The next few days changed things quietly.
Not through battles.
Not through monsters or gods or reality-breaking power.
Just…small moments.
And somehow—
Those mattered more.
Naruto now somehow appeared everywhere Drake and Ciri went.
Drake still wasn't entirely sure how it happened.
One moment he and Ciri would be walking through Konoha discussing chakra systems and dimensional instability—
The next—
"NARUTO ATTACK!"
A small blond missile would launch directly at Drake from a rooftop.
Every single time.
Drake caught him automatically now.
Which honestly only encouraged the behavior.
"You're enabling him," Ciri informed him one afternoon.
Drake held Naruto upside down by the ankle while the boy laughed uncontrollably.
"I'm preventing head trauma."
"Same thing."
Naruto pointed dramatically at Ciri.
"He likes me more."
"That is objectively untrue."
Naruto grinned proudly.
"You caught me though."
Drake paused briefly.
Because unfortunately—
The child had a point.
Ciri burst out laughing immediately at his expression.
"Oh my god you really are doomed."
Naruto cackled loudly while Drake sighed in defeat.
Somewhere along the way—
The constant instinctive protectiveness Drake felt around Naruto had become something deeper.
Softer.
The kid trusted him completely now.
And Drake…
Drake had started looking for Naruto automatically in crowded streets.
Checking whether he'd eaten.
Making sure he slept properly.
Standing slightly closer whenever villagers glared too long.
It happened naturally.
Dangerously naturally.
Ciri noticed all of it.
Mostly because Drake had started doing deeply parental things without realizing.
Like fixing Naruto's jacket automatically when it sat crooked.
Or making sure Naruto walked on the inside of the sidewalk away from traffic.
Or carrying emergency food because Naruto constantly forgot lunch money.
Or threatening one particularly drunk villager with eldritch annihilation after the man called Naruto a monster loud enough for the child to hear.
Naruto still didn't know about that last one.
Probably for the best.
Right now—
The three sat together atop the Hokage Monument overlooking the village below.
The stone faces stretched massively beneath them while sunset painted Konoha gold and crimson.
Naruto talked excitedly while balancing ramen cups dangerously close to the cliff edge.
"And THEN Iruka-sensei said I'd never become Hokage if I kept skipping class!"
Ciri nodded thoughtfully.
"Reasonable concern honestly."
Naruto gasped dramatically.
"Whose side are you on?!"
"The side that enjoys chaos responsibly."
"That sounds fake."
Drake sat nearby quietly watching lanterns slowly illuminate the village streets below.
Peaceful moment.
Rare thing.
Naruto suddenly leaned sideways against Drake while still rambling excitedly.
Natural.
Unthinking.
Like he'd done it his entire life.
Drake froze briefly.
Not because he disliked it.
Because the simple trust behind it hit harder than expected.
Naruto didn't even seem aware he'd done it.
Just continued talking happily while resting against Drake's side.
Ciri saw Drake's expression immediately.
Then smirked.
Oh this was getting worse.
"You know," she said casually, "he's basically attached to you now."
Naruto looked confused.
"Huh?"
Drake answered immediately.
"No he isn't."
Naruto frowned.
"…I kinda am."
Traitor.
Ciri nearly fell backward laughing.
Drake stared tiredly at the sunset.
"I used to fight gods."
"And now?" Ciri asked.
"Now I carry emergency snacks because he forgets lunch."
Naruto gasped dramatically.
"You brought snacks?!"
Drake silently handed him a wrapped pastry from another dimension.
Naruto looked moments away from tears.
"YOU'RE THE BEST."
Ciri pointed directly at Drake.
"Yeah there's no saving you now."
Drake didn't answer.
Mostly because part of him didn't actually want saving anymore.
Naruto happily ate the pastry afterward swinging his legs over the edge of the monument.
Then quieter—
"Hey Drake?"
"Hm?"
Naruto hesitated briefly.
Rare thing.
"…Why're you nice to me?"
The question landed softly.
But hard.
Drake looked toward him slowly.
Naruto stared down at the village below while speaking.
"Most adults aren't."
Ciri's expression softened instantly.
Drake stayed quiet for several seconds.
Then calmly—
"Because you deserve it."
Naruto blinked.
Like the answer genuinely confused him.
"…That's it?"
Drake nodded once.
"That's enough."
Naruto stared at him silently afterward.
Trying to understand.
Because kindness with no conditions attached was unfamiliar territory for him.
Then suddenly—
The little boy smiled.
Small.
Soft.
And leaned slightly closer against Drake's side again.
Trusting completely.
Something inside Drake's chest tightened painfully.
Protective instinct deepened into something terrifyingly close to love.
And honestly?
That realization should have scared him more than it did.
Unfortunately—
Peace never lasted long.
Especially in places like Konoha.
Drake noticed the surveillance on the second day.
Subtle.
Professional.
ANBU mostly.
Watching.
Evaluating.
That part didn't bother him.
He expected it honestly.
What bothered him—
Was the other attention.
Cold.
Calculating.
Predatory.
Danzo.
Drake sensed him long before they officially met.
The man moved through shadows like rot hidden beneath healthy skin.
Control.
Fear.
Sacrifice justified through "necessity."
Drake had met people like him before across countless worlds.
They always believed they were right.
And they always left children bleeding afterward.
Which meant Drake already disliked him immensely.
Hiruzen noticed Drake's mood worsening gradually over the next two days.
The old Hokage found him standing outside the academy one afternoon watching children train.
Naruto laughed loudly nearby while failing spectacularly at a clone technique.
