Brothers Of A Different Kind

by Assassin of War

Everyone knows the man, myth, and legend of Steve Rogers, better known to the world as Captain America. However, what most didn't know was that the man had a younger brother, a man who also participated in Project: Rebirth. While one brother thrust himself into the light of the world, the other was forced to walk in it's shadows, and they embraced him wholeheartedly.

12. Chapter 12

Brothers of a Different Kind

Here is the twelfth chapter of the re-written story. Enjoy.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Marvel.

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– Previously –

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The moment night had descended upon the land of Wakanda, the blonde had shot off like a rocket. He still remembered the layout of the premises, easily snuck past the royal guards, and entered the royal palace. He'd been there for the past couple of hours now, searching for the Vibranium, and not a single piece had been found. This told him that they had either hidden it better within the palace, or simply moved it to a different location.

He was hoping they had just hidden it better, as he really didn't want to have to search the entirety of the nation. He groaned just thinking about the possibility of it being anywhere in Wakanda. Looking down at his watch, he let out a small sigh. It was currently four-thirty a.m, and he had nothing to show for his efforts. The sun would be rising in about an hour and a half.

'I'm gonna head back to my room and clear my head for a bit. I'll jump back on this tomorrow...Hm?'

Just as he was about to turn in and get some sleep, he spotted a small figure running throughout the palace, and it was heading outside. Upon closer inspection, he was able to see that it was T'Challa.

'Just where is he off to so early in the morning?' he wondered. '...Wait, could he possibly be going to check on the Vibranium depot?'

One thought led to another and before he knew it, he was trailing after the boy.

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He had to hand it to T'Chaka, the man had trained his son well. The boy king had been running non-stop since leaving his home, and that was a good hour behind them now. And where had he led them to? A smile tribe way out in the middle of the savanna.

'Is this where he hid the Vibranium?'

Naruto watched the king of Wakanda slow to a stop, and eventually take a seat on a downed tree trunk. Not a few seconds later did another body sit down next to him. Using his eyes, he was able to see that it was a female, perhaps a year or two older, and they were talking quite animatedly to one another. He cut the flow of chakra to his eyes, not wanting to lip read anymore of their conversation.

The only thing he had caught before doing so however was the girl's name. Ororo Munroe.

He let out another sigh, and looked up at the starry sky.

"I may not be able to pay either of you back for the pain and suffering I caused your family, but I hope watching over your son and grandson is a start." he muttered, thinking of T'Chaka and Azzuri.

Seeing as he was going to be here for a while, he got comfortable atop the tree he was in, and kept a vigilance over the two. He would search for the Vibranium depot another time. Today would be used to watch over the family of the two former kings.

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– Now –

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– Eighteen Years Later –

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May 7th, 1990

"Ya know, I gotta say..." started the blonde. "I completely saw this coming a mile away. I'm just a little surprised it took you so long to actually go about doing it."

What the shinobi super-soldier hybrid was referring to was the simple fact that he was currently sitting in a chair, partially strapped, and getting his blood drawn, tested on even. Fury looked down at him.

"Had to get the right people for the job." countered the one-eyed man.

Naruto nodded. "True enough."

The blonde looked in the direction of the men Fury had hired to experiment on him, well, not him, but his blood. You see, the reason he was sitting down, getting his blood drawn without a fuss, was because he was no longer director of SHIELD. After forty-four years of service, he was now but a simple field agent, and if he was honest, this was better for him. Sure he did good behind a desk, but his real talent lay out in the real world, doing missions unencumbered.

That being said, while he was indeed an agent now, he still held more power in the organization than most field agents would ever see in their lifetime here. His clearance levels were still ten, both alpha and omega, and while he wasn't going to use them as often as before, he was still glad to have gotten to keep them. The new director he put in charge let him, though mostly out of respect.

That's right, you guessed correctly. Nicholas Joseph Fury was the man he had put in charge, he is the new director of SHIELD, and seeing as he was, all field agents fell under his purview. Even him. Hence his current predicament.

"So, who're the scientists you hired for the job?" he inquired, deciding to make small talk.

Was he mad that he was being treated like a guinea pig, having his blood drawn and tested? No, not in the slightest. Was he disappointed in Fury? You bet. The man knew he wouldn't have accepted doing this, so he made it an order. However, it's like he stated earlier, he saw this coming a mile away, plus he wasn't all that worried if he was being truthful.

Did he expect these scientists Fury hired to spot the super-soldier serum? No doubt. Did he believe the lot of them would be able to re-create it perfectly by studying his blood? Not a chance in hell. The most they would be able to identify was perhaps the building blocks that Dr. Erskine created, but that would be about it. Now, where these scientists took the knowledge that they acquire from his blood is the real question here. Would they be able to make it their own? Or would they crash and burn like so many others in the past?

Despite the scientists preparing to draw as much blood as he could afford to give, he still wasn't all to worried, and that was because aside from the super-soldier serum, he had something else in his veins. Which is where the crux of the situation lied. Fury made it no secret that he wanted to get his hands on the completed version of the super-soldier serum, but that wasn't all. Fact of the matter is, the one-eyed director wanted to know the secret behind what made him able to raise the earth, shoot electricity, cast illusions, etc. He wanted the secret behind what allowed him to do all this. What Fury wanted was the Infinity Formula.

Unfortunately for the director, that formula would not work for anyone other than himself, save maybe a child sired by him, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. So as it stood, the formula would live and die with him.

"Meet Dr. Henry Pym, biochemist." said Fury, introducing the first scientist.

Naruto followed Fury's line of sight and saw the back of the man, who much like himself was a blonde. He couldn't really see much else until the man turned around fully, but from what he had seen of him from the few seconds he turned sideways, the man appeared to be in his mid-twenties.

"Next, Dr. Robert Banner, nuclear physics and gamma radiation."

Following the one-eyed man's line of sight again, he spotted the man in question. He looked to be much older than the rest of the team, but that could be chalked up to a myriad of things. Stress, a severe lack of sleep, overworking, etc. Either way, he took a keen interest in this one, mostly because curiosity was getting the better of him. He wanted to see what he could do using gamma radiation and his blood.

"Next, Dr. Richard Parker, biomedical engineering."

Naruto was now frowning. He looked at his director, which felt weird saying. "Fury..."

The one-eyed man saw the look on the former director's face, and sighed. If one were to look from the outside, it would look like he was the one not in charge, but the blonde. "Yes?"

"Why is agent Parker here?"

"As insurance."

"Against what?"

"Traitors."

"So you think the three are liable to double-cross you, and what? Give their research over to a foreign nation?" he questioned. "These men aren't stupid if you hired them. They have to know what'll happen if they betray you, right? SHIELD isn't atop most government agencies just for show."

Fury nodded. "Of course they know, but it's not a foreign nation I'm worried about..." he trailed.

Naruto's eyebrows rose as he quickly caught the implication. "...You think they'd sell it to one of the branches of military in America?"

The one-eyed man tapped his nose. "It's no secret many government agencies hate us, so I wouldn't put it past them to try something. Which is why I have Richard, along with his wife, working undercover."

Richard Parker, along with his wife, Mary, are a pair of very talented individuals. Though their talents don't lie in the fact that they're both gifted intellectually, that was a bonus really, no, they're talented at gathering information. It's the soul reason why he had poached the two away from the CIA when he was still director. If anyone was selling information, those two will find out who.

Fury suddenly coughed into his hand. "Moving on. Lastly, we have Reed Richards, physics."

Out of all those present, Reed was by far the youngest, in his early twenties, but he also knew that out of all those present, he was also the most likely to re-create the serum. He was that smart, which was in part thanks to his old man, who still worked for him by the way. Speaking of Nathaniel, that reminded him of something.

"Are we almost done here, Fury?" he inquired. "Or do you still need more samples?"

Fury frowned internally. Even now as he stood here as the director of SHIELD, he still never felt like he was in control of a situation when the blonde was involved. It was irritating to say the least.

"We'll be here for as long as it takes, Naruto." replied the one-eyed man. "Remember, you're an agent now, and all agents listen to their director."

Naruto nodded. "True, but you also have to remember, not all agents have the same amount of pull that I do." he countered. "C'mon, be a pal. You should have more than enough samples for your scientists to play with."

Fury was now openly frowning. He then shook his head and let out a sigh. He knew the blonde wasn't being insubordinate, far from it, the man just wanted to leave already, and was using the fact that he held more power in the organization than most to do it. He was also using his respect for him to his advantage as well.

He was often asked by others who were close to him if he ever regretted allowing the blonde to keep so much power, and the answer was always the same. No, he doesn't. It went back to that whole respecting him thing, and boy did he respect the blonde. From the way he ran SHIELD to the way he protected the planet as a man on the wall. It grew after he became director. After becoming top dog, he was given access to the most secure files and secrets in the world, some of which were on the blonde.

The man sitting next to him was the biological younger brother of Steve Rogers, the, Captain freaking America! Plus, he had also undergone the super-soldier process, which is how he had found out about the serum in his veins in the first place. The next thing he learned, and no less important, was the fact that he had also participated in the war.

Now, he doesn't know the exact details of his mission, as even those were stricken from the records, but he did learn a few things. The blonde next to him had agreed to be dropped behind enemy lines, in the enemy nation, at the time, of Japan, and had fought in the war from there, alone. Couple that together with everything he's learned, and the man known as Naruto Uzumaki deserved his utmost respect.

"...Fine, you can leave." assented Fury, finally. "However, be aware that I may call you back to collect more samples in the event that more are needed."

"Roger that."

Easily tearing the strap off, he stood up and stretched. Naruto then began to make his way over to the locker rooms so he could change into something a bit more...professional oriented.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry anyways?"

The former director grinned at the current one. "Unlike you my grouchy friend, I have a life outside of the uniform, and I need to monitor it daily." he answered. "See ya!"

And with those words, he was gone.

