Hello there ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to a new Co-authored fanfic brought to you by the collaboration of writers Tobi Wants a Cookie and acw28. Tobi Wants a Cookie is known for fanfics such as A Better Route and The Red Fox, while acw28 is known for works like A New Realm and Lost Legacy. It is, as you likely already know, a crossover between the universes of Naruto and Marvel (Particularly the supernatural side of things, especially as we get further into things), and the rest you'll have to read for yourself to find out. Hopefully the description gave you an idea of what to expect. Updates will come out as frequently as they can, but this is being written by two busy college students who've got real life to think about as well. The schedual for the realse of the coming chapters will be interesting to say the least. Thank you so much for reading and be sure to review.

Chapter Soundtrack - LA Devotee: Panic! at the Disco

It was the card that woke him up. That damn thing was worse than any alarm clock he'd ever owned. There was no assault loud noises or earth shaking vibrations, just a business card that sent waves of awareness flowing through his body. The card was black, and void of any marks or other defining features. When it was time for him to wake though, a large M would burn into the card, a timid flame outlining the letter. As ordinary as it may have seemed, this was a card that held a great sort of power.

His eyes shot open when its song began, forcing him to sit up and run his fingers through his spiky, blond hair. He reached over on the bedside table and picked it up, holding it in his hands for a few moments before he blew out the flame, the symbol leaving along with it. The young man, who was barely old enough to drink, whore nothing as he climbed out of bed, which was fine, since the curtains were drawn. Setting the card back on the table, the young man caught a glimpse of his wallet, which was still open from when he'd thrown it on the table last night. Inside was a card with all the information you could ever need about him.

Naruto Uzumaki, age 21, blue eyes, and 180 pounds, all of which was pure muscle, though the driver license didn't say that. His wallet was still open because he'd been for more intrested in other things when he walked in, particularly the beautiful woman who'd been sleeping in bed next to him. Her name was Jennifer Walters, though most of the world knew her as She-hulk. She stood well over six and half feet tall and had green skin with hair to match. A turn off for some men, but nothing Naruto couldn't get past. He couldn't help but smile as she woke up, throwing the covers off herself and stepping out of bed, "Oh boy, that was some night we had, huh? I didn't hurt you too much, did I? When things get hot and heavy, I can lose control sometimes."

"You almost crushed my pelvis a couple of times, but it was worth it. I'm a fast healer anyways," Naruto said, enjoying that fact that she wasn't wearing any clothes either. She-Hulk had the body of goddess, with curves that would make a man weak in the knees, "My god, you are beautiful in the morning."

The complement didn't go unappreciated. Jennifer walked over to him grabbed him by the hip, pulling his body up against her's. Naruto went in for a kiss, which she quickly accepted. This was the state they'd been in for a matter of minutes before they pulled apart for air. She-Hulk was panting for air as she said, "That was my little thank you for going 'downtown' without being asked. Most guys act like you're asking them to give a kindy when you bring up oral."

"After the crazy shit you did for me last night, I'd be an asshole not to," Naruto replied. This next part of the conversation had him nervous, but he decided just to go for it, "So, we've been doing this for awhile now, and it's been great and all, but I was thinking..."

"Let me stop you right there," She interrupted him by putting a finger to his mouth. She-Hulk knew where right where he was headed, "I told you: no dates. First off, I'm green. So, unless you want people staring at us, than we can't exactly go to a five star restaurant for dinner. Second, you know I'm just not looking for a relationship right now. My law firm is just getting off the ground and it's a lot of work keeping everything straight. I'm thankful for the stress relief, but I just can't commit to a relationship right now... and I won't stop you from looking for one either."

Naruto nodded, forcing a smile, "You're right. It's probably not what's best for either of us right now."

"Aw, don't get all mopey on me," Jennifer pouted, "Would it help if I said I was about to take a shower and need help washing up."

That was an offer no man could refuse, "Sure, but we'll have to make it a quicky. Boss won't like me showing up for work late. The Wrecking Crew is back in town, and he needs to see their boss."

