Chapter Text
"Is it much farther, Oto-san?" asked a curious three-year-old Naruto, wearing an orange and blue jumpsuit with the Uzumaki symbol on his back, bought by his mother, who squealed with tenderness every time she saw him. With his large, shiny blue eyes, the little one looked curiously at his father, who was walking beside him, holding his hand firmly, climbing the long stairs that led up to Mount Hokage.
"Just a little more," smiled Namikaze, bending down to pick up his son and carry him in his arms. Leaping up the stairs, he landed on the fourth carved face on Mount Hokage, which was his own. With a peaceful smile, the older blonde sat on the ground and placed his child on his lap.
"Ohhh~" Little Namikaze stared in awe at the gigantic village and the sun setting on the horizon.
"Isn't it amazing?" smiled the Kage, ruffling his son's hair, who nodded. "Yes... it's up to us to keep it that way. Peace and prosperity were the things our ancestors longed for the most."
"Mmmmm," Naruto understood as best as he could and then let himself fall backward to be close to his father, cherishing these small moments because his father was someone very important, who sometimes didn't have much time for him, and that's why he wanted to enjoy every second. "Oka-chan said that maybe I'll have a little brother or sister... Do you think I'll be a good big brother?" asked the little blonde, uncertain.
"You will be. Remember, no one is ever truly prepared for this. I never thought I'd be a father... And look at me! I did a good job, don't you think?" asked Namikaze, smiling at his son, who blinked, confused. "And does that make me your favorite? Don't you think?"
"Oka-chan is more fun..." That answer made a depressive aura surround the Yondaime, who felt as though a mountain had fallen on him. "But I still love you very much, Oto-san." His sadness disappeared when his son smiled brightly and shifted on his lap.
"Well said!" Both Namikaze remained silent, watching the sun set and give way to the dark night, with millions of stars shining in the sky, accompanied by the full moon. With a sigh, the older blonde lowered his gaze. "You know... when I formed a special bond with your Oka-san, I made a promise," he said gently, lovingly stroking his son's spiky hair.
"Promise?" asked Naruto curiously, looking at his father, who was staring at the stars.
"Yes... the promise to never let that beautiful smile disappear, to protect her smile..." Saying this, he looked at his confused child, who still struggled to understand. Laughing softly, Namikaze stood up and placed the little one on his shoulders. "Don't worry, one day you'll understand. And who knows, you might find that special person with whom you'll form a bond and want to protect their smile at all costs."
"Yes!" Naruto nodded to himself, swearing to remember his father's words.
"Alright... it's time to go home..."
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"This will be complicated," thought Aizawa wearily as he stood in front of the large doors of U.A., alongside Vlad King, observing the two large groups of students from classes 1-A and 1-B. They were divided into their respective courses, much to the annoyance of the two teachers, since this year things had changed. Instead of keeping the classes separated, this time they would be together to interact at the camp.
"It seems like the class, which is the center of the universe, is missing a member. Is their strongest teammate too busy for this?" Monoma asked mockingly, annoying some of the 1-A students.
"Just ignore him," Momo tried to get her classmates to ignore the blonde from class B, but Bakugo and others were already losing the little patience they had left.
"You know, I've heard people say that without Uzumaki Naruto, you’d all be nothing… Who would have saved your butts at the rescue station? Or during the Nomu attack in Hosu city? Or saved one of your family members from being kidnapped?" This time, Momo was impulsively ready to strangle the loudmouth from class B. "It’s not funny depending on just one person..."
"I’ve had enough of you! I’m going to kill you!" Katsuki had to be held back by Kirishima to stop him from attacking Monoma, who never stopped smiling arrogantly.
"I hate to say this…" Taking the floor, all eyes turned to Shinzo, who was with the other class B students, "But he has a point. In every villain incident that has occurred, Uzumaki has been a key player, saving each and every one of you…" he calmly explained his viewpoint, which was supported by other class B members.
"That’s not true… is it?" Ochako’s doubtful expression was contagious, as several of her classmates looked at each other. Was what that guy said true?
"It’s true," stepping forward, Deku didn’t hesitate to admit that his neck had been saved multiple times by his sensei. He looked directly at Monoma and Shinzo, smiling with determination. "But that doesn’t mean it always has to be that way. We will strengthen ourselves and improve to be the ones helping Naruto next time," he said confidently, lifting the spirits of some of his classmates who supported him.
