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If you aren't keeping up with my Shinobi of Excelsior the beginning of this chapter might be a bit confusing but it essentially takes place a day or two after Thor battles Malekith in Greenwich
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Marvel, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., DC. The only thing that I own is my own ideas.
"Talking"
"Phone, Intercom, or radio talking"
Jutsu, Abilities, and Powers
(Location) = Scene Break/Time Skip
(The Next Day – Greenwich University – London, England)
Coulson and his team had been called to help with the clean-up and cataloging of Thor's recent battle at an old royal naval college.
"In ancient times, people believed the heavens were filled with Gods and monsters and magical worlds. Then, as time passed, those beliefs faded into myth and folklore. But now we know the stories were true. Other worlds, with names like Asgard, do in fact exist. And beings once revered as Gods, like Thor, have returned. Leaving us with more questions than answers along with this enormous mess to clean up." Simmons explained/complained just as Ward came in with another wheelbarrow of remnants of the recent battle dumping it onto the floor
"Don't say I never gave you anything." Ward said with a smirk just as Naruto came in holding 2 wheelbarrows full of debris, one in each hand, and dumped it on the ground causing Ward to frown "Is it really necessary to show off?"
"Whoever said I was showing off?" Naruto asked nonchalantly
"No one has to say anything when you are effortlessly using 2 wheelbarrows like oversized spoons when you could be using one like a normal person." Ward answered
"The way I see it I'm helping us get done faster so we can get on to potentially more amusing assignments." Naruto shot back before Fitz walked up with a device in his hands
"Checking for alien spectrographic signatures, one teeny tiny rock at a time." Fitz complained
"A necessary precaution. We don't want anything alien getting in the wrong hands." Ward stated
"Still, I mean, this could definitely be the type of work a monkey could easily do." Fitz shot back
"You are our little monkey." Ward stated
"Then does that make you the tactile muscle head of this team?" Naruto shot as he came in with 2 more wheelbarrows of debris
"Ha ha ha, you're so funny." Ward said sarcastically before Simmons's phone rang as she was cataloging causing her to pull her phone out and decline the call causing Naruto and Fitz to give her a look
"Babe, you know you are going to have to talk to them sooner or later." Fitz said
"I'll talk to them when I talk to them." Simmons stated before she went back to cataloging
"Talk to who?" Ward asked curiously
"Mum and Dad. They want explanations and answers for…well all this. But I don't have any answers. And more importantly, I haven't talked to them since I was ill. If they knew that, they'd be even more terrified, so, you know." Simmons answered slightly annoyed "Why waste any of our time, really?"
Just as Naruto brought in 2 more wheelbarrows of debris the device that Fitz was using to scan the debris went off "Definitely not from here. Another piece of the ship." Fitz announced before Ward took the piece from him, sprayed it down, and put it in a container before closing and locking it.
"Out of Sight, Out of Mind." Ward said "That's why we are here. To keep everything under control." before they continued on their endeavor
(The next day – Trillemarka National Park – Norway)
Coulson and his team had been called to check out a potential 0-8-4. Naruto, Simmons, Ward, and Coulson had gone to the site where they were met by other people while Skye, May, and Fitz stayed in the Bus. Simmons, Naruto, and Ward saw that the elevated portion of the tree was carved out and was likely where the 0-8-4 was stored prior to the incident they had heard about.
Simmons turned to Naruto "Could you possibly move the tree so that it's flat on the ground so I don't have to scale it to examine the carved-out portion of the tree would you?"
Naruto nodded and moved to the portion of the tree nearest to the stump and grabbed it, effortlessly lifting the entire tree shocking everyone around them minus Coulson before he laid the tree down flat on the ground.
"There you go." Naruto stated as Simmons walked up to the carved-out portion of the tree and began examining it, not long after her device started making sounds
"Whatever was in here was definitely not from this world." Simmons announced "Fitz, are you getting this? It's not Chitauri, is it?"
"No. No, no, don't worry. This isn't another viral threat." Fitz answered "Spectrographic signatures match readings from Thor's hammer. Simmons, whatever was in that tree is Asgardian."
