Sasuke resists the urge to palm a kunai.
He can barely move the fingers of his left hand, the bandages thick and stifling, but grabbing one in his right means removing his options, limiting what he can do.
He can't cast many jutsu one-handed, mostly just the basic academy ones, and if he grabs a kunai he'll be cutting his chances to escape with a substitution if it comes to that.
N̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶k̶r̶a̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶r̶e̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶l̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶c̶a̶d̶e̶m̶y̶ ̶j̶u̶t̶s̶u̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶w̶a̶y̶…̶
The animal stares at him, sipping tea calmly, and silence lays thick over the Hero's apartment.
Sasuke won't be the first to break it.
His fingers twitch, and he fights down the urge to arm himself.
The rat...mouse...thing sets down its empty cup, and Sasuke can't help but tense.
"You have nothing to fear from me, Vigilante-kun! I'm just a school principal, after all!" The animal makes an expression something like a smile, then continues. "But then, I haven't introduced myself properly have I? I'm Principal Nedzu, of UA highschool, the top heroics school in Japan! I believe you already know a bit about it, yes?" he pats Sasuke's report.
"I've heard of it," Sasuke responds drily, when it's clear the animal's waiting for him to say something.
He should probably just ask.
"What even are you?"
The principal's… grin… widens. "Well I'm a rat of course! Isn't it obvious?"
Like no rat I've ever seen. "Your quirk makes you look like a rat?"
This world makes no sense at all.
The rat's expression sharpens into something almost threatening. "Oh no. My quirk is super intelligence! I'm not human at all!"
Nedzu stares at him as though daring him to react.
Sasuke thinks of the cats, and wonders if all animals are hyper-intelligent in this world.
...if the cats start walking on their back legs and wearing clothes he'll be officially creeped out.
The principal wilts a little. "You didn't react at all. Doesn't it bother you?"
Something about it feels like an act, and Sasuke wonders just what super-intelligence means. How smart is the rat? He feels analyzed, like every action is being broken down and studied.
I̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶g̶a̶z̶e̶,̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶s̶e̶c̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶m̶o̶v̶e̶-̶
"I don't care what you are. I'm not going to school."
"Oh I'm afraid that's not negotiable." Principal Nedzu doesn't sound all that sorry. "I do apologize for the bluntness, but if you don't attend school, I'll have to turn you into the police."
Sasuke glares, as the principal continues. "Aizawa-sensei might not be willing, but he's not here right now. And you're in no shape to run, I think. And you must understand - everything is already very unstable, with the events of the past few months. And now that I know of you, I cannot in good conscience allow you to continue killing as you please. However, you are clearly very skilled, with a deep desire to help. So put those skills to use, helping within the bounds of the law. Become a hero, and save people without a trail of corpses behind you! This is what I can offer you."
Sasuke doesn't cross his arms, but it's a near thing.
He thinks Naruto would love this world, this place of heroes, where the idea of killing an enemy is almost abhorred.
Sasuke doesn't know how he could ever be comfortable here.
The idea of leaving an enemy alive behind him, it's-
H̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶e̶-̶
It's better if they're dead. This world is soft, kinder than his, maybe, but the idea of leaving enemies alive is impossible.
I̶t̶ ̶h̶u̶r̶t̶s̶.̶
"Your government's corrupt," he spits in answer, shaking off memories he doesn't need, "Endeavor would have just walked free with a slap on the wrist. If that."
Principal Nedzu tilts his head. "True enough, but not everyone in the government is corrupt. There are in fact, a large number of police, heroes, and government agencies who are good people. And had they been informed of this, Endeavor would not have walked free, no matter who else tried to aid him. It is not so hard to tell the good from the bad, either, once you know what to look for."
"I haven't been to school since I was twelve," Sasuke offers, a bid to change the rat's mind.
He doesn't-
It would be a lot of work to teach him, he'd have to catch up on so much, he doesn't even know a thing about history, surely that's too much effort to put in without someone paying for it-?
The rat- Sasuke has no other word for it- smirks. "Well, Aizawa-sensei did say to enroll you for next quarter. Almost a month away! I'm sure that's enough time to catch you up on the most important pieces."
It feels like being trapped, doors slamming shut and the sound of a lock flipping over. The principal's right, is the thing, he won't run far with burns like this. Not when everyone is looking for Endeavor's killer, not when the burns are practically a confession etched into his skin.
Not when he knows he still smells like ozone and smoke.
He can't go to school.
C̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶i̶l̶d̶r̶e̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶e̶a̶m̶,̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶o̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶N̶a̶r̶u̶t̶o̶'̶s̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶,̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶S̶a̶k̶u̶r̶a̶ ̶m̶i̶s̶s̶e̶s̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶,̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶K̶a̶k̶a̶s̶h̶i̶-̶s̶e̶n̶s̶e̶i̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶r̶i̶e̶s̶-̶
Going to school in this world feels like building a history, feels like giving up, feels like acknowledging that he'll never go home-
He didn't even mean to become a vigilante, not really.
He just couldn't stand by and watch as a kid was taken right in front of him, and he didn't mean to hunt the rest of them down it just happened-
The more proof Sasuke leaves of his existence, the more it feels like he's settling, like he's not leaving like-
Getting legal identification feels like a step too far.
But that is an idea…
"I don't have any legal papers. I don't have an ID. I'm not in the country legally." He admits boldly, and the rat folds his paws.
"That can all be arranged."
Sasuke glares. "Pretty sure that's illegal."
"So is not immediately turning you over to the police."
Sasuke refuses to admit the rat has a point.
