🎐

Kazumi had been here less than a week, and so far he'd found out that the air here tasted like straight-up garbage, people were unimaginably stupid, and the system was trash. He also found out that he really hated cars. It didn't help that Aizawa was somewhat of a reckless driver and it also didn't help that Kazumi found out he had something called 'motion sickness'.

Like the detective had said, it was early morning, and a weekday—much to Aizawa's dismay—so there was no time to sleep. The man had driven straight to U.A. High School. It was 5:24 AM when the two arrived, trudging into the building, Kazumi had been taken straight to the principal.

When Aizawa had mentioned the word 'principle' Kazumi had expected someone largely intimidating, rich, and strict. He didn't know what to expect, but a hybrid between a rat and a dog was not what he had in mind.

Kazumi had stared and stared even with his Sharingan activated as Aizawa started to explain everything previously discussed at the police station and he had no idea what this abomination was or could be.

"Interesting...certainly interesting," The thing pondered, studying Kazumi with its unnerving little eyes.

He sat, not really knowing what to input into the conversation. The two were conversing about what to do with the Uchiha like he wasn't there.

His eyes wandered to the window, overlooking the grassy field outside. It was just the beginning of summer, yet the sunlight had already begun streaming into the windows, even in the early hours. Early June was when the hydrangea flourished. Kazumi found the mesmerizing shades of indigo, pink, and white beautiful, knowing they would've add a nice splash of color to the Akatsuki hideout.

"So then it's decided," Kazumi snapped out of his trance with those words.

"I'm putting him under your supervision until further notice, Aizawa," The man in question nodded, eyes surprisingly alert.

"And Uchiha-kun, I'm going to need to wear this," The white rat presented an ankle monitor, a piece of technology that the boy was once again, confused by. He took the small item in his hands, slowly turning it around, and inspected it.

"This is a quirk disabling, GPS ankle monitor. It's mainly used for tracking individuals recently released from prison, but need to still be under the provision of the criminal justice system."

"Although in your case, I doubt that it will truly cancel your quirk," Principle Nezu took the object from Kazumi's hands and fastened it around the boy's ankle, over his boots. Hearing it click into place, the rat creature tugged on the device that didn't budge. It was tight, almost too tight.

"Since quirk disabling won't work on you, I'm putting you in Aizawa's charge," The feline continued, making Kazumi turn and look at Aizawa. Running his eyes over the teacher in a manner that almost seemed judgemental.

The rat droned on and explain that tampering with the device or any attempts in removal will not only alert any nearby authorities but also shock him with electrical currents up to 300 volts, the boy conveniently left out the fact that number was nowhere near the limit my body could handle.

With that, Nezu shoved them out of his office, muttering something about his 'daily tea time' and Kazumi was, once again, left alone with the sleep-deprived man. He sighed, heading to the teacher's office, Kazumi hot on his heels, wearing a curious expression.

"We're going to the teacher and staff room to get some coffee. Class starts in a few hours, might as well..." The doors to the room slide open with a sensor, and the boy tensed up, still not used to this world's tech. Aizawa suppressed the urge to laugh at Kazumi, who always seemed to react to anything with the resemblance of a guarded cat.

The staff room was empty, it was barely six in the morning, after all. The room had basic utilities, a snack bar, a small kitchen, a couch, and a dining table. There was even a small bathroom with a shower, Aizawa had gone on to explain that some teachers needed to wash up after training or working out.

He'd jumped into the shower readily. Despite not looking that part, Kazumi was a bit of a clean freak, he hated feeling rugged or dirty in any type of way. Washing away the dirt, grime, and dried blood off of his skin felt amazing. He always carried around spare Akatsuki robes, since his always seemed to either get lost or damaged. After showering and changing into fresh clothes, graciously provided by his summoning scrolls, he stepped out of the shower.

Aizawa was bent over to the coffee machine, it was the only thing keeping him together at this point. Pressing the button for a 'triple shot espresso' he turned back and looked at Kazumi, standing a few meters away.

"You can help yourself to whatever."

The boy nodded but didn't make a move to the countertop, instead, settling on the ground and pulling out a scroll and unraveling it. He bit his thumb, drawing blood. As soon as his blood came into contact with the paper, smoke sprang out from the scroll. Aizawa watched, alarmed, as the puff of smoke revealed a tea set, out of nowhere. Kazumi sat, enjoying his piping hot green tea, nonchalantly.

