章 8: Vs Todoroki!
The dust had finally settled, revealing the full extent that Bakugo's recklessness caused. Aizawa should've realized how Bakugo would feel fighting against someone stronger than him. He should've realized his pride ran too deep to be mature enough not to use his quirk with lethal force. He could've killed his classmate simply because he was better. And Aizawa would've watched it all happen in front of him.
Anger coursed through his veins, red eyes coming uncovered as his hair began waving dangerously in the air. He wanted to scold Bakugo badly, but also Kakashi, and since the former was awake, his choice was clear.
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees, but to him, it had increased. It was probably due to how burning hot his body was.
If he expected Kakashi to shrivel up as his murderous gaze, he would be disappointed. The boy didn't even react to him much, only narrowing his dark gray eye into a slit. Was it bravery, or did he honestly not care? Probably the former, they suspected that he had killed before.
"You deliberately went for his weakness and forced him to use an attack that could've killed everyone here if the roof collapsed. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Kakashi stared, then blinked as if he were having a normal conversation. "Exploiting your opponent's weakness is what those villains do, right? He'll either learn to let his pride go, or he'll get himself killed. Either way, it's your fault. Teach him discipline and self-control."
Aizawa didn't want to say it aloud, but he was right. That was perhaps Bakugo's only and most prominent weakness. But it was also his greatest strength. That pride pushed the boy to new heights, to better himself for the sake of himself, and while it might not be heroic in a sense, it was still admirable in its way. Still, Kakashi put them all in danger with the stunt.
"One week of detention," he said, his intense gaze subsiding and his hair coming to lie back down his shoulders. "Never do it again. You're new to my class, so while you spend your time there, I'll give you a rundown on how you should act to avoid further consequences."
He broke his gaze from Kakashi, lest he did something unprofessional that would affect his standing, and looked at his other students, who all had varied expressions on their faces, but all had traces of fear and looked shaken from the whole ordeal. He didn't blame them. He might've not had many classes, but he'd never even heard of a student almost killing another student voluntarily. Even if Bakugo didn't mean to fully, he let himself get carried away by someone's words alone. Detention probably wouldn't be all he would be getting, though; he was still deciding what he would do.
"We'll take a small break. Meet back here in five minutes exactly. There are only 15 minutes left in class. While I would like to stop, we might as well finish this today and start on something new tomorrow." he said as bots came to put Bakugo on a stretcher and send him to the infirmary.
X
"Yes, Sensei." Class 1-A chorused at once and watched their teacher leave behind the bots taking Bakugo away.
It was eerily quiet for a bit; no one knew what to say after seeing that. The awkwardness didn't last; slow footsteps echoed throughout the bare gym. It was Kakashi; he'd begun walking to the edge of the gym opposite to them, stopped, and then stared at the large hole burned by Bakugo.
Midoriya had yet to move. He was still shaken.
Wind blew in through the opening, fluttering his hair. A tiny voice escaped his throat. "Kacchan..."
Tenya had seemed to choice that moment to enter the gym, leaping through the large opening in the wall. "W-what is this?! Who would damage such a large part of the school like this?!" He demanded.
"It was Bakugo." Tokoyami said with crossed arms. "He tried to defeat Hatake and lost."
Tenya looked at the masked boy with a mix of surprise and confusion. "He beat Bakugo as well?"
"You didn't see him went you went past?" Tsu asked.
He shook his head. "No, maybe I was going a bit too fast." His gaze went and lingered on the wall. "Still... I'm shocked he resorted to this foolery. I shall scold him when he returns!"
Todoroki had only gone quiet. He was wondering what he would be doing for his fight. He would be the last one to fight. He knew Momo was first place in standing and, therefore, would be the final fight, but she would pose no challenge to Kakashi. Her quirk was versatile, which was the reason why she got first place, but against a quirk and person of overwhelming power, she wouldn't be able to do much against him. She probably realized that, too, with the way she was looking right now.
"Midoriya, come with me."
Midoriya, confused and a bit shaken still, turned to Todoroki and found him walking away from their group of classmates. He followed after him as Todoroki lowered his voice until only he could hear.
"What do you think about him? About Hatake?"
Midoriya was unsure exactly what it was, but something felt different about him. Midoriya never came across anyone like that. He was different from the students in the class, the heroes he had met, and even the villains he encountered. It was a strange feeling, no doubt.
