AN: Thanks for reading guys. Please leave me some constructive reviews so that I can improve these chapters and make sure that the following chapters are better as well. Thanks to all those who have already followed, fav'ed, and reviewed. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
Darkness shrouded the peaceful streets of the Mustafu District, the only sounds being the occasional car passing by or the few unlucky civilians that had to work an early morning shift. Naruto sluggishly made his way along the sidewalk, slurping noodles from a steaming cup of instant ramen as he headed across the city for his first day at UA. It was about an hour's walk from his apartment to the school which had forced him to be up by 4:30. Luckily, he had slept for a solid thirteen hours, so he should be fine once he got past this initial tiredness.
Finishing his breakfast, he tossed the empty container into a nearby trash receptacle before tugging at his collar with a groan. He absolutely hated these uniforms. They were too tight-fitting and formal for his tastes. He did understand the concept and need for uniforms but that did not mean he had to like it. Deciding that he did not care about the rules, he undid the top two buttons, exposing the top of his orange undershirt. He was not wearing the tie anyway, so it probably would not hurt if he went a little further. He had struggled for almost twenty minutes this morning trying to figure out how to tie the damn thing with only one hand available, not that he actually knew how to properly tie one to begin with. Eventually, he had given up. He would rather not wear a death trap like that anyways. Why would you want to give an enemy a convenient handhold like that?
Sighing in relief now that his uniform was less constricting, Naruto continued on his commute, enjoying the peace as the early-morning city streets slowly came to life around him. Rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, filtering through the clustered buildings as streetlamps began to turn off with the arrival of the sun. He quite enjoyed the city like this. He hated the crowds and noises of the city during the day, but he could get used to this. He did still prefer to be in a more natural area, but beggars cannot be choosers. Walking on autopilot, Naruto basked in the time-limited sense of peace that surrounded him while thinking over his current situation.
Evil Rat-sensei was devious. Somehow, the UA Principal had played him like a fiddle. Thinking back over the meeting, he realized that it had taken less than fifteen minutes for him to fall into the rat's trap. He could not make sense of it though. He knew that he was not very intelligent, but he should not have been played that easily. He had been tired, not having slept much during the previous month. That had affected his thinking, sure, but not to the extent where he would just immediately cave to the rat's threat. Nezu had used the sympathy card to manipulate him right where he wanted Naruto to be. Naruto was definitely planning to bring this up in their upcoming meeting. That threat was another issue. How had he known that Mirko freaked him out, that avoiding Mirko was his top priority after their little run-in? The answer quickly came to him.
Tonomura.
Facepalming in exasperation, he stopped walking for a moment while shaking his head at his stupidity. It all made sense now. He had become quite friendly with the guard during his stint in jail. They had quite a few conversations, some of which had included his dislike of the Rabbit Hero and his lack of sleep.
While he had never mentioned being afraid or creeped out by Mirko, he was aware that he tensed up when she was mentioned, something the man easily could have picked up on. Even if it was only a thought in his head, his body would stiffen. Just because Kaguya had been known as the Rabbit Goddess and had rabbit-like horns or hair or whatever they were, he now had a problem with rabbits in general. The bitch had not acted like a rabbit at all. It was dumb. Stupid irrational rabbit trauma.
Seriously, though, he should have known something was up from the first time he had spoken with the man. Guards should not be getting friendly with prisoners.
Pushing down his frustration, he began walking again at a slightly faster pace. He wanted to get there and get this over with as soon as he could. He knew the dirty rat probably had more tricks up his sleeve, but he also knew that he really did not have much to fight back with. His only real option was increasing the severity of the inevitable prank that would befall Nezu based upon how badly the Principal managed to screw him over.
Lost in thoughts of righteous retribution, it was not long before Naruto found himself standing before the locked gates of UA. Pulling out his phone, he found that he had made very good time, it being twenty minutes before his scheduled arrival. Sending a quick text to the Principal, he leaned against the wall to the side of the gate as he waited to be allowed entrance. His wait was brief, as not even two minutes later, the door hissed open to reveal Nezu standing there with a proud smirk upon his face.
"Good morning, Naruto. How are you doing on this fine morning?" Receiving a deadpan look in response, Nezu chuckled while turning around, waving for Naruto to follow. Nezu began to say something else as they walked but Naruto tuned him out, more interested in observing his surroundings as they made their way through the campus. It was a very nice place, he had to admit. It was designed with a perfect mix of aesthetic and utility. In the distance, he could make out the different training grounds, built far enough away to avoid marring the serene beauty of the main campus. Of course, this beauty only applied during times such as this, when the place was empty of students.
