"If you've been listening to the news, you'd know that Tony Stark was abducted some time ago." The woman that had identified herself to Naruto as Amanda Waller stated as she paced back and forth in his living room. "Normally, I wouldn't care about some billionaire going missing. After all, Oliver Queen was missing for five years. You think I couldn't have found him?" She questioned as Naruto grimaced.

"What does this have to do with me? And this 'Suicide Squad' of yours?" The blond questioned as the woman chuckled.

"Oh no. You see, the Suicide Squad isn't in effect yet. I'm just getting members together. You're just the first that I've contacted. No, this mission has nothing to do with the Suicide Squad; I just needed you to understand that this isn't a typical assassination contract. This isn't one and done. This is until I'm done with you."

"You know I could kill you right now and no one would ever know."

"On the contrary, there are eight snipers stationed around this apartment with their snipers aimed at you. I don't know how much bullets hurt you, but by the time you get rid of me and them, my second in command back at base will already have livestreamed the identity of 'Shinju'." Naruto glared, disgusted at the woman as he walked across his wooden floor.

"I see you have all your bases covered."

"Indeed. Now, as I was saying before you interrupted me, if this was a normal billionaire like, say, Bruce Wayne… I wouldn't care. But Tony Stark is a major supplier of military technology and I can't lose that advantage. Your mission is simple. You're going to be deployed where inside sources say he's being held. You're going to rescue him."

"Great. Get in and get out. Now get out of my house."

"That's not all." Amanda Waller stated as she smiled at Naruto, infuriating him as he cracked his neck violently.

"Excuse me?"

"Not only are you going to rescue him, you're going to assist him for a time. Until we can be entirely sure that he's no longer in danger." Naruto shook his head.

"No. Absolutely not. I just got out of a bodyguard job and-"

"Was stupid enough not research who you were working for and who you were going after? Then again, to be fair, how would you have? You don't have any way to research them here with no technology. And you weren't in Gotham before your attempt on him. Still, how do you think the community that supports him would react if they found out? It could lead to a lot of headaches for you in the future. Me? Not so much."

"I'll save Tony Stark. And I'll be his babysitter. But not for long, understand? I won't be stuck babysitting a billionaire. One month. No longer than that. If you don't think he's safe after one month, assign someone else to the job." Amanda Waller chuckled as she walked to Naruto's door.

"I knew you would see it my way. Keep that folder. It'll remind you that your life is mine now."

"You realize that I'm going to return the favor for this, right?"

"Many have tried." Waller returned in an uninterested voice as she opened the door to his apartment. "Everyone has failed. I suggest getting your things ready. Your escort will be here to retrieve you in fifteen minutes." Waller exited the apartment, slamming the door shut behind her. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the door before chuckling.

"You're messing with the wrong person."

Chapter 3

Iron Man

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he maneuvered through the unending desert that surrounded him. "How the hell am I supposed to find Tony Stark out here?" He questioned himself as a large burst of wind blasted sand violently into his body. His mask was the only thing that kept the sand from allowing the sand to enter his mouth. "It's nothing but sandstorms out here." The blond muttered angrily.

Amanda Waller and her helicopter had dropped Naruto off in the desert three days before hand. He had been unable to locate Stark because, as it were, Waller's information was wrong and the cave that they had supposedly held him captive in had been abandoned. Waller, promising to keep constant surveillance on him, had stated that she would not retrieve him until he either found Tony Stark or fell over dead.

Suddenly, a large explosion rocked the ground. Naruto stumbled slightly, unprepared for the sudden violent surge. A frown marred his features as he looked to the North, the direction that the explosion had come from. "I hope stark is in this direction." Naruto stated to himself as a blue aura began to surround his feet. Then, he launched himself high into the air. The blond haired shinobi dived through the air as he became increasingly aware of shouting in a language foreign to what he was accustomed to.

As he looked down upon the ground from his ever changing vantage point, Naruto's eyes landed on a hidden cave that would have taken an unnecessary amount of time to stumble upon with sheer luck alone. Gun fire rang heavily from the cave, causing the nineteen year old's mix matched eyes to narrow. Even if Tony Stark wasn't in the cave, there was something not right occurring there. He was going to find out what.

Landing at the cave entrance, Naruto released a smirk as he found himself behind a bald headed terrorist. A large robotic figure came around a corner from the inside of the cave, calling out a name as its black eyes looked down upon a wounded man. "Watch out!" The wounded man cried as the bald headed terrorist lifted his weapon to the weapon on his hand. Naruto was upon him in an instant, his combat knife jammed into the man's throat.

The man choked violently as blood gushed from the wound like a water fountain ornament. Naruto wrinkled his nose behind his mask before violently ripping his knife away and shoving the man to the floor. The robotic raised its arm to him, though Naruto held his hand up in a 'stop' manner. "I'm on your side. I promise. I just killed the man trying to blast you into oblivion."

