It's getting dark; the burnt orange rays creep into Izuku's room like a slow flood. The room is quiet. Inko wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Work called her in for an overnight shift. There's a twinge in Izuku's heart as a bead of sweat rolls down his cheek. He holds the crushed, thin piece of paper Akira handed him earlier.
Murder
It wasn't murder. Was it? However, Akira suggests taking his brother's life through any means necessary after he becomes a horrible villain who took Izuku's family away—leaving him alone as the last Uchiha. He's by himself, still hiding from Itachi. Afraid that one day, that man will appear when everything barely comes together, and Izuku is finally happy. There he will be with a blade to his throat. Pushing it across Izuku's neck, slowly releasing blood in front of everyone he loves. Izuku can do nothing but cringe at the pain and hope for someone to save him again, just like All Might did. Izuku will not let that happen.
Revenge
Izuku also felt that frenzied flame feeding off his anger. His Sharingan dances at the excitement as he brings justice to his clan, to the Uchiha. Is that what he always wanted? Isn't Akira giving him the perfect chance to begin that path? Why does he hesitate to call? Use him. It's the only way.
Izuku sighs deeply.
But it isn't right. Inko or Akane would want him to run off into a fight to kill his bloodline even quicker than it already is. No, they would like him to live like a normal kid. Go to school, make friends, learn lessons, everything he should've learned instead of death.
But what does he want? What does Izuku Midoriya, Izuku Uchiha, Deku, whatever names he goes by, or whatever people call him, want? How long is he going to keep looking at others for acceptance?
Izuku looks across his room to his clear desk, illuminated by his computer screen and a black book beside the keyboard. The dresser dressed two feet away from the window drapes. As the remaining light of the sun barely touches the door handle. The room is clear of any dirt, grime, or dust. He doesn't need any of it—his clothes but precisely where they need to be. If they need washing, they are washed. The walls are bare. The bed encompasses the most space. Izuku's eyes dart back to the black book. The only piece of Uchiha relic that survived the fire. Everything Izuku based his life around. Yet, he could barely read the damn thing. Izuku bounced from the bed to his feet.
His body is unbalanced, and his casted arm is heavy. It didn't matter if Izuku tried to kill Itachi—he was weak. Even before Izuku broke his arm, that beast treated him like a dog toy. He couldn't let that happen again. He can't depend on All Might to save him.
The desk mirror reflects his bloody Sharingan. Its red light illuminates the dark, filling the room with its creeping light. He watches the Sharingan swirl. Those red eyes illuminate behind a solid black ring connecting two commas. Izuku always described them as commas, yet that's not what they are: a tomoe. Together, they look like a revolving wheel that subtly glows.
Izuku turns his attention back to the book; its words are a mash of scratches and letters that make no sense, at least to normal eyes. While the Sharingan is active, the random combination of letters and symbols squirm and worms into something understandable. It was written so that only someone with a Sharingan could read the book. Izuku understands it as the Uchiha history book. It is filled with many references to Marada Uchiha, the founding member of the clan, and the line of leaders coming after. Not many clan leaders were related to Marada; in fact, he left no heirs after his death, except laws.
Power will guide the path of a Uchiha. Fill your will with determination. Use it to your desire. Let no one smash your pride.
But what pride does Izuku have? He hides like a mouse from a cat. He changed his name. Any pride Izuku does have is chained for his own good. There aren't any desires other than to live. There hasn't been any opportunity for that other than now. All Might has not committed to his promise to capture his clan's killer for almost ten years. There hasn't been any progress. Yet, All Might barked orders at Izuku under the guise of pity and protection. His free will is on a silver platter. Except it's an illusion. All Might says otherwise, no matter what he asks, and it's almost suffocating. Then, he has to face the guilt of disappointing Inko and Akane. How long has it been since someone offered him a choice without any strings? Someone willing to put their entire life on the line for the same goals as Izuku. So, one who has been hurt just as much as him.
The burnt beams of sunshine dull into a dying violet, seeping forth into blackish colors as the sun dips even more below the horizon. Izuku still stares at the book with unease. Usually, Izuku would toss the ideas that come with the uneasiness and run away. Except he's caught in their tangled web. His thoughts fight with himself, but the decision is obvious. Izuku cannot be oblivious to the opportunity because it is justice. However, it can be confused with the blindness of revenge and rage. Of course, others who have not been put in his place will think that. No one understands the feeling of everything being stripped from you in a single night.
If anyone asked how Izuku felt, would they feel disgusted? He wants to hurt. He wants to destroy and kill. What should Izuku do? Who would accept those feelings? Certainly not the law.
Imagine that happening to anyone else except Izuku would still be put to blame as Society will say that murderous kin-slayer should deserve a trial. No, he reaped what he has sown—death.