Naruto's thoughts ground to a halt as he thought of the students. His face paling, Naruto stopped walking, which drew Nezu's attention. The Principal said something to him but he could not hear the words. A sense of dread rose up within his chest. How could he have missed something so obvious? He had made a fatal error.
He had willingly agreed to go back to school.
Coming to that horrifying realization, Naruto promptly passed out.
Opening his eyes, Naruto found himself staring up at an unfamiliar white ceiling. Quickly sitting upright, Naruto realized he was in a hospital bed. 'No, it's the nurse's office.' He was at UA. Everything came rushing back to him. He felt slightly better now. His little fainting episode had seemingly helped settle his despairing mind. Now he only felt a sense of resignation at the thought of school. Hopping out of the bed, he headed out the door of the room, moving down a hallway that connected to a larger room that appeared to be a waiting room like those in hospitals. "Where the hell am I?" he wondered aloud, his irritation at being lost evident in his voice.
A sharp pain from his shin made him flinch, drawing his attention downward. Standing before him was a short, elderly woman wearing a lab coat. A large syringe, with which he assumed she had hit him, was held at her side. She glared up at him through a purple visor, a glare that he returned in kind. "Why the fuck did you hit me?" he asked angrily.
Faster than he expected, no, faster than an old lady had any right to be, she lashed out with the syringe to again strike him in the shin. "Watch your mouth, young man," she said sternly.
Hopping on one foot, he had his sore leg pulled up, shin grasped in his hands. That had hurt. Badly. How the hell had she done that? Not having heard the woman over his internal complaints, he let slip another curse.
"Shit- Owww! Fuck- Ahhh! Damn it- Ohhhh! Stop it, you old bat! Owwww!"
Naruto dashed around the room, spewing curses and pain-filled exclamations as he tried to escape from the evil granny's repeated attacks. Finally, he jumped onto the wall and then to the ceiling, to which he stuck himself with chakra. Safely out of reach of the short old lady, he had to take a moment to catch his breath. The old lady was deceptively fast and astonishingly accurate with that syringe. Even when he had been protecting it, she had always hit the exact same spot on his shin. Sure he could have avoided every hit after the second if he had tried but he had been caught completely unaware.
"You done trying to kill me, you old hag?" he asked, staring down at her with an annoyed frown.
He received his answer in the form of a flying syringe. The lady swiftly removed the small syringe from her bun and threw it at him. Again caught off guard, he could only lament his stupidity as the syringe sank into the flesh of his thigh, disrupting his chakra flow and numbing his leg. It apparently was a local anesthetic. Losing his grip on the ceiling, he fell headfirst to the ground below, where he landed with a groan. Rolling onto his back, Naruto decided to just stay down.
The elderly lady walked up beside him and poked his arm with her syringe cane. Seeing him flinch and glare at her, a smirk appeared on her face. "Good, you're still alive, boy. You can call me Recovery Girl, not old hag. Learned your lesson yet?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said in a resigned tone.
Recovery Girl gave him a sweet smile when she heard his response, instantly flipping some switch to change from evil hag mode to sweet, old lady mode. Naruto had learned his lesson though. Gingerly climbing to his feet, he bowed to the lady and introduced himself.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. You can just call me Naruto."
Nodding her head in approval at his change in attitude, Recovery Girl began to slowly walk towards a nearby door. Turning her head as she walked, she jerked her head, indicating for him to follow. "Follow me, dear," she said pausing for a moment as the door hissed open before she continued on into another hallway, "Nezu asked me to bring you to him once you awoke."
"How long was I out?" he asked.
"Not very long, maybe thirty minutes. Why did you faint, by the way? I checked you over, so I know there was nothing wrong with you. Something must have shocked or scared you."
Naruto felt his face redden in embarrassment at the question. There was no way he would admit that he fainted because he only just realized he had to attend school. He fought down his blush before he mumbled, "It was nothing.
Recovery Girl looked back at him skeptically for a moment before facing back to the front, shaking her head. "Uh-huh. Nothing. Right."
The two entered an elevator that they rode in silence. Naruto spent the time trying to figure out this weird woman. She was hobbling along on her syringe-cane like she could not walk without it, in stark contrast to the beating she had given him earlier. He shoved that remembrance aside and locked it away. Nobody needed to know about that, not even himself. He could only hope the old bat would keep her silence. He would never be able to live it down if word got around.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened and the two made their way down another hallway before Recovery Girl stopped. Seeing the nameplate on the nearby door, Naruto realized they had arrived.
