Naruto: A Red Eye Hidden by Shadow

by Tatanka4Life

On the fateful night of the Uchiha Massacre, a girl of Uchiha and Nara blood is spared and left with no memories of her past. Now she must walk on the path left by her family to help her build a new future for herself. Her path will be hard, full of struggles and pain, but as long as she has her friends and family at her side she will keep forging ahead, even if it was a drag.

100. Chapter 99: A Quirky World

Chapter 99

A Quirky World: The Academia of Heroes

Isolation was a drag. A big, brain-numbing drag.

Of course, Amari recognized the importance of its purpose. The Masked Man disappeared on the ominous promise of a second meeting. Who could say when or where he would reveal himself again? With the versatility of his special space-time ninjutsu, he could materialize anywhere, at any given moment, slipping through time and space to absorb her into his eye, effectively kidnapping her before anyone could stop him.

In her condition, she couldn't flee or fight. Her reaction speed wouldn't be enough to counter his technique. This temporary isolation under strict guard was a necessity. She knew that, understood it and agreed with the decision.

Still, being bed-ridden and all but handcuffed to her hospital bed, watched at every hour of the day by their designated guards was positively, undeniably boring. Especially for the kunoichi who lived and breathed training. Talking to Sasuke about the future of their Clan, how to rebuild it and petting the Haimaru brothers only absorbed so much time in a day.

"Remind me to ask my mom for a book," Amari muttered to her clan-brother during an elongated, boring silence.

He nodded. Sat quietly for a moment. Then…

"Do you have anything I can read?"

"I…might?" she replied awkwardly, caught off guard by the request.

Did she have anything someone like Sasuke might want to read? What would he like to read? She couldn't exactly judge a book by its cover, especially when her hardened war veteran sensei read the Make-Out series, and giggled while reading.

She thought of the small collection of novels she hadn't started, the majority of which were based in the genre of fluffy and cavity causing sweet romances…and probably not to Sasuke's taste.

"I'll need to think about it. Unless you want to read romance novels?" she offered.

Sasuke scrunched his nose. "No thanks."

Definitely not to his tastes. She may as well have asked if he wanted to paint his nails and put makeup on. Then again, he may as well have asked her the same thing. Her response would've been exactly the same, scrunching nose and all.

Beyond the nurses checking in on them, their recurrent visitors consisted of Kurenai, Kakashi and Shizune. Of the three, Kakashi and Kurenai kept the two Uchiha's updated on the outside world, speaking of the varying states of recovery their comrades were in, updating them on the recovery efforts around the Leaf and engaging them in general small talk.

It kept them sane.

Shizune, on the other hand, started them on their tough journey through physical therapy. It was painful at the best of times, crippling at the worst. All of it was frustrating. Within one battle she and Sasuke went from fully mobile and highly capable young shinobi, to handicapped and struggling to perform normal task like walking or lifting their own arm.

One series of events changed everything. Everyone. Them, their friends, the situation, it had all changed in a matter of days, just like it had after the Invasion.

The rug was ripped out from beneath their feet to reveal a den of vile vipers hissing and coiling around them, layered with sentient malicious shadows seeking to absorb them into a void of cold darkness, all the while a fire was burning the house around them, suffocating them with smoke.

This was all a chaotic mess. Internally, Amari waged an endless shogi battle against the shadows, the betrayers, the warmongers and manipulators who stood between her and the future she sought, shifting all of her pieces around to figure out the best path forward. Naruto was going to be gone with Master Jiraiya eventually. Shizune mentioned she would be training Mimi and Hinata, while Lady Tsunade trained Sakura and Ino.

Sakura would be gone, too, more often than not. Team Seven was splitting apart, temporarily or permanently. Like an oracle, she could see the diverging paths happening before they truly began. So what did Sasuke and her do? How did they make their way forward so they were ready for the future battles against the Foundation, the Akatsuki and the Masked Man?

On top of that, she planned to take her role as Head of the Uchiha Clan seriously, regardless of her age or inexperience. She wouldn't nose-dive into politics just yet, but she would need to speak to Lady Tsunade on how they could rebuild the Clan without her and Sasuke personally siring children, gain allies and form alliances to ensure the Uchiha Massacre was never repeated.

And to ensure those responsible faced punishment.

It was…a lot to think about. A lot to plan. All made more difficult by a crippled ankle and physical therapy. But Amari didn't vocalize her annoyance or frustration, even when she wanted to. She ground her teeth together and bit back curses, determined to regain what her injury had taken from her. That was the first step—regain mobility and properly heal her ankle, then get out of the hospital into the fresh air where she could think.

Time spent whining and complaining was time wasted in physical therapy, after all.

Overall, her injured ankle was less supportive than a rotted wooden column in a termite infested home. She could hardly walk without Shizune's aid. Over and over again she collapsed to the floor, through which her ego gained several layers of discolored contusions. So far, her relationship with the floor was far too intimate, and not consensual.

Sasuke struggled to lift his right arm straight out in any direction, to the point she could see his pain displaying itself freely on his face. To lift the limb above his head was, in his own words, more painful than being stabbed in the first place. He almost preferred to be stabbed again than perform physical therapy.

The Hokage's assistant was gentle and encouraging. Patient and dedicated, too. At the same time, she demanded them to persevere through their bruised egos and pain, for the sake of their present and future health. She refused to accept anything less than one hundred percent effort on their behalf. And when the pain became unbearable, or Amari collapsed, she was there to ease the pain away with Medical Ninjutsu and help the Nara to stand again.

Another visitor on their day of isolation was her Aunt Yoshino. Compared to all other visitors, Yoshino was easily the most terrifying.

The slider door tore open without warning, and though Amari sensed her approaching presence, she jumped just as much as Sasuke did. Her heart found her throat to be cozy, if not a bit cramped.

Yoshino practically ripped the slider door off its track. Her eyes were darker than a new moon night in the middle of nowhere. Shadow tendrils whipped about furiously around her. At the sight of her, the Haimaru brothers leapt and trotted away from Amari's bed, abandoning her without so much as a backwards glance or an apologetic whine.

She applauded their intelligence, while silently cursing them. Weren't they supposed to protect her? The Anbu agent, she sensed, was also leaving her to a well-deserved and terrible fate. The big jerk.

"Amaririsu Yūhi!" Yoshino bellowed.

Amari glanced around. There was no escape. No running. No possible last second miracle trump card to save her.

Yoshino strode into the room like a shadow demon seeking vengeance, one of her shadow tendrils slamming the door shut behind her with precision, control and strength. As her aunt stomped closer, Amari sank further and further into her bed, sweat beginning to pour off her face, wishing she could use an invisibility jutsu or meld into the bed itself. Praying she might survive to eat sweets again.

Sasuke watched in a mixture of shock and secondhand fear. He'd never seen his clan-sister so scared, nor had he ever seen the Nara Matriarch in a fit of unyielding rage.

The verbal lashing she received, and crack to the head, ensured only apologies spewed from her lips.

Foolishly, Sasuke tried to intervene on her behalf. He sought to share the burden of blame for her defeat and temporary death at the hands of the Sound Four. But only two or three words ever formed before the lashing tendrils wrapped him up from head to foot in a crushing cocoon of shadows. The cold shiver he felt snapped his mouth shut.

The Nara Matriarch slowly, dangerously, turned her attention to him.

"Is there something you would like to add, Sasuke?" she asked in a menacing voice.

Free from paralysis and hoping to save Sasuke from a fate worse than death, Amari frantically waved her arms around and shook her head wildly. This was definitely not the time to bravely stand by her side.

"Uh…no?" he muttered.

"Hmph. As I thought. Now," her aunt's attention drew back onto her niece, "where was I?"

Thinking quickly, and knowing there was only one move she could make, Amari lunged forward and wrapped her arms around her aunt's stomach.

"I'm really sorry for being reckless, Aunt Yoshino. I'm sorry for these injuries and scaring you. I'm sorry I didn't get permission to leave."

"As you should be!" Yoshino wrapped her in a warm embrace, her shadow returning to its natural state. "Reckless and stubborn girl, I've been worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry. But I'm home now. I'm safe."

Yoshino's grip tightened around her.

"I expect you to be early for dinner when you're released."

"I will be."

"There's nothing fashionable about tardiness."

"I know."

"I love you, little shadow."

"And I love you, Aunt Yoshino. I'm sorry—"

"Stop apologizing." Her aunt pressed a kiss on the top of her head. "You're home now. That's all that matters to me. But don't you dare let some pawn of Orochimaru ever crush the life out of you again."

"I won't."

The rest of Yoshino's visit went smoothly. No more lectures, no wild shadows lashing angrily at the air. Sasuke didn't speak a word, let alone breathe again until Yoshino gave him permission.

When she departed home to begin preparing dinner, Sasuke audibly sighed.

"Now I get why Shikamaru is so afraid of her."

The next day, after their session of physical therapy, they learned their isolation had reached its end. The Anbu guard would remain, but the Haimaru brothers were to rejoin Hana for patrols around the Leaf. Also, her mother stopped by to drop off her fuchsia top and one of Sasuke's black shirts so they could cover their bandaged upper body's beneath a barrier of cloth.

