Chapter 3
"Sensei..." Izuku nervously questioned, his body filled with an indescribable fear. ' W-what is going on...' He thought in a panic, as he tried to hastily back away. The smiling visage of his hero, that once filled him with enormous joy, now filled him with a cold a feeling, chills ran down his spine as he desperately tried to move. "W-Wha-?" he hesitantly asked, hoping that this feeling of paralyzing fear was only his imagination running wild, but his choked words were interrupted by the fist of his hero, his idol, All Might, flying towards his face at enormous speeds, his hair blowing backwards from the sheer force of his punch. Even when, what he assumed was his adrenaline, kicked in and the world slowed down, he could barely keep sight of the fist as he remained rooted in spot, not by courage or sheer will, but by absolute, utter terror, as the only thing he could do in reply was to release a strangled cry.
'Izu-kun better have a good explanation for hiding all this...' Momo thought with a slight pout on her face, as she was slightly hurt that Izuku omitted important details from their talk the other day. 'Sigh... of course you'll have a good reason. We made a promise to always be honest to one another.' she thought with a fond smile as she stared through the periscope made with her quirk. Immediately the periscope fell from her hands, as a terrified scream was ripped from her throat, as she saw the number one hero, the symbol for peace, Izuku's idol, launching his fist at Izuku, feeling helpless knowing she wouldn't be able to do anything to All Might, but hastily made a canon with her quirk despite knowing that.
As the trash came toppling down on Izuku , he immediately shot to his feet, transforming into his hero form as he rocketed towards his new protégé, However, he halted all movement as he was completely caught off guard by what happened next, as right before him, his student's eyes shifted from a deep forest green to blood red, with one black tomoe, rotating rapidly as Izuku, in a sudden feat of speed and dexterity All Might didn't know he possessed, positioned himself precisely where he needed to be to avoid all the trash.
"The Sharingan..." All Might muttered to himself, heart racing at the discovery. 'Impossible... They were all supposed to be wiped out...' He thought to himself, totally flummoxed by the turn of events. 'No... It could have been a trick...' but immediately discarded that thought, knowing it would help no-one to foolishly assume things.
He bowed his head slightly as he began to make his way to his student, haggardly climbing from the pile of trash that almost crushed him. His heavy footsteps matching his own heartbeat as he made his way to the young man before him, heart filled with regret, realizing now, that not all the Sharingan bearers died out. Stopping before his terrified student, he looked him dead in the eye. 'I'm sorry Izuku...no Young Midoriya... I must know...' he thought to himself as he hardened his heart and released a small burst of killer intent, as he launched a punch straight to the young man's face.
He engraved the fear and terror on the young man's face to his heart, as his punch stopped a millimeter from Izuku's face, knowing that no matter what the reason, he caused this reaction in an innocent. 'Dammit!' he internally cursed, as staring back at him were no longer his students usual forest green eyes, filled with awe and wonder directed to his mere presence, but two red eyes, now with two black tomoes in each eye rapidly rotating, filled with sheer terror and fear towards him.
'Of All the damn possibilities...' he angrily thought to himself, suddenly very worried on what's to come in the future... 'Are there anymore sharingan wielders? Has anyone else seen this? How is this possible?' All Might rapidly questioned himself, sweat trickling from his brow as he realized how dangerous this discovery truly is.
"Stop!" his musings were cut short, hearing a terrified scream coming from a nearby trash heap, followed by an explosion, causing a cannonball flying towards him.
'What?' he thought to himself confusedly, coming back to reality, as he reflexively used his other arm to catch it, only to see a wide eyed teenage girl, staring back at him with terror.
"M-Mo-Chan..." he heard the voice of the boy in front of him croak out, looking absolutely terrified of him, but eyes darted from him to the girl rapidly, ready to leap in to defend the girl if need be.
"Shit..." he muttered, seeing his fist still extended to Izuku's face, now realizing the horror these two must be feeling, for what they just witnessed.
"Umm... Right... Well I can explain..." All Might muttered, with a nervous laugh, as he quickly removed his arm from Izuku's face. With Izuku hesitantly taking a step backwards to walk around All Might. With his eyes locked firmly on All Might in case he did anything, even though he knew he wasn't fast enough to dodge anything, Izuku remained focus on him as he backed away to Momo. 'Why?...' Izuku fearfully questioned as he stared at All Might with betrayed eyes, unable to say a word, due to the raw emotions rushing through his veins.
