Chapter 2

Vigilante

"I'll admit... I didn't think you had it in you, Uzumaki..." He spoke through ragged breath, his body aching in pain. His gaze moved low for a second, more specifically at the prone bodies that were supposed to be his bodyguards.

But instead of that, they were now nothing but corpses, with blood surging from their sliced necks as pools of red liquid were being formed right below them.

He would have clicked his tongue at the quality of the men he had at his disposal if the situation wasn't so dire.

Specially since the one responsible for their deaths was now lifting him by the neck, making enough pressure so that breathing was becoming hard by the second.

"Things have changed, Giran." To think he would be caught in such position by a damn brat of all people...!

But then again, it was hard to still consider him just a kid after what he had just seen him do.

Kids didn't go around killing others with such easiness.

And that was excluding the whole 'dragging around All For One's mangled corpse for the world to see' shtick from a few weeks ago.

It had been a rough time to be on this side of the law, to say the least.

Especially now that he had Uzumaki manhandling him like a damn toy!

"You can relax, though." And although his voice was still as cold as a glacier, at the very least the pressure in his neck lessened slightly. "You aren't going to die today."

He would have preferred to not be suddenly thrown to the other side of the room too though, but his survival instinct made him only able to spit to the ground, right before glaring up at the approaching Uzumaki.

"What do you want...then?" He growled out, wondering why he was still alive then in the first place. He had been able to avoid the Heroes as they started cleaning up whatever remnants of opposition were left after All For One's death, just to then be caught by Uzumaki of all people?

He wasn't naïve, he knew he was still only alive because he wanted him alive.

But why?

"Long story short, I could use someone with your...contacts, so to speak." He spoke, even going as far as to spin the damn kunai he had used to kill his men. "In other words, you now work for me, Giran."

Tempting offer, surely.

"And what...do I even gain from it?" Business was his life, making profitable deals his passion. If Uzumaki thought he would do this for free just because he was threatening his life, then he was going to leave severely disappointed.

Uzumaki's response was to crouch in front of him, close enough that he felt more than a little tempted to try and reach his head with his hand in order to use his Quirk.

The way he stabbed the knife on the ground as soon as he moved his arm slightly though, stopped him from acting that idea out.

Uzumaki kept looking at him in silence, almost as if trying to find something in his face with how intently he was being looked at by him.

And it seemed he found whatever he was looking for, considering the next words that left his lips.

"In return... I will make you the king of the underworld."

"You're attracting way too much attention, you brat." He voiced out, feeling the beginnings of a massive headache on his temple. "Everyone is getting restless and that makes me restless!"

"That was the point, Giran." Of course, his words fell on deaf ears as the damn blonde that was his boss simply shrugged as if nothing was wrong with the world. "What part of 'I need to make some people nervous' didn't you get?"

It also didn't help that he was currently slurping down some instant ramen of all things.

"The part where it included me on that list." With that he simply sat back on his seat, a deep sigh leaving his mouth. He didn't know why he even bothered to be honest, not like much he would say could change his boss' mind in the first place.

Still, it felt good to be able to vent without fear of getting killed.

Even though this type of meetings were honestly the most dangerous part of their...collaboration, so to speak.

After all, if anyone on this side of the law were to learn he was working alongside not only a former Hero student, but also the very same person that was right now hunting criminals as if they were rats, well...

To say he would be ruined would be putting it lightly.

Still, the light at the end of the tunnel was promising, at least far more promising that his previous endeavors with the League, so he couldn't complain that much.

"I didn't come here to just hear you complain, I hope you know that." He did, of course, know that, but too many people were trying to find information about the new vigilante going around, and having to act as if he knew nothing got a bit tiresome after a while. "I just need to know if you have anything worthwhile so I can be on my way."

And he did, indeed, have some good info to show.

But it was also a bit more complicated than the previous info he had given out.

