Mikoto reminds Shouto of his mother from Before.
She has a soft exterior but underneath it all, there's a burning fire of protection that could be unleashed at any moment.
She's there to wake Shouto and Sasuke up in the morning. She's there to give Itachi a kiss on the forehead when he leaves for his mission despite the undeniable sadness that she must feel from sending her son to battle.
Shouto never protests what they tell him. They're nice enough to allow him to stay so he figures he shouldn't take advantage of that.
He eats breakfast quietly even though he has to leave a large amount behind. No one comments on it, not even Sasuke, to Shouto's surprise. He's grateful, though.
Sasuke whines a bit when Shouto leaves for the Academy with Fugaku, but he seems to understand.
Shouto thinks that Sasuke is quite cute when he pouts, but he wouldn't dare tell Sasuke that.
The compound is a lot calmer than it was the night before. It still smells like spices but it's a little less intense, now. The preparations for the festival are still up, but it's not as loud as it was the night before. Everyone seems to have an understanding that it's early in the morning and there's no need to be exceedingly loud.
Shouto and Fugaku walk through the compound with little fanfare, those who walk by them bow respectfully but that's about it.
The walk through the rest of the village is different. It's still quiet, though not as quiet as the compound, but people seem to go out of their way to avoid Fugaku and Shouto.
Shouto wonders, though not for the first time, why people seem to look at the Uchiha's with disdain and annoyance instead of the indifferent or even joy that they look at some of the other clans with.
"They don't like us." Shouto comments.
Fugaku meets Shouto's eyes steadily and for a moment, Shouto thinks he sees a bit of pain reflected in Fugaku's eyes. "No. They don't."
And that's the end of it.
They enter the Academy and Fugaku has a terse conversation with the person at the front desk. Like everyone else, it doesn't seem like they like the Uchiha either.
"I'll bring you to your classroom." A shinobi says.
The walk is silent. The shinobi walks quickly with quiet steps. They all walk with silent feet, Shouto notices. They are assassins though, he supposes he shouldn't be surprised.
He remembers (or does he?) walking through a house plagued by fear. He thinks that being able to walk without sound would've been a useful skill.
"You have a new student." The shinobi tells who Shouto assumes to be the teacher.
The woman raises an eyebrow. "Wonderful. Another Uchiha." She mutters.
Shouto inhales silently and prepares for a year similar to his previous ones. A year of expectations and unheard insults.
Fugaku seems to be somewhat apologetic too. Like he thinks it's his fault for bringing Shouto into a world where his clan is shunned and disrespected.
He doesn't quite know how to feel about that, it's both sweet and sad.
Fugaku leaves and Shouto doesn't turn to watch him go.
"Find a seat, Uchiha." The teacher sneers. She doesn't tell Shouto her name and Shouto doesn't ask. "We'll resume from where we left off."
~~~
The first thing Shouto understands from this Academy is that it's the same as what he's used to.
Don't understand something? Too bad.
Shouto sees the other kids asking for help and receiving it and knows that he can't do the same.
He sits with the one other Uchiha in the class who helps catch him up and is warned that Shouto won't be able to get this kind of help ever again. His name is Chiko, Shouto learns. Shouto introduces himself as Itsuki.
Shouto thinks that the warning is quite useless. He already knows.
He's allowed one day to sit on the sidelines and watch, the teacher says, afterwards, he's expected to participate.
Shouto thinks that one day isn't nearly enough to make up for 2 months of missed work, but he doesn't protest. There's no reason to make things more difficult for him or the other Uchiha in the class.
The second thing he learns is that these children seem woefully ill prepared for their futures.
The teacher seems to think the same thing when someone says that being a shinobi seems "fun."
Neither Shouto or the rest of the clan children correct them. Their teacher is civilian born, afterall. She already very obviously holds prejudice towards clan children.
Shouto thinks that it's a miracle she's still alive.
School ends and Shouto decides to go to the library. He needs to learn. To be better.
"Is that all you can do, Shouto? Perhaps you're as weak as your mother."
Shouto burns (all puns intended) through books faster than he remembers being able to do in the past. The words stick to his mind with ease. He chooses not to question it. It makes his life easier.
The sun begins to set and he realises that he hasn't told anyone where he was going to be. It feels a bit weird to have to tell someone where he's going to be again, but he finds he doesn't mind.
He takes 2 books with him when he leaves.
The walk back to the compound is similar to the one to the Academy.
Still, Shouto doesn't lower his head. There's never been a time in this life when he's been ashamed of his past. He spent 16 years regretting who he was in the past and it isn't hard to choose to never do that again.
Mikoto is waiting for him when he gets back. She doesn't sound angry when she asks, "Where did you go?"
"The library." Shouto answers.
Mikoto smiles and looks at the books he's carrying. "May I?"
Shouto nods and hands them over.
"Chakra Regulation by Uzumaki Sora and Basic Medical Ninjutsu by Senju Hanaku." She reads. "Are you interested in medical ninjutsu, Itsuki-kun?"
Mikoto gives him his books and leads him into the dining room where Itachi is setting the table.
"Not particularly." Shouto replies honestly. "It seems like a good skill to have."
Mikoto hums, sounding pleasantly surprised. "It is."
"How was the Academy, Itsuki-kun?" Fugaku asks.
"It was alright." Shouto lies. Itachi looks at him with knowing eyes.
Shouto figures that Itachi went through similar treatment during his short time at the Academy.
It's a wonder that anyone is still loyal to the village with the way they treat their clans. Though the Uchiha clan's treatment is different. Civilians dislike clans but they hate the Uchiha.
"Do you have homework?" Mikoto puts food on the table while Sasuke gets cutlery.
"I completed it in the library."
Fugaku nods amicably. "Good. Stay on top of your schoolwork, you're an Uchiha, afterall."
Shouto notices that Mikoto smiles into her glass of water.
Sasuke and Itachi also seem settled by Fugaku's easy admittance of Shouto's clan status.
It's nice that they all try and eat dinner together no matter what. It's nice that they ask him about his homework even though he's not their kid.
Shouto decides that this life is better than his last one and he'd like to keep it that way.
It's been a while since I updated this lmao.
YOU ARE READING
The Fire of a Not-Uchiha
Fanfiction"He has a second chance now, but it's not the second chance he wants. He wants to be able to say goodbye to family, to thank Aizawa sensei for helping him when he needed it, to call Midoriya nosy, but also to hug him and thank him." OR: Todoroki get...
