The sun had just begun to rise, painting Konoha in a soft, golden hue. Birds chirped, the streets slowly came alive, and merchants set up stalls along the market roads.
Inside the Namikaze home, chaos reigned supreme. Naruto, now a rambunctious three-year-old, was mid-leap from the couch to the floor, clutching a scroll in one hand and a stuffed frog in the other.
"Akari! Look!" he shouted, face smeared with ink and drool, pointing at scribbles on the scroll.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, sighing. "Naruto… that's supposed to be a drawing of a fox, not… a scribble tornado."
He tilted his head, grinning innocently. "It is a fox!"
I chuckled, finally scooping him up and hugging him close. "Fine, it's a fox. But next time, don't try to draw it on the walls, okay?"
"Okay!" he replied cheerfully. And then immediately began plotting his next artistic disaster.
Raising him publicly was exhausting—but in a way that made my heart swell. Minato and Kushina weren't here in the open, but their presence, via the seal I had placed, hummed softly in the back of my mind. I could reach out to them anytime, and they could check on us—or intervene if needed.
Night brought a different Akari.
The fragment of the Nine-Tails pulsed faintly inside me, its chakra dancing along my veins. My Mangekyō Sharingan glimmered as I practiced Wood Release, shaping thick, twisting roots and wooden constructs with precise control. Shadow clones circled around me, silently obeying my every command as I experimented with combinations of chakra flow, jutsu coordination, and the system that governed my strength.
Every muscle memory, every chakra imprint, every stolen jutsu from the Scroll of Seals was tested, refined, and perfected.
This was the other side of my life: predator, strategist, monster. One who could hold a piece of a tailed beast in her own body without flinching, and who now controlled sunlight itself through sheer consumption.
1,000,000 minutes of sunlight resistance, just sitting in my system, ready whenever I wanted it.
Meanwhile, in the village, whispers began to stir.
Hiruzen had noticed anomalies, subtle shifts of energy. Someone capable of Wood Release? A Sharingan user far beyond their age? The prodigious rise of a young woman known as Kushina's little sister had caught his attention.
And then… there was Danzo Shimura.
He didn't care about relationships, warmth, or family bonds. All he saw was potential power, control, and opportunity.
He had been observing Akari from the shadows for weeks now. The woman's abilities were unlike anything he had encountered: Wood Release, Mangekyō Sharingan, a fragment of a tailed beast, and—unknown to him—the system that allowed her to consume chakra, jutsus, and even human life to grow stronger.
He finally approached Hiruzen under the guise of casual concern. "Shall we keep a closer eye on her?" Danzo asked, voice low. "I have… reasons to believe her abilities could be vital to Konoha's future. Or dangerous if left unchecked."
Hiruzen's expression was thoughtful. "We must tread carefully. The girl has been under Minato's guidance, and until now, there's been no threat."
Danzo smirked faintly. "Sometimes, the greatest threat is also the greatest weapon."
Back at the Namikaze home, Akari was quietly watching Naruto asleep in his small bed, the night quiet except for his soft breathing.
I allowed myself a small smirk. "Let them watch, let them wonder. They have no idea what's hiding behind this smile."
I rose, testing the Nine-Tails fragment in small bursts of power, letting it merge with my Mangekyō and Wood Release. The black veins along my arms pulsed faintly, a reminder of the monster I had become.
And yet… as I felt the warmth of the seals linking me to Minato and Kushina, as I peeked at Naruto sleeping peacefully, the thought struck me:
I wasn't just a predator. I was a guardian. A sister. A mother figure. A monster with a conscience.
And the longer I walked this line, the sharper it became.
Because power draws attention. And in Konoha, not everyone watches with kindness.
Danzo would notice eventually. Hiruzen would suspect.
But for now… the little family I had built, in secret, was safe.
At least for tonight.