She-Hulk didn't see it as much of a problem. She knew who Naruto was, and didn't figure the Wrecking Crew would be able to do much to him, "Those punks? We've got more than enough time for some fun before they end up doing any real damage. Come on, let's go get dirty in the place we're supposed get clean."

"Hey man, is it time yet? I'm gettin' anxious over here," Piledriver, a blonde mountain of a man, grumbled, his hands shaking in the pockets of his sweater.

Thunderball, who was just a tad smaller than Piledriver, scanned the bank and its various patrons before running his fingers through his jet black buzz cut, "Yeah, this is probably as quiet as this place is gonna get. We wait much longer and it'll be lunch hour. We'll have too many asshole deal with if it gets there."

"I got my gauntlets and helmet ready, boss," Bulldozer, a bald man roughly Thunderball's size, whispered to the group's leader, smacking a large duffle bag as he did, "Let's do this thing already!"

The previously mentioned 'boss' smiled at his gang's enthusiasm. He was Wrecker, the aptly named leader of the Wrecking Crew, and while he might have been the smallest member of the crew, he more than made up for it in raw skill and charisma, "Alright, boys, get the gear out. We've got a withdrawal to make!"

A groan came from across the room, "Uuuggghhh! Really? You're going with that tired line? God, I swear, if one more fucking bank robber makes that corny ass joke, I'm gonna withdraw their spine from their body!"

"Oh really? Looks like we got a hero here, huh fellas?" The Wrecker asked his crew. He snatched the dufflebag from Bulldozer, unzipping it to pull out an almost comically large crowbar. He then unzipped his sweatshirt to show off a thin layer of body armor, the kind that might slow down a bullet or dull the effect of a punch, "So, Mr. Hero, you gonna come and give us trouble, or are you gonna play it smart shut that big fat mouth?"

"First off, I ain't a hero in any sense of the word," The voice corrected him, the owner slowly making his way to the center of the bank so he was visible. It was of course Naruto Uzumaki, who wore a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, biker gloves, and a leather jacket. He glared as the rest of the crew got their gear from that same dufflebag, "And second off, do me a favor and tell me which one of you limp dicks is the Wrecker. I got something special for him."

Thunderball had retrieved his ball and chain, swinging the massive sphere of lead above his as fast as he could, while Bulldozer slid on his steel gauntlets and helmet. Only Piledriver didn't have any gear, and unfortunately, that meant he could focus on talking, "Hey, boss, how come this guy's so interested in you?"

"I don't know, dumbass, but thanks for making sure he knows exactly who I am," Wrecker snapped, clutching more tightly to his crowbar, "Fine, so this asshole knows who I am. Now what's he gonna do about it?"

Naruto wouldn't make them wait long for answer. A chain fell from his arm, one that looked like it should've been too heavy for the young blonde to lug around on his arm. As the Wrecking Crew would soon seen, Naruto had no issue pulling off unbelievable feats with it. His arm shot forward too fast for the human eye to see, sending the chain hurling towards the Wrecker. It made contact with his crowbar and wrapped around it several time. That was impressive enough on it's own, but it's what came next that really left everyone in awe. Starting at the end of the chain, the end Naruto was holding to be exact, flame began to engulf the weapon and shoot all the way down to the section wrapped around the Wrecker's crowbar. Fighting a growing sense of regret, the Wrecker looked up at Naruto only to have his fears confirmed, "You've gotta be fucking with me…"

The same flame that engulfed the chain engulfed Naruto as well, transforming him from his Uzumaki self into the one and only Ghost Rider. His face no longer contained any flesh, leaving only a burning skull in it's place. The rest of his body burned in the same way, only that couldn't be seen under his clothing, which were untouched by the flame. With the Ghost Rider out and ready to play, it was time for the Wrecking Crew to see what he could do, "Time to play, boys! Let's see if you can entertain me for awhile!"

"We need to get the fuck outta here," The Wrecker called, but it was only in vain. He soon felt the sting of his own crowbar smacking him across the face, as the Ghost Rider jerked his chain in every which direction to make sure the action was repeated over and over again, "Gah! Ow! Shit! Fuck! Dammit! That hurts!"

