Chapter 13 - The Secret

Aizawa walked down the halls of UA, which were luckily empty at the moment, as he continued to drag Haru along with his capture weapon.

Haru was five seconds from shredding the stupid thing before he was conveyed to a small conference room near the teacher's lounge.

"Remember to behave," the hero instructed as he threw the door open, "I brought him."

Haru looked up curiously to see several familiar figures in hero costumes sitting around the U-shaped table including pro heroes Present Mic, Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Power Loader, and Snipe and heroines Midnight and Recovery Girl.

"Very good, Eraser Head. Thank you," a small furry creature (Haru ȧssumed he was important) said politely from where it sat at the head of the table.

With Eraser Head present, it seemed most of the staff of UA first-year staff was present.

Aizawa, a little impatiently, ushered Haru to a seat in the center of the room, still keeping him wrapped in his scarf.

To be honest, the teenager was a little ticked off about being brought in like this. He could guess why he here, but he was still fuming and he showed it with his puffed cheeks and angry aura. One could almost see the steam shooting from the boy's head.

"By the looks of it, Erasure Head didn't tell you about this meeting beforehand like he was supposed to," a familiar voice stated a little disapprovingly as Haru's felt the threads of Aizawa's scarf warp and pulled away from him, "I think you snapped a few threads, Erasure."

Haru's eyes widened a little at the sight of a familiar blonde-haired figure standing in the shadows by the window, "Best Jeanist!"

The furry creature began pouring hot water from a teapot into several small teacups, "I'm sorry about the confusion, Bakugo, but this was the only time we could bring the entire staff together like this during this time of the year. We just need a couple more people."

Haru sighed giving a brief nod in acceptance. The creature held a finished cup out to him and Haru received it using his Quirk, floating it over carefully.

Just as he took a sip, the door slammed open, causing him to choke on the hot liquid

"I AM HERE!"

Best Jeanist gave the number one hero a disapproving look, "Your late, All Might."

All Might sweatdropped and gave a nervous cough, "Sorry."

He meekly took a seat next to the furry creature's right while Jeanist moved to sit on its left. Haru acted as if he had never met the former personally before, a previous agreement he had decided on with the number one hero. It saved unnecessary questions.

The room quieted down as everyone was seated.

Less than thirty seconds later, the door slid open again to reveal pro hero Vlad King. The grey-haired hero didn't say a word as he sat in an empty seat.

"Now then," the furry creature spoke up, "We are all here. I ȧssume that you are familiar with everyone, Bakugo?"

Haru raised his teacup to take a sip, "Sorry, I don't know who you are, sir."

The creature giggled I amusement, "Ah yes, let me introduce myself. My name is Nezu, the one who could be a dog or a mouse or a bear, but more importantly... I'm the principal!"

A soft clink as Haru set the teacup on its saucer was the boy's only response.

Nezu rubbed his paws together, "Now, let's get down to business."

Ectoplasm addressing Nezu instantly, "All of the first-year staff has been gathered here. May I ask why, and what this boy has to do with it?"

Nezu nodded at Best Jeanist to proceed.

The hero pushed his tea away and looked at Haru, "Haru, it is required that you give me permission before revealing your history."

Haru looked the man in the eye, before giving his consent, "I understand. You may tell them."

"If at any point you feel uncomfortable, let us know," Nezu added.

Haru gave a slight bow of gratitude, "Thank you."

The formalities out of the way, Jeanist looked around the room, his voice clear and to the point, "I'm sure you all are familiar with the rumor of the Uzumaki Clan."

The was a slight murmur in response from several teachers.

Present Mic scratched his head, "Some sort of urban legend, right? It suddenly popped up around ten years ago."

"A clan possessing great power," Midnight noted, "Rumored to possess Quirks so powerful that they were worshiped as gods. Their whereabouts and numbers are unknown."

"They were believed to be practically ageless, capable of living longer than the average human," Power Loader added.

Eraser Head raised an eyebrow at Best Jeanist, already guessing what was about to go down, "You are about to tell us that the rumors are not unfounded."

The blonde hero pulled at his hair out of habit, "Their existence is not just a rumor. One member is known to us."

Haru kept himself from squirming as he felt everyone's eyes turn on him.

