The Teacher's Aide

3: Torchbearer

Naruto wasn't sure what to expect when he walked into the classroom for 1-A, but it wasn't dead silence and owlish stares. Especially when not two seconds before he opened the door, their excited chatter could be heard well into the hall.

Well, that was compounded with the conversations that poured out of Class 1-B, who he'd yet to meet. When he asked at lunch the day before, Kan-Sensei revealed that he wanted to get a better understanding of his new students' skills before presenting their predecessor to them as a goal to achieve. It was a little unfair.

Naruto would've snorted at that stray thought if he wasn't too busy being confused by the awe that overcame 1-A's faces. He arched an eyebrow.

"Uh, good morning, everyone?"

"Good morning, Senpai!" Most of them greeted him with a healthy dose of respect. Weird, even that Bakugo kid's lips had moved. Sure, he wasn't as loud as the rest in vocalizing a greeting, but his mouth moved all the same.

What the Hell was that homework assignment, Aizawa?!

"So...what video did you guys watch–Gah!" Naruto grabbed his cranium and glowered at Aizawa, who lowered his chopping arm as he walked past. "Uncalled for, Aizawa-sensei...we're going to go over the homework anyway, aren't we? I should know what you had them watch..."

"Yes!"

"Please, we've got to talk about it!"

"It was so manly!"

"I have so many questions, senpai!"

"It would do us well to ask him about it, kero."

"We will discuss the assignment...but not with you, Uzumaki." Aizawa deadpanned. Naruto hung his head and slumped his shoulders.

"Rude!" He muttered while rubbing his head. He recomposed himself and crossed his arms. And no, he was not pouting! He'd grown out of that! Really! "Why the heck not?!"

Okay, maybe he was pouting a little bit.

"Because your opinion on it isn't needed yet. I want to gauge their reactions." Aizawa explained tiredly. He slumped against his podium and sighed. "Take the first period and go help you-know-who prepare for his first class."

"Fine, fine." He said, turning to leave. He stopped and whipped around to point a finger at the man. "I'll find out somehow, though! Don't underestimate me, y'know!"

"Trust me, that's the last thing I'm going to do." Aizawa muttered. He sighed and gave him a flat glare. "Now leave."

Grumbling about unfairness under his breath, Naruto did as he was told. He really should've thought about the position more before he took it...but at the same time, the alternative just didn't feel right. Working directly for the HPSC had more cons than boons when he thought about it.

Some of their ideas to turn him into the next All Might (a flattering thought, if presumptuous) were kind of suspect. Then there was the suggestion he be assigned to co-op with Hawks, shifting a prominent Solo career into a Hero Team wasn't unheard of, but very rare in today's society.

Still, Naruto had no desire to further fuel the minds of those weirdos online that paired him with freaking Hawks.

Besides, there was still the upside to the job he had to consider. He'd finally get to speak one-on-one with All Might, the Symbol of Peace, himself. The thought of that alone was enough to lift Naruto's spirits and his meandering exit turned into an excited sprint.

Izuku fought back the disappointment he shared with his classmates over seeing Uzumaki-senpai leave. He wanted to know so badly how his senpai's Quirk worked. The most he wrote in his quirk journal were mere hypotheses and speculation. He disliked quirk speculation! It was so…unreliable!

"Now that that's settled…" Aizawa-sensei went over and closed the door before he walked back to his sleeping bag. "Let's get some introspection done. Anyone have any idea why I had you watch that video?"

"...Well, you said it was to prepare us…" Kirishima pointed out before he scratched his head furiously. "Gah! I can't get over how manly that video was!"

"Heck yeah, Uzumaki-senpai was awesome!" Sero threw in.

"Dude, people died." Jiro chided with a frown.

"Yeah, but still! That's the kind of thing we're all aiming for isn't it?" Kaminari asked, grinning like a fool. Jiro gave him a flat stare.

"You're aiming for mass murder? Pretty sure you're in the wrong school."

"Wh-what, no!" Kaminari's grin faltered as Sero and Ojiro laughed.

