Madam President read through files in her office with Hawks and Nagant, "The info we got from Ino reading Garaki's mind was invaluable. If we so desired we could replicate quirks now, although none would be ready for a couple months at least..."
Nagant replied, sitting in a spinning chair, "That's way too long. Besides, we'd need to get Sasuke on board with the idea since there's too much risk for normal people."
Hawks said, "I don't think he'd mind, but that's beside the point. Knowing Pain's real identity could help out a lot. I found out about a Yahiko from Jaku who went missing around the same time that the memory should have taken place. If it's really him then he should be about 35 right now."
Madam President asked, "How does his identity help out with facing him exactly? You don't intend on trying to find his old childhood friends, do you?"
Hawks nodded, "I do... it's a long shot, but considering he was brainwashed then maybe seeing his two old best friends could jog something in his memory."
Her eyes narrowed, "Pain doesn't even remember anything from that young of an age. Do you really think it's worth putting two people's lives at risk for the chance of Pain changing?"
Hawks side-eyed Nagant, "We don't plan on just letting them die if things go poorly, we have a plan already."
"You two talked about this among yourselves earlier then?"
Nagant answered, "We did. We'll keep them safe obviously, but I'd rather avoid fighting someone that gave All Might a good fight if I can help it."
Madam President sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Alright... you two have my permission... and what about that boy Midoriya? Is it not better to bring him back yet?"
Nagant pulled out her phone showing a dot moving on a map, "He's fine. He's been maintaining contact with All Might at least. If he ever gets in too much trouble or breaks contact with everyone, I'll know where he is at all times and can just go get him."
"That's relieving... even though a child has no business fighting out there alone... I suppose that he's more capable than almost any hero we have out there… especially since countries like America have made it clear that they won't offer any assistance…" She looked out the window, 'What could he be doing now?'
In a city, Shindo and a fellow student from Ketsubetsu looked around frantically inside the mist of a villain's quirk. His classmate Nakagame called out, "Shindo? Where are you?!"
"I don't know! I can't see in this mist. Follow the sound of my voice! If we can watch each other's backs, he can't get the jump on us!"
"Too late for that." A deep, raspy voice called out as a large blade rose above Shindo's head, but as it came down, the bandaged man was wrapped in black whips and pulled out of sight, causing the mist to dissipate.
Shindo blinked looking around, "What was that?"
Nakagame ran toward him. "Did you see where he went?"
"No... maybe he ran away?"
"Uh... sure let's go with that."
On top of a building, the man who Midoriya took out faded out of consciousness, "How did... you see me in the mist?"
Midoriya jumped off the building with him in the whip, "I could sense you." He dropped him off in front of the police and jumped away, 'The fourth has quieted down...' He picked up his phone, "All Might, I'm heading back."
The rocky training grounds were filled with the 1A and 1B students, and Sasuke knocked Awase to the ground in pain while rubbing his knuckles. Kamakiri kneeled next to Awase and shot Sasuke a stern expression, "What are we supposed to be getting out of this? This is a waste of time!"
"What you're getting is fighting experience. It's more valuable than any other kind of training."
Shiozaki spoke up, "Pardon me, but there really should be a safer way to go about this, perhaps we can slow down and—"
"—Slow down? A safer way? Is that what you guys are gonna say when AFO comes to finish us off?"
He waited for a response, but didn't receive one. "Exactly, if you guys get hurt too badly then go to Recovery Girl. You guys gotta get a lot stronger in whatever amount of time we have before our final fight. And with how reliant a lot of you are on quirks, you can get something good out of learning how to dodge a fist coming straight for your face."
Kendo spoke up, "I'm with Sasuke on this one. It can really be life-saving. Just try to bear with it, guys; you won't regret it later."
Bakugo rolled his eyes, "This guy thinks he's a damn teacher now."
Shoji said, "Speaking of a teacher, where's Aizawa been?"
Tokoyami answered, "Since normal schooling has been suspended for the time being I heard from Hawks that he's been training Monoma with certain quirks."
