My Heroic Beast King
Chapter 12
Welcome to the Circus
Sorry I am late, enjoy the chapter!
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The next major lesson that the class had to learn was Rescue Training and made perfect sense since they were all going to be heroes one day. After all, blindly charging into save someone after a disaster was a recipe for disaster. It made perfect sense to Fumikage as he watched everyone file in the bus that would take them to the rescue training facility offsite. He was ashamed to admit this, but his control over Shadow was flimsy at best. Do not get him wrong, he loved at her as a sibling should, but she was still his quirk. He knew she got…egotistical with more darkness and had learned to keep a flashlight or two on his person at all times. Including extra sets of batteries. However, with Dark Shadow's fluid form, she was perfect to get into all the nooks and crannies that trapped people. Fumikage knew he and his quirk were great for combat-related hero work and rescue as well.
He just wished it was easier to control his darkness. It was part of the reason he was not as social as the others because he had been attempting to control it all his life. He was at a loss to true control though and it haunted him every day, because he feared she would accidentally hurt someone again. Part of the reason he had no friends before now. The other was him having a heteromorphic quirk that turned only his head into that of a blackbird. Quirks and their bullshit.
So, he stayed partially quiet as he partook in his old pastime of people-watching as he boarded the bus, seeing Naruto be so casual about the seating arrangement while Tenya nearly blew a gasket, especially when it was revealed that the bus was open concept compared to other busses.
Next, he saw the friend groups that had begun forming, mostly around Naruto and Izuku. Naruto was mostly an open book to people and was quite friendly to everyone. Where it was hard to gauge him was his quirk. Although that friendly attitude only went so far, as seen in that incident with that Bakugo boy to show he was hiding even more of his quirk with that strange paralyzing feeling he let out against the boy and then to the entire lunchroom, when panic set in because of the press. Despite that, Naruto and Izuku seemed the best of friends, bouncing ideas off each other and talking about their interests. Tenya was also a friend, but it seemed Naruto was helping the boy try to relax more than anything while trying to get Shoto to open up more…with help from Inasa. He was close to Himiko too, in that sibling relationship he knew too well with Dark Shadow and that seemed to extend to the perpetually tired Hitoshi. He wasn't sure how Mei, the maniacal mechanic fit into his friend group, but even they were friendly to each other and like with Tenya, Naruto knew how to work with her personality. Denki on the other hand, he just so carefree that Naruto vibed with it easily. What really intrigued him was Naruto's relationship with Momo and Kyoka, who decided to sit on either side of Naruto. If even he could see that there was something more going on there, he was sure others, like the ever-cheerful Mina could see it too. But who was he to call that out? He valued his privacy to know others valued theirs just as much.
"There is something that makes me curious and excuse me for being blunt," Tsuyu called out, getting Naruto's and by extension everyone's attention. It was not hard to get Fumikage's, because he was sitting right next to her and Mina. Mutant types often do gravitate to one another…even if personalities clash. "But what exactly is Ten Tails supposed to be? It does not act like most quirks, even Shoto's double quirk." Oh yes, asking the big question that was on everyone's mind.
Naruto merely smiled gently at the frog girl, much like have an older sibling would when they knew something the other siblings do not and was keeping quiet to protect them. What? Fumikage did not have siblings in the traditional sense, but because he did not have many friends growing up, he watched a lot of TV and was very observant.
"Now that would be telling." Naruto replied cheekily, which earned him more than a few unamused looks from the others while those of N "Ok ok, I will tell you some of my abilities. Chakra is versatile, you saw that with my Transformation technique, which is illusion-based. That feeling that triggers your fight or flight instincts is something I learned how to do a long time ago…from a guy who tried to kill me as a kid called the Demon of the Mist. I will not say much more about that. If you were there in my testing area, you would have seen what I did with the Zero Pointer."
"Indeed," Mezo stated from his seat. "Seeing you summon a giant toad from black and green energy to confront and slice it in half was quite the sight."
"So freaking manly!" Eijiro whispered in awe, making Itsuka and Setsuna giggle at him.
"Yeah, but it was not always like that. It was just another power related to my ringed eyes, but it was put through an evolution of sorts that makes my animals pure energy and more malleable for transformations into other things on a whim." Naruto explained as roughly as he could, but he did notice that Koji seemed to lose interest because the animals were not real. "You can't forget about my Illusion Songs; but I will say, my favorite power is this." Naruto transformed into his half-fox state he used when singing but did not stop. No, he shifted into that of a full-on fox the size of a Maine Coon cat! "This is fun to use and is connected to…one of my most powerful abilities, something I'm not going to reveal anytime soon."
"Man, you can do a lot of flashy stuff with your quirk," Eijiro stated before hardening his arm. "My Hardening is super strong and could destroy bad guys in a fight; but it doesn't look all that impressive."
"Oh no, you're wrong about that. It is really awesome looking." Izuku replied with stars in his eyes. "Besides, your quirk does not have to be flashy get the job done and catch attention. You can save so many people and get attention that way. You are definitely Pro material with a quirk like that."
"You really think so?" Eijiro asked, a bit unsure of himself.
"Heh, trust me. Izuku could think up ways to help if you want flashy." Denki replied with a snicker before calming down. "My quirk was flashy, sure but it had no control. Just went everywhere and wasted time…especially after I went stupid." Kyoka burst out laughing at this, annoying him just a bit but he was used to it and knew he would never live that down. "But he, Mei, and our overseas friend, Melissa, helped me a great deal." He held out a hand and created a small barrier between himself and everyone else with just electricity. It was a great way to make a shield. "We can make our protection flashy if we want dude, we just have to have style. I may have learned that through watching the hero Crust rise through the ranks."
