"You all know chakra," Iruka said, placing a wooden box on the desk with a soft thunk, "but today, we'll learn what kind you carry inside."
The class sat up straighter.
Even Naruto stopped poking at his bento.
Inside the box were stacks of thin, crisp papers—chakra affinity paper.
One of the most basic tools in any shinobi's path.
"Fire," Iruka continued, "burns the paper. Wind slices it. Lightning crinkles it. Earth turns it to dust. Water soaks it. This is how you'll discover your nature."
I felt my stomach twist.
This was a canon event. Small on the surface. But one that could ripple. And I had no idea how mine would turn out.
---
Sasuke went first.
No surprise—the paper burned.
A bright flame that curled the edges into ash before drifting to the floor.
"Fire nature," Iruka nodded. "Strong affinity."
Naruto was next.
He stared at the paper for a full minute before it suddenly split cleanly in half.
"Wind?" he blinked.
Iruka's brows raised in surprise. "That's... actually very rare for someone from Konoha."
Naruto beamed. "Believe it!"
I tuned out the rest—Kiba's lightning, Hinata's water, even Shikamaru's lazy earth crumble.
When it came to my turn, I stepped up silently and took a sheet.
I focused my chakra—
And the paper burned… and then split in half.
A murmur rippled through the class.
"Double affinity?" someone whispered.
Iruka stood quickly, eyes narrowing. "Again."
I took a second sheet.
This time, I focused harder, isolating streams of my chakra like I'd practiced.
Still, the same result:
Fire... and wind.
---
Double affinities weren't unheard of.
But at the Academy level?
Extremely rare.
Iruka didn't comment immediately. He simply scribbled something on his clipboard with sharp, focused strokes.
I returned to my seat, and Shikamaru leaned in.
"That's going to get you more attention."
I sighed. "Of course it is."
---
That afternoon, the news reached our parents.
And two hours later, I was summoned to the Hokage Tower.
It wasn't a formal summons—just a request for "tea and conversation," according to the messenger.
But in this village, everything had layers.
I entered the office with measured steps.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, puffing lightly on his pipe, his robes spotless, his eyes as sharp as ever.
"Aiko," he said kindly. "Come sit."
I did.
"You're progressing well," he said. "Better than most. Your instructors are impressed."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
He studied me. "Double affinity. Fire and wind. Both aggressive elements."
He exhaled smoke slowly. "That combination is... uncommon. And dangerous."
"I didn't choose it."
"No," he agreed. "But it chose you. And the world rarely gives gifts without a price."
---
He tapped his pipe against the tray, ashes falling like gray snow.
"I will not stop your growth," he said, voice quiet. "But I caution you. Power earned too early burns brighter… and shorter."
I nodded. "Understood."
But in my heart, I felt no fear.
Only determination.
If the world was watching me, I would give them something to fear.
---
Two days later, a new test arrived.
An advanced field exam.
Not part of the standard curriculum—but organized by ANBU and approved by the Hokage.
Only ten students were selected.
I was one of them.
So was Sasuke. So was the Boy With No Name—though no one else knew who he really was.
---
The mission was simple on paper.
> "You are to retrieve a marked scroll hidden deep within Training Zone 17.
The first three to return with it pass.
The rest fail.
Use of traps, deception, and chakra is allowed.
Injuries are expected. Death is not."
Not death. But pain? Absolutely.
I felt it in the tension behind Iruka's smile as he handed me the mission scroll.
This wasn't about learning.
This was a hunt.
---
We entered the forest at dawn.
Fog clung to the underbrush. Birds quieted as we passed.
Each student went a separate way.
I moved low, slow, controlled.
Shadow Possession active.
Senses sharp.
Chakra ready.
Halfway through the zone, I found a snare—tripwire stretched taut across a log path.
I bypassed it easily.
Then I felt it:
A chakra signature.
Moving fast. Coming straight for me.
---
I rolled just as the Boy With No Name dropped from the trees.
"Hey," he said, not even winded. "Nice of you to show up."
"You're interfering again."
He smirked. "No. Competing. Big difference."
He held up a decoy scroll. "Fake. But everyone else is fighting over these."
I narrowed my eyes. "You planted them."
"I wanted to see what you'd do."
"What makes you think I haven't already found the real one?"
He chuckled. "Because you're still here, arguing with me."
---
We circled each other.
Not fighting.
Not yet.
Just measuring.
Then a rustle behind us.
Sasuke.
He strode into the clearing like he owned it, eyes scanning, chakra flaring.
His gaze landed on the scroll in the boy's hand. "Is that it?"
"No," the boy replied smoothly. "But it could be."
Sasuke didn't hesitate. He moved like lightning—fists raised, eyes gleaming with calculation.
---
The three of us exploded into motion.
I launched shadow threads. Sasuke dodged, leapt into the trees.
The boy spun, kicked a log into the air, blocking my line of sight.
Kunai clashed. Sparks flew.
And for the first time—I wasn't holding back.
I was dancing in fire and wind.
My chakra split, surged, and swept beneath my feet.
I was alive.
---
In the chaos, a fourth figure appeared.
Not a student.
Not a proctor.
A shinobi in black—Root armor. Masked. Silent.
He moved toward the true scroll hidden behind a false tree trunk.
And that's when it clicked.
> This wasn't just a test. It was a cover. Root was using the exam to recover something else. Something hidden in the forest.
And we were the distraction.
---
I didn't hesitate.
I launched my shadow straight at the masked figure.
The chakra that hit me in return was heavy. Weighted. Meant for killing.
My shadow slowed him, barely.
But it gave the Boy With No Name a second to strike.
He appeared behind the man like a phantom and slammed a kunai into the back of his thigh.
The Root operative stumbled.
The real scroll hit the ground.
And I grabbed it.
---
By the time ANBU swept in, the Root shinobi had vanished—leaving behind only a smear of blood and a broken mask.
We handed over the scroll.
None of us spoke of what we saw.
And later that night, I found another note.
Slipped beneath my window.
> "You were warned. But you still stepped in."
"Now, we'll see if you're strong enough to survive what comes next."
—D
---
[End of Chapter 10]