Sekiro, the one who never gave up

by Notosant

Summary:

Izuku Midoriya had his dream destroyed by his idol, but he was given a new chance.
Now he will prove that he is not useless to this world that has always rejected him. Even if he has to die for it.

Notes:

• Inspired by Ronin by Bohb_Stevens

Chapter 1: Lean In, Let Go

"Can I become a hero, even without a quirk?"

A question, quite simple as it sounds but yet with tremendous meaning.
A question that meant the world to Izuku Midoriya, a 14-year-old boy with green hair and eyes.
A question asked out of desperation. Looking for a thread of hope, however small.
Unfortunately, the questioned man answered in the way he feared most:

"No, young man, it is impossible to become a hero without a quirk. It's too dangerous, so please..."

Despair began to take over his heart:

"No..."

The pain in his soul was unrelenting, worse than when his childhood best friend told him to kill himself, worse than all the days of bullyingand discrimination he went through because of something he couldn't control. It was the pain of losing hope, the pain of knowing....

"GIVE UP!!!"

...That he could never become a hero.

So hero #1 stepped off the roof with a leap, leaving the young man there, standing feeling the breeze of the wind.
After a few moments, Izuku falls to his knees and cries, cries for having his dream destroyed by his idol, for knowing that he will always be the useless "Deku"...

For knowing that he will never be able to save people.

 

Then he gets up and starts to head for the door, but watches the edge of the roof, stopping when he grabs the doorknob:

"Hey Deku, if you wish so badly to be a hero here's a tip. Jump off a roof and wish for an individuality in the next life."

At that moment that idea was quite appealing to Izuku, so he let go of the knob and walked slowly towards the edge.

He looked down at the ground and saw the street full of people, people who didn't have to go through the same thing he did, people with quirks.
So he took off his shoes, reaching right at the edge, he said to himself:

" Lean in, let go"

So he fell.

And that would be the end of Izuku Midoriya.

 

---

"What a cruel world...Letting a young man with so much potential die like that, just because he's different. But no matter, if this world rejected him,
then I will take him as my own."

Then the fellow assessed the boy until he noticed his right arm:

"Hm, he seems to be relatively well, but that arm... You'll have to amputate it, it's simply too broken! That must also be why he survived,
he applied all the impact on it unconsciously, a sense of survival so strong that not even the desire to die is enough to stop him"

With a smile full of compassion he then says:

"Sounds like you will be amazing, Sekiro"

Chapter 2: No Hesitation

Summary:

Izuku woke up and meet Wolf, so he tell him his history.

Notes:

Hi, my name is Notosant and this is the first work i make here, so dont judge me if something is strange. Well, enjoy the chapter

Izuku woke up and opened his eyes, finding himself in a dark room as he lay on a futon with no blanket.

"W-where am I?" he thought. After a second or two of confusion he remembered :

"Oh, right..."

Then his face adopted a grim expression. He was still alive, even if he didn't want to be.
As he was getting up from the futon, he had a great headache, and on instinct he brought his hand to his head...
But she never reached it.

"Huh? Why did my hand ... "he thought, until he looked over to where his right shoulder should have been.

The arm that had been there was gone, in its place was a kind of black metal socket at the place of the shoulder, it had something written on it but it was hard to read only in the moonlight.

"W-What happened to my arm!? Why i-Aaaaaargh!" he shouted, from the sudden pain he felt where that piece of iron was. It was a pain worse than any he had ever physically felt, a pain that seemed to burn more than Bakugou's explosions, a raw, pure pain.

"What the fuck? What's all the screaming about? You know what ti- oh, it seems the morphine effect has worn off" said the unknown man as he entered
into the room. He quickly goes to a cabinet and takes out a small vial. Then he goes over to Izuku :

"Look, drink this. It will make you stop feeling pain and will put you to sleep" he says, opening the bottle and putting it on the lips of the young man in agony.

Without thinking how suspicious it looked, Izuku swallows all the liquid until the last drop, after a few seconds the pain begins to diminish, until it disappears completely. But then the boy's head feels heavier and heavier, until he falls deeply asleep.

---

Izuku wakes up again in the same room, he analyzes it and realizes that it is very similar to a kind of dojo. He then tries to rub his eyes with both hands, but he can't feel his right hand.

"Ah, that's right... I'm missing my right arm" he says to himself. So he gets up and leaves the building.

What he sees is a mountainous landscape, the place seemed to be isolated from the outside world, then there was the five story building, looking like the palaces of the Edo era, further down there was a garden, a training area and a small building with a strangely wide chimney.

"I know it's beautiful, but don't you think we have better things to do than admire the view?"

When the man said this, the young man jumped half a meter.

"W-Who is..."
"My name is Wolf, and yours what is it?" the man questioned looking deeply into the teenager's eyes.

"I-izuku Midoriya sir" he replied quickly.

"Hm,a good reaction time, I like that" Wolf said trying successfully to calm Midoriya down.

"Well, Izuku Midoriya, how about we go sit down and have some tea while you tell your story?"

Izuku thought about denying it, but there was something about Wolf that told him that it was safe to tell him everything, that he could be trusted.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea"

about ten minutes later there the two of them were, sitting at a table facing each other, with a stream of steam coming out of the teapot.

"So tell me your story, Izuku Midoriya"

Midoriya took a deep breath began to say :

"From a young age, I learned that we are not all created equal..."

---

 

"It must have been tough, wasn't it?" said Wolf, surprised by how much that child had suffered.

 

"Yes, it was quite tough, but that's not why I jumped. I still held onto my dream of becoming a hero, fighting for justice, giving hope to the desperate, saving people. That's what I wanted the most" Izuku said, his eyes shining with a vibrant life, something that Wolf observed and liked.

 

"But... Then I met All Might, and I asked him if it was possible to become a hero without a Quirk. And he said no, and even asked me to give up..." As this part ended, Izuku's eyes completely lost their shine and life, becoming clouded and empty.

 

Wolf didn't even need to ask, he already knew that it was at that moment the young man decided to end his life.

 

"..So you want to be a hero to save the others, I am right?"

 

"Yes"

 

"So why you don't you just become a hero?" Wolf asked, genuinely confused.

 

"Because its illegal witout a licence. If you try you will be considered as a vigilante, which in the eyes of the law is a criminal"

 

Izuku wasn't surprised by Wolf's lack of knowledge, as he had mentioned growing up in the mountains with zero contact with heroes.

 

"Well Izuku, I have a proposal for you. I will teach you how to fight and i will also train you. My family has a lineage among the shinobi, and we have kept their practices alive, such as armed combat and stealth. Now that I am too old to have children, I entrust you with keeping these arts alive, but with two conditions: first, you will use these arts to save people, even if it's illegal, and second, I want to rename you when you return. No one must know that Izuku Midoriya has returned, for your safety and that of your mother. So, do you accept?"

 

"W-Why are you trust me this? Its your family's legacy. And why me?"

 

"Because I know you can be a hero, so don't give up Izuku" said Wolf with a smile on his face.

 

In that moment, Izuku Midoriya breaks down in tears, crying for all the pain he has endured throughout his life, for all the rejection of his dream, and for the happiness of someone believing in him. It's a mix of pain, sadness, and gratitude.

 

"I accept! Thank you, thank you for believing in me," Izuku said gratefully.

 

"

From now on, Izuku Midoriya is dead, as he has become Sekiro, the blade of justice and hope"

 

Wolf then took out a rectangular wooden box and from it, he retrieved a wooden prosthetic arm. He approached Midoriya and attached it to the metal socket that was embedded in the young man's body.

 

"Try to move your arm, Sekiro" he ordered

 

So Izuku moves his arm and worked, ever the fingers and the wrist worked well.

 

"And lets begin the training"

---

Written on a poster in the street :

Missing

Name: Izuku Midoriya

Age: 14 years old

If you know any information, please call:XXX-XXX-XXX

Chapter 3: The Investigation

Notes:

I apologize for the delay, my computer crashed and I had to write the chapter on my phone. I will try not to delay the chapters anymore, but if I don't post for a while don't worry, I probably didn't have time to write it but I will update as soon as I can.

Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi is in the office analyzing security camera footage. The Midoriya case has been active for 6 months now, and almost no progress has been made. There was no evidence of how Izuku Midoriya disappeared. All they had was a pair of red shoes characteristic of the quirkless and the traffic camera footage, which although showing the young man making his way home, did not reveal what might have happened to the teenager. It would be impossible to know how he disappeared or how his shoes ended up on the edge of a building roof.

At least, by conventional and entirely legal means.

Tsukauchi had the contact details of several video surveillance companies that operated in the area. They had as clients stores and offices that were within the area where Izuku Midoriya disappeared. If he called in a few favors here and there, he could get access to the security footage of these companies.

The biggest problem was that this was illegal, and the images could never be used as evidence.

But he had made a promise.

So he picks up the phone and starts making calls. Half an hour later he gets access to the footage from the day of the disappearance he then begins to watch the footage.

First he accesses the footage from a store near the location of the last shooting.The detective sees the young man being attacked by the slime villain and being saved by All Might. After exchanging a few words The Peace Symbol leaves the scene with a jump, not without first Izuko Midoriya grabbing his leg, eventually going along.

Then Tsukauchi switches to a camera in an office, overlooking the roof where the shoes were found. In this shot, All Might has gone from his muscular form to his lean form. After a conversation with the young man he leaves the scene, leaving him alone.

Then Izuku Midoriya falls to his knees, collapsing in tears. You could feel pain just watching the video. After pulling himself together, the teenager starts to head for the exit, with an extremely downcast posture. He then grabs the doorknob and stares at the edge of the roof, thus remaining paralyzed for five minutes. The detective even wondered if the video had frozen, but then the young man lets go of the doorknob. He starts to walk to the edge of the roof and looks down. After about two minutes, he backs off and goes to another edge.

Then he takes off his shoes, puts them together, stands up and stands on the edge.

And then Izuku Midoriya leans over and falls.

Tsukauchi is unresponsive for a while, and then he moves to the back chamber of a store, where the young man must have fallen.

And there was Izuku Midoriya. He evidently had his arm broken in several different places, but he was breathing and looked relatively well. After a while a man dressed in a brown kimono arrives.

He seems to assess the young man and then puts him on his back, carrying him. He then proceeds down a street with no cameras or stores and disappears.
The detective then takes printscreens of the most relevant moments from the footage and prints them out. He takes the photocopies, some photographs, red line, post-its and a pen. Then he goes to a cork board.
First, he affixes the photo of Izuku Midoriya and identifies her, he takes a post-its and starts writing down the information he already had from interviewing Inko Midoriya:
"Izuku Midoriya: 14 years old; quirkless; has no friends at school, except for Katsuki Bakugou; studied at Aldera Middle School; got mediocre grades, although after examining his tests, it seemed that his grades were fabricated, being that they should be much higher than what was given, being among the best grades in the school; he has a shy personality and he was always a helpful person, according to his neighbors and some classmates, but it was recorded that he was a violent and selfish student by his teachers; according to several sources, including his mother, Izuku Midoriya had a habit of writing down and mumbling information and theories about other people's quirks in notebooks, especially heroes, these notebooks were considered creepy, but after examining the respective notebooks, it was verified by Nedzu himself(to whom the notebooks were forwarded) that Izuku Midoriya an "exceptional talent for analysis"; what made him stand out was that Izuku Midoriya wanted to be a Hero even though he was quirkless, this made him even more ridiculed by his peers and the Aldera faculty, and he earned the nickname "Deku", short for "Dekunobou"(good for nothing)."

"After a dialogue with All Might, Izuku Midoriya tried to commit suicide. The motive is unknown, but it appears that All Might was involved. Izuku Midoriya survived the fall, only breaking his right arm in several different places. Then a man appeared and carried him on his back, removing him from the scene."

"The crash site was in an alley. Midoriya survived the fall, and it is possible to see his abdomen rise and fall with his breathing. About three minutes later, an unknown man arrives and appears to assess Midoriya's condition. The young man does not appear to have suffered much damage, except for his visibly broken arm. After the assessment, the man carries him on his back to a car and disappears from sight. These are the last images of Izuku Midoriya."

The detective looks at the picture, analyzing it. Then he sits back in his chair and sighs :

"Toshinori, what have you done?".

After pondering for a few seconds he stands up and turns to the window :

"Izuku Midoriya, I promised your mother that I would find you"

"And I have no intention of breaking that promise".

Chapter 4: The Father

Summary:

Hisashi finds out about the disappearance of his son.

Notes:

Hi.
I'm here to announce that new chapters of this fic will be coming out on Mondays. This will give me the weekend to write and translate, as well as think about the next chapters.
If you guys have any questions about the future of the story, I'm thinking about creating a Discord group for that, if you really want to let me know in the comments.
That's it for now.
Notosant out.

In I-Island, a man in a white lab coat and curly black hair was running through the corridors of the Research Department. No other employee dared to impede his path. Finally the man stopped in front of a desk counter and said :

"Let the Director know that Chief Scientist Hisashi Midoriya demands a meeting now."

The secretary paled at the expression on the man's face. After giving the confirmation, Hisashi opened the door and slammed it behind him.

Director David Shield was wearing a worried face. He had been Midoriya's friend for over a decade, had even met his son and wife, and he had never seen the man so altered:

"Hey Hisashi, what's going on?" he said in a calm and reassuring tone.

"I'm going back to Japan, I'm leaving on the next plane" replied Hisashi aggressively.

"Calm down Hisashi, let's be rational. Take a deep breath an-"

"Izuku is gone!" cut off the fire-breath user.

David froze for a second : "What?"

"He's gone! My son! It's been six months!" the man shouted.

David was in a state of shock. He had known Izuku since he was six years old. Knowing of his disappearance created a heaviness in his chest

"It's been 6 months David" lamented Hisashi "6 months and I didn't even know. I've been out of touch because of a project and I couldn't even contact Inko. Imagine what she's going through now."

David looked at his friend and then at the picture frame on his desk. In it was a picture of him and his daughter, Melissa. He then thought about how he would feel if the same thing had happened to him.

Simply, an impossible pain to bear.

Then David picked up the phone and said :

"Hello, I inform you that Chief Scientist Hisashi Midoriya is leaving for Japan, get everything ready for his departure"

After that, he puts down the phone and looks into Hisashi's eyes :

"Go find your son"

Hisashi then stands up and opens the office door :

"Thank you David, I owe you one"

"You are a father Hisashi. Your son is priority"

---

After arriving at the apartment, Hisashi tries to muster the courage to knock on the door. He knows that Inko must not be happy with him at all. After calming down, he knocks.

The woman with hair opens the door and says :

"Sorry, I'm not interested-"she freezes and slowly looks up :

"Hisashi..."

Hisashi begins to sweat, he could feel the murderous look in his wife's eyes :

"I-Inko, I'm home. I came back as soon as I heard about Izuku."

After a few tense seconds (which to Hisashi felt like hours) the woman calmed down with a sigh and guided the man into the living room. After they sat down on the couch, Hisashi asked :

"How is the progress of the case?"

"Stopped" Inko replied dryly

"Excuse me?"

"They have no idea where he might be. They just found his sneakers on the roof of a building. Apparently he tried to commit suicide." said Inko in a sad tone and as if he was about to cry.

"And-he survived?"

For heaven's sake, say yes.

"Yes, he survived. But he was taken." Said the woman, already shedding tears.

"Taken?" Hisashi questioned.

Then Inko throws herself at Hisashi :

" Yes! Someone took it. They took my baby! And I don't know what to do! " says Inko, crying wildly.

Hisashi hugs Inko close to himself and says :

"Calm down Inko, we'll find him. I'm sure of it."

---

After calming Inko down and putting her to bed, Hisashi hears a knock at the door. He then opens it and finds a man :

"Excuse me, can you tell me what you need at this time of night?"

The man then pulls a badge from his pocket and says :

"Good evening. I am Detective Naosama Tsukauchi and I am working on the Izuku Midoriya case. If it's a bad time I'll drop by tomorrow"

"No. I mean please come in."

After entering the two men sit down in the kitchen, since the couch is... wet.

Tsukauchi had taken a look at the school cameras, which luckily had a microphone, and was disgusted by what he saw. Even if he couldn't use the footage as proof, he would show it to Izuku's parents. That was the minimum, at least.

"So you must be Hisashi Midoriya, correct?" questions the detective.

"Yes, I am Izuku's father" replies Hisashi.

"Ok, Then I will explain what happened :

Izuku Midoriya was well into the day when he disappeared. He went to school and spent the whole morning there. Then he started his normal route to school and then disappeared off the radar. This is what is recorded in the police file on the case. Actually, he was attacked by a villain, but was rescued by a hero. The hero took off flying, but Izuku grabbed him by the leg, after they land on a roof of a building there is a dialogue between Izuku and the hero. Then the hero leaves and Izuku jumps off the building, falling into an alley and breaking his right arm, but survives the fall. Then a man in a kimono appears and carries him on his back to a car and disappears."

Hisashi seems to analyze what the detective has told him, and then asks:

"Is that all?"

Tsukauchi looks uncomfortable and pulls a cell phone out of his pocket :

"These are footage from Izuku's classroom. In them a student named Katsuki Bakugou assaults and destroys Izuku's notebook, as well as inciting him to suicide."

"Wait, did you say Katsuki Bakugou?"

"Yes"

"Can I see the footage?"

"Sure"

After putting in the video, the detective hands the cell phone to Hisashi.When the video ends, Hisashi takes a deep breath and hands back the cell phone :

"Is that all?" he says in an angry tone.

"Yes. I'll be right out have a good night. Oh, and don't lose hope, I will find your son" says the detective, full of determination.

"I trust you, detective. And thank you" replies Hisashi.

Chapter 5: The Confrontations.

Summary:

A long-awaited chapter, the confrontations.

Notes:

Hey, I'm posting this chapter earlier than planned because I don't know if I would be able to deliver it on Monday. If it's possible, I'll try to post another one that day, but no promises.
Noto out.

Katsuki Bakugou didn't care.

Fuck that damn Deku, I'm sure he disappeared just to get attention, like the big useless guy he was.

After all, he wasn't even good enough to kill himself.

What really pissed off Bakugou was that asshole detective. The day he went to school to ask questions about Deku that idiot questioned him about his and Deku's relationship. Although he didn't say anything, Bakugou noticed the expression on the detective's face after he finished his questions.

An expression of hatred.

Not to mention the questions asked:

"How long have you known Izuku Midoriya?"

"Are you or have you ever been friends with him?"

"Did you guys still talk to each other?"

"Were you violent with Midoriya?"

And, without a doubt, the question that irritated him the most:

"Do you know if something or someone might have driven Izuku Midoriya to suicide?"

He doesn't know how, but for sure the detective knows something. That look of contempt was not his imagination.

Clearing those thoughts from his mind, Bakugou enters the house and is greeted by his mother:

"Hello brat, we will have visitors today."

"Who's coming over?"

"Inko and another guest"

Katsuki shuddered at hearing that name. Since Deku's disappearance Katsuki has been avoiding the green haired woman. He simply doesn't have the courage to face her.

"Okay" replies the younger Bakugou, heading for his room.

---

"Good afternoon. Could you tell Detective Tsukauchi that Tochinori Yagi has arrived?"

"Of course sir, I'll just wait a moment"

As the secretary spoke into the phone, Toshinori wondered why Naosama had called him. He knew he was busy with a rather complicated case and it was leaving him exhausted, maybe he wanted to vent about it. Yes, that was probably it.

"Okay sir, the detective is waiting for you in his office."

"Very nor, thank you."

Toshinori enters the office and is faced with a tired Tsukauchi.

"Good afternoon Toshinori. I wanted to talk to you."

All Might noticed the tone of oppressed anger in the detective's speech. Something or someone must have taken him out of his mind.

"Okay, what did you want to talk about."

"It's about the case I've been working on for the past few months. I need to ask you some questions."

"Okay, you can ask"

"Have you ever interacted with a boy named Izuku Midoriya?"

All Might thought for a few moments and answered:

"Yes, I have."

"How was the interaction?"

"Well, the young man was being attacked by a villain and I saved him."

"Just that?"