"Alright, dear, go on in. They are waiting for you. I hope to not see you again any time soon."
"Oh, that hurts my heart, granny," he snarked before gritting his teeth at the familiar pain in his shin. He kept his cool this time and did not say anything else.
Smiling, Recovery Girl nodded in satisfaction at his slightly improved self-control. "It was nice to meet you, Naruto," she said before turning and slowly heading back to the elevator.
"You too, ma'am," he mumbled before turning towards the office door. He took a few moments to compose himself before knocking on the door.
"Come in," he heard a voice say. Taking a deep breath, he entered the office.
Walking in, the first thing he took notice of was that the far wall was all glass, allowing a terrific view of the sunrise and the UA campus spread out below. An ornate desk sat before the window. Another desk with a computer was placed against the wall to the side. In the middle of the room were two gray sofas with a black coffee table between the two. Combined with the clean, white walls and the natural lighting, the room had a comfortable feel to it.
Once he finished taking in his surroundings, Naruto focused on the four people seated upon the sofas. Nezu was seated on the sofa facing him, a content smile on his face as he sipped a cup of tea. Next to him was an absolute giant. His blonde hair with two horn-like spikes and extremely muscular frame easily gave away his identity. All Might shot him a thumbs up and a blinding smile upon catching his eye. The Number One Hero was much larger in real life than he had imagined. Naruto could not make out much of the third man as he was seated on the opposite sofa from the others, facing away from the door. He could only tell that the man wore a suit and had black hair. Beside the man was a black-haired woman, but he again could not make out anything else from this angle
Walking around the sofa, he stood at the end of the coffee table and gave a slight bow. "Hello again, Evil Rat-sensei."
Both All Might and the unidentified man and woman simultaneously spat out their tea at hearing his greeting, while Nezu just chuckled as the others tried to clean up their mess.
"Yes, hello again, Naruto. Feeling better?"
"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry about that. I don't really know what happened. Thank you for taking care of me," he replied while giving another small bow.
Nezu gestured towards the sofa opposite himself. "Have a seat, Naruto. Would you like some tea?"
Naruto shook his head before taking a seat on the sofa next to the as-yet-unnamed woman. "No, thank you. I'm not much of a tea drinker."
"That's a shame. I find tea to be quite relaxing," Nezu said, taking another sip from his cup before placing it upon the coffee table. "Now before we begin, I believe introductions are in order. To my right, I believe you have already recognized All Might, the Number One Hero and a teacher here at UA."
All Might gave a massive grin his direction, so similar to the way Naruto used to smile. His eyes were closed and his white teeth sparkled almost blindingly. Opening his eyes again, All Might extended his hand across the coffee table. "Yes! I am here! It is a pleasure to meet you, young Uzumaki!"
Naruto could not help but give a small smile in return. The man had a charismatic aura about him. That is one of the points that had made him into the Number One Hero. Clasping the offered hand firmly, Naruto gave a solid shake while replying, "It's nice to meet you too, All Might. Just call me Naruto. I'm not a very formal person if you couldn't tell."
"Haha, of course, young Naruto it is then."
Once All Might had taken his seat again, Nezu continued, "The woman next to you is Makoto Tsukauchi, the Manager for the American Hero, Captain Celebrity."
Turning and taking the offered hand, Naruto had to admit that the woman was quite beautiful. Her long, black hair had a glossy sheen to it. Her eyes were a bright green, though there was something off about them but he could not quite place what that was. She was wearing a fashionable, but professional white dress and jacket, with black hose and heels. He was quite proud that he kept his eyes from trailing down her legs and that he had kept himself from blushing.
"It's nice to meet ya, kid."
"You too, lady," he replied, getting a giggle in response.
"Lastly, we have Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi."
Naruto and the now-named Naomasa both leaned forward to be able to clearly see each other. Honestly, the man was pretty plain-looking in his opinion. Black hair. Black eyes. Black Suit. His green tie was the only color on his person other than the white of his dress shirt. His only real distinguishing feature was that he was fairly tall.
The Detective gave a small wave instead of a handshake, not wanting to reach across the woman, which Naruto reciprocated. "Nice to meet you, Naruto."
"You as well, Tsukauchi-san. Are the two of you related?"
Makoto laughed and leaned over to hug the now exasperated Detective. "Why yes, this is my dear older brother." She laughed harder as her brother struggled to escape her grip, getting a chuckle from Naruto and the two others present.