So, his choice was not hard. Izuku will accept Akira's offer and eliminate the villain, Itachi Uchiha. No force will them. Their rage flows forth like an unstopped tsunami flooding the earth. Izuku will march with the pride of the Uchiha clan on his back. Attempting to stop a tiger from seeking his prey is a fool's folly, for you shall also become its target.
Izuku never went to sleep that night. He only read every inch of that book as he has for years, despite the words turning back into chicken scratches and symbols. Izuku pours over the book, searching for any assistance from his ancestors. But Izuku's luck has never been great.
When daylight slowly creeps onto Izuku, he bursts from his room with his school bag over his shoulder and out of his home before anyone awakens. They shouldn't worry. Izuku left early like he had done before he was attacked. Why fear for someone who has a wrathful purpose? Worry for those in his way.
The streets were a little silent, with only a few vehicles passing him as he walked until he got to the busier side of town, where more pedestrians strolled to and fro. Even without his Sharingan, Izuku's body could sense everyone near him, whether they wanted to hurt or not. If they were angry, their smallest tales and signs, their tiny details that only mothers would notice. Izuku never noticed that his eyes were extraordinary. Sure, the Sharingan had exceptional visual capabilities while active, but with regular eyes, it's a different story. It's like he had a minor observation quirk. It gave him more confidence.
Once he reached his bleak school of Aldera, Izuku put a mask over himself, that brooding image of a loner everyone expects him to be. That maniac who hurt others for fun. With a history of not getting in trouble thanks to some nepotism that Izuku never had. But behind that mask he built is a wrathful Izuku with a plan accumulating, fiery eyes looking toward the future.
Only staff members come this early. It is right before the student council begins showing up before the student body slowly streams in. No one saw Izuku as he moved straightforwardly to Akira's office like a shadow. No one will ever find it suspicious a student meets up with a guidance counselor to discuss his future halfway through the school year. Akira sat in his chair, folders in a neat row, looking at Izuku. His gaze is meticulous. Akira already knows his choice. Izuku can feel it.
"Welcome back, Mr. Midoriya," Akira says with a smile. Izuku steps into his office and closes the door behind him. Akira shifts his arm. The door makes a mechanical noise and an electric buzz.
"Don't worry," Akira says, "No one will be able to interrupt us or hear our words. This is a safe space. So, have you thought about what we discussed yesterday?"
Izuku nods.
"You never did call me. So, what are your thoughts? What do you say?" Izuku can hear the eagerness behind his voice. Akira tries to hide a desperate grin behind his mask of confidence. Izuku marches up to the desk and places the piece of paper Akira gave him yesterday. It's all crumpled and squished. Akira takes the paper. He stares at it for a second before putting it on his desk. He looks back to Izuku. The numbers on the paper were crossed out and replaced with the symbol of the Uchiha clan. Akira knew what it meant.
"How prideful of you, Izuku. I assume you are ready to discuss how to kill Itachi." Izuku can feel his blood rushing. Anger fills him whenever he hears that name.
"Anyways, Izuku, I originally planned for you to train through intense means, but an opportunity opened our door for us."
"What kind of door?" Izuku asks.
"UA." Izuku stares at Akira. He wonders what the man is planning. "The school of some of the greatest heroes of all time. All Might is getting you into UA."
"What do you mean getting in? There's a process, a written portion, and a practical portion. No one can just get in. I understand that UA has gotten rid of the no-quirkless-allowed rule, but I can't get in without a quirk. I'm already disadvantaged from the start."
"Yes, while that may be true, I've looked through the system, and it says you're already accepted. In my years working here, that doesn't happen till after the exams. It usually says Not/Available until they fail the test. But you're already approved. Do you know how that happened?"
Izuku's mind rushed toward All Might. He must have talked to the principal or something. They must've let him in as a favor because he is being targeted. But that's impossible. Not even Endevors' kid is getting without an exam. What kind of games is All Might and UA are playing?
"I'm going to guess All Might. He must've done something." Izuku balls his fist.
"You're probably right. But the way doesn't matter; it's when you get in. We both know neither of us is strong enough to touch the air around your brother."
Izuku frowns, "He is not my brother."
"Excuse me, Itachi Uchiha. You need to get stronger. I am unsure what you do with your time, but you must ensure your strength. That's what you, Uchiha, are proud of, right? That Sharingan? Hero training is the best way of training, legally."
"Using their resources to make me better, while keeping my cover as quirkless. I'm not sure that would work. Practicing with the Sharingan is the best way possible to grow my power. All I would be doing is expanding my base abilities."
Even then, his base abilities are better than anyone else who doesn't have a quirk that gives them superhuman strength. Hell, some people might already call him superhuman. Fighting off three guys singlehandedly with a broken arm isn't an easy feat.
