Chapter 1: The Fall that bound us
Chapter Text
The bracelet lay among rust and rot, its central sapphire cracked. Aiko was beginning to think she was developing claustrophobia. Even out in the open, she felt trapped. The inability to leave that small space was horrifying, prisoners in Konoha likely had more freedom than she did.
Even when she tried to move the bracelet, hands obsessively grasped at the metal despite knowing it was useless. Her fingers only passed through it. After several failures, she gave up. For the thousandth time, she watched the clearing where she was anchored.
It wasn't common for people to come here. But today there were voices. A group played hide-and-seek: some easy to spot (like the one yelling "Don’t find me!" from a sparse bush), others skilled, like the girl nimbly climbing a tree, vanishing into the canopy.
What caught her eye was a blond boy, the same one who sometimes wandered there alone. He hid differently, he seemed to be observing, gathering courage, he emerged from his hiding spot, walking hesitantly toward the group. The seeker and a found child spotted him. Smiles vanished.
Whispers spread among themselves. One boy stepped forward: "My mom said I can’t play with you."
Naruto froze. The hope in his blue eyes dissolved into sadness. His fingers twisted the oversized hem of his shirt, fabric twice his size. As tears welled, he ran blindly and tripped over a root. He fell straight into a carpet of dead leaves, scattering them.
Naruto sat up, shaking dirt from his hair. Then he saw: beneath the leaves covering his hands, something blue glinted. His fingers dug out the cold metal. When he touched it, a chill raced down his spine not unpleasant, just... a presence nearby.
The bracelet coiled around the wrist with intertwined double spirals, forming the ornament. Each spiral was carved with unfamiliar symbols. At its center, a metal whirlpool cradled an oval sky-blue sapphire, split in half.
Naruto smiled and clasped it onto his wrist. Extra companies are always good. After all, jiji and Iruka-sensei can’t always be around.
He looked around, fearing the children might see his treasure and take it. But the clearing stood empty. Without another thought, he headed home, unaware he dragged a ghost bound to follow him.
Chapter 2: Whispers of the ghost
Notes:
This time I didn't just use Google Translate, but I also had help from LanguageTool to help me, I hope that this way the reading will be more fluid for all of you
Chapter Text
The apartment smelled of damp wood and ramen seasoning. Naruto kicked the door shut behind him, letting it slam against the frame, and tossed his backpack onto the floor. The place was a mess, clothes strewn everywhere, dirty bowls stacked in the sink, crumpled papers littering the floor. Still, with a little tidying up, it could almost feel cozy.
“I'm home…” he murmured to the empty walls.
His stomach growled loudly. He filled a small pot and lit the stove. While waiting for the water to boil, he stared at the bracelet on his wrist, the worn metal, the rust-crusted spirals, the cracked sapphire. He decided to clean it. Grabbing a cut potato, he rubbed salt and lemon into it and began polishing the metal, just like he’d seen a street vendor do once.
He talked to himself as he scrubbed, an old habit to fill the silence:
“Glitter-bombed that paint merchant today… He wouldn't sell to me, so I redecorated his stall”
He smiled to himself, remembering the scene.
“Bet they won’t figure out it was me… hopefully.”
Leaving the bracelet coated in the acidic paste to rest, he finished preparing his ramen. The kitchen was filled with the rich broth scent, but he felt a chill down his spine as he touched the metal once more to remove the residue.
“You enjoy living in a sty, Brat?”
A woman's voice cut through the air, clear and sharp, as if spoken right beside him.
Naruto fumbled the bracelet in shock; it rolled to the edge of the table. At the same time, the bowl of ramen he’d been holding tipped over, spilling steaming broth across the floor.
“G-Ghost?!” he stammered, his voice higher than he’d have liked. He whipped around, searching for the source.
“What? Never seen a woman in your life?” the voice shot back, dripping with sarcasm.
Before Naruto’s wide eyes, a thin mist gathered near the window, slowly taking shape until it revealed a translucent, blueish female figure. Pale eyes pinned on him with unnerving intensity, her expression a mix of boredom and curiosity.
