There's a poll on my page that will influence what will go on in Part III so please vote.

Just a reminder, in this backstory for Akame, Naruto has glasses again. This is Kid Naruto we're talking about.


Monday (7/25)
With Chelsea
Guy's Springtime of Youth Gym
Kickboxing Course Room
10:45 am

With one powerful uppercut, Chelsea, dressed in a red and white sports bra and training shorts, knocks a boy around Naruto's age down on the training mat. He had shiny black hair, round eyes with prominent lower eyelashes, and very thick eyebrows, and he was wearing a green tank top paired with a pair of green shorts.

"This win goes to me, Bushy Brows," Chelsea told him as she helped him up.

"The trainee finally caught up with the trainer." Feeling his chin, the boy comments on how strong her uppercut was.

"Sorry, I got excited and went all-in on that punch," Chelsea told him as she takes off her training gloves, the boy telling her he took harder hits. When she asked him what sort of hits he took that were harder than the one she gave him, he told her it was from when he and Guy went all out. "Hard to believe you are training under a famous UFC Heavyweight like Might Guy."

"I find it hard to believe that my idol took me under his wing. It was by luck that I came across him," said the boy. "Was bullied a lot back then. He helped me."

"I can only imagine, Lee. My brother was bullied a lot like you. Standard bully-nerd tropes. Sure he trained a bit to take more hits but it wouldn't be enough."

"If he wants any help to defend himself, you can bring him over to our gym and have him sign up for a membership," the boy known as Lee suggests. Chelsea tells him it was okay and that Naruto could more than handle himself now. "Good for him. But if he ever does get himself into bigger trouble and needs some new skills, Guy-sensei's gym is the best place to go. We're happy to help."

"I know, and thanks."

Girls' Dressing Room
11:00 am

After showering and getting herself dressed, Chelsea receives a text from a high school friend of hers and checks her phone. Unlocking it, Chelsea views a picture of a bowl of ramen her friend was eating. What surprised her was the broth. It was blue.

"The broth is blue..." Her eyes focused on the image, Chelsea felt a sense of nostalgia, like she tried it before. Trying to remember when she ate it, she recalls a young Naruto and Akame's smiling faces. Acting on a feeling, she calls her brother.

With Naruto
Kuoh Academy
Vending Machine Area (Breaktime)

Taking two cans of cherry soda out of the vending machine's slot for himself and Akame as Kotomi and Moka happily drank from their cans of orange juice and tomato juice respectively, Naruto got a call from his sister, picking it up to answer as he hands Akame her soda.

"Hello?"

"Hey Naruto, how are your classes ?" Naruto told her he was doing fine as always before asking her if there was a reason why she was calling. "Yes. Today I was sent an image of a bowl of ramen by a friend of mine from high school. It has a blue-colored broth."

"Blue?"

"Yeah, for some reason, when I looked at it, I thought of you and Akame right away. Which brings me to why I'm calling. I was wondering if you and Akame would like to go out to eat it after school today. The place is called "Kikuya Ramen". It's a ramen restaurant where the broth can be different colors depending on what's added to it." Looking at Akame, he asked her if she wanted to go out for ramen after school with him and Chelsea, the former quickly agreeing to go.

4:30 pm
Kikuya Ramen

"Three bowls of light-blue ramen!" The server puts the three bowls in front of Naruto, Chelsea, and Akame, their eyes lighting up with joy at the sight of the blue-broth ramen dish.

"This looks good," Akame told her siblings, the three picking up their chopsticks and saying, "Itadakimasu!", before slurping down some noodles at the same time, the three let out a satisfied sigh.

"Hard to believe we forgot a place like this, huh Naruto, Akame?" The two happily voiced their agreement with Chelsea as they look at the bowl's contents. "Come to think of it, when did we have this ramen?"

"Hmmm..." Slurping at the noodles again before taking a sip of the broth, Naruto's eyes widened.

"I remember...It was around the sixth day of Akame's stay at our house. She and I were around 8-years old at the time," Naruto answered. "This restaurant was a small shop before it grew into a bigger business."

"This was the first meal I shared with you and Chelsea," Akame said with a smile, having remembered when she first had the ramen dish.

"Mom and Dad were at work and left us alone," Chelsea adds. I ordered this ramen for the three of us to eat, and we spent the whole evening watching anime together."

"I remember that day very fondly. I didn't really say anything to anyone, not even our parents for nearly six whole days until they got home that night. I even locked myself up in my new room during those days..." Looking at the blue broth, Akame was reminded of the day the two adults who would be her new parents would adopt her into the Namikaze Family.

Over 7 years ago
Rome, Italy
Amalfi Hotel
Hotel Room
Night
[Naruto Shippuden Unreleased OST - Peace in Town/At the Academy]

"You want to adopt a child?" asked a surprised Minato, who was getting ready to go under the sheets and sleep as Kushina came out of the bathroom, wearing only a silk robe while drying her hair with a towel.

"Yes. Naruto had asked me if we could get him a little sister a week ago. I know we promised we'd stop having more kids after having Chelsea and Naruto, but I've been putting some thought into it, and I think having another child would be nice. That way, Naruto has a little sister he can care for and hang around at school and at home with while we're out of the house and Jiraiya's babysitting." Finished with her hair, Kushina lays the towel on the dresser on her side of the bed and got under the covers with Minato.

"What about Chelsea?" Kushina tells Minato Chelsea has friends she hangs out with and doesn't have much time to spend with Naruto as she used to. "And Jiraiya? I thought he liked spending time with Jiraiya."

"Minato, he needs someone around his age he can hang out with. Yes, he can make friends, but it's not been easy for him. I've noticed how sad he looks when he gets home. You too have noticed this as well, when we went to his conferences. I'm sure having a sister around his age would help with his loneliness, both at school and at home," Kushina adds.

"Kushina, I love you, but I'm just...not..." Once Kushina gave him "the look", where her eyes were narrowed in a deep and alluring way while giving him a seductive smile, Minato was at a loss of words.

"Kushina, that's not fair..."

