Yo. The majority of this chapter was made out of boredom so it might be a bit weak.

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Naruto latched two lines of webbing at a man and pulled hard. The man's would-be scream from getting yanked up three meters was quickly cut short by a punch that caught him on the back of the head and knocked him out instantly. Before he could drop to the ground, the masked blond anchored him to the wall with another web. The sudden stop caused the unconscious crook to swing towards and hit the wall with a hard thud that went unnoticed. The others might not have heard but it probably wouldn't be long before they came out and got to asking where their friend was.

He ran up the wall and crawled in through a broken window to get onto the ceiling and positioned himself in between a pair of faulty lights to look down at the small group of men who'd surrounded another one of their kind. He'd found them stealing a car and chose to forego stopping them in favour of tailing them. He'd been following them for the better part of an hour in the hope of them leading him to someone or somewhere significant.

Instead, he found them lugging someone into an abandoned auditorium. They joked and laughed among each other but there was something about their demeanor that felt off to him. He was no psychologist or body language expert but he'd observed criminals long enough to tell when one knew something the other didn't.

"So what's up now?" The man in the middle asked. "Are we waiting for someone or something?"

"In a minute," another responded, not looking up from his phone. "What's the rush? You're about to be one of us. Savor the moment, motherfucker."

Naruto's eyes narrowed beneath the goggles. Normally, initiations involved making the newcomer commit a murder or just a crime but it didn't seem to be the case with these people. It was curious, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He crawled over to a small beam connecting the wall to the ceiling and made himself comfortable as he watched and listened. Maybe he'd learn something while they were at it.

They continued to talk, but while the man in the middle beneath seemed to fail to notice, Naruto saw the others becoming tenser and tenser as the man with the phone continued to ask questions in between small talk. One of them hovered his hand near the front of his jeans, an act he'd come to consider synonymous with reaching for a concealed gun. It was beginning to feel less like an initiation and more like an interrogation but he chose to wait anyway.

One question later, Naruto saw the man's hand disappear underneath his shirt and into his jeans.

The moment he caught a glimpse of steel, he fired a web directly at the man's hand, glueing it in place and shot another line of webbing at the man with the phone, using him to pull himself down. He stomped on the man's chest, knocking the air out of him and flipped away. The man saw another web latch onto him before he was thrown into the air and lights burst in his vision when he hit the ground with his back. His sight had yet to clear when he was pulled forward again. The last thing he saw was a muddied, yellow shoe swinging towards him before it all went dark.

Naruto let go of the web and fired another web to pull the man in the middle's feet out from underneath him before blinding the one who'd tried drawing a gun. A metallic click brought his attention to the one he'd overlooked and he fired a glob of extra thick webbing at the opening of the gun just as the crook fired. A bang reverberated in the empty hall but the shot round collided with the makeshift bullet sponge which enveloped it completely and plopped onto the floor harmlessly.

Naruto rushed forward, webbing the floored man's hand to the ground on his way and knocked out the armed man with a haymaker that sent him flying three meters away. He caught the dropped gun in mid air and glued it to the ground with another web. Keeping his momentum going, he backflipped with a hand and using his outstretched leg, knocked the one he'd blinded down and out.

He glanced at his watch and couldn't help the smirk that curled his lips. Sometimes, he even impressed himself.

"What the hell?"

He turned to look at the man whose hand he'd stuck to the ground. "What's up, gang?"

The man glared at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I saved your life," Naruto answered as he dusted his hoodie and undershirt. The zipper had finally given up the ghost. "You're welcome..well, not so much since you'll be spending the next few months behind bars. I'll just make a call with your friend's phone and the cops will be here soon."

"Are you kidding me? I'm police!" The man yelled. "Do you have any idea how many months of work you've undone?"

"I've heard that before," Naruto chuckled skeptically and took out the sketch, torn and scuffed beyond recognition.

Showing people the now blurry drawings were more of a habit at this point than something he did with an expectation.

"I'm serious," the man insisted. "The name-" the man looked at the downed gangbangers as best as he could given his position. "Can you make sure they can't hear us?"

