DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto and Marvel. If I did, I wouldn't be broke. Also, I kinda let loose on the ideas in this chapter, so hoping for the best.
Chapter 2
A boy was running through the forest. He was wearing black clothes under a grey flak jacket, metal arm guards, gloves on his hands, and spiked sandals on his feet. His exposed shoulder sported a black spiral tattoo. Strapped to his back was a tanto, his main weapon, along with an unusually large scroll strapped to his back.
Anyone who would have seen this wouldn't think anything of this, thinking that this was just another Anbu who was on his way to a mission, but what was striking with this boy was the mop of spiky blonde hair on his head.
After almost half a day of running, he burst through the forest into a familiar area. It was a valley with a waterfall in the middle flanked by massive statues that depicted the original combatants that carved this landform with their battles in the past.
He landed on the statue nearest to the woods and stopped. Looking back to the forest he came from, he contemplated on his decision one last time. It was like something deep inside him didn't want to push through with this betrayal.
He shook his head at the foolish thoughts. Everything, every painful word, every beating, every icy glare, came back to him. That village may be his birthplace, but he did not have any fond memories of that place at all. In fact, he found that it was a lot closer to hell than to heaven.
One thing that pained him to leave was the ramen stand that was run by that kindly old man. It was his one bastion of hope. Hope that things would turn around for him, but it was just a pipe dream. None of them changed. The hostility continued even after everything he did for the village. A C-ranked mission turned A-rank? The success of the mission was all thanks to Kakashi and the Uchiha. Who defeated the giant rampaging tanuki in the invasion? The Uchiha, of course. Who brought the new Hokage to the village? Jiraiya-sama, naturally. It was like his every accomplishment was not even acknowledged.
Turning back towards his destination, he felt someone rush past him to stand on the statue opposite of him.
It was a girl with black eyes and spiky black hair framing her beautiful face. She was wearing a navy blue short-sleeved shirt with a high collar, white shorts, white stockings, and black sandals.
"Hmph, I let my guard down," The blonde shook his head at the mistake. If only he didn't have second thoughts, he wouldn't have to deal with this.
"Naruto…" The girl looked at him with sad eyes. "What happened to you? Why did you leave?"
"Geez, Satsuki, It's just you," The now named Naruto sighed as if the next fight would be tedious. "Are you all that's left for the village to send after me?"
"It's not that! We begged to be part of this mission," Satsuki raised her voice. "We know that we're the only ones who can get through to you. We're your friends!"
"Oh? Is that right?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Turns out, I just don't care, y'know. Now, get out of my way, or things will get messy."
Satsuki grit her teeth, "Why, Naruto? Why are you leaving me? Why are you leaving our home?"
"You see Satsuki, you would never understand what I'm going through. The villagers hold you in high regard, and you have the support of a family, a whole freaking clan even!" Naruto began. "You don't know what it's like to walk in my shoes. I'm fed up with all of you condescending and hateful bastards. Now, get out of my way. This is your last warning."
"But I always thought about you!" The girl argued. "What about all the times we spent together? I always listened to you when you ranted about the village."
"And, I will always be forever grateful," Naruto muttered under his breath, showing a bit of warmth in his expression, but that was quickly replaced by the same cold exterior he had shown to the world. Dashing forward, he said, "Sorry it had to be this way."
Satsuki's eyes widened. Her Visual Prowess barely flared to life as she raised her hand to block the incoming attack. Being unprepared for the strike, she wasn't able to prepare for the force behind the hit, so she was sent flying off the statue.
It was quite a fall, but she managed to land nimbly on her feet on the surface of the water. Naruto, though, was unrelenting. He quickly followed up with another attack. This time though, Satsuki was prepared. She blocked the attack and quickly followed up with one of her own.
