Author's note: xd

" Speaking out loud "
' Thinking '
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Titles and Techniques

The Lonely Wolf

Inside the heroes association headquarters, a secret room was unlocked and prepared to accommodate numerous people. Two workers were chatting while moving chairs and positioning lights:

"Did you hear? This is going to be some major briefing. Everyone is on edge after yesterday's incident. The entire government will be here."
"Well, it's natural that the people would freak out after the defense minister's announcement. He doesn't know shit about what's going on. Did you see the videos? Hosu's a wreck and he said it was some minor attack... Bullshit, dude."
"Yeah... Those explosions were no joke. I only heard people talking about some kind of monster, although nobody got a good video of it."
"They said there was too much dust, people couldn't even see what was going on in there, all they could hear were the monster's shouts. How is it being called again?"
"The Sand Demon. I heard a few people referring to it as One-tail, you know... Because according to a few heroes who took part in the fight, it had one tail."
"I heard a few dudes referring to it as One-tail as well, so I think that's the actual name."
"Sand Demon sounds way better."

Hours later, the first hero entered the room, sitting in one of the most comfortable chairs next to the far right wall, a spot reserved for the top #10 heroes. Hawks kept leaning back and forth on the third chair, observing all the pro-heroes, politicians, and authorities arriving, choosing seats across the wide area. After almost an hour where everyone found their spot, they redirected the lights to the center of the room, where they saw a man standing. He touched an earpiece while reading a report to everyone present:

"Good evening. My name is Morizawa Makoto, chief of the association's media sector. I will be reading the reports about Hosu's incident, including the explanation about the involvement of the organization known as The Moon Clan and Midoriya Izuku's role in this major attack. We have asked the pro-heroes responsible for combating the unknown enemy, to describe the whole incident, but since we had multiple battlefronts, the reports may divert from one another, so if one of the heroes that were present, spot any inconsistency with the truth, feel free to correct the report with your version. Now, do you have questions before we begin? No? Then we shall-"
"I have a question."
"Please, go ahead, Mirko-sama."
"Since this is all happening because of him, I was wondering... Where the hell is Midoriya Izuku?!"

Midoriya was on the association's roof, looking at the night's sky, feeling the wind on his face while thinking about things. He felt a presence and looked over his shoulder, expecting to see someone, but no one was there, so he started wondering about the meaning of the vision he had on the ambulance:

'What was that thing? Was that the Kusanagi's... Human form? Is he or she trying to possess me just like Fuujin and Suijin did? I need to do some research. I wonder where's Cath-'

Midoriya heard a noise before he saw the person arriving at the roof. The unknown individual was using a black cape, concealing his or her face, but that energy couldn't be mistaken.

"How did you get in here?" Midoriya asked, looking down at the number of guards on the association's entrance. He noticed the person had used a grappling gun.
"Well, it wasn't easy. I had to wait for the perfect time window so I could slip past the security on the ground floor. They're guarding all the entrances."
"What are you doing here so late? Actually, why are you here at all?"
"You know why I'm here! You own me an explanation."

Midoriya turned and watched the city below again, trying to ignore the newcomer, but he felt the person approaching, standing right next to him.

"You're not going to deny me the truth, are you? You wouldn't dare."
"No, I won't." Midoriya faced her, intrigued by the fierce tone she assumed, demanding his answer.
"What's going on? What happened there-"

The door to the roof was open, and All Might appeared, looking at the concealed figure.

"Hmmm... Why am I not surprised? You shouldn't be here, Yaoyorozu-shounen."

Yaoyorozu removed her hood and asked:

"How serious are things, All Might-san?"
"Very serious. I came to get you, Midoriya-shounen. Your presence was... Requested."
"Don't you mean demanded?" Midoriya smirked, turning to stare at the lights down below one more time, seeing the cars passing by, and the people laughing while walking around, completely carefree. He turned and walked towards All Might, speaking with a smile while turning his Blood moon off:
"You know that only you would suffice, right? It's not like I'm out of control again."

He gave one last look at Momo, winking, before walking into the building, passing by most of the top ten pro-heroes, all standing against the walls, waiting for him to go downstairs.

"That's some amazing escort... Unnecessary, but amazing."
"Well, you're an amazing asshole, so we thought we should meet the size of your ego."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mirko-san." Midoriya smiled at the rabbit heroine who couldn't refrain herself from giving him a nasty smirk back.
"They're waiting for us, let's make haste."

Endeavor started walking behind Midoriya, forcing him to pick up the pace. Midoriya looked behind and saw Yaoyorozu following All Might as well, and the number #1 answered his unspoken question while they kept going downstairs:

"She was part of it, so she should be there as well."
"You shouldn't bring children to the adults' table, All Might-san."
"HAHAHA! Do not worry, I'll take full responsibility, Mirko-shounen."
"How did she get inside in the first place? Aren't we in lockdown 5?"
"Enough with the chitchat... We're here."

They arrived in the corridor leading to the room. Midoriya could hear voices coming from the inside, and as he moved to walk in, he had his way blocked by the two guards stationed at the door. A third man appeared, wearing a tactical vest, carrying a metal handcuff. Midoriya's eyes narrowed when he recognized those handcuffs as the ones commonly used to restrain villains. He glared at the man holding those, his eyes becoming red, forcing the man to take a step back from his intensity. Someone approached, and Midoriya looked over his shoulder, giving a disgusted expression to the pro-heroes, who also looked surprised.

"What's the meaning of this?" All Might went to the front, his expression showing only confusion.
"You know who's in there, sir. These are the minister's orders... They ordered us to restrain Midoriya Izuku before-"

Midoriya refrained himself from rolling his eyes, and walked in, turning his power off, ignoring the man who took a step forward, trying to grab his arm to pull him back. Before the man could touch him, Best Jeanist's threads were restraining him, holding onto both of his arms.

"Now, now, this sure is not the right approach. We will speak directly to the minister about this, so do not worry."
"But sir-"
"Don't worry man, even if he's strong, he can't beat all of us at once." Hawks said while passing by, giving the man one tap on the shoulder.

Midoriya made a turn, and the room appeared in front of him. While he kept walking, he activated his power again, counting 72 people scattered around the giant room. He saw two chairs positioned at the center of the room, isolated from the others, and assumed that was his seat, going towards it. As he appeared in the center, the chatter instantly turned into whispers, a few members of the Parliament pointing at him. After sitting, Morizawa started speaking through the sound system on the walls, using his earpiece to do so:

"Right, now that Midoriya Izuku is here, we can start this briefing-"
"Why is he not restrained?!"

They all hear a voice speaking above the whispers, and turned to see the Minister of Defense, but the person sitting a few meters apart from him took all the attention. Midoriya's eyes narrowed when he recognized Japan's Emperor, sitting on the far left side, surrounded by security. Midoriya couldn't help but notice the Prime Minister as well, sitting a few chairs away from the Emperor.

"Because he is not a threat, Minister." Hawks said and the Defense Minister made a movement to get up, but the Prime Minister was faster, getting up while reading from a tablet:

"This is not what the reports say. I have reports stating that Midoriya Izuku is a threat to any authority figure. Volatile. Disrespectful. Dangerous. Uncontrollable. Those were a few adjectives used to describe him."

Everyone present on Midoriya's previous outbursts faced the Defense Minister, who kept staring directly at the boy. Hawks got up and said out loud:

"All pro-heroes familiar with Midoriya's background vouch for him as from this moment. He is not a threat to authorities anymore."
"Anymore? So you acknowledge he once was a threat?" The Defense Minister asked, making Hawks sigh.
"Speak for yourself, I don't trust him." Mirko said, also getting up.
"And that's what I meant by those who are familiar with him, Mirko-san." Hawks smiled to his left, making Mirko close her expression.
"Very well, we'll take your word as assurance, Hawks." The Prime Minister said while sitting again, and the host spoke:

"The topics for this reunion will be the following: Midoriya Izuku and his powers; Hosu's incident; The One-tail; The Moon Clan."

Midoriya started cracking his joints, a little anxious, and suddenly heard something that made his heart stop.

"Would you mind adding one more?" Yaoyorozu said from behind All Might, her back against a wall. Everyone turned to look at the girl who finished with a sharp voice, never looking away from Midoriya's horrified face:

"Midoriya Izuku's ties to the League of Villains."