Akira sighs. He fiddles with his glasses. He takes a pen and begins writing in some of the folders like an actual guidance counselor. He drops his pen. Akira slaps his arms onto his desk and holds his hands together, laying his head onto his fists. He starts begging.
"I'm going to be honest, Izuku, I am not a killer. I am not a spy, despite how hard I searched for Itachi. I am not good with tactics, logistics, or strategies. I'm merely a mortal man, Izuku. I don't have the body to do anything dangerous. If I did all that and died, it would be in vain. People we lost shouldn't have died. They had their innocence ripped away from them. And after these years, fate has brought you to me and us, together with a common goal: to take revenge." Izuku thinks about justice instead of revenge. "Become strong, please. Please do it for the ones we lost. Please."
Izuku looks at Akira with a tinge of unwanted pity. It reminds Izuku of him as a boy who cried to All Might to bring Itachi to Justice. But All Might never did what he promised. And now, Akira, a man over twice, almost three times his age, is seeking help from a teenager. It makes him wonder what Itachi has done to this man to make him hang onto that anger.
Izuku blinks. The room is filled with thick, viscous blood, rising to their feet—waterfalls of blood stream from the ceiling and corners. Crying fills Izuku's ears. His heart quickens as he sees Itachi in dark clothing over Akira's shoulder with a blade to the back of his neck. He stares at Izuku with the Sharingan as a mask of blood covers his face. Izuku doesn't make a face. He doesn't know if the vision is real. His body temperature rises as he feels fires crawl through his back. Izuku wants to howler. He wants to rip Itachi's neck clean off his shoulders. Take his blade underneath his pants and ram it through Itachi's heart. Fingers, hands, and arms raise from the rising pool of blood reaching the sky for help. Not all of them are connected. A scorching pain suddenly fills his chest right where his heart is. An iron taste fills his mouth as a small river of blood runs from his lips. Izuku looks down at a blade piercing through him. Is this what death feels like?
Izuku blinks again.
The room is back to normal. Itachi is gone, as is the blood and the limbs floating like petals in a pond. These visions have been happening more recently, both in his dreams and when he's awake. He's not dead.
"Akira, be a man," Izuku says, "I will bring him to justice for the murder and all the chaos he put into our lives. I will become strong. I was never Interested in becoming a hero. You're right; fate did bring us together so we can have justice." Izuku places a hand over his heart, "I promise, or I will surely die."
Izuku doesn't know why he acted so paragon-like. He's planning to become a murderer. It didn't matter as long as it calmed Akira down. But that was an hour ago. School is rolling as it should. Like always, eyes peered over to him. They watched him like a monkey in a zoo, an elephant in a circus. The gossip could be any louder. Even the teacher could hear it. Izuku Midoriya knocked down three gang members singlehandedly, and he did it with a broken arm.
They weren't gang members or a part of the yakuza. They were troublemakers who had a bone to pick with him. Well, their pride is ruined once again.
Izuku doodles in his notebook. He couldn't pay attention to the lessons at all. His focus was on drawing. It felt so easy. Maybe it was the Sharingan work passively. But Izuku can't recall if he watches a painter or a drawer. For how long he's been drawing for himself, he's surprised his chance of copying an artist was low. No, this wasn't the work of a quirk or anything like that. It was him. Only Izuku's skill made the pencil dance. It was like ice skating; it went over, up, and around, connecting the lines with symmetry and accuracy. The shading was neat. Then he added the extra details. He writes a few footnotes next to his picture: a few here and a couple there. It's only to remind him of the context. The more Izuku drives his pen with a ballet dancer's grace, the more the problems lift off his shoulders.
It didn't last long as they all crashed back into Izuku as students near him started whispering about him. "Did you hear Midoriya beat three guys by himself yesterday?"
Izuku shook his head. He didn't need to listen to them. Let them say whatever. They're not important. He just needs to stick to UA, get strong, and get justice for the death of his clan—by killing Itachi. He doesn't need to hesitate. Izuku needs to stop seeing Itachi as his brother. He lost that title when he smeared the blood of his kinsmen across his face with an unconcerned look.
The bell rings, and Izuku leaves class and school first. He had what he needed from Akira. But before Izuku could leave school. All Might drove around in his car, window down, staring at him like when he picked up Izuku at the hospital. He didn't need to say anything as Izuku got into the car and drove off with All Might. Of course, he wasn't in his mighty form. He could drive around in that bulky body. All Might probably used up all his time being the Number One Hero. Since that's what he's always focused on.
The drive is silent. Izuku doesn't know where he's taking them and doesn't care much now. It wasn't rare for All Might to put him up. Usually, Inko would say something. Izuku has an itch that she doesn't know about this drive. All Might wants to keep it a secret. That's fair; Izuku is okay with secret drives as long All Might is honest and truthfull about the reason.
