—Damn it!— Tetsumaru yelled internally as he nearly crashed face-first into a building. Still in the air, he contorted his body and furiously mobilized his chakra, absorbing the impact with the help of the energy and his enhanced body, immediately resuming his actions with a mix of joy and satisfaction.
It took him no more than two "jumps" to realize what was happening. He was using the Shunshin, the movement technique he had been trying to recreate for two years without much success.
He didn't understand why he could suddenly use it, or what caused it, but he didn't care. That was irrelevant compared to the tingling sensation in his stomach when using this Jutsu.
It felt fierce, untamable, violent, yet at the same time it was soft, sharp, like a part of something he already knew very well when moving his chakra.
The energy was expelled from his body in a way that caused an agitation in the air, enveloping him in an almost imperceptible gusty capsule that lightened his weight and helped him shoot off at high speed.
The surroundings faded into a barely recognizable blur, causing him a slight dizziness, but he instinctively ignored that, concentrating more on the point where he wanted to land.
A few of these jumps were enough to take him out of communication range with Mei, as well as away from the heavy emotional transmission that had been bothering him.
Tetsumaru appeared atop a building, exhaling with relief at the feeling of freedom, like an inexplicable weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be bathed in the morning light, studying what was happening inside him. He suspected that not only could he use the Shunshin, but something else had changed.
The energy moved until it hissed in his hand, covering it with a bluish wave that slowly began to change its shape and composition, defying natural laws in the process.
—That's it!— Tetsumaru exclaimed with a rare smile decorating his lips.
He used his high manipulation capacity to order the chakra to do something, carefully observing the results of his actions. To say he was delighted was an understatement.
At the tip of his finger, the expelled chakra did not come out as a bluish energy, but as a slight expulsion of wind.
Wind. Wind Nature. A part of what made up his Magnet Release, which he hadn't been able to use separately all this time.
—That explains the gust of wind when I use Shunshin... My Shunshin is Wind Nature— Tetsumaru determined. But another idea came to his mind, a bolder, and more destructive one.
What's better than a Rasengan? Correct.
But he quickly shook off such ideas. It was not his priority at this moment, and his excited expression returned to normal, as he straightened up and fixed his gaze in the direction he needed to go.
He had been given the trust to operate beyond what his duties as a student should have allowed him, and his work was not finished.
The chakra moved again, more fluidly as he used it and wasting less with each attempt. Tetsumaru fixed several targets with his eyes and oriented his body to go in that direction.
After all, the Shunshin did not allow him to change course during the jump, and he would hate to crash against the concrete.
Tetsumaru's figure vanished along with a controlled and almost imperceptible burst of wind, flashing towards the subway station to head to U.A.
****************************
While both U.A. Heroes and teachers of the classes attacked at the Wild Wild PussyCats' camp were leaving, Hawks remained at the station where the students had been checked.
The man felt as uncomfortable with the situation as anyone in his position. He had been tasked with remaining alert and responding quickly to a highly probable attack by the League of Villains.
At first, he didn't understand why they were sending him on such a mission. It wasn't exactly something he did very often, as he didn't operate as a bodyguard. He supposed the U.A. Principal pulled some strings for this to happen.
And yet, it was useless. They realized what was happening too late, and the attack was much stealthier than they imagined.
All previous occasions had been scandalous, unnecessarily scandalous. Large-scale attacks or noisy monsters.
But they misjudged the opponent, and two children paid the price with their lives, plus the third who was taken by the villains.
Hawks looked at Sero Hanta's file. His jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed.
Although Pixie Bob was also taken, his priority was to find and rescue the boy. It was the least he could do. He needed to do it.
But his superiors didn't think the same way.
The reason he didn't go with Eraser Head and Vlad King to meet with Detective Tsukauchi and All Might at U.A. was because he received a very unpleasant message.
His mission was over, and he was to withdraw until further notice.
—Tch, of course. Damned politics— the Hero muttered with a sigh. Suddenly, a barely noticeable shadow leaped from somewhere in the station to one of the buildings.
Hawks sharpened his gaze in that direction, looking for threats, but the shadow blurred so fast that he lost sight of it in a few seconds.
The Hero flapped his wings and took flight, his penetrating eyes trying to locate whatever that was without any success.
—...Whatever... Nezu better ask for my participation in the search and rescue of the kid— Hawks thought with determination, deciding to stay until all the students were picked up.
Although he had been ordered to withdraw a few hours ago, he was not willing to be negligent again.
His eyes swept the ground, where some students sat with their faces buried in their knees and in a heavy silence.
He saw some with tenser postures, severe and reflective expressions. Despite the tragedy, this incident could push some of those kids to greater heights. Or collapse them completely.
His eyes landed on a familiar figure who seemed to be arguing with a couple of officers, crossing her arms in annoyance and ranting about something he couldn't hear.
It was the same brat who applied a lethal joint-twisting technique on him. Among the students, she seemed the least affected, at least outwardly.
Hawks descended gracefully with a serene and professional expression. The officers stopped their questioning, turning in his direction, as did the girl.
—Is everything alright?— the Hero asked.
—Sir!— one of the officers greeted stiffly. —Terumi Tetsumaru, this girl's brother, is nowhere to be found. He disappeared a while ago, and the girl says she doesn't know where he went— the man explained the situation.
—Aash, he's not Terumi!— the brat complained. —You make it sound weird, perverts.
—Ahem! young lady, if you have any information about your brother's whereabouts, you must tell us. It's for his safety— the other officer insisted, looking severely at Mei.
The girl sighed, looking up at the sky for a few seconds in contemplation before speaking.
—I have no idea where he went, but if anyone can take care of himself, it's Tetsumaru. You see, the League of Virgins prepared two Nomu to deal with him, and he still defeated them. He'll be fine, wherever he went.
The three adults frowned at her words. Ignoring the misplaced joke, a student who was attacked by villains and recently lost two classmates wandering around unsupervised was less than ideal.
—Brat, I know you guys are strong and all that, but don't let it go to your head. You wouldn't want your brother to get hurt, right?— Hawks said in a serious tone.
In his opinion, Mei's aggressiveness and nonchalance was the way the girl was coping with the situation.
—Birdman, you better go get your balls checked, maybe they can save some hatchlings for the future— the kunoichi retorted.
—Yes, she is definitely suffering. Poor thing— Hawks lamented internally with a sympathetic and shaky smile.