"Are you implying that the Uzumaki Clan is not only real but that this student is a member as well?" Vlad King was skeptical, "What proof do we have? This boy may have a powerful Quirk, but that means nothing."

Jeanist held up a hand for silence, "Fifteen years ago, very soon after my debut, I was in the Shizuoka Prefecture on patrol. I happened upon what looked like a crime scene. Two women, one dead, one dying, were laying in their own blood. The only eyewitnesses, a young couple, informed me that the two women had warped out of the air, carrying a child. Security footage matched their story. The dying woman, who also happened to be the child's mother, told them that her arrival was a result of an attempted space-time ritual in her world to protect her child from the man who was responsible for the death of her husband. A scroll containing the child's birth information was found on her after she died. From what we were able to piece together, both she and her husband were leaders of a peace organization known as Akatsuki."

He paused a moment looking at Haru. The boy's amber eyes were now hidden under his bright red hair, his clenched fists resting on his knees.

Recovery Girl gave the boy a concerned look, "Is this uncomfortable for you, dear? If you'd prefer, we can stop."

Haru shook his head, signaling he was fine.

Giving a silent apology to the boy, the number four hero continued, "Although I was still a newer hero, I had multiple connections in the government. I was not sure what the full situation was at the time, but I believed it would be wise the allow the child to grow up in a nurturing environment. The couple at the scene offered to take him in, even though they had only just left the hospital with a son of their own. By just a slim thread, I was able to place the boy's guardianship under their care on the condition I would personally monitor him."

Present Mic interrupted, "That doesn't explain how the rumor of the Uzumaki Clan started."

Eraser Head gave Jeanist a dry look, "Or why you are telling us all of this."

Best Jeanist sighed, "I'm getting to that. At first, the government remained silent about the matter. When the boy turned four, all hell went loose."

All Might's permanent smile began to look like a grimace, "When his Quirk manifested."

Best Jeanist nodded, "The doctor originally stated that he should not have a Quirk as he had two joints in his pinky toe," a small intake of breath could be heard from several people, "Yet this boy," Jeanist gestured at Haru, "Possessed a Quirk of potentially high caliber."

Nezu's fur stood up on end, expressing agitation, "And the higher-ups wished to conduct tests."

Jeanist nodded again, his eyes a mixture of both sadness and anger, "The case was secretly reopened. Details on the boy's origin began to be investigated, blood samples requested, and moves were made for his current guardianship to be revoked. They even tried to have the ashes of his dead mother and her companion dug up and tested on."

Recovery Girl had a disapproving expression on her face, "How disgraceful!"

Several angry murmurs were heard around the table. They were all appalled that their government (well any government for that matter) would do such a thing, but they were not surprised. It wasn't unusual for many leaders in world governments to take advantage of situations like this. Since Haru was technically an alien, most politicians would simply deny the boy's rights on the official excuse that he was not human.

Cementoss cleared his throat, "And they were somehow thwarted?"

Best Jeanist nodded, "My network of information gathering is rather extensive so it wasn't difficult the catch wind of the matter. I managed to make them back down although it may have taken a variety of unsavory methods."

Nobody turned a hair on that fact. It was well known that Best Jeanist was ruthless to his opponents. He wasn't above playing dirty with people who used dirty methods. In his ideal, there was a fine line between heroes and villains, and it was his job to correct those who stepped over that line. If he needed to use blackmail or political threats, he'd it without hesitation for the greater good.

"But what about the rumor?" Midnight asked.

"There was a leak," Jeanist explained, "Some amateur blogger with a hacking Quirk got into the network and discovered some minor files and he posted his findings online. Luckily, he had very limited information so identities were not revealed and the story was blown out of proportion, making it unbelievable. The rumors online persisted, but we were able to keep them in check without gaining the attention of the general public."

Aizawa snorted softly at the talk of the media. "How much of it was true?" he inquired.

Jeanist shrugged, "We have very limited information, so our data is spotty. What we know is that the Uzumaki Clan is indeed very powerful and possesses immense levels of vitality, giving them longer than average lifespans. Apart from that, we will have to wait until more information is given to us."

Snipe spoke up for the first time, "What do you mean by that?"

Jeanist looked at Haru, signaling that the teenager should answer.

"As I have been growing older, information has slowly leaked into my memories through a seal."

