I stared at the paper long after the ink began to blur under my trembling fingers.
> "You shouldn't be this strong yet."
Seven words. That was all. But it shattered my carefully built world like glass.
Who knew?
Who had been watching?
More importantly—who else remembered?
---
I didn't sleep that night.
Even in the safety of the Nara compound, I felt exposed. The paper had no chakra trace, no scent, no signature. It had been folded with mechanical precision and left where only I would find it.
Whoever they were, they were good. Careful. Smart.
Like me.
Or worse.
---
The next morning, I felt the weight of the paper in my pocket as I walked to the Academy beside Shikamaru.
"Why are you so quiet?" he asked, yawning.
"I'm always quiet."
"Yeah, but today it feels like you're thinking too loudly. Troublesome."
I didn't answer. I couldn't risk pulling him in yet.
If someone was targeting me, I had to find out who—without tipping my hand.
---
We started kunai training that day.
Iruka instructed us to line up at the wooden targets.
"Focus on grip. Not strength. Control your chakra flow through your wrist."
Naruto missed his target completely.
Sasuke nailed his. Twice.
Hinata shook so hard, her kunai barely grazed the edge.
I stepped up, feeling eyes on me.
I aimed.
Then missed—intentionally.
A half-second pause. Just enough to make it look like I misjudged the distance.
I heard quiet whispering behind me. "She was perfect yesterday… why miss now?"
Exactly. Let them doubt me. Let them guess.
I'd rather be underestimated than marked.
---
After class, I asked to use the training field alone. Iruka allowed it—probably thinking I was trying to catch up after the "bad throw."
I wasn't.
I was baiting the watcher.
---
I stood in the middle of the field, kunai in hand, pretending to train.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
The shadows shifted around the trees.
Someone was watching.
I slowed my breath. Pushed chakra into my feet. Let the world sharpen around me.
Then—movement.
A flicker. Not a jutsu. Just enough of a step. Deliberate.
I turned. "You can come out now."
Silence.
Then a soft voice spoke, calm and cool.
"You noticed. Impressive."
From the edge of the forest stepped a boy I'd never seen in class before. He wore standard training gear, but no forehead protector. His dark hair fell over one eye. He was taller than the rest of us—maybe twelve or thirteen.
I frowned. "Who are you?"
He smiled faintly. "You don't recognize me? Huh. That's disappointing."
"What do you want?"
"You're not the only one who remembers this world, Aiko Nara."
My stomach dropped.
He knew.
---
I shifted slightly, weight on my back foot. My hand moved near my kunai pouch, just in case.
He didn't react. Just raised one hand, palms out.
"I'm not here to fight. That would be dumb. We're in Konoha, remember?"
"Then what?"
"I wanted to see what kind of threat you'd be. And now I know."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're a reincarnator."
"Bingo."
"How long?"
He shrugged. "Long enough. Died in my world three years ago. Got dumped here in a civilian family. Lucked out with decent chakra reserves. Started training early. Found the story familiar, put the pieces together."
I didn't speak. My brain was racing.
If he knew I wasn't from here… and knew the story…
"Then you know what's coming."
"Oh, I do. Which is why I'm not playing hero."
His voice turned cold.
"You try to change too much, and this world pushes back. Hard. You save someone who was meant to die, two more people die in their place. I've seen it."
---
I clenched my jaw. "Then what are you doing here?"
"Surviving. Same as you."
He walked a little closer.
"But I'm giving you a friendly warning, Aiko. Stay in your lane. Don't draw attention. Don't play savior. Or you'll find out this world isn't as kind to outliers as you think."
His eyes flicked to mine.
"I've already seen one of us die trying to rewrite the script."
---
The silence between us stretched. The forest held its breath.
"Is that a threat?" I asked quietly.
"It's advice. Take it or don't." He turned. "I'm not your enemy. Not unless you make me one."
Then he vanished into the trees.
No name. No clan. No alliance.
Just a shadow that knew too much.
---
That night, I didn't go home right away.
Instead, I stood by the edge of the Naka River, watching the water run beneath the small bridge.
I thought about the boy's words. About the timelines. About fate.
If changing too much causes collapse...
How do you survive and save the people who deserve better?
How do you live knowing everything… and do nothing?
---
A quiet footstep behind me.
"Found you," said Shikamaru.
I turned, startled. "What are you doing here?"
He tilted his head. "I should ask you that. You're the one brooding at a river like some tragic poet."
I didn't reply. He walked up beside me, hands in his pockets.
"Don't think too hard about the future," he muttered. "It's never what you expect anyway."
I looked at him—really looked at him.
My twin. My anchor. The one person who always understood, even when he didn't know the whole truth.
"I'll try," I said.
He yawned. "Good. Let's go home. Troublesome world isn't going to fix itself."
---
As we walked back together, I glanced over my shoulder once.
The trees were still.
But I knew.
The shadows were watching.
---
[End of Chapter 4]