---

~A Few Minutes Later~

"Damn protocols, always slowing everything down..." he grumbled, finally leaving the building and making his way to his destination.

He appreciated all of the upgrades Fury had made to the Triskelion, which officially opened back up in 1988, he really did, but damn if they didn't slow things down. Especially that damn checkpoint between the entrance and the exit. Honestly, he swears that was only put in to stop people from running in the building. So what if a few people ran, time was money after all.

That old saying held true now more than ever, especially for him. It was still quite hard to believe, but Naruto Uzumaki was a bonafide businessman, owning two flourishing companies that have been on the rise since they opened eight years ago. Though all of the credit for that rise went to those who helped his companies get there. He merely provides them with a means to express their genius. His companies thrived, and would continue to do so, under such miracle workers, one of which was the first man he ever hired, Nathaniel Richards.

Nathaniel was not only working on some teleportation device that would transport matter, and then eventually living matter, to anywhere he wanted. If his invention was a success, then not only would it increase the reputation of the company, and Nathaniel as a whole, but it would be a huge contribution to the world. Because the first thing he thought of when applying this invention was hospitals. It would undoubtedly cut the time it took for a recipient to receive a life-saving transplant by about a hundred percent, if not more. That was not Nathaniel's only job however. He had passed the test given to him by Stark, and he was set to become the benefactor for the men on the wall. Once Stark stepped down, it was his show to run.

Richards was not the only scientist on his staff, he had two more, especially seeing as Nathaniel was going to be a lot busier in the future. He would have hired more than what he currently had on his own payroll, but with SHIELD and his job as a man on the wall, he just didn't have the time to scout out the talent. It was a shame to since he missed out on scientists like Pym, Banner, and Reed. That being said though, he was more than happy with the two he had hired.

The two he hired were in fact a married couple, a Jonathan and Merriem Drew, the former hired for genetics, and the latter for cell regeneration. The older couple even had a seven year old daughter named Jessica. He's met her a few times when she stopped by after school every so often. She was a very sweet girl, smart to.

In contrast to his first company, his second wasn't as big, though it did have the same amount of employees. There was a stark difference between the two though. It was the level of trustworthiness and respect the citizens of New York had for it. Reason for that was because his second company delivered reliable news to the people. That's right, his second company was in fact a newspaper firm called the Uzumaki Inquirer.

Neither of the two names he'd come up with for his companies were very sexy, flashy, or even all that imaginative, he knew this, but hey, they got the job done, and that's all that mattered.

Anyways, in the beginning, this type of business venture was hardly on his radar, and it only appeared after he had read some faulty reporting in his morning newspaper. How did he know it was faulty? It's because it was about him. He had been out one day, in his Kagebōshi persona, when he stopped a few street crimes. The newspaper, The Daily Bugle or something, had reported his heroics all wrong stating he was the one orchestrating the crimes. He could do a better job at doing their job was his thought process.

So, with that in mind, he decided to create his own firm, even if it wasn't as big as the others. The more he thought he put into the business, the more he really liked this venture, and unlike his competitors, he would be reporting nothing but the truth when he reported the news. Such a simple philosophy allowed him to play with the long game in mind, which for him was quite simple...

In order for one to control public opinion, one needed to control the information which they received.

He knew he was manipulating the citizens of New York, but he was of a mind that believed it was better to be over-prepared, than under-prepared. One day, he didn't know when, he believed something huge was going to occur, and when it did, people were going to rely on the news for information. And when they did, his word would be the one they believed.

Unfortunately, in order for this to work, he would need more views than what a newspaper offered. He needed to have his news broadcasted on the tube, to millions of viewers, or on that thing they called the internet. Though from what he knew of the net, it was still a work in progress. Either way, he needed more viewers, and that was where his other two employee's came in.

While he was the investigative reporter, and owner of the company, his former second-in-command at SHIELD, Peggy Carter, was his editor-in-chief. After she had retired from the life of an agent, she had mentioned to him that she might get a day job to pass the time, and so, he offered her this one. A job in which she was dealing with with information management, not unlike her last one.

His last employee was perhaps his most important, for his long-term plan at least. She was a real up and comer, a real go-getter. Her name was Elizabeth Brant, but she preferred to be called Betty. Anyways, the reason she was so important was because she was to be the company newscaster, the first ever for his company. Why her and not Peggy? Well, he would never say it to her face, but Peggy was getting up there in age, just like many other newscasters. He planned on staying ahead of that.

Betty had been shocked when he told her what her job would be, so much so that she actually began to cry in front of him. She thanked him countless times, letting slip in her emotional state that she had tried many other places before eventually coming to his. It had been during one of her many interviews for a job as a reporter that she had been turned down numerous times. One man had even gone as far as telling her that she would be better off as his assistant. The guy's name was something Jameson, a real jerk-off if he ever heard of one.

Either way, he had hired her soon after, partly because he was a sucker for an underdog, and because she was similar to him and Steve. She wanted the opportunity to be a reporter, much like they wanted the opportunity to enlist. She wanted to work in this field, much like they wanted to fight. No one was giving her that chance, but he would. One look in her eyes told him she had what it took.

He was about halfway to Uzumaki Enterprises before suddenly stopping, and reached up to the top of his head.

"Hm-mm, maybe I should get a haircut before I head over to the office..." he muttered.

After debating with himself for a few seconds, and standing in the road like a looney, he decided to take a quick detour to his favorite barbershop. It would only take a few minutes. After all, you gotta look like a million bucks if you wanna make a million bucks.

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– Five Years Later –

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March 7th, 1995

An over-exuberant yawn escaped the lips of one blonde super-soldier as he slowly began to stretch his his stiff body like a feline, a few cracks being heard. Reclining up from his seat with satisfied smile plastered on his face, he began to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes, and then took a look at his watch.

It currently read 4:35 pm.

'Damn, that flight took just over ten hours.'

Peeking to the side, and out of his window, he could see that he'd finally arrived at his destination. The blonde shinobi was currently in the air, on his company jet, being flown into the land where they served you Fish n Chips, merry old England, specifically it's capital, London. Unfortunately, he was here on business, not pleasure. His business in the capital was to potentially make a new hire for his company.

Especially since Nathaniel Richards just up and vanished one day four years ago. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. He walked into the man's laboratory one day to speak with him, found his teleportation machine on, and no Richards. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened to the man, the only question that needed answering was where it had transported him to?

He'd done everything that was within his power to try and locate the man, but eventually, the next of kin needed to be notified that he was gone, and possibly presumed dead. Seeing as the man's wife was deceased, the next in line was his only son. That conversation with Reed was painful to say the least. The young-man was devastated at losing the only man to have fostered his insatiable thirst for knowledge. He'd vowed he would find his father, dead or alive. Not knowing how to follow up on that, he told Reed he had his full support, and left it at that.

With Nathaniel's disappearance, and all of his work being claimed by his son, the pressure had fallen to the Drew's to produce, and that wasn't fair towards them. To help alleviate the pressure, he went out and hired some new blood, a young-woman straight out of college. She has a PhD in Biomedical sciences. Her name, Elizabeth Ross.

A background check was preformed, as was the usual with new hires, and she was clean. Though he did learn something rather interesting. He's had run-ins with Elizabeth's father in the past. The man he was referring to used to be a Lieutenant Colonel, though now he's a Lieutenant General. Her father is Thaddeus Ross. That wasn't the only interesting piece of information he'd learned though. She also has a connection to one of the scientists hired by Fury. Apparently, she and Bruce Banner went to college together, at Harvard University. They would be monitored, just in case.

Anyways, while she would be working next to the Drew's, it would not be permanent. Ross was going to be moved to a different facility he was building in Harlem, a facility where she and her work would flourish, and help people at the same time since her field of study leaned towards the medical field.

While he felt Elizabeth was a great hire, she alone wasn't enough, not in his mind at least. If he wanted his company to keep expanding, especially into foreign territories, then he needed outside talent. That's why he was currently flying into one. The scientist on his radar was a Dr. James Braddock Sr.

He suddenly let out a sigh. He'd be lying if he said that was all he was coming out here for, when it was only half the truth. He needed to get away, to clear his head. Not only was Nathaniel gone, but so was another friend. Howard Stark, along with his wife, Maria, were dead, had been since '91.

Every news outlet reported it was a car accident that did them in, but he knew a hit when he saw one. The duo was assassinated, by who though was the question. Before he died, Howard had asked both him and Fury to watch over his son, Tony, who was now twenty-five, and running Stark Industries. Neither really saw the need to, as the prodigal son was proving to be just as business and tech savvy as his old man, so he didn't really need to be taken care of. That being said, the man had asked, and they as friends would comply with his request.

Feeling the jet starting to descend, he placed his tray in the up right position, sat back in his seat, and calmly waited until they landed.

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~An Hour Later~

"Hm-mm, well, I certainly wasn't expecting this..."

The former director of SHIELD was currently standing in front of the gate that was barring entry into the manor owned by the Braddock Family. There was a problem though.

"What in the world happened to the manor?"

He didn't need to use his mutation to see that the large home was in shambles. The red paint job was chipping here and there, the flora had overtaken the entire front-yard, and most of the back as well. It wasn't abandoned or anything, was it?

"Are you a friend of the Braddock's?"

Hearing a frail voice sneak up on him, which was a feat in of itself, he turned around and came in contact with a little old man and his pooch. Studying him for a moment, as he wanted to know how the man snuck up on him, he eventually stopped. There was nothing noteworthy about this old man.

"Something like that." replied the blonde. "I was on my way here to offer James Braddock a job, or at least talk to him about one. What happened here?"

The old man sighed sadly. "Something no family should ever go through." he said. "It all started when the oldest child, Jamie, suddenly took his life. The loss of their first born drove both James and his wife Elizabeth into a deep depression." he explained. "So deep that even their two remaining children could not pull them out."

Naruto actually grimaced. He knew what it was like to lose a child, but to lose a child that you've loved, raised, and watched become a man? His pain did not compare to theirs. Not in the slightest. The old man continued.

