Work was like weeds growing in a courtyard.
Just when you thought you had pulled out the last stubborn root and could finally breathe in peace, you only had to look away for a moment before an entire new patch appeared.
Holidays were no different.
Before you could properly taste their sweetness, they had already slipped through your fingers and dried up completely.
I had foolishly believed that the next six months would belong to me.
Six months without deadlines.
Six months without forced public appearances.
Six months of sleeping late, eating fried eggs, avoiding manuscripts, and spending time with Naruto whenever he came over.
It was a beautiful dream.
Unfortunately, dreams were fragile things.
That morning, the knock at my door shattered mine.
Naruto rarely came over at this hour, so when I heard the knocking, I opened the door without much caution.
Then I saw a face that represented one thing.
Work.
My editor stood outside with a polite smile.
My body reacted faster than my mind.
I tried to slam the door shut.
But she had clearly predicted my move.
A foot slipped into the gap with frightening accuracy and stopped the door before I could close it.
"My vacation isn't over yet!" I said, gripping the door in one final act of resistance.
My editor calmly reached into her coat and pulled out a contract.
Then she pointed at one very specific line with terrifying precision.
"It's a book signing, Teacher Bluebird. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
The moment I saw my own signature on that contract, all strength left my hands.
There was no escape.
Who could I blame?
Only myself.
In my previous life, respecting contracts had been practically carved into my bones. In this life, seeing my own signature on paper still triggered some ridiculous instinct to fulfill my obligations.
I was truly the embodiment of honesty, responsibility, and workplace morality.
A perfect role model for all workers.
After repeating this lie to myself several thousand times, I finally let go of the door and allowed her inside.
Then she told me the location.
Sunagakure.
The Hidden Sand Village.
The moment I heard the destination, I nearly screamed inside my soul.
The Hidden Sand Village.
In the Land of Wind.
Across endless desert.
Far away from Konoha.
Far away from my bed.
Far away from my kitchen, my teacups, my unfinished snacks, and my peaceful life.
My editor sat at the table as if she had already expected my mental collapse. She even picked up a teacup and took a sip, her expression calm enough to suggest she had come here to enjoy a regular performance.
"Teacher Bluebird," she said, "running away is useless."
"The contract didn't say anything about going to another village!"
"But it didn't say you wouldn't have to."
She flipped the contract over and pointed to a line of print so small that I suspected it had been written by someone with a deep hatred of authors.
"Besides, this is already the best arrangement I could negotiate with the publishing company. One signing session in six months. Just one."
She looked at me seriously.
"You have many readers in Konoha, but letters from the Land of Wind are practically drowning the editorial department. They've been requesting an event for months."
I pressed a hand against my forehead.
She continued gently, yet mercilessly.
"Think of it as a trip for inspiration. Maybe you can start a new series after you return."
My editor was a very cute and extremely capable woman.
Aside from her relentless habit of dragging me back to work whenever I tried to procrastinate, she had always respected my limits. She rejected events I disliked, protected my privacy, and fought hard to keep unnecessary trouble away from me.
So when she said she had negotiated, I knew she really had done her best.
That made refusal much harder.
In the end, I accepted.
Completely unwillingly.
Before leaving, my editor informed me that both Konoha and Sunagakure had arranged ninja escorts for my safety.
That much was necessary.
The road from Konoha to Sunagakure was not short. More importantly, it crossed vast stretches of desert. For an ordinary civilian like me, a person without chakra, traveling alone would probably result in my body being discovered halfway through the journey as a dried-up corpse.
A ninja escort was not a luxury.
It was survival.
As for the issue of showing my face, Sunagakure had agreed to follow the old rules.
Mask on.
Face hidden.
Mystery maintained.
For now, Teacher Bluebird's identity remained safe.
The only real concern was the journey itself.
If I had to spend weeks beside the escort ninja, there was always a risk of being exposed.
I could only pray they sent someone who didn't read books.
