A new faction forms! Let's see how this may change the dynamics of Japan in the future, shall we? But first: Reviews!

Gamelover41592: :)

Grieflord 101: Glad to hear it lived up to expectations!

kentaurus199: I'd hoped it would be a neat interaction between Izuku and Momo with Shoji acting as the middle man. I'm glad to see it lived up to it.

LEGOBRICK13: I'm sure there is a fanfiction out there where Izuku gets hold of the Death Note, you just have to find it! Yes, Nezu being in the know but not privy to all the information he thinks he is will come back to bite him in time. When it comes to the news, can you not say the same about people today? It's just worse it Japan because they don't even have a two-party system with different outlets. They just have one ruling party for long stretches of time.

Monkey D. Conan: Yes, Momo is still new to the shadow war, so she hasn't needed to rationalize much in the way of what she's done. That is for a later time.

Monster King: Thank you.

stevenpiskunov2: I've never seen Dexter, so I can't get all the vibes you can about that. As for story length, yes, we will get Adult Izuku eventually. I intend for him to be somewhere around 35 when the full story finishes and then an epilogue. As for the Animus scenes, I already have the back half written out and ready for when we get there.

Wizardwolf 1020: Long story short, if I intended for this story to be IzuOcha, I would have set up that development a long time ago. I am not going to change my mind this deep in when I already have plans I've been working toward for 60+ chapters already. Your comments about Toga were interesting, but I think I come at it from the opposite angle. Toga got addicted in Canon because her need for blood wasn't met, so it was like the feeling of winning for a gambler when she got some. With the Brotherhood, however, she has more blood than she could ever need, so it's just... there. It's a normal thing to her. Plus she's got a support network, too, so her chances of going rogue are minimal at best.

zakan: Thank you

Finally, to all the messages I've been getting about "turning my story into artwork": NO! I'm not looking to do commissions to turn scenes of my stories into art. If I wanted to do that, I'd go looking myself. Please stop messaging. Thank you.

Chapter 68:

The Rat Pack

Kaminari stared at Jiro's back as she marched through the hallways, his mind awhirl with what sort of situation he was getting himself into. The question of what sort of information involved such strange measures rephrased itself many times as the blond tried to form the frame of a puzzle for which he knew he was missing most of the pieces. Ahead, Jiro hummed to herself, the unique tone flipping between an anxious buzz to a muted dirge and back. Her earphone jacks, Kaminari noticed, her fidgeting, the ends tapping each other or otherwise twisting through the air to point at whatever might be making sound. It was something Jiro didn't seem to realize she did when she was nervous, though Kaminari had only seen such during tests or presentation assignments.

"…Hey, Jiro?" the boy questioned, barely as loudly as he dared. The girl flinched, coming to such a sudden stop that Kaminari nearly ran into her. She turned. "Er, listen. I know Principal Nezu said you couldn't explain until we met with Shiozaki, but can you tell me anything? Like, why her? Why me, for that matter?"

"You—" Jiro stopped herself. Why did she choose Kaminari out of all their classmates? He was not the strongest, nor the smartest, nor the most connected. For all intents and purposes, Kaminari was decidedly average, if not a little below due to his grades. Her choice was spur-of-the-moment, but even so, Jiro couldn't find it to regret that she hadn't picked someone else. Despite his shortcomings — as others may call them — Kaminari was loyal and Jiro knew he would have her back.

Not that she could ever tell him that; the praise would go straight to his head.

"You were just… there," she finally said after a moment. It was technically the truth, even if not the full reasoning. "Don't think too hard about it, Spark Plug. You'll short-circuit."

"Okay." He didn't take offence at the flippant reasoning, nor did he react to the insult. He rarely reacted to anything outside a few buttons the class had learned not to press. That was something Jiro liked about h—

The girl shook the thought away. She didn't need it. Just as much as she didn't need his stupid, reassuring smile, even as the blond tilted his head.

"So…" he pressed, "is there anything you can tell me? Why is Principal Nezu building a group?"

