Meanwhile, Izuku wandered aimlessly through the streets. His steps were slow, dragging, like each one took more effort than the last. His notebook dangled limply from his hand, the ink-stained pages flapping in the wind.
His green eyes stared blankly ahead, but they weren't seeing the city. They were trapped inward—drowning in the storm of voices that had haunted him for years when Naruto wasn't around.
Bakugo's snarl: "You're nothing but dead weight, Deku."
A classmate's laugh: "Why would U.A ever want you? You're just trash."
The teacher's dismissal: "Don't waste our time, Midoriya."
Bakugo's venom: "Do us all a favor and jump."
His mother's sobs: "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
And now, layered on top of it all, the deepest cut of all—All Might's voice: "Without a quirk, you cannot be a hero."
The words twisted like knives, repeating, louder and louder until they drowned everything else.
His breath hitched, uneven. His chest tightened as despair swallowed him whole. His dream felt like ashes in his hands, slipping through his fingers no matter how tightly he tried to hold them.
I'll never be enough. I'll never be what they need. I'll never be a hero.
Tears blurred his vision, but his face was blank—numb, empty. He walked like a ghost through the crowd, unnoticed, unseen, fading into nothing.
Then—
BOOM!
The ground trembled. A sharp explosion ripped through the distant streets. Another followed, louder, angrier.
Izuku's head snapped up, his breath catching. Through the haze of despair, a flicker of recognition pierced him. Those explosions—he knew them.
Kacchan.
Without thinking, his feet began to move. Faster, faster, carrying him toward the sound.
Something was happening.
And deep down, even broken as he was, Izuku couldn't ignore it.
Izuku turned a corner, breath ragged, and froze.
The street ahead was a battlefield. Cars were overturned, glass shattered, smoke filling the air. A writhing mountain of green sludge towered over it all, roaring with glee as explosions went off inside its body—Bakugo's explosions.
The sludge villain had him completely engulfed, using his captive's quirk to fuel its destruction. Flames burst from its form in random, chaotic blasts, igniting storefronts and shattering windows.
Bakugo's muffled screams echoed from within the muck. His crimson eyes bulged in fury and fear as he thrashed, palms sparking uselessly against the slime that swallowed him whole.
"Damn it!"
Izuku's wide eyes swept the scene, taking in the heroes on-site.
Death Arms was at the front, his massive arms raised as he tried to block flying debris with sheer strength. His bulging muscles flexed with every thrown car door, but he couldn't get close enough without being blasted back.
Kamui Woods lashed his wooden tendrils outward, trying to bind the villain, but every lash burned away in the explosions. He cursed under his breath, retracting his scorched branches.
Mt. Lady towered over the scene, her colossal frame braced against a collapsing building as she shielded fleeing civilians. Even with her size, she couldn't get close enough to grab the villain without risking blowing up half the block.
And in the background, Backdraft—the water-rescue hero in his fireman's uniform—sprayed arcs of water to contain spreading flames, shouting orders to keep civilians back. "Everyone clear the streets! Evacuate the block!"
But none of them were saving Bakugo.
The boy's muffled screams tore through the chaos as he thrashed inside the villain's grasp. His explosions flared brighter, more violent, but it only made the sludge grow stronger.
Izuku's hands trembled at his sides. His chest heaved.
This is my fault.
The realization stabbed into him, colder than ice.
If I hadn't grabbed All Might's leg… he wouldn't have dropped the bottle. The sludge wouldn't have escaped. Kacchan wouldn't…
His heart pounded in his ears, every beat screaming his failure.
It's all because of me.
His knees nearly buckled as the voices returned, harsher than ever.
"Pathetic."
"Worthless."
"You'll never be enough."
"Even All Might said so."
His vision blurred as tears welled. Around him, civilians murmured, horrified, watching the heroes struggle. Some whispered.
"Why can't they save him?"
"Are they just going to let that boy die?"
"Where's All Might?!"
Izuku's fingernails dug into his palms, hard enough to break skin. The sting didn't ground him—it only twisted the knife deeper.
I'm worthless. I can't do anything. I can't save anyone.
And yet… his eyes stayed fixed on Bakugo's terrified face inside the monster's body.
Kacchan was going to die.
