Chapter 2: Purpose and declaration.

Maelstrom of U.A. Academy

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Boku no Hero Academia. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Kohei Horikoshi respectively.

Normal speech: "All Might"
Thoughts: 'All Might'

Author's note: Whoa! I will admit, I did not expect the first chapter to receive such positive response but I am not complaining. It makes me happy that people enjoy my work.

About the last chapter…

Lightningblade49: Yes, Naruto does have a quirk. It hasn't fully manifested yet. Gran Torino is not holding him back. He is not a bad guy. His reasons and motivations for what he did will be explained as we get more into the story.

Guest: I would love to write those crossovers, but right now I am only focussing on my current two stories.

Dragon God of Miracles: Thank you for pointing out some very important things regarding quirks and providing me with some inspiration for this chapter.

Character detail:

Name: Achi Yaoyorozu

Hero Name: Black death

Quirks: 2

Atomic destruction: She could literally disintegrate anything(Both living and Nonliving things) she touches into nothingness, given she knows the atomic and molecular structure of the objects.

Emotion transfer and Manipulation: She could transfer her emotions or manipulate other people's emotions through this quirk, provided she is in contact with her target. She could kill a person or drive them insane by overloading them with emotions of anger, sadness, anguish etc. But it does cause huge amounts of strain on her body and mind.

Chapter 2: Purpose and declaration.

"Boooooriiiinggggg!"

Uzumaki Naruto stared at the green-covered book in his hand, Titled 'Basic maths for dummies' in utter disgust. 'How did I get myself into this….' he lamented as he shifted his gaze to the huge pile of books stacked up in front of him. 'Should have at least pretended I was listening to the class today.' he regretted as a chibi Naruto could be seen crying tears of anguish in his mind.

Glaring bloody daggers at the stack of books that seemed to mock his intelligence and desperately wishing he could turn those abominations into a pile of ash, his eyes turned towards his black haired friend sitting in front of him with a stoic expression on her face. 'What the hell is up with her outfit!?' he sweat-dropped as his eyebrows twitched furiously. Because, sitting in front in front of him with her face set in a bland expression was Momo in a full teacher outfit, complete with thick round glasses and a small metal stick in her hand.

It was at times like this he questioned his friends mental health but he wouldn't dare say that to her face, especially now, when she was pissed off at him for sleeping during class and getting caught in addition to it.'It's probably a girl thing….' he surmised and decided not to think too much about it.

Naruto had just transferred to Momo's school today and he had instantly become the talking point of the class. Apparently, they thought that a friend of the exalted Yaoyorazu Momo must be as intelligent and great as her as well. But Alas, Naruto was the farthest thing from intelligent when it came to studies. Unaware of the severe consequences he might face, the blond had proceeded to sleep during the class only to be brought back to reality when a wooden duster was thrown at his head at break-neck speed, courtesy of an irate homeroom teacher. Unsurprisingly, he had failed to answer any of the questions the black haired teacher had asked as he quickly became the laughing stock of the class.

"How the hell will this help me become a hero!" he whined as he slammed his head into the desk, "Come on, Momo-chan!. Can't we take a break now? pleaseeeee…."

Yaoyorozu Momo twitched. She was still pissed off about what he did during school. She had never been so embarrassed in her life, she had literally felt like crying when every single student in her class laughed at him. But what ticked her off, even more, was the fact that the blond-haired Uzumaki didn't seem to care. He just scratched the back of his head and laughed it off like it was nothing."If you spend more time studying and less time whining, you could have finished more than half these books by now." she ground out.

" I can't believe you had the temerity to sleep during a class." she huffed as she stared at him with a disapproving look.

"Tem-what now?" he questioned, the clueless expression on his face managing to irritate her even more.

"I meant you had the gall to sleep during a class!" she shouted

"Huh? why didn't you just say that before."

" I..I…Nrghhhh….." she grabbed her head in frustration. Leave it to the Blond haired Uzumaki to rile her up without even trying. He just seemed to know how to press the right buttons to make her lose her cool. She was about to say something when the doors to her room opened and Yaoyorozu Achi stepped inside with a smile on her face.

Two steps were all she was allowed to take before a blond blur slammed into her legs, catching them in a death grip.

"ACHI-SAAAN!, Thank kami!" Naruto shouted as he looked at her with tears streaming down his face, "Please Achi-san…. save me!" he wailed as a pool of tears began to form at the bottom of her feet.