"There are, uh, groups… in Japan," Jiro began, considering her words carefully. "Other groups. Two of them. These groups are really old and, uh, everywhere. Like, across-the-world everywhere. They aren't Heroes and Villains, though. Both groups have Heroes and Villains in their ranks and they, uh…" Her Earphone Jacks tapped their ends together. "Both sides think they're fighting for good, I think, but they're killing each other. Principal Nezu wants to get these groups out of the school."

She paused as if waiting for some admonishment. When nothing came, she breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she'd stayed vague enough that Nezu believed Kaminari's shock when he did learn the details would still be entertaining.

"Hold on. Are you saying there are killers in the school? Why would the Principal allow them?"

"I don't know all the details, okay?" Jiro questioned rhetorically. "It'd be this big thing if he just got rid of them, I guess. He wants to, um, phase them out? And he'll need new teachers to replace them. Teachers he can trust."

"Teachers?" Kaminari blinked. Jiro shook her head, refusing to elaborate on that can of worms. It was one of the few things she'd need to properly explain to Shiozaki, so she was not going to do it twice.

"Later. Right now, we need to find Shiozaki and talk to her."

Jiro pushed a door open and stepped into the sunlight, Kaminari on her heels. He was quiet, clearly splitting his brainpower to both follow her and think about what she'd said so far. It took several long minutes before they reached the Support Course section where a tired but well-versed Power Loader was giving his hundred-odd demonstration of his class's joint project before a small crowd. The pair of students walked past him without pause.

"Aright, Charge Dolt, remember Shiozaki has vines for hair."

"I knew that," Kaminari replied, but his voice did not assure the girl that he was being totally honest. The pair meandered through the thin crowd for a couple minutes, making their way past both 1-F and 2-F. It was Kaminari that first caught a glimpse of their goal when Jiro flinched, covering her ears.

"Oh darling, please!" a voice cried. "We could do so much to make you stand out from your classmates! Let me take some measurements and give me a few days—"

"No, thank you," A calm but strained voice replied. "I have no need of such vanity."

"Vanity? No, no! Don't you understand? The focus of the entire world is the pursuit of [elegance]!" The pair of younger students just caught the tail end of a spin from an older student with long blonde hair in large ringlets. She was pretty — though it was clear she was wearing make-up — and she was dressed in a short, pink kimono with blue accents rather than the standard UA uniform. As she came out of her spin, she reached forward to hold some of the vines of Shiozaki's hair, a section of her sleeve seeming to unmake itself, reforming as a glove on her hand to prevent any thorns from scratching her. "A little beautification and you could shine, Ibara!"

"I need not shine, Ms. Kenranzaki," Shiozaki said, pulling her vine-hair out of the woman's hold and stepping back. "'Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.' I shine all I must in the light of my savior."

The third-year student did not seem impressed with the younger's quoted scripture. "Darling, beauty and [elegance] are the quickest ways to everything without violence. It's human nature to trust and want that which is pleasing to look at. By being beautiful and [elegant], people will listen to you more readily, trust you more readily, follow you more readily. Is that not what you want?"

"'But the Lord said unto Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.' The beauty of man is naught but vanity. It is clear I should not have taken that council for support gear. Good day, Ms. Kenranzaki."

Shiozaki turned but, just as the 1-A students started to approach, the older student muttered something that Jiro, even with her Quirk-enhanced hearing, could almost not hear.

"Whether God exists or not, you are playing a dangerous game on earth, Ibara Shiozaki."

Shiozaki glanced back, quoting another scripture. "'Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil, for God is with me. His rod and His staff, they comfort me.'"

She stepped away only to be instantly met by Jiro and Kaminari.

"Pardon us, Shiozaki," Jiro began. "We need to talk to you. It's important."

"Important?" the religious girl parroted. "Pray tell, what business do two students of 1-A have with me?"

"We can't talk about it here." Jiro glanced around at the sparce crowd and the third-year still trying to subtly eye Shiozaki's back. "Please. You might be in danger."

"Danger is nothing new to those of my faith," the girl said, but she still gestured for the other Hero students to lead the way. The trio did not say anything as they returned to the school building, the shortest of the lot ushering her companions inside and closing the door behind them. It locked with a small click.

"Your names are Kyoka Jiro and Denki Kaminari, yes?" Shiozaki began. "You are in class 1-A with my cousin Mo… Yaoyorozu."