"Big words, let’s see if you can back them up," dismissing Midoriya's words, Monoma simply shrugged, still wearing his arrogant smile. "Anyway—" Before he could say anything else, a giant hand slammed him painfully to the ground.
"You’ve said enough," an angry Itsuka raised her hand to lift her annoying teammate. Looking at class A and the class B president, she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about him. You’ll get used to his stupid comments," she said, bowing slightly in apology. She then lifted the dazed blonde to his feet and shoved him behind the group to prevent further trouble.
"No problem…" Momo crossed her arms and waited impatiently for the missing students to arrive so they could leave for the trip.
"This will be a long trip…" Aizawa muttered wearily, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.
"I believe so," agreeing with his partner, the hero with gray hair and a red suit looked at his list of students and noticed that two were missing. "Does anyone know if Shiozaki Ibara and Uzumaki Naruto are coming?" he asked loudly, catching the attention of all the students, who were surprised by the absence of two of the most recognized students from their own classes. Just before anyone could answer, they were interrupted by the arrival of the two remaining students.
"Wait! Here we are!" everyone saw how Ibara was holding one of Naruto’s hands, trying to pull him to walk faster so they wouldn’t be late, although the shinobi didn’t even flinch and continued walking slowly toward their classmates. "How much do you weigh?" the girl asked, frustrated, having tried for four blocks to make the blonde walk faster, but he just strolled along, not caring about being late.
"Apparently, enough not to be dragged by you," Naruto shrugged as he ignored the weak grip of the girl who was trying to pull him. With his bag on his back and his suitcase over his shoulder, the blonde walked to where class B was. "Hello, Shinzo," he greeted the brooding teenager, who returned the greeting with a nod.
"Naruto…" raising an eyebrow, the purple-haired boy watched as his religious classmate was now being dragged by the blonde, who just kept heading toward the bus that would take them to the camp.
Exhausted, Ibara was lifted by Naruto’s right arm, who smiled weakly. "You really don’t know when to give up, do you?" he asked with amusement, watching how tenacious the girl was. But it didn’t last long, as she, tired, finally let go to glare at him.
"Shiori-chan, is everything okay?" Tsuyu’s question was answered when she saw the left arm of the adolescent covered in fire, while cold mist spread from her right arm. Wisely, their classmates took a few steps back from her to avoid trouble with the furious red and white-haired girl, whose gaze was fixed on Ibara, who was scolding the shinobi, who only crossed his arms.
"Well, now everyone is here…" Looking around, Aizawa seemed satisfied to see all the students present. Although for a moment, he watched the interaction between Shiozaki and Uzumaki, and with an idea in mind, he grinned crookedly. "You are all students of U.A." he said, catching the attention of the students. He then took a step forward and crossed his arms. "In the future, you will be professional heroes, and one day you will have to work together to face the threats to come… so no matter the differences you have between you, in the end, you will all be heroes." Looking at both groups of students, some had the decency to feel embarrassed by their actions. "I have an idea…"
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"This is awkward." Several hours had passed since they left the academy, and Aizawa’s idea was for each student from a different class to sit with a student from another class. Obviously, this was poorly received by the students, but it wasn’t like they could complain. Right now, Izuku was sitting next to a stiff Kodai Yui.
"…" The beautiful dark-haired girl was staring at the seat in front of her, where Uzumaki Naruto and Shiozaki Ibara were. The latter was wearing headphones and taking a nap, resting on Naruto's shoulder, who was just crossing his arms and looking out the window. "Mr. Whiskers... can I ask you a question?"
"Mr. Whiskers?" Toru couldn’t hold back a laugh, just like others who were close enough to hear Kodai, but they were ignored by Naruto, who felt the cold, hard stare of the class B girl.See AlsoThe Cost of Raising a ChildWhen Did Water Form on Earth? - The Environmental Literacy CouncilUkraine war latest: Ukraine making 'worrying' progress in Kursk after new offensive, Russian bloggers sayPolitics latest: Starmer unveiling plan to cut NHS waiting lists in health reform speech
"Question..." With a sharp look, the shinobi remained still.
"Why are you doing this to her?" A heavy atmosphere formed between the two teenagers, who stared at each other coldly, making Deku and the other students nearby uncomfortable. "Mr. Whiskers, I’ve seen you since you first set foot in U.A. You’re a violent, cold, and antisocial person, with questionable morality if we take all your actions into account..." she spoke without hesitation, looking the shinobi in the eyes, who returned the gaze with a dark and dangerous look.
