A/N: Hey everyone, welcome back to The Crow's Atonement, because Chapter 5 is here. However, I have to say, five chapters in and we've got 100 reviews, 592 followers and 436 favourites. Thanks, all of you, I love you guys.
Disclaimer: Like everybody else on fanfiction, I own nothing.
KnightofGlory26: Perhaps I'm miscalculating how quickly it takes for somebody to progress from belt to belt, (cries in myself taking a whole year to get yellow belt), but Itachi will be a black belt by the time he's in U.A. And I'll admit, I haven't watched Naruto in so long that I admittedly forgot about Sasuke being able to see Haku moving through his ice mirrors
"Standard" - Normal Speaking
'Italics' - Thoughts
"Bold" - Super Moves
(Nighteye Agency Main Training Room - August 7, 2263)
The training room had been set up with several cardboard cut-outs of villains. While the were all shaped the same, the images of the cut-outs varied, with some showing villains with mutant-type quirks, and others showing villains mid-transformation or in the middle of launching an elemental attack of some sort.
Mirai and Itachi stood opposite to the cardboard cut-outs, the former with a couple of Hyper-Density Seals in his right hand.
"Watch me, Yaoyorozu-san." The green-haired man said.
Swinging his arm, Mirai released the seals and let them fly. He watched as they punched through a couple of the cardboard cut-outs, folding them in two, before continuing their flight path and destroying several more cut-outs, before hitting the reinforced wall and clattering to the floor.
Turning to Itachi, he noted how the boy had his quirk active, but strangely enough, one eye had followed the flying seals, while the other was firmly transfixed on his outstretched arm, making him look cross-eyed.
He had to fight down the urge to snort at the hilarious sight.
The boy then blinked, his eyes realigning themselves.
"Did you get that, Yaoyorozu-san?" Mirai inquired, holding out of couple of Hyper-Density Seals for him to take.
Itachi took them and waved his arm about, testing their weight in his hand, "Yes, Nighteye-sensei. It is odd; however, how something so small can weigh so much. It doesn't feel right. It's almost as if my brain is playing tricks on me."
The Foresight quirk user nodded, "You'll get used to it. Now, when your ready, throw."
The raven-haired boy held the seals in the exact same way he did, with the bottoms of the stamp-shaped objects held tight between his fingers. He mimed the swinging actions, repeated himself, and then released the seals on the third swing with sure-fire accuracy.
The two Hyper-Density Seals flew like bullets, with one punching through the mid-section of one cut-out, while the other pulverized its head.
Mirai nodded, appraising, "It seems you learn fast."
"So I've been told." Itachi replied, moving to retrieve the seals they'd thrown.
He watched as the boy picked them up, looked over the seals and the destroyed targets, then returned to his side and handed him the two Hyper-Density Seals that he'd thrown as a demonstration.
"Awkward to handle, but efficient." Itachi commented, rolling the seals he held across his fingers.
"I want you to continue practising with them," Mirai stated, fixing the boy under his usual half-stare, half-glare, "you may already have good aim, but you'll still need to train your arm to become familiar with the weight."
Itachi nodded, then turned and threw the two seals, destroying another cardboard cut-out in the process.
Mirai handed him the two that he was holding on to.
"Practice for the next hour, then you can do your Friday homework. I assume you've already done your normal schoolwork?" He inquired.
The raven-haired boy nodded.
"Also, Yaoyorozu-san, I have a question for you," Mirai said, "you obviously know that villains, much like us heroes, vary in type. There are those who are evil simply because they can be, those who embrace villainy because any other option is a roadblock to their lives, and those who do what they do because they believe that they are in the right. Why do you think this is?"
Itachi turned to look back at him, eyebrows furrowed in thought as Mirai waited for his answer.
"People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true, even when they might be wrong and false. That's how they define 'reality' and is also what makes some become villains. Some may become confused by what it means to be correct and true. Can a villain be correct? Can a villain be true? Correct and true, wrong and false are vague concepts, and their 'reality' may be nothing but a mirage. Can we consider villains, regardless of their motivation, to simply be living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?" Itachi answered.
