A/N - I know, I know. Stop making new stories Grax! Only reason I decided to start this one is because I got a request from a fan that wanted to see a Naruto x FF7 fic. Sooo, yeah. :P

Anyways, this first chapter is pretty much just an introductory chapter. I'm basing this off of the original FF7 game and NOT the Remake! Just needed to get that out there. I have a few things planned out for this story, so I hope you're looking forward to it.

Anywho, read on and enjoy!

Chapter 1 – AVALANCHE

Naruto groaned as he stared up at the sky. He was barely conscious, mostly due to the various wounds on his body. Sure, Kiyoko was healing his wounds as best she could, but he was suffering from chakra exhaustion, which was rather unusual for him. He had just been through a war, fought and killed Kaguya, and then he had to deal with Sasuke.

After their victory over Kaguya, Naruto figured everything would be wonderful afterwards. Then Sasuke just had to be Sasuke and decided he would use the bijuu to control the Elemental Nations and make himself a god amongst men. Frustrated as all hell and tired beyond belief, Naruto began what he figured would be his last fight. If he had been at the top of his game, he knew he could've killed Sasuke pretty easily, but considering everything he had been through recently, he just didn't have enough gas in the tank to get the job done.

Weakened as he was, Naruto couldn't fight back when Sasuke used some kind of powerful space/time jutsu to defeat him. However, rather than kill him like he was expecting it to do, it simply sucked Naruto in and spat him out somewhere else. Most likely another world… Naruto thought to himself as he stared through bleary eyes up at the night sky. Where am I anyways?

Sighing softly, Naruto let his eyes close for the time being. Not sure how the hell he managed to pull that off. He was almost as exhausted as I was. Well, I'm still exhausted. I can't even move. He thought to himself sadly.

I wonder how the others are doing? Did they do something about Sasuke? Or did he get what he desired in the end? Sasuke's an evil bastard. I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. I don't know if I'll ever be able to return after all. Naruto thought to himself.

It was at this point that he sensed someone nearby. Slowly opening his eyes, he peered into a man's eyes through his glasses. "W-Who…are you…?" he asked weakly.

The man smirked as he looked down at the wounded teen. "The name is Hojo. I'm a professor working for the grand company known as Shinra Inc. And you are quite the interesting specimen. Such grievous wounds and yet you cling to life." Looking over Naruto's body, he smirked sinisterly and said, "Quite curious indeed. You appear to be healing at a pace beyond that of any regular Human. I do believe I can make good use of you. You there!" Hojo exclaimed, pointing at a nearby soldier. "Gather some of your precious friends and carry this man to my lab. I've got some tests to run. He'll be my greatest creation yet!"

As the man cackled maniacally, Naruto let out an agonized groan. "Greaaat. A scientist that belongs in the fucking loony bin plans to experiment on me. As if my day couldn't get any worse." He said, which only caused Hojo to laugh more. "What the heck do you plan on doing to me anyways?"

Hojo simply grinned at him and said, "It's simple. I'm going to see what makes you tick. Then, once I've got you figured out, it'll be time to test your capabilities. Afterwards, well, you'll just have to wait and see. I promise you'll thank me when I'm done. After all, you'll be my ultimate creation."

Naruto simply sighed and closed his eyes. "Fuck it. I just couldn't care less right now. I'm just so tired…" he said as he slowly drifted off to sleep. He barely even felt it as he was lifted into someone's arms. Or was it multiple someones? He didn't care either way. Screw it. Do what you want. I just do not care anymore.

Years Later

Naruto gasped for breath. He had been experimented on for so many years now, he wasn't sure exactly how long he had been held captive by the psychotic professor. In his hurry to get away, he thought over everything that had happened so far.

Hojo had injected pure Mako energy into him, which was a painful process in and of itself. He had also been injected with something called Jenova cells. He knew very little about this Jenova thing, and he didn't really care to know. All he knew was pain and suffering at the hands of that crazed bastard, Hojo.

