Heir of the Sage

by The Metal Sage

Naruto's fateful battle on the Valley takes him to a new world so different from his own. Now, the heir to the ancient Sage of the Six Paths must forge his own destiny by facing the challenges ahead. NarutoXMulti

16. The Storm

Naruto and Marvel belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Disney respectively.

AN: Special thanks to Meneldur for helping to edit the story and giving me plenty of ideas.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

"Telepathy/Foreign language"

"Jutsu/Technique"

Chapter XVI: The Storm

---

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned."

Matt could hear Father Paul drawing in a deep breath, knowing it was for a sigh before it even came out.

"A man with your condition, coming as frequently as you do, carries either too much guilt or too many secrets, Matt Murdock."

'Or both.'

"May I ask something of you, Father?"

"You may."

"The Lord's own commandments are clear as the tablets they were written on. There is one in particular that is shared in both the laws of God and the laws of men. 'Thou shalt not kill'. Now, the laws of men, the laws which I have spent my lives studying, make exceptions to this. If a man kills in self defense, or if the state allows the use of force, it is permissible. I find myself wondering at times, if the Lord also permits such exceptions."

Father Paul's teeth clenched for a moment. "It is a question many of us have struggled to understand, Matt. Remember that the Bible is not the complete word of God. The Israelites believed that killing was justified if a crime was committed, or if they were at war. The God of Abraham loved David even as he felled Goliath. Our Lord, as told by his Son, clarified that 'thou shalt not kill' can be seen as 'do not murder', to make a distinction. 'For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.'"

"The Book of Matthew," remembered Matt.

"Correct. I have always held the belief that human life must be respected, and we must do our best to love our neighbor. Yet when we find ourselves with no other option against those of wicked hearts, we may find ourselves forced to end a human life, and the Lord would judge us not guilty of evil."

"Is it justified, then? To use wickedness to punish the wicked?"

"For the laws of God, perhaps. He did not write specifics. For that, we turn to the laws of men, some of which are inspired by the will of God. This is what you do in your work as a lawyer, Matt – learn, argue and reinforce those laws of men. But it is not in your power, or indeed in my power, to enforce the laws of God."

"But how are the laws of God enforced in this life?"

Father Paul was silent for almost a full minute. "We cannot say for certain, but I can tell you what I have seen with my own eyes. These men, Matt… these murderers, these merchants of poison, these usurers and defilers… they never find a peaceful end. Part of me likes to think that this is the Lord's work, and the other part thinks that this is just the reaping of what they have sown."

"The Lord works in mysterious ways," recited Matt, the same line he had been told since childhood, even when his father had died.

"He does," confirmed Father Paul. "And we indulge in pride when we think that we can fully know Him. In the end, it is not our place to know where these evil men will end up, Matt. The Lord is the final judge, and He cannot be fooled."

Matt sat for a moment of silence. "Thank you, Father."

He did not need to see to hear the confusion in the priest's voice. "What for? You have not confessed your sins."

Matt stood up and left the confessional booth. "Forgive me, Father. I did not come for penance"

"What did you come for?"

"To know what I need to do."

---

Naruto eyes snapped wide open, his body lurching forward despite the arms that were holding onto him. Groaning, he fell back onto the bed once he realized that everything had been a dream, though by that point, he had already woken up his sleeping companion.

"What happened?" Kitty whispered tiredly, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"I… had a dream. But I don't think it was a dream," he responded.

"Was it because of Dani again?" she asked in a low voice.

Naruto shook his head. "No, this is because of something different," he assured as he stood up. "But speaking of Dani, I need to go and talk to her."

Kitty sighed. "I guess you do. Poor girl. Is it terrible for me to say that I've been sleeping way better these past couple of days?"

It wasn't a terrible thought, and it was doubtlessly one that the entire Institute had been having. Even so, Professor Xavier's mission was explicit in that these were the people they were there to help. Dani had problems with her powers, and it was his duty to see to her. Because apparently, being second in command of the X-Men meant being first in command of the New Mutants.

Naruto went down towards the kitchen, where food had already been placed in trays and some of the early risers were looking to indulge. By this point, everybody was used to the large amounts of food he could consume and didn't say anything when he added a little bit more in a lunchbox.

With the sun already rising, he set out of the Mansion, carrying a small bag with him, and entered the woods near the Institute.

The entire school had been suffering terrible nightmares for days, and it didn't take long for the Professor to figure out that Dani Moonstar's unruly telepathic powers were behind it. It also didn't take long for Dani to perceive that others were looking at her with resentful eyes, even if they said nothing.

So, four days ago, when Professor Xavier announced he was going for another visit to the Scottish island, Dani took to the forest.

At first, everyone thought that Dani would be back, maybe at night to take a shower and sleep before waking up early and going back to the woods. In hindsight, they shouldn't have underestimated the young Cheyenne's survival skills. Not a single student had seen hide nor hair of her. Food, water, clothes, and shelter seemed to have been something Dani figured out on her own.

As the unofficial team leader, it fell on Naruto to look after her.

He started by going through the small trail that was used in hiking trips and kept a close eye for any disturbances, which came in the form of a snapped branch. His hunch was proven true when he saw several traps hidden on the path. Some were snares for small game while others were clearly meant for larger animals… or people.

"Hehe. It's going to take more than a few traps to get the better of Konoha's number one prankster, Dani-chan."

Following the tracks and traps, it didn't take him long to find Dani's camp, strategically placed below some trees and near the bank of a small river. Despite only being gone for a week, she had already settled in. Dani would fit right in with any shinobi with her survival skills. A tent made with the hides of animals she had hunted housed several pelts and food, including dried meat, smoked fish, pemmican, and foraged fruits.

'Ah… if only we had her during the Chūnin Exams.'

But of the wayward mutant girl, there was no sign save for the still warm embers of the campfire. Naruto huffed at the idea of having to go on yet more searching. He could probably look at the ground for footprints or broken branches – even an experienced scout would leave those – or he could activate his eyes to look for life signatures among the animals of the forest.

But of course, there were better alternatives.

"Daaaniii! Where are youuuu!" He climbed to the top of the highest tree and took another deep breath. "Daaaniii! I brought you some soap and shampoooo!"

It didn't take long for a furious Danielle Moonstar to emerge from the bushes. She had taken back to wearing her traditional yellow garb, sewn with colorful decorations, and keeping half of her long hair in two braided ponytails while the rest of her tresses cascaded over her back, almost reaching her legs. In one hand she held her grandfather's bow and in the other several stone tipped arrows she had crafted herself.

"You scared off the wild pig I was hunting," she growled.

Naruto grinned. "No need for more food when I brought you some," he said, waving at where he had placed the supplies.

"I can hunt my own food, thank you very much. You don't need me, and I don't need you."

"Feh!" Naruto sat on the floor with his eyes closed into a frown. "Dani-chan doesn't appreciate the things I do for her. She doesn't want food, clothes or water." He took out the shampoo and pouted. "She doesn't even want this to prevent her long, pretty hair from becoming oily and smelly."

"Give me that!"

Naruto jumped up to the branch of a tree with a grin, dangling the bottle of shampoo. "You can have it if you return with me to the Institute."

"So that I can give everyone nightmares?" she snarled."I'm not going to go back there to see resentful, baggy eyes staring at me during breakfast."

"Nobody resents you."

"You know that's a lie," Dani snapped.

Naruto leapt down from the tree. "Alright. Guess that's true, people want someone to blame when they're sleepy and grumpy. But that doesn't mean that you don't deserve to be there with us, especially when you want to get better at controlling your mind."

"Why do you care so much, anyway?"

"Because you are part of my team, and I won't turn my back on you. Besides, if for some reason I cannot be with you guys when there's trouble, you're the best to take the lead."

Dani raised an eyebrow. "You really think I'm that kind of person? Me, who chose to isolate herself from others?"

Naruto nodded with a grin. "The best leaders are often the reluctant ones. Whenever we did leadership exercises back at home, the ones that wanted to lead the most always turned into jerks. Sometimes the best leaders are the ones that don't want to lead. When the right time comes, we can find what we are capable of."

Dani stood still, looking at the river. "Maybe. I don't feel like going back to the Institute just yet… but thanks for worrying about me."

He laughed. "Well, that's my job," he said while throwing the bottle of shampoo at her. "And seriously, your hair is too pretty to let it get all oily."

The girl stammered as he left without another word.