"What is?" she asked, fully aware of what she was doing. Even though he tried to look away from his wife, once he saw "the look", he couldn't say no to her. After fifteen whole seconds of resistance...

"Alright, we'll adopt a kid," he said in a defeated tone, smiling after. "I hate it when you do that."

"On the bright side, you resisted me for fifteen seconds, five more than your usual ten."

"...When we get back, do you want to head to the Yakushi Adoption Center?" Thinking about it, Kushina decides she wanted to surprise Naruto and Chelsea with their new family member at the airport when they returned. "Eh? You want to adopt a kid while we're still here in Italy?"

"Yes. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Kushina asked her husband, who tells her there wasn't.

[Music End]
With Akame
St. Peter's Basilica
Akame's Room
[Kimetsu no Yaiba OST - Nezuko's Theme/禰豆子]

"Akame, how are you doing?" Griselda asked the eight-year-old girl, who was looking down at the cup of tea in her hands while sitting on the edge of her bed, Griselda sitting on a chair in front of her.

"Good..." she muttered. Griselda looked at the young girl with sadness in her eyes. She was one of a few people of the Church she could talk to without being scared ever since she repressed her own memories a few weeks ago. Since "that day", Akame would stay and eat meals in her room, only leaving it to use the bathroom and bathe, with Griselda occasionally visiting her whenever she wasn't training Xenovia and other exorcists under her tutelage, sometimes bringing her books to read. Finishing her tea, Akame hands the empty cup back to Griselda before handing her a book Griselda had lent her to read.

"Oh, thank you Akame." Reaching into her bag, Griselda takes out another book for Akame to read, who quietly thanks her. "Tell me, Akame, you think you can finally tell me why you keep yourself in here?"

"..."

"I can't help you unless you open up to me."

"...I feel like I'm waiting...for something. I don't know what or who it is." Griselda knew it was Kurome she was waiting for, but she was unwilling to tell her Kurome was dead, not willing to risk it and fearing Akame's mind would grow unstable if she knew. "Griselda, what do you think I'm waiting for?"

"...Sorry, I don't know, Akame," Griselda told with an apologetic tone in her voice.

"It's okay..." Looking at the girl's hands, Griselda saw Akame balling them in frustration. It was cruel of her to not tell her about Kurome, but if it meant Akame would stay safe and not act recklessly, she'll continue to keep silent about Kurome's death. Getting up from her chair, she informed her was heading out and tells her to not sleep late. "I won't..." Closing the door behind her once she was out of the room, Griselda wondered what more she could do for the girl. If Akame continued the way she was now, the old Akame may as well be lost or forgotten, but she would be able to try and live a normal life with her hands still clean. At that same time, that made her vulnerable to the manipulation of Devils and Fallen Angels, as well as the hidden dark side of the Church who could exploit this weakness. What was she to do?

[Music End]
With Kushina
The next day

"St. Peter's Basilica..." Checking her map as Minato stood by her, Kushina happily told him, "This is the place."

"I didn't know this basilica had an orphanage..." Minato said to himself, amazed by how open the area was.

"The Church must have a pretty large budget if they can afford to build an orphanage here, especially one this big," said Kushina. Looking around the area, Kushina spots three young boys bullying a girl.

"HEY!" she shouts, getting the three bullies' attention. Seeing the woman angry at them, her hair flailing around like a mad demon, the three bullies start fearing for their lives. "Do you three think it's fun to bully someone who can't defend herself? Huh!?" The three couldn't answer her, too scared to speak up. Even Minato was scared of his wife whenever she got this angry. "You three, apologize to her, now..." Not wanting to anger the woman any further, the three apologize to the girl on the ground before running off in fear. Once her anger ceased, Kushina helped the little girl up, who thanked her for helping. Rummaging through her purse, Kushina hands the girl a red lollipop.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Be careful okay, and if you feel like you're going to continue to be bullied, don't be afraid of asking an adult for help." The young girl smiled at Kushina, promising her she will before leaving, the red-haired woman watching the girl run off with a satisfied look on her face.

"Excuse me?" Kushina and Minato turn to their right and make eye contact with Griselda, who approached them. "I was unaware we had visitors today. Is there a reason why you're here?"

"Hello there, Sister," Kushina told the exorcist, sounding polite towards her. "My name is Kushina Namikaze, and this is my husband, Minato, same last name." Minato says hello to Griselda, who says hello back to him.

"My name is Griselda Quarta," the exorcist told them with a smile.

"Right, so my wife and I are here to adopt a child," said Minato, going straight into the reason for their visit.

"You're here to adopt?" After getting two yes nods from the couple, Griselda politely tells them to follow her to her office.

Griselda's Office

"We have lots of kids here who are in need of a family and a new life," Griselda told Kushina and Minato. "Is there any, in particular, you're looking for?"

"We've decided to adopt a girl," Kushina told the exorcist. "It's for our son. He's been asking for a little sister, so I convinced my husband to come here and hopefully adopt a girl into our family."

"We have a wide selection of kids who want more in their lives," said Griselda, who takes out a binder with names of kids who were wishing to be part of a family. Minato and Kushina's eyes bulged at the size of the binder the exorcist sets on top of her desk. "The time will vary, depending on who you choose."

"Alright, let's-" Before she could finish, Kushina hears the office door open behind her and Minato. The two turned around to see it was Akame, who was looking for Griselda, wanting to return the book she was holding after finding out it was a title she had already read. Seeing the married couple looking at her, Akame hid behind the door.

"Akame, there's nothing to be afraid of, you can come in." Hearing Griselda assure her it was safe to come in, Akame enters, Kushina finding herself unable to keep her eyes off the girl as she cautiously walks towards the exorcist and hands her the book.

"Sorry Akame, I'll be sure to bring you a new one later tonight."

