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Beginning of Chapter
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Kamino Ward smelled of rain on asphalt and the iron tang of late-night factories.
In daylight it looked ordinary low-slung offices, shuttered storefronts, and commuter trains folding into the city like arteries.
The district's ordinary face made it the perfect mask for the extraordinary business that took place below.
Beneath the streets, in a laboratory whose signage read like any other shipping company, two silhouettes occupied the dimness with the quiet assurance of predators at a table.
All For One sat motionless near a bank of monitors. The respirator over his mouth whispered with each breath, panels of light reflected off the metal fittings of his mask sitting on a stool next to him.
Across from the monitors, leaning back in a dirty stained couch as if it were his throne, Sukuna sat and toyed with a glass of red wine in his hand.
His outfit was noticibly different, the white kimono with intricate design along the edgles with a black sash tied around his waist.
His eyes gleamed with amusement more than concern as he sat relaxed.
A demon and a devil sitting together casually minding their own business.
"Your boy," All For One suddenly said, voice with a hint of annoyace, "has become more unpredictable than anticipated."
Sukuna shrugged, a small curl of disdain lifted at the corner of his mouth. "The boy who doesnt deserve my families name? Honestly he's just–"
As Sukuna spoke, All For One interrupted him. "You dismissed him all those years ago, and now we have someone who can destroy our Nomu."
Sukunas was quiet. Instead of responding with his usual tone he sat quiet for a few seconds.
"Perhaps so, but that means nothing. I'm willing to bet my quirk All Might would of slammed Brainless into the atmosphere even of Gojo wasn't there.
In truth, I didn't expect the boy to be such a spectacle. I will admit he had some remarkable tricks up his sleeves. I would say that his intelligence is the real reason his quirk is dangerous..."
Sukuna swirled the red wine in his glass, looking into his reflection as he spoke. Until the cracks in his seriousness started to show as he let out a grin. "... But that doesn't mean I cant chop him in half if I were to show him who the real Honoured One is."
All For One listened to Sukunas words carefully. "I hope so, for the relationship of our business, your quirks and my safety, aside from my special Body Gaurd, and my quirk delivery boy.
Although Sukuna, for the sake of your fate, I hope Satoru Gojo really won't become a problem for us." All For One finished speaking.
Sukuna rolled the wine in his hand and ignorijg the threat he heard. "He isn't the kind of problem that needs worrying. I can take care of him when it suits me."
All For One's head tilted subtly. "You underestimate him."
"I underestimate nothing that I've not chosen to play with." Sukuna's voice was almost bored now as he spoke. "By the way, about Shigaraki,"
Sukuna asked the question sliding out like an invitation to change the subject "Is he still useful, or just… angry?"
All For One's respirator rasped, a sound that could be mistaken for thinking. "He is useful," he said at length. "His mind is fractured, bruised by loss... and that's both a problem and an asset.
He's raw and impulsive. He sees the world as a wound he must tear open. That rage makes him act but his reactions are honest. That honesty is valuable when trained."
Sukuna's lips curved into something like amusement. "Honest fury. Still, he sounds immature. Unreliable. He's not taking his loss well, is he?"
"No," AFO admitted, almost like a confession. "He does not. He rages at Satoru. He mistakes shaking with anger and revenge for strategy.
Left unchecked, he will burn himself out. But a blunt instrument, tempered in the right way, can become a fine tool."
Sukuna sat forward, eyes bright. "So give him something to test with. Give him Nomu. Let him tear. Let him learn how the world breaks and how to make it break in return."
All For One's raised his hand, in the same moment the air distorted around his palm. "You would arm the boy further? Risk compounding his instability and throw away resources?"
"Not risk," Sukuna said smiling. "Opportunity."
AFO's head tilted, curious tonsee what his quirk hungry partner meant and put his hand down as the distorted air relaxes. "Explain."
Sukuna's voice lowered until it matched the hum of the machines. "Give him Nomu, enough to make him hungry and keep him honest. Give him structured chaos.
Send him at Gojo, or better, at Gojo's classmates. Let him bleed the perimeter. Let him test reactions, timing, stamina. We don't need him to win. We need to map."
"Out intelligence informs us that your son is well guarded currently," All For One countered. "The Commission's protection will be tighter around their new toy."
"Which is why we use the boy to probe their seams." Sukuna said as if it was an obvious fact. Leaning back into the couch.
"You have a spy in the Commission's orbit and in that classroom correct?. Between their reports and Shigaraki's violence, we learn timelines, weak rotations,"
Sukuna licked his lips. "As for Satoru... Maybe, he has a hidden corner where he can be hurt. Everyone has a soft place."
AFO's respirator made the faintest sound curiosity clipped in metal. "A soft place?"
Sukuna's smile sharpened. "Emotional anchors. People carry things they protect more fiercely than their own skin.
Friends, obligations… someone he cannot bear to see harmed. Besides my annoying brother, perhaps he has an interest, those are two people already we could target.
And even if that doesn't work, we find the gaps in his technique. Maybe he flinches when someone's heart is threatened. Maybe he hesitates at cries he cannot answer." He paused. "If that's the case, we press there."
AFO considered this, calculating like a machine that learned to crave art. "So nomu as hammer, Shigaraki as the hand, my spy as our eyes. The boy hunts, we record. We exploit the pattern."
"Precisely," Sukuna said. "Let Shigaraki learn to break walls. We learn what walls he cannot pass. Between brutality and intelligence, we will assemble a map of weaknesses."
All for One nod his head towards Sukuna, showing respect, even if he didn't particularly like it. "And all this time I thought you weren't a strategic mind."
Sukuna laughed loudly in response. "Oh please, it's not only my quirk thats deadly, potato man."
Garaki, who had just entered heard the near loud sighing of All for One. All the respect he had for Sukuna gone without a trace.
Garaki walked in with a cart of instruments towards All For One, frowned at the plan he overheard and spat, "You arm him with Nomu and you expect him to be predictable? He'll burn towns."
"He will burn what needs burning," Sukuna replied, casual as a verdict. "Besides this is not about collateral. This is about data. Controlled collapse. Before we usher in a new age."
All For One leaned back and tilted his head and rolled up the sleeve of his three piece suit, hiving Garali space to draw blood samples.
"Arrange it. I want you to monitor Shigaraki's responses. We will harvest both the data and what remains useful."
Sukuna chuckled softly before he realised he was put on babysitting duty. "Now hang on a damn minute old man–"
"Time is not of the essence. You'll act as my boys guardian, as much as I'd like to instead, my presence cannot be revealed... Not just yet." All For One interrupted with a firm tone not letting Ryomen get any words in.
Ryomen gritted his teeth as he got up, the entire couch below him falling instantly into pieces from using his quirk as he walked out with quiet rage.
He knew if he even dared to try something on him, he would be nothing but an annoying bug and get squashed.
All for One watched his back as he walked away as he thought to himself, 'Hell most likely help stir the pot if not take it away from Shigaraki. I will have to inform my boy about the Nomu and him.'
All For One sat as Garaki did his tests with his blood when suddenly the doctor spoke "Alll For One... I know this may be ridiculous but..."
All for Omes head turned to his old friend. "Speak your mind my good man. A penny for those thoughts?"
Garaki put doen the equipment and adjusted his glasses. "Could it be Satoru Gojo is it's new successor? Could All Might have passed All for One to him?"
All For One sighed before he gave whay only resembled a Devils Grin. "I don't know my good man, but I feel like that's a matter I should discuss with him directly"
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End of Chapter
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Yippi, I can finally start posting again