AN: I'm getting my muse back after being sidetracked a few times, lols! I'm such a lousy author.

Though here's the chapter, hopefully, you'll like it. Beware of some grammatical errors because it's never my strong suit. Read at your own risk.

To all those people who kept checking this story, thank you so much.

I stopped, ceasing my steps as soon as I reached the door. It wasn't the abrasive temperature, or the sagged clothes that clung to my body, but I knew something was wrong. A foreboding sensation slithered from the soles of my feet, going to the pit of my stomach. The fear overlapped me at the moment, trembled at the thought behind that door.

It was ridiculous; I thought.

Plunging all the ludicrous notions away. By then I opened the door, gripping the doorknob.

When I entered, my eyes swept to the persons occupying the two seats. The girl caught my attention as her appearance bit of an odd, and her marks on her face stood out more to my scrutiny. By the time I shifted, a very distinct boy flooded my vision. Of course! How could I ever forget him when he was the sole reason the memory of my blunder existed, even it had been more than years. I blanched at once, recalling the event.

"Tardiness isn't excusable, Uchiha," a hissed broke out. My eyes flew to the man at the center of the room. However, I froze when his two-slit golden eyes fixated at me. The room became more nothing but constricted as I could feel the thrum throughout my entire system. It was like another force hounded me, urging me to vacate the place. No! It wanted me to leave as soon I saw him. And yet, I didn't want to, supposing all of it was pure stupidity. I didn't come here just to quit.

I gulped, clenching my shirt, walking forward with complete resolution in my mind, "H-hai, sensei,"curtly nodding.

He waived in dismissal. At that moment, I seated next to the boy, and he glanced at me, but I reeled, horrified at what to discern.

But most of all, why on earth hed wear a tea shade in such chilly weather? I pondered.

The soft murmur of thunder compelled me to look at the man across from us, who was still leaning on the table.

No one dared to speak as his fingers tapping the table; its noise was dominating the room.

The teacher unhurriedly took a step, baring his teeth, "My name is Orochimaru. It proves no point to introduce yourselves to me as I had read all your files, but to benefit all of you." His finger pointed, "Please do us the honor, Inuzuka."

"Yeah," she jovially stood, "I'm Inuzuka Tsume, firstborn of Inuzuka clan!" her hand raised, grinning at us.

Then the boy stood, "Aburame Shibi, firstborn of Aburame's clan."

I don't know if it was only me, but everything was slapped to me that my teammates were a clan heir, while myself was nothing but a commoner.

I stood, jaws clenching when a nostalgic memory resounded to me. I was whipped back to my very first memory in Academy. I had to be honest; it wasn't anything magnificent, and that made me more anxious.

I huffed, "I'm Uchiha Kana," and added nothing more.

Again, the room filled with silence after I seated. The booming clapped of thunder disrupted, lightning flashed.

Whether it was a sheer ignorance earlier, but the moment my eyes went to his visage, I knew the mere reason of why I vehemently reacted before I entered the room. The answer was straight to my eyes.

Because the man exudes nothing but power.

I thought it was strange but it was there, barely noticeable. I could feel the palpable vibration between my wet clothes, sending me nothing but unease.

"I will be your instructor, if and only if," his smile cracked, slanted his eyes at us." all of you past the final test,"

"But I thought we all passed already!" The girl's indignation echoed the entire room.

"Ah, you did," He laughed, "But my it is to my behest if you all fit to be my little genin," His eyes swiftly met mine, and I flinched.

"This is absurd," she continued.

"Absurd it is, but I will not have a failure in my team," His sterned tone. "Now, meet me tomorrow at the training field, sharp ten. Be late again, without a doubt I'll fail all of you." He said before dissipating to the room like a bomb, smoke scattered around the room.

"What a jerk!" Tsume vexed, standing outright, "And here I thought we got a cool sanin in our team,"

I chewed inside my cheek as I stared at them, and cough when the cold starting to catch me.

"Hey, Uchiha!" She yelled, and I cast my eyes at her, "Don't be late, alright."

I nodded.

It was then air slapped me, making me shiver. I've never wished so hard to get home so quickly. I stood and yelped when a hand gripped mine, stopping me.

"Aburame, lend me your jacket," Tsume said while holding my forearm.

"Why?" The boy asked.

Tsume sighed. "Don't be dunce, Aburame. This one," She looked at me, "have been shivering, and your jacket is thicker than mine,"

Shibi sighed, but stripped, giving the jacket to me. Shame flood in me. Why was it I always ended up in a terrible situation?

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Don't mention it," She spoke, "We wouldn't want you to be sick, okay."

I smiled in such a relief.

She clenched my arm viciously. However, suddenly, she grabbed the boy, which he squeaked in surprise. And yes, despite cloaked in wetness, she hugged us.

"Let's prove to him that we're better than he thought. We are a force to be reckoned! Alright?"

"Yes," I agreed.

"Oy, Aburame I don't hear your response," she pouted.

He sighed, rubbed his nose, "Hai, Hai."

"Hey, at least said it, like you mean it,"

"But-

"There's no but! If we want to be successful, then start thinking like successful, Aburame. I will not be a laughingstock and a failure heir. You know it better than anyone."

I was astounded once and for all. The way she enunciated each word made me think about my mother. All I knew about her that she was once an heir, but abdicated the position as she fell in with my father. Though I never thought it was a serious business until I met them.

