There was smoke in the room as two people dragged another inside and shut the door, barricading it from the inside.
"Shit, what do we do man? Our quirks are useless against that guy. Not even the boss was able to take him down"
"Well, I guess that it's true what they said about him" said the second man
"Huh?" asked the first
"I remember the boss saying that even the big wigs in the government are bowing to him and boss was willing to cut a deal"
"And betray him? Is he crazy?" asked the first one scandalized
This earned him a smack over the head
"Look around, you idiot! This isn't someone we can fight off. Even All Might wouldn't have dared come into our hideout without a group to back him up" said the second
Suddenly the noise outside stopped and the two held their breath, hoping to not be detected. They could hear the muted thud of boots getting closer and from the tiny slit at the bottom of the door they could see that their assailant stopped in front of the door. Their hearts beat faster as they covered their mouths to prevent their breaths from being heard. After what seemed like an eternity the entity outside left and the two men could breathe again, only for the door to be suddenly blasted off its hinges and made to crumple against the far wall of the room.
"So this is where you had hidden, an admirable action even if it was foolish" came a voice from the doorway
There standing in the doorway stood Rikudou, his once pristine armor now stained with soot and blood. Behind him was a hellish sight as buildings burned and bodies laid one the ground with blood pooling around them. The two men drew the third behind them and stood on trembling legs to confront him.
Rikudou grinned, his blood red Sharingan glowing in the light of the fires behind him, giving him a most terrifying visage
"Loyal to the very end, aren't you? A pity that I have to make you break your loyalty. Now, I have two options for you. You either continue standing there and die or you cooperate and give me all the things I want to know and I will let you live out the rest of your miserable lives in prison" said Rikudou
The two men grew angered at his words and rose their heads to meet the challenge head on.
Unfortunately, they had forgotten about the golden rule when engaging Rikudou. Never look in his eyes.
Rikudou grinned as he felt the two fall under his genjutsu. From there it was an easy task of rummaging through their memories for anything useful. A few seconds later he disengaged the genjutsu and allowed the two to take a step back in fear.
"Oh, how gracious of you to offer this knowledge for free. For this service I will grant you a quick death" said Rikudou
I a second his left hand was covered in lightning that sparked to the sound of a thousand birds
"Chidori!"
In the next instance the chest of the first villain was pierced and his heart destroyed. The second didn't fare any better as his head was sliced off with a swing of a lightning enhanced blade.
Withdrawing his hand from the cooling corpse of the now dead villain, Rikudou stealth his sword and picked up the unconscious boss. After receiving confirmation from his shadow clones that any and all evidence was removed and stored, Rikudou disappeared in a body flicker and repapered at the entrance of the cave where the villain base was located. Folding his hand in a hand seal Rikudou spoke
"Fuiniutsu Kai!"
Inside the cave, on an opened sealing scroll, a fuiniutsu circle activated and released a stored Plasma Style unstable Rasengan. The small ball of white light detonated milliseconds after it's containment field fell and the resulting explosion erased all trace of the former villain hideout and caused a collapse of the cave, forever sealing whatever evidence was not vaporized under hundreds of tons of rock.
No one would learn of this massacre and all was as it should be.
It took me a week and a half before I managed to get a lead on just what the League of Villains was doing, though that's not strictly true. I discovered that the league had ties with an underground broker called Giran, real name Kagero Okuta. He was a small-time villain that dealt with illegal arms and technology trafficking. He was probably one of All For One's former rooster of allies, one of the outer circle that was offered the chance to go solo after All For One's supposed death. This being said, that guy was craftier that I gave him credit for. Many of the leads I discovered turned out to be dead ends, with the people that knew how to find this Giran being found either dead or catatonic, their minds destroyed. Somehow my ability to read the minds of others was leaked. It was expected, after all I used it on Kurogiri during the USJ. Nowadays Giran seemed to be doing his business remotely, using expendable muscle as his delivery boys. A risky endeavor all things considered, but one that was necessary to preserve his life and freedom.
After my latest raid on an underground safehouse for villains, I managed to discover the league's next target, the hero killer Stain. It seemed like Shigaraki wanted to recruit Stain. A foolish and ultimately useless endeavor. Stain was widely known in the underground as being a solo player.
After all, he had hundreds if not thousands of fans in many a young villain that thought themselves wronged by society. One with ideals such as Stain was like a beacon to all those that believed as such and he was unlikely to bow to the whims of a man-child.