'I was always amazed by how much you were pulling ahead of me,' Satsuki thought as she fought. 'Even in the academy…'
The two shinobi clashed. They both seemed to be dancing on the water surface as they weaved through attacks. One of the two was pulling her punches, still holding out hope that her friend could still be saved, while the other did not hold anything back, with the intent of ending things right here, right now.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked after he kicked the girl away, one final time. "You won't bring me back with that pitiful display."
Satsuki rose to her feet, a bit unsteadily. "Didn't you always say that you wanted to be Hokage?" she returned. "Don't let yourself become the monster that they call you!"
That hit a nerve. Naruto's anger rose to a boiling point. "So, after all this time, you were thinking the same way as those f*****g villagers?!"
"No, no, it's not like that!" Satsuki quickly took back what she said. "I'm just saying, if you continue to act like this, you're just proving them right!"
"So what?! If that's what they want to think, then I'll show them what my pain feels like!" Naruto screamed.
"It's like, I don't know you anymore…" She muttered under her breath, she then looked at Naruto with a new resolve in her eyes. "Fine!"
With a couple of hand signs, she gathered lightning on her palm forming the shape of a spear. The lightning screeches pierced through the air sounding like a thousand birds chirping at once.
"That jutsu…" Naruto smirked. "So, you decided not to hold back anymore."
"If you're going to throw away your life, I'll kill you myself!" Sasuki charged.
"Don't expect me to take things lying down," Naruto said as she met the charge, a blue sphere of condensed chakra forming in his palm.
As the two attacks came frighteningly close to each other, The blonde faltered a bit as he stared into his old friend's eyes. She had tears flowing out of them like she had resolved herself to make the hardest decision she had ever made.
Seeing her like this, brought all those memories he shared with the raven-haired girl. He saw all those times she came to his rescue every time he was beaten half to death. All those times she would talk him to Ichiraku Ramen and treat him to all the ramen he could eat. Despite all the glares he received from everyone else, she stayed. She was his only friend.
That moment of weakness was what cost him everything. Satsuki drove her Chidori on his chest. But as Naruto said, he didn't take things lying down. He drove his own attack onto the girl's abdomen sending her back flying towards the rock wall, the pure and dense chakra ball burning her skin and her insides.
Naruto dropped to his knees, severe pain burning his chest and for some reason his eyes. He couldn't take the pain anymore.
Satsuki panted as she stood over the unconscious, but unharmed form of Naruto save for some cuts and bruises. She had succeeded in subduing the boy. All that's left was to bring him home.
She staggered to his friend and knelt to pick him up.
Suddenly, Naruto exploded into a ball of sinister red chakra, throwing her back. This time she was able to regain her footing and land on her feet.
'No way! He broke through that?!" She thought.
Her eyes widened as the familiar red energy bubbled from the boy's chakra pores and formed a coat around him. When the coat settled, it formed an aura of a fox around the boy.
For the first time that day, Satsuki noticed something different. Naruto's sclerae were black, and his irises were red. What shocked her the most was the slit pattern that she had expected to see whenever Naruto went berserk wasn't there. This was different. In fact, it was all too familiar.
"Those eyes…" Satsuki said, walking up to the blonde. "Why do you have those eyes?"
"What are you talking about?" Naruto snarled, his voice now animal-like.
Naruto looked down to the water, his reflection showing red iris and one tomoe. His eyes widened at the revelation. "I-I don't…"
Seeing one last opportunity to persuade him, she spoke. "Come home with me Naruto! Now that you have that, you can come home to my family. The villagers could respect you!"
Hearing Satsuki's opening statement, Naruto was almost persuaded, but hearing about the villagers again was what closed the deal. "You're going on about that?" He said, his voice laced with venom. "You really think they would accept me just because I have the legendary Uchiha eyes?"
"Give them a chance," Satsuki said.
"I'm all out of chances, Satsuki," Naruto snarled. "Now, I will be the first to admit that that play of yours was clever, but that won't work on me a second time. You know what is inside of me right? He'll just flush your jutsu out of my system. So, I suggest you get out of my way. NOW!"