"…" With a deep breath, the blonde simply let the girl speak. Everyone on the bus fell silent at the strange conversation taking place, and more than one person wanted to intervene, but they were stopped by their classmates to avoid making things worse.
"Ibara-chan is one of the purest and kindest people I’ve ever met. She’s one of the few people in this world who won’t judge you, and instead, she’s willing to listen, to offer herself, even to give something as important as friendship." Saying this, the girl sighed and looked at how the religious teenager was still sleeping. "Why would someone like you be in her life? What do you want to achieve with this?" she asked more seriously, not intimidated by the Uzumaki’s gaze, who stayed silent the whole time.
"…" For a moment, the shinobi’s gaze softened when he felt the girl sleeping on his shoulder move, adjusting herself and hugging his arm. The shinobi silently observed the soft smile of the lovely girl. After sighing, he looked up and met Kodai’s dark and cold eyes. "I don’t know... I don’t know how someone like her wanted to get close to trash like me," was Naruto’s honest answer. He didn’t know what else to say or admit. "I just know that... I want to protect her, protect her smile..." he admitted, keeping his gaze fixed on Shiozaki, who was just resting.
"I see..." Curiously, the dark-haired girl rubbed her chin, smiling for the first time during the entire trip. She nodded. "I’m glad then that Mr. Moustache wants to protect Ibara-chan. I’m even a little envious..." Looking to her side, she fixed her gaze on Deku. Without saying anything, the dark-haired girl rested her head on the green-haired boy’s shoulder, who blushed fiercely and stammered. "You’re not Mr. Moustache, but you’re still cute."
"Sensei!" Panicked, he sought help from his teacher, but the teacher just closed his eyes to ignore him.
"Deku-kun…" And for the green-haired boy’s bad luck, just then, Ochako had come down from the upper floor of the bus to go to the bathroom. She hadn’t expected to find the most beautiful girl in Class B resting her head on 'her' friend’s shoulder. With a blank stare, she just turned around and left, leaving the ninth user of One For All to regret that he couldn’t move for the rest of the journey.
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In the middle of a road, there was a small group of people who were patiently waiting for the arrival of the bus with the group of U.A. students. The group consisted of professional heroes, among whom was the team known as "Wild Wild Pussycats."
The leader of the group was Sosaki Shino, alias "Mandalay." She was a slim woman with short reddish-brown hair, a fringe that fell in the center of her forehead, and brown eyes. Her hero costume had a feline theme, featuring a red top that resembled a marching band uniform. The top exposed her abdomen, and on the bottom, she wore a long, flouncy skirt with a reddish-brown feline tail. She had an orange belt with a silver buckle resembling a cat's paw print with blue pads, large white gloves with claws that resembled cat paws, and red boots with white vertical stripes and synthetic fur details. She also wore a helmet with ear-like protrusions resembling cat ears. As a final detail, she had two red lines painted under her eyes.
Next was Tsuchikawa Ryuko, alias "Pixie-bob." She was an athletic woman with blonde hair that reached her back, a long side fringe covering part of her forehead, and bright green eyes. Her figure was more curvy than her leader's. She wore the same costume as Mandalay, but in a light blue tone.
The other member of the group was Shiretoko Tomoko, alias "Ragdoll." She was the smallest member of the group, with long turquoise hair and large round yellow eyes with small pupils. She had orange paint around her right eye and whisker-like markings on her cheeks. Like her teammates, she wore a feline costume, but hers was yellow.
The last member of the group was Chatora Yawara , alias "Tiger." He was the only man in the group, or so it seemed, as he was actually a transgender man. He was tall and muscular, with short black hair combed backward, a small strand hanging over his forehead, white eyes, very small eyebrows, and a mouth with a somewhat feline appearance. Like his teammates, he wore a feline costume, but his was brown.
As for the other heroines present, there was Tatsuma Ryuko, alias "Ryukyu," the dragon hero. She was a young woman with short silver hair, styled to one side, partially covering her right eye. Her eyes were dark and slanted due to her draconic features, with tiny scales decorating her face. She had a slim and compact figure compared to her teammates. Her hero costume consisted of a traditional black Chinese qipao dress with scales, open on the sides up to the hips. She wore a pair of bracelets and a headband adorned with a claw-like accessory, as well as decorative wings at the back of her head.