Naruto’s legs trembled. He remembered Village tales about spirits dragging children to the land of the dead.
He took a step back. “Who… what are you?”
“I’m asking you, kid.” the apparition retorted, crossing her arms. “Who are you, and why’d you drag me here?”
He retreated another step. “S-stay away from me! I don’t want you here”
“Tough luck.” She gave a half-smile, seeming amused by his terror.“Because I can’t go anywhere else.”
The night wind rustled the curtains through the open window. Naruto swallowed hard, cold dread crawling up his spine, but then something in her expression made him hesitate. He caught the weariness beneath her smirk. The amusement didn't reach her eyes.
“Look, kid, if you really want to be rid of me…”
“Naruto,” the boy interrupted. When she only looked confused, he repeated, “My name’s Uzumaki Naruto.” He straightened his shoulders, trying to appear braver than he felt
For a fraction of a second, the ghost’s eyes snapped wide, but just as quickly, her expression smoothed back. The spirit sighed, the momentary intensity gone. “Fine, Naruto. Like I said, if you want me gone, just toss the bracelet”
Instinctively, his hand closed protectively around the metal. This discard he'd rescued… it was his. He clutched it to his chest, feared she’d snatch it. “No! Found it where nobody cared… It's mine now.”
The woman arched a eyebrow. “So you’d rather have a ghost haunting your apartment than lose a trinket?”
“I hate ghosts” he snapped, turning away, but his wavering voice betrayed him. “It’s just… I’d rather give purpose to things nobody wants.”
She blinked slowly, studying the boy, who'd trembled moments ago now holding his ground. A dry chuckle escaped her.
“Hmph… You’re a weird one.”
“You’re rude” he shot back, crossing his arms.
A brief silence settled, broken only by the curtains flapping in the breeze. Naruto’s fear was slowly giving way to curiosity.
“Your name?”
“Aiko.” She drifted idly around the room.
“So… you’re like my roommate now?”
Aiko grimaced, eyeing the surrounding mess. “Since you’re keeping the bracelet, I’m stuck in this dump you call home.”
“Clean it yourself if it's so bad!” he challenged.
The ghost stared. Then reached for a dirty bowl. Her hand passed through porcelain, then deliberately through Naruto's ribs. He yelped as phantom cold seized his lungs.
“Now tell me, Brat, how the hell am I supposed to clean this filth if I can’t touch anything? Get moving. And start by tossing those stinking bowls.” With no room for argument, Naruto huffed but started gathering the empty containers.
Hours later, after cleaning to Aiko's brutal ‘bare minimum’ standard (which meant the entire apartment), he sighed exhaustedly and fetched another bowl to remake his ramen. He stole glances at her, half-expecting her to vanish. Aiko just floated near the window, silently watching him.
He scraped the last noodle from his bowl and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and mumbled:
“If you're staying… try not to pop out like that.”
“No promises, Blondie” she murmured with a faint smirk before dissolving into mist before he could protest.
Alone again. But now, the silence felt… different.
* * *
The sun had barely risen when Naruto bolted toward the Academy, late as usual, the bracelet hidden under his sleeve. Aiko floated unseen beside him.
“You actually attend this place? Never took you for the shinobi type.”
“Shhh! Don’t talk around others!” Naruto whispered between pants.
The moment he entered the classroom, Iruka's stern but understanding face greeted him
“Naruto! Late Again.” The sigh was practiced. “Classroom cleaning duty. No arguments.”
“But Sensei, I—”
“—No 'buts'” Iruka cut in. “Sit. And please try to focus today.”
“Serves you right for oversleeping, brat” Aiko muttered.
The boy grumbled, snickers followed Naruto to his seat. Aiko materialized cross-legged above his desk, scanning the room with detached interest.
“These are your classmates? Why’s that one glaring?” She pointed toward a boy in the corner who was indeed shooting Naruto a nasty grin.
He shrugged, fiddling with the bracelet. “They just… don’t like me.”
“Shocking. You're a walking disaster.”
“Hey!”
“But..." Her gaze lingered on the smirking boy. "...nobody deserves scorn for being bad at something.”