Naruto had been let out from time to time to test his abilities against the likes of Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. But he had been kept on a tight leash and was always brought back to Hojo for more of his experiments. Everything that had been done to him had some unfortunate side effects. One such problem is that his memories were something of a jumbled mess. Oh sure, he still remembered all of his jutsu and knew how to use all of the weapons at his disposal, but his memories of certain things, such as his past battles and the life he had back in Konoha were a bit hazy. He still remembered the people from his past, such as that daimyo, Koyuki Kazahana and that eccentric taijutsu specialist, Rock Lee. But there was still so much he could barely remember through the haze.

Thinking back on his time in this strange world so far, he remembered bits and pieces here and there, such as his friends, Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. And yet, he could barely remember what happened to them. He couldn't remember much of anything ever since he arrived in this world. And yet, he knew he was stronger than ever before after whatever the hell it was Hojo did to him! He supposed he could thank Hojo for making him strong enough to protect everyone, but there was no way he'd ever feel grateful to that psychopath.

Glancing around at his surroundings, Naruto tried to piece together where the hell he was, but his mind was racing about a mile a minute and his vision was blurry. Shaking it off, he continued running in a random direction, barely avoiding bumping into people or smashing right into a wall. He wasn't even sure how he earned his freedom. All he knew is that Hojo likely let him escape for his own amusement. Naruto didn't care though. He just wanted to be free and somehow make a life of some kind here in Midgar, away from Shinra Inc.

Pausing after running for a while, he leaned against the wall of a rather large building. Taking in a few deep breaths, he thought over his current circumstances. A life away from Shinra in Midgar? Heh, that's kind of laughable. Then again, Shinra's everywhere in the world, and no matter where you go, you hear about them. Dammit. I guess no matter what I do or where I go, it won't matter in the long run. I need to find some way to take Shinra down and set things right. Can't really do much right now, and I doubt I can do anything by myself. I need allies. I need friends. If only I knew where the hell I should go…

It was at this point that a young woman about 22 years old approached him, looking him over worriedly. Reaching out a hand, she felt his forehead and frowned in concern. "Are you all right? You look like you've been through hell."

Naruto looked into the woman's green eyes and said, "Beautiful." The woman blushed prettily at that, but Naruto didn't really notice. No, he was lost in her eyes for a good while.

When he finally snapped out of his trance, Naruto looked himself over and realized why she was concerned about him. He was dressed in rags that were barely clinging to his body. He had wounds all over his body that were healing at a rapid pace, far quicker than in the past. And to top it all off, he was incredibly dirty. He looked like a homeless bum!

Chuckling softly, he looked back into the woman's eyes and said, "Honestly? I'm exhausted and I feel horrible. I just escaped from the labs at Shinra. I think…I could use a nice, long nap. I really don't feel so well…"

The woman looked worriedly into his eyes and asked, "Shinra? They did something to you, didn't they?"

Naruto nodded and said, "They've had me locked up in their labs for so long now. I don't even remember how old I am anymore. 27 maybe? I…I was 17 when I got here. I lost track of the time…"

"That's horrible. Come on, follow me. I'll take you somewhere safe, I promise. Oh! Before I forget, my name is Aerith Gainsborough. What's your name?" Aerith introduced herself.

Naruto said, "Naruto Uzumaki. And I'd appreciate that. Thank you Aerith."

Aerith smiled kindly at him and took his hand in hers. "Come. Once we're home, I'll talk to mom about getting you something to wear. I bet you're hungry too, aren't you Naruto?"

The blonde chuckled and said, "Yes. Very much so. Thank you Aerith."

"No problem Naruto. Now hurry. If you really did escape from Shinra, then you need someplace to lie low for a while." Aerith said as she tugged on his arm. Nodding in understanding, Naruto followed her through the city and eventually onto a train that would take them from the upper levels of Shinra down into the slums.

Upon entering the train and taking a seat beside Aerith, he looked around and couldn't help but frown slightly. "Does that guy live on this train? And all these people…"

Aerith nodded and said, "A lot of people live in the slums. There's a lot of people that work on for Shinra and other locations up above. They have to commute from home and work every day. For instance, I raise flowers and go topside to sell them every day. Every little bit of gil helps. Then there's people that have families in the slums to return home to. Like with me. I have my mother to look out for, and I also care about everybody in the Sector 5 Slums. I've even made friends in the Sector 6 Slums. Then again, I suppose it helps when the girl selling flowers is as cute as me, right?" she teased.