He started to walk back towards the Institute. Logan was gone, as well as the Professor, but that wasn't all. Scott had already left, and Jean and Ororo would be going in a few hours as well, even Kurt had taken a trip back to his church in Germany. Rogue had stayed, though.

Of course, the same could not be said for the New Mutants. Everybody had decided to stay. There were those that didn't have anywhere else to go like Xi'an, Jubilee, Rahne, and Dani, as well as those that thought that an adult-less Institute was a lot more fun than any other vacation prospect. Ororo had already caught Bobby sneaking in a bottle of scotch and a girl the other day, and summoned a deluge in her fury.

Then there was Wanda, who would rather go back to the asylum than search for her family.

Thankfully, Kitty also decided to stay behind, declining an invitation with her parents to go to Hawaii. She had said that both of them deserved some alone time, but Naruto knew that Kitty loved beaches. True enough, she had begun pestering him to go with her to a closer, less expensive beach for a couple of days.

He was so lucky to have her so close to him… even now.

He could sense her coming, did so every time, and yet he still let her jump onto his back, latching her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. Naruto grinned in return and grabbed her legs, carrying her back to the mansion.

"Sooo… what are you doing today?"

Naruto grinned to himself. "I need to go to the city. Dr. Richards wants another demonstration of my Rasengan with some new tool of his. Stark also called for me, but that's for later. I have some time in between."

Kitty hummed sweetly into his ear. "I got some allowance money that I want to spend. Why don't you come with us during that time? Maybe get something to eat after we're all done."

"Sure. There's this new place I've been wanting to check out." In fact, he had already made the reservation. The restaurant was pricier than normal and took a bite out of his savings, but it had a view that Kitty would want to take pictures in.

She laughed as they reached the entrance. "I'll go get ready, then. Be back in a few."

Knowing that "a few" was Kitty-speak for about an hour or two, Naruto walked into the game room where most of the team had gathered. Ororo had worried that without Professor Xavier or Logan, it would be chaos, but everyone was behaving appropriately, even Bobby. So much so that Scott had decided to enjoy his vacation with his long lost brother while Jean and Ororo were going on a small hike. That meant that he would be officially in charge of the Institute.

'I'm the adult now… heh!'

Jean had to force him out from sitting on Professor Xavier's desk.

"You're all ready?" he asked Jean.

The redhead was wearing a sports shirt and small shorts for the spring heat, along with some hiking boots. She was on her knees preparing her large backpack, filling it with essentials and half of the camping tent that she and Ororo would be sharing.

"Yep, just doing a double check for everything."

"Did you put extra batteries in?"

"Yep."

"What about a hatchet? A survival knife?"

Jean laughed. "We're just going for a small hike upstate, not the Appalachian trail. We'll be back in a couple of days." She zipped up her back and stood up, giving him a grin. "The real danger is mosquitos. They're the size of pelicans this time of year."

"You sure you'll be alright?"

"We can take care of ourselves, Mr. Hero."

Naruto nodded and stood silently for a few seconds as Jean put on her bag with a small grunt.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Sorry… it's just that I entered your mind last night, I think."

"Oh… well I did as well. It's one of those side effects of the link we have… I have seen your mind several times, in fact."

A pit began to form in his stomach. He had a lot of memories of his life in Konoha, many of which he didn't want to show so easily. "What do you know?"

She bit her lip. "I know about the Kyūbi, of course, and about your village. I also know about your team… and about Haku and Gaara."

Naruto looked down. "Oh… yeah."

"Wanna talk about them?"

He nodded. "It's strange. I find myself forgetting the faces of my friends, but I remember those two very clearly. Haku… he taught me a lot, even if he was technically my enemy. Before him, I only thought about fighting for my own glory. He taught me to fight for others to find strength, and he turned out to be right."

"He died so young, though," Jean said sadly. "Is that what it's like in your world?"

"Most shinobi die before we reach thirty," confirmed Naruto. "Kunoichi tend to retire first. Having children that can manipulate chakra to be future shinobi is also part of their duty. Male shinobi stay in service for much longer, especially if they're jōnin. Most of us who survive into our thirties and forties tend to be from the clans. Four of our five Hokages came from clans."

"As for Gaara… his eyes still frighten me to this day. Not because of his power, but because every time I looked at them, it reminded me of what I could have become if I didn't have people like Iruka-sensei. I don't know how he is right now, but I hope he's found people to give him meaning."

She took a deep breath. "I know that it's not my place to say… but don't you think it's better for you here? There's so much more you can do here, and you don't have to die."

"Hmm… I'm still best at fighting, though."

"You're the best in battle. It doesn't mean that you can't do anything else." She smiled at him. It was a discussion they'd had several times before, and one Naruto had been having with himself for just as long.

"Is it still hard? Thinking about your village?"

"It's difficult to say. I think of home every day, but it all seems so distant. Orochimaru and the Akatsuki were a constant danger, but I don't think they can find their way over here." At least he hoped not. He wouldn't put it past Orochimaru and Itachi to go after his new precious people just to use them against him. "Sometimes I don't really know where I'm going. There's still my dream, and my friends back home, but now I have new people like you."

"You know you are always welcome here. There's always time for more dreams."

He gave a nod. "That's a nice thought to have."

A sudden silence fell as he shuffled on his feet.

"Do you want to talk about Annie?" The way Jean froze made him wince. "Sorry… I didn't mean to watch. I thought it was a nightmare… didn't realize it was your memory."

"No," Jean whispered shakily. "It's alright… just… that's not a memory I like to remember. I figured you would be seeing other things, the embarrassing moments… not the tragic ones." She took a deep breath. "But I guess that the reason it's so prevalent is because I never wanted to talk about it – never let it go."

"Some memories are better than others," Naruto agreed.

"She was my best friend," Jean said with a hitch in her voice. "We used to play after school all the time, but one day, I kicked her ball too hard, and she ran across the street to get it… she didn't look… there was a car…" She bit her lip. "I can barely remember what happened after that. It was all a blur. The coming days I was inconsolable, locked in my room, with things flying all around me… and I could hear everyone's voice in my head. I screamed and cried until my throat went numb. All I could think about was that all of it was my fault for kicking too hard."

"That wasn't your fault."

Jean sighed. "Everyone told me that, but I didn't believe it then. It's not something I've accepted fully even today. All of it stopped only when Professor Xavier visited. He put me into a deep sleep, and when I woke up, the voices were gone. I was enrolled in the Institute soon after. The Professor brought Ororo half a year later after his trip to Egypt, and she helped me to recover some peace of mind. Then it was Scott, and you after that."

Naruto gave a nod. "Sometimes it's hard to accept things. But I don't think it was your fault. You were just a kid." He chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I'm probably not the best person to talk about this."

She gave a small smile. "No, you were good. It's nice to take things off my chest."

Ororo descended the stairs, carrying another large backpack, walking towards the entrance where Jean had already parked her newly bought jeep. Sometimes he wondered why Jean wanted to drive when flying was easier and cost less.

"I trust that as my second in command you can keep the Institute standing? Remember to keep a close eye on Bobby, and stop Rahne from transforming near the furniture, and…"

"Don't worry. I'll keep this ship afloat," Naruto said with a grin and thumbs up.

"I know you will. We'll see you in a couple of days," Ororo said while putting her bags in Jean's jeep.

"Wait up!" came a voice from up the stairs. Rogue came down with a backpack of her own, dressed in hiking gear as well. "Y'all got room for one more?"

Jean furrowed her brows. "Are you all packed for two days in the wild?"

"Yeah. Packed mah own tent an' everythin'. Sorry for the short notice." She continued to get some dubious stares. "Ah ain't no amateur, if that's what you're worried about. Spent mah fair share on the trails down South, an' Logan's torture sessions should be enough to do the rest."

"There's going to be a lot of mosquitoes this time of year."

"Y'all don't think a Mississippi gal knows about mosquitoes?"

Jean chuckled. "Fair enough. Put your bag in."

Naruto helped her with the rest of her equipment. "You sure about going?

Rogue turned to him with a smirk. "Sure am. Need the time an' space to clear mah head. Why? You gonna miss me, ninja boy?"

"Of course!" he said, giving her a brief hug goodbye.

"Good to know," she said softly as they broke the hug, staring at him for a long moment before she got into the jeep. The engine soon turned on and the car drove out through the gate, leaving Naruto standing at the entrance, the Institute more silent than it had been in the morning.