It feels like he has an answer for everything, like there's no point Sasuke can bring up that the principal hasn't already considered.
I̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶o̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶i̶n̶y̶ ̶c̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶r̶i̶m̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶i̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶e̶r̶a̶l̶ ̶c̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶"̶f̶r̶e̶e̶d̶o̶m̶"̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶f̶a̶r̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶s̶h̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶o̶w̶-̶
He doesn't tremble.
It's a near thing.
"I can't just ignore it if I see some scumbag walking around." he snaps, a challenge that already feels like a concession, like giving in-
B̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶l̶r̶e̶a̶d̶y̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶,̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶?̶
"My door will always be open, and I'm certain Aizawa-sensei will take any reports you make seriously as well. I can also vouch for my staff, there will be people you can go to to resolve these things legally."
Another door, slamming shut.
They won't be able to catch me once I'm recovered, Sasuke thinks, reassures.
Once the burns are gone, once he can use both hands, he can disappear.
If he plays along until then-
I̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶l̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶.̶
"What if- I don't want to be a hero?" he asks, voice sharpening, "What if that's not what I want to do with my life?"
"We do have a very highly rated General Studies course, for students who wish to go into other professions. It would be perhaps a waste of your talent, but if you would rather not join the heroics program, I do believe it could be arranged, as long as you complete your education and cease your activities as a vigilante."
Sasuke and the principal stare at each other, and he learns the hard way that rats don't need to blink half as often as humans.
He drags his gaze to the papers the principal brought with him.
The rat gives off a feeling of surprising smugness.
"What are all these?" Sasuke asks, when Nedzu doesn't say anything to break the silence.
"Well! I came prepared! This form," he pulls one out of the stack nearly at random, "is where you'll list your name, age, blood type, etc, so I can get your ID. This," he swipes the one from the bottom, "is a quirk registration form! I'm afraid no one quite knows what your quirk is, so please register it here! I'll get it filed appropriately. The top one, of course, is a private contract you'll sign that basically states you're a former vigilante. There's no need to identify yourself on it of course, this is more formality just in case you let slip something and I can use it to assure people that I was aware of your vigilante history, and that we had already discussed rules and such before you attended. Preferably don't mention that you killed Endeavor, most people are already trying to change your designation to Villain for that and that would be very hard for me to explain-" the rat grins again, then pats the last one. "This last one is obviously your application to attend. Your entrance exams will be performed separately, once you've healed and Aizawa-sensei's caught you up on your studies."
Outplayed from the start, Sasuke thinks uncharitably, reaching for the quirk registration form.
People in this world only have one power. When he first learned that, he thought it made them weaker, and in some ways, he knows, it does.
His fight with Endeavor wouldn't have gone so smoothly if the man hadn't been so surprised by his genjutsu, after he'd already seen Sasuke throw fire. That precious second it bought him…
In others, though.
No one in his world would have been able to grab his chidori. The idea of someone taking control of his jutsu, he would have said it was impossible. The elemental immunity so many people have, and the mutant quirks that come with so many features-
The quirks that do things no one back home could ever dream of.
It's an advantage, to keep quiet just how much he can do.
And whatever they suspect, there's only one power the Hero's actually seen.
O̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶w̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶,̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶e̶n̶s̶e̶-̶
He writes down Perfect Vision in slow, careful letters at the top. In the details section he fills in photographic memory, perfect night vision, perfect day vision, immune to light-flashes while active.
In description he carefully fills it out, eyes turn red, slight glow, tomoe that act as secondary visual filters-
He tries not to think about how he never knew what the tomoe were for until Orochimaru examined him.
He adds minor hypnotic effect as an afterthought, just to cover himself if the Hero recalls their first encounter.
The principal hums consideringly as he reads over the form while Sasuke grabs the identification papers.
He doesn't say anything though, until Sasuke moves on to the school forms.
"We'll need pictures of you, and of your quirk activated, in order to get the ID made. It will have to wait, of course, I can hardly take them with your face looking like that, but please be prepared when the time comes."
Sasuke scowls, fingers clenched around the pen.
I won't be here that long, he thinks aggressively, as he returns to carefully filling out the sheet.
The rat pours a second cup of tea, watching calmly.
That has got to be cold by now.
Clearly, the principal doesn't care.
Sasuke's not intimidated.
Shouta can't help the sigh of relief when he comes home to find that nothing's on fire.
Not that his latest problem child doesn't want to, because clearly Uchiha is one step shy of picking a fight and damn the consequences, but at least it didn't happen before he got home.
"Ah, you're back! Uchiha-kun admitted to me that he hasn't been to school since he was twelve, so you may need to tutor him some before the next quarter, if you want him to pass the entrance exams. Beyond that, if you don't mind me taking these, I believe I'm done here?"
It's not really a request, Shouta knows, as the principal picks up Uchiha's report, but he gives his permission anyway.
The rat doesn't always bother with human manners, so it's best to encourage him when he does.
Nedzu smirks like he knows what Shouta is thinking.
"Great! I'll be off then, do keep me updated on his progress! Will you be coming to the school later?"
Shouta sighs, glancing at the Problem Child.
Uchiha refuses to meet his gaze, sinking into the chair with a huff.
That's probably as good a sign as he'll get.
"Yes, I'll head up shortly."
The principal nods. "Very well, I'll let Yamada-sensei know." he laughs a bit as he heads out, and Shouta shakes his head.
He doesn't want to know.
"Alright Problem Child," he grouses, pinching the bridge of his nose, "let's get those bandages changed so I can go check on my students."