Three years had passed since the night Konoha burned. Three years since I had held Naruto in my arms while the village mourned a Hokage and his wife who weren't truly gone.
Now… that same boy was my biggest challenge.
"Akari-chaaan! Look!"
I froze as a bowl of ramen—yes, ramen, at breakfast—was upended onto the floor. Naruto beamed at me proudly, face and hands coated in broth and noodles like a small, gleeful tornado.
"...Naruto." My eye twitched.
"Yes?" His grin was blinding.
"That was my breakfast."
"Oh." He blinked. "Do you want it back?" He offered me a noodle from his hair like it was a sacred gift.
I sighed, pinched the bridge of my nose, and reminded myself that I had devoured Chūnin and Jonin without hesitation. Somehow, this small human tested me more than any battle ever could.
Still, I cleaned him up, laughing softly despite myself. He reminded me too much of Kushina's chaotic energy, blended with Minato's effortless calm. It hurt sometimes, but in a good way.
But life wasn't just spilled ramen and cheerful chaos.
At night, I slipped into the forests again, hidden from eyes that weren't supposed to see. The Nine-Tails' chakra lingered, a deep, writhing power that had almost destroyed the village once. And now… part of it had become mine.
I had bitten into the fox during the attack—just a fragment, enough to taste the raw energy coursing inside it. The moment its blood entered me, my veins sang. Sunlight no longer seared me. I could feel minutes of resistance stacking in my system, a gift for survival and stealth. Exactly 1,000,000 minutes, if my calculations were correct. Enough to walk freely in daylight for decades without concern.
The power surged. My nervous system aligned effortlessly with the stolen chakra. My Mangekyō, Wood Release, and stolen Scroll techniques pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat. I could feel every cell humming with forbidden energy, yet I remained fully in control.
Even as Naruto slept, sprawled across the room like a tiny, warm star, I honed my senses. I practiced jutsu silently, tested chakra flows, and felt my body grow sharper, stronger, more predatory.
During the day, the mask returned. I was Akari, the gentle aunt and Kushina's little sister. The villagers pitied me for my loss, whispered about the orphaned boy, and yet… never suspected. I laughed at their assumptions and kissed Naruto's forehead, feeling something strange, something almost like tenderness.
The dual life weighed on me, but I welcomed it. For the child. For the family I had chosen to protect.
And for the inevitable storm ahead.
Because sooner or later, the shadows always came calling.