"I can see an imprint of whatever was embedded." Simmons said as she pulled out another device and moved closer to the carved-out portion of the tree "Scanning for three-dimensional restoration. Tell me when"
"When." Fitz said as a 3D holographic image popped up onto the holotable "Looks like a staff or a rod. Well-crafted, engraved. I'll convert it and print a 3D model."
"This forest is a protected reserve. I mean who do they think they are?" The park ranger said in a depressed tone
"Anything else? Details? Anything that might help us to find these people or where they might be hiding?" Coulson asked
"Sir, it doesn't look like they are hiding." Skye announced
(A few hours later – Lab - Bus)
Ward, Fitz-Simmons, and Skye were gathered as Ward debriefed them on what information they had while Naruto floated in the air meditating.
"Jakob Nystrom, 30. Girlfriend, Petra Larsen. Leaders of a Norse paganist hate group." Ward explained as they looked at the information up on the big screen
"And the numbers are growing thanks to what happened in Greenwich, and thanks to the internet." Skye added "'Yay, Internet.' she said sarcastically."
"Norse paganist?" Simmons asked confused
"Yeah, obsessed with anything derived from Norse mythology. Stories of Asgard." Skye explained before Ward picked up the 3D model that Fitz had printed
"And now a weapon." Ward added
"The scan only accounted for one side. Too much damage to the tree to completely reproduce." Fitz said
"But see here? Clearly broken on both ends." Simmons added
"So there are more pieces?" Ward asked
"Yeah. Two, at least." Fitz answered
"That means that Sid and Nancy may be looking for a complete set." Ward said as Coulson and May walked in "The markings?"
"Asgardian symbolism. Hard to translate with our limited knowledge." Coulson answered
"You should give your buddy the God of Thunder a shout." Skye commented "He gets his power from his hammer, right? What if this is his nail to the hammer?"
"I already did. Director Fury told me he's off the grid. And if he has a cell phone, we don't have the number." Coulson stated
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigations are on the trail of Nystrom and his followers." May spoke up
"We're charged with identifying the object and finding any other pieces before they do." Coulson informed the team
"They seem to have some advantage. They found this thing in 150 square kilometers of Norwegian forest." Ward stated skeptically
"Guys, what if it called to them with magic?" Skye asked getting a skeptical look from May and Fitz-Simmons
"Called to them?" May said skeptically
"We know it's Asgardian, so the rules are a little bendy here." Skye said
"Just because we don't understand something yet doesn't mean we should regress back to the Dark Ages, talking of magic and fairytales." Simmons countered
"Actually, magic is a real thing. It's a combination of mental and cosmic energy." Naruto spoke up causing everyone to look at him as if he grew a second head
"What do you mean a combination of mental and cosmic energy?" Fitz-Simmons asked
"You know how I told you that everyone has Chakra right?" Naruto said before Fitz-Simmons and Skye nodded "Chakra is a combination of physical energy and spiritual/mental energy. Smart/Intelligent people have more spiritual/mental energy, and people like Ward that have more muscles or bodybuilders have more physical energy. Magic harnesses the mental/spiritual energy aspect of Chakra, as well as surrounding cosmic energy to do various things."
"And what is Cosmic energy?" They asked
"Cosmic energy is unfiltered natural energy, natural energy is what you scientists on earth call Gamma radiation, cosmic energy filtered by the planet." Naruto answered
"Anyways, that's exactly what we're going to do." Coulson said
"Really?/Excuse me?" Skye/Fitz-Simmons asked
"When we first found the hammer in New Mexico, I consulted one of the world's leading experts on Norse mythology. Elliot Randolph. A professor at a university in Seville. We'll leave immediately." Coulson explained "Maybe he can tell us more about these markings." As he picked up the 3D-printed model
(Several Hours Later – The Lab – Bus)
Ward, Fitz-Simmons, Skye, and Naruto were currently in the lab, Simmons was giving Ward a complete workup while Fitz, Skye, and Naruto stood idle.