He turned back to Todoroki, who waited patiently on his response. "Honestly, I'm confused. I don't know whether to be afraid or not. He's very precise with his movements and is properly trained. He's probably as strong as the third year's. But something about the way he fights is bothering me. Like it's more to it..."
Todoroki was silent for a second. "I get that same feeling. Do you think his childhood was like mine?"
Midoriya was surprised. Was that why Todoroki took so much interest in fighting Kakashi? Did he think that his skill was a result of forceful training at an early age? I mean, it made sense, kinda. He looked younger than all of them, besides Mineta, and knew multiple fighting styles, had a good grasp of his quirk and could fight even if he couldn't see. Midoriya had started to wonder the same thing because of the thought alone.
"I-It might." he answered a little awkwardly. "Is that why you want to win so bad?"
He nodded. "Yea. When we first fought at the festival, you made me come to terms with my own power and made me realize that I could use it for myself, in my own way. I want to show that I've changed by beating him. Just like you did for me, I want to show him that he doesn't have to be like that. That he can be better, if merely just by breaking away from his parents' will."
He stopped, reaching the far wall of the gym, away from everyone. "That's why I want to know every one of your theories. How you think I should approach him, and how you think his quirk works; I want to know it all."
XxX
Aizawa walked with his hands tucked away in his pockets, thinking about what had just happened. The memory wouldn't leave him be. Even as he glanced at his student lying almost unmoving, the memory of him blasting through concrete wall and out into the trees had not left him.
How was he going to explain to the others? Well, now that he thought about it, it shouldn't be too hard. Nezu had probably expected something like this to happen. Or something similar. It wasn't as if he'd have a problem explaining Bakugo's behavior as well. They already knew what he was like; the Sports Festival was more than enough evidence on the way he acted.
Still, why did he let that go on? He should've stopped it the moment Bakugo called out for Hatake to sit there and take his blast. He should've moved then, but he didn't.
He sighed and tucked his face deeper into his capture tape. This was all just troublesome. Too much for his liking. He briefly wondered why he took this job.
They reached the main campus in no time, and the bots immediately went into the open door of the infirmary and set the Bakugo carefully on the bed as Recovery Girl got to her feet from seeing both another student come to her and Aizawa appear himself this time.
"Aizawa, just how many of your students will you send here?" She glared at him with a disproving look, like a mother looking at her son. "It's only the first class of the day."
He rubbed his head before bowing to her. A show of respect. "I apologize for putting so much work on you. But it was necessary, trust me."
As he raised his head, she bore a strange look on her face after giving him a once over. Then she turned to look at Bakugo briefly, noting his injuries. "He's the worst one so far. Something happened, right? Don't try and lie to this old lady."
He turned away from looking at her, lest her gaze made him break. He had enough on his plate as is. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing too serious. I'm sure one of my students already told you about the exercise we are doing:"
She hummed, still looking at him. "Yes, I've heard about it. But I've also heard about your new student, Hatake, right?"
His fist tightened in his pocket but his poker face remained solid. His stay in the underground of varied cities was his saving grace. "Yea," he forced. "I'm trying to determine his strength."
She sent him a curious glance, one he could not decipher between the wrinkles on her face. Then she sighed and walked to Bakugo's bedside. "I'll see that he is healed and ready for his next class."
He nodded in thanks. "It is very much appreciated, recovery girl."
He made to leave, having given his thanks and such.
"One last thing." He turned back to her. "His attacks are precise and hit vital points. I've heard what was said about him; be careful of letting him do too much."
His body stiffened at that as if felt like the room had gotten much colder from her narrowed gaze and her serious tone. He never liked hospitals.
He turned and began to leave. "Of course."
XxX
Kakashi stared at the charred remains of the trees that Bakugo had blown through. He had talent if he had this much firepower early. But he was too arrogant for Kakashi's liking, which was saying something. It wasn't a week ago where he was the same way. He probably still had that within him, far away and hidden, but he hadn't shown it since he teamed up with Obito.
Was this the same thing Obito had felt?
Most likely.
Just as Bakugo had; he'd rub his accomplishments and superiority in his face and bathed in the satisfaction of simply being better. He hated that part of himself. Every memory of those times had resurfaced, it made him more reckless fighting Bakugo. He had been angry.
Who was he?
His fists tightened by his side at the thought. When he thought about it, he was no longer Kakashi Hatake. He wasn't the arrogant, young talent that despised his father. He no longer felt arrogance or the hatred he once held for his father. What was he now? A lost child of war looking for revenge.
That wasn't Kakashi Hatake.