Naruto chuckled and said, "You are very pretty, Aerith-chan. Sadly, even that isn't enough to sell all of your flowers to people. A lot of people just don't care, for some reason. Just like nobody bothered to help me until you came along. I'm so exhausted…"

The flower girl giggled and said, "I can see that. And yes, too many people aren't interested in buying flowers. They're always so busy and so many people really don't care. But, if I can bring a smile to someone's face, then I'm all for it. Now, why don't you close your eyes and get a little rest, hm? It might help some."

Naruto frowned at her and asked, "What if Shinra finds us?"

"They won't. They very rarely bother with the slums unless they absolutely have to. Besides, their focus is primarily focused on improving the quality of life of the people of the Planet. Yes, their methods are questionable and they're hurting the Planet, but there's not much us regular people can do." Aerith explained. "Naruto-kun…how strong are you?"

Confused by the random question, he looked at her curiously for a time before saying, "If I had to guess, I'd say I'm probably one of the strongest people on the Planet. Then again, I have no way of knowing for sure. But I could go toe to toe with Sephiroth, so I suppose I'm pretty strong. Why do you ask?"

Aerith frowned for a moment and said, "The Turks have been after me for some time now. I could use a bodyguard to protect me from them. But…"

Naruto frowned sadly at her and said, "If the Turks are after you, it must be for a reason. But I get the feeling you're not going to tell me, are you?"

The green-eyed woman giggled a bit and stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "Maybe. Maybe not. In all seriousness though, will you help me?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "If I can help you in some way, of course I will. I just hope you can be patient with me. My mind's still a jumbled mess and I might need some help for a while."

"No worries Naruto-kun! Now…" Aerith started to say, only for an announcement to interrupt her.

"We will be arriving at our destination shortly. Please prepare to disembark." The announcement said.

Shrugging, Naruto stood up and helped Aerith to her feet. Afterwards, they waited for the train to come to a stop before the both of them exited the train. "This is the train station in the Sector 7 Slums. We have a bit of a walk ahead of us to get to the Sector 5 Slums where I live. Would you like to visit Seventh Heaven while we're here? Or would you prefer to just be on our way?" Aerith questioned.

Naruto frowned for a moment before saying, "If Seventh Heaven is a bar/tavern, I'd like to visit it, sure. Bars and taverns are great sources of information, after all. And I could use whatever information they're willing to part with."

Aerith frowned at him and poked his cheek lightly. "You could easily get some information from the people home in the Sector 5 Slums with me. They'd be glad to talk to you, especially if you're with me."

"That's true. But I'm sure there's information that might not be available there that we could learn here. It's up to you though if you'd rather just return home." Naruto said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

Frowning in thought for a time, she tapped a finger against her chin before she nodded once and said, "We can go to Seventh Heaven. You'll like the people there for sure. Though I think Mr. Barret is planning something lately. Something big. Whooo knows though? Let's go!" Grabbing Naruto by the hand, she hurried off with him into the small town where Seventh Heaven was located. After a moment though, she looked at Naruto and asked, "Umm, question! Before we go anywhere, I've been meaning to ask you something. Do you have a weapon?"

Naruto blinked for a moment before chuckling and holding out his hands, palms up. In an instant, as if by magic, two bladed pistols appeared in his hands. Flipping them, he soon brandished them and pointed the barrels at a nearby trashcan. Twirling them around his fingers, he soon dismissed them and grinned at her. "See? Pretty cool, aren't they? I always have my weapons ready. I also have access to some powerful materia. I promise, there's nothing to worry about."

Aerith smiled brightly and said, "That's great! I'm sure we'll be just fine then. Now come on! Hurry it up Mr.!" And once more, she began tugging on his arm, trying to hurry him along.

Chuckling softly, Naruto walked with her to the bar and stepped inside. Looking around at the various patrons and then at the beautiful woman behind the counter, Naruto found himself blushing a bit. Seeing this, Aerith poked him roughly in the side and said, "Stop gawking. It's rude."

