Konoha's Academy was quieter than usual that morning.
The wind carried the scent of rain, and the sky wore a gray veil that made even the rowdiest students lower their voices. But Ayanokoji Nara paid no attention to the weather. He sat in the corner of the classroom, back straight, eyes scanning his textbook—not because he was learning, but because it was more efficient than listening to the dull drone of Iruka-sensei repeating basic chakra theory.
His mind had already drifted somewhere else.
ROOT.
They were watching again. He could feel it—barely noticeable chakra pulses during the walk to school, a shinobi shadow in the reflection of a merchant's teapot. He never reacted outwardly, never gave them the satisfaction.
He knew better.
By midday, the students were gathered near Training Field Six for a class survival exercise. Basic tracking, tree walking, and a flag-retrieval challenge—a harmless setup to teach teamwork.
Iruka split them into pairs.
"Ayanokoji, you'll be with Ino Yamanaka."
Ino blinked. "What? He doesn't even talk to anyone."
"I don't need to," Ayanokoji replied, already walking toward the starting point.
Ino scowled but followed. "Ugh, this is going to be the worst team ever."
"You're correct," he said. "You'll hold us back."
Her mouth dropped open. "You—!"
"Try not to slow me down," he added, vanishing into the trees.
The goal was simple: retrieve one of the three hidden flags in the northern sector before any other team. Ayanokoji and Ino moved swiftly through the trees, but he never explained their route. He simply pointed, gestured, and moved with such precision that Ino eventually stopped protesting and just followed.
Ten minutes in, they were already ahead of most teams.
"Seriously, how do you *know* where it is?" Ino asked between breaths.
Ayanokoji knelt beside a tree and tapped the roots. "Freshly disturbed soil. The moisture hasn't resettled. The flag is buried here."
He unwrapped a bundle of leaves and pulled the red flag from beneath it.
Ino stared. "You're like a walking sensor."
"No. I just observe what others don't."
They were returning to the central checkpoint when it happened.
A sharp whistle through the trees. A kunai embedded itself into the ground just inches from Ayanokoji's foot.
Ino shrieked. "What the hell?! This is a school exercise!"
But Ayanokoji was already moving. His hand caught Ino's wrist and yanked her behind a tree. Another kunai whistled past, this one laced with a barely visible chakra tag.
Explosive.
He counted the seconds.
**Boom.**
The tree shuddered, bark splintering.
He turned to Ino. "Run back to Iruka-sensei. Now."
"But—"
"*Now.*"
His tone wasn't loud—but the weight behind it made her move.
When she was gone, he turned to the forest.
Two figures emerged from the mist. Black cloaks. An eerie silence in their steps.
ROOT.
"Unregistered combatants attacking students during a sanctioned exercise," Ayanokoji said aloud. "You must be desperate."
Neither responded.
One moved first—fast.
Ayanokoji dipped low, avoiding the incoming fist, and responded with a wind-chakra infused palm strike that blew leaves into a cyclone. He spun, channeling lightning through his foot as it swept the attacker's legs, but the man vanished in a flicker of movement.
The second came from behind.
Ayanokoji threw a water kunai in reverse—forcing the figure to raise a defensive seal—but that gave him the opening he needed. He slammed his chakra into the ground, causing a burst of mud to erupt, knocking both of them off balance.
They didn't expect him to use *all four elements in combat.*
They didn't expect a genin to fight like an ANBU.
Just as one ROOT operative lunged forward with a poisoned blade, a blinding streak of silver intercepted him.
Kakashi.
His kunai clanged against the assassin's in a spark of steel. With one fluid motion, Kakashi disarmed him and flipped him over with a clean sweep kick. The other attacker froze—only for a shadow to catch his feet mid-step.
Shikamaru appeared on a nearby branch, yawning. "Man, you attract all the fun."
"Wasn't expecting guests," Ayanokoji said, brushing dirt from his sleeve.
The ROOT operatives tried to retreat—but Kakashi was already in front of them.
He knocked one out cold.
The other received a tag on the neck—a paralysis seal.
The fight was over in seconds.
Iruka arrived moments later, panting, followed by several Chūnin.
"What in the world—?!" he gasped, staring at the unconscious assailants.
"They weren't students," Kakashi said coldly. "And they weren't here for training."
Hiruzen arrived minutes later, summoned urgently by the chakra alert tags Kakashi had placed earlier.
The Hokage's face was carved in stone—rage quietly seething beneath the surface. "ROOT."
Kakashi nodded. "They went after him again. During an Academy test."
Ayanokoji stood silently.
Hiruzen looked at him. "Are you injured?"
"No."
"Good. Because this just became a declaration."
He turned to one of the Chūnin. "Double security around the compound. Any shadow that moves wrong—I want it dragged out."
He turned to Ayanokoji.
"You showed incredible control, restraint, and awareness. But we can't keep you caged like this. If they want to test us, they'll do it again. So from now on—you train under Kakashi. Officially."
Ayanokoji bowed. "Understood."
Kakashi placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. "Guess we're stuck with each other full-time now."
The boy didn't smile—but his expression softened. "Fine. But no more tracking exercises."
"No promises."
That night, Ayanokoji sat at his desk, pen gliding over the paper in clean, efficient strokes.
> *ROOT doesn't fear the law. They only respect force. Today was their warning. But warnings go both ways. They believe I'm a failed variable. A shadow they forgot to erase. But I'm not a shadow.*
>
> *I'm the hand that casts it.*
He closed the book, blew out the candle, and stared into the darkness.
Outside, someone was watching again.
But this time… he didn't mind.
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