Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Boku no Hero Academia.

Namikaze Minato. Quirk: Photon. An amazing, never-before-seen transformation-type quirk which granted him the ability to break down his entire body into photon particles, allowing him to move at the speed of light. To an outside observer, it looked as if he would disappear and reappear instantaneously in consecutive bursts, the only tell-tale sign of him having used his quirk being where he got his hero name from, a yellow flash.

As an orphan who won a scholarship to study Japan's most prestigious hero course at UA High School, he was a genius scouted by top hero agencies even before high school had started. Graduating at the top of his class, it seemed natural that he would work under the all-time number one hero. Yellow Flash was a legend who started out as All Might's sidekick and eventually rose in both fame and power to be second only to his former mentor.

The public loved him as his rescue rates were above even All Might. It was only All Might's status as the Symbol of Peace which allowed him to stand at the top. All Might could not save those he could not reach, but Yellow Flash travelled at the speed of light. He reached everyone.

That ultimately led to his demise.

The media reported his supposed death years ago, however no concrete cause was given other than he had died in the line of duty and died doing what he did best – saving lives. The truth was known only to a few individuals who were involved with All Might and the few incidents between him and Japan's villain overlord known only as All For One. All For One would come as close as he ever would to ending All Might and the era of peace which the Symbol upheld, until Yellow Flash intervened.

Despite the battle taking place far far away from him, Yellow Flash reached All Might and saved him. Being physically weaker than both All Might and All For One, he could not move either of the titans. But he also could not stand idly and watch his former mentor perish.

So he took the blow in All Might's stead.

Blinded by rage over the loss of his former protégé and a close friend he considered his son, All Might decimated All For One, and forced the Symbol of Evil into retreat. It was a hollow victory in All Might's eyes as he felt Yellow Flash had died in vain.

With a heavy heart full of sorrow and guilt, Yagi Toshinori brought the news and truth of her husband's death to Uzumaki Kushina, who was then pregnant with Minato's child. He apologized for causing her husband's death and not being able to avenge him. The slap he was given from Kushina was a response he expected.

"Don't you dare say that," Kushina told him between sobs. "Don't you dare say he died in vain. He died protecting the Symbol of Peace. He died a hero."

Hearing those words broke Toshinori's heart all over again. They would spend the day mourning the death of their husband and surrogate son.

However, Toshinori had not visited Kushina with just news regarding Minato's death. He came with a warning. As Minato and Kushina's relationship and marriage was kept under wraps and away from the prying eyes of the public and the world governments, he was the only person outside of Kushina's immediate family who knew of her pregnancy, and he urged her to not give her unborn child Minato's surname, as various governments and organisations would surely target the child in hopes of studying the immensely powerful Photon which the infant may inherit.

And so, two months later, on the tenth of October, Uzumaki Naruto was born, though it turned out Toshinori's paranoia would be unwarranted, as the doctors confirmed he had instead inherited his mother's seemingly useless quirk, Wind Up.

Ancestrally, the Uzumaki clan lived on islands they owned off the coast of Japan. The first quirk which manifested in the Uzumaki clan was powerful enough to form or control whirlpools and massive maelstroms which prevented outside contact. Since they were far from the scrutiny of society, inbreeding was a practice which the Uzumaki clan embraced. Without other quirks to mix with, the powerful quirk which had first protected their islands diluted over generations and eventually it had gone extinct, with Kushina's great grand-mother Mito being the last recorded user. Most Uzumaki descendants are now either born quirkless or born with the quirk Wind Up, which allowed them to rotate their limbs and not suffer injuries. It was for this reason that the Uzumaki clan was often looked down on by others, and Naruto suffered the similar treatment from his peers in kindergarten and around the neighbourhood parks.

Even so, Kushina did not hide who Naruto's father was from him and regaled her child with tales of Yellow Flash's heroic deeds every night before bed. All Might's constant presence as a male role model only served to further cement the dream of being a hero in his young mind. Life seemed vibrant in Naruto's eyes. It didn't matter that his quirk wasn't flashy like his father's was, he could still train until he was strong enough to be a hero.