The pro hero knew that an answer like that would've utterly confused somebody like All Might.
Sometimes the kid spoke with wisdom beyond his age, like a Buddhist monk who'd achieved enlightenment.
Still, that was a damn good answer. The Hero Commission hadn't been kidding about Maeko Yaoyorozu telling them that Itachi was deeply philosophical.
Satisfied, Mirai turned and left the room as he heard the sounds of more cardboard cut-outs being obliterated by his seals. He'd vowed to only take two sidekicks, as to ensure there wouldn't be too many at his agency, but given Itachi came at least two days a week and was practically a sidekick in his own right, Mirai wondered if he should expand his numbers.
Someone like Endeavor had dozens of sidekicks, but surely another one or two couldn't hurt?
(Nighteye Agency Main Office - May 7, 2266)
"Tell me, Yaoyorozu-san, what do you see?"
The thirteen year old, raven-haired boy narrowed his eyes as he stared at the TV screen. Sat on a wide, navy blue sofa, hot chocolate in one hand, he and Sir Nighteye were watching the finals for the UA Sports Festival's First Year Event.
Itachi watched as the naked blond boy on the screen slipped through the grasp of several octopus suckers, seemingly phasing into the ground in a manner that reminded him of the masked moron who went around claiming he was Uchiha Madara, and popped out of the ground behind a dark-haired boy who sprouted octopus tentacles from his fingers, stumbling as he did so.
"If you speak of the blonde, then I see someone with an incredibly capable quirk who lacks the guidance to truly make it great. We've been watching him since the Sports Festival started and I think he would flourish under your tutelage." He commented, watching as the blond slipped through several octopus tentacles and socked his opponent in the face.
"Much like yourself?"
"This isn't about me, but I would recommend making an internship offer. There's so much potential waiting to be unleashed, but it just needs to right spark." Itachi said, sipping at his hot chocolate.
"And you believe that I can provide that spark?" Sir Nighteye inquired, staring at him in his usual manner.
The half-stare, half-glare was such a common thing that Itachi was barely fazed by it anymore. He found it amusing how other people started quaking in their boots when trapped under the same stare that would've put him on edge a few years earlier.
"Yes." Itachi answered unhesitatingly.
The green-haired man's scowl increased by a fraction.
"And you don't think the boy will be fine on his own?"
The thirteen year old knew that Sir Nighteye was most certainly testing him now.
"No single thing is perfect by itself, not even All Might. That's why were born to attract other things to make up for what we lack," Itachi answered, tearing his gaze away from the screen to look at his mentor, "and growth occurs when one goes beyond one's limits, as you have helped me do. Realizing that is part of training, and I'm sure he knows it as well."
Sir Nighteye nodded, turning back to the screen as one of the announcers screamed: 'And after that spectacular clash, Amajiki Tamaki is down for the count. You know what that means, folks, despite his struggles and eagerness to get naked, Tōgata Mirio has won the Sports Festival Event for UA's First Years."
"Good points, I'll put in my offer for an internship, but there's no guarantee that he'll come here anyway." He said, muting the TV just as applause and cheering broke out.
Itachi felt the corners of his lips twitch upwards.
"Nighteye-sensei?"
"Yes, Yaoyorozu-san."
"You were going to give him an internship offer, even without my opinion, weren't you?"
The green-haired man glanced at him and nodded, "I was, but since I knew you wouldn't say something meaningless, I figured hearing what you had to say wouldn't hurt."
(Outside Nighteye's Agency - May 14, 2266)
"Excuse me, stranger, but is this Sir Nighteye's Agency? I'm sure I know where I'm going, but I just want to make sure."
Tearing his eyes from the light traffic, Itachi turned to see who'd spoken to him and found that it was the blond boy who won the Sports Festival; he was much for impressive and physically imposing in person, despite the fact that he was wearing his school uniform.
