Hello everyone, I hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 9: The Return Home Part 5

Naruto just stood there once again, looking out into deep space. While looking out into space, he was being watched by the uncomfortable A-Bomb.

"Still think its not a smart idea keeping him uncuffed." He said, voicing his concern yet Naruto didn't care while in the room with the other Hulks.

"Picking up some kinda signal?" Hearing that, Naruto's gaze shifts over to the video feed the computers were getting.

"No, hundreds of signals?" Just after saying that they got old videos from the past.

"You did it Hulk, we got TV from Earth!" A-Bomb said with clear joy in his voice but didn't like black and white.

"Must be picking up older signals from decades past. Locking on!" With that said a single video appeared of a clown. Seeing the creepy looking clown, Naruto looks away due too finding it annoying.

"A-Bomb afraid of funny face man?" When Skaar accused him of that, he immediately denies it.

"Afraid, no way! I just hate there freakish grins, beady eyes, and horrifying makeup! That's all..." A-Bomb said much too the amusement of Red.

"Hey!" A-Bomb said after the harsh words Red spoke but there attention was drawn back to the live video feed of the reporter who always bashes Spider-Man.

"World rests easier since the Hulk and his monstrous musclebound Agents of Smash have vanished, where did they go?! Who cares, as long as the monsters d-" The video was stopped by an ice kunai hitting the screen, gaining everyone's attention to see Naruto who had his left hand extended.

"Sorry, my hand slipped." He apologized before looking back into deep space.

"Tv signals are coming out from some kinda wormhole? Could be a way back to Earth?" Hulk said, looking at the other computer until all the lights went out.

"Of course, just when we get a lead home the power goes out! Alright Leader, what's going on?" A-Bomb questions the enemy who was inside a floating prison ball.

"I wouldn't know, who wants too go home when we're having so much fun." He lied just as there ship was approaching a darkness, gaining all there attention.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto murmured in confusion at what they were looking at with She-Hulk asking if it's a black hole.

"Don't know, but it's blocking our way to earth." Just after he said that, the power comes back on.

"Powers back on, so go through it jolly green. We're going through it right? You're not afraid, are ya?" Red questions there leader who walks away with his cousin.

"I gotta bad feeling about this." A-Bomb said while Naruto was staring at the darkness.

"Couldn't we just move out of the way and go around?" Naruto questions Hulk who was looking at the screen.

"It may take too much time, we need to hurry towards that wormhole before it closes." Hearing that, he just nods while they approached the darkness but from the darkness came a bright light. Seeing that, Anti-Venom immediately covers his head followed by Ultron shutting over it.

"MISSILE HEADING OUR WAY!" Red shouted yet Hulk spoke in a calm voicing, knowing who it was.

"Stand down, it's the Silver Surfer. Don't worry, he's an old friend. He can help us get home." Hulk said just before the cosmic being unleashed a bean of cosmic energy at there ship.

"Define friend please?" Naruto questions the very confused Hulk who didn't know what was going on.

"Why is he attacking us?!" A-Bomb shouted in clear confusion on what was happening from his seat.

"Here he comes again!" Hulk shouted at seeing the cosmic being fire multiple beams at there ship with She-Hulk going to put up the shields.

"I thought you said he was a friend?" A-Bomb asked the Hulk who nods before speaking.

"He is, we've fought side by side to save earth and then he left too explore the universe. Never seen him act like this?!" Hulk told his team who didn't like this one bit.

"Guess he's changed sides." Red said with the alarms going off.

"Losing our shields!" She-Hulk shouted from the controls.

"How Hulk stop shinny man?" Skaar questions the leader with Naruto's eyes narrowing before rubbing towards the door.

"We have too go out there!" Hulk told the others but suddenly they saw Naruto fly out the cockpit with his armor on, heading straight for Silver Surfer who shouts.

"THE VOID, IT WILL-" In that instant, Naruto slammed a large ice hammer on the Surfer who just laid there unmoving. Naruto simply lands on the surfboard while looking down at the cosmic being before speaking.

"Sorry but you were getting dangerous." He told the cosmic being who was still panicking a little.