Naruto stilled. He looked down at the worn metal against his wrist. A small, genuine smile surfaced.
* * *
Sunset bled across the training ground as Naruto stood alone on the academy training grounds, attempting the Bunshin no Jutsu. He focused, formed the hand seal… Puff! A pale, sickly-looking clone crumpled to the dirt.
“Dammit…” Naruto muttered, kicking the ground.
Aiko materialized mid-yawn. “That’s supposed to be a clone? Looks more like a potato sack.”
“Shut up!” Naruto tried again. Puff! Another clone, even wobblier than the first.
She drifted closer, narrowing her eyes. “Hm… It’s not just incompetence. Something’s wrong with your chakra.” She circled him, suddenly serious. “I can sense it. The chakra you’re using isn’t entirely yours… it’s mixed with something else.”
“Something else?”
“Feels like it’s bound to you. It floods your system when you try to mold the chakra, destabilizing your control. You’re fighting two flows at once.”
Naruto fell silent, throat tight. He didn’t know how to respond.
“So… I can’t get better?”
“You can. I’ll teach you to control it. You need to learn to separate your chakra from the other and how to channel them together.” Her tone softened slightly.
He sighed, defeated. “How?”
Aiko smiled, a mix of mischief and encouragement. “Leave it to me, Brat. Might not look like it, but I was a jonin once. My students called my methods... hellish”
He eyed her warily. “Is that your idea of motivation?”
“Obviously.” She moved as if to touch his shoulder. “We start tomorrow. And cook real food, anything is better than instant ramen. You’ll need the energy.”
Chapter 3: Recognition
Summary:
This was my favorite chapter to write so far. It had a lot of emotion, but it doesn't compare to the next one. I think this one is much lighter compared to what Chapter 4 will be like.
Besides, I'm gradually increasing the length of the chapters. Maybe someday I'll be able to write one that's 10k long.
Chapter Text
Konoha’s morning sun flooded the apartment, illuminating the newly imposed order: stacks of folded clothes, clean bowls, every scroll and kunai in its place. Naruto stretched and rubbed his eyes with a loud yawn, his jaw cracking. He shuffled barefoot to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and rummaged through the nearly empty shelves: a half-carton of milk, a lone tomato, and a single egg. With a sigh, he grabbed the milk and drank the last of it straight from the container.
As soon as he shut the fridge door, he met Aiko's gaze. The ghost floated near the table, her arms crossed, one eyebrow arched in a look that blended disapproval and… something else, something softer than her usual sarcasm. That icy stare alone made him gulp. Without a word, he reopened the fridge. Fetched the tomato and egg and went to get the stash of instant noodles from the cupboard, placing them on the table.
“Not exactly a well-stocked pantry, is it?” Aiko's voice lacked its usual sharp edge. It was flatter, more observant. “Can’t make anything decent with this”
Naruto shrugged, avoiding her gaze. He pretended to be fascinated by a stain on the table that had been wiped clean the night before. “Not a lot of people want to sell to me. And when they do… the stuff’s not always good.” The explanation came out in a murmur, as if it were some banal fact, as ordinary as the sunrise.
For the first time, Aiko truly saw Naruto. Not just as the annoying brat who dragged her around or the messy kid she had to threaten with phantom chills to get him to clean. She saw a child. A child too young to be alone in an apartment that smelled of mold and cheap ramen. The narrow shoulders under a baggy t-shirt, eyes still puffy with sleep, his movements clumsy. Looking at it now, with raw attention, she realized: in all the time she’d been here, she hadn’t seen a single adult check on him. No parents. No kindly neighbors. Just an empty apartment.
A thick silence fell over the kitchen. The lone tomato on the table seemed a screaming symbol of neglect. Aiko felt a strange sensation in her chest, a tightness in her heart that made her want to scream in frustration, the not-so-distant memory of her own loneliness. Her defenses cracked, revealing genuine compassion and a flicker of guilt for her earlier jabs.
Naruto broke the silence, uncomfortable with her intense stare. “So… I guess I’ll just make the noodles then” His voice sounded unnaturally low, the first time she’d heard him speak so quietly.
