Sumiko – Twelve Years Old
It's been a year since my mother died, yet those nightmares haven't faded. If anything, they've grown clearer, more suffocating.
I grab my backpack and head to the academy.
On the way, I cross paths with Sakura and Hannah. I don't need to turn to know they've noticed me—the sudden silence gives it away. Still, I walk past, ignoring the furtive glances they likely exchange behind me.
Inside the classroom, I go straight to my usual seat: close enough to the teacher to seem attentive, but far enough to avoid unnecessary attention.
Class drags on at an excruciating pace. Yet inside my head, everything is a whirlwind. I glance out the window, letting my gaze drift to sparrows flitting among the campus trees. Their freedom feels almost insulting. Then, something interrupts my reverie.
A presence.
"It's another one…" I whisper, barely moving my lips.
They've changed the shinobi assigned to watch me. Today, there's a new masked ANBU face. Silver hair, relaxed yet lethal stance.
And then, he's gone.
"He's really good…" I murmur to myself.
I close my eyes and try to detect chakra—nothing. He vanished completely.
Up until now, the ninja assigned to guard me were competent, but within a range I could handle if needed. Not that I'd defeat them—let's be real—but at least I could hold them off long enough to...something.
This man, though, is different.
He's far stronger than the others.
And that worries me.
If they sent someone of his caliber, it means there are signs of danger… or someone's getting suspicious.
Could the Hokage know I've been training in secret? I've taken some scrolls from the library and have been discreetly studying them.
A whisper behind me grows louder. I don't have to turn to know who it is.
Ino and Hannah.
"Did you hear what she answered?" Ino's voice drips with amusement.
"How ridiculous—like Sasuke would notice some crazy girl talking to herself," Hannah laughs mockingly.
I force myself to ignore them, though my stomach knots. I know this script by heart: they'll drag me into their silly Sasuke competition. Worst part? He never does anything to stop it.
Sometimes, he even encourages it.
Sasuke doesn't need words to remind me how insignificant I am next to him. A sharp comment here, a scornful look there. Enough so that the message hits me even without being addressed to me.
Ino and Sakura have caught on—and use every chance to rub it in.
Yesterday was worse than usual. And with what happened afterward, I'm on alert.
Because yesterday, I was attacked—maybe by the same people who tried to kidnap me last summer.
That nightmare that kept me awake wasn't just a dream.
I suspect it was a Genjutsu. And that terrifies me. My house is a fortress, sealed with multiple protective seals. Nobody should breach my mind without me noticing.
Kizashi spent money, time, and effort to satisfy Mebuki's demands—no one should enter without permission.
But someone did.
And if they can reach me in my own home, nowhere is safe.
My father is now the chief of the police—the man who replaced Fugaku after his death. Security in our house is impregnable, yet the Hokage insists on a shinobi watching me 24/7.
Why? They came for my mother once. Who guarantees they won't come for me?
Konoha isn't a safe haven. It's unreliable.
The shinobi watching me only serve as formal tokens—pawns in a war I didn't ask for.
Mushani is dead, and I'm not useful to Konoha. At least, that's how they seem to see me. But I'm not sure of anything anymore. I'm swimming in a sea of uncertainty.
If my suspicions are real, someone has access to me.
Someone who shouldn't.
I have one year left before graduating the academy. Meanwhile, I'm wasting time in classes for novices—learning how to throw kunai nicely while someone has already marked me as their target.
My expression hardens into a scowl.
Because this… only complicates my plans.