He wasn't much taller than Itachi - he and his sister were tall for thirteen years old at 5'5ft, and Itachi had the edge over her by a mere centimetre - standing at 5'8ft, but the UA student looked like he worked out in the day, worked out even more in his sleep, then worked out some more in his dreams. His muscular physique was visible as his shirt strained to contain it, and his arms were criss-crossed with many scars, some of which looked recent. He also had blue, oval-shaped eyes and blonde hair, with the top part styled into a cowlick, whilst the rear was swept backwards.
"Tōgata Mirio?" Itachi inquired, ignoring the question.
Mirio looked taken aback, "Oh, you know my name?"
"You won the Sports Festival. I'm sure half the country knows your name." Itachi deadpanned, causing the blond to let out an embarrassed chuckle.
"Heh heh, fair enough. Are you planning to intern here too?"
Itachi shook his head, "No, but I may do in the future. For now, I'm just Sir Nighteye's apprentice; Yaoyorozu Itachi."
Mirio blinked, grinning, "His apprentice, eh, Yaoyorozu-san? Looking to be a recommended student?"
"Enough questions, you've come all this way, so let's not you keep you waiting anymore." Itachi told him, walking towards the agency with Mirio in tow, the blond marching like his life depended on it, and once inside, he led Mirio to the receptionist who smiled and nodded at him, then cast scrutinizing eyes over the newcomer.
The blonde grinned and waved at her.
She pursed her lips, abandoning her work on the computer and bringing a piece of paper to bear.
"You must be the intern that Sir Nighteye invited after watching the Sports Festival with Yaoyorozu-kun," she pushed the paper forwards and set a ball-point pen on-top of it, "please fill out your name, age, quirk and occupation."
Mirio did as he was told and when it came to writing down his quirk, Itachi expected him to write down something along the lines of 'Phasing' or 'Intangibility', and not 'Permeation'.
Once he was finished writing everything down and had handed the paper back, Itachi led the first year student to Sir Nighteye's office where they found the man himself, stone-faced as usual alongside Centipeder, Medusa and Bubble Girl.
Bubble Girl gave him a cheerful wave, while Centipeder gave Mirio a nod, and a quick glare from Sir Nighteye shut down Medusa who was about to employ her usual trick.
"Tōgata Mirio, welcome to my agency."
The blond brightened, "Thank you for having me, Sir. Um, what would you prefer I call you?"
The green-haired man nodded, "Sir is fine. Do you know why I took you on?"
Mirio shook his head.
"I took you on because I saw somebody who was struggling with their quirk," Sir Nighteye said, "I saw somebody who had the potential to be better, but lacked the proper guidance to become so. Young man, I will help you master your quirk and become the hero you wish to become. Tell me, what sort of hero do you aspire to be like."
Mirio grinned and fist-pumped the air, "Sir! Someone who can bring hope to those without it, inspire those who lack a role model and smile for those who can't. I'll be the hero who rescues a million people and then rescues a million more!"
'Hm, he just outed himself as a fan of All Might, but without actually mentioning his name.' Sir Nighteye thought, maintaining his mask of cold indifference, even though he wanted to smile at that moment.
"That's a good goal. Now, Tōgata-san, I saw your quirk on the TV, but I want you to explain it to me, in detail, so I know what we'll be working with." He ordered.
Mirio nodded, adopted a thinking pose... then his clothes slipped right off.
Centipeder grunted and looked away, Bubble Girl squawked in horror and averted her eyes, the sunglasses made it impossible to tell whether Medusa was looking for not, and an unimpressed Itachi glared at the ceiling.
Sir Nighteye maintained eye contact with Mirio and had to press his lips together, hard, to hide his amused smile.
"Oh, sorry about that," Mirio chuckled as he shifted and shuffled, pulling his trousers back up and retrieving his shirt, "my quirk does that sometimes whenever I start thinking about it."
"Do you have... another attire that won't slip off when your quirk turns on?" Sir Nighteye inquired.
Mirio nodded, "Do you have a changing room?"
