Chapter 5:

Naruto was dying of laughter one weekend when he went over to Naruhata because Koichi had gotten roped into something stupid. From an outside perspective, the guy everyone in college labeled as the Creeper of the Naruhata Ruins was suddenly tired all the time was a bit suspicious. It was no wonder someone would at least investigate.

Iwao looked amused and offered to help his way, but Koichi denied saying he did not want to hurt the girl who gave him some attention and some help in his Hero Sociology class. Kazuho, on the other hand, did make it known that she was jealous of the older girl butting in on their business. Not that Koichi picked on it, adding to Naruto's own amusement.

Naruto could tell Kazuho had a thing for the college kid, why he may never figure out, but Naruto noticed it and Koichi did not. It made Naruto think back to his time in Konoha and how Hinata crushed on him until she confessed during the Pein Attack. After that, he did not have much time to talk to her as the 4th Ninja War started soon after and he had to go into hiding to train. Admittedly, he had been highly distracted by his feelings for Sakura and his need to train. He felt…bad that he could never answer Hinata. He hoped it did not end the same way for Koichi.

Still, Naruto noticed that Iwao was thinking of things to do to distract the people in their lives from finding out that they were vigilantes. It was only a matter of time before their families got involved by sticking their noses in their business.

"Don't worry, while Knuckles takes care of things on his side, Pop and I will watch out for you on your date." Naruto teased, causing Kazuho to start grumbling. While Koichi checked on her, Iwao called the blond over.

"Kid, I am starting to narrow down the search for her. When you are done with watching out for Koichi, I need you to get in contact with that hedgehog guy. It would be better to have multiple people out on the search. Plus, it seems like he needs someone to believe in him, so why not us?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sure, why not? The rough crowd does get a bad rap, even back home. I'll see what I can do. But do you have a picture of her?"

"Yeah, I will give it to you once you've rounded him up. I do not have it on me, not right now." Iwao replied gruffly.

XXX

"Heh, well that is interesting. I did not realize this Makoto lady was going to be older than Koichi. She looks like some sort of businesswoman." Naruto commented as he and Pop Step followed their friend along the rooftops. He heard Kazuho grumbling under her breath that Makoto was quite beautiful but questioned Koichi's taste. Having heard enough from the girl, the child like Naruto took hold of her hand and brought his hood down. "Hey…if you want him, you have to say something eventually. You are like a sister to me, I don't want to see you unhappy. I don't know your situation…but speaking from experience, tell him before it is too late...okay?"

Kazuho blinked rapidly at the little blond boy, shocked that he had a certain amount of wisdom behind his eyes and usual snarky behavior. She was also glad he saw her as family basically when their group was as dysfunctional as it was. "I…will try. It is difficult just saying the words and what he did for me years back."

"Then I will help as best I can. For now, let's make sure Koichi does not make a total fool out of himself." Naruto snarked with a smirk, causing Kazuho to flash a matching one back at him.

Then Pop blinked as a thought occurred to her. "Naruto…did something happen to cause that line of thought?"

A lone tear was her answer as the blond remembered Hinata and the rest of Konoha. "Yeah…I'll tell you later sometime. We could help each other through some stuff." Pop smiled at the younger boy and gave him a quick hug before going back to the mission at hand.

"So…based on info from social media and other sites, I've got a few leads on where our targets are likely to show up. That is where our research will begin!" Makoto stated once pleasantries were said after meeting up.

"Ah, that makes sense," Koichi replied, thinking that was exactly what Pop Step showed him and Naruto when they were looking for better solutions than just following Knuckleduster around as he picked a fight with everyone he saw. Including an off-duty pro hero in Eraserhead. Still, he decided to play along for now since he was one of the vigilantes she was looking for, much to their entertainment. "But do they even make appearances that often?"

"Running into the vigilantes themselves would be best." Makoto admitted, "But what I really want to know is how they're perceived by people in the area."

"Perceived?" Koichi asked basically for everyone in their group. Akatsuki and Pop Step actually looked thoughtful at this. Pop knew she was a popular street idol, but she was curious about how far that went.

"Remember from our talk last time." Makoto reminded her partner about this outing. Neither one would call this a date, even if Koichi had that thought cross his mind. "When the Pro Hero System was created, what was the factor that separated Heroes from Villains?"

"Right. And you said I'd get that answer eventually." Koichi replied happily. That time seemed now.

"It sure is," Makoto confirmed. "In all likelihood, it had nothing to do with the law, morals, ethics, or anything like that. It was public support. Or put simply: popularity.

"Wait, that's how they decided it?" Koichi replied in a bit of shock.

XXX

"Oh…I guess that makes sense." Pop Step commented. Seeing as she was an idol, that mentality was already there.

"Oh my god, seriously?" Akatsuki deadpanned. "This whole hero system is a popularity contest!?"

"There are other defining factors like the number of cases solves and a few other minor things, but yeah. Hit the nail on that one." Pop Step supplied, giggling a bit when Naruto banged his head on a nearby wall in frustration. Izuku might have already figured that out, but that was still annoying. The Shinobi System was different, but maybe that is what it needed. But then again, this hero society was flawed too. Maybe a mix of the two? he was still trying to figure that out.

XXX

"Yep. With powers as varied as quirks, the law could only manage them in a generalized way." Makoto continued. "So the right to use such powers had to depend on trust in the individual. The popularity contest side of things has a serious influence on modern-day hero rankings, right? That was even more true back in the day, when the law was struggling to keep up with the changing times. So now I am taking a look at these Naruhata Vigilantes, who are basically primitive heroes. Specifically, what do the people in the area think about them? I have a feeling the answer will tell us something about the foundations of the current hero system and the superpowered society as a whole."

XXX

"They are seriously taking a whole class about this?" Naruto grumbled, "Maybe I should read up on it myself."

"Why is that Naruto?" Kazuho asked with genuine curiosity.

"Your job for one thing," Naruto admitted. "But humans having all these amazing powers and being forced not to use them is like waiting for something bad to happen. In a way, it is almost like the situation with Trigger and the Instant Villains. Humans naturally want to show off what makes them special and if you suppress them for too long, we will have villains in the streets that are not actually villains. Just humans acting like they usually do. That is why we should be able to use them in our future jobs."

"Wow, I never thought of it that way," Kazuho replied in a bit of amazement that a 9-year-old kid was thinking this way. He was rather mature for a boy of his age. "But these instant Villains caused by Trigger are still a problem."

