Chapter 2: A Hero was born
"Man, that kid's unlucky."
Naruto watched as Izuku was suddenly ambushed by a sludge-looking villain. A giant lump of green sludge, the only proof that this guy's a human with an odd quirk and not a booger experiment gone wrong was his human laugh and his large eyes and teeth.
... Actually, now that he thought about it, maybe it was a giant booger experiment or something.
"Well, here goes." Naruto said, pulling his mask over his face. "Time to get to work."
Izuku woke up, his lungs feeling like crap as he felt something repeatedly smack his face.
Suddenly, it all came back to him: He was attacked by a villain!
Shooting himself back up, he tried to get the hell out of dodge, not wanting to return to the feeling of drowning in sludge again.
"Easy there, tiger," a soothing voice made him pause in his steps. "The Sludge Villain's taken care of."
Izuku finally took the time to observe his surroundings, and discovered that he was right. The Sludge Villain was nowhere to be seen, and more importantly, he was still alive!
He then realized who he was talking to.
"Wait a minute. You're Kitsune, aren't you?"
"Heh, what gave it away, the mask?" the masked hero asked playfully. "Oh yeah, that reminds me, I'm here to return this to you. It's got a little extra something in there, by the way."
Izuku caught it, and gasped, realizing that it was his stolen notebook.
"I got it back from those two brats. I'm telling ya, unless they shape up, they're going to turn into villains one day. Oh yeah, the second surprise is in the book, by the way. Open it."
Blinking, Izuku slowly opened the pages, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
In it was a filled-in application for the Maelstrom Dojo, one of the best martial arts learning dojos in all of Japan, if not the world! But that wasn't all. When he lifted the application, he realized that two people had signed his notebook.
Kitsune
All Might
"Wait a minute, All Might?" Izuku gasped.
"HA HA HA! THAT'S RIGHT, YOUNG MIDORIYA! HAVE NO FEAR, FOR I AM HERE!" All Might's cheerful, morale raising cry erupted from behind. Whirling around, he spotted the Number One Hero standing behind him, holding a plastic bottle with the Sludge Villain stuffed inside.
Izuku, who now not only was meeting one, but two very infamous Heroes, had his brain perhaps broken from the excitement.
"Ah….Ah….Ah…."
"I think you broke him, All Might," Kitsune commented to his partner. "After all, he is one of your biggest fans."
"Hey, don't all pin it on me, my friend." All Might said with his trademark grin. "The Maelstrom application should not be overlooked."
"What can I say? I've got connections." Kitsune shrugged. "I see this kid's got a good eye for analytics, so he's got talent when I read his notes."
"Y-Y-You read my notes?" Izuku stuttered that question while asking Kitsune.
"I did, and it's very impressive, so to say," he told the young Midoriya. "I've seen analytics and information gathering by police officers and intelligence agencies, but this is quite good."
Feeling quite flattered at being complimented by a hero, he entered into a daze-like state. That is, until All Might told them that he was taking off.
"Alright, I gotta go." All Might said preparing himself. "Got to bring this villain off to the authorities!"
"Sure, All Might, speak to you later." Kitsune said to him.
"THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!" All Might shouted as he jumped very high.
"Now that's settled." Kitsune began turning to the kid. "Let's talk about...where'd he go?"
Without warning, Izuku latched onto All Might so quickly that even Kitsune was surprised to see the kid disappear as All Might jumped into the air.
"...Damn, that kid's crazy," Kitsune shook his head, before he disappeared in a flash.
"...Goddammit, All Might." Naruto's teeth clenched together in irritation under his mask.
He managed to catch up to the two, who stopped on a rooftop. One thing led to another, and All Might was forced to reveal his civilian form to Izuku, who was naturally shocked by this revelation.
Not that he could blame the kid. Not sensing anything like Genjutsu, it took him and Kurama by surprise when he first reverted back into his civilian form, and it took a lot of begging and pleading from the blond man to let him explain as he was carrying him to the nearest hospital.
"THIS CAN'T BE REAL! No... I'm dreaming…" Izuku was still panicking and trying to find a different explanation for the revelation he was just exposed to. "All Might is of a giant man who saves everyone, he defeats all obstacles and wins the day with a fearless smile."
That last comment earned a sigh from Toshinori, who couldn't blame the kid for the image he's been presented with.
"There's plenty of fear behind that smile."
Izuku stopped panicking the minute Toshinori began to speak. "I'm counting on you to keep your mouth shut. Don't go talking about this to anyone, you hear me?"
"Can you do that, kid?" Kitsune asked him, surprising Izuku as he joined the scene.
Izuku nodded to the two of them, then flinched as Toshinori lifted his shirt, revealing the nastiest scar he had ever seen.