Next was Usagiyama Rumi, alias "Mirko." She was a woman with dark skin and red eyes, with long white hair that reached her waist. On her head, she had two long rabbit ears, along with a fluffy tail. Her body was very toned, with large thighs. Her hero costume consisted of a white leotard with a fluffy collar and a black line pattern around the shoulders and thighs. In the center, there was a yellow moon drawing. She wore long purple boots with metal plates on the heels and toes, along with large white gloves with triangular perforations.
Lastly, there was Takeyama Yu , alias "Mt. Lady." She was a young woman with a robust figure, purple eyes, and long eyelashes. Her long, voluminous creamy blonde hair reached her waist, with two shorter strands curled to frame her face, slightly separating to the left. Her hero costume consisted of a light purple, form-fitting suit with orange stripes. The suit included purple gloves with orange accents on the edges of the bracelets, and "boots" that cut off at the thigh in a deep V shape. The suit also had three orange diamond-shaped points on the upper part, below her chest, and she wore a purple domino mask with horn-like protrusions on the sides.
Everyone waited patiently for the arrival of the U.A. students. They had been assigned by the higher-ups to be here, even sending two of their heroines, who were in the top 10 best heroes. However, it wasn’t just for the students' safety, but for other reasons as well.
"How boring..." Mirko impatiently crossed her arms, staring at the horizon with frustration. She repeatedly kicked her foot against the ground. "I could be in my city kicking some villain butt, but they threatened to take away my license for coming here," she grumbled, kicking the ground harder, cracking it.
"I remind you that our duty is to protect the new generation. These kids are more important than just kicking butt," Ryukyu said calmly. The dragon woman was excited about training and imparting her knowledge to this generation of students. It was refreshing to work with younger people; working with adults in her department was sometimes tedious.
"That sounds awesome! And this time, there are two groups! We have 42 kids to train," Pixie-bob couldn’t help but contain her happiness. She always enjoyed having the kids in her camp and interacting with them; it made her feel young.
"Yes!" The small woman with blue hair and dressed in yellow was the only one who shared her friend's enthusiasm. As for the group leader, she was reviewing the recruits' files on a screen that emerged from her special bracelet, the latest in technology.
"Mandalay... Are you sure we can handle it if something goes wrong?" Tiger asked seriously, watching their leader examine the files and history of a particular student.
"He's not the first young person to think differently than usual," the red-haired woman said, smiling. She turned off the screen and looked eagerly at the arrival of the Class A and B students. "Alright!" With a big smile, she watched the large bus come to a stop on the road in front of them. It wasn’t long before all the U.A. students began to disembark.
"I’m sorry for falling asleep on your shoulder, Naruto-kun..." a sleepy Ibara apologized as she followed the shinobi off the bus.
"You don’t have to apologize," were the soft words of the blonde who got off the bus, curious to see they were in the middle of a road surrounded by trees, in what seemed to be an endless forest. "It’s nice to be outside." He couldn’t help but smile a little more, surrounded by nature, far from the noisy and polluted city.
"SENSEI!" He had to snap out of his thoughts when his student seemed euphoric, pointing to the group of professional heroes who were waiting patiently for everyone to get off the bus. "It’s the Pussycats! A rescue hero group that started their own agency! And Mirko is here! She’s one of the best heroines so far, ranking in the top 6 of the best heroes in Japan!" he shouted with excitement, his eyes shining as he looked at the brown-skinned woman with bunny ears.
"Well said, kid," Mirko said arrogantly, crossing her arms as she looked at what was supposed to be the danger they had to keep an eye on, which seemed to just be a little brat.
"Also, Ryukyu is here! She’s amazing!" Apparently, Midoriya wasn’t the only one excited about the presence of the great heroines, with someone like Itsuka looking at the dragon heroine in admiration.
"Mt. Lady!" Even others, like Mineta, were ogling the women in charge of the camp, who would be training and watching over them.
"ATTENTION!" The teacher of Class B spoke, calling the attention of all the teenagers. "There’s no need for an introduction, as you all know who these present heroines are, who have taken these weeks to be here and train future generations. So, I want you all to show the utmost respect and follow their orders, understood?!" With that last shout, several of the adolescents tensed up.
"Come on~ Let’s not be so serious, we’re here to have fun too... well, sort of." Not many students were thrilled by Pixie-bob’s intimidating smile, but she, followed by Ragdoll, stopped in front of the teenager who had been told to be careful. "Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked with a smile, getting closer to the shinobi, who was still standing with his arms crossed.
