Shada Aru was a child prodigy by most standards. Born into the Aru Clan, (known for its Kekkei Genkai) and trained by the Hyuga, he was far more powerful than most children his age.

First was the Arugan; this Dojutsu was constantly active once it was awakened. While it didn't change the appearance of the user's eye to make it look any flashier, it was very powerful. In fact, it could copy any Jutsu, including other Kekkei Genkai, causing the user's DNA to actually shift in order to perform said Jutsu. Something even the Sharingan couldn't accomplish.

It wouldn't allow the user to predict one's movements like the Sharingan, nor would it grant enhanced sight, perception, Genjutsu prowess, or special Jutsu. But it would allow the user to copy the Sharingan itself. In a way, it was more like a cataloging Dojutsu paired with shifting DNA, which combined to allow the use of any and all witnessed techniques, even those that normally couldn't be taught or copied.

The second Kekkei Genkai was the Arukra. This ability was a second chakra network consisting of black chakra. This chakra was difficult to use as it was unstable and difficult to manipulate. It often destroyed any other chakra it touched besides the user's own. It could easily kill the user if used recklessly.

Shada often wondered how his clan was killed with such powerful Jutsu at their disposal. But then again, the Nine-Tails was not a foe to be taken lightly.

The Aru Clan had lived just outside of the village in a compound in the forest. They were one of the last clans in the Land of Fire that hadn't officially joined the Leaf Village, despite being a close ally. When the Nine-Tails appeared, they faced it first, their home directly between it and the village during the attack. All were slaughtered except for Shada, who had been merely a year old, and therefore not a part of the battle. He had been left with the Hyuga Clan for temporary safe keeping, only to have the arrangement become more permanent.

This also made Shada the protector and host of the clan's greatest asset; the Ten-Tails, Bakuda the Wolf.

Bakuda was passed down from generation to generation in a seal that he and the founder of the Aru clan had made together. He had chosen to take on a Jinchuriki as a way to protect a world which he had deemed himself too strong to roam freely through.

Bakuda's power had changed the first Aru's DNA enough to create the Kekkei Genkai that Shada now possessed. The seal had allowed this; however, accessing the demon's chakra directly was a much different story. Without a proper seal release, which Shada couldn't perform, he couldn't use Bakuda's power; he could merely take Bakuda's advice through their mental connection.

Hiashi Hyuga had been entrusted with Shada after the Nine-Tails had been sealed as he had apparently been friends with the boy's father. This had allowed Shada to grow up with excellent training alongside his two adoptive siblings. One of them, Hinata, was about to take her academy's graduation exam… and he was about to take it with her.

As Shada thought about all this, he sat on the floor in his simple room, filled with shelves of scrolls and a large bed. Other than that, all the room had was wooden flooring and traditional style walls, complete with sliding doors that blended in. It wasn't an overly large space, either; probably less than a fifteen-by-fifteen-foot room. He'd never measured it himself, but he didn't particularly care.

"It's almost time!"

"Well, you've earned it. You've studied hard and trained harder."

"Thank you, Bakuda."

Standing up, Shada walked over to his bed, looked under it, and pulled out a giant scroll with the kanji for "wolf" on it. He unrolled it and read his name, the last one that had been written into the scroll. It was a summoning scroll of the Aru clan, which Shada had signed in blood when he was six.

Shada's name was right behind his older cousin's; Haji Aru, another ninja who hadn't died in the Nine-Tails attack, but rather in another incident some years before then. Shada didn't know the specifics as it was apparently classified, but he did know that it had saddened his demon, who had been close to the young ninja.

Suddenly, his door slid open. He looked back and scowled at the bitter and cold man before him; Hiashi Hyuga.

"What?" he questioned rudely.

"I understand you and Hinata will be taking the Genin exam tomorrow. I must insist that you do your best to pass. That 'friend' of yours, the Uzumaki boy, will surely fail. And then you will have no excuse not to distance yourself from him. I have already spoken to Hinata on this."

Shada wanted to tell him to go to Hell. Unfortunately, it would not end well if he did, so he let it go. Instead, he only responded by grunting and looking back at the big scroll.

"Shada, you are only here thanks to my good graces," Hiashi spoke sternly. "I suggest you remember that."

"One day… I'll be strong enough to kill you."

"Let it go, Shada. It's not worth letting him get to you."

"Yeah… Easier said than done…"

"Oh yeah?" Shada asked, turning to look at him once again. "Well, I'll be sure to leave as soon as I can. Wouldn't want to burden you."

Hiashi stood there a moment, seeming to hesitate, before walking out with a deeper scowl than he had entered with. Shada counted that as a victory.