My task was now clear. Find Stain and take him into custody. As a secondary objective, I should work on a smear campaign against Stain or a way to fracture whatever link he had with the League in the media's eyes should I fail in capturing Stain quietly.
There was much to do and with the sports festival fast approaching, not much time to do it in.
leaned back in my chair as I turned around to look out of the window. My office was at the top of Might Tower, a giant skyscraper in the middle of Roppongi, Tokyo. This truly was my agency nowadays.
After my battle with the League at the USJ and the discovery that All For One was still alive and kicking, All Might decide to hand me the keys to his agency, literally and in public. There was a giant media circus as I remember quite clearly. Not that remember much from when the blond oaf actually dropped this on me, I was too tired and shocked to even be able to respond. Still, it freed All Might from his obligation to the agency and it gave me the opening I needed to build up my influence even more. Honestly, up until now I was some amalgamation of a sidekick and secretary for All Might and now I have to take over his role completely. What a pain.
A good thing that came out of it is the fact that I'm now invited to the UA sports festival as not only a UA alumnus but also as a pro-hero in charge of an agency. I don't think that they expect me to take an intern, but if someone happens to catch my eye, I won't say no. This being said, I won't be taking zuku as an intern. He needs to learn how to deal with his own problems and not expect me to bail him out every time. Furthermore, I don't want Izuku to live under my thumb and be unable to escape the shadow cast. was easily able to escape All Might's shadow, but it still haunts me.
Rikudou is widely known as All Might's heir, that is true, but there was a time when I was known only as that. The US incident may have gone some way towards changing this perception, but it still needs a lot of work.
Theard a knock on the door
"Enter" I called out
The door opened and in came Shiro Nobuyugi. He was a young man that graduated from UA's management course in the same year as I. He was my secretary. I hired him once I discovered that the previous secretary was a spy for All For One.
Of course, I made sure to dispose of that man.
"Sir, Nighteye and Gran Torino are here to see you as well as a third year UA student name Togata Mirio. He says that he is Nighteye's intern" said Shiro
"I see, send them in Shiro and initialize a Beta level quarantine around this level" I said
"Yes sir" was the swift reply
I returned to watching the streets bellow as my secretary left the room. I did not need to wait for very long as my three visitors entered the room.
They stopped a few feet away from where I was
"Madara, we need to talk" said Nighteye
I sighed and turned towards them and stood up
"Indeed we do" I said
As I passed my desk I let loose a pulse of chakra in the sealing array imbedded in the floor. From there a blue ring spun into existence as the seal took effect, darkening the room as it spread over the windows. This action of mine startled them.
"Don't worry, it's just insurance against any spies that might be lurking around" I said
"There are spies here?" asked Gran Torino bewildered
I chuckled. It would be surprising indeed, after all this very tower was for the better part of a decade the central operational command against the forces of All For One back when All Might was in his prime.
"Yes, it surprised me as well, but given that All Might used to spend so little time here over the past 6 years it's not that surprising to see that some moles have gotten in. I eradicated most of them and the rest I keep under strict mind control to feed false information back to their masters" I said
I looked over them. Gran Torino's face was grim and understanding and Nighteye's was blank.
Mirio's though, spoke of a different emotion
"You don't approve?" I asked him
His smile became strained
"Eh, I can't really say I do, but Sir trusts you and so will I. Oh how silly of me, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Mirio Togata, third year UA student" said Mirio as he thrust his arm forward for a handshake
I won't be uncouth with a kid that did no wrong and whose only guilt was associating with a man I was in a disagreement with. I returned the gesture
"Madara Midoriya, pro hero Rikudou and head of Might Tower agency" I said succinctly
"Heh, you're really cool! Let's fight someday" said Mirio with a grin
I remained impassive for a few moments as I studied him. Sweat was beginning to form along his brow, a clear sign that he was beginning to feel uncomfortable
"Please go outside and find Shiro Nobuyugi. He will direct you to one of our training grounds. You are ready for a battle now, correct?" I asked
This seemed to startle him, but he took it in stride and quickly left the room.
