[The Fox and the Hare] Chapter 38 - Vanguard vs Kurama (Patreon)

It was Monday. A large group of journalists were crowded at the entrance of UA High, nearly triggering the "UA Barrier" with how closely packed to the entrance they were as they waited for Uzumaki Naruto to arrive.

They had been at it for nearly an hour before the subject of their interest finally came into view. The sight of him being escorted by two white-haired, dark-skinned rabbit girls had them salivating like a pack of hungry, wild dogs. It was a scoop!

"The two of you didn't have to come with me all the way here," Naruto muttered, having a hard time keeping a straight face when he saw the crowd of reporters surrounding him from all sides.

Considering his current circumstances, Naruto would have rather avoided the reporters and passed by them in a blur of speed instead of giving them a chance to harass him and ask him risky questions.

However, an HPSC representative came to Mirko's home yesterday and suggested they pull off this play to divert people's interest from the incident on Friday night. While he assured them that the HPSC didn't intend to pursue the matter and that they were not trying to hold Naruto responsible for how his quirk went berserk, the representative said that them keeping things under wraps might not be enough. Although the government could and was in control of the mass media, they had no control whatsoever over the masses of people on social media. Therefore, it was Naruto, Rumi, and Yua's job to distract the social media denizens.

"Don't say that. I've only spent two days with him. I want to make use of every little second to get to know him better," Usagiyama Yua said and took him in her arms. The high-heeled shoes she was wearing made her tall enough to allow a short woman like her to pull Naruto's head down and press it into her voluptuous chest.

"Knock it off, mother!" Rumi nearly shouted, a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. They had come to an agreement to put on a show for the reporters, but that was taking it too far!

Rumi yanked Naruto out of Yua's arms and put herself between the two of them, all the while glaring daggers at her mother.

"Arara," Yua giggled with a hand on her cheek. "You're so cute when you're acting jealous, Rumi-chan~"

Camera flashes went off wildly at that scene. Usagiyama Yua, in particular, became the centre of attention right away. Not only were the media people finally getting a glimpse of Mirko's mother but her appearance was eye-catching as well. Her outfit wasn't even that revealing or shocking but she was so effortlessly classy and comely that most of them couldn't take their eyes off her.

The nude heels, the tight, washed blue jeans, the white tank top exposing a generous amount of cleavage, and the oversized cream-coloured cardigan would make most women look great, not just her, but there was something about Yua's short, wavy white hair and her seductive red eyes that made most people have trouble looking away from her. Usagiyama Yua was magnetic.

The contrast between the mother and the daughter couldn't be any bigger. If Usagiyama Yua looked like a classy and sexy celebrity "MILF", her daughter was the sporty, fit, and endearing tomboy who easily got possessive of her boyfriend.

Between the gorgeous mother and daughter rabbit duo and their wildly contrasting styles and personalities, Naruto was completely forgotten by the reporters. The HPSC's representative's suggestion had been spot on. They started firing questions at Mirko's mother one after another, forgetting their initial desire to find out more about Uzumaki Naruto's kidnapping three days ago.

"Classes are about to start, I have to go now," Naruto said.

"You be careful, okay?" Mrs Usagiyama said, hugging him again.

Naruto, to his credit, didn't flush at her antics.

"Okay, that's enough! Let go of him now," Mirko said, trying (and failing) to hide her irritation.

"No, not yet~" her mother said with a whine. "I won't be able to see him again in person for a long time." Turning her attention back to Naruto, she said: "Video call me often. Both you and Rumi. And don't forget, my offer always stands. I want you both with me."

Then, she leaned closer to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"I told you, we're not leaving! And seriously, too much PDA, mother!"

"Oh, lighten up, you! He's going to be my son-in-law soon. What's wrong with me showing my affection for him in public?"

By now, Rumi's face was boiling with a mixture of both anger and embarrassment. Her mother had just announced in front of the reporters, for the whole country to know, that she and Naruto were going to get married.

⁂

Even 10 minutes after Naruto said his goodbyes and entered UA High's premises, the journalists were still crowded around Mirko and her mother, harassing them with all sorts of questions. Usagiyama Yua referring to Uzumaki Naruto as her soon-to-be son-in-law had fueled their fire like nothing else.

Granted, Mirko could've ditched them in a moment and taken her mother away with her if she had wanted, but she didn't. It was for the sake of giving them enough material to gossip about; enough that the following tabloids would completely bury the matter concerning Naruto's kidnapping and the ROOT's destruction, at least for a while.

As he stepped foot into his classroom, Naruto was suddenly crowded by his classmates who proceeded to bombard him with questions.