"…" Nodding his head, the blonde remained still as the two cat-like women walked around him, examining him. This worried Ibara, Izuku, and some of their other classmates, thinking that maybe the professional heroes would mistreat him due to his questionable history.
"Hmmmm" The youngest member of the Pussycats nearly squealed as she touched Naruto's marked cheeks. "You were right, Pixie-bob! They look like little kitty marks!" she cheerfully told her blonde friend as she rubbed the right cheek of the blonde, while the turquoise-haired woman rubbed his left cheek.
"…" Mandalay could feel Mirko and Ryukyu’s gaze on her. Embarrassed, she averted her eyes at her teammates' childish behavior. "Pixie-bob has been a little desperate since she turned 31 a few weeks ago... you know, the age crisis... and Ragdoll is still only in her twenties, she's young and positive," the brown-haired woman defended her friends against the skeptical looks of the country’s two best heroines.
Back with the adolescents, they kept watching the strange scene. "What are they doing?!" Ibara asked in frustration, offended by how two heroines were touching her friend like that. These same thoughts were shared by Shiori and Momo, who were both outraged.See AlsoDoes Magnesium Cause Diarrhea? Finding Relief
"This is not the behavior two heroines should have!" Momo didn’t hesitate to defend Naruto, who remained still with a vacant look. As for Shiori, her gaze was threatening, growing more intense with every passing second, just like the fire that was starting to form on her right arm.
"Not fair... I wanted to do it first," thought Yui Kodai, her typical blank expression showing. "Mr. Whiskers might get upset if they invade his personal space," she warned with her cold personality, but the cat heroines didn’t listen to her.
"Mr. Whiskers? Aww~ How cute," Ragdoll seemed to only hear Naruto's nickname, which she found adorable, encouraging her to stay even closer to him. As for the blonde heroine, she just shrugged, dismissing the teenager’s warning.
"But if it doesn’t bother him... or does it?" Pixie-bob’s carefree attitude didn’t last long, as she had to stop alongside her yellow-suited friend when she saw the cold stare the teenager was giving her. "Well, maybe it does," she said nervously, backing away wisely with her companion.
"You haven’t changed, Naruto," this time, the shinobi was approached by a smiling Mt. Lady. "I think you still haven’t worked on your socializing skills, but don’t worry, they just need a little polishing," she winked at the teenager as she got closer to him, eventually standing face to face.
"It’s good to see you too, Yu," was Naruto's simple comment as he extended his hand to greet the blonde, who only smiled in amusement.
"Are you my ex? No handshakes… Give me a hug!" Without waiting for a response from Uzumaki, the heroine extended her arms to embrace him.
"I didn't know he had more female friends," Momo thought, curious, surprised that her classmate was so good at interacting with that woman.
"Such a cold hug, but you're improving, you're not looking at me with anger," the blonde let go of the shinobi and glanced at Ibara, who was still close to Uzumaki. "Could it be her? Maybe this ice statue has a warm heart?" She smiled at these thoughts and rubbed her chin, then pulled the collar of her suit down slowly, revealing her cleavage, which made several of the teenagers blush. "Ta-ra!" She pulled a piece of paper from between her breasts and extended it to the shinobi, who hesitantly took it.
"Mt. Lady, we are proud to inform you that due to your increased activity and fight against villains for justice, you have been promoted to the top 12 best heroes in the country," Naruto read calmly, lifting his gaze to meet the smiling pro-hero.
"You were right about many things back then, that's why I'm working as hard as possible to be worthy of the title of hero, like you," the woman with the gigantism quirk said happily, but she had to blink to see something curious. "Are you smiling? Aha! I knew it! You’re happy for me! You must be, after all, I’m amazing… come, give me another hug."
"It’s not that big of a deal," rejecting the hug from the jovial woman, Naruto returned the title to the blonde, who pouted childishly and crossed her arms.
"Is that the dangerous kid we're supposed to watch?" Ryukyu questioned, somewhat confused. National security had been very clear about having the best professional heroes watch this threat. "I can’t believe he killed that Nomu, but it’s not the first time a hero kills a villain. Back in the vigilante days, it was practically a street war, where both villains and vigilantes died in their fights…" The Dragon woman, lost in her thoughts, looked at the boy just listening to Mt. Lady's rambling. "It’s a shame the laws are so strict with this kid, who, even though he's done bad things, didn't harm any innocent people," she sighed, knowing that killing was an unforgivable crime. She herself didn’t have the courage to take a life, even though in her career as a hero, she had faced villains who deserved far worse than being locked up.