"Pretty gross, right? I got this from a big fight five years back. My respiratory system was basically destroyed. I nearly lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out and it can't be fixed."
Kitsune just listened in the background, leaning against the rooftop entrance as he crossed his arms. His mask concealed the grim look he had on his face, knowing that not even Tsunade could help him at this stage.
He pulled down the shirt, having caught Izuku's full attention. "Right now, I can only do hero work for about 3 hours a day. The rest of the time, this is what I look like."
"No way…" Izuku trembled, wondering what could've done this to the Number One Hero, until something occurred to him. "Wait a minute. Five years ago! Did Toxic Chainsaw do this to you?"
This caught the two heroes off guard. This kid was really well informed and knew a lot more than he thought...at least sort of.
"You really do your stuff, but no. The punk might've landed this hit, but he couldn't bring me down," Toshinori confirmed. "Most of the world has never heard of this fight, since I did everything I could to keep it under wraps."
Kitsune said nothing, as he just nodded in confirmation, playing along with his friend's secret for now.
Toshinori then looked down below to the city, where the normal, everyday citizens were doing their daily routine, happily ignorant of the status of their number one hero.
"I'm supposed to be the guy who always smiles, right? I'm the symbol of peace, people everywhere have to think that I'm never afraid."
Looking down his own hand, he opened it before closing it into a fist.
"But honestly, I smile to hide the fear inside. It's just a brave face I put on when the pressure gets high. This job isn't easy."
Izuku only managed to let out a small gasp, not being able to process all of this at once.
Toshinori's eyes turned back to Midoriya as he continued to talk.
"Pro Heroes are always having to risk their lives, kid. Some villains just can't be beaten without powers. So no, I honestly don't think you can be a hero without a quirk."
Those words then shattered every small ounce of hope the young Midoriya had held, with his childhood hero having told him the cold-hearted but fair truth. A truth he still could not believe.
Kitsune, meanwhile, just stood there silently as he moved out of the way. He didn't say a word, and his mask prevented anyone from revealing his true thoughts.
"...I see." Midoriya finally replied, staring back to the ground.
"If you want to help people, there's plenty of other ways to do it. You can become a police officer, for example. They get crap because the heroes are the ones doing most of the work,, but it's still a fine profession," Toshinori suggested, standing up as he made his way to the door.
Opening up the door, the hero All Might had some other few words to say, rather harsh but truthful once for the quirkless young man.
"It's not bad to have a dream young man. Just... make sure your dreams are obtainable, realistic, understand?"
CLICK!
Toshinori closed the door behind him, leaving the young Midoriya alone to think. Think, as he looked down to his notebook, swallowing back his tears and the painful truth he heard. He didn't hear what Kitsune was telling him before he too left.
Slowly walking down the staircase, Toshinori made his way out of the building to turn in the villain he had caught-
"Those were some pretty harsh words there, Toshinori."
The sick-looking man turned his head around, and a few steps above him stood Kitsune, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
Toshinori turned away from the masked hero and asked, "Shouldn't you be on your way to your dojo?""
"Don't worry about me, worry about the kid you just destroyed back there," Kitsune grunted. "I wasn't kidding when I said that he really looked up to you, you know."
Toshinori stopped, his head bowing in guilt.
"I know that what I said was rough, but it's better than to feed him lies that will give him false hope," Toshinori said to his friend. "It'll spare him the humiliation and pain in the future."
Kitsune narrowed his eyes under his mask, although he couldn't exactly dismiss his argument completely. As harsh as his words were, he was just trying to do what's best for the boy...even though his words were pretty hypocritical.
"It's good that you offered the kid a spot in your dojo, Naruto," Toshinori added. "Because of what you told me about him, I think he'll make an excellent addition to the police force, even if he's Quirkless."
"Yeah, I just hope he'll take on the offer," Kitsune sighed. "Kid's got potential, I just hope he realizes it too."
"And what if he doesn't show up?"
"Then I'll visit him," Kitsune told his friend. "I know where his apartment is by now, I have looked through his backpack and found his home address."
"You'd really go far for just one kid?" Toshinori asked.
The blond said nothing as he walked past the hero. Having finally reached the bottom floor, Naruto opened the door.
"Like I said - the kid's got potential, and I won't let that potential be spoiled."
Tatooine Shopping District (Half hour later)
In one of the busiest shopping districts of the city, Naruto, now without his disguise, was seen sitting in a coffee shop's terrace, where he was busy with another one of his activities he rather wanted to be kept secret:
He was busy writing. No, not his taxes, an angry letter to the Commission, or a letter to his ledger about his dojo's expenses. Instead, it was...a creative way to tell his story.