“Wait” The word came out softer than Aiko intended. Naruto froze, halfway to grabbing a pot. She drifted closer to the table, eyeing the meager ingredients, “A tomato and instant noodles. That's not breakfast, brat” The habitual acid was gone from her tone, replaced by an underlying sadness.
“It’s what I’ve got” he retorted, defensive but without force. “I'll manage”
Managing isn’t the fucking same as living, kid” Aiko sighed, a sound she had a feeling she’d be making a lot. “Where are… your parents? The adults? That teacher from yesterday, Iruka, was it?”
Naruto stared at the tomato. “The Old Man’s busy. Really busy. Iruka-sensei… he tries. But he’s got his own life, y’know? And not everyone likes him spending time with me” He shrugged again, a gesture meant to say ‘it doesn’t matter.’ “I'm used to it.”
Aiko said nothing for a long moment. She floated to the window, watching Konoha’s streets come to life. Children being walked to school by parents, the smell of fresh bread from a distant bakery. A normal, vibrant world Naruto seemed inexplicably locked out of. When she turned around again, her face was serious. Her clear eyes fixed on Naruto with a new determination.
“Forget the instant noodles for breakfast,” she ordered, but this time her tone wasn't one of hostile command. “Take what money you have left, Blondie. Let's go to the market. If we can’t get it the right way… we’ll try less orthodox methods.” A cunning, but not malicious, glint passed through her eyes. It was like a promise, something she made to herself, that she wouldn't let him go hungry.
Naruto hesitated. Going to the market was always a risky venture, full of sideways glances and closed doors. But there was something different about Aiko's demeanor. She wasn't just the grumpy ghost stuck with him. There was a contained fury there, directed not at him, but at his situation.
He nodded, pulling on a less wrinkled coat over his pajamas (under Aiko disapproving glare, who muttered something about ‘morning laziness’
Konoha’s central market was a riot of noise and scent of fresh fish, earthy vegetables and bread straight from the oven. Naruto walked alongside the stalls, trying to make himself invisible. Aiko floated unseen beside him, her sharp eyes scanning the vendors and their wares. Naruto stopped in front of a fruit stand. Shiny red apples caught his eye. He tentatively reached out to pick one up.
“Hey! You!” The vendor, a middle-aged man in a stained apron, frowned in recognition.
“Don't touch! You'll ruin the fruit. Get lost, I don't want any trouble.”
Naruto recoiled as if burned, his face burning with embarrassment. “I... I have money...” he muttered, showing a few coins in his palm.
“Your money isn't welcome here,” the man spat, turning away. Get out before I call the chuunin on duty.”
Naruto lowered his head, his shoulders slumping. The familiar feeling of rejection tightened his chest. Aiko growled lowly, a cold mist beginning to form around the vendor's stall, making him shiver and look around, confused.
It was then that a large, comforting hand landed on Naruto's shoulder.
“Is there a problem here?”
Naruto’s head shot up so fast he nearly twisted his neck, “I-Iruka-sensei!”
Iruka stood there in casual clothes, a shopping bag in hand. His normally friendly face was stern, his eyes fixed on the vendor with an expression that left no doubt he'd heard everything.
“Ah, Umino-san!” The vendor, Nakamura, completely changed his tone, forcing a smile. “No problem, no problem! Just... giving the boy some guidance”
“Telling him to leave and not touch the fruit sounds like more than ‘guidance'” Iruka replied, his voice calm but firm. “Especially when he's willing to pay.” He pointed to the coins still in Naruto's trembling hand.
Nakamura swallowed hard. “It's just... you know how it is, Umino-san. Some customers complain if he's around... Bad for business.”
“Business,” Iruka repeated, the word heavy. “Konoha is built on bonds stronger than profit, Nakamura-san. The Will of Fire means we value and fight for the good of the village. This boy” he gave Naruto’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, “is part of this village. And a student of the Academy. He has as much right to buy your apple as any other citizen.”
The vendor looked from Iruka to Naruto, whose face was a mixture of hope and disbelief, and then to the few customers who’d stopped to watch, some murmuring in agreement. The cold mist from Aiko had vanished, replaced by an intense, calculating stare fixed on Iruka.