"What is it?" It seemed the slight hesitation showed on his face however, given Uzumaki's narrowed gaze. He even stopped eating! "I don't keep you around so you can hide stuff from me. That's the opposite of your job, in fact."

"There's one gathering happening soon." He grunted out while taking out the cigar out of his mouth. "Crazy bastards saying that is time to strike back again, that the war hasn't ended, that now is our time, blah blah, the usual drill they say to gather more people around them."

"What's the big deal then?" Uzumaki's question came with a frown. "If it's just more idiots trying to pick what All For One's started then-"

"It's not All For One they're ganging around." Then, he grinned, already expecting a reaction from what he was about to say. "But rather his very much still alive heir."

As soon as those words left his lips, it was as if Uzumaki became a completely different person. Gone was the brat that would tick him off with his attitude, and instead there sat the man that he knew could very well kill him before he even realized what was going on.

It was in the eyes. He didn't know how, but Uzumaki's eyes spoke of someone that had seen far more death than any sane person should. He wouldn't call himself an expert, but when someone lasted as much in the underworld as he had done so, they tended to pick those kinds of tells.

It helped with surviving, since that way one could avoid making deals with that kind of nutjobs.

Sadly, he was now tied to one of them. Such was his shity luck, he guessed.

"And it took you this long to tell me?" Uzumaki voiced out in a cold whisper, and he could have sworn for a moment he saw his eyes flashing red.

"They weren't getting much traction, so I thought they were all bark and no bite." He answered just as a bit of cold sweat went down his brow. "I'm sure they still are but...they got rather popular after they started bragging about a relic of old they found."

"Relic?"

"Nomu." It was a simple sentence, but one that also carried a lot of weight, so he wasn't surprised when Uzumaki's eyes narrowed even further. "I don't know if they really have some connection with that brat Shigaraki or not, but the Nomu thing... they're even willing to show it just to prove they aren't just talking shit."

And with that he pushed an envelope to the blonde, who grabbed as soon as it reached his end of the desk.

No more words were exchanged between them as Uzumaki swiftly grabbed the file before raising from his seat, his cup of noodles now forgotten on the desk and his eyes glued to the envelope as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"One last thing." But still, he wasn't the best at what he did for nothing, so there was still a bit more that he had learned. "These idiots, they haven't exactly been subtle about it, maybe because they really have a Nomu and feel safer with it? I don't know, but I do know that it isn't exactly a...well-kept secret around."

"You think the Heroes already know?" Uzumaki seemed to catch on what he was saying immediately, to which he could only nod.

"If you go there, I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't only society's rejects that you will be facing." Another grin formed on his lips, for just imagining the disaster that would be such all-out brawl was amusing to him.

It wasn't that amusing to his boss, however, who simply stared at him for an extra second before disappearing in a yellow flash.

His eyes swept through the entire room as he finished walked down the stairs, his gaze only stopping once he saw the mop of spiky blonde hair he was looking for.

He walked towards his target, the ruckus of the living room growing larger as he walked closer. He wasn't by himself, after all, rather the blonde had quite the amount of their classmates gathered around him, most of them in fact, who were seemingly enjoying whatever he was blabbering about.

He was the outgoing, friendly type, that much was obvious to him, although he himself didn't see the point in playing friends like that. They were here to grow and learn to become proper Heroes, nothing else, yet he seemed to like and waste his time playing like this.

His gaze wondered slightly to the blonde's right, where the ever-present figure of Midoriya sat. They were almost attached by the hip, so her presence wasn't a surprise in the slightest. In fact, the only reason he even looked at her was because she was also of slight interest for him.

If his current target wasn't Uzumaki Naruto, then he most likely would have approached her, rather than him.

But after what he had seen during the USJ incident, his interest had become more than clear.

"Uzumaki." So, when he finally reached the group, he didn't waste any time in calling him out, with the sounds that their classmates were making stopping immediately as they all set their eyes on him.

