Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or My Hero Academia/僕のヒーローアカデミア
Chapter Two: Training Begins?
It was dark when Izuku felt his body stir, his eyes cracking open to stare into the inky blackness. Slowly he could make out the details of the room around him.
He was home? Directly to his left was the bleary outline of his aging computer. The wall posters of All Might were smiling in the darkness, they had a surprisingly unsettling quality when viewed at night.
What had happened? All he could remember was his body burning and…h-he he was still burning! It was like a shimmering ember smouldering throughout his body, from his tips of his fingers to the soles of his feet. If he had to describe the feeling…it was like his entire body itched and not in a pleasant way. He felt like a tightened coil ready to snap.
Pulling at the covers weakly he rolled out of bed with a thump. The impact didn't hurt at all but it certainly made enough sound…
"Izu!" The shout rose up from not two meters away. There, rising out of a futon was kachan scrambling to her feet. She was by his side in a second checking him over in a veritable torrent of tears before seizing him in a strong hug, "Are you okay, you're not hurt? I was so scared!"
"Kachan…it's okay." Izuku patted her on the back as he returned the hug, he wasn't quite sure what was happening yet as his memories were a bit disordered, "What happened…I remember being with Naruto-sensei then…nothing."
Releasing him Inko sat back on her knees, Izuku watched as her expression became clouded and, if he dare say it, angry.
"That man- Naruto-san phoned me and I came to get you…Izu you've been asleep for twelve hours it's probably morning now…" Her hands touched his shoulders carefully before she looked fit to burst into tears again, "How do you feel….he did s-something to you…"
"I-I feel different kachan…really different." Izuku looked down as he formed a fist with his hand, he could feel none of the normal weakness that naturally accompanied sleep. The muscles in his hand felt strong, releasing the fist he looked at the small bloodied nail marks with surprise. "Naruto-sensei…he said he needed me to do something? Wait I had it all in my note book!"
Scrambling past Inko he switched on the lights and found his rucksack nearby, he rifled through it until he found his hero notebook. Glancing through the pages he found the right one.
"This is it! I wrote down everything Naruto-sensei said when he started to talk about quirks!" He read carefully the notes he had made while sitting back down on the bed, Inko joined him a moment later.
"Quirks are a result of Naruto-sensei's arrival in this world in the year 1920 after which the 'natural energy' of the world began effecting people." Izuku turned to his mother with a bright expression, "Do you think it's true? Nobody has ever found a reason for why quirks appeared!"
Inko internally sighed as she considered her passionate son, he truly did believe that old man. Truthfully what did it matter if the old man claimed to be the cause; true or not Izuku believed him and that was all that mattered.
"I think you need to be careful Izu. That man is trying to rope you into something dangerous…it frightens me." Izuku frowned as he read the last of the notes, his memories finally falling back into place.
"He said the natural energy would eventually collect into a single being if left alone…a being that would be a danger to everyone…" He felt a spike of fear as tears collected in his eyes, "A-and what can I do about it! If it's really real and he's chosen me to deal with it. What can I do!?"
Inko's arms were around him in a second hugging him close to her, "It's okay you don't have to do anything you can just forget about it…"
His eyes widened at the suggestion. Forget it? He had always wanted to be a hero like All Might saving all those people and more. Saving the day and living to tell about it. But now that he had been given that very same task, perhaps an even more dangerous one, he was shying away.
"I can't…kachan…I'm going back to Naruto-sensei today. I need to know more…" There was no turning back now. If Naruto-sensei had given him power, and that's certainly how his body felt, then he couldn't go back on accepting it now. He needed to accept responsibility.
His mother's expression was pale with a slight tightening around the lips and eyes. She was frightened and angry both.
"Izuku…that man, he's manipulating you! Using you for his own ends…I can't just let you-" She was cut off by the sad but knowing look her son gave her.
