A/N: Special thanks to Midnight Lost for his contributions.
Reviews, Feedback, and constructive criticism are always welcome.
Disclaimer: All source material belongs to their respective owners.
In loving memory of Stan Lee. Thank you for the creation of many favorite heroes and stories. Excelsior!
Chapter Six: The Web.
Naruto sighed in contentment as he hugged the form of Gwen close to his body. She could be heard lightly snoring, having long since fallen asleep. The Jinchuuriki however, had yet to enter a blissful slumber. A part of him couldn't believe that he had plucked up the courage to confess his feelings to her... yet still, it just felt 'right'.
A part of him felt a little bit anxious though as he wondered when she would reply to his confession. What should she say? How would she respond? He supposed that there were only one of two outcomes: She would say 'Yes' or 'No'. If the latter, he would be disappointed but knew that his feelings for her wouldn't change and that they could still be friends.
Yet, he yearned to hear her say 'Yes' to his confession and return his feelings. They might have only been together for a short time, yet he knew, he just knew, that deep down she would always have a special place in his heart.
He yawned slightly as he felt his eyes slowly growing ever as they began to close. He inhaled her scent one last time as sleep finally claimed him. However... what he didn't know was that his slumber wouldn't exactly be peaceful.
In Naruto's Mindscape.
The blonde Uzumaki opened his eyes and found himself within the confines of his Mindscape, a place that he seldom enjoyed visiting. However... something was different this time. First and most obviously, was the spider webs that had essentially taken over the place.
Secondly, the atmosphere felt different now. It didn't feel oppressive or full of malice like it did when he first met the Kyuubi face-to-face when he found himself falling into that seemingly endless chasm.
He certainly didn't will himself here, so the only explanation was that the damned fox itself wanted to talk for whatever reason. Sighing to himself he marched towards the direction of the Seal Gates. His footsteps echoed across the sewer-like tunnels and hallways of the Mindscape as he braced himself for what was to come.
Would the Bijuu try and tempt him with power in exchange for its release? Did it just Summon him here to mock, insult, and threaten him? He wasn't sure... but something was definitely a little bit... off. He just couldn't place his finger on it.
The gates came into view as he approached cautiously, however there was no feeling of danger present nor did his Spider-Sense react either. Hell, despite now being just a few feet away from the Gates, he still couldn't feel the malicious aura of the Kyuubi as he did on his first visit.
He was about to call out for the fox but then he heard someone approaching. Thanks to his ability to see in the dark, he immediately perceived two figures... one was an extremely attractive woman with crimson hair and the other was a... miniature Kyuubi that the woman was holding in her arms?
"Okay... what the hell is going on here?" He asked himself, wondering what kind of trick that the fox was trying to pull. If this was some sort of twisted joke, he failed to see the reasoning or punchline behind it.
The crimson haired woman smiled softly, some tears forming around the corners of her eyes as she stifled a small sob. Her expression making the whiskered teen raise an eyebrow... it seemed like this lady was moved to tears just from seeing him. Why? She didn't... know him, did she?
"Hiya Host-san! Your name is Naruto-san, right? My name is Kurama and I wanna be your friend! Let's be good friends, okay?" The little fox spoke in a chipper tone and extended a tail as if offering it for a handshake, which made the blonde teen blink his eyes a few times.
Not only had the fox's size changed, but its whole demeanor, tone, and mannerisms had changed as well. Was the Spider bite involved somehow? How and why did it drastically change the Kyuubi no Kitsune to such a degree? Its name was Kurama? He had no idea it had a name. Why was that woman even here? Who was she?
"I uhh... I guess you must be really confused and have a lot of questions. Allow me to start by saying that my name is Kushina Uzumaki... and I am your mother." The violet eyed woman revealed, her tone a mix of joy and sorrow as she revealed her identity to her child.
His jaw almost dropped to the floor as he processed these words. Was she being serious? He gave her a scrutinizing look but detected no signs of deception... only the already aforementioned emotions. Joy and Sorrow.
He looked between the two and the gate a few times as he tried to connect the dots... and he could only come up with one conclusion in regards to this Kushina woman as he muttered "You died, didn't you? You died... but you never really left me."
"I was so happy the moment you were born Naruto-kun. There was so much I wanted to do with you and for you. My only regret... is that I wasn't there for any of it. I am sorry." She apologized tearfully, her sincere words making her son feel as though he had just been speared through the heart.
The Bijuu used a pair of tails to brush away the Uzumaki woman's tears and spoke with a broad grin "Hey now! No crying! I hate seeing people cry! You two should be happy that you finally get to meet!"
The two Uzumaki's smiled since the little Kit made a good point. They should indeed be happy that they were finally able to speak to each other for the first time... however...
"I am still completely confused as to what is going on. How are you here? Why now? You weren't here when I came to the Mindscape before. What happened to the Kyuu... I mean to Kurama? Since when did Kurama have a name?" Naruto asked in a rapid fire manner, not that his mother or the Bijuu could blame him since they were still quite confused just as well.
"We're kinda in the dark here too. Though I think the proverbial elephant in the room might hold some answers." Kushina stated as she pointed up towards the ceiling, with her child looking in the indicated direction... and saw a young looking girl lazily swinging from side to side in a hammock made of spider webs as she was reading a book that looked like some sort of Manga.
"Who's that?" The whiskered teen questioned, with his mother and the young Kit shrugging their shoulders.