"Yes, we're classmates with Yaomomo, and that's kind of the problem," Jiro muttered, her fingers starting to twitch. She'd planned a dozen different ways that she could've tried to bridge the initial topic while on the way to find Shiozaki, but now having the girl before her caused each and every planned route to flee from her mind. "I— That is to say, we— Not that Kaminari here actually—"

"Ms. Jiro, please breathe," Shiozaki whispered.

"You don't have to be so formal," Jiro said at once, unintentionally mirroring Kaminari's own insistence.

"You are tense," Shiozaki observed. "What seems to be the issue?"

Jiro sucked in a hard breath. She opened her mouth, only to close it. She did the same twice more, searching for words. The silence stretched.

"Uhh…" Kaminari began, needing to full the silence. "Who was that you were talking to?"

"Bibimi Kenranzaki," Shiozaki answered, turning to him. "She is a Support Course student in her third year. Mo… My cousin and I attended school with her when we were younger at Eden Academy where her grandfather acts as the headmaster. It was recommended to me to search for specialized equipment from older students and she was highly recommended, but I was disappointed to learn she, like her mother and grandfather, is still obsessed with vain appearance. Two-and-a-half years at UA has not changed—"

"I know about the war between the Assassins and Templars!" Jiro blurted.

Whatever Shiozaki had expected her to say, that was not it. Her calm demeanor cracked instantly, the Christian jumping back as her photosynthetic hair flared upward, causing it to take on a form vaguely resembling the mythical gorgon. Kaminari, for his part, simply stared at his first introduction to the names of the groups Jiro had alluded to on their way.

"How?" Shiozaki demanded. "Are you one of them? Who sent you? To kill me in the school would be a bold move I had not prepared for."

"Wha— No! Neither sent me!" Jiro insisted, holding up her hands in what she hoped was a calming gesture. "I don't know everything, but I know you rejected the Templars' offer even though you were raised for it. I've been sent to offer you protection. Socially, at least."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah, I'm lost, too," Kaminari commented.

"If he does not know, why are you discussing that forsaken war in his presence?" Shiozaki questioned.

"Principal Nezu wants to keep you safe," Jiro tried, swallowing hard. "He knows there are elements of both groups in both the staff and the students. The Assassins tried to blackmail me into spying on Yaomomo for them when I overheard something I should not have, but Principal Nezu offered to, um, protect me in return for favors. H-He wants to get rid of both sides from UA."

"The Assassins attempted to blackmail you?" Shiozaki echoed, relaxing only slightly.

"What‽ Who‽" Kaminari demanded. "Who the hell are they‽ Tell me who I have to shock!"

"I… Yes, they tried. The groups are called the Brotherhood of Assassins and—"

"The Order of the Knight's Templar," Shiozaki whispered. Jiro glanced at her, relaxing slightly.

"I learned about the war when I overheard one of them talking with Yaomomo. She was trying to convince… them… that they were being manipulated and was eventually waved off. After she left, though, I heard them mutter about the conversation being quote-unquote 'too close'. They chased me down and—"

"They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"I highly doubt Jiro was assaulted beyond what they deemed necessary," Shiozaki commented in response to Kaminari's question. "Though many Templars loathe the Assassins with every fiber, the records indicate that many of them genuinely uphold their tenant to not harm the innocent."

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm so lost. This is way beyond what I thought it was. Why are these groups killing each other? Why do you know about it, Shiozaki? Is it a religious thing?"

Shiozaki glanced at Jiro. "I assume when the Assassins attempted to force your compliance, they offered their version of the status quo? How do they describe their work?"

"They said…" Jiro muttered. "They said they're protecting humanity's freedom, trying to buy enough time for humans to learn from their mistakes and choose peace because having it forced on them won't work. They argued that what the other side offers sounds good but that the execution doesn't, um, live up to the promises. A corrupted utopia where those who disagree have to die? And something about ancient technology?"

"…I see," Shiozaki nodded. "The Templars framed themselves as peacemakers, the order rising out of a chaotic world. They think of themselves as the enlightened among the masses meant to guide all those who do not have the information and understanding to guide themselves. They claim that the Assassins are nothing but murderers and criminals who selfishly refuse to choose a greater good over their personal wants. I find both sides abhorrent; the only true peace in the world is found through the love of Jesus Christ and shall not come to earth until the final judgement is passed. What both sides fight for will only cause misery and death until the end of days."