A lot of the students went back to their regular training and Sasuke approached Jiro, "Jiro."
She turned to him, "What's up?"
"You do everything through your ear jacks with your quirk, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
Sasuke thought about a glass shattering from an Opera Singer, "Those vibrations you control, you can manipulate how strong they are... their frequency and everything. Have you ever tried to match the resonance with something you had one of those things jammed in?"
Jiro tilted her head, thinking about the question before answering, "Like to destroy something by matching its frequency? It's possible... but I don't think it's very useful to blow up some rocks."
"How about a villain?"
Jiro reeled back, "I-I'm not killing a villain! We're heroes!"
"Did that stop Hawks?"
She looked away, "No... but that was a special case. Someone like Twice would have this country destroyed by now."
"Exactly. I can't make you, but just keep in mind that you're gonna be fighting a villain stronger than you with no qualms about killing. Be prepared to do whatever you have to." Sasuke didn't wait for a response and walked off, side-eyeing Todoroki and Bakugo sparring together.
He thought, 'How long is Midoriya gonna play as bait out there? He'll have to come back eventually.'
Kirishima called out to him, interrupting his thoughts, "Sasuke!"
"Hm?" He turned to Kirishima who was sweating and breathing heavily.
"I need you to spar with me."
"You don't need to catch your breath first?"
"Hell no! Villains aren't gonna give me a break, so why should I get one here?"
Sasuke smirked and squared off with him, "Good answer."
Kirishima hardened and charged at Sasuke, starting an exchange. Sasuke dodged and weaved normally but relied on Susanoo's fist to land hits that would put down a normal guy. Although Kirishima just grunted and stumbled a bit. You've been training harder than anyone else here today."
"I have to; my quirk isn't as adaptable as everyone else's! I just get harder." He threw a punch that Sasuke caught and used to throw him over his shoulder, but he landed on his feet and charged back in.
Sasuke thought back to how much his original quirk evolved over the past year, "I wouldn't be so sure."
"What do you mean?"
"My understanding of my main quirk has changed a lot over the past year, yours might be able to do the same with enough experimenting."
Kirishima stopped himself from throwing another punch and looked down in thought. He said, "If what you're saying is true, I need to do everything I can to find out what that is."
Kirishima hardened to his unbreakable state, "Don't hold back on me, Sasuke!"
Sasuke manifested his v2 Susanoo. "I won't."
In the White House, two old men spoke. One was sitting behind the President's desk, and the other was standing across from him with a decorated uniform. "Mr. President, are you sure about your choice to restrict any aid to Japan?"
"I am." In each corner of the room, soldiers with firearms stood ready to gun down any threat that may enter.
A yellow flash entered the room and Minato appeared from a mark on the President's desk. Minato and the President stated firmly at one another as the soldiers raised their guns, but the President raised his hand, "At ease, soldiers. This is one of America's greatest heroes standing in front of you."
The soldiers complied and the President continued, "This visit is sudden. What's the issue?"
"You know what the issue is, Harrison. And I understand your concern, but with all due respect, Japan is facing an unprecedented crisis. Their society is falling apart and WE have the ability to help!"
The President folded his hands, "I understand your concern, Namikaze, but it is specifically because of just how unprecedented this crisis is that we can't risk putting our hands in it. The reports we've been getting on the strength of Shigaraki and the others are more deadly than anything since Madara a century ago!"
Minato countered slamming his hand on his desk, "That's exactly why they need our help! I've read the same reports! I'm fast enough to—"
"Namikaze! Your connection to Japan is too personal, and it's clouding your judgment! It's too much of a risk to potentially lose one of our strongest heroes!"
"Taking risks is a hero's job!"
Harrison pointed a finger, "Your JOB! Is to protect American citizens! We are talking about multiple threats around the strength level of All Might!"
Minato put his hand on his chest, "I'm faster than All Might! They have kids out there fighting in what's basically a war! My son trained with them just months ago! What will you do if Japan falls because we didn't help them?! It'll be too late by then!"