Izuku's body trembled as he stared at the chaos. The words in his head looped endlessly, a cruel chorus gnawing at his spirit.
"Pathetic."
"Worthless."
"You'll never be a hero."
"Without a quirk, you can't save anyone."
His vision blurred with tears, but through the haze he caught sight of Bakugo.
Their eyes locked.
For the first time that he could remember, Izuku didn't see arrogance or rage in those crimson eyes. He saw fear. Raw, desperate, suffocating fear.
Bakugo's hand pressed against the sludge from inside, sparks flickering weakly against the suffocating mass. His eyes widened—pleading.
Izuku's heart lurched.
He's… scared.
The weight of every insult, every dismissal, every cruel laugh pressed down on him. His chest felt crushed. His mind screamed at him to run. He was quirkless, useless, powerless.
But his legs moved anyway.
"No… I can't…" His voice cracked, barely a whisper. "I can't just stand here."
Before he even realized what he was doing, Izuku was sprinting forward. His bag slammed against his side as his feet pounded the pavement. His mind was chaos, his despair screaming louder than ever—
You'll fail. You're weak. You'll die. But his body ignored it.
"LET HIM GO!" he screamed, charging straight toward the villain.
Gasps erupted from the crowd. "That kid—what's he doing?!"
Izuku didn't hear them. His notebook was still clutched in one hand, and in a panic he hurled it at the sludge villain's eye. Pages flapped wildly before smacking against the slime. The monster snarled, momentarily distracted.
It was just enough for Izuku to lunge, clawing at the muck with his bare hands.
"Hold on, Kacchan! I'll get you out!"
The sludge sizzled against his skin, burning. His nails tore into it, but it was like trying to rip apart tar. Bakugo's muffled scream rattled in his ears.
"Deku?! What the hell are you—?!" His voice cut off as more slime engulfed him.
The villain roared, tendrils lashing outward. "You again?! Foolish brat!"
Before Izuku could react, the slime coiled around his arm, then his waist. He thrashed wildly, kicking, clawing—but the despair in his chest made his movements sluggish, clumsy.
The tendrils yanked him upward, slamming him into the villain's mass. He choked as the rancid muck forced its way over his face, filling his mouth and nose.
The last thing he saw before his vision blurred was Bakugo's terrified eyes widening even further.
Then the world went dark as the sludge swallowed him whole. The sludge pressed tighter, filling Izuku's lungs with burning muck. His vision blurred further, black creeping at the edges.
Worthless. Useless. You'll never—
"I-ZU-KU!"
A voice cut through everything like a blade.
Naruto.
Even as the world dimmed, Izuku's eyes widened. He heard it again, raw and desperate—
"IZUKU! BAKUGO!"
A blur of crimson hair and burning blue eyes tore into the street.
Naruto sprinted straight at the monster without hesitation, his bag flying from his shoulder, his fists clenched. "Let them go, you bastard!"
The crowd gasped as he charged headlong into the chaos. "That kid's insane!" someone shouted.
Among them, a thin, frail man in a baggy hoodie arrived and gritted his teeth. Steam drifted faintly from his shoulders. All Might—hidden, watching—felt his scarred chest tighten. What is that boy doing?
The villain snarled, its yellow eyes narrowing. "Another brat? How many pests does this city have?!"
A tendril lashed out like a whip.
Naruto ducked low, sliding across the pavement on one knee, the tendril cracking the ground where he'd stood a heartbeat before. He rolled back to his feet, crimson hair whipping around his face.
"Hang on, Izuku! I'm not letting you die in there!"
He sprinted again, weaving between thrashing limbs. Each tendril slammed into the ground, shattering pavement, but Naruto's movements were sharp, instinctive—sidesteps, sudden drops, leaping spins.
The villain's body convulsed with frustration, more tendrils lashing out, faster, harder. "Stand still, damn you!"
Naruto bared his teeth, voice rising above the chaos. "Not until Bakugo and Izuku are free!"
The crowd erupted in panicked shouts.
Death Arms cursed, shielding civilians from flying rubble. "Damn fool's gonna get himself killed."
Kamui Woods winced as another explosion flared from inside the villain's mass. "He's not giving us an opening to move in!"
Mt. Lady braced her colossal frame against a collapsing building, staring in disbelief. "That kid's really dodging all of that…"
Backdraft sprayed water furiously at the flames spreading along storefronts, but his gaze flicked again and again toward the red-haired boy darting through the battlefield.