"They're out cold." Naruto walked around and kicked the three men on the head to emphasize his point.

"You didn't have to do that."

Naruto shrugged unapologetically. "If they were awake, they definitely aren't anymore. Now tell me who you are."

The man huffed, but replied anyway. "Detective Dean Copeland. Midtown North Precinct."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You can probably check for yourself if you have the means."

Naruto thought about it for a moment. The man seemed legitimate but it wasn't like he had any real way of verifying the claim. "I'm going to give you the benefit of doubt but you better not try anything."

The man nodded and hissed as Naruto tore the web off his hand and leg. "Couldn't you be gentler with it?"

"Slower hurts more, trust me." Naruto helped the man onto his feet. "Now what are you doing here? Undercover work?"

"Obviously," Dean pointed at his attire. "You wouldn't be talking so casually if you knew just how much work you've undone right now. I've been trying to get into the gang for eight months and you've flushed all my work down the toilet."

"Oh yeah? You might not have noticed but these guys haven't been buying what you've been trying to sell them." Naruto pointed at the unconscious men. "See him?" He nudged the one who's arm he'd stuck with a foot. "He was going to shoot you."

Dean looked at the downed man. "What?"

"Yep." Naruto pulled the web off to reveal the gun in the man's hand. "The only thing they were going to introduce you to is the waiting line in front of the pearly gates…still wish I hadn't shown up?"

"Jesus." Dean shook his head. "I knew some of them still don't trust me, but damn."

"What set were you trying to join anyway?" Naruto asked as he webbed the gun to the floor before binding the crook again. Dean gave him a suspicious look. "What's the face for? I thought you'd have figured out who I am by now."

"Yeah, I have," the policeman admitted. "You've been taking out pretty much everyone. People in the department are pretty divided when it comes to you."

Naruto tilted his head curiously. "Oh?"

"Some think you're doing the right thing. Making the streets safer and reducing our workload. Others think you're just a psycho with powers or tech."

"So what do you think?"

"I'm giving you the benefit of doubt too." Dean said. "You're too indiscriminate to be targeting rival gangs and we don't have to do much investigating since you catch a lot of the bad guys in the act. You save us a lot of stress and you saved my life."

"You're welcome."

"Don't let it go to your head though," Dean warned. "You switch up and I'll cuff you like I would anyone else but for now, you're a good guy in my book."

"Right." Naruto nodded. "So…the gang?"

"Hammerhead's boys," Dean said. "Well, not exactly them, but a sort of lower echelon. One of the many subsidiaries of the original group. The higher ranking members get taken into the parent set."

"And how long would that take?"

"Depends on how big a stepper you are." Dean looked at the man with the phone. "This guy's Nat. Basically five steps below JayJay. That's the leader of Division Sixteen."

Naruto frowned. Sixteen? "How many divisions are there?"

Dean shook his head cluelessly. "No idea. Many of them are based around Flatiron. They basically crushed and absorbed most other sets in the area. Nasty guys, they are. Their big boss is a piece of work and they're determined to be like him too."

"Flatiron, huh." Naruto muttered. "Hey, you know about SHK?"

Dean scowled. "We don't know much about them, just that the leader's some guy named Herman Shultz and they basically run Gramercy's underground."

"Shame," Naruto sighed and glanced at his watch. Four fifteen. He couldn't stay long. "I'll check out the Hammerhead group."

"How? Are you going to find an inside guy or something? Do you have some technology you use to search?"

Naruto froze. "Well…I've been winging it for the most part. But I found you, didn't I?"

"He's been winging it this whole time. Unbelievable." Dean shook his head. "How about this? Meet me six blocks north of my precinct tomorrow night."

Naruto frowned. "Aren't you going back to the gang?"

"Since they brought me here to kill me, it's safe to say my cover's blown or they thought it'd be better to kill me than risk letting a plant in. Eitherway, going back makes me a dead man." Dean kicked the unconscious man again. "Fucking bastards."

"Alright then." Naruto started to walk away.

"You're coming, right?"

Honestly, he wasn't sure. The man could very well be laying out a trap for him and he'd be very embarrassed if he got caught. But at the same time, an olive branch from an officer, even if only one, was a good thing. If things panned out well, he could even get him as an informant.