He was writing a novel that's essentially his autobiography. Except to keep things more lowkey and to seem a lot less pretentious or whatever, he dubbed his character (aka himself) "Menma Masashi." Everything else he kept the same, cause why not?
His first novel was about his personal events from his graduation to the Land of Waves mission, detailing everything that he went through personally.
That included the shunning by his fellow villagers, the hardship, the whispers, and all the challenges he went through as a child right through his final exam that he failed, being then given a "special exam" by one of his teachers, Mizuki, who tricked him into stealing the Forbidden Scroll.
He also wrote his first revelation, which is the reason he was shunned, due to him being a Jinchuuriki, the vessel of the Nine Tailed Fox demon that destroyed their village precisely twelve years ago, the day he was born.
He didn't hold anything back, writing down how alone he felt in his world, with the thought of going down a bad path being dangerously close. Right until his other sensei, Iruka, told the traitor loud out a rememberable line:
He is Menma Masashi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!
The rest didn't need to be explained, but in short, Menma took it to defend his wounded sensei and fought back against the traitor, and won.
Result: Menma was given his shinobi headband, and became an official Hidden Leaf Shinobi.
Tring! Tring! Triiiing!
That sound was coming from his pants, reaching for his front pocket, Naruto pulled out a flip-phone, getting some weird looks from the other patrons when they saw him pull that ancient relic out. The blond ignored them and answered the call.
"Uzumaki Naruto speaking."
"Really, kid, you need to get rid of that antique."
The one speaking on the other side was Aizawa Shouta, also known as Eraserhead, his soon-to-be colleague at UA High, and also perhaps the closest resembling person to one of Naruto's old comrades from the Hidden Leaf.
Due to his mostly habit of carrying his sleeping bag around the school, it didn't take much to figure out whom he meant by.
"Aizawa, nice to hear from you too," Naruto answered with a question. "How's the floor you're lying on?"
"I'm not lying on the floor."
"No, you're lying on the floor, in your sleeping bag. Am I right?" Naruto retorted back.
"..."
Naruto repeated that question with a guilty smile. "...You're not actually still in your sleeping bag, right?"
"Let's move on, I wanted to talk to you about your contract."
Yeah, he's totally in his sleeping bag, Naruto held back a snort as he asked the following. "So, is it official now? The papers, I mean."
"All Might should've told you this by now, but yeah. You're now officially written in as a part-time tutor and as a gym teacher alongside me. You'll have plenty of time for you to both teach the classes and for you to run your dojo throughout the rest of the day. Congratulations, and welcome to the team."
"Ah, thanks, man. I can't wait, to be honest." Naruto said through his phone with excitement on his face. "Which classes will I be working with then?"
"From now, because you're new, you'll be working with mine and another class. Meaning Class 1-A, but also you'll be tutoring and helping Kan's 1-B class."
Sekijiro Kan, or just "Kan" to his friends, was Aizawa's colleague and his self-assumed "rival." He was known to put the fullest work into any of his students who he sees even has the smallest amount of potential. Overall, he is a man dedicated to teaching the next generation of heroes.
"That's for now, of course, you'll also be given the possibility to tutor any other student in UA High, regardless of their year. They just need to ask for your name and make an appointment to your liking, whether it'll be in your own office or in the training grounds."
Naruto was starting to like this more and more. Looks like he won't have to rely on Shadow Clones too much at this point.
"Just come by tomorrow so you can sign the contract. After that, you'll be given a few months free so you'll have enough time to prepare yourself in your first year."
"Alright, thanks for the call, see you tomorrow."
"Later." Aizawa answered, hanging up just as he was heard yawning-
Click!
Shaking his head, Naruto could only chuckle as he put his phone away, before continuing to work on his novel-
"You guys! You guys!"
Hearing that scream, Naruto turned to his right and saw a woman approach a group that was sitting at the table. He noticed that she was carrying a copy of his Menma novels.
"I read the whole thing!" she squealed as she sat down, looking quite ecstatic.
"And? What do you think about it, do you like it?" One of her friends asked.
"Like it? I LOVED it!" she said with a bright smile. "I want to read more! Are you sure there aren't any more novels out there?"
"Sorry, girl, but right now, we've got to wait," the same woman told him. "But the writer did write in the last page that more is coming in the following months, so expect more in the future."
"Ooh, I can't wait!" another girl at the table squealed, not able to contain her excitement. "The part that got me was when that bastard Mizuki revealed to Menma why he was shunned by the village. It really played my heartstrings."
"If that played your heartstrings, you must've really liked the part where he kicked the shit out of that piece of shit with the Shadow Clone Jutsu," the other replied with a grin. "I can almost imagine it, must've felt good."