He took his eyes of All Might, keeping him in his peripheral vision, seeing him awkwardly shuffling in place as he refused to look at them. "Mo-chan... are you ok...?" Izuku hesitantly asked, checking her for injuries.
"Am I Ok?" She asked in sheer bafflement , one hand still gripping onto the canon aimed at All Might, " I'm fine." She said in hurriedly, taking her eyes off All Might. "The question is are you - Your eyes!?" She worriedly asked, but interrupted her query as she stared into Izuku's eyes, only to see a pair of red orbs with two black comma like markings rotating slowly.
"What?" he questioned confusedly as he looked around for something to see his own eyes with.
"Here" Momo said as her palm glowed a bright array of neon colors, the tell tale sign of her quirk being used, as a small handheld mirror appeared in her hands.
"Thanks'" he absentmindedly muttered as he hesitantly took his eyes off All Might to see his reflection. "AH!" He yelled in complete shock, seeing two red eyes, in place of his familiar forest green, with two black commas lazily rotating, almost in a mocking fashion. "W-What's this?!" He yelled.
"That young Midoriya- " All Might spoke up, overhearing Izuku's exclamation and came closer in order to answer the question, but was interrupted by the the girl, 'Mo-chan?' if he heard correctly, readying her cannon, from what he just saw from her creating the mirror, must have come from her own body. 'Damn, that's a versatile quirk...' he thought to himself, analyzing how best to handle the situation.
"D-Don't come any closer!" She exclaimed, trying to put up a brave face as she tried to protectively stand in front of his student, Sadly he could see the underlying fear hidden behind the facade, he flinched at that. 'Damn... I really screwed up...' All Might thought to himself humorlessly. He could see his student's eyes, narrowing sharply, with the tomoes in his eyes spinning rapidly, prepared to defend the girl, even knowing the futility in his actions.
All Might slowly raised his arms, to signify peace. "I can explain." All Might started calmly, desperately trying to diffuse the situation. "Both my actions, and your eyes... If you'll let me..." All Might finished, staring Izuku straight in the eyes to try and convey his sincerity and apologies.
"Why should we trust you? How do we know you'll tell the truth." The girl chimed in, tone dripping with distrust. 'Not that I could blame her...' All Might thought self depreciatively.
"I'll de-transform and then we can speak... Is that Ok...?" he hesitantly asked Izuku, getting an shaky nod in reply.
"Are you sure?" the girl unsurely asked Izuku.
"Yes...I-I need answers... I need to know why?" Izuku spoke out, the betrayed tone leaking from his words cutting All Might deeper than any knife. 'You really screwed this one up, huh, Toshinoro...' Words that sounded as if they came from his old mentor, Gran Torino, mockingly ran through his head as he detransformed, using the time it took for the smoke to clear, to organize his thoughts.
"So what's the explanation." The girl slightly spat out, eyes narrowed at All Might, causing him to wince slightly.
"I can assume that she doesn't know about our agreement?" He asked Izuku, who refused to meet his eyes, but nodded in agreement.
"What agreement?" The girl questioned in bewilderment.
"Well..." All Might sheepishly chuckled as he told her the with Izuku.
"No way" Momo muttered in disbelief, having just heard the deal between the two and learning the secret of One for All . As she looked to Izuku for confirmation, who hesitantly nodded, signifying what was said is true and back to All Might to see him gazing at the two seriously.
"I-If I'm to be your successor..." Izuku spoke up, gaining the attention of the two, "Why attack me?" his voice laden in confusion asked, "Was it all a lie?" He asked, voice thick with confusion, as he looked All Might in the eye, "And what do you know about my eyes?!" He yelled, just remembering about his sudden change in eye color.
All Might sat there, his expression blank, and head slightly tilted downward, breaking the eye contact, " There's nothing wrong with your eyes..." he muttered, looking back up to Izuku, staring eye to eye, " That is your quirk..." He trailed off.
"!" Momo gasped, mouth agape eyes wide as she grabbed Izuku's hand on reflex.
"M-My... Quirk?" Izuku asked breathlessly, staring into the handmade mirror, eyes wide in confusion and excitement both warring for dominance within him as his eyes began to tear up. "B-But, I'm supposed to be quirkless..." He hesitantly questioned.