"What little remained of the family just shattered when their only daughter, Elizabeth, had a nervous breakdown. She was promptly admitted into a mental institute." he said. "Then when their youngest son, Brian, suddenly went missing one day. The loss of all three children was simply to much for their hearts to bear, and the Sir and Lady of the manor passed on."

"...That is a lot to take in." said the blonde, eventually. "Such a fate upon one family." he muttered to himself. It felt like he was looking in a mirror, such was the fate of his own family.

The old man nodded. "Yes, but there is good news."

"What's that?"

"Elizabeth, the daughter, she's been making excellent progress as of late." he answered. "Enough that she can even hold a conversation with a person for more than ten minutes."

"Hm-mm, maybe I should drop by and offer my condolences..." he mumbled. He didn't know why, but he felt oddly compelled to seek this young-woman out. Whether it was because he felt sorry for her, or it was something else, he didn't know.

"That would be very kind of you." said the old man, having heard him. "I can give you the address if you'd like?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Now that he thought about it, just who was this old man, and how did he know so much about this family?"

"That would be very much appreciated, mister...?"

The elderly man smiled. "Doctor actually."

"Okay, doctor...?"

"Essex." replied the old man. "You may call me Dr. Nathaniel Essex." he introduced, a kind smile on his face.

"So, what were you to the Braddock's?" inquired Naruto, digging for some info.

"I was a friend of James, and the family's personal physician." answered Essex.

"I see." The former director lowered his defenses a bit after hearing that. "How do you know how the girl is doing?" he asked.

Essex shrugged. "Seeing as Elizabeth is all that is left of my dear friend, I tend to visit her from time to time, to check up on her." replied Nathaniel.

Naruto let out a sigh. He was letting his paranoia get the better of him right now, and it was stressing him out more than usual. He gave the man a nod. "Do you still practice?"

Nathaniel shook his head. "No, not for a long time now. The Braddock's were my last patients. I don't think my old heart would last if such a tragedy were to happen again, so I stopped."

"I see, well, I won't take up anymore of your time. Thanks for the information." he said. He'd been contemplating offering the man a job, but decided against it. One look in his eyes told him the old man was done.

"You're quite welcome, young-man." said Essex. "Hopefully seeing a new face will put a bit of life into young Betsy's eyes."

The super-soldier could only nod at the old man's enthusiasm, hoping he was right. He bid the old man a farewell, and started following the directions given to him by Essex. Speaking of Nathaniel, his eyes were still locked onto the back of the blonde walking away from him. His very image began to flicker in and out of existence, and where once stood a kind looking old man and his pet now stood a completely different being.

The man stood at just six feet, five inches. He had jet black hair, unhealthy pale skin, dark red eyes with no pupils, and a strange red diamond atop his forehead. Razor sharp teeth shined in his mouth as he grinned.

"Experiment has begun, proceeding to stage one, first contact." he said to himself, watching his blonde target disappear into the distance.

---

~A Few Minutes Later~

"So this is Morder Research Centre..." he commented. "For an institute specializing in diseases of the mind, it's not to shabby. Could use a new coat of paint though." he remarked offhandedly, bland white just wasn't very welcoming.

Done with his miniature inspection, he walked through the double-doors of the institute, and directly up to the reception desk. There was a single woman there, book in her hand.

"Hello, Grace" he greeted, having seen her name-tag as he grew closer.

Having heard her name, Grace looked up from the book she was reading, and directly into the bluest eyes she's ever seen. Placing her book down, she gave the attractive man in front of her the brighter smile she could muster.

"Good evening, sir." she reciprocated. "How may I help you on this lovely day?"

"I'm here to see a patient, and I was hoping that a beautiful young-lady such as yourself might help me in that regard." he said, putting on the charm.

A light tint of pink slowly formed on Grace's face. "...What is the patient's name?"

"Elizabeth Braddock."

Grace nodded. "Now, before I can give you the information, I must ask you a question." she said. "It's a standard requirement of the company. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Not at all." he answered. "Go ahead."

"Are you family? Or friend?"

"Family." he answered smoothly. "...I'm her cousin." He was about to say on her mother's side, but he saw no point in making more work for himself. Keep it simple and clean.

Grace stared at him for a good minute before nodded, accepting his answer. She then began to type on her computer, and started making small talk until she found what she was looking for.

"I'm glad to see some family coming to visit Betsy." she said. "Others could learn a thing or two from you." She stopped typing. "Here we go. Elizabeth Braddock, 6th floor, west wing, room 616. Oh, it says she's currently in a session with Dr. Ramsey."

"Who?"

"He's the institute's psychiatrist."

Naruto nodded. "If he's not done by the time I reach her, then I'll just wait outside. If that's fine." he said, sending Grace a bright smile.

She opened her mouth to say he should probably wait, but that smile just warmed her heart. She gave him a nod. "Just be quiet."

He nodded. "I can do quiet." he said. "Thanks for everything, you've been a big help." He started to walk away, towards the elevators.

The young-woman gave him a nod, returning his smile with one of her own. She sighed and sadly had to watch him leave, though the show wasn't that bad, seeing as he had nice butt. Sighing once more, as the show was over, she returned to her book.

'Up to the sixth floor I go.' thought the super-soldier, entering the elevator and pushing the button.

---

'Let's see here, 605...610...and here we go, room 616.'

The room itself was located furthest in the back of the wing, and in the corner of a hallway. Before he could knock on the door, he heard muffled sounds coming from the otherside. Leaning closer, he placed his ear on the door, and listened in.

"Very soon, that wonderful power of yours is going to bring about an age where the strong rule, and the weak die." whispered a gruff voice. "As it's herald, ultimately it will be I who will be praised by Herr Skull for bringing about such an age..."

Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard that last part. The Red Skull? In this day and age? He needed to put a stop to this, now. Barging into the room, he spotted two people. One of them was Elizabeth, who was on her back, looking up at the ceiling. The other was an older man who was sitting close to her, obviously whispering something to her. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was brainwashing her.

"What the hell are you doing!?" he snarled, his rage bubbling beneath the surface.

Before the doctor could react, he was on him, his hand wrapped around the man's throat in a vice grip like fashion, tightening every few seconds. Adding chakra to his eyes, he used his sharingan to sift through the man's mind, and he did not like what he found.

'Hydra!'

The struggling worm in his hand was part of the Hydra infiltration unit sent to London back during the war. How the man was still alive, or yet to be captured, was beyond him, but he would rectify that. He looked the old man straight in the eye.

"You survived the war, and this is what you do with the second chance you're given?" Naruto shook his head. "You and your kind don't deserve second chances, because all you'll do is continue spreading your hate. Begone from this world." he said, and in one swift motion, broke the man's neck, ending his miserable existence.

Having enough respect for the dead, he set the body down instead of tossing it to the side, like he had originally planned on doing. Closing the deceased's eyes, he walked over to the bed. Sitting down next to Betsy, he gently took her delicate hand into his, and looked her in the eyes.

"The monster is gone, forever." he said. "I made sure of it."

Having stopped her small struggle, as she did not know who this man was, or what he was going to do to her, a small tear rolled down the side of her face as she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand. Her eyes traveled up to meet the stranger's, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"The drugs he was giving you will wear off in a few days." he said.

After sifting through Dr. Ramsey's mind, he had learned quite a few things. His brainwashing theory was in fact true, but it would hardly ever stick on the young-woman before him. Why? Because she was a mutant who had just awoken to her abilities. Hence the drugs. The drugs would constrict her body all over, leaving her with minimal to no control of her body and mind.

"For now, just try and get some sleep while I take care of the body-" He was interrupted as Betsy gave his hand a squeeze. "What, what's wrong?" he asked, worried. "...Can't sleep?"

Feeling the squeeze on his hand once more, it seems he guessed correctly.

"Hm-mm, that is a problem, because you definitely need rest right now." he mumbled. "...I might be able to help you fall asleep, just...don't freak out, okay?"

Another squeeze was his answer, and he began. Betsy's eyes widened as far as they could in her current state when she saw the blonde man's blue eyes suddenly turn red. She was absolute mesmerized by them.

'...Beautiful...' she thought, before the sweet sweet embrace of sleep took her.

Naruto would have smiled at the serene look she had on her face, but he was far to busy trying to quell the massive headache that was attacking him right now. It didn't just come out of nowhere. It came after he entered Betsy's mind. The second he entered to place a calming illusion on her, and issue the subtle command to sleep was when he felt it, and it came at him hard.

Safe to say, he now knew what power the deceased Hydra agent was talking about. Elizabeth Braddock was a mutant telepath, and a very powerful one at that. That's why none of the brainwashing stuck. His headache eventually passed, and he took a deep breath. He looked down at her sleeping face.

'...I can't allow her to stay here anymore.'

Reason being because he not only wanted to protect her, but those around her. The drug given to her to constrict her body and mind would only last for so long. Once it became useless, as her powers would overtake it, what happened to him just seconds ago would happen to everyone in the institute. He did not want that to happen. Especially when the staff and patients weren't trained to handle such a mental attack.

He shook his head. He didn't even want to think of such a thing happening. It would be a massacre of the highest order. Activating his mangekyō, he transported the dead Hydra agent into his small pocket dimension, and then gently scooped Betsy up into his arms. He looked around the room for a solid minute, making sure there was nothing that could be traced back to her, and once he was satisfied, the two vanished.

---

~Two and a Half Weeks Later~

"Do you really have to leave already?" inquired Betsy.

After the two left the Morder Research Centre, Naruto had brought them back to his hotel suite, where he had taken care of Elizabeth until the drugs wore off, and she regained her strength. It was a tough first week for him since he's never taken care of anyone before, but he managed somehow. He believed wholeheartedly that the second week would be the hardest, but imagine his surprise when it wasn't.