"W-What was that?"

"A summoning scroll...?" Getting a response of silence, he continued.

"It's like...for storage. You can put anything in it, which makes carrying things easier," He explained.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

Aizawa downed his coffee, eyes wide. He really shouldn't be surprised about anything at this point. First, dimensional travel, child soldiers, and now summoning scrolls for infinite storage? What's next, a talking dog?

A long silence lapses between the two again. It wasn't awkward, no, Kazumi was just a person who always had little to say, Aizawa himself being an introvert, empathized. Eventually, he'd gone over to the couch and got comfortable. There was still a while until class started.

"We gotta get out of here by 7:30-"

"Knock yourself out. I'll wake you up. No, I won't do anything stupid. I came with you by choice, didn't I?" The teacher took a moment and let those words sink in, although he wasn't sure if he trusted the kid yet, he decided to use this as an opportunity to test the kid's willingness to cooperate.

"Fine...you're really giving me a run for my money, kid."

And with that, Aizawa rolled over and was out like a light. The triple-shot espresso didn't help much after all.

Kazumi observed the man, leaning his head back on the couch he let himself relax. It was safe enough here, no one could do anything to them. For now at least. He closed his eyes, and for once, fell into a deep sleep.

And he dreamt.

🎐

Kazumi had always been a child prodigy. Following the footsteps of his older brother Shisui, he had graduated from his class early, along with Kaoru, his twin brother. He and Kaoru rose up the ranks quickly, by the age of eight they were already fine jōnin.

Kazumi was the epitome of the Uchiha, strong, steadfast, and direct. He never hesitated, he didn't pity or regret, he just moved forward, completing mission after mission. Kaoru, his twin brother—born only seven minutes after him—was the complete opposite. Kind, and empathic, he cried easily, something the clan leaders didn't really appreciate.

Nevertheless, the two showed great promise—Kazumi as a soldier and Kaoru as a leader.

Kaoru, with his natural-born trait of befriending others, was always surrounded by other people. Despite the lack of interaction with kids his age due to early graduation, he had groups of friends.

It started one Friday afternoon, the third Hokage had called both of the twins in. Telling them that he wanted them to be the instructors for the current students at the ninja academy. They were only supposed to be helping Iruka, once or twice a week.

"They're starting shuriken and kunai basics right now. But soon they'll have to learn how to master some basic jutsus. It would be good for you two to show them how it's properly done."

"It may also fuel them to work harder. You two will set a fine example for them."

The Uchiha twins looked at one another, sharing a knowing glance. Kaoru, of course, was excited, Kazumi, not so much. The two were dismissed. They were to start right away since they weren't preoccupied with missions. Heading towards the ninja academy, brothers spoke, clashing opinions on the matter.

"I can't wait! Can you believe it, Kazumi? We're actually going to be proctors!" The young boy exclaimed excitedly, his eyes glimmering.

"Ah...I can't believe we have to teach a bunch of brats," He had said, not a single shred of interest adorning his placid expression. His twin whipped his head around, so offended, you would think he was the one getting shit talked.

"Why would you say that? They're only a year younger than us. And this is a good opportunity for you to make friends, you anti-social dumbass!" Kazumi barely avoided the smack headed his way.

It went quiet for a while. The two walked the familiar path towards the academy, where it all started.

"We promised them...didn't we?" Kaoru spoke, an unusual seriousness laced in his tone. Kazumi found himself with a lump in his throat, unable to say anything, so he nodded.

"We promised...mother and father...and Shisui nii-chan...we'd protect each other right? They wanted us to have a normal life, they didn't want us to be ninjas," His smile wobbled, lips trembling.

"This is the best we can do. This is all...we can do."

They looked at each other and nodded, side-by-side the two walked, swallowing up their sadness, pain, and regret. Save that for the battlefield. Save the tears for the pillow at night. Because shinobi don't cry. And Uchiha boys don't cry.

But that's all they were. Boys. Just boys.

Nine years old.

Sorry, I couldn't keep my promise.

Ma.

Pa.

Shisui.

Kaoru.

🎐

Kazumi awoke with a jolt. It had been a while since he had dreamt. Because it had been a while since he'd slept at all. His body tensed and for a second he forgot where he was.