"Ah, the Void...must escape the void." Hearing that, Naruto looks up at the large darkness in front of the before heading back with the surfers board. In minutes that were in the sickbay with a restrained and unconscious Silver Surfer. In the room included the Hulks and Naruto but She-Hulk wore a coat.

"Ah, it's so cold in here! What is the matter with the heater?" She-Hulk questions the others but Naruto felt the temperature being above 60.

[Brain scans reveal patient in semi-comatose state. Estimated recovery, unknown.]

Hearing the computer say that, Hulk didn't like that one bit.

"You sure above going through the void?" Hearing that, the Hulk only nods since it's the fastest way to the portal.

30 MINUTES LATER IN THE TRAINING ROOM

Naruto sat there meditating in silence, cross legged with his eyes closed.

"N-Naruto..." When he heard that, his eyes open up in shock when he heard that before standing up.

"That was Ava but...why is she-" Naruto stopped cold when he turned around to find himself staring at all of his friends, dead and unmoving shine covered in blood. Standing in top of the defeated was Thanos holding Ava in his hand.

"Why...?" When she said that, Thanos crushed her resulting in the blood exploding from her body and covering his face with her blood.

"N-NO! THIS IS AN ILLUSION!" Naruto shouted before it vanished with Naruto standing up straight and running for the door quickly. By the time he found the others, A-Bomb had slammed into what appears to be a giant clown that vanishes.

"Fear?" Naruto thought in immediate understanding of what was happening.

FEW MINUTES LATER IN THE CONTROL ROOM

"So, the cold was made by me?" She-Hulk asked in confusion, all of them standing in front of an awake Silver Surfer.

"How can our fears come true Surfer?" Hulk questions the cosmic being who was in front of the video feed of the darkness.

"This void lives, it is a creature known as Null The Living Darkness. It unleashes fear in its victims, feeds on it and uses it to take on physical form. I tried too stop it but was lost in the darkness, facing my own fear of being trapped forever." Hearing that, Naruto looks away uncomfortably at seeing this fear can affect him after all he's done and the decisions he's made, showing that it can bring out solved issues.

"It will enter a nearby wormhole, a wormhole that leads too Earth." Silver said, revealing it to them all.

"That's where the signals were coming from!" Hulk told the others much to A-Bomb's happiness.

"Maybe we can use it too go home!" Just after saying that, he was hit by the reality of the darkness getting there first.

"Earth has billion of lives and countless fears. Null will bring them all to life and your world will fall screaming in terror." Hearing that, Hulk didn't like that one bit.

"We won't let it, Naruto!" Hearing that, he turns towards the Hulk who tosses him the ring which he catches it.

"What do we do?" He questions the Hulk who smiles.

"We smash it, we're taking the fight to that thing!" Hearing that, Naruto just smiles while there ship heads straight for the darkness, unleashing rounds of fire at it.

"You may have faced your fears, but now they will consume you!"

When they heard that, skeleton arm rise from the floor and grab Naruto by his legs much to his shock while Hulk was grabbed by his dark version who immediately takes over him.

"Ahahahahah!" The Dark Hulk laughs before he straight up punches Naruto to the floor, being dragged into the floor much to his struggle, trying too put the ring on but it did nothing as well as his ice isn't working all the whine the others were being affected by there own fears.

"I-I DON-" He was silenced by being dragged into the floor, consumed by an unimaginable amount of darkness. Naruto was curled up in a ball, holding himself while consumed by all the fears of what he's done, the sadness of all those he's gotten killed during the war. While this was happening, from the darkness appears two armored soldiers who approach Naruto all the while a voice could be heard from his memories.

[Friends... Is something more precious then even having all the power in the universe is it... Seeing you I can only say that but anyways before o go I want to say one last thing. I love you.]

He moment he heard that, he felt some feel in his soul pulse.

[Hey guys...if you're hearing this, it means you did it. You won. You kicked the shit out of Ultron and his army. I knew you could. But this is my last stop. See, when I came into this world, I was...really just a collection of somebody else's memories. But with your help, these memories, they...they took form! They became my voice, my personality. And, after a while, I... I began to make brand new memories of my own.]