He made his way back to the entertainment room, where most of the new members were relaxing. Roberto and Bobby were playing a match of table soccer with Sam watching, while Wanda and Xi'an were sitting in a corner reading books. He suppressed a laugh as he watched an annoyed Rahne getting her short hair made up by Amara.

It didn't take long for the students to come to him, asking about training, or assignments, or even where they would be going as a group. The only thing he could do was return an awkward smile and assure them that they were still too young to go out on assignments, and talk about some training later. The promise of training calmed some of them down and they returned to their activities. Jubilee assured them all she could beat them in Mario Kart.

"I've become Kakashi-sensei," he muttered to himself. Did that give him license to be late every now and then?

He smiled when Kitty phased through the floor, all dressed up with her ponytail hairdo, a red buttoned shirt that showed off her midriff, black trousers and a pair of low heeled sandals. She raised herself on her toes and pulled his head down for a kiss.

"Let's go," she said, pulling his arm.

Naruto stood still. "I don't know if I can trust the Institute from imploding if nobody is here." He thought for a moment until a perfectly trustworthy Scottish girl walked past him.

"Rahne," he whispered.

"Aye chief?"

"Tell me if Bobby does something stupid when I come back."

The redhead grinned. "Dinnae worry, chief. Tha' dolt ain't escaping me eyes."

---

Most people would use their spring break time to relax. If they had the money, they went on a trip outside the city or even the country. If they didn't have the resources or were the more introverted sort, they stayed home to entertain themselves. Either way, they didn't spend their time volunteering for a renowned scientist in hopes of getting internships through college.

Peter Parker was not most people. Neither was Gwen Stacy, for that matter.

Peter took a deep breath to calm down the feeling of ants crawling around his stomach as he snuck several looks at the pretty blonde girl beside him. Both of them were carrying boxes of equipment to Dr. Curt Connors' laboratory. Hopefully, volunteering with such a highly renowned scientist would give them extra credit, if the Stark scholarship didn't pan out.

"We're here Dr. Conn…ors…" Gwen's voice trailed off as both of them looked at the empty office. "Huh… guess he must've left early." She placed her load on the table.

"I'll go get something to drink while we wait," Peter said and placed his burden as well, having volunteered to carry half of Gwen's weight added to his own. He made a show of struggling with the boxes. It wasn't really heavy, given his powers, but appearances had to be kept. "Dr. Connors has been acting a bit odd lately. He can be a bit eccentric at times."

Gwen let out a laugh. "Eccentricity is part of being a genius."

"Not always," argued Peter.

She gave him a smirk. "You sure about that? That chronic tardiness of yours begs to differ, Pete."

The hidden compliment didn't hit him until he retrieved the soft drinks from the vending machine.

Peter returned and handed Gwen her drink. He'd known her long enough to know she liked the cherry flavor. As they both took advantage of the time to finish their notes, he looked up to steal a few discreet glances. She had alway looked cute, but looked even cuter with the new hairstyle. His heart beat heavier when she saw her smiling at a text she got on her phone. He must be the luckiest dweeb in existence if someone like her talked to him.

"Gwen."

"Yeah?"

"I heard about this pizza place. They say it's the best in Queens."

"Luigi's? The one with the sweet sauce?"

He swallowed dry air. It was now or never. Get a date, or be just another loser Gwen had no time for. "That's the one. I was thinking…"

"Yeah, I could go for a slice or two."

Peter let out a silent breath and grinned. "Reall – I mean, that's great! And don't worry about the price – I'm buying."

"I'll hold you to it, genius," she replied with a dazzling smile.

With a goofy grin, Peter strode towards Dr. Connors' office with the completed notes, his head in the clouds, thinking about finally going out on a date with Gwen Stacy.

Up until he saw the shattered vial behind the desk.

Taking out a device he'd built specifically for tracking chemical residue, he placed some of the leftover liquid into the test tube, gritting his teeth when the device revealed a match with the creature he'd spotted last night. With his blood pumping, he followed the scratch marks towards the bathroom, and to the shattered window beyond that.

Peter returned to the lab, where Gwen was already waiting for him. God, she was pretty. Everybody at school knew that. All the school jocks had already asked her out, even Flash Thompson, but she had shot them all down. It made him think that she preferred the smart boys over the stupid ones.

But not even Flash Thompson wasn't stupid enough to do what Peter was about to do.

"Hey," he started, looking sheepish and with a low voice. "About that pizza place… do you mind if we–"

"Put it off until next time?"

Peter winced at Gwen's disappointed tone. Some days, it was really hard being Spider-Man. Lack of sleep, having his grades drop, and the absence of most of his free time were sacrifices that he felt compelled to make. It didn't mean he had to enjoy it. Especially when the girl he'd had a crush on for so long had accepted a date.

But he had to do it, or there would be far more children out there without an Uncle Ben.

'I am Spider-Man. Say the words.' He couldn't say them. Peter would never forgive himself for putting her in such danger if he did.

"I'll make it up to you. Promise." He knew it wasn't true. Peter Parker could not afford to keep promises like Spider-Man could. He ran off without another word. As soon as he left the building, Peter stripped off his clothes, revealing the red, black, and blue outfit under them.

Now he was Spider-Man, the one who everyone could count on.

Having no time to waste, Peter immediately went to the area below the shattered glass and spotted more claw marks. The trail led further past the alley and near the small street, where the sewer entrance had been sliced open.

"Why does it always have to be the sewers? Why can't villains choose to make a cologne factory their secret base? Can't we have a Perfume-Man? Perfume-Ma'am?" The jokes didn't exactly help with the stench of human waste that pierced past his mask as he went down in pursuit.

The sensor went haywire as soon as he fully entered the sewage system, marking every direction until it died out. Spider-Man sighed. He would have to put sensors through his path, and hope that one of them would trigger the Lizard's tracks. At least there were still claw marks to guide his way.

"I could've had a pizza date with Gwen Stacy. Some 'genius' I am."

---

"That should be enough."

Naruto stopped channeling chakra into his hand and watched the Rasengan dissipate into the air. He stood up and stretched as Reed Richards continued to fiddle with the giant machine he had built in his laboratory, information spilling through an integrated computer that only the genius of the Fantastic Four could interpret.

"Well, we managed to make some progress. A signature of the same element is coming from a point in space."

Naruto knew that there was always a catch. "Does it point to somewhere specific?"

Reed closed his eyes and thought. "It's specific on this Earth, but of course, that point expands as we go out of the atmosphere. Put it this way, we may have narrowed down the source of your 'chakra' to around a fifth of the universe… but that just means we're now looking for a single grain of sand in one continent instead of the entire planet."

"I see," Naruto hopped down from the chair and walked out, arms behind his back. "Thanks. I'll be in contact if you need me for anything else."

"Of course," said Reed as he returned to another project.

Susan was sitting in the main room when he came out, reading a book. She sent him a smile. "How did it go this time?"

"We made some progress, but there's still a lot left to go."

"You don't seem all that bothered about the slow progress."

Naruto shrugged. "Guess I'm not."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

He stood still for a moment. What would he do if he had the means to go back to Konoha? Would he go immediately, leaving all his new friends behind? What would he do with Kitty? He had a duty to his village, and yet he also had new responsibilities.

"I don't know yet."

Susan walked with him towards the open window. "Things like that can take some time to find out. Good thing you have plenty of that."

"I guess so," he responded, stepping on the edge of the window. "Thanks for everything. I'll come back to visit sometime."

"Naruto… what are you doing?"

He grinned as he stepped off the edge and towards the air, hearing Susan's scream behind him. Using his powers, he levitated in place and grinned back at the relieved blonde.

"Use the stairs!" she chastised.

"Boring!"

Kitty was still at the mall he had left her in a couple of hours ago. He arrived just at the agreed upon time at the food court, where she was sitting with the friends she had made in dancing classes: Janet, Felicia, and Mary Jane. They were being approached by some boys that left some notes, probably with their phone numbers.

"Should I be worried?" he asked Kitty.

She laughed. "No way!"

Janet stood up with a grin. "Alright, we have money to spend and no time to lose. Let's hit the stores already!"

It wasn't his first time going shopping with girls, but shopping with Janet Van Dyne and Felicia Hardy was on a whole different level than Jean or Ororo.

