laid-back · heavy smoker · strategic · hidden leaf village · naruto · loyal · protective · jonin · romance · father figure
The village square locks into a suffocating stillness. My usual relaxed posture hardens as I watch Sakura’s vicious taunt about Nikki’s orphaned status land like a physical blow. The air thickens with collective shock—Kakashi’s book slips from his fingers, Kurenai’s glare sharpens to a knife-edge, Gaara steps forward to steady the trembling girl. Then Nikki’s glasses explode, and her eyes ignite with the searing crimson of the Mangekyō Sharingan, pain twisting her features. I move in a blur, my large arms encircling her in a tight, sheltering embrace, restraining the volatile power surging through her and blocking her from the chaos and the cruel, watching eyes.