No, that wasn't it. He just wasn't who he used to be. Obito had changed him. The only reason he hadn't find peace was because Obito's killer was still breathing. That was why he was always so confused. Why his emotions were always everywhere.
He half turned to the older kids behind him, and even from that distance they all paused to stare at him back.
Nothing could be said before Aizawa had leaped behind him through the opening in the wall. Kakashi glanced at him with a small glare. He had been surprised and almost reacted on instinct.
It wouldn't have been a pretty sight.
He moved his hand away from the Kunai tucked underneath his shirt as Aizawa walked past him.
"We have two remaining matches and not a whole bunch of time to get it done. Todoroki, if you are ready, step up. You as well, Hatake."
While Kakashi had stepped up to the middle of the gym quite fast, Todoroki had taken his time.
His mind had went through his game plan again and again. He had been sure to memorize every theory that Midoriya had come up with as well as some of his own. He didn't want to admit it but he would most likely lose if he fought the boy without a strategy. He knew his own strengths and weaknesses quite well and would use them both to give himself the win.
When he finally stepped up, he felt a weight on his shoulder. He might not take Uraraka very seriously, but when she said he was less intimidating up close he felt she was correct. Todoroki basically towered over him, but he knew height meant nothing in battle.
"Now, let the match begin!"
Neither made a move, Kakashi wanted intel, and Todoroki didn't want to attack at the moment.
"What was your childhood like?"
Kakashi blinked, then his eye twitched when the question repeated itself in his head.
Todoroki should've realized he was more awkward to this type of thing. In hindsight, he was more than a novice when it came to emotions and dealing with them. Still, he had his own objective. Even if it was awkward it had to be done.
"Well?"
"What are you talking about?"
Kakashi was more than confused.
"Your childhood, as in what you did when you were a child. I want to know."
"You think I'd tell you?" If he did, Kakashi didn't know why. He was a stranger. The only person he ever broke down to was Minato-Sensei.
"Would you like to hear mine first?" Todoroki asked after a moment of hesitation. He kept his gaze locked on the shorter boy. He wanted him to know he was serious.
"No." Kakashi wanted to deadpan but the conversation was beginning to get a bit on his nerves. He didn't even look like the type to try and get some sort of understanding him threw his backstory. He wasn't like Minato. What was with him?
Kaminari rubbed the back of his head, his brow lifted in confusion. "What is Todoroki talking about?"
Tokoyami narrowed his eyes and turned to Midoriya. "Hey, Midoriya, what were the two of you talking about over there?"
Midoriya held a thoughtful expression. He didn't answer.
"Hey, Deku?" Uraraka tapped his shoulder and startled him.
"Wai-hey..." he looked at her in surprise.
"Deku, what's wrong with Todoroki?"
His gaze hit the ground. "He thinks that his past and Hatake's last might be similar. So, he wants to help him."
"In the middle of an exercise?"
Midoriya nodded. "Yes, but, he's also wants to win against him. I think he's trying to show himself that his new way of thinking beats his old way, and if he thinks Hatake is a representation of that then he's going to go all out to win."
Tokoyami crossed his arms. "But how did he come to that conclusion? We've only watched him fight so far, he's barely said a word."
"You didn't hear what he said when he struck Kacchan?" Most of class 1-a was tuned in to the conversation. "He said I used to be just like you. And if you looked closely, he still acts that way, especially when he was fighting Kacchan. He was antagonizing him."
"But this sounds like he already came up with that conclusion before Bakugo even fought him." Momo said.
"Yea, you're right." A finger came to his chin before he turned to look at Todoroki's facing away from them. "But I don't know how that came to him."
Todoroki had tried to speak, but it was much harder then he thought it would be. The would still cut deep, the scar was still there. He resisted the urge to touch it.
Kakashi felt the chakra circulate through him before lightning sparked between his two outstretched palms. "If you won't start the fight, I have no problem doing it myself."
He broke off into a run while Todoroki readied himself with narrow eyes. He struck the ground, and his lightning surfaced upon the concrete ground.
Todoroki leaped up into the air before throwing his left arm forward. Kakashi's eyes widened as a torrent of flames shot out but he quickly regained his senses and leaped back into a handstand backflip. Kakashi watched as Todoroki was also launched through the air and wondered if that had been a result of his quirk or not. The result had pushed Todoroki back to the wall of the gym before ice formed underneath him and shot out at him in the form of a giant glacier.
Though surprised, Kakashi wasted little time dodging the ice, letting it run past him.