As the silver-haired dragon woman remained lost in her thoughts, Mirko gave the kid they'd been ordered to watch a dirty look. "Is that the class-S threat we’re supposed to be watching?" she snorted angrily, remembering the file they gave her. "Assault, resisting arrest, deliberately using quirks in public, homicide... this kid is a lost cause. He should be behind bars. If he tries anything, I’ll kick his ass to jail myself," she thought seriously. She didn’t trust him in the slightest and wouldn’t hide it.
"Everyone, please! I need your attention!" At Mandalay’s shout, all the teenagers looked at the leader of the Pussycats. "As you know, we’ll be here for two weeks to train you and help you grow as heroes in areas you haven't developed in yet," she spoke with a commanding tone, hands on her hips as she observed the eager looks of the teens. "But anyway, we can talk more calmly at the camp... which is about eight kilometers south, right over there!" she pointed with a smile to the distance in the middle of the forest.
"Oh, how nice~ to the bus," Toru was the first to attempt to go back to the bus, along with several of her classmates, but her path was blocked by their teacher. "We have to walk, right?" she asked resignedly, though no one could see her, she was crying rivers. "Why are they so cruel?" she thought as she stepped back and looked toward the camp.
"Bingo!" Pixie-bob clapped happily, grinning ominously, sending a chill down the teenagers' spines. "Wouldn't it be fun if they had to make their own way to the camp?"
"Not really," was Shinzo's lazy response, earning him a dirty look from several of the pro-heroes.
"Well, that’s too bad, because all of you have to make it before sunset, or you won’t have dinner," the blonde from the Pussycats said, slamming her hands on the ground, causing the earth to rise and carrying all the students to the bottom of the cliff by the road. "Huh?" Confused, she saw the shinobi just standing next to her, who sighed and walked to the edge of the road before jumping.
"That kid is weird," Mandalay shrugged and headed for her car, with her team, to go to the camp and meet the first arrivals.
Leaving the pro-heroes behind, let's move to the bottom of the cliff, where all the teens were recovering from the earthquake that had thrown them here. "Crossing a forest with Class A, should I feel honored?" Once again, the angry looks of several focused on Monoma, who stood up to dust himself off and smile annoyingly. However, he was silenced when Itsuka's giant hand crushed him like an insect.
"We just have to cross the forest, right?" Kaminari asked loudly, looking nervously at the dark forest ahead of them. "Doesn't sound too hard..." Smiling, he was about to walk, but a beastly roar made him stop.
"You had to say it…" Slapping her forehead, Jirou saw how an earth beast formed from the ground, passing through the trees and heading straight for them. As the students prepared to defend themselves, they saw a lightning bolt fly above them and easily destroy the threat.
"…" Sighing, Naruto walked through his classmates, surrounded by an electric aura. This certainly made an impact on the Class B teens, some of whom had never seen the shinobi in action, only at the festival, and he hadn't done much there either.
"Saved by Uzumaki Naruto again? And they’re supposed to be better than us?" Monoma emerged from beneath the hand that had crushed him, continuing to belittle the Class A students, as he saw it. "Their reliance on him just embarrasses me, it’s…"
"Silence…" With a gleam in his eyes, Shinzo silenced his annoying companion. Now all eyes were on the Uzumaki, who just walked into the forest.
"If I had acted or not, it wouldn’t have mattered since I know they can defend themselves," the shinobi said lazily, looking at his classmates. "I don’t doubt their abilities… so, I’ll just say, we’ll see you at the finish line." With that last comment, the shinobi disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving a trail of dust heading toward the camp.
"He’s right…" Taking the word, Tsuyu smiled at her friends. "If Uzumaki-san doesn’t doubt our abilities, why should we?" As she said this, they heard the roar of more creatures nearby, the closest being a large bird, which fell when the frog girl’s tongue shot out and wrapped around the creature’s wings, bringing it down to be destroyed by a punch from Midoriya, who was surrounded by his green electric aura.
"We can do this, guys! Let’s go!" Heading the group, the green-haired boy was followed by his teammates.
"You heard them, guys! We won’t be left behind!" Taking charge of her group, the orange-haired class president ran in the same direction as Class A, followed by her friends. Though the two groups didn’t get along very well, they managed to unite for the same goal: to reach the camp.