"This is ridiculous." A shirtless Ward complained
"It's anything but." Simmons countered
"Ward, you passed out. And you weren't acting right." Skye added
"Coulson ordered me to give you a full workup, and that's exactly what I'm doing." Simmons stated "Um, before you lost consciousness, were you feeling claustrophobic?"
"Why?" a curious but irritated Ward asked
"She's ruling out a panic attack." Fitz answered
"I don't panic. Ever." Ward stated
"Well, there we go. Ruled out." Simmons said
"Touching the staff caused it, right?" Skye asked
"Any residual effects? Are you exhibiting any extra strength?" Simmons asked
Ward looked up at the big screen to see Coulson and the professor in the interrogation room "Why don't I find out on that guy? Or maybe Maelstrom wants to be a test dummy?"
"Why don't we not do that?" Skye suggested
"Or you could simply try and lift one of their training weights seeing as I have them up at 100 total pounds." Naruto chuckled "Anyone want to volunteer their weights?"
"What's the last thing you remember before you lost consciousness?" Fitz asked
"This is a waste of time." A clearly irritated Ward stated as he got up "We need to find the staff."
"What exactly did you remember?" Fitz asked once again
"Something that I hadn't thought about in a long time." Ward answered
"Why don't we leave it alone?" Skye suggested
"Well, I mean he just pulled his arm out…" Simmons stated
"Quiet!" Ward let out causing everyone to stop talking "I want to hear this." Before he tapped a button allowing audio thru
"One of my men is hurt, the staff is gone…" Coulson stated
"I didn't want any of that to happen." Elliot said
"What did you want?" Coulson asked "The staff's power for yourself?"
"Nothing like that." Elliot answered with a sigh "You know, I just wanted to be the first to study it. To prove that the Berserkers were actually here, a part of history. You think abou that."
"Oh, I'm thinking about it." Coulson said before the screen went blank causing Ward to turn to Simmons clearly mad and irritated
"What are you doing?" Ward asked
"Your heart rate's rising, adrenaline's spiking. You need to calm down, not get worked up." Simmons answered causing Ward to back off as he looked away as he leaned over the holotable
"The memory, was it about your brother?" Skye asked causing Ward to look at her
"Drop it." Ward stated clearly having none of it
"Ward, if you need to get it out, I am here…" Skye pushed
"To talk. Right?" Ward said "Because that's what you do. Talk and talk. Don't you ever get tired of hearing your own voice?"
"Ward back off and calm down." Naruto warned causing Ward to turn to him
"What makes you think that you can boss me around because you can toss me around like a ragdoll and Coulson gave you authority?" Ward asked getting in Naruto's face
"Ward, back up and get out of my face." Naruto said sternly
"This makes perfect sense. Ward, what you are experiencing, this feeling? It's chemistry." Simmons said
"I sure hope so." Skye commented
"Yeah, spikes in his adrenocorticotropic hormone. It's like those stories you hear when a mother is able to lift a car to save her baby. An adrenaline surge can create a massive—" Simmons explained before she was cut off
"Stop talking! Just fix it!" Ward demanded
"I wish I could. We can relieve some of the symptoms. I'm going to give you 10 cc's of benzodiazepine." Simmons said
"A Chill pill. Good idea." Skye commented
"A sedative? Not gonna happen." Ward declined
"Yeah, well, be reasonable. Look how you're behaving." Fitz said causing Ward to focus on him
"And if I'm sedated and we cross paths with those juiced freaks, the ones who flip cars and smash people up, are you gonna take them on? Keep us safe? Or am I gonna have to save Simmons's ass again?" Ward asked
"Maelstrom, that's why he was put on this team, to begin with, wasn't he?" Fitz-Simmons and Skye answered causing Ward to have a defeated look before he turned his attention to Naruto getting even more in his face
"What makes you so special, what makes you better than me, huh Maelstrom? Have we even seen all that you can do? Are you one of those Uber freaks on the Index?" Ward asked
"No, you haven't seen all that I am capable of, but I am only going to say this one more time as I don't like repeating myself when it's not necessary, Back up and Back off." Naruto answered "If I feel like revealing more of what I am capable of it certainly won't be to you or in your presence."