Toshinori sighed loudly, of course the detective knew something:

"No, just as I was about to leave the scene with a jump, the young man clung to my leg, with the result that I had to land on a roof of a building. Then my time ran out and I revealed my true form. Then I explained about the injury and my condition."

"That's it?"

"The young man asked me if he could become a hero, even though he was quirkless."

"And what did you answer?"

"I answered no, that he had better give up."

Then Tsukauchi suddenly stood up, holding the edges of his desk:

"Toshinori, do you realize what you have done?"

---

Hisashi Midoriya's heart was full of hatred, but he kept a calm and neutral expression. He could not explode in front of the Bakugou.

Even if he was there.

The boy who was supposed to be his son's childhood friend, who was supposed to be by his side ...

...who told him to kill himself.

He was the only one who knew the truth at that table besides the young man. He had spared his wife from knowing that her best friend's son was someone so...disgusting.

"So Hisashi, I thought you were too busy at work to go out?"

"Ah Mitsuki, I was incommunicado for eight months. I came back as soon as I heard about Izuku's disappearance."

Hisashi noticed the grimace Katsuki made, which made him even more angry.

So the dinner continued until Hisashi decides to go to the bathroom. When he comes out he runs into Katsuki, who is standing with his arms crossed leaning against the wall. As he starts to walk back to the dining room, the young man spoke:

"You don't have to pretend, you know."

Hisashi then stopped, turned to Katsuki and replied:

"What do you mean by that, Katsuki?"

"You don't have to pretend that you really care about Deku. I know that you only came back because he disappeared. There's no harm in that, after all he was just a useless Dek-."

Slap

"Look at how you talk about my son, Katsuki Bakugou. After you told him to jump off a building, you should be pretty careful who you talk to."

The young man looks shocked at Hisashi, who drops his mask and exposes all the anger and hatred he has contained so far:

"My son may be quirkless, but he is undoubtedly a better human being than you. He is kind, helpful, selfless, and is able to sacrifice himself to save anyone. These are the most important characteristics of being a hero. Characteristics that YOU will never have, because you are nothing but someone who punishes the weakest for the simple fact that they are like that, and a hero should do the opposite. So mark my words Bakugou, you will NEVER be a true hero."

So Hisashi goes back to dinner, as if nothing had happened. Not that Bakugou would care...

After all, he would be a hero, wouldn't he?

---

"Revealing a state secret to a child, not calling an ambulance for a victim of a villain's attack, destroying the dreams of a young man who obviously has problems with discrimination and bullying for being quirkless and leaving him on top of the roof of a building. Do you realize how serious this is, Toshinori? On top of that for you, a symbol of peace?"

Toshinori began to sink deeper and deeper into his chair. He knew the detective was correct, but he didn't touch on the circumstances.

"Toshinori, you want to know what my case is about? Izuku Midoriya disappeared 6 months ago, all he left behind were his shoes, and you know where? On that roof where you left him. Why? He tried to commit suicide after you left him alone."

The detective then stopped yelling at All Might, took a deep breath, and said calmly:

"The young man survived the fall. The problem is that he was taken by an unidentified individual. If you had a little more head, he would now be home and safe. But no, now his mother calls me every night, only to have me have to tell her that we have found nothing around her son. Do you know how much it hurts to see a mother crying over her missing child, Toshinori?"

All Might tried to answer, but nothing came out of his throat.

"I am very disappointed in you Toshinori. Your attitude was terrible and a young man almost died because of you.

I have now left my office, I don't want to see you again today, or tomorrow."

As All Might left, the detective sighed and looked at the investigation board, reading the young man's information:

"Izuku Midoriya, if it's any consolation, I think you really could have been a great hero, with or without quirk."

Chapter 6: The end of the beginning

Summary:

Sekiro is ready to go, but will have to prove his worth

Notes:

Hi, as I said I released the chapter today even though the site was down.
Next Monday I'll have another chapter up.
Oh, and I opened a Discord for questions:
https://discord.gg/r8z2Ac5M
So, bye.
Noto out

"It's only been 8 months, hasn't it Sekiro?" questions Wolf, who finishes training the green haired young man.

"Well I had a great teacher. Besides, your quirk makes the process easier"

On the first day of training, Sekiro learned that his Sensei had a quirk called time dilation. It made time pass more slowly for people within a certain user-defined area, increasing the speed of learning and body movement, but without affecting aging or muscle evolution.

For this reason, Sekiro's training was focused more on technique than strength. This was not a big problem, as the katana was more focused on skill than strength. The young man had, according to his teacher, a natural talent for the katana:

"The katana is a weapon of pure skill. Its most effective users are those who have experienced abuse and prolonged torture without ever giving in. That is why this is the perfect weapon for you Sekiro, for despite the world that disowned you for your "disability", you continued to aim for your dream, without allowing yourself to bow down to others. That is why I chose you, because you have a noble and indomitable soul."

Sekiro also trained with throwing knives, bow and slingshot. According to Wolf, it was important to have an option for long distance.

But what surprised Sekiro the most was human anatomy.

These classes consisted of medical treatment, recognizing points on the body where cuts could paralyze the opponent or parts of their body, as well as fatal points. Sekiro studied these points and put them into practice to be able to identify and use them properly, something that took 2 months, but must have taken 5 at the point with the time dilation.

The parkour was quite difficult, but he quickly got the hang of it.

The physical training was a nightmare.

Sekiro had a serious handicap when it came to training, which was the absence of his right arm. Despite having the wooden prosthetic, it wasn't that accurate other than jamming when too much force was applied to it. The worst part was that Sekiro was right-handed, which meant he had to learn how to use his arm perfectly. The upside was that, according to Wolf, if Sekiro learned how to use his arm, he could use superior prosthetics more easily.

The discipline that Sekiro hated the most was definitely the art of theft:

"The art of thievery without a doubt is one of the most important for someone like you to master. As you will be forced to stay in the shadows of society, you will realize that the price of certain necessities, such as food or equipment, will always exist. I'm not telling you to become a pickpocket or a mugger, but you shouldn't have a guilty conscience for cleaning out the wallets of any crooks who are unlucky enough to cross your path."

He also learned about forging and stealth, which were his teacher's specialties.

But the most important lesson was that of the katana:

"The katana is a weapon that is only effective if handled by a master. It is a deadly weapon, but extremely fragile, its blows must always be perfectly aligned with the blade. In addition, you should never interrupt your own blow, always having to finish it, so as not to lose the combat posture, so you should always be sure before attacking an opponent. You should always defend with the blade perfectly aligned, to prevent blade breakage. But the most important law is..."

Hesitation is defeat.

"Well, I guess it's time for your final test."

Sekiro quickly got to his knees, waiting for the order from his teacher....

He then dodged the kick.

Sekiro quickly adopted a fighting stance, holding the katana and its sheath, ready to deliver a blow.

"Fight me"

Then Sekiro paled. He knew it wouldn't be an easy fight.

So Wolf strikes with his katana with a downward blow, only to be immediately blocked by his student who kicks him in the kidneys. The man recoils in pain and then dodges Sekiro's diagonal blow, and tries to punch him in the neck, aiming to destabilize him. Sekiro dodges but is knocked backwards, falling to the ground. He quickly gets up and rolls backwards, avoiding being pierced by his mentor's blade.

Then Sekiro lunges forward with an upward blow, almost hitting the center of his opponent's chest. Wolf applies a vertical strike, in which Sekiro cuts himself on the side of the torso, but is not paralyzed thanks to his deflection. He then jumps up and tries to perform a hammer kick, but Wolf dodges. But the teacher did not foresee the diagonal blow given by his student, thus being cut in the left arm at a point of paralysis, thus temporarily losing mobility of the limb. He then kicks Sekiro away:

"Looks like I'm getting old." says the man, trying to distract his student:

"Well done Sekiro, clearly you are skilled, but can you defeat me?"

So Wolf moves in for a jab, and then....

He stops.

Then he feels his body go numb and he falls to the ground. He tries to move, but is unable.

And finally he realizes the pain in his neck.

Sekiro stood at the opposite end of the dojo, blade poised to strike.

"You taught me well Wolf."

Then the defeated teacher smiles sadly:

"That's my boy."

After being able to move again, Wolf hands Midoriya a wooden box:

"This is for you, it will help you prove your worth to this world."

Sekiro then opens the box and comes across a prosthetic. She is of dark metal and light alloy, having carvings of sakuras and the words:

Hesitation is defeat.

Sekiro immediately opens the socket of his wooden prosthesis, swapping it out for the new one. He is very pleased to find that it was much easier to use than the previous one, not to mention sturdier. Inside the box there were also the design plans, which would allow him to repair the prosthesis in case of damage, and a bandage, to hide it so he couldn't be identified by it.

Before he can answer anything, Wolf hands him a costume. It is a shinobi uniform without a mask, it is black in color, having red bands to adjust the pants to the waist. It came with a backpack and two spare katanas, as well as a belt for throwing knives and a belt pouch. The shoes were light and allowed for silence when moving, despite having a toe cap and heel coated in black steel.

"Master not even without thanks..."

"Then don't thank me. Sekiro, I thank you for being my student. If not for you, my family's legacy would be lost forever. You are like a grandchild to me, so don't die out there."

Sekiro then hugs his teacher.

"Thank you Master, for everything. If it wasn't for you, I would be dead today."

After they part, the two leave for the train station.

"Goodbye Sekiro, I hope you prove your worth to this world that has disowned you."

After saying their goodbyes Sekiro gets on the train. As he leaves, the young man gazes at the mountains where he trained with all his might. The feeling of sadness touched him, but he remembered his duty. He would prove that he could be a hero.

Whatever the cost.

Chapter 7: Hosu

Summary:

Sekiro has an unpleasant encounter in Hosu.

Notes:

Hi.
Here's another chapter, hope you like.
So bye.
PS: Thank you for the 100 kudos.
Notosant out

What was it already? The seventh case tonight? It wasn't even 3am yet. Sekiro knew crime in Hosu was high, but at that level?

What the hell is going on in Hosu?

He thought about waiting for the robber to wake up, but he gave up remembering that the police would be arriving every second. But he knew that this spike in criminal activity was not normal.

He then climbed up the emergency ladder and started jumping from roof to roof, looking for any more criminals.

It had been 2 weeks since Sekiro arrived in town. He was mainly attracted by the high number of arms and drug dealers. The presence of black market traders was also an attraction, as he couldn't buy things like tools, equipment or medical supplies without raising suspicion in a normal store. Although it was expensive, Sekiro could easily afford it. That's where the dealers come in.

Sekiro then went back to his house.

Sekiro's house was actually an abandoned metalworking workshop. He found it four days after arriving in town, while seeking shelter from the rain. The chief's office was renovated so that one could sleep there. There wasn't much there, just a desk with a chair, a corkboard and a worn and (confirmed by the young man) vermin-free sofa. It wasn't the best place to live, but it suited the teenager's needs.

Arriving home, Sekiro opened his desk drawer and put away 670,000 Yen he stole from his victims, the dealers usually walked around with full pockets, so Sekiro would see to it that they were emptied.

He quickly checked his uniform before going back out, he had gotten a black scarf that hid his face and a sugegasa of the same color, in a traditional store in the city, having been offered by the attendant after Sekiro had captured a bandit who had robbed the store. Since then, they have been his trademark, the thing that makes criminals recognize him.

Sekiro's reputation was of a man who hunted criminals, especially drug dealers, for money. There were rumors that he was an apprentice of the Hero Killer Stain who had turned against his master's genocidal intentions, the reason being that he usually spared the lives of his victims. His quirk was unknown, but was theorized to be related to melee weapons, being of the paralyzing type. His alignment would be neutral against villains, as he apparently only faced bandits and drug dealers, but he clearly despised the Heroes Commission, and there had been disagreements between them. He was someone who was recommended to avoid unless you wanted to be beaten, paralyzed, robbed and spend the night in a cell. Basically, don't mess with him and he won't mess with you.

After all, that's already been put to the test.

Once, a group of five men had arrived in the neutral zone (where a truce is established between criminals, informants, vigilantes and underground heroes) boasting that they had eliminated a local informant. A big mistake, informants were a protected class in the underworld, and an announcement like that was suicide. The real problem was that Sekiro was in the area, waiting for that same informant. He then questioned the man about how they did it. The leader explained how they had broken into the man's house, raped his wife and daughter, who was six years old, and killed them in front of him, before finishing the job. Then blood begins to gush from the leader's neck, at some point Sekiro had drawn his katana and slit the man's throat. Then his companions fought back, but were killed in a matter of minutes.

After cleaning his katana and sheathing it again, Sekiro left. From then on, the others always avoided him, fearing they would be the next to taste his blade.

As he made his way across the rooftops of the city, Sekiro thought of his family, he knew he could never return home, but he desired their safety. He knew they were looking for him, but he couldn't put them in danger.

So he sidesteps the scarf.

Before allowing another attack, Sekiro draws his katana and cuts the end of the strip of cloth:

"It will take more than that to capture me, Eraserhead".

Sekiro dodges the side kick performed by the pro-hero.

"I'm sorry Sekiro, but I can't let a murderer loose, regardless of the character of his victims."

"Ah, so you were there."

Aizawa quickly grabs Sekiro's left arm, coming face to face with him:

"I'm willing to testify that it was self-defense, if you come with me".

Sekiro smiled at the offer:

"Nop, I'm not in the mood to get arrested, Eraser. But tell me, why would you do that?"

Aizawa tries to creep Sekiro out, but he jumps, backing away:

"Those idiots got what they deserved. I won't arrest you for it, but you'll still have to answer to the law for that act."

Sekiro then steps forward and applies a slash to the hero's neck, who falls to the ground paralyzed:

"I understand your side Eraserhead, but I simply cannot surrender."

Sekiro then sits down next to the paralyzed hero, looking out into the brightly lit streets of Hosu.

"Why are you still here?"

"I thought you might want some company, after all, the effect of paralysis takes time to wear off. And chat for a while."

"Okay"

"So... how are things going?"

"Chaotic, the AU entrance tests are starting, and as a teacher, I have to help guide everything."

"Hmm"

"How old are you?"

"Why?"

"You look young enough to be in middle school."

"Oh, I'm 15."

Suprised, Aizawa ask:

"Then why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you decide to become a vigilante?"

Sekiro smiled and looked up at the sky:

"I became a vigilante because ever since I was little, my dream has been to save people."

Aizawa then made a confused expression and asked:

"Then why not become a hero?"

Quickly the warmth of Sekiro's smile fades, leaving a markedly sad smile, with thin tears flowing from his eyes, and in a velvety voice, with no sign of crying, he looks at the hero and replies:

"I could never be a hero, Eraser. It's simply impossible for me."

Then Sekiro leaves the roof.

---

After regaining movement, Aizawa returns home and thinks about the conversation he had with Sekiro. He didn't get any information, besides the young man's age, but that wasn't what was on the hero's mind.

The question was why Sekiro couldn't be a hero.

Aizawa assessed Sekiro's profile, writing down the data he got so far on a notepad. A young man of 15, short height, with unknown quirk and a great skill of the katana. He had a strong sense of justice and was someone who was naturally selfless. Perhaps because of his quirk, Sekiro was discriminated against and ridiculed for wanting to be a hero. But there was something wrong. The vigilante hadn't reacted to having his quirk erased, having continued to fight normally without flinching. That didn't make any sense, unless...

Sekiro was quirkless.

Then Aizawa reflects on that, wondering if it was really possible for Sekiro to not possess a quirk. He clearly never used his quirk in battle, using only his skill and technique. He would have been treated cruelly by his peers, and it would be even worse for him since he wanted to be a hero.

Aizawa then throws the notebook in the sink, lights a match and burns the notebook. If the Commission were to find out that Sekiro was quirkless, they would put him on the kill list.

And Aizawa would never allow that to happen.

Chapter 8: The Council

Summary:

Nedzu and the underground heroes gather to discuss Sekiro.

Notes:

Hi.
Sorry for my absence, I had some family problems that required me to stay without writing and I'm only now available.
I'll try to release the next chapter on Monday, but no promises.
Notosant out.

The AU director is sitting at his desk as he signs the contract. In front of him is Toshinori Yagi:

"Alright All Might, you are now officially part of the AU staff as a Heroism teacher. As you do not yet hold a teaching license, you will be under the supervision of Professor Shota Aizawa."

"Thank you, Principal Nedzu."

Then a knock is heard on the office door.

"All Might, please remove yourself from my office."

Hero number 1, confused, asks:

"May I ask why?"

"Now the AU Security Council meeting will begin. These meetings are for authorized personnel only."

"Could I not be authorized?"

Nedzu maintains his smiling expression, despite being irritated:

"All Might, these meetings are attended not only by faculty and staff, but also by police officers and members of other schools. Despite your status as Hero number 1, you must understand that these meetings are private, and only I have the power to authorize attendance. Since I don't think you have what it takes, you will not be authorized."

All Might was dissatisfied with the answer, after all, why would he not be authorized?

"I understand director."

Then All Might left the office.

The principal then pressed a button on his desk and the bookcase opened, revealing a secret door in the wall.

Stepping through the door, Nedzu enters a spacious room, in the center of it is a large holographic table and on the walls are several screens, showing news channels, maps of Japan, tables, graphs and other types of data.

Sitting at the table are various underground heroes such as Eraserhead, Snipe, Sir Nighteye and MS. Joke, we also have 2 members of the police, Detective Naosama Tsukauchi and Commissioner General Kenji Tsuragamae.

Upon taking his seat at the table, the director announces:

"Very good morning, first of all I want to thank you all for attending this meeting. I know these meetings can get in the way of your daily lives, but it really is important that you attended."

After everyone agrees, Nedzu continues:

"So let's start playing our cards on the table. These past three months crime in Hosu City has been rising exponentially, but in the past few weeks it seems to have stabilized. Does anyone have a possible cause for this?"

Then the hero, Shogun, replies:

"Sekiro"

The other heroes underground shudder at the mention of the name. The Detective then questions:

"Sekiro? Isn't he that vigilante who showed up in Hosu a little while ago? It's just that I'm working on his case, but we have almost nothing about him."

Aizawa sighs and replies:

"Yes, that same Tsukauchi."

"And what's so special about this vigilante?" asks Nedzu.

"Sekiro is a vigilante who focuses on drug dealers and other criminals. He uses a katana as a weapon and has incredible skill with it. He has been known to paralyze his opponents when he slashes him with the katana, steal their money and bring the police to the scene. He is extremely dangerous. He once killed 5 people like it was nothing. I tried to make contact with him and ended up being paralyzed, but he decided to keep me company until I could move again. I found out some information about him like age and even his quirk. I also carried out a psychological assessment based on what I found out, as I was asked to do so by the Commission, but I destroyed it for reasons I will explain in a moment.

According to my analysis, based on the information I got, Sekiro is a 15 year old teenager, he was a student who had the dream of being a hero, but he had a condition that made him be ridiculed and suffer bullying for that dream, he is quirkless. So I decided to destroy the assessment, otherwise he would possibly be marked for death."

The board members were shocked by this statement:

"Wait, is that true?" asks Tsukauchi.

"Yes, it's true. During my confrontation with Sekiro, I used my quirk on him, but he didn't even realize it. It seems he doesn't believe he can become a hero either."

All the members were silent, until Nedzu cut him off:

"Well, if that's true, then Sekiro might be related to the next topic of this meeting. Tsukauchi, hadn't you told me about the Heroes Commission's involvement in a case of a young quirkless man's disappearance?"

"Well, yes Nedzu. The case in question is the disappearance of Izuku Midoriya, a young quirkless who went missing 9 months ago. The biggest differentiators of this case are the Commission's interest in the boy and the causes of the disappearance.

Izuku Midoriya was a 14-year-old teenager, he suffered terrible bullying and discrimination because of his quirkless status, despite this he wanted to be a hero, that was his biggest dream, being that he had All Might as his idol.

On the day of his disappearance, he was rescued by All Might from a villain. Then All Might tried to leave the place with a jump, the young man grabbed his leg and the hero decided to land on a roof. All Might eventually revealed his skinny form and his injury, then they had a dialog and All Might left. After the hero's departure, the young man tried to commit suicide, but he survived and was taken away by an unidentified individual.