"We asked the same thing. We asked her who she was and what she wanted... but she didn't really give any clear answers." Kurama with a sigh, which made the blonde Uzumaki raise an eyebrow as he looked up towards the strange girl once again.
He didn't sense any real danger from her, rather he detected something akin to whimsy and childlike innocence and playfulness. The girl looked down and gave a small giggle as she spoke in a mirthful tone "Teehee, because it'd be really tedious having to introduce myself more than once. As I mentioned earlier... I want to bring about the Age of Smiles!"
Both of the Uzumaki's and the Bijuu sweat-dropped at that... was that meant to be good tidings or something more ominous? They couldn't tell. "Huh... you know that kind of sounded better in my head. I've been reading this very entertaining series about a stretchy pirate you see. I think I may have caused some confusion for some people." The girl added as she stuck her tongue out and bonked herself on the side of the head as if to say 'oopsie'
"Yeah. We are beyond confused right now. How about you start with your name?" Naruto requested, prompting the girl to nod as she leapt down from her hammock and smoothly landed on the floor without so much as a sound.
She wore a white dress, with a red sash and gold emblem combination that resembled a spider. She also had black hair and had bracelets, armbands and a tiara, all made of pure gold. "My name is Neith. How wonderful it is to meet you at last! My spider chose well!" She spoke with a large grin.
"Your... spider?" The whiskered teen parroted as he clutched at his hand where he had been bitten. Was she claiming that she was responsible for him becoming the newest Spider-Man?
"Correct! One of my spiders! My spiders are constantly working to extend the Web of Life and Destiny, seeking out potential candidates to inherit the gifts of the Spiders." She explained with a large grin while she continued to read from her Manga.
Naruto processed the girl's words for a few moments... then he got a sneaking suspicion about what she was referring to as he asked "Are you talking about the Spider-Verse?"
At his question, Neith's grin widened further to the point her cheeks seemed almost ready to split open as she merrily replied "That's correct! Believe it or not, I am the progenitor and architect to what you refer to as 'The Spider-Verse'. Pretty impressive, huh?"
In the background, Kushina's face was becoming red with frustration as she finally screamed out "Will someone tell me what is going on?! Spiders? Spider-verse?! Web of Life and Destiny?! If someone doesn't give me a proper explanation right now my fucking head is going to explode!" The crimson haired woman almost screeched out the last part as she directed a glare at the girl known only as 'Neith'
The girl gave a lazy smirk and held up her index finger, causing a crimson colored string to appear as it extended forward and began to wrap itself around the wrists of the two Uzumaki's and the Bijuu with the strange girl speaking "Showing will be faster than telling." Before the others could question the stranger further, their minds were flooded with images, memories, and new information.
They watched history unfold before their very eyes as they learned of Neith's true nature. The strange girl was, in truth, the goddess of Spiders and sometimes referred to as 'The Great Weaver'. Long ago, Neith asked her elder sister, the Wasp Goddess, Shathra to play with her, but her older sibling declined for she was busy, having been tasked in making a celestial map or model of the Multi-verse by their parents. 'A Great Nest' as the Wasp Goddess called it.
Neith herself deemed the Great Nest as too rigid, too controlling; she then created her own model of the Multi-verse known as the Great Web on a whim, with her model being greatly favored over Shathra's by their parents, who then showed off Neith's great web to the other gods. As a result, The young Spider goddess was quickly nominated as the shaper of the Multi-verse, only agreeing to take the position with Shathra's blessing. The elder Wasp Goddess agreed, but was shortly thereafter consumed with jealousy and set down a darker path.
Neith then constructed various spiders, known as 'Spider-Totems' who were tasked with repairing, maintaining, and expanding the Web of Life and Destiny. A task the Spider-Totem's carried out endlessly to this very day. With each new universe, the Great Web expands ever on and on, and within each and every universe connected to the Web, a person is chosen to be bestowed the abilities of the Spiders with the vast majority of these chosen individuals becoming great heroes, thus the varying iterations of the hero known as 'Spider-Man' was born.
Time seemed to fast forward as they then experienced Kushina's own life from her own memories. Naruto and Kurama both saw her sad history as they learned of the destruction of Uzu, of her becoming the Nidaime Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, of her struggles with Kurama's former self, of when she was kidnapped by Kumo, but then her memories became happier upon being rescued by the one who history would remember as the Yellow Flash aka Minato Namikaze.
They saw how she and the Yondaime were married in secret, the moment when Minato nominated his sensei Jiraiya to be Naruto's godfather... then they saw the night Kushina gave birth to Naruto, the forced extraction of Kurama and the attack of the mysterious masked man, and then they saw Kushina and Minato's death as they bestowed their hopes and last wishes upon their newborn child.
Once again, time advanced quickly as Kushina and Kurama then saw Naruto's own memories. Witnessing firsthand the hardships the boy endured, how he was kept isolated and alone, living in a borderline dilapidated apartment, how parents kept their children from him, how various stores would turn him away or sell him overcharged and/or nearly expired goods. They then saw his struggles at the Academy as he tried to become a Shinobi.
They began to witness his triumphs. How he finally earned his Shinobi headband, the various missions he had engaged in, his climatic fight with the Ichibi Jinchuuriki Gaara... and finally his near death experience against the traitor Sasuke. Finally, they witnessed the time Naruto spent during his 'training trip' with Jiraiya and his lack of progress, the moment he had been bitten by a Spider, and finally his training amongst the Spider-Society and his quickly growing bond and relationship with Gwen Stacy.