"It's supposed to," Naruto growled. He couldn't beat the Wrecker much more, as that could cause the poor schmuck brain damage and Naruto's boss still needed him, so the Ghost Rider gave his chain one last mighty jerk to to send his foe flying into a wall. The Wrecker smacked his back on the unforgiving marble before falling face first onto the floor. With him out cold, or at least in enough pain that he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, the Ghost Rider turned his attention to the others, "Not much fun there. Alright, who's next?"

Bulldozer went charging for him, "I'm gonna crush that stupid skull into dust!"

A metal clad fist came charging at Naruto, who didn't so much as flinch. He caught the attack before it came anywhere near his skull. Bulldozer reacted almost instantly, using his other hand to try for counter attack. The Ghost Rider caught that as well, "Ah, insanity. Doing the same thing and expecting different results. Here, let me try to help cure you."

"H-hey! Let go a' me," Bulldozer commanded, unable to break free of Naruto's grip. His metal gauntlets began to heat up, to the point that they were burning his skin, "Ahhh! Oh God, what're ya doing? Ahhhhh!"

The metal became so hot that it started melting on Bulldozer's skin, rending his hands useless. Naruto chuckled "Making you sane. You can't try and smack me anymore. In fact, I don't know if you're ever going to smack anyone ever again!"

"Get offa him," Piledriver bellowed as he rushed towards the Ghost Rider. A bad move if ever there was one. The Ghost Rider tossed Bulldozer to the side, the villain still in untold amounts of pain, and let Piledriver get as close to him a possible before lifting up his leg and putting a boot right in the man's stomach, knocking the air out of him, "Ack!"

Once immobilized, Naruto grabbed Piledriver by his skull, looking directly into his foe's eyes, "Tell me something, my friend; are you ready for your judgement. If you're soul is clean and pure, which I highly doubt, this should be quick and almost painless… but, in the more likely event that you've been a rat bastard all your life, this is gonna sting a little… make that a lot, actually! HAHAHA!"

Piledriver felt a burning sensation crawling under his skin. It started out slow, but quickly grew into a level of pain he'd never felt before. Fire began to encase his soul, fueled by the weight of every sin he'd ever committed. That fire spread throughout his entire body, burning hotter and more excruciatingly than any flame from Earth ever could've. This was hellfire, and it was consuming every part of him in a blaze no one in the bank would ever be able to forget, "AAAAAAAHHHH! PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"There's no one to help you where you're going," The Ghost Rider revealed before the fool in front of him crumbled into nothing put ash. Piledriver was dead. His friend weren't exactly weeping over his loss, as the Wrecker remained groaning on the ground while Bulldozer and Thunderball fled from the bank, the latter the only member left unscaved. What would become of the two of them, Naruto didn't care to know. One hadn't even fought him, while the other would probably end up threatening some poor doctor to try and fix his hands. Only one member of the Wrecking Crew mattered now, and Naruto had him in hand. He grabbed that fool, along with his crowbar, and made his way out to the street, where he expect his boss would be waiting.

A crowd was no doubt watching him and gawking at the carnage Naruto had left behind, but it didn't matter. His job was finished, "Time for you to meet someone real special, Wrecker, the kinda guy who knows how to make a first impression. Trust me…

Naruto walked to the coffee stand on the bustling Los Angels street corner with a skip in his step and a grin on his face. He pulled out his wallet and handed the cashier his card, amazed at the fact that there was no line. The vender, on the other hand, was a little concerned that the man who'd just walked up to him had seconds ago tied an unconscious criminal to a streetlamp. He'd wisely decided not to question it as Naruto placed his order, "Well would you look at that. Looks like I got lucky twice this morning. I need a large, black coffee, and I'm buying for the guy behind me too. You want something boss?"

"I'll have the same, thanks," Came a dry voice behind him that then mumbled so now one but Naruto could hear, "Awful nice of you to pay, considering that card is all my money."

Taking the two coffee's, Naruto handed one to the man behind him and they began to walk down the street and over to the Wrecker, who had only just begun to stir, "You're a mystical being who can do almost anything. I'd be shocked if that card even went to an actual bank account. Knowing you, the card probably just screws with the computer system or something. Don't try and guilt trip me, asshole."