Most of the people in the room were no longer surprised at this point.

Nezu leaned forward curiously, "A seal? Care to elaborate?"

Haru pulled back the hair covering his face and focused his chakra. A moment later, a circular seal mark appeared on the pale skin of his forehead.

"As time passes, the seal weakens, allowing more information to pass through," he explained, "Eventually, it will break, but I don't know what will happen when it does."

"Only the highest powers of government and the Hero Safety Commission are aware of this fact," Jeanist informed them, "You are all being made aware of it in case it ever causes Bakugo to become unstable."

Eraser Head rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "That could be difficult since I can't erase his power. Since it's not a Quirk, my Erasure has no effect."

Vlad King frowned in concern, "That also means any Quirk or technology we own that can suppress Quirks can't restrain him. If he went out of control, he'd be much harder to calm down."

Haru ducked his head, "This might be a bad time to tell you, but I have a really bad temper."

Midnight sighed, "Of course he does."

Best Jeanist face twitched in amusement, "Haru is exaggerating. He's actually slow to anger. It just when he does lose it that there's is a problem. Then, there is hell to pay."

All Might shuddered internally, remembering Haru's killing intent during the sludge incident.

Nezu smiled briefly before turning to Jeanist once again, "We will discuss how to deal with the situation at a later time. Apart from the case with the seal, who knows what we all know now?"

Jeanist turned to look back at the principal, "About his existence and potential, several high ranked officials, the Hero Safety Commission, the heads of the police force, All Might, Endeavor, and Hawks."

Ectoplasm glanced between All Might and Best Jeanist, "So the top four had this knowledge all along."

All Might shook his head, "We have only been given access to the information three years ago."

Understanding dawn on everyone as Snipes stated what everyone was thinking, "When he started junior high."

Jeanist nodded, "Correct. We thought as he got older we'd expand the numbers of those in confidence."

"And you told us because you needed more allies to ensure his safety," Nezu said the sentence more an observation than a question as he studied his tea thoughtfully.

"Also correct," Jeanist placed both hands on the conference table, "As an alumnus at this school, I know that UA is very protective of their students. As Haru gets older, he will draw more attention. Until he is of legal age, we need to take precautionary steps and keep his true surname a secret from the public as long as possible."

Several of the teachers gave their silent agreement.

At this point, Power Loader glanced at Haru, not a little amazed at how calm the boy was just sitting around while people were blatantly discussing his potential future, "Principal. If Best Jeanist has finished telling us everything, we should let Bakugo go home. We can't keep talking about him as if he's not there."

Jeanist broke off his discussion to address the room at large, "Actually when I mentioned this meeting to Haru in the first place, he asked to be present. He apparently wanted to make a few requests for extracurricular lessons and resources."

Nezu leaned forward expectantly, "Let us hear them."

Haru braced himself and looked Nezu in the eye, "Where I come from, everyone possessed an energy called chakra which is what gives me power. Apparently, it has healing qualities to it when I apply it to injuries. The problem is that my healing is very limited. I want to develop it more."

Nezu nodded, "We will work on your schedule to allow this. I'm sure Recovery Girl would be happy for you to study under her."

The principal looked at the old heroine who nodded in response, "I will happily do so. Healing Quirks are quite rare. It would be wasteful to not let the young man exploit it."

Nezu looked back at Haru, "Anything else?"

Haru slightly raised his hand, a strange tag peeling off the back of his palm, "I have a prototype support item I want to develop. Most of the creation process can be replicated, but the finished product requires chakra to properly utilize. I was wondering if I could have a way to have numbers of these tags created."

All Might choked when he saw the kanji 'Explode' on the tag.

Midnight shot up in her seat, "Is that?"

Present Mic stood in panic, "A bomb?"

Haru waved his hands in panic, "Wait! Wait! It's a low powered one!"

Best Jeanist gave Haru a stern look, "So it is a bomb."

Haru started to sweat under the hero's gaze, "M-maybe?"

Power Loader took pity on him and held out a hand, "Let me see."

Haru floated the tag over so the Excavation Hero could look at it. Everyone waited as the man slowly examined the paper, even sniffing it to surmise what was used in its creation.

"Nitroglycerine?"