"Shit!" Satsuki cursed. 'I have no choice now.'
She took a deep breath. A seal that was placed on the girl's neck activated. Her whole body turned dark gray and her hair elongated, turning blue. On her back, two bat-like wings sprouted, and on her face, the gray color converged to form a black star.
"You and your gifts," Naruto growled as he watched his ex friend's transformation. "Even Orochimaru-sama favors you."
"If no one favors you, then why do you have the Fourth's Jutsu?" Satsuki countered.
"None of your business," Naruto said. "Enough talk. I'm moving you out of my way."
The two powered up genin fought once more. They were of the lowest ranks of shinobi yet their strikes suddenly held power. When their fists met, a shockwave was created. They had somehow gotten stronger.
BLAM!
Both of their punches landed. They were both sent flying back, creating a considerable indent on where they landed.
The two of them panted. They both knew that whoever landed the next blow would come out on top.
Holding out their hands, they charged their most powerful jutsus. On Satsuki's hand, a Black Chidori ignited, while on Naruto's hand, a Vermillion Rasengan.
They charged. This time two attacks collided, the sheer power forming a ball of pure black energy around them.
Drip
Drip
Drip
The sound of trickling water broke the silence of the dank sewer. The sewer was dark and wet. It looked like not one soul was inhabiting this area.
Or that's what you might think.
Over at the far end of the dark place, there were gates way larger than what was necessary for a human. Peering behind them, one would see what the larger structure kept at bay. It was a massive red-orange kitsune with black around its closed eyes that stretched up to its ears. The giant fox was lying on the sewer floor snoozing, his head resting on his paws that had claws as long as human and opposable thumbs on both paws (for some reason).
Just then, the great beast's eyes snapped open revealing blood-red irises with slit pupils.
"This feeling? Again?" The fox's deep voice growled.
He sat up so he was sitting on his haunches as he looked around the sewer area, his nine large tails swiping behind him. His massive eyes moved to the unconscious form of his Jinchuuriki lying face-first into the sewer water.
"Calm yourself, Kurama," came an old wizened voice.
It was a tall pale-skinned man with deep wrinkles on his face and a strong jawline despite his old age. He had spiky, shoulder-length, pale-brown hair with chin-length, braided locks hanging in front of his left ear. His chin sported a goatee that tapered down to his waist. His forehead had a pair of horn-like protrusions extending from either side and his eyes contained a pair of white pupil-less eyes. In the middle of his forehead, there was a red circle with a ripple pattern that was kind of like a third eye.
He was wearing a white, full-length kimono with a pattern of six black magatama around a high collar, beneath which, he wore a necklace that was also made up of six black magatama. On the back of his kimono was a larger, black ripple pattern marking with a pattern of nine magatama arranged in three rows of three beneath it.
What was weird about this one was that he was sitting in midair carried by black balls arranged in a circle.
"Ojiisan," The kitsune regarded the old man. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Just like the clan that birthed from Indra, his power is awakening," The old man said.
"But why does it feel like that blasted Uchiha?" The massive fox demanded.
"You should know, Madara Uchiha was one of my reincarnations, and this boy has inherited his heritage very strongly," The elder explained.
"Impossible, Kushina couldn't have–"
"Your suspicions have merit to them. After millennia, Indra and Ashura's chakra have once again merged."
"Unbelievable! This brat?" The kitsune couldn't believe it. "Surely, you're making a mistake…"
"There is no mistake. This has happened for a reason." The sage shook his head.
"You don't mean–"
"His path has gone astray. That is why I expect you to guide him." The sage waved his hands over the box. A light enveloped the boy for a second, and his expression calmed.
"No way! I will not associate myself with Uchiha scum!"
"I am counting on you, Kurama." The old man turned to leave.
"No way! The Uchiha have persecuted me for millenia. The humans have persecuted me for millenia! Why should I do this for a human like him, an Uchiha even!" The Kitsune huffed.