"Okay...I'll be-"

"Excuse me," Kushina interrupts, asking Griselda if it was okay to look at Akame. The girl looked scared of the red-haired woman as she ran over to and behind Griselda, who tells Kushina she rarely socialized with anyone due to her personality. "I see...Can you tell her it's okay, and that I won't hurt her? She seems to listen to you." Looking at Akame with an assuring smile, the exorcist told the young girl to let Kushina look at her. Though hesitant, Akame listens to Griselda nonetheless. Going over to the little girl and kneeling down to meet her at eye level, Kushina looks deeply into her eyes as Minato and Griselda silently watched, wondering what the red-haired woman was thinking. Seeing a deep sadness in Akame's eyes, something the young girl was unaware of, Kushina had a look of pain on her face, her mouth open as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Kushina!?" Minato called out in a worried tone. Kushina immediately pulls a confused Akame into a hug, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Minato...let's adopt her. Let's adopt Akame." Griselda was just as surprised as Minato when the latter's wife chose to adopt the girl.

"A-Are you sure?" Griselda asked the redheaded woman, who lets go of a still-confused Akame and tells her she was sure.

"Griselda?" Pondering her thoughts, Griselda wondered about the possibility that Akame does get her memories back. The chances of that happening were about 5%. If she left with the Namikazes, not only would she leave her life in the Church behind, she wouldn't have to fight and eventually lose her life at the hands of either a Devil, a Fallen Angel, or a mythological monster. She could be a normal girl living her life with a family that loves her. With a smile, Griselda tells Kushina, "Very well. I shall provide you with the necessary paperwork for you and your husband to sign." Akame's eyes widened once the exorcist agreed to let the Namikaze's adopt her. After handing Kushina and Minato the papers they needed to sign and complete, Griselda walked over to Akame as the married couple took out their pens.

"Akame, listen. Those two over there, Minato and Kushina Namikaze, will be your Dad and Mom."

"Dad...Mom?"

"They are nice people, and they will take care of you," Griselda assured. Akame tells Griselda she doesn't know them at all. "You didn't know me at all when you first saw me. You were even scared of me. Try to give them a chance, and please don't give them any trouble, okay?" Akame, going with what Griselda said, nods yes to the exorcist. After paying Griselda 20,000 yen and handing over the signed paperwork, Minato and Kushina officially adopt Akame (Namikaze).

"Akame Namikaze...It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" Kushina asked the young girl, who didn't respond to her. Not bothered by this, Kushina smiles and ruffles the girl's hair.

Evening
Amalfi Hotel

Akame kept silent throughout the whole day as she walked around Rome with her new parents. They went shopping for new clothes for Akame to wear, went to a restaurant, where the girl helped herself to half of the lunch menu, bought souvenirs, and explored landmarks Minato and Kushina had yet to see. Now she was in the hotel room bathroom, sitting still as Kushina scrubbed her hair and scalp with shampoo and conditioner while sharing the tub in with the woman. While this was happening, Minato was on the phone with Jiraiya, telling him to take Naruto and Chelsea to the airport tomorrow, wanting to surprise them.

"A surprise for them? What is it?"

"I can't tell you. Kushina would be mad at me if I spoil it," Minato told his sensei.

"Kushina's keeping you quiet? This must be a very big surprise."

"It is," said Minato. "Once Kushina's done in the bathroom, we'll be heading to our flight." Jiraiya tells Minato to have a safe flight back to Japan before hanging up, Minato thanking him before that.

Private Plane

Akame sat by herself as Minato and Kushina sat five rows in front of her. Kushina was busy writing down specs for a new invention on her phone with a stylus pen while Minato was having a conference call with Kakashi. Looking over at Akame, who was occupied with looking outside her own window, Kushina stops what she was doing and walks over to the girl, taking a seat next to her..

"In several hours, we'll be landing in Japan. Japan is the country we live in, and it'll become your new home." Akame said nothing as she listened to Kushina. "When we land, you'll be introduced to your new older brother and sister when we get out of the plane. I can't wait for you to meet them, especially our son." Looking at her phone, Akame points at it. Understanding her, Kushina opens up the Notes app on her phone and hands it to the quiet girl, who types up, ("Older brother and sister?"), to the woman's joy.

"Yes, you'll be having a brother and sister. The oldest is Chelsea, with Naruto being the younger sibling. Out of the two, I think you'll get along best with Naruto." Akame looked unsure as Kushina read her facial expression. "You'll have to meet them first to see for yourself." Kushina ruffles the girl's hair before going back to sit with her husband.

"How is she?" Minato asked his wife, referring to Akame.

"Still quiet, but she did communicate with me by text. I believe she'll come around in no time. We just need to be patient with Akame."

"...Kushina, what made you want to adopt Akame?" asked Minato, wanting to know why she teared up when she looked at the girl.

"She looked like she was suffering. It was as if she lost something or someone dear to her, and she had nothing to live for. It was...just overwhelming to see it in her eyes." Holding her hand, Minato assured his wife, "Once Akame starts living with us, she'll grow to love us, though like you said, we'll have to be patient with her progress." Putting away his laptop, Minato told Kushina they should get some rest.

"Okay...Good night Minato." Hours later, Kushina woke up to use the bathroom. Walking over to the plane's bathroom, she noticed Akame fast asleep, her head rested against the window. Without waking her up, Kushina placed a pillow under her head and pulls a blanket over her. "Good night, Akame."

The next day
Kuoh Airlines
11:23 am

"Jiraiya, why did you bring us here?" asked an 11-year old Chelsea, who was sitting with an eight-year-old Naruto, the former looking bored as she looks out the window, with Naruto doing the same.

"Sorry, you two," Jiraiya said in an apologetic manner. "Your parents insisted I bring you two with. They said they had a surprise for you both."

"Surprise?" asked the young blond, the old man answering with a yes. Seeing Minato and Kushina enter the terminal, Jiraiya gets their attention. Turning to face their parents, Naruto and Chelsea looked happy to see them, calling out to them. Kushina happily waves at them as Minato walks behind her. Running over to them at first, the two stop when they see Akame behind their parents, staring at her with curiosity. Jiraiya was just as curious as the Namikaze siblings as Kushina, Minato and Akame stopped in front of them.

"Mom, Dad, who is that girl behind you?" Chelsea asked, pointing her right finger at Akame, who looks down on the floor to avoid her gaze.