"So where are we going?" Izuku asks after breaking the 15-minute silence. All Might's sunken eyes glitch toward Izuku, then back at the road. He takes a breath as if he was going to say something but stops himself. He grips tightly to the wheel. He shakes his head, "To a beach," he said.
"What beach? What for?" Izuku asks.
"You'll find out?"
Izuku liked that part of All Might. He made him wait. Wait for All Might to answer his questions, wait for him to ask questions, and wait for All Might to complete his promises.
"Find out about what? You expect to sit here like a dog and obey your orders without telling me what you're going to do or go with me in your car?"
"Yes."
Izuku waits for a moment, "Are we almost there?""
"Yes." All Might says as he turns the car into a tight turn, gravity unchanging as it pulls them during the turn. There was a sudden bump and a giant shake before the scenery changed from dirty city streets to a beach. The change was drastic; the cement was cut off into sand immediately.
It was an unsavory sight. The sun burns overhead, blazing marvelously as the waves crash into the shore. It would've been a beautiful beach if it weren't for the massive piles of trash thrown onto the sands, blocking the view of the sea and the setting sun. Cars, junk, metal poles, toys, and construction equipment scattered across the sand. Why did All Might bring him here?
A few bugs smash the windshield as All Might slows the vehicle down and leaves. He opens the trunk and sees a long box. All might grabs the box and leaves toward the shore. Izuku unbuckles and follows him, wondering about the box.
"Why are we here?" Izuku asks as All Might makes it to the shore. He looks at the seafoam, carrying trash to the beach, pilling with the mountains of garbage already there. All Might gestures for Izuku to sit down next to him.
Izuku walks over a toaster and a couple of metal rods and sits down next to All Might on a large cabinet bent like an 'L.'
"So, what now?" Izuku says. All Might's sunken face looks at Izuku with a slight grin as if he had told a funny joke to himself.
The wind gently blows on Izuku's neck as the gradual sweat of the summer humidity begins to clump, "I was going to ask you what you want to do for your birthday, but I remembered you hated celebrating it anyway. So, I decided to do something else. Consider it a birthday gift. But please accept it. It was hard to find since it has been years since the collapse of your family."
Izuku's brow raises as All Might drops the box near his feet, "Open it,"
Izuku took the box; it was long and had a slight weight to it. Izuku hesitates for a moment, his mind racing with possibilities. What could be inside the box? Why would All Might bring him to such a desolate place for this? Izuku can feel his heartbeat echoing in his ears. Slowly, he lifts the lid of the box, revealing its contents.
Inside lies a beautifully crafted katana, its blade shimmering with a silvery gleam. The hilt is wrapped in black and red, the colors of the Uchiha clan, and intricate patterns are etched into the steel. Izuku's breath catches in his throat as he takes in the sight of the weapon. It's a symbol of his heritage, a reminder of his clan and the power that flows through his veins.
"All Might... what is this?" Izuku asks, his voice barely above a whisper.
All Might looks at Izuku with a mix of pride and sadness. "It's a gift, Izuku. A tool to help you on your journey to become a hero. I know I have been harsh on you, forcing you to become a hero. You probably hate me. That's fine. I've never been a likable person. But when I catch your brother, I swear to you, I promise you have any future you want. Whether it's to settle down in a house in the country or continue with your school, whatever it is, I'll support it." All Might give a slight grin.
For once, Izuku didn't know how to feel. Maybe a little guilty, Izuku is going to kill his brother and, in turn, probably become a villain. A villain that he'll have to capture. But that's fine. Izuku would rather accept that future than let the killer of his clan roam free. So he'll keep a slight smile, only for show for All Might. Even give him a nod and say, "Thank you, All Might. I hope you keep to your promise."
All Might liked that response. Izuku could feel it. Despite the man being the strongest hero in Japan, he trusts Izuku too much.
"Come, Izuku," All Might waves him over, "I want to show you something." Izuku lifted himself as he held the blade, sheathed it, and returned to the box; Izuku walked next to All Might.
"You see, Izuku, this place is a mess, and if you're going to enter UA as a quirkless student, then you're going to need to train."
Izuku doesn't like the sound of that.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, during the rest of the summer and the end of the school year, we, I mean you, are going to clean the beach."
"Why? Without my quirk, I can already beat guys double my size or even in a group. I'm more than confident I could beat up a couple of teenagers who think they're better than me, especially Bakugou."
All Might waves off Izuku, "I already know your shenanigans within your school. I know you're confident, but your arm is broken. It won't fully heal for awhile. I'll be training to retrain it to be strong. And I'll help you learn the ins and outs of being a hero. It'll help on a test." All Might puts up a thumbs up.
"Alright,"
"Now then, let's get started!"
