The village had mostly returned to its normal rhythm. Children played in the streets, merchants shouted over the morning breeze, and the soft warmth of sunlight bathed Konoha in deceptive serenity.
Inside the Namikaze home, chaos reigned instead.
"Akari! Akari! Look what I made!"
Naruto's voice echoed down the hall as he held up a clay ball with a lopsided face. His messy blond hair fell over his wide blue eyes, and his grin made me want to simultaneously laugh and strangle him.
"...Naruto." My voice carried a hint of exasperation.
"Yes! Isn't it awesome?" He waved it proudly, nearly dropping it.
I took a deep breath. "It's… something." I set the bowl of noodles from breakfast aside and carefully lifted him into my lap. His small hands dug into my robes, and I suppressed the shiver of irritation mixed with affection.
Despite the chaos, despite the endless messes and the noise, I loved this. I'd chosen this life. Protecting him, shaping him, hiding him from the world—it was exhausting, but it was mine.
But when the sun finally sank beneath the horizon, I became someone else entirely.
The fragment of the Nine-Tails inside me pulsed faintly. Its chakra was a constant hum, a reminder of the power I now wielded. With each beat, I could feel my sun resistance ticking up—1,000,000 minutes in total. I could walk in daylight as much as I pleased now, though I preferred discretion. Better to train in the night than risk being scrutinized.
I stepped into the woods, Naruto safely asleep in his room under a reinforced seal, my senses extending like the tips of invisible fingers. The Mangekyō Sharingan glowed faintly under my eyelids as I tested new jutsu.
First, Wood Release. Trees bent and twisted as if dancing to my will. Bark grew like armor around me. I practiced manipulating multiple trees at once, weaving them into barriers, traps, and platforms. Every movement was precise; every breath calculated.
Then, the stolen Scroll of Seals techniques. Edo Tensei again, though this time only partially—a single clone of a warrior from history, standing perfectly silent as I tested control over its movements. Shadow Clones flickered around me, forming a perfect circle, responding instantly to my commands.
And finally… the Nine-Tails' fragment.
I let a small surge flow through me, tasting the chakra that had destroyed half the village that night. My body tingled, nerves sparking, and my Mangekyō flared. I could feel the fox's immense power trying to claw out, but my system—my own regenerative, predatory system—held it in check. Unlike any normal user, I wasn't overwhelmed. I controlled it completely.
The thrill of it made my lips curl. "This… is delicious," I whispered to the night. A hint of humor crept into my words, dark and twisted, because no one could hear me.
Days passed like this. By day, I was Akari, gentle aunt, chaos manager, and surrogate sister to Naruto. By night, I was a predator, testing every facet of my stolen powers, my system absorbing every scrap of chakra, sun resistance, and skill I could get.
Naruto grew fast. At three years old, he was already mischievous, curious, and dangerous in his own right. He climbed the furniture, attempted rudimentary chakra exercises I couldn't help laughing at, and sometimes—just sometimes—he caught glimpses of my true form. A flicker of black veins, a glint of crimson in my eyes, and a barely-there aura of dread.
He never mentioned it. Children are smart that way.
One night, after Naruto finally fell asleep, I allowed myself to relax, leaning against the thick trunk of a tree. The forest was silent. My senses still stretched outward, ever-watchful.
And then a faint pulse brushed my awareness—rare, but unmistakable.
Black Zetsu.
I let him come, only partially. He hovered at the edge of my perception, voice a whisper. "You have grown strong… but the timeline shifts. Are you certain you can maintain it?"
I smirked, voice low and confident. "Don't worry. I've rewritten this story. And no one—not even you—will stop me from keeping the people I care about alive."
He hesitated, silent, before withdrawing. Not gone… but rare, as always.
I closed my eyes, feeling the faint warmth of the Nine-Tails' fragment, the Mangekyō, the Wood Release, and the countless jutsu flowing within me. My life was a balancing act between shadow and light, nurture and predator, family and monster.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.