Chelsea, Naruto, this is Akame. Starting today, she will be your new little sister." Naruto was both surprised and speechless while looking at the newest addition to their family as Chelsea asked herself in a shocked but happy tone, "I have a little sister now?"

"Yes Chelsea, now you have a little brother and sister." Looking up at her new siblings, she was taken aback by Naruto, who gave her a warm smile and reached his hand out to her.

"I'm Naruto. It's nice to meet you, Akame." Akame said nothing as she looks down at her feet to avoid Naruto's eyes. Though taken aback by this, the blond boy still smiles at her as Chelsea points out how pretty she was. Going over to Minato, Jiraiya quietly asked him what happened in Italy.

"Kushina gave me "the look" and..." Red in the face, Minato says, "Let's head home, shall we!?"

"Dad, why is your face red?" asked Naruto.

"No reason, don't ask Daddy why." Naruto tilts his head to the right in a confused manner, wondering what his father was hiding.

Jiraiya's SUV

On the way to her new home, Akame looked out the window with wonder in her eyes as Naruto took notice and tried to strike a conversation with her.

"The city's pretty big huh, Akame?" The girl looked surprised when Naruto joined her to look out the window, pointing out some of the buildings they passed by. The girl stayed silent as she looked at her new brother happily point at the buildings. Noticing this, Naruto apologized to her. "I'll just stay quiet for now."

Akame found the boy hard to understand as she watched him look out the car window, doing the same.

Namikaze Residence

Entering her new home, Akame marveled at the interior as she followed Kushina, Minato, Jiraiya, and her two older siblings inside.

"Welcome to your new home, Akame," Minato told her. "Naruto, can you show her to her new room?" Naruto happily nods to his father and turns around to gently grab Akame's hand, leading the girl to her new room. It was a plain-looking but clean room with a closet, dresser, bathroom, window, and bed.

"This was originally a guest room, but as of today, it'll be your new room." Akame walks into the room and looks around it from where she was standing as Naruto looked at her from outside the room. "Feel free to ask for any decorations you need okay?" Instead of responding, Akame went over to the door and quickly closed it on Naruto, to his surprise. Hearing the click of the door's locking mechanism, Naruto yelled for his parents, who rush over to him, Minato asking him what was wrong.

"Akame locked herself in her new room. Why did she do that?"

"Listen Naruto. Akame finds it hard to talk to anyone, even us," Kushina explained. "As for her locking herself in the room, she did the same thing at the orphanage she stayed in. That said, I need you and your sister to be patient with her, okay? Can you do that?"

"I can do that, Mom."

"In the meantime, let's have lunch," Minato suggested. "I'll put hers in front of her door once it's ready. Also, if you want to give her anything, just leave it in front of her room and knock on her door to let her know."

Lunch

Minato sets a plate of egg salad sandwiches, an unopened pack of toothbrushes, a glass of milk, a tube of toothpaste, a notepad, and a pen down in front of Akame's room and knocks at her door to get her attention.

"Hey Akame, if you're listening, there's a plate of egg salad sandwiches for you, along with a glass of milk. I also left you a new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste in front of it as well. If you need anything, there's a notepad and pen you can write on." Finished, Minato leaves to go to his office and work.

30 minutes later

Seeing the empty plate and glass on the floor in front of Akame's room, Chelsea goes over to it and picks it up, noticing a written note on the glass that said, "Thanks for the food. It was good", the older sibling smiling at this. "Just to let you know, I made that sandwich, so it means a lot." Leaving some mini chocolates down, Chelsea tells her new little sister she left them there for her to enjoy, leaving after to hang in her own room.

Night

Walking over to her room, Naruto sets down a few Spider-Man comic books for her to read and a pair of pajamas his Mother bought for her before knocking on her door.

"Akame, I left a pair of pajamas you can wear for sleep and some comic books. Mom told me you like to read books. I don't have many hardcover books, sorry." In her room, the girl had her back against the door as she listened on.

"...You cannot see it now Akame, but I am happy to have you here. I hope we can get along, once you feel ready to." After saying good night to her, Naruto left to go to his room. Once Naruto closed his door, Akame cautiously opened her door and grabbed the comic books and the pajamas before closing and locking it.

The next day
Morning

"Naruto, Chelsea, Akame, your Father, and I are heading to work now! Don't make trouble for Jiraiya okay!?"

"Okay, Mom!" Naruto and Chelsea happily yelled out before their parents left. While Chelsea was watching TV, Naruto went over to Akame's door and gently knocked on it, asking the girl if she was awake. Akame responds by slipping a note underneath her door that said, "Yes", to Naruto's joy.

"Have your head the Spider-Man comics yet?" Akame slipped another note to Naruto that said, "Not yet." on it. "Hmmm...Alright, take your time with them. Oh, and later, Jiraiya's planning to order pizza. What sort of toppings do you want on yours?" Again, Akame slipped her brother a note.

("I get to pick any toppings I want?")

"Anything you want," he answered with a smile, Akame slipping her next note to him after.

("Meat. A lot of meat.") Naruto voiced how unhealthy it was, Akame slipping another note to him that said, ("You said I could have anything I want on my pizza.")

"I know, but you could at least have some vegetable toppings on it." After his "talk" with Akame, Naruto walked over to Jiraiya's office, the old man looking up from his computer and asking him if he knows what Akame wants on her pizza.

"A lot of meat." Jiraiya's eyes widened at Naruto's response.

"We have ourselves a big meat eater Naruto," said Jiraiya, the blond kid agreeing with him. "Alright, I'll order that for her."

Lunch

Opening her pizza box, Akame looked shocked when she saw one of her slices of pizza eaten and replaced by one containing pepperoni, chicken, mushrooms, and green peppers. Knowing Naruto was in front of her door, she slipped a note to him, asking what happened to one of the slices.

