Kunoichi amongst Heroes (mha x naruto) (naruto crossvoer) (bnha)

The final match of the Sports Festival was bringing people on the street to a stop to view the fight on whatever screen or device was available for streaming. Although nothing was like a front-row seat to the spectacle. The crowds cheered with vigor after Sakura and Katsuki stepped onto the stage. They watched as the two finalists faced one another, Katsuki's eyes gleaming bright with determination, a rather vicious smile strained with intensity on his face while Sakura in contrast to her opponent was calm and indifferent.

"Now it's time for our last battle for the U.A. Sports Festival! The best of our first years will be decided with this one match! From the hero course Sakura Haruno versus-also from the hero course Katsuki Bakugou!"

It was tense up until the moment Hizashi called for the match to start, Sakura could feel the way people's gazes sharpened as if trying to pierce into her. She also sensed great hostility from Katsuki. He was so determined to win, to leap across any obstacle. This made him unconcerned about the possible difference in strength. It was somewhat admirable that he wouldn't allow himself to be deterred from his goal for any reason.

"START"

Smoke mixed in the air as Katsuki used his explosions to propel forward, unlike when he chose to remain stationary while fighting Ochaco, allowing her to make the first move while he stayed on guard. He knew well enough that there was a stark difference between his opponent then and now.

Sakura hadn't taken any action while he came to her with the intent to attack first.

'I will win!'

When Katsuki reached her, he came at her with a right-hook, just as he did all the other times she saw him fight. Unlike most of her other classmates, Katsuki didn't waver in fights despite his inexperience. While arrogant he wasn't naive. He would at least know by now that Sakura wasn't an ordinary opponent either and would show some degree of caution. He just couldn't gauge the real difference.

His palm had a light glow as it dragged along the ground at her, creating a light smoke screen. Sakura side-stepped it, keeping herself away from the center point of the blast. The heat lightly touched her skin and smoke filled her sight but Katsuki wasn't done there. He saw her move and came again with a right swing. And once more she avoided the attack with the most subtle movements, that didn't even require her to take a step.

"So you already knew not to wait for me to make the first move," Sakura spoke while avoiding Katsuki's explosions that were being thrown at her with full vigor.

Releasing a battle cry, Katsuki began taking jabs at his opponent, making sure to add an explosion with each strike but Sakura's figure was blurring as she evaded them. Her hands effectively moving his out of their desired path every time he got too close. What irked Katsuki the most, was the apathetic expression she held while maintaining these efforts against him.

'She's damn sly!'

She was used to this kind of fighting method. Tsunade had trained her well to avoid attacks and read her opponent's patterns. Katsuki had to reel his arms back a certain length when he used his explosions to avoid getting caught in his own attack otherwise he would have to control the output of his power.

Katsuki's attacks could vary from close to mid-range, and further with his equipment but right now Sakura knew he was trying to use the distance to his advantage. Not close enough for her to strike and enough for his explosions to deal damage.

He was trying to keep his composure but it wasn't easy when his opponent was displaying her nonchalant manners to his fierce attacks. For Katsuki the progression of this match was like having a gap drawn between them and watching it grow. He was determined to make sure he was on the side with his back turned to her and not the one trying to build a bridge to cross over to the other side.

Sakura moved like clear flowing water, she was able to predict his movements and adjust herself accordingly without much momentum. A few more attempted and failed hits, Sakura moved in closer till they were barely three inches apart, aggravated by the smug expression in the creases of her eyes and mouth, Katsuki was taken aback when she flicked his forehead, knocking him away.

Katsuki used his explosions to adjust himself mid-air and landed crouched, resembling a predator preparing for an attack. He didn't miss the way his forehead throbbed however and his vision was slightly blurred. There was more power than he initially thought behind that hit.

With the distance, Hizashi was able to use it to finally get a word in for commentary.

"What a-rockin' start! Looks like Bakugou and Haruno are really dancing around each other!"