"Oh, no doubt," Naruto admitted. "But I have a friend who was a late bloomer and then there are people like Knuckleduster who are quirkless. Soon, that will not exist, and then the problem with be everyone's if something isn't done. That is why I want to be the top hero one day to make the needed changes."

"Yeah, that makes a bit of sense," Kazuho admitted. "It sounds like what the teachers at my school fear happening in the future, the Quirk Singularity Theory. And I believe you will be a great hero one day, Naruto, you can do it."

"Thanks." Naruto replied as the two smiled at each other.

XXX

"Alright, be my cameraman, okay?" Makoto asked Koichi after it seemed he was on board with wanting to know what people thought about the Naruhata Vigilantes. Call him vain, but he was genuinely curious about what people thought about him. "Time to start interviewing people on the street then!"

Funnily enough, some of the first people the two ran into were their favorite Cyclops and Wolverine knockoffs in Ichimoku and Jube, the street-smart fans of Pop Step.

"Vigilantes? Ohh, those unlicensed hero types." Ichimoku asked in good humor…mostly because one of them was right in front of them and Makoto seemingly had no idea.

Jube smirked and asked, "We're talking about the Cruller, Red Cloud Kid, and their pals, yeah?" They both wanted to out Koichi because it was too easy and the man himself was silently pleading with that but they decided to skip him entirely. They just could not keep a straight face.

"Believe it out not, Pop Step started out as an Idol on the internet, but lately she's been patrolling the neighborhood with them," Ichimoku informed them with a lovy dovy grin because hey, he was her fan and he liked her. "I just hope doesn't get hurt out there. Though as a fan, it is pretty great seeing her on the streets! The Cruller is kind of a wimp with all his dodging, so it is up to Red Cloud Kid and Grampa Fist to make sure she is ok though. Gramp Fist though is freaking scary!"

Jube nodded sagely, of the same mindset, "We even got her autograph! She's a cool gal! We're cheering her on!

And so it went on, with various types of people having their own opinions on them. School girls were sure that the Cruller, no one ever got their names right, was looking up their skirts since he was so low to the ground and he was just creepy to them. Old ladies loved Cruller and the Red Cloud Kid because they helped them with all sorts of things. And older men…just didn't care, about the male vigilantes anyway. Those guys all thought Pop Step was great and had a great ass. Kids, however, looked up to Akatsuki because it showed he cared about them and their neighborhood and he looked cool while doing it.

By chance, they ran into the disguised form of Knuckleduster's daughter and Naruto managed to take a better photo of her from his position on the rooftops. This way when he got with Soga, they would have a more recent photo along with what her father gave him. Pop Step was just surprised that the woman didn't cause a scene like time. Suspicious.

After the interviews were done, Makoto gathered the information while Ichimoku and Jube stayed around to see how it went…and got a great laugh for their troubles. "With all the data put together, we have all this…ouch. A lotta people are calling that one guy creepy." Yep, there were four pie charts that show all the info and Koichi was both annoyed and disheartened. Most of his were Creepy but helpful. Koichi also seemed annoyed with Pop Step's results in that they were all about her ass and they most loved her for directing people away from the violence. He wasn't surprised to see that people just didn't like his master. They thought the old man to be scary and bad news. As for Akatsuki, he saw that people thought he was a cute kid, but he could be scary at times. He was helpful, but most thought he was way too young to be doing what he was doing. Huh.

Before anything else could be said or done, Makoto's laptop was stolen…by a guy that was part penguin that was playing soccer as a distraction. Most people really thought he should be a soccer player over some common thief, but that was neither here nor there.

Ichimoku and Jube sped off after that guy and Koichi was about to go and get geared up to be able to help get it back, something that Makoto's sharp eyes noticed, but he was cut off by a pebble smacking his head. They both looked up to see a waving Naruto, signifying that he would get it.

Naruto geared into action, leaping off rooftops like he had done it all his life. The people had no idea that he had but were all still shocked nonetheless. He was glad for the middle schoolers' help in this endeavor because they distracted the penguin guy long enough for Naruto to make his move. As to what that was, well, he decided to pull off a Jiraiya just for shits and giggles.

Naruto summoned a giant told that landed on the guy, causing the laptop to go flying in the air while the giant red and black toad seemed to stun everyone that watched. Naruto easily caught the laptop and landed on the toad in a very Jiraiya-esk stance and began to dance like the man did whenever he wanted to make a grand entrance. Sue Naruto, but he was feeling nostalgic today. "The title 'Red Cloud Boy' is merely bait to draw you in! I shall tell you my true identity!" That got everyone's attention, even Makoto who looked excited to learn who the youngest member of the Naruhata Vigilantes was. Some even brought out their phones to record him…that was definitely not going to bite him in the ass later. No sir! "I am the Red Dawn of Change rising within Naruhata. I will one day be a great hero to make that change a reality, you may call me….Akatsuki, the brilliant animal tamer!"

"Uugh, if you are so great, tell your toad to get off!" The penguin man cried out before the toad smacked him upside the head, knocking him out.

Makoto could not help the giggles that escaped her as she said, "Nice job kid, but I thought you going to reveal who you were under the mask."

Naruto happily gave her the laptop while eye smiling. "Oh, you wanted to see what was under the mask?"

"YES!" The entire street screamed out, making him sweat drop a bit but a shit-eating grin formed on his lips.

"What's under the mask…" Naruto replied as he pinched his mask as if to take it down, causing everyone to lean in with anticipation, Makoto most of all as Koichi and Pop Step started to sweat. "Is another mask!" The result was the entire street falling on their ass in exasperation but there were people like Ichimoku, Jube, Koichi, and Pop Step who nearly died laughing. That put Naruto in a good mood as he thought about not only Jiraiya but Kakashi too. It was fun to mess with the crowd as they had with him.

After a moment, Makoto chuckled as well as the street disbursed. "Ok kid, you are alright. Thank you get getting my laptop back."

"Anytime miss!" Naruto announced as he tied up the penguin-themed thief for the cops to pick up before he jumped back to the rooftops to a still giggling Pop Step. Seeing her do so, Naruto could not help but join her as the laughter renewed. Even he had to admit that what he did was ridiculous.

Makoto just shook her head, highly amused by the kid's antics. She could not question who he was with her polygraph quirk since she did not have a clue as to his real identity. However, she now had an idea about Koichi, given his reactions to people's words on The Cruller Man. That and he did not have the build for that Grandpa Fist character. Putting a hand on his shoulder she leaned in with asking with a smirk, "Given that you were so geared up to help get my laptop back, just answer me this. You are The Cruller Man, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not." Koichi replied in a deadpanned tone and slightly hurt that even she called him Cruller. It was Crawler, damnit!