"GRRRRR! Jiraiya! That no-good bastard! I knew it! I fucking knew he wouldn't take his duties seriously! 'Oh, it'll be fine Kushina-chan! Jiraiya is my sensei and he made the book that inspired our child's name. He's perfect godparent material.' Minato says, well FUCK YOU MINATO! FUCK YOU! F! U! C! K! FUCK YOU! I HOPE YOU'RE ROTTING IN HELL!" Kushina roared in anger, her hair seemingly taking a life of its own as it wildly thrashed and whipped about, causing the litte Bijuu to leap from her arms and seek shelter behind a fuming whiskered blonde.
Naruto himself was angry at the damned Pervy Sage, the man was supposed to be his godfather but didn't say anything? When was he even going to tell him, if at all? Where had he even been during all those years when he needed him? Was it too much trouble to drop in for an occasional visit? To make a phone call? To send one damn letter? On another note... he now knew the truth of the Kyuubi attack. The Bijuu... Kurama wasn't responsible; it was the man in the mask. He was the one behind everything.
The man in the mask killed his parents, killed all those people that died that night, and was in turn responsible albeit indirectly for his lonely childhood. He had a strong feeling that the masked man was still out there somewhere, likely committing other atrocities behind the scenes. This man, this psychopath, terrorist needed to be found, hunted down and killed in the most brutal manner possible. The whiskered teen never would have imagined this, but if there were ever a moment when he would feel true pleasure and satisfaction at taking a life it would definitely be reserved for the man in the mask.
The Spider Goddess giggled a bit as she disconnected the crimson thread from them all and asked "So is everyone caught up on what's what?" Her question snapped the Spider-Shinobi from his anger and musings as took on a thinking pose... there were still some things that needed to be explained.
"Mostly, but I still have a few questions. If you created the Spider-Verse... do you know of a way to restore lost worlds? From my understanding, you created the Spider-Totems so you wouldn't have to do any real work or micromanage anything, so why come directly to me? Why get involved? Also, what happened to Kurama?" The whiskered teen inquired, listing off his questions then asked one other that was directed at the Bijuu itself "Oi, Kurama... I have no idea if you're a boy or a girl. Which are you?"
The Bijuu looked up at him, the little kit using one of its tails to scratch at its forehead as it answered "Technically? Neither. We Bijuu are living constructs of Chakra. 'Male' and 'Female' don't hold much meaning to us, but that also means we can freely choose for ourselves what we wish to be. If it's convenient for you, you can think of me as 'Female'."
He accepted that answer with a small nod then directed his attention to the Spider Goddess who could be seen still reading her manga while lazily swinging back and forth on a new hammock made of webbing as she replied to his prior questions "In reverse order, I attempted to remove the hate and malice from Kurama to make her more cooperative in your future endeavors, call it a small gift, what I didn't plan on at the time was just how deeply her hatred ran and how it permeated the very core of her being.
By accident, I nearly drove her to madness as she screamed and cried... so I had to subdue her own memories back to when she was just a small Kit, which in turn, caused her to... well... shrink. Her old memories will return in time, but I think by that point you will have managed to successfully form a working and healthy partnership. Oh, and Kurama? My apologies for any unintended harm I may have caused you." Neith added with a regretful expression at the end.
"Ah, that might explain my presence here. I guess when Neith-san attempted to remove Kurama's hatred, it tripped the failsafe in the seal that held… well… me. I was originally meant to appear when Naruto-kun attempted to master his Bijuu Chakra… though I'm certainly not complaining here. What about you Kurama? Any grievances?" Kushina mused aloud, now having a clearer understanding of what happened to her and her former charge.
"From what I saw from both Naruto and Kushina's memories, I wasn't very nice. My old self was a big and mean jerk and should have been angry at the masked man instead of Naruto. Maybe it'll be better this way." The Kit responded, feeling as though this would be a fresh start for her and her current host, as such, she bore no grudge against the Goddess.
Neith nodded in acceptance, her demeanor brightening again as she then continued to answer Naruto's questions "The reason I have directly involved myself this time, and came to you specifically, is because my sister plans to take revenge against me by unraveling my Great Web. I believe she will seek out and corrupt certain Spider-People to dismantle my Web, and failing that... she will kill them. I firmly believe that you, Naruto Uzumaki, are currently at the top of her list because of your raw potential and unique nature, which makes you both a potential asset and trump card for her and also a grave threat to her and her plans. Be wary."
"My unique nature?" He repeated with a raised eyebrow, making the Great Weaver frown slightly as she replied in a cryptic manner "I can say no more on that front, and not because I want to. Even divine beings are bound by certain rules that cannot and must not ever be broken." Huh... wonder what she meant by that? Sounded like she wished to explain, but literally couldn't.
She then cleared her throat as she continued to speak "As for the 'lost worlds', I take it that for instance, you're referring to one such world that your Miguel O'Hara accidentally caused to vanish? I can indeed, though it is not currently safe to do so given the looming threat my sister potentially poses. If I were to restore any of the lost worlds, she would be able to easily track me down, and I have no desire for direct confrontation with my sister. After all... I am not what you would call the 'combative' type. Though if my sister were subdued, I would most happily restore the realms that have become disconnected from the Web."