Jiro and Kaminari glanced at each other. Neither knew anything about the Christian faith, so the self-assured claim of a foretold end of the world caught them off guard.

"The principal wants the information I know." Though Shiozaki's sentence was framed as a question, it sounded more like a statement.

"He wants to get the Assassins and Templars out of the school," Jiro replied. "He said he needs teachers he can trust to not have alternate agendas and are fighting each other. He… I guess he wants people who know about the war so they know what to look for."

"So all this comes with a teaching gig?" Kaminari blinked. "I don't know if I'm up to being a teacher…"

"And what is the price for this earthly protection he offers?" Shiozaki questioned.

"Tasks," Jiro said. "Quests. Sometimes silly stipulations to amuse him. I wanted to tell Battery Pack here about all this so I'd have someone I could lean on," — Jiro felt her cheeks heat up but forged ahead nonetheless — "You know, someone to talk to that hadn't tried to blackmail me, and Nezu told me I couldn't tell him anything until I talked to you. And…" Jiro sighed. "He told me to recruit you by the end of the festival."

"…I understand," Shiozaki said after a long moment. She turned away and looked up to the ceiling, bringing her hands together before her chest as her eyes closed. Jiro and Kaminari glanced at each other again as Shiozaki remained still, her lips moving silently.

"What's she doing?" Kaminari questioned in a whisper.

"Um, praying?" Jiro guessed. It wasn't something she was familiar with, but she at least knew enough about religions — and religious zealotry — to know that was something they did. She wasn't sure if she believed in the supernatural, so trying to speak to some possibly-extra-dimensional God — and expect some reply, no less — seemed silly. Even if some being did exist, why would Shiozaki believe it would have any interest in her out of the ten-billion other people in the world?

And yet, Shiozaki prayed on silently with the faith that had caused her to reject her family's generational mission.

"Okay, spill!" Kaminari finally demanded. "Who do we have to look out for? Whose asses do I have to zap for trying to blackmail you? Who else is involved in this shit?"

"Yaomomo, for one," Jiro answered. "She didn't blackmail me, but she and her family are Templars, the same family who offered a spot to Shiozaki that she turned down. Aoyama, too. His mother is that family's connection, apparently. Lots of Templars in France."

"Okay?"

"Nezu hasn't told me too much else. I imagine he's waiting for the best moment to tell us so he can enjoy our shock."

"And these — what did you call them? — Assassins?"

"Aizawa-sensei—"

"WHAT‽"

At any other time, Jiro may have found Kaminari's open-mouthed expression humorous, but that mirth was currently stymied by the memory of the man's stern gaze as she'd been flanked by her classmates-turned-captors as they'd tried to make her a civilian spy.

"Yeah. According to Nezu, there are eight Templars and Assassins on staff in total. Four in the Hero Course — two of each — one each in General Studies, one in Support, and one in Business, but I don't know the affiliations of those. I also don't know any names beyond Aizawa."

"Sekijiro Kan," Shiozaki whispered, two pairs of eyes turning to her. She still had her eyes closed and her hands clasped, but she had turned to be facing their direction. "Kan-sensei is the main Templar contact in the school. He is the only one I was made aware of."

"That… explains a lot," Kaminari hummed, a hand on his chin. "I always wondered why those two were at each other's throats, I just didn't know it could've been literal."

"Principal Nezu keeps the peace on school grounds," Jiro said. "The Assassin I've talked to says Nezu prohibits both sides from any, ahem, missions on the grounds or against students and staff. That's the limit of his power over them, though. He's got enough information and influence to retaliate socially and expose them, even if he's killed, but he doesn't have the manpower to do anything more than that."

"That is why he is recruiting," Shiozaki reasoned. "He wishes to cement his control of the area and establish his safe haven."

"Then you've made a choice?"

"I have decided your proposition is a sign. The Lord has sent you with an offer from Nezu that shall set me on the path He wills. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ was a teacher of men in the correct and Godly ways, so shall we protect and nurture those who come after us within Principal Nezu's sanctuary. In doing so, we shall safeguard them from the game the Devil has played with the hearts of man for eons."