The room was quiet as everyone watched, on a huge projector, footage taken by street cameras, surveillance drones, and citizens' cellphones. Midoriya was speechless as he saw his entire life being displayed like some kind of movie. Everything he did or said was right there for them to judge. Midoriya explained in detail, everything about his powers again, getting a few reactions from the ones who didn't know what he could do until now. After more than an hour, they started playing the fight against Shukaku again, and Midoriya almost got up when his face appeared on the screen.

'That isn't me. That's... The same thing I saw on the ambulance... That's the Kusanagi... It has to be.'

Midoriya saw himself speaking to Endeavor and Hawks before engaging with the One-tail, the footage coming to an abrupt end when the One-tail sent an energy sphere towards him. They could barely see the beast since a cloud of dust was surrounding the entire area.

"We will ask you again, Midoriya Izuku. What was that form?"
"I already told you... I don't know. I lost consciousness after fighting Yamamoto and Shirayuki... I was worried about Ryukyu-san, and we were out of options, so I just... I don't know what exactly happened, but it happened, and when I came back to my senses, the only person in front of me was Yaoyorozu Momo."
"So what you are saying is that you had no control over your power? Are you saying that the one we are seeing on that footage right now is another individual using your power? Using your body?"
"It's not like that-"
"It sure looks like that."

Midoriya was pretty sure he was going to end up arrested. The only ones who seemed to still trust him were Hawks, Best Jeanist, and All Might. All the rest, including Yaoyorozu, seemed to see him as a liar or a villain. He was going to try to explain himself again when Hawks got up, his hand coming down from his ear:

"About time. Excuse me, but I have someone who will help us understand all of this. An individual who'll help explain all of this."
"What?! Someone who can explain all of this?"
"Yes, this person is an expert on this particular matter. Well, I believe it's accurate to say that she is the only expert on this matter."

'She? The only person who knows something about this is- Wait.' Midoriya thought, wondering if the face that appeared inside his head was the person Hawks was talking about.

"What- And why are you only sharing this now?"
"Because I chose to, Minister. You'll find her file on our briefing folder, page 28. Would you like to hear her explanation or not?"

The Defense Minister looked at the Prime Minister, who nodded, and Hawks pressed his earpiece again, whispering something. After a few seconds, Midoriya's mouth fell open when he saw Cathleen walking in.

"Sup." She gave a V sign to Midoriya and sat on the chair next to his.
"What are you doing here, Cath? Actually, where have you been? I've tried to contact you, like, weeks ago."
"Where you think I was? I was doing some research... You won't believe what I found, Izuku. Prepare to get your mind blown away-"

"AHEM. We would like for the two of you to remain in silence and simply answer the questions directed at you, understood?"

"Aye, aye." Cathleen said while getting up.
"State your name."
"Cathleen."
"Full name, miss Cathleen."
"Cathleen Mary Synge."
"Occupation?"
"I'm an archeologist, historian, and researcher."
"And what do you want to tell us today?"
"Everything."
"Everything covers a lot of subjects, so could you be more specific?"
"Everything about this event. Everything about our world. Everything about our quirks. And of course, everything about that entity." She pointed her finger at the paused image of Midoriya's strange form.
"Entity? So you do agree that thing was not Midoriya Izuku?"
"Yup."

Midoriya couldn't refrain himself from wondering what she meant by all that. Did she know what was going on? All the answers about our world? How so? Was she lying? Midoriya couldn't picture her lying about this kind of stuff, and by the emphasis she put on her first explanation, Midoriya was sure it had to be the truth. Although he knew he could trust Cath, he still sent an electrical sign towards Raiju, just in case. He saw Ectoplasm turning to the way he sent the invisible electric signal, wondering if the hero could somehow see or feel the energy.

"Well, where do I begin, huh? I guess you guys already explained everything about the myths to everyone here, right? Also, everything about Midoriya's bloodline and his powers? Good, so you have an understanding about the beginning, but I should warn you that we're about to enter a whole unknown world, and we may be possibly looking at something far more complex, something far more extraordinary and dangerous than Kaguya's tale."

"What you mean?" Midoriya asked, desperate for answers, ignoring the host's glare towards him. The girl turned to Midoriya while biting her lips, looking strangely anxious about what was about to be said.

"I finally found the answer, Izuku. I finally found out who killed Kaguya, who returned the fruit, who purged all Shinobi-"
"Who was it?!" Midoriya got up, making everyone present worry, until the words came out of the girl's lips, making Midoriya sit, or sink to be accurate.
"Tsukuyomi."

She looked around for a few seconds, resuming her explanation since nobody expressed any kind of reaction, confused by that name.

"His name is Tsukuyomi no Mikoto. Izanagi's second son. The god of the night and the moon. He is the entity called: The Second."

Tsukuyomi felt a shiver running through his entire body, looking at his hands as he got up from his throne. His ghostly appearance became more visible, making his presence spread through the castle like wildfire until it reached all the Moon Clan members. Yamamoto noticed the energy and rushed towards the throne room, instantly looking down when he spotted Tsukuyomi standing there. Although everything still looked and sounded the same, he was still aware that something just had happened.

"Your highness? Is something wrong?! I felt a surge-"
"You can look up, Yamamoto."
"Your highness?!"
"I ordered you to look up."

Yamamoto slowly raised his head, locking eyes with a blonde man, wearing a white kimono. His long hair shone as if it had light emanating from it.

"I do not understand- How?!"

Tsukuyomi smiled and vanished without a word, appearing outside a giant castle, a castle involved by darkness. He looked around and started walking towards the edge of those shadows, stopping when he was next to the sunlight. He looked back to contemplate the crater where his castle was hidden, on the dark side of the moon, inside one of the smaller craters. He took a step forward and looked at his own body, illuminated by the sun, smiling while facing the bright star:

"Do not worry, my love. I shall take you back, even if I must burn the entire High Plain of Heaven myself."

He teleported again, while the sunlight strangely moved away from the position he just stood.

"Tsukuyomi? Tsukuyomi?! Our god, Tsukuyomi? Are you telling jokes now?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
"You can't expect us to take this seriously. Do you base this crazy theory of yours on that? Myths?"
"I found answers here, in Japan. This is where it all started and where it all ends. I had help, of course." She snuck a glance at Hawks, who kept looking straight.
"And what did you find?" Endeavor asked.
"Inscriptions, texts, letters, documents, and items. After reviewing all of them, I found out something disturbing about our own history, specifically, about our quirks' history."
"What about the quirks?"
"How about the fact that the golden baby was not an accident?"

Everyone felt the impact from that statement, having that thrown on their laps. Midoriya could barely remember how to breathe. She quickly continued, speaking faster, rushing through her words:

"The golden baby, the first entity to appear before the surge of superpowers, was no accident and neither some kind of miracle. The baby was a side-effect of Amaterasu's rise to power in the High Plain of Heaven."
"The High Plain of Heaven? Hawks, do you expect us to believe in fairytales?" A politician got up, looking directly at the number #3 hero who answered without even turning:
"You can believe in whatever you want, but allow her to speak."

The man sat again, while Cathleen looked around, raising her eyebrows and sighing, before resuming her explanation:

"On every document, every record, every tale, it's said that Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi had many fights and that those fights, ultimately led to their separation, as exemplified in the myth of creation. It was said that Amaterasu distanced herself from the Moon God because of him murdering a lower god that represented her, but that wasn't true at all."

The entire room was silent, only the people recording were slightly moving.

"Amaterasu ascension to the High Plain of Heaven by herself, leaving Tsukuyomi behind, was not her abandoning him, it was an escape. She never intended to take him with her, but he also never had the intention of letting Amaterasu go. You can say he's the ultimate stalker. The cursed fruit, Kaguya, The Shinobi, The Chakra... Everything was his doing. There are a few events that can't be verified, but that affirm that Tsukuyomi actually tried the same thing in different universes."
"Multiverse theory? Really?"
"Yes, but even I'm a little skeptical about this. I don't know... It was said that these cursed fruits were spawned in multiple universes under multiple names and forms. Although it made sense, I don't buy it. I saw things about different cursed fruits called Devil Fruits and about different manifestations of the Chakra, such as one called Reiatsu or something like that. All I can say is that even if none of this is true, everything done on our universe was part of his plan to make his way inside the High Plain of Heaven, using us, humans, as a way to cultivate and grow this power. It was all a plan for him to gain entrance to that realm, so he could fulfill his desire."
"Which is?"
"Subjugate Amaterasu, destroy the elder gods while assuming their roles, and become the only true god, a title that once belonged to his father, Izanagi. He wants to become the god of all creation."