Haru waved his hand in a 'so-so' fashion, "Kinda. I used my brother's sweat since it acts similarly to nitroglycerine. I was hoping to use something a little more practical in the future."

Power Loader nodded, "How many do you need?"

Haru crossed his arms, "How many can you make?"

Everyone's eyebrows shot up.

"How many do you plan to carry?" Ectoplasm asked a little incredulously.

Haru looked at Ectoplasm calmly, "I am still learning how, but I can seal the tags in another dimension until I need them. It will save chakra. Up till now, I have been forced to duplicate large numbers from a single tag and that's exhausting."

Several of the heroes sweatdropped at his nonchalant tone.

'This kid...'

Nezu cackled, nearly spilling his tea, "My, my! I'm sure that your attendance here will be quite interesting for all of us, Bakugo. Is there anything else?"

Realizing he had been given permission to leave, Haru stood up, giving a formal bow, "That is all for now. I'd best get going before my brother burns something down."

Present Mic blinked, "What?"

Eraser Head gave the Voice Hero an annoyed look, "You heard him."

Everyone else remained silent until Haru left the room.

After the door closed, Nezu placed his paws together, "I believe that now we get to the second part of our meeting."

Recovery Girl gave the principal a knowing look, "I thought that might be the case."

Vlad crossed his arms while looking at Best Jeanist, "Is there more you wanted to discuss with us?"

Jeanist rested his clasped hands together on the table, "As I hinted before, Bakugo is practically my protege. Since he turned ten, I would occasionally drop by his home and spend time getting to know him while keeping his older brother in the dark. During our conversations together, I made sure to be on the lookout for any ideals or mannerisms that could turn out to be alarming," he paused, "He figured that out when he turned twelve and told me so."

If Ectoplasm's permanent grin could fade, it would have at that moment, "What happened?"

The number four hero closed his eyes and sighed, "That's the concern. Nothing."

Several eyebrows shot up, "Nothing?"

Midnight was suddenly chewing her lip, "You say he was twelve? Normally a child would lose trust in that situation or at least be upset."

Recovery Girl rapped her knuckles against the table, "Now, now. You are all overthinking this. He may be a child, but he has shown unusual maturity for someone his age while under pressure. As a nurse, my main concern is for his overall health. If we cling to prejudiced ideas, our behavior towards him may cause negative effects. Stop surmising facts just because he's outside our comfort zone."

Best Jeanist cut her off, "You're all unraveling because you didn't let me finish."

Everyone turned their attention back towards the blonde hero, a little annoyed at his attempt at a thread pun, before sensing an aura of... worry?

"Bakugo's seal is what concerns me because it started to become visible after that day," Jeanist explained, "It seems to be weakening faster than it should."

"Will anything bad happen as a result?" Present Mic asked.

Jeanist shrugged, "I'm not sure. From what Haruko has been able to tell me, it seems to be leading up to something, but we cannot determine what. What I am worried about is what ideals it may try to feed him. Peace seeking organizations could be double edge blades that utilize unsavory methods. We have no idea what his parent's idealism was."

"We need not be concerned about that now," Nezu stated, "Bakugo seems like an independent person. For now, we will act as if nothing about him is different. As the principal of UA, I heartily intend to take full responsibility for any actions this student may take under my supervision. Although, I highly doubt I will need to do so."

***

(Meanwhile...)

Since it was now the end of the school day, all the students were starting to head home.

A very tired Izuku was slowly making his way out of the main building when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. Instinctively he flinched a little before seeing who it was.

"Oh! Hey there, Iida!"

The bespectacled student gave concerned smile, "How's the broken finger doing?"

Izuku showed him his bandaged finger, "It's doing fine, thanks to Recovery Girl. For some reason, she had to leave right after for a meeting."

Iida also found that odd but didn't give any comment.

"Izu!"

The two boys looked up to see Haru running up to them with a cheerful wave.

"Haru!"

The redhead slowed as he got close to them, "How's the finger?"

Izuku showed held up his finger again.

Haru silently took it, activating his healing chakra, "Wow! Recovery Girl's Quirk is amazing! I hope, she can give me some tips."

Iida glasses glinted approvingly, "Learning to maximize one's potential is a true mark of heroism! I'm sure you'll become an exemplary student with that attitude, Bakugo!"

