Danzo disappeared after that night.
Not publicly.
Not officially.
But Drake noticed the shift immediately.
The cold surveillance around Naruto vanished almost overnight.
ROOT operatives stopped lingering near rooftops near Naruto's apartment.
The hidden eyes watching him from alleyways disappeared.
The atmosphere around the village subtly changed.
Fear was an excellent motivator.
Drake had made himself painfully clear.
And honestly?
Konoha's darker factions adapted quickly when confronted with something capable of casually bending reality around itself.
Naruto, thankfully, remained completely unaware of how close Drake had come to starting an international incident.
Which was definitely for the best.
Right now—
The blond menace sat upside down across Drake's couch while loudly complaining about math homework.
"This is stupid."
Ciri looked over from where she sat cleaning one of her swords near the window.
"You've written the number three backwards four times."
Naruto gasped dramatically.
"It's artistic."
Drake glanced down at the worksheet from the kitchen.
"…How did you even manage this?"
Naruto pointed accusingly.
"The numbers are against me."
"You are losing a fight against counting."
"It's a very difficult battle."
Ciri snorted quietly.
The small house Drake and Ciri rented near the quieter edge of Konoha had slowly become Naruto's second home over the past week.
Mostly because Naruto showed up every morning before breakfast.
And somehow stayed until late evening.
The kid practically lived there now.
Not that Drake minded.
Which remained deeply concerning for his emotional stability.
Naruto sprawled dramatically across the floor afterward.
"Iruka-sensei says I need to focus more."
Drake handed him another pencil.
"He's correct."
Naruto squinted suspiciously.
"You're taking his side a lot lately."
"He's usually right."
"Traitor."
Ciri burst out laughing.
Naruto pouted harder afterward before eventually continuing his homework with exaggerated suffering noises every thirty seconds.
Drake watched quietly from the kitchen doorway while making tea.
And honestly—
The normalcy of it all felt strange.
Comfortable.
Domestic in a way he never expected for himself.
Ciri noticed his expression immediately.
"You're staring again."
Drake blinked slightly.
Naruto had somehow fallen asleep halfway through writing a sentence.
Face pressed against the table.
Pencil still loosely in hand.
"…He exhausts himself."
"Because he finally has somewhere he feels safe enough to relax," Ciri replied softly.
That hit harder than expected.
Drake looked toward the sleeping child quietly afterward.
Naruto trusted them completely now.
Without hesitation.
Without fear.
And Drake…
Drake had started thinking of him instinctively as theirs.
Dangerous thought.
Very dangerous thought.
Naruto suddenly snored loudly against the table.
Ciri immediately lost composure laughing.
Drake covered his face tiredly.
"Never tell him about this."
"Oh absolutely not."
Naruto jerked awake moments later.
"I WASN'T SLEEPING."
"You were literally dreaming," Drake replied.
"Fake news."
Ciri pointed toward the drool on the table.
Naruto looked betrayed.
Then horrified.
"…You saw nothing."
"We saw everything," Drake answered calmly.
Naruto groaned dramatically before hiding his face in his arms.
"I'm never recovering from this."
"You'll survive."
Naruto peeked upward slightly afterward.
"…Can I still stay for dinner?"
The quiet uncertainty behind the question made Drake pause.
Because Naruto still asked that way sometimes.
Careful.
Like he expected there to eventually be limits placed on him.
Like part of him still feared overstaying his welcome.
Drake answered immediately.
"Naruto."
The blond boy looked up.
"You don't need permission to eat here."
Silence.
Naruto blinked once.
Then twice.
And Drake saw the exact moment the words settled somewhere deep inside him.
The little boy looked downward quickly afterward trying very hard not to appear emotional.
"…Oh."
Ciri's expression softened instantly.
Drake pretended not to notice Naruto wiping suspiciously at one eye.
Instead he simply turned back toward the kitchen.
"What do you want?"
Naruto answered instantly.
"RAMEN."
"Absolutely not."
Naruto gasped dramatically.
"You wound me."
"You've consumed enough ramen to kill weaker beings."
"Worth it."
Ciri laughed quietly again while Naruto continued loudly arguing about the spiritual importance of noodles.
And somehow—
The house felt fuller now.
Warmer.
Alive in ways Drake hadn't realized it had been missing.
The next morning—
Naruto arrived before sunrise.
Again.
Drake opened the door already holding breakfast.
Naruto froze.
"…How did you know it was me?"
Drake stared at him flatly.
"You scream while running."
"Oh."
Naruto accepted the food immediately.
Fair enough.
Ciri wandered into the kitchen half-awake afterward before pausing.
"…Why is he here already?"