"That was a lot of words to just say yes," Kaminari observed. Shiozaki glared at him. It was there for only a moment before she schooled her features once more, but a shiver still went down the boy's spine.

"Does this group bear a name?"

"No, it—" Jiro's phone squeaked. All three students looked down at where the noise had come from before the shorter girl reached for it. She sighed. "He wants to call us The Rat Pack."

"The Rat Pack?" Kaminari echoed.

"It's a reference to a pre-Quirk American friend group of celebrities led by Frank Sinatra… You know what? Nevermind. We're the Rat Pack now." Despite being the only one to understand the reference, Jiro seemed more resigned to the name than anything.

"And who does the Rat Pack need to keep an eye on?" Shiozaki asked, accepting the name with grace. "And whom do you need protection from?"

Jiro flinched at the reminder. "The Assassins in our grade that I know of are… are Izuku Midoriya and Tsuyu Asui."

"WHAT‽" Kaminari gasped again. "No way! I thought for sure you were gonna say, like, Bakugo or Tokoyami!"

"Why them?" Shiozaki asked.

"Tokoyami is all about 'mad banquets of darkness' and 'revelry in the dark' and stuff, so I wouldn't've been that surprised if he was a killer for the aesthetic if he thought it was required. And Bakugo… Well, he's always yelling at people to die, so…"

"I'm also pretty sure Midoriya is the Pricetag Killer," Jiro continued.

Kaminari tried to form words, but he was having trouble getting his jaw to work. Jiro figured Nezu was somehow watching their small meeting and giggling to himself.

"That is a heavy accusation," Shiozaki said.

"I've… talked to him a few times in private," Jiro admitted. "He's let slip a few things. If it's not him, then he knows who it is and has seen the list the killer is using. He got very defensive when I questioned its accuracy."

"Odd. I am unaware of any Templar connection to any of the victims thus far."

"Hold on!" the lone male of the trio said. "If Midoriya's the Pricetag Killer, then was that him in that video a couple days ago? Why would he do that? I thought all of the victims were somehow connected to Heartseed or whatever. Were they, uh, Templar?"

"I suppose it is possible," Shiozaki shrugged. "Though I was raised for the Templar ideology, I was not made aware of their existence until the offer to join was extended. Upon rejection, I lost the chance to learn anything more than the bare minimum. Even then, it would be the logical conclusion that no individual of either organization would know everything except the leader."

"Izuku's aired a bit of the Templar's dirty laundry to me," Jiro said, "probably trying to convince me that the Assassins were in the right. He claimed that World War Two was a Templar plot the Assassins failed to stop with the leaders of both sides being members of the Order."

"World War Two?" her companions questioned.

"It… Nevermind. That's a subject for another time," Jiro waved off. On some level they did know it had happened, but the subject was never taught in any significant depth outside of a mention that it happened. They barely knew about World War One in which Japan assisted the winning side, much less the war they lost afterward. "Point is, Izuku's no stranger to killing, and I doubt Tsu's innocent on that front, either."

"Never would have pegged either of them as consensual killers…" the boy thought aloud. "I mean, Tsu looks and acts so… innocent."

"It is possible that Hitoshi Shinso is also a member of the Brotherhood," Shiozaki said, less phased due to her distance from the subjects of their conversation. "He trains personally with Aizawa. Between the training and his Quirk, I would be surprised if an offer was not extended to him."

"Makes sense," Kaminari agreed, only not hyperventilating due to shock. He was sure he would freak out about the possibility of his classmates killing each other later. "Anyone else from your class involved that you know of?"

"I have the strong suspicion that Itsuka Kendo has joined the Templars already due to my cousin's influence. They had both their Internships and Work-Studies together and have been much closer since the latter. None of my classmates were Templars upon entering the school as far as I am aware, but my intuition suggests that Kan-sensei spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on Jirota Shishida and Neito Monoma for a purpose."

"Oh, that's the big, hairy guy and the guy that can copy Quirks, right?" Kaminari blinked, earning a nod from the 1-B student. "Why them?"

