The sun shone brightly over Midagar, casting a warm glow on the bustling cityscape of Edge. Inside a cozy local diner, the hum of conversation was punctuated by the clinking of dishes. Peter Quill, with his easy charm, exchanged a few words with a waitress before making his way to a table where Naruto and Tails were seated, their anticipation barely contained.

At the front of the bar, Sakura was a whirlwind of focus, her fingers dancing over the pinball machine controls with aggressive precision. Her game was a silent battle, each flipper press a calculated move in her quest for the high score.

"OK, thanks," Peter said, acknowledging the waitress with a nod before joining his companions.

Tails, ever the inquisitive one, wasted no time. "Is he here?"

Peter confirmed with a nod, "Yeah, but he's tied up in a meeting at his private clubhouse. I'm gonna swing by and see what's keeping him."

Naruto, brimming with excitement, made to stand, but Peter's stern voice halted him. "ALONE."

The question came hesitantly from Naruto, "What, is it because of how we look?"

"Not at all," Peter reassured, "He's seen weirder. Besides, in this world, you guys blend in just fine. I just need to talk with Barret privately first, then I'll introduce you."

Understanding dawned on Tails, but Naruto took his seat with a hint of reluctance. Peter offered them a parting piece of advice, "Don't worry; I won't be long. Go play in the arcade or something until I get back."

"Okay, be careful," Tails replied, concern lacing his voice.

Peter nodded once more and made his way to the exit, pausing only to address Sakura, who remained engrossed in her game. "Sakura."

Her response was as deadpan as her expression, "Huh?"

"Stay with the fox boys, I'll be right back."

"Uh-huh," she replied, her attention never wavering from the pinball machine.

Peter studied her for a moment, a curious tilt to his brow. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh."

It was clear to Peter that Sakura was in the zone, her world narrowed down to the flashing lights and digital scores of the game before her. With a chuckle, he left her to her devices. "All right, I'll leave ya' in the zone."

Moments after Quill leaves, Sakura gives a late response with one final-

"Uh-huh."

As Peter exited the diner, the scene shifted back to Naruto and Tails, now sipping on milkshakes. Naruto's was a vibrant lemon, while Tails enjoyed the sweet richness of cookie dough. Tails couldn't help but notice the bored look etched across Naruto's face and attempted to lift his spirits.

"He said he shouldn't be too long," Tails offered.

Naruto's response was laced with boredom. "Yeah, well, I doubt it… I have a sensei who says the same thing, and he's never on time."

Standing up, Naruto announced, "I gotta let out a huge yellow burning waterfall."

Tails grimaced, "EW, don't tell me about it, I'm drinking!"

"Sorry, sometimes it's green," Naruto added, only to be met with another disgusted plea from Tails to stop.

Chuckling at Tails' reaction, Naruto made his way to the men's room, where the atmosphere took a humorous turn. Inside, a man sang cheerfully to himself from within a stall, oblivious to the world outside his self-made concert.

Naruto, seizing the moment of privacy, began to weave hand signs, creating a shadow clone to keep Tails company while he pursued his own agenda. The clone, sharing Naruto's distaste for the stall-man's odor, quickly covered his nose and set off to fulfill his duty.

Peter's frustration was palpable as he stood at the outer gate of Barrett's estate, the wood of the large fence emitting a sense of unwelcoming authority. The anthropomorphic crocodile barring his way only added to the surreal nature of the situation. It was Vector, the Crocodile from Sonic the Hedgehog, though today he was donning an ill-fitting rent-a-cop uniform that did little to improve his appearance.

"I keep telling you, I don't need an appointment," Peter insisted, irritation lacing his voice. "Barrett invited me."

"And I keep telling YOU," Vector retorted with equal firmness, "I'm gonna need a pass, paper, or something of the like if Barrett invited you!"

"Is it too much for you to just walk in there and ask him yourself?" "Or hell, just contact him through your walkie-talkie," Peter suggested, hoping to expedite the process.