"Naruto?! You're okay! Mate, I heard you were attacked by a huge number of villains!" Kaminari said as a form of greeting.

"Yeah, I was. A girl poisoned me with her quirk while I was on the train, on my way to meet up with my family. I was barely conscious when I got off the train and they ganged up on me. "

"How did you get out? Are you okay?" Tsuyu asked in concern.

"I didn't. The last thing I remember was that they immobilised me with a Maiden and strapped me down to a table before they injected some drugs into my veins. I lost consciousness after that."

"Holy shit," Kirishima said, not having expected to hear that. "Sounds like something out of a horror movie."

"Tell me about it," Naruto agreed.

"So how did you escape?" Yaoyorozu asked. "Rumour goes that that shady group of people weren't actually Villains but a secret branch of the government. They had to have been well trained and heavily armed."

"I told you, I don't remember," Naruto said and scratched the back of his head. "But my quirk awakened again that night. Mirko seems to think that the feral nature of my quirk took over after they knocked me out."

Everyone started counting his fox tails when he said that. True to his words, there were five of them now.

"I'm so glad that you're okay. What you went through sounds so scary, I don't know what I would've done in your place," Sakura said.

"Yeah, you gave us a real scare," Kyoka also said.

"Good to have you back, Uzumaki," even Todoroki said and patted him on the shoulder.

But while the whole class was clamouring around him and expressing their relief and happiness at seeing Naruto back, healthy, and in one piece, a particular student seemed a bit off, not sharing the same feelings of joy as the rest of his classmates; not to the same extent. Wearing a black armband around his bicep, Midoriya Izuku appeared to be rather quiet and subdued.

⁂ A few hours later ⁂

It was a sunny and warm afternoon in March. With the regular classes out of the way, Class 2-A was scheduled to gather at the training grounds.

Ground Gamma. It was an industrial site serving as a training ground for the students of UA High. The large number of factory buildings and countless pipes running around made it a bona fide labyrinth. It was the perfect environment to train the future heroes' decision-making ability, detection skills, tactics, and combat ability.

Over the past 16 months, All Might's appearances in public have become scarce. It looked like he had all but resigned from fighting crime as a Pro Hero. Nowadays, he was fully focused on grooming the next generation of Heroes.

All Might pouring all his efforts into teaching his students wasn't without results. Most of the students in the 1-A class (now 2-A) had made a name for themselves during their internships with the Hero Agencies.

"Seeing as the school year is nearing its end, I would like to test your progress and gauge your level of strength," All Might said. Dressed in his Golden Age suit, he was just as tall, muscular, and imposing as always. Only a select few people knew that it was getting increasingly difficult for him to keep that appearance.

Most students became excited at his words.

"Now, quiet down and let me finish," All Might laughed and said. "You won't be fighting against me or another teacher this time. You'll be pitted against each other by drawing lots."

⁂

"I got Mashirao. It's tough but doable, I think. Who you got?" Mina asked.

"I got Kirishima," Ochaco replied.

"Big oof. His quirk is a really bad match for you. What about you, Jiro?"

"I got Todoroki. I'm toasted," the girl in question said crestfallen.

While the girls were talking amongst themselves, the boys were doing the same too.

"I'm against Yayorozu. Oh, man, why couldn't it be someone else," Kaminari complained.

Not only was she a girl that he was attracted to and didn't want to hurt, but she could shut down his quirk relatively easily too by creating objects that insulated against his electricity.

"Wait till you hear I'm against Tokoyami," Sero said with a sigh. The bird hero was considered one of the strongest in their class.

"I got Ochaco… I should probably just forfeit," Kirishima said with an awkward laugh.

"Eh, why?"

"I mean, she's such a sweet girl, how can you ask me to punch her? And there's nothing she can do to hurt me."

"Hmm, I don't know about that," Naruto piped in. "She can make you float with a touch. Imagine if she makes you fly 100 metres in the air and then lets you fall. Or better yet, she flies after you and uses her grappling hook to smash you down with even more force."

Kirishima suddenly became green in the face, making the others snigger at him.

"Shit, you're right. I better take her seriously."

"Do you guys want to hear who is my opponent?" Aoyama suddenly butted in.

Completely ignoring Aoyama, Gaara asked Naruto: "What about you? Who are you up against?"

"I got Florida Man," Naruto said, showing him his lot.

"Screw you, Naruto!" came Izuku's annoyed voice from the other side of the group.

The girls and the boys alike burst into laughter at his reaction. Ever since Izuku went viral when he defeated Habit Headgear by slamming a metallic rod into his nuts and screaming "Florida Smash", (1) the internet took to calling him "Florida Man".