"Shishida consistently scores in the upper percentile for the class, regularly claiming the top placement. He is intelligent, powerful, and was in the running for Class Representative at the beginning of the year. Monoma, on the other hand, finds most use in the assistance of others, which has culminated in negotiation skills unlike many other, assuming he can leave behind any bias. Were he in the Business Course, he may have had top marks unlike anyone else. Should he join the Templars and head their negotiations…"

"I'd never thought of him like that," Jiro admitted. "He kind of just seems like an idiot."

"His bias against 1-A clouds his judgement," Shiozaki shrugged, clearly unbothered by the other girl's casual insult of her classmate. She was well aware of the image he had from his bluster. "It is a flaw Kan-sensei fails to address because of his own bias against your teacher."

"Crap…" Kaminari sighed, running a hand over his face. "This war is everywhere and in everything, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately, it is," the vine-haired Christian confirmed. "From what I understand, nearly every major event in recorded human history since the time of Cleopatra has had some member of either the Assassins or Templars involved, if not both."

"Oh yeah," Kaminari rolled his eyes. "And Oda Nobunaga was involved. This stupid war caused Japan to form."

"Well, actually…"

"No way!"

"That may be a conversation for another time." Shiozaki checked her watch. "I must begin making my way back for my class's next performance. We will need to reconvene again, likely with Principal Nezu."

"It's… good to have you on board," Jiro said softly, her lips curling in a small smile. "You don't know how heavy it was knowing everything and having no one to talk to."

"I disagree, Jiro. I know quite well the strain of forbidden knowledge, but I always relieved my burdens through prayer. The Lord our God is aways available to hear the woes of His children and give comfort and warmth. Still, I shall do all I can to ensure our continued sojourn in this corrupted world for the sake of the souls within."

"You can't just say things the short way, can you?" Kaminari asked. "Some of us weren't raised with a billion-word vocabulary."

Shiozaki closed her eyes for a long moment and breathed. "I look forward to working with you. Let us keep each other alive."

"Thank you."

"Please inform me when Principal Nezu wishes to meet. I must be on my way." She bowed and left, her head held as high and confident as it had ever been. Jiro's phone squeaked again as the door closed.

'Good work! :3'

She slumped against the wall with a heavy sigh.

"Jiro‽" her companion fretted, bending his knees slightly as he took hold of her shoulder, keeping her upright by taking some of her weight onto himself. "Jiro, you okay?"

"I'm so tired, 'Nari," she muttered, her slurred speech causing her to shorten his name. He blushed but she wasn't looking at him to see. "Two days of worrying about that and it's finally over."

"Alright, come on. Let's sit down here." Kaminari slowly lowered her to the floor, sitting beside her so their backs were braced against the wall. Jiro tried and failed to stifle a yawn, her head dropping onto the blond's shoulder. She started storing softly.

He looked up at the ceiling, preparing to spend some time thinking over everything he'd just learned but distracted by the body heat he could feel from Jiro's smaller frame. He didn't understand much — why the groups came about as they did, what they did and how they manipulated Japan and the rest of the world, why Jiro picked him as a confidant — but he understood that she needed somebody to lean on and he was happy to be that person.

Despite everything he'd just learned, it was peaceful in the hallway, a small smile coming to his face.

'Maybe,' Denki Kaminari mused. 'Maybe there really is a God. Otherwise, what were the odds that everything lined up to put him here, right where he'd wanted to be…'

-AHC-

"Greetings, Togata," Nezu said, clicking off his computer. "Are you enjoying the Cultural Festival?"

"I'm having a blast!" the young man beamed. He had a rather plain face with blue eyes and blond hair, his broad, muscular body currently stuffed inside a maid dress. Despite the clothing, Mirio Togata radiated nothing but confidence as he sat in the principal's office. "Our maid café is making a killing!"

"That is good to hear. Of course, I understand some of your classmates are not as, ahem, comfortable as you seem to be?"

"Eh, there was some grumbling the first couple days. Amajiki 'bout had a heart attack the first time he put on the dress and he passed out trying to take an order. It was hilarious! And Haya wasn't too excited but considered wearing the outfit a fair price to see Nejire-chan dressed as a maid. And Sorino—!"