Then, at the tender age of four, on a ferry trip with his mother to visit the ancestral home of the Uzumaki clan, Uzushiojima, he realised the truth of the world. Without a useful quirk – not even a strong quirk – one could not become a hero.

Uzushiojima was uninhabited, the denizens of the Uzumaki clan having left generations ago to integrate into Japanese society. Still, Kushina thought it was important for Naruto to see the land which they still own today.

The captain had irresponsibly sailed into stormy waters. Volatile winds bore down on their ship and the sea they traversed, the gales intensifying along the ocean's surface, swirling into a massive vortex threatening to swallow them.

Kushina hugged her child close and gripped him tightly, tears streaming down her face as she ran her fingers through his unkempt blonde hair. He looked so much like his father it hurt sometimes.

"Kaa-chan, are we going to be okay?" Naruto asked.

Kushina shook her head. She couldn't lie to Naruto, ever. "No, Naruto, we're not. But you will be okay, I promise you."

She gave Naruto one last kiss on his forehead and looked deep into his azure eyes.

"You're going to be a fine hero. Your quirk doesn't make you. You'll be the best hero ever, better than All Might and your father. Remember to train hard dattebane," she spoke with all the love and affection she could muster. "Be strong, Naruto."

With surprising maturity for his age, Naruto realised that one way or another, he would not see his loving mother by the end of the day. He would not shed tears though. His mother told him to be strong, so he would take those words and engrave them in his heart. He was prepared to die in his mother's arms. Kushina had meant it when she said Naruto would be fine, though.

With adrenaline coursing through her veins, Kushina wound up her arm as much as she could, the tension threatening to release at any moment. She hefted Naruto, and with miraculous strength which only manifests when mothers protect their children, she threw him as far as she could, unwinding her arm to give her a boost.

As Naruto sailed through the air, he knew that he would watch his mother die in the whirlpool, instead of dying with her like he had originally thought.

"I don't want that," He thought to himself. "I want to save Kaa-chan!"

The boat began descending into the vortex, slowly swallowed by the swirling waters.

"If only I had a better quirk, I could save Kaa-chan!"

His heartbeat quickened as half of the boat submerged.

"No!"

As the maelstrom consumed the last of the boat, something inside Naruto snapped. His momentum in the air halted. His clothes shredded as wind swirled around him, the howling gales echoing Naruto's anguish and frustration at his mother's death and his own powerlessness respectively.

Instinctively and subconsciously, he spun the whirlpool in the opposite direction it had previously rotated. The counteracting forces cancelled each other out, and the vortex subsided as the waters stilled. Debris from the ferry slowly drifted up to the surface. Having used all his energy in that sudden burst of power, Naruto's body was unable to sustain his suspension in the air and plunged into the sea.

As the storm raged on and Naruto slowly lost consciousness, the last thing he saw was a blur of dark orange, only a few shades lighter than his mother's hair.

Naruto's eyes opened. He could see the blue sky above, meaning that the storm had passed. He was lying down on something soft. He smelled smoke, carrying the distinct scent of woodfire and the fragrance of cooking meat. His whole body ached.

He craned his neck, looking down at himself and noticed that he had bandages wrapped around his torso. He was lying on what seemed to be animal pelt of some kind. He studied his surroundings. It was a makeshift campsite. A campfire burned four feet from him, and a tent had been pitched haphazardly with tree branches, vines, and leaves on the other side of the flames. Chunks of meat roasted over the flames, skewered by more tree branches.

"You're awake," said a voice from the tent. "Good."

Naruto didn't know what to expect from his saviour, but he sure as hell wasn't expecting it to be a talking fox the size of a small house dog. Its fur was mostly burnt orange, with the exception of the fur around the eyes being black, extending to its ears. Nine tails swished leisurely behind it.

"…Wow!" The four-year-old replied in awe. "A talking fox!"

"Hmm?" The fox raised a brow in response. "You aren't mourning? You're the sole survivor from that wreck, you know?"