Although he chose the Hero name 'Ultraman' at first and then officially changed it to 'Vanguard', Izuku couldn't leave the undesirable nickname behind. Especially those who knew him, they never let it die. They often called him Florida Man. He hated it.

"Alright, class, let's get started. First match: Vanguard vs Kurama."

Hearing their Pro Hero names called, Izuku and Naruto stepped out in front of the group.

"The rules are the same as always: no deadly attacks and no weaponry that could cause permanent injury," All Might began to speak. "Please keep in mind that this is a spar, not a fight with your life on the line. If I see anyone taking it too far, I will step in and we'll have a serious discussion later on."

As all students expressed their agreement, All Might nodded pleased and said one last thing:

"Every match lasts five minutes. That's all from me."

"W-Wait, sensei, only five minutes?" Izuku asked.

"The point of these fights isn't to declare a winner, but for me to see the actual level you are at. I want to see how each and every one of you deals with adversity and what you do to overcome your disadvantages."

Clapping his hands once, All Might added:

"Now, if there isn't anything left, all who aren't fighting go to the observation deck. The two of you can start once I give you the signal."

"Kick his ass, Izuku!" Kyoka cheered him on.

"You got this, Naruto!" Sakura and Mina cheered for Naruto.

Once All Might and the rest of the class walked out of earshot and left them in the middle of the Gamma training ground, Naruto said:

"We haven't fought in a long time."

"Yeah…"

Ever since their little argument at the training camp the previous year, when Naruto turned down Izuku's offer to take the test of courage and have fun with the rest of the class, the two of them had slowly but steadily drifted apart. (2)

'I might have never made it here if it wasn't for him.'

Izuku would forever be grateful to Naruto and never forget how much he had helped him. However, ever since Naruto was attacked by All For One and his family was forced to become fugitives and go into hiding, he had changed. From that day on, he became obsessed with training and getting stronger. He became distant, not only with Izuku but with the rest of the class as well, due to the difference between his mentality and theirs.

While they were still teenagers at heart and wanted to enjoy their youth, Naruto didn't feel the same. The memories of his past life, coupled with the hardships his family was going through in his current life made it impossible for him to be as passive as them.

But unlike Naruto, Izuku took the path of moderation. He did continue training his One For All quirk under All Might's tutelage, but he didn't neglect his relationship with his classmates and friends.

"You better put on a good fight. Your girlfriend is watching you," Naruto said with a grin.

Not long after the start of the second school year, Izuku and Kyoka Jiro became a couple. He had had a crush on the punk girl ever since he saw her last year, when she and a group of classmates stalked Naruto after school to see what he was doing. (3)

"Would be a shame if your two pinkie girlfriends were to watch you lose against me," Izuku retorted.

"Mina and Sakura?" Naruto chuckled. "You should know that Mirko is the only one for me."

"I actually don't. We haven't talked much lately…"

At that moment, a flare was launched in the air, signalling the start of their match.

"Before we start, can I ask you something?" Izuku said.

"Shoot."

"Did you-," Izuku paused in hesitation. "Did you kill Bakugo?"

"... I didn't even know he died," Naruto said honestly.

As he looked at the black armband wrapped around Izuku's arm, it finally dawned on him that the green-haired boy was in mourning.

"Are you being serious now?" Izuku asked in a stiff voice. "He was part of the group who attacked you in Hiruya town."

"I know that, I just didn't know he died."

"He wasn't the only one who died. Our former classmate, Kiba, died together with him too. Their families held the funeral for the two of them yesterday," Izuku said.

A few seconds passed with neither saying anything.

"You got nothing to say?" Izuku said.

"What do you want me to say?" Naruto asked indifferently. "Am I supposed to start crying or what?"

That unbothered attitude of his angered the green-haired boy.

"You're the one who killed them! I heard from All Might what happened! Your quirk went out of control, and you caused a massacre! You murdered so many people, and you're not even sorry? What kind of Hero are you? What kind of hero kills so many people?"

Naruto looked at him silently.

"Say something!" Izuku shouted.

"What do you want me to say?" Naruto asked again, exasperated. "Who the hell are you to even demand anything from me? Or did it go to your head that you're All Might's successor? Do you think you have any power over me or other people?"

He was starting to get annoyed.

"This isn't about me! It's about you! I don't know what's going on with you, or why have you become like this! You were the person I looked up to the most after All Might. For the longest time, you were my goal. I admired you. I wanted to surpass you! I wanted to be like you," Izuku shouted.

"One second you're calling me a murderer, the next second you're serenading me… make up your mind, dude," Naruto said.

