"You're not going anywhere."
The voice came raspy, stern, leaving no room for argument. Zoro froze in place as he saw the door to the room swing open completely.
Shoto Aizawa entered with heavy steps, his features radiating an exhaustion beyond description, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Zoro with an unyielding sharpness. Aizawa gestured to the frightened nurse with a simple motion to leave, then closed the door quietly behind him.
But the surprise wasn't Aizawa. Behind him, another man stepped forward with slow, heavy steps, leaning on a wooden cane that produced a rhythmic sound with each step he took into the room.
Zoro's eyes widened in complete astonishment, and the aura of fury and tension surrounding him dissolved in a fraction of a second, replaced by a genuine shock that silenced his tongue.
"Sensei. Kenji?" Zoro whispered in a tired voice, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Kenji stood before his student, his sharp eyes examining every bandage and every bleeding wound on the young man's exhausted body. There was no smile on the old man's face. Only suppressed anger, and a deep paternal concern he was struggling to conceal behind his usual mask of sternness. Kenji struck his cane against the room's floor with force, making the echo reverberate throughout the space.
"Look at yourself, you fool!" Kenji said in his deep voice, raising his cane to point at the television screen broadcasting the destruction. "Do you truly believe this shattered body of yours can stand for a single second in that arena? That place right now is not a field for exchanging punches. It's a hell where souls are crushed. If you go there now, you'll be nothing but dead weight dragging All Might toward his end faster."
Zoro wanted to respond. His fist curled around the air by fighter's instinct as if searching for a missing sword handle. "But he's alone! That monster will tear him apart if no one intervenes!"
Aizawa exhaled deeply and leaned his back against the door, blocking any escape route, then put his hands in his pockets. He turned toward Kenji with a look of respect and reverence that Zoro had never seen before in the eyes of his lazy teacher at the academy.
"I told you he was stubborn as a mule and wouldn't follow instructions easily." Aizawa said in a quiet voice, then bowed his head slightly toward Kenji in a way that conveyed deep veneration. "Exactly as you always told me in the past, Sensei."
Zoro's body went rigid. He moved his gaze between Aizawa and Kenji, trying to process the impossible word that had just rung in his ears.
"Sensei?" Zoro repeated slowly, his eyes still wide with astonishment. "You. Aizawa. You call him Sensei?"
Kenji smiled a faint, bitter smile as he watched his stunned student's reaction. "The world is smaller than you think, Zoro." He took a step toward the bed, gesturing for him to sit. "Fifteen years ago, this pro hero standing before you and setting rules for you was my troublesome student in the dojo. I'm the one who taught him how to stand on his own feet and fight with his body when his Quirk fails him. And for that reason, he is the only hero in that academy I entrusted you to from day one."
Aizawa raised his eyes toward the television, where All Might was gathering the last atom of energy in his right hand, and the wind was ravaging the Kamino area, turning buildings to ash under the pressure of the tremendous force.
"You've done enough, Zoro." Aizawa said in a quiet voice loaded with rare emotion. "If not for the tracking device you risked your life to have placed, we couldn't have gotten here, and All Might couldn't have cornered All For One to begin with. Your role as a student and as the heir to this dojo is finished for tonight."
Aizawa fell silent. And Kenji moved closer to Zoro, placing his rough, heavy hand on the young man's wound-covered shoulder. It wasn't a harsh touch. It carried a warmth that gently but firmly made Zoro sit and surrender to his reality.
Under the quiet white light of the medical lamps filling the room, all three of them fixed their eyes on the television broadcasting the worst nightmares this nation had ever known.
Through that screen, amid the overlapping sounds of helicopters and terrified broadcasters, the camera lenses pierced the thick clouds of smoke in Kamino and transmitted the live, direct image of the grinding battle. The entire world, along with Zoro and Aizawa and Kenji, was watching the last breaths of their symbol through that broadcast.
There, amid the burning rubble that the screens reflected, All Might was still on his knees. Broken. Crushed. Burdened by a guilt he hadn't committed.
In that decisive moment, Gran Torino screamed from behind the debris with a voice that tore through the silence of despair. "Toshinori! You must not give up now! He's trying to manipulate you and confuse you so he can exploit that weakness for his own benefit! Have you forgotten? Remember the promise you made to that old man yesterday! You still have work that isn't finished. You understand what I mean, don't you?!"
The words pierced All Might's ear. In that dark moment, an image of Zoro and his genuine stubbornness flashed through his mind, then an image of Midoriya and his blazing determination. Yes. I still have so much to teach them. My role isn't over.
"Yes." All Might answered in a broken but steadying voice. "That's right. I understand you completely."
All Might began gathering his scattered self together, trying to expel the venom of All For One's words that had nearly shattered his spirit.
And in the same moment, from among the nearby rubble, a faint, trembling voice seeped through. A small child hiding with his mother.
"Mom. Why did All Might become like this? Who will protect us and save us now?"
The terrified mother tried to cover her child's mouth and pulled him to her chest, whispering through tears. "Please be quiet. They'll find where we are."