"We have countermeasures in place in case something like that happens, and you potentially getting your quirk stolen ruins all of those plans! Now Namikaze, my decision is final! I will hear no more about this! You will continue your duties only in this country as a hero, that is an order!"
Minato stiffened up and glared at Harrison before reluctantly nodding, "Fine... I understand."
He turned away and Harrison added, "Thank you, Yellow Flash. Don't get any ideas about unofficial visits; just try to continue your job as usual."
Minato wordlessly teleported away and the President rubbed his temples. The general cleared his throat, "Minato is definitely too emotionally invested, but he does bring up a fair point. It may be too late if Japan falls without our intervention."
The president drank a cup of water, "You're right, Hayes... The world couldn't deal with a fully powered Shigaraki... which is exactly why we can't let it get to that point... we might have to take... drastic measures... Soldiers, may you please leave the room for a few minutes?"
The soldiers saluted and marched out the room with one looking back slowly before closing the door and leaving the two men in silence. The sun shined through the windows, and a tree cast a long shadow over the two men. The president looked down, taking a deep breath.
The general's head tilted low, "Do you mean..."
"Yes, the nuclear option." Their eyes met.
Hayes held his hands behind his back and spoke, "Our country doesn't have a very flattering history with dropping nukes on Japan."
Harrison nodded, "I'm well aware, and I haven't fully decided on it yet. It's the last option... But I'm sure you understand why it might be necessary."
Hayes slowly nodded, "They might make us resign if we do that. The nukes we have nowadays are a hundred times more powerful than the ones they used back then in the second war. Millions would die."
The President's gaze was determined, "I'd be willing to make that sacrifice if it meant saving the billions of people in the world from Shigaraki and AFO's quirk tyranny. This hypothetical is exactly why I can't let the Yellow Flash go to Japan. I don't doubt his strength, but on the off chance his quirk was stolen..." Harrison wiped the sweat from his brow, "No weapon or hero would have even a sliver of a chance of harming him. He'd be like a God."
Hayes nodded, "I understand, Mr. President."
Harrison leaned back in his chair, "I'm glad you do, General... Hopefully we don't have to go through with that choice... but God help us if we do…" The two men looked out the window at the setting sun and the conversation ended there.
A couple of days passed by, and back in Japan Midoriya jumped across rooftops in the rain at night. He perched on the edge of a building, and his eyes felt heavy for a moment. He nearly dozed off, but his danger sense went off and he looked around before hearing screaming from an alleyway.
He hastily jumped down into the alley and saw a woman constricted by white snakes crying. She stared up at him with a desperate expression, "Please, save me!"
Midoriya ran toward her, "Of course! Let—"
"—Ah ah ah, get any closer, and that snake will rip that woman's throat out, Midoriya," A deep, raspy voice made its presence known, and a man walked out from around a corner. He had long black hair and pale skin and wore a lab coat.
Midoriya glared at him and got into a fighting stance. He thought, 'He can't just be a random villain... he was waiting for me specifically!' "Are you a hired gun working for AFO?!"
Orochimaru maintained a confident smile, "How astute of you. That would be correct. You can call me Orochimaru."
"If you want me then I'm here! Let her go!"
Orochimaru wagged his finger, "Sorry, child, but this woman has a purpose to serve. See, AFO has been wanting to meet you personally, and I've been trusted with retrieving you," Orochimaru rubbed his chin. "Though I must admit... I'm tempted to experiment on you myself considering your ability to handle so many quirks without difficulty."
Midoriya clenched his fists and green lightning crackled around him, "I said, let her go!"
He took a step forward, but the snake's jaw unhinged, ready to latch onto the woman's throat. Both he and she gasped, and she started breathing heavily, "Please, don't let this thing kill me!"
"I won't! What do you want?!" Midoriya stepped back, standing a few meters from the woman as the snakes relaxed.
"What I want is simple. Come with me to meet AFO, and this poor, poor woman doesn't have to die," Orochimaru spoke in a mock sympathy tone, and Midoriya froze, glaring at him.