Naruto turned back to Nezu. "Alright Evil Rat-sensei, you got me here. Before we begin, though we really need to talk about yesterday." All Might and the Tsukauchi's looked between Naruto and Nezu, unsure as to what the blonde was referring to. Nezu, however, only nodded his head in understanding. "I agree, Naruto, though, would you allow me to speak first?"
Naruto was slightly confused by the rat's request but nodded his head in agreement. Nezu hopped down and began to walk around the back of the sofa to the other side. "I wanted to get this out of the way before any paperwork was signed so that you would have the opportunity to back out while you still had the chance." Reaching Naruto's side, Nezu shocked all in the room when he gave a deep bow, his nose almost touching the floor.
"I wanted to apologize for manipulating you into coming here today. I just felt it was the best way to get you in a room with the three of us, on our turf you might say, so that you could see and hear from others the benefits of this deal. I meant every word of what I said yesterday, but manipulating you in that way was a Villainous thing to do. So, I am deeply sorry for that transgression."
Naruto ran his one hand through his hair before letting out a breath he had not realized he had been holding. He had not expected this at all. The rat continued to bow, making Naruto feel very uncomfortable. He really disliked bowing in general, even more so when it was directed at him. Reaching out, he grabbed the rat's collar, raising him back up before lifting him completely off of his feet up to eye level. All Might and the Detective went bug-eyed as they watched the casual manner in which Naruto manhandled the Principal while Makoto was having a coughing fit trying not to laugh. Nezu, for his part, calmly went along with the action. Naruto stared at the Principal intently for a few moments before letting out a defeated sigh and gently placing Nezu back on the ground.
"Damn it. You really make it hard to be pissed when you give such a sincere apology. You are a devious bastard though. This isn't more manipulation, is it, Evil Rat-sensei?"
Nezu chuckled at that while All Might choked and Naomasa pinched the bridge of his nose, not believing that Nezu allowed someone to talk to him that way. Makoto finally stopped holding back and just laughed out loud.
"No, my boy, I truly mean it. Though, actually, I did lie about one thing yesterday."
Naruto's face tensed, "What do you mean?"
Nezu had a slight smirk on his face, though he appeared to be trying to hide it. "Well, it is about Mirko. She never asked about your release. Actually, she had wanted to speak with you after your interrogation but she was forced to leave before she could. And knowing her personality, she had probably completely forgotten that you even exist."
Naruto's jaw dropped. "Wait, so that threat was just a bluff?"
Nezu nodded while snickering. "Of course. Do you really think that a Pro would be allowed to attack someone for no reason, even if they are a Villain just out of jail?"
Naruto huffed in discontent as he crossed his arms as best he could with only one and a half available. The damned rat had really gotten him good. He should have been able to realize that but his intense dislike for the Pro had clouded his judgment. Nezu was way too good at this manipulation thing.
"I apologize for that as well. While I do not know the reasons, you seem to have some issues with Mirko, and I took advantage of that. Also, please don't be mad at Officer Tonomura. He was only doing his job."
Jumping to his feet, Naruto yelled, "I knew it was that bastard." Nezu stood there calmly, giving him an understanding smile, but the other three occupants in the room were shocked by the outburst.
Naruto scratched his head, embarrassed, "Sorry about that. I had figured that out this morning and hearing you confirm it just made me... Well, you saw what happened." Sitting back down, Naruto took a few moments to collect his thoughts as Nezu walked over to his desk, retrieving a stack of papers before returning back to his original seat.
"Now, Naruto, are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Receiving a nod in affirmation, Nezu took a sheet off the top of the pile and removed a pen from his vest pocket. "Then, to begin with, we need to get your identity in order. Lucky for us, Tsukauchi-san happened to be in town this week. She is present today due to her quirk allowing us to verify the information given to us while her brother will act as another witness, for official purposes. Would you like to explain, Tsukauchi-san?"
Makoto cleared her throat before speaking. "Yes, I'll explain. Okay, Naruto, my Quirk is called Polygraph. By making physical contact with someone, I am able to determine whether or not a person is lying. Of course, there are ways around this but you won't blame for not telling you what those are, right?" she said, putting on a fake pout at the end, causing him to chuckle.
Nezu chimed in again, "Now, Naruto, I don't know you that well, but I can tell that you like to keep things close to your chest. I ask you to please bear with the questions we ask and answer them to the best of your abilities. You have to understand that I take the safety of this school and its students very seriously. Please don't be offended by this, but we have to ensure that you are not a danger to them. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
Nezu looked to Makoto and gave her a nod. Naruto jumped when he suddenly felt the woman lean across him and pull his left hand over to her lap. Unfortunately, he was not able to prevent a blush this time, drawing laughter from all the others. Makoto poked his cheek with her free hand. "Calm down, slugger. I told you that my quirk required physical contact, right?"