"If what Naruto-sensei said is true then he didn't have a choice. He had to choose somebody…he chose me and I accepted…you could say I was thoughtless but at the time I wanted to make that choice. I have to face up to that…like any real hero would." His mother's lips parted to say more but hesitated, tears built up in her eyes as she stared down into her lap. Her own fears for his safety thrummed through her, just being a hero was one thing…what Naruto was asking of him was to be a saviour.
Wringing her hands she stood from the bed and stepped over to the door.
"I-I just…don't want you to be hurt Izu." She hesitated some more and the door before forcing down her trepidation, "I'm going to make breakfast now…" With a single shuddering movement she left the room.
Izuku flopped back on his bed, his heart hurting at what his kachan had said. She was frightened for him, this wasn't like spontaneously gaining a quirk with no strings attached. This was having a responsibility placed upon him…a responsibility he didn't even fully understand yet.
When he accepted the fist bump he hadn't fully expected anything to happen. As powerful as Naruto-sensei seemed to be none of what he had said had really sunk in. Izuku knew he had acted rashly without truly thinking things through.
He understood that some threat was hanging over Naruto-sensei but not much more than that. When he accepted that power however ignorantly he accepted the burden that went along with it. A threat that could endanger the entire world? Why didn't the government know about this? Did they know already? Was he alone in this?
"You better have some answers Naruto-sensei…"
Naruto winced at another phantom pain. He was beginning to feel his age after exhausting the last of his Rikudo chakra. The loss of nine pieces of the nine biju had also hurt his constitution. Quite simply any variation in his chakra in his fragile state was risky enough but the exertion yesterday had been very dangerous for him.
He had slept like the dead last night and this morning he had spent it nearly exclusively in meditation. Senjutsu as always was a multiplier allowing him push past his ailing limits. With extensive use he could see himself surviving for another year, just enough to see Izuku take his exams for U.A. High. In that time he could perhaps make Izuku a passible ninja, the rest he would need to study for himself.
He had been trying to teach Izuku like Master Jiraiya tried to teach him in his early years. Jiraiya had tried to teach Naruto to learn for himself, a far more potent skill than any simple ninja art. Sadly it had mostly fallen on deaf ears in his case. In Izuku's case he would have to change his approach to a much more hands on method. Set targets and training regimes…
Sadly that was all in question due to Inko's anger at his actions. Still Naruto was no fool, Izuku would come back, and he would want and need answers.
Cracking open his eyes he felt the boy in question enter his sensor range. Only a few miles away and approaching fast. By bike Naruto assumed.
Well this was a surprise, he had expected Inko to keep Izuku under lock and key for the next few weeks. It showed a surprising amount of restraint considering what Naruto had done. Either that or Izuku had sneaked out which was unlikely in the extreme.
Speeding up to the shrine temple the breaks of the bike squealed as his student rolled up. A dark expression on his face. As expected, Izuku was beginning to understand the true gravity of what happened. Chakra wasn't just some kindly handed down power to be used as he wished. It was a power with a great deal of responsibility attached. He knew now for certain he had chosen his successor well, Izuku was far quicker of mind than Naruto had been at his age.
"Naruto-sensei..." The tone was serious and mildly frosty, again as expected. The boy stopped at the bottom of the steps. His gaze was just as piercing as his mothers, those green eyes glistening in the morning light. "We need to talk."
"Yes. I suppose we do." Rising to his feet he ignored the sharp cracking from his knobbly knees, damn this body even if it was pushing two hundred what right did it have to give up on him?
"Well come in, I was just about to have morning green tea it's nearly ready." Pushing to door to the temple open he beckoned the boy to come in.
Izuku watched as his mentor poured out the tea into two nondescript cups. They were both sitting at a low table near the back of the temple. It was a room that looked like it had been used for tea ceremonies for generations. Both occupants sat on a soft pillow, both knew it was going to be a long conversation. Taking a small sip Naruto sat his cup back down on the table before considering the boy before him.
"Well then Midoriya-chan I'm sure you are full of questions, please ask them."