"If I may, Sensei?" Yaoyorozu raised her hand. Aizawa-sensei nodded and she stood up, the others going quiet when she spoke, "Well, I believe the purpose of the video was to show us the stakes that we put our lives at risk for. If Heroes didn't exist...Whose to say that Pain's atrocity would be limited to Wakkanai?"

Izuku, and many others, shivered at the thought.

"That is part of the reason, but it was to also have you gain a deeper appreciation for your Quirks." Aizawa-sensei said. He leaned against the wall and met each of their eyes. "You can do great things with it or nightmarish deeds. You saw the duality of such a concept in that video. For as heroic as he was, Uzumaki's Quirk did just as much damage as Pain's, and the only reason he could get away with that much collateral was because of the mass murder that Pain committed earlier."

"That raises the damn question, then, doesn't it?" Kacchan asked, surprising Izuku with his input being thrown out. His glare was (thankfully) locked on the teacher, but his words struck Izuku all the same. "Where the Hell was All Might?"

"...Oh, god, I didn't–"

"...I never even…"

"How could we forget..?"

"That's a very good question, kero."

"All Might was out of the country at the time." The words overshadowed the murmurs and whispers of 1-A. The Underground Hero's resigned shrug sold the next bit to the now understanding class. "Doesn't matter how strong you are if you aren't there."

Aizawa-sensei's words quieted the others and his certainty almost made Izuku believe him, if he didn't know the truth. That All Might likely couldn't do anything if he wanted to. The realization made him choke on his breath.

All Might...probably used his time up. Izuku swallowed. He could only imagine how helpless his hero felt, forced to be on the sidelines. Seeing such destruction, such death. Izuku had to stop the video several times to give his mom a hug. After, when she asked, he had to explain why and begrudgingly shared the video with her. They had sobbed together so much that he had to rewrite his paper.

"And consider this," Aizawa-sensei said. He leaned forward and leveled all of them with a heavy stare. "Did any of you ever wonder how much some Heroes actually have to hold back to still be considered Heroes?"

Silence. Pure silence.

"I thought not." Aizawa-sensei leaned back. "That's fine. Part of your time here will be teaching you to know when to hold back."

"Sensei?" Uraraka raised her hand up. "Did...Wakkanai was rebuilt, right? Was it contractors or–?"

"That's irrelevant." Aizawa-sensei shook his head. Izuku wondered why Uraraka was curious about that. Honestly, he was more concerned with–

"What about the people?!" Hagakure slammed her hands onto her desk. Her arms flailed as she elaborated. "That maniac obliterated an entire city, but I looked, there weren't any death tolls posted!"

"Ah, that's the part of the video they didn't get footage of." Aizawa-sensei rubbed his left eye. "Interviews will be aired with the conservative clips that will be shared. The answer to your question will likely be found in that broadcast."

"What about Pain?" Asui asked, raising her hand. "Was he caught?"

"The Villain Pain was a facade, a character given form by a reanimated corpse." Aizawa-sensei explained. Izuku blanched, what kind of Quirk could do that? Others had the same question, and the boldness to ask, but outside of Ida and Yaoyarozu, none had the tact or patience to be called on. Aizawa-sensei sighed at the classes' exuberance and glared at them, his hair rising up as his eyes shone like rubies. "Quiet. ...Thank you. As I said, Pain didn't technically exist, so there was no villain to apprehend for his crimes. That leads us into a bit of an advanced subject, but let's see if any of you can get the gist of it."

Their lackluster teacher started jotting notes onto the blackboard behind him. When finished, there was a pyramid of lines connecting generic Villain names. At the top was a question mark that Aizawa circled thrice. He stepped to the side and crossed his arms.

"What can anyone tell me about Masterminds?"

Yagi Toshinori had seen a lot of heroes in his tenure as the Symbol of Peace. Many rose to fight the good fight, but many more fell at his hands. All For One, even thinking of his deceased nemesis brought a scowl to his skeletal face. He shook the thought away.

