My note: the characters and concepts belong to their respective owners. I make no profit on this; it's just for fun. Okay, now that's out of the way, here's the next part. I was going to post it all as one big chapter, like I did last time, but people kept asking me about this, and they probably wouldn't like waiting for another four months. The delay this time is due to school. Sorry. It's my last semester.
Ultimate Ninja
Vessels part 1
Naruto stumbled from the van, just behind Bobby. The mansion looked just like he remembered it. Before he helped destroy it of course. The contractors had finished their work right around the time SHIELD concluded its official investigation. They hadn't informed the X-Men of their findings, but they hadn't locked Naruto away in some deep, dark hole either. SHIELD had let the X-Men go. Naruto found himself just sort of tagging along. He didn't have anywhere else to go.
"Are you okay?" Jean gave Naruto a searching look, hanging back while the others moved to explore the differences between this new mansion and the place in their memories.
"Sure," Naruto said, grinning cheerfully. He turned back to look at the school again. Naruto had to admit, it was a pretty impressive building. It was three stories tall and made of red bricks. The roofs were sharply pointed and tiled with red.
"Come on," Jean said. "I'll help you find a room."
"Okay," Naruto said, nodding his head. He formed a dozen shadow clones. They unloaded the van quickly, grabbing everything. Jean just smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm.
"I thought he was s'posed to be psychic?" Wolverine grunted. He'd been the one to convince Nick Fury to let them all go. They had some kind of history, apparently, Fury and him. Naruto hadn't been allowed to practise his ninja skills when they were confined by SHIELD, so Wolverine hadn't really seen him do anything except for some basic taijutsu moves.
"It's better just to go with it," Bobby said, shrugging casually.
Wolverine was supposed to be some kind of reformed assassin. He had a healing factor, from what Naruto had figured out. Like Naruto, he'd been experimented on by Weapon X. They'd given him metal claws though, not cool psychic powers. He was a lot like that bastard Sabretooth in that respect. Wolverine was short and well-muscled. He had wiry black hair and dark, often-angry eyes.
Wolverine didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the X-Men. Then again, neither did Naruto, not really. He'd had some time to think about it and none of them should work as a team, but somehow they did. He followed Jean into the mansion and his clones followed him. They went their separate ways, with Naruto's clones spreading out, dumping their cargo, and dispersing.
Jean led him to a room on the second floor. "This will be your room," she said.
Naruto poked his head inside. It was a neutral-looking room. The walls were painted yellow but otherwise undecorated. The floor was polished hardwood. There was one large window on the wall next to the door. There was a door on the other wall. Maybe it lead to a closet? It was very plain. The room was furnished with a single bed, desk, and chair.
"I know it's not much," Jean started.
"Are you kidding?" Naruto asked, grinning cheerfully. "This is great!"
Naruto pushed his way further into the room, dumping his duffle bag at the foot of the bed. He sat down on it, bouncing experimentally. It seemed very comfortable. Naruto grinned again, letting himself fall back until only his legs dangled over the side. This was so much better than his old apartment.
Jean followed Naruto into the room. "We'll go into town later on this week to get your stuff," she said. "After you've had a chance to settle in."
"Okay," Naruto agreed easily.
"You'll see. You're going to fit right in," Jean promised. Naruto nodded eagerly. "Get started with the unpacking, then we can have a look around."
Naruto bounced off the bed and to his feet. Grabbing his duffle bag, he hurried over to what he thought was a closet.
"And those clothes better be folded neatly, Naruto!" Jean warned with a smile as she left the room. Frowning, Naruto stopped, midway through just dumping the duffle bag's contents in the dresser he found in his closet.
Naruto spent the rest of that night getting to know his surroundings better. He wandered the mansion, making a mental map with the help of his clones. He made sure he knew where all the exits were, just in case. He also made sure he knew where Jean's room was, and Bobby's, and everyone else's.
He woke up early the next day. Naruto yawned, stretched, and sat up. It felt good to be able to sleep in a bed he could call his own. He was planning on exploring the woods behind the mansion today. Weapon X had used them for cover when they attacked, but Naruto wanted to train. The woods were as close to one of the training grounds from Konoha as Naruto could get.
Naruto got to the bathroom before any of the others were even awake. He took a quick shower; he was going to go training, so he'd get dirty and sweaty anyway. He got out and dried himself, then pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt. He was out the door, a piece of toast in his mouth, before anyone else was up.
Naruto made his way quickly to the woods, using his chakra to boost his speed. He was soon lost in the dense forested area. This was the perfect place to practise what he'd started to learn in Weapon X. He could use his chakra to stick to the walls there. Naruto planned on finding out if he could stick to other things too.
"You're up early."
Naruto spun around. Wolverine had managed to sneak up on him. How had Wolverine managed to sneak up on him? He hadn't thought anyone else was up yet.