"We'll see," Naruto replied vaguely. "What time?"

"Nine O'Clock. If I'm not out by nine thirty, you'd best be on your way. Same goes for you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Naruto left the hall and Dean only heard a faint thwip before seeing the vigilante get pulled into the air and out of his sight, leaving him alone.

…

Spiders were patient. Patient as death, really. So much of what they did was wait. Hours upon hours were spent watching, anticipating, listening, preparing. To go life like a spider would be unpleasant for a human; the body wasn't meant to be conscious, yet inactive for a long time and a human's eyes weren't meant to stay open for too long. Indeed, to live like a spider, even if for half an hour, would prove unbearable for a human.

But Naruto did. To whoever glanced at him, he'd appear to be asleep but if they bothered to look underneath the desk and at his face, they'd see his eyes were dry and bloodshot and most of all, vacant. In body, he was in class but in mind, he was kilometers away.

"Can you climb up to the ceiling? I want to see their faces."

They will see.

"You've been here for half an hour and they didn't notice."

I am not on the ceiling. They will see me when I go up.

"That's true…what about the other spider? The one who let you know where they are."

He left. I will let you see another.

"Can't you just relay whatever that one sees? I'm still trying to get used to seeing things with your eyes."

You need to see and hear from them too. It will help in the future. You have to master it.

"But the connection stuff hurts."

It will hurt less when you are used to it.

"...fine, do it. Wait, what kind is it?"

You will know….they are going outside. They will enter the car.

"Then what's the point of making me switch views? Do you have a friend hiding in there?

Yes. He just entered the back. Watch.

"Wai-"

A sharp, intense pain, like a sharp needle being inserted into him, bloomed in the side of his head and spread to his eyes. The sudden influx of another being's senses hurt enough to make him jolt and curse loudly. "Shit!"

"Uzumaki?"

Naruto's head shot up from the desk and the hot leather underneath him became cool wood, the deep, jovial voices making fun of the man in the backseat for getting locked up became higher pitched and multiplied into murmurs and the two front seats he's been staring at faded away to a concerned looking man looking at him from across the classroom.

He tried to keep from looking at his classmates who either made jokes among themselves at his expense or continued to look at him curiously and focused on the teacher alone. "Yes, sir?"

"Are you alright? You sounded like you were in pain."

"Sorry, I, err, had a bad dream," he lied.

The worry on the man's face dropped and in its place, came annoyance. "You were sleeping the whole time?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "I didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Why not? What kept you for so long, you'd have to make up for the lost hours in class?" Harrington asked.

Two armed robberies, a shootout and another attempted carjacking before finally going home at a little after six in the morning and pretending to just be waking up when Tsunade barged into his room. The only easy feat had been the pretense since he had looked as tired as he felt.

"I was with Peter, sir," he lied.

"Oh," Harrington's expression softened. "Well, I'll let you off this time but don't make it a habit."

"Yes sir." Naruto nodded. When the teacher faced the board again to continue the lecture, he dropped his head back on the desk and tried to feel for the spider's mind again through the trails of his bond with Teach. After a minute of trying in futility, he gave up and reached for Teach instead.

"Teach? Where's the other one?"

They found him. Crushed him. Teach's response came with a wave of pain that his Naruto hard enough to make his eyes water.

"Jesus." He sniffled lightly, trying not to draw attention to himself again. He hadn't even seen through the spider's eyes for up to a minute, he didn't even know what kind it was. Why did he even feel so sad? "Teach?"

What?

"I'm sorry if I sound insensitive but did you get anything from him before he got killed?"

A faint twinge of anger from the spider made him wince. Whether it was directed at the people responsible for murdering his kin or at him for not mourning the arachnid, he couldn't tell. He supposed either was justified. The spider had died doing his bidding.

They are going to Midtown East, Teach replied. The one you found last week told them about you.

It was hardly a surprise. He'd sent Teach to follow Vock over to the precinct yesternight based on a gut feeling that he'd get bailed out. "Midtown? It's not Shultz's guys?"

