Although work had already come crashing back into my peaceful life, my considerate editor had at least given me one extra day to prepare.
One day.
It sounded generous, but once I actually started listing everything I needed to do, I realized it was barely enough.
I had to buy supplies for the journey to Sunagakure.
Food, water containers, travel medicine, spare clothes, sunscreen, masks for sandstorms, and whatever else an ordinary civilian needed to survive a long trip through the Land of Wind.
But that was only my side.
Naruto needed things too.
A month's worth of daily necessities.
Snacks.
Fruit.
Stationery for the Ninja Academy.
Maybe even basic ninja tools.
I had never attended the Ninja Academy myself, so I had no idea what new students were expected to carry. Kunai? Shuriken? Bandages? Practice scrolls? Something else entirely?
For that, I could only ask the store clerk.
Aside from shopping, I also needed to visit Yoshino and ask whether Naruto could occasionally eat at the Nara house while I was gone.
Just in case, I planned to deposit money for him at Ichiraku Ramen too.
Looking at it that way, today was going to be extremely busy.
So naturally, the first thing I did was wake up a sleepy Naruto.
He was still buried under the blanket, his blond hair sticking out in every direction. When I called his name, he only made a vague sound and rubbed his eyes.
Then I told him the plan.
"You have the whole day to spend with me."
His hand froze halfway across his face.
A second later, his eyes snapped open.
It was as if someone had flipped a switch inside him.
The sleepy child vanished instantly.
In his place appeared a pair of blue eyes shining brightly enough to replace the morning sun.
"So…"
He sat up.
"Big Sis is all mine for the whole day?"
"Yes, yes. I'm all yours."
I handed him his clothes.
"But first, you have to help me run errands. After we finish, I'll play with you."
"As long as I'm with Big Sis, even errands are super fun!"
He scrambled out of bed immediately.
In his excitement, he put his shirt on backward twice, nearly tripped over his own pants, and pulled his hat onto his head at a crooked angle without noticing.
Watching him rush around with that flustered, overjoyed expression, I couldn't help thinking—
This really was the easiest child in the world to satisfy.
How could anyone dislike him?
How could anyone look at this bright little boy and choose cruelty?
I swallowed the thought before it could darken the morning.
Today belonged to Naruto.
I didn't want anything ugly touching it.
Our first stop was the general store.
The shopkeeper watched in quiet surprise as we bought enough supplies to make it look as though we were preparing for a small migration.
Dry food.
Travel biscuits.
Water bags.
A spare cloak.
Basic medicine.
Soap.
Towels.
Toothpaste.
Extra socks.
Naruto darted between the shelves with great seriousness, helping me compare prices.
"This one has more pieces," he whispered, holding up one packet of compressed biscuits.
Then he grabbed another.
"But this one is cheaper."
He frowned deeply, as though deciding the fate of nations.
"Big Sis, which one is better?"
"The one that tastes less like a rock."
He looked shocked.
"Compressed biscuits taste like rocks?"
"Some do."
He immediately placed the cheaper one back.
"Then we choose the better one. Big Sis has to eat properly on the road."
The words were childish, but his tone was firm.
I smiled and put both packets into the basket anyway.
After finishing my travel supplies, we picked out Naruto's daily necessities for the month.
Soap.
Clean towels.
A new toothbrush.
A few changes of socks.
Some simple snacks that could be stored for a while.
Fruit.
He protested several times that he didn't need so much.
I ignored all of them.
Next came the stationery store.
This was meant to be simple.
I planned to buy him a basic set for new academy students and leave.
That plan lasted less than five minutes.
Naruto had been walking obediently beside me at first, but soon his attention was captured by something on a shelf.
A stationery set decorated with a frog pattern.
It wasn't flashy, but the little green frogs on the cover were bright and cheerful. There were matching pencils, an eraser, a small notebook, and a ruler.
Naruto picked it up carefully.
He looked at it.
Then checked the price.
The joy in his eyes dimmed slightly.
Without saying anything, he quietly placed it back on the shelf.
I walked over, picked up the frog stationery set, and placed it directly into the shopping basket.
His eyes widened.
"Big Sis?"
"If you like it, buy it."
"But…"
He hesitated.
"That one is more expensive than the basic one."