Makoto blinked at that, her quirk telling her that what he said was true. He wasn't the Cruller. "Oh? I am sorry, I just assumed with you were so pepped up. Thank you for trying though. Tell you what, let's go get something to eat for our hard work today." That instantly put Koichi in a better mood. Besides, it was technically true that Koichi genuinely believed he was not the Cruller, some dude named after a pastry. He was the Crawler, which he always announced but people ignored. It saved his butt though.

Even that was still amusing to Naruto and Kazuho.

XXX

A little while later, Naruto and Iwao in their street clothes found themselves in front of Soga. He seemed put off at first, but Soga gained a bit of confidence and his cocky attitude showed through. "What you want old man? You and your brat lost, old man?"

"No, but I can tell that you are." Iwao commented gruffly.

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say and it riled up Soga, if the agitated look on his face was anything to go by. "What was that?" he asked, hoping they did not change their words so he could let off some steam.

"He is giving you a chance. We could help find his daughter." Naruto commented.

That blew the wind right out of his sails as Soga looked at them dumbly. "Wha…?"

"Besides, you already know us, so you can't argue that point." Iwao replied with a smirk as he put on his mask, much to the fright of the boy in front of them.

"Holy shit! Knuckleduster!" Soga yelled, backing up into a wall. Craning his neck down, Soga looked at Naruto and asked, "Akatsuki? Wait, why isn't that flaky one here?"

"Because this is a job, I want you and Naruto's help with. My daughter has been possessed by a Bee User. I need you boys' help because it would be weird for a guy my age to go asking around for a young girl." Iwao explained.

"I get it, but due to my looks, I am not well-liked, if you haven't caught on." Soga replied somewhat glumly.

"So? I am giving you a chance and besides, I know you have a good head on your shoulders, you are just misguided." Iwao explained. "So, what do you say?"

Soga actually thought about it. How everyone gave him fake smiles growing up, only to tell him to fuck off later on. His friends, who were in the hospital still thanks to one of those Instant Villains, stayed with him. Mostly because they were all in the same boat. One was a literal lizard man while the other was perpetually on fire. This old man and the kid were actually asking for his help, giving him a chance. "Fine." He replied quietly before looking at Naruto. "But I do want to fight you. I saw what little you did against Stendhal and all you seem to do is summon animals. I wanna know if you can fight."

Naruto's grin became feral. "Well, there is an underground street fight scheduled for later." The blond said, getting Iwao attention enough to groan and roll his eyes. He had a feeling he knew who set that up. He was going to have to supervise that. "We can be the opening act."

XXX

"Ripper? That you?" Tiger Bunny asked with a massive grin as she walked up to him, Naruto, and Soga.

"Why I am not surprised you have another metal nickname?" Soga groaned out.

"Ah, so the little battle-hungry bunny has become the queen of the ring, why am I not surprised? Let me guess. You are Naruto's other teacher that Kaina mentioned."

"Hell yeah. He is helping me clean up the roster. Trigger is making its way in." Rumi replied with a frown.

"So, it had infected your arena too. I have a hunch where it is coming from, we just need to take out the local suppliers." Iwao replied thoughtfully.

"Oh? You have an idea? Want help?"

"Not unless you plan to come to China with me when this is over." Iwao deadpanned, but Rumi did look thoughtful.

"I will think about it. Undercover work has never been my strong suit." Rumi replied. The boys looked her up and down in a deadpan stare. She merely wore her old high school uniform and her infamous tiger mask. Not to mention her large bunny ears. Her sucking at stealth was never in question. "Oh, I will say that the guy you fought last time…the one that set off the EMP…has gone completely missing." That brought the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stand on end. That could only meet one thing and the knowing looks Iwao and Rumi sent each other was telling.

XXX

This time, the underground fighting arena took place in a large abandoned office building in Naruhata and like usual it was crowded. Although, everyone's attention was focused on the youngest member of their fight club, Akatsuki. Due to a recent video of him taking down the penguin-themed thief, there was plenty of ragging at his expense. "Heh, look out all, the 'great' Akatsuki is our opening fight." A man in the crowd jeered.

"Usually, the most eccentric are the strongest people I know. So I am weird, big whoop." Naruto said aloud, making the crowd murmur, with most confirming that fact. They had seen plenty of heroes that weren't quite right in the head. It was a little unsettling.

"Enough yammering!" Tiger Bunny shouted to the crowd. "This first fight is a challenge issued outside our wall and I don't mind honoring it. Young Akatsuki, enter the ring with your challenger!"

Soga followed Naruto and he felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. He was a street tough because all throughout his life, people treated him differently because his quirk made him look…scary to other people. It made him look foreign and almost like those mutation types the small towns hated for one reason or another. People just stayed away from him and he was lonely a lot. That was why he cherished the few friends he had. Then came the old man and the kid, asking for his help. HIS help.

A small part of him wanted to accept right away, but his irrational anger lead him here. Now he was in an underground fighting arena. He was not a total stranger to them, living on the streets made you aware of certain things after all. He just never figured he would take part in them. To find out the kid took part in them regularly, that was a bit jarring.

"You ready, Soga?" Naruto asked as he took a stance.

"Yeah, let's do this brat." Soga growled out as he let his quirk function, producing spikes of his fists that got the crowd going in excitement.

But…the fight was over before he knew it. Soga was known for picking on the weak and did not have much of a fighting style. He was a scrapper and he sometimes used his head, but that was it. To take two hits from Naruto was like putting his fingers in an electrical outlet. One where it blew you across the room.

And Soga found himself sitting next to a chatty guy with white hair around his own age. Someone called Tatewaki. He really had no choice but to listen to the guy talk because both his arms were numb and his legs didn't seem to work either. Whatever those electrified pokes were from the kid, it really messed him up. Iwao also sat next to him, grinning like the madman everyone thought him to be. "I wouldn't worry too much about your loss friend. That kid seems to be in a league of his own. I can't wait to test my own mettle against him!" Tatewaki commented.

"Has the kid been holding his own here that much?" Iwao asked with a sharp grin. Naruto wasn't with him because he was in another room, preparing for his next match. That didn't mean they couldn't enjoy the other fights.

