The first thing I noticed that morning was how quiet the Nara household was.
Not silence—no. There was the usual soft rustling of leaves through the open window, the gentle creak of tatami mats under slow footsteps, and the faint clink of my mother preparing breakfast.
But it was the emotional silence I felt most.
A calm before the storm.
Because today, Shikamaru and I would begin our first day at the Ninja Academy.
---
I stood at the mirror, pulling my black hair into a tight ponytail. My hands moved automatically, but my mind was far away.
Naruto. Sasuke. Hinata.
They'd all be there.
Innocent. Unknowing.
Still whole.
And then there was me—an outsider wearing the face of a Nara.
I looked myself in the eyes.
Dark brown. Calculating.
"This is real," I whispered to the girl in the mirror. "No more holding back. You chose to be here. Now survive it."
---
Downstairs, my mother glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Early again, Aiko?"
I nodded. "Just excited."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered from beside her, still half-asleep with bed hair sticking in three directions.
I smirked. "It won't kill you to pretend you care."
He stared at me. "It might."
Our mother rolled her eyes. "Just eat. You'll be late."
We sat together, twin shadows in silence. Shikamaru shoveled rice lazily into his mouth while I picked at my miso soup, nerves tightening my stomach.
---
Outside, the village was alive.
Children ran ahead of their parents, many in brand-new ninja clothes. Some were eager. Some were terrified.
I was neither.
I was already too old inside to feel like them.
But I smiled anyway—because the world expected Aiko Nara to smile. Not panic. Not calculate. Not quietly catalog every death she might cause by breathing out of sync with the canon.
We passed the flower shop. Ino Yamanaka was standing at the front with her mother. Blonde hair, bright eyes, loud voice.
"Shika! Aiko! Over here!"
Shikamaru groaned. "Not her again."
I laughed. "Be nice. She likes you."
"She likes yelling."
True enough.
---
The Academy building was just as I remembered it from the anime, but… somehow smaller. Older. More real. The red roof tiles chipped. The walls a bit cracked. Still sturdy, though. Still the beginning of everything.
Inside, the halls echoed with the sound of sandals and nervous chatter. Parents gave last-minute advice. Kids clung to kunai pouches they barely knew how to use.
We were assigned to Class 1-A.
Of course.
I slid the door open, my eyes sweeping the room in an instant.
There. Front row. Blonde, loud, and glowing with untamed energy: Naruto Uzumaki.
I felt my throat tighten.
He looked so small. So alone. His feet didn't even touch the floor from the chair. His headband was tied wrong—wait. No headband. Right. He didn't have one yet.
God, this hurt.
---
A few rows over, the Uchiha heir sat by the window. Black hair, pale skin, already perfect posture. Sasuke.
He glanced at me once, cold and dismissive. But his eyes lingered a second longer than I expected.
Did he sense something?
Was I that obvious?
---
"Hey," Shikamaru grunted, pulling me toward a seat. "Don't just stand there."
We sat at the back. The shadows fell nicely across the desks there. I liked that.
Moments later, a quiet figure slipped through the door.
Hinata Hyuga.
Eyes down. Shoulders hunched. Hands clenched tight to her sleeves.
She took a seat at the far corner and stared at the desk like it might yell at her. I wanted to walk over. Say something. Maybe change her life a little earlier.
But no.
Not yet.
Too much too soon, and people notice.
---
The teacher arrived. Iruka-sensei.
His voice was strong, kind, a little tired.
"Welcome to the Ninja Academy. Some of you will become shinobi. Some will not. All of you will learn discipline, chakra control, and the meaning of loyalty to the village."
I knew this speech by heart.
But now I heard it with new ears.
Every word was a warning.
Loyalty to the village.
Even if it kills you.
Even if it's wrong.
---
We began the basics that day.
Introductions. Stances. Chakra sensitivity tests.
I failed mine deliberately—only letting a flicker of chakra show. Enough to blend in. Too much would invite attention.
Naruto failed completely.
Sasuke overperformed.
Hinata trembled through hers.
Iruka watched all of us with quiet interest.
Shikamaru, of course, was already snoring.
---
At lunch, I sat on the rooftop alone. Not because I was lonely—but because I needed time.
Time to think.
Time to breathe.
Time to watch.
The world was moving.
Faster than I remembered.
The Uchiha were already being whispered about by the older shinobi. Naruto's loneliness wasn't just sad—it was volatile. And Danzo? I'd seen him. Watching. Always watching.
The timeline is unstable.
And somewhere out there…
I swear I felt it.
Another presence.
Another soul that didn't quite belong.