"School is important."
I tapped the box lightly.
"Using stationery you like on the first day will make your handwriting better."
Naruto stared at me.
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
Was that scientific?
Probably not.
But as someone who owned several types of manuscript paper and far too many pens despite only using one kind, I firmly believed that tools could improve motivation.
Even if they didn't improve skill.
Perhaps this was what people called a bad student having too much stationery.
Naruto said, "Really?" again, but his hand had already betrayed him.
He took the frog stationery set from the basket and touched the cover gently. The corners of his mouth curved upward no matter how hard he tried to suppress them.
That alone made it worth buying.
For ninja tools, we went to a weapons shop.
The moment Naruto stepped inside, his mouth opened into a perfect circle.
Rows of polished kunai and shuriken gleamed beneath the shop lights. Practice targets hung from the walls. Rolls of ninja wire, pouches, and basic protective gear were neatly arranged behind the counter.
The clerk recommended a standard beginner set for new academy students.
A small pouch.
A few practice shuriken.
Two basic kunai.
Nothing overly dangerous, but enough for school training.
Naruto held one kunai carefully, as if it were a sacred treasure.
His eyes shone with awe.
"I'm really going to be a ninja…"
His voice was quiet.
Almost reverent.
I looked at him for a moment, then placed the beginner set into the basket.
"Yes."
"You're really going to be a ninja."
His grip tightened around the pouch.
For once, he didn't shout.
He simply nodded hard.
After that, we went to Ichiraku Ramen.
Teuchi looked up the moment we entered.
"Oh? Naruto, Al, welcome."
Naruto immediately leaned over the counter.
"Uncle Teuchi!"
I explained my purpose.
"I'll be away for about a month. I want to deposit some money here in advance for Naruto's meals."
Teuchi paused only briefly before taking out his ledger.
He flipped through the pages until he found Naruto's account, dipped his brush, and wrote one neat line.
Then he turned the book around for me to see.
Pre-deposit: enough for two months.
I paid without hesitation.
Teuchi closed the ledger and put it away with a smile.
"Alright. If there's too much left, I'll refund it. If it isn't enough, just let me know."
Naruto leaned close to me and whispered loudly, "Uncle Teuchi always gives me extra chashu."
"Because you're a regular customer," Teuchi said with a laugh, kneading dough without even looking up.
Naruto froze.
Then his ears turned red.
I pretended not to notice.
Finally, after finishing everything in the commercial district, we headed to the Nara clan residence.
Yoshino opened the door wearing an apron.
The moment she saw the gifts in my hands, her expression changed into one that clearly said, You bought things again.
Still, she invited us inside.
I had only started explaining that I would be away for a month when she understood.
"Naruto's meals, right?"
She didn't even wait for me to finish.
"Leave it to me. If he doesn't come on his own, I'll send Shikamaru to drag him over."
From somewhere inside the living room came a long, lazy voice.
"Got it…"
It sounded like agreement.
It also sounded like protest.
A moment later, Shikamaru appeared, leaning against the hallway doorframe with his hands in his pockets. He looked as if he had been forced to abandon a deeply important shogi match.
His gaze rested on me for a second.
Then shifted to Naruto.
"Be careful."
His eyes were on Naruto, but his words were clearly meant for me.
I smiled.
"Shikamaru really isn't straightforward."
He clicked his tongue softly.
"What a drag."
Then he turned around and shuffled back down the hallway in his slippers.
His pace was lazy.
His posture casual.
But the tips of his ears were slightly red.
What a cute child.
When Yoshino saw us off at the door, she pulled me closer and looked me over from head to toe.
Finally, she sighed and patted the back of my hand.
"Be careful on the road."
Her voice softened.
"And come back soon."
"I will."
I bowed to her sincerely.
"Thank you, Auntie Yoshino."
By the time all the errands were finished, the sun had already begun sinking toward the west.
Naruto and I walked home carrying bags of supplies.
There were too many items, so he had volunteered to carry two smaller bags. He walked ahead of me, swaying slightly, the bags nearly dragging along the ground.
I was just about to remind him to watch his step when I lifted my eyes.
And saw someone standing at the corner of the alley.
An old man.
White hair.
Deep wrinkles.