"As wonderful as hearing about my students is, I'm afraid I have something to discuss with you, Togata. Something important."

"Important? What is this about, Principal?" The blond leaned forward, looking as serious as a buff young man in a maid dress could.

"To begin, I understand that before his disappearance, Nighteye left much of his wealth and his agency to you?"

Togata's expression fell instantly, his smile failing. "Yes, he did, Principal. I won't graduate until the end of the year, so All Might-sensei offered to hire some temporary staff to keep the building maintained until I do."

"I recall him mentioning something like that," Nezu nodded. He had, after all, had a long conversation with All Might about if Mirio Togata would be a good inheritor of One for All. In the end, they had decided that Togata's Quirk: Permeation would not be compatible with One for All even though the young man had all the personal qualities that would have otherwise made him perfect for the role. That was why Nezu had called him. "In fact, your connection with Nighteye is why I called you here today after much consideration. Tell me, does the name Shie Hassaikai mean anything to you?"

Togata swallowed hard, chewing on his words. "Sir was investigating them," he admitted after a long moment. "He wasn't aware I knew and he never told me directly. They were on his corkboard, though. So-called Yakuza."

"Indeed, and nearly slaughtered to a man." Togata's eyes widened at the mammal's words. "From what I understand, two of them escaped, one surrendered, and the rest were all killed."

"Killed?" the student echoed. "How? Why? If it was a Hero raid—"

"There was a Hero involved, but it was no official mission." Nezu steepled his little paws. "The battle that took place, the end of the Shie Hassaikai, was only one moment in a series of plots, killings, and counter-killings that spanned the globe and the centuries long before the Dawn of Quirks. Few know about this, and fewer still without being a member of one of the factions."

"These factions," Togata muttered. "Did one of them kill Sir because he was asking questions?"

"No," the principal answered. "At least, neither will claim the action and my contacts on both sides both say Sir Nighteye's disappearance worries them because of the lack of information."

"Principal Nezu, why are you telling me about this?"

The white-furred mammal leaned forward. "Mirio Togata, you are an exceptional student, one whom Sir Nighteye believed has the greatest chance of taking on All Might's title as the Symbol of Peace. Our society is a fragile one and it only remains so on the backs of those like you. Underneath all this, however, Heroes, Villains, and civilians alike find themselves mired in a shadow war that kills far too many. These factions even hold influence within the halls of this school, much to my chagrin.

"For this reason, I have begun the process of gathering a number of promising students together into my personal fold. I wish to see UA become truly neutral ground in this battle. Perhaps, in time, Japan's Heroes could rid themselves of those who feel the murderous call of these factions, but I have no illusions that my lifespan would ever last that long. Mirio Togata, I wish to extend such an invitation to you and to warn you about these factions. Something is coming, Togata; a time when Heroes will turn on each other, revealing shared loyalty with Villains in order to kill one another. When this happens, society and the innocent must be preserved over all else."

"But… But Principal," Togata began. "You said this battle or whatever has been going on for centuries! Why do you think it will erupt so much so soon? And why here in Japan?"

"I evidence is too circumstantial to explain," Nezu admitted, "but according to my calculations, there is a 67% chance that the shadow war bubbles into the public's eye within the next decade. Whether this will coincide with a war against some Supervillain to hide its origins or not, well, there is only a 19% chance of that. If nothing else, I must take precautions to minimize damage to the school."

Togata sat in silence, mulling over everything Nezu had said. A part of him rather hoped the rat-bear-dog-whatever would jump on the desk and yell "Sike!" but he doubted the Principal was a creature prone to such jokes. If what he said was true, then…

"I understand this is a lot to drop on you," Nezu continued. "I had never considered creating a faction of my own to oppose these groups until one such faction attempted to blackmail a student into joining their information network. I realized said groups carry far too much sway here than I am comfortable with. So, Mirio Togata, what say you?"

The student clenched his fist, his look of determination only slightly undermined by his maid outfit.

"What do I need to know, Principal, and what must I do?"

Nezu smiled. "The groups I mentioned are centuries old. They are currently called the Order of the Knight's Templar and the Brotherhood of Assassins…"

End of Chapter 68

I promise more action in the next chapter!

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-SwordOFTheGods