“Um... well... perhaps I overreacted” Nakamura grumbled, avoiding Iruka's eyes. “Which apple do you want, kid?”
Naruto pointed to one, still a bit dazed. Iruka picked it up, inspected it carefully, and placed it in his bag with his other purchases. “Put it on my tab, Nakamura-san. Along with a generous handful of those oranges. They look excellent today.” His tone left no room for argument.
As Iruka paid (and Nakamura counted the coins with a sour face), Naruto looked at his sensei with an expression Aiko had never seen on him before: pure admiration and relief.
"Thank you, Sensei," Naruto whispered as Iruka turned, handing him the bag of fruit.
"You're welcome, Naruto." Iruka smiled, a genuine smile that reached his brown eyes. "Shopping early? I usually only see you carrying instant ramen cups" He poked the boy’s arm playfully, but his gaze held a hint of concern.
"It's... it's just..." Naruto stammered, unsure how to explain the ghostly intervention for a healthier diet.
"Decided I needed... healthier stuff today," he finally said, shrugging.
"Good decision!" Iruka approved. "Shall we walk together? I need a few more things." He made no mention of the earlier scene.
As they walked through the market, Iruka at his side, the world seemed different to Naruto. The glances were still there, but they were more discreet, more hesitant in the presence of the well-known and respected teacher. Iruka bought fresh bread, some vegetables, and even a small package of good-quality meat, which he discreetly added to the groceries.
"For a stew," he said casually, as Naruto stared at the meat with wide eyes. "Or meatballs. Do you know how to cook anything besides ramen, Naruto?"
"Of course I can!" Naruto protested, puffing out his chest. "I... I fry eggs! Sometimes."
Iruka laughed, a warm sound. "Hmm, basic culinary skills, then. Maybe I’ll need to give you a few tips" He paid for everything, politely declining when Naruto tried to offer what little money he had.
"Save those. Maybe you’ll want a dango after training, huh?"
* * *
On the way to Naruto's apartment, carrying the bags (Iruka insisted on carrying the heaviest one), Aiko floated silently alongside, observing every interaction. She saw the calm, firm way Iruka handled the situation. She saw the calm, firm way Iruka handled the situation. Furthermore, she saw the genuine patience and care as he explained why vegetables were part of a healthy diet, the discreet kindness as he paid for items he knew the boy could never afford. She saw, most of all, the effect Iruka's presence had on Naruto: the relaxed shoulders, the easier smile, the eyes shining with a mix of gratitude and adoration.
When they reached the apartment door, Iruka handed over the bags, "Here you go. Try to do something good with these, alright? And don’t forget classroom cleaning duty this afternoon! Being late again won’t be tolerated!” he said, a smile taking the sting out of the reprimand.
"Yes, Sensei! Thank you... really!" Naruto said, his voice thick with emotion.
"It's my job to take care of my students, Naruto," Iruka replied, his gaze softening. He gave the boy one last pat on the shoulder before turning to leave. "See you later."
Naruto stood in the doorway, holding the bags full of ingredients that would become real food, watching Iruka disappear down the stairs. Aiko fully materialized beside him in the small hallway. She didn't say anything immediately. Her pale eyes were fixed on the door Iruka had left through, her expression inscrutable, thoughtful.
"So..." Naruto broke the silence, still a little dazed by his luck. "You're going to teach me how to cook all this, right?"
Aiko finally looked at him. Her usual sullenness was gone. There was only a sincere smile on her face.
"This teacher of yours..." she began, her voice low. "Iruka. Does he... does he do this often? Step in for you like that?"
Naruto shrugged, trying to appear unconcerned, but his face, still flushed with gratitude, betrayed him. "Sometimes. He's not always around... but when he is, he... he tries" He glanced at the bags. "He's the best"
Aiko was silent for another moment, floating into the apartment as Naruto entered. She watched him begin unpacking the items with unusual care, as if they were treasures.