"Hell yeah. Everyone thought I was too young to be here, so they immediately called him out as well. Akatsuki's last match was against a muscular did with an EMP quirk. After using it, the kid proved that he didn't need the electric finger style he used to kick ass. He changed styles and laid that guy out. After watching some of his fights with the other Narahata Vigilantes, it makes sense."

"He is that good, huh?" Soga asked after a moment with a rueful smile. It seemed that he could count on the kid after all. He now thought he needed to prove himself to the kid.

"Yup. Still can't figure out his quirk though." The white-haired boy replied before shrugging it off a bit. But it made Iwao focus on him more. "Mine seems to mess with people's perceptions in battle, his gives his fingers the ability to turn into tasers and then I saw the animal summoning. Weird, but whatever. Must be related around animals, most people like that have multiple abilities of the animal they are aligned with."

Soga sweat dropped at that. His Trigger Form was a giant hedgehog, but his human form was limited by his quirk…or so he thought anyway. Did he have other abilities? Probably not.

"ALRIGHT YOU BAND OF ADRENALINE JUNKIES!" Tiger Bunny shouted to get everyone's attention back on her. "The final fight of the night is with the brat who started it, Akatsuki." Now that Naruto had shown a bit more skill, about half the room was rooting for the kid. "VS the crazy Monk you all love but since his monastery burned to the ground, he needs something to punch! Zoshoku!"

Naruto walked into the arena just as the other announced person. Sadly the guy looked like a homeless monk, but it didn't seem to bother him and his gangly form and bald head. The man had widened crazed eye that worried Naruto, but he wasn't sure how to help the guy.

"Are you ready kid? I am going to rip off all four limbs at once!" The man laughed as the bell rang.

"That's a thought," Naruto commented with a raised eyebrow. "How are you going to do that with only two arms?"

The man's grin became sinister as he seemed to grow two more arms and even a fifth arm right from his spine. Then another head popped up next to his own that just made jabbering noises to distract the blond shinobi.

"Oh fuck, did the guy that Kiba fought that one time escape here?!" Naruto asked himself aloud, making those that heard him give him a strange look. Again, no one would know what he was even going on about, but that did not matter at the point as Naruto had to dodge a hail of fists sent his way. The blond felt himself charged up as this strange monk because every once and while when he dodged a strike, a new limb would appear to try and strike him down and then disappear again. This fight in a young body was exhilarating!

The battle was rough for the young blond as he got hit multiple times. He thought himself surprised by his battle style. Changing between unknown fighting styles was different, yes, but so was the monk who could create limbs all around his body. However, he did notice the man was tiring and he could only create a few limbs at a time. The more he would create, the more that others would disappear. The monk was limited to a set number.

"Gotta say kid, this is the most fun I have had in a while. Most of the monks back home couldn't challenge me like you could with those strange styles. I'll give you some advice. Quit now, you are too slow to beat me!"

Slow was he? It always pissed the blond off when he was underestimated back home and that didn't change now. He may be younger now, but he could still fight pretty well. Probably way better than when he had been on a team with Sakura and Sasuke. Kakashi never taught him a better fighting style, always with the teamwork exercises. Wait… speaking of teamwork, he remembered watching how Team Idaten would cover each other and the main hero. Thinking about how to use what Koichi described of man and what he knew of him, Naruto gained an idea of his own and he hoped the Preta Path would cooperate with him.

"Heh, thanks, but there are ways to be faster than I am now. How about this, one final strike between each other." Naruto stated as he noticed that his sleeves had been ripped off. Perfect.

"Oh? Trying to bait me, kid? Fine, I am curious about what you can do."

In truth, Naruto hadn't learned everything the scrolls could offer. It was still too early for that and there were a few things he didn't have the ability to do. But this crazy, half-baked idea might just work. With the crowd roaring in delight, the two sped at each other. Zoshoku rushed forward with both normal fists ready to strike him down and then pummel him some more with his propagated fists and maybe even another kick. Naruto jumped at the monk with only one well-aimed kick. That is until exhaust pipes like Tensei had in his own elbowed formed from the Preta Path and made him spin around rapidly to give a punishing and surprising drill kick to the surprised monk. And what came out of the pipes was a torrent of water that sprayed the crowd, who all they saw was a rapidly spinning whirlpool in midair. "Uzumaki Torpedo!"

The kick connected and launched the monk so quickly into a nearby wall, it stunned the crowd before they all ran in and cheered the boy on in a celebratory crowd surf. Rumi had an excited smile of her own. That was certainly a move she would love to fight against. This agreement with Kaina was certainly paying off.

Iwao's own grin was savage. If the kid could use fire, then his plan was in the bag. As he listened to Soga and Tatewaki cheer the kid on, his grin softened into a proud one. He and Rumi were doing well. Koichi would gain his maneuverability training and knowledge while Naruto got the fighting knowledge. He was fine with that and proud of his boys.

XXX

When Next Naruto found himself back at Koichi's pace. He found out that Koichi had been interrupted in a cat-and-mouse chase of some motorcycle villain by an actual hero. However, what the blond did not expect was for this hero to be someone from across the seas in a guy named Captain Celebrity. The man was arrogant and self-absorbed to the point that he just signed Koichi's All Might Hoodie that he used for heroing.

"We get it, if you wanted that hoodie signed, it would have to be from All Might himself," Naruto commented as he ate a TV dinner with Kazuho and Iwao. More information about Captain Celebrity was put on TV for them to watch.

It kind of annoyed Naruto that the Captain's real name was public, but it made sense. Big-time heroes often did that and he actually was surprised that All Might did not. No wait, the man had explained that All for One would use that against him. But to be honest, Naruto felt that if the man wanted to, All for One would. All Might had put himself in a corner and stayed there, afraid to move. Well, that was until his mom got in the man's face about it. They weren't officially dating, but the world saw it that way, even Naruto. It made Naruto happy that they were happy.

"Hmph, this idiot….they call him Captain 'Catastrophe' Celebrity." Iwao stated, helping the three understand more of what was really going on. "It is just one lawsuit or scandal after another with him. Basically, he could not work in the States anymore, so now he come here to make a living."

"Gives me bad vibes." Koichi growled out. It kind of shocked Kazuho that Koichi was that against the American Hero, but then again, he did ruin his All Might Hoodie.

XXX

As Naruto got wrapped up in some of his own training with both Rumi and his classmates, he did miss a bit of vigilante hero work with Crawler and Pop Step. However, that was fine because Captain Celebrity was hogging the limelight a bit. Plus, it just gave Koichi an excuse to push himself to be better. The main thing he missed was Koichi learning that Makoto now worked for the Captain, who honestly was trying to get in her pants. Naruto believed that Koichi had nothing to worry about for his fellow college student because after they went 'out,' the Captain was blatantly afraid of her. That was funny to Naruto, but it also made it hard for Naruto to help Kazuho because the idiot was now crushing on Makoto! It was the Sakura BS all over again!

