I must admit, I wasn't expecting this. I mean, yes, I was expecting headlines in newspapers and the occasIonal reporter trying to accost me on my way to school, but I wasn't expecting to see the literal horde of people standing in front of my apartment block.
"Shit" I said
"Nil-san, what's happening?" asked Izuku as he came out of his room in his workout clothes. We usually woke up together two hours before school started to go for a jog in the morning.
It looks like that won't be happening today
"Wow, what's with all these reporters here?" asked Izuku as he pulled back the curtain a bit to get a better look outside
"No, don't!" I said as I yanked him back by his shirt.
He yelped and crashed into me, but thankfully I was ready, and we didn't fall
"Those are reporters, also known as land sharks.
Stay here and get breakfast going. I must make a few phone calls" I said
"Ok, so what do you want?" asked Izuku
"Just the usual. And try not to burn the kitchen down this time" I said
Izuku blushed at that. I may love him to bits, but he's still useless in the kitchen and has an unusual propensity for turning his food into science experiments, and not the good kind, but the kind that will probably make even rats' vomit.
I first called my mom
"Hi, darling what do you need? Did something happen?" asked Inko
"Yeah, it seems that my stunt yesterday got me more attention than usual. Can you not come home today? You'll probably get mobbed by reporters" I said
"Oh, dear is it that bad?" she asked
"Yeah, I'm calling Aizawa-sensei now. Hopefully I can get him to take me and Izuku to school or something" I said
"Ok, honey. I'll talk to Mitsuki. Stay safe!" said Inko
"We will. By mom" I said
I immediately called up Aizawa afterwards. He picked up after a few rings
"What do you want?" asked Aizawa
I cringed a bit. From the sound of his voice I could tell that he was wishing me to be gone so he could go back to sleep
"Sorry to bother you, sensei, but I have the paparazzi on my front doorstep, and I don't think that confronting them would be a good idea" I said
I heard some shuffling before I heard his voice again
"Run that by me again.
You have what on your doorstep?" asked Aizawa sounding more awake
"The media" I replied
He groaned
"Shit. How bad is it kid?" asked Aizawa
"Bad. I can't see a normal exit route and there are some media vans parked in the street that belong to some major news agencies and talk shows" I said
"Can't you ninja your way around them?" asked
Aizawa
" can, Izuku can't" I said
There was silence from the other end of the line
There was silence from the other end of the line
"Ok. Stay put I'll come to get you" said Aizawa
"OK, thanks teach" I said and ended the call
I came back to the kitchen to find my brother on his phone. I looked over his shoulders to see a news site and the front page.
It was a picture of me from the sport festival in a battle stance and grinning while looking over at someone off camera with narrowed Sharingan eyes while behind me was a pile of unconscious students. The photo was taken slightly from the side. Next to it was a picture of All Might in an almost exact stance with a pile of villains at his back and looking off screen at another villain with his trademark smile on his face. Honestly the similarities between the two pictures were eerie.
What was worse was the title 'The Next All Might'.
In a way, this was exactly what I wanted to happen, but somehow, I felt oddly uncomfortable calling myself All Might's heir.
"Izuku, I-"I began, but was cut off
"Don't worry, ni-san. I know that this is just a face for the media" said Izuku with a smile
I sighed and hugged him all the while messing up his hair, making him whine
"What did I do to get such an understanding little brother. In a way I still feel like I'm robbing you of your rightful place" I said
"Don't say that, ni-san. I always knew that I will be compared to you if we went into heroics. I must make my own path. I don't care if they compare us, in fact I'll be proud to measure up to you" said
Izuku
"zuku, no one should be comparing you to me.