"Well, Blondie," she said, her tone regaining some of its usual roughness. "Now that you have decent food, no excuses. Eat something that isn’t fried or packed with sodium, and then… training starts. Your flesh-and-blood sensei can help with the parts I can’t, but taming the chaos that is your chakra control? That’s on me"
Naruto looked at her, then at the fresh ingredients on the counter, and a wide, genuine smile lit up his face. "Okay, Aiko! But... do you know how to make meatballs?"
A long, suffering sigh echoed through the apartment, followed by a grumble about "useless children" and "being reduced to teach a brat how to cook." But this time, behind the irritation, there was a tone that was almost… affectionate.
* * *
Training Ground 28 was quiet, just the wind in the leaves. Naruto arrived at the clearing almost at a run, kicking a stone that flew far into the trees. Behind him, Aiko floated with a faint smile on her lips. So much energy was… surprising. Almost contagious.
Aiko sat on a fallen log, legs crossed. She didn’t waste time. “Alright, Blondie, enough fussing. Main point: Yesterday I explained about that intrusive chakra messing with yours. Today, we start training so you can use your chakra alone and gradually learn how to use it in conjunction with his."
She floated until she was right in front of him. "Meditate. Now. Take a deep breath. And I don't want to hear your stomach growl or see you doze off."
"I wasn't–" Naruto began, sitting up hastily.
"You were" she cut him off, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Focus. Try to feel where the two chakras mix when you try to use it. It’s confusing, but try."
Naruto closed his eyes, brow furrowed. A minute later, he cracked one eye open. “I don’t feel anything!”
“Predictable,” Aiko sighed. “Fine, the hard way.” She reached for the bracelet. The worn metal, the cracked sapphire, emitted a faint, pulsing light. “This trinket isn’t just for binding me to you. It was made to separate chakra, but since it’s in this deplorable state, it needs me to function properly.”
She sat facing him, her hands hovering over his. Before Naruto could ask, a cold shock shot from the bracelet into his wrist, racing up his arm. It was like a line of energy was being pulled from deep inside him, drawn up to his palm.
Two spheres appeared: one a vibrant blue, the other a violent red and black. Aiko forced them to collide. They twisted against each other, forming an unstable, chaotic mass.
“This is what’s happening inside you. Now I’ll show you how they can separate.”
She tightened her grip on his wrist (or the illusion of one), and the glow intensified. Naruto felt a heavyweight being pulled back. The familiar, overwhelming heat receded, leaving behind only a light, clean energy.
"AIKO-SAN! I FEEL IT!" Naruto nearly jumped with excitement. For the first time, it felt pure. Manageable.
"Good" she said, her voice slightly strained. “That space is yours. Now, pull just the blue. To your hands. Ignore the red.”
The blue was weak, slippery. The red beat against the invisible barrier Aiko was maintaining. Naruto clung to the sensation of his own chakra small, but his. Drop by drop, he pulled the blue into his palms. With a final mental tug, he wrestled the flow free. A faint but steady glow enveloped his hands, forming a shaky, irregular sphere.
"I did it!" he gasped, his eyes snapping open.
The cold and pressure vanished. The bracelet’s light died. Aiko pulled back, more translucent than before, taking a deep, steadying breath.
"It's just mine! I can feel it!" Naruto was vibrating with excitement.
"It is. Small, but yours. Good start." Her gaze hardened.
"Listen carefully, brat. This is just the basics. Real training is much worse."
"Worse… how?" The blue sphere flickered in his hands.
"You have two chakras there. Yours, blue. And the other, red and raw. The problem isn't having the red, it's that it invades the blue whenever you try to do something. It's strong… but chaotic."
Naruto nodded. He knew all too well what it was like to lose control.
"So" Aiko continued, "the first step is to master the blue alone. Until it becomes solid. The second… is to use both together. But on your terms"
"Like… strong seasoning in ramen?" Naruto ventured. "A little is good, a lot is bad."
Aiko almost smiled. "More or less. Only, in this case, the seasoning might explode. If you try to use red before mastering blue, it'll swallow you whole."
Naruto looked at his hands, feeling the weight of the words.
"Step by step," she summarized. "One: Master your blue chakra. Strong. Without fail. Two: Take just a little bit of red and make it follow the flow of blue. Blue is the boss. Red is the strong helper… but only works under orders."