"Totally, but my favorite part has to be when Memna and Haku met, and he found out Haku was actually a boy," the girl said, gaining some laughter from the others at the mention of that.
"But honestly, Haku is by far one of the deepest characters I have ever read. And the fight on the bridge, that's the saddest and most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
This made Naruto let out a sad smile, remembering that moment as one of the most important ones in his life. It was that day that he learned to not view everything black and white, and how even the "bad guys" had their own stories to tell. The battle on the bridge became one of the main foundations for his philosophy and who he was to this day, and thinking about it still saddened him to this day.
"Thinking back on your old life?"
"Yeah," Naruto whispered to himself, deciding to pack up and leave. Downing his coffee first before grabbing all his material, he made sure that the papers containing the first draft for the next novel the fans clearly wanted to read were packed up carefully.
"I wonder when he's going to release the next novel," one of them asked out loud.
"Honestly, I wonder who the writer is." One of the girls put a finger on her chin. "Strange that he doesn't want to be known out there."
Yes, Naruto decided to remain undercover for his novels, not really wanting the fame they were generating. He made a good deal with the publisher to keep his identity as the author out of the public eye, since he just wanted to have his privacy.
"I guess he didn't want the fame," the newest fan of his work sighed, holding the copy to her heart. "Still, I do wonder what he looks like."
"You just have to turn around, lady, the guy's literally standing here!" Kurama sarcastically shouted in response.
BOOM!
The patrons and all other people in the street felt that explosion. While panic didn't ensue right away (they were more than used to random bits of chaos at this point), they all still couldn't help but wonder what it was.
"I'M FREEEE!
Recognizing that voice, the spot where Naruto stood was now left empty.
"Man, this has been one hell of a day," Naruto groaned from under his mask.
He was sitting on a rooftop, and apparently the damn Sludge Villain got out, and was causing trouble again. He was currently taking hostage a student from Midoriya's school if he wasn't mistaken, and judging from the large explosions the two of them were firing, he assumed that was his quirk.
His eyes darted to the right, and he noticed All Might, who was looking at the scene helplessly as he was clutching his injured side.
Right, Kitsune sighed. I suppose this is how I make my debut.
But as he took out his kunai paper-bomb, a blur of black and green suddenly made its way to the giant Sludge Villain.
Wait a minute, is that-? Kitsune looked in wonder as Izuku charged at the giant villain, taking off his backpack.
"Little squirt's got balls, I'll tell you that," Kurama chuckled. "Looks like he is worthy after all."
They both watched as Izuku flung his backpack at the Sludge Villain, nailing him in the eye with its contents. A good move, but unfortunately it wasn't enough, since he struggled to claw his way into the villain to try to free who he assumed was his classmate.
"Well, time to step in," he sighed, and he flashed over there.
"K-Kitsune?!" Izuku and Katsuki stammered.
"Good work, kid," Kitsune nodded in approval.
"YOU AGAIN?!" the Sludge Villain roared. He tried to use the boy to blow his face off, but Kitsune simply punched him in the eye, causing him to roar in pain as his grip on Katsuki weakened. The masked hero took the opportunity to rip the two kids away from the villain, jumping back before the Sludge Man could recover.
"I really am pathetic, aren't I?" a familiar voice joined in. It was All Might, who saw Izuku's bold, heroic move. Inspired by his actions, he transformed back into his hero self, despite him reaching his limit for the day. "I told you the traits that'll make a great hero, and yet, I wasn't living up to my own ideals!"
The Sludge Villain attempted to swing at All Might's head, but he effortlessly blocked the strike as he cocked his fist back. Unbeknownst to everyone else, save for Kitsune and Izuku, his mouth was bleeding from overuse of his quirk.
"Pros are always risking their lives! That's a true test of a hero!"
"DAMN YOU ALL MIGHT!" the Sludge Villain screamed.
"DETROIT SMASH!" the Number One Hero roared as he punched the Sludge Villain. The force generated a powerful whirlwind which instantly eliminated not just the fire around them, but the smoke and storm as well.
And just like that, All Might had saved the day once again - albeit at a cost.
Apartment Complex
It's been hours after the Sludge Villain was dealt with in the Shopping District. The villain was apprehended, the hostage was rescued, and the damage was kept to a minimum.
Of course, they had some help from a brave, quirkless boy named Izuku, who Naruto honestly underestimated. Sure, he saw potential in him, but he thought he lacked courage, since he never seemed to stand up to his bullies. And yet, apparently when no one else would do so, he was the first one to try to save the kid.
But that's not what the media seemed to see. They were more interested in the explosive-quirked boy who was taking hostage, praising him for his "bravery", while some of the heroes wanted to berate the quirkless kid relentlessly.