They first hit the shoe store, where Kitty spent no less than an hour trying out different sandals, some heeled, some not. When he reminded her that she already had plenty, she retorted that those were last season's. Of course, she asked his opinion on every single one of them.

She wasn't the only one that asked for his opinion.

"Hey, Naruto. Which one do you think matches my hair better?" asked Felicia, holding two pairs. Naruto honestly didn't know what to say, given that both were colored white, so he just mentally eenie-meenied his way out of the situation.

"Naruto! Which ones make me look cuter?" asked Janet as she tried on five pairs. Agonizing over choosing which one was best turned out to be pointless when she bought all of them, plus another two.

Mary Jane didn't ask for his opinion, because she didn't buy any.

It being spring, the girls also didn't want to waste an opportunity to buy new swimwear – even though Kitty already had several outfits – and so once again he was dragged along by his girlfriend as she picked up a light purple two piece to try out. She also selected some swimming trunks for him to try out, despite his protests that he already had some. It wasn't the first time he had been confronted about his utilitarian approach to clothes, but Kitty was by far the most adamant.

They weren't the only ones buying.

"Look at you. Totally beach body ready," Janet stated, looking at her bikini clad reflection. It was yellow with a series of black waves. She struck a series of poses, as if her picture was being taken. "Oh yeah. Thank you sooo much, Ms. Hunter!"

"Someone's confident," commented Felicia as she tried on a black two piece with white ruffles, showing off the athletic body that she worked on with dancing and gymnastics classes.

"Confidence is important!" retorted Janet. "It lets all the boys know that we are worth the world. Like those that were hitting on us."

"Not gonna give those guys a call?" teased Felicia.

Janet grinned. "You mean those skateboarder wannabees we saw earlier… no! Ew! Totally like, not my type."

"Oh… you have a type?"

"Yep. Blonde, blue eyes, and heroic," Janet breathed dreamily.

"Of course," sighed Felicia, rolling her eyes and smirking at Kitty. "You heard that, Kitty-Cat? Seems like Miss Van Dyne is perfectly describing your man."

Janet dropped her pose and shook her head. "No, no, not like that, Kitty-Cat. I already have somebody I want to marry one day."

"Here we go again," hummed Felicia

"There's only one person good enough for Janet Van Dyne… the Maelstrom."

Naruto froze on the spot. That's right, he technically already knew Felicia and Janet, though in very different circumstances and always under a mask. He had apparently made such a first impression on Janet that she had created a loyal fan club for him.

'My own fan club. I truly have become Sasuke-teme.' He promised himself that he would be kinder to his fans than Sasuke was, at least.

He expected Kitty to get angry, but she just laughed and winked at him.

"How do you know the Maelstrom doesn't already have a secret girlfriend?"

Janet flashed a confident grin and returned to her posing. "I like to believe in a little thing called destiny."

All of them had another laugh.

The first moment he had met Janet, she had reminded him of Kitty. They had the same height, build, liked the same cute things, the same upbeat music, and even talked in the same accent.

Janet had a lot more money than Kitty, though, and was not exactly frugal with it. Sometimes, that meant she didn't know the situations of other girls, since her only real friend before meeting MJ and Kitty was the equally wealthy Felicia Hardy. Both of them went to a very reputable all-girls Catholic school, and stepping away from that environment was akin to Naruto traveling out of Konoha to know the real world for the first time. A slow, frequently awkward experience that one had to experience to get a taste of reality.

"Look at this one, MJ!" gushed Janet, picking up a wine red two piece for her. It looked richly made, and even came with a matching transparent sarong for the waist. "It matches your hair perfectly!"

Mary Jane, who had yet to try anything in her entire trip, raised her hands. "I… don't really think that's my style, Jan."

"Come on, it's perfect!" insisted Janet, pulling on the redhead's arm and going towards the changing booth.

With a roll of her eyes and a grin, Mary Jane took the suit and closed the door. She emerged from the booth after a few minutes, walking directly to the full body mirror to check herself out. To say she was stunning was an understatement. After looking at her reflection, the reserved posture gave out as she struck several poses, and even flashed her pearly white smile.

"I told you that was just right for you," said Janet with a smirk. "We should take advantage of the sun and go to the beach. I've wanted to return to this totally awesome hotel I went to in Nice when I was younger. We can get the tickets to go in a couple of days."

That… sounded quite beyond his hero budget.

Janet seemed to notice the change in mood. "You know, on second thought, Daddy has a beach house in Florida he doesn't really use. We could go for a week and like, catch some sun, maybe take a dip in the ocean. My driver can take us there and back before we return to class. All we'd have to worry about is food."

Kitty's eyes brightened up and pulled on Naruto's arm. "That sounds amazing! Come on, Naruto. Please please please?"

He wouldn't be around to do his hero duties for almost two weeks? That was something to consider. His vigilante team had been doing so much good precisely because they'd been so active. Two weeks… that was a lot to ask.

Two hands circled his arm and pulled toward Kitty's chest. He looked at his side to see Kitty's hopeful hazel eyes and felt his heart melt. The bad guys had been silent these last few days, and they'd gone back to beating hoodlums and small drug pushers.

Maybe heroes do deserve a break every once in a while.

"Alright."

Kitty pumped her fist and whooped, and Janet followed her lead, both of them jumping together and chanting. Naruto couldn't help but feel warm inside. It felt right to give something to Kitty after she had given him so much.

He noticed Mary Jane staring at her reflection once again, her smile gone now that nobody was looking, but still holding the transparent sarong with want.

"Coming too, MJ?"

"Hmm?" Her head snapped back to him and the smile came back. "I'd have to check if my aunt has something planned."

"Come on, MJ! You only get to live once!"

The redhead played with her lips for a moment, until she smirked at them. "Well… wouldn't want to deprive the Sunshine State of Mary Jane Watson."

Kitty and Janet cheered again as they got dressed and went along with Felicia to the cashier. Naruto hung back after letting the girls prepare first, enough for him to watch Mary Jane put the bikini back on the rack after one last forlorn glance.

Felicia was very different from Janet despite going to the same school and being of the same economic standing. The platinum blonde was the most reserved and mature of Kitty's group of friends. That didn't mean she lacked a playful nature, or an eye for the expensive.

"Hey Naruto. Come here," she called when they visited the most luxurious store they'd been to yet, filled with jewels, designer clothing, and handbags.

"Yes?" Naruto walked over to see Felicia in the clothing section, strangely enough, the men's clothing section. She grinned at him and showed him a black leather jacket.

"Looks nice, doesn't it? Why don't you try it on?"

He studied the garment for a bit. Never having been someone who paid much importance to clothing until girls coerced him to change his looks, he didn't know what to think. "It's nice, I guess… but I think it's a little out of my price range."

"It's just to try it. I think it will fit you quite nicely, and help you improve your image."

"I always thought that character was more important than how I dressed."

"That's true, but having luxuries enhances the man and those around him. Put it on." Naruto didn't argue any longer and slipped on the jacket. Grinning, she called to the side. "Kitty-Cat! Come over and tell us what you think."

"Give me a moment, I'm just looking at this cute little purse and – oh wow!" Kitty's face flushed when she laid eyes on him. "Don't you look dashing." She posed next to him beside the mirror, with a grin, before going back to what she was trying to buy.

Felicia turned to him with a smug smirk. "Character counts, more than anything." She grabbed a pearl necklace and twirled it around her fingers, "but pretty things are important too."

He looked down at one of the bags he was carrying. "I guess that's true."

Deciding that they wanted to rest their feet a little, the group went to an ice cream shop next to a music store. While Kitty was dancing happily with Janet to the newest Allison Blaire single, Naruto approached Mary Jane.

"Doing alright?"

She smiled at him. "I'm doing fine. Good to be wiping the slate clean. New school and new friends."

"That's good." He sat in awkward silence for a moment before passing one of the many bags he was carrying to her. "You forgot this."

Mary Jane furrowed her brows as she peeked into the bag, and looked at him with a flushed face. "Oh my God… Naruto… why would you spend so much money on such a thing?"

"I saw you looking at it. It may not seem like it, but I don't exactly come from money myself. I know what it's like to wish for things that seem out of reach, except in dreams."

"Yeah, but… fifty dollars for a bikini? That's not really within my budget… or yours for that matter!"

"I know, but you wanted it."

Mary Jane gave a solemn smile. "Oh Naruto, if I could have everything I wanted in the world, there'd be nothing left to dream about."

