She began to tell me the story of why my family had been murdered. She had been on a mission with other members of ANBU. They were to infiltrate a village that was believed to be home to an S-rank criminal and missing ninja known as Itachi Uchiha. Itachi had not been alone, and the man with him had proved to be another S-rank criminal and missing ninja. The fight to capture them had become a fight to flee. My aunt had had her mask removed, and was recognised instantly by Itachi. She and a few of the other members of ANBU managed to escape, though two were gravely injured. The members of ANBU made it Kumogakure, where they stayed while injuries were treated. Upon returning home, she discovered that her sister had been attacked, and that all of the family had been killed.
When I'd walked into ANBU with Kakashi, my aunt had been so surprised and happy to see me that she had immediately requested I stay with ANBU. "I'm sorry Akira, it's my fault that your parents and sister were killed." I nodded slowly, trying to take it all in. "Why did my sister have this pendant?" I asked, showing her the necklace I wore. My aunt smiled sadly. "She was a member of ANBU. She showed such promise, but her life ended early." I nodded again, struggling to take it all in. Kakashi turned to me. "Akira, soon you too will be able to join ANBU. However, you must pass a series of tests first. Your training will begin now." Kakashi motioned to my Sensei, who led me from the room and to the training room.
The next three weeks consisted of training, eating, sleeping and training some more. I was so exhausted by the time I reached my room each night that Asuka and I barely spoke. One night though, Asuka looked a little upset. I was sitting on my bed when she walked into the room. Trying to get her to smile, I looked up at her and grinned. "How was training?" She shrugged. "Fine. I'm almost ready to join the ranks of ANBU." I smiled, happy for her. "That's great!" She looked away, upset. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked quietly. She nodded her head without turning, and climbed into bed. I crawled under my covers, with no idea of what to say to make her feel better.