There was a valid reason for that actually. It turns out that while he initially believed Betsy to be very mistrustful of him, as he was still a stranger to her, it was the exact opposite. She trusted him without question. Why? Well, when he ventured into her mind, to help her, she had taken a venture into his, and she saw who he really was, and just how much they were alike. They were both broken in one way or another. Both had lost their parents, both had a dead, and missing sibling. They had both suffered at the hands of crazy people.

The hardest part of the whole situation was keeping her powers from lashing out. It was during his time with her that he had designed a seal that would momentarily suppress them, without harming her. He would need to design another, a more powerful one, when he returned.

"I'm afraid so." he replied, sending her a sad smile. "But it's only for a little while." he added at the end.

"Remind me again, but why can't I go with you?" she inquired. "I don't exactly have much left here to hold me back from leaving." she muttered, arms wrapped around her knees.

"That's true." muttered Naruto. He sighed, and then sat down in front of her as their eyes met. "Do you trust me, Elizabeth?"

She nodded. "You know I do."

"Then I'm going to need you to trust me now." he stated. "I'm not bringing you with me because it would be difficult to get you into the country, no, I have another reason why."

"A reason you can't tell me, right?"

He nodded. The reason happened to be director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, and the reason he knew Fury would be all over them was because he planned on teaching Betsy how to harness that power of hers. If he knew Fury as well as he believed he did, then he knew the man would be spying on them non-stop. It was why he didn't want to bring her to America. A power the size of hers would undoubtedly attract Fury, and possibly others, to her, and he did not want that.

He knew Fury would back off a bit if he told the one-eyed man she was under his protection, but he would probably not receive the same courtesy from outsiders. His plan was simple. Once he returned to the states, he was going to have an area designed where her powers would not be felt, probably under the new home he just had built a few years ago. He still had his penthouse, but there were times when even he wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Anyways, once the room was built, he would start training her. Yes, that was the plan. For now, they would train at Braddock Manor.

Elizabeth sighed, but nodded. "Alright then. I'll wait until you return." she said. "How long are you going to take anyways?"

"Hm-mm, at best, three days tops." he replied. "At worst, perhaps a week and a half."

"Get going then, because the sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back." she said, smiling.

He gave her a grin. "I'll be back."

She snorted. "Your Schwarzenegger could use some work."

Naruto's grin widened. "I'll make sure it's up to snuff by the time I return. See ya later, Betsy."

"Later, Naruto."

As she watched him leave and close the door behind him, she slunk back down into the large bed, and remained motionless. A sigh escaped her lips. It hadn't even been thirty seconds, and already she was bored. Reaching over to the nightstand, she picked up the remote.

"I wonder if there's anything good on television right now...?"

---

As he left the suite, and made sure to pay for another month, just in case, he set his course for the airport. Along the way, he started spotting those posters again, the ones he'd seen when making his way over to Braddock Manor. They were for the coming Prime Minister elections.

He didn't have to as much these days, but he still kept his eyes and ears open when it came to foreign politics, because an ally today could be an enemy tomorrow. Anyways, none of the candidates really caught his attention with what their goals were once elected, except for one.

This candidate's goal once elected was something that would not only affect this country, but soon other countries around the world. Mutant registration.

Recently, and not just in America or the UK, but all over, more and more people who had the x-gene were being found everyday. He didn't see what the big deal was, but as per the usual standard, people were afraid of what they didn't understand, and when they didn't understand, or chose not to, they got violent.

If candidate James Jaspers got his way, at least in the United Kingdom, then the mutant population in this island nation could possibly dwindle to nothing in years. All because of bigots and racists. He made a mental note to look into this man when he returned to America.

---

– Two Years Later –

---

September 15th, 1997

Deep in the heart of New York City, there stood a building. It wasn't magnificent, or even a significant building to the public, it was just...there. However, what lay inside of the building was a completely different matter entirely. There wasn't much inside, but what it did hold meant more to this country than anything else.

"Then there was this other time when..." trailed off an animated voice.

That animated voice belonged to Naruto, and the reason he was being so animated in the practically hollow building was because he was telling a story of his past. Though not to just anyone, no, he was telling this to someone whom he held in high regard, and loved very much.

His brother.

Yes, it's true, his brother had finally been found, and by the unlikeliest of people.

---

~Flashback~

Naruto was currently standing in the most secluded pier in the state, but he was not fishing, no, he was waiting. He had received a mysterious message a few weeks ago, telling him to come to this exact spot. Normally, he would have played it off as a prank, but this was sent to him directly, by a method he was familiar with, and only a select few people in the world even knew.

That alone put him on guard because the only people whom he was referring to were members of The Hand when he was apart of the organization. If the organization was still operating in the shadows, as it was a possibility since he hadn't heard anything of them in years, then chances were they would not be using such an outdated form of communication to contact him. Whatever their reasons for doing so. With that in mind, the list of possible suspects narrowed. Whoever sent this message was someone who had been apart of the organization when he was still a member.

"So, you're the contact I'm supposed to meet."

Hearing a voice, he turned around and spotted who it belonged. He had to control himself. Standing before him was the ruler of the seven seas, Namor. Since the half-Atlantean was here, it was clear to him who had sent the message. His fellow disciple, and one-time lover, Namora.

He took a deep breath, and exhaled. "That's right." he said. "...Now, what do you want?"

His stiff tone had been misconstrued by the king. "I'd watch that tongue of yours, boy!" snarled the monarch. "It's liable to be pulled out for showing a lack of respect."

That was not the right thing to say, as now Naruto's eyes turned cold. "You better be careful how you speak. We aren't on your turf. Up here, you aren't worth a damn." he said, enjoying the look of rage on Namor's face. "Now speak your business, king under the sea."

"Hmph, it's hard to believe that you are related to the Captain."

That made the blonde pause in his small victory against the Atlantean.

"What did you just say?"

Now it was Namor's turn to relish in his victory. "Oh, what's this, didn't think anybody knew?"

Naruto's jaw flexed. "...What do you know?"

The Atlantean shrugged. "Only what Namora told me. She was the one who first made the connection between the two of you." he explained. "Unlike you humans," he spat. "We Atlantean's have superior senses, and she was able to discern the two of you were related by your smell."

The super-soldier shook his head. 'It must have been when Steve and I were both in Madripoor.' he thought.

Another thought came to him. If what Namor said was true, and Namora had indeed discerned who they were by smell alone, then chances were Logan had as well. He shook his head again, only this time he felt a headache coming on. The whole situation with Namora knowing who he was related to didn't help.

"...Just...Why was I told to come here, Namor?" he asked tiredly.

"Because of this."

Using his superhuman strength, the king pulled on a thick rope he had been holding since they started their conversation, and up came a large block of ice. Though that wasn't what caught the shinobi's attention. It was what was inside that did.

"H-How?"

He was looking at the body of Captain America, his older brother.

"Even after all these years, you still look the same..." Naruto muttered, looking his brother up and down.

"Yes, even I was surprised." added Namor. "The ice must have kept him perfectly preserved."

The blonde super-soldier couldn't help but nod at that theory, though he also believed the serum was at play here as well. Whatever it was, he thanked the big guy upstairs for finally allowing them to meet again, after so many years.

"Why?" he suddenly asked. "Why bring him to the surface when you could have easily kept him a secret? You would have held something over the surface dwellers."

The king nodded. "Yes, I to thought of doing this, but then I thought about it more rationally. If the surface were to ever find out Atlantis had been holding their hero, then it could have led to war, and that is the last thing I want for my people." he stated. "...Besides, I hold to much respect for this man to ever do such a thing to him."

"I see."

"I also hold to much respect for my cousin to go against her wishes." Seeing the confused look on the blonde's face, he explained. "Namora was the one who asked me to bring Steven to the surface, to reunite him with you, because she respects you, and seeing as I respect her, I did as asked."

"I...Thank you." he finally said. "Give my thanks to Namora as well."

Namor gave him a small nod of recognition to the request, and dove back into the ocean, gone.

Watching where the Atlantean used to be, the blonde let out a soft curse. In all his excitement, he forgot to ask the king under the sea a question that had been bothering him for some time now. Just what had happened to Namora after she left the organization on her long-term mission? Well, it was actually less of a question he wanted answered now, and more of wanting clarification.

After she had left, he hadn't been sure what had happened to her, but after hearing Namor speak of her just seconds ago, he knew she was okay, but it also answered the question. She was like him. A spy sent to monitor, and or destroy, The Hand. It wasn't coincidence that she just happened to go on a long-term mission, away from Japan, just when the atomic bomb was to be dropped. Either way, he supposed it doesn't really matter all that much anymore. He finally knew she was safe, and that's all that mattered.

Turning around from the sea, he walked over to the large block of ice, and placed a hand over it.

"It took us fifty-two years, but we've finally met after the war." he said. "Let's go home, brother."

~Flashback End~

---

The unbidden memory of their fated meeting brought a smile to his face. Sure that had only been a few months ago, but it still felt like it was yesterday. His brother had already been thawed out, but in order to monitor his vitals, he was placed in a hyperbaric chamber. The doctors who were responsible for making sure he woke up told him that Steve could possibly wake up in as little as a few days, or a few years. While he didn't like the uncertainty of not knowing when he would wake up, he still preferred that to what it used to be like before he was found.

"Now then, where was I..." he muttered, trying to recall where he left off. "Oh right, do you remember the company I told you I started years ago? Of course you do, well, recently, I hired three new people. One of whom I lured away from a major business rival."

He chuckled to himself clearly remembering that day.

"Oh man, I wish you had been there to see Osborn's face." he laughed. "I stole that scientist right out from under him. Boy, was he pissed at me."

Being pissed was an understatement. Norman Osborn had been furious with him, and had threatened to sue him for tampering. When that failed, Osborn had resorted to slandering his company, along with the threat of causing bodily harm to him, and his workers. Not that either would work.

"The scientist in question is Dr. Sara Ehret, she specializes in gene therapy." he said. "I had to travel out of the country for the second hire, to Scotland actually." he added. "I didn't know this until much later, but I ended up hiring a nobleman's daughter, a Moira Kinross. Put her in the genetics dept."

