Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Matsumoto Shizue - Chairwoman of the Japanese Hunters Association - POV.
I walked through the family compound ignoring the disdainful looks of the people inside, walked through the houses and entered the main house without knocking, then continued walking through the rooms and hallways until I reached an office.
I paused for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and swallowing my anxiety tightly, finally tapping gently on the shoji. The paper door made a small noise.
"Come in, Shizue." The voice made me shudder slightly, but without hesitation I carefully opened the door and entered the room, closed the door, approached the center of the room and without hesitation knelt in seiza.
"It's a pleasure to see you again-"
"You're late." I flinched at the interruption, but said nothing.
"I-I'm sorry, I was talking to Goto-san about Jeju and-"
"Did I ask you for an excuse?" I gasped at the cold words and shuddered violently.
"I'm sorry, I have no excuse." I said immediately as I bowed.
"That's what I thought. Even 'Madam President' arrived before you, and she has more reason to be late." The voice mocked. I bit my lip as I sat up slightly, finally glancing discreetly at my side.
Madam President, the head of the Heroes Public Safety Commission, was in the same position as me, facing forward.
Facing us were our 'sponsors', the only reason why Madam President rose to the HPSC and why I also rose to become the chairwoman of the Japanese Hunters Association.
Naomi Zenin, head of the Zenin Clan. Beside her was her daughter Naoka Zenin, on the other side was her sister, Ougi Zenin, and to one side was Jinko Zenin, Naomi and Ougi's niece, Naoka's cousin.
Four S-Rank fighters outside the records of Japan and the rest of the world. All belonging to the same family, the Zenin family. The Zenin were a rather unique clan.
It was thanks to them that both Madam President and I obtained our positions. They wanted puppets to control, and we were those puppets. The Zenin Clan had enormous influence and money, and they had enough political power to actually force us both to resign from our posts, if not make us disappear and replace us with other puppets before our bodies had even cooled down.
The Zenin Clan had always been an influential family, even before the era of Quirks and Gates, something that only increased once everything started to emerge.
The members of the Zenin family were special. The main family members, in addition to possessing powerful quirks, were born with vast reserves of aura and a predisposition to use Haki with extreme ease.
This led them to have 4 S-rank members within their own family, several A-ranks who may advance to S-rank, and other regular A-ranks, along with dozens of other members of all ranks.
Yes, it didn't seem impressive at all compared to the Draw Sword Guild, which has 11 S-Rank hunters in a single group, but I was sure that more than one of those S-Rank hunters was connected to the Zenin Clan somehow. It was truly terrifying to think about.
They even cleaned S-rank Gates themselves to continue increasing their wealth, and I was their facilitator; I had the task of hiding Gates of different ranks that appeared in the vicinity of the Zenin Clan's compound.
"Who would have thought it, our beloved niece, Iori, actually did something right, giving birth to a son strong enough not to bring shame to the Zenin bloodline." Naomi Zenin sneered with a mocking smile.
"He's a man, he shouldn't even be studying to be a hero or a Hunter," Naoka scoffed.
"He's strong, although my sister Iori's waste is ridiculously weak, her son is different, it's obvious the genes skipped a generation, the boy inherited all of Ryuma's genes that Iori failed to achieve." Jinko said almost apathetically.
"He's still a man," Naoka said irritably.
"And he's stronger than you," Naomi said dully without even looking at her daughter. I gasped and began to pale as I felt Naoka's aura pressing down on me.
"Stronger than me? That pathetic excuse from a man?" Naoka growled, filled with fury.
"Ryuma is a man, and he's stronger than all of us. As irritating as that thought is, it's the truth," Naomi said dismissively, swiping her hand without even noticing Naoka's outburst, while I struggled to breathe. Naoka just grunted and finally calmed down, raising her aura. I took a deep breath.
"So what? Do we force him to join the family? He has Zenin blood in his veins." Ougi said with a frown.
"Iori won't let him," Jinko replied.
"It's not like the opinion of someone as weak as her matters," Ougi said dismissively. "A Zenin with a cake shop? It's ridiculous. Just have her pathetic shop shut down until she hands over her child," Ougi said mockingly.
"I have no affection for my sister, except that she is stupidly stubborn and full of determination. She abandoned the Zenin of her own free will. Even if we close her shops or threaten her, she would never hand over her son to us," Jinko said, shrugging her shoulders.
"My 'dear' niece isn't stupid either, no, as weak and pathetic as she is, her mind is still sharp, it always was. She deceived us for over 20 years. She made her home, Musutafu, where UA was located, a place with a strong presence of heroes so that we couldn't delve too deeply into her 'new life'."
"We followed her 'wishes' to ignore her, simply because it would be a waste of resources to constantly monitor her; she wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal the clan's secrets when she finally managed to escape from us."
"But what's most commendable is how she hid her son for 18 years. Listing the child's only quirk as Food Enrichment? The same quirk for which she was despised for 18 years? Yes, she knew we wouldn't look too closely when we read that report."