"Just go outside and change in the stairway. Besides us and my receptionist, there's nobody else in the building, so you won't have to worry about somebody walking in on you." Sir Nighteye told him.
"Oh-ho, you've to-gata see this." Mirio picked up his suitcase and jogged out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
For a short moment, the four of them stood in silence.
Then, Centipeder spoke.
"He's an... interesting young man."
"He's an exhibitionist!" Bubble Girl stated, her blue complexion making it hard for her anger to be taken seriously.
"He's big for a... what, fifteen, sixteen year old?"
Itachi glared over at Medusa, disgusted, "You looked?"
"Of course not! He's like, what, nearly ten years younger than me. I do have standards, you know." Medusa retorted, sniffing.
"Hn. Yours must be terribly low." Itachi deadpanned.
They fell into silence as Mirio walked through the door, dressed in a completely different outfit, "Ta-da!"
Now, he wore a white, skin-tight top with the number '1,000,000' stamped on the front in bright, yellow font. He had yellow and green shoulder pads which dipped and rose to form two V's. He also wore matching, white, knee-high boots, baggy, dark-blue pants, red gloves and behind him was an equally red cape. A white visor with a yellow, transparent lens was situated upon his head, covering everything but his mouth.
Centipeder let out an approving hum.
Itachi furrowed his brows as he stared at the million on the front of the costume, 'So dedicated to saving a million that he's actually got it printed on his costume. What's his hero name - Million-Man?'
Sir Nighteye stared at the cape, 'Hm, he really must be an All Might fanboy. I wonder which costume he got the idea from?'
"Right, Sir, you asked me about my quirk," Mirio said, smiling, "When I permeate through something, only the part of me that's within another object is intangible. So, if I step through a door, I make sure the foot that's through is tangible so it doesn't fall through the floor, and the same applies to the foot not yet through the door, but the rest of me is permeating in the door. The things that're unfortunate is that when my quirk is active, is that I always feel like I'm falling, because I still have mass, and since everything passes through me, I can't see, hear or breathe."
Medusa whistled, "That's pretty hardcore; blind, deaf and asphyxiating whilst trying to fight."
"It speaks volumes of his determination. His quirk is essentially a double-edged sword, yet he still aspires to become a pro." Centipeder mused.
Itachi crossed his arms, "Tōgata-san, if you were to permeate and fall through the ground, assuming you turned off your quirk whilst part of the ground, would you become stuck within it?"
Mirio shook his head, "I've experimented with that, as my father did before me, but my quirk will remain active long enough to eject me from the whatever my form is inside, since my own body mass cannot overlap with the pre-existing mass. If I could, that'd be a mass-ive mistake... heh, get it?"
"That was terrible. I'm afraid that you must be subjected to capital pun-ishment, but if you stop, then it won't matter." Itachi deadpanned.
Mirio laughed, winking at Itachi who felt the corners of his lips twitch upwards.
"The magnitude of your jokes are ridiculous."
They both looked over at Sir Nighteye who was smiling at them.
Medusa chuckled, "Barely an hour here and the kid passed Sir's test. At least he didn't make us weight, unlike with Yaoyorozu-san here."
Mirio blinked, "Huh, what test?"
"Sir Nighteye has a requirement for anyone who joins his agency," Centipeder started, arms crossed as he stared at the costumed blond, "to make him laugh, or at the very least, get him to smile."
The green-haired nodded, his face already back in its neutral state and the half-stare, half-glare having returned to his eyes, "And why do we smile?"
"Because a world without smiles and humour has no bright future." Itachi answered.
Mirio seemed absolutely awestruck, like he'd just had an epiphany.
"Now that we know your quirk, I'd like for you and Yaoyorozu-san to spar right here," Sir Nighteye told them, "seeing your quirk in action will help me plan out a suitable training regimen for you."
Getting the hint, Centipeder, Medusa and Bubble Girl moved back to give them space, while the head of the agency stood exactly where he was, confident that he could avoid any wayward attack that fell upon him.
Mirio and Itachi stood at opposite ends of the room.
