Danzo didn't move against me right away. That was what made him dangerous.
Men like him didn't act with rage—they acted with calculation. And sure enough, two nights after our little "chat," I found a message slipped into my window, sealed in plain parchment, written in neat strokes.
A mission.
Not from Hiruzen. Not from Minato. From Danzo himself.
There is a missing-nin hiding on the outskirts of Fire Country. Retrieve him, or eliminate him. If you succeed, your loyalty will be noted.
I smirked when I read it. Loyalty? He wanted to see if I'd play along.
The problem was, if I didn't take the bait, he'd decide I was a liability. If I did, he'd only ask for more. The game had begun.
The next morning, Naruto came stumbling into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and yawning so wide it looked like his jaw might pop off.
"Akariii… I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry." I set down a bowl of rice and eggs. "Eat first, then we'll see if we can work on that chakra control today."
He pouted. "Do I have to? Can't I just do the clone thing like everyone else?"
I nearly laughed. "Naruto, if you try the clone technique now, you'll just make a puff of smoke."
"…Smoke is cool."
I flicked his forehead gently. "Eat. Then we'll see about 'cool.'"
Even while I joked, my mind was on Danzo's mission. I had to be careful. Naruto noticed things. If I vanished too long, he'd start asking questions—questions Hiruzen might overhear.
That night, I moved.
The missing-nin wasn't hard to find. He was a washed-up chunin with more scars than skill, hiding in a cabin by the river. When I entered, he scrambled for a kunai, but I was faster. My hand pierced through his chest before he could even shout.
His chakra tasted bitter, weak. Hardly a meal, but enough to give me another thirty minutes of sunlight resistance.
More importantly, I made sure to leave his body where Danzo's agents would find it. Proof of "loyalty."
But I didn't walk away empty-handed. I sifted through his notes and gear, finding small hints—letters, contacts. Danzo hadn't just picked any target. This missing-nin had once been Root.
"Clever old bastard," I muttered. He wasn't testing my skills. He was testing if I'd cover up his messes.
When I got home, Shisui was waiting for me on the roof. His Mangekyō eyes spun faintly in the moonlight as he leaned on his knee, gaze sharp.
"You've been moving in the dark again," he said quietly.
I raised a brow. "And you haven't?"
"…Fair." His lips quirked, but his expression soon hardened. "I know what you're doing with Danzo. Be careful, Akari. He won't stop at testing you. He'll want to own you."
I met his gaze evenly. "Let him try."
For a moment, silence stretched between us. Then Shisui sighed, almost amused. "Naruto's lucky. You're like a demon with teeth bared at the world, but with him… you smile like Kushina used to."
I looked away, heart tugging. "He deserves a family. Even if it's… broken."
Shisui didn't argue. He just stayed a while, watching the stars, as if guarding me from the night.
Back in my room, I unrolled a sheet of parchment. The system flickered faintly at the edges of my vision, reminding me of my growing minutes of sunlight resistance and the bloodlines I'd consumed. I tapped the ink brush against the page, beginning a new plan.
Danzo wanted me on his strings. Fine. I'd pretend. But one day soon, those same strings would strangle him.
And by then, Naruto would never need to know how deep the darkness went.