You are your own person with your own ideals, strength and will. You don't need to measure up to me, because I'm not the goal you should set for yourself" I said
"What do you mean, ni-san?" asked Izuku confused
I sighed and moved to sit down at my own chair looking over the breakfast laid before me
"You, Izuku are one of a kind. You have such strong convictions and morals while I am all too willing to bend mine to get what I want" I said
"That's not true, nil-san" said Izuku
"Yes, it is. Have you ever wondered why it is that Katsuki doesn't physically bully you?" I asked
Izuku was silent. He knew his maybe friends' attitude against the week and when he was younger, he was week. But Katsuki only beat him up once.
"Uh, not really. Why?" asked Izuku
"After he beat you up, I cornered him after school and did enough damage to him to put him in the hospital for a month" I said bluntly
Izuku blinked and was surprised. He knew that I had beaten a bully bad enough to send him to the hospital. It was after that fight that he told me to stop.
"I didn't know" said Izuku
"And I threatened him that I would do worse if he ever touched you again" I confessed
Izuku looked down at his phone and the picture on it and said a soft 'oh'
"That's what I mean, Izuku. I can't be All Might's true heir. It would be a perversion of everything he stands for" I said
"Don't worry about it, nii-san" said Izuku
I looked at him, not understanding what he was going on about
"I know what you mean, but I trust you to know when too far is too far. And besides, All Might needs a successor fast and I can't give him that.
But maybe I could be yours" said Izuku with a shy smile
looked at him and smiled
"Ok"
We ate our breakfast while chatting about what the media was saying about me. So far, their opinions were divided. Some said that I was the next great hero, like All Might and some said that I was too violent. Still, the overall feedback from the people was that of happiness to have another symbol. Still, there were conspiracy websites that said that All Might was retiring, and I was his son or some other relation.
It made me worried for Izuku's safety
"Izuku, do you think you could take an early exam and test out of middle school?" I asked
"Sure, I already know all they teach there. Why do you need me to?" asked Izuku confused
We were in the living room and I watched while he did strength exercises for his arms. I have to say that Izuku bulked up quite a bit in these past two months since meeting All Might, but then again, he had the base I helped him build for a whole year before they met.
" don't think it's safe for you right now. If the media found our house, I'm willing to bet that they found your school and the villains won't be far bekind" I said
"But what about mom?" asked Izuku
"She won't be that much of a target except for reporters and I think aunt Mitsuki wouldn't mind having mom over for a few days until the media forgets about our home, which I bet will happen as soon as I announce my internship with All Might" I said
"Ok, I get it, but why am I in danger. I'm quirkless" said Izuku
"True, but you're my twin and studies have shown that there is a tiny chance that you might develop a quirk later on in life, after all the toe joint test isn't as foolproof as we'd want it to be and you never had your genome tested. The possibility is there that the doctor could have simply misread your x-ray"
"Ok, but I still don't get why you're so worried" said
Izuku
"You're my brother, Izuku and you technically have a quirk named 'hyperpower'. You have also shown a desire and will to get into heroics. To the villains that matter, the smart ones, know that I'm out of their reach. You on the other hand aren't Izuku and I bet that they don't want another powerhouse to rival me and All Might out there.
They may think that it's best to get rid of you now, while you're still vulnerable. Sometime later we will have to give a public statement of how you activated your powerful quirk after the sludge incident if we want to keep the secret of One For All safe" I said
"I understand, nil-san" said Izuku
"I'll speak with All Might today and come pick you up from school. I don't think anyone will make a move on you today" I said
"Ok" said Izuku
He looked at the clock and went to get dressed.
After we dressed for school, I got a text from Aizawa to be on the lookout for his car. A few minutes later, his car along with a couple of police cars arrived and the police made a corridor to the entrance. I walked out; head held high as I was assaulted with flashes. I smiled and waved.
Looking back, I saw my brother frozen with a deer in the headlight's expression on his face. I put an arm around his shoulders and guided him to the car, all the while Izuku was doing his best to hide himself in his uniform's collar.
