"Akari-nee," Naruto whispered, tugging on my sleeve.
It was early morning, the streets of Konoha already alive with vendors setting up their stalls, children running off to the Academy. And here was Naruto, walking beside me with a look far too serious for a four-year-old.
"When can I see Mama and Papa again?"
I nearly tripped over my own feet. "Naruto—"
He pouted. "You said not to tell anyone. I didn't! But… I wanna see them. Tonight? Tomorrow? Every day?" His blue eyes widened hopefully. "Please?"
I sighed, ruffling his spiky hair. "It's not that easy, brat. They're… special circumstances. If anyone finds out—"
"I know, I know!" he huffed, puffing out his cheeks. "Secret! But why's Hokage-jiji looking at you funny lately?"
I froze. My gaze slid toward the Hokage Tower in the distance, the faintest sting of paranoia tightening in my chest. Naruto was sharp, sharper than the village gave him credit for.
And the worst part? He was right.
That evening, I was careful. Too careful. Maybe that's why I noticed them at all.
The Root operatives didn't follow Naruto directly—that would have been too obvious. Instead, one of them shadowed me when I went to fetch groceries, another loitered near the training grounds where I "casually" practiced low-level jutsu in public, while a third lingered outside my home just long enough to make their presence known.
Danzo was tightening the noose, one thread at a time.
So I decided to test them back.
When Naruto finally fell asleep that night—face buried against his fox plush, clutching my sleeve even in his dreams—I slipped outside. The air was cool, the moon fat and watchful overhead.
I whispered, "Mangekyō," and the world sharpened into lines of red and shadow.
The operative waiting by the rooftops didn't move as I appeared behind him. His mask covered any emotion, but I could feel the spike in his chakra when I leaned close and murmured:
"Tell Danzo… if he wants to know my strength, he can ask me directly. Otherwise, his little rats will keep going missing."
I let the threat hang in the air, then vanished into the night before he could react.
The next morning, Naruto bounced into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"Akari-nee! I dreamed Mama and Papa were with us eating ramen! Can they come for real next time?"
I almost choked on my tea. "Naruto, I told you—"
"But ramen's important!" He declared it with the gravity of a Hokage-in-training. "If they love me, they'll come eat with us, right?"
I pressed a hand to my face, torn between laughter and dread. "You're going to kill me one of these days, brat…"
He just grinned, utterly oblivious.
But as he laughed, I felt it again—that prickle of eyes on the back of my neck. Root hadn't backed down. If anything, they were circling closer.
And I realized something chilling.
It wasn't just me they were watching anymore.
It was Naruto too.