Still, it was funny seeing Makoto start being the Captain's manager by basically overworking the American Hero.

Then the weekend came when Naruto could hang out with Koichi and the gang again, but it seemed like the kid was a bit frazzled. It turned out that the college kid's very strict mother was coming to town and that had him scared stiff. It made the blond feel for the boy, but seeing this would give him a bit of insight into how Koichi was. This also seemed to interest Iwao too because while he was a hard ass, he did not instill the same fear Koichi had for his mom. And if Koichi failed to impress her, then he would have to move back to the countryside. None of them wanted that.

XXX

Naruto stealthily waited for Koichi's mom on his roof. Was it weird? Probably, but he was here to help a friend. When he saw her, she indeed looked like a strict businesswoman. Was she? He had no idea. Plus, Koichi mentioned a girlfriend so the woman could meet her and before he could get Kazuho in the mindset, Koichi had already called Makoto. That figured.

"Here I am Koichi!" The woman loudly said as she barged through the front door.

"Hiya, Mom. It's been a while." Koichi muttered as his mother inspected the place, making sure nothing was wrong and to her liking. From his observation point, Naruto idly wondered if Kaina was going to be like that in the future. He…really hoped not. In a way, she was just like Kushina, supportive.

As she sat down for a cup of tea, Koichi's mother sighed and smiled. 'Well, look at this. You have actually made a life for yourself." Her grin began dangerous though as she said, "Now let's see this girlfriend of yours!"

"Makoto! You are up!" Naruto whispered aloud to the woman on the other side of the building.

"Thank you!" Makoto rang out cheerfully as she went up to the door and knocked. When Koichi called, she hadn't expected for him to be nearly hyperventilating and needing her help for such a simple act. But she had helped out other friends with similar issues. This was easy. "Hello! I am Makoto Tsukauchi. Pleased to meet you, Ma'am. Koichi and I are seeing each other."

"Sorry about this weird favor," Koichi whispered as he took her coat.

"Heh heh. This is gonna cost you!" Makoto whispered back cheerfully. After all, she already put up with her lecherous boss perving on her, a friend asking for this type of favor was not as weird as it sounded. Still, if she could get his help on a few other things, then it was worth it. Sitting down at Koichi's table, she faced his mother. "I am a few years ahead of Koichi at our school…"

"My, oh my. What a charming young lady." Koichi's mom replied cheerfully but dropped the act soon after to use her quirk, Fly Swatter, to smack her son from across the room. She did not believe for one second that her son could court a girl like that. She raised him how she wanted him to be, so she knew him too well. "Koichi, enough of this ridiculous act! Why would someone as put together as her EVER go out with someone like you?"

XXX

"That is…harsh," Naruto grumbled as he watched his friend get smacked around by his mother. Why she was like that, he would never know. Turning towards his phone, he said, "All right boss man, now it is our turn."

"Wow, she really didn't take the bait. On it kid." Iwao replied in a bit of surprise.

"Yep…oh, Kazuho, you decided to come after all. I like the outfit." Naruto replied as he jumped next to her.

"Thanks, let's get this over with." Kazuho muttered. To many, she might just look casual, but her floral print dress was supposed to impress, along with the jacket and beanie. It showed that she was one of Koichi's friends.

XXX

"Now I can't trust a word you say about school or anything else. I guess I have to drag you back home….just as I feared!" The college kid's mom replied angrily.

"I am keeping an eye on Koichi at school," Makoto reassured for his friend's mental state. She was a go-getter but even she thought this was too harsh of an act. "So you needn't worry about his studies, ma'am. Besides, there may come a day when we really do date each other. Who knows."

"Don't get my hopes up. I can't say I am fond of empty promises." The woman muttered with a bored but still angry look. Still, she liked Makoto because she looked out for her son, so she smiled. "But you have quite a way with words. You would really be my daughter-in-law? I am Shoko Haimawari, by the way."

Boy, this woman was laying it on think! "I'd consider it."

"Oh, Koichi…you have company already. Hope you do not mind more." Naruto replied as he jumped in through the window, scaring the mother half to death before he opened to the door for a nervous Kazuho.

"H-h-hello" Kazuho stuttered out.

"Have you no manners young man?!" Shoko yelled after recovering. "At least the girl has the decency to use the door!"

"That's the boring way." Naruto cheekily replied, much to Makoto's amusement. Koichi had some interesting friends. She was also beginning to understand who these people were. Especially when they whispered so much to each other. "Besides, I will gladly take the heat off my friend."

"The heat? I am just disciplining my son! Something your own mother should be doing!" The mother roared out.

"True, my mother has her work cut out for her," Naruto admitted, Kaina was a new mother after all and now she had two kids to look after. From a certain point of view, three if you counted All Might but they were dating now. Good thing she had help in the form of friends. Naruto got along with her tougher friends in Iwao and Rumi while Himiko got along with Inko and a rekindled friend in Nemuri. Speaking of Midnight, those two got along too well, to be honest. "But you raised Koichi, so you should know what he is like and trust him to be able to adapt and change. I mean, Tokyo is a huge place, he has survived this long."

Koichi's mom froze for a moment before smiling at the young boy. "I suppose you have a point. Who are you two, by the way?"

"Call me Naruto Uzumaki…. or Tsutsumi if you want to get technical. Mom did adopt me." Naruto replied, making Koichi's mom and Makoto stare at him for a second. Makoto knew that her brother was hanging around All Might as of late, he could not get that past her. Plus, she knew that All Might was dating Lady Nagant…or something close to dating. She also knew how to look up who Nagant really was. So, this was a surprise to her. What was the kid doing all the way out here? As for Koichi's mom, she understood a bit now. Koichi had a good but tough friend looking out for him…even though she thought it sad that a grade school kid was looking out for her son. It should be the other way around.

"My name is Kazuho Haneyama." The pink-haired girl replied with a pleasant smile. Koichi's mom thought it weird though that a few kids younger than her son was hanging out with him.

"How are you acquainted with my son?"

"Oh, that is easy." Naruto interrupted with a smile. "We met in a local program set up through a friend of my mother's."

