The smell of rice and grilled fish woke me before the sunlight did.
I groaned, rolling over, burying my face in the pillow. I hated mornings. Not because I was lazy—though I absolutely was—but because sunlight still felt like a predator crouched just outside the door.
Every minute I spent under it was a minute burned off my resistance. My life as a ticking hourglass.
"Akari!" Kushina's voice rang down the hall like a war cry. "Breakfast's ready, sleepyhead!"
I winced. Why does she sound like she's leading a charge every time she calls me?
Dragging myself up, I slipped into the hall, hair still messy, eyes half-lidded. Kushina was already bustling around the table, setting down bowls with the energy of three people.
"Finally," she huffed, hands on her hips. "You sleep more than Minato after paperwork duty."
From his seat, Minato chuckled softly, giving me an apologetic smile. "Don't mind her. She just worries."
"I do not!" Kushina puffed her cheeks, then immediately softened when she looked at me. "...Okay, maybe a little. But only 'cause you came home late last night. What were you even doing?"
I froze mid-step. My throat tightened. The memory of Shisui's kunai at my cheek flashed across my mind.
"...Training," I lied smoothly, sitting down at the table. "Didn't realize the time."
Kushina eyed me for a long second. Then, unexpectedly, she grinned.
"Ohhh, is that why your arms look tighter? Trying to get all buff so you can impress some boy?"
I nearly choked on my rice. "W-what?! No!"
Minato coughed into his sleeve, trying very, very hard not to laugh.
Kushina leaned in, eyes gleaming like a predator. "C'mon, tell me! Who is he? Do I know him? Is he cute?"
My face heated. Not from embarrassment—okay, fine, maybe a little—but because the first image that popped into my head was Shisui's damn smug grin in the moonlight.
I shoved more rice in my mouth just to shut myself up. "No one. Drop it."
Kushina smirked, clearly not believing a word, but she let it go… for now.
The rest of breakfast was warm, noisy, filled with Kushina's chatter and Minato's calm responses. For a while, it almost felt real. Like family. Like I belonged.
But beneath the laughter, my mind wouldn't let go of the night before.
Shisui's eyes. His words. His promise.
"I'll find out."
I clenched my chopsticks tighter.
One misstep, one crack in my act, and everything I'd built here—everything I swore to protect—would crumble.
After breakfast, Kushina dragged me outside, insisting on "little sister bonding time," which apparently meant trying to braid my hair while I squirmed like a captured animal.
"Hold still, jeez," she scolded, fingers working through my strands. "You've got good hair, y'know. You should take care of it more."
"It's just hair…" I muttered.
"Just hair?!" She gasped as if I'd insulted ramen itself. "Akari, listen to me. A girl's hair is her pride! We'll make it shine so much, every boy in the village will—"
"No boys!" I cut her off quickly, a little too quickly.
Kushina blinked at me, then slowly smirked.
"...Ohhh. So it is a girl, then."
I facepalmed. "Why did I ever agree to live here…"
She laughed so hard she almost fell over.
For a moment, just a moment, I let myself relax.
But deep down, I knew this peace was fragile. Because somewhere out there, Shisui was watching. Doubting. Digging.
And one day soon, he'd pull on the wrong thread.
And everything would unravel.