Naruto's companion didn't say a word, instead smirking and drinking the scolding hot coffee without so much as a flinch. The man was roughly five feet ten inches tall, decently built, with jet-black hair that was slicked back. Small touches of grey were tucked behind his ears. His eyes were a dark red and he wore a custom made suit that was almost entirely black, with the exception of a red tie, and black overcoat to top it all of. There was an intimidating air around him, not that it seemed to be affecting Naruto, "Either way, you know I don't like to be kept waiting. Though I must admit, it'd be hard to turn down an evening with the kind of woman you did."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Naruto remarked, watching the Wrecker as he started to open his eyes, "So, what exactly do you want with this guy anyways?"

"I need to have a little conversation him, that's all you need to know," The man replied, reaching down and placing a hand on the Wrecker's head, "There's a good chance I won't be in touch for the next couple of days. Consider it a vacation. Just be ready for things to get hairy once I get back, alright?"

Naruto took a sip of his coffee, not caring about the heat as it went down, and chose not to respond. It wouldn't have mattered what he said; his boss didn't allow disobedience of any kind. So, the Ghost Rider merely looked on as his boss vanished in a burst of flame, taking the Wrecker right along with him. The flame had never been necessary for the teleportation, but Naruto had to admit, there was some damn good style to it. With the boss gone, the young rider snapped his fingers and waited, tapping his foot while the vendor from before watched in utter confusion. A roaring engine sounded off in the streets, signaling the arrival of Naruto's ride: a gorgeous, orange motorcycle with black detailing and finely polished chrome around the rims. It had no rider atop of it as it pulled to Naruto, who wasted no time in hopping right on. Still, the vendor stared at him, making Naruto chuckle. He couldn't resist playing with the man at least a little, "What, you're a coffee vendor in LA? You telling me ya don't see shit like this everyday?"

Those were the last words he spoke before he hit the gas and drove off to God only knew where. It was always best for Naruto to end on some humour after he met up with Him. The rotten bastard he'd come here to see, a twisted beast who prayed on those at their most vulnerable, and monster who was damn near impossible to outsmart. That was who Naruto worked for… and that was who Naruto had met in purgatory all those years ago

He was groggy when he woke up. But then, who wouldn't be? It's not every day someone wakes up from their own death.

"Oh man, it feels like Sakura beat me over the head about a thousand times," Naruto, a then thirteen year old boy groaned as he sat up and rubbed the back of his aching skull, "Where the hell am I?"

A reasonable question, seeing as the last thing he could remember was the cold, unforgiving waters found in the Valley of the End. Those waters were nowhere to be seen now, replaced by a forest with fog that looked thick enough to swallow you up whole. Leaves crunched under Naruto's body as he stood up to try and get his bearings, "Hello? Is anybody out there? My name's Naruto Uzumaki! I'm-"

"Dead as a doornail," A calm voice interrupted him from behind. Naruto whipped around to see who it was and found a man sitting on a nearby stump, rolling himself a cigarette. Well, he was attempting to anyways, but most of the tobacco was falling to the forest floor, "Ah, son of a bitch! Kid, you know how to roll a cigarette? I can't seem to get it."

Naruto blinked a couple of times. He didn't know what to make of this man, with slicked back hair and fine suit, but there was no one else around to assisted him, meaning Naruto would have to take what he can get. Walking over to the old man, he snatched the tobacco and paper from him, "Sure, I've seen people back in my village do it all the time. But you're gonna have to explain what's going on to me if I do it, ya creep!"

The man shrugged, "Alright, Naruto, we'll do this your way. But my name's not 'creep.'" His final words came with a much greater intensity, "And you'd be smart to make sure you never call me anything remotely close to it ever again."

"Well… fine, then what should I call you?"

"I've been called a more than a few different things over the years, but your case, I think Mephisto should do the trick."

"Mephisto, huh?" Naruto asked, the cigarette now rolled and ready, "So, Mephisto, ya gonna explain what's going on or what?"