And from the crowd, All Might's thin fingers curled into a fist. His sunken eyes narrowed as he watched Naruto duck, roll, and charge forward again. He doesn't even care what happens to him… all he cares about is saving them.
Naruto darted past another crashing tendril, flipping over a burning car as slime splattered against the street. His chest heaved, sweat dripping down his whisker-marked face, but he kept pushing closer. Every dodge brought him nearer to the spot where Izuku's green eyes and Bakugo's crimson ones were just barely visible, trapped and suffocating.
"Hold on, damn it!" Naruto roared, fury and desperation burning in every syllable. "I'll get you both out!"
Naruto ducked another crashing tendril, breath ragged but eyes sharp. He circled the monster, feet sliding across broken pavement. His fists clenched.
Big swings. Wide arcs. If I can bait one and close in…
A tendril lashed down. Naruto pivoted, letting it smash into the concrete inches from his shoulder. Cracks spread outward. He grinned fiercely.
"Gotcha."
He sprinted up the tendril, boots slapping against the slime. The villain's eyes widened. "What—?!"
Naruto leapt, fists slamming into the sludge encasing Bakugo. The impact splattered muck outward. For a heartbeat, Bakugo's face broke free, coughing, eyes wild.
"Damn it, Bakugo, breathe!" Naruto barked. "I'll drag you out if it kills me!"
The crowd erupted.
"He's doing it!"
"That kid's actually pulling him out!"
Even the heroes stared. Kamui Woods whispered, "…He found a weak spot."
Naruto's grin widened, adrenaline surging. "See?! You're not invincible, you slimy bastard!"
The villain snarled, fury twisting its voice. "Cocky little brat…"
A tendril whipped sideways, faster than the rest.
THUD!
Naruto's eyes went wide as it smashed him across the street—straight into a collapsed building. The impact drove him chest-first onto a jagged steel pipe jutting from the rubble.
SCHLK!
The sound silenced the street.
The pipe punched through the middle of Naruto's chest, pinning him in place. His body slumped forward over it, crimson hair falling limp, blood dripping down the metal in slow rivulets.
"NARUTOOOO!" Izuku's muffled scream gurgled from inside the villain.
The crowd shrieked in horror.
"He's impaled!"
"Oh god, he's not moving!"
"Somebody help him!"
Death Arms lurched forward, but another explosion sent debris flying, forcing him back again.
All Might froze. His sunken fists trembled violently as guilt ripped through him.
Damn it… damn it all! That boy—charging in without fear, risking his life for his friends—and here I stand, useless, weak!
Naruto's body hung motionless over the pipe. For a terrible moment, it looked like he was finished.
The villain's yellow eyes narrowed in satisfaction. "Pathetic little hero-wannabe. You die first."
Inside the sludge, Izuku's green eyes locked on the sight of his best friend—skewered.
Naruto's body hung motionless over the jagged pipe, blood dripping in dark rivulets, staining the pavement below. His crimson hair clung to his pale face, his chest slack against the steel.
"No…" Izuku's muffled voice cracked inside the slime, his throat burning as muck choked him. His tears mixed with sludge, useless, unseen. "No, no, no, Naruto…"
The voices in his head returned, harsher than ever.
"Worthless."
"You can't save anyone."
"Even your protector's gone now."
"Alone, always alone."
His nails clawed weakly at the slime, but the despair hollowed him out. For the first time in his life, Izuku Midoriya believed he had lost everything.
Screams rippled through the onlookers.
"He's dead—he has to be dead!"
"That poor boy!"
"Why didn't the heroes stop him?!"
Death Arms cursed under his breath, slamming his fist against a crumbling wall. Kamui Woods gritted his teeth, eyes wide with helplessness. Even Mt. Lady's towering form faltered, her hands trembling as she shielded civilians.
Backdraft shouted orders, his voice tight with urgency, but his gaze flicked to the impaled boy. His knuckles whitened around his firehose.
From within the villain, Bakugo's crimson eyes bulged—not with rage this time, but horror. His explosions sputtered weakly, his throat burning as he screamed against the muck.
"D-Damn it, Whiskers… you idiot…!"