He wasn't going to lie, there was a bit of an ulterior motive when it came to Moira's hiring. Her field of study was genetics, but more specifically mutant genetics. She even had a fascinating theory about how some mutants could possibly develop a second mutation, or even pushing their original one towards new heights.

"...I'm sure you've noticed a trend here, Steve." he looked at his unconscious brother. "Most of those I've hired have been women." he said. "A reporter even asked me what I was thinking hiring nothing but women, not in a sexist way of course." he added. "I told him I can't help who I hire, because I only hire those with the best minds, and if all those just happen to be women, then so be it."

Hell, if he could have hired Reed Richards, just as he did with the young-man's father, then he would have. Speaking of Nathaniel Richards, nothing new had been found on his whereabouts, and many, if not all, in the scientific community had given up hope of finding him. Only he and the man's son were holding out hope.

The blonde sighed. He'd inadvertently brought down the mood with his thoughts on a former employee of his. His blue eyes suddenly widened, and a grin made it's way to his face. He knew something that would bring the mood back up.

"You'll love this next piece of news, Steve." he said in excitement. "...I recently purchased the Brooklyn Dodgers, though they don't go by that anymore. They're the Los Angeles Dodges now."

One of his many dreams was to own a sports franchise, specifically the Dodgers, because the baseball team represented many good times for him, not only as a child, but an adult as well. With him, Steve, and Bucky all catching a game from time to time. So when he had enough money, he bought the team. Despite them having moved, which wasn't all that big of a deal anyways. This now gave him a reason to travel west. Perhaps he would even buy another team sometime in the near future. Maybe football?

He shook his head, he was going off on a tangent. He needed to get back to the task at hand.

"Sorry for zoning out." he apologized. "The next person isn't an employee, but someone I really want you to meet. Her name is Elizabeth Braddock. We met two years ago, and it was during that time that I taught her quite a bit."

His mind drifted back to two years ago, a fond smile on his face as he remembered running poor Betsy into the ground with his training. She hadn't come out completely unscathed, but she did come out a much stronger woman, both physically and mentally. The young-woman had done more than enough in learning how to control her powers that those who would've take an interest in her are now none the wiser as to who she is, or what she can do. Unfortunately, she chose not to come to America with him after their two years together. No, she told him that she wanted to travel, gain experience, and once she felt she had it, she would come back to him.

"...You'll like her, Steve." he commented. "Real tough that one. You'd also like some of the others I've trained and met over the years."

His thoughts drifted to Sersi, Thundra, Monica, and Yukio. The Eternal woman had left the second he had informed her he was stepping down as director of SHIELD. She told him she would follow no one but him, as she knew him. She did not know Fury nearly as well. He could still contact her if he ever needed her assistance, but other than that, she was out doing her own thing. Thundra was much the same as Sersi. Only willing to follow him as she knew he would not abuse her skills.

Monica and Yukio went a completely different route than their former teammates. They got bumped up from being mere agents, to now being directors themselves, well, co-directors. After an incident whilst on a mission as a man on the wall, Naruto had convinced Fury that they needed more help in dealing with just the extraterrestrial threats. Thus, the organization known as SWORD was created, with the two of them helming it.

"If you can hear me in there Steve, then pay close attention to what I have to say. If you ever run into the species known as the Brood, have a lot of firepower." he said, shivering. That damn species was the entire reason he had concocted SWORD in the first place. If he ever saw another Brood queen again, it would be too soon.

Shaking his head of the species that reminded him of those xenomorphs from that movie, he decided to lighten the mood with some good news.

"The last scientist I hired is another person I really want you to meet..." he stopped mid-sentence, took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Do you recall when I explained the whole situation regarding Tsunade, and the death of my unborn child?"

Steve of course said nothing, remaining absolutely still, and Naruto continued on as if he had been answered.

"Of course you do, and do you also remember that vow I told you I took, to never get involved with a female scientist again?" he asked, and again Steve did not reply. "Well..." Naruto sighed. "...I kinda sorta, broke that vow." he said, a smile on his face. "Congratulations, you're going to be an uncle."

Naruto knew that if Steve were awake, his brother would be jumping for joy right now, asking who the mother was so he could give her a hug, welcoming her into the family.

"The mother of my child, and your niece, is Dr. Sarah Kinney." he revealed. "I had to travel back up north, to Canada, to hire her, and from the moment we met, we just clicked. Eventually, one thing led to another, and now here we are, one month away from my baby girl being born." he said. "In fact, she was supposed to be here already, since I was going to introduce the two of you, but she's late..."

While Sarah didn't have clearance, from Fury at least, to see Steve, she fell under his jurisdiction, and would not be touched by any agent. Pulling out his cellular phone, he dialed her number, but hung up the second he got the answering machine. Using his tech, he triangulated the signal of her phone, and frowned when he read where it currently was.

'What's she doing all the way up in Canada?'

A terrible feeling was starting to take root in the pit of his stomach. He looked back at his brother.

"...Sorry bro, but I'm cutting our bonding time short today." he said. "I'm sure you understand."

Activating his mangekyō, and concentrating on the only place he knew in Canada, he disappeared into a swirling vortex. Gods above he hoped he was wrong in his assumption of where she was.

---

He had been hoping, praying, that he was wrong about his assumption, that it was nothing more than a bad feeling. No such luck. He was looking directly at the newly built entrance that now led down into the bunker that Department K used to use, and was probably using right now. The Facility was back up and running again.

The rebuilt door mattered little to him as he tore it off it's hinges. Entering, and quickly making his way down, each step he took was laced with trepidation. Why? Because memories of his past betrayal were starting to resurface.

Did he believe Sarah betrayed him? He didn't know. Would he rather believe she was kidnapped to get to him? You betcha. He knew it was horrible of him to think that way, but could you blame him? He's been burned by a female scientist, albeit unknowingly, before.

'Stop.'

That line of thinking wasn't needed right now. He needed to concentrate. Still having his mangekyō activated, he searched the dimly lit bunker and found his targets. Their large camouflage tent could fool the naked eye, but it would not fool his.

Inching closer and closer, he was about to burst in and start busting skulls but stopped the second he laid eyes on Sarah. Similar to what had been done to the fake Tsunade years ago, Sarah was lying on a gurney, and had all sorts of machines plugged into her. That wasn't the worse part. She also looked like she was getting ready to give birth, despite there still being a month left.

Everyone surrounding Sarah eventually took notice of him, and began to reach for their weapons, but he would not allow them to. He subdued everyone present, sans Sarah, with his presence alone.

"...Who's in charge here?" he asked calmly, his voice tightly controlled. All those present managed to look at two men.

Walking past the struggling men and women on the ground, he stopped in front of the two they had all looked at, and locked eyes with them. He began to sift through the surface of their minds, and after a few seconds, he returned, not at all pleased.

The two old men struggling to breathe in front of him were people he was familiar with, and had in fact come in contact with. He was looking at the two assistants he'd met back in the '50s. They were Martin Sutter, and Adam Harkins. Now lead scientists themselves. It turns out that the illusion he'd placed on the group back then faded prematurely, and the duo had caught his fight with the Wendigo. After they had seen what he could do, they began to keep tabs on him. Eventually, through means unknown to him at the moment, the two men had come to learn who he was behind the mask, and that Sarah was with a child, his child.

"Why?" he asked. "Why would you do this, Martin, Adam?"

Neither man answered his query, as they tried their best to avoid his piercing gaze.

"Answer me!" he yelled, startling the others.

"...Because we were promised the secrets to human evolution."

"That's it?" he asked in disbelief. "You put an innocent woman and child through..." He couldn't even finish his sentence. "I'm going to let you in on something. It's no secret that humanity is evolving." he said. "...Who was it? Who promised you such a thing?" he questioned, because whoever promised the two such things, could also have been the one to give out his identity, and his connection to Sarah.

The two refused to answer, but that was okay. He had ways of getting what he wanted. Forcing them to look directly back into his eyes, he dove right back in, past everything he had already learned, pushing deeper, harder, not caring if he fractured their minds along the way.

---

"...Martin."

Hearing his name, the old man turned around and came face to face with his benefactor. "Yes?"

"It appears there has been a change in plans." said the mysterious voice. "An anomaly has appeared and wedged itself within the selection process of our target."

"How deep are we talking about?" he asked.

"The anomaly has gotten pregnant with our target's child." the voice answered. "It is far sooner than I had originally envisioned, and with none of the subjects that I have personally chosen for him."

"...Is the anomaly a mutant, or a superhuman at least?"

The mysterious person shook their head. "No, she is as human as they come."

Martin grimaced, as he knew his benefactor hated wasting time, and in their mind at least, most of humanity was a big waste of time. Most of them provided absolutely nothing towards furthering human evolution.

"What are we going to do?" he inquired.

"Kill the anomaly." answered the mysterious benefactor.

"What of the baby?"

"...Hold onto it." replied the voice. "I wish to see how it grows and develops. While the union between our target and a human has the least chance for evolutionary change, it should still provide us with a decent amount of data." said the voice. "And if it doesn't, then it will at least provide us with genetic samples of our target."

Martin could only nod. "Of course, Mr. Sinister."

---

"Harkins..."

Hearing his name called, the blonde haired geneticist tore his gaze away from his current project, a project that would revolutionize genetics for centuries. His name would be legend.

"How goes the construction of The World?"

"Construction is coming along nicely, Mr. Sinister."

"Good, good." nodded Sinister. "How long until it's fully operational?"

"At the rate it's being constructed, I'd say about a year or two. Why?"

"Martin and I are preparing for an experiment, and having The World ready for use would aid us in our endeavor."

"Who's the subject?"

Sinister suddenly grinned. "It's someone whom you know very personally. He recently impregnated a human woman with his seed, and Martin and I wish to run experiments on his offspring, to see if it has his mutation or not."