Preferably someone who didn't even know which direction a bookstore door opened.
Not long after my editor left, Naruto arrived.
He came carrying a messy bunch of wildflowers.
Yellow, purple, and white blossoms had been gathered together with uneven stems. Some still had mud clinging to them, and tiny drops of morning dew trembled on the petals.
He had clearly gone out early just to pick them.
Standing at the doorway, Naruto was about to proudly show them off when his eyes landed on the contract lying open on my table.
He couldn't read many words yet.
But he recognized the red official seal.
His smile faltered.
"Big Sis… do you have work?"
"Yeah."
I knelt down and accepted the flowers from him. After searching around for a while, I found a clean glass bottle, filled it with water, and placed the flowers right in the center of the coffee table.
"I have to go to Sunagakure for a book signing."
I tried to keep my voice light.
"So I'll be away for a while."
Naruto didn't answer immediately.
He lowered his head and looked at his mud-stained fingers. Slowly, he picked dirt from beneath his nails, one bit at a time.
His voice became much softer than usual.
"How long?"
"About a month."
"…Is it far?"
"A little far. It's in the Land of Wind."
Silence settled between us.
Then Naruto lifted his head.
His blue eyes stared straight at me.
"Big Sis, can I go with you?"
I sighed silently.
I had known he would ask.
But the answer had been decided from the beginning.
Naruto was Konoha's Jinchuriki. There was no way he could leave the village without permission.
Even if permission were somehow granted, Sunagakure's caution toward Tailed Beasts would be far stronger than Konoha's. Bringing Naruto there would only expose him to strange ninja, hidden dangers, and unpredictable political risks.
For both of us, it was impossible.
"Naruto."
I crouched down until my eyes were level with his.
"You're still too young. This time, I'm going for work. The schedule will be tight, and I won't have time to properly look after you."
He pressed his lips together.
I continued gently.
"And leaving the village requires permission. It isn't something you can do whenever you want."
Naruto put both hands behind his back.
His toes scuffed against the floor.
"…Oh."
He nodded.
"I see."
He didn't cry.
He didn't throw a tantrum.
That somehow made it worse.
He simply pressed his lips a little tighter, as though trying to swallow all his disappointment before it could escape.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, he looked up again.
A small spark of hope returned to his eyes.
"Then… Big Sis, the Ninja Academy starts in one month!"
His voice became careful.
"Can you come back before school starts and go with me?"
That cautious hope hurt more than any tantrum could have.
He was already prepared to be refused.
But he still asked.
"What date does school start?"
"April 1st!"
I quickly calculated the journey in my head.
The round trip.
The book signing.
Possible delays.
If everything went smoothly, I should return around early April.
But desert weather was unpredictable. Sandstorms could delay travel. Missions could change. Escorts could be reassigned.
I couldn't promise something I wasn't certain I could keep.
Especially not to Naruto.
"I'm not sure."
His eyes flickered.
I kept my voice as honest as possible.
"Sunagakure is far away. There may be delays on the road, so I can't guarantee I'll be back by April 1st."
Naruto blinked.
The corners of his mouth drooped slightly.
Then, very quickly, he forced them back up.
He rubbed his nose and put on a brave expression.
"That's okay!"
His voice tried to sound confident.
"If Big Sis can't make it back, I'll go by myself. The academy is inside the village anyway, so I won't get lost."
"Naruto."
"Hm?"
"If you're disappointed, you can say it."
He froze.
Then he slowly lifted one hand and pinched his thumb and index finger close together.
"…A little."
He showed me a tiny gap.
"Just this much."
"Only that much?"
"…Maybe a bit more."
His fingers opened a little wider.
Then he quickly closed them, hid both hands behind his back, and smiled at me.
"But it's okay. Big Sis is going for work."
His expression became serious.
"Uncle Teuchi said people who work hard are cool. So Big Sis is cool too."
I stared at him.
This child really knew how to make people feel both warm and guilty at the same time.
