I was frozen in fright, terrified to move, my heart was throbbing madly against my ribs. I could barely breathe, but I managed to hold her gaze. Her red eyes piercing me and I felt myself trembling under her watch.

"Nice try." she told me calmly.

"I-It's t-t-too l-late, t-they'll g-g-get the scroll." I stuttered and she brought her other hand in front of me, holding something.

"You mean, this scroll?" she asked. Damn it! That woman tried to put a genjutsu on fucking Uchiha Itachi! How in the damned world was she outplaying me?! She couldn't be that good! Damn it! I underestimated her! "You made a mistake letting your teammates leave you behind." she told me in a cold tone.

That was when Hinata and Shino ran out of the building, both stopping at the sight. The kunai, Kurenai was holding, was scratching my throat. Was she going to kill me?! Logic left my brain at that moment and I lost my calmness, I began breathing rapidly. She was going to kill me. In front of my teammates. Then she was going to go after them. I couldn't let that happen!

"Oh no!" Hinata gasped and Shino got in a ready position.

"Run!" I ordered. "I don't want you two to get hurt!" I shouted, but they didn't move.

"We're a team, we stick together." Shino answered and Hinata nodded, then she also got in a ready position.

"Just leave!" I pleaded, but they didn't move an inch.

"We won't leave our leader behind!" Hinata shouted back.

Did that really happen? I was watching her with wide eyes, my breath slowing for a moment. Too shocked to see her acting all brave and determined all of a sudden, focusing on her, I realized my head was clearing.

"That's it!" Kurenai growled behind me and I closed my eyes, fearing the worst. But the slash never came.

"What?" I asked as I felt her retreating form and I slowly sat up, finally able to calm my nerves and my trembling.

"You all pass." she smiled. What?! "From now we are Team 8." she told us with a smile.

"Did we-" Shino began.

"-pass?" Hinata finished.

"Yes." Kurenai said still smiling.

"Troublesome." I sighed. "But we didn't get the scroll." I rose to my full height.

"That was never the point of the exercise. The point was that you" she pointed at all three of us. "would act as a team and work together. The fact that you, Shikanai, chose to stay behind and put your faith in your team, and the fact that Hinata and Shino didn't want to leave you and decided to fight me, even though you were held down and probably would have ended dead in a real-life situation, showed that you three will be a team that will be able to reach my expectations." Huh?

"You tried to kill me!" I accused her, throwing my hands in the air.

"I wouldn't have done it." She shrugged and smiled.

"I know!" I growled. "That would be illogical, after all, that wouldn't teach us anything and it would only cause trouble for you, the Nara clan would be mad and want your head for that, but…" I rubbed my eyes. "How in the world did I manage to just… Freeze?" I groaned and then looked at the ground. "If that happens out there… I'm dead." I heard her sigh.

"That was killing intent, you'll get used to it." She sounded sympathetic and I wanted to act up, to say that I have felt killing intent before and it wasn't that bad, but I just couldn't find my voice. "Meet me tomorrow morning at 9 at the Seventh Training Ground. Now, follow me."

After we had lunch together, Kurenai-sensei told us that from the following day we were going to train hard and take on missions, D-ranks of course. I asked her if we could find out our affinity, she looked at me strangely, but then she gave in and nodded. So, I was going to find out my affinity. Finally! After that talk, we all parted and so I got to the compound, then I entered the main house.

"I came home." I called and took off my sandals. Mother came to see me and when I looked up, she tilted her head. "Did it." I smiled and she pulled me into a quick hug.

"That's my girl." she planted a kiss on my forehead. "Your father is waiting for you and your brother in his study." I nodded confusedly. "Shikamaru! Come here, young man!" she called down the hall. I heard a grunt and then some muttering, but then Shikamaru came into view. "Both of you, go to your father." she ordered and we nodded.

"Hey, where were you last night?" he asked as we walked.

"Long story." I sighed.

After we arrived we entered and sat down in front of father. The whole room had a solemn vibe, and so we waited for the man to address us. He was not looking at us, he was looking down, his back straight, his arms crossed and he just sat, without any reaction at all. We both waited patiently, not wanting to disturb father, after all, we haven't seen him that serious ever in our lives.

"Tell me. Did you pass? Shikamaru?" he asked.

"Yes." my brother answered clearly.

"Shikanai?"

"Passed." I answered as well. He nodded but didn't look up to us.

"Do you know what that means, right? You're shinobi from now on, legal adults, and your loyalty should only be to the Leaf." we nodded. "You will face great difficulties and you will experience pain. You will kill and you will be tortured, all of that for the Leaf. You will see people die around you and you might fight in another war, but I ask you that whatever happens, trust your mind and heart." we nodded and he looked up. "And the most important thing, I ask you two to trust each other with your lives and more." he looked at me. "Shikanai, it's time." Shikamaru looked confused and I turned slightly.

"Shikamaru, you know that reincarnation is possible, right?" he nodded. "Some are reborn in others, but that someone won't know that he or she had lived before. Now, what if there were multiple worlds? Just like that theory, we learned in physics, you know? Every decision makes a new world?" he nodded. "What if that's true? And somebody from a different world is reincarnated in another world, but the person remembers the past life."

"That should be impossible." he told me and I snorted.

"That's what I thought as well, until… it happened to me." he looked at me incredulously, and then he turned to father, who only nodded.

"You mean?" he asked turning back.

"Yes. I was nineteen years old when I died and I woke up here." I told him. "I still remember my other life, but I remember less and less as time goes by. My mind erases those memories and makes room for new ones. At first, I remembered my first parents' voices, heard them in my dreams, but I cannot hear them anymore, cannot remember their faces. It's weird, it's like being two persons at once, one that lived and had a simple life, with entire different surroundings, the other living currently and learning life. At first, I was sad that I was forgetting my past life, but then I realized this new life isn't so bad after all, I have a loving and supporting family, good friends, and so much more." I smiled at him. "It hurt to not tell you all of this, but I wanted to be sure you could keep a secret, the fact that you became genin as well, and as father said, that meant we were basically adults, maybe this should be my sign of trust and I just hope you'll be mature enough to not spill it." I smirked teasingly.

"Who else knows?" he asked.

"Me, your mother, and Kakashi." father answered him. "It's best to not let the Hokage know, not yet, there's a high chance Danzo will find out and that would put your sister into great danger." Shikamaru nodded slowly.

"That's why Kakashi mentored you." I nodded. "But why him?" he asked me.

"His sensei was like me. It just happened to be pure coincidence that I trusted him with this secret and that he knew that it was possible. He helped a great deal, actually, he was the one to tell mother and father... in a way." Shikamaru watched me like I was some kind of an alien.

"I knew that there was something about your eyes." I tilted my head. "They showed that you were older." he smirked at me. "Don't worry, sister, you can trust me, I'm not going to tell this to anyone." I smiled at him and I felt so happy. Finally, he knew as well, no more secrets.

"Thank you, brother." he nodded.

None of us realized that father was watching us with a fond smile on his face and a proud look in his eyes.

Finally, I talked myself into posting after a few hectic days. So, yeah, Shikamaru finally finds out about Shikanai's secret and Team 8 begins their journey. Oh, about Kurenai, I don't think the anime gave her enough credit, so I'm making her more powerful. When I watched the anime I felt like she was weaker than Asuma, or others of her rank, so here she'll be up to par. That is why she has an elaborate test and that's why she can be actually terrifying.

I still don't own Naruto and never will.

Thanks for the support, everyone! The fact that so many people read my story is quite overwhelming, I'm not gonna lie, but at the same time, it's something that brings joy back to my everyday. Thank you so mcuh!

Have a nice read.