Mephisto took the cigarette, smiling at the boy. He lowered it down to his fingertips, getting as close as he could to open end, and flicked them together, creating a spark for just an instant. It was enough light the damn thing and make Naruto jump back, exactly what Mephisto had been going for, "There's not much to tell, really. You got in a bit of tussle with your friend, Sasuke, and things went a little too far, and now you're on the other side. Like I said before… you're as dead as a doornail. Well, maybe not as a doornail. Doornails don't really have any way of coming alive-"

"Hold on, dead?" Naruto interrupted, "What do you mean I'm dead? How can I be dead when I'm right here?"

"Well, considering that right here is purgatory, I'm gonna go ahead and say that being dead is the only way you could be 'right here.' Come on, kid, ya took a lightning bolt arm to the chest! What'd you expect?"

Naruto began to back away, his mind reeling, "This is a dream… or a freaking nightmare! There's no way that this could be real!"

With a puff of his cigarette, Mephisto replied, "Yep, this is how I thought you'd react. It's how everyone reacts really; don't feel special. Now, if you were a regular person, I'd spend the next hour hemming and hawing, trying to find some way to make them see the situation clearly, but with you, there's a much simpler answer. Tell me something, Naruto… how're you feeling?"

"What the hell kinda question is that? I'm feeling… different," Naruto had realized what Mephisto was getting at mid-sentence, "The Kyuubi's power, I can't feel it anymore."

Mephisto took another puff, "Precisely, and you know what mean, don't you? Her power is gone. Kurama has left your body, and taken her immense sum of energy with her. The only way that could be possibl, is if you were dead, severing your connection."

"Wait, the Kyuubi's a girl? And her name is Kurama?" Naruto's mind was reeling, "How do you know all this?"

"I know of all the demons as powerful as her, whether they're a part of my universe or not. Now, Kurama's cycle will continue. She will be reborn somewhere in your world years from now, and be sealed away inside some other poor sap. Her miserable life gets drag on, along with her suffering and longing for freedom. And you, my young friend, will move on to the afterlife, wherever it is your universe deems you deserve to go."

Naruto was panicking by this point. Someone his age being face to face with their own mortality was bound to do so, "But I don't wanna die? I haven't even kissed a girl yet! Or had a drink! Or become Hokage! Or-"

"Settle down, child. That's why I'm here," Mephisto said, a grin growing on his face, "I'm here because you don't have to die, because Kurama does not have to live on as a prisoner, and because you have a chance at a new life, free of all the bullshit you had to deal with in the previous one."

"I… I don't?"

Mephisto chuckled, "No, you don't. I have another way… a better way… a way that can benefit both of us. That is, of course, if you're interested."

Now that sounded good. In fact, it sounded downright great, and that was the problem. Naruto may have been young, but, despite what his teachers may have thought, he wasn't stupid, "What's the catch? You keep talking about demons and the underworld. Something tells me you aren't one of the good guys."

"Tch, the good guys? After all you've been through, you really buy into that crap?" Mephisto asked. Naruto's face didn't falter, which told the underworld dweller he had his work cut out for him, "Right and wrong, good and evil, shit, rules in general; they're all bullshit! They're concepts created by morons who know they can't outsmart people like me!"

"Man, that sounds really cool when you put it like that. Too bad the all adults I hear who sound like that are assholes!"

This kid was a real loudmouth. He wouldn't listen to a word of something if he thought you were trying to bullshit him. Mephisto liked that in a man, "Well I'll be damned. I've seen that speech work on people three-times your age. Looks like I'll need another way to convince you."

Naruto was already beginning to turn around, "Forget it. I'd rather take my chances in with a shinigami than work for you!"

"Aw, but what about Kurama? Are you just gonna leave her high and dry?" Mephisto asked. It got Naruto to stop and look back at him, "She's been bouncing from prison to prison for what, centuries now? And she never even committed a crime. The poor thing. Are you really gonna let her stay like that? Not to mention all the people you could help with the kind of power I'm offering you. You're giving up all that to go off into the great unknown?"

There was a moment of silence, a long one. A sigh escaped Naruto's lips, "Help people how exactly?"