"And it worked, she took us all for fools. We thought her son was as weak as, or even weaker than, her. We let her live in peace for 20 years. It's time she paid the Clan what she owes." Naomi said mockingly.
"Let's just kill her and bring Miyamura to the clan. He's a man; he'll follow our orders or learn to." Naoka mocked nonchalantly. Ougi snorted.
"The timing for the revelation of Miyamura's power couldn't have been better for them; he IS of legal age, we can't legally force him in any way, and if we had to fight him, we would attract the damn attention of the whole world."
"He lives inside the UA dorms, protected by that damn rat. Even if he leaves the university walls, everyone will be watching him. A fight would put eyes on us, eyes we've painstakingly avoided for 200 years," Ougi said mockingly. Naoka rolled her eyes.
"Please, how hard can it be to convince a man? Give him some jewelry or clothes or whatever he wants and he'll come running." Naoka said dismissively.
"According to reports, while the boy isn't stingy, he doesn't care about such things, but if the boy is anything like Iori, then he must be just as sentimental, something we can use. 'Madam President,' did you get what I asked for?" Naomi asked boredly as she grabbed a bottle and began to drink alcohol in large gulps.
I shuddered slightly and almost felt sorry for her; the way Naomi kept saying 'Madam President' in such a contemptuous and mocking manner was almost painful to hear, but I wasn't suicidal enough to intervene.
"Yes, Zenin-sama." Madam President said, grabbing the suitcase beside her, quickly opening it, turning it over before pushing it near Naomi, who simply grabbed the papers inside.
"If we can't force the boy, let's go for his weak point, his 'fiancées,' let's see... Taylor Hebert, 19 years old, Quirk: Queen Administrator, blah blah blah, and... interesting. A member of the PRT Wards in the US caused her Awakening, Hebert feels a deep contempt for the PRT and her family."
"Funny, none of this is available to the public," Naomi said mockingly. "Azula, former Fire Nation princess, let's continue... locked away in a psychiatric ward for three years. Wow, that kid sure knows how to pick them. It's so easy to get rid of them."
"We just need to manipulate public opinion about Hebert, convince them that Hebert is here to steal Miyamura for the US to the point that she has no other option but to return to the US."
"And the second one, just like that, we only have to mention how unstable and dangerous she is, so that they force her to separate from Miyamura and return her to her island," Naomi mocked.
"Why get rid of them? They can come with Miyamura, as long as their place within the Clan is clear to them," Ougi said with a sneer. "If Herbert has a problem with the United States, then it's impossible for the girl to leave Japan, especially if her bond with Miyamura is as deep as it seems."
"Her quirk is really strong, incredibly strong, and her swordsmanship is nothing to scoff at. She'd be a great addition to the Zenin family. Just like that Princess, it's more than obvious she's in exile. We can easily orchestrate an assassination against her family, give her the throne she so desperately wants, while we rule behind the scenes, obviously," Ougi said with ease.
"They're weak, especially that ex-princess. Losing her throne for her brother? Ridiculous, but... a nation as a playground? Not a bad idea," Naoka said with a dangerous smile.
"There's nothing interesting about Rose and Dustiness," Naomi said, throwing the papers to the floor. "They're so ordinary it's pathetic, very little to press, except for their families."
"If you'll allow me." I interrupted meekly. Naomi looked at me but said nothing. I swallowed audibly. "Ruby Rose is the daughter of Summer Rose, a hunter from Vale working in conjunction with the Japan Hunters Association. She's been in Japan for the past few months. It would be easy to frame Hunter Rose and extradite her."
"And in turn, Miss Rose could be pushed and forced to leave the country," I said meekly. Naomi laughed.
"Looks like you're good for something after all, Shizue," Naomi said mockingly. "Prepare it."
"It will be done." I said immediately.
"Dustiness has a father, they seem quite close. Do we have anyone in Germany?" Ougi asked as she grabbed the paper on the floor.
"We do," Jinko said immediately.
"Hmm, Jinx? Is there a fifth couple?" Ougi asked, narrowing her eyes.
"There is Zenin-sama, their relationship is quite new, recently confirmed less than two weeks ago," Madam President said immediately.
"Silvia's daughter, leader of Zaun?" Ougi asked, sounding confused.
"Zaun? Isn't that the slave city beneath Piltover?" Naoka said dismissively. "Just ignore it. They're nobodies, all weak and subservient," she added dully. Ougi glanced at the papers for a few seconds before nodding.
"Excuse me," said Madam President, lowering her head. "Actually, bringing Miyamura under control would be much... easier. The Japanese government is concerned that none of Ryuma's grandson's partners are Japanese, and they were discussing the possibility of forcing a Japanese woman into a relationship with him."
"Interesting," Naomi said immediately. "It would be easy to push Naoka into that position," she added.
"I'll make sure he knows his place," Naoka said with a sadistic smile. "Besides, if Ryuma's genes and that shadow quirk are heritable, I'd be generous enough to let the other women of the Zenin clan use him as a breeding bull." Naoka sneered.