Since he had approached him from behind, Uzumaki and Midoriya were the last one that turned their attention to him, with Midoriya seemingly looking confused while Uzumaki was all smiles as usual.

"Yo, Todoroki!" Maybe he just couldn't help it? For it seemed Uzumaki was the only one that hadn't realized he wasn't here for games. "We were about to bring out the cards, want to join us-"

"I'm not here for that." He interrupted him immediately, not really caring about what he was about to say. "I only came here to tell you something."

Uzumaki's grin finally faltered, instead turning a frown.

"I believe I'm the strongest in the class." He started, simply stating what he thought of as a fact, not really caring how their classmates started frowning at his words. "But I also believe you're strong. Strong enough to even have All Might's attention."

You would have to be blind to not realize that the Number 1 Hero of the country had been paying special attention to not only Uzumaki, but to Midoriya as well.

"This is why, during the Sports Festival, I will defeat you, Uzumaki." He finally declared, his eyes narrowing a bit further as he did. "You can take this as my declaration of war."

"C'mon man there's no need to act like that." Instead of Uzumaki though, it was Kirishima the one that spoke out as he stood up from his seat.

"Yeah, aren't you being a little unfair?" Now it was Jirou who spoke, even as his eyes remained focused on the still frowning Uzumaki.

"I didn't come to U.A to waste time by playing games." He declared in order to silence their complains, his words finally getting another reaction from Uzumaki, for the next thing he knew, the blonde was now standing right in front of him, a frown still present on his face.

That movement made a bunch of the class jump into action, with Iida and Kaminari moving quickly to stand between them, while Midoriya and Ashido had their hands on Uzumaki's shoulder, seemingly in an attempt of calming him down.

Did they think they would start fighting right now? That wasn't the reason he had come here, he just wanted to make his feelings clear so Uzumaki could prepare. There wasn't a point if he was caught off guard, after all.

But if his words made Uzumaki angry enough to start something right here, he also wasn't going to back down.

What he got from Uzumaki though, was the complete opposite, for right after the frown of his face disappeared, instead being replaced by toothy grin.

"That's not going to happen." Then, Uzumaki suddenly declared with nothing but confidence dropping from his voice. "You're not beating me, Todoroki. I can promise you that!"

His words made him scoff, his eyes narrowing even more. Was Uzumaki underestimating him that much? As good as his Quirk was, it wasn't going to beat his Ice, wasn't that obvious? Or maybe he was just delusional?

"Because I'm going to give it my all." Uzumaki continued as his grin widened, but his eyes told him he was being nothing but serious at the moment. "And I refuse to lose to someone that's half-assing everything by not using their entire Quirk!"

His words made his eyes widen for just a second, before a glare set itself in his eyes once more, just as more of their classmates moved to stand between them.

He didn't care though, so he simply turned without saying anything else, his feet dragging him towards his room once more. He had said his piece, and now he was even more motivated than before. It wouldn't be just Endeavor, but Uzumaki too, he would show them that he didn't need to use that cursed Fire to win.

He was sure of that.

'Reports from every hospital-'

'There seems to be an increase in-"

'New surge of interest about vigi-'

'There's someone out there taking out the trash and I see no problem with-'

'The police, alongside the HPSC, offered no comments when asked about the identity of the new-'

"Could you pick a fucking channel already, Racoon Eyes?!" It was, of course, Bakugou who growled out in obvious annoyance, his yell only making Ashido blow a raspberry at him.

"Not my fault every dumb channel is talking about it." He knew what she was referring too, and so did Bakugo, judging by how his frown became even uglier somehow.

Then again, considering how the mood of the room dropped immediately, it wasn't like they were the only ones that knew what Ashido was talking about.

"Sorry..." She even went as far as to apologize in a subdued manner, only making Bakugo click his tongue before looking at the side in what seemed like frustration.

It was impressive, a part of him had to admit, how just a few words were enough to bring down what was almost twenty individuals in one go.