"There are ways to improve your quirk." Momo input. "I learned this while learning about my own quirk because what I create passes through my skin and I was interested in learning all I could. Technically there are 7 layers of skin, but I think you would be able to manipulate the first three easily. Showing mastery over those will also net attention."
"Wow, thanks! I will look into that later!" Eijiro said excitedly before he went quiet with a contemplative look.
Mina just smiled towards her old middle school classmate and said, "We can look into that later together if you want? I am curious as well since it could help me understand my quirk as well. Plus, if we do not, we can just ask the smart people in our class."
Eijiro looked relieved he would not be alone in that endeavor. "Thanks, Mina."
Fumikage hid a smile when he saw that interaction. It seemed that those two knew each other before coming to U.A. and decided to stick together. That was nice. "Indeed, arcane knowledge of one's quirk would help learn control. Look at Naruto and his macabre song of the dead during our hero training yesterday. Despite us learning a little more about his quirk, it is still a grand mystery. It must be a great burden in controlling all of…that."
Naruto gained a small smile as he directed it toward Fumikgae, their animal forms making it hard to discern their emotions to the others. "It is not about control, Fumikage, it is more about understanding. The more you try to control something sentient, the more a pit of resentment will form and you lose any control you were working towards because you lost their trust. Quirks are smarter than we give them credit for and yours has proven to be sentient. Learn to trust and work with Dark Shadow and you will be unstoppable together."
"And how do you know this?" Fumikage asked after a moment of silence throughout the bus.
Naruto gained a toothy smile as he went golden for just a moment and grew a second tail. If anyone paid attention to the rest of Naruto during that moment, Kurama appeared over Naruto protectively. Once both tails were out, he grew them a bit because he knew Kyoka and Momo liked how warm they were. "When you gain an understanding with your quirk, you learn to trust it and it you. It will help you along in progress if you let it."
As Fumikage watched Momo use one of Naruto's tails as a fancy scarf and Kyoka just snuggle up to it, he looked to Dark Shadow, who formed next to him and it spoke for him. "If I gain too much darkness, I tend to get cocky. I sometimes stop listening to Fumikage."
Naruto shrugged. "Dark Shadow, you are intelligent like us and for that, you must learn like us. Remember, Darkness is not inherently evil, it is what hides in the dark that what makes people feel fear." He thought he would pull from his sage training a bit here. "Take a little at a time and get used to the power and how it feels for you. Power can corrupt and if you take too much, you might be lost to it. I knew a guy whose quirk was to absorb the power of the earth and it made him stronger. However, he took too much and became an immobile stone. He would never move again and soon the earth took its power back and him along with it. Fumikage and Dark Shadow…learn balance and understand how much that is for the two of you." Naruto realized by the looks on their faces he might have scared those two with the consequences of taking too much Nature Chakra and the toad statues that he had to add that last part. They did not have an old and grumpy toad to whack them every time they took too much.
The concept of turning into darkness and losing themselves to their element did scare the shit out of the two patrons of darkness. Through their mental link, they vowed to find a way to understand their power so they did not end up lost within the dark.
"So manly…with that type of understanding, I could see Naruto going Pro…or ending up as a teacher here at U.A." Eijiro stated before gesturing to Izuku and Shoto. "Izuku with his own quirk and…zest to learn about all quirks would make for a good Pro and possible quirk analyst. Shoto would make for a good Pro as well, would probably surpass his old man too."
"You know, Eijiro has a point. I guess I will work just as hard to understand my quirk better and become an awesome Pro myself." Itsuka replied with a determined smirk alongside Setsuna.
"Alright, we are here. Stop messing around." Eraserhead announced but hid a smile at the conversation he overhead. It seemed he really did have a good batch of kids this year.
XXX
As soon as the class got off the bus, they were greeted to the site of a giant building and another Pro Hero Teacher in the form of Thirteen. Someone who was covered head to toe in a futuristic-looking space suit, so it was hard to determine who was under the suit.
Naturally, Izuku knew all about this rescue hero who specialized in rescue efforts in all sorts of disasters all over the world. What was a surprise to Naruto was that Ochaco was a huge fangirl of Thirteen as well, matching Izuku with her knowledge. It was funny to watch those two in stereo.
As soon as Thirteen let them in the building, Naruto noticed it was a lot bigger than even he thought. Sure, the entrance was at ground level but everything else descended into a large dome arena with multiple disaster zones like a flood zone and one that was perpetually on fire! It was a sight to behold, that was for sure.
"I created this training facility to prepare you for different types of disasters." Thirteen excitedly explained. "I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint but you can call it the USJ!"
"I really cannot get over how excited you get for this! Your passion for rescue work is no joke." Lady Nagant replied as she walked in smiling at her fellow teacher.
"Lady Nagant? I thought All Might was going to be our third teacher." Aizawa grumbled.
"Right, I was going to be the third for Class 1-B tomorrow, but Nezu had us switch due to a major villain breaking out of prison before they could end up in Tartarus and they needed a heavy hitter." Lady Nagant replied with a shrug before walking over to Naruto and Himiko and hugged them from behind. "Now I get to watch their first rescue training too!"
"Oh right, I forgot about that major convoy happening. It was illogical for them to have so few major heroes as security." Aizawa grumbled in annoyance but nodded to Lady Nagant, grateful to still have a third hero teaching with him and Thirteen. "Clock's ticking, let's get started then."