"Disconnected? Not destroyed?" The whiskered teen questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"All of the realms of what you call 'The Spider-verse' are connected. It is a web, after all. So many worlds, so many possibilities, some different, others similar, but still joined together. Separate yet also bound together by the countless threads. However, these threads if strained can eventually snap. Not an easy feat, but not impossible. Once disconnected, the world fades away... to where, I do not know, perhaps some sort of sub-dimension that lies outside the Great Web, but if the thread is restored, the world comes back with it.
What you know as the Collider incident, as you already many know, caused numerous distortions across the Spider-Verse, some worse than others. This greatly strains the connecting threads between worlds, but in time, they will be repaired by my Totems. It also helps a little when you send the displaced objects and villains back where they belong which helps mitigate said distortions. Your mentor, Miguel O'Hara himself accidentally caused a distortion with his continued presence in a world where he had already died, which caused the 'thread' connecting that world to the web to snap and disappear.
He mistook this event as disrupting the 'Canon'. It's true that there are often many shared themes and events that often play out in highly similar ways, but not all things are pre-determined. Each Spider-Man has their own choices, their own lives, and their own destinies. It's what makes you all unique, and makes my Web all the greater and stronger. Though on the other hand, as sad as it is, there are some things in life that are indeed unavoidable, no matter what you do or say.
These events are referred to as 'Absolute points' an unchangeable and unavoidable event in time that cannot and must not EVER be altered that is selected by each universe's own timeline. For example, in your world Naruto Uzumaki, the Kyuubi Attack and the death of your parents are Absolute Points. Without the death of Minato and Kushina and without Kurama being sealed within you, you would not have suffered as you did which meant you would have not gained your strong sense of empathy for others' own pain and suffering, like for instance, Gaara.
Another example would be the death of Peter Parker's Uncle Ben, were it not for the death of his Uncle, Peter wouldn't have fully learned and understood the meaning of what became the Spider-people's creed 'With Great Power, comes Great Responsibility' which in turn would have meant that he wouldn't have been able to fully and truly embrace his role as Spider-Man." Neith then sighed deeply after her long explanation.
Naruto, a now calm Kushina, and Kurama all quietly absorbed this information. All of them sharing the same belief that one is free to choose their own destinies... but of course there are perhaps some things that are beyond all control. "What happens if an Absolute Point is broken?" the little Bijuu questioned, though she had a feeling that she wouldn't like the answer.
"In one universe, in one timeline, a certain Sorcerer Supreme attempted to stop an Absolute Point from happening to save his lost love... this caused a massive breach in both time and space within that realm, causing it to implode upon itself as the fabric of reality came undone." Neith responded as she snapped her manga shut, her tone being quite grave. A clear warning that it was unwise to mess with the fabric of the universe in such a manner.
"Yeah, I don't think we'll be doing that. One more thing... what is it that you really want, Neith? And please don't say anything about an 'Age of Smiles' again." The whiskered teen questioned as he crossed his arms.
"Well... I would very much like my sister back and see her freed of her own hatred. Also, I just want life to continue on. A multi-verse without life and without freedom sounds like a terrible place for people to live. At any rate, I believe that all of our bases should be covered now and any confusion should be cleared up. I promise you, once my sister has been subdued and the Great Web is safe and stable again, I'll restore the worlds that were disconnected. You have my word." The Spider Goddess swore with a reassuring smile.
She then gave a wink and added with a grin "Be seeing you around." With that said, she snapped her fingers and vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the two Uzumaki's and Bijuu alone within the Mindscape.
"Wow... this was... quite a lot to take in. I don't even know where to really start." Naruto muttered as he rubbed his temples, trying to absorb all of this information. Though one thing was certain, he had to relay this information directly to his teacher Miguel.
"Tell me about it... still... MY SON IS GONNA BE A FREAKING SUPERHERO! Ooooooh! And that girl! Gwen Stacy? She's absolutely perfect for you! I'm so proud of you! She is so kind and gentle with you! And the way you two went at it on that first night? Hot damn!" Kushina squealed in delight as she embraced her son, feeling very excited by the prospect of future grandchildren further down the line.
"Wait... you actually saw that part? When me and Gwen..?" He questioned with a large blush, feeling embarrassed by the fact that his own mother had seen him having sex with his roommate and girlfriend.
"I may have caught a glimpse of you doing the deed. Gotta say... you really scored the jackpot on endowment. Guess that proves you came from good stock." She spoke teasingly as she poked at his cheeks a bit, which made him blush an almost neon red color.
"Hee-hee. Kushina-san is right! You got a really good mate!" Kurama joined in, adding her two cents with a toothy grin.
"Huh. I forgot to ask why mine and Gwen's pheromones reacted so strongly when we first met and see if Neith had any insight to that." Naruto muttered to himself, which made his mother shake her head a bit.
"Does it really matter? Whatever the reason, it brought you two together. You found a girl to love and to cherish with all your heart. I saw it all. How you treated her on your date, the way she cares for you, your confession to her; I am certain that she may be the one for you." The crimson haired woman spoke with a warm smile.
"I wouldn't count my chickens before they hatch. She hasn't yet responded to my confession." The whiskered Uzumaki responded with a small sigh.
