Rumors were like smoke.
They never started with a shout, never pointed a finger.
They whispered through locker rooms, danced through lunch tables, coiled around corners.
By the end of the week, the whispers about me had begun to grow legs.
---
> "She took down a Genin during that mission, right?"
"No, she just used some weird shadow move and freaked the guy out."
"I heard she's already been scouted by the ANBU."
"Isn't she Shikamaru's sister? They're probably secretly geniuses."
---
I hated it.
Not because it was all lies—some of it, unfortunately, was close to the truth. But because attention was a poison in this world. And I'd spent months trying to blend, to exist in the background.
But now the spotlight had turned.
And once it touched you in Konoha, it never let go.
---
Shikamaru noticed first.
He leaned over during class, muttering under his breath as Iruka went on about chakra circulation.
"You've become popular. That's annoying."
"Not my fault," I whispered back.
"You could fail more often. Just saying."
I sighed. "You want me to throw a shuriken into my own foot or something?"
"Tempting."
---
The real shift came during our group spar week.
Iruka decided to mix up teams—forcing us to partner with people we rarely interacted with. It was a great idea, in theory.
In practice? It meant I was paired with Sasuke Uchiha.
---
He looked at me with the same cold, calculating eyes he gave everyone. But I saw something more there.
Recognition.
He remembered the D-rank mission. He remembered how I'd moved.
He wasn't sure what I was—but he'd already added me to his mental list of rivals.
"Don't slow me down," he said as we entered the sparring ring.
I gave him a half-smile. "Wouldn't dream of it."
---
Our opponents were Choji Akimichi and Tetsuo, the quiet kid who barely spoke.
On paper, it should've been easy. But Choji had stamina, Tetsuo had reach, and Sasuke had a tendency to treat everyone like they were disposable.
Which meant teamwork? Not happening.
---
The match began.
Sasuke vanished in a blur, already moving to strike Tetsuo before I even registered Iruka's whistle. I stayed where I was, watching.
Waited.
Choji lumbered forward, fists like hammers. He was slower than Sasuke, but stronger than either of us.
I let my chakra slide into the earth.
Shadow Possession Jutsu.
The tendril raced toward Choji—only for him to leap sideways, faster than I expected.
So he'd been training.
"Good," I muttered. "Time to level up."
---
Sasuke shouted. "Cover me!"
I didn't answer.
Instead, I stepped back, closed my eyes, and split my chakra.
A risky move. Shadow jutsu wasn't designed for multi-point targeting until Chuunin level. But I wasn't here to play it safe.
One thread curled toward Choji. The other arced to intercept Tetsuo's staff from behind.
Both shadows connected.
Both opponents froze for half a second.
Enough time for Sasuke to sweep Tetsuo's legs and jab a pressure point.
Enough for me to yank Choji's balance and knock him to the floor.
Match: over.
---
The class clapped. Iruka nodded in approval.
Sasuke, for his part, didn't say anything. But as we left the ring, he glanced sideways at me.
"You're not normal."
"No," I agreed. "Neither are you."
He didn't smile. But he didn't deny it either.
---
Later that day, I found a small folded paper in my locker.
My stomach turned cold.
But when I opened it, it wasn't from the Boy With No Name.
It was from the Hokage.
> Nara Aiko.
*Your performance during the D-rank mission has been noted.
You are requested for a brief evaluation session by ANBU Operations.*
Report to Training Ground 11 at 0700 tomorrow.
—H. Sarutobi*
---
ANBU.
My breath caught.
This was too soon. I was just a student. I hadn't even graduated.
Why was the Hokage watching me?
Or was it Danzo?
Either way, I couldn't refuse.
---
That night, I didn't train.
I lay on the roof of the Nara compound, eyes tracing constellations I didn't know the names of, trying to slow my racing mind.
Shikamaru joined me at some point, dropping beside me with a soft grunt.
"Too many stars," he muttered. "Makes it harder to sleep."
I turned my head. "You ever feel like you're being pulled in two directions?"
He stared up. "Yeah. Every day. But I usually pick the one with less noise."
"What if both paths end badly?"
He shrugged. "Then I go back to sleep and hope for a third."
---
I didn't sleep much. Again.
But when the sun rose, I was already dressed and gone—heading toward Training Ground 11 with my heartbeat echoing in my ears.
I didn't know what I would find there.
Who would be waiting.
What I might be asked.
All I knew was this:
I wasn't in the background anymore.
And whatever was waiting in those woods…
Wasn't going to let me walk away unchanged.
---
[End of Chapter 7]