Chuckling again, he smiled at Aerith and said, "Sorry Aerith-chan. She's beautiful. And before you say anything, I think you're both equally as beautiful in your own ways. Like with you, your eyes are incredible and reflect your inner beauty quite well. Her, on the other hand? She's definitely very attractive, and she seems like a friendly woman to boot. One cannot compare you two, as you're both unique in your own, special ways."

Aerith smirked at him and said, "Well, aren't you the sweet talker? I wasn't upset with you, you know? I was just messing with you. But thank you, Naruto-kun. I really appreciate it."

"Of course Aerith-chan. Now come on, let's take a seat at the bar and order something. I hope she has soda of some kind, because I have no interest in alcohol of any kind." Naruto said before leading Aerith over to the bar. Sitting on one of the stools, he chanced a glance at the spiky-haired blonde off to the side. When his eyes settled on the man's weapon of choice, Naruto's eyes widened and he mumbled quietly, "The Buster Sword…"

Aerith looked at where he was looking and her eyes widened in recognition as well. "Zack-kun's…"

Naruto looked at Aerith in shock before something dawned on him. "You're Zack's girlfriend…aren't you? Do you have any idea what happened to him? He was a dear friend."

Aerith shook her head and said sadly, "I…I think he was killed. I don't know for sure, though. He never came back to me…"

"Damn." Looking back at the man with the Buster Sword, Naruto was tempted to say something to him, but decided against it. Looking into Aerith's eyes again, he said, "If that man has the Buster Sword now, I'd say your guess is probably right. I'm sorry for your loss. Zack was a good man."

Aerith nodded and let a few tears trickle slowly down her cheeks. "Seeing that sword confirms it for me. But…" Looking into Naruto's eyes, she said, "You knew him too. You lost a friend too. I'm sorry."

Naruto chuckled softly and patted her gently atop the head. "Thanks, but you were closer to him than I was. He talked about you a lot, you know? At least when we had the opportunity to chat with one another. I was stuck in the lab or being forced to do a variety of tests most of the time. I rarely got to leave for any reason. But Zack always found the time to pay me a visit and say hi to me. I've missed him, but I'm sadly used to loss by now. After all, I lost everyone I ever knew before my arrival on this Planet."

Aerith blinked and asked, "Arrival on the Planet? Are you an alien of some kind?"

Naruto chuckled more and said, "Something like that, I suppose. I'm not from Gaia. I'm from another planet called Earth. More specifically the Elemental Nations. I don't even really know how I ended up here."

The flower girl smiled at him and said, "That sounds awesome! Oooh, I bet you've got a LOT of stories to tell, don't you?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Probably. But my memories are kind of hazy. I blame Hojo and his experiments. I remember people and places, and a few of my missions, but like I said, my memory is really hazy. I think that if I have some time to myself, away from the labs, I'll probably remember things a bit easier. But unfortunately, it might be a while. I can safely say that being pumped full of Mako and Jenova cells is enough to screw with anyone's brain."

Aerith blinked and asked in horror, "They pumped you full of Mako? That's the planet's lifeblood. It's raw energy in its purest form. That should have killed you. You are pretty strong, aren't you?"

Frowning, Naruto shook his head and said, "I've fought in a war twice now. Once for Shinra and once back in the Elemental Nations. You kind of have to get strong in order to survive wars like that. Then there's all the people I've had to fight that pushed me to the brink of exhaustion, sometimes even death. I heal fast and I have another secret that I don't quite feel comfortable talking about just yet. Just know that I've had to grow strong in order to survive and protect my precious people."

"Well that makes sense. Anyways," looking at Tifa, Aerith waved her over and said, "We'll take a couple of club sodas, please and thank you."

Tifa smiled at her and said, "Coming right up. First though, are you okay?" Looking at Naruto, the bartender frowned and said, "You look like hell right now. Are you perhaps without a home? I couldn't help but overhear what you were talking about…"

Naruto sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I wish I could say I was just fine, but I'm not. Shinra did some terrible things to me and it's got me feeling like crap. I'm more concerned about your friend over there. He looks like he was in SOLDIER too."

