The village of Konoha at night looked peaceful. Lanterns dimmed, streets quiet, only the soft chirping of crickets filling the air. To most people, it was serenity.
To me? It was the perfect time to sneak around.
The records building loomed in front of me like some massive guardian beast. Seals etched into its walls shimmered faintly, warning away anyone dumb enough to break in. Guards patrolled nearby rooftops, their chakra signatures steady and alert.
Black Zetsu's voice still lingered in my head like oil on water."Bring me information on the Uchiha clan's movements."
I sighed, crouched in the shadows. "Tch. Easy for you to say, creepy shadow man. You don't have to do the stealing."
Still, I moved. With my Muzan-gifted body, bones bending and muscles flowing like liquid, slipping through cracks was child's play. One window, barely cracked open, became my doorway in.
The inside smelled like dust and old ink. Rows upon rows of scrolls stretched out, organized by clan, mission, and era. My eyes darted to the Uchiha section, red string bindings glowing faintly under moonlight.
My hand hovered over the closest scroll.
Just grab one. Copy it. Hand it to Zetsu. Then I can go back home and pretend to be Kushina's little sister again.
I reached forward.
And froze.
"…Akari?"
My blood turned to ice.
I turned slowly.
And there he was—Uchiha Shisui, standing at the end of the corridor, shadows curling around his frame, his Sharingan glowing faint red in the dark.
He looked less like the playful boy who teased me over breakfast, and more like the prodigy whispered about in every mission log. Dangerous. Sharp. Watching me like he could see right through my skin.
"W-what are you doing here?" Shisui asked, voice low, careful.
My mind spun. Lying to Minato? Difficult. Lying to Kushina? Impossible. Lying to Shisui? …Somehow worse.
So, naturally, I blurted the first dumb thing that came to mind.
"…Midnight reading club?"
His eyebrow twitched. "Midnight… what?"
"Yeah! You know, I just… couldn't sleep, so I thought—why not sneak into the most heavily guarded building in the village and catch up on some light reading?"
The silence that followed could've crushed me flat.
Shisui stepped closer, his Sharingan spinning faintly, analyzing every twitch of my face. My heart hammered, but outwardly I smiled, trying to look innocent. Pretty. Harmless.
He sighed, rubbing his temple. "Akari… you're a terrible liar."
My smile faltered for a second before snapping back into place. "I'll get better with practice."
"Not a good thing to practice," he muttered. Then, softer, "Seriously… what's going on with you?"
I swallowed. His eyes weren't accusing—they were worried. And that? That was dangerous. Because for one tiny second, I wanted to tell him. About Zetsu. About the flesh. About my curse.
But I couldn't.
So I just smirked and tossed him a line. "Maybe I like trouble."
He stared at me for a long, long moment, then let out a reluctant laugh. "You're insane."
"Thank you," I said sweetly.
The tension eased slightly, but my nerves didn't. Because while Shisui might've bought my joke, I knew he'd file this away. He was an Uchiha. He remembered everything.
And Black Zetsu's leash tugged tighter in the back of my mind.
One slip… and both sides will eat me alive.
I glanced back at Shisui, who was still watching me, half worried, half amused.
And just like that, I realized—if I wasn't careful, he'd be the first person to uncover what I really was.