We met Aizawa-sensei at his car as the man was leaning on it
"Hi, Aizawa-sensei, sorry for the trouble" I said
"Problem child, get in. Who's the clone?" asked Aizawa in a bored tone
I knew he knew, but was asking for politeness sake
"This is my brother, Izuku. Izuku, this is Eraserhead aka Aizawa Shota" I said
"H-Hi, mister Eraserhead, sir" said Izuku shily
"Enough talk, get in" said Aizawa curtly
Man is he still grumpy about being waken up?
We got in and Aizawa got in the driver's seat and drove off in the direction of Izuku's school. After a while of silence, Izuku began asking questions about Aizawa's work as Eraserhead with that fanboy expression on his face. I could see him begging me in the rear-view mirror to make Izuku shut up.
I decided to take pity on him and snaked a hand behind Izuku's head and covered his mouth making his speech muffled
"Now, now, little brother I think that Aizawa-sensei had enough questions, don't you?" I asked
Izuku looked at me and then at Aizawa's relieved expression and blushed something fierce.
"An on that note, we've arrived...shit" said Aizawa
looked out the window and saw a smaller horde of reporters at the entrance of Izuku's school along with a good deal of the students of the school.
"Ni-san, what's going to happen?" asked Izuku looking somewhat worried
"I'm not sending you out to deal with that mess.
Aizawa-sensei, can Izuku come with me to UA until this mess gets sorted out?" I asked, though it came out more like a demand
"I suppose. I'll call the principal to let him know" said Aizawa with a tired sigh
And just like that we were off again. Honestly, I expected a greater deal of resistance from Aizawa, but I think that even he had enough of a heart as to not send middle school children to face the media.
I turned to lzuku and saw him with the biggest grin I've ever seen on his face and his fist stuffed inside his mouth to keep himself from screaming. I honestly haven't seen him this excited since I told him about chakra.
Sometime later we arrived at UA and were let inside. Izuku got a visitator card and I took him to class 1-A and let him in. A few moments later Aizawa followed carrying the mother of all paper stacks.
"Sensei, you need any help with that?" I asked
Normally it was Izuku who was jumping in to help people, but I think I broke him today.
looked behind me and, yep totally broken and drooling. Must fix that before it becomes gross
"No need" said Aizawa as he plopped them on my desk
"So, what are those?" I asked warily, like it was about to attack me
"These are your internship offers. We usually don't have this many internship offers for first years, but you're a special case, as always", he said
"I kind of figured, but why are there so many?" I asked
Honestly, I was not expecting this. Aizawa looked at me like I was stupid witch I admit hurt a bit.
"There is an internship offer from almost every hero with a teaching license in Japan including All Might" said Aizawa
I took a small glace behind me. Izuku was still in lala land and non-responsive so his reaction won't give anything away.
"I'II take All Might's offer" I said with a grin
Aizawa huffed "I figured. Now this part is usually done by Midnight but considering that you already know your way around public relations, at least somewhat, I'll say this. It's time to choose your hero name"
I blinked. I was seriously not expecting this to happen so soon. I mean, what would I choose as my hero name anyways? My own name is somewhat of a rip-off from a supposedly fictional character in my old life and I always thought that monikers and hero names had to be earned. Still, he had a point, I couldn't parade around the streets without a hero name, especially if I was going to be interning with All Might of all people.
Still my name had to be something of great significance to tie into the image of the Pillar of Strength.
"Rikudou" I said in a whisper
"Ni-san?" asked Izuku
looked back at him and saw him looking at me strangely. In all these years he had gone through hundreds of hero names, almost all some variation of All Might's. I never spoke about what mine will be.
"The New Titan: Rikudou. The hero that holds the word from falling" I said determined as I looked into Aizawa's eyes
He kept my gaze for a few moments and smiled and nodded.
Sometime later, found myself in the support department. I wanted to get a weapon that could act like a shield if needed and be strong enough to channel my chakra though it. In the end I chose to recreate the war fan that Obito and Madara used in the 4th ninja war simply because of practical reasons. Ok admit that some fanboying did happen when I designed it and I may or may not have also designed an exact copy of Madara's red armor from Naruto, but I didn't send the specks for it to the support department. I like my own armor and I feel that it's something unique to me.