Mephisto stood up. He began to circle Naruto, eying him up like a wolf with some poor rabbit, "Your job, should you take what I'm offering you, will be to bring me the souls of the nastiest, cruelest people you can imagine. You'd be saving so many lives by getting rid of people like them. Then of course there's Kurama again. A small trace of her power still lies within you. I can use it to bring her into my world too. There's no telling where she'll end up, granted. With you, I've got the body right in front of me, and it's a body I'll have a contract on. All I can do for Kurama is pull her power here and wait for her to take a physical form. We'll track her down though, I promise. She won't be a prisoner of your world anymore."

"That actually doesn't sound that bad," Naruto thought out loud, "But how do I know you'll hold up your end of the bargain?"

"That's what this little beauty is for," Mephisto said before pulling the cigarette out of his mouth. It looked as though it hadn't srunk in the least. That was strange enough on it's own, but it only get stranger from there. Mephisto flicked the cigarette, and the next thing Naruto knew, it began to unravel like a scroll. Holding the scroll out of the boy, Mephisto showed off the scribbles of cursive fire that lined the scroll, "This will be our contract. Go ahead and look it over. It states that, in no uncertain terms, the people you'll bringing in for me have to have souls black enough to deemed worthy of the underworld. In fact, you won't even have to kill some of them. You'll just bring them to me to answer question or pay a debt; that's all. And in exchange, you get the powers of the Ghost Rider. Can you imagine it? You, with all the powers of the underworld. Not to mention you can save Kurama and… oh, what else was there… oh, right you won't have to die!"

Naruto was reading the contract as Mephisto spoke. Everything he'd spoken of was in there. The more Naruto thought about it, the more conflicted he became. He still didn't like the demented look in Mephisto's eyes too, "I… I don't know."

Mephisto took Naruto's hand. The boy tried to protest, but he wasn't anywhere near fast enough. With a sharpened thumbnail, Mephisto drew blood from Naruto thumb and brought down to the contract, "Come on, what's there to think about? You can help people and save Kurama from an eternity of misery. You don't want to be selfish, do you?"

"What? No, of course not," Naruto snapped. Mephisto had let go of his hand just as it was about to the touch bottom of the contract, where Naruto's signature was supposed to go. The boy's eyes scanned the contract as a feeling began to wash over him. He wasn't sure what it was exactly. Part of it felt like fear, fear of his own death, and part of it felt like guilt, guilt at being able to help people and turning a blind eye. His hand inched towards the signature until the blood began to touch it. It almost felt like something else controlled Naruto's hand while he made his signature. This was Naruto's choice though, and he knew that when he put the final touch on his signature, "Did I… did I do it?"

A feeling of pride washed over Mephisto. He took out his tobacco and cigarette paper and rolled himself a smoke, something Naruto noted he had no trouble doing on his own this time, "You did great, Naruto. Now, let us begin."

Before Naruto could say another word, an incredible light blinded him. It was the contract. The binding magical agreement turned into a ball of flame that latched itself onto Naruto. Pain seared his whole body, and everything faded to black.

The story had been running non-stop through Naruto's head as he drove through streets of LA. Well, he'd been trying to drive anyways, but the traffic had grinded his speed down to a crawl. If there was one thing he despised about living in this city, it was the traffic. As much of a pain as it was, his slow speed did give him time to notice something out of the corner of his eyes as he road along. There was a girl in front of him, roughly his age, wearing black pants and matching tank top. Her long, straight hair was the same color, while her eyes were an emerald green. She was quite fetching, but that's not what peaked Naruto's interest. Two guys had been following her block after block after block, and it started to look a little odd to the young rider. The whole reason his interest had been peaked to begin with was that the men were staring at girl, and not at her ass like some pervert would do. No, they were looking at her the way someone would look at a target. This girl was being tailed, and Naruto intended to find out why.

