Omniscient Narrator
Office of the Third Hokage
"So she defeated Hannah with a single blow?" asked the Hokage, narrowing his eyes behind the pipe.
"A precise strike to the base of the neck. Clean technique. Precise," Iruka replied, still with a hint of disbelief in his tone. "She didn't even use hand seals. No jutsu. Just taijutsu... and good taijutsu at that."
The Hokage nodded slowly, thoughtful.
"And according to your reports, she's been pretending to be average until now. Interesting…"
Iruka hesitated, then added:
"Sir, it's not my place to judge, but that girl… she's not normal. Not just because of her skills, but because of how well she hides them. She has too much control over how she's perceived."
"I know. That's why I don't want her to grow up unsupervised."
The Hokage rose from his chair and walked toward the window, overlooking part of Konoha.
"Place her on Uchiha's team. I want to see how she reacts working with him… and I want Hatake watching her. There's no one better at seeing without being seen."
Iruka blinked.
"Are you sure? With Sakura Haruno as well? That could be… problematic."
"Precisely," the old man replied with an enigmatic smile. "The problematic is often revealing."
-----
Konoha Ninja Academy – The Next Day
Sumiko
Three years had passed since I stopped being just "the bastard." I was no longer the shadow of a name, or a diplomatic burden. Now, I was a genin… and the world expected something from me. But I had expectations of my own.
The classroom buzzed with voices and excited whispers.
"I bet I'll be on Sasuke's team!" said Ino, eyes sparkling.
"I doubt it," Sakura replied without looking at her. "He and I are destined to be together in everything."
Meanwhile, I was mentally calculating how many ways I could escape through the window without being noticed. It wasn't that I minded being here... I just minded the company.
Iruka-sensei walked in with the usual folder in hand, and everyone went silent at once.
"Listen closely. I'm going to announce the teams."
The list began. Most names sounded like background noise to me... until I heard the ones that mattered.
"Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha…"
Naruto cheered when he heard Sakura's name but immediately frowned at Sasuke's. Sakura, on the other hand, looked like she was floating on air.
"Oh… and Sumiko Haruno."
When Iruka said my name, a shiver ran down my spine. It wasn't fear. It was the cold reminder of what it means to be "watched."
The silence fell like a bomb.
"A four-man team? That's not possible."
"That's weird…"
Sakura looked at me as if someone had stolen her dream.
Sasuke simply frowned, annoyed—like my mere existence was a stone in his boot.
I could hear the whispers around me. And while I stayed quiet, inside I was just as stunned. What the hell is the Hokage playing at?
A worry clouded my thoughts. This wasn't normal.
Teams are made up of three genin and one sensei. There shouldn't be five people.
I understood instantly: I was under surveillance again. I cursed under my breath.
The Hokage must have had suspicions, and yesterday I confirmed them when I publicly took down Hannah.
Still, I just smiled and pretended not to notice.
They can't know how far I've come. Not when I don't even know what Konoha wants from me.
"Fantastic. I'm in the fan club now," I muttered, loud enough for them to hear.
------
Omniscient Narrator
While the academy buzzed with chatter, laughter, and impatient footsteps, most new teams had already met their sensei. But Team 7 was still waiting.
Their teacher wasn't even close to the classroom. He was in the Third Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the recent graduates through his crystal ball, eyes locked on a particular figure: the girl from the Mist. Sumiko.
Though her performance during the graduation exam had been decent, something about her didn't add up. She seemed to know more than she let on—and that unsettled him.
Assigning her to a four-man team had been an unusual choice, yes—but also a calculated one. More eyes on her. More control.
"Hatake Kakashi," the Hokage called, just as the jōnin walked in with his usual lazy, indifferent demeanor.
"My new team?" Kakashi asked, glancing at the crystal ball. He observed the four teens that made up the current Team 7.
"The usual: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura… and a new member. Sumiko Haruno."
Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. No one had told him there'd be a fourth. He knew the first three well. But the last one… was new.
"A relative?"
"Half-sister. But don't underestimate her. That girl… she's hiding things. Techniques, her past—even her intentions. I want her under surveillance."
Kakashi said nothing, analyzing the Hokage's words. It wasn't the first time he'd been asked to watch someone. Nor the first time that girl's name crossed his radar. Still, he offered no objections.
"Understood."
The Hokage studied him for a few more seconds, thoughtful.
"Kakashi… don't take your eyes off her. She's a wildcard. And a poorly played wildcard… can kill the king."
The jōnin simply nodded. And in a blink, vanished like a shadow.
What was Sumiko Haruno hiding… for the Hokage to keep such a close eye on her?
Sumiko
"What kind of sensei shows up half an hour late on the first day?!" Naruto groaned, slamming his head against the desk dramatically.
"He's probably busy…" Sakura mumbled, though she didn't sound convinced.
"I got it!" Naruto jumped up with a mischievous grin. "Let's prank him. We'll balance a chalkboard eraser on the door! When he walks in—boom! Nailed it, right?"
"How childish," Sakura commented, though the smile on her lips betrayed her amusement.
I said nothing.
I wasn't really listening.
I rested my chin in my palm, eyes fixed on some invisible point on the floor. I wasn't a student anymore. I wasn't protected. I was now a genin. Legally functional. Legally... disposable.
If I wanted to, I could run. I could leave right now, go back to Kirigakure… if there was still something waiting for me there. But the truth was colder: the treaty signed years ago—the one that made me a "diplomatic ward"—had dangerous clauses.
Worse, I had no idea what was actually agreed upon. And I don't know if my mother's death changed any of it. That's what worries me.
If I leave without permission… they could mark me as a rogue ninja. And then ANBU would come for me.
They didn't need to say it out loud. The way they looked at me said enough.
So I chose the smartest option: observe. Wait. Evaluate.
The Chunin Exams would take place in six months. I could use that time to study Konoha from the inside, find out what ties me to this village, what my mother wanted by bringing me here… and maybe, find a way out.
I crossed my arms and closed my eyes for a moment.
I couldn't afford to drop my guard.
"All set!" Naruto shouted from the center of the room. "This is gonna be the best ninja prank ever!"
The door opened.
Poof!
A white cloud of chalk exploded into the air. The eraser landed squarely on the jōnin's head like a declaration of war.
There he was. Our sensei.
Snow-white hair, black mask up to the nose, and a bored look in his lone visible eye, half-covered by a tilted headband.
He brushed the chalk dust off slowly. No one breathed.
"Well… my first impression of this group is that you're all a bunch of idiots."
Blunt enough.
Naruto shrank into his seat, mumbling something like "worth it."
Sakura swallowed hard.
Sasuke crossed his arms, unimpressed.
I simply raised an eyebrow. Deep down, I already knew: this sensei wasn't a fool. He wasn't just judging how we reacted—he was measuring us. Watching… and taking notes.
"Meet me on the roof," he said flatly as he turned away. "We're going to introduce ourselves… and I'll decide if you're even worth training."
And with that, he vanished through the door like a shadow.
My steps followed him.