"Do you truly feel no remorse? Bakugo's family was devastated by the news! Kiba's family is in shambles too. I can still hear their agony-filled cries at the funeral."

Naruto was spared from giving him an answer when All Might's voice rang from a loudspeaker.

"Midoriaya, Uzumaki, I gave the signal to start a while ago. What are you doing?"

While All Might and the rest could watch all their actions on the large screens installed in the observation dock, they couldn't hear what they were talking about. They only saw that Izuku appeared to be screaming at Naruto who was looking at him calmly, with his hands in his pockets.

"If you're ready and willing to kill someone, you better be ready to die for it too," Naruto said coldly, ignoring All Might's warning. "You're telling me off because of that piece of shit, all the while completely ignoring the number of civilians Bakugo killed when he and his groupies attacked me. Ten people died and many more were left with severe burns after he set several apartment blocks on fire. You want me to feel sorry that that psycho died?" (4)

"We are Heroes, not executioners!" Izuku shouted at him.

"I wasn't even conscious when everything happened. But even if my quirk didn't go berserk and I was fully aware and in control of my actions, I wouldn't have changed a thing. I don't regret anything. Now either fight me or forfeit. I don't want to hear your comic book hero ideals again. Keep that idealistic crap to yourself."

Naruto's mockery set the already angry boy off. His buff and muscular body was engulfed by what looked like green arcs of electricity as he yelled:

"One For All, Full Cowling - 70%!"

"If you don't want to listen to words, I'll just have to make you listen by force," Izuku shouted and the concrete under his feet cracked as he launched himself at Naruto.

"Detroit Smash!"

It wasn't the kind of attack that could be dodged just by moving one's head. The devastating force coming with the punch damaged many of the buildings in its path and broke the long system of steel pipes.

Unfortunately for Izuku, the only thing he hit was an afterimage. The blond's speed made him appear like a blur to the human eye. But Izuku's speed and reaction time while amped by One For All weren't any less than his. Izuku turned around at the exact moment when Naruto appeared at his back like a phantom and kicked back with his whole strength.

"Saint Louis Smash!"

But Naruto slid on the ground under the vortex of wind that Izuku's kick stirred and smashed his foot into the only leg Izuku was using to stand.

Losing his balance, Izuku fell face-first on the street but he quickly rolled away when Naruto was about to slam his elbow into the back of his head.

Chills went down Izuku's spine when he saw Naruto's elbow breaking open the street where his head would've been. But it was still far from enough to intimidate him. He launched himself back at Naruto like a rocket and screamed while cocking his fist back:

"Texas Smash!"

The gale of wind this attack stirred was nothing like the previous Detroit Smash. It took the unprepared Naruto and hurled him up in the air like a typhoon. The powerful vortex of air lifted up a large amount of debris and broken pipes too, causing a deadly wind-rowing effect.

If it had been any other student, All Might would have already stepped in by that point and stopped the fight because wind-rowing was what actually caused the largest amount of death and destruction during a tornado in real life. Texas Smash was too powerful to be used against normal human beings.

However, he knew that Naruto could take it. He had let the match continue because he wanted to see someone of Izuku's age pushing his pupil to the limits. Having a rival like Naruto was good for the sake of improvement.

And true to All Might's thoughts, when the tornado created by Izuku's Texas Smash finally died down, Naruto appeared in the midst of all that destruction, surrounded from all sides by a dome of golden chains and golden light. He was completely unscathed, not even a single piece of debris in the hair on his head or on his tails.

An extremely loud explosion startled All Might and the rest of the students watching from the observation dock as Naruto suddenly broke the sound barrier when he threw himself at Izuku.

Even while he was 70% amped by his One For All quirk, Izuku could barely react in time and cover his head with his hands. He hadn't expected that kind of insane speed from him.

Although he managed to guard his head in time, Naruto's kick was so powerful that it sent him flying altogether, making a human imprint as he crashed into a factory's outer wall.

"Is that all you can do?" the blond asked as Izuku picked himself up.

"Shut up!" Izuku shouted, jumping high up in the air and raising his right foot up for an axe kick. "Manchester Smash!"

His attack, while devastating for the landscape, once again didn't hit its intended target.

"Those telegraphed attacks of yours will never work on me," Naruto said as he appeared at Izuku's right side, from behind, and smashed his punch into his unguarded gut, right into the liver. That punch would've shattered an armoured concrete wall as if it were drywall. Landing flush on Izuku's liver, the boy doubled down like a puppet whose strings had been cut, paralysed by pain.