Vector shook his head, the uniform somehow making his refusal more official. "Sorry, he's very strict when it comes to meetings. Not the slightest bit of intrusion allowed."

Peter nodded, though his agreement was heavy with sarcasm. "Oh, I see… you just wanna be a jerk and think of any reason not to let me through."

"No," Vector countered, his voice firm. "I wanna be a professional guard to keep out buttholes who don't wanna listen."

The tension between them was reaching a boiling point, and Peter, fed up with Vector's nonsense, snapped, "Alright, look here, you little alligator—"

Vector's face flushed a deep shade of red, his anger transforming his usual green complexion. "I'm a crocodile, you Animist piece of crap!" he bellowed, furious at the misidentification.

Peter, taken aback by the sudden outburst, could only muster a confused, "What?"

"Now get the heck outta here before I chew your face off like a whole pack of 5 gum!" Vector threatened, his professional demeanor crumbling. "I haven't tasted human in a while, but don't make me go back!"

With no other option, Peter turned and walked away, his confusion and threat mingling with a simmering anger. "Asshole…" he mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Vector to hear.

"What was that!?" Vector demanded, but Peter was already off-screen, his voice trailing away, "You heard me."

Once he was a safe distance from Vector, Peter surveyed his surroundings, determined to find another way around. "There's gotta be another way around," he muttered to himself, his eyes scanning for an alternative path.

Suddenly, a voice called out from above, "Whoa, that was quick!" Startled, Peter looked up to find Naruto perched on a tree branch, his presence both unexpected and oddly reassuring.

"Should've known you'd follow me," Peter sighed. "Sakura and Tails with you?"

"Nope…" Naruto replied, then quickly corrected himself, "Well, yes and no, technically. I left a clone with them back at the diner."

Peter couldn't help but chuckle. "Heh, clever loophole ya' found…"

Grateful for the company, Peter admitted, "Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I could use some help."

Naruto dropped down in front of Peter, his stance reminiscent of a fox. "What's up?" he asked, standing up straight.

Peter explained his predicament. "This annoying loudmouth-alligator guarding the front won't let me through, so I need another way around. Got any ninja magic you can use to distract him while I get across here?"

Naruto pondered for a moment before his face lit up with an idea. He began to weave hand-signs, ready to deploy the perfect technique. "Oh, I know the perfect one!"

Before Peter could finish his sentence, Naruto shouted, "TRANSFORM!"

In an instant, Naruto's form shifted, and he transformed into the beautiful twin-tailed blonde known as Naruko, clad in an orange and black string bikini. Peter was momentarily spellbound by Naruko's appearance, his jaw dropping as he took in the sight from head to toe.

"Uh… WOW… uh…" Peter stammered, his cheeks flushing with a mix of surprise and embarrassment. "Is that what you really look like, or did you just switch places with your twin sister?"

"Nope, it's still me; it's called my transformation jutsu!" Naruko assured him, her voice flirty and playful.

Peter's disappointment was evident, though he couldn't deny the spectacle before him. "Oh… that's… Spectacular," he managed to say, his emotions a whirlwind of relief and letdown.

Naruko teased him further as she bends forward in front of Drake showing off her cleavage.

"Aww, did I break your heart, Quill-Kun?"

Peter, now a deep shade of red, turned away, eager to end the conversation. "Please stop… Just, gimme a boost and go down there."

"OK! Up we go!" Naruko agreed, getting into position to give Quill a boost.

Peter ran towards Naruko and leaped onto his hands, propelling himself up to the top of the wooden gate. "Good luck, Quill-Kun!" Naruko called out with a giggle.

"You're enjoying this WAY too much, dude... Save all crap for the lizard," Peter replied, his tone a mix of annoyance and amusement.

As the two heroes parted ways, Peter climbed down to the ground, still trying to make sense of the earlier encounter.

"That has to be one to be the most confusing boners I've ever had..." Quill painfully admits.

Unbeknownst to him, a shadowy female figure stalked him from the trees, her hand slowly drawing three large kunai.

To Be Continued…