"I ate and replaced your slice with one of mine." Bothered by this, Akame slipped the next note to him, asking him why he did that. "I care about what your body requires. You need to eat some vegetables too, ya know. They're good for you." Akame picked up the slice Naruto gave to her, looking at the slice with a questionable look on her face. Taking a bite out it, Akame's eyes lit up as she savored the taste before swallowing it, humming with joy. Hearing the girl enjoy the slice made Naruto smile.

"Is it good?" In response, Akame slipped him a note telling him it was good, said note having some grease and pizza sauce on the left side of it. "I knew you'd like it." Taking out a slice from his own pizza box, Naruto started eating it as he rested his back against the wall next to Akame's bedroom door. As the day went on, Naruto, Chelsea, and Jiraiya would periodically place things in front of her door, ranging from an alarm clock to books, to snacks and handheld game consoles. At one point, Naruto found the Nintendo 3DS he gave her to play "Mario Luigi: Superstar Saga Bowser's Minions", picking it up to find that she completed it within one day.

"Did you enjoy the game?" he asked her.

("Yes, though it was too easy.")

"It was easy for her?" he asked himself. Examing her save file, he noticed she completed it 100%. "You 100%'d this? You have some serious skills Akame...Starting tomorrow, Chelsea and I won't be home until the afternoon, so Jiraiya will take care of you."

("WHY!?")

"We have school," he told her, explaining what school was to the girl after.

("Is it fun?") Naruto fell silent when he looked at Akame's latest note.

"...Yeah, though I am too busy with homework to have fun at school," he told her, making it sound like he was fine. "Don't worry about me, just try to relax okay?"

("Okay. When do I need to go to school?")

"Not sure. Though I figure Mom and Dad are going through that process with the school as we speak." Getting up from where he sat, he said good night to Akame. "Oh! Since you're keeping yourself in that room, you must get bored in there once you're finished with the comics I gave you. Taking out his phone, Naruto puts it down on the floor with a charger and earphones.

"I'll leave my phone with you to use. I don't have much need for it at school." Finished, Naruto leaves for his room. Opening her door, Akame picked up the phone and accessories her brother left her and brought them inside her room. Putting on the earphones, Akame checked out the phone's Youtube app and looked at several videos on Naruto's subscriptions up until morning, having passed out at around five in the morning, with the phone battery at 40% power.

The next day
10:45 am

Akame woke up on the floor of her room, still wearing the headphones connected to Naruto's phone.

"I must have dozed off..." After taking care of her hygiene in the bathroom, Akame opened her room door to find a bowl of rice at her feet along with a pair of chopsticks, a small bottle of soy sauce, and an egg. With them was a letter from Kushina, which she picks up to read.

Akame, to eat this, you need to crack the egg over the rice, add a little bit of soy sauce to it, mix them together, and dig in. Don't worry, it's safe to eat it raw, just make sure you don't eat the eggshell. Naruto told me he gave you his phone for use, so if you need anything, please text your father, me, or Jiraiya. - Mom

"Raw?" After following the instructions Kushina gave her, Akame picked up some of the egg-covered rice and puts it in her mouth, finding the meal tasty.

"Mmm...Mmm-Mmm!" Akame's hands moved at very fast speeds as she scarfed down the rice and egg until her bowl was empty. She lets out a satisfied sigh after. "That was good..." Looking at the phone, she decides to text Kushina and tell her the food was delicious.

With Kushina

"Namikaze-san, we're glad to be on board with you on this project," said a representative of RECT as the red-haired woman observed the construction of a brand new building that will produce the next-generation Full-Dive consoles. "Your paper on the potential risks of the NerveGear to a user's brain was very insightful, and vital towards making this next generation FullDive console."

"Thank you, I appreciate the compliment."

"I have to admit, it was a surprise when you decided you wanted to help with its production," said the RECT representative. "The CEO was impressed with the specs you provided him yester-" The official stops talking when Kushina receives a text from Akame, telling her how good the egg over rice was, bringing a smile to the woman's face.

"Namikaze-san?"

"Sorry, please continue," she happily told the RECT official as she puts away her phone.

With Akame
Namikaze Residence
Akame's Room

Looking at the message she just sent to Kushina, she wondered what she was going to say about her message. Exiting the messaging app, she decides to explore some of the apps on the phone, starting with Facebook. Looking through his profile, she only saw pics of him and the members of the Namikaze family, along with posts about games, anime, and Gundam figurines. Checking his friends tab, she found only Chelsea inhabited it. Checking Chelsea's profile, she found hers to have several friends in her list, along with several pictures of her at several friends' houses.

All of the images had her smiling. In one of the school images with Naruto in it, taking place during a sports festival, the blond was shown not smiling or looking at the camera. Viewing more of Chelsea's profile images involving school, in every image he was tagged in, he was mostly looking away from the camera, sad, only looking happy when their parents were in it.

"Why do you look so unhappy? School is supposed to be fun, right?"

With Naruto
On the way home
3:45 pm

"Got into a little scuffle with some boys again, Naruto?"

"They started it," he told Chelsea. "I wouldn't let them cheat on the test today." The blond had some minor scrapes here and there from the scuffle, but they would heal within a night. Had Chelsea not butt in and lay the smackdown on them, he could've received some minor bruises.

"Maybe I should keep watch over you during both the break and classes."

"You don't need to do that," Naruto told his older sister. "I don't want you to help me out in a fight I'm supposed to handle myself."

"I understand, but as your older sister, I can't ignore you when you're in trouble. You're my little brother." Chelsea finished by saying she'd also do the same for Akame.

"...Hey Chelsea...Do you think Akame's doing okay at home?" Naruto asked, worried about the quiet girl.

"I believe so. You did give her your phone, so she's got a lot of entertainment in that room of hers in one mobile device," Chelsea assured.

[Naruto Shippuuden OST 2 - Yamagasumi]
Namikaze Residence

"We're home..." Naruto and Chelsea said in unison. Jiraiya exits the kitchen and welcomes them back, asking them how school was.

"It was good, though Naruto got into a fight with some of the kids," Chelsea told the old man.

"Another fight?... Did he win?" Jiraiya asked.

"I didn't yield," Naruto told him. As the three were talking, Akame was listening in from her room. "How was Akame?"

