MY HERO ACADEMIA:NEXT GENERATION

Chapter 32: Hidden Truths 2

Kenji hadn’t expected much at first. After all, he had already known he was adopted by the Todoroki family as a baby, and while his father never told him much about his biological parents, Kenji had always assumed it was just a closed chapter. But as he opened the folder, he realized that this was different.

His heart had stopped when he saw the heavily redacted documents before him documents labeled Top Security Clearance.

His name was there, listed as "Kenji Todoroki," but the sections where his biological parents’ names should have been? Blacked out. The hospital records? Redacted. The birth location? Classified.

"What the hell is this?" Kenji had whispered, his fingers trembling as he flipped through the file.

"I don’t know," Kai had admitted, his voice more serious than Kenji had ever heard it. "But whatever it is, someone’s gone to great lengths to keep it hidden. This wasn’t a simple adoption, Kenji. There’s more going on here than we realized."

Kenji had looked up at him, feeling like the ground beneath him was crumbling. "Who else knows about this?"

Kai’s expression had darkened. "Your dad."

Now, back in his room, Kenji sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the ceiling, the weight of everything pressing down on him like an anvil. Shoto Todoroki, his father, had known the truth this whole time and had kept it hidden from him. Why? What was so important that he’d lie to his own son?

Kenji tried to steady his breathing, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His father had always been a protective figure, keeping him shielded from danger, but this was different. This wasn’t about safety. This was about trust. And now, that trust was shattered.

A sharp knock on the door pulled Kenji from his thoughts.

“Kenji,” Shoto’s voice came through the door, calm but firm. “Can I come in?”

Kenji stiffened, his anger bubbling beneath the surface. Of all the nights for his father to want to talk, it had to be now?

“Yeah,” Kenji muttered, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Shoto opened the door and stepped inside, his usual composed expression giving away nothing. He looked at Kenji for a long moment, as if trying to read his son’s mind.

“I know things have been... tense between us,” Shoto began, folding his arms. “But I wanted to make sure you’re alright. You've been quieter than usual.”

Kenji stared at him, his chest tightening. Part of him wanted to confront his father right then and there, to demand answers, but he wasn’t ready. Not yet. He needed to know more. He needed to understand why Shoto had kept this from him. There had to be a good reason.

“I’m fine,” Kenji said stiffly, avoiding eye contact. “Just... thinking.”

Shoto frowned slightly but didn’t push. “Alright. But remember, if there’s anything you want to talk about, you can always come to me.”

Kenji felt a bitter laugh rise in his throat but swallowed it down. Instead, he just nodded, trying to keep his voice steady. “Sure, Dad.”

Shoto lingered for a moment, as if sensing something wasn’t right, but eventually, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Kenji exhaled sharply, the tension leaving his body in a rush. He had to find out the truth. But how?

The next morning, Kenji met with Kai again, this time under the guise of training. They headed out to a secluded area in a park, where they could talk freely without drawing too much attention.

“I don’t get it,” Kenji said, pacing back and forth. “Why would my dad hide something like this from me? Why go to all this trouble to cover it up?”

Kai leaned against a tree, watching him calmly. “Maybe he was trying to protect you. Whatever’s in those records, it’s big. It’s not just some private family matter it’s classified. That means it could be dangerous.”

Kenji ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Yeah, but it’s my life. I deserve to know.”

Kai nodded. “Agreed. But we’re going to need more than just a few redacted documents. I’ve got a lead on where we might find the rest of the information, but it’s not going to be easy. We’ll have to dig deeper into official archives, and that means hacking into government servers.”

Kenji’s eyes widened. “You can do that?”

Kai smirked, a rare expression on his usually stoic face. “I’ve done it before. But it’s risky. If we get caught, it could bring a lot of heat down on us.”

Kenji paused, weighing the options. He knew that what they were doing was dangerous, but he couldn’t turn back now. He had to know the truth about his past about who he really was.

“Let’s do it,” Kenji said firmly. “I need to know.”

That night, Kai worked from his hidden setup, tapping into encrypted networks and bypassing security protocols with precision. Kenji sat beside him, watching the lines of code flash across the screen, feeling both anxious and exhilarated. He was finally on the verge of learning the truth.

After what felt like hours, Kai leaned back in his chair. “Got it,” he said, pulling up a series of documents that had been buried deep in government databases.

Kenji’s heart raced as he leaned closer, his eyes scanning the screen. And there, in front of him, was the information he had been searching for.

His biological parents’ names.

His birth records.

The classified nature of his adoption.

It was all there, laid out in stark detail. And at the center of it all... was Shoto. His father had been involved in keeping these records sealed, making sure that Kenji’s origins were hidden.

“Why?” Kenji whispered, his voice shaking. “Why would he do this?”

Kai didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The truth was already clear.

Shoto had known all along.

Kenji clenched his fists, a surge of anger and betrayal flooding his veins. He had trusted his father. And now, it felt like that trust had been shattered into a million pieces.

Kenji returned home that night, his mind swirling with emotions. His relationship with his father had always been complicated, but this... this was different. This was betrayal on a level he hadn’t anticipated.

As he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling once again, he couldn’t help but think about the next step. Confronting Shoto was inevitable, but how? How could he face his father, knowing that he had been hiding this from him for so long?

His phone buzzed, breaking him out of his thoughts. It was a message from Ren.

Ren: Hey, you wanna hang out tomorrow? We could train or grab something to eat.

Kenji stared at the message, his heart heavy. He still had so much to fix with Ren, and now, this new revelation about his past felt like an even bigger weight on his shoulders.

Kenji: Yeah, sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow.

He needed to fix things with Ren. He needed to put this mess with his dad aside for now. But the truth? It wasn’t something he could ignore forever. The confrontation was coming. And when it did, Kenji wasn’t sure if he’d be able to forgive his father.