I met with All Might in my office and inquired about the conversation, and I found out that Midoriya committed suicide because his idol told him that he could not be a hero."

Nighteye slams his hands on the table and stands up in a huff:

"WHAT!!!?"

"Sir Nighteye, please do not interrupt the Detective" Nedzu warned.

"The unusual thing about this investigation is that it has not been closed yet. The Commission is putting pressure on the police to solve the case as soon as possible. I went to Midoriya's house and found several notebooks, some contained analyses of heroes and the rest were the boy's diaries. I gave those books to Nedzu to assess the situation and we found something."

Nedzu then continues:

"Midoriya had an innate talent for quirk analysis, having great intelligence and possibly having a photographic memory. His analyses are well polished and present information of the respective heroes, their strengths and weaknesses not only at the quirk level, but at the personality and situational behavior level.

He recorded in his diaries his day to day life. He suffered heavy discrimination from his classmates and teachers, with grade manipulation, incitements to suicide and assault using quirk being commonplace.

He had one particular enemy called Katsuki Bakugou, according to the diaries, he called him Katchan to disguise the extreme hatred he felt."

"I pity the boy, he suffered so much to the point of giving up his life" Emi said sadly.

"Ok, but what does that have to do with Sekiro?" asked Snipe.

Nedzu smiled and answered:

"Great question Snipe. The relationship between Sekiro and Midoriya is the high possibility that they are the same person."

The whole room fell silent. No one was expecting that information.

Except for Sir Nighteye:

"It makes sense. Midoriya must have been trained for months and now he's back so he can follow his dream of saving lives."

"Well done Sir Nighteye." says Nedzu while clapping his hands. He continues:

"Our objective with Sekiro is his capture and confirmation of identity. It will be listed as an S-class objective, due to the difficulty and importance of success. If Sekiro really is Midoriya he is a very powerful threat to our society, we cannot allow him to fall into the hands of the Commission, after all he knows highly dangerous state secrets in the wrong hands.

And remember, whatever you do, don't give Sekiro any reason to become our enemy."

Chapter 9: First Impressions

Summary:

Sekiro meets some not very nice people.

Notes:

Hi.
Look, I know I've delayed the chapter a lot, but I've had a lot of problems, like my computer going down for good, having to find another one before school started and changing my NET provider.
I don't want to give up, but I must warn you that delays like this can happen from time to time.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Noto out.

Sekiro was admiring the view of the city of Hosu, its gleaming buildings and bustling streets.

Then he saw a spotlight hero patrolling the street. Usually these heroes only appeared during the day, but they were also present in places with high traffic at night. Personally, the young man didn't like these types of heroes, most of them were very narcissistic and greedy, always looking for fame and money, but he respected some of these heroes, like Ingenium for example. Heroes who don't seek fame, but it appears spontaneously because they are loyal to the values of true Heroism.

But Sekiro also noticed the silhouette that followed the hero over the rooftops. She was fast and agile, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as if she were nothing. Until she descended into an alley.

The young man then made his way to the place, and when he arrived he came across someone he disliked:

"Good evening Stain. I hope you're ready to face me."

The Hero Killer, who was crouching with one of his katanas against the hero's neck, turned towards Sekiro, revealing a face full of hatred, but also curiosity:

"Ah... So you must be Sekiro, the young man they say is my apprentice. What brings you here tonight?"

The young man looked at the hero, who was paralyzed, and asked:

"Do you intend to kill him?"

"This hero has let himself be corrupted by fame. He must be executed and set an example for others."

Sekiro then looked into Stain's eyes with a serene expression:

"Unfortunately, I can't allow that. I'll give you the chance to leave the hero and you can leave without any resistance, or to face me and be defeated."

Stain then turns his face upwards and starts laughing, as if what the teenager proposed was a joke:

"Sekiro, now you won't get out of here alive."

He then advances and attacks Sekiro with a horizontal blow. Sekiro dodges and applies an upward blow with his katana, forcing Stain to block with his katanas.

Stain goes for another attack, applying a scissor kick with his blades, but Sekiro lands a kick to the chest, causing the Assassin to fall and recover with a roll.

Hello blows begin to accelerate faster and faster, the darkness of the alley quickly replaced by the sparks of blades meeting again and again. It's a beautiful scene, and terrifying at the same time. While Stain's fighting style is aggressive, without technique but with the force of his deep hatred, Sekiro is more passive, opening gaps in his opponent's defense and striking back coldly and precisely, with a much cleaner style and powerful technique.

Stain goes for a strike, but Sekiro grabs his wrist with his left hand and punches him in the face with his prosthesis, sending Stain flying into the wall. Sekiro then seizes the chance and strikes the Assassin, leaving him paralyzed:

"And so it ends, Hero Killer. You were certainly a formidable opponent."

Stain looks at Sekiro, who has already turned and started to leave the scene, with a face full of hatred, and replies:

"No! You can't defeat me! Only the true hero has that right! Only All Might is worthy!"

Sekiro then freezes, stopping a few meters away from Stain. He turns to the Assassin and then declares:

"All Might. Of course it's All Might. It's always All Might. Everyone's a fan of that piece of shit All Might!"

He looks at Stain and says very calmly:

"All Might doesn't deserve to be called a hero. He's just another stickler for the Heroes Commission. He's someone despicable who doesn't deserve the title of symbol of peace."

He then leaves Stain, who has a shocked expression:

"Goodbye Stain, maybe you'll find out the truth about this 'real hero' of yours."

---

Sekiro was in a bad mood.

It wasn't enough for that bastard Stain to be a fanatical killer, but he had to be fanatical about All Might.

Now he was back at his base, investigating the suspicious movement of villains in the area. According to sources, they were being recruited by a so-called League of Villains.

And to make matters worse, the League's aim was to kill All Might.

Sekiro hated the hero, that was a fact. But he wasn't out for revenge, he just wished he never heard of him again.

The League was planning to attack the AU, since All Might had been hired as a professor. They would select a field class in which the symbol of peace was in charge and attack by surprise.

Sekiro wanted to go to avoid casualties among the students and ensure their safety.

It wasn't because then he could be on the grounds of his dream school. Of course it wasn't.

That's why Sekiro was inside a room, sitting on a sofa, waiting for the leader of the group.

The door opened and a man with pale blue hair appeared from it, hands covering his face and body.

"Hello, so you must be Sekiro, am I right? Pleased to meet you, my name is Tomara Shigaraki, the leader of the League of Villains."

Sekiro looked at the man, undeterred.

"Yes, it's me. Why did you call me here? I can't take part in your plan, is that it?"

"No, far from it. I only called you here to ask you a few questions."

The man started scratching his neck as if he wanted to rip his own skin off.

"Then go ahead, ask your questions."

"Why did you decide to help us? As far as I know, you're not a big fan of murder, especially of heroes, so what's your motivation?"

"All Might and I have... a score to settle. I hate the man and I'd love to see him suffer."

"Okay. But aren't you Stain's apprentice?"

"No, I'm not and never will be. I have my own master and I will never abandon him."

"What a shame. I'd love to have an apprentice of Stain's, or even Stain himself, among my forces."

Then Sekiro laughed and said:

"That would never happen, the idiot is an All Might fanatic."

"And what does your master think of All Might, Sekiro?"

Sekiro then adopted a thoughtful expression, reflected for five seconds and replied:

"Nothing, he has nothing against the man, but he doesn't care what happens to him either."

The answer seemed satisfactory to Shigaraki, who then declared:

"Then everything's fine. Welcome to the League, Sekiro. When we have a date for the attack, we'll let you know."

"It'll be a pleasure working with you, Shigaraki"

Then Sekiro leaves the room

After arriving home, Sekiro thinks about his meeting with the man

"Tomura Shigaraki, it looks like we'll be enemies from now on. And when the day comes, I'll decide whether you deserve to live or die."

Chapter 10: Identity

Summary:

The attack on the UA.

Notes:

Hi.
I took my time because I wanted to do a longer chapter than usual, I just didn't expect to get carried away and make it so long, but it's a very interesting chapter, to say the least.
If you like longer chapters, let me know, okay? The next one will be normal length.
Thanks for all the support so far. That's what's kept me motivated to continue.
Noto out

Aizawa stared out of the window as the bus made its way to USJ. He was thinking back to the night before, where Sekiro had given him the warning about the impending attack:

"Hello Eraserhead."

"Good evening, Sekiro"

The two were face to face, sitting at a table inside a bar.

"I heard that All Might has become a professor at the AU, is that true?"

A waiter appears and places a mug of coffee and a glass of lemonade on the table, then moves away to serve the other customers.

"Yes, it's true." replies the hero, in a disgusted tone.

"Is he really that bad?"

"Yes. I hope you weren't disappointed."

"Don't worry, I expected it," says Sekiro, with a melancholy smile.

"What's the matter, Sekiro. Why do you avoid All Might so much?"

"What do you mean I 'avoid All Might'?"

Aizawa takes a sip of his coffee and replies:

"Sekiro, come on, it's so obvious."

Sekiro then looks down at his drink, sighs and takes a sip, before replying:

"I didn't have a good experience with All Might when I first met him."

"I see"

The hero wasn't going to push the vigilante any further, not only because he didn't want to jeopardize a possible alliance with him, but also because he considered him a friend. It wasn't the first time they had talked in this bar, and they really understood each other very well.

Sekiro cut the silence, saying:

"Well, you must be wondering why I called you here, right?"

"Well, yes. What's the reason?"

Sekiro adopts a somber expression, and replies:

"The UA is going to be attacked."

Aizawa almost spits out his coffee, choking. After coughing a little, he asks:

"How did you..."

"I infiltrated a group of criminals who were being recruited for the attack. The name of those responsible is the League of Villains, and they are led by a man called Tomura Shigaraki. When he saw me, he asked to speak to me in private, and told me that their aim was to kill All Might. I only went undercover to get more information. They're going to attack Class 1-A, which is going to a field class at USJ tomorrow."

Aizawa didn't know what to say, after all, this was alarming information.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I'm going to join them in the attack, to help you."

"Why. Don't you hate All Might?"

Sekiro snorted, and adopted an expression of annoyance:

"Yes, I hate All Might. It's not like I want to kill him or anything, but more like I want him gone. The problem is that the number of villains is high and the students are in danger. I'm coming more for them than for All Might."

Aizawa nodded, threw some money on the table and said:

"Thanks for the warning, Sekiro. I hope you'll be careful tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

---

Aizawa knew that Sekiro could be Izuku Midoriya. His grudge against the symbol of peace was further proof of this. He knew that the young man wanted to become a hero. And perhaps, if they could capture him, they could make his dream come true. The professor recognized the young quirkless man's potential, and would love to have him fight alongside him. Nedzu also admired Sekiro and certainly wanted him at his school.

"Don't play games with me. I'll finish you off!"

But, of course, it couldn't be that simple.

If Sekiro were to be invited to UA, there would be 3 main problems.

Firstly, he's quirkless. He would be discriminated against and would have to prove every day that he was worthy of his place.

Secondly, All Might. Sekiro hates the man and wants to be as far away from him as possible. Putting him in a class with the idiot as a teacher would only bring disaster, not to mention that the young man would obviously reject the school's offer.

And the third was the source of the previous scream, Katsuki Bakugo. If Sekiro were Midoriya, he would probably refuse. If not, there would be the same problem if he accepted, the vigilante would clash with the explosive student.

Aizawa considers Bakugo to be despicable. He was the classic cocky jerk who showed up almost every year at UA.

But the reason he hated him was Midoriya.

Aizawa had read Midoriya's diaries, so he knew that Bakugo didn't deserve to be a hero. All the violence and bullying he did to the author of the diaries made the hero feel angry with the student. He passed with the highest score on the practical exam, 70 points for villain and 0 for hero, and Nedzu was forced to admit him to the school because there was no legal proof of the suicide incentive or the bullying. Tsukauchi's videos couldn't be used as evidence, as they were obtained illegally.

Aizawa and was just waiting for a slip-up, something that would allow Bakugo to be expelled and blacklisted for heroism.

"Attention students, we have arrived at the UA-USJ. This is a training center for disaster rescue situations."

Class 1-A got off the bus and crossed the threshold of the large building. Meanwhile, Aizawa was talking to Sniper.

"Is he here yet?"

"No, the idiot has pushed his time limit and will be late."

"That asshole!"

"Calm down, I understand your anger, but we can't do anything about it."

"What about the attack?"

"Everything is under control. When there's a signal to attack, the cavalry will arrive in 15 minutes."

"Okay, we're three heroes, I'm sure we can hold out long enough."

Then the two heroes entered the building. Inside was Thirteen, explaining about the use of quirks in hero work.

"...Remember, as well as being part of you, your quirks can easily injure or even kill. That's why it's extremely important to know how to use them in all possible situations, whether in combat or rescue."

That line made Aizawa think of Sekiro again. He thought about how this lesson would apply to him, a quirkless man. Perhaps in the use of his techniques. Sekiro had already managed to perfectly cut a brick thrown at him in order to win a bet. His talents were clearly for combat, but perhaps they could be used in a rescue situation.

"Hey professor, who are those people?" asked Kirishima.

The underground hero looked at the group of criminals who had appeared out of a purple mist. He searched among them and spotted the pair of emerald eyes he was looking for.

The problem was where they were pointing.

Sekiro stared at Bakugou. You could sense the resentment he felt towards the blond just by looking at him.

Then a man in his twenties spoke up:

"Looks like you've already decided on the prey street Sekiro."

He then addresses the heroes:

"Where's All Might? We just came to see you."

Aizawa adopts a combat pose, and replies:

"He's not here. Who are you and what are your intentions?"

"Ah, Eraserhead, I'm a big fan. And how rude of us, we're the League of Villains and we intend to kill the Symbol of Peace."

The students start muttering amongst themselves.

"But since he's not here, let's play a game. How many dead children does it take for All Might to appear?"

Then the students have the most varied reactions, some crying or hiding while others remain calm or prepare for combat.

"Kurogiri, split up!"

Just then the purple mist appears again, enveloping the students and scattering them throughout USJ.

"No!" shouts Aizawa.

"Sekiro, I noticed your interest in that blond guy, I'll take you to him," says Kurogiri. And Sekiro replies:

"Thank you"

Meanwhile, several villains surround the heroes, while the others go hunting for the students. And so Shigaraki announces:

"Let the games begin."

---

Mina Ashido was nervous.

She was still processing the fact that they had been attacked by villains, as well as being separated.

On top of that, she had to stay with Bakugo.

She didn't know the blond very well, but she didn't like him. His arrogant and violent attitude wasn't a good calling card, plus he didn't care about his colleagues, calling them extras.

"Hey Raccoon Eyes, get on your feet and come with me," orders Bakugo, already walking through the ruined city.

"Hey Bakugo, we shouldn't split up, there might be villains nearby." replies Mina, having already picked herself up off the ground.

"And why do I have to look after you? If you want me to protect you, then you're the one who has to accompany me."

"Really, after ten months you're still an idiot?"

The two then turned in the direction of the voice, and there stood a man dressed in a black uniform with red details, along with a black sugega and scarf, highlighting the glint of his emerald eyes, which looked bored. At his waist was the sheath of a katana.

Bakugou then became furious and shouted:

"What did you say?"

Sekiro doesn't change his expression, replying calmly:

"What, Kacchan? You shouted so much you went deaf, didn't you?"

For a second Bakugo had an expression of realization, as if he had understood something, but then he became even angrier:

"Deku, you good-for-nothing. I'm going to kill you right here and now, so you'll never get in my way again."

Kacchan? Deku? Mina noticed that the two apparently knew each other, and they certainly weren't friends.

Then Sekiro grabs the scabbard and handle of his katana, and replies:

"My name is Sekiro, and I want to see you try."

Then Bakugo lunges forward with a blast and points his right hand in Sekiro's direction, aiming for his face and unleashing a blast when he reaches him. The blast rips off the swordsman's scarf and sugegasa.

He dodged.

Sekiro dodged at the instant of the explosion, leaving his green hair and face uncovered. Before Bakugo could attack again, Sekiro hit him on the back of the head with the katana's pommel, causing him to faint.

"Pathetic," says Sekiro, as he observes his opponent's limp body.

"Looks like you've had your fun, Sekiro."

Sekiro turns around and sees a villain who has appeared on the scene.

"Not really," he replies boredly.

Mina is petrified, the strongest student in the class has been defeated as if it were nothing.

"So you want to play with her?"

Then the pink girl comes to her senses and starts running, only to be grabbed and lifted off the ground by the villain, who possesses a quirk of speed. Sekiro begins to walk towards her slowly, much to Mina's dismay.

"She has an interesting body, even though she's only a student. I heard from a friend of mine that students are much better than adults. Do you have any form of comparison?"

"No..." Sekiro replied darkly, continuing to approach.

"That's too bad. At least I do. This will be my first time with a student, I'm dying of curiosity."

Then Sekiro comes face to face with Mina, who is too terrified to think about moving.

"So what's it going to be, me first or..."

Slash

Suddenly the villain lets go of the girl, who is grabbed by Sekiro before falling to the ground.

"Sorry, not my thing."

Mina hears a crash and looks over Sekiro's shoulder, noticing the tip of the bloody blade.

The pink-skinned girl didn't know how to react.

"Can you stand?"

Mina simply nods.

"Okay, I'll let you go"

Sekiro then lets go of her and she takes a step back. She still doesn't know the boy's intentions. She then observes his face, noticing his emerald green eyes, his diamond-shaped freckles on each cheek, his curly hair, which was tied back except for a few curls.

But what she noticed most was the lifelessness in his eyes, as if his hope had died but his determination still remained.

"Please don't hurt me."

Sekiro then adopted a reassuring expression, and replied:

"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you."

Mina is confused, and asks:

"Then why did you come with them?"

"I came to ensure your safety. They're the ones who don't know that."

The girl then relaxes, beginning to trust the vigilante.

"You're a vigilante, aren't you? Why did you decide to join Japan's biggest school for heroes? Isn't that too risky for you? And why do you want to help us?"

Sekiro turns away and picks up his scarf and sugegasa from the floor, putting them back on. He looks at Mina and says sadly:

"You know, I always wanted to be a hero. It was my only dream in my whole life. But unfortunately people like me aren't allowed to dream, having to lower themselves for people like you or Bakugo. I'm here to prove myself to this world that has always looked down on me, to show that someone like me can dream and go higher. My name is Sekiro, the one who never gives up."

And so Sekiro leaves the place, to fight another battle.

---

Aizawa was having difficulties. There were 15 Villains around him, and it was 10 minutes before the reinforcements arrived.

"So, Eraser. You let yourself be surrounded?"

Aizawa turns around and notices the green-eyed vigilante appearing among the men.

"So you're coming now, are you?"

"Oh come on, I was busy." said Sekiro, mockingly.

"But no more fooling around."

In a second Sekiro draws his katana and paralyzes two of the villains. The others realize the betrayal and go on the attack, but they can't do anything because Eraserhead uses his quirk, canceling out theirs and making them easy targets.

Shigaraki, who has observed everything, is furious.

"Kurogiri, summon the nomu," he orders.

Then a cloud of purple smoke appears and out of it comes a creature resembling a giant humanoid bird.

Sekiro is surprised by the sight of this creature.

"What the fuck is that?"

Shigaraki looks at Sekiro with a lunatic smile on his face.

"Nomu, smash it!"

The nomu looks at Sekiro and starts running towards him while screaming.

Sekiro also starts running towards the nomu, intent on eliminating him. When the two come face to face, the nomu throws a punch towards Sekiro, who dodges it, leaving a crater in the ground. Sekiro then cuts off the creature's arm, separating it from its body.

"Really, that's it? I thought I'd finally have an opponent on my level..." Sekiro is punched in the stomach by the nomu with the newly regenerated arm. The punch sends him crashing into a wall.

"Sekiro!" shouts Aizawa, worried about the katana user.

"So Sekiro? Was that blow at your level? I seem to have forgotten to warn you that the nomu has several quirks!" announces Shigaraki, with a smile full of contempt.