"The kid's right, though I didn't realize Koichi would be having more guests than just us," Iwao stated as he too walked in, making the two women stare at him in awe for a moment. They both thought the man was a hunk with all his muscles. It meant they did not notice that Koichi slightly freaking out since to him, Knuckleduster was hard to explain. Thankfully, Naruto had his back.

"You're sure looking spiffy today, master." Koichi pointed out having not seen this look from the man before.

"Because I came straight over from work." Iwao stated.

"OH! Well, this is my mom and a friend from my school. You already know Naruto and Kazuho." Koichi replied, introducing them.

"Please to meet both of you," Iwao replied as he reached into his suit's coat and pulled out a couple of business cards for the women to take. "My name is Takeshi Kuroiwa." An obvious lie to those that knew him, but it was a good alias.

"OH! I love networking. I never miss a chance if I could help it." Makoto replied excitedly as both women took the cards presented to them. "An NPO? What sort of projects do you work on?"

"We provide support in neighborhoods like east Naruhata, where local government and community organizations are less effective. In fact, volunteer workers like Naruto, Kazuho, and Koichi here are key to the mission. They keep roads clean and patrol for crime at night." Iwao explained. In a way, he was telling the truth about what they did as vigilantes. Brilliant cover.

"Hmm. My Son has always been drawn to that sort of thing." Koichi's mother replied but she did not knock it this time. Thanks to these people praising her kid, she was starting to at least see that he was not completely useless.

"Yup, his commitment has been a big help, actually," Iwao replied with a grin. "And in the tougher neighborhoods, they watch each other's backs. And I often use your son's apartment for our meetings. We have even been working on defense training for those situations out on the roof. These kids are pretty decent."

"Ah, that's why he called you 'master." Makoto deduced. However, she wasn't an idiot, she had felt up the man's muscles, and she had quickly deduced that this man was Knuckleduster and the kids were the rest of the Naruhata Vigilantes. Great cover! "Did you used to have a different job of some sort? Military? Police? Or perhaps you were a hero?" The scar on his face was pretty obvious.

"A hero, Makoto? For goodness' sake." Shoko huffed out. Her obvious dislike for hero work showing through. No…that wasn't quite right. Naruto sensed that she didn't want her son dealing with that line of work because she feared for his safety. Odd way to show that you cared. "Stick with ordinary people! You know how it goes with heroes. They let themselves get used until their own lives fall apart. My Koichi used to have heroic aspirations, in fact. He thought appearances would make the man. Went around imitating All Might, of all people. He would interfere in fights, get hurt, and put himself in danger trying to help others."

"That is really just being called a decent person," Naruto replied with a bored expression to hide the fact that he was actually angry with the woman. "Things won't get better if nobody does anything about situations like that. Did you make him stop?"

"I didn't have to." Koichi's mother admitted, showing that she thought about doing the deed herself. It didn't sit right with the group. "He was off to be a hero when we went to go take a Hero High School exam, but he came slinking back home after falling in a river." Naruto noticed that while she seemed relieved, she also felt disappointed. He also noticed Kazuho's negative emotions rise in response to the woman bad-mouthing her son. But…they were sharper now that she was talking about the river incident that Koichi mentioned one time. Curious. "My boy's always the unreliable sort, drawn towards trouble…"

"THAT'S JUST NOT TRUE!"

Makoto sent a bright smile towards the younger girl, having figured out the same as Naruto, and was glad someone defended Koichi. She saw that Naruto's brash words were getting to the woman, but it was slow going. Kazuho though did seem the most offended by the mother's words. "Do you have something to so say, Kazuho? Why not tell us, then?" Makoto asked enthusiastically. Although, after she said it, she felt bad because it might be just something she was holding back and what to tell Koichi himself.

"N-nevermind." Kazuho replied nervously, a bit embarrassed that she would have to be forced to say anything,

"SPEAK YOUR MIND, YOUNG LADY!" Shoko yelled, causing her to run away. This caused Shoko to blink rapidly and feel bad. She was used to speaking her mind, if a bit jumbled. It seemed that Kazuho wasn't. "Oh…now I have done it. Dear me, I should not have pressed the girl so hard."

"No, you shouldn't have." Naruto sighed as he got up, noticing that Koichi was highly uncomfortable about someone receiving the same treatment he was used to from the woman. Being shouted at into submission. "I will go and see if she is ok."

"Thanks, buddy." Koichi replied.

"No problem." Naruto replied and gave him a cheeky grin that Koichi sweat at. That grin usually meant that the kid was going to be a smart ass. "Besides, you would probably just piss her off."

"Ha ha." Koichi got out just as sarcastically, something his mother noticed and managed to hide her smile at.

XXX

"Kazuho, wait." Naruto said after he caught up to her.

"Oh hey, Naruto," Kazuho replied nervously. "I thought that woman would have sent Koichi instead."

"I beat her to the punch. I am used to people yelling…mostly at me before I got adopted. Doesn't bother me that much." Naruto stated with a shrug.

Kazuho frowned though at learned another piece of Naruto's past. It did not seem all that great. At least he had a family now. "That woman is like a tiger, but she is so dismissive of her own son. It bothered me. We all fight but we are just goofing off. She was being malicious."

"Sometimes people do that to protect those they love from the world. That is sort of what I was picking up from her." Naruto said but he and even Kurama were getting a headache just trying to understand the woman. "But I get why you were so defensive."

"Because I like him. You already know that."

"Well, it helps, but the incident they were talking about. The one he saved…was you, wasn't it?" Naruto asked, making the girl freeze and have a 'deer in the headlights' look. "I thought so and now I am even more determined to help you get him. To me, it seemed more than some infatuation since he saved you. You have gotten to know the guy, which is why you like him."

Kazuho stared at Naruto for a moment in shock before a watery smile formed on her face and she hugged him. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Naruto replied. "At least I can help someone in a similar situation." That got Kazuho's eyes to snap open and look at the kid in wonder and a bit of concern. He was mature for his age, but that statement…many of his statements insinuated a level of experience and understanding. What happened?

XXX

The next day while Koichi, his mother, and Makoto were out on the town as it were, Naruto and Iwao were out patrolling. They thought to do a bit of daytime patrolling to keep the city extra safe for the three shopping, but Iwao was looking to get in a fight. He was bored.

"It was weird seeing Koichi basically being mad dogged by his mom." Naruto said during their patrol across the rooftops of a mall.

"Indeed. There are some parents that do not want to see their kids hurt, so they don't believe in them at all. I have seen it before I doubt this will be the last time I will see it. Makes me wonder what caused Shoko's issue." Iwao replied sagely.