All Might heard every whisper. The words of that innocent child struck the core of his heart like lightning. He felt a shiver pass through his thin body, and a clear coldness swept through his mind, erasing every trace of hesitation.
He clenched his hand until it bled and stood. He rose once more onto his trembling feet, raised his head, and looked directly into the eyes of the tyrant of darkness.
"I'm the one who will protect you. I'm the one who will save you of course." His voice was quiet and earth-shaking at the same time. "Because a hero. That is his work."
His words reached the ears of the mother and her child, and an overwhelming feeling of safety washed into their hearts, and the child's tears stopped.
Gran Torino smiled despite his wounds. "You can do this."
All Might gathered what remained of his will and began expanding his right arm, which suddenly transformed, glowing entirely with a brilliantly bright yellow light that tore through the darkness of the night, and he screamed.
"I will never lose to you! All For One!"
In that moment, the echo of his teacher Nana Shimura's words reverberated in his spirit.
Remember where you came from, Toshinori. I want to make the world a place where everyone can smile and live together.
All For One looked at that light with a scowl. "All Might. That was your final act, wasn't it? A wounded hero is the most frightening. But this time, what happened in the past won't happen again." He paused. "I can see how badly you want to visit your teacher. Very well. I'll grant you that."
In the air above, the tyrant raised his left hand compressed with terrifying strength. Red and black sparks burst from it screaming with the excess of energy, and he directed them straight toward the core of All Might's chest, on the verge of releasing his lethal attack that would erase everything. All Might was ready to receive the blow without flinching.
Suddenly, a massive fire assault. A torrent of raging flame like a burning sun surged from nowhere to strike All For One, preventing him from executing his attack and forcing him to retreat.
"What, you coward!" Endeavor roared with his thunderous voice that split the sky, then turned a blazing gaze toward his traditional rival. "What is this form of yours, All Might?!"
All Might was caught off guard by this unexpected intervention and said nothing, only staring with a drifting mind at the scene taking shape before him.
Edgeshot slid in from the shadows with a lethal quietness. "It seems we're a little late."
All For One tilted his head slightly and spoke in a low voice carrying obvious displeasure. "Oh? Even though they were all guarding the central district, I didn't believe you'd manage to suppress them at this speed. As expected from the man who carved his way to second place."
Then amid the dust and flame, the rest arrived. Tiger, Gang Orca, and Kamui Woods all appeared to stand like an impenetrable wall before the symbol of peace.
All For One returned to his composure and tilted his head again. "Ah. So the rest of the insects have arrived."
Endeavor stepped forward with flames burning violently around his massive frame and his eyes locked on the enemy hovering above them. "Don't you dare fall here. Not before I surpass you." His voice lowered slightly, carrying a meaning that went beyond mere rivalry. "You've been carrying this burden alone for long enough. From now on, we'll carry it with you."
All Might's eyes widened in astonishment.
Edgeshot moved, quiet and precise, his gaze analyzing every detail of the battlefield. "Your condition is critically serious and time is not on your side. So we'll be the ones to create the opening. And you'll be the one to end this."
Tiger cracked his knuckles and stepped forward with wild momentum and a burning spirit. "You've done more than enough, All Might! Leave the rest to us!" Then he turned toward him and screamed at full volume. "You're not alone anymore!"
Gang Orca's presence was heavy and imposing as he stood alongside them, his deep, steady voice cutting through the noise. "The symbol doesn't remain standing merely because he cannot be broken." He narrowed his eyes defiantly toward All For One and continued. "He remains standing because there are those who rise up behind him to support him. And we, we are the ones rising now."
Kamui Woods raised his arm and his wooden branches began moving and tensing as he looked toward the burning city. "Evacuation operations are still ongoing. The civilians are depending on us." He then returned his gaze to All Might. "And they're depending on you as well."
A solemn silence descended over the arena.
All Might stood in the middle of these men. His chest rose and fell. His vision was blurred but he looked at them one by one.
Endeavor. Edgeshot. Tiger. Orca. Kamui.
For the first time in many long years, he was not fighting alone.
"Thank you." All Might whispered in a quiet voice heavy with gratitude.
He closed his glowing fist firmly and very slowly, that blazing light returned to tear through the darkness in his eyes.
From above, All For One began laughing. A low, mocking, provocative laugh. "How very touching. The shattered symbol, surrounded by a group of substitutes."
All Might raised his head with dignity. His voice came out weakly from his wounded throat but it was steady and unshakeable, moving souls before bodies.
"No."
The wind stilled for a moment as if nature itself was listening.
"They are not substitutes."
He paused for a moment, his eyes blazing with fire.
"They are heroes."
The air in the arena tightened as if on the verge of explosion. All Might stepped one step forward and his right arm shone like a last sun before setting. Every pair of eyes ignited, and both sides prepared to surge.
.
.
For Advanced Chapters:
Chapter 101 is Available Now
Shimotsuki in UA
While the students are asleep in the dormitory, Zoro wakes up every morning before dawn to train, and afterwards trains with them in the Gama area.
Shimotsuki In U.A For Zoro, the goal is to:
• Significantly reduce Haki consumption
• Improve Observation Haki
• Developing a new technique
Pat re on.com/AZTh