"The world you came from, tell me about it…" His mentor watched as he placed his open note book on the table, he poised his hand with a sharpened pencil.
"Well the first thing you need to know is my world was much like your own, a history of war and suffering has been the legacy of both worlds. Only instead of advanced weapons of war my world used chakra and the prowess of our warriors to make war." His mentor took a sip of his tea before continuing, "In our world natural energy had always been a part of the world. That means that for us talking animals, unique powers and physics defying feats were generally the norm in our history. Tales of powerful warriors weren't just myths for us they were real people that wielded in some cases absolutely frightening powers. I knew several men in my life time that could resurrect the dead. Generally your world hasn't seen the like of these kinds of powers they are simply…too complex."
"I noticed that with the swirling ball thing you showed me. It looked extremely controlled, I've never seen a hero's power like that before…" Izuku could remember the power vividly in his mind, a thousand threads all woven together.
"It's called the Rasengan, and you noticed that did you? Heh smart kid. Indeed, the people of my world that had innate powers were few and far between only existing in clans where people specifically bred to draw out these unique powers. In your world nearly everyone has a unique power capable of being inherited by a son or daughter. Quirks or bloodlines as we called them are a direct manifestation of natural energy effecting humans and animals. In my world it was unbelievably rare, here it is common." The old man paused as he took another sip of his tea to aid his voice.
"The power you and I wield is called chakra, it is not a quirk or bloodline but a combination of our own mental and physical power. It does now have a set form or nature. You can shape that power in any way you wish if you can imagine and mold it. The Rasengan is a direct example of that, it isn't a power but a skill. The same goes for the elemental nature change I showed you." His mentor grimaced as he coughed and took another sip of tea.
"Chakra was a power attained by a single woman in the early history of my world. When she gained control over the world's natural energy and melded it to her own being she became an existence indistinguishable from a goddess."
"At first she sought to bring peace but it eventually turned to suppression and tyranny. Her sons rose up and sealed her away pulling the power she had gained from her body, the elder son Hagoromo sealed that power within himself and the younger Hamura took up the task of watching over the sealed body of their mother. Hagoromo now revered as a god shared chakra with everyone in an effort to create understanding among mankind. To create a kind of instinctive mental link that would eventually lead to peace…" The old man smiled here musing on some thought or other, "He was just as much of a fool as I was. Ninshū as he called it was exactly what he wanted it to be, but there was one draw-back. Only those with a powerful chakra and evolved understanding of chakra could use it. In other words it was far too hard to use." He took another drink of his mostly cold tea and scowled.
"And of course people that had a powerful chakra and trained in its use instantly saw how much more powerful in made them compared to their fellow man. This naturally led to its use in conflict and even more war."
Izuku watched as the old man sulked staring into his tea, "I suppose people can only try their best…" His mentor smiled crookedly.
"Yes…there's more wisdom there than you might think young Midoriya-chan…anyway on with the story…" He finished his tea and poured another cup for himself.
"Hagoromo took the chakra that he had pulled from his mother's body and split it into nine intelligent biju. All of these biju still exist within me, they were the power I sought to remove from humanities grip. Understand Midoriya-chan each one of these beasts is quite capable of destroying entire cities and the strongest perhaps even entire continents if they went all out. I wanted to remove any chance of the next generation getting mixed up in the mistakes of the previous. Sadly it seems I've only managed to give the burden to someone else." Izuku barely managed to stop his hand from breaking the pencil it was holding. The more he learned the more he realised how bad things actually were…
"I guess you've told me about chakra and its history…but where do I fit into this sensei?" Izuku stared right into his mentor's closed eyes. The old man's body shifted slightly as if uncomfortable before continuing.
"First the biju themselves are quite peaceable if slightly eccentric. No the true problem is this world's natural energy collecting into a single being like it did in my world…I plan to stop history from repeating itself…"
Izuku frowned, he had been barely following everything so far and his note book was piling on pages full of notes. The only way he could imagine he could do that would be to somehow manipulate all that power and if he could do that then there wouldn't be a threat right? It had to be impossible.