"Don't be so pessimistic! I am certain she will accept your feelings. She would be a fool to say 'no' to you, and she doesn't seem like a fool to me." His mother stated with a confident smile as she gave her son a thumbs-up to encourage him, which made him chuckle a bit. She was right, though, he shouldn't let things like that get to him. Perhaps he was just overthinking things. After all, relationships were still new to him.
"You're right. Still... I never would have guessed that I was part of a clan, least of all one that had its own village. I had also wondered why I had been chosen to be the Kyuubi's host... now I realize that I wasn't specifically 'Chosen' but that I was literally the ONLY choice. I get why my father had to do it, but at the same time I feel like he cared more about the village than for me. I still don't get why he chose Pervy Sage as my godparent either." Naruto muttered as he adopted a thinking pose as he processed the memories he had seen from his mother.
"Yeah. I wouldn't think too much on it. Minato may have been a great Shinobi, but that doesn't mean that he would be a great parent. I will say that there were few choices during the masked man's attack, but he definitely could have done a better job at planning for your future welfare. As for Uzu... Kami, I still miss my old home, and I hope to one day see our clan restored." Kushina spoke as she sat down on the floor in the lotus position with Kurama curling up in her lap.
"I don't get it. If Uzu was such a stalwart ally of Konoha, why has it been largely forgotten? You would think that the fall of Uzu would be a pretty significant entry in the history books." The Spider-Shinobi mused since he had absolutely zero recollection of Uzu ever being mentioned in the countless history lectures he had been forced to listen to at the Academy, it wasn't even brought up in the history books as he just pointed out.
"I don't have an answer for that one. Wouldn't surprise me though if that is by design, especially after my own death. A certain someone may have to change that." His mother pointed out suggestively with a small wink, earning a nod from her son.
"So... what happens to you now? Are you gonna be stuck in here?" He asked since he wasn't sure of how his mother's situation worked. Technically, she was now a lost soul, trapped within the Seal. Would she stay? Fade away at some point? He wished that he could help her.
"I don't know. Honestly speaking, after my fail-safe was activated and I aided you, I was supposed to pass on to the afterlife... I guess... maybe. Though obviously I'm still here. That's okay though, I can stay and keep Kurama-chan company now. I can't imagine what it must be like to be stuck in a cage all alone for so long." Kushina responded as she gently stroked the Kit's fur, making the little Bijuu purr a bit in appreciation since it would be nice to have a friend stay with her.
"I wonder if there's a way I can help you." The blonde Uzumaki thought aloud, causing his mother to chuckle a bit.
"That's sweet of you to worry about me, but I think you should shelve that for now. I'm pretty sure you have other priorities. You should report to your new teacher, Miguel, right? We can talk more later, we'll be right here waiting for you." Kushina said with a reassuring smile, with the Bijuu nodding in agreement.
"Don't worry! We'll be okay! I promise to take good care of your mother! I hope we can be good friends Naruto-san! If you ever need to borrow some of my Chakra, lemme know and I'll hit you up with the good stuff!" The Kitsune promised as her tails happily swished about, prompting the whiskered teen to nod in thanks.
"I'll be sure to come and visit later. I would definitely like to get to know you both better." He spoke with a large grin, looking forward to developing a friendship with the Bijuu and with Kushina. While it was true they had gone far past the point of having a mother/son relationship, that didn't mean they couldn't become good friends. The Kitsune and crimson haired woman both waved goodbye to him as the whiskered teen willed himself back into the real world.
He hoped that this new information provided by the Spider Goddess would help the Spider-Society restore order to the Multi-verse. He also had multiple loose ends to tie up in his own dimension as well, but for now, he would have to focus on one task at a time and up his training. Yeah. He would definitely need to intensify his training if he was going up against an Elder Goddess that attempted to create her own construct of the Multi-verse... things could never be simple for him, could it?
Later on. Miguel's Laboratory.
After waking up from his slumber and Mindscape, Naruto immediately made his way towards his mentor's lab, upon explaining the urgency and importance of what he had learned from Neith, Miguel quickly called an emergency meeting. Jessica Drew, Peter B. (accompanied by his daughter Mayday), Hobie Brown, and of course Gwen herself were all in attendance as they listened to the Jinchuuriki's tale.
They watched as the blonde Genin paced back and forth, occasionally waving his arms for emphasis as he explained everything he had learned about the origins and the true nature of the Spider-Verse. Miguel in particular listened with particular interest, while he was a man of science and logic, he knew that it was unwise to discount the fact there was a certain mysticism about the Spider-Verse. From his own logic and perspective, it only made sense that there had to be an architect behind it all.
Such a complex but also simple system, constantly building upon itself. Not to mention, since it is, by definition, a 'Web' there has to be a Core world or center from which it originated from. Though what truly caught the Futuristic Spider-Man's attention was the fact that the world he accidentally caused to vanish was indeed not beyond saving. There was a chance that it could be restored! Everything could be made right again! All of the people who vanished, including the daughter of his counterpart could be saved!
Once the whiskered teen had finally finished his explanation about the Spider-Verse, though kept out the parts about his mother and personal history for the time being, Miguel cleared his throat and spoke to himself as he adopted a thinking pose "So then... if we find and defeat this Shathra, then Neith will restore everything the way it's supposed to be."