"Not really," Shouta interjected, "Bakugou's the one being dragged along the floor while Haruno's barely moved a step from where she started,"

'She's better than I thought,'

When Shouta received first years, it was always the same routine. Taking care of kids that had no experience or resolve, with egos and temperaments that had them causing trouble over anything and everything. For a long time, he had believed Sakura Haruno also fell into that category.

But she was slowly proving that her confidence was not without merit. Her actions against the villains at the USJ, her performance against her classmates during training and now the sports festival were showing that she was more capable than he believed. Shouta had seen how kids coveted their quirks. Power is always disruptive in one form or another. Especially when you lacked experience.

It's how he was able to find the flaws in all his students and measure their potential.

Even Shouto Todoroki who had such an incredible quirk coupled with his status as Endeavour's son did not stop Shouta from viewing him as an inexperienced child. One that relied far too much on brute force and the sheer extent of his power.

Sakura on the other hand was difficult for him to decipher. He believed she was just a cocky girl with a great quirk who had no idea of the harshness of the world like the rest of his class. Then she goes and acts against his expectations at the USJ. Thinking back, he had not seen her display a moment of fear. He had received a similar report from All Might who talked about how she took down the leader of the villain group without receiving any injury.

Someone he had struggled against.

During her matches, Sakura hadn't unnecessarily displayed her strength and was still able to overwhelm her opponents. Perhaps her reckless behavior was not entirely unwarranted. However, that didn't mean Shouta believed she was anything more than a child who still lacked experience.

It was just a matter of how much she was lacking that he believed he misinterpreted. At the same time he wondered; why did someone with so much potential openly express her disdain in training to become a hero?

Katsuki stared at Sakura's feet, wearing the ridiculous opened-toed baby-heels; seeing that she hadn't moved from her initial position. And he wasn't going to take it.

"You think a little forehead flick is going to stop me!?" Ruby-eyes roared with a rage that carried the tone of their owner but it did nothing to insight even a spark of fear in his target.

"Didn't it?"

"HELL NO DAMMIT"

"You're big on denial huh?"

Katsuki then dragged one of his hands across the floor while charging at her again, bringing up rubble with his explosion, Katsuki felt a weight roll over his back as Sakura threw herself into the direction of his attack only to go across his back and get behind him.

He flung his other hand towards her and while keeping her back turned she blocked him with her arm, throwing his attack off course. Pushing against her arm, Katsuki found he couldn't push past her physical strength and decided to step back.

Katsuki wasn't putting up a defense against her, choosing to focus on offense alone. He likely realized the better option was to spend his energy fighting than defending.

'He is fierce.' Sakura thought, avoiding another blast at her head.

He brought his leg up to kick, without breaking eye contact, Sakura blocked him with her leg, then swatting at his hands to keep them out of range. Katsuki was trying to break through her defenses with all his strength.

Again Katsuki shot into the air, using his blast to propel himself quickly down to Sakura but she kept maneuvering out of his fire range without going too far. But it was allowing Katsuki to see the real damage distance of his blast.

He was starting to maneuver around more, taking the air and attack with his blast but he couldn't go too far or the power would dissipate before it reached her. So he took to close the distance again; meeting the same results.

Katsuki could see, she was too good at dodging. He needed to take her off balance. She was practically dancing around him just like she had with Shouto. Without even a glimmer of sweat on her brow.

'Why can't I get a hit in?' When he swiped at her, she swatted him away with ease. She countered and dodged every attack he had thrown at her and Katsuki was seeing the gap between them grow.

"What the hell are you doing?" He exclaimed, "I told you-you're not going to win by half-assing this time! Not with me!"

"Really, but you're having trouble already," Sakura asked, leaning far back. "And I haven't even attacked yet Katsuki."

'Now!'

Katsuki jumped into the air just above her body, ready to throw down a blast directly in her face when the pink head ducked back further, her feet left the ground and her hands fell back to push herself up and with the tip of her heel to kick at his foot. It was enough to make him lose his balance and caused him to fall flat on his back, while Sakura landed on her feet.