"I'm going to do some training," Naruto said.
"Out here all by yourself?" Wolverine grunted. It wasn't concern Naruto heard in his voice. He heard suspicion. "Away from the others?"
Naruto took a step back. "I could say the same thing."
Wolverine growled angrily. "What are you doin' out here, kid?"
"I'm going to do some training," Naruto repeated. He glanced around. This was actually a pretty good spot for it. The trees here were wide enough and looked strong enough that he could try sticking to them using his chakra without having to worry about breaking them.
Naruto had to jump back to avoid Wolverine's fist. "What the hell?"
"You said you wanted to train," Wolverine said, grinning. Naruto hopped over him as Wolverine came at him again. This time he caught Wolverine in the back of the head with a kick as he went, using his head as a springboard to kick-off higher. Naruto landed in a tree while Wolverine stumbled.
Wolverine turned his fall into a roll and came up in a ready stance. Naruto shook his foot to get the feeling back. "You guys and your metal bones..." He groused.
Wolverine grinned. "You gonna complain all day, or are you gonna fight?"
"Why fight?" Naruto scoffed. "It's obvious you couldn't keep up!"
"Come down here and say that!" Wolverine snarled.
"You come up here and make me!" Naruto countered, pulling a face. Wolverine growled angrily. His claws slid out and he used them to climb the tree. He levered himself up to the branch on which Naruto was standing, grinning savagely.
"Nowhere to run to now, kid," Wolverine said. His claws slid back into his arms.
"You know, this isn't what I had in mind when I said I was going to train," Naruto said, ducking under Wolverine's first punch. He countered, driving his knee up into Wolverine's side. Wolverine grunted, but kept coming. He landed a punch that knocked the wind from Naruto's lungs and sent Naruto stumbling back.
"Not such a tough guy now, are ya?" Wolverine grinned and kept coming.
Naruto closed the distance, dodging inside Wolverine's defences. He couldn't break Wolverine's bones or anything, but Wolverine had joints and soft tissue, and a healing factor that meant Naruto didn't have to go soft or anything.
Naruto blocked a punch, ducked under another, then lashed out with a combination of kicks. Wolverine was good. Better than anyone Naruto had fought before. He had to be quick, ducking and dodging, attacking and countering.
Naruto had the advantage in the tree. He was smaller and faster. He could use his chakra to help him stick to the tree branches and to help him make jumps that'd be impossible otherwise. Their fight was moving higher and higher into the treetops, with Wolverine following each of Naruto's leaps, albeit slower.
Wolverine made up for Naruto's advantage by being totally without fear. He couldn't get seriously hurt from this spar, so he could afford to throw himself totally into the fight.
Naruto brought Wolverine to one knee with a well-aimed kick to the back of his leg. Wolverine grunted. Before he could get back up, Naruto vaulted over him. He wrapped his arms around Wolverine's neck and his legs around Wolverine's torso. Wolverine pulled at him, thrashing wildly, and it was all Naruto could do to hang on.
They both fell from the tree, crashing through several branches on their way to a painful reunion with the ground.
And then Naruto stopped falling. Wolverine hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Jean stepped into plain sight. "So this is where you were."
Naruto floated closer, still dangling upside down in front of her. He laughed nervously. "We were just training."
"That didn't look like any training to me," Jean said, shooting Wolverine a dark look. Naruto just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. It had to look funny, with him hanging upside down. Jean sighed, rolling her eyes. "Breakfast is ready."
And then she dropped Naruto too, turning and walking back towards the mansion. Naruto flipped midair, landing on his feet. He hurried after Jean.
Naruto's first week was uneventful. He only "trained" with Wolverine once. Apparently the cold shoulder Wolverine got from Jean afterwards was enough to discourage any more training. Naruto still trained, but he was reduced to learning with his shadow clones and there was only so much he could learn by fighting himself.
Naruto learned he could use his chakra to stick to trees, to rocks, to any surface really. He just had to find the right amount. It took a lot of practise, but now he had the freedom to really practise, it seemed to go so much quicker. He was already on his way to being a great ninja, even if the Leaf village would never see it! Who needed them anyway...
Naruto tried to imagine some version of himself that hadn't come to this world by accident. Maybe he'd be a real ninja. Maybe he'd have a girlfriend like Sakura. The more he thought about it though, the more that vision of him broke down. Maybe he was just getting used to being here, to living in this world.
"Are you still up for going into town today?" Jean asked.
"You bet!" Naruto said, giving her a cheerful grin. He was a little anxious about getting his stuff back. It had been a year. Would the Forbidden Scroll still be okay? Sure, it was probably as old as the Old Man, maybe even older, but he'd just left it in the warehouse he'd been squatting in. Also, there was the fact that getting his stuff and moving in here, with Jean and the others... it was a big step, but he felt ready.