Ward got even more up in Naruto's face "What too scared to have me know what you are capable of?"
"You give me bad vibes. More than likely others don't notice. I don't know and I don't care. Personally, there's something about you that doesn't resonate with me. And for the record, don't say I didn't warn you." Naruto answered before he activated his Rinnesharingan for a second and looked into Ward's eyes "Sleep." was all that he said before Ward dropped like a fly shocking everyone before Simmons rushed to the downed Ward and started checking him for injuries
They all looked at him "What did you do?"
"I did say sleep, didn't I." Naruto answered
"Yea we all caught that part, I believe we meant how. And what happened to your eyes just a second ago?" Simmons asked
"I am not going to say anything until I have everyone's word that they will not tell or inform Ward, and trust me I will be able to tell if you are lying or not being truthful to me. I meant what I said, I do not trust Ward, he gives me bad vibes." Naruto answered before he walked over to Ward's downed body and picked him up, tossing him onto his shoulder "If anyone wants an explanation stay down here while I put Ward down in his bunk." And with that Naruto walked out of the Lab with Ward headed for his bunk
"That was just a biochemical reaction. He most likely didn't mean the stuff that he said to us. Now the stuff that he said to Maelstrom is a completely different story." Simmons commented
(A minute later)
Just like Naruto said he came back down to the Lab after putting Ward down in his bunk.
"Alright, let's go one at a time." Naruto said before he turned to Fitz "Do you promise/give me your word that this will stay between the 3 of us. That Ward will not find out unless I tell him which is very unlikely."
Fitz adopted a conflicted look for about 30 seconds, on one hand, he had a job as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, on the other hand, Naruto had saved and protected them on multiple occasions, as well as gave them the training to improve themselves in the field. Eventually, Fitz adopted a defeated look.
"I promise/give you my word that this will stay between the 3 of us." Fitz said defeated
Naruto then turned to Skye "Now it's your turn."
"I promise/give you my word that this will stay between the 3 of us." Skye said without hesitation
Naruto then turned to Simmons "Now it's your turn."
Simmons adopted a conflicted look for just about as long as Fitz did, for the same reason, however, she had another motive, the biochemist part of her demanded answers and heavily weighted on her decision to go forward, but she still adopted a defeated look.
"I promise/give you my word that this will stay between the 3 of us." Simmons said defeated look with a hint of curiosity
"Alright, now as for how I put Ward to sleep I put a light but simple genjutsu on him knocking him out." Naruto stated getting looks of confusion and curiosity from his 3 students
"What is a 'genjutsu' and how did it affect Ward?" Simmons asked
"Genjutsu is a type of technique where I am from that manipulates/disrupts the flow of chakra, it can be used to make people see, hear, feel, taste, and even smell things that are not real/there. The genjutsu I used disrupted Ward's chakra flow/network for a set period of time which caused him to lose consciousness and should affect him long enough for him to calm down." Naruto explained "He should be out for an hour or two just enough to settle him down."
"What happened to your eyes when you did it? I saw them change colors for a brief second." Simmons asked
Naruto activated his Rinnesharingan "You mean this?" causing Simmons to nod her head "Where I am from this is called a Rinnesharingan, one of its abilities is to cast Genjutsu by simply making eye contact with someone even for a split second." He left it activated for about a minute allowing Simmons to examine it closer before he deactivated it
"What other abilities does it give you?" They asked
"That will be for another time, I said I would explain what I did to Ward. Nothing more, nothing less." Naruto chuckled before he got up "I expect you guys to keep your promise/word." Before he walked out
(A couple hours later)
Ward had finally woken up, interesting enough he didn't storm at Naruto demanding an explanation as to what he did, instead, he went to go see Coulson. A few minutes later they went into the interrogation room. Naruto, Fitz-Simmons, and Skye gathered in the Command Center to watch the interrogation.
Ward entered the interrogation room, closing the door behind him "You need to start talking."
"I told Agent Coulson everything I know." Elliot stated
"You're lying." Ward said "Tell me what that thing did to me and how to fix it."