'With just the back of her heel!' He was on the ground because of a move like that? Anger and embarrassment were now burning within him as he faced Sakura. More than he thought possible. This resentment was usually preserved for Izuku but he was beginning to reflect similar feelings towards her.

"Shit, I told you this isn't some fucking joke!" Blasting back in the air, Katsuki held his hands out directing at Sakura. They burned a brilliant yellow closing to white, "DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME,"

'STUN GRENADE,' Omitting an explosion with a brighter flash, not so much for attacking but as the name entailed to stun his opponent. The momentary blindness would give him the opening he needed. At least that's what Katsuki thought. He found Sakura with her eyes shut, shielding her face as expected and all that mattered was reaching her.

"DIE," He screamed, taking her arm and grabbing the collar of her jacket. Using his explosion, Katsuki flung her across the stadium. But he wasn't leaving it to gravity to do the job, and launched himself at her, his hand ready with an explosion to blast her out of bounds. Then he heard her voice.

"You think you have an advantage in the air."

He didn't stop though, his palm releasing a heavy explosion but at the same time, Sakura had started adjusting her body mid-air till she was upright with her right leg raised high in the air, before smacking it hard into the ground.

The impact of her attack blended with Katsuki's to create a force that pushed him back skidding across the ground, creating debris from the damaged stage that had cracked like glass. He waited for the dust clouds to clear. It didn't look like the kick had done that much damage since Sakura's intent was only to push him back. Yet he could see the cracks still extending along the stage as if there was still power beneath her kick.

"The hell. I knew you were half-assing now you're pissing me off!"

Straightening, Sakura spoke casually, "Your fighting style is aggressive Katsuki, that's what makes you so easy to read. As for half-assing, I just don't over-exert myself more than necessary."

Her message was clear; if he wanted her to give it her all, he would have to do a lot better than his current state. Katsuki felt the vein on his forehead throb, "You-I'll kill you-

"Then do it," Sakura dared. There was a quick change in Katsuki's expression, falling into surprise and disbelief.

"What?"

"It's embarrassing hearing you talk about killing as if you're that capable. So go ahead….give me your best shot," Sakura's eyes gleamed with a new light that was like ice sent down Katsuki's spine.

"You….." Katsuki's fingers twitched, as he felt the sweat running down his palms. For him, it meant more power to his explosions but there was something uncomfortable about this sudden perspiration on his body.

It was the first time Katsuki was convinced that Sakura was taking him seriously. Just as he wanted, and yet it was also unsettling. Still, he wouldn't waste this chance. He wouldn't let anything or anyone stand in his way of absolute victory. Even his own feelings.

"Want me to kill you huh?" His lips spread across his face, almost strained. "I'll show you what happens when you underestimate me!"

First, he took off running getting enough speed, then he was up in the air. Uncaring that Sakura was doing nothing to prepare herself.

It was like sitting on the edge of a cliff, that's how high tensions had become as the audience grew quiet watching the finalists battle.

'Just watch, I'll show you and every one her that I'm…NUMBER ONE!'

Katsuki began alternating his blast from his right hand to his left, spinning and propelling in the air with a set course. Continuing to grin as he closed in on Sakura. His palms lighting, the muscles in his arms tensing to to point of pain that it burned as he pushed his power to its limit.

"HOWITZER IMPACT!"

He swung out at Sakura, his palm hitting her head on before almost the entire stage was covered by the brightness and heat of Katsuki's explosion.

"Waah, Bakugou attacks adding momentum and rotation to the same blast he used against Uraraka, like a human projectile! What's become of Haruno!? It doesn't look like she was able to defend against this one!"

Dust clouds were still too heavy on stage for anyone to make out the results even Katsuki was struggling to see the outcome. But he was certain that this time his attack had landed. He felt his palms against Sakura before he was blinded by his blast. He saw her body being flung back before everything was covered.

Panting softly, Katsuki pushed himself to his feet, glaring straight ahead in the general direction he expected to see Sakura. Outside of the stage bounds. "Ho-How's that for killing intent huh Fivehead?"