First of their visitors was, surprisingly, Atsuko, who reversed summoned herself to Amari. The sudden appearance startled the kunoichi, but seeing the bandages wrapped around the Crow's feathered body and the splint on her right wing bundled together an uncomfortable, rough and raw knot of guilt in her belly.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out before the Crow could speak.

Atsuko hummed, tilting her head in a show of confusion. "I certainly didn't expect that as a greeting. Though I am pleased to see you two are recovering well. However, Young Haya, what are you apologizing for?"

"Everything. I've been a poor friend, Atsuko. I've made it so much harder on you to take care of me with my reckless behavior, and I've added on to the hurt you feel by getting myself injured when you're busy with your other duties. It's because of me Kasai was able to hurt you. I asked you to intensify the fire he started, which made it harder for you to maneuver and made it possible for him to use his paper bombs to knock you out of the sky. I—"

"Enough, Young Haya." Atsuko silenced her rambling with the calm order. The Crow shut her eyes and hummed amusedly. "I should've known you would believe I was angry with you, when I have feared your anger. We are both quite the fools.

"It's true there are times you are reckless. But a poor friend? You are no such thing. It's true my heart aches when you are hurt, but that is because you are precious to me. It's true Kasai injured me, but that is due to my own arrogance. I attacked when I believed there was opening, yet he left that opening to draw me in."

Atsuko dipped her beak at her splint wing. "These injuries are not your doing, Young Haya. Do not blame yourself. I am not angry with you, nor do I place the fault on your shoulders. We are a team. Let's not divide ourselves with guilt. We survived to fight another day. However, allow me to apologize for my absence when this Masked Man appeared. I cannot imagine the fear you felt, and I am truly sorry I could not protect you."

"It's not your fault, Atsuko," Amari shook her head. "I'm not angry with you. I'm… Can I hug you?"

The Head of the Crows hummed fondly and hopped up her legs. "Certainly. Gently, I must implore. My injuries have made me quite fragile."

Amari hugged the Crow. "I'm sorry. I'll do my best to become stronger."

"I am sorry as well. We will grow stronger together. Until I have taught you everything I know, until I have helped you accomplish your dream, I will refuse death as you do, Young Haya." She relinquished her hold. Atsuko smiled at her. "I am truly happy you are well, my friend."

"Me too."

Atsuko climbed up her arm, onto her shoulder and took her perch there. It was a few hours before noon when Naruto and Sakura arrived.

Sakura wrapped both Sasuke and Amari in tight embraces, her emotions swelling and unraveling at the sight of them awake, alive and relatively back to normal. Sasuke patted her on the back, an awkward expression on his face. Amari embraced Sakura warmly and rubbed her hand over her back, acting as a strong pillar of support for her friend and teammate—as was her duty as the balancing point of Team Seven and as someone who cared deeply for the pink-haired girl.

"I'm here, Sakura. I'm here," Amari soothed.

"I'll be there next time," Sakura promised in a choked whisper. "Next time…next time I'll be strong enough to help you. To heal and support you, like you always support us."

"I know. Thank you."

Naruto was no less emotional than Sakura. He restrained himself from hugging Sasuke, instead choosing to smile and say:

"I know it might be weird of me to say, but…I'm happy you're okay, Sasuke."

"Thanks, Naruto," Sasuke nodded.

After Sakura relinquished her steely hold, she was immediately bombarded by Naruto's surprise tackle hug and emotional ramblings. Sakura giggled at her expense. Sasuke snorted. Atsuko, after narrowly avoiding the tackle, settled on the bed and watched on with mirth.

Eventually, their teammates settled on their beds. Sakura sat with Amari and Naruto sat on the edge of Sasuke's bed as they vented their fears and expressed their happiness at their recovery.

Neither sported any visible sign of the injuries they sustained. However, Naruto in particular bore a substantial weight of guilt on his shoulders for being unable to help Amari against the real Kasai, especially after seeing the state she was in afterwards. It took her and Atsuko together to relieve him of the burden.

"By the sound of it," Amari spoke during a stretch of silence, "you've all been briefed on what happened with Kasai and the Masked Man."

Sakura explained how Shikamaru and Mimi went around to their peers to pass on the Intel they'd been given by the Hokage and Shikaku. Wise on their part, and something Amari had planned to do herself.

Apparently the Sand shinobis were still around, too. According to her fellow kunoichi they were helping around at the Academy, teaching the odd class. Shikamaru and Mimi were doing the same—the Academy was shorthanded with the sudden increase of patrols.

Amari hoped to see Hikari before they inevitably departed home.

Around noon Sakura and Naruto left to get lunch for themselves, the two Uchiha's and Atsuko. In their short absence they had another visitor: Shino.

"Hey, Shino," Amari greeted when he stepped through the door.

The Aburame was oddly silent. More so than usual. He stopped in front of their beds, hands in his pockets and said nothing.

"Everything all right, Shino?" Sasuke probed.

Finally, the Aburame bent forward at his waist and bowed.

"My apologies, Sasuke and Amaririsu. When you and our comrades were in danger, I was nowhere to be found. Why? Because: I was on a mission with my father. It was an important mission, true, but you two, as well as my comrades, were hurt. It is to my shame that I alone was the only shinobi of our peers not to aid either of you when you needed me. Please, forgive me for my absence."

Amari traded a confused look with her clan-brother, who shrugged helplessly.

"Shino, you don't need to apologize to us," she tried genuinely.

"Yes, I do," he refuted, still bowing. "Why? Because: Both of you, and Hinata, were severely injured during the ensuing battles. As were Chōji, Neji and Ino. I may have been injured as well; these enemies sound truly powerful. However, I would gladly take the place of one our comrades if it meant they were spared from harm."

He's taking this pretty hard. She needed to attack this differently. Telling him he didn't owe them apology due to the circumstances wouldn't ease his burden.

"We accept your apology, Shino. Sasuke and I both know you would've been the first to volunteer for the rescue squads. We know you would have risked your life to protect everyone and rescue us, just like you did during the Invasion. Because you're our friend and our comrade."

"Yes, you're right."

Shino raised his head. Even though his eyes were hidden behind glasses, and the lower half of his face concealed behind the high-collared jacket he wore, she could tell her words meant the world to him.

"Why? Because: You always understand how your friends feel. It's why we trust you to lead us in times of crisis. One day I will repay the debt I owe you both. Next time I will fight at your sides and defend you from whatever threat we may face. Why? Because: You are my friends and comrades."

Sasuke nodded. "We appreciate that, Shino."

"You should. I meant it."

"Heh."

Sakura and Naruto returned with small plates of fruit—slices of apple, grapes and berries. Soon after the room began to fill up with their peers. First it was Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru. The Inuzuka duo appeared to have recovered already, while the kunoichi's right hand bore bandages and a brace; her left eye was also covered by a bandage.

Seeing Hinata's injuries firsthand, it brought back the guilt her uncle scolded her for. The Hyūga greeted her with a warm smile and a hug, spirit as strong as Kurenai said it was.

Team Eight positioned themselves around the room as they expressed their feelings on the mission or the Uchiha's current situation. Hinata stood beside Sasuke's bed, noticeably closer to the seated Naruto; Kiba and Akamaru were at the foot of both beds, the ninken resting on his partners head and shoulders; Shino leaned against the opposite wall, hands in his pockets.

It wasn't long before the door slid open again for more visitors.

Amari could almost sense the exasperated sigh of the Anbu agent. Unscheduled visits, grouping together in large numbers; no one was making his job easier.

Ino strolled in next, wearing an orange shirt bearing the Yamanaka Clan crest and black shorts, wheeling in a wheelchair bound Chōji. She wore her blonde hair down, strangely enough. She still looked beautiful.

The Akimichi munched on a bag of chips, with a second bag waiting to be chowed down on already in his lap. Compared to how she saw him last, Chōji looked infinitely better. He wasn't nearly as emaciated; he wasn't skin and bones, or on the verge of death. But he wasn't back to his normal size either.

Chōji was dressed in his usual white shirt—marked by the kanji character for food—and black shorts. His usual white scarf and green haori were missing, as were any sign of bandages. Neither wore their headbands.

Kiba scooted towards Sasuke's bed, leaning on the edge to make room for their new occupants to greet the injured duo. Chōji offered Amari a chip; she gave him a hug.

"We heard about what happened from Shikamaru. Are you two going to be okay?" Ino asked, as she leaned against Amari's bed, next to Sakura.

"We're recovering." Amari glanced down at her braced ankle, lying above the sheet. "It'll be some time before I'm back in the field, or allowed to train normally. I can barely stand on it without assistance right now. Without Medical Ninjutsu, my career as a shinobi would've been over. The branch that impaled my ankle severely damaged my Achilles tendon. Sasuke's in the same boat, just a different injury.

"What about you two? Any complications with your injuries?"

"The Nara medicines and Lady Tsunade saved my life," Chōji replied. "My recovery is the easiest. I just have to eat."