Naruto grinned brightly.
"I live here now."
"No you do not."
"Emotionally I do."
Drake snorted into his coffee.
Ciri pointed accusingly.
"You laughed. That means you agree."
"I did no such thing."
Naruto sat happily at the table afterward eating breakfast while rambling about academy training.
"And Sasuke thinks he's soooo cool."
Drake raised one eyebrow.
"Who?"
"That annoying duck-butt looking guy."
Ciri nearly choked laughing.
"That description is incredible."
"He glares at everyone constantly," Naruto continued dramatically.
"Like this—"
Naruto immediately attempted an exaggerated brooding face.
It looked deeply ridiculous.
Drake stared at him silently.
"…You look constipated."
Ciri collapsed laughing against the counter.
Naruto looked offended.
"It's mysterious!"
"No," Drake replied calmly.
"It's medically concerning."
Naruto spent the next ten minutes trying to defend his impression while Ciri laughed herself nearly unconscious.
And through all of it—
Drake kept noticing little things.
Naruto eating slower now because he no longer feared food disappearing.
The way he unconsciously leaned closer during conversations.
How easily he smiled here compared to outside.
The kid still carried loneliness.
Still flinched slightly whenever villagers glared too openly.
But inside this house—
Naruto relaxed.
Completely.
Like he finally believed he belonged somewhere.
Drake wasn't prepared for how much that mattered to him.
A few days later—
Naruto arrived at the house strangely nervous.
Which immediately concerned Drake.
Because Naruto was usually chaos incarnate.
Nervous Naruto meant something serious.
The blond boy stood awkwardly near the doorway fidgeting with his jacket zipper.
Drake noticed instantly.
"What happened?"
Naruto looked upward uncertainly.
"…Nothing bad."
Ciri narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"That sentence has never once been reassuring."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"So uh…"
He hesitated.
Then rushed the words out quickly.
"There's a parent-teacher meeting at the academy tomorrow."
Silence.
Drake blinked once.
Ciri looked between them curiously.
Naruto immediately looked embarrassed.
"It's stupid forget I asked."
Drake frowned slightly.
"You didn't ask anything yet."
Naruto froze.
Oh.
Right.
The little boy shifted awkwardly afterward.
Most of the confidence disappeared from his posture suddenly.
"…Would you guys maybe wanna come with me?"
The question came quiet.
Careful.
Like he expected rejection before the words even finished leaving his mouth.
Drake stared at him silently.
And suddenly—
So many things clicked together at once.
Naruto had probably never had anyone attend before.
No parents.
No family.
No one sitting beside him.
Just empty seats while other kids complained about embarrassing adults.
Something ugly twisted sharply inside Drake's chest.
Ciri saw his expression immediately.
Oh Danzo was lucky he'd survived earlier.
Naruto hurriedly waved his hands afterward.
"You don't have to! I know it's weird and stuff—"
"We'll be there."
Naruto stopped instantly.
The words came so fast Drake barely realized he'd spoken.
The little boy stared at him wide-eyed.
"…Really?"
"Obviously," Ciri answered immediately.
Naruto looked genuinely stunned.
"You guys would actually come?"
Drake frowned slightly.
"Naruto."
The little boy looked up immediately.
"You asked."
Like that alone made it obvious.
Naruto's expression softened so quickly it almost hurt to look at.
Because apparently—
No one had ever answered that quickly before.
The child suddenly launched forward.
Drake barely had time to react before Naruto wrapped both arms around him tightly.
The hug hit like a truck emotionally.
Pure trust.
Pure affection.
Drake froze briefly.
Then slowly rested one hand against Naruto's head.
"…Thanks."
The quiet sincerity in Naruto's voice shattered whatever defenses Drake still had left.
Ciri looked away slightly afterward.
Because wow.
Yeah.
That was basically over now.
Drake was absolutely gone emotionally.
Naruto pulled back moments later grinning brightly again.
"You gotta meet Iruka-sensei!"
"The teacher you prank constantly?"
"He loves me."
"That is not how I would describe that relationship," Ciri replied.
Naruto gasped dramatically.
"You're both so mean to me."
Drake snorted softly.
"You survive."
Naruto grinned immediately afterward.
And for the rest of the evening—
The kid looked impossibly happy.
Like he'd been carrying the fear of asking around for days.
Drake noticed every little thing.
The way Naruto smiled randomly to himself.
The way he kept talking excitedly about academy stories now.
The way relief lingered visibly across his shoulders.
Such a small thing.
Attending a meeting.
But for Naruto—
It meant someone chose to show up for him.
And Drake realized quietly—
He would burn worlds before allowing that trust to break.