Fortunately, Izuku was spared from the harsh treatment thanks to Kitsune, who told them off for their unwillingness to help in the first place, and how Izuku had to essentially do their jobs for them.
The media, of course, wanted to speak with Kitsune, who, in all of his hopes, tried to avoid them, but was caught in the sea of these bastards, and was forced to talk to them for half an hour before he managed to escape.
Unfortunately, Izuku had been taken away by the police for questioning, alongside the hostage named Katsuki Bakugou. Neither were in trouble, thankfully, they just needed a full detailed report in peace away from the media before they were free to go.
Leaving All Might as the main center of attention for these vultur-er, journalists, he finally got the opportunity to slip away, giving him a chance to finish what he started.
"Are you sure it's smart to visit the kid's parents?"Kurama asked. "I'm just wondering, that's all."
Naruto now was walking through the hallways of an apartment complex, headed for the address to Midoriya's home.
"I'm not giving up on him," Naruto replied stubbornly. "I know it has been a rough day for him, but I want to be sure that if he still wants to be a hero, he'll have a fighting chance at least. And even if he gave up on his dream, I can still at least help him find another. Otherwise, he could become prey to anyone else who sees his worth."
"Like those League of Villains group? Or that Meta Liberation Army? Or even those religious zealots that are built on anti-quirk abilities with those creepy masks?"
That last group Kurama mentioned bothered Naruto in particular, due to their ideology and their all too well known goals. The group's name was the Creature Rejection Clan, an organization of quirkless people only who felt discriminated against and were left out of the quirk-dominated society.
The worst part was that their efforts were being totally ignored, with the assumption of these groups dying out, which just made it easier for them to work in the shadows and grow their numbers.
It was horrifying to find out how many of these people had fallen down that rabbit hole, with the news briefly mentioning several arrests for vandalism, theft, arson, and even murder.
Some of them were children too…
While the thought of young Midoriya actually falling down this path was a bit of an over exaggeration, it was still a legitimate concern. Hate is a powerful and changing emotion, and getting out of it was a whole different story.
Tring, Tring, Triiing!
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden feeling of his pocket vibrating. Digging into it, he took out his phone and answered it, leaning against the rails.
"Uzumaki Naruto speaking."
"Naruto, Nezu here." Speaking through the phone was Nezu, the lovable and helpful mouse-man and the principal of UA High School. "I wanted to call you to personally congratulate you for your now being part of the UA High School staff."
Smiling at hearing his voice, Naruto responded, "Mr. Nezu, good to hear from you. Also, thanks for the chance you've given me."
"A good-minded young man like you is a perfect addition to our line of work," Nezu replied. "I trust that Mr. Aizawa told you the details and that you'll need to come tomorrow to sign the contract just so we don't face any legal problems."
"Of course he told me," Naruto answered, not noticing that the elevator next to him was returning to his level.
"Also, I've been told that you were involved in the Tatooine Shopping District battle with the Sludge Villain. I've also been told that you and All Might saved two children."
Naruto flinched at this. He hoped that he didn't just stumble into any legal trouble, since he wasn't technically licensed yet, despite his paperwork being done. It didn't help that he brought a lot of media attention to himself again, something he'd like to avoid next time.
"Luckily, the Commission isn't on your case today. They were more concerned about the fact that a child ran into the fight."
"Yeah, about that," Naruto brought up. "I'm actually at the home of that kid, Izuku Midoriya. I want to talk with his parents about him joining my dojo."
Ping!
"On that note, I think it's them. I'll call you later." Naruto finished.
"Okay, no problem. Good luck and see you tomorrow, Naruto."
Ending the phone call, Naruto puts his phone in his pocket just as the elevator doors opened, and two pairs of feminine legs stepped out.
Both of them were wearing sport outfits and looked like they'd just ran a marathon. The taller one, a blonde woman wearing a black colored outfit with white sneakers, looked like the spitting image of her son, and so did her smaller, dark-green haired counterpart, who was seen wearing a green version of her friend's outfit. Each carried a towel around their neck and a water bottle in their hands, their bodies damp from sweat.
"Ohhhh my…" Kurama whistled.
"Ah, that was a good run," the blonde woman said with obvious satisfaction as she looked down at her phone, before noting, "and that in two hours and fifty minutes."
The green haired woman, who was a few inches shorter than her and was a bit wider, was seen leaning forwards to catch her breath.
"T-Two hours?" she gasped between breathing in and out for air. "It felt almost like four."
"Don't tell me you're giving up on me, girl. Because I see you've made good progress," The blonde smiled while pointing at her body. "You don't know how glad I am to see that rocking body again."
