At that, Kurama's eye turned Naruto's way and stared at him for several seconds while the child didn't budge. That smell was just too much, "…If you insist…" As Naruto climbed up on one of Kurama's big paws, the fox lifted its head up off of the ground enough so that he could open his mouth for Naruto to pour it in.
While for Naruto it was a pretty big serving, to Kurama it was the equivalent of using an eye-dropper to hydrate a human tongue. But it wasn't about the portion, it was about the taste. It almost made him wish he were smaller so that he could enjoy it better.
"I never saw a fox that liked ramen before." Naruto commented, stashing the bowl back into his bag and pulling out his own bowl for personal consumption.
"You need some variety away from eating people every now and then." Kurama joked blackly as he settled back into his paws as a pillow to rest on, "Eventually the taste just blends together. I like the vitamin-D deficient bodies better. Less crunch, easier to chew."
Naruto didn't know how serious he was about that statement so he just grinned uncomfortably and broke apart his chopsticks to begin eating his own lunch, "T-That's great."
Nobody knew about the presence of Kurama on Uzu no Kuni with the exception of Naruto. And that was just because Naruto randomly came across him after falling into the ravine by accident one day.
Falling to his death after being chased into a hidden pitfall by a massive bear, Naruto was saved by way of his landing on a bed of nine gigantic tails. Naruto after getting over his initial shock innocently asked Kurama if he was stuck. Kurama almost felt the need to show Naruto just how trapped he was, but instead of causing a fatal cave in that would destroy his temporary den, Kurama just told Naruto that he liked it there and not to tell anyone about him until he left or he'd destroy his village.
That was a year ago. And ever since then he had come back to find Kurama still there, just sleeping the days away until he dropped in to wake him up and hang out with him.
Was it a shame that Naruto found a monster fox more willing to spend time with him than other human kids his age in his own clan? Probably.
"So Kurama, I was wondering, do you have a dad?"
"Yes, because there's more than one gigantic fox running around the world." Sarcasm aside, there was no real reason to be so nasty to the kid. It was just a question, and for a human he wasn't afraid of him for what he was. That was strange. Strange enough to be intriguing, "Father wouldn't be the correct term. I had a creator."
"So he wasn't around for you?" Naruto could relate if that were indeed the case. All he could relate Minato to being was the guy that banged his mom and left her with the baggage. Not in so crude a way of speaking, but more or less such, "The whole big talking fox thing was a bit weird for him huh?"
"No, the Sage was around quite often." Kurama recalled, swishing his tails around in a bored manner, "He had to be to keep the rest of us in line I imagine." It was funny to remember the days back when he was a young biju. Good times.
Naruto stared at his inhuman acquaintance in awe, "So there are more big, giant foxes out there?"
"No dumbass." Kurama said, using his tails to count off his brothers and sisters, "There's a giant tanuki, a giant cat, a giant turtle… thing, a giant monkey, a giant horse… a giant dolphin thing." What the hell was Kokuou supposed to be? He didn't even know, "A giant slug, a giant beetle, and a giant ox/octopus thing."
"…Your family is weird Kurama."
"I know. Especially since our creator is human. The most sickeningly powerful human that ever walked the face of the planet." And one of the very few humans in his long, long life that he'd ever respected, 'Why am I carrying on a conversation with a brat of a human?'
Possibly because he couldn't sense any negative emotions from the boy directed at him whatsoever. It was how Naruto managed to literally drop in on him to begin with when they'd first met. He still had darkness of course. There was a deep pit of loneliness in the center of Naruto that no amount of loud talking and smiling could hide from Kurama's ability to feel it out.
"Let me just get a nap for a bit." Naruto said with a yawn, still resting on Kurama's paw, "I've got to start going back home soon or Mom's gonna kill me this time. This is a long way out from the village."
Kurama just snorted hot air through his nose and shut his own eyes as Naruto did the same, "Whatever. If I shift around in my sleep and crush you under my chin it's your fault."
"You'd feel bad and cry."
"I'd lick you off of my paw and go back to sleep."
"Heh, gross."
XxX
(Uzumaki Clan Village – Clan Grounds)
"I might kill him this time." Kushina muttered to herself as she took down the dried laundry from their backyard and quickly folded it on the spot, "I seriously might. He couldn't wait a week before running off again? I've seen puppies that are easier to train."
"Naruto troubles again Kushina?"
"What's it to you pal?" Kushina barked, not even turning back around to face the calm voice that had remarked about her son, "If he didn't break anything, fight your kid, or do anything that's actually bad I don't want to hear you complain about him to me. Go do it to someone else like everybody else."
"Do you really think the village leader would complain about your kid behind your back? Especially when he's an old friend of yours?"