Adam thought for a second, who did he know very personally. Sure he's been intimate with women here and there, but nothing that would suggest they knew who this person really was. That's when it hit him. There was only one person who knew who he truly was and what he did. His eyes narrowed in anger as his head began to throb in pain.

"Oh, Him..." Adam gritted his teeth as he got the word out. "...If it's for his spawn, then I can have The World ready sooner."

Sinister raised his hand. "No need to rush. I want the child to grow, and naturally show me if it has a mutation or not. If it does not, then and only then will we proceed a step further and bring it to The World for experimentation. Am I understood?"

Adam forced his scowl down. "Of course, Mr. Sinister."

---

"So you both work for someone named Mr. Sinister."

He didn't recognize the name, but that was okay. He could always search for the bastard's name in the SHIELD database. What he really wanted was the bastard's mugshot. Just as he was about to re-enter their minds, to see if either had a mental image of the man, or said location of The World facility, and what it did exactly, he heard screaming coming from behind him.

Realizing it was Sarah, he released the two men in his grasp, turned around, and paled. The mother of his child was beginning to give birth! Seeing as he pushed the two men beneath him hard, they were all but useless to him at the moment. He turned to the next scientist up.

"Why is she going into labor a month ahead of schedule!?" he shouted, picking the scientist closest to him up off the ground.

"We gave her large doses of Oxytocin!" answered the frightened man. "It helps speed up the process of labor by causing strong contractions!"

Angered they would do this, but somehow keeping it in check, he released the man and gave him, along with everyone else present one order.

"Save her and my baby."

The man he had just accosted did not need to be told twice, and neither did some of the others next to him. A large group of men and women that had gotten up, huddled around Sarah, and got to work.

Naruto watched the group work from behind the scenes, shouting at one another, swapping out tool after tool, wiping away all the accumulated blood and sweat as they preformed a C-section. It felt like he was watching them for an eternity.

"Waah! Waah!"

He let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding, and allowed himself a very small moment of solace within all the chaos, savoring the sound that was hitting his ears. It was his child, his daughter. Unfortunately, the small reprieve ended when one of the scientists walked over to him, and handed him his baby girl, all clean, and wrapped in a blanket.

If he believed hearing his daughter cry was the most beautiful thing, well, he was wrong. "My god." he whispered softly. "You're perfect, absolutely beautiful..." If this is what his parents felt like, then he could understand why they had two kids. It was a magical feeling.

His baby girl definitely inherited most of her looks from her mother, but she got her beautiful blue eyes from him and his side of the family. Gods above, he could get lost in their innocence all day, and he would have if not for the loud scream that pierced his thoughts.

"We're losing her! We're losing her!" screamed one of the scientists.

"Slow her heart-rate down!" yelled another.

For the first time in his life, Naruto felt truly powerless as he and his daughter watched helplessly from the sidelines as the men and women before him were trying their hardest to save Sarah. Then he heard it. The sound that no one in a hospital ever wants to hear.

The Flatline.

He stood there motionless for a few seconds, hoping beyond hope that the scientists would be able to resuscitate her. He closed his eyes after a few seconds when he noticed the men and women who were trying to save her suddenly start walking away.

She didn't make it. He looked down his daughter sadly, tears in his eyes.

"When one life ends, another begins."

The man he picked up from earlier cautiously approached him. "We're sorry, we tried everything-"

"Silence." The man's apology was quelled with one word from the blonde. Naruto walked past all of the men and women, and into the makeshift operating room. He looked down at Sarah, and then at the child they'd made together. He managed to give her a smile, as hollow as it was.

"I know people say this all the time Sarah, but we made one good looking kid." grinned Naruto. "She's a miniature you, so you know she's going to be beautiful when she grows up, so beautiful in fact that I'm going to have to beat a lot of boy's assess to keep them away..."

He suddenly paused, and thought about what he just said.

"Wait, I didn't mean what I just said in that context..." he said. "What I meant was...you know what, it doesn't matter. Just rest assured that I'm going to do everything within my power to make sure what remains of you in this world is safe and happy." he finished, leaning down and placing one last kiss on her lips.

With his parting words done, he opened up a portal, and had Sarah's body placed within his pocket dimension. He would give her a proper burial once he returned. Turning back around, he came face to face with all of the remaining scientists. His gaze began to unnerve a few of them.

"...I know that all of you were here back in the '50s." he said, having seen all of their faces within the memories of Martin and Harkins. "I gave all of you a second chance years ago, and what did you go on to do with it? You repeated the same mistakes." he answered, shaking his head. "...I thank those of you who helped deliver my daughter safely, and those who tried saving Sarah's life. Unfortunately, it does not excuse your actions today, and all I can say to you is this. I hope you find in death whatever it was you couldn't find in life." he said, as people like those in front of him were always searching for something.

The moment he was done with his impromptu speech, he killed them all, and with his mangekyō. He did it as quickly, and painlessly, as he could muster. He soon realized his mistake in killing Martin and Harkins, as they could still have had info, and sighed. What's done is done. He was tired of being in this place anyways. Carefully stepping around the bodies, he began to make his way to the exit, all the while tossing explosive tags in every direction.

He stopped short of the exit. Removing his jacket, he wrapped it around his daughter before exiting out into the cold Canadian wilderness. Turning around after walking a few feet, he began to weave a hand-sign with his free hand.

"Magen: Nijū Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu(Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings Technique)!"

Once the double-layered illusion was in place, and he had walked thirty yards away, he set off all of the explosive tags. Last time, he and his team believed they had completely buried the facility. This time, he was going to make sure it stayed that way. Resuming his walk once more, he looked down at the serene face of his sleeping daughter, a smile on his own face.

"It's time to go home..." he trailed off. "Come to think of it, you don't even have a name, do you?"

The blonde got silent, humming to himself for a bit, and then nodded. He had the perfect name for her.

"Laura." he announced, using the name Sarah had chosen. "...Normally, you'd receive my surname in this instance, but seeing as how Uzumaki and Rogers are linked to trouble, and I have someone pinning after my genes, I'll give you Sarah's surname instead." he said, after thinking about it. "Let's head on home, Laura Kinney."

He had a large smile on his face the second he finished that sentence. Finally, after such a long time and so much tragedy, he was finally going to be a father! He couldn't wait to start raising his little girl. It was going to be great!

---

– Ten Months Later –

---

July 25th, 1998

"...C'mon Laura, it's time for you nap." whispered the blonde tiredly, rocking her back and forth. "I just finished feeding you." he said. "You don't wanna be all cranky when we go and see uncle Steve again, do you?"

Naruto had lost count the number of times he'd taken Laura over to see her semi-frozen uncle. While there, he would tell his brother everything that involved his daughter. From the cute sounds she made when hungry, or sleepy, to his fears of not knowing if he was raising her correctly.

Normally, he relied on trial and error when it came to a lot of things in life, especially things he didn't understand, but his daughter would not be one of those things. When the many books he'd read weren't enough, or the TV programs on the television were simply to outrageous, he would consult with a pediatrician. Doing that alleviated a lot of his worries over the past months.

He let out a shallow breath. "...Finally." he whispered. "She's asleep."

Bzzt!

Bzzt!

His own azure-blue eyes widened in absolute horror. The personal cellphone he used for SHIELD had begun to vibrate, and seeing as he left it on the wood table, it was likely going to make noise. He was technically on paternity leave, but could be called back in case of emergencies.

'Shit!' he silently cursed. He had to reach it and turn it off before-!

"Waah! Waah!

The blonde super-soldier groaned. "Sonuvabitch!" he hissed, glaring at the phone. "...WHAT!?" he answered, startling Laura, making her cry even louder.

"We have a situation, meet me at the Triskelion." answered Fury, not even the slightest bit fazed by the yelling or crying in the background. The tone used by the one-eyed director nearly caused all of his anger to dissipate. Never had he heard Fury's voice filled with such urgency. He finally looked down at his crying daughter.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I wasn't yelling at you." he apologized. "Shh, shh..." he hushed softly. "I was only yelling at daddy's work friend." he stated.

Laura, very slowly, began to calm down thanks to his soothing voice, but what was he supposed to do now? He was needed at work, but he didn't have a sitter. Normally, in a situation like this, he would call Fury and ask him to send over an agent to babysit, because he didn't trust anyone who didn't have combat experience to watch his daughter. He was paranoid like that.

Unfortunately, in the time it would take for an agent to arrive, usually an agent named Maria Hill, a twenty-something year old female with a good head on her shoulders, the situation could be over. It's never good to let a situation degrade that far. Who knows what the repercussions would be if he didn't get there in time.

He let out a sigh.

He knew this day would come, he just didn't think it would have been this soon. He was going to bring his baby girl to work with him, well, to the Triskelion at least. His daughter was going to be getting a head start on the whole take your daughter to work day thing.

Seeing as he was already prepared for this potential day, he opened up the cabinet where he kept all of Laura's baby things, and grabbed hold of one of the many diaper bags present. Everything he would ever need to take care of her was already inside. Well, everything except a change of clothes for him. He looked down at his current apparel and grimaced, he wasn't wearing anything combat related. He then shrugged.

"Whatever, I'll just borrow some gear when I get to the Triskelion." he said to himself, tossing aside the feeding strap he created, and vanishing with his daughter in arm.

---

The blonde super-soldier strode through the halls of the Triskelion with a purpose, not once batting an eyelash at the odd looks he was receiving from his fellow agents. He knew it was because of Laura, and the diaper bag around his shoulders, but he didn't care.

He entered the command center, but found no Fury. He did however find the young-woman who would usually watch his daughter.

"Hill." he called out gently, so as to not wake Laura. He not only grabbed her attention, but that of everyone else as well. "Where is he? Where is director Fury? Just what exactly needs my attention that he needed me to come in while I was taking care of my daughter?"

Maria Hill prided herself on being three things, stern, pragmatic, and tough-minded. However, she felt the best thing she brought to the organization was her ability to never get caught off-guard, no matter what was presented to her. It was the reason she was brought into SHIELD in the first place.