"Now that the baggage is gone, shall we begin" I said
"Hm, have you found anything on the League's actions?" asked Gran Torino getting straight to the point
"Some, though their objective is illusive. We have time though, so let's talk about your student, Nighteye" I said
"What about him?" he asked seemingly indifferent
"You brought him here in the hopes of convincing me that Izuku was the wrong choice for One For All. Don't deny it, Nighteye, your motives were quite transparent" I said frowning
"Then are you going to reject him from the start without even getting to know him?" asked
Nighteye filled with righteous anger for his student
"Strange as it may sound, no. That's why I'm going to fight him after we're done here, to test his resolve. I will give him a chance Nighteye, something that you wouldn't do were you in my shoes and Izuku in Mirio's" I said
"Enough! We haven't come here to bicker like children. All For One is yet again loose in the world and we have to stop him" said Gran Torino, slamming his cane in the ground
I remained silent as I held Nighteye's gaze and he held mine. Not looking away I waved my hand and numerous holographic screens appeared between
US
"Very well. So far I've been able to identify a person going by the name of Giran as the League's primary broker. Unfortunately, my ability to read minds was revealed to the villains at US and Giran has gone into hiding. What little of his network he managed to keep under his control once I began going after him seems to be somewhat disorganized. I did manage to find something about what the league wants and that is a meeting with Stain"
"The hero killer? Why would they even want to collaborate?" asked Nighteye surprised
"While I was rummaging through the one called Kurogiri's mind I discovered that Shigaraki thinks himself a revolutionary of sort. His dialog though sounds more like a child's tantrum so it's doubtful that he would be able to draw people to this supposed ideal of his. That's where Stain comes in, he can provide the ideological basis and so long as he works under Shigaraki, villains will flock to the League" I said, exposing my predictions
"That's highly doubtful. Stain wouldn't lower himself to work for a man-child" said Nighteye
"Indeed, but he doesn't really need to work for them now, does he? After all, a martyr is sometimes as good as if not more so than an ideological leader. So long as he falls and the general public believes that he was working for the League, they will profit"
"Sometimes I forget how smart you are. You got any plans to stop that?" asked Gran Torino
"Several, but nothing concrete. My best option is to face the Hero Killer in public and tear his ideals to shreds, though that comes with its own set of problems" I said
This problem was multifaced to the extreme and many courses of action would result in a catch 22 for the hero side, boosting the villains' position irrespective of their status as winners or losers.
Such matters were delicate and could not be solved by simply throwing powerful heroes at the problem. The fact that I was capable of dealing with these matters made me oh so much more valuable than the rest of the top tier heroes.
"I see. So, what do you want from us? You called us here after all" said Nighteye
"Support, if you are able to spare any. I know we may not see eye to eye on many things, Nighteye, but I do not wish for this world to fall into chaos.
Whatever machinations All For One has placed in motion are well hidden and impossible to determine. This League of Villains is the closest we've gotten to his operations since his fight with All Might, if he still runs them like Might Tower's records show" I said
"I don't know if I'll be able to help you much, but you have my support in this endeavor. Should I find anything noteworthy l'let you know" said
Nighteye
He then rose from his chair and left without saying another word. I doubt that our relations will be anything but frigid.
"You're playing a dangerous game, kid" said Gran Torino
I directed my attention at the old man
"Lying to the public, hiding information from the hero database and even going as far as to kill in cold blood" he shook his head " worry about what our world will end up becoming"
"So do I, but what I do is necessary. The system as it is now is corrupt and bloated and as much as it pains me to say, I can't fix it. All I can do is win this war with All For One"
"Hm, so you say. I pray that you will not find the price of wining too costly to bear. After this festival is over, send the kid my way. I'll make sure he's not slaking off his training" said Gran Torino as he too prepared to leave
I said nothing as I watched him go. I hope you're right old man, but I fear this war may take something from all of us, regardless of my actions.
After all, there are few prices I wouldn't be willing to pay to ensure victory.
I know that his words should have instilled some sort of fear or dread into my heart, but I feel nothing. Maybe this is the price I pay for my power. To stand so far above the rest that their woes no longer touch or reach you. What a truly terrifying existence that is for those bellow and what a boring existence that would be for the one above.
I left the room soon after and headed for the training room I know to be pending use. I made sure to change into a more suitable outfit than the semi-formal one I usually wore when I was conducting business at Might Tower. The doors opened automatically in front of me as I entered the reinforced room that was used for minor combat training. This room was perfectly suited for those that needed to improve their hand to hand combat abilities, but it was quite unsuited for someone like me to go all out. It may sound arrogant, but I don't think l'll need my full power to deal with Mirio. He may be good, but he's still human. He has human reflexes and reaction times, something that I have far surpassed with my usage of chakra.