The robot like being kept its arm raised for a moment before lowering it and moving to his wounded friend. "Stark…" The man stated as the robotic being removed the front of its face to reveal it was nothing more than a makeshift power armor with Tony Stark inside. Naruto couldn't believe the luck that whatever higher being there may have been had blessed him with.

"Come on. We got to go. Move for me, come on. We got a plan. We're going to stick to it." Stark stated as he tried to persuade the man to continue living.

"This was always the plan, Stark…"

"I can heal him." Naruto stated as he walked forward. His hands began to glow green as they hovered over the man's wounds. "It'll only put him in stable condition though. I'm not great at this. But it's enough to keep him alive until he can get to a medical facility." Tony attempted to nod on the inside of his suit as the man he knew as Yinsen grit his teeth, pain racing through his body like fire.

"Why are you doing this?" Tony questioned, causing Naruto to chuckle ever so slightly.

"I was hired to save you. I'll do whatever it takes to get you out of this cave alive. Besides, I could never let an innocent man die." Tony nodded in appreciation as he gave a grim smile to his hooded savior.

"Thank you."

"Well, we're not exactly out of enemy territory yet, now are we?" Naruto questioned over his shoulder before the man he was healing grabbed his wrists tightly.

"No more… No more…"

"Yinsen, what are you doing!?" Tony questioned as the man coughed, blood spewing from his mouth in a red mist. "Come on! We're… We're going to go see your family! Get up."

"My family is dead." Yinsen replied as his head thrashed from side to side, painfully. "I'm going to see them now, Stark. It's okay, I want this. I want this." Naruto sat back on his knees and shins, his hands on his hips as he bowed his head. The man had prolonged the healing too long. His death was all but over.

"Thank you for saving me…" Tony stated.

"Don't waste it. Don't waste your life." Yinsen stated, causing Naruto's eyes to widen slightly. Within Sasuke's final moments, those had been his final words after stating that his eyes were to be Naruto's. They were his best friend's final words, and now this man was giving those same words to Tony Stark.

Yinsen's head fell to the side, causing the blond to release a sorrowful sigh. That was the second person within his lifespan that he had seen die after speaking those words. Glancing to the side, Tony looked at Naruto. The blond haired shinobi could see the rage spark to life in those eyes as he reached up and lowered his face plate back down. "Can you cause a lot of damage?" The billionaire questioned his acquaintance.

"I can cause more damage than that suit of yours." Naruto boasted in return as Tony Stark moved forward, angrily.

"Keep up, and help me cause mayhem." Naruto followed closely behind Stark as they exited the cave. They were surrounded by ten rings of soldiers waiting for their appearance. Stark's suit revealed its weapons as a large spinning form of chakra began to mold in his savior's right hand. Stark's weapons fired at their enemies as Naruto released his attack.

"Rasenshuriken!" A loud explosion rippled through the area as bodies and their body parts were blown across the desert they had taken a stand in. The sand was stained a deep shade of red as the weaponry that the terrorists has acquired, Tony Stark's own inventions, were blown up with the people who had sought to use them for injustice.

Stark fell to one knee after his attack, seemingly giving out under his suit. "Are you okay, Stark?" The blond haired teenager questioned before reaching to his ear. Underneath his hood, he pressed a com link. "Waller, I've located Stark. Repeat, I have located Stark. The area is currently clear for pickup, but I don't know how long before more of them show up to take him back!"

"Roger that." Amanda Waller's voice answered back over the small piece of technology. "We're already in bound for you, Shinju. Look up." The blonde's mix matched eyes glanced to the overhanging sky, taking in the sight of an approaching helicopter. Glancing to Stark, Naruto frowned slightly.

"You see that, Stark? That's your way out of here. Do you want to help me get this suit off of you, because there's no way that we're going to be able to fit that in that helicopter." Stark laughed slightly as he maneuvered the suit to where it allowed him to lay on its metallic back.

"I don't know. I've gotten kind of used to it. I like it."

"I don't care how much you like it." Naruto returned, making the man laugh once again. That was a good sign. His helper's death hadn't completely traumatized him, and he was still well enough to laugh. That was more than Naruto could have hoped for after stumbling upon Tony's whereabout due to his holder's idiocy. "How do you get it off?"

"The bolts, you're going to have to pop them off." Naruto nodded as the helicopter slowly began to descend to the ground.

"I want that suit off of Stark before we hit the ground!" Waller's voice split through Naruto's skull, causing him to wince.

"I'm already on it, Waller."

- Air Force Base-

Tony Stark's employee, Pepper, watched as the black haired man was helped down the ram of a jet by a strange blond haired young man, with one of Tony's best friend, Rhodey, right behind him. "Watch your step right here." Rhodey stated as he motioned to a particular area of the ramp. Tony winced and leaned his entire weight onto Naruto.