Then Naruto added, even more seriously, "Big Sis, take care of yourself. Eat properly. Don't stay up late all the time. The desert is very dry, so bring lots of water."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You sound like Auntie Yoshino."
He ignored that and continued.
"When you come back, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen with my pocket money!"
"Didn't you already spend most of your pocket money on food?"
"I won't eat this month. I'll save it."
He said it with terrifying determination.
I wisely chose not to expose him.
A five-year-old claiming he would save all his pocket money was about the same as an adult saying they would definitely sleep early tonight.
Beautiful in theory.
Difficult in reality.
Suddenly, Naruto stepped forward and leaned his forehead against my shoulder.
He didn't hug me tightly.
He didn't say anything.
He just rested there quietly, like a small animal that had finally gone still.
After a while, his muffled voice came from my shoulder.
"Big Sis… can I stay here today?"
"Of course."
I patted his back lightly.
"I haven't put away the guest bedding anyway."
He lifted his head.
His lips moved as though he wanted to say more.
But in the end, he swallowed the words and only nodded.
After that, Naruto followed me around the entire afternoon.
When I went to the kitchen, he followed me to the kitchen.
When I sorted clothes for the trip, he sat at the bedroom doorway and watched me fold them.
When I checked the itinerary on the contract, he lay across the coffee table, silently watching me write notes.
He didn't chatter like usual.
He simply followed.
Every now and then, I asked him to help with small things. Hand me a hanger. Throw away a ball of scrap paper. Bring me a folded cloth from the chair.
Each time, he immediately ran off to do it.
Then returned to sit quietly nearby.
Usually, when Naruto was in the house, every corner was filled with his voice.
Today, the silence made him seem like a different child.
The thought of being separated for a month had quietly stolen the sunlight from him.
When night arrived, I took the guest bedding from the closet and spread it out in his room. After showering, Naruto changed into my old oversized T-shirt, the one that looked more like a robe on him, and obediently crawled beneath the blanket.
I tucked in the corners for him.
Then stood up to leave.
Just as I reached the doorway, a soft rustling came from behind me.
"Big Sis."
I turned back.
Naruto had sat up.
The blanket had slipped down to his waist.
Moonlight filtered through the curtain gap, falling across his hesitant expression.
He clutched the blanket tightly.
His ears had turned red.
His voice was so small it nearly disappeared beneath the chirping insects outside.
"Tonight…"
He swallowed.
"Can I sleep with you?"
Before I could answer, he quickly rushed to explain.
"I mean, I'm not scared of the dark! I'm almost six! It's just…"
His words stumbled faster and faster.
"You're leaving for a month, and I won't see you for a long time, so…"
The more he spoke, the more flustered he became.
Finally, he buried his face into the blanket.
Only two bright red ears remained visible.
I stood at the doorway and looked at him for several seconds.
Then I walked over.
Scooped him up together with the blanket.
"Bring your pillow."
Naruto's head popped out instantly.
His eyes widened.
Then he grabbed his pillow and ran toward my bedroom as though afraid I might change my mind.
He placed his pillow beside mine with great care.
Then he patted it twice and adjusted the angle.
Not too close.
Not too far.
Just enough to feel safe.
"I'm a very good sleeper," he announced solemnly as he crawled into bed. "I definitely won't kick the blanket tonight."
"That isn't what you said last time."
"…Last time was an accident."
Outside the window, insects chirped softly one after another.
Moonlight painted the tatami floor silver.
Naruto's breathing gradually became steady.
Before long, he was asleep.
At some point, one restless little hand had escaped from beneath the blanket and tightly clutched the corner of my pajamas.
I gently tucked the blanket around him again and listened to his breathing in the darkness.
One month.
By the time I returned, Naruto might grow a little taller.
He might learn new words.
He might enter the Ninja Academy.
He might begin taking his first real steps toward the future that belonged to him.
And I…
I had to make sure I came back.
Because for the first time, someone would be waiting for me.