With a pout, Naruto asked, "Couldn't you have just put your hand on my shoulder?"
Removing the cap from his pen, Nezu interrupted the woman's giggling fit. "If we could please get back on track now, you will have plenty of time to tease the boy later." Makoto showed a chagrinned face before quickly switching to a serious expression. Seeing her ready, Nezu nodded and moved on.
"Okay, Tsukauchi-san, just speak up whenever you detect falsehood and we will look closer into the subject. Now, Naruto, what is your name?"
"Naruto Uzumaki."
"Age and birthday?"
"Sixteen. October Tenth."
"What is your Quirk?"
Naruto did not immediately answer that question, which immediately drew all eyes to himself. He had expected this question but he was not sure how well his little concocted story would be received. It did not contain any lies, but it skirted the truth enough to avoid giving any hints of his origins.
"Well, that is a little hard to explain. I guess the easiest way to say it is that by today's medical standards, I don't have a quirk."
He had to admit, it was quite entertaining looking at the slack-jawed, disbelieving looks he was receiving right now. The three men all turned their heads towards Makoto, who gave them a slow nod, indicating his truthfulness. All Might was the first to break the stunned silence.
"How... How can that be? We have all seen you use your Quirk before, my boy."
"I don't know why it is this way. I call it Chakra. It is an internal source of energy that I can manipulate to bring about many different effects. I can circulate it through my body, similar to blood, but if you cut me open you would not find any signs of it. It can affect my physical body and surroundings but seems to be somewhat spiritual in origin."
Naruto then looked over to Makoto, praying that his explanation would work. He had to fight himself not to release a sigh of relief when she again affirmed his answer.
"That is quite... Intriguing," Nezu said while holding his chin thoughtfully. All Might and Naomasa nodded in agreement while Makoto still seemed to be stunned.
"You say you can do different things with this... Chakra, you said? What kind of effects do you mean?" All Might asked.
Naruto everyone an apologetic look at that question. "To those who don't know about my ability, it would appear that I have quite a few Quirks, to be honest, I would rather keep the majority of it to myself. I hope to not need to use them unless the situation is dire. Some are just not suited to Hero work and a few I like to keep in reserve for my own safety. If that is okay with you, I can give you a rundown of what I intend to show while attending this school?"
Nezu and All Might shared a long look at that. Naruto had noticed that All Might had tensed up when he mentioned multiple Quirks. He made a mental note to ask about that once he finished describing the fake Quirk he intended to reveal in UA.
Nezu looked back to Naruto, staring intently as though searching for some kind of answer in the blonde's eyes. After a few moments, he sighed and began speaking. "We will discuss more about your hidden abilities at a later time. Would you being willing to have a spar with All Might sometime so that we might have a general idea of your strength?"
Naruto perked up at that question. A fight with All Might sounded quite fun. He was definitely rusty and what better way to shake off that rust than a good spar? "Sounds good. Just hit me up when you want to do it."
Nezu pointed back to the paperwork with his pen. "Well, just give me something to use for now on the form."
"Okay, but first, can I say something else?" Getting a go-ahead gesture from the rat, he went ahead with the idea that had just struck him. "All Might, I noticed that you became visibly tense when I mentioned multiple Quirks. I don't know the reason why that bothered you but I thought I would try something to ease your mind. My truthfulness earlier should have applied but this should put your mind at ease. I do not possess multiple Quirks."
Naruto was surprised by just how much All Might visibly relaxed at seeing Makoto nod to his statement. "Thank you, Naruto," he said, his trademark grin returning to his face, "Let's just say that I have had bad experiences in the past with Villains with multiple Quirks. I'm sorry that it seemed like I doubted you."
Naruto waved off his apology. "No need for that. You have every right to be suspicious." Looking back to Nezu, Naruto had to take a second to sort out his words, wanting to get his point across in the easiest manner possible. "I, Naruto Uzumaki, have not, am not, and will not act against the interests of UA, its teachers, or its students." He gave himself a mental pat on the back, proud of himself that he had managed to sound professional. "Does that do anything to set your mind at ease, Evil Rat-sensei?"
A smile slowly spread across Nezu's face. "Yes, Naruto, it certainly does. Thank you for cutting straight to the point. Now, about your quirk..."