Midoriya couldn't look away from Cath's face. He was truly in shock. All Might got up and asked:

"And you're telling us... That Tsukuyomi was the entity inside Midoriya-shounen?"
"What?! No! No no no no, far from that." She dismissed All Might's assumption with a hand gesture.

People started whispering and the Prime Minister asked:

"Tell us what was that, then."
"First, you have to truly understand, so hear this: We are all connected to a higher plain, ruled by these gods, right? Now, Midoriya's bloodline has a special relationship with five of these gods, and I'm pretty sure you just heard their names on the explanation about his powers. For you that still don't get it, they are Izanagi the god of creation. Izanami, the goddess of creation. Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun. Tsukuyomi, the god of the Moon. Susanoo, the god of the sea and storms. Now, let's go back to him. Midoriya Izuku is not connected to Tsukuyomi or Amaterasu, and although all his predecessors had links to both of them, including abilities related to these gods' powers, Midoriya happens to be the only exception. He's not connected to all gods like his predecessors were, he's connected to only one: Susanoo, the god of the sea and storms."

She turned and spoke while looking directly at Midoriya:

"The reason the lesser gods of water, Suijin and of wind, Fuujin, acknowledged you, was simply because they couldn't say no. They couldn't deny access to their powers to the god of storms. It would be the equivalent of a lesser god denying access of the sea to Poseidon- I actually don't like to use him as an example because he was a rapist, so... Yep, do you guys know about what he did to Medusa? Ah, that piece of shit-"
"Ahem... Focus, miss Cathleen."
"Right, back to Shinto."

She asked directly at Midoriya again:

"Tell me, Izuku... What do you get when you mix wind, water, and lightning?"

Midoriya's brain was working in slow-motion, so it took a few seconds for him to mumble the words:

"A- A storm?"
"Exactly."

She turned and spoke to everyone again:

"Here's the cool thing: Susanoo's powers were always the last move from all the Sharingan users. A personification of the storm god, created to attack and defend the power holder. This technique resulted from the awakening of the two ocular powers, mostly linked to Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi. Are you guys following?! Let's go with an example then. Let's say one guy awakened flames related to Amaterasu on his left eye and an illusion related power connected to Tsukuyomi on his right eye... After these awakenings, a third power would always emerge, and this power would always be the Susanoo. Do you get it now? It's like a default power... If you manage to get the others, Susanoo comes for free."

Most of the people on the room nodded or said yes and she continued:

"Now here's the interesting part: Izuku's right eye is the first eye, among all of his predecessors, that grants him specific powers over his Susanoo, making him able to alter its size, intensity, and applicability... Although the applicabilities weren't really shown to me, so I'm just speculating again. I also analyzed what he told me in comparison with the footage of his Susanoo's manifestation, and in any record that I found, there's no indication that one of those individuals from his bloodline manipulated the Susanoo's power to this extent. All they were capable of doing was to add natural elements to it. That's why Izuku was accused by other gods of murdering the god Raijin."
"Murdering a god? What the hell are you talking about?" Ectoplasm asked.
"How do I explain this... Ok, hear me out... When he named his powers after Raijin and later took power from the demonic fruit, he was gradually taking the essence of the god Raijin to himself. Now, any of us could've done that, right? Naming our powers after a god doesn't mean we can use that god's power... But the difference was that Izuku already had control over the lightning. At that moment, when he named his powers after Raijin, he became more of Raijin than Raijin himself, and that's the reason the lightning god was erased, giving space to a new deity... A deity called Midoriya Izuku, who became the true lighting god. Yes, you heard me right... God. Gods do exist, they always existed, in lower and higher forms. That's why the Shinto gods of wind and water tried to kill Izuku. They knew it was only a matter of time before they would suffer the same fate as their brother. The day where Midoriya would usurp their powers and their position. Fuujin tried to allow Midoriya to use some of his power in an attempt to trick him, making sure to say that he was lending his power to aid Midoriya and that the wind still was HIS power. He didn't want Midoriya to feel like the power didn't belong to him anymore, because that would mean death for the wind god."

Midoriya narrowed his eyes, trying to remember when he spoke to Cathleen about that conversation between him and Fuujin. Something wasn't right.

"This is madness... This can't be true."
"How about proof, then? I dig a little deep on the golden baby incident. The baby is proof of everything I just said. That baby was the same as the Princess Kaguya."

Midoriya came back from his stupor and focused again.

"What did you say?"
"Yea, Izuku. I found a... Piece of information about Amaterasu's ascendence."

Midoriya noticed how she changed the word before saying it as if she was hiding something. Cathleen wasn't acting like her normal self right now, and that felt definitively wrong to Midoriya, making him ask Raiju to include another target in his information gathering list. The redhead continued her explanation, failing to notice the change in Midoriya's expression.

"What you are about to hear, came directly from the first humans to walk on earth. I found this tale written literally in stone. They used a lot of analogies, so instead of saying the sun and the moon and bla bla bla- I'll just cut to the chase: They said that after Amaterasu entered the High Plain of Heaven, Tsukuyomi tried to follow her, but he was stopped by an elder god. Enraged, he unleashed all of his power, managing to kill said god, but losing his power and form in the process. Now, if the stories have any credible information, you would assume this is strange, to say the least. Do you know what happens when a god dies? His body and power transform into something else, becoming other gods or other entities. It's a transfer of energy, never allowing anything to go to waste."

Someone gasped on the audience, making Cathleen turn and smile.

"You understood, didn't you? The baby received the gift from this particular elder god. Of course, I can't say what were his intentions by doing this, but the fact persists. This unknown god shared his godly power with us, on his last moment, unleashing his essence upon mankind through the baby, creating entities everywhere among the human race. The heroes that exist nowadays... Yea, all of us... Quirk holders... For all the effects, we are all lesser gods."
"But the golden baby was born just a few years back... How in the world something that happened millennia ago could be responsible for the baby?"
"That's an excellent question... With a very simple answer: Relative time."

"..."

"You can think about what happened as something that happened in the far past, but for those gods, the concept of time flows differently. We can't even pretend to comprehend how time affects them, but we can be damn sure that their time, and our time, are two separate things. All I can say is that we can't calculate the discrepancy."

The whispers came back again, suddenly turning into a chatter, making Endeavor get up and shout:

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" After a few seconds, the room became quiet again.
"Thank you, Endeavor-san. Now, moving on... The reason all of our powers have flaws is probably caused, and here I'm speculating again, the godly power was mixed with the imperfect and volatile human nature, resulting in what we have today. Isn't kind of strange that every single quirk, as powerful as it is, has some kind of setback or flaw? I mean, every single one? This can't be a coincidence. Now, going back to Izuku again. His connection to Susanoo is something I wasn't able to fully understand, because after all I just said, one could assume he was on his way to absorb Susanoo's essence as well, right? He had the means to connect the three powers and easily obtain control over the storms in general, usurping the Susanoo's name to himself, but here's the thing: Izuku once told me about his sword, a sword called: Kusanagi."

"Kusanagi?! As in Susanoo's legendary weapon? This must be a mistake... They bury the Kusanagi in Nagoya... Inside the Atsuta Shrine. The Kusanagi is one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan, alongside with the jewel Yasakani no Magatama, and the mirror Yata no Kagami." A man wearing glasses said. Midoriya never saw him before, but his appearance reminded him of Iida.
"I'm afraid you're only partially correct. There is a Kusanagi in there, but that one is a fake. The real Kusanagi was switched decades ago by an order responsible for guarding these treasures until their rightful owners would return."

She winked at Midoriya who just realized he already met the last member of said order... His name was Shinji.