"Several quirks, huh?"

Sekiro gets to his feet, slowly raises his head and flashes a torn smile, and stares at Nomu with a psychotic look.

"Let's see how long he can hold out."

Sekiro goes on the attack again, stopping right in front of the nomu. The creature strikes Sekiro with its fist, but the vigilante dodges, coming face to face with his opponent's arm.

He's fast.

Then Sekiro begins to circle the nomu, who tries to punch the vigilante.

What would be his weak point? His heart? No, it can't be, he leaves his chest too open.

The nomu then punches the ground with both fists, creating a tremendous impact. Sekiro sidesteps in order to get away from the nomu.

And then he notices something.

The brain! He tried to defend his brain whenever he could. That must be its vital point!

Sekiro then slashes the nomu's leg, forcing him to kneel, climbs onto his knee and drives his katana into the exposed brain. The nomu then falls to the ground, lifeless.

"No!"

Shigaraki manages to get close to Sekiro, and prepares to touch him with his hand on his chest.

Slash

Shigaraki freezes, he looks at his hand and notices the index finger, now missing. He screams in pain as he holds his injured hand against his chest.

"You bastard!"

"Young Shigaraki, we have to leave now!" says Kurogiri.

"Shit!" spits Shigaraki as a purple mist surrounds him, and also begins to surround the other defeated villains.

"Sekiro, mark my words, one day I will find you, and I will kill you, slowly and painfully."

Then the villains disappear in the same way they appeared.

Sekiro stands with his back to Aizawa, wipes his blade with a cloth and sheathes it again.

The teacher watches the young man, he knows he has to talk to him, give him a chance to be a hero.

"Sekiro, I thank you."

"It was nothing, Aizawa, I did it of my own free will."

"I..."

"Professor, who is he?"

Aizawa turns and sees his students, none seriously injured but some quite shaken. He also notices Bakugo, who is unconscious.

"Students this is Sekiro, and he is a-"

"Villain, I will not allow you to continue attacking these students!"

Everyone turns to the source of the shout, and out comes All Might, who has just arrived on the scene. Sekiro shudders with rage, gripping the hilt of his katana.

"Now you decide to arrive, All Might?" shouts Aizawa, visibly irritated.

"Calm down, Eraser, it's not worth it," says Thirteen.

"Eraserhead, I apologize for my delay, I had some setbacks. But now I'm here, and I'm going to defeat the villain who threatens our future heroes."

All Might moves towards Sekiro and prepares an attack:

"DETROIT"

Sekiro draws his katana and applies a cut to the chest of the Symbol of Peace, causing him to fall paralyzed to the ground.

"Will you stop shouting?" says Sekiro, in an annoyed tone.

All Might is shocked, as is everyone else, apart from Aizawa. How did someone like that defeat Hero No.1?

"How?" All Might ask.

But the vigilante had already left the scene.

"Okay, now it's Mina Ashido's turn."

Mina enters the principal's office, together with Aizawa. The teacher stands to Nedzu's right.

"Ashido, please sit down," says the principal in a light tone.

"Now I'm going to ask you a few questions about today's events, I want to know how the villains' attack to make the school safer went, understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well."

Then the principal starts asking the same questions he asked the pink-skinned girl's classmates, with a few differences here and there.

Until a question is asked.

"Have you had direct contact with any villains?"

"Yes"

"Can you give a description?"

"Of course. As I said before, I ended up alone with Bakugo, and then a villain showed up. It was a strange encounter, it felt like he and Bakugo knew each other."

Nedzu looked into Mina's eyes thoughtfully:

"What makes you think they know each other?"

"They argued with each other, using nicknames, the villain called Bakugo Katchan and he called him..., wait I don't remember..."

"Deku"

Mina froze for a moment. The mention of the name reminded her of the bloody blade.

"Yes, that's right"

Nedzu pressed a button and said aloud:

"Detective, please come in."

Then the office door opens and Tsukauchi walks in, he sits down next to the director.

"Good afternoon, my name is Naosama Tsukauchi, I'm a detective and I've come to ask you some questions about this villain. What is said in this conversation cannot be revealed in any way. I've brought an NDA that needs your signature, understand?"

Mina watches the detective for a contract and a pen on the desk. She then grabs the pen and signs the document.

"I see," says Mina.

"Okay. Did the bad guy say his name?"

"Yes, he said his name was Sekiro."

Mina noticed that Aizawa and Nedzu had exchanged glances at the mention of the name.

"Very well. You said that Bakugo seemed to know Sekiro, how did they understand each other?"

"Not well. They insulted each other and there was a moment when Bakugo attacked him. Sekiro defeated him without taking his sword out of its sheath and even commented on his screams, as if he'd lived through it. Oh, and he didn't seem to like being called Deku."

"Interesting. Could you give me a physical description of him?"

"Yes, he was short and looked about my age, he also had emerald green eyes and green hair, as well as freckles."

Tsukauchi seemed surprised by the last detail:

"Wait, freckles? You could see his face?"

The atmosphere in the room changed. Mina noticed that the three adults were looking at her as if she had written lottery numbers on her forehead.

"Yes, I saw it."

"If I gave you a photograph, would you be able to recognize him?"

"Yes, I think so."

The detective quickly opens his briefcase and takes a file out of it. He opens the file and hands her the photo.

"Does he look like this?"

Mina looks at the photo. She sees the same face as the boy who saved her, the same green eyes, the same unruly hair only shorter, the same freckles in a diamond pattern on his cheeks.

"Yes, they're the same person," Mina says.

Aizawa and Nedzu seem satisfied with the answer, and then the underground hero asks:

"And how did he act?"

"He saved me. I was captured by another villain who intended to rape me. He killed him and let me go."

Aizawa and Nedzu look at each other, as if they were arguing telepathically.

Until Mina speaks up:

"But I have a question, who is Sekiro?"

Nedzu then looks at Mina for a moment, and says:

"Sekiro is a vigilante who appeared about two months ago, he was focused on capturing drug dealers of all kinds, especially drugs. Eraserhead fought him and was defeated, but it seems that they established a sort of friendship, exchanging information or talking about life. We had a suspect for his identity, and you've just confirmed it. Sekiro's real name is Izuku Midoriya, he is 15 years old and has been missing for almost 11 months, after a failed suicide attempt. He suffered from terrible bullying and discrimination, he was a classmate and childhood friend of Bakugo, who became his biggest bully and even incited his suicide."

Mina was shocked, she already knew that Bakugo was someone detestable, but she didn't know he was so despicable.

"Why did he do that?"

"For the same reason that Sekiro defeated Eraserhead. Izuku Midoriya is quirkless."

"What?!"

"Izuku Midoriya is quirkless. He suffered with this condition all his life, being treated like a second-class citizen. He dreamed of being a hero, but his dream was shattered, resulting in his attempted suicide. We want to bring him to the AU and make his dream come true."

Mina still had a question:

"But how did Bakugo get accepted into the AU?"

Nedzu adopted a bored expression and replied:

"There's no legal proof that he did, and he got the best mark in the practical exam. I was simply forced to admit him, but he's on the edge, if he does anything we'll expel him on the spot, and even blacklist him.

Any more questions?"

"No, thank you very much."

"Then you can go now."

Mina gets up and walks towards the door, until Naosama speaks:

"Ashido, could you do me a favor?"

"And what would that be?"

"Could you come with me one day to talk to Midoriya's parents? They're very worried about their son."

Mina thinks for a second and says:

"Sure, why not?"

"Okay, then Professor Aizawa will let you know when it's possible."

"Understood."

She closes the door. Nedzu starts thinking about the fact that Sekiro is Izuku Midoriya.

"This is going to be very interesting"

 

Chapter 11: Shadows Of Our Past

Summary:

Hi
I don't have much to say
So bye
Noto out

Sekiro knew he shouldn't be here, that holding on to the past like this was a mistake, but his heart needed to see it.

Being back in his hometown made him melancholy, it was here that people had treated him horribly all his life, it was here where the one he thought of as a brother turned his back on him...

Where he discovered that he could never be a hero.

He watched the couple through the apartment window, the two of them sitting on the sofa embracing.

Then the memories started to come.

He remembered when his mother

He remembered his father, who always tried to be present in his life, he remembered the time he heard his father arguing on the phone, all because he wanted to spend more time at home, he remembered when he received the news that his son didn't have a quirk:

"Izuku, do you want to be a hero?"

"But the doctor said, the teachers..."

"Shut up and answer me. Do you want to be a hero?"

The five-year-old Izuku wiped the snot from his face and replied:

"Yes, more than anything! I want to be a hero and save people!"

Then Hisashi laughs and says:

"Then be a hero. Nothing and no one can change that, because it's in your heart."

He remembers his mother, who always took care of him and how he tried to hide how much he suffered so as not to worry her:

"Izuku! Why are your clothes all wrinkled and dirty?"

"Sorry mom, I tripped and fell into a ditch."

Inko looked into her son's eyes, sighed and said:

"Okay, next time be more careful."

"Yes mom"

He thought of all the times he had been with his family, how these were the happiest moments of his life.

The only happy moments of his life.

"Mom, Dad, I beg you to forgive me. I made a choice..."

He says and starts to walk away:

"... and I can't go back."

---

The doorbell rings and Hisashi answers the door. He sees the detective and a pink-skinned girl with horns:

"Oh, good evening Tsukauchi, I see you're accompanied."

"Good evening Hisashi, I've come here with news of Izuku."

The pink-skinned girl introduces herself:

"Good evening Mr. Midoriya, my name is Mina Ashido, I'm a student at UA."

"Nice to meet you, Ashido. Please come in."

The two guests follow the older Midoriya into the living room, where Inko Midoriya is sitting on the sofa. The woman and the girl introduced themselves to each other.

"So, Detective, what's new?" asks the woman, getting up to prepare some tea for the guests.

The detective and the schoolgirl sit down on the sofa with Hisashi.

"Izuku Midoriya has been seen."

The green-haired woman freezes halfway to the kitchen. Hisashi also seems surprised by Naosama's news:

"Really?"

"Yes, he was spotted and identified by Mina Ashido"

The woman turns and asks:

"Are you sure you've seen my son?"

Mina notices the tears forming in the woman's eyes:

"Yes, I saw him."

"Was he all right?"

"Yes"

The woman sighs with relief and heads back to the kitchen. Then Hisashi asks:

"Detective, where was he? And why isn't he back yet?"

Tsukauchi started to get nervous, after all, Izuku Midoriya's situation was far from simple:

"That's where things get complicated."

"Then explain."

The detective took a deep breath and began:

"Two months ago, it was confirmed that a new vigilante had appeared in the city of Hosu known as Sekiro. He is a katana-wielding swordsman with the ability to paralyze his opponents by slashing them with his katana. He is considered a class B criminal, having already faced heroes such as Eraserhead, Raiden and others.

The battle between Sekiro and Eraserhead was our first clue to his identity. Eraserhead possesses a quirk called Eraser, which consists of erasing the quirks of individuals he observes, losing its effect when he blinks. The hero faced Sekiro with the aim of capturing him but failed. Usually the target of the Eraser quirk has a reaction as if it had been shaken, but the vigilante felt no effect. So it was concluded that he was quirkless.

After defeating the hero, he had a dialog about how he wished he was a hero, Eraserhead asked why he didn't try the heroism course, but Sekiro refused, saying that someone like him could never become a hero.

The contact between Eraserhead and Sekiro continued and a friendship was established between the two, then Sekiro reveals an important piece of information.

As you know, the AU was attacked two days ago, but no one was hurt in the attack. This result is thanks to Sekiro, who warned Eraserhead and supported the heroes. And then he was identified by Ashido."

The detective signals to Mina, who continues:

"My class was split up into several groups and scattered around the USJ, I ended up alone with my classmate Katsuki Bakugo."

Mina noticed Midoriya's expression when she said Bakugo's name.

"Then he showed up. Sekiro called him Katchan, while Bakugo called him Deku. Bakugo went on the attack with a bang, removing the scarf and sugega that hid Sekiro's face, but was knocked out by him."

Midoriya seemed happy that his son had defeated Bakugo.

"And then I was captured by another villain. Sekiro slowly approached me, causing me to have a panic attack, while the villain said he intended to rape me. Sekiro then killed him. Then he left."

Hisashi adopted a thoughtful expression. He didn't know what to think about his son, after all, he had killed a man.

"Mr. Midoriya, your son saved my life, even though he's not here..."

Mina gets up, kneels down and puts her forehead to the ground:

"...I want to thank your son for saving me, and I want you to know that he's my hero!"

Tears begin to well up in Hisashi's eyes as he feels proud of the son he has raised:

"Thank you Ashido, thank you for showing that my son is already a hero."

 Meanwhile, Inko enters the room, holding a tea set:

"Uuuuh... Did I come at a bad time?"

And they spend the rest of the visit chatting about what Izuku was like before he disappeared.

The detective drove the car, heading towards the Ashido residence:

"So, how was the evening?"

"It was good. I had no idea that someone could suffer so much just for being quirkless."

The detective sighs, and asks:

"Ashido, have you ever suffered from your appearance?"

The pink girl reflects for a few seconds, and replies:

"Yes, especially when I entered kindergarten. The other children talked about my skin or my horns, but that didn't last long."

"Now imagine if I hadn't stopped, what would have happened?"

Mina thought about it and shuddered, adopting an expression of horror:

"It must have been hard for him."

"It was."

The pink-skinned girl reached over, thought of Izuku:

"Izuku Midoriya, I hope you come home safe and sound, so I can get to know you better."

Notes:

Criminal class:

D-Minor criminal, police responsibility

C - Potentially dangerous criminal, to be captured by the police, preferably accompanied by a hero.

B-Criminal classified as a villain, with a history of escaping or defeating a hero. It is recommended to Heroes with support

A - Villain with a history of murdering heroes. Should be faced by an experienced hero.

S- Villain involved in organized crime, or commits their crimes in a planned way.

SD-Member of a criminal group of lesser importance, or a villain who is difficult to catch.

SC- Serial killer with no pattern, or member of a criminal group of medium importance.

SB-Serial Killer with a pattern or specific targets, or member of a high-profile criminal group.

SA-Criminal killer of medium-high ranking heroes, or possessor of confidential information. The Top 10 must take responsibility for their capture.

SS- Villain who defeated Heroes from the Top 10. Their capture, and if impossible, their elimination, must be of the utmost importance.

Chapter 12: The New Hope

Summary:

Hi
I decided to release this chapter early
Hope you like it
Noto out

Sekiro arrived at the bar and soon saw Aizawa, who was sitting at a table. He pulls up a chair and sits down facing the hero:

"So Eraser, why did you call me?"

Aizawa then grin and says:

"Calm down Sekiro, today we are here to celebrate your promotion"

"What?"

"Now you're a class-S criminal"

Sekiro is not happy with the comment:

"And that's a reason to celebrate?"

Aizawa seems to be having fun with the situation:

"No. The reason is that I'm going to buy you something to eat. But there's one more thing I have to tell you."

Sekiro is pleased with the free meal, but he is also suspicious of the hero:

"What is it?"

"We talked about it outside, after eating"

The two then order their dinner at the counter, Sekiro orders a bowl of Katsudon and Aizawa orders one of udon.

They then start talking about Sekiro's class up:

"Why am I S-class now?"

"You can thank Nedzu for not being an SS-class. Since you defeated All Might, the Commission wanted to make you a top priority."

"That wasn't a fight."

"Exactly, that's why Nedzu recommended only S-class. There was simply no justification for that, and Nedzu even asked the Commission how they were going to explain to the public that a random B-class vigilante managed to defeat the Symbol of Peace."

"So it was more to cover up what happened to All Might."

"Yes you can say that."

The two then finish eating, Aizawa pays the bill and they leave the bar. They then go over the buildings until they stop on a roof.

"So Aizawa, what do you have to tell me?"

"Why didn't you come home, Izuku Midoriya?"

Sekiro freezes at the mention of the name. His name.

"How?"

"Come on, Midoriya. Did you really think the Commission would let the teenager who discovered All Might's weakness escape? The one who had his dream destroyed by him?"

Sekiro is furious with the hero's response:

"That's exactly why I didn't come back. You know what the Commission would do to my family if I came back! You know what I would have to go through again if in the end the Commission just forced me to sign a confidentiality agreement! That I would come back to be Izuku Midoriya!"

"But you are Izuku Midoriya."

"No! I'm not Izuku Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya is dead! He died on that roof! He..."

Sekiro lowers his scarf and takes off his sugegasa, revealing his face, while tears run down his cheeks:

"He died Aizawa. He died the moment All Might told him he could never become a hero."

Aizawa then hugs the boy, comforting him:

"You know, I know that you are quirkless since the day we fought each other, I realized that when you didn't react to my quirk. But I never doubted your ability, every time I told you that I wanted you to be my student, that I said you could be a great hero, I was being honest. So I tell you, Sekiro..."

Aizawa breaks the hug and grabs Sekiro by the shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes:

"...you can be a hero."

Sekiro then hugs the hero again, letting the tears flow again.

"Thank you Aizawa."

A little later Sekiro calmed down, then the two talked about various topics:

"A bid?"

"Yes, I bet Ms.Joke 100,000 yen that you were Sekiro. She said 'It's impossible for someone as fearsome as Sekiro to be a kid with a face as adorable as Midoriya'. Well, I think you're living proof of that. contrary."

Sekiro didn't know how to react to this.

"Well, I want to ask you something."

"Strength"

"I want you to meet one of my students, as a civilian."

"Yeah, no way."

"Midoriya, you have to live with people your age."

"Aizawa, you know what I went through in my past."

"And that's exactly why I'm asking you this. What you went through wasn't healthy, but you need to hang out with other teenagers to get over it."

“I spent time with Bakugo at USJ.”

“Beating Bakugo doesn’t count as socializing.”

"Unfortunately"

“Come on, Midoriya. You know I'm right.”

“Yes I know, but what about my identity?”

“What about that student who saw your face?”

Sekiro remained silent, he tried to think of who could have seen him without a mask at the USJ:

“The one with pink skin?”. “Yes, it was thanks to her that I discovered your identity.”

“Who else knows? You don’t need to talk about the Council.”

Aizawa got goosebumps when he heard the tone of Sekiro's voice:

“Detective Tsukauchi and your parents.”

“A detective? Seriously Aizawa? And to make my parents worse?”

“Listen, the detective has been working on your missing persons case since the beginning, and he thought he should reveal this information to your parents.”

Sekiro sighed:

"OK I understand."

“What about the meeting?”

"No. I don't want"

“Midoriya, if you don’t do this, Nedzu will make your life miserable.”

The vigilante then adopted a defeated expression:

“Okay, I’ll do it.. But just this once.”

Aizawa seemed satisfied with the boy's answer:

“Okay, I'll let you know when I have a place and date. Now go to sleep, it’s 5 am.”

“Okay mom, I will. Goodnight"

And so the two separate.

---

Aizawa was giving a lesson on the laws of heroism, while Mina slept with her head resting on her arm:

“Mina Ashido, I want to talk to you after class ends.”

The girl with pink skin woke up with a start and just said:

"Yes teacher."

Then the class continued. Mina already expected to be scolded for sleeping during class, but at least it wouldn't be Iida. So she tried her best not to fall asleep again.

At the end of the class, she and the teacher waited for everyone else to leave the room.

“Ashido, I think you already know that you shouldn’t sleep during class.”

“Yes professor, I know, it won’t happen again.”

“I hope not, but that’s not the only reason I want to talk to you.”

Mina is confused and asks:

"It is not?"

"No. I wanted to ask you about your opinion about Izuku Midoriya.”

The teenager thought about it for a moment, and replied:

“I think he’s a good person.”

“You know, he didn't have friends throughout his childhood and that's why he developed an extreme distrust of people his age, which isn't healthy for him at all. I wanted to ask you to meet him at some point, so he can live with someone his own age.”

Mina thought about her teacher's request:

“That's fine with me, I wanted to thank him for saving my life, and if it really helps him then I'm happy to do so.”

Aizawa smiles and replies:

“Thank you Ashido, then tell me a time to meet him.”