A pipe resting between his lips.
His back was slightly hunched, and if not for the Hokage robe and the hat that proved his identity, he would have looked no different from any ordinary elder taking a walk through the village.
But I knew exactly who he was.
The Third Hokage of Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Naruto spoke first.
"Grandpa Sandaime!"
The old man removed his pipe and smiled kindly.
"Oh, Naruto."
His gaze rested on Naruto for a moment.
Then shifted to me.
He nodded slightly, his eyes gentle but clearly examining me.
"You must be Al."
His voice was mild.
"This child Naruto has been well taken care of by you."
I bowed slightly.
"Not at all. Naruto is a good child. We take care of each other."
There it was.
My professional elder-facing mode had activated.
Naruto, however, immediately destroyed the atmosphere.
"Grandpa Sandaime!"
His voice was loud enough to echo through the alley.
"Big Sis is super good to me! She buys me clothes, stationery, and lots of tasty food! She even bought me shuriken! Her fried eggs are the best in the whole Ninja World!"
"Naruto…"
"And the hamburger steak last time was a little burnt, but she worked really hard!"
Please stop.
"She lets me stay at her house too!"
Please stop immediately.
"She took me to eat yakiniku! And Ichiraku Ramen! And Shikamaru's house! Big Sis is really, really nice!"
Naruto counted on his fingers, reporting every detail with terrifying enthusiasm.
I could feel my face growing warmer.
The best fried eggs in the whole Ninja World was clearly an exaggeration.
And could everyone please stop mentioning the hamburger steak?
Hiruzen listened quietly.
The smile at the corner of his mouth deepened little by little.
The ember in his pipe flickered with his breath.
When Naruto finally finished, Hiruzen gently tapped the ash from his pipe against the nearby wall. Then he pulled an envelope from his sleeve and handed it to Naruto.
"This month's living expenses."
Naruto accepted it with both hands.
"Thank you, Grandpa Sandaime."
Hiruzen didn't withdraw his hand immediately.
His gaze lowered to Naruto's new orange jacket.
After a moment, he nodded.
"Full of spirit."
Then his eyes returned to me.
The gentleness in them seemed even deeper now.
"Al."
"Yes."
"Has Naruto caused you any trouble?"
"No—"
"I wouldn't!"
Naruto cut in loudly before I could finish.
He stood up straight, looking righteous and completely confident.
"Big Sis is especially good to me! She would never think I'm trouble!"
His logic was so firm that it almost became convincing.
As if not causing trouble and being loved by Big Sis were naturally the same thing.
Hiruzen chuckled softly.
Smoke trembled from his pipe.
He looked at me again.
This time, there was something deeper hidden behind his gentle gaze.
But he said nothing.
Only nodded slightly.
After that, he chatted with Naruto for a few more minutes.
The topic was mostly the Ninja Academy.
School would start soon.
He told Naruto to listen carefully in class, respect his teachers, not daydream, and not cause trouble.
Naruto replied loudly to every instruction.
Whether he would actually follow them was another matter entirely.
When Hiruzen finally left, the setting sun stretched his shadow long across the alley entrance.
Naruto and I stood there until his figure disappeared around the corner.
Only then did Naruto grow quiet.
He looked down at the envelope in his hand.
Then looked up at me.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
After a moment, he slipped his small hand into mine.
His steps became lighter than before.
"Grandpa Sandaime knows you too."
"Not really. He probably just heard about me somewhere."
Naruto tilted his head.
"He looked at you like he knew you."
"…Well, whatever."
Of course Hiruzen knew me.
From the first day I approached Naruto, my background had likely been investigated thoroughly.
This meeting might have been a reminder.
Or perhaps a warning.
Maybe it was simply the Hokage confirming with his own eyes what kind of person had entered Naruto's life.
Whatever the reason, I had already said it from the very beginning.
I was only an ordinary civilian.
No chakra.
No clan background.
No political ties.
No hidden bloodline.
Nothing dangerous.
The identity this world had given me was Al.
Clean.
Simple.
Above suspicion.
At least…
That was what everyone believed.
But as Naruto held my hand and walked beside me beneath the sunset, I suddenly understood something very clearly. From today onward, my life was no longer invisible to Konoha's highest eyes.