"Do you know the tale about how Susanoo acquired the Kusanagi?" Cathleen asked the man in glasses.
"He found it inside one of the Yamata no Orochi's tails after he had slain it. He killed this legendary eight-headed serpent to save Kushinadahime, a maiden who was inflicted by a curse, later marrying her."
"Exactly." Cathleen stated and people started looking at each other.
"So?"
"This is it."
"What you mean?"
"That-" She pointed at Midoriya's image on the screen, before turning and saying with a smile:
"That is Yamata no Orochi, the eight-headed legendary serpent."
"Huh?! Wha-" Midoriya stared at her, unable to believe his ears.
"Why do you think your hair turned red and yellow? Show the slides I prepared!" She said the last part louder, and the slides started being displayed.

Midoriya didn't know what the hell were those images of paintings, but they always looked like some kind of deformed monster, eventually changing its form from one picture to another. After five or six images, Midoriya finally spotted the similarity. In all those drawings, the eight-headed serpent or dragon had a red body with golden details.

"Do you get it now? This is not a coincidence... But if you still want more proof, the association found out one partially destroyed drone that captured audio from you, Izuku. Could you guys play it?!" She asked louder again and they played a video clip on the screen. They saw Midoriya almost disappearing inside the dust curtain, sending a Raijin Blade towards the monster back, and then, the sound was enhanced so they could hear him whisper.

I never imagined I would- Your powers, Susanoo- This must be what irony- How does it feel? Does it make you sad? Does it make you disappointed? Does it offend you? Does it make you mad to the point of insanity? Knowing- Your beloved power, the thing that made- Extraordinary, ended up on my hands?

The audio cut in a few parts, but they could all understand the context. Midoriya couldn't believe that. Hearing another living being using your body and voice was a frightening experience... He felt all eyes on him and looked around, trying to find a friendly face, but everyone was just glaring. He felt anxious again and a shiver alerted him that something with killing intent was watching him from the back of the room, making him turn to find himself face to face with his duplicate again, who was staring at him with a serious expression, the Kusanagi on his waist.

"How? Is this true?" Midoriya asked in a whisper, getting up and giving an involuntary step towards his clone, making everyone turn to look at who he was speaking to. Suddenly, every person who was sitting next to where his clone appeared, got up in a rush, knocking down chairs, trying to get some distance. Midoriya looked around and everyone was looking directly at his clone.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?" Someone shouted and Midoriya asked Cathleen:
"Can they see him? Can you see him?"
"No. We can only see a strange shape... And the sword that's floating in the air."

Midoriya took another step forward and asked again:

"Was that true? Are you Yamata no Orochi? What do you want?" His clone kept staring at him, slightly smiling, until his smile changed, suddenly becoming a deranged grimace, as he hissed like a snake:

'EVERYTHING!'

They all heard the sword falling to the ground, as whatever was holding it, vanished. No one knew what to say after what just happened, expect for Cathleen, who cleared her throat, before speaking while holding her chin:

"Do you understand now? Do you understand what we are?! This world... This society of superhumans... We are all part of their universe. Not only Midoriya Izuku, but all of us are entangled with their existence. We are vessels for that god's purposes, just as the Moon Clan's members are vessels for Tsukuyomi's purposes. You believed this to be our story, our time, but you're all wrong. This is not a new game, this is a continue... The war between gods never ended, and now... It's here... And we will have to take part in it."

Everyone was silent, letting that sink in. A man sitting on the far right side kept looking around, wondering if anyone suspected him. Through his glasses, the conference was being broadcasted to one different location. Inside a facility, All for One finally stopped laughing.

"Ah, this sure was worth the risk. Of course, we are gods. What else could we be? We were born to stay on top of every living creature, we are the epicenter of evolution."

He looked at the TV again, smiling:

"I never knew such quirk would allow one to get this much information. This is a power I must obtain at any cost. I will see you soon, Cathleen."

The Prime Minister got up and spoke:

"I guess we have no other road to take. We must isolate Midoriya Izuku and secure that weapon. If we can't contain whatever lives in it, we must destroy it."

They looked to the sword that still was on the ground since the two guards that tried to pick it up were burned after only reaching for the handle.

"I wouldn't recommend any of that." Cathleen answered, crossing her legs.
"Why is that, miss Cathleen?"
"Locking him up would not be the smartest idea. You would be basically locking your best asset, not to mention that every single male on Midoriya's bloodline had some kind of pathological instinct of self-management. Ummm, you could say they didn't take orders very well, always operating from the shadows own their own, always choosing their way of doing things. They were all... Obstinate individuals with very distinct agendas."
"You mean his predecessors were all pricks? What a surprise." Mirko smirked from her seat.
"Hahahaha. I know how it sounds, but this shit has to be pathological... I was intrigued by this, and after reviewing everything, this has to be the only answer... Something on their blood pushes them to act like that." Cathleen explained, still smiling.
"You all must see the threat this represents to our city, to our nation. We cannot allow anything like this to happen ever again. We must destroy that sword!" The Minister of Defense got up, gesturing with his hand.
"And how could you be sure that destroying the weapon will actually destroy Yamata no Orochi? How can we be sure that we wouldn't be actually setting it free from its confinement?"

The minister looked around, as if looking for help from one of his assessors, but nobody said a thing. Cathleen took advantage and asked:

"Would you like to hear my proposition, Minister?"
"Since we have a room full of educated people who, for some reason haven't said a thing, go ahead."
"How about supporting him?"
"What you mean?"
"Umm... The way he is right now... Yea, with his current power, I can only imagine a few pro-heroes that would be able to handle him in a fight, and when I say a few, I mean only a few from our country and a few others from around the globe."
"What are you insinuating, girl?" Endeavor asked, leaning on his chair with a frown.
"Oh, I'm not insinuating anything. I'm stating that when it comes to overall strength, Midoriya Izuku is, right now, at least the seventh strongest hero in this country. I can only see six of you that would be able to take him out in a fight, and I must add, that most of the advantage you'd have, comes from battle experience... If we were talking only about raw power, I would dare to go even further and say he's most likely the second stronger hero in this country."

Two people on the far back side scoffed, catching Cathleen's attention.

"You really don't get it, do you? Are you lot really this stupid?"
"Easy there, young lady-"
"No. I won't take it easy... This is a serious matter, and some of you still think this is a joke, so let me clarify things for you: Why do you think Tsukuyomi wants Midoriya's power? Why not All Might's or Endeavors? Why isn't he going after some of our strongest quirks if he has a way to use other people's powers? Answer me. Why is one of the greater gods going specifically after his power?!"

They kept silent and Cathleen sighed before gesturing with her hand, sitting again.

"Can't answer, huh? The reason is that his power is something unique, something that isn't from this world. Now tell me, you that are responsible for this country, what if Tsukuyomi makes a move while Izuku is locked somewhere, unable to help fight the Moon Clan or the Tailed-beasts? You would be giving up on maybe the only power capable of stopping them, so we must support Izuku, not restrain him."
"What do you mean by supporting him? Support him with what exactly?"
"Huh? What else? We should help him kill and absorb Fuujin, Suijin, and Orochi, of course."

The room dove into silence while that sink in. All the people looking at each other unable to even counter that statement. They were humans for god's sake, how were they supposed to handle those decisions about gods and what to do with them? Endeavor broke the silence a few seconds later, asking with a dangerous voice:

"Are you out of your goddamnit mind, girl?" His tone made Cathleen glare at him before answering with the same voice:
"Am I? Because I could swear I saw the number #2 hero of this nation being yielded useless against the weakest of the Tailed-beasts."
"YOU-"
"Enough! Both of you. This is not what we came here for. Also, what you mean by the weakest of the Tailed-beasts?"
"I got information on them as well. Are you ready to listen? All right. Their information states only one thing about their origin: They were once called: Juubi, the Ten-tails. This thing was a massive beast capable of destroying the entire world with its energy. This beast's origins are unknown, but they explained that the Juubi was somehow divided into nine parts, each part becoming an individual entity. Their strength is measured by the numbers of tails they possess, meaning the one that attacked your city is the weakest among them."
"This can't be. Are you telling us there are nine of those things? And that the one that decimated Hosu is the weakest of them?! If that thing was the weakest, then next time-"
"Although that beast was the weakest, they have their own quirks. The only one with written information happens to be the one that attacked Hosu: Shukaku."
"That's the name those three kept repeating." Endeavor whispered.
"Shukaku is described as the incarnation of the absolute defense, that's why no one was able to scratch him- Well, almost no one."
"What about the others?"
"Nothing. This information was the only thing I manage to salvage since most of the pages about this matter were... Burned."
"I still can't accept this."
"I can hear myself as well, all right? I know it sounds insane, but this part right here on Ryukyu's report back me up on this information, listen to what Ononoki Yamamoto said: You cannot even handle the first beast we offered you. Why would he say that if that was the only one?"