"OK. So see you tomorrow teacher”

“See you tomorrow Ashido.”

So Mina heads home while humming a song

“I hope we can be friends, Midoriya”

Chapter 13: Meetings

Summary:

Hi
This time we have a little EraserJoke, but the next chapter will be more focused in that.
So bye.
Noto out.

The street was busy, which was quite normal at that time of day, but for Izuku Midoriya it was intimidating. He already didn't get on well with crowds and his life as a Sekiro had only isolated him even more.

Izuku Midoriya was antisocial, to say the least. His years of life had been filled with pain and suffering from the people who knew him, as well as his family, and so he didn't know how to socialize with people his own age, creating a great deal of mistrust.

He was sitting at a table in a cafeteria while he waited. He was wearing a light blue T-shirt, jeans and a pair of black shoes. He had to modify the shoes to be able to wear them comfortably, but that was always preferable to wearing the red ones that gave away his lack of quirk. He also had a bandage that wrapped around his right arm, including his fingers with thinner bands, so as not to show his prosthesis.

He was looking out of the window until someone started calling him:

"Hey, can I sit down?"

The owner of the voice was Mina Ashido, she was dressed in a black top with the word 'PINK' written in the middle and white leggings.

The guard looked at her and motioned for her to sit down.

"Your name is Izuku Midoriya, isn't it? My name is Mina Ashido, but maybe you already know that."

Midoriya then replies:

"S-yes, you're co-correct A-ashido-san." at which point Izuku cursed himself, how was it possible that he faced criminals every day, had almost died and still couldn't talk to a girl his own age without his face turning red and starting to stutter?

On the other hand, Mina seemed relieved. She was nervous about talking to her savior, not knowing how she should act with him, but hearing him stutter in front of her made her realize that he was just another teenager, like her or her classmates, thus eliminating her fear and replacing it with a desire to tease him.

"Hey, relax, let's take things slowly," she says.

"Okay, so what do you want to talk about?"

"How about we get to know each other better?"

Izuku agreed and so they began to talk. There were some problems because of Midoriya's lack of social skills, but Mina managed to help him and was really enjoying talking to the boy.

"So you were a fan of All Might? I don't think you acted like a fan at USJ."

Midoriya laughs nervously and replies:

"B-well, it's complicated."

"But why did you become a vigilante?"

Midoriya then thinks, and says:

"I always wanted to become a hero, saving people was my dream for as long as I can remember..."

Mina notices the smile and sparkle in Midoriya's eyes, something that reflects hope just by looking, but then they disappear:

"...but one day I realized that I could never become a hero, no matter how hard I tried. That's why I'm here, saving people however I can."

The pink-skinned teenager didn't like to see the boy's smile disappear, it was a sign that he had given up hope.

She then changed the subject:

"Hey, why is your arm bandaged? Were you hurt?"

Izuku's eyes widen and he replies awkwardly:

"Ahh I was co-fighting a villain, he had a fire q-quirk and I was injured."

Mina didn't believe this at all, but decided not to press the matter any further.

"What's your relationship with Bakugo?"

"He and I were childhood friends, until the day he found out I was q-quirkless and started bullying me. I personally hate him, but I'd rather be away from him than hurt him."

"Just because you're quirkless?"

"Yes, quirkless people are discriminated against by others, and in a cruel way."

Mina is outraged by this answer:

"How can they? Quirkless are human beings too!"

At that moment, Midoriya's mistrust evaporated and he began to cry. Not sobs or sniffles, just tears streaming down his face.

The pink-skinned teenager noticed and became worried:

"Midoriya, are you okay?"

The boy didn't even realize he was crying until she said it. He quickly wipes away the tears and says:

"Yes, I'm fine."

"...okay."

The two spend some more time together, until:

"Well, I have to go." Izuku says in a sad tone. He gets up and heads for the exit:

"Wait!" says Mina, turning the boy back to the table.

"Take this." She then hands him a piece of paper with a cell phone number written on it.

"We should get together again sometime."

Midoriya looks at her, disbelieving:

"Really?"

"Yes, we're friends, aren't we?"

Izuku was surprised by the girl's answer, so he smiled and said:

"Yes, we're friends. I'll text you later."

Mina was pleased and said:

"Okay, make sure you don't forget me."

"I won't, bye."

"Bye"

---

Sekiro arrives at the base and then gets ready for another night. He's happy to finally have a friend, but of course, he had to talk to Aizawa today.

He then heads to the café and comes across Aizawa and a woman with green hair, He immediately realizes who it is from the hero's complaints:

"Good evening Eraser. And you? Are you his wife?"

He says this jokingly, annoying Aizawa on purpose, but then the woman blushes and quickly disguises it, saying in a teasing tone:

"Look Shouta, even he thinks we're a good match. Why don't you stop being a tsundere and marry me?"

Sekiro then starts laughing:

"You're Ms. Joke, aren't you?"

"And you're the young man who made me lose 100,000 yen!"

"Eraser, why is she here?"

Aizawa looked annoyed, but answered:

"Sekiro, we have to talk about the Security Council."

"Okay, go ahead then."

They then talked about what the Council knew about Sekiro and the Commission, the Commission's interest in Izuku Midoriya was also pointed out:

"So here's why I can't come back."

"Sekiro, you have to come to the AU."

The vigilante is shocked by the hero's statement:

"WHAT?"

"Look, you're not safe at your current base. The Commission already has an idea of where it is and I'm not going to lie, if they capture you, you'll die. Your only option is to talk to Nedzu."

Sekiro gets suspicious:

"Why would they let me remain a vigilante?"

"Because we know that if we don't, you won't agree with us and we aren't able to capture you. And so you can also do favors for us."

"I see"

Sekiro thought about the offer, although it sounded like a trap, it shouldn't cost him to run away if it really was. Besides, if what Aizawa said is true, he'd better leave the base quickly:

"After the sports festival, then I'll go to UA, I need to prepare some things for the move."

"Okay, then it's decided."

The two shake hands and the guard leaves the premises.

"You two get on well, don't you?"

"He's a great guy, he has the heart of a true hero."

Then Emi can't resist and lets loose:

"Will our son be like him?"

Aizawa rolls his eyes:

"You'd have to spoil it, wouldn't you?"

The hero of the joke then laughs and says goodbye to her colleague. What he doesn't know is that she wasn't joking when she asked that question.

Chapter 14: The Mission

Summary:

Midnight meet a not-so-pleasant side of Ms. Joke.

Notes:

Hi
I've come to warn you that delays may occur frequently because I'm back at school, but I'll release it when I can.
Many thanks to those who have read this far.
Noto out

Aizawa and Fufukado went to the board meeting and reported that Sekiro had agreed to meet with the director. Nedzu was delighted with the news:

“Well done you two. But now I have another mission for you.

There are rumors that the Trigger trade is gaining momentum in Kamino, and we’ve discovered that there’s a laboratory in the industrial zone. The aim is to monitor the activity and inform the police about it. Who goes in and out, the quantity of product, the method of production and distribution, everything. Midnight will take part in the mission too, since she was the one who located the lab.”

Shouta seemed indifferent to the details of the mission, but Emi didn’t seem happy about Midnight’s participation. The heroine was Aizawa’s classmate and she had a seductive personality. In general, the two got along well, but Ms. Joke didn’t like her around Aizawa.

The two then headed towards the teachers’ lounge, chatting along the way:

“And I was looking forward to being alone with you all night for a change.”

“Joke, take this seriously.”

The heroine snorted at the man’s response:

“I am taking this seriously, Eraser.”

“Yes, of course. Just like the meeting with Sekiro.”

“Hey, he started it.”

“But you decided to continue.”

“That’s how I am, Eraser, and even you can’t change that.”

They then reached the door and entered. Sitting at the desk was the AU art teacher, Midnight:

“Good morning, you two.”

Aizawa then replied boredly:

“Good morning, Midnight.”

“So, Shouta, is this how you greet na old friend?” replied the heroine with a smile.

‘God, this is going to be a long mission’ thought Fufukado.

“Let’s just concentrate on the mission, shall we?”

“I didn’t expect you to say that, Joke,” declares Nemuri, genuinely surprised.

The heroine of the comic realizes that she has fallen out of character, so she disguises it:

“I’m just tired. Eraser and I have been doing a lot of night missions lately.”

“I see, so let’s get straight to the point. We’ll meet on the roof of this building at 2am, that’s when the activity starts, we need to get to know the criminals’ methods and their routine, it should take us around 3 days. Any questions?”

Aizawa then replies:

“Only 3 days?”

“Yes. This mission must be completed as quickly as possible, that’s why it’s so short. It’s a shame, since you won’t be able to admire my body for long.” Says Midnight in a seductive tone.

Fufukado then puts a smile on his face and laughs. Midnight is pleased that her colleague found her funny, but Aizawa realizes that something is wrong. The laughter seemed uncomfortable, as if Emi was annoyed or even irritated by the situation, and the smile, although it seemed genuine, gave her the feeling that it was fake, as if it served to contain the woman’s true state of mind. Although Aizawa didn’t like his partner’s jokes, he liked her smile, there was something about it that made him never get tired of seeing her smile. But that smile wasn’t to the underground hero’s liking.

“Well, Joke and I have to go, I’ll meet you at the agreed place.”

“Bye Shouta, I look forward to working with you” says the R-Rated Heroine.

Emi thanks God she didn’t strangle that teacher.

As they leave the room, the two heroes strike up a conversation:

“Is she always like this?” asks Joke.

“Well, she’s the R-Rated hero for a reason.”

“And what do you think of that Eraser?”

Immediately, na alarm goes off in Aizawa’s head. Something in Fufukado’s speech, perhaps the tone of voice or the way he said it, wasn’t normal. This was not the first time this had happened since they had met. He felt he should be careful with his response.

“I don’t think much of it.”

“Right…”

Aizawa is relieved when his partner seems to relax her tone.

“Well, I’m going home,” says the Joke Hero. But then she stands in front of Aizawa, pressing her chest into his, and then adds in a seductive tone:

“If you want to meet me, you know where.”

At that moment, Aizawa was grateful for his scarf, because it covered his face, which was totally flushed.

---

It had been two days since the start of the mission, and that was the last one. Midnight didn’t hold back in trying to provoke Eraserhead, much to the frustration of Ms. Joke, who had to watch the scene for long hours. But that night the hero was going to be late, as he had arranged to exchange information with a certain quirkless vigilante, leaving the two heroines to watch the lab.

“Hey Joke, where’s Eraser?”

“He’s going to be late today, he shouldn’t be here for about half na hour.”

“That’s annoying, I wanted to play with him some more.”

Emi took a deep breath, and said:

“Hey Midnight, can I give you some advice?”

“Sure honey, what is it?”

Then Fufukado turned his head, facing the R-Rated Heroine with a slight smile, so… innocent:

“I think you should stay away from Shouta.”

Midnight feels a shiver run down her spine. She wasn’t expecting that answer.

“Hey Joke, that joke wasn’t funny.”

Emi’s smile then crumbles:

“And who said it was a joke?”

Midnight could hear the green-haired woman’s fists clench. She knew that her gloves had knuckles, and that Fufukado was a semi-professional boxer:

“E-Emi, what’s wrong? Why are you acting like this?”

The heroine then puts a hand on Nemuri’s shoulder and begins to squeeze very slowly until she starts to cause Midnight pain, all while looking her in the eye with a cold expression on her face:

“Just stay away from him, okay?”

“O-ok got it.”

And so they spent the next half hour watching the criminals without exchanging a word, until Aizawa arrived:

“Sorry I’m late, I lost track of time.”

“It’s okay Eraser, Midnight and I had na… interesting conversation, didn’t we?”

Nemuri shudders, answering:

“Y-Yes. It’s okay.”

The underground hero realizes that something is wrong, but decides to ignore it.

“So, the data I’ve gathered indicates a distribution network and suppliers of ingredients for the production of Trigger, and with the data we’ve collected over the last few days it looks like we’ve got enough to hand over to the police. So let’s get out of here and call it a day.”

The three of them then went to the Kamino police HQ and handed over the information to the superintendent. Midnight then said goodbye to the two of them, having told them that she was tired and wanted to sleep, leaving the two heroes alone.

“Well, this mission was easier than I expected.”

“Yeah, but it was so boring. Really, guarding a building all night?”

“…I won’t deny it, it was boring.”

Emi laughed at Aizawa’s response, it reminded her of when they were interns at neighboring hero agencies, she still remembered how much he hated standing watch.

“Hey, do you want to come watch a movie at my place?”

It was a sort of tradition. Whenever they finished a mission and still had a few hours left over, they would go to Ms. Joke’s house to watch low-budget movies. They were usually silly, poorly made comedies, but they still helped pass the time, especially with a bowl of popcorn.

“I’m in”

“Okay, what do you think of Monty Python in Search of the Holy Grail?”

“Sounds interesting.”

And so the two went their way together.

 

Chapter 15: The Sport Festival

Summary:

The Sport Festival.

Notes:

Hi, sorry for the delay, I have been on school
with many projects, I will try to maka sure this don't
happen again.
Noto out.

Midoriya was sitting in the stands of the stadium, watching the AU students fight. The race and the cavalry battle were over and now it was the dueling phase.

But he was focused on two people.

Mina Ashido had defeated Monoma and Shinzou and was now fighting Tênia Iida, Ingenium's brother. Midoriya met, that is, defeated the hero in the third week after his name began to be known by the heroes. The hero's defeat was a little embarrassing.

 He was chasing Sekiro down the street and then the vigilante decides to break into a car workshop that was still open and tries to escape through the back door, Ingenium continues to follow Sekiro and then he finds him in a dead end with a very thin corridor and decides to attack him by going towards him at full speed, but the vigilante had spread motor oil, which he had stolen from the workshop, all over the floor of the alley, causing the hero to slip and go full force into a pile of garbage bags, and in the end Sekiro paralyzes him and leaves the scene. Eraserhead was still laughing when Sekiro told that story.

The point was that he had told Mina this story, and it seemed to have given him an idea of how to defeat Iida. The pink-skinned schoolgirl was slipping on her acid as she spread it around the arena, and her classmate was trying to catch up with her with his speed, without realizing the trap.

And then he steps on the acid, and slips all the way out of bounds.

"And victory goes to Mina Ashido!" announced Midnight, causing the audience to cheer.

Midoriya was proud of his friend. He knew that she had trained hard for the festival and that getting this far was something to celebrate.

But he was also worried.

Bakugo was going to fight Shoto Todoroki, a student with a hybrid fire and ice quirk, but who refused to use fire.

He knew that Todoroki was the son of Endeavour, the temperamental hero who had almost turned him into barbecue in a bank robbery. The reason he never used his fire could be related to his father, some kind of resentment perhaps.

The problem was that if he didn't use his power to the full, he would lose against Bakugo, and that meant that that idiot would face Mina in the final. Not that the green-haired young man didn't believe she could win, but he was afraid Bakugo would leave her injured.

---

The battle between Todoroki and Bakugo didn't ended as Midoriya had hoped.

Now he was making his way to the locker room, passing the teachers without them noticing, to talk to Mina.

Until he runs into Todoroki.

"Hey, sorry about that."

"No, I wasn't paying attention, it wasn't your fault."

Midoriya thought about continuing on his way, but he had to know:

"Aren't you Endeavour's son?"

Shoto seemed to get irritated by the question:

"Yes, why?"

"Tell me, why don't you use your fire?"

 Todoroki wondered if he should answer that question, after all, it was something personal. But thinking about how he would probably never see the boy again, he answered:

"Because of my father. I refuse to use his power."

Midoriya didn't like the student's answer. I mean, he had an incredible quirk that was practically two separate quirks, and he told him that he didn't want to use it to its full potential because of problems with his father.

It made his blood boil:

"Because of your father. Really? You're telling me you have incredible power and you refuse to use some of it because you don't like your father?"

"Yes, that's right."

"You really are an idiot, aren't you? How do you think you're going to become a hero if you limit yourself like that?"

"I..."

"Do you know why you lost?"

"I wasn't strong enough."

"No, you lost because you didn't use all your strength, all your power."

Todoroki reflected on Midoriya's answer, remaining unresponsive.

"The quirk is yours!"

"What..."

"The quirk has always been yours. Using it doesn't make you as stupid as Endeavour, they're two different powers. And this one only belongs to you"

Having said that, Midoriya left, leaving behind a Todoroki immersed in thought.

Arriving at the room where Mina was, he knocked on the door and was greeted by a pair of black sclera eyes:

"Midoriya? What are you doing here?"

"May I come in?" asks the young man hurriedly.

"Of course," replies Mina, giving the guard permission to pass.

The pink-haired girl then closes the door and they both sit down on a sofa.

"So, what's going on?"

"You're going up against Bakugo."

"I know, I'm still trying to think of how to defeat him"

"Ashido..."

Mina then realized her friend's distress, his past with Bakugo wasn't the best and so he must have been nervous at seeing her fight him.

"Houve, if you think you can make me give up, you're very wrong."

"It's not that..."

Midoriya then got a serious look on his face, something Mina had only seen on him as Sekiro.

"I came here to help you."

"Help how?" asks the pink-skinned girl.

"I've known Bakugo since we were babies, and I was beaten up by him every day after I found out he was quirkless. Once when we were 7, I realized that he had a fighting pattern, just like bosses in video games, and I could already predict his blows."

Mina thought about what her friend had told her, and then asked:

"But why didn't you ever try to fight back?"

Midoriya looked into her eyes and gave her a wistful smile:

"Because heroes don't seek personal revenge."

Mina noticed the boy's eyes. You could see that he clearly resented Bakugo, he was human after all, but his values didn't allow him to take revenge. Even after all the violence and injustice he had experienced, he wouldn't lower himself and do the same as the one who had hurt him.

And at that moment, Mina saw a true hero in front of her.

"Okay, then teach me, teacher!" she replied in a cheerful tone.

Midoriya laughs and begins his explanation:

"To begin with, Bakugo always starts with a right hook..."

---

After a quick explanation of how Bakugo fought, Mina felt ready for action.

The duel for third place had ended with Iida's victory, and now the final of the sports festival would be played. Midoriya had returned to his seat in the stands and was waiting to see the fight.

"AND NOW WE'VE REACHED THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, THE FINAL!!!"

The crowd cheered at the announcement over the loudspeakers.

"WE HAVE TWO INTERESTING OPPONENTS HERE THIS YEAR. ONE HAS MADE IT THIS FAR WITH BRUTE FORCE ALONE, AND THE OTHER HAS USED HER CREATIVITY AND SKILL. BUT IT'S IN THIS BATTLE THAT WE'LL FIND OUT WHICH IS WORTH MORE.

AND ON ONE SIDE WE HAVE SOMEONE EXPLOSIVE, BOTH IN PERSONALITY AND QUIRK, OUR ASPIRING HERO, KATSUKI BAKUGO!!!"

Bakugo enters the arena and is greeted with applause, but also booing. There was a section of the audience that didn't like how violent and rude he was.

"I LIKED THE ENERGY RECESSION, BUT WE STILL HAVE SOMEONE TO INTRODUCE!!! HERE WE HAVE A STUDENT WHO IS NEVER DISCOURAGED, ALWAYS CHEERING UP THOSE AROUND HER, OUR ASPIRING HERO, MINA ASHIDO!!!"

And then Mina enters the arena. The reaction from the audience is greater than when Bakugo performed, and much more positive.

The two opponents then position themselves at the far ends of the arena. Bakugo takes advantage and speaks:

"You may have been lucky so far, but we both know that I'm going to crush you."

Mina looks at Bakugo, thinks for a few seconds and replies with a mocking smile:

"Let's see what you're capable of."

Bakugo is unaffected by the answer, and just holds his ground.

"READY?" asks Midnight, to which the students reply in the affirmative.

"FIGHT!!!"

Bakugo then gains momentum with an explosion and prepares to throw a punch.

Then Mina grabs him by the arm.

The girl takes advantage of the momentum and spins her opponent onto his back, falling on his stomach, and without giving him a chance to react, she stomps down hard on his chest, knocking him out of breath.