Jean only nodded, giving him a thoughtful look.
"We'll leave as soon as you're done breakfast then," Jean said. Naruto stuffed a whole piece of toast into his mouth, then tried to say something. Jean scowled. "We've had this talk before, remember?"
Naruto chewed quickly and swallowed loudly. "Done!" He almost dragged Jean along towards the garage. He was full of nervous energy. They took Scott's car, a sporty red convertible that had somehow survived the whole Weapon X invasion. Jean had somehow talked Scott into letting her borrow it for the day.
The actual ride into town was uneventful. Naruto played with Scott's radio settings until Jean gave him a dark look and then he settled down to watch the landscape race by. The mansion was a little ways outside of town apparently. He watched the countryside decay slowly into an urban landscape, until they were driving through a canyon composed of tall buildings.
Jean pulled the car up to the curb and looked at their destination a little doubtfully. "Are you sure this is where you wanted to go?"
They were parked in front of an empty lot. There was a chain-link fence surrounding the lot. Something had been demolished recently, an old factory or warehouse by the looks of things. Jean could see a couple of bulldozers parked off to the side. A large board proclaimed this to be the future site of a block of apartments.
"No!" Naruto yelled, his eyes going wide. "No! This can't be happening!" He was out of the car before Jean had even finished parking it. Naruto leapt clear over the chain-link fence in two long steps, landing easily on the other side.
"Hey!" A security guard yelled. "Hey, you can't be in there!"
Naruto ignored him. He started digging through the rubble. He picked up a large chunk of concrete and pushed it out of the way, shifting a heavy metal girder. Jean watched him for a moment with wide eyes, then quickly calmed the security guard down before he called the cops. As far as that man was now concerned, Naruto was just a bird, picking through the rubble for scraps.
"Naruto," Jean said, climbing up the pile of rubble to join him. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"The Scroll," Naruto said, grunting with the effort of moving another piece of rubble. "This is where I left the Scroll. I have to find it!"
Jean helped him dig through the rubble for another half an hour, using her telekinesis to lift the larger hunks of rubble out of the way, until Naruto seemed to have tired himself out. He sat down heavily after a long moment and looked down at his feet. "It's gone," he said quietly after a long moment. "The Forbidden Scroll is gone."
On the one hand, it simplified his options a lot. There was no going back now, even if wanted to. He was stuck here, in this world. Naruto glanced over at Jean's concerned face. There were worse places to be stuck, he thought. On the other hand, he'd been hoping to train his ninja skills with the Scroll and now he had to make it up as he went.
"What is the Forbidden Scroll?" Jean asked.
"I learned the shadow clone jutsu from it," Naruto said. "And the jutsu that took me here. Without it-"
"You're stuck?" Jean finished.
"Yeah," Naruto answered. He'd never see any of his friends or precious people again. It hadn't really, really hit him until that moment. He'd been too busy training, learning about this new world, and then fighting to survive in it. Now all of that was gone. Naruto didn't know what to feel really.
Jean put her hand over his. "It'll be okay," she promised. Naruto nodded, his eyes distant. "Let's go get some lunch. Then we can see about replacing some of your things, alright? You're one of us now."
"Hey!" Naruto said, catching Jean's attention. "Check it out!" He held up a magazine so she could see it. There was a glossy picture of a man in a skin-tight red and blue costume. He flipped through the pages, attracted by the colourful, dynamic-looking pictures. Jean only smiled indulgently as she paid for gas.
"Come on, Naruto," Jean said, gesturing him over. Naruto put the magazine back and hurried out after Jean.
They were nearly back from their trip to the city when a SHIELD helicopter buzzed by overhead. Naruto's heart leapt. Had they figured out what had really happened at the Weapon X facility? Had SHIELD come to arrest him?
"Calm down, Naruto," Jean said, noticing his anxiety. She sent him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure everything's fine."
Naruto shuffled uncertainly in his seat, weighing the pros and cons of jumping out of the car and making a run for it. He could use the substitution to slow himself down, maybe land at a run. They were going too fast for that to work. Maybe-
"Everything's fine, Naruto," Jean said again.
"Reading my mind?" Naruto groused, folding his arms across his chest and looking away.
"Not yours," Jean said with a smile.
They pulled into the mansion driveway. It wasn't that long a driveway. Naruto could see the SHIELD van, parked just in front of the school. Jean got out first. Naruto followed, a bit more hesitantly.
"Jean!" Scott yelled. "You'll never guess-"
"It's a miracle," Ororo said happily.
Naruto's heart skipped a beat. That was impossible. People didn't just- But there he was. The Professor Naruto thought he killed was sitting in a wheelchair. He was bandaged some, but he looked healthier than a dead man should look, Naruto thought. Naruto had never actually met Professor Xavier before. The man was not what he expected. He was bald, with blue eyes, and pale skin. He probably didn't get out much. Xavier had a refined air about him that Naruto didn't really understand.
