"They found the League of Villains in Kamino Ward. Tsukauchi just confirmed it. They're setting up a raid tonight."
Silence followed as Yuta's mind raced. In the original story, the Kamino Raid was a desperate rescue mission triggered by Bakugo's kidnapping during the summer camp made possible due to several reasons.
Mainly Momo tagging a Nomu that appeared with a tracking device. There was more to it than that but he couldn't remember what.
But that was weeks away.
The fact that the location had been found now was a butterfly effect he hadn't anticipated. Going through countless possibilities, Yuta could only conclude that the YAMANOTE LINE tragedy was the catalyst for this.
How, he couldn't tell. But it unraveled the League's secrecy ahead of schedule.
Unfortunately, the implications were unsettling as the cost of that acceleration was standing right in front of him: All Might was on the wrong side of the Philippine Sea.
Without him, Kamino wouldn't be All Might's retirement, but possibly a literal massacre.
'Shit.'
"Kamino Ward?" Aizawa's voice brought Yuta back to reality. "How? Last I heard, they didn't have any solid leads."
"Apparently a member of the League of Villains was located and followed back to their hideout. Tsukauchi wasn't too clear but from his tone, it's the nest. They're certain of it Aizawa."
"When are they moving?" Aizawa asked.
"They originally planned to do it in two hours. However me not being in Japan could complicate that." All Might replied. "The operation window is tight. This is first chance we've gotten and they want to move while the League is stationary."
"I see. That's timely news." Aizawa's brows furrowed for a moment until finally, he nodded. "If they've finally located the hideout, this entire situation resolves itself much faster than we anticipated."
Turning to Yuta, he continued. "See what we were talking about? The situation is being handled. From the looks of it, if Shigaraki and the warp-user are neutralized tonight, the threat to you and your family vanishes by morning."
Aizawa turned back to the private jet, signaling for them to board. "Right All Might?"
He took several steps forward ... Then stopped. All Might didn't respond immediately. A development that quickly drew Aizawa's attention.
At the moment, the symbol of peace looked anything but happy. His jaw tightened at Aizawa's words and his body looked ... Tense.
"All Might?" Aizawa prompted. "This is good news, right? From what I heard, Endeavors task force is leading the operation with police support and Forty heroes. Potentially more now that the league's been found."
This was true. Just by these metrics alone, the League of villains didn't stand a chance. However .... "I need to go back,"
Aizawa blinked. "...What?"
"I need to return to Japan. For the raid."
"Why?" Aizawa was confused.
All Might shook his head. "If the League is cornered and something goes wrong, they'll need me there." His voice lacked its usual booming confidence, rather replaced by urgency.
This however, only confused Aizawa even more. "That makes no sense. They have Endeavor. Best Jeanist. Gang Orca. Forty professional heroes total. Including the Number Two and several other Top Ten members. That ... Is frankly too much. Shigaraki is dangerous, but he isn't an army."
His frown grew even deeper. "That aside, logically, you can't participate in this specific raid. You've already ...." He paused, eyes shifting to Yuta for a split second as he chose his words carefully. " ... Used up a lot of your strength and energy today trying to find Yuta. Technically you're not at your best right now. Worse, returning to Japan is at least five hours away. By the time we fly back to Tokyo, it will be even less so."
"Eraser, you don't understand," All Might clenched his fist. "I have a feeling ..... This isn't just about Shigaraki. I'm not sure if I'm right but if I am ... Things could go bad if I'm not there. I need to be to end this ... Once and for all."
Aizawa stared at him. "A feeling you're not sure of."
His tone was serious. 'Is this about the Nomu from USJ?' This was the only thing he could think of that would warrant such a reaction.
The investigation of the police department had revealed that the Nomu were nothing more than bioengineered humans with multiple quirks. The six more that attacked Hosu were proof of this.
There was always the possibility, that the League of Villains had more and possible some with the same level of strength as the one that fought All Might from USJ.