He laughed. "Well this isn't the world, you can take it and still have plenty of dreams. Besides, I want my friends to be happy, and fifty dollars is a low price to pay for that."

She giggled. "You do need to stop sometimes. Keep buying me stuff and you'll soon make a habit of it."

"It's not a bad habit to have."

"Perhaps, but you should take care of yourself first and foremost. After you goes your closest people, including a girlfriend that might not be too happy with you putting other girls before her."

"What does Kitty have to do with this?"

"Naruto," she said with a deadpan voice. "You bought a girl a bikini."

"What's wrong with that?"

She took a very long, very deep breath and gave a chuckle. "Nothing, I guess. Just remember to prioritize your girlfriend first."

He grinned back. "Trust me, I'm spending more than fifty dollars on her tonight."

Kitty came back from her dance with a smile after Mary Jane had gone to buy some sewing equipment. She plopped down on the seat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hey… Pretty Kitty?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Where are we going?" He let the question hang for a bit. "I mean, where do you see all of this going? Maybe it's a silly question, but I've been asking myself a lot of those lately."

"When I became interested in you, I thought it'd be fun, you know? Everybody talks about having a boyfriend, but all the boys were jerks to me, until you came. It's been like, totally nice having someone to kiss and hug. But I didn't like, know where I was going. I've just been like, totally caught up in the moments and I've felt myself getting closer to you."

"Where do you think this ends? When we go to college. If I go back to Konoha? Marriage?"

Kitty was still for a few moments, her hand sliding down to grab his. "I don't know where this is going to take us. You're my first boyfriend, and I know most times your first one isn't your last one." She gripped his hand tightly. "But you're not just something for fun, Naruto."

Naruto ran his fingers through her hair. "I think that answers my question."

Kitty turned to him and their lips met. He didn't know where this would be going either, or what would happen if a way back to Konoha was found. For the moment, he was content to be with a girl that seemed to truly like him, tailed monster and all.

A vibration in his pocket made him break the kiss. He took out his phone to see the reminder and groaned.

"Gotta run for now. See you at eight?"

She grinned. "Sure. Best time to get something to eat before we go back to babysit."

He nodded, smiling. He didn't want to spoil the surprise.

---

Normally, Wesley was not someone that would ever question his boss. It was a lesson he had learned a long time ago, when Wilson Fisk was still an unknown hood who had taken over one of the Maggia's businesses without losing a single man. But now, seeing what he was seeing, the old doubts were beginning to creep in.

"Are you sure about this? We already have our men in place, the police, and Mr. Trask's project on our side. There's no need for this."

Wilson Fisk did not bat an eye. "I prefer this night to be thorough. Call it insurance. Besides, he is a government asset. Makes keeping our involvement a secret a mutual interest."

It was insurance all right, though he did not know for which side.

"A red… I need a red…" muttered the man. He was built like a brickhouse, almost as tall as Fisk himself, with short blonde hair and a tattoo of the American flag on his face. "Give me a red!"

The other man, a handler of sorts, shook his head. "Not yet, Nuke. We're still in Baghdad airport, about to head for Afghanistan. Take a blue for now. Our boys in Kabul are counting on you."

"Our boys… our boys!"

"Yes. They're being pinned down out there. It's up to you to help them." He held out a blue pill for the man named Nuke to take.

Once he swallowed the pill, the man immediately relaxed. The reddened face went back to a pale color, and the bulging veins of his neck and arms hid beneath the skin.

"Where is Betsy?"

The handler grabbed a large assault rifle with a grenade launcher attachment and gave it to him. The man held onto the rifle like a normal person would hold a lover, caressing the cold metal slowly. But even with his calmed posture, his eyes burned with the same mad, murderous intensity as before.

"Our boys… our boys…"

---

"What do you think, kid?"

Naruto inspected the metal suit currently being painted in red and gold. "I dunno, seems like something extremely cumbersome to me. I prefer to move freely."

Tony chuckled. "Believe it or not, superpowers are a rarity in this world. My specific superpower is my brain… well and my 'wealth, charisma, good looks, and unquestionably good judgment.' With technology, everything is possible."

"But without that technology, you're screwed. I have all of my abilities with me at all times."

"For the moment, kid. One day, technology will make even the greatest magic seem paltry." He clicked a few buttons and the displays moved around until Naruto's suit came into view once again. "Anyway, back to business. Managed to clean up the air filtration system. Everything else was fine. Do you even use all the features?"

Naruto gave him a sheepish look. "Honestly… I don't really need them. They're fine and all, but I'm just fine using my own abilities."

Tony sighed. "Fair enough. Whatever gets you through, I guess. You may not realize it, but what you've done in this city has impacted the rest of the world as well. I've had to deal with less arms shipments now that you've been disrupting the supply chain."

Naruto stared out the window, looking towards the sea past the Statue of Liberty. "I'd like to go out there sometimes, deal with the really big threats."

"Now now, that's not how this works. We have a system in place here. Young ones like you stay here and play in the kiddie pool while us grown ups go to the deep end to hunt for sharks."

"Told you I'm not a kid," growled Naruto.

"Tell that to protective services, kid," retorted Tony with a grin as he guided him back to the exit.

The door opened and in came a redheaded woman dressed like a secretary, carrying some documents. As she came closer, Naruto's memory began to kick in. The face that triggered something soon became recognizable. He had seen it in the darkness, being assaulted by a stranger.

"Hey," he said without thinking. "You're…" He stopped then. Sometimes it was hard to forget the people he helped as the Maelstrom didn't know who he really was.

The woman raised a blue eye at him. "I'm…?"

"...rrreally pretty," Naruto said weakly.

"Oh," the redhead said with a smile. "That's good to know."

Tony laughed. "Hey now, Natalia is my personal secretary, kid. Don't steal her from me."

"Very funny, Mr. Stark," said Natalia, handing him some papers. "The board meeting is in thirty minutes, here's the documents you asked for."

"Right. Sorry kid, have some business to attend to. We'll continue talking about the grant later," he said with a wink.

As soon as Naruto walked out of the office, he looked at his watch to confirm the time. Five o'clock. Three hours until he had to pick up Kitty from the mall. He had expected to spend more time with Stark, but he could always go back with Kitty and help her with any leftover shopping she had to do.

That's when he felt the phone buzz again.

Got something for you. It's a big one.

–Emma

'Damn it! Why does it have to be today?' He could always say no. Hadn't they already whittled down the criminal element to almost nothing? After taking a deep breath he took to the sky and towards Emma's hideout. He still had three hours left. Surely he could take the goons out and go back for dinner with the girl, right?

"I'm here," he announced as soon as he arrived at the building, going directly to Emma's hidden office. He found her behind the desk, dressed as provocatively as always. "What was this thing you have?"

Emma smirked. "Calm down, darling. Sit down and relax."

Naruto shook his head. "Don't have time for that today. I have something planned with Kitty at eight."

"And you'll only make it miserable for the both of you if you go all agitated like that. Sit down, have some tea, or water at least. This won't take long."

He made his way to the usual seat at the sofa. As soon as he sank on the soft cushion and smelled Emma's light incense, he began to breathe easier. The blonde soon came with her Turkish tea set and poured him some pomegranate tea. Emma's hand settled on his shoulders and began to give them a light rub, relaxing him even further.

"Feeling better?" she asked softly.

"Yeah."

"Good." She sat closely next to him and poured herself a cup of tea as well. "Here's what I have for you. Hell's Kitchen, seven sharp. All of the bosses have called a meeting. Tensions between them have never been higher so they're all going to that construction place near the harbor. All of them are bringing a lot of men and guns."

"Sounds like I'm going to need a lot of backup for this."

"Well… not necessarily. See, the important thing here is that this is the meeting where he is coming. The man you've been hunting all this time… Wilson Fisk."

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "He's finally coming out?"

"That's right, and that's the moment you can strike. All you have to do is cut off the head and the rest of the body falls to the ground."

"But… if all of them are meeting at the same time, don't you think this is the best instance to call the police? We can tell Captain Stacy."

Emma shook her head. "George Stacy is an honorable man, but the same cannot be said about all his men. All it takes is one call and Wilson Fisk will call the entire thing off. It has to be you, darling. There is no other way."

Naruto sat still. There had to be something else… at least tell Daredevil and Peter about this. They had been in this fight even longer than him. But the meeting was earlier than when their usual shift began. He could tell Peter, but that was about it. When he tried to call him though, the line kept on dying.