"What the-" Momentarily stunned by the speed her Godson had moved, she studied the scene before her with a raised eyebrow. One look at the angry face of her baby girl, which looked more cute than scary and the pile of books stacked in front the desk was all it took for her to guess what must have transpired. Deciding to have a little fun with her daughter, she kneeled down in front of the crying blond and cupped his cheeks," Oh, dear. Did my lovely little daughter torture you to learn all those stupid books."

Naruto looked at his savior with tear-filled eyes as he sniffed a little." H-hai, A-achi-san. I would have died of information overload if you hadn't come." he cried dramatically as she hugged him, " Oh, poor Naruto. I will take full responsibility for Momo's utter lack of care for your life."

Momo's entire body twitched and her head started to resemble a ripe tomato as she stared at the ridiculous scene in front of her. Never in a million years had she imagined her calm and collected mother to act like this. She blinked hoping that this was just an illusion and that she would break out of it when she opened her eyes again. But, when the scene didn't change, a feeling of dread began to form in the pit of her stomach. she blinked again, praying to every God in existence that her perfect mother was not corrupted by her evil blond friend. Her heart dropped, when to her horror, she still kept consoling her wailing friend who was putting on the performance of a lifetime portraying the victim while painting her as the evil villain who nearly caused his death.

Noticing the horror-stricken face of her daughter, Achi decided that she had enough fun with her as stood up and looked at both the children with a smile.

"I think Naruto-Kun here as endured enough torture for one day. why don't you let him off the hook Momo-chan?" she suggested.

Momo looked at her mother then to the pleading look on her friends face. She huffed and turned her head away,"Fine," she relented as Naruto let out a sigh of relief. But whatever relief he had felt left him when she uttered her next statement,"But only if he promises to never ever sleep in class and actually study for once in his life." she said as a look of abject horror formed on Naruto's face.

A cruel smirk pulled on her visage as she watched him squirm under her mother's narrowed gaze.

"Is that true Naruto?" The black haired former hero's voice sent shivers down the blond's spine.

"Ahhh…. A-achi-san … You….see…" He stuttered as he rattled his mind trying to come up with an explanation, But one look at her stone cold expression, his mind shut down in an instant. 'W-why is she so scary….' he trembled.

"I-I'm sorry A-chi-san. It won't happen again." he relented, his shoulders sagging in defeat as a huge smile forced on Momo's face.

"Alright! Let go eat dinner." Cheered Momo as she dragged the defeated blond to the dinner table.

XXX

It didn't take long for the three to reach the dining area. Momo took a seat beside Naruto while Achi was sitting across from them. Naruto had stars in his eyes as he stared at the various dishes just sitting there in front of him, waiting to be devoured. A few weeks ago he would have pounced at the first sight of such exquisite meals and forgo all manners, But Achi had literally beat the art of etiquette into him for the past two weeks. It was during those two weeks that Naruto had learned that the kind and beautiful Achi-san could be downright ruthless if she wanted to be.

Dinner was a silent affair. Apart from the few jokes Naruto told to tease Momo, everything was quiet. A small smile tugged at the lips of Achi as she stared at the two children arguing over something silly. It brought back fond memories of her childhood when she would argue with Kushina over everything. Those arguments usually ended up with her crying in frustration while her Red-haired friend tried to console her. Those fond memories soon gave rise to some really painful ones, memories she had buried so deep within her for far too long. An unbearable feeling of regret slammed into her heart, threatening to overwhelm her very soul as she shook her head trying to drive away those unwanted memories.

'You should have listened to your friend, Achi' the sinister voice of a black-haired man froze her in place as she stared at the sight in front of her in horror. Every corner she could see, there was fire and destruction. Dead and dismembered bodies of hundreds of thousands of police forces and heroes could be seen all over the scorching place. Even as she heard the cries for help from dying civilians, even as she saw the scorching flames burn the bodies of innocent civilians stuck in between rubbles, she didn't care. All she could see was the image of the man she loved, the man she had given her heart to, the man who is the father of her just born baby daughter as he plunged his hands into her best friend's chest killing her in an instant. She saw her red-haired friend let out a gurgled gasp, her face etched with an expression of intense agony and pain, and for one final time, their eyes met. Those beautiful purple eyes always filled with warmth and mischief. Those eyes that always gave her support when she felt disheartened, those eyes that always encouraged her to move forward, stared at her in anguish and regret. she saw in stunned horror as a single tear escaped her friend's eyes before the last embers of life left her as her body slumped motionless in her killer's arms.