"How many times have I told you this before? Unless there is a vast difference in the physical stats between two combatants, timing beats speed, precision beats power, and skill beats strength. That is one of the first things I taught you back when I was training you. Have you forgotten everything you learned from me?"

Izuku couldn't reply as he held onto his side with both hands, coughing in agony. One could hardly understand how terrible the pain from body shots was until they experienced it themselves. Most of their classmates couldn't believe Izuku collapsed like that from a single hit.

"And what's with the shouting? You're just announcing to your enemy what kind of attack you're going to do, letting them know what to do to avoid them. That's all cool and awesome if you're so far above everyone, like All Might is, and the enemy can't even react to you. But you aren't as strong as All Might."

"Shut up, jerk," Izuku managed to say, all the while panting. Forcing himself back to his feet, the green arcs of light covered his body once more as he entered his Full Cowl state again.

Learning his mistake from before, Izuku didn't scream the name of his moves, and he didn't throw any attacks that required a long wind-up time because he understood that with how fast and skilled in martial arts Naruto was, he would just be asking for a beating.

Regardless of whether he threw his iconic Smash attacks or not, Izuku was still amped by 70% by his One For All quirk. Any attacks he threw while he was in his Full Cowl mode were deadly enough to destroy walls with a tap.

Taking on a Tae-Kwon-Do stance, Izuku threw a lightning-fast high kick. When Naruto dodged it and pulled back, Izuku advanced by turning and throwing a roundhouse kick, stirring a powerful wind.

Pressing on with a second kick, and one that took such a long time to set up, a roundhouse kick, had been a mistake because Naruto closed the distance before Izuku could complete the second attack, grabbed him with both hands and slammed him down, cracking the ground with his body.

But even after he got slammed down, Izuku threw an upkick, preventing Naruto from continuing his onslaught, and quickly jumped back to his feet.

Holding back the urge to scream the name of his attack, Izuku cocked his punch back and threw a blow with the entire strength of his Full Cowl 70%.

The close distance between the two of them and the suddenness of the attack made Naruto unable to dodge the gale of violent wind his punch came along with it.

However, right as he got sent flying and Izuku jumped after him to chain a combo of Smash attacks, a golden chain sneaked around Izuku's outstretched right wrist and pulled him after the blond.

Retracting his chain, Naruto pulled Izuku until they were face to face and slammed two of his heavy fox tails into his head, blowing him back into the ground like a cannonball.

Stabbing his three other chains into the walls of the nearby buildings, Naruto stopped his body in mid-air, preventing the painful crash that would've followed after being flung away by Izuku's attack. He didn't only stop himself from crashing, but he even used the chains like a slingshot to throw himself at Izuku who was just barely standing back up to his feet now.

Naruto descended upon him like a vulture. It would've been easy for him to wrap his Adamantine Sealing Chains around him at that moment and cancel Izuku's quirk, thus capturing him.

But he didn't do that. Instead, he got into hand-to-hand combat again. And this time, he didn't pull his punches.

Izuku just barely managed to block the first cross and he even parried a kick that would've hit him in the liver again. But he didn't even see the jab that nailed him in the nose after that.

It was a short, quick jab, but that seemingly simple jab was like a piston, it had almost cut his lights out.

Seeing Naruto raise his leg seemingly aiming for his liver again, Izuku braced himself and lowered his right hand to intercept it. But the body kick had been a feint.

Naruto's body kick turned into a question mark kick that nailed Izuku in the jaw with such power that Izuku felt the strength leave his legs. He couldn't even fall down in peace before two of Naruto's tails followed with another attack, hitting him in the head even harder than the kick. He was knocked out cold.

Although the two of them had exchanged so many attacks, their speed was so high that not even 3 minutes passed since they threw the first attack until the point where Izuku was knocked out.

It wasn't only All Might who was speechless, the rest of the students were shocked as well. In the first place, they had not expected Izuku to go all out in a mere spar against Naruto and use full-powered Smash attacks. But the one-sided beating that Naruto put on him was just as unexpected. They hadn't seen that coming from him. After all, although Naruto had grown distant with most of them, they were still under the impression that he and Izuku were close.

⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂

AN: I'm pretty sure there will be someone complaining that Naruto wouldn't beat someone like that. To those people, I recommend you rewatch Naruto's fights in the canon with Sasuke. If that's not to your liking, then remember the violent, one-sided beating that Naruto put on Konohamaru. He beat him like he owed him money.

(1) It happened in Chapter 8.
(2) It happened in Chapter 25.
(3) It happened in chapter 7.
(4) The actual scene took place in chapter 33. The number of civilian casualties is mentioned in chapter 34.