"Before we get started, let me just say one thing. Well, maybe two things. Possibly three. Four or five now that I think about it." Thirteen started before Lady Nagant cleared her throat, the students understood there were caveats to rescue work. "Listen carefully. I am sure you are aware that I have a powerful quirk called Blackhole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."
"Yeah! You used it to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" Ochaco blurted out excitedly.
"That is true, but my quirk could very easily to be used to kill." Thirteen replied somberly before she turned her to Lady Nagant and then nodded. Something unspoken happened between them and Lady Nagant stepped forward with a somber look.
"Even in a super human society, it is still too easy to end a life, especially with a powerful quirk." Kaina replied as she turned her elbow into a sniper rifle. "Understand that we as heroes save lives and there may come a time where death is unavoidable. Be mindful of your quirk and those who wish to exploit it. Combat is not the only place death can happen though."
"Sometimes…you are too late to save someone and death can be a mercy." Thirteen picked up somberly. Aizawa had a far off look on his face as he too though about death in Underground Hero Work. Heroes try not to kill for moral reasons, but there are villains that would rather take death than be captured for what they did. "That is why we must be quick unto the scene and efficient with our powerful quirks to make sure everyone survives. Please do not forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly. Even if you are trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone. Thanks to Aizawa's fitness test, you have a solid idea of your potential. On the other hand, thanks to All Might and Lady Nagant's combat training, you likely know how dangerous that potential can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons with you to this class. Today you are going to learn how to use your quirks to save people's lives. You will not be using your powers to attack enemies or each other. Only to help. After all, that is what being a hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others." With that, Thirteen bow dramatically. "That is all I have to say, thank you so much for listening."
As the class chatted excitedly about their potential lessons on rescue work, Naruto got a chill up his spine as the lights in the stadium flicked before shutting off entirely. Naruto knew this feeling all too well. He learned about it on his first C Rank mission and many other missions after that. This class was about to go FUBAR…and it was his job as Class President to make sure they all got out alive. No Pressure. "GUYS! Be on guard! I do not think this is part of the class!"
"He's right!" Eraserhead growled out as he and the other teachers saw a massive purple portal forming near the fountain. It seemed to be made of purple…mist? "Thirteen, protect the students! Nagant, can I count on you to have my back as well?!"
"Always!" Kaina replied with an edge to her voice.
"Wait, what's going on?!" Eijiro asked nervously.
"What I feared would happen after that press incident," Naruto stated as calmly as he could. This was his first time acting as a team leader after all. He kind of did his own thing during the war. Trail by fire and all that. Both for him leading and the others in the class who have never dealt with a villain attack. "Argh, this is probably a dead end, but Izuku, Denki, can either of you reach the outside?"
"NO!" the boys said in a panic as they tried using their radios in their headgear.
"Figured would not be that easy," Naruto replied with a frown, especially when he saw a few of his classmates tremble in fear. As Lady Nagant and Eraserhead made their way down the step to the villains, Naruto spoke up again, "Don't worry, our teachers are here to protect us. Even so, I will not let my comrades die!" He then looked between Izuku and Tenya and made a decision. "Tenya, make your way to the exit. Your speed will get the other teachers here sooner."
"I cannot leave you all behind!" Tenya replied scared but resolute.
"Do not worry, we got this. You are just bringing in the cavalry like your brother does with his many sidekicks." Naruto replied encouragingly, making others smile. If there was one way to get Tenya to do what you wanted in a heroic situation, it was to mention his brother. Tenya frowned and nodded before making his way to the door.
XXX
"The only real heroes," A voice echoed from the purple portal as many villains poured out from it. However, it was not addressing them, it was addressing its boss as he stood behind the assembled villains. A pale blue-haired man with severed hands that clutched every part of his body. And behind him a giant black creature with rippling muscles, large red scars, a beak-like mouth, and an exposed brain. "Are Thirteen, Eraserhead, and Lady Nagant. Perplexing, according to the schedule we retrieved from U.A., All Might should have been here instead of Lady Nagant. Perplexing and concerning given her reputation."
"Where is he?" The hand-covered man rasped out in annoyance. "I went through the trouble of bringing so many friends who were eager to meet him. Oh well, maybe if I kill a few kids…and his girlfriend, he will come out to play."
"As entertaining as this is, I would still be careful of that line of thought. Low-ranking heroes or not, attacking kids will get their full wrath on you, Tomura Shigaraki. Or did your Sensei not teach you that." Orochimaru replied before walking off in a random direction towards one of the disaster zones. Of course, he knew what All for One taught Tomura. Not much other than to hate everyone and everything. That ancient man sent Tomura here as a lesson in failure. This would be fun to watch and if he got a few more bodies to experiment on, all the more fun!
"Where do you think you are going?" Tomura asked.
"To find a high point to watch the show. What else?" Orochimaru cackled as he walked away.
"Whatever, Kurogiri, your next." Their purple mist transport did not say a word as he dissipated.
XXX
"Now where are you going? You will not miss the show!" Kurogiri suddenly said as he appeared next to Tenya before his mist swallowed up the boy, but his entrance still caught the attention of the class. Naruto grimaced at the fact he suddenly felt Tenya's presence deeper into the facility. So, this one was a teleporter, which made his job of protecting his classmates that much harder. No matter, he could trust Tenya to defend himself until he and the others got him.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO TENYA!?" Mina shouted in fear.
"There is no escape for you!" Kurogiri stated as a matter of fact. His misty form towered over the class menacingly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, young heroes. We are the League of Villains, I know it is impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello. And besides, is this not a fitting place for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his last breath? I believe he was supposed to be here today and yet I only see his partner, Lady Nagant. There must have been some change in plans we could not have foreseen. In the end, I suppose it does not matter, I still have a role to play."