"Professor!" Jean started, overjoyed. She rushed forward to give the Professor a hug.
"It's good to see you, Jean," the Professor said, giving her a fatherly smile. "Now, I hear we have a new addition?"
"Yes, of course!" Jean started. "Naruto-"
Naruto was already gone. He'd substituted himself with a shadow clone the second Jean went to hug the Professor. Naruto didn't want to wait around for the Professor to kick him out. He jumped through the tree branches, heading for the highway.
Naruto ducked, suddenly. Wolverine's fist passed through where his head had been. "Runnin' away?" Wolverine asked. "You didn't seem like the type."
"I'm not running away," Naruto snapped.
"That's not what it looks like from where I'm standing," Wolverine said.
Naruto frowned. "Round two?"
Wolverine grinned. "If ya feel up to the challenge."
"What challenge?" Naruto asked. He wasn't going to hold back this time. He formed the familiar seal. More than a hundred clones now filled the trees. "If it's a beat-down you want..."
"It's a beat-down you'll get!" The rest of the clones finished. Wolverine looked around, startled. He knew Naruto could make copies of himself, but Naruto was willing to bet Wolverine didn't have any idea just how many he could make. As one, Naruto's clones launched themselves at Wolverine.
Wolverine was good, but Naruto had numbers on his side. Lots and lots of numbers. And he'd been practising. Even so, Wolverine held out a good five minutes, ducking, dodging, weaving through Naruto's clone barrage, dispelling his army one clone at a time. The first wave wasn't really meant to beat him though. Even as his first wave of clones attacked, Naruto's back-ups were already setting up ambushes, just waiting for the right-
"Aw man!" Naruto shouted, from where he dangled upside down in front of Jean. "I had him this time!"
Five of Naruto's clones now piled on top of Wolverine echoed his disappointed groan.
"Why did you run away?" Jean asked.
"I didn't!" Naruto argued. He opened his mouth to argue some more.
"Naruto," Jean said. Naruto's mouth snapped shut.
"They're going to arrest me for what happened," he said. He decided it was probably a good idea to keep his thoughts to himself and did his best to put up a shield, like Jean taught him. "I was getting a head start."
"Naruto..." Jean started, her tone softened. "That won't happen. The Professor won't let it." She reached out, cupping his face affectionately. "Come on. He wants to talk to you."
"What if..." Naruto started. "What if he tells me to go?"
"He won't," Jean promised. She spun him around and dropped him to his feet, then, hooking her arm around his shoulders and giving him a reassuring squeeze, she gently urged him back towards the mansion with her.
"Someone wanna get these clowns offa me?" Wolverine grunted from under a pile of boisterous Naruto's clones. Naruto and Jean were already halfway back to the mansion though and didn't hear him.
SHIELD had done a good job putting Professor Xavier's study back together. It was still lacking that "principal's office" feeling to it, in Naruto's opinion, but if the Professor put a bunch of old-looking books on the shelves and maybe an imposing wooden desk... That'd do it. Naruto had been sent to the office at the Academy enough. And then to the old man, when that didn't do anything.
"Please, sit down," Xavier said, gesturing to a comfortable-looking couch. Naruto eyed it warily, but followed Jean when she settled herself down. He sat in an awkward silence for a moment, looking around the room, anywhere to avoid looking at Xavier. "We've never formally met. I'm Professor Charles Xavier."
"My name's Naruto," Naruto said.
"I imagine you have some questions for me Let me first assure you that I'm not going to ask you to leave," Xavier said. Naruto's shock showed on his face. He quickly took a look at the shield Jean had helped him construct. Had he let his guard down? Had he dropped his shield? How'd the Professor know? He didn't actually voice any of these questions though. Professor Xavier smiled. "I am psychic, you know. Have you been practising with your new powers?"
Naruto shook his head mutely. "I've been training my ninja skills."
"You shouldn't neglect your mutant abilities," Professor Xavier said.
"I'm not really a mutant though," Naruto said. "I did learn to tune people out."
The Professor nodded his head and looked thoughtful. "Naruto, at this school, I try to help young mutants integrate into society peacefully. Jean and the others fight to change the way people see mutants and that is why I founded the X-Men. What you're doing is running away from what you are and if you are to stay here, that has to stop." Naruto opened his mouth to object, but the Professor raised his hand to stall him. "I'm not saying that you cannot continue to practise your ninja abilities. I'm actually very interested in how they work. I'm only saying that you pay as much attention to your mutant abilities."
"O-okay," Naruto stammered, a little bewildered.
"And you're going to be starting school too," Jean added. School? What the hell! Naruto opened his mouth, but he couldn't find the words to argue. Jean just smiled at him and closed his mouth for him with her index finger.