In the crowd, All Might stood. Steam curled faintly from his shoulders. His sunken fists clenched so tightly they shook.
That boy… he threw himself in without hesitation… and now…!
All Might's chest ached, rage and grief tearing through him. Damn it all, I should be up there! I should be saving them! Not hiding in this pathetic shell!
His jaw tightened. I can't… I can't watch another child die because I was too weak to act.
The sludge villain sneered, its yellow eyes sweeping the ruined street. "One pest squashed. Now to finish the rest."
It raised its tendrils high, Bakugo and Izuku still writhing helplessly inside its form. "This city will drown in fire and slime!"
The crowd recoiled. Panic was about to erupt but a sound stopped it.
"Oi…" A voice rang out, hoarse but burning with fury. "…where the hell do you think you're going?"
Every head turned.
Gasps tore from the crowd. Heroes froze. Even the villain's eyes widened in shock.
Naruto's body trembled as he pushed against the jagged pipe skewering his chest. Blood gushed in dark spurts, soaking his shirt, dripping down the metal in thick rivulets. His teeth bared, spitting blood onto the pavement.
"I'm…" He heaved, muscles straining, crimson hair plastered against his bloodied face. "I'm not done with you yet."
With a guttural roar, he shoved forward, the pipe tearing free from his chest with a sickening squelch. Blood sprayed as he stumbled, catching himself on shaking legs.
He raised his fists again, blue eyes blazing with unyielding fire.
The crowd went silent. Even the villain looked unsettled.
For a long, terrible second, no one moved.
Then the villain laughed. A low, gurgling sound that grew into a booming cackle.
"Hahahaha! Look at you—standing there like you're still in the fight! With a hole in your chest, what can you possibly do?" It sneered, tendrils lashing lazily. "One more swing and I'll finish the job. You're nothing but a stubborn corpse waiting to drop."
The crowd murmured in fear. Some civilians turned away, unable to watch. Even the pro heroes braced for the worst.
But then—
Naruto started laughing too.
At first, a low chuckle. Then louder, fuller, until it matched the villain's mockery note for note.
The sludge villain faltered, confused. "What… what are you laughing at?"
Naruto grinned through the blood smeared across his mouth. His blue eyes burned with unyielding fire.
"What wound?"
He tugged his torn shirt aside, baring his chest.
Gasps tore through the crowd.
The ragged, gaping hole was closing before their eyes—muscle knitting back together, skin steaming and sealing shut as if burned smooth by invisible fire. The gush of blood slowed to a trickle, then to nothing at all.
Within moments, only a barely visible scar remained where the pipe had pierced him.
Naruto rolled his shoulders, spitting one last mouthful of blood onto the pavement. "See? I'm still standing."
The villain recoiled. "Impossible…"
Naruto smirked, crouching low, fists ready. "Guess I forgot to mention something… hurting me doesn't last very long."
He slammed his fist into his palm, the sound sharp as thunder.
"Now—let's finish this."
The crowd erupted into a wave of gasps and shouts.
"His chest—it's healed!"
"No way, that's impossible!"
"Did he have a healing quirk this whole time?!"
Death Arms lowered his fists, blinking in disbelief. "I've never seen recovery like that… not even Recovery Girl could patch a wound that fast."
Kamui Woods' jaw clenched. "That boy… he's not just brave. He's dangerous."
Even Mt. Lady, still holding up a half-collapsed building, muttered, "What kind of monster heals from that?"
Backdraft froze mid-spray, his water jet faltering as he whispered, "A quirk like that… it could change everything."
From the crowd, All Might's gaunt form trembled. His sunken eyes widened, watching as steam rose off Naruto's chest, the scar still raw but closed. So that's his power… a healing quirk, strong enough to laugh at mortal wounds. By god… that boy's resolve, matched with that gift…
Inside the sludge, Izuku's glassy eyes widened, light flooding back into them.
"I knew… I knew he could heal… but… not like this…" His voice cracked, muffled by muck. His trembling hands pressed against the slime as if reaching for Naruto. "Na-chan… you're amazing…"
Beside him, Bakugo's eyes were just as wide, but filled with something closer to disbelief.