He had spent two day returning home with the blond haired nineteen year old, who had refused to leave his side. Though it may have primarily been due to his contractual obligation, if not entirely due to that fact, it had caused Tony a great deal of relief to have him around. He found safety in the presence of the blond, knowing that he could dismantle anybody who stepped forward to harm his physical being.

"Do you want the emts, Tony?" His blond haired guardian questioned, causing the black haired genius to laugh loudly. He motioned the medical personnel away with his hand.

"Are you kidding me with that shit? Get that out of here." Tony relieved Naruto of the burden of his full weight as he came to stand in front of his red headed employee. "Hm. Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long lost boss?" Tony asked her smugly, despite the rough condition that he physically appeared to be in.

"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting." She returned, obviously happy to see the man alive once again.

"Yeah, vacation's over." Tony returned as he motioned for Naruto to follow him with his good arm. The three loaded into a car with a chauffeur.

"Where to, sir?" The man in the driver's seat questioned as he looked into the rear view mirror.

"Take us to the hospital please-"

"No."

"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital."

"He actually doesn't." Naruto stated from his place to Tony's right. Pepper leaned to look past Tony at the bond haired boy. "He was given the best medical attention that could ever be administered. Overseen by some of the greatest medical minds in the military. At least, that's what Waller said. Take her words with a grain of salt."

"And who are you exactly?" Pepper questioned.

"Oh yeah, guess I forgot to introduce you two didn't I? Naruto, this is my assistant, Pepper. Pepper, this is Naruto. He's a friend."

"You've barely known him!" Pepper stated. "I've never even heard of him."

"You're right, Pepper." Tony replied. "He's my best friend behind Rhodey. How about that?" Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony's statement. "Now, there are two things I want to do now that I'm not being held captive anymore. One is to get an American cheeseburger. And the other-"

"That's enough of that."

"-is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."

"Call for a press conference?" Pepper questioned as Tony disregarded her.

"Yeah."

"What on Earth for?"

"Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first. Suit store for my friend here second." The trio in the back of the vehicle were driven to a Burger King, where Tony ordered a ton of cheeseburgers. Naruto declined any of the greasy food, having realized that he had done enough damage to his body with the food that he had once eaten in his own reality. From there, they went to a suit store. Tony refused to allow his new blond haired bodyguard to be present with him without a nicer wardrobe of outfits. They left the store with a few ensembles that Tony and Pepper had collaborated in creating for Tony's bodyguard. Then, they set out for their destination, to announce the return of Tony Stark to the world.

-Stark Industries' Factory-

Tony rolled his eyes as the car came to a halt, Obadiah Stane and a crowd of people waiting outside of his factory for him. He really wasn't prepared for such a high profile welcome back, and had to ready himself with his typical Stark attitude. Obadiah rushed forward and opened the door of Tony's car. Unfortunately for the man, it was the door that Naruto sat at. The blond was quick to exit the vehicle.

A kris knife exited the sleeve of the jacket that he wore and was at Obadiah's throat within seconds. The now blue eyed individual smiled at the crowed as he held the knife at an angle where it was invisible to them, making it seem as if he and Stane were sharing information about Tony. "Who are you, and what business do you have with Stark?" He questioned in the man's ear, never removing his fake mask of happiness for the crowd. "If you think I won't skewer you here in front of all these people, you're wrong."

"Easy there." Tony stated as he pulled himself from the inside of his vehicle, carrying his cheeseburgers with him. "He's a friend, Naruto. You can trust him. He worked with my father, and now he works with me." Naruto glanced to the side, allowing Obadiah's to meet his for a moment before he nodded and removed the knife from the man's throat. The movement was performed in a manner that the crowd behind Stane still had no idea the man had been in a life threatening situation.

"New friend, Tony?" Stane questioned as Tony watched him observe the blond bodyguard. Naruto's hair was spiked as usually, and he wore a foundation that hid his whisker marks from the world. He wore a black suit, which Tony had just acquired for him, with a red dress shirt and a black dress tie.

"Best friend. Really saved my ass." Tony responded, causing the man to laugh as he wrapped his arms around the billionaire, pulling him into a hug.

"Ah well. Look at you! You had to have a cheeseburger, yeah?" The man questioned Tony as he shook him slightly, Naruto's eyes narrowing at the movement. He had an off feeling about the man. However, the last time he had went after someone without proper information, he had almost murdered an innocent man. He wouldn't take that chance. "Well, come on. You get me one of those?"

"There's only one left." Tony stated as he shook his head, waving the food for a moment. "I need it." The man chuckled in response as they reached the building they were navigating to. Then he opened the door with a loud laugh. "Hey, look who's here! Yeah!" The group maneuvered their way into the building, through a crowd of reporters. Tony sighed slightly as he had Naruto help him to the stage. The billionaire sat down on the stage, eating the last of his hamburger as he motioned for Naruto to sit down next to him.

"Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down?" The man questioned as the reporters looked around at each other, confused. "That way you can see me, and I can see you. It's a little less formal and I'm not really in a good state to be too formal." Tony stated as Naruto moved uncomfortably in the suit that he was wearing.

Tony took a deep sigh as he looked around at the reporters. "I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions that I would have asked him." Naruto grimaced at the words. For a long time he had never gotten to say goodbye to his own father. And when he had, it was bittersweet. After all, he had been left with more questions about the man than answers. "I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did.

"If he was conflicted. If he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels." Tony paused to take a bite out of his cheeseburger as Naruto looked around the room, constantly watching for someone to make an attempt on Stark's life. "... I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."

Naruto's brow furrowed at the man's words. He hadn't known Stark long, and despite how people took his somewhat sarcastic comments about them being best friends, they didn't know each other well. However, the Tony Stark that he was hearing talk beside him was very different from the Tony Stark that Naruto had heard of, as portrayed by the radio.

"Mr. Stark!" A reporter called from where he sat on the ground.

"Hey, Ben." Tony stated, obviously familiar with the reporter.

"What happened over there? And who's the new guy you have in your inner circle?"

"This guy?" Tony asked as he pointed his thumb to Naruto. "This is my bodyguard. His name is Sasuke." Naruto nodded in response. He and Tony had initiated the name to keep the blond's true identity secret. " As for what happened… I had my eyes opened over there." Tony replied earnestly, not a spec of a lie in his words. "I came to realise that I have more to offer this world than just making things… blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division until such a time as I can decide what the future of this company will be. What directions it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good of this country, as well."

Immediately at the words, the press lurched to their feet screaming questions to Tony Stark. Naruto tensed up as he too made his way to his feet. Obadiah made his way across the stage to hurry Tony off. Naruto grabbed the man by the front of his chest before shoving him away. "It's best to keep your distance." Naruto announced harshly as he helped Tony off stage and from any danger that could arise due to the excitement in the room.

Obadiah watched them leave before turning with a chuckle to diffuse the crow. Naruto and Tony exited the building before entering the car that had driven them there. Tony ordered Happy to drive them to another parking lot section of the factory before. Happy drove them and they exited the vehicle. "Come on inside." Tony stated as he lead the way for Naruto to follow him into the next section of the factory. "My dad built this."

Naruto observed the large creation before him. It was incredible. It would take a genius to build something of the magnitude that sat before him. The blond haired shinobi knew that he was nowhere near as smart as the man that had created what was in front of him. "It powers the entire factory." Tony stated, seconds before Obadiah entered the building, a grimace present on his features.

"Well, that went… well." The man stated as he walked forward, his eyes angrily taking in Tony's bodyguard's form. Naruto narrowed his eyes in response.. He had already thrown the man once today, and he wasn't afraid to do it again.

"Did I just paint a target on the back of my head?" Tony questioned, causing the man to chuckle insincerely.

"Your head? What about my head? What do you think the over-under on the stock drop is gonna be tomorrow?" The man questioned angrily.

"Optimistically, forty points."

"At minimum." Obadiah stated harshly.

"Yep."

"Tony, we're a weapons manufacturer."

"Obie, I just don't want a body count to be our only legacy." Tony stated, trying to get the man to see things from his point of view.

"That's what we do. We're Ironmongers. We make weapons."

"It's my name on the side of the building." Tony stated angrily as he pointed to the outside of the building.

"And what we do that keeps the world from falling into chaos!"

"You're not the ones that keep the world from falling into chaos." Naruto stated harshly. "You make weapons that get dropped on innocent people in the hopes that one guilty is hit. That's not preventing chaos, that's causing it."

"And you know so much about our world?" He questioned as he indicated around himself. "Newsflash bodyguard boy, you've been here for five minutes. You don't know anything about this factory. Besides, what else can we do? Make fucking baby bottles?"

"I think we should take another look into arc reactor technology."

"Come on, the Arc Reactor?" Obadiah questioned with a harsh chuckle. "That's a publicity stunt! Tony, come on. We built that thing to shut the hippies up!"

"It works."

"Yeah, as a science project." The older man returned. "The arc was never cost effective. We knew that before we built it. Arc Reactor Technology, that's a dead end, right?"

"Maybe." Tony replied as Naruto massaged his temples. He didn't know what an Arc Reactor, and with the men before him talking about it, it made him realize just how much he still had to learn about the universe that he now occupied.

"Am I right? We haven't had a breakthrough in what? Thirty years."

"That's what they say." Tony stated as he smirked, Naruto finally stopping the motion of massaging the sides of his skull. "Could you have a lousier poker face? Just tell me, who told you?"

"Never mind who told me. Show me." The man replied, causing Naruto to narrow his eyes. Again he felt as if there was something off about the man. He could feel it. He could hear it in the way the man spoke.