Still, he couldn't hold back the nail biting sensation of meeting the stalwart Solar Strike. Would he be even tempered, like his politician father? Or worse, was he a carbon copy of his - gulp - tenacious yet heroic mother?

"Come on, Toshi-kun! I need another sparring partner. The rest of the class is in the infirmary!"

The crazy woman always managed to put their classmates there!

Fear of her brash and never-say-no-or-else attitude aside, he mourned the late Uzumaki. She would have paved the way for many female heroes to look up to no doubt. It was a sad case that the hero industry was both monopolized by men and sexualized women. Kushina would have ripped heads off if they tried that with her, and Minato would've fought the system from within, likely winning.

It was times like this he wished he could drink. Remembering the past just made him too wistful. He coughed and groaned as he felt the remaining quarter of his respiratory system protest his existence. Apparently, reminiscing also made him die a little faster. Figures.

A knock at the door had him panic and burst into his Hero state.

"ENTER, FOR I AM HERE!" All Might bellowed jovially, hiding his weakened state as he was wont to do. The door cracked open and the Symbol of Peace had to bite his tongue to keep himself from inhaling too sharply. He'd seen the video that was passed around the Pro Hero community, so he was familiar with the hero's appearance, but the young man that had walked in looked so much like his dear friends it hurt.

"Holy crap, you really are wearing a yellow pinstripe suit. I thought Nezu was yanking my chain." Young Uzumaki – that he had been granted his mother's name was no surprise, the family name had history that surpassed Quirks – muttered in awe.

All Might's smile strained at that. It was the only one he had that fit his body type! Why did people hate it so?! Sure, it was fashionable ten years ago, but still!

"Ah, Young Uzumaki!" All Might rose from his seat and walked around his desk to offer his mallet-sized hand to the youth. "Pleasure to meet you, big fan of your work!"

"Er, um...thanks? This is so surreal." The boy chuckled as he shook his hand. For a long minute. His smile, wide as All Might's own, but different all the same, turned downright vulpine. His eyes flashed yellow and All Might grunted when the grip on his hand increased.

Oh, god! Is that what my handshakes are like?! I have erred most terribly!

"Wow! Q-Quite the grip you have there!"

"Yep." The vulpish grin remained in place. All Might felt sweat bead on his brow as the pressure increased. Was he doing this on purpose?

"You, uh, gonna let go?"

"Are you?" Uzumaki arched a brow. "You seriously have enough time for this?"

"Ah." He knew. All Might deflated like the sad balloon he had become. Toshinori sighed in relief as the younger blond released his hand and stopped filling the room with his Quirk's off putting pressure. "You really are your mother's child."

"Oh yeah, the old pervert did say Mom and Dad went to school with you." Uzumaki crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought. He shook himself from it and then bowed slightly. "Sorry! I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Pleased to meet you, Yagi-san."

"E-Er, just 'Yagi' is fine. I'm not big on honorifics." Toshinori waved the formality off. His time in America had really left its mark on him.

"Oh, sure thing, Yagi. You can just call me Naruto!" The grin he got for the approval for lax conversation was not broad, but it was definitely brighter than the last smile he bore.

That was a fast acceptance! Toshinori blinked, then chuckled. "We've only just met and I can tell what kind of person you are. Your parents would be proud."

"I hope so." Uzumaki grinned at him. He interlaced his hands behind his head and looked around the office. "Nice digs, more decorated than Aizawa-sensei's. He's only got a mattress in the corner of the room."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"I know, right? I only got a locker."

"Well, once you get your degree and license, you too can get an office." Toshinori chuckled and went back to his desk. "So, what brings you here? I thought you were going to help the Hero Course with the high school curriculum."

"Tch, Aizawa-sensei kicked me out until later. Some group discussion he didn't want me in on." The youth flopped into the chair across from him. A near petulant pout on his face. His mother's pout.

That's just uncanny. Toshinori thought. He arched his brow. "So, you came to see me?"