Thirteen was about to use their quirk on the mist man but they saw Naruto take a calming breath and wink at them before sauntering up to the villain with a smirk. "My, you are a dramatic villain, but what do you think you can do against 22 Pros?" He was bluffing as it was more like 1 Pro Hero, a ninja from another world, and 20 new students. Worth a try though.
"With overwhelming force like that, you live up to your school's reputation." Kurogiri chuckled, but was caught off guard by a large clap that had disrupted his form, blowing part of it away. He looked to see an orange-haired girl with huge hands to be the culprit. Before he could do anything about that, the red-haired boy had punched the only physical part of him away further from them.
"Good job you three, now let me finish this!" Thirteen ordered as they uncapped a finger to begin using their Blackhole quirk to suck the mist villain into oblivion.
"Clever Thirteen." Kurogiri said as he struggled against the suction. Thinking quickly, he opened up a portal behind Thirteen turning it back on them.
"Watch out!" Naruto called as he pulled the Pro Hero out of the way, stopping the attack altogether. Thirteen shook a bit at the prospect of their own attack being used against any of them and thanked the blond's quick thinking.
"Cute, but you are merely children who just started school. I will send you across this facility to meet my comrades and to your doom! Enjoy the culling young ones!" Kurogiri roared as he created a dome of purple mist and began sending them to different parts of the USJ randomly, but he made sure to keep Naruto, Thirteen, Eijiro, and Itsuka away from each other in case of another team-up.
Once that was done, he appeared next to Tomura. "It is done, none of the children have escaped and it is the job of our hired help to deal with them now."
"Good job, Kurogiri." Tomura growled out in pain as he held his bleeding shoulder. "Now make sure that crazy bitch on the stairs does not hit me again with her bullets! In fact, Nomu! Shield me!"
XXX
Naruto ended up crashing into the ground rather roughly. "Damn, I just talked to the guy and I pissed him off. For an elegant talking guy, he sure has a short trigger." Naruto laughed out as he dusted himself off. Not longer after, Momo and Kyoka appeared next to him. As he was looking at them, he felt out to where his other classmates were. He knew he was at the Mountain Zone just by looking around. It seemed that in the Landslide Zone, Shoto had things handled alongside Thirteen, Toru, Mina, and Setsuna. In the Urban Zone, Eijiro, Hitoshi, Pony, and Ochaco defended themselves well. In the Conflagration Zone, Himiko, Mezo, Itsuka, and Koji were handling things well enough. In the Downpour Zone, Izuku, Inasa, Fumikage, and Dark Shadow were making quick work of the enemies there. Finally, the Flood Zone, Tsuyu, Denki, and Mei were handling theirs…creatively. Those poor villains in the water. All that was left was Tenya...
"Take this, villains!" Tenya shouted as he clotheslined a few villains before running towards Naruto.
"Heh, looky here boys, we got more kids to play with!" A villain shouted in glee. "I know how we are having fun later!"
Naruto's eye twitched at that. He had heard that line too many times when dealing with bandits. "You see, I don't like that." Naruto said, catching their attention and making the villains laugh.
"It doesn't matter what you like brat. We are here to kill you to send a message to All Might! We might even get to kill him and his bitch!"
"Bansho Tenin!" Naruto called out in the calmest demonic voice ever as the one that spoke came flying into his fist. He then proceeded to take hold of the man's leg and everyone heard a crack and the man scream. "That bitch." He began again, his fox features appearing on his face, making him look even more intimidating in his anger. Something had to be self-conscious about. "Is my mother. Her and All Might taught me a lot, but it is not just me you have to worry about."
Now the villains were shaking, not only at the casual display of power from the blond, but from the look of Tenya in his suit of armor that had already taken a few of them out and two attractive girls with guns and swords. Momo had a thermal gun in one hand and a futuristic sword in the other. As for Kyoka, her massive metal backpack transformed into something that almost resembled a minigun. It was actually a gun that emitted sound waves and could be played like a large stringed instrument if she wanted.
"Your purple mist friend called this a culling." Naruto continued, squeezing the man's leg again as he lifted him high in the air. "He was right…but not for us!"
Soon after, screams of horror and pain erupted from the Mountain Zone as the four tore into their horde of villains with ease. Tenya did worry for Naruto…until he saw him beat his opponent with the guy still in his hand. Yes, Naruto beat motherfuckers with another motherfucker. It was quite the sight to see as Tenya cloth lined his opponents, but he swore he saw a lime green bulging on his forehead.
XXX
Damn, he tried, he really did, but Tomura himself could not get close to Eraserhead. The man was just too quick for him and his minions. Added onto the problem was Lady Nagant closing any and all windows in his defense. "You two are just so cool! Your co-op is simply amazing!"
"Tch, not very flattering coming from you. I am doing my job and protecting my students!" Eraserhead roared, charging in and slugging the hand villain in the face and then retreating again under the cover of a gunshot that Nomu blocked for Tomura. "And what the hell is this thing? It is obviously not very alive considering Nagant shot through its heart, lungs, and face multiple times."
"He is the bioengineered Anti Symbol of Peace." Tomura laughed gleefully. "He is the boss of this raid battle! He will whittle down your stamina and HP for either myself, him, or any of my other friends to finally take you down. Then it will be quick work to take down the long-range player. After all, in a raid battle, once you take down the heavy hitters, the rest will fall shortly after."