"That damn whisker-face…" he growled, voice breaking. "I knew his quirk could patch up cuts, bruises… but this? Getting skewered through the chest and standing up like nothing?!" His fists sparked weakly inside the slime. "Tch… he's been holding back on us…"
Naruto cracked his neck, blood still smeared across his lips, his fists curling tight. Steam hissed off his chest as the scar itself fizzled away.
The sludge villain snarled, shaken but defiant. "You… you little brat. You think healing makes you strong? You think you can beat me?!"
Naruto's grin widened, feral. "I don't need to think. I'm gonna prove it."
With a roar, he sprinted forward, his speed shocking the crowd. His feet pounded the pavement, every stride shaking rubble loose. The villain swung a massive tendril, wide and fast.
Naruto slid under it, pebbles of broken concrete spraying in his wake, then snapped up, driving his fist into the slime's body. The impact sent a small shockwave through the creature, splattering chunks of sludge across the street.
"Get ready, bastard," Naruto growled, drawing his arm back again. "Because I'm just getting started."
The crowd roared in disbelief.
"That kid's insane!"
"He's actually hurting it!"
"No, look—the sludge is shaking!"
And in the crowd, All Might's sunken hands trembled harder. He's reckless. He's raw. But that courage… damn it all, that courage is what a real hero looks like.
Naruto's fists blurred as he struck again and again, each blow splattering slime and forcing the villain to recoil.
The sludge retaliated with a barrage of explosive tendrils, detonations tearing across the street as Bakugo's quirk ignited within its body. Fire washed over Naruto's arms, searing his skin black.
The crowd screamed—until they saw it.
The burns smoked, hissed… then vanished. Fresh skin knit itself whole, leaving only faint pink scars that faded to nothing in seconds.
Naruto snarled, charging through another blast. "You're not stopping me!"
The villain slammed a tendril down. Naruto ducked under it, taking a shallow cut across his cheek. Blood dripped—then stopped instantly, the wound sealing before it could even run.
"Damn kid won't stay down!" Death Arms muttered, sweat running down his temple.
Kamui Woods' eyes widened. "He's… healing faster than the damage is landing."
Mt. Lady whispered in awe, "He's unstoppable…"
In the crowd, civilians who moments ago had been panicking now stared in stunned silence. A boy, no older than their own children, was fighting harder than anyone else. Not because he had to. But because he refused to give up.
Izuku's muffled eyes widened inside the sludge as he watched Naruto claw, strike, and rise through fire and muck. Tears welled, mixing with slime. "Na-chan… you're amazing… you're everything I wanted to be…"
Bakugo's face twisted in disbelief. "That damn whisker-face… healing like it's nothing… and fighting like a rabid dog… tch—why can't I look away…?"
And in the crowd, a thin man's heart thundered in his scarred chest.
All Might clenched his trembling fists, steam hissing faintly from his weakened body. His eyes burned. That resolve… that heart… he's fighting as if nothing else matters but saving them.
A smile—small but real—tugged at his gaunt lips. I've found him. He's the one.
Naruto lunged, seizing at sludge wrapped around Izuku. He snarled, teeth grit as he tore with everything he had. The villain screamed as the slime ripped away, Izuku spilling free and collapsing to the ground, coughing violently.
"Breathe, Izzy!" Naruto barked, planting himself between his friend and the villain.
He turned back, charging into the muck again, ignoring explosions that scorched his back. He clawed into the mass until he grabbed another arm—Bakugo's arm.
"Damn it, Bakugo—quit fighting me and let me pull you out!" Naruto roared.
Bakugo's muffled eyes widened, fury and fear mixing. But Naruto didn't let go—he yanked with everything he had, muscles straining.
With a guttural roar, he tore Bakugo free, both of them tumbling onto the rubble-strewn pavement. Bakugo gasped in air, coughing smoke, sparks sputtering from his palms.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"He did it! He saved them both!"
"That kid's incredible!"
Izuku crawled to Naruto's side, tears streaking his soot-stained cheeks. "Y-you did it, Na-chan…"
But Naruto's blue eyes never left the villain. His fists tightened. "It's not over."
The sludge villain quivered, its form bubbling and swelling with rage. "No… NO! You won't take them from me! You brats won't ruin this!"
Its body began to swell outward, ballooning grotesquely. The mass expanded, tendrils spreading wide across the street like a tidal wave of slime. Its voice shrieked through the chaos.