"I don't know what to call it for the paperwork, but there are two abilities that I plan to use that can be considered part of a single Quirk. The first one is the Kawarimi." A puff of smoke appeared as he switched seats with All Might before they both were switched to their original spots with another smoke burst. "That is what I used on Eraserhead. I can also use it to switch with inanimate objects as well. I don't know what my max range is though."
The four observers seemed quite impressed with his demonstration. "That is quite useful, Naruto. Not only can you use it to avoid attacks that you are otherwise unable to block or dodge, you can also use it to place your opponents where you want them so your allies can land their attacks."
"Right, but it does have some limitations," Naruto added, "I can't switch with anything too much larger than I am. Such as Mt. Lady. It is possible that I could pull it off but I would use so much energy that I would be out of it afterward. I also can't use it on an enemy if they are releasing a certain amount of energy. It would disrupt my attempts and fail unless I overpowered their energy, which would have the same result as using it on something too big."
"Alright, Naruto, what is the other ability?"
"This one is called a shunshin."
The others watched as his body flickered momentarily before vanishing as leaves appeared swirling in the air, before seeing that he was now standing by the window. He repeated the technique to reappear in his original location.
"The two techniques are slightly similar in appearance to those who don't know anything about them but they are completely different in execution. The Shunshin is a short to long-range movement technique where I physically move at high speed to my destination. Right now my range is between one and two hundred meters but that will increase with more practice. The Kawarimi is technically a short-range teleportation technique."
Nezu thoughtfully tapped his chin with the pen. "Hmmm... To tell you the truth, I'm quite stumped on a name to use. Unless we just go with Body Flicker since it can seemingly cover both. What do you think?
Naruto just shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't really care what it is called."
The Principal just chuckled as he began writing. "Body Flicker it is then."
All Might glanced at his watch before shock appeared on his face. Jumping to his feet, he shot Naruto a two-finger salute. "Sorry, young Naruto, but I must be on my way. It was nice to meet you and I look forward to being your teacher. Always remember, Go Beyond, PLUS ULTRA!" With that hurried farewell, All Might dashed off in a cloud of smoke. A loud crash was heard as he disappeared. The smoke slowly vanished, revealing the cracked office door barely hanging off of one hinge. Nezu had his face in his hands while the two Tsukauchi siblings were quietly laughing.
Naruto slowly looked between the three, his eyes wide in shock. "What the hell was that?"
Nezu only shook his head. Naomasa cleared his throat once he had managed to stop laughing. "All Might can be... odd from time to time. You just get used to it." Naruto could understand that. He had dealt with quite a few odd individuals over the course of his ninja career. He offered his hand back to Makoto before turning to Nezu, who was still lamenting the destruction of his door. "So... Shall we continue?"
The next half hour went by quite quickly as Naruto answered a variety of questions about himself. He answered everything to the best of his ability, dancing around the truth where ever necessary while never outright lying. It was quite mentally taxing. Trying to ensure that his background was hidden without lying was a challenge but he thought he managed to pull it off quite well. He slumped back into the sofa in relief when Nezu declared that they had finally finished all of the needed paperwork.
Naruto sat there in silence for a few moments as Nezu organized all of the papers. Looking over to his right, he glanced down at his hand still held upon Makoto's lap. "Tsukauchi-san, if you keep holding my hand like this, I might start reading something into it." He chuckled as the woman choked momentarily before hurriedly releasing his hand while glaring at him. Naomasa leaned forward with a smirk. "Should I be calling you Brother-in-law, Naruto?" The woman quickly turned and began wailing on her brother, who just laughed harder at her violence. Naruto had managed to get over his earlier embarrassment but he always got his revenge. He was quite enjoying her reaction to his retaliation.
A loud cough pulled the siblings' attention back to Nezu. "While your sibling spat is entertaining, I have a few more things that I need to go over with Naruto alone."
The two rose to their feet giving a small bow to Nezu who smiled and waved in return. Naruto stood as well when the two turned to him.
Makoto stepped forward, hand extended. Naruto took the offered hand, on guard for the inevitable attack that would come. She smiled at him beautifully. "It was a real pleasure to meet you Naruto. Unfortunately, I'll be returning to the States tomorrow, so I doubt we will meet again anytime soon." He was actually sad to hear that. He had been looking forward to finding an opportunity to prank her.
Even though he thought he was ready for anything, he was taken by surprise as the woman pulled his clasped hand towards herself. He stumbled forward, barely catching himself before they collided. He froze then as she gave him a wet kiss on the cheek. His face immediately flushed bright red.