"Oh, hi I was just getting ready to start" said Mirio
I could see that he was just finishing up a set of stretches
"Did you wait long?" I asked
"Nor really. Honestly I though that your meeting with Sir would take longer" said Mirio
"Well, then let's begin. First one to be knocked out or unable to continue loses?" I asked
He nodded and I made a sign. A few seconds later theorn blared and the match was on.
I did not move and instead focused my chakra around me like a cloak. It was a new technique that I created to detect obiects around me in a four meter radius. I could go further, but then my combat ability is impaired due to sensory overload.
Mirio made the first move by... undressing?
His clothes apparently fell through his body and unwittingly, I activated my Sharingan. With the amount of data the Sharingan could give me, I could quite clearly see that Mirio's quirk is some sort of knock off Kamui. In the hands of a knowledgeable and trained fighter the phase shifting ability of the Kamui is nigh unrivaled. After all, Tobi was able to keep up with the combined power of Kakashi, Guy and KCM Naruto in an almost pure taijutsu battle using only this aspect of Kamui and I doubt that Mirio has the same weakness as Kamui.
Suddenly my senses blared and I reacted. From behind me and out of the ground popped out a naked Mirio, his fist already chambered and aiming towards me. My Sharingan could see the portions of his body that were still intangible and the battle precognition granted to me by my eyes made it so I knew what I had to do.
My chakra flexed and I was off in a fraction of a second into a flash step. As I came out of it, I could see Mirio's shocked faced as he tried to expand his permeability. It was useless against my speed, even without the lightning chakra armor. My fist found his gut and Mirio was launched into a wall with enough force to crack the wall and make him puke out his lunch.
I stood there as I watched impassively as he tried to get up
"I have to say, I'm impressed" I said
Mirio lifted his head to look at me. I could see the pain in his eyes
"You made me activate my Sharingan, something only All Might has previously done I said, bringing a hand to gesture to my blood red eyes
I smiled "Your quirk, is it automatic or do you need to manually control witch parts of your body you turn intangible?" I asked
"T-The second" he said as he struggled up
He managed to stand by bracing himself against the wall
"Then you are even more impressive. Against a normal opponent you would have won quite easily. Unfortunately for you, I possess a form of battle precognition. Tell me, can you still fight? I'd like to see the measure of your martial prowess" I said
He steadied himself before nodding and charging towards me. I couldn't help it, I grinned.
We met in the middle of the room, just like last time. This time, though we were taking each other seriously. I have to say that the more I fought, the more impressive Mirio became in my eyes. He as determined to prove himself and his fighting style made blocking quite redundant. My attacks were useless as well, though to be frank, I was enjoying this match so I didn't use chakra to enhance myself beyond what the Sharingan provided me.
After close to half an hour of continuous battle,
Mirio disengaged.
"You're holding back" he noted
"I am. I apologize for the disrespect, but this battle with you is the first fight in a long while that I could actually enjoy" I said
Mirio looked stunned for a moment and then grinned and laughed. As soon as he did that, he colapsed on the ground
"Man, you're intense! I haven't fought this hard since the beginning of my training with Sir and you haven't even broken a sweat!"
He spoke the truth. I was not tired and the chakra circulating inside of me kept me at an optimal temperature. On the other hand, Mirio was an exhausted mess.
"After your sport festival, consider my offer for an internship" I said
Mirio's head shot up and he looked at me with wide eyes. I smiled at him
"I could see some deficiencies in your fighting style that I would like to correct. You are, after all, one of the few people that I could say I have had a hard fight against. It would not do to have you at anything other than peak performance" I said
"I-" began Mirio but I stopped him
"You don't need to decide now. Take some time and recover. I'll be sending you an offer regardless after the sport festival" I said
"So, what did you think about this Sir?" asked Mirio after he and Nighteye entered their waiting car
Nighteye was quiet. He could not believe that the one he had trained for more than a year fell to a single attack by Madara. Was he right? Was Madara right in saying that he made a mistake with choosing Mirio?
"Mirio, do you want this?" asked Nighteye
Mirio frowned
"I do, I mean even you can't defeat me so easily.
There's a lot I could learn from him" said Mirio
"That you can. Madara is one of the greatest combatants of this generation and he is powerful enough to beat All Might in a fair fight" said Gran Torino
Mirio believed him. Just this small bout with Madara showed him the difference between them.
Learning from someone as great as Madara, the legendary pro hero Rikudou himself, was a great honor.
"I'Il accept his offer" said Miro
Nighteye leaned back in the car seat, uncertainty plaguing his mind. Rikudou was a truly terrifying man and against him even the nation's top heroes were as good as quirkless.