People started chatting and writing, while others were just dumbfounded by that, wondering what was going to happen to the world. After a few minutes, the Prime Minister finally got up and said:

"Thank you for your proposition, Cathleen-san, but I'm afraid we must vote into this matter-"
"No." Midoriya finally said, getting out of his bubble of thoughts, his voice resonating around the room like a wave, and suddenly, tension could be felt in the air. Best Jeanist undid his sleeves, getting ready to act, while Crust touched the ground, visualizing the shield he was going to create in front of the boy. Everyone was on the edge of their seats when Midoriya got up, looking at Cathleen with a new feeling of betrayal running through his body. He tried to soften his expression before turning to face the politicians:

"I won't go through this again. I came clean about everything. I told you the truth, but this is something you cannot deal on your own, so I must deal with it instead."
"This is not your decision to make, Midoriya Izuku. Keep it in mind that you are bound to our laws just like anybody else, so-"
"I can't. That's the thing, Minister. I can't be bound to these rules. I have to be able to do more. I hate the fact that people got hurt because of me... Ryukyu-san almost lost her life because of me and after all that happened, what I hate the most is the fact that I'm still weak."

He took a step forward, making all the heroes tense their muscles.

"I decided this long ago when I imagined a way out of this specific situation. I decided that I wouldn't turn my back on my destiny anymore. I chose to embrace my power, so I could help all the people in need, and what I'm asking you, is a chance to put a stop to this madness. Please, allow me to help... Allow me to put an end to all of this... Allow me to be mankind's sword." He finished with a bow, taking everybody by surprise. While a few wondered about his words, intrigued by his resolve, others were not so open-minded.

"I wish it could be this simple, Midoriya Izuku." The Defense Minister was relentless. Midoriya sighed and looked up, imagining what was he going to do from now on.

"Answer me, boy. What are you planning on doing?" Midoriya turned to face Edgeshot, answering after giving a little thought:
"Right now, I'm wondering what's the better course of action here... I was wondering if I should escape this place before you try to arrest me, because-"

As if an explosion happened, multiple quirks were activated, coming from every direction. Kamui's wood entangled his entire body and most of his face, covering his eyes, followed by Best Jeanist's threads. Midoriya's figure almost disappeared as Crust created small shields around his body, making him unable to even fall forward or backward. Midoriya didn't make a move to stop their advances, knowing that they would consider any action an act of hostility, sighing again, thankful that his mouth wasn't restrained in the process.

"As I was saying... Because you still don't understand. I said I was thinking if I should go, not that I was going to. This is exactly my point... It's like you're the children in this scenario, always overreacting... Always mad because someone is going against what you said." He said while seeing only darkness, activating his sixth sense to see again.

After the initial shock, the minister spoke:

"We hold the power of representation, given by the people, so we should endorse disciplinary actions if someone is going against the government's will, which for all the effects, is the people's will."
"Is it though?"
"What did you say?"
"Is our government's will, truly, the people's will? Because after a few experiences with pro-heroes, I know a thing or two about liars."
"Who are you calling a liar? Are you accusing us of something? How dare you?"

Midoriya slightly moved to his right and Raiju appeared, almost as tall as the boy. For a moment, they all expected the worse, but the wolf circulated the boy once before vanishing.

"You all know what he can do, right? Yes, he can read minds... So all your secrets are mine now. Umm... Let's see. How about you, Secretary of the Treasury? How is your family doing on the vacation you provided using embezzled money?"

Everyone turned to an old man, who looked astonished.

"E- Excuse me?"
"I asked you how is your family doing on their vacation? The vacation you bought using public money."
"Wha- This is a lie! Are you mad?!"
"You think I don't know about your offshore accounts?"
"There are no offshore- What are you talking about?!"
"Nice try... Oh, thank you. 238 725 917 415 - 5. How about this one? Rings a bell?"

The man just kept opening and closing his mouth while everyone kept looking at each other.

"What about you, Minister of Defense? Have you settled for those harassment lawsuits?"

"..."

"No answer? Nothing? Maybe some of you will answer me, I have at least ten more."
"That would be enough." Emperor Akihito got up, speaking with a composed but firm voice.

Although the position of the Emperor was simply symbolic nowadays, something around this man screamed royalty, which made Midoriya move back on his arrogance.

"My apologies, Emperor Akihito." Midoriya slightly moved towards the Minister of Defense again, spitting the words:

"I'll ask you again: Do you really represent the people of this country? Am I supposed to take orders from the likes of you? Are you the ones holding the key to my future? What kind of insanity is this?! No, Minister, if you say I must obey this government, I'm afraid I won't be able to comply, knowing I would just become a pawn on some twisted power game."
"We don't even know if what you said is true, Midoriya, so forgive us if we're a little skeptical about this." The Prime Minister said, but his face showed that not only he believed in all of that, but that he already suspected most of it.
"That's entirely your right, Minister, just like standing for myself is mine." Midoriya's eyes changed color, but no one present was able to spot that. They could only gasp while it happened.

The restrains around Midoriya's body and face were destroyed like toys, as his Susanoo erupted from his body, inflating like a balloon. The pro-heroes got up in sync, jumping the rows, going directly at him, but Midoriya didn't attack. He saw Mirko's left leg coming towards his face, but she was stopped before she could hit the target, blocked by the Susanoo's right arm. The heroine couldn't believe her eyes, as she saw her left ankle broken. Midoriya noticed the samurai armor around his Susanoo and understood now, how sturdy it could be. He felt the kick and the power behind it, but it was like child's play. His Susanoo was now like a second torso, making him able to feel everything. He saw all the people present getting up, a few even going towards the exit, when Hawks appeared in front of him.

"Kid, I gave my word you would not be a threat."
"Am I threatening someone? You're the ones attacking me." Midoriya looked at Mirko's angered face and towards the politicians, turning his Blood Moon off, letting go of the Susanoo as well, speaking louder than the chatter while pointing his left hand towards Mirko:

"Magnetic Healing"

The rabbit heroine watched with a surprised expression the black energy cover her left leg, slowly repairing her broken bone while Midoriya continued:

"I understand the strict rules in our country, I really do. I know it's something that comes from our ancestors, some sense of honor and righteousness, but you can't expect me to close my eyes to the truth. Luckily, I already thought about this a long time ago, and it saves us time."

Midoriya noticed that while all of that was happening, the Emperor kept steady, just watching without moving a finger or saying a word, listening to everything that was being said.

"I, Midoriya Izuku, 15 years old, of my own free will, would like to renunciate my citizenship."

Midoriya went back to his seat, next to Cathleen, who looked at him with incredulity and admiration. He kept sat there, while everyone talked about what just happened. The first to break the silence was All Might:

"Are you serious? Why in the world would you do something like this, shounen?"
"It's simple, All Might-san. I can't endorse this country's actions any longer, so as an individual, I will renunciate my citizenship in order to gain my own autonomy. You can think of me as a foreign country... I'll be my own president, people, law, and judge. If you'd like for me to help, you'll agree to follow my rules, and if not, I'll let you all be. Oh, but don't misunderstand me... I have all the intentions of letting everyone knows about this matter, so if they want to join me in my new made up country, I'll welcome them with open arms."
"You really put a lot of thought about this, did you not?" The Emperor asked with a smile, making Midoriya frown.
"If the country isn't prepared to change, I'll leave the country behind. This flag and land mean nothing to me... But don't twist my words, I want to protect the people more than anyone, more than the majority inside this room, but since my own government is trying to handcuff me, I must break free and follow my own path. This country is more than a flag and a name, and if you're not prepared to do whatever it takes on the people's behalf, you're not fitted to rule."
"So you're saying that you're going to leave the country?"
"Yes."
"We cannot allow that either, you are too dangerous to be left unsupervised." Midoriya covered his face, losing his temper again.
"You cannot allow that? Kukuku... You don't allow shit, Minister! Do you think you own me because I was born in this soil? Because I have a piece of paper with Japan's name written on it? Do you think you have some kind of power over me? Let me save you some time by saying that you don't. You don't have any kind of power over me and you never will. I never committed any crime, so you can't shackle me in this country for one more second. I'm free to choose my fate, and nobody can say otherwise. My paperwork is already done and will be handed over to your desk tomorrow morning. Oh, and of course you can try to flex your power by going against our laws to deny it and lock me up, but keep in mind that if you flex, I'll flex as well, and let's just say that mine is going to be a lot more troublesome than yours."