"The Biju and I have come up with a simple plan. When I die the Biju will die as well thereby becoming part of this world's natural energy. The power Hagoromo used to create them is not so weak as to fail even in this world. They will reform eventually pulling a vast amount of the power the world has with them. They will be mad with rage and unbelievably dangerous, I'm not even certain they could be reasoned with after this as a great deal of their personalities will be washed away. This is where I plan for you to come in." Naruto-sensei's closed eyes opened showing a slight sliver of blue eye to the world.
"I want you to seal them and prevent any further conflict. People will try to manipulate or control the biju there may even be quirk users out there capable of sealing and utilising them as weapons themselves. This cannot be allowed to happen." Izuku was gripping his pencil so hard he could feel the wood fibres crushing under his fingertips. Naruto-sensei wanted him to fight beasts that were created by a mythical god figure from his world…not only that but even more powerful versions?
"A-and does anyone else know about this? Is it just me?" His voice sounded desperate even to his own ears.
"No, some of the strongest heroes are aware…not that they can do anything about it mind you. When the time comes you will be able to count on them to help. You are not alone."
"I've also given you the tools necessary to take on this task Izuku. And I believe you can do it. I wouldn't place my faith in you if I thought otherwise. And I cannot just chose another." The old man paused for a few moments looking into the bottom of his cup, "I know it isn't what you wanted. To prove that you could become a hero without a quirk to prove everyone wrong about you…well I'm sorry I stole that from you Izuku. I just hope you understand why…"
Izuku stared down at his note book, he closed over the cover and took in the title.
'For the Future: Hero Analysis #11'
Squeezing his eyes shut he wiped the sweat from his brow, what was he doing? He was being given everything he had ever wanted. He could be a hero! True it came with a lot of responsibility but wasn't this just the same as being a 'normal' hero? He wasn't an idiot he knew how dangerous those battles heroes and villains had actually were…this wasn't any different!
He couldn't let fear of the future compromise who he was and who he wanted to be. He felt tears building up in his eyes and furiously wiped them away. With a grin he looked up at his mentor.
"I-I want to train with you sensei! I'll do what I can!"
Naruto stared at the boy who had just been asked to hold up the world on his shoulders. And the boy accepted…
'This kid…was I ever like this?'
'Nope nowhere near as knowingly stupid…you were just plain stupid.'
Following Izuku's decision they sat and had a small lunch together after which they moved outside. Naruto led the way to a nearby clearing hidden by some sparse trees, he perched himself on a large rock and began balancing his walking stick on a single finger.
"Now, if we are to begin training, you need to be able to channel your chakra. I assume you've been feeling differently today Midoriya-chan?" His grinning mentor still seemed to be buzzing from his acceptance. Izuku stared at his right hand, he could feel the thrumming smouldering pressure that flowed through his body. The feeling was so foreign it was downright obvious.
"I've been able to feel it since I woke up…it kind of feels like embers burning in my veins." He frowned as he flexed his arm, the flow changed and flexed. It seemed different movements could affect that flow. "I can feel the flow change as I move as well…"
The old man's eyebrows rose in what seemed to be surprise before he continued, "Very good, I suppose I should have expected it, for someone entirely foreign to the feeling of chakra it must truly stand out…Hmph I'll have to skip the first lesson it seems."
"Lesson two leads on from what you've just discovered, movements can affect chakra flow. With the right set of movements you can manipulate your chakra with a great deal of ease compared to raw manipulation which requires a great deal of mental focus. These movements were called hand seals by my people, in essence they are a crutch and a necessary one for any novice ninja. You will be learning them in sequence." He placed his walking stick on the side of the boulder he paused while looking at his missing arm. Blitzing through several hand signs he produced a globule of water from his mouth that connected to his stump. Slowly it formed into a pseudo hand shape. Placing his 'hands' together he slowly moved through the seals.