The way the atmosphere poured by their torrent of emotions, it made me ceased thinking for a minute. They had a goal, and it was clearer than the crystal.

"Yes, we will pass," I said, dipping every word with sincerity. I acknowledged that I was not strong, but failure for this group of people was no option for them, and it left me no choice, but to give my best.

"Okay," The boy said lastly.

"That's the spirit!"

"My little princess is now a ninja," My father soft tone as he laid his gift on the table.

The night was much colder as the storm yet hadn't ceased wreaking havoc, but I was more grateful that my father had arrived safely. He took more than a week of his travel, visiting some of our relatives- which I hadn't seen once in my lifetime. It was much longer than he did last time.

"Not really," I said between munching the meat, "Our teacher seemes to likely fail us,"

"Oh? I thought you passed." My father said.

"There's another final test we need to pass."

"I'm sure you can do it," he said then sipped his water.

"That's a mandatory exam. The proper test is after you graduate. They need to see the full potential of each student before they give the license." Mother spoke, never looking at me as she was much more fixated to the food on her plate.

I frowned. That was almost like college, I noted. After graduation, the students needed to take the board before getting the license. The similarities were uncanny.

"Yeah, that sucks. Orochimaru-sensei wants us to fail," I muttered.

The clutters of chopsticks being drop had me stared at my mother. Her face paled and her wide eyes met mine.

"Orochimaru-senpai is your teacher?" Her raspy voice.

"Hai, do you know him?" My askance. Perhaps she did. But had she felt once the questionable ire he oozed? And if I knew better, he seemed was on the verge of murdering us as he stared at us.

The deafening silence embraced the room, except only the fire in hearth that cackled.

"Yes, he's my captain," she said at last. "You're lucky you got him. He has a lot to teach all of you." She spoke. A very different response than I expected.

"Then my princess is lucky to have an exceptional teacher," father chuckled.

Lucky? I dare say not at all.

"Yeah," I respond before sipping the hot soup.

I trailed to the training field, only to see the two of my teammates sitting on the bench. The storm poured its final havoc before leaving the place, turning into pleasant weather as I could see the sunshine brightly. I was thankful as I needn't bring my umbrella, only a few kunai, and shuriken in my pocket.

By this time, I had ensured myself to wake four hours before the time, and left the house an hour and a half earlier, sparing me more time. No reasons to be late anymore as the man called me out specifically.

"Ne, the Uchiha really learned so fast," Tsume said when I reached them.

"I think like successful," I retorted.

She grinned, "Now I'm liking you more. You should think like her, Aburame."

The boy hummed, "Don't make her uncomfortable, Tsume."

"I don't. It's amazing to know that not all Uchiha are stuck up,"

A frown etched to my face as I heard that disconcerting statement, "But I'm not."

"That's the point,"

"My mother is not stuck up," I reprimand.

"That's good to know as well," she chuckled. "If it isn't the hair and eyes, I'd say you're lying about being Uchiha."

Yeah, many people told me the same thing. My brown tresses differed from them; the tone was too light, a very different from what I had seen in my clan. And also my eyes. As I got older, the amber eyes were turning much distinct color, as opposed to my father's eyes.

Shibi stood, "Uchiha-san-

"Please don't call me that," I cringed.

"Then how would you like me to address you?" He politely asked.

"Kana is alright."

He nodded, "Kana-chan, I had never seen you once during clan gathering."

"Why would I be there?"

"Because you're an Uchiha, duh?" Tsume responded, "Yeah, Shibi is correct. I mean, your clan loves to throw a massive party, flaunting the money you amass," Her thick voice, I assumed to be a sarcastic remark, "like all of you competing against with Hyuugas, another stuck up clan I tell you. Going back to the topic, I had never seen you. I've had once met Mikoto and Fugaku, and even some of your lower branch members, but never you. Why is that so?"

I rolled my eyes, crossing my hands on my chest, "Because we never lived inside the compound?"

They both stared at me. Whether it was disbelief or other than that, it was uncomfortable.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," I deadpanned, "Is it wrong?"

"Definitely," She said at once.

"What do you mean by that?!" I said with indignation.

Shibi moved between us, "Kana-chan, Tsume didn't mean to offend you. It's the first time for us to hear a clan member to live outside the compound, unless you surrender the name and your birthright. So it's not possible for anyone to carry the clan's name without the clan's protection."

My shoulder sagged, breathing unevenly when a certain words struck me. I did not understand about the clan matters. It made me naive about how much I was missing. What were other things I needed to know?!

"And a clan like yours, I'm certain that you upheld it the among other things," he continued.

"Yeah, Shibi's right."

"I don't know about it," I licked my lips, looked down on my feet as I could feel the humiliation creeping inside my thoughts.

A hand on my shoulder embraced me, only to see Tsume's face, grinning at me, "Probably something happened inside your clan, or maybe clan politics, in which are a pain in the ass. Though don't worry about it, we're just curious, okay. Right, Aburame?"

Shibi hummed in agreement.

Both were nice, and I couldn't help it but feel guilty, despite how pleasant it was.

It never put me on ease each time I made recent acquaintances because I knew I was good at losing them. I exceeded.

But I smiled at them, anyway.

AN: I hope I didn't butcher Orochimaru's personality. Yeah, I made up about the clan's rules.