"She's okay, though I wished she wasn't cooped up in her room. All she did was ask me for food and comics through text," he informed the young blond. "Your parents will be home in half an hour, and I ordered sushi for dinner."

"Does this mean you're behind on your novel? You don't order-in unless that's the case," Chelsea points out, Jiraiya sweating a bit. "No, that's not it. I just thought you were all going to come home in a sushi mood."

"You are a terrible liar, Jiraiya," Chelsea told the old man, looking annoyed with him. "Not to worry, I'll be providing the main dish. I'm feeling soba. You just go back to your book-writing, Jiraiya."

"You're the best Chelsea! I'll be sure to get you a nice present!" yelled a happy Jiraiya.

"Yeah yeah..." While Chelsea walked to the kitchen to cook and Jiraiya heads back to his office, Naruto went to Akame's room door and knocked on it. "Hey there, Akame. How have you been doing in there?"

("Good. How was school?")

"Good on my end."

("Are you sure?") Naruto assures her he was good, asking her why she asked after. ("I saw yours and Chelsea's pictures online. You looked unhappy in the ones where you're at school.")

Naruto sounded shocked when Akame told him she saw his and Chelsea's Facebook pictures.

("Are you mad?")

"...I'm not mad," Naruto assured. "I figured you'd eventually understand how apps worked and look into my account. It's a blunder on my part." When Akame slipped him another note asking if he wanted to talk to her about it, Naruto was a bit hesitant to tell her.

"...I wasn't wrong to say school is fun. It is, but...it's only when you have friends you can have fun with," he told her. "As you already know from what you've seen on my phone, I don't have any friends I can have fun with at school. As for Chelsea, she has a lot of those, too much to spend much time with me like she used to."

("Have you tried making them?") Naruto tells her he did try, but that would quickly go down the drain due to jealousy over his smarts at school, along with the comparisons the kids' parents would put them through.

"Why can't you be as smart as Naruto?", "Maybe if you studied just as hard as Naruto, you'd have good grades.", things like that. Because of all that, no one in my class wants to be my friend..."

("I'd be your friend.")

"That's nice to know, Akame...Back in Italy, did you have any friends? Ones we took you away from?" Akame fell silent when Naruto asked if she ever had any friends. She woke up a few weeks ago not knowing who she was or anything. In her head, she believed she had no friends, otherwise, she'd have woken up to see them.

("I don't have any. I'm just as alone as you are whenever you're at school.")

"Must be depressing to not have any visitors your age other than adults."

("Just the one.") Seeing the note, Naruto had a look that said he felt bad for her.

"Have you tried going out to make them?" he asked, curious about why she kept herself in her room back in Italy.

("I wanted to, but I felt I had to wait inside. For what or who, I don't know. Even now, that feeling hasn't gone away.")

"It hasn't, huh..."

("Do you know what I was waiting for? Back in Italy?") Sadly, Naruto didn't have an answer to her question.

"What or who it is, I am sure the answer will come to you," he told her with a smile. "...Akame, is that reason why you're keeping yourself in your room? Are you hoping what you're waiting for will come here to you?"

("Yes.")

"Do you want to be kept in your room?" For half a second, Naruto didn't get a note. Once he did, he saw that it read, "No. It's not what I want, but who or what I'm waiting for's." on it.

"I see...Do you feel like you're suffering from it?" Silence took over for a whole minute before Naruto got Akame's next note.

("Yes.")

"I'm sorry you're feeling that way...Akame, if that's why you're doing this, don't let it hold you back," he told Akame. "I know I can make friends and have fun at school if I tried. Anyone can if they tried, but after many failures, I made having too much homework as an excuse to not try again and avoid getting hurt by my failures. As your brother, I don't want you to make yourself suffer." Akame's eyes widened, feeling touched by how much Naruto cared for her, even when he didn't know her.

"If there was a possibility that who or what you're waiting for won't come, at least you can live your life and let them know you're doing okay. I'm sure if they're out there, they'd want you to be okay." Once Naruto was finished, he thanked her for the conversation and leaves for his room. In her room, Akame went deep into thought over what Naruto told her, taking his words into heart.

For the next two days, Akame would ponder Naruto's words and the feeling she was having with who or what she was waiting for whenever she wasn't having a conversation with the blond boy. For her, the feeling that had been "keeping her in one place" started to go away as she mustered her courage to open the door.

[Music End]
Two Days Later
On the way home
3:45 pm

"I wonder if Akame's doing good at home..."

"You've been asking yourself that a lot Naruto," Chelsea told her little brother.

"She's my little sister, of course I'd be asking myself that," Naruto told her in a shy manner. Grinning, Chelsea pulls at her brother's right cheek.

"Isn't that cute of you to care for a sibling younger than you, huh Naruto?"

Namikaze Residence

"We're home!" Naruto and Chelsea yelled. Seeing Jiraiya quickly put his shoes on, Naruto asked him where he was going.

"I need to head to the office and meet with my editor in person! I won't be coming home so Chelsea, you're in charge of this fort!"

"But you promised you'd cook today!" she shouts as he rushed out the door and got into his SUV. The old man promised Chelsea and Naruto he'd do it tomorrow as he drove off. "You're the worst!" Closing the door behind her, Chelsea lets out a sigh, then looks at Naruto.

"Looks like it's just you, me, and Akame," Chelsea told her little brother, who responds with, "Y-Yeah..." Naruto's stomach growled, to the older sibling's surprise. Smiling, Chelsea asked him if they should order delivery.

"Let's have ramen!" said Naruto. "There's this small shop I've been wanting to go to, but it always has this very big line! I checked out their website, and they do delivery!"

"Ramen...Hmmm...I guess I too am in a ramen mood. Okay, let's order it!" When Naruto asked if Akame could have some, Chelsea decides to order a third bowl for her (Akame) to have. When Naruto went over to let Akame know they were home, he didn't see a note being slipped to him, to his confusion.

"She must be sleeping," he figured, deciding to leave her alone, unaware that she was awake.