Bakugo tried to catch his breath, but Mina had already immobilized him, turning him onto his stomach and sitting on his back while keeping their palms glued to their bodies, making it impossible to create explosions.

"MINA ASHIDO WINS BY IMMOBILIZATION!!!" announced Midnight, prompting shouts of celebration from the stands.

Mina then releases Bakugo, who isn't happy at all:

"HOW DID THAT BITCH BEAT ME?!"

The young man looked like he was going to jump on Ashido, but Midnight activated his quirk, making the student fall asleep.

"Mina, you can go to your waiting room and rest from the fight until the awards ceremony."

"Thank you, teacher." replies the pink-skinned girl.

Then she heads out of the arena.

---

Mina entered the room and closed the door behind her. Her classmates had already congratulated her on her victory, but she was anxious to talk to someone.

Someone knocked on the door and she went to answer it, expecting who it was:

"Hey Min..." she didn't even give him time to finish, already pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you! If it hadn't been for you, I don't know how I would have beaten Bakugo."

Mina waited for a reaction from her friend, but nothing came. Then she let go of him and realized that he had a face as red as a tomato.

'It's true, he's shy,' she remembered.

"Uuuhhh, Midoriya, are you alive?"

The young man then began to calm down and regained the original color of his face:

"Yes yes, I'm fine, I just didn't expect it." he replies, still a little flushed.

The two then sit down on the sofa and start talking about the battle. Time passes and it's time for the winners to take the podium.

"Well, I guess I should be going," warns Mina.

"Yes, I should get back to my seat too."

"Talk to you later?" asks the girl.

"Yes, of course," replies Midoriya.

And so the two part ways.

Mina was standing at the top of the podium. In third place was Todoroki, who seemed to be pondering something.

And in second place was Bakugou. He was silent and staring at the ground, with no emotion on his face.

Then Midnight announced:

"WELL EVERYONE, HERE ARE OUR WINNERS! GETTING TO THE PODIUM WASN'T EASY FOR THEM, THEY COMPETED LIKE REAL HEROES! SO WHO BETTER TO AWARD THEM THAN JAPAN'S GREATEST HERO, OUR SYMBOL OF PEACE..."

Midnight was silent, and then a voice came out:

"FEAR NOT..."

Then All Might revealed himself by jumping up onto the stage.

"BECAUSE I'M HERE!!!!"

The crowd goes wild at the hero's arrival.

"PLEASE CALM DOWN. TODAY I'M HERE TO CELEBRATE THE EFFORTS OF THESE STUDENTS, WHO HAVE PROVEN THEIR STRENGTH AND THEIR TECHNIQUE. THEY ARE CLEARLY ROLE MODELS FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE A HERO."

All Might then addresses Todoroki, placing the bronze medal around his neck:

"Young Todoroki, you're clearly a student with a lot of potential, but you shouldn't limit your power."

The hero then turns to Bakugou, hands him the silver medal and says:

"Young Bakugo, you have a very powerful quirk, but you focus too much on that, you need to be more technical in combat."

And finally he turns to Mina, awarding her the gold medal:

"Young Ashido, what made you win this battle was not your strength, but your skill and ingenuity. And for that you deserve victory."

Mina was pleased with what the symbol of peace said to her.

"SO, WHAT'S THE PROPER WAY TO THANK OUR FUTURE HEROES?

PLUS...."

"ULTRA!!!!!!!" shouts the crowd along with All Might, thus ending the sports festival.

 

 

Midoriya was happy with Mina's victory, despite All Might's appearance. He hadn't told Mina about his relationship with the symbol of peace, not wanting to interfere with her school life.

Then his cell phone rings:

"Hello?"

"Stain's back."

 Midoriya gets nervous, gets up and starts running out of the stadium.

"I'm coming".

 

Chapter 16: Bloodlust

Summary:

Sekiro fights Stain and talks to Nedzu.

Notes:

Hi
I'm here to wish you a Merry Christmas, my life is chaotic and I've actually had this chapter finished for a while, but I thought this would be a good time to publish it.
So that's it.
Noto out

Sekiro ran and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, looking for Stain. He knew he had to be quick, or someone would die tonight. And then he found him.

The Hero Killer was crouched down and facing Ingenium. Then he raised his katana and said:

“I must purge the heroes of your kind, to ensure a better society, but as your sins were not enough to be unacceptable I will spare your life, but ensuring that you can never continue to be a hero.”

The hero then replies weakly:

“You bastard…”

And the Assassin drops his sword.

But then there was the sound of blades clashing. Sekiro managed to deflect the blade aimed at the hero’s spine.

Stain jumps back and gets into fighting position.

“So, Sekiro, have you come to save this sinner?”

Sekiro puts the katana back in its sheath, preparing for the confrontation.

“It is justice that must judge this hero’s sins. Not you who bathes in the blood of those who don’t follow your values. Heroes don’t sentence or execute.”

“Excellent values, ideal for a true hero.”

The swordsman gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

“Too bad I’ll never be one.”

And then Stain lunges forward, delivering a diagonal blow, which Sekiro deflects with his blade, and beginning to fill the alley with the sound of blades meeting again and again.

The combat is exhausting for both sides, with Stain’s savage style confronting Sekiro’s technical mastery.

But then:

“Hey you two, stop fighting right now!”

Stain and Sekiro stop the fight, looking in the direction of the voice, which turns out to belong to the hero Manual.

The vigilante decides to flee, climbing up a fire escape. Meanwhile, Stain runs towards the hero and passes him, blending into the crowd.

Manual can’t even react, and then he notices the body.

“Someone call na ambulance, we’ve got na injured hero!”

---

The classroom was silent that day.

The class president, Tenya Iida, was staring at his notebook, completely detached from reality. True, the injury hadn’t been fatal, but his brother would have been suspended from heroism for several months. If that vigilante hadn’t shown up, he would have lost his brother.

Stain would have killed Ingenium.

“I hope you’ve already chosen your internships,” said Aizawa, bored.

The names went by, one by one, with their choice already made, and Iida thought how despicable Stain was.

“Iida, wake up”

The president came out of his trance and looked at the teacher, who had been calling him for some time:

“Yes, Aizawa-sensei?”

“Have you chosen where you’re going to do your internship?”

Iida adopted a serious expression and replied:

“Yes, I’m going to intern with the Manual .”

“Very well,” said Aizawa, hiding his concern about his choice.

---

A teenager in a hoodie was standing at the entrance to the AU as he admired the building. If it had been another universe, he might have been a student at that school, but fate had decided to be cruel to him.

The gates opened and he walked in, seeing a man in black in the distance who looked like he’d had little sleep.

“So you’ve always come.” Says Aizawa, with a smug smile on his face.

“Not that I had any choice, the rat knows who I am,” replies Midoriya, annoyed. And so the two enter the main building.

“I noticed how you were looking at the school. You know, you’re still in time to be my student in the hero course, if you want.”

The young man sighs sadly:

“You know very well that I can’t become a hero, there’s no turning back now.”

The two walk down the corridors, and Sekiro notices something:

“Why are the corridors empty?”

Aizawa coughed a little before answering:

“To prevent anyone from recognizing you, Nedzu chose a class time and made sure that no one could go into the corridors. You should remember that you’re legally missing.”

The two stop in front of the principal’s door and then Aizawa asks:

“Ready to face the Devil?”

 Midoriya nods in the affirmative and then the underground hero slams the door:

“Come in”

Izuku opens the door and finds a simple office with a desk, three chairs, a sofa and a bookcase. Sitting at the desk was Nedzu, who was drinking tea from a teapot on the desk while smiling.

“Welcome Sekiro, or should I call you Izuku Midoriya ?”

The young man and the teacher sat down on the chairs in front of the desk, coming face to face with the chimera.

“So, Midoriya-kun, what do you think of our facilities?”

“Well, I personally like it.”

Nedzu’s smile widens slightly, and he asks:

“What if you could settle here?”

That wasn’t a question Midoriya had expected:

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if I’m correctly informed, you’re looking for a new base to settle in. And it would be interesting for me to have you around, Midoriya-kun.”

Izuku thought about the director’s offer. He didn’t know if he could trust him and most likely he would have some kind of conditions, but the idea of a base where he wouldn’t run the risk of being robbed, killed, captured by the Yakuza or the Heroes Commission was very attractive.

“What would the conditions be?” he asked.

And then Nedzu started laughing. Deep, loud laughter that sounded more like a villain than a school principal.

“All right, Midoriya-kun, you know that everything has a price. And I’m going to be very straightforward with my terms.”

“Okay, go ahead”

“First rule, students will have no contact with you on school grounds. You can still talk to Mina Ashido or meet her outside the school, but you must not inform her of your location or look for her inside the school. And if you feel the need to contact any students, you must ask my permission.”

Sekiro thought for a moment and nodded.

“Second rule, you must be available to work with us from the shadows. You’ll be allowed to have private work if you wish, but you mustn’t forget to support us.”

The young man reflected and asked:

“What about my ‘orthodox methods’?”

Nedzu adopted na uncomfortable expression and replied:

“Well, I’m not going to put restrictions on it, after all, sometimes it’s necessary to put certain pieces out of play, and I have to tolerate that, because I might have to as well. But we must keep up appearances, so be careful.”

Sekiro agreed, but Aizawa didn’t seem satisfied with the director’s response.

“Third rule, you will be actively opposed by the Heroes Commission.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The Heroes Commission is a threat to the Japanese government thanks to its control over heroes, and to make matters worse there is a lot of corruption within those walls. And you, a quirkless child who had to disappear just for dreaming, are the greatest proof of the Commission’s corruption.”

Izuku thought about his disappearance. He knew that he could no longer return home, that the Commission was after him because of what he had discovered about All Might.

That if he returned, the Commission could eliminate him and his family and no one would know.

He already hated the Commission for what it represented, a society where those like him had no place just because they didn’t have some kind of power.

“But of course, you’ll be entitled to some benefits,” Nedzu continued

“Really, which ones?”

“First of all, you’d have a place restricted to students with everything you need inside, as well as quality housing. Then, you’d also have access to the resources you want for whatever you want, from creating equipment to food products. And finally, I’d have access to the Hero Network. What do you say?”

The vigilante pondered for a few seconds, then said:

“I’ll need a forge, a warehouse, a training space, a room where I could carry out investigations and a workshop within that space. During the day I won’t be very active, but at night I need permission to enter and leave the school freely. And I want a room complete with a kitchen and everything, plus I need state-of-the-art equipment. I’ve already had to forge three swords and to create two of them I had to use a blowtorch connected to a natural gas canister to melt the iron and it’s not the fastest or safest thing in the world.”

Nedzu looked at the young man in front of him and began to analyze him. The boy almost looked homeless, with his dirty, long hair tied up in a bun and his clothes already worn out, plus he had bandages completely covering his right arm and part of his chest, which he could see from the collar of the T-shirt he was wearing. The young man had clearly been through a lot and was tired.

“I see, I’ll give the order to start building, everything should be ready in a week.”

“I’ll be going then.” Sekiro stood up and headed for the office exit.

“Wait Midoriya-kun, I don’t think you have anywhere else to go.”

Nedzu was clearly worried about the young man in front of him.

Midoriya smiled faintly and replied:

“If you have somewhere I can stay, that’s fine.”

“Aizawa, could you let Midoriya-kun settle into his apartment while we prepare his new abode?”

Aizawa sighed, he had been expecting this request:

“Yes, of course. If it’s all right with him.”

Sekiro nodded.

“Then we’re done, you can leave. Ah, Midoriya-kun, it was nice to meet you and I hope we can talk more often.”

Midoriya then headed for the door, and as he opened it, he said:

“The pleasure was all mine.”

---

Aizawa’s apartment was… strangely organized, Sekiro concluded.

The apartment was tidy, with a living room, a kitchen, na office and two bedrooms, one being Aizawa’s room and the other for guests. If he had been asked who lived there, the last person Izuku would have thought of would have been Eraserhead.

“So, welcome to my home. The bathroom is at the end of the corridor and when you go to collect your things I’ll help you, understand?”

“Yes, Eraser”

Aizawa then adopted a suspicious expression:

“Why did you accept the rat’s offer? It doesn’t seem like your style to accept those conditions.”

Sekiro’s face darkened:

“Did I have any other choice? That rat knows who I am, he knows I’m quirkless and that I have nowhere safe to go. The only thing I could do was set my terms, that’s all.”

The vigilante paused, and finally:

“And having guaranteed food and hot water doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

Then, instinctively, Aizawa inhaled the air, and quickly regretted it:

“Yeah, I guess a bath wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

---

Sekiro was back in Hosu, after all, he couldn’t just disappear off the map.

It had been three days living with Aizawa. In those days he always took a shower, ate three meals a day and even watched the news on television. This reminded him of home, leaving a feeling of melancholy in his chest.

Then he noticed someone.

‘Wait, Ingenium not off duty?’

In fact, Ingenium was walking through the night streets, along with Manual, but he looked shorter than before.

‘That can’t be Ingenium, but Mina told me it was internship season now, and Tensei Iida has a brother studying at UA.’

Sekiro had a bad feeling, he had na idea why that student was there.

Then he heard a scream.

The Mini-Ingeniun started running in the direction the voice came from, ignoring Manual’s orders and throwing him off course.

Sekiro then prepared to meet him but:

“Grhaaaaaa!!!!!”

A winged creature appeared from behind, almost knocking him off the six-storey building.

“What the fuck?!”

 Several similar creatures began to cause chaos in the city streets.

“Fuck! What do I do?”

He couldn’t just ignore the Nomus, but had to save the student.

But soon several heroes began to appear, and with that Sekiro went on the hunt for Stain.

---

Tenia Iida felt like a real idiot.

He was lying on the ground with Native, passed out and unable to move thanks to Stain’s quirk. Meanwhile, the Hero Killer was kneeling beside him.

“You’ve come for revenge, and you still call yourself a hero?”

“I didn’t come for revenge, I just wanted to stop other people going through what I almost went through.”

Stain didn’t seem to accept that answer:

“You’ve been blinded by the desire for revenge, you’re a fool for not realize that.”

Stain raised his katana and declared:

“I’ll release you from your cursed desire!”

Stain then jumped back, blocking the attack with his sword.

The man who appeared out of nowhere was dressed in black with a sugegasa on his head and a scarf covering his face. He was shorter than Iida and wielded a katana in much better condition than Stain’s.

He looked familiar to Iida.

“Sekiro! Why do you always try to stop me?”

The vigilante put himself in a battle pose and said:

“Stain, I can’t allow this killing spree to continue. Surrender or I’ll have to neutralize you!”

Iida then shouts:

“Are you mad? How can you defeat someone like Stain? Just run away, this isn’t your fight.”

Sekiro looks into Iida’s eyes and shouts:

“I am nota letting you behind, because the role of a hero is to save others, even if you have to stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

Stain laughs and applauds:

“Well done Sekiro, I really liked that answer, it’s a shame I had to kill you.”

Before the vigilante could reply, Stain already had a blow aimed at Sekiro’s neck, which he blocked.

The duel begins and the Benco is lit up by the sparks created by the clash of blades. Although Sekiro had more skill and technique, Stain was more experienced and fought savagely.

What’s more, Sekiro was holding back so as not to kill Stain, limiting his ability.

Slash

Until he was stabbed.

Stain had taken a knife and made a cut on Sekiro’s arm, then declared:

“It looks like you’ve lost this battle Sekiro, but don’t worry, I’ll put your blade to good use”.

And he licked the knife.

Then Sekiro gave him a spinning kick to the jaw.

As he falls to the ground, Stain quickly picks himself up and asks:

“How?”

 Sekiro smiles and unravels the bandages covering his right arm, revealing the prosthesis.

Before Stain could reply, Sekiro lunged forward to attack. Stain tries to block but is hit in the leg, sending him to his knees. Sekiro then raises his katana and declares:

“I’m sorry Stain, but you gave me no choice.”

And the blade pierces the Hero Killer’s heart.

Stain coughs up blood, smiles and says in his last breath:

“At least I was killed by a real hero.”

And finally he dies.

Sekiro takes the sword from the corpse in front of him, cleans it and sheathes it. He had his sugegasa torn to shreds during the fight, exposing his green hair.

“Y-You killed him?”

The vigilante looked at Iida and replied:

“It was the only option I had.”

Then Sekiro heard voices coming from the direction of the alley:

“Be careful! The Hero Killer is on the scene.”

And then Manual, Mirko and Endevour appeared, already in combat position.

“Hero Killer, surrender or…” began Endevour, who stopped at the sight of the body.

The heroes didn’t know how to react when they realized that Stain was dead.

“You.” Said Mirko, pointing at Sekiro:

 “You killed Stain.”

The vigilante replied:

“Yes, I killed him and saved the lives of two people in the process.”

Manual adopted a combat pose and declared:

“Sekiro, you’re under arrest for Stain’s murder. Don’t resist.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen.”

Sekiro ran towards the heroes and drew his sword, then he slashed Manual, leaving him paralyzed, and managed to reach the main streets, blending into the crowd.

Chapter 17: The Calm After The Storm

Summary:

The battle its over, but another one os comming.

Notes:

Hi
Well, that was a delay. I apologize for doing it again, but my life was in chaos these past two months. Also, I had writer's block while writing the chapter, but I overcame it and decided to change the plans I had for the story a bit.
Oh, during the block, I tried writing another story, just to see if it would help me gain inspiration, and it really did. If you want, I can publish what I've written so far. It's also fanfiction of My Hero Academia, but instead of Izuku becoming a vigilante, a hero or a conventional villain, he gets together with other Quirkless, and they decide to become robbers. The idea was to be inspired by Payday, but there's nothing to justify associating it like that.
Well, I'm going to start writing the next chapter, I hope you'll be patient. See you later.
Noto out.

In a meeting room somewhere in central Tokyo:

Several people are sitting around the table, while watching the low-quality video playing on the screen:

“At least I was killed by a real hero.” The voice from the video echoes, and finally Stain falls, dead.

Then the screen is turned off and a man says:

“And this is the reason for our meeting. Stain’s death shook the entire underworld, eliminating a kind of ideological leader who had many followers, and as long as Stain didn’t turn against us, we wouldn’t have any problems with his fanatics. The problem is that it was Sekiro who killed Stain, and to make matters worse, he was approved as a ‘true hero’ by him.”

“And why should that be a problem, Masashi?”

“That I’ll leave for Chisaki to answer.”

A young man wearing a plague mask began to explain:

“Sekiro is a vigilante who appeared a few months ago in Hosu, and although he hunts bandits in general, he focuses on dealers, from drugs to weapons. He’s already given me and some of you trouble, capturing contacts of ours, compromising delivery and storage points, destroying merchandise and already taking down several smaller distribution networks. It also seems that he trades information about our operations with underground heroes.

Our problem is that since Sekiro was considered a true hero by Stain, the ideology’s followers may turn against us, as well as another problem.”

“And what would that be?”

“He’s drawing the heroes’ attention to us. I think we should eliminate Sekiro before he does any more damage. And another thing, who’s to say he’ll stay in Hosu? He’s already been spotted in Musutafu, Kamino and even here in Tokyo. And he’s leaving his usual area of action more and more often. He’ll probably try something against us sooner or later.”

Masashi then declares:

“We have to figure out how we’re going to get Sekiro out of the game. We don’t know anything that could lead us to him, except his presence in Hosu. We need to be as careful as possible when dealing with him.”

---

Shigaraki is furious. His plan was a failure again thanks to Sekiro, who stole all the attention by killing Stain.

He was standing in front of the bar monitor while cursing that damn swordsman and his master was trying to calm him down:

“Calm down Tomura, it’s normal for plans not to go according to plan.”

“Sensei, it was that asshole Sekiro who ruined my plan, and it’s not the first time he’s given me trouble.”

“I understand your frustration Tomura, but do you know what you should do?”

“Move on and try something new.”

“That’s right. You can’t give up now just because that cheap samurai copy is out there.”

“Yes sensei.”

“Okay, I have to go, I hope you succeed.”

“Don’t worry sensei, I will.”

The monitor turns off and Shigaraki picks up a cell phone and makes a call:

“Hey, tell me everything you know about Sekiro.”