"Oh, stop it, Mitsuki." The green-haired woman flustered at her compliment. She had taken a complete transformation in the last six months, going from a smaller chubby stay-at-home mother to an outgoing, training slimmer looking woman.
"Oh, come on, Inko. You know it's true, you look gorgeous."
"T-That's not appropriate, Mitsuki," Inko shyly said while looking down. "What if your husband was here?"
"Girl, you know, me and Masaru have a very 'special' relationship," Mitsuki said with a perverted giggle. Going to her long time childhood friend, she started to embrace her by grabbing her underneath her bust.
"M-Mitsuki!"
"Come on, remember the old days? When we used to fool around?" she said, nearing her mouth to Inko's neck, speaking in a flirtatious tone. "Who knows, me might even hit it off now…"
"Eh-hm."
The two women froze, before they quickly spun around, their faces bright red. Naruto's cheeks were also red as he struggled to meet their eyesight.
"Just fucking get them!" Kurama's scream echoed inside the young hero's head.
Naruto ignored it and decided to be the first to speak. "Which one of you is Mrs. Midoriya?"
The still embarrassed Inko raised her hand. "M-Me?"
"Mind if we take this inside? I need to discuss something about your son."
Midoriya Residence
Naruto sat on the couch as he patiently waited for the two women to freshen up.
"So you're a single mother?" Naruto asked, accepting the cup of tea Mrs. Midoriya made. "No father in the household?"
Inko sighed, shaking her head. "No, he left a long time ago. Hisashi was always focused on his work abroad, but he never came back after we realized my son was quirkless..."
The mention of that name came with some heavy feelings of anger and sadness. Naruto couldn't blame her,
"You came here for my son, you say?" Inko asked, wanting to change subjects. "Why? Did he do something?"
"No, no, no." Naruto put down his cup of tea on the table. "I wanted to talk about your son's future. I want to invite him to my dojo."
"Dojo?" Mitsuki asked, taking a sip from her cup of tea. "Which one?"
"The Maelstrom Dojo."
*PFFFFT!*
Mitsuki spat out her drink upon hearing the name, his shirt being in the line of fire. Inko, meanwhile, was stunned at this news.
"T-T-T-"
Mitsuki apologized. "I'm soo sorry!"
"It's fine, ma'am, it's fine," Naruto waved it off.
"No please, allow me."
"The...The…"
Mitsuki went over to try to wipe out the stains with a kitchen towel. "Please, allow me."
"Mrs. Bakugou-"
"Please, call me Mitsuki." she told him, "and let me at least remove the shirt, it needs to be cleaned up."
"Okay." Naruto complied, removing his shirt, exposing his well toned body and muscles, something which Mitsuki took great notice of.
"You're very well built for your age."
Naruto chuckled at this compliment. "Thanks, ma'am."
"For the last time...call me Mitsuki." She leaned close to him, allowing him a great view of her cleavage.
"Of course, Mitsuki…."
"Hmmm, how old are you?"
"Uhm, I'm nineteen." Naruto answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Nineteen, huh?" Mitsuki grew a smile on her face while cleaning up the stains from his shirt. "And are you sing-"
"The Maelstrom Dojo! You mean you're the owner?" Inko finally came out of her state of shock. This snapped Mitsuki out of it, and she swiftly moved back to her seat.
"Yes, ma'am. I own and lead the dojo."
She points at him. "Then you're Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Holy shit~" Mitsuki said, looking back at Inko. "You don't know how lucky you are, Inko. Getting approached by the best dojo in the city."
Inko took a moment to digest this news. "B-But my son is-"
"Quirkless, I know, and so is the majority of my students," Naruto said, giving his offer. "I want your son to be a student in my dojo."
"But why my son?" Inko questioned. "Why not somebody else, there are enough-"
"Mrs. Midoriya," Naruto interrupted her. "With all due respect, but I think you're underestimating your son. I've come to realize that he's a very bright and intelligent young man who has a great future in front of him, if he's given the opportunity to grow."
This left Inko to be silent, not seeming to want to give a response to his offer.
"I'm also aware that he's been a constant target for bullying," Naruto brought up, his face turning grim. "I myself have seen it first-hand today after I finished talking to one of my students."
Inko flinched when she heard this, having to remember how often her son would come home covered in bruises and burns. He never wanted to talk about it, always prompting to go straight to his room. She herself tried to do something about this, but each time they simply said that they were just "playing rough."
"If I may ask, Mitsuki, does your son attend the same school as Midoriya?"
"Yes, why?" Mitsuki asked.
"I…" Naruto took a deep breath, before he dropped the other half of the bad news. "His name came up by one of the bullies."