Suddenly, it was as if everyone was afraid of talking next, as if the next few words that anyone could muster would only end up making things worse somehow, which they might all things considered. Still, it wasn't like they could all just sit in silence around his living room, that wasn't why they had gathered here, after all.

"...It really has to be him, huh?" And in the end, it was Uraraka who spoke first, with a grimace etched painfully on her face and her eyes growing watery. "There's really no going around that...right?"

"We've seen the traces left after the attacks." Shoji followed up in a subdued tone, to which he could only nod. "It's hard to argue against that..."

"And that's ignoring the description the victims keep giving." Now it was Jirou who spoke as she kept her gaze locked to the floor, her voice cracking a bit. "The ones that he didn't leave in a coma, at least..."

At that he saw most of his classmates flinch, but he couldn't find fault in what she had said. It was the truth, after all. Those attacks had been brutal, and as Ryukyu had said, on the scene of the first attack, it was only a miracle that no one had died...

'...yet.' A treacherous part of his mind thought, but he quickly shook his head right after. Uzumaki was many things, but a killer he was not, he knew that much.

It didn't change the fact that there had been a series of attacks on groups of people all seemingly with connections to the now disbanded League of Villains, and while he himself had not been there to see every crime scene, some of his former classmates had, just like him and Yaoyorozu did before.

And they had reported the exact same thing as they had. Uzumaki's Quirk was pretty unique after all, and as Jirou had said, they couldn't just ignore the description people kept giving about the culprit.

"Guys c'mon!" It was Kaminari the one that stood up from his seat, an incredulous look on his face and a challenging tone on his voice. "This is Naruto we're talking about, there's no way he could have done this!"

It sounded like lousy reasoning, but frankly he couldn't help but to agree with him. They knew Uzumaki better than anyone, and this just wasn't him.

"We think..." Then, Yaoyorozu spoke, her eyes meeting his own for just a second before nodding, to which he simply returned the gesture. "That there's more to this that we know. For Naruto-kun to be doing this...there must be an explanation, a reasoning behind it that we just don't know yet."

Her voice was dripping with conviction, and he could easily see how most of their former class seemed to get a bit of their spirit back after hearing that, with some even nodding alongside it.

After all, it was the only thing that made sense, right?

"That would be logical." Iida's tone was as serious as it was hopeful, but it was followed by his brow furrowing. "But how would we even learn about it in the first place?"

"That's easy!" Kirishima stood up too, with a motivated glint shinning in his eyes. "We get him to tell us, that's how!"

"But how?" Asui, as blunt as ever, was quick to follow up, even though there were tears at the courners of her eyes. "We don't know where he is, or where he's going to be next."

In the end, that was the main conundrum at hand. It didn't matter what they wanted to do if they didn't even know where to find Uzumaki in the first place.

Then again, maybe that wasn't right. They had an idea where he could be, judging by his current activities, but knowing where those kinds of gatherings would happen was another matter altogether.

Honestly, the fact that Uzumaki was seemingly aware of when they were happening was a most concerning fact too.

"We'll get our chance in a few days." Someone suddenly declared, with his, alongside everyone's else's attention, going directly at the newcomer. "Then, we can get Naruto-kun back!"

"Hagakure..." He called out at the flying set of gloves, boots and small emerald pin that rested on her hair. "Did you pick my lock?"

That was the only explanation, given that she had just arrived, and he most certainly hadn't gone to open the door of his apartment.

"You need better security, Todoroki-kun." She said in an upbeat tone as she walked closer towards them. "You don't want any weird people going in without permission!"

"Excuse me, mademoiselle, but what is this about us having a chance in a few days?" Of course, Hagakure's words weren't forgotten by anyone, if the sudden intensity in everyone's eyes was anything to go by.