Ino rubbed her stomach. "I should be discharged in the next day. I'm pretty much healed. But the doctors have forbidden me from training and shinobi work for at least three to five days, just to make sure it heals properly." She furrowed her brow. "It's just so frustrating. I want to get back to training. I need to."

"I think we all feel that way, Ino," Chōji said. He crunched on a chip as he continued. "But we need to listen to the doctors. If we don't, we'll just end up back in the hospital again."

"Yeah, I know," Ino sighed dramatically. She then jabbed a finger at her teammate. "And don't talk with your mouth full! It's rude, especially when in the presence of ladies!"

It became clear to Amari that something, besides the lift on their isolation, was bringing her comrades and friends here when all of Team Guy arrived—Neji, included. He, like Shino, took up a station against the adjacent wall, close to the window, after nodding in greeting to Sasuke and Amari.

Rock Lee brought his shining light of positivity into the room. Mimi gave the Nara kunoichi a light swat to the head and a scolding to match her fearsome aunt's. Tenten watched on, amused by the fierce Nara shrinking into her bed at the Inuzuka's lecture.

Afterwards, Aoko dove from her companions head into Amari's lap, nuzzling against her and panting happily for her recovery.

"Next time, we'll gut that bastard together," Mimi promised.

The final arrivals were Shikamaru, who was joined by the four Sand shinobi.

"Ah, so they're not dead after all!" Kankurō greeted cheekily.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into his flak jackets pockets. "Sorry we're late. Took a while to find these four."

"I had a feeling when everyone started arriving one after another," Amari said.

"Here I thought we were popular," Sasuke drawled dryly.

"'Risu is. But you? I wouldn't bet on that," Shikamaru replied without blinking.

"Heh. Nice to see you too, Shikamaru."

"Ah, don't be like that. I'm just messing with you. But you're not wrong. When my dad told me your isolation would be lifted today, Mimi and I decided to gather everyone here for a meeting."

Gaara, with Hikari hugging his arm, approached Amari's bed. He nodded silently to her and brought Hikari's hand to the bed. Feeling the surface, the blind kunoichi thanked her friend and sat on the bed. Her hand blindly glided along the sheet, searching for the occupant. The injured kunoichi reached her hand out and took Hikari's hand into her own.

Hikari smiled. "Although he did ask us to gather for a meeting, Gaara and I came to check on you two. I have worried endlessly for your health."

"We're still recovering from our injuries, but we're okay. I'm just happy I was able to see you before you guys had to leave for home."

"As am I."

Gaara, like Neji and Shino before him, departed the major congregation of the group and leaned against the opposite wall of the beds, arms crossed. Temari stood beside him, a hand on her hip as she looked impatiently to Shikamaru.

"All right, so what's this about?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru, joined by Mimi in the center of the room, sighed. "Two things. First, I wanted everyone here so we could explain the current situation. We each hold a responsibility to our Villages as future guardians and leaders. The way I see it, the best way we can help is by building a united front between our generation."

"I agree," Gaara nodded. "The likes of Orochimaru, the Akatsuki and this Masked Man threaten the well-being of our people, our friends and the world itself. We must work together. Foolish pride and war, the cycle of bloodshed and darkness we've been born into, has prevented such cooperation in the past. It will continue to do so unless we choose a different path."

There was a moment of silent understanding that passed over the group.

"War is coming," Mimi spoke up. "It may not be today, tomorrow or even a month from now. But we will be faced with a war."

So, they've learned about the Stone, too, Amari thought.

"Is that the decision the Stone has made? Reigniting the Third Great Ninja War?" Neji asked.

"There's always a chance they back down, even if it is a slim one." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "But honestly, I don't think any of our superiors believe that."

"Master Jiraiya told us he thinks at best we can delay it a few months," Amari said, looking around at the gathered group. "The Sand isn't safe from it either. The Stone isn't seeking to reignite the Third Great Ninja War; they're seeking to turn their Nation into a shinobi Empire. First by felling us of the Leaf, then the Sand. Finally the Mist."

"Damn," Kankurō cursed beneath his breath. "They've probably been building up their strength since the armistice agreement."

"A shinobi Empire, huh? It is a bold plan," said Lee.

"A war," Chōji murmured nervously.

"If we know that, then why don't we strike them first! Crush their forces before they can even launch an assault. They won't be expecting that!" Kiba said.

"True, they wouldn't expect a surprise attack from us, Kiba," said Shino. "We could likely win a few decisive battles at the start. But in the end such a plan would only end in failure. Why? Because: We no longer possess a force large enough to crush the Stone, even with our alliance with the Sand and Grass. The Sand, too, suffered great losses during the Invasion. Furthermore, we rookies lack personal experience with their Land's terrain, which they would use to their advantage."

"So we're just supposed to sit and wait for them to attack us?"

"Yes. Why? Because: That is our best strategy. Our shinobi know the Land of Fire; it's our home, after all. Rather than attack them outright, we hold our position, creating a multiple-layer shield wall surrounding every possible infiltration point the Stone will use. We will sustain casualties, of course. Such is the ruthless nature of war. But as long as our shield holds, we will splinter their spears, minimizing our casualties while maximizing the damage to their forces."

"Exactly, Shino," Shikamaru nodded. "At this point, we have no idea the size of the Stone's forces, or the skill they possess. Still, if they believe they can form a shinobi Empire, we have to consider the reality they have the forces to do it."

"Which is why we need to build this foundation of trust between Leaf and Sand," Mimi continued. "Communication on their movements, and our other enemies, is key. A war is the perfect time for the Akatsuki, Orochimaru or this Masked Man to move in the shadows. We can't abandon our allies or cut our losses; we'll only destroy ourselves, in the end."

"'Tis possible one or all of our enemies have worked towards this moment together. The weakened states of the Sand and Leaf benefit too many to be mere coincidence."

Atsuko hummed. "If they have worked together, it's a selfish alliance. They act towards their own specific goals, likely meaning to eliminate each other when their usefulness runs its course."

"The exact opposite of the alliance our Villages need," Sakura noted.

Amari eyed Naruto, who hadn't spoken much since the talk of war began. His cerulean eyes remained pinned on the floor, smoldering with guilt and frustration. Master Jiraiya obviously spoke to him. He knew he wouldn't be around to help them fight, and she could tell he hated it.

"I'm all for this, but can we trust the elders of our Villages to see it this way?" Tenten asked. "What if they decide to cut losses?"

"Then we ignore them and aid our allies regardless," Sasuke stated. "The Sand came to help us, no questions asked. If they need our help, we do the same. It's as simple as that."

"You'd risk being branded as a rogue ninja to help us?" Temari questioned, full of disbelief.

"If we're all so willing to abandon our allies in their time of need, branding anyone who seeks to rescue as many lives as possible as rogue ninjas, then this world is truly doomed," Amari replied plainly.

Gaara, Mimi, Shikamaru and Sasuke nodded at her. Temari was taken aback, but seemed to settle on respecting her convictions. Hikari squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

"Amaririsu is right," Neji spoke up. "There are rules for a reason, certainly. But had we been forbidden from rescuing Sasuke, would any of us have truly listened?"

Every Leaf shinobi shook their heads.

"So, is it any different that we would accept the same fate to aid our allies of the Sand? No. It is not our way. Even if it is a suicide mission, we will still act to protect or save our comrades, accepting the consequences of our actions, no matter what they may be. That is the way of the Leaf shinobi."

"Yes," Hinata nodded sharply.

"Anyway," Shikamaru sighed, "that's really all I planned to say. Seems like we were a united front already, which means I spent all that time thinking about what to say for no reason. What a pain."

"Is your brain gonna short-circuit, Slacker?"

Aoko yipped teasingly. Kiba chuckled and Akamaru chortled at whatever she said. Mimi grinned.

"Too right, Aoko. Too right."

"Okay, so what's the second thing?" Temari asked.

"Oh, right." Shikamaru directed his attention to Amari. "'Risu, Mimi mentioned something about you traveling to a different world. Sounded like something everyone would want to hear about. Figured I'd spare you the trouble of telling it more than once."

"Oh yeah!" Ino jabbed a finger at the kunoichi, who was beginning to blush in embarrassment. "You showed up out of the blue with that space-time ninjutsu of yours! You owe us an explanation about this multiverse theory you mentioned!"

"Ah, I nearly forgot about your little trip," Atsuko hummed amusedly.

"Wait, you're not actually serious, are you? Traveled to another world? Is that some kind of joke?" Temari definitely didn't believe it.

Looking around, everyone was looking at her expectantly. She laughed nervously.

"Hehe, I…wish it was. But no, it isn't a joke. My first attempt to use my space-time ninjutsu kind of, well, failed. And it sent me to another world entirely.

"If it had been a possible future, the past or just a different version of our world—like Orochimaru became Hokage, or a Nation was destroyed during one of the last wars—it'd be an alternate reality of our reality. This was a different world altogether. There were constants and variables, but it's… Should I just start at the beginning?"

"Yes," almost everyone chorused.

