For most of the students at the Academy, the first few weeks were filled with discovery.
Learning how to throw kunai. Basic taijutsu drills. Chakra theory.
For me? It was anxiety dressed as routine.
I wasn't here to learn. I was here to survive what I already knew.
---
Shikamaru was already bored.
He answered questions with lazy brilliance, rolled his eyes during sparring, and spent more time cloud-watching than focusing on jutsu drills.
But when I caught his eyes during a test or a lecture, there was a flicker of something sharp.
He was watching everything, too.
He just didn't let it show.
We were the same like that.
---
"Aiko, would you stay after class?"
Iruka-sensei's voice halted my escape.
Shikamaru gave me a curious look but left without comment. The rest of the class trickled out, Naruto and Sasuke bickering their way through the door, Hinata trailing behind with soft glances at Naruto's back.
Iruka closed the door.
"You've been holding back."
I blinked, schooling my face into polite confusion.
"What do you mean, Sensei?"
He crossed his arms. "Your chakra test was conservative. Your taijutsu is clean, but you always lose just enough to make it look like a draw. And your academic work? You pause before finishing equations you clearly already solved in your head."
My pulse quickened.
Was I that obvious?
Iruka tilted his head slightly. "You're talented. Probably the sharpest student in the class aside from Shikamaru. But you're hiding it. Why?"
I hesitated. "Isn't it enough to pass?"
He sighed, then smiled gently. "You remind me of another Nara I once taught."
---
Outside, the sun was beginning to dip low. I walked home slowly, processing Iruka's words. He wasn't suspicious—yet. But he was observant.
Which meant others might be, too.
I needed to blend in better. Stay sharp in the shadows, not above them.
---
That night, I returned to the woods behind our clan compound.
This was where the Nara trained.
Where they molded shadows like silk and steel.
I placed my palms together.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu."
My chakra stretched outward, forming a tendril across the ground.
It twitched. Flickered. Collapsed.
Again.
Again.
Again.
---
Hours passed. Sweat beaded at my brow. The stars came out.
I could feel it.
The Nara bloodline flowing through me.
The power to trap, to bind, to control.
But shadow wasn't just a jutsu. It was a mindset.
To control others, I had to master myself.
---
I remembered a lesson from Shikaku—our father. He once said:
> "Shadows are patient. They follow everything. They listen. That's what makes them deadly."
So I stopped trying to force the chakra.
I followed it.
Matched its rhythm.
Let it move with my breath.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu."
This time, the shadow slithered forward and touched the base of a nearby tree.
It held.
A weak connection—but real.
My first success.
I smiled. Not out of pride—but relief. I was one step closer to surviving this world.
---
The next day, things changed.
We were told there would be a team sparring assessment. Iruka wanted to see how we worked in groups.
"I'll pair you in threes," he said, scanning the class roster.
A spike of panic shot through me.
No. Not this early.
If I was placed with Sasuke or Naruto—
"I want Nara Aiko, Hyuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino."
What?
I blinked. That wasn't canon.
Not even close.
---
We were given ten minutes to strategize. Then we'd enter the training field and face an upper-class student acting as our opponent. If we landed a hit or forced a retreat within ten minutes, we'd pass.
Simple. But also not.
Hinata was shaking. Shino was unreadable behind his glasses and high collar. And me?
I took the lead.
---
"We don't outpower him," I said. "We outthink him."
Shino nodded slightly. "What is your plan?"
I pointed to the trees on the east side of the field. "You hide in the foliage. Use your kikaichu to track his chakra movement. Hinata, stay behind me. You'll be our defense. The moment he attacks, you activate your Byakugan and call out his blind spots."
Hinata flinched. "M-me?"
I knelt beside her, meeting her pale eyes. "You can do this. I've seen you practice. You're faster than you think."
Her lips trembled. Then she gave a tiny nod.
I gave her a soft smile. "Good. I'll bait him. If he follows, we trap him in a narrow space. I'll use Shadow Possession. Shino finishes it with chakra disruption from the rear."
---
The bell rang.
The test began.
---
Our opponent was tall, fast, and confident—probably a graduating student. He came at me first, testing my footwork with swift strikes.
I dodged. Not by instinct, but by prediction. I'd watched countless fights before. I knew the pattern of overconfident upperclassmen.
As expected, he followed me into the narrow clearing.
Hinata shouted. "Left side—he opens up his flank when he jumps!"
I activated my jutsu mid-slide, throwing my chakra forward. The shadow snaked across the ground.
Too slow.
He noticed. Jumped back.
But Shino's bugs were already crawling on him. Dozens, invisible.
He froze for a moment, distracted by the sudden drain.
That was all I needed.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
This time, it hit.
He froze, bound.
Shino moved in from behind and pressed a chakra tag to his back.
The buzzer rang.
We won.
---
Iruka's whistle blew from the stands. "Well done. Excellent coordination."
The crowd of students watched, impressed.
Naruto blinked in shock.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
I kept my face calm—but my hands were shaking slightly.
That had gone too well.
---
Later, as we returned to the classroom, Hinata touched my sleeve.
"Thank you… Aiko. For believing in me."
I smiled. "You were amazing, Hinata."
She turned pink. "I've never done well in group sparring."
"You will from now on."
---
That night, I found a folded slip of paper on my desk.
There was no name.
Just a sentence.
> "You shouldn't be this strong yet."
My blood ran cold.
Someone knew.