It went silent again after that. Naruto did not have much experience in that department. His birth mother died that night he was born and only met her later down the line. Kaina was a great mom, so he did not have to worry about her not believing in him. That still did not stop the memory of Konoha dragging him through the mud whenever they got the chance.

Naruto stumbled over a piece of metal on the roof, forcing him to notice that Knuckleduster had walked off near the highway section because it seemed that Koichi, Shoko, and Makoto were done for the day. But as Naruto looked down into the food court through the ceiling windows, he saw the one girl Iwao was looking for. His daughter. Naruto recognize her one-eyed look and her two energy signatures and grinned. But that turned into a frown when he noticed she was messing around on the phone.

"Everything's in place. Time for a surprise tour. Let's go!" She cheered to herself and Naruto felt cold. Tour….the three were on a tour bus. This girl was deliberately targeting them now!

Through their radio, Iwao shouted, "Kid, we have a runaway bus thanks to a Triggered Cat! It is like something out of a Studio Ghibli movie! Unfortunately, our own are in that bus."

"On my way." Naruto confirmed and then growled out in annoyance when the girl walked away and flashed him a smirk. She knew they were on to her! "Just passed your brat, pretty sure the bee user knows we are on to her."

"Good job confirming kid. Now call Pop!"

XXX

"He is trapped on a runaway cat bus…seriously. That guy's luck is the worst!" Pop Step complained once she caught up to them.

"Yeah well, I have seen worse luck." Naruto deadpanned. "Did you bring the feather duster and some duct tape as I asked?"

"Yeah, but what are they going to be used for?" Pop asked.

"He ain't, I am! What better way to direct a cat!" Knuckleduster said as he took the items to make a giant cat toy and haul ass to an intersection he knew the cat would eventually go on and directed it to a construction zone.

"That is great and all," Naruto said as he and Pop Step caught up with him. "But doesn't that bridge end because of construction?!"

"Yeah, and it seems that Ingenium and his crew are taking care of the passengers as we speak. Damn, that guy is fast." Knuckleduster said with a huge smirk.

"Pop, see if you can help them in any way. I will fly around to the end to see if they missed anyone." Naruto said, summoning a giant eagle. This was twofold, to see how Koichi was handling this and to see if the mastermind behind all of this was going to check out the wreckage. As Naruto took off, Knuckleduster's grin grew huge. That kid was good.

XXX

Knuckleduster followed Pop Step to the evacuation zone the heroes had set up as both a temporary base of operations and a medic zone…which was slow going. But Pop Step was already in gear. Both Kazuho and him rushed to the scene as civilians to see if they could help.

Iwao watched proudly as Koichi stood up to his over-worried mother so that he could go save someone that was still on the bus. His first guess was Makoto since she wasn't around. It had an effect on Shoko though and he walked up next to her and said, "You hurt, ma'am?"

"Oh, Mr. Kuroiwa. I did not expect to see you here." Shoko said, her nerves messing with her as she started to panic. Her son was trying to be a hero after all. Seeing him like this though made her both worried and proud. So much so that she started to confess a bit Iwao. "That boy of mine. He used to move through the air. As a baby, he started floating before he could even stand. There was no telling where he might float off to if left to his own devices. I was so worried that I gave a little smack each time in hopes of stopping him. I knew that there would be a time when a little spanking would not be enough to keep him down."

Iwao took a moment to consider his next words. He was a bit peeved that this woman kept her son down all this time. Now he and Naruto just needed to help the boy find his wings. He thought about his own daughter and how he acted to push her away. "A parent can worry all they like, but every kid's gotta fly sooner or later. All we can do is teach them how to fall right."

"I suppose you are right." Shoko replied somberly.

XXX

Naruto turned off the phone and put it away just as he made it to the broken bridge and flew circles around it. He saw the bus and how Koichi and Ingenium were having trouble keeping pace. And out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Iwao's daughter. She was hiding and waiting. He wondered what that was about, but he would occasionally see bees near the old victims. Could they be multipurpose? No time to dwell on that though because this was going to be tight!

Ingenium rocketed toward Koichi and Makoto right as the bus went over the edge. Thankfully, they were out of the bus, but the momentum meant they were still going to fall. As fast as he was, Ingenium wasn't fast enough to get them both. Thankfully, out of sheer force of will, Koichi forced his quirk to boost him the rest of the way toward Ingenium's open arms. Knowing this was not going to last, he pushed Makoto over to him and let then let himself fall.

"I GOT YOU!" Naruto shouted as he grabbed ahold of his friend and his giant eagle grabbed hold of Ingenium and Makoto. "Hold on tight, we are not done!

XXX

Kuin smirked as she walked away from the scene, cat in hands as the construction workers completely ignored her in favor of the fall bus that crash down in their area. She was going to get a sample from this little cat to see what Trigger did to it. It had been fascinating to see a simple cat take over a bus like that.

However, as soon as she got to the fence and hopped it, a motorcycle got in her way. The eyes of Soga stared her down. "End of the line." He said simply.

"Aw, are you still mad about me sicking Stendhal on you? Get over it, it was just business after all." Kuin replied smarmily.

"Actually yeah, but that is not why I am here." Soga replied.

"Then why are you here? Come to offer yourself up to more Trigger? I have more after all."

"No thanks, I was just called to stall you." Soga replied cheekily.

"What!?" Kuin screamed and then had to dodge a few falling objects. One of them was Ingenium himself, who looked confused as to why he was there. Actually, the same was true for the other things in Koichi and Makoto. Naruto soon landed his giant eagle, much to Kuin's horror.

"You thought you could get away, huh?" Naruto asked as he hopped off the bird.

"Soga? Akatsuki…what is this about?" Koichi asked nervously as he quickly got up to stand before Makoto protectively. That fact that Ingenium was nearby helped bolster his confidence.

"Yeah, what is this about kid, I am just a schoolgirl who found a stray cat." Kuin replied deceptively, hoping to get the hero to defuse the situation so her cover was not blown. However, the way Koichi was glaring at her did not help.

"That is simple. She is one of the dealers for Trigger and the one to cause this incident." Naruto stated, just putting this information out in the open.

Tensei looked from the kid to the girl and then to Crawler, who looked tense. He knew something was up today, but he never expected this! However, he was out of juice. He would be no help. "Are you sure about this kid? Do you have proof?"

"I doubt that you can prove that I am." Kuin interjected with a slight smirk.