"It's Rhodey or Pepper."

"I want to see it." The older man stated as he pointed towards Tony's chest and took a step forward. Naruto reacted quickly, taking firm hold of the man's wrist. The man gained a disgruntled look as he ripped his hand away.

"He's a little protective." Tony stated as he unbuttoned his shirt to show the piece of equipment that was located in his chest.

"Okay." The man stated as he made to button Tony's shirt, stopping short as Naruto stepped forward. Tony chuckled as he held his hand up, keeping Naruto at bay as the eldest male buttoned his shirt.

"Okay?" Tony questioned as the man stepped away. "It works."

"Listen to me, Tony." Obadiah stated, snapping his fingers. "We're a team. Do you understand? There's nothing we can't do if we stick together." At the word we, Obadiah looked to Naruto, emphasizing the fact that he was not part of that equation. "Like your father and I." The blond in the room grimaced at those words. The man seemed to be making an unveiled attempt to Con Tony into doing what he wanted. Still, Naruto knew nothing about the man. He couldn't assume.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you the heads up, okay?" Tony spoke to the eldest male. "But if I had-"

"Tony. Tony, no more of this 'ready, aim, fire' business." The man interrupted as he placed his hands on his hips. "You understand me?"

"That was dad's line." Tony spoke in remembrance.

"You gotta let me handle this. We're gonna have to play a whole different kind of ball now. We're going to have to take a lot of heat. I want you to promise me that you're gonna lay low." Tony smirked slightly as Naruto glared dangerously at Obadiah.

-Edwards Air Force Base-

Naruto walked alongside Tony as they entered an Air Force Base. It had been a couple of days since Tony's return to America, and the man was definitely doing better physically. However, he had allowed his employee, Pepper, to change the 'Arc Reactor' that he had in his chest while Naruto was not present. It had almost resulted in death after he went into cardiac arrest. The blond wasn't quite sure what it was, but his clients tended to do things they shouldn't be when he wasn't around.

"Why are we here again?" Naruto questioned his ward, who shrugged his shoulders as his friend, Rhodey, talked to surrounding Air Force members.

"There's something that I'm planning on doing. And I want Rhodey to be a part of it." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the statement.

"This something… Would it cause bodily or mental harm to you?" The blond questioned, causing Tony to laugh as Rhodey continued to speak.

"-or a pilot's judgement."

"Colonel? Why not pilot without the plane?" Tony questioned, drawing everyone's attention to him and his bodyguard.

"Look who fell out of the sky. Mr. Tony Stark." Rhodey spoke.

"Speaking of man or unmanned," Tony spoke, a sly smirk slipping onto his features, "you gotta get him to tell you about the time he guessed wrong at Spring Break. Just remember that, Spring Break, 1987. That lovely lady you woke up with."

"Don't do that!" Rhodey exclaimed as Naruto tilted his head. Despite how far away Naruto and Sasuke had grown during their lives in Naruto's original reality, this seemed very much the same as how they used to act together.

"What was his name?" Tony questioned.

"Don't do that."

"Was it Ivan?"

"Don't do that. They'll believe it. Don't do that." Rhodey stated, very seriously. Naruto relaxed his body and looked around. He could tell for certain that Rhodey posed no threat to Tony.

"Okay."

"Don't do that." Rhodey stated one last time, just to drive the point home.

"Pleasure meeting you." Tony stated to the Airmen that Tony had been talking to.

"Give us a couple of minutes, you guys." Rhodey stated to the military members before turning back to Tony. "I'm surprised."

"Why?" The black haired man questioned.

"I swear I didn't expect to see you walking around so soon."

"Oh, he's been doing a lot more than just walking around." Naruto spoke up, causing Tony to chuckle. He knew that the blond was angry that he had almost caused his own death. In truth, Tony would have too if his life was depending on watching someone else. But it didn't, and the entire situation was somewhat hysterical to him.

"Really?" Rhodey asked as he looked from the blond to Tony.

"Yeah. Rhodey, I'm working on something on something big. I came to talk to you." Tony spoke as he looked around the Air Force base. "I want you to be part of it."

"You're about to make a whole lot of people around here real happy." Rhodey stated, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow. It didn't seem to Naruto that Tony was going to go back to making machinery for the military. But that seemed to be the vibe that Rhodey was getting. "'Cause that little stunt at the press conference, that was a doozy."

"This is not for the military…" Tony stated, trying to reason with Rhodey before he grew upset. "I'm not… It's different."

"What? You're a humanitarian now or something?" Rhodey questioned angrily.

"I need you to listen to me."

"No. What you need is time to get your mind right. I'm serious." Tony grimaced and glanced to the ground at the words.

"Okay."