"Guess it'll have to be me," he sighed.

Emma smiled and patted at her lap. "Come here, there's still time for you to rest a while."

It was something they had been doing for a few days now. Naruto stretched on the couch and laid his head on Emma's bare lap, feeling her fingers caressing his blonde hair. His eyes closed, preparing to get some sleep before he had to be the Maelstrom again.

"Want to tell me what's hurting your head this time?"

Naruto let out a breath, feeling his muscles slacken. It was a trick Emma had taught him as well. "I guess… I'm just wondering about the meaning of my life."

"Truly? That question is uncharacteristically philosophical of you."

"Maybe, but you're a good philosophy teacher. Like that Soccery guy."

"Socrates."

"That's the one."

"Hmm… glad I could impart some wisdom from the ancients." She was silent for a few minutes. "As for your question… in a perfect world, that's not something the average person would ask."

"Because everyone would be fulfilled?"

"Because everyone would know their place. Asking your role in the world is not something the average doldrums should ask because they don't have the capacity to understand such meanings."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "So you don't think I should be asking that question?"

She laughed. "I don't mean you, Naruto. You're different. Special. The answer for you will come in time."

"You don't seem to think well of the average person."

Emma scoffed. "Of course not. Have you ever had a conversation with the common idiot and realize just how empty their mind is? It's not just the uneducated, mind you. If anything, the educated imbecile at the university is even worse, because he is so convinced about his own brilliance that he brings others down with him."

"For a time, we had functioning societies, you know? The men who were bred and raised for leadership actually led, while the people who were bred for different tasks fulfilled them without troubling their immature minds about the world… and then a coterie of Parisian cretins decided to ruin that by deciding that the common dimwit should have a role in matters of state. Of course, they all lost their heads in the end to the common dimwits. You reap what you sow."

"I've always believed that people should be allowed to make their own fate," argued Naruto.

"Some people, perhaps. Most people will simply destroy themselves… and the world as well" She hummed, stroking his hair again. "But I do think you have the capacity to make your place in this world, Naruto. Whatever that may be."

"And where do you think my place would be in such a world?"

"Your actions will determine that, darling."

Naruto kept that thought in his head as he drifted off to sleep.

---

The symphony of the city sang to him, a tune that he knew all too well. The honking of cars, the crashing of waves, the screeching of the subway system, and the running of sewer water. Every day and every night he hears the same song, so much that he could immediately spot any slip in the melody.

The clinking of guns, and the angry meeting of a dozen tongues.

But that was not his target for this night. His ears caught yet another distraction, more subtle, and far more deadly. He could hear the mechanism of the bolt turning, and the brass bullet being loaded.

Daredevil opened his eyes to see a world on fire.

His hand grasped for the billy-club strapped to his leg and extended the connecting wire, sending it towards the hanging gargoyle to swing from roof to roof, each step getting him closer to his target.

The rifle was lifted, an exhale left the man's lungs, followed by a deep breath, and the pressing of a finger to the trigger.

Daredevil could see it all and nothing at the same time. The wire unhooked from the steel bar, his leg poised to strike at the breathing man below. In coordinated perfection, his foot met the man's head, sending him to the ground while the rifle tumbled down the site, hitting several floors before landing on the dirt below.

The man was shockingly quick to recover. All of his muscles were tensed, heart pumping louder and faster. "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen," he muttered coldly. "You want these men gone as much as I. Why do you fight me?"

"I want them gone, to prison, where they can serve their sentence after a fair trial. Not dead."

"You stand in defense of these degenerates?"

Daredevil shook his head. "No, in defense of justice."

"I seek my own justice, Devil."

The tightening of muscles, the sliding of steel, and the gritting of teeth. The Punisher was willing to fight.

Daredevil raised his club to meet the singing steel approaching from his right. The crunching of gravel on his right alerted him to the kick that came soon after. The steel changed hands and swiped towards his stomach. There was no movement to his left, and he reached for a kick to the side, blocked just in time by the Punisher's free hand.

His ear catches the conundrum below, the sounds of many dialects shouting at each other – a New York chorus.

Right hand tensing, ready to strike, but it's a feint for the steel bearing left hand, Daredevil steps aside. The left leg is relaxed, so he aims for the rib. He hits, but is too late to catch the kick at his chest. Both separate, breathing loudly.

"Let me do my job and you do yours, Devil."

"It is the system's place to judge. Solutions handed down by the laws of God and men."

"My solutions are permanent!"

A kick, a punch, Daredevil sweeps back to avoid them, then raises his head just in time to avoid the whistling edge of the dagger. His foot sweeps up, kicking Punisher's head just as a punch lands on his face. Both fall on the floor and make space once again.

"What do you save, Devil, when you refuse to punish these men."

"My soul," responded Daredevil.

He made ready to strike again, his muscles tensing to jump down. The Punisher's breathing was louder, and so was the shouting of the men below. But there was something else. His ears reached down below the ground, enough to hear another instrument in the cacophonous symphony.

Beep… beep… beep…

---

Emma hadn't been kidding about the amount of men.

His activated eyes caught around two hundred different signatures. Most of them were gathering at the center of the construction site, where a small clearing was still visible. A smaller number of snipers had populated the unfinished buildings.

Every one of them was armed to the teeth. Gone were the days where most of them carried either a knife or a handgun. Assault rifles dominated the scene, each of them held by men that looked more professional than the usual hoods. These were the cream of the crop: the gangs were not kidding around anymore.

From each of their mouths came all of the languages of New York. Naruto picked up Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Italian, and even Japanese. Truly, every single criminal organization had found their way into this one place.

As he got closer, he picked out his binoculars to see the men who were taking center stage. Men with faces he recognized, and names he had put to memory.

There was the yellow-toothed Russian, Vladimir Ranshakov, notorious human trafficker; Rafael and Fernando Gutiérrez, brothers of the deceased Joaquín Gutiérrez, leaders of the New York Cartel; Silvermane, the elderly leader of the Maggia; Finn Cooley, foremost illegal arms trafficker and boss of the Irish mob. He could not place a name on the Japanese man or the Chinese woman.

Ranshakov was the first to address the crowd.

"Enough waiting!" he snapped, fist hitting the makeshift table. "This disruption has gone on for far too long. Two years ago, we all came around to make a deal. Each of our organizations would take over particular areas and take over a specific business. But now, I see that some want to take – how Americans say – entire pie for yourselves."

"Yer not the only one bein' hit, mucker. It's them batty maskers that are causin' all the problems," replied Finn.

Rafael stood up. "Pero el ruso… the Russian, has a point. If they take one or two of our crystal operations… no hay problema. But they have information about our shipping, and even some of our labs. Those are secrets only known to a few. Which can mean only one thing."

"Somebody is talking," growled Ranshakov. "Not to police, but to vigilantes."

"Who are you going 'round accusing, mate?" replied Finn with a glare. "You have any idea how many guns I've lost? How do I know you aren't the rat?"

"How many guns you lost? How about how much product I lost!" slammed the Russian and pointed at the Gutiérrez brothers. "And what about you, ublyudki?"

"We?!" Fernando, the youngest and clearly most hotheaded of the Gutiérrez brothers, took out his gun. "Mataron a nuestro hermano, pendejo!"

In unison, all of the men stood up and took hold of their weapons, and aimed them at each other, trading insults and accusations. The Chinese woman, relaxed until now, picked up a defensive posture. What Naruto assumed was the leader of the Japanese contingent, placed his hand atop the pommel of the sword strapped at his side.

In the center of the storm of shouting, a lone man sat in tranquility, rising to his full height slowly. Silvermane tapped the table with his cane rhythmically until one by one, the insults of a dozen tongues began to subside. When all was silent, he raised his aged face and looked at all of them, and asked a single question.

"Where is Fisk?"

---

Spider-Man sighed as he rested at one of the main rooms of the sewer system. Four different tunnels led to pathways that had already been placed with sensors. In addition, he had spent the entire day arranging a system of webs that would send any large movements towards this point where he lay in wait. He had concentrated on the sewage paths that led to both Dr. Connors' house as well as his laboratory.

He could only hope that his intuition was correct to catch the Lizard before he had to explain to Aunt May why he came back after midnight smelling like… well like he'd been in the sewers.

"What a day." Laying back on the hammock he'd made from his own webbing, Spider-Man took out the serum he'd worked on when he first got the Lizard's DNA. Now that he knew that Dr. Connors was behind it, and the specifics of the formula, it was a simple matter of reverse engineering to get the cure.