He didn't feel the presence behind him, but her voice caused his body to tense as if a ghost was standing behind him.

"Not bad, you didn't hold back."

'Impossible!'

Katsuki wasn't the only one who felt like they had just missed a page in this chapter as the smoke cleared revealing Sakura standing behind the blonde, without so much as a scuff mark on her clothing.

"So you expanded a powerful explosion to block any means escape."

Yes. He had done that and he had made sure she was taking the hit at blank range. So why was she standing there as if she wasn't right in front of it? As if it didn't knock her back because he saw it. He was so sure.

"What the hell…you're still standing?"

Her response was to smile.

"WHAT? Haruno appears to be unharmed but when did she doge that huge explosion? Eraser they're your students; thoughts?"

"I don't know." Was the homeroom teacher's blunt reply. Although in the booth, he was quite stunned. He had been watching diligently and Sakura was in front of Katsuki's blast on impact. How could she have bypassed that attack without any indication she moved before the explosion?

"How did you escape?!"

Sakura tilted her head, "I wonder…."

"Why you!" All patience was lost when Katsuki attacked. Determined to leave some mark on the pink head girl. But when he released his blast, the back of his hand burned slightly as the explosion was compressed tightly by a smaller hand.

Sakura coated her hand in chakra to shield against Katsuki's explosion, clasping his hand roughly. "You and our classmates, everyone; you're so dependant on your quirks that it's become your most obvious weakness,"

"DAMMIT!"

Using his free hand, Katsuki prepared another explosion for Sakura but she pulled him forward, at the same time drawing back her fist and before Katsuki could release a blast, he felt himself rising in the air as the bones in his face felt like they were straining, his vision turned back before he could taste blood in his mouth and before he met the ground. Falling as fast as a bird with a broken wing.

The stadium filled with thousands of spectators was terrifyingly quiet and then finally the results were called out.

"Bakugou is out of bounds! The winner of the first-year sports festival Sakura Haruno!"

There was a powerful soundwave of cheers that followed signaling for Sakura to leave the stage uncompelled to give in to the hysteria and relieved that the Sports Festival has finally ended. Sakura's performance however was going to remain engraved in the minds of her classmates as they began to see just how big the difference in standing was. And would have to use that realization to push forward.

Izuku watched Sakura take her leave off stage without a glance or friendly smile towards the photographers, who were eagerly snapping images.

'Kacchan lost.' He had known the blonde most of their lives and he had always seen Katsuki as overwhelmingly strong. Aside from a flaring personality, Katsuki's traits were not lacking and he never ceased to amaze Izuku. But today, he saw his childhood friend indisputably lose to his classmate. Sakura had walked off that stage in the same condition when she had walked on it, while Katsuki was laying on a stretcher being taken to the nurse's office.

Katsuki was not weak. Izuku knew that firsthand how strong he was, but that just meant Sakura was even stronger.

Shouto also lost to her and he was dubbed the 'strongest in class,' although that title would probably change after today, but even so, it had taken this long for them to see their classmate's true power.

Ochaco spoke, still looking at the empty stage, "I didn't know Sakura was this strong, I wonder why she never showed her real power until now?"

That's something Izuku couldn't understand himself. From the first day, everyone was eager to show off their quirks ability but she missed it, in combat training she didn't show off her strength at all, they only found out about her healing and clones during the USJ attack, and the sports festival they learned she can scale surfaces.

For years Izuku had been analyzing quirks, and he had a feeling something was off about Sakura's.

'Could she…..'

"Finally over!" Sakura said cheerily, skipping beside Hitoshi out of the gate.

"That makes sense, the winner of the sports festival is glad it's ended. Does absolute adoration and glory not suit your tastes?"

Sakura sighed, "The award ceremony was irritating,"

Standing up in front of the media gleefully snapping pictures of her while standing on the first-place pillar of the podium with an angry Katsuki on her right glaring daggers and a solemn Shouto on her left didn't make for a comfortable situation.