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"Should we throw water on him?"
"I don't know, but it's starting to scare me. He's been like this for almost three hours."
Mandalay was worried. Along with her three teammates and other pro heroes, when they arrived at the camp in their transport, they were surprised to find 'Uzumaki Naruto' sitting in a lotus position, meditating next to the main building. This made the professional heroes uncomfortable, as the teenager didn't even have a scratch and hadn't moved in hours.
"I've got a bucket of cold water here." Apparently, Tiger took the idea of throwing ice-cold water at the boy seriously. The muscular man was carrying a large metal container filled with ice water.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Hesitant, the Dragon Hero was reluctant to interrupt the blonde with cold water. "He's just meditating. He's probably just killing time until his teammates arrive."
"Bored! Give me that thing." Without thinking too much, Mirko grabbed the water container to try and throw it at the brat. Ignoring the warnings from Mt. Lady and the others, she tossed it high into the sky for it to fall on Uzumaki. "What...?" Everything became confusing for the Rabbit Heroine, who suddenly felt herself being moved. Before she knew what had happened, a large amount of ice-cold water fell on her.
"Wow! So fast!" Impressed, Ryukyu barely saw the boy stand up and, taking the rabbit woman, switch places with her. "Now I believe it. How could this kid fight All Might?" thought the heroine in surprise. She had heard rumors about what this boy was capable of, but it seemed people had already labeled him a villain. Sooner or later, he'd get bored, leave the academy, and start down a dark path. That idea worried her. "Maybe we can break through that cold exterior. He's probably just a sweet kid deep down," thought the Dragon Heroine, who saw how lazily the blonde stayed, watching the forest.
"Damned brat!" With fury, Mirko started shaking uncontrollably from the cold water. Before she could shout or do anything to him, they heard the adolescents from U.A. arriving from the forest, dirty, tired, and hungry.
"Wow! Only three hours, I'm impressed," said Pixie-Bob, showing satisfaction with the students' good performance. "Especially you six," she added proudly, looking at Midoriya, Lida, Bakugo, Ibara, Itsuka, and Todoroki. Those six were at the head of the group and seemed to be the ones who fought the hardest. "I can't wait for you to be of legal age in three years," said the heroine with a seductive smile, looking directly at the three teenagers, who felt uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Excuse me... I'm dying here, give me food," growled Kirishima, who was lying on the ground along with several of his teammates.
"…" Slowly, Naruto walked up to Ibara to extend a hand and help her up. Taking out a bottle of water, the shinobi handed it to the green-haired girl, who gratefully accepted it. "You did well. I thought it would be nighttime before you arrived," he said, pulling out another bottle of mineral water, opening it, and taking a few sips.
"It was tough," she said, catching her breath. The dirty and tired girl appreciated her friend's gesture, but suddenly got a chill. Looking behind Naruto, she saw Shiori, who had a colder expression than usual. "Did I do something wrong?" she wondered, feeling uneasy under Todoroki's gaze.
Naruto noticed this and turned to face the half-redhead. "Here…" Without thinking much, he tossed his bottle to the fire and ice manipulator.
"…" With a complete change in her personality, the girl smiled slightly, caught the bottle in mid-air, and began drinking. She couldn't help but think that the nozzle of the bottle, where Naruto's lips had been, "Would this be considered an indirect kiss?" she thought, fascinated, as she continued drinking with a faint pink hue on her pale cheeks.
"Déjà vu," thought Mt. Lady, smiling as she noticed the dreamy look on little Todoroki's face. Apparently, the shinobi was quite the charmer, in his own strange way.
"…" Naruto simply passed by Shiori, intending to follow the group that was going to eat after the race to reach the camp. "…?" Raising an eyebrow, he saw that Deku was knocked down by a brat who hit him hard in the groin. That had to have hurt. Shrugging, he continued on his way.
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The hours passed, and after eating and settling into their temporary rooms, all the students were taken to the camp's hot springs, with boys and girls separated. Heading to the boys' side, we see how they enjoyed the hot springs, which helped relieve their tired muscles. However, some had other thoughts besides just relaxing.
"A few meters away is paradise... where our classmates are, along with the Class B girls... and even several professional heroes! All of them relaxing in the water!" With a mischievous look, Mineta couldn't help but imagine what was happening on the other side of the fifteen-meter fence separating the baths.
"Hey~ haha, you’re tickling me~"
"Hey, girl, can you help me wash my back?"