"Mom!"

Achi gasped as her mind reeled back to reality. She grabbed the table to steady her shivering body as she desperately tried to reign in her raging emotions. Naruto and Momo were both instantly on her side, looking at her in worry.

"A-are you alright, Achi-san?" Naruto asked with panic in his voice while Momo was in the state as him. She had never seen her Mom like this.

Realising she was causing panic among the children, she took a few deep breathes to calm herself down as she willed her emotions to calm down.

"It's nothing, dear. Mama is just tired from staying up and working all night yesterday," she replied with a shaky smile as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

Momo blinked, It took a moment for her to register what her Mom had said, while Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, That makes sense, I guess." the small girl accepted although she was hesitant for a second, while Naruto didn't look convinced but decided not to call her out on her obvious lie.

"Why don't you guys go to sleep early today? I will be personally accessing your skills tomorrow. How does that sound?" she asked gaining a positive reaction from both of them. Momo was surprised that her mom would be personally evaluating their skills since she was always busy while Naruto was excited to finally go up against a Pro-hero. Well, she was retired but he had heard from Momo that she was very popular when she was active. Although, he found it strange that she didn't mind his lack of quirk. He shrugged, thinking that he would get an explanation later.

"Okay, Mom!" chirped Momo as she dragged her friend to their room.

Achi waited till she saw the children turn the corner their room before letting out a relieved sigh. Standing up from her seat she decided she had to calm her nerves down before doing anything. And she knew just the right place to do that.

XXX

Charcoal black eyes shone as it reflected the light from the full moon that seemed to be pasted on the beautiful night sky. Sitting by the side of a pond in the middle of the garden, Achi finally found some inner peace. The cold night breeze and the melodious sounds of the night managed to calm her nerves.

Ever since she took Naruto in, her emotions had been in a turmoil. Past mistakes and regrets that she had buried deep within her were beginning to rear their head again.

"'All for one' is no more!. He is dead.! He is not coming back. Get that through your paranoid skull!"

"Is he really though?"

Gran Torino's question echoed in her head. And just like that the momentary peace she had achieved, left her.

If there was one thing she regretted the most in her life, it was her decision to ignore her best friend's warnings about that wretched man and marrying him. She had been delusional and thought her childhood friend was being jealous of her, all the while totally unaware that 'All for one' was using his 'Emotion transfer and Manipulation' quirk to manipulate her emotions. Even when he granted her the same quirk for some unknown reason, she didn't suspect a thing.

By the time she had realized what was happening, everything had got out of hand. It was only through countless sacrifices and losses that they finally managed to bring him down.

Achi knew that the day would come when she had to tell the complete truth to both Momo and Naruto and she dreaded the day when she had to stand before them and tell them the events that led to that fateful day.

Even as she hoped beyond hope that the symbol of evil and the father of her child had died that day, she knew that there was some truth to what Grand Torino had said. They never did confirm his death after all.

"And will you tell him why the name Kushina Uzumaki was completely erased from history without a single trace. It might make him turn against the entire world. And with a k that dangerous," Once again Gran Torino's words echoed in her head.

'Dangeruous?' She scoffed. If there was one thing she had found from her conversation with the old coot, It was that he was terrified of the power that Kushina had displayed that day. I mean who wouldn't. Its versatility was unmatched after all.

But Achi knew better. Kushina only ever used her quirk when it was really necessary. Heck, nobody ever knew she had powers like that until the day she faced 'All for one'.
The only one still alive who knows the full extent of her red-haired friend's power was her. Kushina had always been paranoid about others finding out about her quirk. There were only two people other than Kushina who knew the secrets of her quirk, one was her, and the other was Kushina's husband, Minato.