"Ah, an MMO player….terrific." Eraserhead grumbled as he dodged out of the way of Tomura's hand coming out of a portal, only to be backhanded by the Nomu. "I can still fight!"
"Yes, but for how long?" Tomura cackled at the sight of Eraserhead's broken arm from the hit. "It is too bad you don't have a tank or even a healer for those hits!" At the sound of another gunshot, the Nomu actually screamed as the bullet with through his brain before regenerating again. "So, he has a bit of a weakness…good thing he has Regeneration and Shock Absorption! HA HA!"
XXX
"GOTCHA, YOU COCKY BRAT!" the voice of another villain roared out as he grabbed Naruto from behind and put a knife to his throat. "Now you three have to do what I say or I will kill this brat. Wait…why do you all look bored? He's your leader, right? You should be panicking!"
"Because," Naruto replied in a bored manner as he took hold of the man's knife hand and squeezed, crushing the bones in his arm before an unseen force took the man out of the way before sending him crashing to the ground on the other side of the zone. "There is always more than one of me running around. I can handle myself."
Seeing some of the villains trying to get back up to either attack them or escape, Tenya asked, "What is the plan, Naruto? We need to make sure the others are safe!"
"That's where you come in, Tenya," Naruto replied with a smirk. "While Momo and Kyoka make sure these guys stay down, you are going to run around to make sure everyone else is ok and round them up."
"What will you do?" Momo asked, but she had a sneaking suspicion as Kyoka snickered at the question.
"I am going to do what I do best," Naruto replied with a smile and twirl of his scepter. "And put on a show." It was a gamble, but it seemed that did take out the villain that was jamming their communications. With a press of a button, he once again hacked all the electronics the USJ. He mostly took over the sound system for some music and sent a ping to Nezu for help.
"Naruto," Kyoka called out after getting her amusement with the situation under control. She gave him a concerned look, "Please be careful. You know what happens when you go too far in your anger and use too much power."
"Right." Naruto grimaced a bit at that. The price he paid for going into Sage Mode before he had his anchor. But right now, he was too angry at himself for letting his class get separated like this to care. "I will try and be careful, but I will use whatever I need to keep my classmates safe."
(Please play Welcome to the Circus by Five Finger Death Punch)
"Fire Style: Shenron Emergence!" Naruto roared out a Chinese dragon made of fire and as it ascended, he grabbed the tail and began running the length of it. "Welcome to the Circus!" He sang as the beast broke through the domed ceiling, twisting and coiling as it made its way up. Once the beast was sufficiently high in the sky for all to see….and he was sure it was quite the show for all those still in class, he stuck his specter into the head and yelled.
"INTRUDERS!" Shenron's deep baritone shook the air before it descended back into the USJ.
"Welcome to the shit, show, just another freak show. Hang your hat at the door!" Naruto almost tripped and stopped the song when he saw the smiling form of Orochimaru on top the mountain looking at his power in awe. Seeing the man who took Sasuke and made him into the man he was at the end of war, filled hm with rage and he was seeing red and green. How was he HERE of all places?! Naruto directed the Fire Dragon after the snake man, he would end this. Now. "It's a game of torture. Souls are made to order, everything you wanted and more!"
"You gotta kill somebody to thrill somebody! Everybody's gotta reason to bleed. You've gotta fuck somebody to know somebody, that motherfucker ain't me." Naruto roared as the top of the mountain exploded when the dragon passed through it, but Naruto noticed Orochimaru using wind split to the beast in half. Using chakra to keep the beast together, he made for another pass, ignoring the stinging in his arms. However, while smiling, the snake man looked very confused as to why Naruto looked at him with such hatred and so he ran away by using his Ouroboros Portal. The only problem was that in his panic, he did not set a destination, so he appeared in the next zone over.
Seeing Naruto attack one of the four big wigs of the League of Villains, the minions on the Mountain Zone chose wisely to just stay down. Shoto, over in the Landside Zone was staring at the dragon of fire coming his way and wondered who the hell pissed Naruto off to use that. It was when he saw a pale, snake-like man appear out of a portal and start to run away in a panic. "He should not know me! I am just a scientist!" Orochimaru said quickly, utter confusion taking over him. It was not going how he planned, he was going to reveal himself as the man who kidnapped and altered his street-fighting friend much later…even if this was data. Unfortunately for him, he had no clue of his past life so he was forced to run.
"Am I the only one who doesn't buy into the lies? Am I the only one that doesn't wear a disguise?" Naruto roared as he dodged a purple lightning bolt that the snake man shot his way. Seeing the confusion on the snake man's face made Naruto question a few things. He and the beasts were the only ones to pass through that portal. Thinking back, he saw another from his world on the leaderboard in the entrance exams. So how were they actually here? Maybe Nezu would know. "Cause if I can't break it and I can't change it, then tell me, how will I know? Am I the only one that isn't just here for the show? Welcome to the circus!"
XXX
"So how did my fellow reptile piss him off?" Setsuna asked nervously. Naruto had not known this much power before and was insane to watch.
"I would rather not know." Shoto replied, glaring at the fire dragon before sighing. It was a good attack to use, he could not fault Naruto for using it, but knew that much power would have him start to act differently.
XXX
"Oh fuck me!" Orochimaru used his portal power to appear in another zone, this time the Urban Zone. He run along the top of the buildings, dodge fireballs and uprooted concrete as Naruto and the dragon followed him and plowed through concrete. Below, Tenya was frantically getting his classmates out of there.
"Grab your favorite stones. They came for broken bones!" Naruto sang, kicking large pieces of concrete at the immortal snake. "That's what happens when you sign on the line. There's no need for excuses, everybody loses. Only way you'll ever win is to die!"