Haru smiled shaking his head, "Call me, Haru. Everyone calls my brother Bakugo."

Iida nodded, "Very well," he instantly quieted down as they all began to walk towards the main gate, "What do you think about Mr. Aizawa? I was a bit concerned about his approach to class, but I trust the school's judgment. UA is the top program. Even so, lying is downright immoral."

No one noticed the guilty look on Haru's face. 'Uh oh... What would he think about a shinobi's art of deception?'

A cheerful cry made them all stop and turned to see Uraraka running towards them, "Wait up you three! Are you going to the station? I'll join you guys!"

Iida leaned over a bit to look at the shorter female, "Oh, you're the infinity girl!"

Uraraka smiled at them, making Izuku's heart skip a beat. In the deepest recesses of his mind, he hoped no one heard how fast it was beating.

Unfortunately, Haru's sensory picked up on it instantly. The teen inwardly gave an evil grin at the prospect of a little teasing.

Completely oblivious of the impact she was making on a certain moss-haired male, Uraraka introduced herself, "I'm Ochaco Uraraka," her face became thoughtful, "Let's see. You're Tenya Iida, you're Haruko Bakugo," she looked at Izuku, "And you're name is Deku, right? Midoriya?"

Izuku blanched a little, "Deku?"

Seeing the brunette innocently use the taboo nickname on his lovestruck friend made Haru turn away as he hid a laugh with a loud cough.

Uraraka looked confused, "Isn't that what the blonde Bakugo called you? During the fitness test, he said," she did a perfect imitation of Katsuki's voice, "'Deku you bastard!' Right?"

Haru felt his body start to hurt from his contained laughter.

Izuku was sweating buckets as he tried to explain her mistake, "Well. Um... My name's actually Izuku. Deku is what Kacchan called me to make fun of me."

Iida furrowed his eyebrows, "That's unsportsmanlike."

Izuku tried to make eye contact with an extremely distracted Haru. 'Help!'

Haru was already too far gone. He knew that if he dared look at Izuku's face he'd lose it.

Uraraka placed a hand on the back of her head, "Oh, I didn't realize that I'm sorry!" she brightened up again, "But you know what? I like Deku. It can make a great hero name. Plus I think it sounds kinda cute."

Izuku's face was beet red, "Deku it is!"

Haru was visibly struggling at this point. 'Oh my gosh! Please stop. I'm gonna die!'

None of the others noticed as Iida stared at Izuku in disbelief, "Just like that? Weren't you saying it was an insult?"

Izuku hid his face in his hand as he faced away from both Iida and URaraka, "Paradigm shift! My whole world is upside down!

A look of confusion appeared on Uraraka's face, "Wait what?"

"Pffffffffffffffffffffffff!"

Haru lost it as fell to his knees, holding his aching stomach as he laughed hysterically.

The other three looked at him in bewilderment.

"H-Haru-chan?" Izuku queried.

Iida glanced at Izuku, "What's wrong?

"I don't know?"

Jiro and Kaminari suddenly showed up out of nowhere. The girl had a deadpan look on her face, but the blonde eyes were squinted as he sent a knowing look at the unsuspecting new ship of Class 1A.

"You three go on. Jiro and I wanted to talk to Haru a bit before he left," Kaminari said reassuringly, "We'll make sure he's fine."

Izuku still looked confused but complied, "O-okay then."

Kaminari watched Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida until they were out of earshot before plopping himself down in front of a still laughing Haru, "What happened. Give me the juicy stuff!"

Haru shook his head, unable to speak as he gasped for air.

The blonde was still adamant, "Aww! C'mon!"

Jiro popped a vein and jabbed her earphone jack in Kaminari's ear, "Just shut up, you idiot."

They were interrupted by a new voice, "Well, I see the other rabble got in too. Tired of being in the inferior class yet?"

They all looked up to see Monoma and Shiozaki walking towards them.

Jiro sighed, "Oh look, the other idiot."

Monoma stiffened, "W-what?"

"Geez, take a joke."

Shiozaki gave a small chuckle at Monoma's outraged expression, causing the blonde to look at her in betrayal.

Haru finally found his voice as he tried to placate his friend, "...Hey, Monoma... Nice to see you got in... You too Shiozaki."