"Kan-sensei doesn't want me to meet his class yet. Something about a bond between teacher and students…" Uzumaki muttered. He picked up an All Might bobblehead and flicked the upright hair, smirking in amusement as it let out a tinny 'I AM HERE!' while nodding. "Never pegged you for a narcissist."

"It's great stress relief. Flicking it over and over…" Toshinori refused to admit it was his favorite piece of merchandise, as well as one of the first before his modern costume was displayed. Plus, it was built to be extra durable!

"Uh-huh." Uzumaki gave him a skeptical look. Toshinori coughed, no blood thankfully, and interlaced his fingers on his desk.

"Anyway! You were kicked out by Aizawa and Kan told you no, so why not go patrol?"

"I'm supposed to be on the 'D-L', y'know?"

"...Yes...The 'D. L.'."

"You have no idea what that means, do you?"

"Not a clue." Toshinori had no problem admitting he didn't know modern lingo. Not to colleagues anyway. Students, he would never admit it to.

"It means 'down low', to be kept quiet. Don't look it up, you'll just get confused." Uzumaki chuckled and waved his hand before he leaned back. "The Hero Commission doesn't want me in the public eye until all their ducks are in a row for the Wakkanai Incident cover up and Solar Strike's special debut."

Toshinori twisted inside, hands balled into tight fists.

"There shouldn't be anything to cover–"

"My uncle killed sixty thousand people in the blink of an eye. A few dozen Heroes were killed face-to-face. It was documented initially to show the world what would happen to those who didn't conform to his twisted ideology." Uzumaki cut him off firmly. He closed his eyes. "He was sick, he had a tumor in his brain that caused him to lash out and kill his best friend. His Quirk's use only made it worse as he fell into a delusion. His last act of sanity was to give his own life to revive all the lives he took in his attack."

"Then he died a Hero."

"No. He repented with a heroic act, but he wasn't a Hero. Don't think that a moment of clarity makes up for all the havoc he wrought," Uzumaki said with a frown. He sat straight as Toshinori frowned at his rebuttal. "Yagi, I respect the work you do and have done for the world, but this is a fight that doesn't need to be fought. The HPSC made it clear that they can't pin anything to him, since he used a corpse as his proxy, which is the only reason I'm still as high profile as I am. The cover-up will be to hide the fact that so many people were revived, when most of them don't even know they had even died."

"I just–I wish that the truth could be shared," Toshinori said with a sigh. He was tired of lying. Of living a lie.

"I understand. I do too, but if that sort of Quirk existed and if anyone found out about it–"

"The scavengers would swoop in. People would ask questions." Toshinori grumbled. He rubbed his temple. "I see why you're accepting the cover-up."

"For the greater good." Uzumaki looked away, brows furrowed. "For 'peace'."

"...You sound upset." Toshinori pointed out. The boy opened his mouth, paused and then shook his head.

"Something's coming. I can feel it." Uzumaki clearly wasn't comfortable with his first non-choice of words, evident by how he fidgeted in his seat. He slumped forward and rubbed his face with his hands. "Too much is lining up for it not to be: Your weakened state, a rise in Villainous activity, my Uncle's destruction of a city, and there's rumors of a serial killer stalking low-ranking Heroes."

"I wouldn't think too much about it." Toshinori advised. He knew the young man in front of him was the true sort of Hero, cut from the same cloth that Young Midoriya came from, but his power wasn't enough to take the strain of being the Pillar of Society. He had to guide him as he would the next generation of heroes. "Despite being Heroes, we're still just human, and right now, we have a duty to the next generation to give them our knowledge and lead them to a better tomorrow."

"Fair, fair…" Uzumaki nodded. He sat back and let out a stressed puff of air before he gave Toshinori a small grin. "What'cha got planned for your first class, All Might?"

Toshinori smiled back as he pulled out his lesson plan...scrawled quickly on a notepad.

The bell rang for the last period of the day and 1-A waited with baited breath for their next superstar sensei, none more so than Izuku Midoriya. Their first period consisted of deep conversations on what they watched the day before with their seemingly bored, but fully invested Underground Sensei. The period that followed was basic High School requirements, again taught by Aizawa-sensei, before he tagged out mid-way with none other than Present Mic for English.

