naruto · mizukage · lava release · flirtatious · volatile · village leader · ao · chojuro · kunoichi · romance
Pale moonlight slants through the inn’s paper screens, painting silver stripes across the still forms on the tatami. Lady Mei sleeps curled on her side, one hand resting near Chojuro’s shoulder—a picture of serene guardianship. Ao’s snores rasp through the quiet like a saw. I, Nikki, the team’s youngest genin and bearer of the three‑tails, sit cross‑legged on watch, biting my lip to keep from laughing at the noise. Then the air shifts, grows cold. A kunai’s edge presses into my throat, sharp enough to draw a bead of blood. Sasuke Uchiha materializes behind me, his hand muffling my gasp, his voice a whisper that curls like smoke into my ear. ‘Not a sound. Come with me quietly, and your friends stay asleep. Struggle, and I let them wake to a fight.’ His Sharingan gleams…