I do not own either Katanagatari or Boku no Hero Academia, they are the properties of Nisio Isin and Kohei Horikoshi respectively. Please support the ongoing series by following their released works.

Chapter 1 – Tempering of Spirit

"You will never develop a Quirk."

Those were the words repeating on a loop in young Midoriya's head. Quirkless… a rarity in today's society, where nearly everyone had a Quirk. He would have taken anything as a power at that point. Even something ridiculous like soap based would be fine. But at the age of four, he found out that he would never develop a quirk.

Walking home with his mom, he was absorbed in his despair, until he passed a worn down and decrepit gate. Taken straight out of what looked to be the Edo period, he saw the gate was cracked. As a child's curiosity followed, he slipped inside and found his way to the main building. Within he saw an older man, looking to be in his 50s, although Izuku had no way of telling. The man was going through some kata, not similar in any way to kung fu, karate, or any other well-known martial art. Instantly the boy was entranced. Ten minutes passed till the man stopped and addressed the child sternly. "It's rude to stare young boy, especially when you don't introduce yourself."

Izuku flinched and stood ramrod straight, nervous and worried he would get in trouble. "Well come on, what is your name little one?"

"I-Izuku M-Midoriya, a-age six." The man saw his nervousness as almost humorous. "It's ok MIdoriya-san, you aren't in trouble. Do you mind telling me what you were doing?"

Izuku relaxed for a moment, before his excitement reemerged. "I got curious about what was past the old gate and wandered inside so find you moving around and it seemed cool so I wanted to watch you a little more to take my mind off of the fact that I won't develop a Quirk." The man chuckled a bit at the boy's enthusiasm before settling himself again.

"It is quite alright Izuku-san. I can understand your interest. But why is not having a quirk any bad? There are many things you can do in life, and most all of them do not require a Quirk." Izuku seemed to shrink even more in front of the man before some tears began to fall from his face. "All I ever wanted was to be a hero, and if I don't have a Quirk, I can't save anyone."

The man seemed to age a bit at the declaration before smiling. "Being a hero doesn't mean you have to have a quirk, it just means you have to want to help others without any ulterior motives. If you want proof, my ancestor was a great hero who helped overthrow a tyrannical shogunate. And he did so with only his martial arts prowess. No quirk necessary."

Izuku seemed to perk up at the thought. He then looked at the man with what seemed like absolute hope. "Can I become like him one day?"

"Well, usually this martial art is passed down from father to son, but seeing as I have no child of my own to teach, I would have to let the art die unless someone was willing. So I'll ask you once, will you become my disciple and carry my family's legacy as your own?"

"Yes." At that moment, his mother Inko Midoriya came in and franticly grabbed her child, before addressing the man. "I'm so sorry sir, he just wandered out of my sight for a second, is there anything I can do to repay you for looking after him?"

"Nonsense miss, children tend to wander around like that. But if you are sincere about repaying me, I would like the opportunity to take him as a disciple and pass on my skills. He showed a great deal of interest in it and was hoping for the chance."

She looked shocked for a moment before looking at her son. "Izuku dear, is this what you want?" Izuku, not trusting his words at the moment, began furiously shaking his head up and down. Inko smiled at his enthusiasm before addressing the man once more. "I guess he can, although we will need to discuss this a little more."

"That is fine with me, I will enjoy the opportunity to teach him miss…?"

"Inko Midoriya, pleasure to meet you, Mr?"

"Kazune, Kazune Yasuri mam. 30th Kyotoryu head."

Timeskip 9 Years

Kazune's funeral was just held today, and Izuku was at the old dojo grieving the loss of his master. He had grown a fair bit in the nine years, with a lean and tall frame that hides how young he truly is. Staring at the shrine placed to honor previous heads, he lets the tears fall from his face. On his deathbed, Kazune granted him the dojo and the land along with a simple phrase that seemed to break a dam within the boy. "You can still be a hero Izuku, you have the skill and the heart. Never give up on that dream. Take it with you as the 31st Kyotoryu head."

"I never forgot my dream. I will as much of a hero as your ancestor was. And I will prove that anyone can be a hero."

This story is one of a few that I thought up a few years ago. I tried to see what characters or what styles would be compatable in different stories without breaking the entire world they were drawn in. I came to realize that Izuku, for all that he is capable of in the manga and anime, never had any professional training in combat. For someone who said they wanted to be a hero since they were a kid, that is rather strange that he would not have worked for such a goal. He simply acts based off of what might work at the moment.

And I know Katanagatari is not a series many people would have heard of, it is only 12 episodes. But take a chance and watch it because the choreography the characters use is beautiful, and above all, possible. It is a little dialogue heavy so be warned, but I think many will come to enjoy the simple art style and colorful characters.

But the reasoning behind this story was to give Izuku a bit of a base. The kyotoryu style is both strong, versatile, but also has it's downsides. And to compliment the style with One for All, and you have a character that can deal heavy damage with near pinpoint accuracy. A fearsome combination.

I hope the story draws some interest in these possibilities and can maybe inspire others to express themselves as well. Criticism is welcome, as long as you provide methods of improvement, and feel free to express ideas on how the story should go, it can help with writers block.