With that thought process, such a reaction wasn't unfounded. However, that was only if the League of villains had the chance to unleash them.
All Might was Japan's top hero in terms of power, massively outperforming everyone else, but the gap was significantly shorter when it came to competence. There was no top hero who could get to their current level without it.
If Endeavor with the help of the police, forty other heroes and the convenience of a surprise attack couldn't do this without All Might, wouldn't that prove that everyone else was incompetent?
If anything, being forced to wait for All Might simply increased the risk of their moves being discovered.
"Look." Aizawa began. "I get that you're worried and it's your job to make sure everything is fine as the symbol of peace, but you are overreacting right now." He sighed.
"Endeavor might not be as good as you are, but he is still a top hero. It's practically looking down on him to think he can't handle this by himself. That's what he, the HPSC and every other hero on the force are going to think of they're asked to wait for your return before leading an operation. In reality, it's a higher chance that the League escape if anything is discovered during the time they don't act. Even with this aircraft pushing its engines to the limit, we're looking at a four-hour flight. By the time we touch down in Tokyo, the raid will have been over for two hours and the prisoners would be locked in Tartarus. .." he paused
"Plus, there's our current situation on hand." And turned to Yuta "We came to Manila to extract Akutami and transport him to I-Island because the League of Villains wants him dead. That's our mission. Our only mission right now. The chances of the League Of Villains having another Nomu like USJ is too slim."
All Might's brows furrowed. "It's not the Nomu I'm worried about."
That finally made Aizawa paused. "Excuse me?"
All Might's eyes flicked to Yuta who stood several meters away, clearly listening, then back to Aizawa.
"Shota," All Might said quietly. "Do you remember what happened to me? Five years ago? The incident that left me... in the state I'm in now?" Aizawa went still. Every teacher in U.A's staff new about All Might's injury. However, that was all they knew. The details remained a mystery.
Except from principal Nezu, no one else knew which villain had caused him such a grievous wound and All Might preferred not to elaborate on it. "I remember,"
Aizawa said replied. "But that's ancient history. The perpetrator was neutralized."
"I thought so too," All Might shook his head. "However, Naomasa's report on the Nomu suggests otherwise. I spoke with him in private after the Hosu incident. We've been looking into the 'how' and the 'who' behind the production."
All Might's expression was grave. "The methods required to achieved it match very specific prior experience."
The implication hung in the air. Aizawa's face mirrored All Might's at this point. "You're saying that person from five years ago might be behind the League of Villains." He glanced at Yuta, realizing why All Might was being so cryptic. If there was a villain capable of maiming the Symbol of Peace, the mere mention of his existence would shatter the boy's fragile hope for safety.
"I am not certain, but the possibility exists. And if I'm right, then Endeavor's success would force him to make a move to save them. He will not sit back and watch them be destroyed. If he shows up .."
"Endeavor and the others might be in trouble," Aizawa finished for him. This wasn't just a raid on a villain hideout anymore.
He remembered how All Might described that battle. 'It Was The Hardest Fight Of My Life.'
Aizawa frowned. Their original plan was to head straight to I Island. This however would lead to derailment.
The silence that followed was deafening. Aizawa looked at the jet, then at Yuta. The mission had just undergone a catastrophic shift in priority. If Japan's hero society was about to be decapitated in a single night, the safety of one student, no matter how vital, became a secondary concern.
"Fine. We're going back. We don't have a choice." Aizawa uttered. "But even if you're right, we are four hours away. The HPSC won't wait. Endeavor's pride alone won't allow it."
"Then I have to make them wait," All Might said, finally pulling his phone out. "I'll tell Tsukauchi to tell the Commission that the 'Symbol of Peace' is declaring this a Level Zero threat. If they move without me, I will hold the HPSC personally responsible for every name on the casualty list."
Aizawa exhaled a long breath. Then turned to Yuta. "Akutami. Get on the plane. Now."
"Huh?" Yuta was stunned. "Hold on ... What?"