I do not think it is.

"Right. I'll have to make a visit to that side then."

I will ask some others to help you look.

Naruto frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I don't want to risk any more of you guys right now."

"He knew what could happen when he chose to help. Be happy for what he found. Don't waste it. Go tonight."

"You already know I will." He felt Teach's approval before the spider's presence vanished altogether from his mind and frowned. He'd have to do something to cheer him up.

But first, he'd have to go get his stuff from Peter's place.

…

After finally accepting that he couldn't talk him out of the vigilante gig, Peter had insisted on helping in any way he could. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do in the hospital that wasn't being monitored and he wasn't in any condition to do any physical activity — not that he'd have let him go out with him — so in the meantime, he decided to have his room in the Parker residence be used as a miniature storage room.

Since then, Naruto had been sneaking in through the window and storing the things he couldn't risk getting found by Tsunade or being seen outside went to the boy's place. Everything related to his nighttime activities, from traceable evidence and written addresses to his vigilante outfit, went into the young Parker's closet or mini attic.

The only problem was that Peter's place was a small distance away from school, especially now that he had no means of traveling other than swinging and public transport. He couldn't do the former out in the open and so, he was seated in a surprisingly scantily populated train and trying to tune out the noise of metal grinding on metal.

Taking the train was a real nightmare when you had superhuman hearing.

"Teach?" Naruto called the spider with his mind while he idly doodled on a sheet of paper to distract himself. If the arachnid heard him, it didn't respond. Worry pricked at him lightly. Teach had never ignored him before.

He called for the spider a few more times before eventually, he reluctantly gave up and focused on the doodle which had begun to take on the form of a large, jagged looking spider. The train came to a halt at a station, but oddly enough, more people came out than in and a minute later, the automated voice rang out before the doors slid shut and the train began to move again.

He'd have continued to draw had he not been distracted by a schnik he'd come to associate with a switchblade being flicked open. Now that he thought of it, it was a bit concerning how many sounds he'd come to associate with danger.

Nonetheless, he looked around till he saw a trio of men gathered around someone on the seat. He couldn't see the man but between six sneakers, he could make out what looked like brown business shoes. Everyone else had moved away from them, not wanting to get involved in whatever was happening. Well, that wouldn't do. Geared up or not, he couldn't keep from helping when he could. He sighed heavily and rolled up the notebook before walking up to them.

Now that they'd caught his attention, their voices stopped going through one ear and out the other and he could hear them perfectly well. They sounded to be in a heated argument.

"...fancy clothes like this and you don't have anything on you? How dumb do you think we are?"

"I already told you, I have my clothes on me, bitch." Naruto heard the person, most likely the victim, reply. His voice sounded deep and smooth with a rhythm, much like a new saxophone.

"That's the third time you're telling me that shit and who're you calling a bitch? You want to get stabbed? Is that it?"

"Do you want to get stabbed?"

"What? No-"

"Then why would I want to get stabbed? Why the fuck are you asking me something like that?"

"He's got a point, Mark."

The one Naruto figured had the knife sputtered for a moment. "Shut the fuck up, dickhead. And you, I don't know what you're playing at but you better cough up what's in your briefcase right now."

"You want clothes? Well, you do look homeless…"

"You've got fucking clothes in there too?!" Naruto heard the man exclaim, the frustration evident in his voice. "Ain't you some sort of businessman?!"

"I'm a tailor," the man's shoes tapped a rhythm on the floor.

"So you're making paper."

"No, I make clothes."

"I mean cash, dumbass." Naruto couldn't help grinning at the crook's growing frustration.

" You're the one calling paper cash, retard. Paper's never even been used as cash. Well, unless you want to consider that bank notes are made of paper-"

"You make money! Don't you make money?"

"I do."

"Then fucking give it."

"I fucking can't ."

"Wh-" the robber took a deep breath. "You know what? Fuck it."

Naruto saw the man's arm draw back and his eyes widened. He tossed his notebook at them and the book struck one in the head hard enough to force it to the side.

"Yo, what the fuck?" One turned to see him approaching. "You trying to be a hero or something, blondie?"