Releasing his hand, the woman took a step back before pumping both fists in the air while letting out a cheer. "Yes, I win!" Behind her, Naomasa shook his head, though a smirk was apparent on his face even though he was fighting it.
Stepping around his sister, the Detective grasped the hand of the still frozen blonde before using his other hand to slap Naruto's shoulder, shaking him out of his daze. Naomasa chuckled at the glare the boy sent towards his sister. "Ignore her. She has been a brat ever since we were children." Ignoring a head chop from Makoto, he continued. "It was nice to meet you, Naruto. I look forward to seeing your rise as a Hero. Feel free to give me a call if you ever need some help."
Naruto accepted the offered business card and place it into his pocket. "It was nice to meet you both as well."
Turning, Naomasa again gave a slight bow to Nezu before making his way out of the office. Makoto followed but she paused at the door. Turning around, she winked and blew a kiss towards him before disappearing with a giggle. Naruto shook his head in exasperation as he sat back down on the sofa. Nezu only chuckled at the boy's dazed expression.
"Yes, Makoto is quite the handful. Unfortunately, you met her in a setting where she did not feel the need to remain professional. If this had been a business meeting, she would have come across as a completely different person."
Nezu took a moment to pour himself another cup of tea. Taking a sip, he gave a grunt, looking at his cup in surprise before beginning to speak again. "Now, back to serious subjects. Based on the little I know of your personality so far, I assume you want me to keep your information hidden as much as possible, correct?" Getting affirmation from the blonde, he continued, "I thought so. I will need to inform the teachers of your record, unfortunately. I hope you understand. I will not inform the students, but some will have seen you on TV and word will spread. You will have to work hard to earn their trust. They will all probably keep their distance from you at the beginning. Are you ready for that?"
Naruto smiled sadly, "Yeah, I don't think it will be a problem for me."
Noticing the sad smile, Nezu looked at him questioningly. Naruto only shook his head, not wanting to go into that.
Accepting Naruto's refusal to speak, Nezu moved on. "The teachers, other than All Might, will also be kept in the dark about your true purpose so that there is little chance of your information being leaked somehow. I trust my staff but one slip of the tongue could cause problems. Hopefully, in the event of another attack, you can take the Villains by surprise. Of course, that is only if the teachers cannot deal with it on their own. Even then, I want you to focus on protecting and evacuating the other students. You are one of my students now. Your safety is as important to me as any other student. I don't want you to take risks unless necessary. Please remember that Naruto."
Naruto nodded in understanding, surprised and slightly touched. He could sense how genuine the Principal's words were.
Nezu placed down his teacup and hopped from the sofa. "Now, this meeting had gone on for longer than I had intended. I had meant to discuss your admission in the morning staff meeting but that will have to wait. So you will start classes tomorrow instead. Classes start at eight-thirty, so stop by here before then and I will give you your class schedule. For now, follow me to the infirmary so that we can get you a physical check-up."
A few hours later found Naruto walking back into his apartment. He slipped off his shoes before ripping off the uniform jacket, throwing it on the floor. He really hated those uniforms.
Walking to the living room, he felt his mood sink when he noticed that all his plants had died during his time away. The other plants scattered around the apartment would surely be dead as well. With how exhausted he had been yesterday, he had not noticed. He would have to get some more soon. Taking care of these plants was a coping mechanism of sorts. He had picked up this habit back in his childhood. It had always been surprisingly effective at calming him down. He would replace them at the first opportunity.
With a disappointed sigh, Naruto flopped down onto his couch. He then shifted around awkwardly, trying to find a comfortable position on the worn-out cushions. Finding the perfect spot, he threw his arm across his eyes as he let himself relax.
His rest did not last long as a random thought had him sitting back up. Leaning forward. he shuffled through the various papers scattered across his coffee table. Finally finding the one he was searching for, Naruto pulled out the cellphone given to him by Nezu. Struggling a bit to adjust to the unfamiliar smartphone, he eventually managed to dial the number recorded on the paper he had placed on his lap. Raising the phone to his ear, he waited for an answer.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Boss Yoshiro. It's Naruto."
"Naruto? Where have you been? You just vanished for an entire month! Akari and I were worried."
"I'm sorry I worried you guys. A lot has happened. Everything just kinda spiraled out of control."
"Nothing bad, I hope? Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"
Naruto smiled slightly at hearing the concern in the man's voice. "I'm fine, Boss. Everything is taken care of."
"Then are you coming back to work?"