"You were never in mortal danger until the slime villain attack." All Might carefully said, "Some quirks require a life or death struggle for it to fully activate, I assume you're hero analysis ability is a by product of your quirk in it's premature state." All Might explained, "It is the same reason I pretended to punch you; It was for you to think I was genuinely attacking you, so I could ensure that it was the sharingan."
Momo's eyes looked up sharply at that, with her eyes narrowing, with Izuku also looking up in alarm. "How do you know it's called the Sharingan?" Momo asked, her weariness from earlier came back in full force, as Izuku beside her also narrowed his eyes, realizing there was more of the story being left out.
'Damn!' All Might cursed to himself, then sighed, "I was planning on telling you this eventually... but unforeseen circumstances forced my hand." He explained, glancing at Izuku's sharingan. "Sit down... this may take a while." he said, while taking a seat on a tire nearby. 'He's not ready yet, but if I don't tell them the truth now...I'll never regain his trust...' thought All Might, not really wanting to explain yet, but having no choice.
Izuku and Momo glanced at each other, communicating in a way only those who have been friends for years can understand. Coming to a silent agreement the two sat down in front of All Might, still feeling a little weary , Momo stealthily handed Izuku a knife.
All Might cracked a smile, seeing the two still being cautious and not lowering their guard. ' That's good, never underestimate your opponent.' He thought, as he felt the phantom pain of his old wounds acting up. "Izuku... how well do you trust this girl..." All Might asked seriously, getting down to business.
"I trust Momo with my life." Izuku responded, tone firmer than All Might ever heard before, causing the now named Momo to slightly blush with a small smile at the conviction in his tone.
"Very well..." All Might spoke up. "What I'll tell you is even more secretive than the power of One for all." He said seriously, trying to convey the severity of what he'll explain, causing the two to hesitantly nod in reply, with the obvious question burning clearly on their faces, 'What could be more of a secret than One for All.'
"Well..." All Might continued, "One for All was derived from another quirk." Both the teenager's eyes widened at that. "The name of that quirk is All for One.." All Might explained.
"All for One...?" Izuku hesitantly asked, feeling slightly reluctant to hear more, but knowing he needed his answers to ever be able to trust All Might again.
"It is a terrifying power..." All Might spoke up ominously, eyes lost in memory," It allows the user to permanently take away someone's quirk and give it to someone else, or to keep it for themselves..." He finished, staring at the two to see if they understood the significance.
Izuku's eyes, now back to his forest green ones, went wide at that " Take a quirk for themselves..." he muttered, terrified, yet awed at that power.
"!" Momo gasped, as she hugged her self tightly feeling a sudden chill at that proclamation. The very idea that someone could take away your quirk and give it to someone else, filled her with dread and a sick feeling of nausea ran through her body, the thought that someone could just steal your very own individuality , just like that, was a nightmare in of itself.
"I see you understand..." All Might spoke up solemnly. "This was when quirks were just beginning to show up, before society had figured out how to deal with the newly powered among them. When quirks started to appear, suddenly it was impossible to say what it meant to be a normal human being. Laws and human rights were hotly debated, Civilization's progress stalled, Society decayed." All Might ominously explained.
Momo tilted her head down at that, having remember reading what it was like before quirks in order to cheer up Izuku once, only to realize the absolute chaos that ran wild during that time period when quirks began to appear.
Izuku clenched his fist at that... 'Damn...' he thought to himself.
"During that chaotic period of change, there was one man who managed to rally many people together. He went by the name of his quirk... All For One..." He stated ominously, causing the two to feel a chill down their spine at the sheer weight that name held. "He stole quirks from others, and with his overwhelming abilities, he spread his influence across the country, manipulating people to carry out his orders, and committed many unspeakable acts with little resistance, In the blink of an eye, he became the leader of all villains and ruled over Japan.
"I thought that was a myth...Many rumors were online but it was never confirmed..." Izuku spoke up softly, unable to break the tense atmosphere. "Isn't it all made up...?"
"It's because its a shameful part of history people wish to ignore." All Might muttered.
"How does this all tie in with One for All though?" Momo hesitantly spoke up, trying to process all she's learned.