"Not a media fan…you're going to be a great hero." Sakura swatted Hitoshi's arm at the sarcastic comment. It wasn't as if he'd know she had no intention of becoming a hero or remaining in this world.

'Not that I'm any closer to figuring out how to leave.'

Hitoshi heard his phone ringing, and answered, "Hello mom? Yeah, I didn't get very far though….no I wasn't hurt that bad and my injuries were healed…We don't have to go out for dinner…..Thanks, see you soon," There was a light blush of happiness dancing across Hitoshi's cheeks.

"Sounds like you're celebrating when you get home huh?"

"Yeah, even though I didn't win. My parents know the dilemma with my quirk and wanting to be a hero, so it makes them kinda overbearing sometimes."

"That's sweet," Sakura said sincerely.

"I guess; I bet you're going to have quite the welcome when you get home."

"Mmm…sure." For a moment, she had lost the strength to hold a cheerful tone with her smile, a burning sensation entered her chest, bringing so much pain that she couldn't draw a breath.

"Sakura are you okay?"

It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling. Just quick occurrences that almost seemed like ghosting pains. Her chest would feel like it was tightening and then it would stop just as quickly as it began. Always at the point of her scar.

Sakura examined her body a few times after the incident and there was nothing out of the ordinary detected and it was often a fleeting experience without any lingering effects that it became a passing thought. There was already so much for her to digest in this world that she hardly cared about a scar that should've been a fatal wound.

"Sakura…."

Taking a breath, she straightened, "I'm fine,"

From that afternoon to her hospital shift the next day, without any sleep, Sakura continued her research of the world and quirks.

It had been over ten years since Shouto saw his mother, his last memory included a kettle of boiling water and her cries of despair mixed with his screams as he felt his skin peel back, exposing his flesh. He wasn't even able to see her off before she was sent away. Fuyumi was the only one who had really kept in contact with Rei after that. While she was gone, his sister had also tried to make up for the space their mother once occupied and attempted to hold together what was left of their home and family.

Shouto had avoided seeing his mother because he wasn't able to forget the expression she made before she poured the water over him. Her kind eyes clouded over with instability and agony as her grasp of reality became fractured, it was an expression of someone calling for help only to realize that no one would save them. He felt as if his mother had been standing on the edge because of his father and was finally pushed off by Shouto.

The fact that his mother had to be sent away because of his father's ambitions not only started nurturing a deep-seated hatred toward Enji but also himself. And suddenly everything that Shouto had, everything that he was; from his last name to his quirk, to the blood that ran through his veins, it all felt vile and corrupted. Like a curse, he would carry for the rest of his life, wrapped around his neck trying to choke him.

He thought that a way to lessen that feeling was to reject the fire he inherited from Enji and become a hero, unlike his father. He wanted to remove all traces of Enji Todoroki from his existence but blood was thick. His quirk would always be half-hot half-cold. He would always share a quirk with Enji. It wasn't going to matter whether or not he used it.

For years Shouto had said his mother would be better if she didn't see him again but he just didn't want her to look at him like that again; it was worse than the pain of boiling water on his face. His mother was the one person that was allowed in Shouto's secluded world, the one person that protected and supported him and saw him as more than just an end goal, but even she had been taken, and after that Shouto wasn't able to see anything passed his father's back.

He even went so far as to think of his quirk as the embodiment of each of his parents, which is why he only used Rei's and resented using his flames because every time he did, he saw Enji. He wanted to always carry a part of his mother while discarding his father.

But that wasn't possible and after his fight with Izuku, he realized that he was the one who had tied his parent's images to his quirk because he was trapped in the past. He remembered Izuku telling him that his quirk belonged to him, not his father's, in turn not his mother's either, and Sakura pointing out his obvious turmoil. He needed to overcome all of this, but he had been afraid to, knowing what it would entail.

The memories of his mother crying, the fear of being rejected by her, kept Shouto from attempting to reach out to her but he knew now that he wouldn't be able to move forward if he didn't. He also wanted to save her.