"I have unique abilities that let me know when something is up," Naruto confessed. "And I am more observant than most people. The fact that Bees are usually around to cause all of your Trigger BS is a major factor since I usually see strange bees around their victims. Some of them looked like they had containers full of blood. And let's not forget about the mass outbreak villains a few weeks ago, something many confirmed about seeing a lot of bees that day right before it all when down."

Tensei's eyes widen in fear at that. Yeah, that had been something many confirmed that day, but all the civilians just brushed it off. Even more heroes, but there were some that did think it was odd. People like Eraserhead for one. That man has always been smart. But again, Tensei wouldn't be much help here. "That is suspicious."

"And I remember seeing you do that so you could get that Eel Kid that messed with Pop Step's concert. Where is he?" Naruto asked. From her position, Makoto thought this was a bit nerve-wracking. Especially right after the bus incident. She had already figured out that Koichi was the Crawler, something she heard Ingenium say. So that must mean that Akatsuki was that Naruto kid. Holy shit this kid was intense. Hell, this whole day was intense!

"Tsk tsk, are you sure it was me who did all that?"

"Yeah, I took a photo. You were the last person seen with him." Naruto said, showing off his phone, which had a photo of her and the boy.

"Well, it seems I wasn't as careful as I thought," Kuin replied after having a laugh, raising the tension. "But what are you all going to do about it? You have a civilian who is running on adrenaline thanks to the bus incident and is soon to lose that, a hero who used up all his powers saving her, and the other useless vigilante. Everyone knows the Crawler is a major pussy who glides and slides away and lets others do the fighting for him. That old man is not around and all I see is a little kid playing at being a hero. You can summon animals, big whoop."

"So you admit it, where is the kid?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"I would worry less about him and more about yourself, kid." Kuin replied as she held up two fingers and then sparked with deadly electricity. "This body was fun to use, but I think I will kill you and just walk away. And that kid, he will be free soon."

The group tensed when they heard that. "Body?" Tensei asked, a bit confused.

"The bee user is a separate entity; they are just using the girl as a puppet. A girl whose father is looking for her, I might add." Naruto commented.

"Bee User, are they long-range because I don't see them?" Tensei replied a bit nervously, this was not going well. This kid was in over his head!

"Oh, so he put you up to this. I will get him as well after I give him his dead daughter back!" Kuin yelled out with a laugh. It did not matter to her that she was surrounded. They had no idea where she really was. "I better make this a powerful shot so I can kill you and her at the same time! Prepare to die you brat!"

As Kuin went to rush him, Naruto gave her a bored look, especially when four large tongues wrapped around her arms and legs, suspending her in midair. And the grip was so strong, it prevented Kuin from freeing herself with electricity. The others looked to see four large toads, two on the ground and two hanging from the concrete holding the road up. They were large, so how the hell did they miss that?

"Yeah, I might be young, but I am not here to play," Naruto replied evenly. "If I wanted to fight, I could body everybody quick on any day. However, I will not do that to Master's daughter. You can reveal yourself now, or I will force you out."

Koichi blinked at that. He had no idea Knuckleduster had a kid. That tale he spun with him the other day to get him out of trouble was partially true?! Wow, that was clever! So their master knew Naruto's mom. Cool.

"HA! You have no idea who or what I am! I like I will reveal that to you kid!" Kuin laughed.

"Hey, I tried to give you the peaceful option," Naruto replied with a shrug and Ingenium wondered what the violent option was, especially when the kid just held his hand out and pointed it right at the girl. No…no way! "Bansho Tenin!" Naruto shouted, focusing on the secondary presence he could feel within the girl. That must be it! He also realized that he cued Ingenium in on his power, but this was an opportunity he could not refuse!

Kuin screamed as she bucked her head. She could not believe this kid! He somehow knew that she was in the girl! HOW!? She could ask that later if she survived because she felt herself being pulled out of the girl's eye socket. Barely even thinking anymore and relying more on instinct, she released her hold on the girl so that when she got out, she could easily getaway! Normally, she would release herself upon her hosts' deaths, but this was urgent!

Suddenly, a whole hive of bees was ripped out of the girl's eye socket and the last to come out was the Queen bee's bloated form. It was actually pretty sickening to look at. Naruto frowned at all the bees. He had thought something different with them. Maybe more along the lines of useable power like that of emitters. But actual bees made this problematic. He was still working on a few Hyuuga techniques that could solve this, but this would have to work. This and the Preta Path. Oh boy…good thing he learned about the special kind of bug zappers that could attract bees!

"This is going to hurt." Naruto said to himself as he let go of his gravity hold on the Queen and focused on his Preta Path. He screamed as his clothes were shredded and he focused his Preta Path to turn his body into a giant bug zapper. Forcing the change on a wide area of the body hurt like hell, but he wasn't going to let others get hurt because of his own miscalculation. Antennae protruded from his body and sparked with electricity of his own, plus ejectors that produced a special scent that attracted bees were released to make them come to him.

Naruto jumped onto the Queen and proceeded to electrocute the creature and as he did, he spun in place. "ARGH! HYUUGA BUG ZAPPER!" Naruto screamed out as he killed the bees, some of which still managed to sting him. He tried to do the Hyuuga Rotation, but that wasn't really going to work today.

"Holy shit! Naruto!" Koichi screamed for his friend, forgetting to use his code name but no one was paying attention to that. That looked painful, even for the user! Off to the side, Ingenium was calling for backup to this site and he looked fearful for the kid.

When the light show ended, Naruto fell to the ground, panting hard in both pain and the chakra loss. He didn't account for the chakra loss because that had used an almost lethal amount since he had never done that before. Using the Preta Path was extremely draining and he felt his vision go dark.

"Heh, stupid overachieving kid," Knuckleduster replied softly as he made it down to them when he saw the light show. Now he really owed him for saving his daughter. It looked like Naruto had burnt himself a bit to save everyone. "Ingenium…I will take the kid. I do not want him to get in trouble for using his quirk. I know that girl, she is Tamao Oguro. Make sure her father knows she is safe."

Tensei Ida looked ready to lose it after what he saw. However, he understood the need for secrecy. "Right, then get him out of here. I will take Crawler, his friend, and the girl back to my team. Good luck." He did not like it, but the kid needed to go. Now.

Iwao didn't want to leave his daughter alone, but her savior needed saving. Ingenium was a good kid. He could trust him. Picking up Naruto, he ran away to get him some medical care. Pop Step jumped in soon after with a worried look on her face.

A/N: Please Support Me On patreon.com/The_Alchemyst