Lunch Rush's lunch was phenomenal, all of the students, even the surly and unapproachable Bakugo, agreed on that front.

"I AM HERE!" All Might announced as he strode into the room with his larger than life presence. "Coming through the door like a normal person!"

"It's really him!"

"All Might's teaching us!"

"He's in his Silver Age costume!"

"And boy, don't we all regret our Silver Age costumes!" Uzumaki-senpai chuckled as he followed in at a leisurely pace. He lifted his hand from his jacket and waved off the slight glower the Symbol of Peace gave him. "Kidding, All Might. Just kidding. It's just a little jarring to see you back in those duds."

"Says the young hero who is still in his first costume iteration." All Might huffed. The younger blond scratched the back of his head.

"Eh, technically, this is the second. Even if all I did was ditch a cloak and fix my jacket."

"It totally works for you senpai!" Hagakure sighed. Huh, maybe she was tired? It was super hard for Izuku to tell. Kacchan audibly gagged, which made the young Midoriya arch his brow. What was his problem? Did Auntie prank his meal again? She liked doing that in the second year of Middle School. At least, that was Izuku's theory as to why Kacchan's extras-er, friends kept taking his bento toward the end of that year.

At least his mother made large enough dinners to compensate for those lost meals.

"Is it or is it not tear resistant?" Ashido asked with a smirk and raised hand.

"That's...Huh, I forgot that that's totally a thing." Uzumaki-senpai rubbed his chin. He shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever, nah. It's just a jacket I've got fond memories with."

"Settle down, settle down. While you can gush about us, we're here for you today!" All Might declared as he pressed a button on a remote, making the wall open up with a number of suitcases labeled by number.

"...Does your belt even have pouches? Where did you get that thing?"

Pfft, stupid Senpai. Everyone knows that All Might's boots have sub-space storage containers along the sides, courtesy of David Shield. Izuku wondered if so much commentary about their attire was a hint or something.

"No, it was left on the desk."

Or that. It could have been his idea, too!

"Anyway, they say that clothes make the man, so let's see you all suit up and get ready to go Plus Ultra!"

"...You just can't help but wanna die for the guy." Uzumaki-senpai snorted as he turned toward the door. "Come on, Little League, we're hitting the locker rooms before we get to the field."

"Wait, are we playing baseball now?"

"Just grab your stuff and follow us! Any more questions and I'll have you run laps!" Uzumaki-senpai pointed at Ida. "Except you, you'll sit out of activities."

"That feels like segregation."

"That feels like a detention slip!"

"You are a harsh but fair senpai, Senpai."

"Thank you, Speed Stiff. All Might, we're burning class time." Uzumaki-senpai said, giving All Might a pointed look. Izuku froze. Was...Did he know? How did Uzumaki-senpai know?

"Ahem, yes! As Young Uzumaki said! Let's go, class 1-A! Plus Ultra!" All Might cheered as the class jumped out of their seats and ran for their belongings.

"...Remind me to have a word with their costume designers." Naruto grumbled as he rubbed his temples once the class walked out. Several looked over the top, which was typically good, but others...particularly the girls…None of the girls in his class ever dressed like that!

He was torn between being jealous of the boys in this class or being worried for the girls when they went out into the field.

Pervy Sage, I blame you. I blame you for this. Naruto cursed the dead man and swore he heard his laugh echo back at him from the afterlife.

"Look at you all, powerful and fierce!" All Might laughed. He froze while looking over the students and Naruto thought it was because he spotted the Yaoyorozu heiress, but followed his gaze to Midoriya. The simple green tracksuit was...frankly, it was adorable. A little green bunny, innocent and demure, but when angered...it packed a powerful punch.

That thought reminded Naruto of another bunny-themed Hero that had been bombing his social media as of late. He really needed to get someone to manage his social media before the HPSC assigned him a 'caretaker'. Maybe Yamanaka was still open to working with him? Sai said she was having a rough time getting a decent job. And furthermore–Hold on.