Naruto's face saddened a bit and his chin dipped, before he hardened his eyes and lifted his head to face the fox.

"My Kaa-chan told me to be strong. She saved me," he began. "She said I would become the best hero ever. I wasn't able to save Kaa-chan this time, but I promise that I will become the best hero ever and save as many people as I can dattebayo!"

The fox stayed stoic for a few seconds, before it grinned, showing off its fangs.

"I like your spirit, brat. The name's Kurama." Introducing itself, it continued. "I'm a retired professional hero. I'm sure you've got questions for me."

The first question that came was obvious to Kurama.

"How are you talking?" Naruto inquired.

"I'm an animal with a quirk. A long time ago, when the first animals manifested quirks, humans experimented on them. A lot of us were born with the quirk High Spec, which gives us intellect surpassing that of humans," Kurama explained. "My old buddy Nezu who is now teaching at UA has the same quirk. Some of us were experimented on by a vile human who tried to put multiple quirks in animals. Only nine survived."

"That's… wow, that sucks," pondered Naruto. "But I think it's cool that you are a hero! How many quirks do you have then?"

"Heh, I'm the strongest of the nine," Kurama gloated with a cocky smirk. "All of us have the quirks High Spec, Gigantification and Tailed Beast, which is simply the more tails the stronger we are. I also have a quirk called Conduit, which lets me absorb power from my surroundings."

"That's amazing," Naruto replied with a bittersweet smile. "All I have is Wind Up."

"No, you don't."

Naruto blinked.

"What?" He asked.

"I saw what you did from the island, kid," Kurama elaborated. "Your quirk is not Wind Up. You inherited an ancient quirk."

"Ancient quirk?" Naruto tilted his head.

Kurama nodded.

"The same ancient quirk which protected Uzushiojima generations ago. One of the most volatile quirks and hardest to control and use, but when mastered is overwhelmingly powerful. You inherited Spiral."

"Spiral…?" Naruto repeated. He raised his right hand and stared intently at his palm. "What does it do?"

"Spiral lets a person generate and control torque."

Naruto scratched his head.

"What is torque?"

Kurama sweatdropped.

"I forgot you're just a kid. Torque is the force behind things spinning and rotating."

Naruto scratched his head again.

"Force?"

Kurama sighed.

This was going to take a while.

It was well into the afternoon when Kurama finished explaining how Naruto's quirk functioned.

"Do you understand now?"

"Yes!" Naruto affirmed. "I have Spiral, an emitter-type quirk. I can control torque, meaning I can make things spin or rotate. The closer the torque is to me, the easier it is to control."

"Good." Kurama nodded, satisfied. "The reason you thought you had Wind Up was because you had never been able to generate torque outside your body until now.

"Now that you know what your quirk can really do, you should aim to familiarize yourself with it. Train it. Improve it."

"Yes, sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sensei, huh?" Kurama chuckled. "I guess I can train you for now. As you get older, you'll need to train your body as well to be able to withstand stronger torque, understood?"

"Wait, Kurama-sensei," Naruto halted the conversation momentarily. "Why do you know so much about Spiral?"

"Uzumaki Mito was my close friend," Kurama replied as he looked at the sky, a glint of reminiscence in his slitted red eyes. "She was your great-great-grandmother and the last known Spiral user."

"You must be really old dattebayo!"

"Who are you calling old, brat?" Kurama snapped. A tick mark bulged on his head. "I was going to wait until we were back on the mainland to start your training, but it starts now. Prepare for a world of hurt, brat!"

Crashes and grunts could be heard from a forest a few miles out from Musutafu City, Where All Might was currently leaping towards. He watched from the air as tree after tree fell from an obliterating force.

He landed in a clearing where Kurama sat on a tree stump, waiting for the number one hero's arrival.

"I am here!" All Might shouted as he landed with a resounding crash.

"Eccentric as always, All Might," Kurama greeted with a nod.

"Ah, Kurama. It's been a while, how have you been?" All Might asked courteously.

"Things have been interesting with the brat around," Kurama answered simply.