Tifa looked at the blonde SOLDIER and said, "He used to be in SOLDIER, sure. Now he's here. Umm," looking into Naruto's eyes, she asked, "Can we talk later? I have an offer I'd like to make you."

Frowning slightly, he looked at Aerith for a moment before he looked back into Tifa's eyes. "Umm, sure? I promised that I'd walk Aerith-chan home first though. Unless she's fine staying here for a while?"

Aerith tapped her chin as she thought it over. After a time, she shrugged and said, "It's okay if you want to talk with each other. I would like to go home, though. Besides, you did promise to be my bodyguard."

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "Yeah. Yeah, I did. Umm…" looking at Tifa, he frowned for a moment before asking, "What's your name Miss? I'm Naruto Uzumaki and this is Aerith-chan."

The big breasted woman smiled at him and said, "Tifa Lockhart. It's nice to meet you, Naruto and Aerith."

Naruto nodded and said, "All right. Nice to meet ya. Can I come back after I've seen Aerith-chan home safely? I'll come back afterwards, I promise. And one thing I remember for sure is that I never break a promise. Well, except one…"

Tifa smiled and shook her head. "No worries. We'll be here waiting for your return, Naruto. But…"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Don't worry about my bodyguard job. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I can use to tackle both jobs at once." Seeing the confusion on their faces, he sighed and held up a single hand seal before making a solid clone appear beside him, much to their shock. "See? Nothing to worry about."

Aerith and Tifa both blinked in shock at what they were seeing. When the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke, they waited for it to disperse before Tifa said, "You really aren't from our world, are you?"

"That's what I've been saying, yeah. Anyways, I'll see Aerith-chan home real quick and then I'll come back. Can you wait for me Tifa-chan?" Naruto asked.

Tifa nodded and said, "Sure Naruto. Just hurry back, okay? I could really use your help with something."

Nodding in understanding, Naruto and Aerith waited for Tifa to serve them their drinks. After finishing them, Aerith paid for them both before she got up and took Naruto's hand in hers. "Come on Naruto-kun. I'll show you the way home."

"Of course. See you later Tifa-chan." He said before following Aerith outside and back towards her home in the Sector 5 Slums.

Later – Church

As they made to walk past the church, Aerith suddenly paused and looked into Naruto's eyes. "Would you like to stop in here real quick? I want to check on something."

"Sure." Naruto said before following her into the church. Immediately, he saw a beautiful flowerbed a short distance away. Stepping closer to it, he watched as Aerith went about checking on each of the flowers to ensure they were growing properly. Just from a cursory glance, he could tell that these flowers were very well cared for. It was a miracle of life and he rather liked it. "It's beautiful."

Aerith smiled at him and said, "I'm really glad you think so, Naruto-kun. I've been coming here for as long as I can remember to tend to these flowers. It's amazing that I can get anything to grow at all here."

"You've got a natural gift for it, Aerith-chan. Unfortunately, it looks like we might have some company." Naruto said before glancing over his shoulder.

Seeing what Naruto did, Aerith frowned and quickly hid behind her new bodyguard. "That's Tseng. He's been hounding me for a while now. Do you think you can do something about him? Maybe make him go away?"

Nodding, Naruto took a few steps towards Tseng and said, "Hello again Tseng. It's been a while since we last saw each other. You do remember me, don't you?"

Tseng looked calmly at the man before him for a time, trying to put a name to the face. After some time, his eyes widened and he said, "Naruto? What are you doing here? How did you escape the lab?!"

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to say this once Tseng. Leave and don't come back. Aerith-chan is under my protection now and I won't let anyone hurt her. Understand me?" Naruto said, preparing to summon his weapons to his hands if need be.

Tseng frowned deeply, but nodded and said, "Troops, fall back! We're returning empty-handed this time. We will be back for you, Aerith. You can't escape us forever."

Aerith simply stuck her tongue out at him childishly before smiling brightly at Naruto. Once Tseng and his men had left, she wrapped her arms around one of Naruto's and said, "Thank you! You've got quite the reputation, don't you?"