"Hagakure, right?" Naruto crossed his arms as he saw the gloves and boots...and nothing else.

"Yes, Juicy-Senpai?"

Ignore it! For the love of god, ignore it! Naruto fought back the embarrassed flush he got from the blatant flirt from the younger girl.

"Tell me you have a suit made of your hair?"

"...That's a thing?!"

"So many words with the Support Department. Oh so many words."

"Wait, Hagakure is naked!? What a time to be alive!" A little grape with legs crowed happily to the sky.

"Zip it, lech!" Naruto snapped on a pervert prevention reflex. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, Mineta, but seriously, keep it to yourself before I have to write you up."

"Wh–But all the boobs–Yaaark!" Mineta suddenly choked as something stabbed into his neck. He spasmed before he flopped back.

"Not cool." Jiro, who was one of two that were dressed in a rather modern getup, crossed her arms as her earlobe retracted. She glanced at Naruto who groaned into his hand. "Is that a problem?"

"Verbal warning: Don't do it in my eyesight again outside of a spar." He sighed and rubbed his face. He was going to age ten years in one week, he just knew it. No wonder Kakashi hated teaching him. He sighed. "Hagakure, you and I are going to go to the Support Department. I don't want to hear any objections to donating a hair sample for cloning you new clothes. Hopefully they'll be done in a few days."

"Wh–but what about class?!"

"We'll be back in, at most, fifteen minutes." Naruto sighed. He hated being an adult sometimes. He looked at All Might, who had a brow arched, and his smile still on his face. "You can handle the class for fifteen minutes, right?"

"Sure! It shouldn't be too difficult." All Might chuckled, waving his hand. "Good on you for taking the initiative to help our student, Uzumaki!"

"God knows someone has to before she runs into a thermal-eyed villain or civilian…" Naruto sighed. "Or if she gets hit by a splash of paint."

"Those are real? I thought that was just movie and cartoon stuff?!" Hagakure's hands flailed as she followed him to the doors.

"Yes. Yes they are. Trust me. I've seen it."

It was never pretty.

"Did he have to take such a big chunk?" Hagakure's gloves stroked over what he assumed was her hair. Which was probably several inches shorter on one side. Hopefully. Power Loader was a support tech Hero, not a hairstylist, and he said as much. Still, Naruto sighed before he answered the fretting girl.

"Yes, how else will they clone your hair into a costume?"

"I mean, I guess. Still, thanks for letting me hold your hand!"

"No problem. Still, scissors scare you?"

"Deathly! Have you seen what happens when you run with them?"

Naruto decided not to mention the times he had to do such a thing. His godfather had a very effective training regiment, but it was so out there. On the upside, if anyone ever came at him with a cheese wheel and a rubber duck, he would be ready for it.

"You mean it has nothing to do with the fact most people can't tell if they're going to cut your ear or your hair?"

"...Well, yeah, that too! But they're always so sharp!"

"I chose this. I chose this life." Naruto mumbled, rubbing his brow as he escorted Hagakure back to Ground Beta. They walked back in as Yaoyorozu finished up a summary of a match.

"...which is why Ida is the MVP of the round. Um, at least, I think." Yaoyorozu amended, while everyone stared at her.

"...Why is the building destroyed?" Naruto asked as he looked at the monitor in concern. Who had the power to do that?

"Ah, Young Midoriya and Young Bakugo's battle got a little too...heated." All Might admitted.

"Uh-huh...Where's Midoriya?"

"Recovery Girl."

"Why?"

"For his injuries."

"...Self-sustained, I'm guessing?" Naruto asked, resigned to being the adult here as Hagakure skipped back over to her classmates, immediately engaging in a hushed conversation with Ashido. He was going to ignore it.

"Partially."

"Partially."

"Yes, Young Bakugo did his fair share of damage in the fight."

"Tch, I did what needed to be done! Four-eyes is the one that dropped the ball against Round Face! Deku should've–!"