"As someone who defended him," Mitsuki asked pleadingly. "... Right?"
Naruto just shook his head.
BANG!
An angry fist smashed right into Inko's wooden table, causing the two to flinch.
"THAT LITTLE SHIT!" Mitsuki roared in anger. "I'M GOING TO TEACH THAT PUNK A LESSON WHEN I GET BACK HOME!"
I'm getting major Tsunade vibes from her.
"Yeah, agreed, kid."
Mitsuki then calmed down to turn towards Inko, bowing her head in shame.
"Inko, I'm so sorry for what my son is doing to Izuku. This should've never happened."
Cling!
Having put her tea cup back on the table, Inko Midoriya had swallowed all this information at once and now was ready to speak.
"Mitsuki, you don't have to apologize. I know that it's not your fault that your son is the way he is now."
"But-"
"Maybe you could've done better," Inko interrupted, "but we both know how society is right now, and how toxic quirkless discrimination was."
The two women were brought back to their own childhoods, remembering just how brutal their culture was. They recalled just how their fellow peers in their school bullied not just the quirkless, but even those with quirks as well, be it those with "villainous" quirks or those with "useless" quirks.
Much to their regret, they themselves were part of the problem, with neither of them speaking up against this. Whenever they themselves weren't being picked on, they would ignore the ones that were getting bullied.
That's why hearing this news felt like a punch in the gut for them, especially for Mitsuki, who needed a moment to fully digest the fact that her son had become part of the problem as well. It seemed that despite them being adults, they couldn't truly escape that poisonous part of this society.
"Ugh, fuck, what kind of a mom am I?" Mitsuki sighed, burying her face into her hands. "I bet his friends probably just encouraged this behavior. I guess he won't be getting into U.A. after all."
"Maybe, maybe not," Naruto nodded somberly. He could see that the bully's mother was genuinely disgusted by her son's behavior. Perhaps there might still be some hope in the boy after all.
He then turned back to the mother of the victim.
"Mrs. Midoriya?"
The green-haired woman's eyes glinted as she gave her answer.
By the time he and Katsuki were allowed to leave, the sun was beginning to settle down. Izuku Midoriya was seen walking down the streets of a residential area that lead straight home.
The entire experience and the sudden silence left Izuku alone in his thoughts, thinking of the blunders he had made today.
I wanted to apologize to All Might and Kitsune, but they were swarmed by those journalists. I mean, I guess I could always send a message through All Might's website and mention my apology to Kitsune.
"DEKU!"
The green-haired boy flinched as he turned around, seeing Katsuki running up towards him. Which was strange, seeing as his house was a dozen blocks away.
"Kacchan?"
The blond boy stopped a foot away from him, taking a moment to catch his breath. Izuku flinched as his burning gaze seemed to dig into him. His hands began to broil from anger as he stared directly into his eyes.
"Listen. I would never ask for a weakling like you to help me. Don't you THINK you can look down on me!" His breath grew rapid and deep as he struggled to contain his rage. "Got that?! I was fine by myself! You're just a quirkless failure who wouldn't even cut it as a rent-a-cop! You didn't help me! You did NOTHING, don't you forget it!" He spun around in anger, stomping away as he yelled, ""I don't owe you anything!"
The outburst just left Izuku confused, being more than used to these kinds of confrontations at this point.
"What was that?"
Despite being used to these verbal assaults, it still hurt to hear them. The journey back home suddenly became that much heavier.
Kacchan is right, though. It's not like I actually did anything to help today. At least I tried…Guess now I'll get back to giving up my dreams-
"I AM HERE!" All Might suddenly appeared from the corner of the street, completely taking Izuku off guard.
"AHHHH!" Izuku screamed, before speaking, "All Might! What are you doing here?"
"Don't forget about me, kid."
That voice made Izuku turn around, and saw that it was Kitsune, who was sitting on top of a wall. He jumped off and stood right in front of him.
"Sup."
"Kitsune, you too?" Izuku looked between them. "How did you avoid those interviewers?"
"Hahahaha! I stand for justice!" All Might responded while flexing his muscles. "Not sound bites, because I am ALL MIGH-"
SPRRT!
Toshinori's body turned back to normal, and he began spitting blood out of his mouth again.
"AAAAAAAAH!" This scared the young boy, despite having seen it before.
"Damn it, not again." Kitsune facepalmed. "Come on, you know you gotta stop overusing your quirk."
"My apologies," Toshinori said, wiping the blood off his mouth. He coughed a few more times before turning to Izuku.
"Young man. I came here to thank you, and also to discuss your question from earlier."
Izuku was confused and looked at his idol. "Huh?"