"There's going to be a raid in a few days." Hagakure continued her explanation, her tone becoming more serious as she did. "It's being kept on a tight leash right now; they don't want this info leaking out to anyone not actually participating...which is exactly what I'm doing right now! Perks of being the one that got this info in the first place."

"That's probably why Midoriya-chan isn't here." Hagakure continued without missing a beat. "Endeavor is probably explaining the situation to her right now..."

It had been weird of course, for Midoriya of all people to say she couldn't attend at the last second. If someone would have been here first, given the motive behind their gathering, it would have been Midoriya, after all, but if what Hagakure said was true then...

"Both Endeavor and Deku?" Sato's tone of confusion was understandable. "Are they really bringing the big guns just like that?"

Indeed, not only his father, who was still the Number 1 Hero of the country, but even Midoriya too? There had to be something else going on.

Maybe, it had to do with Uzumaki himself?

"There's a Nomu involved." Her sudden reveal though, was enough to make his whole body go tense. A Nomu, of all things? Even now, years after the war had ended?

"N-N-Nomu?!" Mineta's sudden quiver wasn't exactly surprising. They, probably better than most, knew how dangerous a Nomu could be. "I thought they were all gone!"

"Apparently not." Tokoyami's voice was solemn. "And if one of those monsters is involved then, it is not surprising that both Endeavor and Midoriya are participating."

"...And Naruto too, most likely..." Ojiro continued Tokoyami's trail of thoughts, voicing the conclusion he had already reached.

"But how are we getting there in the first place?" The idea wasn't perfect though, something that Sero pointed out quickly. "If this is really kept on a need-to-know basis then, it isn't like we can just walk in there..."

"I'll talk with Endeavor." He declared, earning everyone's attention. "Perhaps I can get him to include me in the operation."

It wouldn't be easy, and he particularly didn't like being indebted to his father, but if that was what had to be done then, he would do it without regrets.

"As for the rest of us..." Yaoyorozu seemed to be deep in thought as she spoke. "Perhaps, we could patrol the areas close to the raid's location. That way, if something were to happen and backup was needed, we would be the first ones that would arrive."

It wasn't the best of moves, that much he knew, but it wasn't like they had many other options left, at least that weren't outright illegal.

At the very least, it seemed like more fire had returned so everyone's eyes now that a plan had been formed, even if the chance of succeeding were low. They didn't even know if Uzumaki would be there in the first place.

But just like them, he honestly couldn't help but to hope.

Friends wasn't something he had many off, after all, so if there was a chance of seeing the person he considered his first true friend then...

"What...will we do?" Suddenly though, it was Koda's soft words that tore through the growing excitement. "If we find him there... what do we do?"

That was something important to consider though, wasn't it? After all, something told him that Uzumaki wasn't just going to comply if someone tried to stop his ongoing crusade.

In that case, if they saw him then...

Was a fight just inevitable?

After everything they had done to him already, were they really going to fight him now?

It seemed he wasn't the only one getting to that conclusion, given the somber atmosphere that was growing among them

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Bakugo's angry yell though, cut through it all as if it was nothing. "I don't know what you losers are going to do, but if I see Uzumaki again, I'm beathing his teeth in twice, first for leaving like a fucking idiot and then again for doing this kind of stupid shit!"

"We can worry about other crap after we get him tied to a chair or something." Then, Bakugo's voice went from hot to cold anger, a hiss leaving his lips. "So don't you lot dare get involved if you're just going to get in the way by having doubts in the middle of it!"

Bakugo's words were harsh and careless, but even so he found himself nodding towards him, which got him a nod back.

After all, it was something that they all needed to come to term with.

For there was no way they would be able to get Uzumaki back if they faced him half-assedly.

Another chapter done; one step closer to a more action-oriented chapter I promise for those looking forward to that.

Not every chapter will have the same amount of present and flashback scenes, for those wondering. Some might have less flashbacks depending on the chapter.

Thank you all for having read thus far! Glad people seem to be liking it so far!

Next Chapter: Confrontation.