As the video continued, all of them watched in silence.
Even Nemuri, who had seen Maki's face countless times, felt something shift inside her.
They were captivated by his appearance alone.
To everyone in that room, he didn't look like an ordinary man. He looked like something out of a forgotten fairytale, the kind whispered about in old stories. He was simply that beautiful. Unreal. Refined. Almost untouchable.
But for Maki himself, it was different.
In his own mind, he just thought he looked good. Like watching himself change from a rough carp into a white crappie. A simple improvement. Nothing more. Because what did beauty matter when death did not care about it? When the sea could claim you without hesitation? His life had always been challenged by the waves every time he sailed. Survival had never depended on a handsome face.
So such things were meaningless to him.
But not to the others.
To them, he was flawless. A rare gem polished by something harsher than time.
Even Shakuyaku saw it that way.
Her cigarette slipped from her fingers and fell onto the white table, forgotten. Her eyes never left the screen. They were sharp, studying him, trying to decipher what he truly was. For once, she wasn't teasing or smiling. She was completely focused.
The video continued.
Maki leapt high into the sky, his body cutting cleanly through the air as if gravity had momentarily forgotten him. He lingered there, feeling the breeze, before dropping back down to the ground.
Their reactions were immediate. Surprise. Even disbelief at his physical resilience.
Mei licked her lips unconsciously as she watched him.
Then they saw him clasp his hands together.
They heard the whisper.
"Mokuton… Shu Wu…"
Before their eyes, a massive tree—at least fifty feet tall—erupted from the earth. Its trunk twisted upward in a powerful surge of life, branches spreading wide. And within it, seamlessly formed, was a tree house embedded in its core.
"Mokuton, or Wood Release," Mabui said evenly, "is a bloodline ability that originated from the Senju family."
"That means he's from the Senju family?" Aizawa asked.
"I'm not sure," Mabui replied.
They watched as he entered the tree house and began materializing objects.
"What is this? Can chakra even do that?" Present Mic asked.
"No…" Yoruichi said slowly. "I don't know how he did that. When I was there, I didn't feel any energy fluctuations. If my guess is right… that's his Authority over genetics."
"That's impossible," Gion said sharply. "And if that's true, then…"
Silence swallowed the room.
The video continued.
They saw him notice the cat—Yoruichi's transformed state.
Then they saw it.
His dark red eyes shifted, deepening, and three tomoes appeared within them.
BAAAANG—
Mabui slammed her hands onto the table. "What is this? How does he have those?"
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, almost suffocating.
Everyone there knew what those red eyes meant. They carried history.
All Might clenched his fists, staring at the screen.
They watched as he went to sleep. Thankfully, the scene involving Yoruichi had been cut. The screen went dark, then brightened again. Morning.
They saw him doing simple chores.
Then suddenly, he stopped.
He went still.
His head lowered until it pressed against the table.
"What happened to him?" Present Mic asked.
No one answered.
Then they heard his voice, deep and quiet.
"The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best that we can do is to start over."
The words carried weight. Different meanings for each person in the room.
"The world has changed…" Nezu repeated softly.
"None of us can go back," Aizawa said.
"All we can do is our best," All Might muttered.
"And sometimes the best we can do is to start over," Unohana finished.
Silence settled again.
Their eyes never left Maki.
They saw him stand, head lowered. He walked to the edge of the tree and stepped off.
They watched as he fell.
His hair flowed above him, suspended in the air. As his body faced the sky, his face became clearer. His eyes had changed again, now glowing like polished ruby.
Then his eyes filled with tears.
They heard him call for his mother.
He said he was fine.
That everything was alright.
No one knew what to feel watching him like that—so exposed, so vulnerable.
Nemuri, the one closest to him, couldn't hold it anymore. She broke down right there. Mei moved beside her and wrapped her in an embrace.
But they also saw something else.
A change.
His eyes burned brighter than ever.
A genuine smile.
A new conviction carved into his expression.
They all smiled at the same time.
Even Aizawa did, though he hadn't realized it yet.
Then they heard his laugh.
They watched as he flipped midair.
In his right fist, the air seemed to condense. Muscles tightened. Veins bulged.
His deep voice echoed.
"Mo—a… Mo–a Hyaku-bai…"
Then he punched the ground.
BoooooooOooooooOom—
The entire chamber shook violently.
The screen cut to black.
No one spoke.
They sat there in silence, slowly processing what they had just witnessed.
( ・д・)AM N. NOT.