"If it weren't for your bravery, I would've been a worthless bystander watching by in the crowd," Toshinori admitted. "So thank you for inspiring me to do my work."
"O-Oh no, it was my fault he was there to begin with!" Izuku protested, staring at the concrete nervously. "I got in the way of your hard work, and I probably just wasted your time too."
"Self observant and honest," Kurama grunted. "Humble too."
"I'm not done."
Izuku turned his gaze back to his hero and listened to what he had to say.
"You told me that you were a quirkless boy, and I tried to discourage you from becoming a hero. And yet, out of everyone in the crowd, you were the only one to act to try to save a life. That made me realize that at the moment, I wasn't living up to my own standards of being a hero. Your actions inspired me to act."
"I-I did?" Izuku stammered.
"Each great hero has a different origin story," Toshinori began, "but the one thing they all had in common is this: when the time came for someone to save the day, their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost as if it had a mind of its own."
This made the young Midoriya's eyes widen as he recollected what happened.
"Today, you were that hero," Toshinori announced proudly.
That made Izuku's emotions boil out as he began holding his chest, tears beginning to spill out of his eyes.
It was Kitsune's next words that broke his emotions.
"Kid, what you did out there, many people would've called you idiotic. Perhaps they're right, but what I saw there was bravery - true, heroic bravery that makes you worthy as a hero."
Izuku fell down to his knees, trembling as he became overwhelmed with emotion. It was then that Toshinori finally told him what he deserved to hear:
"Young man - you too can become a hero!"
Izuku began to sob as he finally allowed his tears to pour out, staining the ground with his joy.
Naruto just stood there, watching as Izuku's dreams finally came true. It reminded him of when Iruka-sensei gave him the same words of encouragement a long time ago, becoming the one person he needed that told him that it was going to be okay, and that he believed in him.
(Next Day)
His chest exposed, Naruto snored as the morning light creeped in through the blinds. He had arrived back home a bit late in the night after taking down some more villains, as well as teaching his night classes.
TRIIIIIIIIIIING!
Naruto smacked his hand over his alarm clock with lightning speed, shutting it up on the spot. Groaning, he sat up in his bed as he rubbed his eyes.
"Good morning, sleepyhead. It's Saturday."
"I know, I know." Naruto groaned as he rubbed his neck. He glanced back at his clock to see what time it was.
"Shit, I'm late-"
"Look at the note."
Naruto wondered what he was talking about until he noticed the one laying next to the plate, where some breakfast sat patiently for him, which still looked hot.
"Hm" Naruto opened the letter and began to read it.
We began without you because we saw you were out late again.
Don't worry, we've prepared some food for you and we'll warm up the students.
Enjoy your breakfast, Naruto!
~ T.H
"Heh, must be your little vampire," Kurama chuckled. "Who knows, she might've sneaked in and sucked on your-"
"Kurama." Naruto warned him.
"Your neck, I was gonna say your neck. She's still quite a sucker, though, hehehe." Kurama said with a large grin. "Were you thinking of something else?"
Quickly checking his neck, he felt no holes, which only made Kurama chuckle.
"Double check down there?"
Naruto ignored Kurama as he quickly wolfed down the warm toast, before standing up to get ready for work.
Stepping out of his room, he was now fully dressed in his black dojo attire, which was essentially a pure black version of the Konoha jounin outfit that Kakashi wore, save for the vest, which he left in his room. He did a quick few stretches before he cracked his neck.
"Time to go."
He walked down the hallway, making a few turns after going downstairs before he reached a pair of paper doors. Gripping the handles, he slid open the doors.
He was met with the sight of Maelstrom Dojo, which was full of his students being hard at work with their warm-up exercises, be it practicing their forms, practicing basic techniques with each other, or just stretching. They all paused when they noticed that someone had arrived.
Upon realizing that it was their sensei, they all bowed as they collectively said:
"Good afternoon, Naruto-sensei!"
Naruto smiled as he replied, "Good afternoon to you all, my students."
Amongst the students were familiar faces like Mina Ashido, who stood in the front row with a select few others. Much like the rest of them, she was happy to see her sensei.
"Naruto."
He turned towards one of his best students, who was also serving as one of his two instructors. While she was still very young much like the others, being only sixteen, and despite her more chaotic mentality, she quickly proved herself to be one of his most talented students.
"Himiko, is everybody ready?"
"Yep!" She smiled, looking back to the others. "They're already sweating and their blood is pumping!"
"Good work." Giving her a nod of approval, he walked up to the front, holding out his hand in a sign of respect before bowing to them all.
Everyone quickly got into their formations and did the same, bowing towards their sensei, before bowing to one another, the quirkless and the quirked bowing to each other in unison and respect.
"Alright, let's begin!"