The Uchiha Incident: Chapter 2

Lost in my Thoughts

Kumogakure was simply strange and foreign, almost nothing like Konoha was. Where Konoha's streets were orderly and its building spaced out, Kumo wrapped around the mountain. IInstead of growing Insteads of growing out wide, the people of Kumo dug up the sides of its mountain and built over it, creating winding paths that conformed to the shape of the environment. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

Lost in its street, she admired how seamlessly the architecture melded into the scenery. She could just have stood there, admiring the village as the peak they poked about the cloud, making it seemed like they were floating above the heavens themselves, if not for a tiny little detail; She was lost, literally.

"Damn it all, why can't they just make bridges between every mountain!?" She hissed out, trying to keep her voice down as she stared at the dead end in front of her, before gazing out from the side and up to the skybridge a few floors up. Unlike Konoha, getting to other places wasn't so straightforward. Sometimes, the shortest looking path wasn't the best path to take as she would find

"Stupid village. Should have made more stairs," "Muttering darkly, she stomped away, retracing her step so she could find her way out of this labyrinthian nightmare. It's not like she could blame them for making it this way.

Space was premium up here in the mountains. Bridges would have taken a spot where a building could have been built. Why overbuild on bridges when one could serve a peak just fine? There was also the matter of getting materials up to the mountains, a difficult and probably expensive endeavor.

The fact that it made navigating the village for any would-be invader a nightmare was probably just an unintended side effect, something which she was experiencing first hand."Or maybe I'm just shit at navigating," She sighed as she tucked her hands inside her sleeves, shivering at the early morning breeze.

Keeping her head down, she followed the crowd, hoping they'd lead her to the school. She could already see a few children holding hands with their parents, some of which proudly wearing their vest and the village symbol. Maybe they were also taking them to school? It was worth a gamble.

As she passed by a few families, she found her eyes straying at the sight of families eating together. It was a heartwarming sight, a girl with fiery hair eating with her family as they laughed and talked to each other. For a moment, she found herself lost in memories long past, of the time she had a family, a home to call her own… and a time she didn't feel so alone.

She must have stood there a bit too long as the girl perked up and gazed up at her, tilting her head as their eyes met. Feeling her cheeks burn, she glanced away before she hurried along, not wanting to disturb their meal. "Way to go Taku," She scolded herself, hoping that they didn't notice.

"Kiara, is something wrong?" She heard the deep masculine voice ask as she rounded a corner and up a flight of stairs along with the crowd.
"Nothing daddy, I just thought I saw someone," A younger voice replied. Taku made a note to avoid any redheads for a month, or at least until she buried this incident far inside her mind.

Getting up the long flight of stairs, she finally found the bridge leading to the next peak over. Taking a short break, she leaned against the walls as she breathed in the thin, crisp air of the mountain. "Enough sightseeing," she muttered as she pulled herself away and headed for the bridge, "You need to get to class no-!"

"Out of the way!" A voice shouted and the next thing Taku knew was that she was laying flat as she felt a weight on her stomach. Did… someone just knocked her over?

"What?" She whispered in disbelief as she took a moment to process what just happened. Her vision was by no means poor, but how? Those thoughts however would come to a screeching halt as she saw a sign up above her… showing her the direction.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me," She muttered, eyes twitching at the realization that all her answers would have been answered if she just looked up.

She was so lost in her self loathing that she almost missed the hand reaching out for her. With her heart racing, she slapped the hands away, only to realize she struck a girl her age. They stood there, blue eyes staring back into her dark ones, unmoving as the realization sank in. Before Taku could apologize, the girl bowed low as she shouted, "I'm so sorry!"

Taku took a moment before she got up and shook her head. Feeling eyes on her, she quickly tried deescalating the best she could. "N-no, it's fine. I-I should be the one-" She assured the girl before she found herself hauled to her feet by surprisingly strong arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really in a hurry!" The blonde girl blurted out as she bowed once more before she plowed through any attempts for Taku to speak out. "It's my first day and I can't afford to miss it! I need to get there or I'd be late!" The girl shouted, almost out of breath as she took a deep breath.

Taken aback, Taku just stood there, nodding dumbly as the girl forced a wad of paper into her hands; It was some coupons. "Here, have this coupon. I'm really sorry I can't give you more, but you can find me there!." The girl told her before she ran off, waving at her, "Ok, bye!""

"Just tell them Ami sent you!" The girl spun around, almost tripping before she kept running, disappearing into the crowd without a trace. It was almost as if she was never there.

"How…" She whispered, staring in awe and disbelief before she shocked her head. "It doesn't matter," She waved it off. Sure the girl surprised her, but perhaps it was just a fluke. She was deep in her thoughts after all. Staring down at the coupon, she walked away, following the signs "At least I got tea I suppose?"

-x-x-x-

After a few more stops, she finally got to her destination; The academy. Taking up much of the peak, it was a large and imposing structure, more like a barracks than the school academy of Konona. Waiting for her by the gate was a familiar face, the same man who helped her get away. Grinning at her, the Raikage's right hand man waved at her.

"Heh, took you long enough," The man greeted as he pulled away from the post he was leaning on, "Thought I had to check in on you and see if you need some help," He told her as she walked up to her.