"I swear, I don't know." Elliot stated once again
Ward then pulled out a knife, flicking it open before thrusting it towards Elliot's face. Much to the shock of Fitz-Simmons, and Skye he caught the knife and simply bent it beyond repair.
Just then Coulson entered the room "You were right. He's Asgardian." Ward said
"Good thing. Otherwise, that would've been awfully embarrassing." Coulson said
"Ok, I have to know. How did you figure me out?" Elliot asked
"Did the math. One, you're not the first Asgardian I've had in custody. You guys really don't flinch or panic in captivity. Two, a Waterfield 44 on a lit professor's salary? I don't think so. And lastly, when I tell someone I've had some one-on-one time with an alien, they tend to be a little curious." Coulson explained
"Well, you're certainly more observant than most, Agent Coulson." Elliot said
"So, you're the Asgardian warrior who stayed." Coulson stated
"Please don't tell anyone." Elliot pleaded
"I had no clue. Did you?" Fitz asked
"I did. As soon as we brought him aboard." Naruto answered causing everyone to look at him
"How?" They asked
"Asgardians have must bigger chakra reserves than humans. Plus I have sort of a standard for how big Asgardian chakra reserves should be as I have met Thor." Naruto answered
"Wait you met Thor?" Skye and Simmons asked to which Naruto nodded his head
"Hidden in plain sight. An actual Asgardian. Brilliant." Fitz commented
"How long do you suppose he's been on our planet?" Skye asked
"Easily 2000 or more years given how far back the texts date." Naruto answered
"We could also just ask him." Skye commented "This is way, way better than the History Channel. I mean, this guy has lived through all the scary stuff. The Crusades, the Black Death, disco."
May walked in with a tablet and started tapping buttons getting Skye's attention
"What are you doing?" Skye asked
"Sealing the interrogation room door." May answered getting weird looks from Skye, and Fitz-Simmons "Coulson's orders."
"What did it do to me?" Ward asked Elliot
"It shines a light into your dark places. Doesn't matter if you're human, or Asgardian, the effect is the same. Unpleasant." Elliot answered
"A'Shines a light'? That's no explanation." Simmons commented
"Asgard is highly advanced, eons ahead of Earth, while we may not have an explanation for it, they likely do. Plus we are dealing with magic, Dark magic at that." Naruto stated causing them to look at him
"And how exactly do you know this?" Simmons/Skye asked
"Cause I have been there. Went there to get insight on one of my powers/abilities." Naruto answered causing them all to perk up in curiosity
"Any chance we will learn what power/ability that is?" They asked
"If the need arises for me to use that power/ability and you want an explanation, likely, otherwise it's essentially a game of trust, and while I did get you to promise/give me your word about keeping quiet I'd rather not have to explain every single one of my abilities/powers unless absolutely necessary." Naruto answered
"It was forged from a rare metal and reacts to whoever is holding it. Or interacts. I went to such great lengths to make sure that the staff wasn't found. Unfortunately, since the myth was written down, people have been searching for it for centuries." Elliot explained
"I need your help to stop them before they get the last piece of your staff." Coulson pleaded
"No. I am a pacifist now." Elliot declined
"Sounds like me, except I won't step in unless absolutely necessary." Naruto commented with a chuckle
"And you don't want to risk your identity being discovered." Coulson stated
"Listen, I wouldn't worry too much about these angry youths. They always calm down. And eventually, they die of old age. And that is one of the pleasant aspects of life here. Everything changes." Elliot explained
"I'll tell you what's gonna change. Your anonymity. Unless you help us find the last piece of your staff. You may not know Thor but I know him, and I know someone else who knows him personally." Coulson threatened causing Elliot to adopt a thinking face
"My first love on this planet was Ireland. There was a monastery, and the monks gave me a nice warm place to sleep, some soup, and some mulled wine." Elliot told them
"Near God." Coulson simply stated
(A few hours later – Ireland – Bus)
Everyone was getting ready to go to the church that was supposed to contain the final piece of the berserker staff. Naruto was meditating in midair, his legs crossed above the hood of the SUV, a serene expression on his face. Coulson, May, and Skye were in front of him. Just a second later Ward walked by getting the attention of Skye causing her to look at Coulson.