---

Sekiro was pleased with his home.

It was a traditional Japanese house, with a forge, a workbench and a storeroom for all kinds of materials. The house had a courtyard with a training dummy and a wall surrounding the whole place.

Inside the house itself there was a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, na office and a bathroom, all of which covered any need the guard might have.

That residence reminded him of his Sensei’s house, which made him happy.

Then a phone started ringing inside the residence, Midoriya walked in and grabbed the landline on the wall:

“It’s me.”

“So Sekiro, how do you like your place?” asked Nedzu over the phone.

“It’s perfect. Exactly as I asked.”

“Okay, now could you do me the favor of coming to my office?”

“What’s the reason?”

“Stain.”

The young man didn’t answer right away, remembering the battle against the Hero Killer. Ever since that duel, he had thought about the man’s fighting style, how familiar he was.

“Sure, I’m on my way.”

---

Sekiro arrived at the office and there were Nedzu and Aizawa, but also the No.5 hero Edgeshot. Sekiro’s opinion of Edgeshot wasn’t the best, he didn’t like how the hero simply proclaimed himself with the title of ninja, but he was effective and that was enough for the swordsman, even though he felt a certain aversion to him.

“So Nedzu, why did you call me?” asked Sekiro, ignoring the presence of the Top 5 hero.

“Well Sekiro, it’s just that Stain’s death was something that attracted attention, and that could be detrimental to you.”

The vigilante sighed, he’d been expecting this conversation.

“I did what I could, Stain was too dangerous. Besides, I wouldn’t have had to kill him if you’d been more careful about where your students did their internships.”

Nedzu smiles uncomfortably:

“Yes, I admit I should have seen Iida-kun coming.”

“Well, what’s done is done,” concludes Sekiro.

“Sekiro, until now the Heroes Commission has hidden your existence from the general public, but now that’s impossible. You have to understand that it’s now much riskier for you to continue with vigilantism.”

Sekiro adopts a serious expression, and replies:

“I’m prepared to take the risks.”

Nedzu nodded, and continued:

“Very well, but that’s not all.”

Then the director places a set of photographs on the desk.

“These are pictures of Stain’s equipment, while I was analyzing them I noticed something you might want to see.”

The young man looked at the photos, observing the details of the clothes and the blades, until he noticed something that made him pale.

There was na insignia on Stain’s blades, consisting of na iris flower and a quarter moon with the tips turned upwards.

That symbol represented Sekiro’s greatest enemies.

“Ashina…” Midoriya spat in a voice full of hatred. Edgeshot, for his part, shuddered at hearing that name.

“Ashina? What does that mean?” asked Eraserhead.

“Ashina is a ancient clan of warriors, created in the feudal era of Japan. They once controlled Japan and committed many barbarities, but were deposed by another clan. My master and his predecessors have sworn to destroy that clan for their crimes, and I must follow suit.” Explained Midoriya.

“Are you crazy? This is a suicide mission! How do you think you’re going to defeat the Ashina warriors?” asked Edgeshot, shocked.

“Edgeshot, you stay out of this,” warned Sekiro.

“How can I stay out of it when a child like you says he’s going to face his own death like it’s nothing? Sekiro, for the love of all that is most sacred, give up Ashina, your death will be meaningless if you face them.”

“It’s not meaningless, it’s a matter of honor. If I turn my back and don’t face those whom my master and I have sworn to destroy, it will dishonor me, my master and his predecessors.” The young man retorted.

“So you’re going to die for honor? Is that enough to get yourself killed? What a futile reason. What about the people who care about your well-being? Your family? Do you expect them to accept that you died for that? Honor? That’s absurd!”

“Honor is EVERYTHING for a swordsman, Edgeshot. If I die without fulfilling my oath, my life will have been meaningless, because in the end I lived for the fear of death, and that’s not living. But of course someone like you, who calls himself a ninja even though he hasn’t been consecrated with that title, wouldn’t be able to understand.”

With that said, Edgeshot stormed out of the room.

“Well, that was intense,” said Aizawa.

Sekiro ignored the comment and asked:

“Nedzu, why was he here?”

“It was his request, Sekiro. Many members of the Security Council are interested in you, and Edgeshot was no exception. He was thinking of asking you to help him fight some gangs in Shibuya, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.” Replied Nedzu, while holding a cup of tea and a saucer.

“But I also called you for another reason,” continued the director.

“And what would that be?”

“Sekiro, do you know the Big Three from UA?”

The guard thought for a moment, then replied:

“Yes, they’re the three strongest students in the school’s hero course.”

Nedzu smiled at the answer and continued:

“Exactly. You know that the UA’s heroism course has to ensure that the students are able to deal with any kind of situation, or adversary.”

“Yes, I know that. That’s why UA is the best hero school in Japan,” agreed Midoriya.

“So after you killed Stain two weeks ago, I thought, ‘Are our students prepared to deal with someone of Sekiro’s caliber?’ So I had na idea.”

Sekiro already understood where this was going.

“You want me to face them in a test battle, don’t you?”

 A maniacal grin appeared on the director’s face.

“Exactly. So Sekiro, if you agree to the test we won’t reveal your vigilante identity until the day. I’ll prepare NDAs so that the students can’t reveal that you were present at the AU or your affiliation with the school and as for your true identity, we won’t reveal it in any way. The fight will take place in the Gamma gym, which will be totally isolated from the outside world in terms of communication, and only members of the Council will attend the test. What do you think?”

 Sekiro evaluated the director’s proposal. The proposal was very good, as well as being able to ascertain the ability of three future elite heroes, he could also check that their training was being effective.

“I’m in. Give me a date and I’ll be there.”

“Very well, the test will be on Friday next week at 10:00am. I’ll prepare the documents and book the gym. That’s all for now, you can go back to your residence.” Nedzu concluded, satisfied.

“Until next time, Nedzu.” Sekiro said as he left the office.

Aizawa then asked:

“You know they don’t stand a chance, don’t you?”

“Of course I know, but anything is possible, Aizawa. Besides, we’re not just evaluating the Big Three, but also Sekiro itself.”

“But why?”

Nedzu got a small smile, and replied:

“Sekiro is our ally. The Heroes Commission is one of our biggest enemies. So I want to see if he’s capable of taking on their most powerful pawns. Make no mistake, Aizawa, he’s been well aware of my intentions from the start. Besides…” Nedzu paused to take a last sip of his tea, then finished with a serious expression:

“I won’t let another young man die because of my carelessness, there won’t be a repeat of what happened to Oboro Shirakumo.”

Chapter 18: The Shinobi's Pray

Summary:

Big Tree vs Sekiro, and a few more things.

Notes:

Hey guys, guess who's back from the dead?
First of all, I'd like to apologize for disappearing for four months, but my life isn't the simplest.
I'm now finishing my last year of school, and I had to do a final project, prepare its presentation, start an internship, do the project report, I'm doing the internship report, I still have to defend my project, I had to take part in a test to have a chance of getting into college even if I fail the entrance exam, I'm studying for the entrance exam and I've had to reconcile all this with my personal life since January.
But thank God the worst is over. Now I just have to present the project and take the entrance exam, and the internship report, and at the end of this month the internship ends.
But I really wanted to deliver a chapter today, after all, it's been a year since I started writing. And I wanted to thank everyone who has followed Sekiro's story, without you it wouldn't be the same. And a special thanks to FantasticWhatIf, for the proposal to broadcast this story on YouTube.
The next chapters shouldn't be too long in coming. I have renewed inspiration and lighter shoulders. I even know what the next chapter is going to be about.
Oh, and if you want, can you make Sekiro art? I'd love to see how you envision it. Maybe in the future I'll even do an artwork of him.
Well, I hope to see you soon. Oh, and congratulations Sekiro, it's a pleasure to tell this story.
Noto out.

Class 1-A was in the classroom talking to each other. Until Aizawa came into the room and said:

"Alright students, today you're all going to have combat training with All Might instead of your normal classes, except for you Ashido. You're coming with me."

"Hey Mina, you look like you're in trouble," commented Kaminari.

"Kaminari! You should know that it's wrong to make comments like that without knowing the situation!" scolded Iida.

"Both of you, shut up. She's only going to make a peculiar assessment because of your hero costume. Something to do with allowing acid to seep out of her clothes without damaging her so much. Ashido, let's go." said the professor.

Mina got up and followed Aizawa out of the room. The two then arrived near the support course room, but the Underground Hero said:

"We didn't come to see your hero costume, Ashido."

"But then why did you call me Mr. Aizawa?" asked the young woman, confused.

"Have you heard of Big Tree?"

Mina nodded in the affirmative.

"Nedzu is having them fight a guest. Several heroes have been invited to attend, even heroes outside the UA."

"Okay? And what's it to me?" 

Aizawa smiles broadly and asks:

"Don't you want to see Sekiro fight the three best UA's students?"

---

Sekiro is sitting in the middle of the Gamma gym, while trying to ignore the various heroes watching him from the bleachers recently created by Cementoss, even though he himself is not there.

There were several heroes there, such as Nighteye, All Might's former partner, Ms.Joke, who was waving at the vigilante cheerfully, Eraserhead, who was sitting next to Mina and Ms.Joke, Edgeshot, who didn't seem happy to be there, Hawks, the No.3 hero and Snipe. There were also two others that Sekiro didn't recognize as heroes.

Then Nedzu entered, with three third-year students in hero costumes behind him.

"Good morning, young man. I hope you can give it your all today."

"We'll see Nedzu, we'll see."

Nedzu smiled at that answer. Then the blond student spoke:

"Excuse me, Principal Nedzu, but why are we here? And who is the boy?"

"Excellent question Mirio." replied the rodent, "Have you heard of Sekiro?"

The periwinkle-haired student and the elf-eared one nodded, but Mirio spoke up:

"Sekiro? Isn't he that vigilante who uses a katana?"

"Exactly, and you're facing him." 

Mirio then tenses up. That boy... that villain was a major threat. According to All Might, that young man's skills were terrifying, and he had even defeated him during the attack on the USJ.

'What's he doing here?'

"You know, in our business, sometimes you have to make unlikely alliances, and Sekiro is one of my unconventional allies. For example, it was thanks to him that we were able to prepare for the attack on the school premises. And today, he's here to do me a favor.

You will face Sekiro in combat. It will be a three-on-one fight, and it will end when one side surrenders, or can't fight any more."

"Sorry to interrupt, Director Nedzu, but how is this fair to him? And how is he legally allowed to be here? And how old is he? Do you know his real identity? Why does he use a katana? And why does he dress like that? An-" 

"Good questions, Nejire," interrupted Nedzu, "First, the legal question. According to article N°23 section B of the protocol for interacting with criminals, belonging to the Laws of Heroism: Heroes are allowed to create last-minute agreements with criminals in order to prevent a criminal or a more dangerous situation than the criminal himself. Agreements beyond this are also permitted, with the appropriate authorization and supervision from the Ministry of Security. These agreements do not nullify the crimes or the need to bring these individuals to justice, i.e. in the event of capture by heroes who are not involved in any agreement, they will be arrested and tried according to their crimes.

As for his identity, I don't have that information. And don't underestimate him. The rest of your questions should be put to Sekiro later."

The young woman seemed pleased to be able to question the swordsman.

"But enough talk, get ready for the fight, you've got five minutes." With that said, Nedzu headed for the stands.

Sekiro went to one end of the gymnasium, sat cross-legged on the floor, placed the sheathed katana on his knees and opened a box of onigiri he had brought. Meanwhile, the three students began to do warm-up exercises.

After four minutes, Sekiro stood up, fastened the scabbard around his waist and grabbed the hilt of the sword, moving into combat position. The students also get into position.

"All right, start!" declares Nedzu.

Sekiro runs towards the students, ready to attack. Mirio then sinks to the ground, disappearing.

'Ah, so that's how it's going to be,' thought the vigilante, who instinctively leapt at the right moment, dodging the blonde's kick.

The periwinkle-haired girl then launched a kind of laser from her fingers, which Sekiro deflected using the flat of his katana blade.

'A luminous projectile, I wonder what gives it energy? Probably your stamina.

And then the elf boy sprouts giant tentacles out of nowhere, causing the vigilante to adopt an expression of disgust.

'Tentacles?! Really? As far as I know, this isn't a hentai.'

He then proceeds to cut the tentacles while advancing towards his opponent. Getting close enough, he makes a cut across his neck, paralyzing him.

"One down, two to go." He announces loudly.

Nejire and Mirio stand side by side, in combat position.

"He's really not someone to be trifled with. Any plans, Mirio?"

"Yes, I need you to distract him while I attack."

"Understood," replies Nejire.

She then starts firing several lasers at Sekiro, who deflects them while advancing towards her. But he notices that Mirio sinks to the ground.

'He's going to attack me from behind, it's so obvious.'

He then stops and turns back, just as the blond springs up from the ground and directs a punch towards his face. Then the swordsman dodges and tries to land a blow on Mirio's fist, barely cutting his glove.

'So for him to be able to touch me, he also has to allow himself to be touched. Very well, but does he really have the spirit of a hero?' And with that thought, the vigilante has an idea.

Sekiro begins to run towards Nejire, blade sheathed and ready to strike, while Mirio unsuccessfully tries to stop him.

When the swordsman comes face to face with the teenager, he applies a diagonal blow. But instead of hitting Nejire, it's Mirio who receives the blow to the chest and falls to the ground, unable to move.

Nejire has no reaction and Sekiro takes advantage of the situation by crawling up her leg, bringing her to her knees and placing the tip of his katana against her chest, aimed at her heart. This concludes the combat exercise.

The heroes present clap for the winner, who bows to the audience.

---

"Okay Sekiro, what can you tell us about these students' fighting skills?" asks Nedzu, as the students look fearfully at the vigilante.

"Well, I'll start with Amajiki. His quirk allows him to transform body parts into whatever he eats. I think his biggest problem is his lack of confidence and creativity when attacking me, as he seemed reluctant to do so.

Then there's Hado. His quirk consists of creating rays of luminous energy from his hands, at the cost of his vital energy. Her mistake was to become too dependent on her quirk, as well as leaving herself too vulnerable to attacks, and she had to be saved by Togata.

And finally, Togata. His quirk allows him to permeate solid objects. His problem was how predictable his attacks were."

The three students were dismayed by the vigilante's response, because what he had said was indeed true.

"Well, despite that, everyone can improve." He looks at Nedzu and says:

"I'm going back to my refuge, so until next time Nedzu."

And Sekiro leaves the gym, taking the path back home.

---

When he arrives, he reads his master's old book again, in the chapter on the Shikigami.

Shikigami are a kind of spiritual amulet, like anchors for the spirits of the dead. Shaped like paper dolls, they can be used for magic in exchange for their release. There is a prayer that can summon them, but each shinobi can only possess a certain number at the same time.

When he finishes reading the chapter, he jumps to a page with a katana drawn on it.

"The Death Blade" he whispered.

The Death Blade was a cursed sword, and everyone who drew it died immediately afterwards. It had been missing and considered lost for centuries. 

Until a week ago.

A group of archaeologists had found a thousand-year-old katana in perfect condition, still sheathed, and everyone who tried to draw it died instantly.

Two days ago it was placed in the Japanese Museum of National History in Tokyo to be presented to the public so that researchers could try to find out what was wrong with the weapon.

Sekiro wanted that weapon for two reasons: it was too dangerous to be presented as a petrified dinosaur bone or a piece of worn-out parchment, and he wanted to hide it from the Ashina.

But first, Shikigami.

Sekiro went to a shrine near the UA, put his hands together and began to recite the prayer. His words became whispers that were impossible to understand, even when he tried to raise his voice. As the prayer drew to a close, a faint glow appeared in front of the swordsman, and then when he had finished, a set of paper amulets lay at his feet, tied with a linen ribbon.

Sekiro smiled and tucked the Shikigami into a pouch at his waist.

Then he dodged the bullet.

---

Aizawa was sitting on a sofa at Fufukado's house watching a horror movie called Smiley with her and the two of them devouring popcorn. The movie was terrible, but they were both entertained as they pointed out the flaws in the script, the lack of quality in the story and, above all, the perfect stupidity of the protagonist.

"You know, I think it's so stupid how the characters seem to lose the ability to walk during the chases." commented Emi.

"And the fact that the story is garbage. I mean, so Smiley would be like Omegle's Bloody Mary, that it seems like only people from that university are the only ones who use that, not to mention the incompetence of the police."

The two continued the movie to the end, and they didn't seem to have enjoyed it very much.

The two continued to watch and criticize the film until the end credits finally appeared.

"Well, this movie sucked," said Fufukado.

"I can't believe Midoriya recommended it." commented Eraser.

"Hey, speaking of Sekiro, how's he doing?"

"He's... his situation is complicated." replied Aizawa.

"What do you mean?" asked Emi.

"Well, he lives in the UA now, as you know, but the Stain issue brought up some important questions about Sekiro." 

"Questions like?"

"Who trained him. You must have figured that he didn't become so skilled without someone teaching him, but we don't know anything about his teacher, or as he says, his master. Besides, it seems that Sekiro has more enemies than we thought." said Aizawa.

"Sounds complicated... Hey, and how did it go with Edgeshot?"

"Very badly. Edgeshot got mad at the problem child and walked out during the meeting."

"Sounds like a delicate situation," commented Joke.

"Yeah... But did you see how the combat test went?" asked Shouta.

"Yes, it was interesting to see how Sekiro fights first-hand, without it being dark or being paralyzed." said Emi, letting out a laugh.

"His blows are direct, without unnecessary movements, and well calculated. His ability to think quickly is also extremely good. But there was something that bothered me."

"What?"

"His right arm. It moves in an unnatural, almost...mechanical way."

Emi's face became thoughtful:

"Really, it seemed strange to me too. Hey, does Sekiro wear a brass knuckle?" she asked.

"No, why?"

"Once, before we met at the bar, I fought with Sekiro and he punched me. And I swear to Kami, that boy's hand is as hard as steel."

Aizawa thought about it for a moment, and decided that he would ask the swordsman about it later.

"Hey Eraser, can I ask you something?" she asked.

"You just did." he replies with a shit-eating grin, earning him a pillow blow to the head:

"Just kidding. Of course you can."

Emi takes a deep breath, and asks:

"You know, I got two movie tickets after arresting a mugger who was in the town's movie theater, I was wondering if you wanted to see a movie with me?"

Aizawa looks at Emi with wide eyes, but his surprise is soon overturned by logic. They were friends and had often watched movies together at each other's houses, so this situation was no big deal.

But the thought of going to the movies with the green-haired woman still left him with a strange feeling in his chest. And he personally didn't hate the feeling.

"Sure, but if we're going to see Star Wars, I want to see the main triology, nothing made by Disney and that idiot director, she destroyed the saga." he said, spitting out the last part angrily.

Emi smiled, and said indignantly:

"Do you really think I'd watch that shit? I'm even insulted."

They both started laughing. And Aizawa thought about what Sekiro was doing that night:

'Probably nothing interesting'

---

Sekiro was hiding behind a column in the shrine, thinking about how to locate the shooter.

"HEY! DON'T YOU KNOW THAT YOU SHOULDN'T ATTACK SOMEONE IN A HOLY PLACE?" he shouted.

Then a bullet hit the column he was using as cover, grazing it and embedding it in the ground. Sekiro quickly picks up the bullet and analyzes it, feeling its strange texture. It wasn't like the others, it seemed to be made of several thin, intertwined, smooth threads, they weren't metallic, it was almost as if the bullet was made of...

hair .

"SO THE COMMISSION ORDERED MY DEATH, DID THEY, LADY NAGANT? "

In response, another bullet is fired.

Sekiro knows he's in a bad situation. Lady Nagant was a skilled sniper, known for being the assassin of the Commission of Heroes. Either the Commission wanted him dead, or worse...

"ACTUALLY, SEKIRO, THE COMMISSION WANTS YOU CAPTURED, ALIVE ."

This case.

"IF YOU SURRENDER, YOU CAN MAKE A DEAL FOR YOUR FREEDOM! THEN STOP RESISTING!" the sniper ordered.