He pulled up to the nearest parking spot he could find and hopped off his bike, walking at just the right speed so that he could get behind the two men in question without arousing suspicion. Once he was close enough to get a good look at them, his fears were quickly confirmed. Both men were wearing plain old button up shirts, but Naruto could make out the body-armor underneath them. Guns holsters hung from their hips as well, another fact Naruto wasn't a fan of. The cherry on top though was something the man on the left thought he had hidden up his sleeve: a military grade taser. Naruto may not of known who these guys were, but he still knew enough not to trust them. He whisper to himself, "These bastards are gonna try and kidnap her or some shit like that. Tch, not gonna happen. They're about to have themselves one hell of a bad day."

The girl, for reasons the young rider didn't not yet understand, took a right down a dark alleyway. It must've been the perfect opportunity for her two stalkers because they followed right after her. Naruto in turn followed them, letting his chain fall out of his sleeve so that he'd be ready when the shit hit the fan. Everyone footsteps echoed through the long corridor they found themselves in. Trash littered every corner around them, and the shadows that now covered their bodies made them feel almost as though they'd enter their own little world.

In a move that stunned everyone, the girl came to sudden halt. Everyone behind her did the same, and the whole alley fell silent as girl turned around. She looked about 18, and pissed off at that. Her features were soft, but her voice was filled with venom, "You assholes really think I wasn't gonna notice you following me? If you're gonna try and catch me, you need to step up your game!"

"Alright, X-23, why don't you do us a favor and come along nice and easy, okay?" The man with the taser requested.

X-23 responded by extending two long, metallic blades out of her bunched up fists, "Go to hell!"

The girl lunged at the two men, apparently intent on sending them to the underworld herself. With all the speed he had within him, the man with the taser tried to pull out his weapon. It wasn't nearly enough though, as X-23 jammed her blades into his chest before he even came close to reaching his goal. X-23 then proceeded to ripped the claws from his body, spraying crimson all around her when she did. While the man with the taser fell to the ground, dead, his partner in crime tried to reach for his gun. He failed miserably, with his opponent stabbing her blades into his eye sockets in a blur he had no chance of reacting to. The second man fell to the ground, equally as passed on, once X-23 pulled her claws out. Both men laid in a pool of blood and carnage that the girl seemed utterly indifferent to. She turned her attention towards Naruto and asked through her teeth, "What, you want some too?"

"Um… no not really," Naruto muttered, trying to understand what the hell had just happened in the previous 90 seconds, "I'm a Ghost Rider, and I was uh… gonna see why those guys were stalking you. Guess I don't need to now."

"No, you don't," X-23 growled, shoving her way passed him. She stopped before she left the alleyway. Glancing back towards him, X-23 called, "So you're the new Ghost Rider, huh? I like your work. In case you were wondering, those assholes on the ground work for either work for HYDRA, Donald Pierce or maybe even both. Long story short, they're nobody to cry over… Anyways, see ya."

X-23 exited the alleyway and took a right, leaving Naruto by his lonesome. The young rider sighed, well aware this wasn't over, "Crazy girl with claws tears apart two shady guns for hire in a alleyway? Yep, I'm gonna have to look into that. Let's hope she hasn't run off to far yet."

Thankfully the young woman hadn't gone too far from the alley. Naruto was able to catch up with her in the of people crowd and fall instep. After a few moments of silence, the Rider asked, "So why would HYDRA be after you?"

"Probably because they created me in one of their labs to use as a weapon," X-23 said casually.

Most people would've gasped, but Naruto wasn't the least bit phased by this. Stranger things happened to him everyday, "So I'm guessing you had a moral break through and escaped?" When the woman nodded, Naruto asked, "How long ago?"

"About a month."

"Alright, seems like you've been handling yourself okay. So what are you going to do now?"

With a shrug, X-23 admitted, "I hadn't thought that far, I guess I'll just keep moving and killing whoever comes after me."

"There isn't someone who could help protect you? Or at the very least, keep you company?" Naruto asked.

The young woman had already been looking into that, "There might be, but they're on the other side of the country, and there isn't any feasible way for me to get there."

"You mean Wolverine and the X-men, right?," Naruto asked, startling X-23. He grinned at her, "The claws kind of give you away. If you need me to, I could give you a ride."

Skeptical, X-23 raised an eyebrow and asked, "And just why would you do that?"