"Okay, so I was working on the Flying Raijin, and I was certain I had completed the Seal. I placed it on the hilt of my kunai, threw it a few meters into the grass in front of me and prepared to teleport. When the Seal is right, it's like having a door only I can see in my mind; I imagine it literally as a door that I can open and jump through.

"I opened that door, and then, well…"

---

The incident occurred suddenly.

For those who witnessed it, it had been a normal day—a school day, at that. Students and teachers gathered for their early morning homeroom in the vast, tall glass building home to an alumni of excellent and famous students. It had been a calm day. An exceptionally normal, boring day, as days tended to be at school.

For the witnesses of the incident, the day would be the omen of extraordinary experiences to come—both good and ill. The incident would be marked by a sudden, all consuming blinding white light just outside the windows of the academic building, glaring brighter than the sun at the peak of noon. Those who dared to peer closer instead of covering their eyes and burying their heads against their desks in anticipation of the worst would see a violet flicker fly from it like a bolt of lightning, followed by the unmistakable sound of shattering of glass.

It would strike fear into the hearts of some, ignite the flame of the protectors and ruin an exhausted teacher's entire morning plan.

But for Amari, the incident—which was actually an accident—was less like jumping through a door and more akin to being forcefully dragged by a monster through it. One moment she was on solid ground, the next she felt herself being flung roughly through time and space, rapidly reappearing above ground at a high velocity.

She felt the flutter of her insides that occurred when she had fallen from trees. She noticed a bright light reflected in glass, and her own reflection suddenly flying towards her.

"Ah, crap!"

Or that's what she tried to cry out. There wasn't even time to curse, and barely time for her to lift her arms up in front of her face. By the time the word "ah," left her mouth, she was shooting through the tall rectangular pane of glass. Glass unzipped flesh, tore through fabric and buried itself into the unsuspecting victim of a space-time accident.

Still, the kunoichi kept her senses and rolled through her landing, spinning onto her toes and sliding over the tile floor, the tips of her left hand's fingers gliding over the surface. Her right hand, on instinct, immediately reached for her tantō and gripped the hilt as she slid to a stop.

Thin rivers of blood trailed down the entire length of her arms, pouring from the cuts on the inner and outer sides of the limbs. She could feel the shards of glass embedded in her skin, the warm blood on her face steaming down the bridge of her nose to her chin, down her legs and across her torso.

Something had gone wrong, she knew that without a doubt. And she was hurt, badly. There was a reason shinobi didn't dive through glass windows without breaking them with a ninja tool or explosive first, and this was it. However, the wise first step was to learn her location and assess any possible threats.

Sharingan and Byakugan flicking around, the kunoichi took in her foreign surroundings instantly.

A classroom? Is this the Academy? No, she shook her head internally. This room isn't set up like the Academy. The desks are all wrong; every student is on the same leveled plane, with a desk per student rather than the long desks we use. And the students…

They were in varying states of shock or hiding behind flipped over desks to escape the shower of glass she caused. These kids… They were without a doubt older than her and absolutely the strangest group of people she'd ever seen.

There was a girl with pink skin, pink hair and small horns on her head to the kunoichi's immediate left. A long tongue was wrapped around her waist, yanking her behind a fort of upturned desks. The tongue belonged to a slightly more normal looking girl—if one looked past the inhuman length of her tongue that reminded the kunoichi far too much of Orochimaru—with long sea-green hair, the ends of which were tied in a neat bow.

One row deeper was a boy with a muscular tail. Another row over she noticed the tallest and broadest of the boys, whose appearance made the kunoichi tilt her head slightly. Was he a fan of Kakashi's? He wore an almost identical mask. His pale grey hair was swept forward, covering his right eye.

The boy huddled his towering frame defensively over two people. The first was either a pair of floating clothes with a female anatomy, or an invisible girl. The other was an almost completely normal girl with dark purple hair stylized with an asymmetrical fringe; almost normal except the long, tube-like earlobes with some sort of body modification attachment at their ends.

There were others. An incredibly short boy with purple ball like hair, who wailed incessantly and seemed to be crying already. A feisty red-haired boy who was using himself as a shield between the kunoichi and his fellow students. Among them was a boy with a head that resembled a raven or crow. There was a boy with a head of hair colored white on his right side and red on his left and a nasty burn scar on the left side of his face.

There was an exceptionally busty girl at the back of the class, with a spiky ponytail to put most Nara to shame. A boy with fluffy dark-green hair and still others to count. One that caught her attention was a female student, who's right temple was shaved to the back of her ear and to the edge of the crown down to the flesh beneath, who's thick black hair, scattered with icy-white highlights like random bolts of lightning, was parted from that edge to lay over her left shoulder. She bore a deep scar through her bottom lip.

The girl was Body Flickering through rows, upturning desks as a distraction while grabbing stunned classmates and dragging them to the back of the class room.

In total, Amari counted twenty-one students.

The kids were dressed in school uniforms—white button up shirts, grey jackets, dark green pants for the boys and dark green skirts for the girls. A few looked primed to attack.

They never got the chance. Eyes snapping to her right, Amari took notice of the one adult in the room. He was quite slender, with a worn-out appearance that made the Nara want to ask if he was an insomniac or if he simply failed to sleep the night before. His facial hair was disheveled—did he shave, ever?—and his black hair was shoulder-length and messy.

Does he know how to brush it?

To top it all off, his black outfit looked pretty ragged, as if it was his one outfit to wear day in and day out except for the odd occasion when he washed it. It was a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants, which he tucked into his boots. One distinguishing feature on his face was a scar below his right eye, over his ocular bone.

At that moment, when they locked gazes, his eyes flashed red. His mess of hair stood on its ends. Amari's dōjutsu deactivated on their own, her chakra suddenly disrupted as if he'd shut off all of her chakra points. Not good.

The adult grabbed the grayish cloth scarf, bundled together like mummy wrappings.

"Clever move, Villain," he spoke in a dangerous tone she recognized from the likes of her sensei, her mother and Asuma during the battle against the Akatsuki.

He launched the scarf at her, and it reacted unlike any piece of cloth she could recall seeing. It snaked around her body, controlled like chakra threads controlling a Puppet.

"But not clever enough!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" she pleaded.

Leaping with physical strength and speed she was thankful Kakashi and Kurenai forced her to build up, she evaded the scarf weapon, flipping back and up onto the tall door behind her, then quickly pushing off again up onto the ceiling to evade the other end of the scarf.

The disruption of her chakra made it impossible to stay connected. Grunting, annoyed, she shot off the ceiling at the adult, intent on ending this fight before it could escalate further.

He surprised her with a fluid evasion, sidestepping her attempted tackle. Conversely, she surprised him with her agility as she landed gracefully, rolled away from his scarf weapon and blocked his flying knee.

Amari slid back, pieces of shattered glass parting behind her heels, crunching beneath her sandals. The air, she noted, rapidly began to chill. Sensing danger, she leapt and dashed a half-circle left, jumping and running along the chalk board as a trail of ice, formed out of the ice wall that appeared in front of the students, chased her.

"Ice Style?" she murmured beneath her breath, leaping off and directly at the adult.

The adult didn't block her kick. He showed his own agility, ducking beneath the blow, balancing on one leg as he struck with the other.

The kunoichi blocked the blow and used the momentum of the strike to throw herself into a back-flip. She landed on his podium and reached for her tantō.

"This fight is pointless. Yield. I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to."

"Hmph."

He blinked. His hair fell. Chakra flowed normally through her body once more. But she didn't attack immediately or reactivate her dōjutsu. This could be an international incident if she harmed a member of one of the other Nations, or if she allowed them to harm, kill or steal her eyes.

"Yes, it is pointless. For you, anyway. Do you think I'll just let you walk free and cause further damage or injuries, Villain?"

He's stalling, she recognized. I don't think I saw him blink that entire time, so…

Unlike her, he was revealing too much of his abilities by relying on his dōjutsu so much. She hadn't even used a single jutsu yet, while his limitations were becoming far clearer.

However, although he is relying on his chakra disrupting dōjutsu, this man is highly trained and skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as well as using that scarf weapon of his. It'll be a tough battle if he keeps disrupting my chakra, especially if I keep limiting myself to taijutsu.

But, she lowered her hand from her blade, I can't risk an international incident by harming him with my kunais or tantō. He's only doing what he must to protect his students, no matter what it takes.

Still, why call me a villain? It's so strange. He's not wearing any headband I can see, and he hasn't made mention of mine. Is this a shinobi Village? He would have called me a Leaf shinobi by now, right? Or said something about my Sharingan and Byakugan.

Her bandana wasn't covering her eye. She hadn't seen the need when she was training alone.

What did she do then? Attack? Defend? If this was like the Academy of the Leaf then reinforcements were surely on the way, which ran the risk of being captured or killed by these foreigners.

This is such a drag. How did I end up accidentally traveling between Nations? Argh, and I seriously thought I had it figured out, too, she groaned internally.

"I find your use of the word Villain to be archaic, honestly," she replied steadily. "And insulting. Hero? Villain? Those words are subjective constructs, defined by whoever is writing the narrative. Our world isn't that black and white." She cast a quick glance to his students. "If that's what this Nation is teaching its next generation, that they are Heroes and whomever they fight are Villains, then this is a Nation of fools."