"Not okay." Naruto interrupted, holding his hand up. "Tony's your friend, isn't he?" The blond questioned Rhodey, but waved his hand to keep him from answering. "Don't answer that. If you were really his friend, then you would stand beside him with this decision. He just went through a life changing situation and all you care about is him making more war machines for you. That's not friendship. Friendship is standing beside someone to the bitter end."

Rhodey recoiled, as if someone had slapped him in the face. He looked around for a moment before pulling his facial features into a grimace. "It was nice seeing you, Tony."

"Thanks." Tony stated before turning and walking away from the man. Naruto followed him rather closely as the man looked over his shoulder. "Thank you, Naruto. For someone that's being paid to protect me, I wouldn't expect you to stand up for me like that."

"I'm not being paid, I'm being blackmailed." Naruto replied as he continued his pace. "But I know what friendship is. Friendship isn't demanding something from your friend. Always wanting something. It's standing together." Tony chuckled in response and lifted his head upwards.

-Malibu Home, Tony Stark's Lab-

"JARVIS, you up?" Tony questioned the AI that Naruto was informed ran the mechanics of Stark's house. The blond raised an eyebrow and looked around at the ceiling as the voice responded.

"For you, sir, always."

"I'd like to open a new project file." Tony stated as he picked up a ball and started bouncing it back and forth in his hands. "Index as Mark II."

"Shall I store this on the Stark Industries' Central Database?"

"Actually, there's only one person I know I can trust right now." Tony stated as he glanced over his shoulder to Naruto, who had sat in a chair. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head was leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "Until further notice why don't we just keep everything on my private server?" He spoke as he brought up a 3D image of the armor he had built and began removing pieces from it.

"Working on a project, are we, sir?"

"I don't want this winding up in the wrong hands." Tony returned evenly. "Maybe in mine, it can actually do some good." Naruto raised his head at the words and narrowed his eyes at the armor that Stark was creating. Naruto liked Stark. There was just something in his personality that made him easily likeable. That didn't mean his blond haired bodyguard wouldn't do everything in his power to keep him safe so that Waller didn't blame him for something out of his power.

Naruto released a heavy sigh and stood to his feet. "I'll be back, Tony. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone. I have to go check the perimeter."

"For the fifteenth time today?" Tony asked as his bodyguard left to make sure that his home was still secure. Naruto traveled around the outside of the house and inside before coming back to Tony's lab. When he reentered the workshop, he found Tony was already well ahead in his inventions. The man stood with some type of metal boots on his feet and controls in his hand.

One of Tony's robots was filming him while the mechanic he had named 'Dummy' held a fire extinguisher. "Okay, let's do this right. Start mark, half a metre, and back and centre. Dummy, look alive. You're on standby for fire safety."

"Tony, I told you not to do anything stupid!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, causing the man to jump slightly as he whirled around to face his bodyguard. He chuckled for a moment as Naruto stared angrily at him.

"Well… You, roll it! Ten percent thrust capacity achieves lift! And three, two, one!" Naruto's eyes widened as the man's voice sped through the commands. Naruto moved forward to stop his ward, only to see the boots that he wore lift him off of the ground. Naruto halted in place, watching with a slightly awed expression at the display.

However, there was a sudden influx in his boots that sent him slamming into the ceiling before he fell to the floor. He lay there for a moment before Dummy sprayed him with the fire extinguisher. Naruto grimaced as he walked forward. He lowered himself to the ground and sat cross legged beside Tony's unmoving body. "You're a smart man… But you're not a bright man, are you?" Naruto questioned.

"Fuck off." Was the only reply as Tony pushed himself off of the ground. "You're not going to stop me from doing this. I've already made up my mind. Besides, I'm well enough to take care of myself. That ends your deal, right? You can leave when you want." Naruto placed his hands on his knees and straightened his back as he thought for a moment. It was true.

By all technicalities, everything that Naruto had agreed to had already come to fruition. By all means, he was technically finished with his mission. "You're right. I am finished with my mission. And since I don't technically have to worry about you injuring yourself anymore… I think I'll stick around and see just what it is that you're doing." Tony smirked in response as Naruto reached out and helped him to his feet.

-Malibu Living Room-

Naruto sighed heavily as he entered the living room with Tony. The Stark genius had been making great progress with his project when Pepper had interrupted and told them that Obadiah was there. "How'd it go?" Tony questioned the man before looking to the pizza box that he held in his hands. "It went that bad, huh?"

"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad." The man stated with a chuckle.

"Sure doesn't." Tony said, taking a slice of pizza before looking into the man's eyes. "Oh boy."

"It would have gone better if you were there."

"You told me to lay low." Tony stated, obviously not happy with the man at the statement. "That's what I've been doing. I lay low, and you take care of all-"

"Hey, come on." Obadiah interrupted. "In public. The press. This was a board of directors meeting." He stated, causing both of Stark's eyebrows to raise.

"This was a board of directors meeting?"