"Yes, Mirko-sama!" Several boys in the hot springs adjusted their towels to hide their discomfort from the sounds coming from the girls' side of the baths. "Wow, Mirko-sama has a big bobbis!" Toru’s voice, quite excited, made the situation even more difficult for the boys.
"Thanks, invisible girl. If I could see yours, I’d say the same, but from how they feel brushing my back, I know they’re pretty impressive too." That was the rabbit heroine, who, without thinking, spoke softly, knowing that just a few meters away, there were younger boys.
"I can’t take it anymore!" Standing in the water, Mineta glared at Naruto, who was lying by the hot spring's edge. He was calmly sitting in the water, which reached his chest, with a towel on his head covering his face. "I don’t care what’s on the other side! I’m going through!"
"Mineta! Are you crazy?!" Kaminari yelled, worried. He couldn’t deny it, he too wanted to see more, but facing the shinobi from the class was a bad idea.
"Mineta, don’t do it!" Lida tried to stop her teammate, just like others, but Mineta had already started running toward the obstacle in front of him.
"I’m going through!" With determination, Mineta pushed forward, ready to reach the other side.
"…" Naruto, removing the towel from his head, gave the boy a serious look, making him stop in his tracks. "If you keep making noise... I assure you, the only thing you’ll see is the red of your blood staining my fists..." After those words, Naruto covered his face again and lay back to relax.
"…" Pale as a ghost, Mineta quickly backed away, heading to the exit of the hot springs.
"Thank God I don’t have underwear to stain." All eyes turned to Kaminari, who was as scared as the others, but his comment caused several boys to distance themselves from him as they felt the water suddenly become hotter.
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"Thank you, Naruto-san!" Ochako thanked on behalf of her friends, who were pleased with how the shinobi prevented the pervert of the class from peeking.
"So, you and Uzumaki are friends?" asked Ryukyu curiously. The dragon woman wanted to find out as much as possible about the boy, his goals, and the possible connections he might have with his classmates.
"Well, I consider him a friend," was Uraraka's vague response. She knew enough about the blond to consider him a friend, even though this friend could be a bit extreme.
"Several of us consider Naruto-san a friend, although he might not see us the same way," said Mina Ashido, defending her classmate.
"Even though he's the criminal he is?" The atmosphere became heavy after Mirko's statement, as she looked at the girls with disapproval. Considering that boy a friend? It sounded stupid.
"He's not a criminal, a criminal would harm innocent people, but Naruto-kun would never do that," Ibara said confidently, glaring at the heroine, who just snorted and stood up from the hot springs, exposing her naked body to the teenagers.
"That boy is a villain, he was one before entering U.A. and will continue to be one," countered the rabbit woman dryly, locking eyes with the evangelical girl, who returned her gaze defiantly.
"Mirko..." was Ryukyu's warning, as she was washing Momo's hair. The dragon woman knew she would have to intervene at any moment. She was aware of her partner's distaste for criminals and villains, and how her views on justice could sometimes be very rigid.
"What? Don't tell me you trust that kid... I've seen thousands of people like that brat, they just pretend to be good people to gain your trust, and when you least expect it, they'll stab you in the back... a villain will always be a villain," the white-haired woman growled, taking a towel to scrub her arms, ignoring the disapproving looks from some of the present. But she had to stop when she felt a cold breeze brush her back. Turning around, she found a serious and somber Shiori.
"If you say anything bad about Naruto again... I won't be responsible for my actions," was the serious warning from the half-redhead, who stood up from the hot springs. Her eyes glowed with a threatening glint, and steam emanated from each of her arms, cold mist from her right side and hot steam from her left. "Maybe you've crossed paths with people who broke your trust and remained villains, but Naruto is different from anyone you've known before, and I have blind faith in him..." With that, Todoroki walked to the edge of the pool, grabbed a towel to cover herself, but before leaving, gave one last look to the professional heroine, who was just crossing her arms and smirking mockingly. "I hope I've been clear... I take my leave, Ryukyu-sama." She respectfully bid farewell to the dragon heroine, left the hot springs, and left behind a tense silence.
"Trust in that kid? Stupid," were Mirko's thoughts, as she wrapped a towel around herself and walked out, ignoring the disapproving looks from some of the teenagers and her work partner.
"These will be two long weeks..." The silver-haired heroine sighed, giving a reassuring smile so the girls could continue enjoying the hot springs. After all, tomorrow a tough morning awaited them.