The teacher narrowed his eyes at her but he said nothing.

"It's naïve to believe you can divide people into such definitive factions. Life's a lot more nuanced than that. I've met Demons and so-called monsters, and every single one of them had hopes and dreams. They had hearts. They were all human. Flawed, maybe. But we all are. They weren't unworthy of redemption, like this society of heroes and villains you see."

"An interesting thesis, kid. I might've given you extra credit for the well-constructed lecture. Unfortunately for you, this isn't a Philosophy class." The teacher grabbed his scarf. "It's only homeroom."

His eyes flashed red again, and his hair rose.

Despite her injuries, Amari smirked. She kind of liked this guy. Unfortunately for him, she hadn't only written a lecture for this class, but also a theory on how his dōjutsu worked. And she was confident she had a definitive conclusion.

"Consider my lecture free of charge, Sensei," she replied cooly.

"This kid," he smirked.

"Damn Villain! I'll kill you!"

The shout came from a student. A positively feral student with ash-blond hair and darkness in his crimson eyes.

"Stay out of this, Bakugo!" the teacher warned.

He was ignored.

An explosion erupted from the feral student's palms—some sort of kekkei genkai Amari didn't recognize from any of her studies. He launched into the air, over the ice barrier and drew his right palm back, crackles of a new explosion already beginning to form on his palm and a twisted grin on his face.

The twisted grin became a barely uttered gasp of pain, drowned out by another, smaller explosion. Smoke and ash filled the classroom and Amari's nostrils, but she was undamaged. Suspecting further interference from the students, she had been primed to move at a moment's notice. The feral student hadn't expected that. He thought she was distracted, so he tried to make a name for himself by defeating the intruder.

A costly mistake. She launched from the podium with greater speed of a trained shinobi, caught his attack arm by the wrist, smashed his insides with a crushing blow and twisted his hand to face his torso.

The explosion, while small, sent him flying back over the ice wall. Not unconscious, just pissed off. Amari landed back on the podium with grace.

"Kacchan!" the dark-green haired boy cried out.

"I'm not finished with you yet!" he bellowed, aiming one palm at her and the other at the desks—and students—below him.

"Boys and their fragile egos," she muttered, prepared to evade.

She didn't have to. The teacher's eyes flicked over to his student, cutting off his jutsu before it could launch again.

"What th— my Quir—"

He crashed to the floor unceremoniously.

However, the teacher's decision to look away from her was a mistake. Her chakra returned.

Disappearing in a blur of speed, she rushed around the adult, slid the door open and shut it behind her all before he could set his eyes on her again. The teacher cursed beneath his breath and declared the student—Bakugo—would receive detention for his reckless actions.

An alarm, she realized at that moment, was blaring through the building.

He has a dōjutsu that disrupts chakra flow, she panted. Warm blood slid down her skin, tickling her as it dripped and plopped onto the floor. She leapt with chakra to the ceiling, connecting to it and rushing away from the doorway. He called me a Villain, and so did his student. His student has an explosive kekkei genkai I've never heard of before. Another has real Ice Style.

She dashed towards a set of stairs, ignoring the pain of her injuries and the headache inducing alarm. Behind her a door slid open roughly. Then her chakra was disrupted, again.

"Damn it," she hissed, flipping out of the fall and landing on her feet

And he isn't wearing a shinobi headband anywhere to signify his Village. I checked with my Byakugan and I don't see one. What does that mean? Am I in a smaller Nation?

Amari leapt down the flight of stairs, turned and leapt down another into a new hallway. She scanned the area, head and eyes turning and flicking in all possible directions. Which way? Did she follow the stairs down, jump out another window? Where would reinforcements look for her? Where was she even?

But those strange attributes of his students… Could it be unknown kekkei genkais? How could one small Nation have so many in one place? And why are there so many windows?! No one in their right mind would have this many structural weaknesses in a shinobi nation Academy.

It was asking for trouble. An invading force would—

"YEAAAHHHHHHH!"

The amplified scream shook the entire hallway. The glass vibrated, shook and tremble on the verge of shattering. Amari cried out in pain, hands flying up to cover her ears in vain as she collapsed to her knees. She grit her teeth and scrunched her face.

Too…loud! Is this a Sound Village gadget?

"Grr! Arrgghh!" she groaned, vision fogging.

I… I feel like I'm going to pass out. Have to…keep moving.

Pushing onto her feet, she tried to Body Flicker again.

Nothing.

"It's that dōjutsu again," she hissed when her chakra refused to function properly.

The piercing, faux rock star yell ended as she staggered towards the stairs. At that moment, cloth wrapped around her left wrist and tightened into something akin to steel. It tugged the weakened kunoichi chest first down onto the cold tile floor.

"Nice work, Mic," the first adult she encountered thanked the faux rock star.

"No problem, Eraser Head!" He sounded like he had more exuberance than Might Guy.

However, the Uchiha, full of simmering anxiety, physical pain and withering patience was done playing games. She was furious.

"Where…" Amari growled, slowly rising back to her feet. "The hell…" She gripped the stiff scarf in her left hand and locked eyes with the pair of adults. "Am I right now?!"

The disheveled teacher was joined by a man wearing an ensemble of black leather, the studded jacket of which he upturned the collar of; he also who wore sunglasses indoors, strangely enough, and spiked his long blond hair upwards in a huge tuft.

They both looked at her suspiciously. Then they began to feel it. The air chilled, thinned. Killing intent flooded the hallway, constricting around them. They grew tense. The alarm blared incessantly.

"What shinobi Villages are you from? What Nation? You can see my Village displayed right here!" She pointed to her headband hanging around her neck. "I get it. I flew through that glass window without warning, but I assure you it was an accident."

"And yet you dress like an obsessive fan of the Hero Killer: Stain. Except you decided purple was your color, kid," the disheveled adult replied.

"Hero Killer? What the hell is a Hero Killer?!" She growled. "Never mind that. What Nation are we in right now?"

"You're not the one asking questions, Villain."

"On the contrary."

His hair fell. She Body Flickered. The Uchiha reappeared sliding between the disheveled adult's legs, his scarf still attached to her wrist. He released the scarf, foreseeing her attempt to use it to tie him up. She rose to her feet and Body Flickered for her real target: the blond.

The blond faux rock star saw nothing. She appeared in a crouch behind him, swept his legs out, pinned him chest first against the ground and placed a kunai to the speaker system over his throat. All in a matter of seconds. The disheveled adult whirled around, cursed under his breath and unleashed his dōjutsu on her again.

"Don't even try to attack," she said coldly. "The same goes for you, blondie. I even feel like you're building up a scream and I'll destroy this expensive looking gadget. And you better hope I don't plunge my blade too far, otherwise your throat will be next."

One cold onyx and lavender eye met the red eyes of the disheveled adult, who snarled at her but made no move.

"I understand how your dōjutsu works better than you realize," she continued. "It requires full eye contact on the individual you target to disrupt their chakra, but you can only maintain it as long as your eyes are open." Just like Ōkuninushi. "You've obviously trained to keep your eyes open longer, but each interval is shorter than the last. This time it was twenty-five seconds. How long will the next be? Twenty-four? Twenty-three? Even less?

"And your little gadget reminds me of the Sound Village," she directed to the blond. "Is your Nation working with Orochimaru? Did he supply this amplifier system to you? If your Nation is willingly working with that scumbag, I see that as reason enough to consider you my enemies. And you don't want that right now. I am very annoyed at the moment."

"Dōjutsu? Chakra? Orochimaru? Sound Village? Speak rationally. These words mean nothing to us. And that gadget is a legal Support amplifier. Break it and you'll be paying for it."

"I am speaking very rationally, believe me," she replied coldly. "Don't play games with me. The power in your eyes is an unknown dōjutsu, and it disrupts my chakra when you look at me with it."

"I don't know where in Japan you're from, kid, but my ability isn't called a dōjutsu. It's called a Quirk."

"Japan?" she repeated, ignoring the sinking feeling in her gut. "Is that the name of your Nation?"

"Yes. It's part of the continent of Asia," he drawled as if it were obvious.

Amari narrowed her eyes. "I've never heard of either of them."

"Then how are you speaking the language?"

"This is the language of the shinobi continent."

"Now who's playing games." His hair fell as he shut his eyes, annoyed. "There's no such thing as a shinobi continent."

"Yes there is," she refuted firmly as the sinking feeling grew worse. "I'm from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, of the Land of Fire. It's one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. We suffered an Invasion from the Sand Village and the Sound Village, the latter of which is run by Orochimaru. He's a rogue Leaf shinobi."

"Uh, I've never heard of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and I have listeners from all over the globe," the blond tried to be helpful. "Shinobi are ancient, my little listener."

"They're…what?" Amari gasped.

"Hm. What's the last date you remember, kid?" the teacher asked.

She told him.

The disheveled man sighed. He gestured to the window.

"Take a look outside, kid. It's better we get this over with now."

Her stomach was churning. Amari removed her blade and stepped towards the window, head whirling. What she saw drew a sharp gasp out of her. She stumbled away from the window as if she'd seen the death of her world in a vision.