The latter cracked his knuckles, shook out any stiffness in his neck and bounced in place as if he were a boxer getting ready for several rounds in the ring, while Itachi stretched in preparation for the oncoming fight.
"Tōgata-san," Itachi started, willing his Sharingan to come active, "just because I'm a couple of years younger than you, don't hold back."
Mirio grinned, meeting the raven-haired boy's eyes, "Likewise, Yaoyorozu-san."
They stared each other down, one of them building a momentary opening for themselves as they did so.
The room was so quiet that the ticking of the sole clock in the room was almost deafening.
Tick- fifty-eight seconds.
Tick- fifty-nine seconds.
Tick- sixty seconds.
Itacki kicked off, dashing towards Mirio who bent his knees slightly and clenched his fists, but under Itachi's psychological hallucination, induced by his Sharingan, what he saw would be off by half a second.
He didn't waste any time driving his fist into Mirio's gut. The blond coughed and doubled over, surprise written all over his face as the following uppercut shot into his chin. Mirio's head reared back and the following punch that should've connected with his cheek; instead, went straight through his face.
Off balance, Itachi stumbled through the intangible blond - his Sharingan had the honour of recording several of his insides - who turned and kicked him in the back.
He rolled with the kick, springing to his feet as Mirio slipped into the ground.
Itachi jerked his head to one side as the punch that came from behind grazed his ear. He shot an arm back, elbowing Mirio in the stomach and getting an 'Oof!' for his efforts, then grabbed the offending fist and the arm it was connected to, pivoted like a dancer and flipped Mirio over his shoulder.
Once again, he slipped into the ground rather than crashing into it with his back.
Before Itachi could blink, Mirio shot out of the ground from the exact same spot Itachi had thrown him into, moving at such speeds that his two tomoe Sharingan couldn't process his abrupt reappearance, and delivered a powerful uppercut into his jaw, all the while yelling, "Phantom Surprise!"
The sheer force behind the blow launched the raven-haired thirteen year old off of his feet and tumbling back, though he was quick to pick himself back up as Mirio rushed towards him.
Itachi moved to approach just as quickly and they moved to punch each other's fists.
Predictably, Mirio's fist passed through Itachi's and the blond extended a finger, clearly aiming to poke one of his eyes.
Like any sane and reasonable person who valued their eyes, Itachi shut them.
The poke to his eyelids never came, but he instead heard "Blinder Touch Eyeball Crush!", and as he opened his eyes, Itachi watched as a closed fist rocketed into his stomach, winding him and launching him back onto the floor.
'Goodness, he hits harder than Kisame.' Itachi thought, clutching his aching abdomen and coughing as he tried to regain the oxygen that'd been forcefully expelled from him.
From his position on the floor, he watched as Miiro turned to their audience, crossed his arms before extending them, and then yelled, "POWERRR!"
Sir Nighteye blinked once, then turned around and guffawed, his shoulders lightly shaking as his cold mask shattered in the face of such a ridiculous catchphrase.
Somewhere in the afterlife, Shisui was laughing at his misfortune.
Bubble Girl burst into a fit of giggles.
Centipeder's face got close to what one could consider a smirk with the head of a centipede, while Medusa tilted her head to one side, a shit-eating grin plastered onto her face.
"Huh, I like this kid." She said.
Itachi winced, pushing himself up into a seated position and holding up one hand in an 'I give' gesture as a shadow fell over him.
He looked over to see Mirio stood over him, a sincere smile on his face as he extended one hand for him to take.
He took the hand and allowed the blond to pull him up.
"That was... well fought, Tōgata-san." Itachi said, willing his Sharingan to deactivate.
Mirio nodded, "Agreed. That's a cool quirk you have, Yaoyorozu-san. How did you throw off my perception of time at the beginning? I was sure I had more than enough time to activate Permeation, but the next thing I know, you're closer than I thought and you've punched me."
"I use the vibrant red of my Sharingan to stimulate the brain's cortexes into causing hallucinatory images." Itachi explained, glancing at Sir Nighteye as the green-haired man walked over, cold mask back in place.