"No, I just got tired of listening to you guys go back and forth. Leave the man alone, alright? He clearly doesn't have anything."

"Does he look broke to you?" He pointed at the man in question and Naruto finally got the chance to see him properly.

He was a dark skinned man in his early forties with a long, wrinkled face, a small soul patch and sideburns that led up to an undercut. The lines on his face told him to be someone who laughed a lot and true to the tell, he had an amused smile on his face at the moment. The rest of his hair was covered by a green fedora that oddly enough, was worn on top of a neatly ironed, form fitting, purple, checkered suit with a tribal looking shirt and tie underneath.

They were right. He did not look broke. In fact, he didn't even look like he was in any danger. For a moment, Naruto found himself wondering if he'd actually kept a potential murder from happening or if he'd just interrupted a bunch of guys putting on a performance.

"Be as the case may, you three need to stop. You're scaring the people, you know?" He said, trying to dissuade them.

"Hey fuck you," the man with the switchblade glared at him. "Matter of fact, get him!"

Nevermind, it wasn't a performance. He turned his body out of the way of the first man's lunge and used his momentum against him by pushing his head. The man stumbled and hit one of the metal stands face-first. Before he could gather himself, Naruto forced him around and socked him once before pushing him in the way of the second one who'd tried grabbing his bag, pushing them both back. They tripped on the chair and fell in a tangle of limbs.

The last one seemed to lose his nerve, but refused to surrender. Instead, he waved his switchblade around frantically. "Don't come any closer!"

Naruto groaned. "Come on, man. Give it up already."

"Fuck you!"

"Look." Naruto walked towards him. "I get that you're nervous but you've got to remember-" he shot forward and struck the man's hand, disarming him. "-I did tell you to stop."

Before the man could respond, Naruto knocked him out with a punch. The blond ignored the murmurs and phones recording him in favour of staring at the ones who'd gotten to their feet but quickly surrendered, feeling disappointed. He'd been hoping for them to at least put up a decent fight, not give up the instant they realized they'd lose.

"Take a seat and don't get up." He warned them. "You try sneaking up on me and I'll sleep you."

When they did as he said, he turned back to the seated man. "Are you alright?"

His smile widened and he popped his jacket. "Shit but you can fight, blondie. You didn't have to though, I was just about to treat those motherfuckers to the good old one-two Ali special. Lay them all out on their asses and shit."

His lack of gratitude somehow failed to amuse Naruto who snorted amusedly and sat next to him. "I'm sure you were."

"Seriously," the man laughed lightly and Naruto's eyes widened when his fists shot out faster than he could clearly see. He punched at the air thrice in under a second. "See?"

"What the…you have powers?"

"Nah, I'm just a badass motherfucker," he grinned. "Now what's your name, little boy?"

Once again, his words failed to incense the blond. Naruto wasn't sure why, but there was something…familiar about the man. It was almost like meeting a long lost relative who you only had fond memories of. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hmm. Haven't seen a Japanese like you in a very long time," the man hummed. "But shit, where are my manners?" He got up and tipped his fedora at Naruto, revealing pitch black hair fashioned into small dreadlocks.

"Abeek Nancy, at your service. But I'd prefer if you called me Mister Nancy."

….

Mr. Nancy (it's pronounced mistah, he said) managed to convince Naruto to take a detour from his road to the Parker residence and follow him to his shop. You should see it, he said. You might even see some things you like, he said. And now, Naruto found himself in a hole in the wall shop in Queens.

"Hell of a shop, isn't it?" Mr. Nancy looked proud of his shop and Naruto could see why. It wasn't very large, but it was very well arranged with rows of expensive looking suits hanging off serveral racks and even more tribal materials lined the wall. A slow song played from somewhere he couldn't pinpoint, the singers speaking in a language he couldn't decipher and he saw two saxophones hanging off the wall, the leather straps replaced with ropes fashioned out of bright fabric.

"It really is," Naruto agreed. "It's fancier inside than out."

Mr. Nancy grinned. He had somehow managed to get behind his old looking sewing machine and behind him, a sewing loom stood tall. "It's got to be fancy or my name isn't Mr. Nancy."