Hitoshi took one look outside and threw up his hands with a tired look. "Not it this time!"
XXX
"What the fuck?!" Tomura yelled as he missed another chance at dusting Eraserhead when the dragon passed overhead. That thing…and the song, was distracting! "Since when do you have The Guy, on your side?!"
"The Guy?" Aizawa questioned. He was grateful to Naruto for causing this much chaos to give him a bit to rest, but what the fuck was he doing and why did Lady Nagant look worried?
"The random legendary asshole who shows up when the raid team is losing against the Raid Boss!" Tomura screeched.
XXX
"You gotta burn somebody to learn somebody! Everybody's got a Jekyll and Hyde!" Naruto said excitedly now as he burst through the Conflagration Zone. Messing with this other Orochimaru was fun. The man was still a villain, after all. "You gotta curse somebody to hurt somebody. Everybody needs a reason to die."
"Uh oh." Himiko chuckled nervously, "Someone made Naruto mad!" That was when she caught a glimpse of Naruto on the dragon, his eyes were glowing green! "No! What does he think he is doing?!"
"What is wrong, Himiko?" Itsuka asked, unnerved by the sudden shift in her blond classmate's personality.
"He's endangering himself using too much power!" Himiko shouted as they ran to the plaza, their enemies already dealt with. "There is a reason Naruto told Fumikage about the earth man, his power is similar!"
Mezo and Koji gave a nervous look to each other as they ran.
XXX
"Am I the only one that doesn't buy into the lies? Am I the only one that doesn't wear a disguise?" Naruto sang as he passed over the plaza again, this time using his dragon to take down the remaining minions trying to get at Aizawa, making his mom's job easier. He even passed through the side of the hulking Nomu creature that tried to break Eraserhead's other arm. By now, green veins were glowing on Naruto's face along with a big grin, making him look deranged. "Cause if I can't break it and I can't change it, then tell me, how will I know? Am I the only one that isn't just here for the show? Welcome to the circus!"
XXX
"Be lucky he isn't over here with that." Mei said, a serious look on her face for once, Unnerving Tsuyu. The pink-haired mechanic did not even look this serious when her and Denki were performing a 'Shakespear in the Park' maneuver with one of Denki's electric shields and Mei's sonic hammer. The villains in the water learned how sound waves, electricity, and water mix a little too well…and not in their favor.
"Yeah, I can only shield us from so much." Denki replied, eyeing the dragon nervously.
XXX
When Naruto made his way into the Downpour Zone, he let his dragon fizzle out of existence, mainly because keeping it around was starting to hurt his body. Finally, he found Orochimaru again, having tripped over the unconscious bodies of the minions Izuku, Inasa, Fumikage, and Dark Shadow had taken down. They were standing in shock at his new look while Izuku looked more fearful for his friend than anything. As he was stalking to Orochimaru, Naruto's form shimmered to normal look but even that looked panicked. Izuku knew this to be a clone and when clones look nervous, that meant something bad.
"You gotta hide your face!" The clone sang urgently before something grabbed it and it switched places was the green-veined Naruto, who had kept his insane smile.
"Sell them what they bought 'cha, teach them what they taught 'cha!" Naruto sang, thrusting his free arm forward at a knife point, but it was held back by the arm of the clone appearing from nothing. Something still happened as it appeared the air rippled with lime green, reflecting off the rain and the next moment, Orochimaru screamed in agony because he lost an arm.
The two Narutos flipped again, "You gotta hide your veins!" The clone screamed, looking around frantically for help. "Izuku, help!"
"Oh crap, it's this far already?!" Izuku asked in panic. "We gotta stop it before it realizes it can use his full power!"
"What is?!" Inasa asked.
"The Earth taking back its power!" Izuku screamed over the roar of the music and the storm. Fumikage gained a look of panic himself for the reference before looking to Dark Shadow, who nodded to him. Izuku shot a bolt of lightning at the Naruto, who had switched back with the clone, to stun him before Dark Shadow grabbed hold of his arms. One of which had the sleeve torn to reveal the glowing veins on his arm.
"This is how they gut 'cha, right before they cut ya!" The insane ninja roared, fighting desperately against the wind pressure Inasa was using to weigh him down. He looked fearful for a moment as if he was seeing monsters that were not really there
"You gotta hide your pain!" The clone's mouth appeared next to his ear, trying to calm the original down.
"Ugly how they rule you, that's just how they screw you!" Naruto roared, his rage building, allowing him to fight Inasa's air pressure, Izuku's stun bolt, and Dark Shadow's growing tether.
The voice of the clone came again and sounded more urgent, making the original question why he was fighting again. "You gotta hide your rage!"
"Everyone has earned this! Welcome to the circus!" Naruto roared, flexing his power by flinging them all off him. The green veins, even in his eyes, looked more prominent. In a sense, Mr. Hyde had fully emerged. It set its sights directly on Orochimaru's crouched form, ignoring the others like flies. "Tickey, tickey, tacket, time to burn the casket. Time to burn this motherfucker down!"
"NOT TODAY BRAT!" Orochimaru roared, his form surging with purple lightning as he shot a blast at the deranged Naruto, sending him up and away from the Downpour Zone. Seeing the threat gone for now, he chuckled to himself, just loud enough for the three boy and one quirk to hear him. "Our battle will come, when I am the perfect being. Yes, our battle will be legendary!" He then slumped to his knees and with his blood, formed his Ouroboros symbol. He smirked to his audience and said, "Do be sure to keep him alive until then, won't you, Midoriya? I have much to torture him with." He laughed weakly as he fell through his glowing green portal.