"That's what she promised. Can't say I'm an expert on gods or goddesses, but I'm very certain they don't make promises lightly." The Spider-Shinobi responded with his mentor humming in thought as he clasped his hands behind his back. To think, his whole 'Canon Event' theory... a swing and a miss. Though for once... he felt a sort of happiness to know that his theory was wrong. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders with all of this newfound knowledge.
Ever since he came up with his theory, he had become increasingly paranoid and controlling of how the Spider-Society should operate. Now that they had a better understanding of the Spider-Verse, he could relax a number of his policies. However, he still had reservations about Miles Morales and his world, Earth 1610 where the disruptions to the Great Web originated from.
While the original Collider of that world had been destroyed, it was still not impossible for it to be restored. If that were to happen and a new iteration of the machine was used again... he dare not think of the consequences. There was also the fact that there were other Colliders being built in certain dimensions as well, fortunately, they were built more for the sake of harmless research rather than breaching reality as was the case with Earth 1610 and the Kingpin. However, should these other Collider's be misused, a little sabotage can go a long way to prevent them from reaching the same destructive potential as their original iteration.
"And you're sure it isn't a load of bollocks, mate? Not sure I'd put my trust in someone claiming to be a goddess." Hobie pointed out as he rolled his guitar pick across his knuckles with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't say anything about blindly trusting her, but she directly showed me her memories and I didn't get any feeling that she was lying. She seemed kinda carefree and maybe kinda lazy, but she didn't seem like a bad person. Also, I'd say that anyone who can restore the lost worlds back to the way they were kind of has the right to have the title of 'goddess'. Oh... wait... you don't believe in gods or labels? Right?" Naruto asked the last part with a raised eyebrow since Hobie was an Activist in his world and was a bit of an anarchist, so he wouldn't put it past him to disregard religion and belief.
Also... coming from a world where it is possible to Summon the Shinigami itself and revive the dead, made Naruto believe that in itself was proof, at least in his own world, that there was indeed an afterlife and therefore a higher plane of existence that was possibly beyond human comprehension. He wasn't sure if the same rules applied to all worlds, but he wasn't going to argue or debate over it, not when there were much more important things at stake.
Hobie smirked but said nothing, silently conceding that this Neith should perhaps be given the benefit of the doubt... provided she made good on her promise. That aside, he knew that Naruto was a stand-up sort of bloke and was very good at reading people... even if he didn't trust the 'goddess' he would still put his trust in Naruto himself.
Out of nowhere, the holographic form of Lyla appeared as she adjusted her signature hear shaped glasses and chimed in "Hate to interrupt but we have a situation." The AI snapped her fingers, causing an image to appear before the gathered Spider-People as they saw the form of Miles Morales engaging with a strange figure that was all white with black spots adorning his body. The image of Miles made Gwen purse her lips, feeling a sense of nostalgia upon seeing her old friend.
"Uhhhh... what are we looking at here? I'm gonna need a little context Lyla." Naruto requested as he tilted his head in confusion.
"Okay now, our spotty friend there who Miles is throwing fists with, has a similar if not matching signature to the Collider. I suspect him to be one Jonathan Ohnn, a scientist that worked close with Dr. Olivia Octavius to build the Kingpin's Collider. Ohnn was the only researcher that remained unaccounted for after the Collider's destruction. I crunched some data, and I predict that if Ohnn were to gain access to another Collider to enhance his abilities, he could become a potential Multi-verse level threat." Lyla spoke in an urgent tone, her words making Miguel clench his fists.
"If that were to happen, the Spider-Verse could experience more instabilities. We cannot allow that to happen." The Spider-Man of 2099 growled out, refusing to allow this 'Ohnn' to put the Spider-Verse at further risk. Especially not when there was a chance to finally fix everything.
"I'll go! I'll go to Earth 1610 and bring this guy in." Gwen spoke in an eager tone, with the other Spider-people noting how quick she was to volunteer herself. Her offer made Miguel hum in thought... while the young Spider-woman was indeed capable and had prior experience on Earth 1610... he had concerns about her being able to stay on task given her past friendship with Miles. If she were to make contact with him, what would she tell him? Would she reveal classified information? If Miles were to come to the Spider-Society, would his presence help or hinder their mission? There were too many unknowns and uncertainties. He did NOT like unknown variables.
He then got an idea and turned to his student "Naruto. You are to accompany Gwen on this mission. Find Ohnn and bring him straight here. We will find a means to strip him of abilities and render him virtually harmless. You wanted a chance to prove yourself? This is it." The Futuristic Spider-Man spoke, his words making the Uzumaki pump his fist excitedly as he held a high-five towards his roommate who happily returned it.
Gwen then wasted no time in using her Gizmo to summon a portal to Earth 1610 and immediately leapt through it with her fellow blonde proceeding to follow after her... but was stopped when Miguel placed a hand on his shoulder as he whispered to his student "One more thing. Make sure Gwen stays on mission. Miles is still an unknown quantity, and frankly, I don't think he shares our ideals and values." The Uzumaki raised an eyebrow at his teacher's words but nodded in understanding.
The mission was straightforward enough; find Ohnn, bring him back to the Spider-Compound and prevent him from causing further damage to the Great Web. No sweat. Still... what did Miguel mean? Miles was supposed to be a fellow Spider-Man right? He shrugged to himself and leapt through the portal behind Gwen, deciding to focus on the mission and prove his capability to his new Sensei.