She tapped her bracelet. "This just gives you a break for the first step. The rest is up to you."
Naruto fell silent, thinking. "So… I'll get good at this until it's easy."
"Until it's automatic," Aiko corrected. "Here comes the next hell. Are you ready, Uzumaki?"
Naruto lifted his head, his eyes filled with determination. "Yeah! I'm going to master this blue until it shines brighter than Shikamaru's nose when he falls asleep in class!"
Aiko rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but shake her head slightly, along with a reluctant smirk.
"Now go eat something decent. No old ramen. Tomorrow the boring part begins: feeling the blue without my help. It'll be tedious, but that's the price."
Naruto didn’t complain. The path was hard, but it was clear. He was happy to be able to that with that grumpy but sharp ghost by his side; he felt he could get there.
* * *
Later, after a simple dinner, Aiko stared at Naruto’s serene, sleeping face. The peace on it was almost offensive in the face of the storm she now suspected slumbered within him. She had to see. She needed certainty. A cold, familiar fear was already coiling in her gut at the thought her darkest theory might be right. That that thing might be the cause of all this innocent child’s pain.
She closed her eyes, trying to focus on that dense, foreign chakra, to recognize it. But when she opened them again, she was enveloped in darkness. Icy water rising to his ankles. High bars stretching into the void above. And behind them…
An eye. Gigantic and blood-red, staring right at her. The pressure in the air was suffocating. Aiko recoiled instinctively. Her eyes widened in instant, terrified recognition. The weight of the malevolent energy, the unique pattern of that hate-filled pupil… which she, unfortunately, knew all too well.
"Kyuubi…" The name escaped her lips in a hoarse whisper, almost inaudible, but it echoed in the damp chamber like a shout. The Nine-Tails. The cataclysmic beast that devastates Konoha… sealed here?
The eye didn’t blink. Its pupil narrowed, focusing on her, but its lazy, unconcerned manner didn’t change. It was as if it saw Aiko as nothing more than an insect.
~What are you doing here? Little creature. The air trembled with the fox’s voice, deep enough to vibrate in her bones. Aiko took an instinctive step back, but then raised her chin and crossed her arms.
“’Little creature’ my ass. You might be big, but you’re not twice me. I’m small, not half.”
A low sound, somewhere between a growl and a laugh, reverberated through the bars.
~Courage… or just stupidity. I bet on the second.
A vein throbbed visibly on Aiko’s forehead. “Funny. You seem awfully confident for a being sealed inside a child.”
The colossal eye narrowed to a slit, glowing crimson, its pupil a sharp blade.
~If I wished it, a mere sigh would be enough to unmake you.
“Correction: if you could, you would have done it already,” Aiko shot back with a crooked grin.
The silence that followed was heavier than the roar. The dark water trembled at her feet.
~You have a sharp tongue for something that shouldn’t even be here. The fox rumbled, but there was a thread of curiosity behind the voice now. ~What manner of curse are you, anyway?
Aiko shrugged.
"My name is Aiko. And you? Ran out of tails to count and decided being a kid’s unwanted roommate was a good pastime?”
The eye narrowed further, fixed on her.
~That brat should be dead. And he will be. When I crush this cage and take this body, I will reduce this village of humans to ashes.
Her grin vanished for an instant, but returned even more defiant.
“Oh, really? That’s your big threat? I thought the Nine-Tails would be more creative. As long as I’m here, you won’t lay a finger on him.”
The air grew suffocating, but Aiko didn’t look away. The fox let out a low growl that sounded almost like a laugh.
~You are far too insolent for your own good. I like that. A pity, your insolence won't get you anywhere.
Before Aiko could retort, the darkness shattered. She was thrown out of the space. Naruto still slept peacefully, his face smushed against his arm. Aiko stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then let out a sigh and murmured:
"Sleep well, Blondie... because the damn fox you’ve got in there won't make things any easier."
counterfeitquoll on Chapter 3 Wed 20 Aug 2025 06:49AM UTC
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Tramonts on Chapter 3 Wed 20 Aug 2025 06:04PM UTC
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