Izuku looked highly unnerved that a villain he had never met, knew his name.
XXX
As Lady Nagant reloaded her rifle, she saw Naruto's form land in a crater in the plaza area and Eraserhead looked worried. However, she was worried for another reason. They had learned the hard way that when Naruto used too much power…of any sort, he would lose it. All because of a simple mistake during the transfer process. Naruto had been in pain during the transfer of One for All as it changed his body. He did the only thing he could think of dull the pain and focus his mind. Enter Sage Mode. But because the anchor had not set yet, their world's Nature Chakra rejected him and corrupted him a bit. It took All Might to take him down the first time and he was not here today. He was not coming. It was all up to Naruto and his inner friends to help him. "I hate that I can't help!" She growled out.
Over with Naruto, his corrupted form slowly getting back up and set its sights on Tomura, who was laughing at his misfortune. Something about a hacking and the consequences in an MMO. Suddenly, golden energy erupted from his back and pinned him down with what looked to be a giant golden paw. "Focus brat!" Kurama roared in Naruto's head.
"Ha Ha! I win! I win! Kurogiri, portals!" Tomura Shigaraki laughed in glee as portals were formed so that he could dust Naruto from a safe distance. Too bad he forgot Naruto's crash landing took out part of the Nomu…again and it was regenerating. That meant it was easy for Lady Nagant to get in a good shot on one of his hands while Eraserhead use his capture cloth on his other hand to halt it. "AGH! DAMNIT! I was going to game later with that hand!"
As Tomura tried to get at Naruto to dust him, Naruto was struggling with the giant paw keeping him down and he could hear Kurama in his head, yelling at him to focus. "Naruto, you can get through this." Nana calmly said next to him, her ghostly form only visible through his eyes, which caused one of them to turn normal.
Soon after Yoichi appeared before him as well in a crouch, his one visible eye showing kindness despite Naruto's rage-filled face. "I think it is time you tried what we talked about." He said kindly. "I know it is a risk, but we have to try something to get rid of the corrupted Nature Chakra. Go Sage Mode, for real this time. You need the constant flow to get rid of the bad chakra."
The corrupted green left his eyes as he calmed down, but the green remained in his veins, making his body feel like it was in so much pain still. "Right." He mumbled, closing his eyes, and going completely still. For a moment, nothing happened, then the world seemingly took notice. The air seemed calmer despite the situation. Even the villains noticed a stillness in the air. Even those with animal-based quirks felt compelled to look in his general direction.
Slowly, the green veins lifted off him as if repelled by an unseen force. It stared at him before screaming into oblivion. With the Corrupted Sage Mode gone, the original was able to take its place once more until Naruto let that go too. He stood up as the golden paw of Kurama dissipated. "Now that, that has been taken care of, I believe it is time I dealt with you, Tomura. That is what that mist guy called you."
"Oh yeah, you and what army? I have got a Nomu!" Tomura taunted while laughing. It was funny to the villain because almost all of Naruto's classmates were scattered throughout the facility, Nagant was farther up the stairs, Thirteen was who knows where, and Eraserhead was panting on his knees.
"Poor choice of words, I am an army unto myself. So we have a Naruto." Naruto replied with a coy smirk. "But it is you who will do the work for me,"
"Did whatever happened to you make you lose a few brain cells?" Tomura asked incredulously.
"Given how I grew up and who punched me on a daily basis, I probably lost more than a few." Naruto replied sheepishly from behind Tomura as he knocked the fake hand off the top of the pale blue-haired man and put his own on there before Tomura or Kurogiri could do anything. "Ah ah ah, if either of you move during this Jutsu, The Handy Man's soul will be ripped out! Now let's see what we can learn in this noddle with Ino's Deep Dive jutsu." After a moment of just standing there, Naruto frowned and then looked directly at Kurogiri. "Seriously? All surface-level thoughts this guy has are video game references? How much does this guy play."
"I…er," Kurogiri was at a loss for words here. This cocky brat also had a mind walker quirk too? What was he, an old experiment of All for One or…was he that Akatsuki brat that the Garaki Brothers ranted about on occasion? You know what, it did not matter and it was best if none of his superiors knew this happened or else, he would get tortured for it and he had enough dealing with Tomura for that to be a thing. He would volunteer nothing to them! "Sadly, yes. He has latched on to them quite hard."
Shota looked at the scene dumbfounded. It took him and Lady Nagant quite some time to get in Tomura's guard and Naruto just walked up and did something that made him look brain-dead. Tomura was speedy, but Shota mainly blamed his condition on the dead-eyed Nomu doing….nothing now. He knew the kid was powerful, but damn.
"Old hands here should really pick up puns as well, this guy is a wreck! Oh wait, what is this?" Naruto grimaced as in his mind's eye he saw a mass of hatred that looked like a cityscape in a ball. It was weird to look at but everyone's mind was different. His curiosity was peaked when he saw a crack in the mass and peaked inside to see a small black-haired child. "Huh, it would seem that someone has paved the way to easily manipulate you…I doubt it was snake boi, nope, just the Quirk Boogeyman…wonderful. Let's fix that, shall we?" Back inside Tomura's mindscape, he broke the shell of hatred, freeing the kid, who looked around confused. The mass turned into the current form of hatred and looked just as confused. Back on the surface level, Naruto smiled. "Whomever you choose to be now, that is on you, but before you go, dust the Nomu for me."