"Ahh… if only my personal life was as easy as chemistry."

A sense of unease began to creep into him… everything was just way too quiet, and yet his Spidey-sense was continuously screaming at him that something was horribly wrong.

Rising from the hammock, Spider-Man crawled to one of passageways, away from both the points he had marked as potential Lizard routes but closer to where his intuition was telling him. Eventually, he found a fork in the road that he believed would lead him directly below Hell's Kitchen, quite away from the Lizard's points of interest.

There was a corner that looked… fairly cleaned up lately. An iron door laid at the end of the path, and the closer he got the more urgent was the sense of unease. When he tried to open the handle, he realized it was welded shut.

"Huh…" The door itself was rusty, but upon closer inspection, the welds were recent… in fact, couldn't have been made more than a few hours ago.

Taking out his small chemist gear, Spider-Man made a quick concoction with the materials he had left and fed them to the weak point in the iron handle. When he combined the elements together, it quickly began to eat at the metal.

Steeling his nerves, Spider-Man grabbed the door and, after taking a deep breath, pushed it open, ready to fight against a superpowered lizard-human hybrid.

Instead, his eyes were met with thousands of wires and explosives, all of them connected to a digital clock, displaying numbers in red, each counting coming with a loud beep, each one sending a thrust into his Spidey-sense.

29…

28…

27…

"Holy shit!"

---

"And then Mother Sarah came and took all of my drawings," complained Janet with a groan, plopping her head to the table. "Those were some nice drawings too, but she said I shouldn't be idolizing outlaws and that I should be focusing on math again." She screamed into her hand. "I hate it! Stupid nuns… stupid school."

Kitty giggled, taking another spoonful of her strawberry ice cream. They had left their shipping bags with Felicia's driver but decided to come back for treats before they left. "Well school is important. Puts you on the path for your career."

"I'm going into fashion," Janet said confidently. "I'll be doing all the designs for the top actors and singers, and even the heroes. I mean, Maelstrom's outfit is great, but it could do with some touches."

"Agreed," replied Mary Jane. "Black is cool, and probably convenient, but I think he could do with a little more color."

"Totally," chirped Janet with a grin. "A little yellow will look great in the night."

"Hmm… maybe red. Dark red. The way his eyes turn sometimes."

Kitty giggled at the thought. If Naruto could choose any color other than black, he would go for orange. "You also want to go into design, MJ?"

"I'm going to do a bit of everything. Design being one of those things. Maybe after I get bored of modeling and acting."

"You do have a smile fit for a model," said Felicia.

Kitty hummed in agreement. "What about you, Felicia?"

The platinum blonde raised a brow. "My goals are a little short term. But they include a lot of pearl necklaces and diamonds."

Their laughing was cut short by a series of thundering sounds, each one growing louder and louder. The senses Logan had beaten into Kitty made her stand up.

The explosion rocked the entire building, empty as it was now at night. Screams from the lower floors erupted when pieces of concrete began falling down. Her friends all took cover beneath the table as small pieces landed beside them. The lights went out, leaving only darkness.

"What's going on?" whispered Janet, stuttering her words. "Is it an earthquake?"

"I… don't think so?" Felicia whispered back.

"You mean… another attack?" A creeping fear crawled into her voice. "Is it terrorists again?"

"I don't know, but if it is, then we need to get out. Now," said Mary Jane. Kitty felt the redhead's hand grabbing her own, fingers gripping tightly. "We are a team, aren't we. Ms. Hunter said so. We stay together." Her voice had never sounded so strong.

Kitty reassured by gripping her fingers back and using her other hand to find Janet's. "You don't let go, Jan."

"Y-Yes… of course." Janet's voice was still startled. Naruto had once told her that one cannot be brave until you've experienced fear.

"Does anybody have a light?" asked Kitty.

Felicia shuffled around her bag. "I got my phone."

"It'll have to do. You lead the way."

The dim light of Felicia's flip phone didn't allow them to see much, it at least let them find their footing. The blonde led the way, followed by Mary Jane, then Kitty, and Janet at the end, all of them holding hands tightly.

"Elevator's going to be busted," whispered Mary Jane.

"Take a turn to the left. There should be some emergency stairs down the hall," said Janet.

Kitty let out a nervous laugh. "You know every nook and cranny around here, don't you."

"Of course. This is my personal little fiefdom." The giggles were enough to improve morale as they walked carefully down the hall. Moonlight began to spill through the now shattered windows, but it revealed an unfortunate piece of concrete blocking the way to the emergency stairs.

"What do we do now?" asked Janet as more pieces of concrete began falling behind them.

Felicia furiously tapped on her phone. "I can't get a signal."

Taking a deep breath, Kitty gripped the hands of her friends tightly. "Okay…" she whispered strongly. "I'm going to do something that's totally going to freak you out. But you have to keep holding on to me. Felicia, you hold on to MJ. Do not let go… even for a single second."

"What is it?" asked Janet.

"Just don't let go," she said one last time. She reached out for her powers and felt her feet beneath to phase through the ground, taking more energy with her as she pulled three other girls with her. She heard Mary Jane and Felicia gasp.

"Oh my God!" breathed Janet.

"Don't let go!" she said again as their bodies went slowly down to the floor below, floating on air for a few moments before they phased through the next floor, and the one after that.

"What just happened?" asked Felicia once they hit the ground floor.

"I'll tell you when we have time," responded Kitty while they followed the sounds of screaming and banging that were coming from the entrance.

Around a hundred late shoppers were still inside the mall, all of them trapped by the debris that was blocking the entrance. Panic led some of them to lay on the floor praying, others to scream and shout at the outside, while some tried with all their might to pull out the increasing pile of debris falling on their escape route.

"Listen!" Kitty cried, though her voice was drowned by everyone else. "Hold on to me! We can get out!"

Mary Jane let go of her hand, walked towards a display and confidently smashed the glass with a nearby chair to pull out a megaphone. Climbing atop the debris, she turned on the alarm of the megaphone until everyone paid attention to her.

"Alright now. We're going to get out of here. Everybody needs to hold on to one person with each hand, and at the end, one of those people needs to be holding onto me or one of my friends here. When we're ready, we're going to walk forward."

"Are you crazy? What are we gonna sing in Kumbaya too?"

Mary Jane glared at the man. "Well stay here, then." She stepped down and went back to grab Kitty's hand.

"This is nonsense!" came a voice from the side.

"Shut up and hold my hand!" growled Janet.

Kitty waited until everyone had time to connect to her. One by one she felt all their bodies connecting with her own, sharing in her powers. Concrete smashed behind her, as the building began to tremble. With a deep breath, she took a step forward, and carried a hundred lives on her shoulders.

Phasing had become easier with training, so much so that doing it with a partner was as easy as by herself. Doing it with three people took some extra strength, but it was still manageable.

She had never done anything with a hundred people.

A weight immediately fell into her shoulders when ten people entered into the concrete, and got heavier with every passing one. Gritting her teeth, she placed another foot forward and another twenty people passed inside. A gasp left her lips, her entire body feeling like she had run a marathon when all of them went in. She never wanted to fall to collapse as much as she did now… it was too much…

But then she felt Mary Jane tighten her grip, as if giving some strength to her. Janet did the same. In her closed eyes she saw Naruto. Strong, dependable Naruto, who pushed through even when it seemed impossible. With a scream, she placed one foot forward, and another, and another until her toes could feel the cool air of the outside.

She emerged with a gasp, holding on as the rest of the bodies passed through, each one taking more weight from her shoulders. As soon as the last person finally passed through, the silence exploded into a cheer.

Kitty felt the world drowning around her as she finally let go. Her entire body wobbled, and as her vision turned spotty, her legs gave out. But she did not hit the ground. Before darkness claimed her, she saw her friends gathered around her, worry plastered on their faces.

She could only hope that wherever Naruto was, he was safe.

---

Peter grunted as he raised his body once again, the huge slab of steel and concrete finally giving in to his strength. He could feel blood seeping from various cuts, though thankfully none in any organs.

"Come on… come on…"

With a final push, the large piece of debris gave way for him to slip out and collapse on the floor. Peter took a much needed deep breath and immediately coughed as dust filled his lungs, each sending spasms of pain through his body. Peter felt his body, mostly bruised, and thankfully no broken bones, but his left leg was in agony. He opened his eyes to see a piece of rebar had pierced through. Gritting his teeth, he placed shaking fingers on the metal and quickly pulled it out.