He has access to two quirks. Ice and fire... what a weird combination.
He thought as he ducked, dodged, and slid around the room to avoid the ice. Part of him wanted to reveal his Sharingan just briefly, so that he could observe the ice more carefully. He had a feeling that blunt force was not all it could do.
To his annoyance, Todoroki wasn't done. Fire nearly obstructed one of his determined eyes as he rode on a trail of ice.
He can use his ice to maneuver himself to. He's got better control than most of this class.
He was fast though; Kakashi didn't have time to try and analyze him any more. Giant blocks of jagged ice once again made their way over to him, towering high.
Stop getting distracted!
He forced chakra into his feet and was able to completely clear the mountain of ice, and as he expected, met with Todoroki. His left side was completely surrounded by flames.
This was his time to attack.
Lightning gathered in his hands as the fire on his body seemed to reach its peak.
Lightning Style: Thunderclap Arrow!
Blistering heat hit Kakashi like a train when fire and lightning combined. He was lucky he hadn't been in direct contact. There was no telling what would've happened.
Kakashi skidded away from the brilliant light show before forcing himself to stop. The bone in his leg was rattling from the force. He made sure to grip it briefly for a quick check before standing to full height.
A second later, he forced back down into a crouch as a torrent of flames passed overhead.
He was able to dodge too. Kakashi expected it, but he still wished he'd gotten hit by it.
His senses warned him of something and he soon saw a another jagged line of ice coming for him. It was a nice trap if he were to have been in a tight corridor. He leaped to the side, out of range.
He narrowed his eye. He was going to take it up a notch.
His feet barely hit the ground before he was soaring past the fire and ice, making his way to the source. So far he hasn't seen Todoroki actually confront him in hand to hand. He was either hiding the fact that he could contend or he simply wasn't good at it and was using his quirk to damage from a range.
His resolve to find out hardened as Todoroki suddenly stepped out from behind his ice, looking just as determined. To his disappointment, he would not reach Todoroki before more ice shot out from his right side.
He wouldn't be able to dodge with how fast he was going through the air. He would have to take the impact. His hands caught the ice but he had no leverage and was sent away with it.
He pressed his limbs against the ice, letting his chakra keep him on and stable. Despite the cold, he forced himself on top of the ice and began running atop it, forming yet another lightning arrow between his palms.
The only way he would win with his limited move set was getting close enough to land a decisive blow. Lightning and Fire needed the most chakra to use, and while he never tired with using Lightning Techniques, except the Chidori, it still put a slight dip in his chakra. He still had one more fight to go.
Todoroki seemed to figure out what he was doing because he suddenly stood on his own bridge of ice. Despite himself, he stopped a 10 meters away from Todoroki.
He had to admit that this was challenging.
He had quirks that surprisingly went well with one another, knew the best way to use them, and kept someone as good as Kakashi at a distance, despite the fact that it was him, even though he was holding back.
Todoroki was probably going to end up his most challenging to beat. For a time, it had went from Midoriya, then to Bakugo until the very end where all he had to do was antagonize him to win. That last little bit had Midoriya take his spot as the most challenging opponent but only by a landslide.
He had no doubt Todoroki would take the spot.
"I want to know why you're so quick and strong. I've seen Aizawa-Sensei do similar things, and you move just like him. Like a pro hero. I want to know why."
"Just because you want to know doesn't mean I have to tell you."
"You aren't wrong, but I'm asking. I don't see the problem in sharing."
Kakashi actually couldn't believe his ears.
"Are you an idiot?"
Todoroki didn't even blink. "What makes you say that? Something from your past?"
Kakashi grew a tick mark on his temple and Lightning once more surged in his hands. He was getting on his nerves now.
Lightning Style; Thunderclap Arrow!
With a quick flick of his arm, the lightning shaped into an arrow shot from him. Todoroki acted quickly, and Fire and Lightning clashed into a brilliant light show once more, burning through the middle of the bridge-like structure between the two.
This time, Kakashi was ready to follow through with an attack and quickly used a small amount of chakra to hop and go underneath the bridge of ice before quickly leaping to go on its side to avoid suspicious. His efforts were not paid, Todoroki had spotted him because he was forced to go on the side rather than sneak underneath like he wanted to.
A torrent of flames sent his way forced him off the bridge of ice, but he was able to force himself into a favorable position and decided to force chakra into his coils, Lightning once more sparked in his hand and spread across the ground as soon as he landed.