All eyes widened to comic proportions as Tomura, like a zombie, muttered for Nomu to come to him. Shakily, the hand-covered villain turned the Nomu to dust with his bloody hand since the other was broken, the beast screeched in agony before as it crumbled to dust.
"Well, that was something." Naruto replied in a bored manner as he kicked Tomura away from him.
Kurogiri wasted no time in swooping over and teleporting the both of them out of there. After all, it was his job to keep the young master safe and if something…strange came out of this that made Tomura more tolerable, so be it.
"Ugh, I am beat." Naruto replied as he sat down, just as the entrance doors burst open, revealing Nezu and the rest of the teachers. A few seconds later, All Might crashed through the ceiling, looking around for the class in a panic. "Dealing with the Corrupted Sage Mode for six years and finally being free of it has left me far more tired than I care to admit."
"You certainly showed more power than you did in a long time." Shota replied as he too sat next to Naruto, exhausted and nursing his broken arm, keeping it in a makeshift sling with his capture cloth. "I have to admit, when I saw you go crazier than the last time you did as a vigilante, I was worried. You mentioned it was something called Corrupted Sage Mode? We are really going to have to go over what your quirk is later in private. Most of your friends already know, but if I am to teach you, I have to know more."
"Yeah, that sounds fair." Naruto replied with a yawn and promptly fell asleep.
XXX
After the police and paramedics came to make sure everyone was ok, Nezu addressed the students, including a still drowsy Naruto, being held up by his mom and Himiko. "I am delighted to see that you are all well and mostly uninjured. You all fought valiantly in the face of evil, I am proud to call you students of U.A. However, you are still students who just started and I understand these events can be traumatizing. If you need any help or just want to talk through your experiences, our resident guidance counselor, Hound Dog, is always willing to lend an ear."
Nezu smiled at the class, happy they had made it through this villain attack. A lot of them had become closer because of this ordeal, shared experiences, and all that. "One more thing before I send you home. School is canceled for the rest of the week as we implement more security measures so this never happens again."
XXX
Kyudai has having a decent day working on his next Nomu when a portal opened up, spewing wind and water all over his lab. He was about to give his brother a piece of his mind when the man fell through said portal in a bloody and burnt heap. With a missing arm! "What the hell happened during Tomura's invasion, brother!?"
"No clue for the brat." Orochimaru said weakly and he was propped up against a wall. "His little gaming session is still on. I ran into little Akatsuki." Orochimaru made a choking noise before a hand burst out through his mouth. Then another as they pulled a new body out of the damaged old one. "We are really going to need to accelerate our projects. Akatsuki's power has grown in the years he went dark."
Kyudai was poking and prodding at Orochimaru's old body with inquisitive eyes. "Grown to such a degree to force you into using your new Hydra Regen quirk, it seems. Concerning, but we can work with that new data."
"Indeed." Orochimaru chuckled, wondering if he would see Naruto's green power again that made him so…savage. "When we see each other again, I will actually be ready. Ku ku ku."
"Also, why didn't you bring your experiments with you? That would have made for great guards?" Kyudai asked after a moment.
Orochimaru gained an annoyed look at that. "I forgot."
XXX
"Damn, my body aches all over." Tomura complained as he was dropped into the bar hideout he lived at with Kurogiri. Despite the aches and pains in his body, he felt…different. He was Tomura Shigaraki…but he was also Tenko Shimura. What did he really want to do with his life? His father always hated heroes ever since Grandma gave him up, even beat him for it. Then Sensei took him in and told him that everything wrong in his life was because of heroes. It did not really make sense now that he thought about it. Tenko remembered being quirkless until a met All for One. "Sensei…that was a shit show."
"So, I heard, Tomura." All for One commented from a TV. "It seemed that little Akatsuki has grown up and is causing more trouble for us. All Might sure did pick a good heir, that is for sure. But that is why I am here, my boy. I will pick you up and keep teaching you until you get it right. Keep failing and you will learn much. Now…where is the Nomu?"
"It would appear," Kurogiri started, "that Akatsuki had some sort of hypnotism power as well…he forced the young master into dusting the creature."
"You do not say? The more I hear about Akatsuki's powers, the more I want them alongside One for All. But this outcome is preferrable over the heroes capturing the Nomu and learning our secrets. The Garaki Brothers won't be happy to hear that their work was dusted but I hear they are already hard at work on something better."
"Sensei," Tomura stated as he sat himself on a bar stool. "If I am to make this work, I am going to need more than just the quirk you gave me."
There was a long pause as neither party knew what to say for a moment. All for One thought Tomura forgot all about that little detail. Ah well. "My boy, I thought you would never ask. I will provide a list of what I have and we can go from there."
Tomura just nodded before promptly falling asleep on the bar. Memories of Tenko Shimura resurfacing. Neither Tomura nor Tenko knew quite how to deal with this.
XXXX
Hope you have had fun reading this different take on the USJ! Tenko/Tomura's first steps in his new role have been taken! Yes, I plan on doing something different with him.
For those wondering, here are the revealed quirk for Orochimaru in this so far: Eternal Serpent (Look snake-like and have eternal life), Hydra Regen (His body can still age, decay, and acquire damage. This repairs that), Gorgon's Gaze (Levels of Petrification), Serpent of Gluttony (Ouroboros style portal power), and Fujin and Raijin's Wrath(Half Wind, half Lighting)
As for Naruto's disappearing clone trick, I will only give you the name of the technique for now. Sanzu Gaol.
Also, if you check out the last chapter on the Ao3 side of things, i have added picturess of what some of the new costumes look like. Working on getting more made.
Review please!