Naruto sighed and massaged his forehead for a time. "Tseng respects me. Sort of. It's a weird relationship. He knows not to cross me by now. Anyways, we should really get you home. Ready?"

Aerith nodded and began to run with Naruto being tugged along little by little. "Come on! Let's go!"

Chuckling softly, the whiskered blonde hurried with her out of the church and to the town of the Sector 5 Slums. Once there, he escorted her through the town and to her house nearby. Once there, he went to knock on the door, only for Aerith to push it open and smile brightly at her adoptive mother. "Mooom! I'm home! And I've brought a friend."

Aerith's mom, Elmyra, walked into the room from the kitchen nearby and smiled at her daughter. "Aerith, welcome home. How was business? And who's your friend? He's rather tall, isn't he?"

Aerith giggled a bit before saying, "This is Naruto Uzumaki. He, um…used to be with Shinra. Sort of."

Elmyra instantly became suspicious of the man, but before she could say anything, Naruto spoke up. "Don't worry, I'm not with the people trying to take Aerith-chan away. I was once in SOLDIER, but for the most part, I was kept locked up in the labs and experimented on by Hojo. I took a chance and escaped, but I have the feeling Hojo simply let me leave for some reason. Probably for his own amusement."

"Hojo. I've heard that name before. A real nasty piece of work. Tell me, what do you want with Aerith?" Elmyra questioned.

Naruto shrugged and said, "Aerith-chan has asked me to be her bodyguard. I'll stick around and do whatever I can to keep her safe. For now though, I'm going to need to leave a clone here for a while. I need to return to Sector 7 and talk to Tifa again. She wanted to talk with me about something, but I'm not entirely certain what."

Before Elmyra could ask, Naruto created three superpowered shadow clones and looked at the three of them. "Two of you scout the neighboring areas. I want you to learn absolutely everything you can from the people and about the general area. You," he said, pointing at the third clone, "Stay here and guard Aerith-chan. I've made you three durable enough to survive for quite some time. Make sure to keep her safe no matter what. If things start to get bad, create a clone and pop it so I know what's going on. Understood?"

The clones saluted and two of them hurried off to do as instructed. Meanwhile, the real Naruto looked between Aerith and her mother. "Don't worry Aerith-chan. You will be safe here. So long as I or my clone are around, nobody can hurt you. Nobody can kidnap you. Nothing will happen to you, I promise."

Aerith smiled thankfully at him and said, "Thank you, Naruto-kun. You should hurry back to Tifa now. I'm sure she's got something important to talk to you about, after all."

Naruto shrugged and said, "We'll see. If it's anything I can help with, I'll do it. I can't help but wonder if it has to do with that blonde SOLDIER we saw."

Aerith nodded and said, "Probably. She seemed to care about him."

"Indeed. Anyways, I'll be back when I can. I don't know how long this is going to take, though." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head somewhat nervously. "Take care, okay?"

Aerith nodded and said, "Take care, Naruto-kun. And if you learn something about Mr. Spiky Hair, let me know, okay? I want to know why he has Zack's sword!"

"Of course. See ya later, Aerith-chan." Naruto said before leaving Aerith's house. Glancing off to the side at the large garden, he watched as his clone retrieved both a materia and an item of some kind. Shrugging it off, he reentered the town nearby and proceeded to leave. Once outside, he hurried back towards Sector 7. If that man isn't worthy of wielding the Buster Sword, I will take it from him. Unless Zack gave it to him, in which case, I'll just have to trust in him.

Seventh Heaven

Upon reentering the bar, Naruto noticed that the spiky-haired SOLDIER was nowhere to be seen. Frowning slightly at this, he shrugged it off before approaching Tifa at the bar. Sitting upon a stool once again, he looked at her and asked, "So what do you want to talk to me about, Tifa-chan? Must be something important."