The minister's murderous glare towards Midoriya almost made him laugh.

"Heh... Did you really think I wouldn't notice? Did you really believe that you could tie me to your rotten government? You saw a naïve fifteen years old and you assumed you would be able to use him, right? This is actually rich-"
"Are you looking to get arrested? Who do you think you're talking to?"
"To the Defense Minister, responsible for instructing the Secretary of Treasure on how to evade the treasure inspectors. Also responsible for buying votes on the Parlament. The Defense Minister who-"
"Midoriya-kun." A voice stopped Midoriya's flow and he turned to stare at Yaoyorozu. He tried to control his expression, but the feeling of betrayal came back stronger, making his eyes cold.
"What do you want?" His voice was harsh, but Yaoyorozu didn't seem to care.
"Is this related to how you met the Hero Killer?"

People started wondering about what the girl just asked, unable to believe they heard it right the first time.

"..."

"Are you deaf? I asked you a question. Is this related-" She was enraged, her face showing some kind of disappointed anger, which made Midoriya even angrier.
"Yes, it is related."
"What happened to you? What did he do to you?"
"What did he do to me?! Nothing, actually. The ones who did something to me were all heroes. To be fair, since day one, most of them were all heroes."
"Huh?"
"Stain was not the one responsible for anything that happened to me, on the contrary, he was the one who opened my eyes, and although he's insane, his philosophy is not wrong, just slightly twisted. We should punish criminals, especially the ones that hide inside a costume or a suit, and that's what Stain taught me. His punishment is the only thing I do not endorse, but I completely agree with his thinking process."
"So you're really working with villains? I thought Iida-kun was overreacting, but after hearing these words and looking at your face... I realize now... I don't even know who you are anymore."

Midoriya stared at her for a few seconds, truly feeling those words.

"Is that so? Well, I don't mind. I don't mind at all, Yaoyorozu-san. You don't need to like me, hell, you don't even need to know me, none of you need. What you need to do is to let me finish my job. What you need to do is to put the citizens' safety and needs ahead of your own. What you need to do is to clean this shitty society we're forced to live in, starting with your own backyard. What you need to do is to stay the hell out of my way, because I don't care anymore, I tried to ask politely but you didn't listen, so forgive me if I become slightly rude from now on."

Midoriya got up again, speaking with a natural expression:

"If you're wondering about what she just said, the league did contact me. To be accurate, I was approached by someone who claimed to be their founder- He called himself a benefactor... And after that happened, I did report this incident to the heroes' association, specifically, to the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Police, but instead of listening to what I was trying to say, they kept trying to pin me down to them, as if I was some low villain... And that was the reason I went to the league's hideout."
"You did what?! Are you telling us you are actually working with the villains this whole time?! You knew where their hideout was and didn't tell anyone?!"
"No, I'm not working with them, and I never was. I didn't know if the information they gave me was actually trustworthy, but I was going to tell you anyway... Until those two came to me with knives in hand. You have no idea how infuriating that was... So I decided to check it myself. They said that if I were to go to this place, they would show me the truth about our society... And they did."
"Oh my god, can you hear yourself? Are you seriously okay with this? You were in contact with villains-"
"And who's fault is that, huh?!"

Midoriya's voice made everyone look. His hands closed in fists, his body slightly shaking, and his face showing an enraged expression while he continued:

"Who's at fault for that? Why do you think there are villains in the first place? You don't get it. None of you get the reason I went to them... None of you."

The place went quiet and after Midoriya calmed down, he spoke in a low voice, his hands still shaking:

"This is all your fault. Their situation is all your fault. You made this mess, and although I'm trying to clean it, you keep saying no. You want a society like this, don't you? You want villains to exist so you can have meaning in your lives, don't you? Well, that's too bad, because I don't care how many of you are here in this association, or in this country, you're going to stay out of my way. I'm warning you to not force my hand... Don't force me to hurt you, because if you put me in a position where I have to choose between your lives and the people, between my soul and the people, I'll choose the people every time. I'll even become a villain if it means protecting everyone. I'll become the first pro-villain if I must... And if you force me, I'll kill each one of you, until you allow me to save the ones that are left."

All the heroes present felt a cold wind coming with his words, something dark and creepy. A few remembered Stain's speech, their hands slightly shaking because of the intensity of those words, wondering how the hell a fifteen-year-old could threaten an entire nation like that, it was like his words had power infused into them.

Midoriya looked back at Yaoyorozu and saw a tear falling down her inexpressive face, but her sadness didn't cause a reaction on him whatsoever. He turned and saw the Emperor slowly getting up. He walked around a few people, going straight towards Midoriya, ignoring the bodyguards trying to get on his way. He approached and, looking to his left, started dragging a chair with him, positioning it in front of the boy. He sat face to face with Midoriya, crossing his fingers under his chin, thinking for some time before asking:

"What is it that you want?"
"Emperor?" Midoriya asked, confused, also siting to level their eyes since it was uncomfortable to look down on one of the most powerful men in Japan.
"What exactly do you want? A blank check? Immunity to the rules? Rewards for your work? Money? Properties? Speak your mind. What do you really want?"
"I must say that I'm a little offended, Emperor. You really thought I'd say yes to any of these offers? I don't want any special treatment, I want you to understand that you have to change... All of you have to change. I want you to understand my role in the changing of this society, but I also need you to understand yours. I don't want to abdicate my citizenship... I love my country and my people, but if you make me a pariah, I need you to understand the consequences of your actions. This problem with the Moon Clan started with me, so I'm the one that must finish it. I'll save you, I'll destroy the Moon Clan and Tsukuyomi. I'll seal the Tailed-beasts. I'll dissolve the League of Villains. I'll make this a better society... You just need to allow me to."

The Emperor laughed, making Midoriya frown again. After a few seconds, he said:

"Sorry, young man, I am not laughing at you, I am just amazed that someone like you still exists nowadays."
"Someone like me?"
"Yes, someone as pure as you are."
"Pure? What are you talking about?"
"You are going to try to save them as well, are you not?"

"..."

"Yes, you said you were going to destroy the Moon Clan and Tsukuyomi, but you said you were going to dissolve the league. You also want to save them, and this is just... Pureness. You see, Midoriya-kun... You kind of remind me of my son. He is a smart kid, first of his class, kind, and fair... But there is a part of him that does not like when things do not go his way. Every time he is ordered to do something, some kind of urge pushes him to rebel against that order. I believe most, if not all humans, are like that at some point in their lives, not wanting things to stray from the course they chose, not wanting to lose control over anything, but sometimes... Sometimes, letting go of this feeling is the true answer."
"Do you think this is a tantrum? That I'm willingly risking my life just to prove a point?"
"No, I just believe you took a position you were not offered in the first place."

"..."

"Why is that among all of us, you must be our savior?"
"Because I have the tools to. Because I have to... Because no one else will."
"Fair enough, but do you know who also believe in all of that?"

"..."

"Hitler."
"Wha- Are comparing me to the dictator responsible for the genocide?!"
"Yes. Do you want to know why? Because inside his mind, he was doing what he was born to do. He was protecting the people he was supposed to protect, against all the threats he believed they had. His concept of race is the same as your concept of society. You want to purge this country of those you deemed not worthy, no matter the cost, even your own humanity. You want to protect your people, even if for you to do that, you were to murder a lot of good people in the process. Please, enlighten me, how are the two of you any different?"

Midoriya was left without words, trying to think of an answer.