I'm not changing that. Maybe tweak it a little.
Afterwards I went to the principal's office to discuss my brother's situation. Thankfully Nezu was there with All Might in his skeleton form.
"When did you get here, All Might?" I blurted out
The man gave me a slight smile
"I live in this town now. It's the easiest way for me to train Young Izuku" said All Might
I looked at the principal who was calmly sipping his tea
"I take it you know about One For All, Mr.
Principal" I said
"Please, call me Nezu, and yes, I do know about All Might's power. It's such a fascinating quirk, don't you say" said Nezu
"Indeed. I wanted to discuss something with you, and All Might about the security of my family" I said bluntly
This caused All Might to straighten his pose and Nezu to set down his cup and look at me intensely.
"Did something happen, young Madara? Are you in danger?" asked All Might
I shook my head
"It's not me I'm worried about, but my brother and mother that I've inadvertently placed in the firing line of the villains" I said
"Has a threat been issued to you?" asked Nezu
I shook my head
"It's something else. I'm already well known in the scientific community as a genius child and that made me a target for villains to kidnap, but I was always careful about just how much information I dispensed, and I trusted the universities to keep my personal data secure. However, I still woke up to find a horde of reporters in front of my house and Izuku's school and if reporters can find where I live, then I have no doubt that villains would too" I said
"I can arrange for a police protection detail for them" said All Might
"You can do that?" I asked surprised
" have a good friend in the police force" said All Might
"It won't work that way" said Izuku
Where did he come from?
looked back and I saw him with his hand on his chin and eyebrows scrunched up in his usual thinking pose. Good, he's learning. I'm just thankful that he's not completely ignorant to the darker aspects of being a hero and how it affects those around them. Especially if one aims for the top.
"Oh, please go on, Midorya" said Nezu looking anxious to see what he did next
"Well, I'm planning to go into heroics and everyone who knows me even just a bit knows this. Also, nit-san said that villains may want to target me and take me out now before I get All Might's quirk so that I'm not that big of a threat later down the line.
Also, they might use me and mom to get to nii-san" said Izuku
All Might looked stunned
"I never considered that, but why do you think that they will consider you a threat?" asked All Might
I pulled out my phone and opened the page with the headline I saw this morning
"Why do you think?" I asked
All Might's eyes widened, and he coughed some blood as he looked between me and the picture
"Weren't expecting that, were you?" I asked
"No, this is too fast, even I didn't get this popular until well after I became a pro hero" said All Might
"It's not that surprising, All Might" said Izuku "With what nii-san said at the sports festival and his unprecedented feat of wining the entire sports festival by himself one event early added to your precedent, many think that he's working to become the next you"
I nodded
"If you still want me as an intern, all the theories that are floating around now a days about you taking me under your wing to train me us as a successor will be all but confirmed" I said
"It's a perfect cover for you to retire from active duty All Might and a perfect screen for young
Midorya" said Nezu
"What about you, young Izuku, what do you have to say about this?" asked All Might
Izuku fidgeted a bit
"Well, I may be your successor to One For All, but I can't be your successor to the title of the symbol of peace yet. I'm not even ready to receive your quirk, All Might and even if I do, I still have almost another year before I enter UA. Also, I don't think I can do what ni-san plans on doing and graduate in a single year so I have at least another 4 years before I become a pro hero and who knows how much time I will need to climb the ranks to number one. By that time, you would already be retired, All Might, and I can't see the world keeping itself stable without a symbol to protect it" said Izuku, looking at me as he said the last part
"So, you want me to build up Young Madara to be my successor in the public eye?" asked All Might
Izuku nodded
"We talked about it a bit more this morning and bought me and nii-san think it's the best way to go about it. I wouldn't mind not being your successor, All Might. I'm happy being ni-san's" said Izuku with a slight smile
"And I'II be glad for it" I said