Frowning, Taku waved him off, "I'm fine," The man was helpful, but a bit too much. She was fine on her own, she didn't need the eyes watching her every move. She appreciated what little freedom she had right now. "I just got a bit lost in the road of life," she told the man, making him pause as she explained, "A girl run me over and as compensation, she gave me some coupon for tea"

Zed gave him a look, his face flashing between disbelief and deep thought as she muttered, "I... huh," Shrugging, the man shook his head, "Fair enough," Gesturing to the large steel door serving as its entrance, he told her, "Anyways, why don't I introduce you to the class? They're already inside and are all itching to meet the new girl."

Taku stared up at him before she questioned her, "Aren't you supposed to be a Jounin working under the Kage?" Why was he of all people teaching students? Sure, the man was blind in one eye, but he wasn't a cripple. He traded blows with the Raikage after all.

"I am," The man replied, sounding exasperated that he had to admit his closeness to the leader of Kumo. Air quoting, the man explained, "But A "rewarded" me by having me babysit you and the rest of the brats." Letting out a long suffering sigh, they complained, "I need a vacation my ass. Doesn't he know how much work it is to handle a pack of kids?"

Taku snorted, amused at the punishment the Raikage doled out. Not only did it annoy the hell out of his subordinates, it also allowed the man to have an eye on her. The man was efficient with his delegations, she noted.

"We'll eat you alive the moment we smell weakness," She chuckled at the man's expense.

"Exactly..." The man snapped his fingers before he looked at her strangely. Tilting his head and quirking his lips, the man asked, "Hey kid, are you sure you want to study? I know A got you enrolled and all, but you can take a month off, get used to the land."

Taku considered the offer for a bit. It wouldn't be the first time she got offered such, as the kind secretary asked her if she'd like to rest as well, but she couldn't afford to do so. "I appreciate the concern, but it won't be necessary," She replied with a polite smile, "If I want to earn my keep, I have to make sure I don't fall behind."

The Raikage might have sounded impulsive based on how his subordinates seemed more than willing to talk on her behalf, but the man had expectations. She needed to meet them if she wanted to keep what she was given. It helped that it would also give her some independence. The faster she got stronger, the more autonomous she'd be.

The man stared at her, before reaching up to ruffle her hair much to her displeasure, "Kid, relax. You're way too young for that kind of crap" They scolded her before he pulled away and gestured for her to follow him, "What the hell do they feed you kids in Konoha?" He heard her whisper.

Combing her hair, she sassed back, "Carrots for eyesight and broccoli for good hearing," She wasn't so young as to be helpless. She just wanted to get treated seriously, damn it.

"Do you want me to give you mandatory nap times?" The man threatened, making her bite her tongue. Smirking at her expression, the man laughed, "I'm glad we came to an agreement." On that day, she made a promise to annoy the hell out of the man whenever she could.

-x-x-x-

Taku swallowed thickly as she stared at chaos unfolding before her. Through the din of the screams, the shouts and punches thrown, she could barely hear her own thoughts. "So this is going to be my life now," She whispered as she hid behind Zed, her heart pounding in her chest as thoughts filled her head.

She wasn't wearing any Uchiha insignia nor was her hair and eyes that uncommon. She was… plain, but what if they knew she was an Uchiha? If she was discovered, what then? Would she get in trouble? How long before rumors of an Uchiha living in Kumo reached Konoha? Had Konoha realized she was missing?

Before she could spiral down into an anxious mess, Zed's voice would cut through her thoughts as he commanded, "Ok, settle down you little gremlins. Get back to your seats!" Almost immediately, the chaos stopped.

"Yes Zed-sensei!" The kids shouted back as they settled down,

She could feel cold sweat drip down the back of her neck as she felt their gaze on her. Were they looking at her eyes? Was her scowl really that distinct that the Raikage could point out she was an Uchiha? She felt weak kneed as she stood there. To distract herself, she focused on each student.

Most of them looked unremarkable, a whole lot of kids all prospecting to be a genin just like her, but there were a few standouts. A girl with horns and a gourd, a boy with rusty hair, the most nervous looking kid she'd ever seen and the same fiery redhead kid she met earlier. She refused to meet the red heads wave as she focused on the blonde, doing her best to shrink into herself. That explains why she couldn't hear her.

"Now before we begin, I'd like you all to meet your new classmate," The Jounin said as he sat down on his chair and leaned back, "She might look scary but she doesn't bite, much." the man jested making her roll her eyes. Seeing the man gesture forward, she nodded back.

Taking a step, she took a deep breath, before she introduced herself. "Hello everyone, my name is Taku. It's nice to meet you all," She bowed, before glancing back at their teacher. Pursing her lips at the man as he gestured for her to continue, she turned back at the class, before adding, "I like reading. I hate assholes. Any questions?"

Almost immediately, half the class raised their hands. Bracing herself for the question, she picked one randomly. "Yes, you in the back," she said, hoping she could answer their question.

Without missing a beat, the boy asked, "What's your favorite animal?"

She was caught so off guard that she took a moment to reply, "... An Octopus?" This… this was it? This was what she had been worried about all this time?

"Why?" the boy pressed on, almost making Taku want to laugh.

Smiling, she replied, "I think they're neat." Zed was right, she was worrying too much. They weren't adults after all, they were just kids. Maybe school wouldn't be that bad?

A/N:

Last post for this fic for now. Sorry for the delay. It's already very late here, will try to count vote tomorrow. I'm really sorry.