"A DEAL WITH THEM WOULD BE THE SAME AS SUICIDE! YOU KNOW THAT VERY WELL MY LADY!"

Sekiro begins to think about how he can avoid fighting the woman who was shooting at him from about half a mile away. And then he has an idea.

The swordsman extends his backpack out of the pillar, and when it's shot, he runs into the forest behind the shrine. Lady Nagant even tries to shoot again, but loses sight of her target.

The woman sighs and looks up at the stars:

'Enjoy your freedom while you can, Sekiro. I can't afford the same luxury.' she thinks.

---

In the distance, a young man smoking a cigarette observed the whole scene, and with an enigmatic smile, he asked:

"So this is your student, Wolf? It would be a pleasure to do business with him."

He then stubbed out his cigarette and began to walk away:

"My grandfather would be pleased to know that the work of our ancestors is still in use."

Chapter 19: Sabimaru

Summary:

Sekiro makes a valuable new ally, and Nedzu questions Sekiro about his problem with Edgeshot.

Notes:

Hey guys.
I managed to finish this chapter earlier than planned, so I'm releasing it today.
It's a way of apologizing for my four-month absence.
I hope you like this chapter, I'm planning the next chapters and I'm also updating my other story. I've been thinking about an idea I had for another one. A story I wanted to write, an original story with lots of historical references. Its universe, its characteristics and the main historical events are already ready. After all, it's a project I've been working on for five years. Now I've decided to launch at least a sort of manual about it here on the site. Since the essentials are already in place, Sekiro and Freak Thieves won't be delayed, for that reason at least.
I look forward to your support and hope you enjoy the chapter.
Notosant out

After that night, Sekiro dedicated himself to learning how to use the Shikigami.

Practicing Ninjutsu Techniques was out of the question. They require a living target to be used and their damage is too lethal to be tested, perhaps when Sekiro encountered someone who didn't deserve to live he would try it out.

The Spiritfall Buff he found most useful was the Gachiin's Spiritfall, the ability to further silence his movements was quite good.

As for Combat Arts, he practiced the basic Arts, Whirlwind Slash, Floating Passage and the Sakura Dance, as well as two more advanced ones, namely Spiral Cloud Passage and Dragon Flash.

The book, unfortunately, had several pages torn out, particularly those dealing with Combat Arts. The reason for this was unknown to Sekiro.

Another thing that worried the swordsman was his prosthesis. It was starting to get badly damaged from the constant combat. And although he had the original blueprints, this was a long and difficult task: the prosthesis had to be well-calibrated, proportional to the wearer's body, sturdy, have an ideal weight and no loose joints. And since he could only test the prosthesis when it was finished, if there was a mistake in the middle of the complex assembly process he would have to start from scratch.

While he was analyzing the prosthesis designs, a melancholy, violin-like melody began to play. Noticing the sound, the swordsman makes his way to the courtyard of the house where the music originated.

Sitting on a large rock is a young man in school uniform, playing a saw duang. His hair is black and he has a lit cigarette in his mouth as he plays the instrument with his eyes closed.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Sekiro asks.

He stops playing and opens his sapphire eyes. He then looks at the shinobi, smiles and says:

"So you're the apprentice that Uncle Wolf told me about."

He then puts the instrument down on his lap:

"My name is Noriaki Shiruvua, and I am the Sculptor."

Sekiro, disbelieving, then replies:

"The Sculptor died over a millennium ago!"

The young man laughs and says:

"Of course I'm not that Sculptor. My family has carried and passed on the knowledge of our craft for the last thousand years. And now that the Ashina are rising again, I must ally myself with the successor of Kuro's followers."

He then climbs off the rock and comes face to face with Sekiro, and says:

"Well, now let's see that prosthesis."

---

Shiruvua is leaning over the workshop bench, assessing the disassembled prosthesis in front of him.

"Damage to the joints, signs of attempts to cut into the forearm, faulty tuning system, miscalculated artificial joint strength. It's a miracle it's lasted this long without having a failure during combat." the young man says, with a cigarette still in his mouth. Which didn't please Sekiro one bit.

"Shiruvu..."

"That's enough Aki, I don't want you choking every time you say my name." the student interrupted.

"...Aki-kun, could you put out your cigarette? Not that I'm against you smoking, but I'd personally prefer it if you didn't do it here." says the swordsman.

Aki then turns to him, and with a flick of his wrist, causes a cigarette to emerge from between his fingers. He then presses his thumb on the tip of the cigarette and lights it, handing it to the shinobi:

"Sekiro, smell the cigarette smoke."

The swordsman looks at the cigarette in his hands, then smells it:

"There's no smell."

Aki smiles and says:

"Well, Sekiro, this is my quirk: Smoker. It allows me to create cigarettes out of thin air and heat my fingers to extremely high temperatures. As a passive effect, drugs have no effect on me, except the cigarettes I create. The cigarettes can have various effects, such as accelerated regeneration, increased concentration and memorization, anaesthesia, psychological calming and can even activate adrenaline discharges, depending on what I want. Their effects apply to anyone who smokes them. As a downside, my body has developed an extreme addiction to smoking, and I have to do it regularly several times a day, and it will always feel like I'm smoking for the first time. My fingers can be used to light cigarettes without the need for a lighter, but I'm also able to use them to heat metal to the point where it's very malleable and weld small pieces of metal or even electrical wires."

Sekiro found Aki's quirk interesting; at first glance it seemed simple, but in reality it was quite complex.

"So... you're an UA student?"

"Yes, I'm in the Support Course, first year."

"Does Nedzu know you're here?" the shinobi asked.

"No, this will be our secret for now. If we need to reveal it, we'll talk to him." said Aki as he finished working on the prosthesis.

"Sekiro, you can put the prosthesis back on."

The swordsman picks up the metal arm and fits it into the iron piece in place of his right shoulder.

"So, how is it?"

"Irreparable." Aki replies, in a dry tone.

This takes Sekiro by surprise.

"The prosthesis shows signs of overuse over long periods of time without proper maintenance, the joint system is badly worn and the body has plenty of damage from knocks and cuts, as well as a bullet mark from a sniper rifle that caused serious damage to the structure. Trying to repair it would be like screwing a metal plate into the hull of a submarine to plug a hole, although it will work for now, but it won't be able to last long. You'll need to replace it."

"I see." Sekiro said with a sigh.

"Look, I'll start assembling your new prosthesis when I get to the workshop, it should be ready the day after tomorrow and then I'll hand it over to you. You can still act as a vigilante, but I don't recommend looking for long or difficult confrontations. Focus more on ambushes and fast combat. Hey, how good are you at wielding a blade left-handed?"

"At the same level as right-handed, why?" he asks, shuddering slightly as he remembers how hard he had to train with his left arm.

"After I've finished your prosthesis, let's talk about Prosthetic Tools. and I even have one ready, but I refuse to install a Tool on that arm. It's too risky."

"Prosthetic Tools?" the shinobi asks.

"Yes, they're like extensions of your prosthesis, but in order to use them you can't hold the katana with it." replies Aki.

"Well, I'd better get back before I'm late for class. I'll see you the day after tomorrow. Oh, and send my regards to Uncle Wolf, and tell him I appreciate everything he's done for us."

"Sure Aki, I will. Bye."

Then the student picked up his things and left the residence.

Sekiro then went to his room, opened the altar doors and said:

"Good morning Master, today marks one year since I met you. Today I was also visited by Noriaki Shiruvua, a descendant of the Sculptor, and he offered to help me in my fight against Ashina. He's an interesting person who I really enjoyed meeting. Now he's going to assemble my new arm.

He told me to send his regards and... that he was grateful to you for everything you've done for his family."

Then the swordsman's chest began to feel heavy and his voice trembled:

"I also wanted to say... thank you. I thank you for giving me this arm, I thank you for all the hours we spent training my katana skills, I thank you for all the times you treated my wounds when we trained, I thank you for all the meals, conversations, duels and fights we had, I thank you for teaching me parkour, how to fish, how to throw knives and how human anatomy works, I thank you for being by my side the whole time we trained..."

Izuku then begins to cry, but continues:

"I thank you for rescuing me from that alley, I thank you for showing me that I didn't have to be a hero to save people. And finally..."

Midoriya chokes back a sob, and then:

"I thank you for trusting me, and never giving up. For seeing something good in this crying teenager, something worth saving. And finally, for giving me a reason to live.

And I wanted you to know that I miss you. That it really hurt to hear the news of your death. And that I regret almost doing the same to my parents, but for everything we've been through, I wouldn't change anything I've done in my life until I met you.

I hope you rest in peace, Master."

Izuku Midoriya then continued to cry. That was a special moment, a moment when he came back to life for a while. But eventually the crying stopped, Sekiro pulled himself together and Izuku went back to rest in the cold embrace of death.

What a sad young man, even though he continues to live and be Izuku Midoriya, the person of that name is dead, and what remains is his personality, his body, his memories and his feelings.

But what exactly disappeared from Izuku Midoriya then?

His dreams and ambitions. What he was fighting for. 

Now he was Sekiro, with his own ambitions and dreams to fight for.

But maybe…

---

That night, Sekiro went to the National History Museum of Japan and entered through the ventilation. When he found the Feudal Period Wing, he used three Shikigami and activated Gachiin's Spiritfall, then climbed out of the ceiling vent and landed on the floor in absolute silence.

The shinobi was nervous, although Spiritfall creates an illusion for those who see it, he didn't know how it would affect normal surveillance cameras, or even those with thermal vision.

He stood still for a second, preparing to run as fast as he could if the cameras saw him and the alarm was triggered. And then...

Nothing.

Sekiro heaved a sigh of relief. And then he went in search of the Death Blade. With all the Shikigami he had, he had 10 minutes before the illusion disappeared.

After searching for two minutes, he found it. The katana was on a stand, protected by an acrylic glass case.

Sekiro positioned himself on the side of the spositor, drew his katana and held it in both hands. He would have to cut the glass in one perfect stroke. If he didn't complete the cut or if he took a millisecond longer than he should have, the impact with the blade would be discharged into the box and cause it to vibrate, setting off the alarm and giving away exactly what was about to be stolen

He then raised the blade and prepared to strike.

He only had one chance.

And he lets the blade fall.

 And the alarm doesn't sound.

The box is now missing an edge, leaving the cursed katana within anyone's reach.

Sekiro held back the urge to jump for joy, and it was hard.

Then he picked up the Death Blade and began to hear a request.

A request that came from the blade, which wanted him to draw it.

Then Sekiro, in a trance, grabbed the hilt of the sword, placed his thumb on the tsuba and...

He let go of the hilt.

The Death Blade had tried to kill him.

Sekiro took a deep breath and fastened the sheath of the cursed sword around his waist, preparing to return while ignoring the entreaties coming from the ancient katana.

He quickly left the museum, and as he reached the roof, the alarm sounded. The security guard had confirmed that the artifact was missing.

Sekiro smiled and disappeared into the silent of the night.

---

"Would you mind explaining?" asked Nedzu.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Would you like to be more specific?" asked Sekiro.

They were sitting face to face in the dining room of the shinobi's residence. On the table was the Death Blade.

"You want me to be specific? Okay. Why is it that the sword that seemed to kill anyone who took it out of its scabbard, and was protected under the watch of Japan's National History Museum, is now in your possession? Just after they announced it had been stolen? And by the way, why and how did a student get into this restricted area?" Nedzu asked annoyed.

"First, the student. I don't know exactly how he got in, but I have an idea. And he came here to contact me, because we are linked from my master and the family of said student."

"And who is the student?"

"I'm not authorized to reveal his name, but even if I were, why take the pleasure out of finding out for yourself?" said Sekiro, with a smug smile.

Nedzu took a deep breath.

"All right, but I still want to know what this katana is doing here."

"Very well. This is the Fushigiri, or Crimson Death Blade, an ancient katana that has the power to kill immortals. Without the power of Resurrection, the user will die if they draw it, but if they have it, they can wield the cursed sword.

There is also its twin sister Kaimon, or Black Death Blade, and it is said that it can open a portal to the underworld, and that whoever possesses it will have the power to grant themselves and anyone else immortality. This blade, unfortunately, is in Ashina's hands.

So this blade will stay here. It's too dangerous to expose to the public and the risk of the Ashina stealing it was too high." explained Sekiro.

"Do you really think I'm going to believe that the katana is magic? Sekiro, I'm not an elementary school student, I'm one of the most intelligent creatures in the world."

Sekiro then sighs:

"Really? You doubt magic? Then let me show you something."

Sekiro then takes his last three Shikigami, and activates Gachiin's Spiritfall.

Nedzu sees the shinobi disappear right in front of him.

"Wha-"

Then Sekiro pokes him in the back, making the principal jump out of his chair.

"If I wanted to, you'd already be dead, Nedzu."

"How did you do that?" asked Nedzu.

"With the Shikigami." the shinobi replies.

Nedzu still couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Come on Principal, in a world where someone can launch lightning bolts from their fingers or turn their own arm into a sniper rifle, is magic really that questionable?" Sekiro asked.

"Well, thinking on that side of the coin... not really." Nedzu admitted.

"But you could teach us to-"

"No," Sekiro cut in, his voice harsh, "Shikigami should only be used by real shinobi, not pompous heroes. They are one of the oldest and most obscure Shinobi Arts, not show tricks."

The swordsman then took a deep breath and added:

"Besides, the heroes are already powerful enough."

The Principal reflected on the katana user's point of view.

"I see. I apologize for making such a request, I hope I haven't offended you."

Sekiro smiled and replied:

"No need Principal, I wasn't offended in any way, in fact, I even appreciated the fact that you were interested."

"But I was wondering why you were so hostile towards Edgeshot?"

The shinobi sighed:

"Nedzu, shinobi is a title given to an assassin, a warrior of the shadows who serves a clan. We have ways of recognizing other shinobi, which must be kept secret. Edgeshot claims to be one of us, but he hasn't been consecrated with that title, or even serves a clan. This is disrespectful to me and all the other shinobi. To us, he is nothing more than a man who dares to soil our name and reputation by claiming that title while showing off to the public. It's not something that makes us want to punish him, but it doesn't sit well with us. I also overreacted to him when he questioned my mission against Ashina, I owe him an apology."

"Does that make it impossible to work with him?"

"No, not if we're fighting for the same reason. Why? Does he still wish to work with me?"

"Yes, even though you didn't have a good first impression, he says that your help would still be fundamental to eliminating the gangs."

"Shibuya, isn't it? I hope Endeavour doesn't try to turn me into a barbecue again, last time I was left smelling like mince for a week." Sekiro comments comically.

Nedzu laughs and says:

"Well Sekiro, as much as I appreciate the time we spent together, my duties as principal don't stop. So this is where I say goodbye."

"Goodbye Principal." the shinobi waves goodbye.

When Nedzu leaves the residence, Sekiro starts training with the katana, and does so for the rest of the day.

---

Sekiro stands in the workshop as he looks at his shattered susegasa and sighs. He's seriously thinking about giving it up.

"You know, looking at it won't fix it." says a familiar voice, trying to catch the shinobi unaware, but failing miserably.

"Good morning to you too Aki. I assume my arm is ready by now."

Aki smiles, and says:

"Of course it is, but first we have to test it."

Sekiro turns around and sees here dressed in a black outfit, which looked like it was used in martial arts, and two small scythes connected by a long chain, attached to his waist by a belt. He could also see a sheathed medium-sized Tanto and a whip attached to the same belt.

"Do you know how to fight?" asked the shinobi.

"Not at your level, but I'm not bad either, after all, Uncle Wolf taught me."

"Then let's go outside," said Sekiro.

When they got there, Aki removed Sekiro's mechanical arm and replaced it with a new one:

"This arm can hold Prosthetic Tools, its weight has been readjusted for better balance and its size has also been modified. In addition, its joints have been readjusted to look more natural, and the hand has a layer of silicone to allow it to touch touchpads and when someone squeezes it or sees it without a glove they won't realize it's fake. The hand cover is removable if you think it's necessary. It has also been reinforced with artificial graphene tendons."

"Graphene? Isn't that extremely expensive?" asked the swordsman.

"I have a friend who did me the favor of getting me some threads, after I did her the favor of creating a new hero costume." Aki says, remembering a certain student on the heroes course with black hair in a rather revealing costume. She was very grateful to him for making a version that covered her whole body but allowed her quirk to be worn through the costume, thanks to DNA incorporation, so she made her a graphene roll with her quirk, Creation, as a way of returning the favor.

"It almost looks like my original hand," comments Sekiro.

"And the best part, it's now able to feel textures. Try it."

Sekiro then put his hand into his suit, and for the first time in a year, he could feel the folds, the seams of the fabric and the hardness of the buttons on his fingers. It was almost as if his original arm had returned.

"I chose not to put the temperature sensitivity in, because it could get in the way if you wanted to pick up something with extreme temperatures without feeling pain. But a safety system is being developed that will correct this. The arm is able to obtain energy from your body's metabolism in order to keep the sensors on, but it shouldn't increase your dietary needs any more than when you still had the real thing."

"And you did all this by yourself?"

"The sensors were made by a colleague of mine. She's very talented." he says, as he thinks of his pink-haired colleague with the blush on his face. Sekiro notices this and smiles, but decides not to tease the craftsman.

"But we still have to try it out in combat," said Aki, with a smile on her face.

The two then stood at opposite ends of the courtyard and Sekiro said:

"All right, it'll be a one-round fight, until one of us falls unconscious or surrenders. No serious injuries or leaving the courtyard. Understood?"

Aki nodded.  

"Very well. Fight!" the shinobi declared, starting to run towards the craftsman.

Aki then grabbed his chain and started spinning his scythes. And when Sekiro reached the middle of the courtyard, he threw one of them in his direction. The swordsman dodged, sliding to the ground, 

He then placed his left hand on the hilt of the katana and applied a vertical blow to his opponent, who grabbed the handle of the other scythe and deflected the blade. Aki then whipped the chain, causing the thrown weapon to come back. Sekiro ducks, avoiding the weapon coming from behind, and moves away from Aki. who grabs the scythe that had returned and strikes with both weapons. He then throws a scythe towards Sekiro again, and then does the same, holding them both by the chain that links them. Sekiro then leaps and avoids the weapons, steps on the taut chains and lunges towards Aki, who grabs the whip and strikes the swordsman.

Sekiro then uses his blade to block the lash, and gets close to the chain user, who had already wrapped the chain around his torso and blocked the downward blow with his drawn Tanto. He tries to cut off Sekiro's leg but is surprised by a kick to the chin, which knocks him down. The shinobi then thrusts the blade of his katana into Aki's neck:

"That was the best fight I've had since I left the dojo, not counting Stain." said Sekiro, with a smile as he moved the blade away and held out his hand to his opponent, who accepted it.

"So, how's the arm?"

"It's excellent."

"Good to know, now come here."

Sekiro approaches and lets Aki take hold of the prosthesis, then he fits a kind of blade into it, and makes it retract into its interior.

"Here's your first Prosthetic Tool, the Sabimaru. It's an extendable blade that's embedded in poison. The poison itself isn't lethal in large quantities, but in high doses it can really kill someone. It takes away the victim's life force, making them feel weak for a while. It can be improved with some sacred materials, which are written on a list I'll give you. For the blade's poisonous effect to work, you need to use Shikigami. Almost all Prosthetic Tools require their use. When you have other Tools, you'll be able to exchange them for yourself, they're like plug and play.

The Sabimaru also serves as a secondary blade without the use of poison, but it's still inferior to your katana, so don't use it as your main weapon."

Sekiro then activates the Sabimaru, which appears on the side of his arm, allowing Sekiro to hold it with his hand. The blade is slightly shorter than that of his katana, its metal is frosted and has several inscriptions of incantations along its length, the hilt is made of wood and it doesn't have a tsuba.

 He then makes Sabimaru retract back into the prosthesis, hiding himself inside while the blade shrinks in a mysterious way.

"Thank you, Aki." thanks Sekiro

"No need to thank me, after all, we have the same enemy." the craftsman replies.

"Well, I have to go. Take the opportunity to train with Sabimaru."

So Aki leaves the residence, leaving Sekiro to train with the new weapon on his own.