'I... I've been trying to figure out AFO's location for a while now... Since he's likely still recovering... shouldn't I just...'
The original user of Blackwhip yelled in his head, "Don't do it, Midoriya! That's a guaranteed trap!"
Nana chipped in, "Agreed, you'll get jumped without any backup."
Midoriya gritted his teeth, 'But I can't just let her die!'
The third user spoke up, "You don't have to, kid. It's not much, but all that jumping around you've been doing has built up some energy in your legs. I know you're not proficient with it yet, but if you release it fast enough at 50% you should be able to rip that snake off that woman before it can kill her."
Midoriya's spirit was renewed and he braced himself subtly, 'Got it!'
Orochimaru sighed, "I'm still waiting for an answer, Midoriya. A real hero wouldn't let a poor—"
Midoriya blitzed at a blinding speed toward the woman and ripped the snake's head off, 'Faux 100%!' He grabbed the woman and jumped a block away. "You're safe now! Run!"
"Thank you so much!" She turned and ran without hesitation, and Midoriya turned back to Orochimaru, sighing in relief.
Orochimaru put his hands up with his smile never disappearing, "I give up. AFO is hiding out at a mansion in Haibori woods."
Midoriya blinked, "What?"
"I'm not the most experienced when it comes to fighting; without my bargaining chip, I don't really have a chance now. Do you think you can just let me go?"
Midoriya kept his guard up and Banjo spoke in his head, "Don't trust a word this guy says. He's as much of a snake as the one he used on that woman."
On cue, Midoriya's danger sense went off, and he jumped out of the way of a snake coming down on his neck. When he landed he looked up to see a second figure who was shirtless with a snake coming out of his stomach. "Sorry, Master Orochimaru. I don't know how he knew I was there."
"It's fine, Kabuto. You did what you had to, perhaps he has some kind of sixth sense quirk... so very interesting."
Midoriya got into a fighting stance, "Two against one... Thanks for telling me AFO's location, but I can't let people as dangerous as you roam freely!"
Midoriya made the first move, wrapping a black whip around the two of them and pulling them in. Orochimaru's body contorted like a snake out of it, but Midoriya still had Kabuto and went for a punch. Orochimaru yelled, "Liquify!"
Midoriya made Kabuto's body explode into a large puddle of water that soon reformed. "Sorry, Master. I'm not quite used to the new quirks yet"
Orochimaru stepped next to him, "Consider this good practice then. I got those quirks specifically for you to acclimate to."
Midoriya thought, 'He can liquify through my hits? How am I supposed to hurt him then?' Kabuto charged at him with a glowing blue hand while Orochimaru shot out snakes from his arms that tried to bind him.
Midoriya dodged Kabuto's attack and pulled on Orochimaru's snakes to try and displace him, but the snakes were just ripped from Orochimaru's sleeves. 'Wait a minute... Orochimaru had to actively tell him to liquefy, so if it isn't passive, then I could catch him off guard!'
Midoriya let off a smokescreen and hit Orochimaru with a Detroit smash, making his body out a dent in a dumpster. Midoriya floated above the smokescreen to spot Kabuto who heard Orochimaru's scream, "Master!"
Orochimaru gagged and ordered, "Kabuto, use the last one!"
Kabuto put his hands together and a red transparent snake came out of his back and flew up, although it didn't go for Midoriya. 'What is that thing?'
"White extreme attack!" The snake exploded into a blinding white flash accompanied by a loud bang that disoriented Midoriya, causing him to lose focus and fall onto the wet street. The sixth user yelled, "9th! Let out another smokescreen and try to get away!"
Midoriya let off a larger smokescreen that developed the whole block, but Kabuto's long tongue licked his lips, and he smiled, "I can still see you." The snake attached to his stomach darted for Midoriya and bit him on his side, causing Midoriya to yelp. It tried to slam him into a building, but Midoriya quickly gave the serpent a hook punch causing it to explode into blood.