"The board is claiming that you have post traumatic stress. They're filing an injunction." The man stated, causing Tony to grimace. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he watched the man. He was obviously up to something suspicious. Naruto could see it in his eyes.

"A what?"

"They want to lock you out."

"Why? Cause stock dipped forty points? We knew that was gonna happen!"

"Fifty six and a half." Pepper stated.

"Stay out of this." Naruto stated, causing the red headed woman to glare at him.

"It doesn't matter. We own the controlling interest in the company."

"Tony, the board has rights too. They're making the case and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest."

"I'm being responsible!" Tony answered back. "That's a new direction… for me… for the company. I mean, me on the company's behalf, being responsible for the way that…" Tony grit his teeth angrily. "This is great!"

"Oh come on, Tony. Tony."

"I'll be in the shop." Tony stated as he motioned for Naruto to follow after him.

"Hey, hey! Hey, Tony. Listen. I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them." The man stopped and pointed at Tony's chest. Naruto's eyes narrowed again as he finally realized what Obadiah was working towards. "Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs."

"No. No, absolutely not."

"It'll give me a bone to the boys in New York!" The man exclaimed, desperately trying to get his hands on the technology.

"This one stays with me. That's it, Obie. Forget it." The man sighed angrily before reaching forward and taking the pizza from Tony.

"All right, well, this stays with me, then. Go on, here, you can have a piece. Take two."

"Thank you." Tony replied as he took two pieces of pizza.

"You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?" Obadiah questioned.

"Good night, Obie." Tony returned. Naruto followed after him as they entered the workshop.

"He's working an angle, Tony." Naruto spoke. "I can see it. I believe that he's working the board away from you. There's no way that they could overrule you both. He wants what you're building, Tony."

"I know." He replied. "I figured it out a few minutes ago actually. Remember back at the factory, he knew about my Arc Reactor? Pepper didn't tell him. And I realized that he didn't have enough time to talk to Rhodey between everything that was happening. Which means that the only other people that would know would be-"

"The ones that abducted you." Naruto interrupted as the realization finally washed over him. He had never connected those dots before.

"Exactly." Tony stated as he typed away on a holographic keyboard. "There it is." He stated as something came up on his holographic screen. "He's initiated a secret project. Mark I." He eyes roamed the information. "They're using the armor that we had to leave in the desert."

"Say the word and he's gone, Tony." The black haired man nodded before he spoke again.

"You'll get your chance. But not now. Let me finish my suit." Naruto nodded in response. He could understand the request. Tony felt betrayed and wanted to have a hand in Obadiah's downfall. So they settled into a regular routine. Naruto would constantly patrol Tony's property as the man work vigilantly on his armor.

Once he had completed the armor, he set out to test it with Naruto in tow. They had some mis conveniences with the military attempting to attack 'Mark II', the designation that Tony had given himself. Naruto had destroyed the backs of the planes in retaliation, causing them to lose altitude, but not at dangerous speeds.

They destroyed shipments that Tony had not approved of as the black haired man talked to Rhodey over the technology in his suit. Naruto listened in on the conversation as they spoke back and forth about Tony's project. "Listen, Rhodey. Obadiah isn't who I thought he was. He's trying to build a suit like mine. He's going to cause destruction."

"What do you need me to do?" Rhodey questioned as Naruto bounded from building to building to keep in the air with Tony.

"I need you to keep the skies clear." Tony responded.

"Will do. But how am I going to explain all of this?"

"Training accident. Isn't that the normal bullshit?" He questioned before shutting off the com link. "Are you ready for this, Naruto?"

"I'm ready." The blond called through the air.

"Remember the plan." Tony spoke, his voice more easily heard from behind his helmet.

-Stark Industries-

"Long day at work?" A metallic voice questioned, causing Obadiah to swing around. He stood in a warehouse, the original armor that Tony had created now behind him. The man stared at the new red and gold colored armor that Tony wore before chuckling to himself.

"I knew that was what you were working on. You should have leveled with me, Tony. I wouldn't have had to lock you out of the company then."

"Why did you do it? I trusted you." Tony spoke, causing the man to laugh loudly.

"Because we make weapons, Tony!" The man stated as he pressed a control pad. Added technology cause the heavy set armor to assemble onto Obadiah's body much like Tony's armor did. "Isn't it ironic? In trying to keep from making any more weapons you gave the world the greatest weapon! The Iron Monger!"

Tony said nothing as he jumped forward. His armored fist slammed into the Iron Mongrel's. Obadiah stumbled backwards in his own suit before delivering his own punch. Tony's suit covered body flew through the air before slamming violently into the floor. The larger armor stalked forward. "You could still level with me, Tony. Before I have to rid you of the world forever."