When the blonde Uzumaki reached the other side of the portal, he found himself in an expansive city. There were many tall buildings and even some skyscrapers littered about the place, he looked down and saw various motor vehicles backed up in the streets. He could smell the exhaust in the air which irritated his nose and made him frown. While the tall buildings were perfect for climbing and web-swinging, he much preferred the natural beauty and clean air of his home world.
"Okay Lyla. How do we find this clown?" Naruto asked as he held up his Gizmo, his inquiry prompting the AI to appear in her miniature form.
"Ohnn had his own private lab, courtesy of Alchemax. The big Collider that Miles destroyed is out of commission, but his private lab should have the parts and equipment he needs to make a smaller scale model which he can use to empower himself and from there, hop into another dimension to hijack a functional full-scale Collider. The private lab should be just in front of you, he has to show up there at some point." Lyla answered him before disappearing.
The whiskered teen looked up and saw a building that was labeled 'Property of Alchemax' directly in front of him. Making him smirk a bit as he sat down on the building's ledge. If the provided intel was accurate, which he was confident that it was, then Ohnn would have to appear at some point or other. He supposed that this meant he and Gwen were gonna have to do a stakeout.
"Probably should have brought some snacks or something. We might be waiting here a while." Naruto spoke with a chuckle as he looked over his shoulder... only to see his roommate was walking away which prompted him to ask "Umm... Gwen? Where are you going?"
She froze up for a moment before turning around as she chuckled a little nervously, she thought about lying and telling Naruto that she was going to get snacks... but she couldn't bring herself to lie to his face as she responded "Sorry... but I'm gonna go pay Miles a visit. You know, go check on him, see how he's been doing. You've got this covered." She added the last part as she made a pair of finger guns and clicked her tongue at the Uzumaki.
"Uhh... okay... but... can't this wait until AFTER we take down our spotty friend? We are kinda on the clock here." He responded with mild confusion... did she really want to see her friend that badly? She seriously couldn't wait for a while? While his mentor had told him to keep her on track, he never said anything about letting her go once the job was done.
"Come on Naruto. You don't need me here. I know you've gone toe to toe with way worse than some Villain of the Week." She responded in a half-joking and half-serious tone. Her words made the Uzumaki frown at the title of 'Villain of the Week' which suggested she wasn't taking Ohnn or the potential threat he posed seriously.
"Ugh. Please Naruto. If we bag this guy, we'll be summoned back to HQ and who knows when I'll have another chance to see Miles again? Please just... just let me have this, okay? It'd mean a lot to me." She requested almost desperately, her words making the Jinchuuriki feel conflicted. On the one hand, he didn't want to be an asshole and tell her who she could and couldn't see, but on the other, they still had a job to do.
Sensing his hesitation, she put her hands on her hips and asked "You aren't... jealous or something are you?" At her question, the Spider-Shinobi quickly shook his head in honest denial.
"No. Why would I be jealous? It isn't that. I'm just... well... I guess 'concerned' would be the more accurate term." He answered honestly as he felt his hand start to tremble a bit, though he wasn't sure if that was because he was feeling nervous or his PTSD had decided to kick in again which prompted him to stuff his hand into his coat pocket to hide his shaking.
"Concerned? Wait! I get it. Don't tell me. Miguel told you to keep me focused on the job or something right? If that's what you're worried about, he doesn't have to know. It can be our little secret, okay? Even if he does find out, I'll take the heat." She responded as she approached her fellow blonde and put a gentle hand on his shoulder before she continued to speak in a gentle and reassuring tone "I promise you, you won't get in trouble. I'll take care of you. I just need an hour, all right? Just one hour and I'll be right back."
She then extended her arm out and punched in a few commands on her Gizmo revealing a timer that was set for an hour, with an added memo that read 'Meet up with Naruto' "There. You see? A little reminder to myself to get back to you. Oh, and if there's an emergency, you can have Lyla contact me and I'll come swinging as fast as I can. You have NOTHING to worry about." She then emphasized her promise with a gentle kiss to his cheek.
Naruto still felt a bit hesitant, but then felt worried that perhaps he was being too clingy. He didn't want to smother her or make her feel like he was trying to control her... and well... if Miguel didn't find out, then what was the harm? What's the worst that could happen inside of an hour? "Okay Gwen. Thank you. You're right. I can handle this by myself. You go and have fun... I just..." He muttered at the end, wanting to say something else but decided not to since he didn't want to guilt trip her into staying when she wanted to go so badly.
"Just what?" She questioned, prompting the Spider-Shinobi to shake his head and wave her off "Don't worry about it. Anyways, I wouldn't mind meeting your buddy Miles sometime."
She gave a big grin and nodded as she responded "Count on it." With that said, she leapt off the side of the building and began swinging in the direction of Miles' home with the Jinchuuriki watching as her form disappeared into the distance. He sighed as he hugged his knees to his chest, feeling a strange sort of... emptiness without Gwen around. He snorted to himself and supposed that he was getting too clingy, that perhaps he was starting to rely on her as a crutch for emotional support.
He inspected his hand which was still trembling just a bit as he clenched his fist a few times, trying to will it to stop. His mind kept wandering back to what his teacher said... 'Make sure Gwen stays on mission. Miles is still an unknown quantity, and frankly, I don't think he shares our ideals and values.' Just what did he mean by that?