"I understand, young man. This power was thrown in your lap, disguised as your quirk, just to reveal itself as the heavier burden a human can withstand: The weight of another human life. I understand what you are going through, carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, while receiving only criticism and hate in return. I understand why you chose to hear the villains instead of just considering them a threat. I understand why you took this as your job, as your calling, as your destiny, but this cannot continue... Not because we will not allow you, but because we cannot stand and watch while you sacrifice your soul for us, because you already did too much, and even though I am sure you have not heard this, this country is proud of you. We are proud of you. I am proud of you."

Midoriya looked the man in the eyes, wondering why his words were saturated with some kind of hidden wisdom. For a second, Midoriya thought that could only be the way a father would speak to a son.

"It takes more than courage to withstand what you have endured, it takes more than power and quirks, it takes one's soul to be this bright... Your own essence is the definition of a hero, and we cannot let you spoil that, not even for us."

Midoriya looked away from his eyes, pressing his lips, trying to let his words pass by him, trying not to feel, trying not to overthink, trying not to remember.

"I finally learned about everything you went through, all the things you had to face at such a young age, and that brought me to this realization... I just understood at this very moment, that you are right, Midoriya Izuku. This is your role. I believe the role of the symbol of peace, currently on All Might's hands, will be yours someday, and it is up to us to aid you until that time comes. You did your best enduring everything until now, but it is all right to ask for help... This time, we can hear you... This time, we will not turn our backs on you... This time, it is all right to rest. You can finally cry... Nobody is going to judge you for being human, my boy."

Midoriya felt his lips tremble and he slightly gasped before his breathing parted. He leaned forward on the chair, covering his face with one hand, almost breaking into a sob, the tears running down his face as he tried to stop them, failing anyway. They could all see the tears rolling between his fingers, his body shaking as he broke down, finally able to let it all out. When he finally managed to control his outburst, it felt like he could breathe again, as if someone had taken him out of some great torment. Cathleen leaned on her chair to rest her hand on his shoulder, and so did the Emperor, before getting up.

"I believe we have forgotten something long ago. I believe we train our children to be powerful heroes, to protect others, but we have forgotten that before anything, they are still just children and that protecting them is our duty."
"Emperor-"
"This is not all right. This boy is not at fault here... We all are. We dare to point fingers at his actions, labeling some of his choices as evil, saying that he failed, when we were the ones that failed him first. We failed him as his government, as his elders, and as adults."

Every member present kept silent, listening to the man as if a prophet was speaking.

"Although I do not have any major political power, I still have years of experience mixed with my capabilities as the Emperor, so for now, I would like for you to listen to me. First, we should support him, and for that, his stay on the heroes' course is imperative... Yes, I am saying this because of your earlier proposition to incarcerate him. Second, we must help him gain control over his powers, even if it means he is going to consume a few of our gods. I know how absurd this sounds, but if what Cathleen-san said is true, we are going to need his powers now more than ever. With this, we can kill two birds with one stone, since we can help him get stronger and at the same time, we can prevent him from being consumed by some inhuman entity. This is our duty not only as his countrymen but as human beings. And finally, third. We must create new rules based on his needs. We are probably facing the greatest threat of our time, and this boy may be our only hope, so we must do what we can as government members to assure him that his actions are within our laws."
"Emperor Akihito, you cannot expect that the Parliament-"
"But I do expect you to change, Hyoka. His words had more wisdom than many of yours. We do have to change. If we remain the same, this new threat could reap the lives of thousands... Maybe millions. We must evolve again, never forgetting about our past, but always facing the future."
"This is insanity. We can't handle a fifteen-year-old boy this much responsibility. What the Emperor is proposing is absurd, we would be actually putting our country on a teenager's hands."
"Are you that blind? He already has much more responsibility than most of us. We were chosen to reproduce and eventually adapt the laws and procedures made by others, but this boy had to choose from nothing, he created his own path among the good and bad. Do you know the saying about the two wolves?"
"Yes, Emperor... I believe we are all familiar with-"
"Can you see the black wolf on his face right now?"

"..."

"You could say that after all his choices, he would have fed only the black one, but the thing is that the white one is also there, healthy as a horse. The unbalance created when you overfeed one wolf will always turn you into a different person, but can you see how he is still Midoriya Izuku? After all the things we heard here today, would you dare to insult his resolve by calling him a child?"

The Defense Minister sat, unable to answer back, making Emperor Akihito smile before turning to Midoriya:

"The only thing I need to say to you, Midoriya-kun, is that you must manage your wolves better."
"Sir?"
"You are not simply feeding one or the other... You are mixing them. Do not let your white wolf act on the black wolf's behalf and vice versa. Do not twist their essence like that. You must reach the balance, not destroy it. You had all the motives to hate everything and everyone around you, but you kept it under control, occasionally letting some anger slip, but now, I need you to control the black wolf inside of you better. I need you to take back the white wolf's pieces that you infused the black wolf with."
"I don't think that I-"
"The first pro-villain?" He raised one eyebrow while trying to refrain a smile, making Midoriya look down.
"I do not need you to suppress it anymore, I need you to understand, accept, and control this feeling. Do you think you can do that?"

Midoriya finally regained control, feeling angry with himself from crying in front of all those people, answering in a weak voice:

"I- I don't know."
"Good, a genuine answer is always the best answer. Tell me, would you be willing to try?"

He thought about that for a few seconds, remembering things about the past, but also imagining things about the future. Finally, he said:

"Yes."
"Good."

The Emperor turned and said:

"We must become the shield that protects the new generation, we are all familiar with that, are we not? We have the chance to make him stronger than any hero that ever existed, and I am not only talking about power here."

He turned and sighed before placing one hand on Midoriya's shoulder:

"Only the ones in this position can understand, but I am sure you can already picture this, my boy. You may feel even more pressure from now on because we will place our trust in you, but remember this: The pressure on the king is far greater than on the ones aiming for his throne, and only he knows how this burden feels, but he is the one who wears the crown, and there is a reason for that."

Tsukuyomi returned to his throne, facing Yamamoto who was still knelt. The old man asked while sneaking a glance towards the mighty god, fully raising his head after a few seconds.

"Your highness, what is happening? How can I meet your gaze?"
"Now that I can maintain my form, the universe allows you to perceive my existence."
"Your highness... I do not understand."
"When a god enters an ethereal state, his existence becomes something outrageous, something heinous, and the universe itself punishes those who dare to look toward its mistake."
"Mistake?"
"You could say the universe has failed to erase me, and my own existence in this realm is offensive against the flow of space and time. The universe is the same as a living creature, constantly vigilante, and the universe has only one goal: To maintain the flow of space and time immaculate. When I hid in this form after my downfall, the universe tried to erase me, but I was swifter, entering a realm that neither space or time ruled over. Do you understand now? That is why you can see me now, Yamamoto."
"Your highness, if I may ask, I would like to know more about your downfall. This is the only gap in the Moon Clan's history, and as the clan warden, I would like to know more-"
"You are asking me to revive my only failure, Yamamoto? You sure are full of yourself, are you not?"
"No- I was not trying to- I beg your forgiveness if I insulted-"
"All is good. I am in a splendid mood today, so I will indulge you. This could be a long story, so pay attention, Yamamoto."
"Yes! Thank you, your highness."

"Allow me to begin with a question: Would you happen to know how the gods were created?"
"No, your highness."
"It all started before creation itself. There was nothing, except for the elder gods that were there, being nothing but energy, only existing while bound to nothing, coming from nothing, going towards nothing. They existed but at the same time, they had no essence, no intellect, no soul... Until the first three became self-aware. They felt their own existence and thus created the High Plain of Heaven, a reality that would allow them to exist and exert their own will, and consequently, the universe was created to serve as a vessel for their new home."
"The original three, I was not familiar with their tale."
"Their origins are only known to a few of us, but what no one seems to remember is the fact that we were the owners of this world. We walked on this earth way before the humans, but because of him, our fate was thrown to their feet."
"I do not understand, your highness."
"The elder god who shared his immortal flame with those vermin was the one at fault. Because of him, gods became nothing more than ideas, bound to the human imagination."
"Your highness... Does that mean-"
"Yes. The reason I regained my material form was because of those filthy animals. They have acknowledged my existence once again, not only as a deity worthy of their useless prayers but as an actual entity, worthy of their fear. In the end, gods are only real if humans believe in them. That was the punishment imposed on all of us by that disgusting failure in his dying moment. He shackled us to those mortals as a way to punish me."
"But the humans believe in many gods... Why is that none of them-"
"Because it takes more than shallow belief and ordinary humans to re-create a deity. That human girl has no idea what she brought upon her own kind when she uttered my name to those who have been touched by the Heaven's Flame, causing their weak flames to sustain my existence."