Suddenly seeing the former director in front of her put that ability to the test, and she could honestly say that she passed with flying colors. However, seeing his daughter, the little girl she herself had often watched on occasion from time to time, with him, well, now that did catch her off-guard.

She quickly composed herself. "Director Fury is currently on his way, and should be arriving within the next couple of seconds."

Hill had joined the organization well after the man in front of her had stepped down, so she had never actually gotten to see him in action, and merely had stories of his exploits. She had to admit something though. Those stories of him, they sounded a bit farfetched, even to her. The way those who had worked under the blonde described him, it was like they were describing some-type of mythological figure.

However, when Fury backed up those stories though, well, it was safe to assume that she had begun to look at him differently ever since. So much so that she had taken the initiative, and started a friendly conversation with him, the first ever between them. Safe to say, that conversation was quite a learning experience for her, and she kicked herself everyday for not approaching him sooner.

The blonde was a wealth of knowledge, his mind like a machine, easily countering every scenario she threw at him. Ever since their first talk, her respect for the blonde had risen to heights that previously only director Fury had ever reached, and this was despite her disagreeing with some of the decisions made by the one-eyed man.

Naruto's ears twitched when he heard footsteps coming their way, and turned around to face the man who had called him in.

"Glad you finally decided to join us, Uzumaki." greeted Fury. "Now we can begin."

"Just cut to the chase already, Fury." Naruto was irritable right now, because when Laura didn't get to nap, she was cranky, and when she was cranky, he was very cranky. "What did you call me here for?"

"Do you recall your trip to the capital of England a couple of years ago?"

The question put a frown on the blonde's face. He nodded.

"Do you also recall when you asked me to run the name of one James Jaspers through our database?"

Again, the blonde nodded, his frown growing ever slightly.

"Do you also remember when I informed you that we could find nothing on this man?" he asked, and got another nod. "How this man was practically a ghost in our world." he added.

"What exactly are you trying to get at here, Fury?" the blonde asked suddenly. "That our organization is incompetent at gathering information on a single human being?"

The one-eyed man shook his head. "No, just that there was more to that man than originally met the eye." he replied. "After our conversation years ago, I sent a team to monitor the man, to report on anything unusual, and it was only recently that I received a report."

"Why so long?"

"Because there wasn't anything unusual to report. Until just a few minutes ago."

"What did it say?"

"Here, instead of me reading it to you, let me show you."

Fury pushed one of the various buttons on his control console, and a projection began to form in front of those present in the room.

"Originally, my agents believed our boy to be nothing more than a man running for office, albeit one who doesn't want the public to know about his past," he said, as it wasn't strange to see a politician hiding some facts about their past that they didn't want out. "Well..."

As the projection finally came to life, the blonde, along with the others, watched as the target appeared on screen, along with four others. Two were female, one male, and the other was unknown. The three humans were supers, no doubt about that, and all three were currently in battle with the unknown.

"They were wrong." he said, sighing. "My agents first alerted me to this disturbance involving our boy and the four individuals once the results of who won the election for Prime Minister were leaked." he said.

Naruto nodded. "Is this live?" he inquired.

Fury nodded. "It is. All electronic equipment within a five mile radius became nonfunctional once this fight started, and all I know is that at least one of my agents is alive since we're watching this. I don't know about the others." he stated, a grimace on his face.

The blonde super-soldier heard the grimace in Fury's voice, but hadn't so much as spared the one-eyed man a glance since the start of the live-stream. That wasn't to say he didn't feel bad for him, or his agents, because not knowing if they were dead or alive was one the worst feelings to experience, but he couldn't worry about them right now, not with what was on screen.

In his opinion, the fight was extremely lopsided, for the three supers. The unknown was easily proving to be a match for all three. Another oddity. Jaspers. He repeatedly kept trying to flee the scene, but every which way he want he kept being followed by the four combatants.

He wondered why this was? A sudden thought occurred to him, and he looked at Fury.

"Fury."

"Yes?"

"Was Jaspers goal the reason he won the election?"

The one-eyed man registered the question and quickly began to connect the dots. "You believe that his goal for mutant registration back then, and his recent win, is the reason he's in the middle of this?" he asked, looking at the screen.

"It's a possibility." replied the blonde. "With more and more people being born with the x-gene, and the discrimination mutants face, it wouldn't surprise me if some decided to take matters into their own hands."

"Okay, I can see that, but what about the unknown attacking the three and chasing Jaspers?"

Naruto shrugged. He didn't have an answer for that one. "Don't know, guess I'll find out when I get there." he responded, and didn't bother asking if he was going to send anyone else. Judging by the firepower being shown on screen, only he stood a chance at survival.

The director nodded. "Take anything you need from the armory."

The super-soldier nodded, and then looked down at Laura's sleeping face. He really didn't want to leave her alone, but he was doing this for her sake as well. Laura was his daughter, which also meant there was a real possibility that she may inherit something from him. She would be branded a mutant despite not having the x-gene, and if Jasper's whole registration thing gained momentum over here in the US, then that would put his daughter in danger. And he couldn't have that, not after the promise he made to her mother.

Giving her a kiss on the forehead, which slowly roused her from her slumber, he handed her over to Fury. "Here. I don't know how long I'll be, so make sure you follow the schedule I made for her. It's in the bag." he said, and walked away, towards the armory.

Fury was standing there, a baby in his arms, fully awake, and both were looking at one another, each waiting for the other to break in their staring contest.

"...Coochy Coo." Fury grunted.

"Waah! Waah!"

Laura let out a wail, making the situation all the more awkward for the director.

"Um, I'll take over for you if you want, sir." said Hill.

Fury grunted an affirmative and handed Laura over to someone she was familiar with.

---

~A Few Moments Later~

A swirling vortex of distorted space began manifest in one of the more memorable places Naruto could recall during his visit to London a few years ago, the clock tower, Big Ben. Walking out of the distorted space, the blonde wore a standard kevlar uniform that most agents wore, however, he also made sure to choose one that did not denote whom he aligned with. Since the organization did not have masks, or at least his style of mask, he instead wore a balaclava, though it only covered the lower half of his face.

Boom!

Shifting his mangekyō in the direction of the explosion, he peered down at the city of Westminster, and caught sight of the three supers, along with the unknown. From his current viewpoint, his eyes easily allowed him to track all of their movements, though he focused more on the unknown. If what his eyes were showing him was correct, then the unknown on the battlefield was in fact a machine. Or at least what came close to one.

"Argh!"

Snapping his head over to the exact location of where he heard the pained grunt come from, he spotted an old man buried underneath some rubble. Turning his attention back to the supers, he could see that while their tactic of switching with one another between fighting and rescuing was doing them some good, it unfortunately wasn't enough. If they kept going like this, there will be more dead than living by the time the fight is over.

Running down the tower quickly, he leapt from one spot to another, eventually landing beside the old man. Unfortunately, before he could assist him, the only male super crashed nearby him, and if he recalled correctly, this one was apart of the duo who was fighting. His eyes widened.

The machine was on him immediately, and he was forced to become intangible to avoid the death blow. Quickly transporting the old man to his pocket dimension for safety, he turned around to face the machine. Though it did not attack. Instead, it merely looked at him.

"...Scan complete." it announced. "Naruto Uzumaki. Threat level: Omega. Must eliminate."

Now that got the blonde shinobi to show a confused frown. 'Threat level omega? What's that mean?'

Before he could try and figure out what the machine had just said, it attacked again, and he once more became intangible, only this time, the result was much different.

"Oof!"

Naruto was suddenly sent flying backwards by a physical strike to his chest. Had he not recognized the moment his intangibility had been breached, and not braced himself, his chest would have been caved in by that strike. Though that did beg the question...

'How did it land a hit on me while I was intangible!?'

He softly cursed as he held the tender spot on his chest. No time to get answers, the machine was upon him once more, or it would have been if not for the interference of one of the two females. He watched as the female landed a critical strike at the machine's core, sending it far away, and she not far behind it, continuing her barrage.

While he was thankful to the female super for allowing him to get a breather, he did not appreciate her female teammate getting all up in his face all of a sudden.

"Who are you, and what is your purpose here?!" She all but barked out the question at him.

If she didn't have a snarl all but etched on her face as she peered down at him, Naruto would have no trouble calling the woman before him beautiful. Olive tanned skin, shining blue eyes, and hair as dark as the night. Even the outfit she wore, as outrageous as it looked, only accentuated that beauty.

Before he could offer his answer, the words were taken right out of his mouth.

"Peace, Roma." interrupted the male super, having finally gotten up.

Now that he was closer to the man opposite him, the super-soldier could tell that this man was native to Britain. His accent and the colors adorned on his outfit were clear indications of that.

"The man is a friend, that much I can attest to." answered the super from Britain. "The Fury targeted him much the same way it did us, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend." he quoted.

"The Fury?" questioned the blonde shinobi, looking at the more amicable one of the two supers.

The man nodded. "It is a cybiote, a combination of an android and a cyborg."

"It's purpose is to eliminate all superhumans." added the woman named Roma, just as she left to help her other teammate.

"What can it do?" asked the blonde, nursing his chest, and using this chance to heal up.

"I know not all of it's abilities as Roma does, but what I do know is this..." he started. "It is beyond durable, and it can adapt to anything, be it your powers, as you witnessed earlier, or interdimensional travel." he explained.

Seeing as his last statement confused his temporary ally, the man from Britain explained further.

"The Fury is not from our universe, but another." he revealed. "Roma, and Linda McQuillan, Captain UK, the female who saved you earlier, told me that it had already completed it's task in it's original universe, and was now moving onto others, seeking to do the same."

Naruto grimaced when he heard the words alternate universe and interdimensional travel. He's already had enough of both when he dealt with Kaguya and her machinations.

"...Who created it?" he suddenly asked the British man. "Maybe we could capture them and force them to shut it off?"