"He could transfer quirks to others, remember? He gained people's loyalty by granting them power, apparently, there were many pour souls who couldn't handle the quirks they were given and became mindless living dolls incapable of speaking." All Might sadly explained.
Hearing the terrifying after effects of transferring quirks, Momo quickly grabbed Izuku's hand for comfort as she squeezed his hands, with Izuku also going wide-eyed, hearing the terrible fate those people suffered through.
Seeing their fearful expressions, and feeling the tensions raise, All Might quickly identified the problem, " Don't worry, the transferal of One for All is a completely different method than All for One and won't leave the wielder mindless... As long as his body can withstand the force." He calmly explained in an effort to reassure the two that he wasn't going to train Izuku just to kill him, he winced at that, ' nearly punching his head off might make that hard to believe...' All Might thought.
"Some quirks changed while being passed along..." All Might continued, in an effort to get them focused back on him, "Some even combined with other power sets. This evil man had a quirkless younger brother, who was small and sickly, but had a strong sense of justice, the two were as night and day, completely different..." All Might continued, the mention of someone quirkless wanting to do what was right, resonated with Izuku as he clenched his fist, nearly drawing blood. "It pained the younger brother to see the atrocities his older brother was committing so he turned a blind eye. For some reason, All for One Transferred a power to his brother, one that allowed him to stockpile power, whether out of sibling love or an effort to make his brother submit no one knows."
"Don't tell me..." Izuku muttered, both his and Momo's eyes widening at the realization.
"Yes unknown to him and everyone else, the younger brother had a quirk, a useless one that only allowed him to transfer power and so the stockpiling of power, merged with the transferring of power, thus the creation of One for All..." All Might finished with his arms wide.
"No way..." Momo muttered, unable to say a word at what she just found out.
"H-how" Izuku muttered, body trembling at the enormity of what he heard, "How does the Sharingan fit into all this." Izuku desperately asked, needing to know exactly what he's getting himself into, with Momo putting a hand on his shoulder in concern, looking question at All Might, with most of the hostility from earlier gone.
All Might stared through the gaps of the trash heaps, to the calm ocean nearby. He mentally sighed, feeling guilty for the extra burden he's forced to place on this boy...no young man sitting before him. "Even though, there are whispers about All for One to this day, there is one crucial person to the story that was stricken from history, only known to a handful of people, His name was Madara Uchiha, the first Sharingan user, also, the two father of the two brothers."
"!" The two gasped at that, totally unaware that there was more to that family.
"Madara's Sharingan was powerful, arguably stronger than All for One." He explained, staring directly at Izuku, causing him to shiver at the intensity. " His eyes granted him such amazing perception, he was able to see the twitches in someone's muscles and predict exactly what they would do before they, themselves knew, He could glance at a quirk, and easily understand their capabilities, He was said to be able to cast such strong illusions, so strong that it was said that just by looking into his eyes meant you already lost." All Might spoke in terrified awe," And similarly to his eldest son, He could temporarily copy someone's quirk after analyzing it long enough." He added in a whisper "it was even said that when he was truly pushed the limits of his power, he could use even more terrifying powers that are still unknown to this day."
"Unbelievable..."Momo muttered as she released a shaky breath, staring at Izuku in concern.
Izuku stood there, frozen in place, he held out the mirror in his hand, and hesitantly reached within him, searching for that unique feeling that activates his quirk. Entranced, he watched the tomoes in his eyes, lazily rotate, trying to digest what he heard. 'My eyes... are that strong...' he thought, filled with fear at the power his eyes wield, yet oddly enough a small part of him, bubbled with a strange unknown excitement at the potential they held.
After giving the two kids a moment to digest the information All Might continue. "Believe it or not, there was one person at the time who could match Madara blow for blow, his name is Hashirama Senju, his power allowed him complete control of any vegetation, which he utilized in a terrifying manner, capable of creating 100 feet tall forests, as easy as breathing."
"What the hell...?" Momo lightly cursed, completely wide eyed at the power of these two monsters
"Indeed... both men were terrifying... Now, why this is important is because of a flaw All for One has." All Might explained.
"What is it?" Izuku asked, filled with a burning need for more answers.
"All for One could copy quirks, but not the skill required to use them." All Might explained as he looked the two in the eye, hoping the two would understand what he was trying to say.
"The Sharingan..." Momo breathed out, with wide eyes as she gripped Izuku's hand to ensure herself he was still there.