"..."

"My plan is finally coming to its conclusion, but I still need one more piece, a piece that lies within the cursed one. Once I get my hands on his power, everything will fall into place, but for now, I must rest this weak body of mine for a considerable amount of time in order to regain my full capabilities."

The god took out a hand-fan and started playing with it while speaking:

"Nonetheless, your information showed me that I may not need to interfere with this matter after all. The first beast was nearly able to capture the cursed, so I believe the others will serve their purpose wonderfully."
"Yes, your highness."

He smirked and changed his tone as if he was scolding the old man.

"Do not be a fool, Yamamoto. Although the waters look safe, do not underestimate him. The cursed has many layers below the surface."
"May I ask what you mean, your highness?"
"He is one step away from absorbing my brother, while he still has that vicious thing inside of him, disguised as his weapon."
"The Kusanagi."
"I lost the notion of how many times I warned my brother about that thing. He should have never allowed that beast to reach my beloved Amaterasu's hands."

"..."

"Oh, what about our naughty soul?"
"She has arrived on earth, as you wished, your highness."
"Good. I have waited for too long, so prepare another beast as fast as you can. The quicker we recover the cursed's power, the faster I will be able to regain entrance to the High Plain... And then... We shall see who is not worthy."
"As you wish, your highness. May the moon reign over all the existence."
"Do not doubt, Yamamoto... I will."

"Is this really necessary? It's not like I'm going to run away or something... I'm just going home-"
"Shut up, these were the association orders so you're stuck with me either your like or not."
"Great."

The rabbit heroine kept walking alongside Midoriya, escorting him to his home.

"Why didn't you call for a car? I don't mind the exercise, but this is a long walk."
"I like to walk when I want to think."
"You're a strange kid."
"Can I take this as a compliment? If so, thanks."

She snuck a glance towards him, but he caught her evaluating gaze, smiling in return, and receiving a punch in the shoulder.

"Ow! What the hell-"
"Thanks for the healing back there."
"Er... You're welcome. I'm the who hurt you anyway, so-"
"You see, I've kicked a lot of things, but I never kicked something like that Sasanu of yours."
"Susanoo."
"Yeah, that."
"Heh. Yes... It is said the Susanoo was the stronger defense tool but until now I didn't know how sturdy it could be."
"What was that argument you had with the redhead? It sounded bad."
"I... I'm sorry Mirko-san, but I don't want to talk about it."
"Ummm. So, what are you going to do from now on?"
"I'll follow the Emperor's advice."
"He's sure is an amazing guy, isn't he? Sometimes I wish we could go back to a monarchy."

"..."

"When I asked about what you were going to do, I was referring to the politicians you exposed back there."
"Ummm... I won't be able to take them from their position of power without the people's help, so I guess for now I'll have to blackmail them using the information I got."

She stopped walking and Midoriya looked over his shoulder to see her bursting out in laughter.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAAHWAHAA... DUDE... What the hell?! Hahahaha. What in the world is wrong with your head?"
"Huh? What did I say?"
"You just admitted intention to commit a crime to a pro-hero, you retard."
"Ah... I mean, I was just... I mean- Shit."
"Kukukukuku... You're an interesting boy, I'll give you that."
"Ummm, so I guess I'm good?"
"Yea, I already knew something like that was going on behind the scenes, but we can't do anything to stop that. We're just the policemen, fighting against bad guys that are pointed to us."
"Yea, but what if the bad guys are the ones pointing fingers?"
"Exactly."

They kept walking in silence until Midoriya said:

"My house is around the corner, so if you want to go back-"
"I said that I would see you home, didn't I?" She answered, enraged.
"It's just that... People may have the wrong idea seeing me this late at night with an older-"

He regretted it right after the words got out of his mouth, seeing the heroine grabbing his collar, lifting him up with ease before whispering in a deadly voice:

"An older what?"
"An... An... An adult woman... I mean- A mature teen... I mean... With an unknown girl."

Mirko dropped him and resumed walking, making Midoriya massage his throat, frowning to the crazy girl sitting on the number #6 spot.

'What the hell is wrong with these girls and their ages?'

When Midoriya made the last turn, walking into his street, he saw someone sitting on the sidewalk. He noticed it was a girl, wearing a blue dress with white stockings. His face instantly focused on the girl's white hair, going to her face when she turned to look at who was approaching. After looking into her eyes, Midoriya's adrenaline kicked in, turning his Blood Moon on, while his hand instantly moved to his Kusanagi, switching to his silver blade in the last moment. Mirko saw his movement and reacted in time, also moving alongside him. As Midoriya dashed towards the girl sitting on the floor, he noticed how fast Mirko was. She managed to keep up with his unspoken enhancement with ease. Midoriya made the movement to draw his weapon, but the girl's expression was completely wrong. She looked surprised and slightly scared, totally different from her deviant look when she helped murder Yaoyorozu. She looked like a completely different person, which made Midoriya stop in the last moment, doubting his own eyes, wondering if that was really her. Mirko also stopped, looking from the girl to Midoriya.

"Ononoki Shirayuki... You're Ononoki Shirayuki, aren't you?" He wanted to hear her voice, just to be sure he was allowed to start his swing and decapitate the girl.
"Umm... Yes, but-"

The girl started to answer, trying to explain herself, but Midoriya had already swung his blade again. Mirko's mouth fell open when she saw the white hair flying across the street, rolling until it stopped next to the sidewalk. She turned to Midoriya who was facing the severed head with a serious gaze, not even affected by what just happened, his clothes stained by drops of blood, while the red liquid kept flowing from the beheaded body to the sidewalk like a fountain.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO?!"
"What you mean? I went for the head-"
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU JUST MURDERED SOMEONE!"
"Calm down, Mirko-san. She's Ononoki Shirayuki, the Moon Clan's second in command."
"Huh?! Are you really sure about that? Because she died quite easily for a second in command."
"Who said she's dead?"
"What?!"
"Look."

He pointed and they both saw her body starting to move.

"The first time we fought, both me and Yami managed to kill her, but she came back to life right after... So this time I tried to aim for the head to see if it would work."
"Well, it doesn't, but it hurts like hell." A girl's voice answered and they saw her headless body getting up. Midoriya just watched as her head dissolved and evaporate, the same for her blood as if it was some kind of acid, disappearing until there was nothing left. He saw the head melting and a new one grew back in place. She looked around, touching her neck, and quickly raised her hands, noticing the boy getting into a stance again.

"Calm down, psycho. I came here to chat."
"Chat about what-" Mirko started to ask, but Midoriya didn't care. He dashed again, swinging his sword while trying to think of a way to kill this monster when he saw red steam starting to cover her right arm.

'This is the same as-'

The swing was aimed at her neck, but she blocked the attack, while the aftershock messed up her hair and destroyed the brick wall to her left. She held the sword and Midoriya tried to pull it back, but she gave him a cold glare, before crushing the blade into pieces, making Midoriya jump back.

"Will you listen to me? I am not here to fight!"

Midoriya looked to the broken sword on his hand and the pieces on the floor, instantly thinking about how that was well-fitting... The sword was broken into pieces... Just like his relationship with Yaoyorozu. He threw the rest of the sword aside and looked at Shirayuki with a serious look.

"I'm done listening to any of you. Mirko-san, could you please take a step aside? I don't want to kill you by accident." Midoriya said while unsheathing the Kusanagi.
"Aw... C'mon." Shirayuki said before unsheathing her sword as well.
"Raijin's Enhancement"
"Stop! I just want to talk!"
"We can chat later... After I check how many lives you have left." Midoriya said while energizing the Kusanagi, making the skies respond to his call, illuminating the area with numerous lightning bolts, as the lightning god sprung into battle again.

Author's note: Review? Nah? All right.