"My father was wrong to ever trust you." Tony stated in return. "I was wrong to ever trust you. But I can fix those mistakes now." The larger armored man laughed loudly before Tony slammed into him, sending it sliding away. "Because now I have someone that I can actually trust!" Iron Man's hand slammed into the armor chin of Obadiah, causing him to be lifted skyward.

His body slammed into the roof, breaking through it. As Obadiah's armored body fell to the rooftop, Tony rocketed through the roof. "You're making a mistake here, Tony." The more heavily armored man stated as he struggled to stand to his feet. He had not had the amount of time that he had thought he was going to have to prepare his suit for Tony.

Tony moved forward, but stopped as a large number of missiles launched themselves from Obadiah's armor. Tony dodged through the air as the dangerous weapons flew through the air, destroying great portions of Stark Industries. "The only mistake that I've made lately was trusting you!" Tony replied as he lurched through the air. His fist slammed into the man's armored face, crushing the armor.

Obadiah cried out as he stumbled backwards. "Naruto, now!" Tony cried out as he looked up to where Naruto had been watching the fight. His hand was lifted high into the sky, rain beginning to pour to the ground.

"In my best friend's words…" Naruto spoke dangerously low as Obadiah attempted to regain his bearings. "... Begone… With the thunderclap! Kirin!" A large blue beam of lightning shot down from the sky, crashing into Obadiah's armor. The man released a horrifying scream as he was boiled from the inside out. Tony grit his teeth as he watched the suit thrash about as it simultaneously melted around Obadiah's body. Tony clenched his jaw and closed his eyes.

"It's for the best, Tony… It's for the best…"

-Press Conference-

Naruto sighed in boredom as he watched Tony on the stage. There was a cover story that he was being told to tell the press about the incident at the industry. "Thank you." Tony spoke to the press, obviously not wanting to be there. "Been a while since I was in front of you. I figure I'll stick to the cards this time. There's been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the Rooftop of Stark Industries-"

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark?" A reported interrupted. "But do you expect us to believe that you had a bodyguard mysteriously appear despite the fact that you-"

"I know that it's confusing." Tony stated as he leaned on his podium. "It's one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero."

"I never said you were a superhero."

"You didn't?" Tony questioned. "Well, good, because that would be outlandish and fantastic. I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public."

"Just stick to the cards man." Rhodey whispered as he stepped forward to Tony.

"Yeah, okay. Yeah… The truth is… Obadiah was insane and attacked me with a suit I made when I was being held captive. In fact, he's the one who hired people to kidnap me. Because of that, I'm Iron Man and that kid there is going to be taking his place. His real name is Naruto." The blond's eyes widened at the words. It seemed that Tony acted on impulse more often than not. He was lucky that no one besides Tony himself could connect him to Shinju.

The press jumped forward wildly as Naruto ran forward. He grabbed Tony and quickly got him off of the stage as Rhodey rushed forward to gain control.

-Malibu Home-

Naruto and Tony walked to the front door of the later's house. "So you're leaving now, right?" Tony questioned, prompting the blond to nod.

"There's really no reason for me to be here now. You have my number, so if you ever need me, just call." Tony sighed as he ran a hand through his hair before speaking again.

"In that case, there's something I want to give you." Naruto raised his eyebrow as Tony lifted a briefcase that he had been holding since they had exited Tony's car. The black haired man opened the case to reveal a pair of dark red leather gauntlets that, if Naruto put them on, would come up just under his elbows. They were eerily similar to Tony's Iron Man suit.

"They're blasters. I figured I'd give you something before you departed. I wanted them to be something that would fit you though. There's metal inside of the gauntlets with the circuits that work the blasters in the palm of the hand." Naruto took the briefcase from Tony as they began to enter the man's house. "I'm working on a different type of blaster that will fit your persona. For now, that's all I have."

"Why do any of it for me?" Naruto questioned.

"Because I see you as my friend." Tony replied as he opened the door to his house, Naruto's eyes widening. "JARVIS!" He called out.

"Welcome home, sir."

"'I am Iron Man'." A voice stated from the dark as a dark skinned man with an eyepatch stepped forward. "You think you're the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet."

"Who the hell are you?" Tony questioned as Naruto's combat knife found its way into his hand.

"Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Oh."

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers initiative. And with Shinju about S.H.I.E.L.D."

"How do you know my codename?" Naruto questioned in rage as he brandished his knife. He didn't understand how his secret identity was getting out so easily. The man chuckled slightly.

"Shinju, I believe you've met my cousin, Amanda Waller."

"Hello, Shinju."

"Son of a bitch."

Chapter end

I'm sorry guys. This is mostly done at School where it's technically illegal for me to stream videos due to a contract I've signed. I only had access to an Iron Man script and did what I could. This is what Naruto's current gauntlets look like fs70/i/2011/083/b/e/leather_gauntlets_002_by_altitude_ . His gear will slowly evolve over time, but we're starting slow with it. I hope you enjoyed this.