Again.
Drake's expression softened instantly watching him.
Hiruzen approached quietly beside him.
"You've become important to him quickly."
Drake didn't look away from Naruto.
"He's easy to care about."
Naruto tripped over his own feet moments later.
Drake winced instinctively.
Hiruzen almost smiled.
"You worry."
"Yes."
Simple answer.
No hesitation.
The old Hokage studied him carefully.
"You truly see him like family already."
That finally pulled Drake's gaze away from the training field.
He looked thoughtful for a moment.
Then quietly—
"…Yeah."
The honesty behind the answer surprised even him slightly.
But it was true.
Naruto had somehow slipped past every defense Drake possessed.
Not because of destiny.
Not because of prophecy.
Just because he was Naruto.
Bright.
Loud.
Lonely.
Kind despite every reason not to be.
Drake had known the kid less than a week.
And already the thought of someone hurting him made violence feel instinctive.
Hiruzen saw the realization settle across Drake's face.
And oddly enough—
The old Hokage felt relieved.
Because Naruto needed someone willing to choose him completely.
Not the jinchūriki.
Not the weapon.
Naruto.
The confrontation finally happened outside the Hokage Tower late one evening.
Naruto had fallen asleep against Drake during dinner after exhausting himself training all afternoon.
Ciri nearly died laughing watching Drake carry him home through the village while trying to pretend he wasn't emotionally attached.
"He drooled on you."
"I'm aware."
"That's parental now."
"I could still abandon him in the woods."
Naruto sleepily tightened his grip around Drake's neck.
"No you won't."
Ciri completely lost composure after that.
Now the streets sat mostly empty beneath moonlight while Drake and Ciri walked beside Hiruzen near the tower entrance.
The old Hokage looked exhausted.
More exhausted than usual.
Because he knew exactly who had started investigating Naruto's new attachments.
And unfortunately—
He also knew Drake would not respond well.
"You feel it too," Hiruzen said quietly.
Drake's eyes remained fixed on the darkness nearby.
"Yes."
Ciri folded her arms.
"Creepy old man with bad intentions?"
"That narrows it down surprisingly little," Drake muttered.
Then—
A figure emerged slowly from the shadows.
Bandaged.
Cane tapping softly against stone.
Visible eye cold and sharp.
Danzo Shimura.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Drake's expression went flat.
Not angry.
Worse.
Empty.
Danzo studied Drake carefully.
Then Ciri.
Then finally spoke.
"The jinchūriki has become attached to outsiders quickly."
Drake's eyes darkened slightly.
Naruto didn't even get a name.
Just a weapon designation.
Hiruzen sighed quietly.
"Danzo—"
"You brought unknown variables into the village," Danzo continued calmly.
"They interact with the Nine-Tails unchecked."
Naruto.
Still not Naruto.
Drake felt irritation coil sharply beneath his skin.
Ciri noticed immediately.
Oh no.
Danzo's visible eye shifted toward Drake.
"You possess considerable power."
"And you possess considerably bad social skills," Drake replied.
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly.
This was already collapsing.
Danzo ignored the comment completely.
"For Konoha's safety, I will determine whether your continued presence is acceptable."
There it was.
Control.
Ownership.
Threat disguised as authority.
Drake stepped forward slightly.
Reality bent subtly around him.
"You should choose your next words very carefully."
The night air became heavier instantly.
Danzo narrowed his eye.
"You threaten me?"
"No."
Drake smiled slightly.
Cold.
Predatory.
"I'm explaining consequences."
Ciri stayed silent now.
Because Drake wasn't bluffing.
At all.
Danzo glanced toward Hiruzen briefly.
"This instability is exactly why outsiders cannot be trusted near the jinchūriki."
Drake moved before anyone realized it.
One second he stood several feet away—
The next—
Danzo slammed violently against the stone wall by his throat.
The ground cracked beneath them.
Hiruzen's eyes widened instantly.
ANBU appeared across rooftops immediately.
Weapons drawn.
Masks watching silently.
Ciri sighed softly.
Yep.
There it was.
Danzo struggled slightly as Drake held him effortlessly against the wall.
And for the first time in years—
Real fear entered Danzo Shimura's remaining eye.
Because Drake's expression held absolutely nothing human in that moment.
Only ancient violence barely restrained.
Drake's voice came quiet.
Deadly calm.
"You will never touch that child."
The pressure around them intensified brutally.
The air itself screamed softly beneath Drake's power.
Danzo attempted to speak.
Drake tightened his grip slightly.
"You will not manipulate him."
Crack.
Stone fractured behind Danzo.
"You will not weaponize him."
Another crack.
"You will not turn him into another broken child sacrificed for your fear."
Hiruzen stepped forward cautiously.
"Drake."
But Drake's eyes never left Danzo.
And then softly—
The promise.
"If you try anything against Naruto…"
The shadows around them deepened unnaturally.
"…I will kill you."
Silence.
Pure silence.
Even the ANBU froze.
Because everyone present understood instantly—
That was not a threat.
It was certainty.
Danzo saw it too.
For the first time in decades—
Someone stood before him completely beyond his control.
Beyond manipulation.
Beyond fear.
Drake slowly released him afterward.
Danzo stumbled slightly before catching himself.
Humiliation and fury burned across his face.
But underneath both—
Fear lingered strongest.
Drake stepped back calmly.
The crushing pressure faded slowly.
"Now," Drake said quietly, "we understand each other."
Hiruzen stared at him silently afterward.
And strangely—
The old Hokage didn't entirely disagree.