And as someone who knew the ins and outs of kushina's quirk, she knew that it was one of the hardest quirks to manifest let alone master. Kushina had explained to her that her quirk was an 'Energy construct and manipulation' quirk of the highest order. Basically, the quirk gradually manifests itself, as one starts training both their body and mind. Initially, when the quirk begins to manifest, It provides the user with improved senses, increased speed, strength, and reflexes. It also provides healing abilities to its bearer. But the true power of the quirk only gets unleashed when the second stage of the quirk manifests. From what her childhood friend had told her, it was during this stage that the physical and mental energy built up as result of years of intense training combine to form an entirely new form of energy, which, if used in certain specific ways could be used to control the very elements. But there was one huge drawback in all this. In order for the second stage to activate, the user had to undergo an extremely traumatic event which would most likely leave a scar in their mind for the rest of their life.

Achi briefly wondered if Naruto would inherit kushina's quirk. There was also the possibility he could end up manifesting Minato's quirk. Heck, since Minato's quirk was an energy-based one as well, he could end up manifesting a fusion of both of their quirks. While Kushina manipulated the energy within her body, Minato was able to manipulate the energy outside his body. He was able to create transparent green energy shields and produce various weapons and constructs using them.

Kushina had mentioned that there were techniques passed down in her family for the one who manages to unlock the second stage of the quirk. But Achi had no Idea where those books that contained her techniques were, now. Shaking her head, the blackette decided not to think too much about it.

'When you think about me, I only want you to remember the fond memories we shared' Kushina's last words before she went on that wretched mission to hunt 'All for one' echoed in her mind.

She clenched her fists as she stared at her reflection in the pond. Seven years had passed since that day but the wound in her heart was still as fresh as ever.

" Achi-san," A small voice penetrated the silence of the night, startling her. Her body tensed and with reflexes gained through years of intense training she turned around and her hands whipped out to disintegrate whoever it was that managed to sneak up on her only to stop abruptly when she saw the face of Naruto staring at her in part shock and part fear.

"Naruto! what are you doing here!?" she half yelled at him while simultaneously berating herself for being so careless.

"I-i w-wanted to make sure you are all right." he stuttered, 'I didn't even see her move!' he screamed in his mind as tried to calm his racing heart.

"Don't scare me like that, okay?" she said her voice back to normal now, as Naruto nodded his head frantically. He knew how close he came to getting disintegrated into nothingness.

Patting the spot next to her she asked him to come sit beside her, to which he obliged immediately.

"So, what happened to Momo-chan?" she asked as the blond took his set beside her.

"She's asleep," he stared the pond reflecting the full moon's light with a slight smile on his face.

"I know you lied to Momo." His statement surprised her a little as she stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh? And makes you say that?"

Throwing a stone into the pond he watched the water ripple before turning to face the woman who had done so much for him in these past few weeks. A woman he hated seeing in the obvious unhappy state she was in.

" No idea, I always know when people lie to me." he shrugged like it was no big deal.

"I see," she noted, as she looked at the blond looking at her with expectation.

Sighing softly she finally relented," I have been thinking about an old friend that I let down in the past."

"Huh? How so?" he was completely clueless as his big blue and purple eyes stared at her curiously. Despite the current turmoil in her heart she could help but giggle at his clueless expression and for some unknown reason, she continued to answer his question.

" You know I was once a Pro-hero right?" Naruto nodded his head, now listening to her with rapt attention,"Well I had a friend who was a pro-hero herself. she was a lot like you, brash, confident and kind of dumb as well."

" Hey! I am not dumb!" the blond pouted as he turned his head away from her.

" Anyway, she warned me about a big bad villain. He is the most powerful villain at that time." she continued, gaining Naruto's full attention.

Her voice then took a somber toon as he stared at the blond Uzumaki with regret,"But I ignored her warnings. I thought she was just lying, but apparently was telling the truth and by the time I realized it everything had gotten out of hand." She didn't want to go into detail about what happened that day, so she only gave a vague description of the events to him.

"Huh? why would you think she was lying? And what happened to your friend?" he half yelled at her. He couldn't understand why someone as smart and intelligent as her would think that her best friend of all people would lie to her.

"Funny, how I keep asking the same question every day. Anyway, It doesn't matter. The thing is because of my ignorance my friend along with a lot of other people died." she replied and the amount of pain and sorrow shook Naruto to the core.

"D-died!?" he asked in horror as he felt his blood freeze in his veins. Being the naive little kid he was, he thought that being a hero was all glory and thought that someone might die had never crossed his young mind.

Achi looked at the obviously shaken Uzumaki with pity. She understood why he was so shaken up but it also provided her an opportunity to explain to him the real world of heroes.