"I'll engulf all of you! All three of you will be mine!"
The crowd screamed and scattered, heroes bracing themselves, but even they were stunned by the sheer scale of the villain's expansion.
Naruto planted himself in front of Izuku and Bakugo, fists clenched, crimson hair whipping in the wind of the villain's swelling mass.
"I'm not letting you touch them again."
Naruto stood between his friends and the swelling mass of sludge, chest heaving, sweat pouring down his brow. His wounds were gone, knitted shut by his quirk, but his trembling arms and ragged breaths betrayed the truth.
He wasn't invincible. He was burning himself out.
Still—his blue eyes blazed like twin infernos, unyielding, alive with fire.
"Come on then," he growled, fists clenched. "I'm not moving."
Behind him, Izuku staggered to his knees, coughing hard, tears streaking down his soot-stained cheeks. Bakugo, hunched and trembling, tried to spark an explosion, but only weak sparks popped in his palms. Both boys were pale, exhausted from suffocating inside the villain.
They could barely stand.
Naruto knew it. The crowd knew it. And yet… he stood.
Around them, the pro heroes fought to contain the chaos.
Mt. Lady braced her colossal frame still against the collapsing building, holding it steady with gritted teeth. "I can't… let it fall on them!" she groaned.
Backdraft sprayed arcs of water, desperate to keep the flames at bay, but the fire still raged. "It's spreading too fast!" he shouted.
Death Arms and Kamui Woods pushed forward, trying to drag the boys back—but the sludge's expansion was too much, a tidal wave of muck threatening to swallow everything.
Civilians screamed from behind the barricades.
"It's over!"
"The boys are going to be crushed!"
"Where's All Might?!"
In the crowd, All Might trembled. His thin shoulders shook as he stared at Naruto, bloodied and exhausted, yet standing like an unbreakable wall.
This boy… this boy reminded me what a hero is. Charging forward, no thought of himself, only of others. Even as his body screams to stop… he fights on.
All Might's lips curled into a faint smile, his sunken eyes gleaming with pride.
He's the future. But for now… it's still my job to protect them.
He straightened and made sure no one was looking, steam billowing violently off his frame. His gaunt body flexed, clothes straining as muscle exploded across his form.
BOOM!
In an instant, the Symbol of Peace stood tall, broad shoulders splitting his civilian hoodie, his body swelling back to its titanic glory.
Gasps tore through the crowd as the hero flew straight into the fray. Portioning himself right in front of the three boys.
"All Might?!"
"He's here?!"
Naruto blinked through sweat and blood, stunned—until All Might turned his head ever so slightly, casting a knowing glance over his shoulder. Their eyes met for a heartbeat.
All Might's grin returned, radiant and unshakable.
"I must be getting old." he rumbled, voice like thunder, "if I'm leaving the rescuing to the up-and-coming heroes."
The sludge villain screeched, its body ballooning higher, shadowing the street in slime. "You're too late, All Might! I'll crush them all!"
All Might crouched, his muscles coiled like steel. His eyes burned with determination, his jaw set.
"Not today."
He launched forward in a blur of motion. The pavement cracked, buildings rattled, the sheer pressure of his leap creating a shockwave that blew rubble aside.
The villain roared as tendrils lashed forward—only to meet All Might's fist.
"DERROIT SMMMAASSH!"
The punch connected.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The force of the blow shattered the air itself. The sky roared as clouds were ripped apart, sunlight breaking through in blinding rays. Smoke and fire were blown away in an instant. The air pressure alone extinguished the flames, scattering embers into nothing.
Rain fell as the shockwave pulled water from the clouds, a cleansing downpour washing the streets.
The sludge villain exploded outward, its entire form blasted apart into a thousand splatters, harmless and unconscious.
Silence followed.
Then—cheers. Deafening, thunderous cheers.
"All Might!"
"He saved them!"
"He did it again!"
Naruto fell to one knee, panting, eyes wide at the sheer force of what he'd just witnessed. His fists unclenched slowly. "That… that's the power of the number one hero…"
Izuku collapsed fully, tears mixing with the rain as he sobbed with relief.
Bakugo stared, jaw clenched, fists trembling—not with fear this time, but something else entirely.
And All Might, towering above them all, stood with his fist raised high, the storm he had created still clearing overhead.