Monoma instantly calmed as he sent a confident smirk at the redhead, "Of course we got in! We aren't some lame idiots like the majority of your class."

Haru's eyebrows shot up as he was helped up by Kaminari, "Wow, getting a little personal, Monoma."

Monoma gave a low laugh, "Am I wrong? I'm sure our class is far superior to yours."

Kaminari gave Monoma a good-natured smile and draped an arm over his shoulder, "Hey, hey! No need to fight about who has the better class."

Jiro was twirled with one of her jacks around her finger, "Yeah, why bring class rivalries in our conversations. So what if you two are placed in Class 1B and we're in Class 1A. We all want to be heroes, right? What makes us so different?"

"Personally, I see no reason for there to be conflict in the first place," Shiozaki said, "After we graduate, we will simply be heroes. We cannot blind ourselves to the evils we face by fighting among ourselves."

Monoma gave the girl a disgruntled look, "You were supposed to be on my side, Shiozaki!"

Haru chuckled, flicking Monoma's forehead, "Chill out, Monoma. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to prove your point."

Jiro gave Haru a deadpan look, "You are way too nice to people."

Haru blinked, "Huh?"

Everyone sighed at his obliviousness.

Kaminari brightened as an idea struck him, "Let's all hang out somewhere! Celebrate getting into UA!" he wiggled his eyebrows at Shiozaki, "Maybe get to know each other better."

Monoma sweatdropped, "Gross."

Haru just shook his head, "Sorry, I already planned on visiting someone."

Jiro sent him a side glance, "You're girlfriend?"

Haru coughed, a hint of pink touching his cheeks, "N-no. I'm actually single."

Kaminari and Monoma looked at him in disbelief, "WHAT?"

Haru frantically waved his hands to make them be quiet.

Ignoring his panic, Kaminari grabbed Haru's shoulders and looked him in the eye, "How can a guy like you be single? You should have your pick of any girl in high school!"

Monoma sent the electric blonde an annoyed look, "As much as I hate to agree with Pikachu, he's got a point."

Haru rubbed the back of his neck, "Guys, can we please not talk about my relationship status? My mom gives me enough lectures as it is."

"Well, she should!" Kaminari screeched, "Think about the rest of us guys! Do you have any idea how it makes us feel when someone like you deliberately remains single? Where's your pride as a man?"

A pair of earphone jacks stabbed both Kaminari and Monoma in the ears, making them dance in pain from the painful sound waves punishing their eardrums.

"Geez, you two are so annoying," Jiro mumbled, a look of boredom on her face.

Kaminari winced as the girl pulled her plug from his ear, "Ow! You're so mean, Jiro."

Jiro just gave him a smile that screamed danger, causing him to inch away.

Haru looked at the ground and realized he had dropped his school bag. "I'm visiting my mother's grave," he explained, leaning over to pick it up, "I try to see her every week."

Shiozaki placed her hand over her mouth with a slight gasp, "Oh. We're so sorry."

Haru waved it off, "No need to apologize. She died when I was a few weeks old and my dad died before I was born. The Bakugos took me in and have raised me since then."

Monoma sent Haru an inquiring look, "So what's your original surname."

Haru gave them a closed-eyed smile as he held a finger up in a secretive way, "That's classified," he turned, slinging his bag over his shoulder, "See you guys tomorrow!"

His friend watched him as he quickly walked away to where they saw an impatient ash-blonde waiting for him at the gate.

"What the hell took you so long?"

"Did you miss me that much?"

"In your dreams!"

Monoma felt a tiny smile tug at his lips, "He's unreal."

Jiro shrugged, "Maybe that's why we became friends with him in the first place."

***

(A/N) I seriously faceplanted on the desk right after writing this. Why writer's block, why?

Pro Heroes Names and Aliases (According to the Wiki)

***

Chiyo Shūzenji: Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl

Ekutopurazumu: Ectoplasm

Higari Maijima: Excavation Hero: Power Loader

Hizashi Yamada: Voice Hero: Present Mic

Ken Ishiyama: Cementoss

Nemuri Kayama: R-Rated Hero: Midnight

Shōta Aizawa: Eraserhead

Sunaipu: Snipe

Tsunagu Hakamada: Fiber Hero: Best Jeanist

Yagi Toshinori: All Might