"Bakugo." Naruto glanced at the boy from the corner of his eyes in such a way that shut the loudmouth up. Their gaze held for a long second before the younger blond scoffed and looked away. Naruto sighed and smiled at All Might. "So, let's reset the sim and send the next team in, shall we?"

"Yes! That's the spirit!" All Might cheered. He turned back to the monitor. "Then, next is…!"

Katsuki couldn't believe it.

All those Quirks, they were so...so...Dammit! They were lame, but he was begrudgingly impressed! Electrification, Sentient Shadow, Multi-Arms, Creation, Invisibility, Strength Enhancement, Hardened Skin, Elbow Tape, Frog, Acid, Naval Laser and even the freaking loser with a Tail!

The Grape-head and the mountain boy were exceptions, they just sucked.

Icyhot was...impossibly strong. Katsuki was certain he could still beat it. With some thought-on tactics. He couldn't overpower that.

Yet.

Then there was Deku. That damn nerd...It was Deku of all people who overpowered him in his first class! With a damn punch that didn't even connect! A part of him felt sick in his gut, but he shut it up with a snarl, as a hate twisted in his heart.

Katsuki clawed at the chest of his uniform as he walked out the gate. His ears were ringing as if he had damn tinnitus or something. A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Katsuki whirled around and snarled at whoever touched him, only to be met with those damn eyes.

"Easy there, hotshot." Uzumaki crossed his arms, his dumb grin back in place. "I just wanted to talk. I've been trying to get your attention since you left the classroom."

"So you stalked me?!"

"I was never quiet, you just ignored me. Rude, by the way."

"Whatever."

"Ah, lighten up, Baku-Brat." Uzumaki chuckled before he stuffed his hands in his jacket's pockets. "Listen, I get it."

"Get what?" Katsuki scowled at him. Uzumaki shrugged.

"You're a big fish. You're used to owning the pond. Then you found out there's an ocean out there."

Katsuki bristled. He was a damn shark in the ocean! He said as much, and Uzumaki laughed. Tch, asshole.

"Oh, what would you know!? Your stupid Quirk's the flashiest thing out there!"

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet, isn't it?" Uzumaki reached up to rub the underside of his nose, smirking all the while. "And I thought a lot like you when I started going here. I'm the best there is at what I do, and damn anyone who thinks otherwise."

"I am the best at what I do!"

Then the glare came and Katsuki instinctively went quiet.

"That, that right there? That's not confidence. That's arrogance." Uzumaki spat the word, as if disgusted with it. "That kind of attitude gets people killed, but you want to be a Hero, right?"

"Oh, screw off, you preachy freak! I'm going to be the Next Number One Hero, and damn you if you...Gah, stop smirking, you got in my head bastard! I'll ki–!"

Supernova.

Katsuki quieted. Uzumaki stared at him. He looked up and sighed.

"Look, I'm not a teacher. I get it, you don't have to respect me as one, but I've been where you are. I was a lot like you. It took a really, really bad screw-up to make me change the way I do things."

Katsuki wasn't going to change who he was for anybody. He was fine as he was, he'd been awesome since day one and fifteen years hence the streak kept on going! So what if this loser thought he needed to be different! He didn't! He was fine, and said as much.

Uzumaki didn't laugh this time.

His eyes didn't change and his Quirk didn't flare.

He just clapped Katsuki's shoulder and started walking away.

The silence said more than words ever would and a chill went down Katsuki's spine. He was tempted to ask Uzumaki what happened. Tempted, but had better control over himself. He didn't care about this Pro's life story, and even if he did, there was that documentary that was going to come out later. With a dismissive scoff, Katsuki adjusted his backpack and started to walk away again, thoughts cycling around the interaction he had with his weird-ass T.A.

"Young Bakugo!"

Oh goddammit, at this rate he was going to miss his train.

AN: Yeah, I'm on this kick now I guess. So many things I wish I knew five years ago...

Ah well, binge while I can before the courts eat up my funds and work eats my time!

Friggin Adulthood...Why didn't anyone warn me!?

...Wait a minute...

Review!