Tifa nodded and said, "I'll be straight with you. That man you saw earlier, he's my childhood friend and he's about to do something extremely dangerous with the group I'm a part of. It's a group called AVALANCHE. I want you to join AVALANCHE and help them on their mission. Look after Cloud and the others. Please? I know you don't know us and have no reason to help us, but we genuinely want to save the Planet. Shinra is slowly killing the planet with those Mako Reactors, so we're going to do whatever we can to put a stop to it. So please, will you offer your aid to us?"

Naruto frowned in thought for a time before asking, "Why ask me for help? You've only just met me and you're trusting me to help with something like this?"

Tifa nodded and said, "I know. But I get the feeling you're a good person. Don't ask me why, but I trust you. Umm, first though, do you have any clothes you can change into? What you're wearing now just won't cut it."

Looking himself over again, Naruto chuckled and said, "Y'know, I really need some clothes. These rags are barely holding together. If you know where I can get a decent outfit, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course. We'll go get you an outfit or two right now, if you want?" Seeing him nod, she stepped out from behind the bar and walked with him outside. "Anyways, can I count on you to help?"

Naruto frowned for a moment before saying, "Sure, Tifa-chan. If I can help in some way, I'd be glad to do so. Personally, I'd kinda like to stick it to Shinra anyways, sooooo…this works out wonderfully for me."

Giggling a bit, Tifa led him to a nearby clothing store and paid for a new set of clothes for her new friend/companion. Once they were done, she asked, "Would you like me to get you a room back at my apartment complex?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "I don't want to cause any trouble. If need be, I can sleep out on the street or on top of a building or something."

"Oh, nonsense! Come on, let's get you to your new home. Then we can go over the plan. Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to everybody and then you can get on with the mission. Got it?" Tifa said, looking him in the eyes.

Chuckling a bit, Naruto nodded and said, "Sounds good to me Tifa-chan. Thank you."

"No problem. Now don't dilly dally. Hurry up!" she said before rushing on ahead, Naruto soon joining her at her side. Smirking at him, she said, "You're pretty fast."

"You haven't seen anything yet. If I get serious, I can move pretty damn fast." He said with a smirk on his face.

"I can believe it." Tifa said. When they arrived at her apartment complex, she helped check him in and even offered to pay for the first few nights if need be.

Thanking her for her generosity, Naruto followed her to his apartment and stepped inside with her. Once they had settled, he looked into her eyes and asked, "So what's the plan?"

Tifa sat down on his bed and looked him in the eyes. "Well…"

The Next Morning

Naruto looked around at the various members of AVALANCHE in their secret bunker underneath Seventh Heaven. His eyes naturally drifted to the man holding the Buster Sword. Zack, I wonder how you'd feel, seeing somebody else using your sword.

"Tifa, who the hell's this? Why are you getting some stranger involved in our business?" a rather large, heavily built man asked.

Looking the muscular man over, Naruto immediately took notice of the man's gun arm. Shrugging, he looked into the man's eyes and said, "I'm here because I want to help save the Planet, just like you. Besides that, Tifa-chan asked me to help out and I wasn't about to deny a cute girl like her."

Barret frowned and asked, "What's your name? Mine's Barret Wallace."

"Naruto Uzumaki. Ex-SOLDIER. But for the most part, I was kept in the labs at Shinra's corporate headquarters. Only escaped just yesterday. Trust me though, I can handle myself." Naruto said.

"Another one of them Shinra lapdogs, huh? The fuck do you want with us?" Barret asked, not at all happy to have another Ex-SOLDIER amongst his ranks.

Naruto sighed and palmed his face. "Trust me Barret, I'm no Shinra lapdog. When I first arrived in this world, I was essentially kidnapped by Hojo and put through so many experiments, it's a miracle I survived. I hate Shinra. If I have a chance to strike a blow against them, then I'll do it gladly."

Barret frowned deeply at him and said, "Just 'cause you say that doesn't mean I'm gonna trust you, Naruto Uzumaki. I'll believe you when you prove yourself to me that you ain't one of those Shinra bastards. Just like that guy over there, I don't take your story at face value." Looking at Tifa at this point, Barret said, "I don't like you bringin' another one of Shinra's goons, Tifa. But if you think he's trustworthy, I'll believe you."

Tifa frowned at him for a moment before looking at Naruto. "I trust him. I think he'll prove to be a valuable ally."