All Might's smile widened with fondness when Kurama mentioned Naruto.

"Actually, there's something I need to discuss with him."

Another crash was heard as a figure landed in front of All Might and Kurama. A fifteen-year-old Naruto stood up. Standing at 5'9", Naruto was tall for his age. He had a muscular frame from all the training Kurama had put him through but was lean and athletic. He wore a plain burnt orange vest, showing off his built torso and simple black joggers along with a stylish pair of black and white sneakers – it was his go-to casual outfit. His sun-kissed blonde hair was spiky and unkempt as always. His face was set in his trademark grin.

"Uncle Toshi, should you be using that form so liberally?" Naruto shot a dig at his role model.

Steam engulfed All Might as he released the transformation which kept up his muscle form. A skeleton-like gaunt man emerged from the haze.

"You're right, my limit is now only two hours," Toshinori began while coughing out some blood comically. "I came to tell you I found my successor. I've been training him for the past ten months, actually."

Toshinori had asked if Naruto wanted to take on the role of being his successor to the mighty quirk One For All. He hadn't outright asked Naruto to be his successor, just inquired if the young Uzumaki would be interested. Naruto had no interest, however. He wanted to become the best hero with his family's quirk and show the world that the Uzumaki family was not useless as society had thought.

"That's great, I'm happy for you," congratulated Naruto. "Why didn't you tell me earlier though?"

"To be honest, I was preoccupied with trying to train his body into a suitable vessel for One For All so I didn't have time until now. Also, I'm sorry I couldn't write a recommendation for you to UA, but the number one hero isn't allowed to show favouritism."

Naruto waved off the apology.

"Don't worry about it," smiling confidently, he continued, "I'm confident I'll pass the entrance exam."

Kurama coughed, garnering the attention of the two humans.

"Well, brat, if you can show me a super move, then your tutelage under me will be completed."

All Might blanched in surprise.

"E-eh? You're already teaching him about super moves? He's going to be way ahead of his peers!"

He couldn't deny his excitement at seeing Naruto's growth though.

Naruto held out his right hand. His palm was rough and scarred, with many callouses. He focused on controlling the torque above his palm and rotated the air. Kurama and All Might paid close attention to his outstretched palm. A flicker of wind danced across Naruto's hand before more and more rotations started to form. Soon, a countless number of air rotations layered over each other in different directions were compressed into a perfectly spherical ball of torque. Naruto leapt at a nearby tree and shoved the ball into it. The tree stood no chance against the grinding force of thousands of air rotations and disintegrated. With his demonstration over, Naruto let his control over the rotations dissipate. He turned and grinned at the gobsmacked professionals.

"I call that the Super Rotating Drillbeak Bomb," he finished.

Both Toshinori and Kurama sweatdropped at the stupid name.

"He has his father's awful sense of naming techniques," Toshinori thought to himself.

"That name sounds completely ridiculous brat," Kurama deadpanned at the aspiring hero.

"Hmm…" Naruto placed his hand on his chin, looking deep in thought. "How about Rasengan?"

The name elicited a thumbs up from All Might back in his muscle form, and Kurama nodded with a sense of satisfaction.

"Very well. Naruto, you're more than strong enough to tackle UA, but studying its hero course will prove invaluable for gaining experience. Remember that strength isn't everything when it comes to being a hero." Kurama gave Naruto his parting lecture. "Feel free to come for advice, but from this point forward you must grow on your own."

Naruto mustered all the gratitude he had in him and bowed deeply to Kurama.

"Thank you for your guidance and for everything else, I will make you proud."

"Heh, shitty gaki," Kurama snickered, though genuinely touched by his pupil's display of gratitude. "You already make me proud. Now show the world why Uzumaki Naruto is a hero worth watching. Go beyond, Plus Ultra!"

With blessings from his teacher and role model, Naruto returned to his apartment, ready to begin his journey and career as a budding hero.

But first, he had to refuel with some ramen.

Thank you for reading. Let me know if you found this unique or interesting. Should I continue with the story?