Akame's Room

4:30 pm

"If there was a possibility that who or what you're waiting for won't come, at least you can live your life and let them know you're doing okay. I'm sure if they're out there, they want you to be okay." Could it be true? That was what Akame wondered as she looked at the door to her room for the past two hours. Would they allow her to move on without them? The more her adoptive brother's words seeped in, the more she was willing to open the door in front of her. Taking that chance, she stood up from her bed and walked towards it. Once her right hand gripped the knob, an unknown voice asked her what she was doing. The voice sounded like a boy and girl her age talking in unison.

"Opening the door," she said.

"What about us? You're just going to go on without us? You can't do that. We're supposed to move forward together."

"I know, but you should respect my choice and be happy for me," she told the voice.

"NO! I decide whether to let you go or not! Not you!" The voice stops Akame's arm from turning the knob as it tries to remove her hand from it.

"Some...things...have to change." The voice starts fearing for itself as Akame completely resisted its influence over her. "Whoever or whatever you are...Maybe you're not coming back. I don't know what the circumstances are for that, but I can't live like this."

"NOOOOO!" Mustering all her courage, Akame completely resists the feeling's influence. "Don't...Don't go...Don't leave..." Akame looked sad when the voice said that.

"I don't know anything about myself involving the last eight years, whether I had a family or not. But what I do know is...if you were someone close to me, someone I have forgotten, I would never forget you, no matter how far apart we are..." Having made her choice, Akame opened the door.

Living Room

"You think Akame's fine in her room?" Naruto asked Chelsea while the later was looking for a movie to watch.

"I'm sure she's fine in there. If she wasn't she wouldn't have eaten the breakfast and lunch Jiraiya prepared for her," Chelsea answered. "She probably stayed up late surfing the web on your phone. For now, help me choose which anime to start-"

*THUD!* Naruto and Chelsea got startled when they heard that noise. Cautiously going over to the hallway to check what caused it, they find Akame out of her room, having faceplanted on the slippery floor.

"Owww..."

"Akame!" Naruto yelled, rushing to her side to check if she was okay. "Are you hurt anywhere!?"

"No, I'm fine," she told him, making the blond silent, along with Chelsea. Looking at Naruto, she asked him why he was so quiet.

"You...You just spoke."

"You asked if I was okay, so I answered," she told him.

"Not only that but you're also out of your room after five days," Chelsea adds. Looking at it and back at Naruto, Akame's first action was to hug her brother, to his surprise. "A-Akame?" Chelsea found the act precious as Naruto wondered what the girl was thinking. "I need to take a photo of this!"

"Ah, Chelsea, don't do that!" Naruto yelled with an embarrassed tone in his voice, Chelsea not listening to him as she took a picture of the moment on her phone. Hearing the knock on their door, Chelsea said, "Oh, that must be the ramen!"

"Ra-men?"

"Hehhh, you don't know what ramen is?" asked Chelsea. "You are in for a treat, my precious Imouto."

[Naruto Shippuuden OST 2 - Yamagasumi]
Five minutes later

Akame looked like she was enjoying herself as she slurped down the noodles alongside Naruto and Chelsea, ignoring the movie playing ("Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz") in front of them.

"This blue broth is insane!" Chelsea said to herself. Naruto and Akame nod their heads yes as they're slurping down more noodles. Once the noodles and toppings were consumed, the three down the blue broth in unison, letting out a satisfied sigh after.

"Tasty wasn't it?" Naruto asked Akame, who told him it was.

"I could use another bowl," Akame adds, to Naruto and Chelsea's shock, who didn't expect her to still be hungry.

"A-Akame, I only ordered three," Chelsea told her.

"Ehhh?" Not wanting to leave her little sister's stomach half-satisfied, Chelsea tells her she'll cook her a ramen of her own creation, stating that the blue-broth ramen couldn't compare to it, reeling Akame in once she adds, "And it has a lot of meat!" at the end.

'That sounds delicious, Big Sister Chelsea!" Akame told her, Chelsea caught off guard by how Akame chose to call her.

"Leave it to Big Sister Chelsea! This ramen will be a knockout!" said the older sister as she rushed into the kitchen to make Akame her ramen. "Just continue watching giant robots destroy things!"

"They're Gundams, Chelsea," Naruto said to himself as Akame watched the movie with him. Seeing Akame enjoy herself, the blond asked her if she likes the movie, who nods her head yes to him.

"...Your words."

"Hmm?"

"They helped a lot in coming out of that room. Thank you, Naruto nii-chan." Smiling from hearing how Akame chose to call him, Naruto gently pats the top of her head, the girl's face flushing from this act of affection, having just experienced her first head pats.

"Keep doing that, Naruto nii-chan. I...like it." Akame politely ordered.

"Yoshi Yoshi..."

[Music End]
[Naruto: Road to Ninja OST - My home/Family]
8:30 pm

"How does a girl her size not die from not eating anything for an entire week and come out beautiful?" asked a curious Akame, Chelsea telling her she wasn't sure about it. Naruto looked bored, seeing as he was watching an anime Chelsea liked but he wasn't interested in.

"We're home Chelsea, Naruto, Akame." Going up to the living room, Kushina abruptly dropped her purse and her work folders after seeing Akame with her two older siblings. Even Minato looked surprised to see Akame out of the room.

"Welcome home Mom, Dad," said a smiling Chelsea, Naruto doing the same. Seeing her brother and sister do it, Akame does the same.

"Welcome home, Mom and Dad." At first, Kushina didn't react to it, with Naruto and Chelsea wondering if she was okay. Soon, Kushina had tears in her eyes as she happily says, "I'm home, Chelsea, Naruto, Akame...Give Mommy a hug..." Getting off the couch, the three go over to hug her as Minato watched his kids hug his wife.

"Looks like having a third one was a good idea..." Minato whispered to himself as a smile formed on his lips. His facial expression then turned to shock after realizing he didn't get a hug from his three kids. "Wait, where's Daddy's hug!?" Letting go of Kushina, Akame goes over to hug her adoptive father, who feels happy about it as Chelsea and Naruto follow suit.