"That's actually what I called about. I do want to come back, but I'd only be able to work weekends and only if the project site is in or very close to Mustafu District."
"That's fine with me, Naruto. I'll take whatever I can get. Haha. If you don't mind me asking, though, why the change to part-time?"
"Well... The truth is... Things happened and I'll be starting UA tomorrow."
"...what? Really?! How? No, that doesn't matter. Congratulations, kid!"
"Thanks Boss. But yeah, that's why I'll be part-time. Sorry for bailing on you like this."
"No, no, no, none of that. Yes, you are my best employee, even with how little we pay you, and I will be sad to not have you full-time. But the chance to attend UA is a big thing. You have to take full advantage of this opportunity. If I didn't already know how stubborn you are, I would try to convince you not to work at all so that you could focus on school."
Naruto snorted at his boss's words. "Yeah, well I unfortunately still need to pay for rent."
"Right, right. Oh, yeah. My daughter attends UA, so keep an eye on her for me, will ya? Akari and I are a little scared for her after that attack the other day."
"That's the girl you showed me a picture of, right? Don't worry, Boss. I'll watch her back for ya. You have my word."
"I know you will, Naruto. You've come a long way, my boy."
Naruto scratched his head with his stump, feeling slightly embarrassed by the proud tone of voice used by Boss Yoshiro.
"Well, Boss, I gotta go. Call this number when you have work for me. Tell Akari Baa-san I said hello."
"Alright, Naruto. You stay safe now, ya hear? And call every once in a while."
"Will do, Boss. Bye."
Ending the call, Naruto tossed the phone on the coffee table and slowly sank back into the couch, leaning his head over the seatback to stare at the ceiling.
Boss Yoshiro and his wife Akari were great people. Not many people would hire a crippled homeless teenager. They had given him a chance when he needed it most. To repay their kindness, he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into the job. He did not know anything about construction, but even with one arm he was able to move heavy materials around the job site with ease.
The two had been very apologetic that they could not pay him much for all of his work as there business was not doing that great at the time. With his help and, unknown to them, his discrete use of shadow clones, business had eventually picked up due to them consistently finishing jobs ahead of schedule. With more incoming business they had offered him better pay but he had refused. He made enough to get by so he was just happy that things were picking up for them.
Even with his less than ideal mindset and attitude after his arrival, the two, especially Akari Baa-san, had worked hard to try to break him out of his shell. He had been completely closed off and withdrawn at the beginning, only speaking when necessary. Day after day, he would just drift along with no goal or ambition, keeping busy only to keep his mind occupied. Over the months of his employment, they had slowly managed to get through to him, a little bit at least. They had even invited him to their home for a meal a few times. He slightly regretted not accepting their offers. While he had grown closer to them over time, he had still struggled with the idea of letting people in all the way. Considering all of the people he had left behind, did he deserve to have friends now? He could not deny that it felt nice to have someone who cared however.
Shaking his head of those negative thoughts, he stood up from the couch. He had work to do.
Channeling his chakra, ten clones appeared around the room, making the place quite cramped. "Alright, guys, you work on seals out here in the living room."
The clones gave him a salute before immediately getting to work. Naruto walked to the kitchen and pulled a scroll out of a drawer. Opening it up, he channeled chakra to the seal and a pile of kunai appeared. Going back to the living room, he grabbed a few of the dead plants before returning to the kitchen. Placing the plants on the table next to the kunai, he then created ten more clones.
"Guys, our control is shot. Stick to the walls and ceiling. Use these plants for the Leaf Sticking exercise. If that seems too easy,grab a kunai and add the Kunai Balancing exercise. In an hour, dispel one at a time in thirty second intervals. I'll then make ten more clones and repeat the process."
""Yes, Boss!""
Leaving the kitchen, Naruto entered his bedroom and again made ten clones. Giving them the same instructions that he had given the previous group, he then changed into some sweat pants and a t-shirt. Leaving the clones to their tasks, he left the apartment. Reaching the sidewalk outside, he began a slow jog.
The last seven months had been tough. Without Kurama, he had been alone. Lost. Afraid. Plagued by nightmares of those he left behind, he had locked down his emotions and just tried to survive. Now, however, he had a purpose. He was grateful to Evil Rat-sensei for that at least. While the thought of attending school again still sent a shiver down his spine, he would give it his all. For the next three years, he would devote himself to ensuring the safety of those future Heroes. To do that though, he would need to bring his skills back up to par.
That would start now.
Picking up the pace, Naruto pushed himself to a full-speed sprint, without chakra of course, his blue eyes blazing with determination.