Naruto got the impression that Mr. Nancy was a man who liked to rhyme whenever he got the chance. "You really like suits, huh?"

"The clothes make the man," Mr. Nancy said jovially. "Don't believe all that bullshit about the man making the clothes, Naruto. Those pussies back at the train wouldn't have even looked at me if I were dressed like a hobo."

Naruto absently nodded as he continued to examine the clothes. "I don't want to pry, but do you really see much business? No offense but this place is kind of hidden and there's a lot of suits."

"I make as much as I sell, boy." Mr. Nancy stood up and ran his hand over a white suit fondly. "Lots of people wear my works. Politicians, millionaires, celebrities…if it's American and handwoven, it's most likely me."

"Why not expand then?" Naruto looked around. "I mean, get more employees, open new branches and all."

" Handwoven, boy," Mr. Nancy wiggled his fingers. "Nobody other than me can weave like me."

"And what makes your stuff so special?" Naruto examined the suits.

"You'd have to be weaver or wearer to appreciate the craft, Naruto." Mr. Nancy nodded at one of them. " Or you'd just have to look very, very closely."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he tried to look at the suit closer. It was difficult enough to believe that someone had sewed a suit from scratch but upon further examination, he found it was true. The threads were there, each one somehow twisting, crisscrossing and spinning around each other in patterns he didn't think possible.

"Do you see it now, boy?"

He did. He really did. Mr. Nancy didn't just make clothes, he brought life to them. Each one had a different pattern, told a different story. Each one had a different story, experienced a different method of creation and took different times to complete yet their stories were not yet finished. He let his eyes travel across each cloth, reading the stories he could see but not understand yet could feel. The-

"That's enough, boy." A hand landing on his shoulder brought Naruto back. "Keep staring and you might have to buy them. Can't have someone walk around knowing the clothes' secrets for free now, can I?"

"What?" Naruto looked around to see Mr. Nancy staring at him amusedly.

"I told you. Handwoven." Mr. Nancy wiggled his fingers once more. "I'm impressed that you can even see the threads. Most people just like the thought of having a suit made by hand. More expensive, see? Fancier looking."

Naruto frowned. "Oh."

"Yessir," Mr. Nancy nodded. "Let's continue the 'tour' shall we?" In spite of the man's words, they didn't move an inch. Rather, he pointed at the saxophones. "Now these are my real pride and joy."

"The saxophones?" Naruto asked, still feeling a bit disconcerted.

"Old Bessie and Little Charlie." Mr Nancy brought down the silver one and showed the blond the fabric rope. " Kente. Made it myself."

"Really?" Naruto made to touch the instrument but it was pulled away from him at the last moment.

"Unless you're older than I am, don't you dare touch Bessie." Mr. Nancy frowned at him. "Little Charlie's all yours though. Made him for my son but he didn't share my interest in the art."

"Thanks, but I don't know how to play." Naruto shook his head at the man who'd somehow already inserted a reed in the saxophone.

"Hmm," he looked a bit disappointed. "Real shame, that. It's all computer stuff these days. Not as organic anymore."

"Shame." Naruto glanced at his watch.

"Want to learn?"

"Uh, later." Naruto smiled widely. Truth be told, he felt very comfortable around the man. A bit too comfortable and it was starting to scare him. He had to leave.

"I'll hold you to that." Something in the man's voice made Naruto feel he was serious. "Let me see you off."

Naruto nodded and tried not to appear too hasty as the man slowly walked him out, his gait springy and swaying as if dancing to a tune only he could hear. Eventually, they got to the door and Naruto was quick to step out.

"Come back soon, Naruto." Mr. Nancy tipped his fedora at him again. "Who knows, maybe you might learn enough to jam or spin with me."

"Right." Naruto nodded. As if sensing his nervous state, the tailor chuckled and shut the door. A second later, music reached his ears, the melody moving him in a way that made him want to open the door and hear it better. But he pulled his hand away from the handle with a grunt and quickly walked away, unmindful of the strange looks he got.

Where the hell was Teach?

If you already know who Mr. Nancy is, we're best friends now.