"Oh, do tell" said nezu
looked at the hybrid
"Well, originally being a hero was supposed to be a side job for me. A way to get a hero license and be able to help Izuku while I focus on my science and further insight into chakra. It wouldn't have hurt to have the prestige that comes with being a hero, or the money one can get from beating up villains" I said
"Huh? What do you mean ni-san" asked Izuku looking confused
"Well, I originally planned to be an underground hero, for the first part of my career" I said
All Might choked on his own blood in surprise. I smiled a bit
"Yeah, I know. Surprising, isn't it? I intended this plan to come about if I couldn't teach Izuku Chakra" I said
"What plan was that?" asked Nezu
"Well, I planned to enroll early, obviously, but I wouldn't have told you about chakra and restricted myself to only taijutsu and earth manipulation along with fire manipulation claiming it to be a dual elemental quirk. I probably would have toned it down a bit for the sports festival and kept a reasonable high rank for all three years. After the first year it all depends on Izuku. If I managed to teach him chakra well enough to enter UA hero course, I would have probably told you about chakra, but if not then I intended to help him get into either support or general courses and make his way into the hero course through the sports festival" I said
"You can do that?" asked Izuku surprised
"Of course, that's how Eraserhead became a hero.
And it's the reason why I had you take that course on engineering" I said
"You can build support items, young Izuku?" asked
All Might surprised
Izuku blushed
"Well, I won't say that they're support items, but yeah, I can invent stuff. Though from where ni-san gets the parts I never found out" said Izuku
They looked at me
"I'm getting to that. Anyways after I graduated, I planned to open my own hero agency. I've been using underground brokers since I was 12 to build up a small side business to fund my monetary needs and that money would have gone into the agency and as a starter fund for my fully legitimate business side once I graduated and not the murky grey area that I'm in now" I said
All Might and Izuku looked at me bewildered while
Nezu had a slight grin on his face and his eyes were twinkling something unholy
"After Izuku graduated I planned to leave most of the agency stuff to him and depending on whether or not he had chakra I'd figured we'd either decide to either stay underground or go mainstream.
Either way I would have retired after 5 years and gone off to continue my research" I said
There was silence.
"Madara, how would you like to work as an intern for my agency?" asked Nezu
I blinked
"Sorry, but I need the public exposure that comes from being All Might's intern" I said
"Wen there's always the work study program" said
Nezu
I blinked
"Sorry, but I need the public exposure that comes from being All Might's intern" I said
"Well there's always the work study program" said
Nezu
Iraise an eyebrow. Why is he trying to get me to work for him so hard?
"We'll see. Anyways I wanted to ask if there's any way to provide security for Izuku that would withstand villain attacks"I said
"There is, but there is the matter of his school" said All Might
"Don't worry, All Might. I'm taking a test to graduate early" said Izuku
All Might blinked
"That's actually a very good idea. I'll come back to you with an updated schedule. If we keep it low key, I think I should be able to act as your bodyguard until the year stars" said All Might
"Really!" said izuku
I could see the stars in his eyes.
I rolled my eyes
"Dow, boy. We still need to discuss my internship details" I said
"That can wait until tomorrow. For now, do you have anywhere where to stay for the night?" asked Nezu
"I have a few safe houses" I said
They all looked at me weirdly
"What?" I asked
"Most 14-year-olds don't have safehouses" said All
Might
"Most 14-year-olds aren't me" I said back
He nodded, as if conceding the point
"Regardless, I have more than enough space in my apartment for the two of you. We could go later to buy you some clothes" said All Might
"I don't think we need to. All we need to do is show our faces on the other side of town in full hero gear and pose for a few pictures while announcing my internship. That'll have every reporter in a 10 km radius on us faster than a hungry shark" I said
All Might shuddered and looked at me in what seemed to be awe and pity before he bowed
"You truly are courageous, Young Madara. To purposely draw the hordes to you is a most noble sacrifice" said All Might
In the background I could hear Izuku laughing.
Brat.