When he heard that, the fears slowly began too he replaces with bright memories of before he betrayed everyone and his time with the Reds and Blues.

[All of these things are what make me who I am...but they're also holding me back. You... Are the key in saving our universe... Doyle was the only one who saw it... He believed in what you could be, he opened my eyes to what you can do. Tex didn't die, at the last second she deconstructed herself to help you gain better control over your powers which brings me to this. If I too erase my memories, if I...deconstruct myself, the fragments I'll leave behind will awaken your full potential, I believe that. I wish there was another way... But I'm leaving this message, as well as others...in the hopes that you'll understand why I have to go this time... Heh, it was-it was actually Doyle, who made me realize something I'd never thought of before. There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero...never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith...]

"Ain't that a bitch..." Naruto muttered while he sat up facing Epsilon and Tex who transformed into Omega, Eta, Delta, Gamma, Iota, Sigma, and Theta.

"Tex and Epsilon...they gave up everything too protect me." While speaking, tears begin to fall from his face.

"This fear...Null made is come back. I'm so sad...that there gone. They gave you all life...Epsilon created you from his death." While he said that, each one turned into an energy that interned Naruto which his left arm glows brightly before spreading multicolored lines all through this body and armor of Ultron. The lines became brighter and brighter until it was near blinding before in front of him appeared a single ring which he grabs and instantly the entire dark room freezes.

"I will not allow myself to fall for my fears no longer. I am the Mandarin... I am Naruto..." He said to himself with utter seriousness.

REAL WORLD WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING, IN SPACE

"AHAHAHAHAHAH!" Laughed Null who was a giant monster that towered over the ship, all of them inside the darkness with the wormhole behind them.

"Pathetic, I will feed upon the fears of all ok earth." Null said before turning towards the wormhole all the while the hulks just watched from inside there ship.

"If we don't do anything then Naruto-" She-Hulk was cut off by an insanely bright light appearing behind them before disappearing, reappearing outside and in front of the wormhole, stopping Null who was greatly confused at the right light before died down too reveal a single armored being.

(Link on Profile, don't own.)

"So this is the true power of what the Director gave me...the power of the Forerunners..." Naruto spoke, while hearing Ultron speak.

[All capabilities have exceeded there normal limits. Your physical abilities have are on a whole other level.]

"Basically while wearing this armor I get an insane power boost in my abilities, comparing it too Thanos am I much stronger?" Hearing that, Ultron does not reply, leaving it too Naruto too figure out. Naruto crouched with his feet touching some invisible surface.

"Eheheheh, do you actually think you can beat me?" Hearing that, Naruto puts on the yellow ring before jumping right at him with great speed. Seeing this, Null unleashed a arm carrying skeleton and people Naruto knows. Naruto brought back his fist with his eyes narrowing behind his helmet.

"Never again..." Naruto said with his fist meeting Null's monstrous arm covered in his memories.

"...will you touch me with fears." With those words, that entire arm was covered in ice much to Null's shock at what he's seeing but more when he moved back the entire arm shattered.

"I've fought on God level battles...compared to them your nothing." He said with utter seriousness, seeing the clear disadvantage the Darkness known as Null glares at him.

"WHY AREN'T YOU AFRIAD OF ME, I CAN FEEL IT YET-" Null was cut off by Naruto speaking.

"You don't understand...the reason why I'm not afraid of you isn't because I have no fears, It's because I've lost too much to stop now." Hearing that, Null's eyes widen all the way in utter fear at the fact his fear was swallowed by his rage towards Null.

"G-GET AWAY-" In an instant he appeared in front of Null, placing birth of his hands on Null's chest who screams while his entire body was covered in ice before shattering too pieces along with the darkness dispersing. After that, Naruto turns around towards the wormhole and extends his left hand now stabilizing the wormhole before looking back at the Hulks with a smile.

"Time too go home."

xxxxxCHAPTER ENDxxxxx

NEXT TIME, THE MANDARIN RETURNS HOME. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE START OF THE INFINITY STONE SEARCH ARC.