You're in another world. Japan. You're safe. No one can hurt you here.

He looked at the clock, ticking on the wall. 7:29. It seemed his body had awoken at the perfect time. He was glad he woke up. He didn't wanna reminisce any more. He didn't want to be reminded of his failures.

He walked over to Aizawa's motionless body. The man needed sleep, that was obvious. Kazumi nearly felt bad for having to wake him up.

Keyword. Almost.

He shook the teacher's shoulder, first lightly, and when he wasn't getting up, he tried, harder. This time, the man stirred, waking up with a surprised intake of air. Kazumi was instantly reminded of how Kakuzu would wake up when Kazumi bugged him for shopping money.

"What time is it?"

"7:30, as promised."

Aizawa sat up, attempting to rub the bleariness out of his eyes to no avail. He grunted, getting up from the couch still half asleep. Downing another hot espresso, he sighed, heading to the door, Kazumi followed suit, his tea set disappearing in another puff of smoke.

The once deserted hallways of U.A. were now teeming with students, some walking to class quietly, others scurrying around. Chatter was loud, it bugged the boy to no end. I mean who the fuck was this energetic at seven in the morning?

"So how's this gonna work? I'm not your student, and you aren't my teacher. What am I supposed to do all day?"

Aizawa grunted in reply, weaving past a group of excited girls.

"You'll see soon enough. You picked a good time to get transported here, kid. Got a feeling you won't be bored," Aizawa said, an almost crazed look on his face.

The boy grimaced dubiously. He was a shinobi, previously a jōnin. He was a rogue-nin. He didn't want to be lumped in with a bunch of fake heroes-in-training.

"Ah...and on the topic of my students. We aren't going to tell them about your...circumstances. We are suspecting a traitor in our ranks. If anyone asks why you're here, either tell them you're an exchange student, or that the information is classified. We don't want news about you getting out to the public, or worse, the villains."

Kazumi didn't have the heart to tell him that they already knew who he was.

"And my quirk?"

"Well I don't even know your capabilities yet. I'll leave it up to you to decide."

They stopped in front of an unreasonably tall door, labeled as "CLASS 1A." Aizawa sighed before sliding it open. Kazumi heard loud chatter, giggles, and yells that quieted upon the homeroom teacher's entry. Kazumi entered the room soundlessly, burying his face in his Akatsuki cloak's high collars.

Murmurs rippled throughout the classroom as some people remembered the black and red-cloaked boy. Uncertainty and fear spread like wildfire, as their accusatory glances and whispers directed towards him. He was suddenly reminded of the civilians of Konoha.

.

"That boy definitely had something to do with the massacre...!"

.

"I knew there was something off about him."

.

"I wish it were him who died. Not Kaoru."

.

"QUIET—!"

Everyone fell silent upon Aizawa's uproar. Kazumi stayed where he was, eyes studying the students before they closed and he stood there, motionless.

"Today is the first day of your midterm exams. The written portion will be today. I expect you all to try your very best. If you mess around and fail, instead of going to the Summer Forest Training camp, you'll be stuck here on campus, studying with me."

Students chattered nervously, scared for the coming exam. With a striking resemblance to one of those "cars" one brave boy raised his hand, asking the question everyone else was too afraid to ask.

"Aizawa-sensei! I must ask...that is the intruder from last week, correct? If so, then...why is he here?" The class murmured in agreement, casting glances at him.

Aizawa sighed as if already expecting this treatment.

"This," He said gesturing to Kazumi. "Is Uchiha Kazumi. Under some classified circumstances, he will be joining Class 1A until further notice."

That didn't do much to cease the whispers, if anything it seemed to fuel them. Kazumi didn't need to open his eyes to know they were uncomfortable with his presence, scared, even.

Kazumi's lips spread onto a smrik, a devilishly handsome one at that. But there was something about him, an almost crazed expression crosses his features.

The power that it gave him...the same one he felt when he first joined the Akatsuki. He relished it. He loved it.

Because here, he wasn't some boy who lost his family, lost his clan. He wasn't just a shinobi, or a rogue-nin. He wasn't just strong.

"Please take care of me," His voice came out sickeningly sweet.

Here...he wasn't just otherworldly strong.

Here, he was a god.

to be continued....