"I-I mean... This was decades ago... he can't still be alive" Izuku pleaded desperately.
All Might looked away, unwilling to see his students face filled with despair, and hating himself for the burden he's placed on his shoulder. "It is not inconceivable, to assume that he stole a quirk that extended his life span." All Might muttered, biting his lip in what he was about to do. He lifted his shirt slightly, revealing his huge scar. "We fought five years ago..." All Might spoke in a soft tone, lost in thought of the fierce battle, "I killed him once and for all, however... there is no telling what plans he had in motion, who he told and if he found a way to pass on his quirk...for all we know, he has one that let's him cheat death..." All Might spoke tonelessly, the words filling the two kids with absolute dread, as the severity of all this hit them like a freight train.
From sheer terror at the situation and pure despair, Izuku threw up to the side, overcome with negative emotions, with Momo soothingly rubbing his back, looking as terrified as he feels, both shakily seeking comfort in one another as they held each other with tears in their eyes.
All Might looked to the stars, completely despising himself for what he had to tell the two. 'He wasn't ready...' he thought, utterly disgusted with himself, 'but he needed to know...' he looked down to see the two holding each other in a vein attempt to comfort the other, each sob he heard and each tear her saw, made him feel numb with himself. He gave the two some privacy and decided to get some of the lunch he packed for them to eat.
After eating a boxed lunch, in complete silence, with everyone was lost in their own thoughts, until All Might spoke up, gaining the two's attention.
"The story isn't over... Do you wish to continue?" He gently asked.
The two looked to one another, silently communicating as they both nodded at the same time, "Continue..." the two spoke in unison.
All Might sighed in weariness, "Very well..." He continued the story, "Knowing how powerful his father was, All for One began collecting as many quirks as possible, using his huge organization to research countless hours worth of knowledge to gain power. He plotted any weakness he could think of to kill his father and take his power for himself, there was no low he would not stoop to, in order to gain the Sharingan. Just when he thought himself ready to kill his father, word came back that he was already dead, body destroyed from a catastrophic fight."
"Who..."Momo shakily asked.
"Hashirima..." Izuku whispered, eyes going wide.
"Indeed... Hashirima heard whispers of countless villains gathering, heard tales of someone amassing an army, so, having been a strong believer in justice and fighting for the peace and equality among those with quirks, and those without. He spent years searching, collecting evidence, trying desperately to figure out the mastermind, and took it upon himself to end him... However, having known his son was the true mastermind behind the amassing of villains, Madara claimed responsibility, lying to his old friend that he was the culprit, and that Hashirima was a pawn in his grand scheme. Filled with rage and betrayal that his friend used him for his ill gain, as well as turning his back on the peace the two fought so hard for. The two fought to the death, leading to a draw with both ending up killing each other in their final attack..." All Might finished the tale.
Momo gasped, as she brought her hand to her mouth, filled with grief at such a sad tale, while Izuku looked away, having am uncomfortable feeling on what it to come.
All Might grimaced as he looked to the two. "Realizing that with his father dead and himself being sterile, his hopes of gaining the sharingan dwindled, leaving the only possible way for him to gain the sharingan was to hope his brother's descendants carried the gene..." He whispered carefully as he put a reassuring arm on Izuku's shoulder, as the boy cried, now realizing the fate of his ancestors as well as the terror of one of his relatives, possibly hunting him.
All Might spoke softly, desperately wanting to stop, to let Izuku walk away from this, but he knows it's too late, It's his right to know, both as the next wielder of One for All and the last Sharingan wielder. "Knowing what his brother was after, One for All took his wife and ran away. Enraged by this, All for One amassed his army, and conquered Japan, it was a terrifying time as he searched hi and low for his brother, willing to go to any lengths to find his brother and wife in order to possibly gain control of the Sharingan. After years of waiting, All for One laid waste to the streets, destroying buildings and causing total anarchy, in an effort to draw out his noble brother, however tragedy struck One for All as his wife went out by herself that day, she was sadly caught up in the wave of destruction, with One for All stumbling upon her corpse in the aftermath." He paused as he heard Izuku sob at the tale of his ancestors, with Momo glaring at him for traumatizing Izuku like this, however, All Might knew that if he stopped the story now it would do more harm than good. 'Forgive me, young Midoriya...' All Might internally pleaded, filled with guilt for his actions.