"Yes, The world of pro-heroes is not an easy one, Naruto-Kun," she began as she looked at him with a serious expression on her face," Heroes face life-threatening situations every time. They have to be ready to face all type of adverse situations 24 hours a day. Sometimes you won't get any sleep. You could be sent to a long-term infiltration mission where one mistake could cost you your life. Only the strong with unwavering tenacity, determination and a strong sense of purpose can survive in this field." Her voice was firm and strong, Naruto understood that right now, she was not the kind and soft woman that he had come to know. No, in that instant she was a woman who had seen in its all in the world of Pro-heroes, imparting her knowledge to him.

"My friend used to tell me that for someone to become a truly great hero one must have a strong sense purpose and reason. She believed, that very purpose is what drove heroes to take that extra step when the odds were stacked against them. She believed that someone who seeks glory and fame could never be a truly great hero."

"So what's your purpose Naruto? why do you really want to be a hero?" she asked.

Silence

If there was one word to describe what followed her speech, it was that.

" I…I.." The blond stuttered. Now that he thought about it, he never truly had a reason as to why he wanted to be a pro-hero. He simply wanted to do what everyone had wanted to do.

His eyes widened slightly as the truth hit him like a tonne of bricks, 'I don't have a reason.'
As soon as he realized that fact, his head lowered in shame, unable to meet the eyes of Achi waiting to hear his answer.

"It's okay Naruto-Kun," Achi's soft voice snapped him out of his self-induced bout of depression.

"Huh!? W-what?"

"It's okay if you don't have an answer now." she gave him a soft smile as she grabbed his shoulder, and with a subtle use of her quirk instantly calmed him down,"I didn't have an answer for that question for a long time as well."

"You still have plenty of time to come up with an answer. So, cheer up dear!" she patted his back, soothing his worries.

Looking up she noticed it was getting really late," Now why don't we go back to the estate? You do remember your skill assessment test tomorrow right?"

"Oh, crap! I totally forgot about that. Let's go Achi-san!" He stood up from the ground and began walking back almost instantly, his mood completely back to his cheerful self again.

'Children' Achi shook her head at his antics as she got up to follow him.

The two traveled in silence, each with their own thoughts. They were halfway to the main house when Naruto decided to open his mouth," You don't have to feel guilty, Achi-san." Naruto's sudden words caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

"W-what?"

"Your friend. You feel guilty for her death right?"

"What makes you say that?" she asked. Honestly, she didn't know what to make of her Godson. One moment he was acting completely clueless, the next instant he was acting extremely perceptive and mature. He was like an enigma.

"I just do. You want to know whether your friend forgave you before she died right?"

There, he had said it. This seven-year-old boy, despite all his naivety and innocence, had hit the nail on the head.

For seven years now, not a single day had passed by without her wanting to know the answer to that exact same question. Her silence was all the answer Naruto needed.

"If I were her I would only want you to remember the fond memories we shared." his voice was soft as he gave the shaken woman a bright smile which resembled that of a certain Red-haired Uzumaki.

" Friends don't apologize to each other right? But if you truly regret your decision why don't you do something that will make your friend proud?"

Achi looked stunned. He made it sound so simple but at the same time, it made sense to her. All this time she had been groveling in her own misery and regret that the thought of doing something that would make her friend proud never occurred to her. A small smile pulled on her face, "Thanks, Naruto-Kun," she said, her voice almost a whisper but Naruto could feel the honesty in her voice.

"He.. he.. he… It's nothing Achi-san." he scratched the back of his bashfully, before running off to get some sleep.

Achi watched him leave with a small smile on her face. In that moonlit night, in the very place were she grew up with her deceased friend, she made a declaration.
'I know I let you down kushina, but I promise on our friendship that I will not let your son down. I will help him become a man you will be proud of. That is a promise of a lifetime.'
Yes. she knew what she had to do now. He would be the salvation of her past mistakes.

To be continued…..

Author's note:

Yup, I know not a lot of things happened this chapter. Initially, I wanted to combine the next chapter with this one to create a huge chapter but decided against it. The next chapter will contain a lot of action and plot progression. Also, I was hesitant on using the Idea of 'All for one' being Momo's father. Hopefully, you guys like it. Anyway, be sure to leave reviews to share your thoughts and criticisms.