As he dropped his body back on the uncomfortable debris, his mind replayed what he had seen. If he had wasted a single moment after seeing the explosives, he would've been dead. As it was, his ears were still ringing, his head juggling back and forth trying to regain its balance.

Just what the hell had happened?

The ringing slowly began to stop, but was immediately replaced with the sounds of shouting and gunfire. Lots of gunfire. Far more than any he had ever heard in all his long nights of fighting the city's criminal underbelly.

A tingle exploded in his head.

In spite of the pain, Peter flung his wounded form in the air, landing on the edge of a steel bar just as razor sharp claws sliced through the piece of concrete he'd been laying in. Another wave of dust followed the crashing of the figure. When the air finally cleared, so had Peter's eyesight.

The green scaled creature was bigger than any man Peter had seen, and he was almost as wide as he was tall, every inch covered in rippling muscles. A long tail sprouted from beneath the white coat that gave away the figure's identity. A forked tongue slithered past long fangs, each as long as a grown man's hand as they licked claws sharp enough to slice steel.

"Looking for me, Spider-Man?" rattled the Lizard, yellow eyes locking onto him.

"Well… it was you or a date with the prettiest girl in New York. Feeling flattered?"

The Lizard growled again as he posed his body for another leaping attack.

Spider-Man's body felt like it had been used as a punching bag. Each breath burned his lungs, and his leg was pouring blood, agony shooting through his body any time he put pressure on it. Yet even through the pain, he knelt down, ready to counter any attack from his opponent.

'I'm going to need more than one slice of pizza after this.'

Spider-Man Vs. The Lizard

---

He opened his eyes to a world on fire.

But it was not just his eyes this time. He could feel the flames licking at his skin, and the sickening stench of burning concrete and flesh filling his nostrils. His ears were ringing wildly, and for Daredevil, it was as good as being blind. He stood up to feel away from the fire, hands in front of him as guides through the maze of steel and gravel.

A familiar breath soon made itself known as soon as his hearing began to recover. Slowly, Daredevil trekked through the little spaces until he reached the voice. The breathing was short, courtesy of the steel bar that was crushing the Punisher's ribs,

"Come to finish it?" grunted Punisher through gritted teeth.

"It's not my job to do so," he replied.

With bruised hands, Daredevil gripped the top of the bar, and felt Punisher grab the low point. After taking a deep breath, he pulled with all his available strength until the heavy steel was lifted with their combined efforts. With the weight gone, Daredevil held Punisher's arms to pull him out of the remaining gravel.

He fell on the ground, breathing heavily; Punisher doing the same in front of him. His mind tried to recollect moments before the explosion.

"What happened?" Punisher finally asked.

"You're not the only man who wanted those people dead," he replied. "Seems the truce, however flimsy it was, has finally been broken. Looks like it's going to be all out war now, and the winner takes all."

"There won't be a winner," vowed the Punisher.

The cracking of guns erupted, along with shouting. Screams and insults reached his recovered hearing. The fight was not over yet, but he didn't know what good he could do. A quick self examination confirmed two broken toes and a sprained ankle. He could still stand up, if he only had a few minutes to rest.

But the fighting came to them.

Two men, almost as torn up as they were, were steadily approaching. Their arms were holding weapons as they whispered in confused Spanish to one another. His hands reached for the holster to find nothing there. Reaching towards the ground he found a piece of rebar, ready to throw it at the men.

A thunderous barrage ended their lives before they could come.

Daredevil could hear him now. Massive in size, blood pumping unnaturally, his very breath dripping with murderous intent.

"Our boys… they are here. Pinned down…"

He glanced towards the Punisher. "Ready for this?"

"No, but when do we have a choice?"

"Our boys!" came the raging voice.

"OUR BOYS!"

Daredevil and Punisher Vs. Nuke

---

There was only darkness when Naruto regained his senses. He opened his mouth for a deep breath, and nearly choked as he swallowed only water. Desperation gripped him as the oxygen slowly ran out and his lungs felt like they were about to explode. Kicking and wading through the water, he looked upward to see a slight shimmer of light.

That was all he needed.

The air Naruto breathed in when he emerged was rank and filled with smoke. The best air that had ever filled his lungs. Coughing, he swam towards the edge of the water, dragging himself onto shore and laid down to catch his bearings.

He saw the reddened sky above him, and the flames that surrounded him. He could only imagine that this is what Hell would look like. The smoke hurt his lungs when he breathed in, but he did so anyway, coughing when he took too much in.

His first coherent thoughts were about Kitty. The mall was not that far off from this construction site. Was she safe? He hoped so. His girlfriend had been learning how to take care of herself ever since the Asteroid affair, but he still had to worry. He wanted nothing more than to fly to her now, just to confirm that she was alright.

The Mansion had to be alright, they were far away from the action, where nothing could harm them. Still, it was his responsibility to be back for tonight. Some adult he turned out to be.

"What happened?" he finally asked himself.

He remembered the heads of the gangs arguing, and stopping to hear Silvermane ask where Fisk was. Everybody went silent after that, and panic overtook their eyes when the realization hit. But it had been too late at that point. The earth gave in beneath them, sending chunks of ground flying to the sky. Naruto remembered being rocked completely before something hit the back of his head.

A sound came at his side. He stood silent to hear a man croaking in Russian. Naruto stood up with a moan and walked over to see the figure laying on his back, with a piece of metal sticking out of his stomach.

"Help… help…" The man moaned, blood spurting out of his mouth.

Naruto stood up to help him until more footsteps came along. A man in police gear came in, rifle at the ready. Naruto sighed in relief until the officer surveyed the area and took out a pistol, pressed it against the wounded Russian's head, and pressed the trigger.

"What the hell?" he shouted. The officer turned and aimed his rifle at him. Bullets flew but he dodged at the side quickly and delivered a kick to the gut and a punch at the face. That only alerted all the other figures around him, and soon enough, lights from countless rifles were pointed in his direction.

Pushing chakra into his feet, Naruto jumped high into the air just as the ground was peppered by bullets. He ran into cover through the remains of one of the buildings, and was about to catch his breath when the flash of a blade almost split his face in two.

"Huh?"

A figure dressed all in black emerged from the shadows, the garb covering everything except for the eyes, a katana in hand. Dozens more emerged from the holes made by the debris like a swarm of bats, silently stalking the officers with kunai, shuriken, and ninjato in hand, only making themselves known when the slaughter of policemen and criminals alike began.

The man in front of him placed an oni mask on his face and prepared for another strike. Naruto activated his eyes… to see absolutely nothing. Dodging just in time, he pushed himself even higher up the debris. He turned his Sharingan to the rest of the figures.

Nothing…

It was as if these were corpses, and yet they moved faster and more practiced than any living men. There was absolutely no chakra signature at all. They were alive and dead at the same time.

"Ahí"

Naruto turned to see a dozen very alive and very armed men pointing rifles at him and jumped back down, bullets whistling past his head. He landed right in the middle of a large clearing left by the explosion, breathing heavily.

More armed men in police gear emerged, the light of the moon at their backs as they shouted orders at each other and took cover. Opposite them, at several points of the leftover buildings, the hardened criminals aimed their own weapons both at the cops and at each other. Hidden in the shadows were the ninjas, all of them converging on the man with the oni mask. The world stood silent except for the running of water and the flickering flames as everyone waited for the fighting to begin.

"Is there anybody else?!" Naruto shouted.

A loud crash shook the ground, followed by another, and another, as they landed indiscriminately around the crater, kicking up dust. Barely lighted by the moonlight, the figures emerged from the shadows. Humanoid objects made out of metal, each one six times the height of a normal adult, colored gray and purple. They stood up, five in all, and fixed their sight directly at him.

"Target identified. Sentinels initiating offensive action."

Naruto groaned. "I just had to open my big mouth."

Naruto Vs. Everyone

---

AN: Hey guys. Sorry for the 2 year wait. Hopefully the chapter makes up for it. A lot of things have changed in my personal life since the release of the last chapter and I haven't had the time to write. The next chapter won't take as long to release.

If you liked this chapter and the story, please leave a review, and if you want, join my Discord server. I respond to messages faster over there.

Link: FEKnu79

Until next time!

The Metal Sage