Because, in a way, she had.

Beyond the Academy campus were structures unlike any she had ever seen before. Towers of glass, standing as tall as two Hokage Towers stacked on top of each other. Paved streets with strange metal constructs rolling over them.

This was not her home. This wasn't even her era.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no."

The crack of a whip drew her attention down the hall. A woman dressed in skin tight white latex beneath a very revealing black dominatrix outfit—accessorized with rhinestones—and equipped with a leather whip strutted down the hall, a sadistic gleam in her eyes.

"What a naughty girl you are, infiltrating our campus. Are you prepared for your punishment!"

"Midnight, stand down," the disheveled adult sighed. He sounded sad on Amari's behalf. "She's not a Villain. She's not even from our time."

"Huh?" The sadistic gleam vanished. She lowered her whip, rested her free hand on her shapely hip and took on a curious expression. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Amari couldn't breathe. Her thoughts were screaming in panic. Perspiration mixed with blood as her body began to tremble. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. Her home, her family and friends…

"No. No. This is— this is all wrong."

Without thinking, she took off down the stairs, struggling to breathe as she raced for the exit. The walls felt like they were closing in around her, darkening her world. The exit doors refused to budge when she tried to escape into the open air, where she was sure fresh air would wake her up from this nightmare.

Her entire body trembled. She breathed in and out, yet felt no oxygen as her entire world began to spin.

The kunoichi stumbled away from the door, into a giant mass of man. Had she been in her right mind, she may have sensed the power irradiating off of him. She may have realized he possessed power beyond the likes of the Fifth Hokage and possibly all Hokage before her.

Instead she could only look up at the man in a gold pinstripe suit, whose muscular frame and well-defined physique made her appear like a toddler next to a full grown adult, who's short blond hair was swept back, with two distinct tufts sticking up above his head, creating a sort of V-shape. The hair cast a dark shadow over his face, but two blue orbs glowed beneath them.

He was smiling widely, but his eyes did not match his smile. They were full of concern.

"Help…me," she pleaded, eyes shimmering.

Then Amari collapsed to her knees, unable to breathe, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She grabbed at her chest and let out a terrible wail of purest grief, agony and fear.

The giant of a man, without a word, knocked her out with a chop to the neck. As she succumbed to the peace of unconsciousness, he carried her to the Nurse's Office.

Because that's what Hero's did when a young girl cried out for help.

They helped.

---

"Dismissing the students now is irrational."

The disheveled man, Shōta Aizawa—known as the Erasure Hero: Eraser Head—leaned against the counter of the Nurse's Office. This impromptu meeting to discuss the child from the past consisted of himself, the principal of U.A. High School, the school Nurse, Present Mic, Midnight and finally the Number One Pro Hero: All Might.

Nemuri Kayama, better known as the 18 and Over Only Hero: Midnight, ran her hand—jingling with singular handcuff—through the varying layers of her spiky dark purple hair. After a soft sigh, she continued to gently scrub the blood stains off the child's arms, face, neck and legs.

The school nurse, best known as Recovery Girl, was a short, elderly woman who was just below four feet in height. She wore a thoughtful expression on her weathered features, watching the discussion from her seat beside the bed.

Present Mic—Hizashi Yamada—was surprisingly and pleasantly quiet, for a change. He leaned beside the door, lips screwed in a frown. Principal Nezu, a short man who appeared like a combination of a white-haired dog, a mouse and a bear and was a full foot shorter than the Nurse, stood with straight posture and his paws clasped behind his back.

All Might stood next to the window, his muscular form replaced by a lanky, painfully thin man. Such was his fate and his secret since the fight a few years back.

"They think we've been attacked by Villains," Present Mic said. "And it's possible someone from the outside captured a photo of that light this little listener appeared from. If the media catches wind of it, they'll turn up the pressure on U.A."

"Then we control the narrative," Eraser Head countered. "We tell that media circus that it was a Support class accident, or a student playing an irrational prank on his fellow students and we've promptly expelled them for it. Most students didn't see what happened, so they can be told it was a drill. Only my Class knows she exists, and if I tell them to keep to themselves, they'll keep it to themselves if they don't want to be expelled.

"Classes should continue as usual. If we release them all now, then the media will know something serious occurred."

"You're not usually one to involve yourself with matters pertaining to the media, Aizawa. What gives?" All Might asked curiously.

He sighed. He found the media to be a tedious minefield best avoided or outright ignored most days. They got in the way of real Hero work, and their irrational behavior could crucify even the most righteous of Hero's if they thought it could advance their careers. So no, he didn't involve himself with the media if he could help it.

This wasn't one of those times, unfortunately.

"If the world learns of this girl's existence, there will be chaos," he said. "As far as we know, she has at least five Quirks. One is a speed enhancement, another is the ability to connect herself to any surface, her right eye also changed color, her left eye transformed as well and the other is the ability to transport herself through time." He eyed the group seriously. "We cannot afford a media circus surrounding her. Our enemies will want to capture her for themselves and twist her Quirk to their means."

All Might nodded. "I don't want to imagine what the League of Villains might do with that kind of power." He glanced to the unconscious child. "Or what fate would befall this young girl if they did learn the truth of her Quirk."

"Or what damage she might do if they turned her into a Villain," Present Mic said. "I don't know a whole lot about ancient shinobi, but this little listener is definitely trained in hand-to-hand combat. And she is actually pretty frightening for a kid."

"Well, I can confirm she has seen battle," Recovery Girl spoke up. She turned to face the group. "It is possible she was even tortured. Her left arm and shoulder are covered with deep scars from what appears to be a blade of some sort. There is also the scar over her left eye."

"I wonder… Perhaps she doesn't possess Quirks at all," said Principal Nezu in his high-octave voice. "We are assuming her powers relate to ours, because we believe she is from the distant past. However, I have another theory. According to your conversation with her, Aizawa, she is from a shinobi continent. She claimed you wield a power called a dōjutsu."

"Right," he nodded.

"What are you suggesting, Principal Nezu?" Midnight asked.

"She may not be from a different time, but a different world not at all unlike our own."

"This is beginning to get over my head," Present Mic whined.

"There are many theories about the existence of a multiverse, but no evidence as far as our scientists have discovered. But let's say she is from a different Earth. It is highly possible her powers evolved differently than our own. Isn't that exciting!"

"She's dangerous," Aizawa cut in. "She may have the appearance of a child, she may even be a child, but don't let her appearance or age fool you. This girl is a skilled soldier. She has reflexes and situational awareness that rivals young Pros. She'd destroy my class in one on one combat. We need to keep the knowledge of her existence minimized."

"I agree," Nezu nodded sagely. "We will send the students back to class effective immediately. I will speak to the rest of the U.A. faculty privately. Please assure your students there is no threat."

"Principal Nezu, what are we going to do with this young lady?" All Might asked. "If what you said is true, then it's possible she may not have a way back to her home. Our world may be her home now. And though she may be a soldier, she is still a child who has lost all of her family and friends. That would crush many adults. I can't imagine the heart ache it will cause a child."

"For now, we will let her rest. Should she be unable to return to her home, I will ensure arrangements are made for her well-being. It is the least we can do."

The meeting was adjourned.

Aizawa returned to his homeroom, hoping for the kid's sake that she could return to her home, and also cooking up a plan on the chance she couldn't.

It was only rational to consider all possibilities.

---

As the final bell of the school day rang, Class 1-A as a whole exhaled a collective sigh of relief.

It was abnormal, to say the least. While they did encounter normal academic courses throughout their day, such as mathematics and modern literature, which few considered jovial or entertaining, the classroom was generally cheerful and encouraging even at the end of the day. It was hard not to feel even the slightest bit excited; this was the famous U.A. High School, home to alumni like All Might, Endeavor and other famous Pro Heroes.

Ever since Quirks first appeared, humanity had become a superhuman society straight out of a comic book. And with the rise of superhuman powers, so too did the profession of Pro Heroes. But the hard truth is that no one is created equal. Even though Quirks existed in the majority of the population, there was still a small percentage that were Quirkless—powerless normal people who weren't gifted or special.

Izuku Midoriya, a fluffy dark-green haired plain looking boy, once counted himself among them. It was devastating. All he wanted to do was become a Pro Hero like his idol: All Might. He wanted to save people with a fearless smile, but fate handed him a different set of cards.

That is until the day his entire life changed. The day he met his idol, who told him the one thing he wanted so desperately to hear.

"Young man, you too can become a hero."

Entrusted with his idols special Quirk, an ability that allowed the user to pass their amazing power onto a new vessel, he went from a Quirkless nobody with a crushed dream, to wielding a Quirk on the road towards his dream to become the world's greatest hero.

It hadn't been an easy road so far. Inheriting All Might's Quirk—One For All—didn't magically turn him into a Pro. One For All was too much for his fragile body to handle at first, leading to many broken fingers, arms and legs as he tried his best to prove himself, to reach out to friends lost in darkness and defend others.

