude," the elderly man from the destroyed stall said, voice soft and kind. "These three always caused trouble, but we couldn't do anything against them. So, thank you for helping us."

"You two kids are so brave and kind!" the elderly lady gushed. "Thank you very much."

The two Jinchuuriki stared, frozen in place, caught completely off guard. No strangers ever thanked them or told them any kind words about them. It was such a weird experience; neither knew how to react.

Rei gave them an encouraging nudge.

Naruto jolted out of his stupor, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "It was nothing," he murmured, a burst of nervous laughter following it.

The woman looked at them with such a warm gaze that it left the boys speechless again. "Are you two training to be ninjas as well?" she wondered curiously.

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'll be as strong as my uncle and become the leader of Uzushio, 'ttebayo!"

"Uzushio?" the elderly man sounded surprised. "It's been many years since I heard the name of that village. I didn't know it was still around."

"I'll make it the best village in the world!" Naruto proclaimed proudly.

The elderly couple smiled at his enthusiasm. "Would you like some pastries?" the lady invited. "We still have a lot at the back that wasn't destroyed."

"I'll let two young heroes eat my candied applies for free! As many as you want!" someone in the crowd proclaimed.

"And I'll give two heroes some amazake to drink! My amazake is the best!" another added.

The boys watched in shock as more and more people chimed with offers for gifts and praises for their actions. Soon, the festival was in full swing again, everyone happy and content and smiling at each other. Their smiles got bigger and brighter every time they saw two little heroes.

"They aren't afraid of us," Gaara said quietly.

"They don't hate us either," Naruto whispered in awe.

Rei ruffled their hair. "That's how it should be, and that's how it's going to be from now on," he stated. "People are judging you for your actions and not the burden you're carrying."

"I'm so glad I left Konoha!" Naruto shouted. "Come, Gaara," he grabbed the other boy by his hand, "we should try these pastries first!" and dragged him to the pastries stall, the surrounding crowd cheering them on.

A/N

Yo, guys! It's been a while. A lot of talking in this chapter, and not much happened, but I still hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment with your thoughts :)

Also, it kinda happened by accident, but I'm already headcanoning Gaara, being not that good at handling bugs and worms xD It's cute!

Thank you for reading, for the comments, for the support, and for the patience in waiting for updates!