"Is this my only option left…?"
The moment Shina Etsuha saw the portal open in front of him, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
His physical strength was far inferior to All For One's. The Substitution Technique could only be used once more at most. If he tried to escape elsewhere, he likely wouldn't survive.
In that case—
It was better to dive straight into the portal.
As for what lay beyond it… the answer was obvious. Based on his deductions, it could only be one of a few possibilities: the doctor's lab, a Nomu manufacturing base, or some other extremely dangerous location.
None of those were places anyone would willingly enter.
But Etsuha had already prepared for this.
The moment he stepped into the portal, he pulled out a small, pocket-sized comic book from his clothing.
It was the compact version of Naruto he had stuffed away earlier.
"Transformation Technique… found it!"
Without hesitation, Etsuha extracted the basic Transformation Technique. It was a simple ability—requiring very little energy and almost no time to activate.
In an instant, it was complete.
He visualized Shigaraki Tomura's appearance.
A cloud of white smoke enveloped him—
—and when it cleared, he had become Shigaraki Tomura.
"He went in!" Kurogiri said excitedly.
"Hmph. Looking for death."
All For One sneered.
He knew exactly where Kurogiri's portal led—the Nomu production facility. There were countless Nomu inside. Their sheer numbers alone would be enough to tear Etsuha apart in his current condition.
However—
The black flames still burning on his body were far more urgent.
His expression darkened as he gave another command:
"Kurogiri. Take me to the doctor. Now!"
At this point, Etsuha was already as good as dead in his eyes. The Nomu would devour him sooner or later.
The only thing that mattered now… was extinguishing the flames.
Kurogiri didn't dare hesitate. He immediately opened another portal, grabbing Shigaraki Tomura as he moved to retreat.
"Wait… don't go…"
All Might struggled to rise.
But his strength had reached its limit.
All he could do was watch as All For One disappeared.
By the time reinforcements finally arrived, it was already too late.
USJ was far from U.A.'s main buildings. Even rushing at full speed, the teachers could only witness the aftermath—the League of Villains retreating, and Etsuha vanishing into the portal.
"Damn it!" Present Mic shouted angrily.
"He's been taken to the villains' base…" Principal Nezu's expression darkened. "How are we supposed to explain this to Mt. Lady…? She'll be devastated…"
"This is our failure…" Cementoss said, his voice heavy with guilt.
Nearby, Recovery Girl worked tirelessly to treat the injured.
When she examined Midoriya Izuku's arm, her expression shifted from surprise to concern.
"This injury… ordinary healing won't be enough."
Without a stronger medical Quirk, recovery would be extremely difficult.
And the one person who might have been able to help—
Was gone.
Fortunately, the rest of the situation wasn't as dire. Despite his severe injuries, Aizawa Shouta stabilized quickly under treatment. All Might, though exhausted and injured, was still within Recovery Girl's ability to heal.
Thanks to Etsuha's earlier support, the other students had only minor injuries.
Upon learning this, All Might lowered his head, his expression heavy.
"…He's the true hero."
The scale of this disaster had far exceeded anything in the original scenario. Facing such overwhelming odds—Nomu, villains, and even All For One—there should have been casualties.
And yet—
There were none.
Because of Etsuha.
In Class 1-A, many students broke down in tears. His willingness to sacrifice himself for everyone left them ashamed—and devastated.
All Might even wanted to organize a rescue team immediately.
But his body wouldn't allow it.
After this battle, his condition had deteriorated even further. His transformation time had shortened again.
U.A.'s losses were minimal—
Except for one.
And that absence weighed heavily on everyone.
…
Thud.
On the other side of the portal—
Etsuha landed inside an abandoned factory.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt it—
Dozens of gazes locking onto him.
He looked up sharply.
All around him stood Nomu.
They stared at him blankly. Though there was a hint of confusion in their eyes, none of them attacked.
"…Just as I thought."
Etsuha stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Nomu identify targets based on Shigaraki Tomura's appearance and voice. As long as I perfectly replicate both… they won't attack me."
The Transformation Technique was deceptively powerful.
Now, his appearance and voice were identical to Shigaraki Tomura's—so much so that even the real Shigaraki might not be able to tell the difference.
Unless these Nomu could recognize souls—
There was no way they could distinguish him.
With that thought, Etsuha stepped forward, approaching one of the Nomu.
In Shigaraki Tomura's voice, he gave a simple command:
"Kneel."
Thump.
A large group of Nomu instantly dropped to the ground.
Etsuha froze for a moment—
Then a slow smile spread across his face.
These Nomu…
Could be used.