"Because I try to help people whenever possible." Naruto explained, "Plus I have a few days off work and I need to get out of the city for a awhile before it drives me crazy."

X-23 laughed a bit at her companion's outburst before stating, "Ah, what the hell; I'm in. I'll meet you here tomorrow and we'll head out."

"You don't have a place to stay tonight, do you?" Naruto asked.

"I'll find a place. I've been managing fine up until now."

When the girl confirmed his suspicion, Naruto sighed before saying, "Okay, two things. First, you're staying at my place tonight, I've got something scheduled so I'll be out anyway. And two, I'm not going on a road trip calling you X-23, that's a serial number not a name."

After a few moments of silence, the young woman spoke up, "Call me Laura."

Hearing the name, Naruto smiled as he said, "Nice to meet you Laura."

In response, the teen smirked as she stated, "Likewise."

She-Hulk tapped her foot, a skeptical eye watching Naruto, "So this girl, Laura, does she have a place to stay until you leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I've got her stashed back at my apartment," Naruto said, a little yawn escaping his lips, "I ended telling her she can sleep in my bed. Gonna suck being stuck out on the couch."

"You're not sleeping with her then?" She-Hulk asked, to which Naruto shook his head, "And how long will you be gone for?"

There was no way for Naruto to know that for sure, "Hell, could be a week, could be two weeks, could be a fucking month, I don't know. Why do you ask?"

She-Hulk got a mischievous look on her face. She swayed her hips as she walked over to Naruto, pushing him up against the wall. The boy opened his mouth to talk, but She-Hulk silenced him with a rough french kiss. When they broke, she whispered into his ear, "You won't be sleeping on any couch tonight. If you're going to be gone for that long, then I'm gonna need one for the road. For the rest of the night, you're mine blondie."

"Whatever you say," Naruto replied, recalling how wonderful the other nights she'd gotten like this had been, "Did I get lucky and catch you in some sexy lingerie?"

In a perfect answer, She-Hulk started to unbutton and rip it off, along with her skirt. What she revealed was a lace purple and black bra the barely contained her massive bust, along with matching garter belt connect to the fishnets she'd worn. This look was enough to have Naruto grabbing her by the ass and pulling her into another kiss, She-Hulk undoing his pants as he did. Once his pants were off and boxers were down, She-Hulk broke and the kiss and sank down to her knees to find he was already rock hard, "It's a good thing you'll be driving most of tomorrow, because by the time I'm done with you, you'll hardly even be able to walk. Now, let's get this party started."

As Naruto began to enjoy his night, he couldn't help but question if his life would have been this good (relatively speaking, at least), had he not died and stayed in his own world.

It was the middle of a cloudy night in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Hardly anyone was up, and those that were didn't notice as a figure hopped from rooftop to roof to carrying a basket with them. The figure didn't stop until they reached the village cemetery. Slowly, the figure walked past the rows of grave markers until they reached one that read "Naruto Uzumaki." Bending down, the figure traced the name with her delicate, skilled fingers before saying, "Hello, Naruto-kun. I brought you some ramen."

As she spoke, the clouds parted to allow the moonlight to reveal Hinata Hyuga. In the years since her crush's death she'd grown a few feet and had allowed her indigo hair to grow out. While she'd also lost her stutter, a few things hadn't changed. She still her pupil-less eyes and she still dressed in bulky jackets, although the newest one was a thinner purple and grey instead of the previous white. As she was about pull the food out of her basket, Hinata heard someone walking behind her. Turning around, she was greeted to the sight of her friend, Kiba Inuzuka.

"Hey Hinata-chan. I thought I might find you here." Kiba began, "I'm sorry to do this right now, but we need to talk about the whole marriage thing."

"We will, Kiba-chan. Just give me a couple of minutes with Naruto-kun."

Kiba nodded and took a step back. Not many other people referred to the shinobi with the 'chan' suffix. Hinata herself only ever did it in private, and had to fight hard to not let it slip out when they were in public. The reason for this was quite simple, and it was the same reason she and Kiba were to be married in the coming months. But that was a story for another time…