[Music End]
With Kushina
Minato and Kushina's Room

"I just e-mailed Yuuki-san and told him I was not coming tomorrow!" Kushina shouts, sounding proud about it, Minato asking her if it was a good idea.

"I'm sure he can handle it without a freelance inventor like me. Besides, he's got quite the funding from a company that was interested in the project," Kushina assured, Minato wondering what company was funding the project. "Akame needs her mother at home until we get the news that she can attend school."

"Any plans for tomorrow with her?" Kushina tells Minato she was going to start helping Akame paint her room and give it some color, and go shopping with her if they have time after. Sighing, Minato wished he could stay home and spend time with his new daughter.

"Maybe next time..."

With Akame
Naruto's Room

"Naruto nii-chan..." Turning around to face Akame, who was holding her blanket, pillow, and toothbrush in her arms, Naruto asked her if she needed something. "Can I sleep in your room?"

"Hmmm? Why?" Looking at her room and back at her brother, she told him she wasn't feeling like sleeping in her room for a good while. "Mom told me she was planning to help me decorate the room, so until it's finished decorating, you think I can sleep in your room?" Smiling at her, Naruto told her she could, making the girl smile as she enters. After brushing her teeth, Akame gets into bed with her brother, who asked her if she was cozy enough.

"Mmm," she responds with a smile and a nod.

"Alright...Good night, Akame." As soon as Naruto fell asleep, he turned his back towards Akame, who affectionately hugs his back and falls asleep. Sometime in the night, Chelsea snuck in and got in bed with her two siblings without waking them.

Now
Kikuya Ramen

"It took two full weeks for Akame's room to finally finish decorating and filling it with clothes and trinkets she liked," Chelsea recalled before she, Naruto, and Akame finished their twelfth bowls of ramen.

"Her room turned out nice in the end," Naruto adds.

"To think as soon as she stepped into school for the first time, she was already being asked out by the boys." Akame looked annoyed by this, recalling a time where she had a headache from all the boys back in elementary school asking her out with no signs of stopping. She even remembered the days when she found her locker filled with love letters.

"I wish Mom and Dad were here. They were amazing parents," Akame said to her siblings, recalling her first birthday with them, the cooking lessons Kushina would have with her, the camping trips they went to, and the kendo matches they'd attend to cheer her on.

"Yeah, they were, and they did a great job taking care of us," said Chelsea, sounding proud to be Minato and Kushina's firstborn daughter. "I too wish they were still here." Leaving the money, along with a 4300 yen tip in yen, on the table, Chelsea and her siblings head home for the day.

Namikaze Residence
Living Room
6:56 pm

Feeling nostalgic, Chelsea had Xenovia look at old pictures of her and her family when they were little with her, who had no plans today and figured she'd know more about Akame's happy life with the Namikazes.

"And here at age 9 was when Akame became interested in kendo." Seeing how cute she was wearing her little hakama and holding her first 1st Place Trophy, her hair tied into a ponytail, Xenovia comments on how happy she looked taking first place.

"It was quite a surprise how good she was at kendo." Xenovia's face starts sweating once Chelsea said that.

"She must have worked really hard to win all those tournaments." Chelsea figured that was the case before flipping to another page of the scrapbook on the table. Xenovia went wide-eyed when she saw the young versions of Chesea, Akame, and Maki (Nishikino) in yukatas performing a dance.

"What's the story behind this?" Chelsea had a huge smile when the bluenette asked that.

"This was taken during a talent show back when Naruto and Akame were 10-years-old. About four weeks before this, we met our cousin Maki for the first time, since she lives so far away from Kuoh Town and her parents are always so busy to come over to visit. She also stayed with us for about a month since her parents had to go overseas for a business trip."

Naruto's Workroom

"Since I'm not comfortable having you go around killing in your high school uniform while I am having you tag along with me, her, and Ange, Harumaki and I collaborated and made you your own professional suit to wear."Akame was speechless over the suit he and the Agares Pawn made just for her. It was a dark sleeveless tank top with a white collar and a red tie paired red gauntlets, black gloves, and a red belt that has a red side skirt cover over a black, pleated skirt. The suit also came with a long dark coat that also acted as a Mystic Code, courtesy of Irisviel.

"This is very thoughtful of you, Maki-chan, and Iri..." Akame quickly hugged her brother and thanked him, backing away and turning red after realizing what she did. Looking at the time, Naruto tells Akame he was planning to meet up with Maki to deal with some bad magicians down in Sendai tonight, asking if she wants to tag along.

"If it means I get to wear this, I'm as ready as you."

Sendai
Abandoned Building
Rooftop

Maki Harukawa looked surprised with how good Akame looked in her "work clothes", checking her from top to bottom, also noticing how she could pass off as her sister. Seeing the two standing next to each other, Naruto told the Pawn he could see that happening.

"Back to business, after days of following a few faint trails until one slipped up, I know the Nilrem's secret gathering spot," she told the two siblings.

"Khaos Brigade's Magician Faction. They've been exploring several hidden tears leading to the Hidden Gap, arming themselves with whatever weapons and ancient magic tomes they could get their hands on in there. You would think that despite the monsters there killing or devouring most of their people they'd stop." Maki tells Naruto when they believe too much in a cause, they'd risk it all, even their lives.

"Quite a troublesome cause they're believing in," Naruto comments. "Alright, time to go you two."

"Agreed," said Maki. Akame turned serious as she nods in agreement. While Naruto teleports and Maki uses her wings to fly, Akame disappears in a flash, making it look like she teleported when she only moved in a blink of an eye.


There was honestly more I wanted to add, but all that I wanted to add would be better for another story, since I wanted to focus on Akame finally opening up to her new family. School, Moka, and Maki will come later down the line. Also, the next prelude may continue this.

Yes, it was Griselda who allowed Akame to be adopted. If she didn't, Akame would probably be turned into a mindless assassin by force. Xenovia didn't know that at the time.

The company funding the development of the AmuSphere is Agares Corp, but Kushina doesn't know that. And yes, Kushina helped develop it.