They both fell quiet, waiting for the man to speak.
"After that display, I have several ideas as to how we can improve your quirk," Sir Nighteye said, then looked at Itachi, "Take a break, Yaoyorozu-san, then carry on with any schoolwork that you have."
The raven-haired boy nodded, taking his dismissal and retreating to his guest room.
On his way there, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.
Taking out the phone and unlocking it, he pressed on the group chat that he, his sister, Ojiro-kun and Kendō-san were a part of.
Itsuka. K: Hey, how's everybody's day been so far?
Momo. Y: Going well so far. I managed to procure a computer today, complete with working wiring and coding, microphones, a CPU, cooling fan and a battery. It fully works too!
Itachi smiled softly. Computers, despite how simple they looked externally, were incredibly complex machines. This just represented another step in his sister's mastery over her Creation quirk.
Itachi. Y: That's great news, Mo-chan. If you can create something as complicated as a computer, complete with internal working, then I'm absolutely certain you'd be able to do more, like create a working diesel engine. Still, creating a computer, especially with coding, is remarkable.
Momo. Y: Thank you, Ita-kun. How's you day been at Sir Nighteye's Agency. Any developments?
Did getting beaten up by someone who could slip through everything count as a development? Even if it wasn't, Itachi saw no point in lying about it.
Itachi. Y: A new intern arrived at the agency and we fought to demonstrate his quirk to Nighteye-sensei. He can slip through everything and laid me out with two moves. And yes, I was using my Sharingan, but it's hard to hit someone who can't be touched.
Mashirao. O: He can phase through everything? Like... Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comics?
Itachi. Y: Yes, but his quirk is called Permeation.
Itsuka. K: This guy beat you with two moves, while you had your Sharingan active? I'm almost jealous of him.
The raven-haired teen smirked to himself. When he only had his one tomoe Sharingan, he and Itsuka fought on equal grounds, but now he had his two tomoe Sharingan, she struggled to hit him and it clearly frustrated her.
Despite that, she turned down all offers to spar without it, declaring that she'd improve herself until she could fight his two tomoe Sharingan on equal grounds.
Itachi. Y: One day, Kendō-san, one day.
Itsuka. K: YES!
Mashirao. O: I wouldn't tease her too much, Yaoyorozu-kun, it might give her the motivation she needs.
Perhaps his teasing would, but Itsuka would need ever more motivation to keep up with him if he ever got to the point of attaining the third tomoe in both of his eyes, and he had a feeling that it'd take more than sparring against friends or a mentor for him to get to that point.
Itachi. Y: One last thing before I go, how're you progressing with martial arts, Mo-chan. I apologize for not being able to be there often to watch and help.
Momo. Y: It's no problem, Ita-kun. However, I have recently attained my green belt, but I still have a long way to go before I can keep up and match you crazy 1st Dan black belts.
Mashirao. O: You should see her too! Momo-san's amazing in action.
Momo. Y: Ojiro-kun, you flatter me too much.
Itsuka. K: It's true though, Yaoyorozu-san. And compared to when your first started out, you've gotten a lot more confident and that's good. Karate has definitely helped you out of your shell.
That'd been something Itachi had also noticed. When they were younger, and Mother was much more harsh, Momo's self-confidence would crash after the slightest mistake, but now, his sister was much more sure of herself and didn't sound so unsure when she spoke about something she didn't have much knowledge about.
And when it came to pointing out the mistakes of others, she'd also seemed to have inherited the bluntness of the Aburame Clan.
There was nothing wrong with it, but she tended to make other students at school cry when she pointed out mistakes in their answers or problem solving. Momo meant well, but her words usually came out harsher than she intended.
A/N: And that Chapter 5 done. I hope this Itachi training under Sir Nighteye isn't boring too many people who are probably hoping for the big canon stuff. I also hope you enjoyed Itachi's interactions with Mirio and weren't too disappointed by his loss. Special eyes or not, it's hard to fight somebody who can slip through any kind of attacks.