I made a subtle face at that.
"Alright, we'll take care of that, well thought out, Madam President," Naomi said curtly. "You mentioned Goto, Matsumoto, is everything settled?" Naomi asked, making me jump.
"Y-yes, Zenin-sama, Goto-san suspects nothing, she is completely focused on Jeju and her ascension to National Rank, the moment Goto orchestrates the death of the Koreans, all the evidence will point only to her."
"All of them are perfectly corroborated and will pass any test with most Thinking quirks, so Goto will lose her National Rank title if she dares to disobey them." I said submissively as I grabbed the briefcase full of evidence and placed it in front of me before gently sliding it open.
Naomi didn't even look at her or make any sign to grab her, she just nodded.
"Well, having a National Rank in your pocket, even if she doesn't know it yet, is always a good thing." Naomi scoffed.
"Pathetic." Naoka sneered contemptuously.
"That's all, you can leave." Naomi said, waving her hand boredly. We bowed, stood up quickly, and left immediately without saying a word.
When we left the Zenin clan compound, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Even so, we didn't say anything. I simply gestured for her to follow me, gesturing to the car door for her to get in. Madam President didn't refuse; she simply got in and sat down. I turned around, got in the driver's seat, and started the engine.
"Betraying Goto?" Madam President asked dryly.
"Betraying the Pro-Heroes?" I said in the same tone.
"It was necessary. The rot and corruption within the HPSC under the former president was catastrophic. That idiot wanted to recruit heroes to kill other heroes. Stupid. Luckily, I dealt with her before she could bring Nagant to her side." Madam President sneered.
"Nagant would have made a good assassin." I said, mentally reviewing everything I knew about Nagant while shrugging my shoulders.
"If she had the right mindset, perhaps, but she didn't. She would have had a breakdown sooner or later, or I would have made the secret part of the HPSC public, or she would have killed my predecessor—that second one wouldn't have bothered me," Madam President said. "I'm doing what's necessary to keep our society afloat," she said firmly and resolutely.
"And you think the Zenin are the lesser of all evils?" I scoffed dryly. The Zenin, the lesser of all evils? Yeah, right. It would have been much better if society had collapsed and we had to build something better from the ashes than to make a deal with the Zenin.
"You seem very comfortable pointing out my bad decisions, you're in the same hole," Madam President said irritably, and I shrugged.
"And that's precisely why I know it was a terrible idea," I said simply before sighing. "But it's too late for regrets, we just have to act." I said casually. Madam President didn't say anything for the rest of the trip, and neither did I.
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Naomi Zenin POV.
"So AFO went and died again." Naoka sneered once the other two had left. "It really wasn't a problem after all," she added mockingly. I mentally rolled my eyes; I really didn't know how my daughter had turned out so stupid.
"If she really died. She came back the first time, so she might come back the second time too," Ougi said dryly.
"So what, we keep our heads down because of the ghost of an old era?" Naoka scoffed dismissively.
"That ghost is capable of killing us all. The only reason we survived is because we managed to avoid it for as long as possible. During her first reign, while not stupid, AFO relied too much on her own strength to solve her problems."
"We were only in danger when All Might defeated her for the first time. All Might removed her fangs, forcing AFO to work in the shadows for the first time, sharpening her mind as she plotted. We were almost discovered this time." I replied dryly as I took a sip of my drink.
"But she's right, we can't live with our heads down. We benefited from the destruction All For One brought the first time, we turned it on our enemies, and we took what she left behind after she destroyed everything. And now we're going to live in fear?" Jinko asked coldly.
"Not fear, caution," I said, narrowing my eyes in her direction. "But you're right, I suppose it's time to move once more. Even if she returns, it will take her too long to regain her strength—long enough to have Goto and the rest of her Draw Sword under us, and Miyamura too."
"Send a message to Iori, it's time for a family reunion," I said finally as I finished emptying the bottle of alcohol. "Now, I have to go get more, this one's gone," I said, tossing the empty bottle aside.
Let's see if that Miyamura inherited anything from Zenin or not.
Author's Notes: And the Zenin are here! I wasn't sure whether to include this at the end or not, but I ended up writing it anyway! Now, a couple of explanations.
Iori Miyamura will take Toji Fushigumo's place, but Iori will have nothing like Toji, none of the Heavenly Restraint or super strength, nothing, Iori will remain as close to a civilian as she can be, only with her food quirk, nothing more special.
Naomi and Ougi are Iori's aunt and uncle. Jinko is Iori's brother. Naoka, Mai, and Maki are Iori's cousins. And now Izumi is in Megumi's place.
All those named are women, Naomi, Ougi, Naoka and Jinko.
Naobito -> Naomi
Jinichi -> Jinko
Naoya -> Noaka
Ougi remains the same.
Maki and Mai are also women, and both remain so. They continued to suffer discrimination from the Zenin clan, especially Maki for being quirkless here and Mai for having a quirk just as weak as her canon counterpart.
And... with this, the POVs should finally end! Finally!