The night was still.
The only sound was my own breathing, uneven, sharp, like I had just fought a war rather than a single shinobi. Shisui's words clung to me, heavy and suffocating:
"I'll find out… no matter how much you hide."
I clenched my fists, watching the space where he had vanished. My skin had already sealed over the wounds he left, but the sting wasn't gone. Not the physical kind. The kind that digs deeper.
He could've killed me. Or at least tried. Instead, he held back. That hesitation was my only shield.
And that scared me more than his Sharingan ever could.
The walk back to the Namikaze house felt longer than usual. The streets were quiet, lamps burning dimly, faint laughter from a distant tavern breaking the silence.
I touched my cheek where his kunai had grazed me. Smooth skin. No scar. Like it never happened.
Except I couldn't erase the memory.
When I finally slipped inside the house, the warmth hit me like a wave. Kushina had left a lantern burning by the door, the soft glow spilling across the floor.
She worried when I stayed out late. I hated that. Not the worrying itself—but the fact I couldn't tell her the truth.
I padded softly down the hall, sliding the door shut behind me. The smell of miso and herbs still lingered from dinner. It was so… normal.
I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. For a moment, I let myself pretend. Pretend I was just Akari, little sister of Kushina, cared for by Minato. Pretend I didn't have blood on my hands, or shadows breathing down my neck.
Pretend I wasn't lying.
From somewhere down the hall, a sleepy voice mumbled:
"...Akari? That you?"
I stiffened. Kushina.
A door slid open and she peeked out, hair loose and messy, eyes half-closed. She squinted at me. "You're home late… what were you doing?"
For a second, I froze. My mind scrambled for excuses—training, wandering, anything—but then I forced a small smile. "Couldn't sleep. Just… needed some air."
She yawned, rubbing her eyes, then shuffled over and leaned against me without warning. Warm. Heavy. So alive.
"You worry me, y'know?" she mumbled. "Don't go disappearing. You're my little sis now. Got it?"
My throat tightened. For a second, I couldn't speak.
Finally, I whispered, "...Got it."
She smiled faintly, already drifting back to sleep. "Good… I'd fight the whole world if I had to…"
Then she staggered back toward her room, leaving me in the hall.
I stayed there a long time, staring at the floor.
What happens when she finds out what I really am?
Out in the distance, hidden beyond the village walls, a voice stirred in the dark.
Black Zetsu's chuckle slithered across the night like oil.
"So… you've tasted conflict with the Uchiha already. Good. Very good. But don't lose focus, Akari. Soon, I'll have need of you again."
I shivered, even though he wasn't here. His whispers never really left me.
And this time… his orders would demand more than just stolen scrolls.