Midoriya regained his senses and jumped away, feeling warm blood leaking from his side, 'Damn it! I'm wounded! I can't let this fight go on much longer!'
Orochimaru limped over to Kabuto's side holding his arm; Kabuto supported him as the snake attached to his stomach slowly regenerated. "Are you ok, master?"
Midoriya gritted his teeth, 'They always have regeneration quirks! But at least Orochimaru seems like he doesn't have one... maybe I could finish him off first.'
Orochimaru straightened up, and his devilish grin never left his face, "I'm fine, Kabuto. I haven't been injured like this in years, so this will be your first time seeing this."
Orochimaru's body seemed to lose color and Orochimaru looked up at the sky as his jaw unhinged. Two pale arms grabbed the top and bottom of his mouth, and what looked like Orochimaru, covered in slime, slowly crawled out of his mouth like shedding skin.
Midoriya felt his stomach turn while he stared at the display with wide eyes. Both of them smiled at him completely refreshed without any signs of damage. Midoriya clenched his side harder as he started to feel dizzy. He stumbled forward a bit and Orochimaru said, "Oh yeah, it must have crossed my mind to mention that Kabuto's bites are venomous. Since I'm a doctor why don't I tend to your wounds on the way to AFO?"
Midoriya's heart raced, and he thought, 'My attacks don't work on these guys... they just regenerate or go through anything I do...'
Nana spoke, "Midoriya, you have to retreat. You can't beat these guys as you are right now!"
The second user said, "Bet he could have beat them if he knocked Orochimaru's head off his shoulders."
The fifth user added, "C'mon we already know that's not his style."
Midoriya fell silent for a moment and took a step back, 'I... I can't risk fighting here anymore... I'm gonna have to retreat!'
The serpent duo noticed him backing up, and Orochimaru said, "Don't give him a chance to breathe."
Kabuto dashed toward Midoriya and a large snake emerged from Orochimaru's mouth that also chased after him. Midoriya activated full cowling and kicked away the large snake, but his movements started to feel sluggish, 'That venom is fast-acting! Damn it! I'm getting backed into a corner!'
Orochimaru and Kabuto pounced on him from both sides and Midoriya activated Fa Jin with 50% OFA. He made Kabuto explode with a kick and turned to Orochimaru thinking, 'If he can regenerate... this won't be permanent!' He punched straight through Orochimaru's stomach, causing him to fall on all fours screaming with blood falling out his mouth.
Midoriya's eyes briefly widened seeing his own attack. Although, he quickly turned back to Kabuto to follow up, but Orochimaru's snakes wrapped around his feet and tripped him. He ripped them in half but it was too late as he heard Kabuto say, "White Extreme Attack!"
Midoriya was flashed again and he braced for a hit, but all he felt was himself being lifted off the ground as his senses returned to him. "Yo, sounded like you were in trouble through your comms. I came as fast as I could."
Midoriya blinked and saw Hawks at his side lifting him up with feathers, "Hawks!"
"Good thing I came when I did, didn't look like you would have lasted much longer."
Hawks stared down at the duo grimacing as Orochimaru shedded his skin. Although, his eyes widened when he made eye contact with Kabuto, "Kabuto?!"
Kabuto stared up at him and Orochimaru side-eyed Kabuto, 'That's right... Hawks is the one that personally had Kabuto put in Tartarus. Just as I predicted though, he still shows no signs of recognition though. I suppose that's for the best.' "Come now Kabuto, we should retreat."
"Master, I'm confident I could take Hawks."
"That may be true, but more reinforcements are probably on the way, let's just retreat for now."
"... As you command."
The two ran away in the cover of night and Hawks thought, 'What the hell happened to him? Did AFO turn him into some kind of Nomu-snake hybrid?' He looked over at Midoriya, who gripped his side. "Let's get you an antidote for that venom, then we can check out the Mansion."
Midoriya seemed to be staring at nothing at all, his mind clearly racing over everything that just happened while he clenched his fist. Hawks said, "Midoriya, did you hear me?"
"... Yeah..."