"Are you sure Ward's OK to go into the field? He's not exactly acting like himself. Isn't Maelstrom more than enough?" Skye asked
"Ward knows it. He'll be fine." Coulson answered
"Ward will be fine the timeout I gave him should have cooled him off enough." Naruto commented not even opening his eyes before Skye turned to May
"I'm with Coulson." was all that May said before she walked off
(A few hours later – Night Time – Church)
They had arrived at the church, entering the auditorium thru the side door.
"It's been a while. I wonder…" Elliot commented as he rounded the corner heading for the small table on the stage "Ah! Yes. There it is. Still here." Before the rest of the team joined him "Well, the nose isn't quite right, but…"
Fitz walked up to see the picture "That's you?"
"Yeah. They venerated me a bit as a saint." Elliot answered
"Yeah, They're idiots." Ward commented
"Ward, don't make me put you in time out again." Naruto warned getting the stink eye from Ward in the process
"You ever going to spill the beans on how you did that?" Ward asked
"I already did to my 3 students." Naruto answered "And I ensured that the information wouldn't be leaked to you. And don't think you can force it out of them otherwise you will deal with me."
"Where's the staff?" Ward asked completely disregarding Naruto
"It's upstairs." Elliot answered
"We aren't alone." Naruto announced not having not scanned the perimeter with chakra until just now, he really didn't feel the need to
"So they beat us here?" They asked
"We won't know until we check." Naruto answered before Elliot started making his way toward the stairs followed shortly by the rest of Coulson's team
"Was that the normal Ward, or the new, angrier Ward?" Skye asked rhetorically "I can't tell."
"It's quiet." May commented as they all reached the second floor
"Why do you think I trusted them with my secret? They took a vow of silence" Elliot stated as he checked for the staff
"But when you get them talking, they squeal." Jakob said as he rounded the corner with two pieces in hand as he made to stab Elliot with the end of the staff only for Naruto to extend his hand in an effort to stop him only for a Vibrational Blast to shoot out of his hand hitting Jakob sending him flying back into the wall, knocking him out causing him to drop the parts of the staff that he was holding shocking everyone
"Well, that's new." Naruto commented slightly surprised before he pulled the parts of the staff that Jakob was holding to himself with his Telekinesis catching it in his hands
Just then more of the paganist hate group entered the auditorium causing Coulson and his team to turn toward Naruto.
"You want me to handle them or do one of you want to go all Rambo on their asses? I feel like it's a bit overkill if I deal with them." Naruto asked before Ward walked up to him and grabbed the two pieces that he had in his hands causing him to go down to one knee as the staff did its magic on him before he jumped over the edge intent on shredding thru the paganist hate group as May and Skye made their way down to the first floor.
Ward made quick work of the portion of the group before he nearly collapsed due to exhaustion, dropping the pieces of the staff that he was holding, only for 2 more to show up thru a door on the side. Ward started to get up only for May to stop him.
"Let me help you this time." May said as she stopped him and Skye came up to his side helping him stand, May quickly knelt down and grabbed the 2 staff pieces before the two charged her to which she made quick work of the first one, the second one charged May with a part of the staff but was quickly disarmed by May before she was sent to the ground the staff quickly reassembling itself
The last member shakily got up before looking at May "I am not afraid of you." Before she charged May who finished her off with an upwards strike sending her flying and gently placed the staff down
(A few hours later - Dawn)
A team of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents came to the church to collect the berserker staff while Coulson's team ensured that no one else came for the staff. Naruto, Skye, and Fitz-Simmons were gathered together when Simmons's phone rang.
"You should take that." Fitz and Naruto said
"Maybe I should." Simmons said before he answered the phone and brought it up to her ear and started to walk away from them "Hi, Dad. Yeah, it's great to hear your voice, too. I've been meaning to call you for a couple of days now. It's been a difficult few weeks."
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