"Good enough for me. All right you lot, introduce yourselves to our new member!" Barret commanded.

The remaining three members of AVALANCHE lined up in front of Naruto and bowed to him. "Nice to meetcha Naruto!" the fat one named Wedge said. "The name's Wedge. Looking forward to working with you and Cloud over there."

Biggs went next. "Name's Biggs. Jessie and I are specialists of a sort. We'll get you in and out, no problem."

Jessie spoke up at this point, looking Naruto over appraisingly. "I'm Jessie. It's very nice to meet you Handsome."

Naruto smiled kindly at the three of them and said, "It'll be nice working with you. I hope we get along splendidly." Looking over at Cloud at this point, he asked, "Who's Mr. Broody over there?"

Jessie giggled and said, "That's Cloud Strife. Ex-SOLDIER, 1st class. He doesn't talk much."

Naruto chuckled and said, "I can see that. Anyways, Tifa-chan filled me in on the plan. We're to blow up Mako Reactor #1, right? I've got a slight problem with that that I feel needs to be addressed." Looking into Barret's eyes at this point, he asked, "Have you thought about how many people might be killed by the explosion? A lot of people could be caught in the explosion and be seriously hurt, perhaps even die."

Barret frowned and scratched his head. "Hmm, you make a good point. But it's too late to back out now. We'll just have to figure somethin' out."

Naruto sighed and formed a single hand seal before summoning a shadow clone right next to him. "I'll make a lot of these guys and have them evacuate the people. I won't tell them why, don't worry, but I refuse to let innocent people get caught in the crossfire."

Barret and the other members of AVALANCHE blinked in shock at seeing such a strange technique. Quickly shrugging it off, Barret said, "I see you've got some tricks up your sleeve, Mr. Ex-SOLDIER. That some kinda magic trick they teach you?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "I'm not from this Planet. I'm from a world called Earth. I have no way to go back, so I'm trying to make a home here. There's still so much I haven't seen yet, so I'm hoping to get out and see the big, wide world someday soon. For now though, just know I've got abilities at my disposal that can really help ensure we succeed."

"All right then, Naruto. You're comin' wit me and Cloud over there. We're gonna head down into the depths of the Mako Reactor and plant the bomb. You'd better be ready for this, 'cause there ain't gonna be no backin' out once we've got the party started." Barret said.

"I'm always ready. When do we set out?" Naruto asked.

"Soon. We've gotta go over some of the details first. After that, we'll head out. Just don't be expectin' me to hold your hand through this, 'cause I ain't gonna." Barret said.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I can handle myself just fine. You'll see. Anyways, just lemme know when we're heading out."

Tifa smiled at him before saying, "Thank you, Naruto. I'll see you all when you get back."

"Of course. Take care Tifa-chan." Naruto said, watching as she rode the platform up top again. Afterwards, he looked at the various members of AVALANCHE for a time and released a sigh. I don't know if they're up to this or not. Guess we'll see.

Hours Later

Naruto smirked as the train he and the others were on came to a stop outside Mako Reactor #1. When a few of the soldiers went to check out the train, he watched as Biggs and Jessie easily took them out before hurrying towards the reactor. Barret and Wedge joined them as well, leaving Cloud and Naruto alone. Hopping off of the train, Naruto and Cloud began hurrying after them, only for two soldiers, called MPs, hurried towards them, guns at the ready. Smirking wickedly at them, Naruto summoned his bladed pistols, called Vert Venti, and said, "Bring it on."

A/N - And that's the end of the chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed it. As you can no doubt see, we'll be getting into the canon stuff in the next chapter. Should be fun! lol

As you can see, a bunch of different things did happen in this chapter and Naruto is older than the rest of the cast, with the exception of a few of them, such as Barret. Barret's 35 in FF7 after all. :P

Anyways, this will be a small harem story, and one of the girls in the harem has already been introduced. There's another girl in this chapter that might be in the pairing, but we shall seeeee. Hopefully you're looking forward to it!

My head's all messed up right now from allergies and sinus problems, soooo I'm gonna cut this short. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to more!