"Having lost his father and wife due to his brother, One for All reached a breaking point and could no longer ignore his brother's atrocious actions," All Might continued, " The fight was long and brutal, with One for All barely escaping, having been severely weakened, but also heavily damaging his brother in return, he passed on the power of One for All to his best friend and closest ally, as well as entrusting the final part of his legacy, his biggest secret, his newborn son." Izuku swallowed audibly, he shakily nodded, telling All Might to continue after seeing him pause in concern to look at him.
All Might looked at Izuku seriously, before hesitantly continuing "And so All for One lost most of his power in that fight, and peace ran through Japan once again, with All for One disappearing to recuperate his lost power, completely unaware that possible sharingan wielders still lived... that is until three generations ago..." All Might spat with slightly gritted teeth, taking a breath to calm himself.
The two were startled by the sudden shift in All Might's attitude. Izuku began shaking in anxiety, tears leaking from his eyes, but remaining firm, desperately holding onto Momo, ' I need to hear this dammit!' Izuku cursed to himself, 'If I am to be a hero, if my destiny is to stop All for One then I need to hear this.' he thought to himself, convincing himself he's ready, he glanced at Momo, 'If I'm to protect what matters, I need to hear this...' He thought as he wiped his tears and, stared firmly at All Might filled with resolve.
'Izu-kun...I'll always be by your side' Momo vowed to herself, realizing the danger Izuku is in, and knowing him, how he will want to take this foe head on, so no one else will suffer "We'll get stronger together..." She soothingly whispered in his ear as she nodded to All Might to continue.
All Might spoke in a grave tone, , " The purpose of One for All is to protect and defend the peace, however, passed on from each generation is an agreement. An agreement to do whatever we can to keep the Sharingan away from All for One, until we know for a fact that he is gone for good." he continued, his eyes vacant as a tear slid down his face, "My predecessor Nana Shimura, taught me everything I know, and made me who I am today..." Izuku's interest peaked at that despite the heavy tension revolving his family, he was still a devoted fan of All Might. "She kept tabs on the last clan of Sharingan wielders, however... something went wrong, one of All for One's spies caught wind of them and word got back to him about the existence of Sharingan wielders, Realizing the opportunity presented to him he made his way, to the remote village the clan was hiding, but was intercepted by Nana..." All Might's voice slightly cracked as the both Izuku and Momo's eyes widened as they realized what happened." She died. All for One killed her!" He spat, as he continued to speak in a grief filled tone, "Getting notified that Nana was dead, the clan realized the danger of All for One was still present and prepared to fight to the death." He paused here as he knelt in front of Izuku, head bowed in remorse. "One young man, realized that it didn't matter if they fought to the death, All for One only wanted the Sharingan, and could easily steal it from the last one surviving, or even before hand. His name was Itachi Uchiha, and he massacred his clan that night, and then took his own life, in order to prevent All for One from gaining the Sharingan..."All Might remained bowed to Izuku.
"We have failed your family!" All Might yelled, releasing all the pent up emotions, from the grief at failing the Uchiha, to the sheer joy that an Uchiha survived the massacre, to the guilt of having place this burden on someone so young , to utter relief that his master didn't day for nothing and that an Uchiha still lives, despite the tragedy.
Izuku stood up, his eyes filled with tears, and body shaking, but he refused to back down, he refused to dishonor his ancestors, "T-Teach m-me, Sensei..." Izuku forced out, tears running down his cheeks, totally overloaded with emotions, but filled with a fiery determination, "T-Teach me how to be a hero my ancestors would be proud of, that Nana would be proud of." He said in a whisper as he bent down and hugged his hero, silently telling him that despite the heavy burdens placed on him, he's eternally thankful for telling him about the past.
Momo bit her lip as tears streamed down her face, the emotional toll of the truth, showing it's effect on her as she stared at the two, with soaked cheeks and puffy eyes, as she vowed to be right beside Izuku, no matter what.
Author's note -
Sooo...was this too much of an info dump, or not? what are you're thoughts on this chapter, and how I tied the Uchiha clan in, what do you also think of the backstory? also, I'm pretty sure we can all guess who the one Uchiha Itachi couldn't kill would be, so I guess Sasuke is a Grandpa now apparently...