//67 power stones and I'll post another (within 24 hours)
[Some Time Later]
The sun shone its bountiful rays through the windows of the hallway, spilling out onto the floor in a dazzling pattern, almost making way for a sole student.
Renji walked back toward the classroom while stretching his arms back and forth, no hint of urgency in his step.
He would be arriving much later than Aizawa had suggested—it was literally the end of the school day.
Renji doubted that the teachers would get mad at him, he already had a lot of extra privileges so they would be used to his antics.
This wasn't really my fault, though. Renji mused, thinking about all the work he got done earlier.
— Flashback, Bio Lab —
The lab hummed with energy as tools and machinery littered the room in abundance.
Multiple researchers and scientists were scattered around the spacious room, all working together for one reason—to dissect the Nomu.
Renji stood at the forefront, looking at the main display in the center of the room, right in front of the massive Nomu laid down on the table.
The large body had yet to decompose. At first, it was because the Nomu had a very special body, but soon after, the scientists decided that it wasn't worth taking any chances and brought in an expert to use his Quirk to prevent any cellular decay.
Renji checked the data on the screen, noting the muscle density of the Nomu.
"Hmm…" Renji murmured, tilting his head slightly. From what he could tell, the Nomu was once a real person. All the data that Renji and the others gathered pointed to the same conclusion.
What Renji was more concerned about was whether the monster's strength was an inherent part of its body or if it had come from a Quirk.
If it's not just a Quirk, then I can't imagine the field day the heroes would have if there were more of this guy.
It would be absolute chaos, no doubt.
Despite the situation, Renji felt a smile creeping onto his face. They would be able to do a lot with the Nomu's body. And considering the monster's structure, the person behind this thing must be a prominent figure.
You don't get this type of outcome without having tons of money. And on top of that, they were able to develop the Nomu without anyone knowing.
With a sudden creak of the door, a small white mouse stepped into the bright lab, paws folded calmly behind his back.
"Hello, everyone!" Nezu greeted the team of scientists.
A few greetings rang out from the group, but most were too deep in their work and simply gave the principal a small wave.
Meanwhile, Renji popped open a couple of his canisters, allowing the nanobots that had been covering a portion of the Nomu's body to return to their respective containers.
Previously, Renji had been injecting them into the monstrous body, allowing them to analyze its anatomy in great detail.
Normally, the bots would rip it apart at the seams if the configuration was not precise. Even before, Renji was only able to inject them into his own body because they were heavily personalized.
He had spent five long real world years preparing them and countless others with his Quirk, helping him fine tune every minute detail.
I hope I never have to do that again. Having a Quirk that gives one infinite time was a great thing, but the years begin to catch up quickly.
The good thing about the Nomu being dead was the fact that its body would no longer resist any foreign manipulation. This meant that Renji only had to configure the nanobots slightly in order to fully utilize them.
The nanobots shifted into their containers with a soft clink, primed for their next mission.
Nezu watched the sequence with a pleasant expression. Very impressive work.
And even more impressive are the one's in the young boy's body. Nezu had been watching Renji work for quite some time prior to this, and he had not been disappointed. Not once had Renji stopped to monitor the bots in his body. They were extremely sustainable if they were able to keep working in his body wihtout maintenance.
"Hello, Renji!" Nezu flashed a cute smile, only possible due to his unique stature.
"It's nice to see you, Principal." Renji said, shoving his things into his bag.
"The pleasure's all mine!" Nezu replied, "Your nanobots are quite interesting."
His eyes squinted in curiosity, hoping to get some information out of his student. "I've seen your notes on those nanobots, but what about the ones in your body? How do they work?"
Renji chuckles while shaking his head. "It's a trade secret, Nezu. I won't be disclosing any more information about my bots, at least the one's in my body."
"Oh, don't be like that," The principal pressed on further, tapping his soft paw on the back of Renji's hand. "Let me in on the se—"
"No, Principal." Renji cut him off, his face losing all signs of warmth. "You know I won't be telling you more."
Nezu folded his paws back behind him, swaying back and forth in place with a small pout. "Alright, Renji. We'll talk about this another time."
Not willing to entertain the mouse any longer, Renji simply walked by without another word.
Just as he is about to tap the door to open it, he heard his name being called back.
"Renji?" Nezu asked, a paw on his chin. "Just what am I looking at?"
He turned to see Nezu looking up at the large screen above the Nomu's body. On it was the data Renji had collected and plastered on the screen like a trophy.
But that wasn't the reason why Nezu called him back. The problem was that all the data on the screen was encrypted.
A lone scientist branched off from her group, kneeling down beside Nezu.
"The boy had a brilliant mind, sir." She whispered, glancing back toward Renji. "But he has been a little uncooperative."
"He's open to discussing things and helping us with any problems they encounter…" The scientist continued, "but it's clear he's been keeping a few things to himself."
Nezu simply chuckled in response, waving the lady off. Renji sure is quite the character. How arrogant do you have to be to put encrypted data onto the largest screen in the room? The boy really is taunting the professionals.
Renji walked back to stand next to Nezu, telling him that he needs to get back for hero training class since it was the afternoon now.
"I've spent too much time here." Renji explained, trying to get his attention.
"Shush…" Nezu stopped him, eyes focused on the code ahead.
His brain exploded in a show of violent activity.
Neurons fired like gunshots, millions of synapses lighting up in a cascade of sparks. His neural network branched, folded, and reconnected in fractal patterns no ordinary brain could sustain. Where most minds processed a single chain of thought at a time, Nezu's High Spec allowed him to juggle entire webs of theories simultaneously, each neuron pulsing with data, adapting and rewriting connections on the fly.
While it was on by default, granting him the ability to speak and think like a regular human being, it truly shined when pushed to the absolute limit.
After a moment that stretched farther than Renji was comfortable with, Nezu smiled contently, reaching over for a nearby water bottle and draining it of its contents instantly.
"I'm very impressed with your work." Nezu finally said, "You've done a lot for us already, your notes are quite interesting."
Renji looked down at the rodent distrustfully, eyes squinting at the principal. For a few beats, the lab seemed to quiet around them, the hum of machines reduced to background noise compared to the weight of their silence.
Nezu wiped his mouth delicately with the back of his paw, setting the empty bottle aside. His expression was perfectly pleasant, but his neurons still burned with residual fire. He had pried open layers of the code, peeled back clever false trails, dismantled recursive patterns that would have snared lesser minds.
And yet—
I can't crack it fully.
Across from him, Renji's eyes carried their own quiet gleam. He'd seen the way Nezu stared, the slight hitch before he drank, the moment of silence too long to be anything but thought drowning in overdrive. He could imagine the labyrinth his cipher had forced the principal through.
And still—
He couldn't crack my cipher completely.
The two locked eyes, boy and beast, scientist and student. Neither said a word.
One smiled sweetly. The other smirked faintly.
Both turned away at the same time, as though nothing had happened at all.
With a smug expression, Renji turned to leave once again before Nezu abruptly grabbed his arm with his little paw, tugging him back.
"Stay a little longer," He said, a sudden fanatic gleam in his eyes. "I'll stay for a while too."
Renji looked at him blankly for a second before a smirk blossomed on his face, eager to face a fellow genius.
"Let's see what we can do."