"What has the world turned you into? Perhaps I too am to blame…" The sage sighed deeply. "I have driven away the darkness in his heart for now. I suspect it will return to him, if left to fester. At least think about it for now, Find it in your heart to help him. He will need you when he braves this new world."
With that, the wizened man disappeared. Kurama grumbled to himself as he lay back to sleep. The words of the old man rang in his mind as his eyelids once again felt heavy.
'Stupid old man, lumping shit to me,' He thought. There was something odd though about what he said to him.
Immediately, his head snapped back up. "Wait a second. Did he say new world?!"
NEW YORK CITY
Paging Dr. Stephen Strange. Please proceed to the ER now.
Ding dong
Those were the words Naruto woke up to as he regained consciousness. It didn't matter that whatever spoke them came from the walls because he didn't understand them one bit. To him, it sounded like gibberish. He opened his eyes, revealing red irises that immediately morphed to their original blue.
He tried to raise his right hand to rub out the blurriness, but a needle was embedded on his skin connected to a tube of dextrose. Deciding that there was nothing he could do, for now, he used his other hand. When the blurriness disappeared from his eyes, he discovered that he was lying down in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. He tried to sit up to get his bearings.
As soon as he moved, a complete stranger gushed over him. It was a woman, with curly red hair.
"Thank god, you're awake," She said to him, though he didn't have the slightest clue of what she said to him.
Naruto just looked at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
His mouth opened to speak, "(Where am I, lady? Do you know where I am?)"
The woman's face contorted to a look of confusion. It seemed that she too didn't understand what he was saying. But that didn't make sense! Unless…he wasn't in the Elemental Nations anymore.
His eyes widened.
Without thinking, he ripped everything attached to his arm and rushed out of the room.
"The patient is getting out of here," The woman announced to the communicator on her wrist. "All agents, converge upon the target."
OUTSIDE
"(Where the hell am I? Why don't I recognize anything?)" Naruto mumbled to himself as he meandered through the halls. The more he navigated through the building the more that the place didn't look like a real hospital.
"There he is!" Someone in a suit and tie pointed to him and gave chase.
"(What the hell kind of hospital is this?)" Naruto asked no one in particular as he avoided the mass of agents that was giving chase.
Turning another corner, he cursed as he found himself surrounded, "(Shit…I guess there's no place else left to go.)"
Naruto smiled as he tried to hide the fear in his eyes. Being in this predicament brought out suppressed memories. The image of the agents around him shifted. Suddenly, he was in Konoha once again, surrounded by the villagers holding torches and pitchforks.
Slowly, he began to lose his fighting stance. He lost the will to fight. His hands shook as he wrapped them around his own body. These were the images that haunted his dreams every night. Why does it have to haunt the times that he was awake?
Not long after, the surge of energy provided by his adrenaline left his body. Pain shot from basically everywhere on his body. He clutched his chest where he was stabbed with the lightning blade and slowly lost consciousness.
"What just happened?" One of the agents asked.
"PTSD," The woman from the room pushed through the crowd. "It's the worst kind of PTSD I have seen, and from a child no less."
"What do you want us to do now?" another one asked.
"I'll take it from here," The redhead dismissed everyone.
Most of the generic agents left the area leaving the woman and some guy carrying a bow and arrow.
"I don't suppose you have room in your farm for this kid?" She asked.
"Woah," The archer raised his hands up in the air. "Laura already has her hands full with the two kids already. She can't handle another one."
"Come on, Clint…" The girl persuaded. "If you don't do this for me, at least do this for the kid. He'll need to stay with kids his age."
The now named Clint watched the boy. He watched as the blonde tossed and turned, a look of fear finding its way to his face.
"Tsk, fine…" Clint relented. "But what about Fury. He won't approve of this."
"Oh, I'll handle Fury," The redhead smiled as she ran her hands through the blonde's hair.