"Bird, Boar, Dog, Dragon, Ox, Tiger, Snake, Rat, Horse, Monkey, Hare and Ram. They each have their own uses and meanings, combinations of these seals can yield disturbances in your chakra that when flared with the right method can correctly produce the technique you desire. I will be giving you a scroll with these seals to memorize, I fully expect you to learn and understand them by the time you return tomorrow." Izuku could only note down the various motions, he had tried his best to follow them but he would need more time to study it. Ram seemed to be the easiest to remember of them all considering and using the motion produced an odd vibration through his chakra which slowly faded.
"So you can string them together to create techniques? How long a sequence can you have before it breaks down? I get the feeling you need to do them quick or the effect on your chakra is lost…" His sensei chuckled before grinning.
"Kid…now I know how Jiraiya-sensei felt when teaching my dad…You're quite right in order for these seals to work you can't take all day with them, your chakra has a short memory and without a will constantly forcing it into a mold they will breakdown. Some techniques had upwards of forty different hand seals and my sensei could complete the sequence in seconds…that's how fast you need to be!" Izuku could only boggle at the number, making that many hand signs in seconds? Seriously he would be tying his fingers into knots!
"But don't worry chakra has a way of making your dexterity inhuman, with time and training I have no doubt you will be able to do that and more. For now focus on the meanings and getting used to the shapes." The old man frowned then tapped his chin before fishing his hand inside his robes.
"Humm, I think I'd better take advantage of your quick mind. Here take these." A bundle of three scrolls were tossed down from the boulder. Izuku frowned as he stared at his mentor…where the heck had he been keeping those? A pocket?
"That's the first three jutsu I ever learned…or tried to learn…" He started chuckling while rubbing his neck, "Try not to push yourself too quickly but give the techniques a try, they will help you get a feel for the seals instead of just reading about them. I've always been a fan of learning by doing…"
"Thank you sensei! I'll definitely learn them tonight and show you them tomorrow!" Izuku was certain he could get them to work. Now that he had his own power he wasn't going to settle for anything less than the best from himself!
"Heh, already making bets huh?" The old man stared down his gaze a world away. "If you can complete those jutsu in a night I'll have another useful technique to teach you tomorrow…"
"Hai!"
"Now off with you, go back to your mother and give her my apologies!" The boy nodded and stood to leave, but before he could leave the clearing a voice called out.
"Izuku you're a good kid helping out an old man like this. Thank you."
Izuku looked at the silhouette the old man made facing the sun. His back was slumped and crooked with his head hanging low his spiky bleached hair moving slowly in the wind. Izuku rubbed his eyes as he thought he saw white haori coat with magatama super impose over the sight. Nope still that old orange yukata. Strange…
"It's okay Sensei. I like helping people!"
Izuku turned and ran back to the temple for his bike. Kachan would be wondering where he was for dinner if he stayed any longer.
Naruto felt as the boy started his journey home through his senjutsu, so enthusiastic so much like himself and someone else he used to know.
"Was I the only one that got chills at that? Tell me I'm not…"
'Hmm, he reminded me of Obito for a second too…that's not a bad thing.'
"Still let's try and avoid any more Obito moments...I like not having my fur stand on end."
Author Note:
Okay so I wasn't quite expecting the response I got. Still it's all cool. I wanted to go over some basics here to lay down how I personally think chakra works. It was never really explained how seals actually worked. Tell me what you think? Good bad? Izuku was pretty quick on the uptake I felt, but it came of naturally, I wasn't trying to make him seem smarter.
I wanted to get this out there so that people would know I do plan to continue it. The series has really caught my attention, big battles flashy powers cool as hell heroes. Yep everything I need.
As for pairings, well tbh I hadn't thought about it much, but I'm not too sure on who everyone would want (I'm not even sure who I want). I've been more focused on planning what will happen at UA less who he would have a crush on lol. Leave your suggestions if you want to.
If you see any errors please point them out!
Please read and review.