On his way to the hospital, Shouto kept his eyes forward to not let his heart sway and turn him around. The moment he set foot in the hospital, he tried to keep his indifference when he spoke to the receptionist, and every step towards his mother's room added the weight of realization of his actions, but he kept going.

With shaking breath, a lump in his throat, and his heart beating on his ribcage; he reached for the door and pushed.

Soft laughter met his ears, as the room came into view. Rei sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes soft and a tiny smile etched across her side profile. Shouto almost didn't notice the second person standing in the room, until he realized it was a familiar face.

"Shouto?" Sakura gasped. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two as silence filled the room. Realizing the situation quickly, she quickly excused herself, stepping past Shouto and quietly closing the door.

While surprised by her presence, Shouto didn't forget his objective, and locked eyes with Rei, "Mom,"

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'Oh boy.'

Sakura made sure no one disturbed Rei and Shouto, even when visiting hours had ended for the day, that meant she was going to have to assume responsibility for making sure he left even though her shift ended an hour ago. It didn't matter, since she knew Shouto would want to confront her about this situation anyway and she'd rather it be here than at school.

Shouto turned the corner, entering the lobby where she was sitting, occupied with a book in hand. She pretended not to notice, considering that locking eyes from the distance could make him waver. Like she was trying to earn the trust of a feral cat.

Only when he was in front did Sakura lookup. "Hey."

Shouto wanted her to follow him outside, they left the hospital premises without saying a word to one another. They walked side by side, but with a heavy silence that would convince onlookers, they were strangers going in the same direction. It wasn't until the third block that Shouto chose to speak, but he kept his eyes ahead.

"You knew about me and my family from the beginning."

"Yes," Sakura answered curt but honest.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Shouto didn't often care about the answers to questions in this context but this was a personal matter for him. Izuku was the only one he shared his story with but it turned out that Sakura was the one who knew more about him from the start. Yet she had kept that to herself even when he lashed out at her.

"I didn't think it was necessary. Even though I know your mom's situation and we're classmates, it doesn't change the fact that we're strangers to each other. I don't think you would want a stranger confronting you about your personal matters."

At that time, he knew he wouldn't have responded well and would have probably shown more animosity towards Sakura if she had tried to coax him into speaking by revealing that she already knew about his situation. He would have been hostile, as it involved his mother and he'd likely lose all sense of reasoning.

"Then why did you say those things to me?"

Sakura knew he was referring to when she asked if he was alright and that he was welcome to talk to her. "I was concerned because I saw you were upset. It wasn't because I predicted the reason. I would do it for any of our classmates."

It was as if she could read his thoughts because that was the answer he had been looking for despite his aloof question. So she had just been generally concerned about him, in a non-personal sense.

"I see." Shouto paused, "What I said before….…. I'm sorry."

Sakura smiled, "I understand, and I'm also sorry for prodding at you."

Looking at his left hand, Shouto spoke in almost a whisper, "I'm still considering what you said, about my quirk and my conflict. I thought I had resolved never to use my flames in a fight because I wanted to reject my father, but then I faced Midoriya and you, becoming overwhelmed and breaking it. I couldn't see what my decisions were doing."

"I could see the way you hedged when you used your left side, even though it was impulsive. It's your choice if and how you want to use your flames, but you need to consider the consequences as well. The sports festival was just a game, but life isn't. If you become a hero and you're put in a position where your flames are needed and you can't properly use it, you might end up putting someone else at risk."

Shouto didn't want to think about this fact before, because his father had also pointed it out to him. That even if he got through high school without using his flames, it would be very different outside but he blocked those words, and wouldn't contemplate them. Not if it meant using his left side. But seeing his mother, looking at her smile, was what reassured him that he could. He could move forward.

"Yeah, I had a lot to think about. I still do but I'm going to keep moving forward and become a hero."

Walking past, Sakura made her way down the street and Shouto knew this was the end of their conversation. She spoke again but didn't look back.

"The trick is to not regret the decisions you make along the way."