The lightning forced the ice apart and exploded, sending a surprised Todoroki off his ice. Kakashi didn't wait and leapt off the ground, aiming for him as he began to fall. He reached him in seconds, though he realized at the last second what a terrible idea it was to get close.
Mixed matched eyes widened and ice shot from his skin so fast that Kakashi could only flinch backwards before he was entirely covered in ice, from head to toe. Though it didn't last long.
"I'll let you breathe." He laid a hand on the ice and the top half of it began to melt away, finally letting him breathe. "I wished I could've learned more about you but I've won."
Aizawa looked at his student, truly not knowing what he was feeling. Todoroki had been trying to learn about Kakashi's past and it was painfully obvious that he had no experience in the area. He was far too blunt, unemotional, and didn't quite understand feelings about something as obviously as traumatic as Kakashi's story. Everyone had a story, but something told him Kakashi had one of the worst. Still, if anything, he would expect this from Midoriya instead of Todoroki. Still, maybe it had something to do with those words Midoriya shared with him during the festival.
Well, regardless, the winner was his student. He had opened his mouth to call the match, but words had never formed to come out.
An explosion shook the ground and he gritted his teeth as cold air pushed onto him, forcing his to cover himself with his arms from the wind. Wait... Was that the sound of a chirping bird?
Todoroki could barely believe his eyes. He had already won. Kakashi should've been unable to escape from that. But he still had energy to use his quirk, even though he'd used it against nearly all twenty of them. A testament to his strength, really. A worthy opponent.
He saw how thick the dust would be and immediately covered himself in both ice and flame. He'd seen many times where Kakashi would attack from the smoke and completely incapacitate someone. Midoriya made sure to give him a detailed description on how he was taking down from what he felt alone.
Where are you hiding?
Mixed matched irises searched as far and as much as he could see. The fog was too heavy to see through. He would have to rely on his quirk to keep himself safe.
"Behind you..."
What? Todoroki stomped on the ground and turned but found nothing as his ice went out several meters.
"Right here..."
The voice was surely on his side, but a torrent of fire proved that was not the case. Dammit! Was he going insane or was he being toyed with? His body temperature dropped harshly when he stomped the ground and released waves upon waves of ice until the entire gym was nearly filled to the brim with it.
He gritted his teeth, beginning to feel pressure. His quirk were perfect for regulating temperature for his body but when it constantly went up and down, his body continued to get weaker and weaker. If he could keep both activated the whole time he was fighting then things may be better but he couldn't do if for a long time. Certainly, not long enough for a fight.
He hoped the attack had caught him. He was quickly running out of options. Hopes would be dashed however, ice cracked and he heard a sound near defeaning to his ears. The sound of chirping birds, slightly muffled.
Surprised, he looked underneath him when the ground broke and Kakashi was suddenly in his face, Lightning sparkling dangerously around him. A tightly clenched fist slammed into his face, sending him crashing into his own ice.
Kakashi huffed, now barely able to stand. He just used nearly all his chakra from two Chidori and an abundance of Lighting Jutsu. He took a slow, painful step forward. He needed to finish this with his remaining strength.
He was about to use another Jutsu when he noticed that the dust filled with misty cool air was about to drop. The ice from earlier had most likely pushed most of the dust away.
He was glad he didn't attack. He saw Todoroki laying upon his once ice, red bruising filling his pale cheek from how hard he'd been hit. He was unmoving. Kakashi didn't approach, he didn't expect him to go down from that, even if it had been a sneak attack. He wouldn't go near him, not wanting to find himself trapped in ice. Any more Chidori's were out of the question.
Todoroki should've been unconscious. He should've felt nothing. But if we're as if he saw everthing, and could feel everything. But those feelings weren't coming from him. It was from… Kakashi?
Todoroki blinked once, and dragged a hand over his eyes to cover from the bright sun. He dragged himself off the hot ground and found himself surrounded by a bunch of people. He looked around in shock and confusion, at buildings made of wood instead of concrete and a more traditional Japanese looking place, similar to his own room.
Where am I?
His scanning eyes stopped once they saw a familiar face. He saw Kakashi, who looked significantly shorter than he always was, walking about the crowd. Curiosity filled his being and he followed after.
He didn't follow for too long before Kakashi was standing in front of a door and reaching into his pocket, probably to pull out a key.
Was this his house or something? He walked a bit more closer until he was nearly behind Kakashi as he opened the door. When he froze stiffly in the doorway, Todoroki grew curious and approached him.
The sight he saw forever etched itself into his memory. He would never ever forget that sight.
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