"You better!" Clint said turning to leave to make the necessary calls. "Remember, Nat, you owe me for this one."
"I know, I know," The woman waved him off, her eyes still locked on the blonde.
Her other hand crept to her womb. "Maybe…"
BARTON FAMILY FARM
LOCATION: UNKNOWN
"Dad, who is he?" A girl asked Clint who was standing in front of a doorway with a kid.
"Your aunty Nat, asked me to bring him over to stay with us for a while.
"Kids, I know you can't help but fight with each other, but please, be good to this little guy, okay?" Laura added.
"Okay, mom," The two kids answered in unison.
The girl excitedly skipped to the blonde, scaring him a little. The girl just giggled at her reaction and held out a hand to the boy. "I'm Lila. What's your name?"
Naruto looked up at Clint, who nodded approvingly, "Go on. She won't bite you."
The blonde timidly approached the girl and gingerly took the girl's hand. "I-I'm U-Uzumaki N-Naruto."
"You have a funny name," The little girl named LIla teased him. "The whisker marks on your cheeks look cute. You're like a cat."
Naruto blushed at the compliment and looked away. It was the first time in a long time that he had received such words. His only memories of someone doing the same were…were…wait, that's strange. He was sure he remembered just a second ago.
He didn't have time to dwell on the memories he couldn't remember as Clint clapped him on the back and praised him. "Nice job remembering that, Naruto,"
"Cool! You have an accent," A boy came up to the two. "Hi, Naruto! I'm Cooper. Where are you from?"
"I-I'm from Japan," Naruto answered in the same vain he did.
"That's great!" Cooper gushed like a fangirl. "That's where anime comes from right? You gotta tell me more!"
Naruto looked a bit overwhelmed by the barrage of questions he was getting from the older Barton child.
Laura noticed this and came to Naruto's rescue, "Okay, okay, that's enough questions for now. Why don't you show little Naruto here around the farm while we prepare some food? Is that okay?"
"Awww," Cooper complained. "But mom, I have a ton of questions to ask him."
"He will in time, sport," Clint said. "He just doesn't know English very well."
Lila grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him to the door, excited to do just what her mother told them to do.
Before they could leave though, Laura called out, "Wait!"
"What is it now, mom?" Lila asked, a little bit frustrated.
"Since you're a guest here, Naruto, why don't you pick what we're going to eat today?" Laura said.
"R-ramen…" was all Naruto could say with the amount of English he knew.
"Japanese noodle soup?" Laura raised an eyebrow. "I'll see what I can do. Now, run along now kids."
The woman turned to her husband, "So, is he really Japanese? By his looks, I'd say he's from this country, but his accent tells me otherwise."
"It's complicated," Clint didn't know how to explain the situation.
"Well, I still have to start up a broth," His wife said. "We have time to talk."
"About that…" Clint gave out a nervous laugh. "You better cook a whole lot to satisfy that kid."
"Relax, how much can a boy of his size finish anyway?"
LATER
The Barton Family sat there dumbfounded. They had lost track of how much the boy had consumed in the past hour.
"You know, it was a good thing I took your advice…" Laura finally found the words to say.
"I told you…" Clint said.
"Wow! Where do you put all of that?!" Lila teased.
Naruto all of a sudden became sheepish. Being new to the language, he didn't know how to answer that.
Just then, the door opened. It was Natasha.
"How's my little charge doing?" She asked.
"Hey, auntie Nat!" Lila rushed to the door to greet her. "Did you know he eats like a lot?"
"Oh, don't get me started," The SHIELD Agent giggled with the girl. "But, go easy on him, will you?"
"Of course!" She said, she then "Look at him though, he's cute!"
"Is that a crush I'm detecting?" She said with a sly voice.
"Auntieeee!" She wailed. "I'm still a kid."
"Nat, did you get it?!" Clint asked, breaking the two out of their conversation.
She raised a small stack of papers, "I got it right here!"