He brought up his Gizmo and tapped in a few commands, feeling thankful that his mentor had patiently and thoroughly taught him how to use the device and gave him a basic education on most forms of modern and even some advanced tech, especially since he wasn't familiar with most forms of technology. He pulled up the Spider-Society's database and searched for Miles' file knowing that his teacher must have a file on the young Spider-Man somewhere.
He hit paydirt as he successfully found the file by himself. While he could have asked Lyla to pull it up for him, he didn't wish for her to realize that Gwen wasn't present and report back to Miguel himself about her absence. Besides, he needed to practice the use of tech for himself anyway. "Let's see. Miles Gonzalo Morales, son of police officer Jefferson Davis and nurse Rio Morales. Formerly a student of Brooklyn Middle School where he was considered the popular kid, won a lottery for a slot at a school called Brooklyn Visions Academy." Naruto mused quietly as he looked through the most relevant information.
He then saw an entry that was labeled 'Poor Decision making?' which revealed a test from of his first day at Visions Academy, showing that Miles deliberately sabotaged himself to try and get expelled... wait did he seriously write 'Decembuary' as part of the date on it? Furthermore... he was given a free pass by his teacher? The blonde boy felt his jaw clench a bit, not only did Miles attempt to throw away a great opportunity at a nice school but wasn't even punished for his actions. Were his parents aware of what he tried to do? If he had been in Miles' shoes, he wouldn't have done something like that and tried to make his parents proud of him.
He then saw another entry that was marked 'Spider Powers Manifesting' which revealed Miles speaking with none other than Gwen who was posing as a student at Visions. There was an added note that described that Gwen was most likely the first of the stranded Spider-people in Earth 1610 and that she had infiltrated Visions Academy to tail Dr. Octavius who also conducted seminars at that very school in order to try and find a way back home.
The blonde then saw footage of Miles trying to flirtatiously place his hand on Gwen's shoulder, an action that made him feel possessive of the Spider-Drummer and made him remind himself that this happened about a year ago, way before he even met her. He then saw Miles had his hand on the side of her head, seemingly having difficulty letting go of her, making the Uzumaki realize that his Wall-Crawling abilities had manifested, only he couldn't control them right then and as a result accidentally tore out some of Gwen's hair. Ouch. That looked really painful. He understood that what happened was obviously an accident... but seeing the way Miles touched her on the shoulder made his skin crawl and he felt some bile in his throat.
He shook his head, reminding himself once again that he hadn't yet met Gwen at that point of time and then fast-forwarded again where he learned of Miles' Uncle. Aaron Davis, AKA, the Prowler who was shot and killed by the Kingpin. Shortly after defeating the Kingpin and destroying the Collider, Miles created a mural bearing his Uncle's likeness.
He then checked another note that was labeled 'People aware of his identity' and found only two entries. 'May Parker' who was the caretaker and guardian of Earth 1610's original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. The other entry was labeled as 'Ganke Lee' who was Miles' Roommate at Visions Academy and there were a series of texts that very strongly suggested that Ganke was not very helpful and quite lazy, repeatedly stating something along the lines of 'I'm not your guy in the chair!'.
This made the Uzumaki sweat-drop finding it kind of dumb that the artistic Spider-Man had told some random and apparently useless stranger about his secret identity and not his own parents. His dad was a cop, his mother was a nurse, if he brought them into the fold they could have a serious collaboration... though on the other hand they could also try and stop their son from continuing his endeavors as Spider-man... even so, the Uzumaki, at the very least wouldn't have told someone of like that Ganke fellow who had questionable trustworthiness and reliability, at best.
From what Naruto could see, Miles hadn't really struggled with anything in life up until the loss of his uncle. Miles lived in a stable home with loving parents that obviously cared for his future, he was both intellectually and artistically gifted, and had many other advantages and gifts. Most of which Naruto himself never had and wished that he did. In many ways, he and Miles were like polar opposites of one another.
He felt a sense of resentment, finding it absurd at how Miles was so gifted and intelligent yet seemed to throw away numerous opportunities. Things that the whiskered teen himself never got. Was he actually grateful for what he had or did he take it for granted? Was he fully aware of the Spider-people's famous creed and embraced it? Naruto clicked his tongue and shook his head, wondering if he was overthinking things and that he was feeling jealous over nothing. He was only learning about Miles from a file, he hadn't yet met the guy in person and truly gotten to know him. It would only be fair to reserve judgment until officially meeting him.
He sighed to himself and decided to keep watch over the laboratory. Even with the cars honking in the streets below, the people walking by and chatting on the streets... there was a deafening silence as he found himself missing Gwen's comforting presence. "Stop thinking about it. She's just going to see a friend. You can make it without her for a bit. One hour won't kill you. Kami, what am I? A lovesick puppy with an abandonment complex?" He spoke to himself jokingly.
The Uzumaki considered meditating and retreating into his Mindscape to consult his mother about his feelings, hoping she would have some form of advice for him, but decided against it since he didn't want to lose focus and run the risk of his target slipping under his nose while he was in his Mindscape.
He grimaced as he found his hand shaking once again as he gripped his wrist to steady it. "You're fine. You're fine." He repeated to himself in a mantra, everything was under control and nothing terrible was going to happen. Everything was going to be fine. It was just an hour. What was the worst that could happen?
End Chapter Six.
Naruto Uzumaki: Age Fifteen.
Gwen Stacy: Age Sixteen.