The man opposite shook his head. "Not possible I'm afraid. The man who created the machine has long been dead, well, his alternate self still lives."

It didn't take the super-soldier long to put two and two together. "Jaspers."

Crash!

"Argh!"

"I'm sorry my friend, but with Roma here, I must leave to help my comrade. Once you are sufficiently healed, join us as fast as you can." he said, and flew off.

Naruto would have told his new friend that he could have gone the moment after he got tagged by the Fury, but didn't. Why? It was so he could think. If this thing could adapt as fast as he was told, and he had seen, then only something equally as powerful would be able to halt that adaptability, but what?

Peeking over to the side, he could see the woman, Roma, starting to get up. He decided to help, and see if he could establish a bridge between them.

"Thank you." she grunted. "Do you have a plan to deal with the Fury?" she suddenly asked, catching him off-guard. "I saw you thinking whilst you were speaking with Captain Britain, and I can only assume you were doing so because you now know about our enemy, yes?"

The blonde silently let out a breath, and nodded. He told her all that the Captain had told him.

"James Jaspers is indeed it's original creator." she confirmed. "His opposite self was so powerful that my father had to destroy that reality in order to stop that god masquerading around in human skin from traversing to other universes."

Another grimace was plastered on the shinobi's face when he heard of a universe being snuffed out by this woman's father. He may be a man on the wall who fights outside forces, but things on the scale this woman was speaking about, the multiverse of all things, just seemed so far out of his league. He didn't even want to think about the weapon used to do it.

"...Is the Jaspers of this universe as powerful as his deceased counterpart?"

Roma shook her head. "No, he isn't, which is why he hasn't yet defeated the Fury himself, despite it hounding him, but he will be, and eventually, he will surpass his counterpart." she stated. "Which is why once the Fury has been defeated, we are to eliminate Jasper's before that occurs."

Her sudden admission made him pause for a second. He was all for dishing out justice and punishment when it needed to be dealt, but killing someone before they became what the person accusing them said they would be? He didn't know about that.

Unfortunately, he couldn't think more on this issue as the trio of fighters had returned. A plan on how to defeat this opponent was still evading him at the moment. Seeing as he was the freshest of their quartet, he rushed forward, and unsealed one of his more dangerous weapons, his anti-metal coated kusarigama. He slowly began to spin the weighted end until it was spinning so rapidly that it was a blur.

The whirling sound of his coated weapon had the desired effect he'd been hoping for. Certain areas on the Fury's body began to shake, as did a few nearby buildings. If the anti-metal coated on his weapon destabilized other metals, and the machine in front of him was part android and cyborg, both of which used metals, then he had the perfect weapon here. He just had to make his first hit count.

As he threw the weighted end at it's unprotected head, ready to remove it, he let out a soft curse. The machine had somehow managed to move despite it's minor disabilities, and instead of heading towards it's head, it would hit it's chest instead. Not about to let his surprise attack be foiled just like that, he began to channel chakra into his weapon.

When normal chakra was channeled into a weapon, the users control increased, but when wind chakra was also added, it's cutting power increased as well. Maneuvering the weighted end, he struck the joint between the upper arm and the shoulder, completely removing it's arm, but he was not done. The other end of the kusarigama, the sickle, was simultaneously used to slice it's other arm off.

Attacking at the same time unfortunately left him open, and he was abruptly kicked in the chest, though it was not as hard as before. Returning his attention to the machine, he could see that it was starting to repair itself with scattered junk from it's early destruction, and before he could attempt to halt this, the others jumped in, looking to do the same.

Just as the others were putting forth all they had to end this opponent once and for all, they were all blown back by a large wave of energy. He cursed. The Fury was fully intact once more, and he bet his weapon wouldn't work as well as it did before. He needed to come up with something, and fast. The thing was advancing on them.

He was looking at a potential unstoppable force here. What he needed was an immovable object of the same potential. That was when it hit him. He looked at the Fury head on.

"Fury." he suddenly said, catching it's attention. "What is your objective?"

Despite it being an incredibly strong opponent, it was still a machine with circuits. "My objective is the elimination of all superhumans." It recited, and began stalking forward once more.

"If this is true, then why are you allowing the one who is your master, yet isn't, to continue living when he is clearly the biggest threat to your existence?" he questioned.

Once the question had registered within the Fury, it suddenly stopped walking, and turned it's head in a random direction. It suddenly blasted off in said direction. The others were quickly trailing behind it. All of them arrived just as the Fury had Jaspers in it's clutches, and the two abruptly vanished before Jasper's could use his reality-warping powers.

"Where did they go?" questioned the blonde shinobi. His plan wasn't for them to vanish, but for them to take each other out.

Captain Britain looked at his female teammate who knew most about the two subjects. "Roma?"

"Give me a moment." she responded, her eyes closed, concentrating. "The Fury, it transported itself and Jaspers to the only place it could kill the reality-warping man."

"Where?" asked Naruto.

"To the dead reality." she answered. "After all, Jaspers cannot manipulate what no longer exists."

"So Jaspers is likely to be dead, but what about the Fury?" asked Captain UK, speaking for the first time. "Traveling from this universe to my old one, and back, is not easy for anyone, even the Fury who adapted to interdimensional travel soon after completing it's task in my universe."

"Indeed, traveling across dimensions like that is no easy task." Roma stated. "Chances are it will be extremely weakened once it returns, and that will be our golden opportunity."

True to her words, the moment the Fury showed it's face once more, it did not have the same gusto it had left with, and they struck. Naruto wasn't sure what the others were going to do, but he knew what he planned on doing. Summoning part of his Susanoo, he then began to wrap the flames of Amaterasu around it. He then brought the hammer down, just as the others did.

Boom!

The resounding explosion from the combined might of their attacks blew them all back, and left nothing but a crater where the Fury used to be. Getting back up, Naruto made his way to the crater, and spotted the machine parts. Not about to take the chance of them coming together to form the Fury, he focused in on the ground beneath him, and lit it ablaze with his black fire.

"Are you done?"

Turning around, he came face to face with Captain Britain. "Just making sure the damn thing is gone for good." he said, defending his actions.

The Captain held up his hands. "Relax, I did not mean for my words to come out the way they did. I was merely asking if you were done destroying what remained."

Naruto nodded. Roma came up to them and let out a sigh.

"Linda is okay, the injury she sustained is not life-threatening."

"What are you talking about?" questioned the blonde shinobi, confused.

"Just seconds before we all attacked, the Fury managed to tag Linda." answered the Captain.

"How bad we talking about here?"

"Never being able to walk again." answered Roma.

"Oh, that's pretty bad."

"Fear not." she spoke. "I can heal her spinal cord injury, but she and I must leave right away if she is to avoid contracting an infection, making things worse." she said. "Though..." she trailed off, looking around at the destruction.

Naruto could understand her hesitance. She didn't want to leave this mess for one of her teammates to handle alone, but she also wanted to help the injured one. Technically, he was only here to help stop the threat, but he could afford to stay a bit longer, hell, he was sure he could get a few others to come in and help as well. He just needed to make a call first.

"I can stick around and help." he told them. "Just let me make a call first."

As he walked away to call SHIELD, to send some bodies over, Captain Britain came notice that Roma's eyes had not left the back of their newest ally, and friend.

"Why do you keep staring at his retreating back?" he questioned.

"In all my life, I've met many who can alter another's destiny, or fate, call it what you wish, but all of them had one thing in common...their own light." she revealed. "And the brighter the light emitted by a person, the more they can alter around them."

"Okay..."

"That man..." she trailed off, eyes still locked on Naruto. "He's the brightest I've ever seen. Blinding even." she added. "That man, he's going to play a very instrumental part in the future."

"Of what?" inquired the Captain. "Our world? The galaxy? The universe?"

Roma shook her head. "I do not know." she answered, just as the blonde came back.

"Good news, not only is my daughter doing okay, but a few of my friends are coming over to lend us a hand." he announced.

It wasn't hard convincing Fury to send SHIELD agents across the pond, he had to. Aside from their own country, and a few others, the United Kingdom was part of the World Security Council. Meaning if there was ever something happening in said country, like today, then SHIELD needed to help anyway it could.

He was lucky. When he was director, only America was part of the council, and he only had to deal with one politician, albeit the most powerful in the country, but still, it was only one. Fury on the other hand has to deal with several, which were no doubt always giving him a constant headache.

Captain Britain let out a giant smile when hearing such good news. "Thank you my friend." he said, and gave Naruto a bone crushing hug.

Naruto nodded, bid farewell to Roma and Linda, as the two left, and walked side by side with his new friend, ready to help clean up the destruction.

---

End – Chapter Twelve

---

Okay, as I stated up above, the sporadic shifts in years. In the time-line that I created specifically for this story, in the years that were skipped, there wasn't anything of importance that was worth writing about. If you must know, all you missed were minor story details; people getting hired/fired, births etc.

Decided to change up Elizabeth Ross' origin a bit. I'm using the MCU version of her that was seen in the Edward Norton Hulk movie. You'll see more of what I mean in the next chapter.

Mister Sinister. For those of you who do know what his goal is in the comic universe, then I don't think I need to explain why he has a vested interest in Naruto. For those of you who don't, well, it's basically this. He's in a partnership with a very powerful mutant, whom has appeared in this story, though it is more like servitude than anything, and Sinister wants out. So, he concocts a plan to breed the ultimate mutant, to eventually defeat his "master". Also, just because he's looking at the blonde, doesn't mean he isn't looking at other mutants. Naruto just happens to be the only one in his view at the moment of the current time-line. Just wait until the future when more mutants begin to pop up.

Just want to clear something up in regards to who holds more power within SHIELD. Just because our blonde has the same amount as Fury does not mean he makes the decisions. Fury is still director of the organization, and as such makes all the decisions. Just wanted to state it again.

Lastly. The next chapter will kick off the beginnings of the MCU.

---

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