The system panel faded into the air, but its words still lingered in my mind: hostile observation detected.
Danzo. Root. Those carrion birds were circling me closer every day.
And yet, Naruto's laughter filled the room like sunshine. The boy was sitting on the floor, stacking wooden blocks into what could only generously be called a tower. Well—if towers were supposed to collapse every five seconds.
He cheered every time it fell apart, clapping his little hands together.
I rubbed my temples. "Naruto, you know towers are supposed to stay up, right?"
"But mine is special!" He puffed his chest. "It's… uh… battle tower! It falls and smashes the enemies!"
I chuckled. "Of course. Hokage-level tactics."
His grin made it hard to breathe sometimes. Because behind that smile was a truth he didn't know yet. His parents weren't gone. They were waiting. Waiting for me to decide it was safe to bring him to them.
But safe… didn't exist in Konoha. Not with men like Danzo.
That night, I stood on the rooftop, Mangekyō glowing faint red in the dark. The system flickered to life again.
Root Operatives – Active– Estimated: 3 tracking you tonight– Distance: 80 meters– Orders: Unknown– Threat Level: Medium
I could smell them, almost taste their intent. They didn't dare approach yet. Not without Danzo's command.
My fingers curled. If I unleashed myself here, I could rip them apart, feast on them, gain their secrets and jutsu. But that would expose me. To Hiruzen. To the elders. To all of Konoha.
So I waited.
Patience was survival.
The next morning, Naruto tugged my sleeve as I cooked. "Nee-chan, can I ask you something?"
I blinked. He never called me that formally. "…What is it?"
He fidgeted. "You said… Mama and Papa are… gone. But sometimes, you look… sad, like they're not really gone."
My heart squeezed painfully.
Smart little brat. Kushina's intuition mixed with Minato's sharpness.
I crouched, holding his small shoulders. "Naruto… would you like to see them? Just for a little while?"
His eyes went round and wet. He nodded so fast I thought his head might fall off.
"Okay," I whispered. "But this has to be a secret, Naruto. No one can know. Not Hokage Grandpa, not your teachers, not your friends. Only you and me. Promise?"
He held up his tiny pinky. "Promise!"
I hooked mine with his, smiling faintly. The weight in my chest grew heavier. A promise to a child meant more than any vow to gods.
Later that day, I went to the training grounds. Naruto was running circles, full of endless energy, while I practiced wood release quietly.
The system helped me refine every move: the flow of chakra through each finger, the breath in my lungs, the microsecond timing between seals. Thick wooden branches sprouted with deadly elegance, sharper, faster, smoother than before.
Naruto froze, jaw dropping. "Woaaah! Akari-nee, you're amazing!"
I blinked. "You weren't supposed to see that."
He grinned mischievously. "Then teach me too!"
"…when you're older."
He pouted, but the sparkle in his eyes said he wouldn't forget.
I sighed. He'd grow up faster than I wanted.
That night, as I tucked him into bed, the system flickered again.
Root Activity – Increasing– Estimated Operatives: 7– Orders: Capture or Observe– Threat Level: High
Danzo was tightening the noose. If I didn't act soon, he'd corner me.
I glanced at Naruto's sleeping face, soft and peaceful.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'd take him. Let him see Minato and Kushina, if only for a short while.
Because before the storm truly came down on us, I wanted him to feel what family really was.
And heaven help anyone who tried to take that away.