Their first term was almost at its end. Their finals were right around the corner, and though that alone had been enough to fill some of his classmates with anxiety, the sudden appearance of a Villain crashing into their classroom left them all on edge.

This wasn't their first brush with a real Villain. Between the incident at the U.S.J. and the recent encounter with the Hero Killer: Stain, the members of Class 1-A had witnessed the essence of true evil—survived it, if only by the skin of their teeth at times. Still, the classroom always felt like a sanctuary of safety, a place where no Villain could ever hope to attack them. The teachers—a faculty consisting of Pro Heroes—and the security measures around campus would surely stop them.

None of them could anticipate a Quirk like that girl's, one that seemed to vomit her out of a sudden burst of light. Warp Quirks were extremely rare even in their superhuman society.

Bad enough the League of Villains has one Warp Quirk user, now there's another, he thought as he looked at the taped off window. And it looked like she inherited Stain's image, based on all those knives and the bandana.

But…

Midoriya frowned and lowered his eyes to his desk.

She was…just a girl. Younger than my entire class.

"I've met Demons and so-called monsters, and every single one of them had hopes and dreams. They had hearts. They were all human. Flawed, maybe. But we all are. They weren't unworthy of redemption, like this society of heroes and villains you see."

Her words left a dreadful knot in his stomach. It was the job of a Hero to defend society from Villains. But…was it wrong of him to want to save her? With her skill, her talent for combat and unknown Quirk, she could be a rookie Pro already—there was such a gap of skill between them and her, he could feel it.

Yet she inherited Stain's image. Not his ideals. Stain sought to purge society of who he deemed were fake heroes.

"The streets will run with the blood of hypocrites!"

Stain saw himself as a martyr, willing only to die by All Might's hand. But first he had to change society, return it to the path of being what he determined as true heroes. No fame, none of the money or the celebrity. Strangely, Midoriya understood his intentions, even if the way he went about them were evil.

What were her ideals? What made her choose the path of Villainy?

Can she be redeemed, too?

"Midoriya."

"Huh?"

The aspiring hero, startled awake from his brooding, turned his head to his right where two of his friends stood beside his desk.

Closest was Tenya Iida, the disciplined Class President of Class 1-A. He watched Midoriya with a concerned expression, pushing his square-lens glasses up the bridge of his nose. The other, standing beside Iida with her hands clasped behind her back and a curious glint in her warm auburn eyes, was Ochaco Uraraka—the first real friend he made at U.A.

"Are you okay, Deku?" she asked.

"Oh, heh, yeah," he smiled awkwardly.

"You're thinking about that Villain, aren't you?" Iida asked.

He sighed and nodded. "I know Mr. Aizawa said we should just forget about her. Or, well, said we have to forget about her." Their no-nonsense teacher threatened to expel them for speaking of the incident beyond the classroom walls. "But…I suppose I still haven't processed it all yet."

"That's perfectly natural!" Iida declared, robotically chopping a hand through the air, his neatly parted short dark blue hair shifting with his movements. "The incident occurred without warning, and we were put right back to work as soon as it finished. Perhaps you should go speak with Recovery Girl. It may help."

"No, it's nothing like that. Honestly, the intensity of it all hasn't really bothered me."

"What are you talking about?!" wailed a voice from behind him, small hands pushing against his back. Minoru Mineta, the shortest person in all of Class 1-A, a friend and…well, he was best known as the pervert of Class 1-A, too. Unfortunately. "How can you say that didn't bother you?! I nearly peed my pants when she attacked!"

Also known for oversharing his bladder functions when under stress.

"Grow a pair, you perverted crybaby!" shouted Katsuki Bakugo.

Midoriya sighed. He'd grown used to his childhood classmate and bully's outbursts.

"At least I don't have detention."

"What'd you say?! I'll kill you!" Bakugo's eyes were white with rage. Mineta, wisely, hid himself behind Midoriya. "I had that Villain right where I wanted her! If he hadn't canceled my Quirk she'd have been done for!"

"I doubt that," came the calm and steady reply of Shoto Todoroki. The perfectly symmetrical red and white-haired boy approached the conversation with his normal reserved expression. "She predicted your attack and countered it perfectly, without ever taking her eyes off of Mr. Aizawa. Furthermore, she fought while injured, without her Quirk and without using any of her weapons, and it took the teamwork of two Pro's to catch her."

"Don't talk to me, Icy-Hot! You're the one who failed to capture her first!"

"Exactly," Todoroki nodded once. "She has excellent battlefield awareness, with precise decision making while under pressure."

"Todoroki's right," piped in Momo Yaoyorozu sagely, Vice Representative of Class 1-A.

She sat at her desk, playing with the large strand of black hair hanging on the right side of her face, too short to fit into the long spiky ponytail she wore her hair in. Of all of Class 1-A, in intelligence alone, Momo Yaoyorozu was at the top of the class, wielding an amazing Creation Quirk which required the genius intellect she possessed.

"She targeted Mr. Aizawa directly after Todoroki's attack, drawing close so none of us could interfere with their battle without possibly hurting each other or our teacher in the process. The Villain also possessed an impressive level of spatial awareness and acrobatics. And that's all without her Quirk or weapons. Objectively speaking, I can think of only one student among us who may stand a chance alone. I think she would pick the rest of us off with how she countered Todoroki's Ice perfectly, and then turned your Quirk against you, Bakugo."

"Tch!"

"I'm with Yaoyorozu," Midoriya nodded. "Even with my Full Cowling, I doubt I'd have stood much of a chance against her." He looked up at Iida, Uraraka and Todoroki. "Although our individual Quirks could work to overwhelm or catch her in one on one battle—like if Uraraka caught the Villain with her Zero Gravity, or Todoroki was able to fight her on a battlefield alone, or even if Iida outmaneuvered her with his Engine legs—but…"

He brought his hand to his chin. "In a way, that's also our greatest weakness. All of us rely so much on our Quirks, even Mr. Aizawa. Versatile Quirks like Asui's—"

"I told you to call me Tsu!" the green-haired girl corrected from across the room, from the group of female classmates gathered together.

"Ri- Right! Sorry, Tsu!"

Toru Hagakure and Mina Ashido, the other two girls, giggled. He swore they said his name and the word cute in the same sentence.

Tsuyu Asui was one of the most levelheaded individuals in the class, honestly. During the U.S.J. Incident, her emotional support helped Midoriya stay calm when they were surrounded by Villains. But she was pretty adamant on her friends calling her Tsu, and the boy was nervous by nature around girls anyway. This was a common exchange between them; he doubted he'd ever get it right at this rate.

Talking to girls was hard.

"Uh, like I was saying," he continued awkwardly, "a versatile Quirk like Tsu's Frog Quirk, or Tokoyami's Dark Shadow or Kacchan's Explosion or Shoji's Dupli-Arms or Jiro's Earphone Jacks or Ojiro's Tail—"

"Midoriya, you're beginning to list the entire class," Todoroki informed.

"Ri- right! Sorry! It's just that everyone in our class has really unique and amazing abilities! And—"

"You're a massive fanboy, we know."

That voice silenced him instantly. He peered beyond his friends, to the girl sitting on her desk. Around her were Kyoka Jiro, Mezo Shoji and Fumikage Tokoyami, her seatmates and friends.

"Igarashi! Get off your desk this instant!" Iida demanded, hands robotically chopping the air like he was attacking invisible villains.

"Dude, chill," Kyoka Jiro replied with an easygoing smirk, twirling one of her long earlobes around her finger. "I'm pretty sure this desk was in a dusty closet somewhere before she sat on it."

"That's not the point!"

"Are you insinuating I'm fat or something, Class Rep?"

"Wha—" Iida looked absolutely appalled by the accusation. He rested a hand over his heart and gasped. "I would never insinuate anything of the sort! I have nothing but the utmost respect for my fellow female academics! And— Wait, you're distracting me! You know very well I meant nothing so scandalous and immoral!"

The girl with white highlights in her thick black hair chuckled deep in her throat, smiling mischievously as she always had.

"He's always so noisy," Tokoyami sighed from his beak. "Must you provoke him, Igarashi?"

"Must I? No. But will I? Now there is the titillating question, my melodramatic friend. Mineta, whisper the word titillating and I'll punt you out the window so fast you'll fly through time and space to a world where your balls won't grow back after they're removed."

Midoriya heard the pervert gulp. He could almost feel him sweating, struggling immensely against his perverted nature. Jiro snickered behind her hand. Shoji smiled behind his mask. Yaoyorozu sniffed in disapproval at the pervert. Tokoyami shook his head at Igarashi, though he was obviously darkly amused. Todoroki didn't seem to care what happened.

Fear was a powerful motivation, though, and if there was one female student Mineta feared, it was Igarashi.

"Now that he's dying on the inside," Igarashi continued, "what was your analysis of the Villain, Fanboy?"

Fanboy, it wasn't a cruel nickname or hurled at him by her to put him down. But…Yukiko Igarashi was his first childhood friend. She had defended him from Bakugo's bullying for a few years, before she changed. He never blamed her for it—the death of her beloved father crushed his friend, left her broken inside. She stopped reacting to Bakugo's taunts, stopped running in to save him, stopped caring about school and life.

One day she just…vanished. He never knew where or why. Not until after the incident with the Sludge Villain, when a Villain attacked the train he and so many others were riding on, derailing it completely. It was as he was hanging by his fingertips, holding a wounded child in one arm as the train car they were in was about to fall over the edge of a bridge that she reappeared.

Yukiko Igarashi saved his life that day and the lives of many others, in an incident caused by a group of outlaws she once considered family. From what All Might told him, the group became divided between two factions: Her honorable ideals and the new leader's grief stricken ideals to make the world understand his suffering. Suffering Yukiko empathized with, but could not allow to corrupt the family she found.

"Young Igarashi tried her best to steer him away from darkness. But, in the end, she realized it was impossible. So, she made contact with my smaller form, believing me to be a former sidekick of her father's."

"Why would she think that?"

"Her father was a valued friend. He was a good man, a true hero at his heart. When I finally found the courage to approach her, I had already sustained my injury and…she knew All Might was unable to save her father. I feared she'd reject me as All Might, so I approached her in my injured state, told her I was a retired sidekick of her father's."

"Oh. But…how did you know she needed help with the outlaws?"

"I didn't. I went searching for her at the behest of her sister, who had grown worried over what path Young Igarashi was embarking on. I went to help her become the hero I believed she could be. As a result, I learned of her situation."

"…She pushed her Quirk to its limit to save us. She…would've died without you rushing her straight to the hospital."

"Yes," All Might nodded, voice low. "I feared I had failed to save her too. But Young Igarashi's actions prove that she has a heart of a hero. Self-sacrifice, that is the trait any true hero possesses."

"Fanboy, it costs extra to stare," Igarashi smiled with mischief. Midoriya felt himself blush. He averted his eyes. "You have everyone here on the edge of their seats, willing to listen to you ramble on. Don't leave your audience waiting."

"It would be easy to judge her for the path she embarked on, Young Midoriya. Many will. Like that scar through her lip, her past actions will follow her everywhere. However, I implore you to look beyond the surface. There is more to Young Igarashi's situation than the crimes she is an accomplice to. She seeks to reform, to be a hero like her father."

"All of you with your judgmental eyes… Grr! I can't stand it! What do you know about me, huh?! What do you know about the life I've lived?! What right do any of you have to judge me when you've never lost anyone at all! You've never cried yourself to sleep, begging for your dead father to come back! You've never lived in fear of one of your parents! None of you know anything. You don't know what it's like to fear your own power. You don't know true pain, so don't you dare judge me!"

"It's not just a Heroes duty to defeat a Villain in battle. We must save people, even if that means saving them from themselves, Young Midoriya."

"Ri- right. Sorry," he spoke up.

Yukiko, back when you yelled at our class, I was ashamed because I realized I'd ignored All Might's advice and judged you the same way Kacchan and the others were at the time. I failed to even try to understand your circumstance or your feelings, when you've always gone out of your way to understand others. I failed to be your friend.

Only Jiro, Shoji and Tokoyami never looked at you like a Villain, or with distrust or suspicion. They didn't judge you for your past. Kacchan, Todoroki, all of us did. Yet you kept trying to find a path forward, trying to find your reason to be a Hero.

I wish I could've helped you. Because…you were my first hero. I idolized All Might, but you were in my life, Yukiko. You were my hero.

Yet…even with One For All I've only ever been a burden to you. I…

"Before you can even think of saving someone else, first you have to be able to take care of yourself, Fanboy."

I haven't been able to save you, when you always save me.

"Our classes Quirks are all versatile in some manner," he began. "And those who know how to use them at their highest level would stand a greater chance against that Villain. But she showed a Pro level of situational awareness and skill. Like Todoroki said, it took two Pro's teaming up to finally stop her, so any battle against her wouldn't be like those low-level Villains we faced during the U.S.J. incident.

"Out of all of us, there's only one person who's Quirk and fighting ability together could match hers."

He looked back to Yaoyorozu and motioned with his eyes towards the person in question. She nodded in agreement to his assessment.

"Igarashi holds the greatest chance of fighting that Villain," she stated. "When Mr. Aizawa took his eyes off her to cancel Bakugo's Quirk, the Villain appeared to teleport behind him and escaped, briefly. Shoji, however, was able to hear her footsteps, which means she's like Todoroki and Igarashi, wielding two Quirks. One is a Warp Quirk—that's how she broke into our classroom. The other is a speed based Quirk.

"Because of her ability to Warp and enhance her speed to appear as teleportation, she would be the worst match for the likes of Todoroki, who relies heavily on his Ice and Fire to attack and defend him from attack. He wouldn't be able to predict her movements to counter properly. She'd likely wear him down. It's not that Todoroki's hand to hand combat skills are lacking in any way, but she showed a far greater skill in the art."

"I agree," Todoroki nodded. "A victory wouldn't be impossible. But it'd be unlikely for most of us. Even you, Bakugo."

"I'd kill her, Icy-Hot. And I'll kill you, too," he replied in a deadly voice.

"Sure."

"Igarashi, on the other hand, wields not only a versatile Quirk that would allow her to match the Villain's speed, but she has a high level of proficiency in close-quarter combat," Yaoyorozu continued. "Even if they were to exhaust their Quirks, the Villain and Igarashi would still possess the skill to fight one another without it. That's what made the Villain so dangerous. She didn't need her Quirk to fight any of us. Neither does Igarashi."

"Bow before me, mortals," Igarashi deadpanned.

"Careful we do not inflate her ego too much," Tokoyami implored amusedly. "The door is only so wide."

"I'll take care of it." Jiro jabbed her friend in the side with her Earphone Jack, causing Yukiko to yelp. She leapt off her desk, prepared to take her vengeance. Jiro, wisely, hid behind Shoji's massive frame, snickering.

"Easy, Yukiko," Shoji calmed. "You don't want Mr. Aizawa to give you detention again for fighting in class, do you?"

"No," Yukiko grumbled beneath her breath. "I'll lay you out later, Kyoka."

"Lay…her out…" Mineta whispered, drooling as he bit his nails.

Two long earlobes extended between the gathered students and stabbed into Mineta's head. He wailed horrifically as Jiro sent her heartbeat thundering into him. Izuku seized up in his seat, afraid he might be attacked too.

By the time the assault ended, Mineta was still drooling, but not for the same reasons as before. He was face down on his desk, drooling over himself in a stupor of pain.

"Little scumbag," Jiro cursed, nose scrunched, blush on her cheeks.

"He is quite the fiend," Tokoyami nodded sagely.

The class slowly began to empty out after that.

Midoriya looked one last time at the broken window before he joined Iida and Uraraka.

I hope she gets a second chance.

I hope someone can save her from herself, too.

---

Review Response to Guest: Everything Sasuke saw were memories imparted onto him by Amari, or his own memories he had long forgotten. When Aimi is there it is a memory of his from his childhood that he had forgotten, which he realizes in it when he thinks to himself that there is so much he has forgotten. It was real. But, although they planned to introduce Sasuke to Haya, the time never came. The massacre happened before they could. It wasn't influenced by Orochimaru at all.

Shikaku was looking to learn anything he could, despite knowing of Kasai's Wood Style already, even if he ended up learning details he'd procured from the other debriefings. There could've been information the others failed to mention or forgot, which is why he asked Sasuke to tell him anything and everything he could. They did tell Shikaku, and they know of the possibility of another Tenzo and he did theorize he could be actually related to Hashirama, which is why he said they would have to wait until Amari woke up to learn more, or rather confirm the truth.

Who is Shikamaru's father? Shikaku. Kasai is, as he puts it, a bastard child of Hashirama's lineage. Essentially, during the wars, before Mito, Hashirama unknowingly impregnated another woman in a one night stand.

Tsunade was saying that it will likely take more than two or three uses of the Mangekyo Sharingan for her vision to deteriorate, and that different techniques might deteriorate it faster.

Tsunade wasn't actually joking about demoting her. She would have if her contributions hadn't saved lives.

As of now, the blindness in her left eye isn't permanent. It's the Mangekyo taxing the Byakugan eye with too much strain, to the point of temporary blindness.

Sasuke isn't entirely Cures of Hatred free at this point. He just doesn't vehemently hate Itachi anymore. He's probably around the same percentage as Amari is in Will of Fire and Curse of Hatred.

The next arc won't have Naruto because it's the My Hero Academia Arc. Afterwards he'll still be around for a while. Like Jiraiya said, he will be taking Naruto, but not for a while yet.

It's not an impossibility for Boruto to show up, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be from their timeline. I likely won't write the Boruto era, which is nothing against the series itself. I just haven't gotten around to watching it, and I kind of have an ending in my head for Shippuden that I want to leave this story on.

I might write stuff from the Stone's perspective, but I can't confirm anything on that at this point.

I doubt Mimi will have Suigetsu's similar abilities. But not an impossibility.

Thanks for the review!

Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: We'll have to see how Amari's new role will play out in the future. She already has some thoughts going, but for now its time to enjoy this little adventure into the world of My Hero Academia.

Thank you for the review!