OH BOY, it's been a while!
First off, I wanted to mention that I apologize for not updating anything in a while. Life got busy but I'm back.
Also, if you're following any of my other stories, I'm currently in the process of finishing new chapters for a few of them. I've attached a few comments at the bottom of this chapter as well.
If you're wondering about any other universes appearing, just give it some time. I have some special things planned moving forward.
Anyway, here we are with chapter 3! Please review if you'd like, I encourage it!
Disclaimer: I don't own "Naruto," "Dragon Ball Z," "Invincible," or any other sources of legitimized media, they belong to their respective owners.
Debuting Together
"Maelstrom, Invincible," Minato shouted out while flying through the air. "Stay near me, don't run off too far." He was no longer in 'Dad' mode, he was now a leader of an important mission.
The Saiyan's suit was compromised of similar material to Omni-Man's outfit, given he had also received it from Art. The design was rather simple, being composed of a black and red color scheme. The only design came from a red 'S' being across his chest. It secured around his body from the neck down.
Despite its simple nature, it was quite recognizable to many. Minato was a force to be reckoned with and had stopped many threats in his time on Earth. He liked to stay hidden more often than not, but he had made his presence known by this point.
"Understood, Mr. Namikaze," Mark said while following close behind. He swallowed the lump in his throat, nervous to be on his first official mission. He tried his best to ignore the nerves building up throughout his body.
"Call me Steadfast while out in the field, Mark," Minato smiled ahead, "Can't risk our names being leaked."
"Oh, right! Sorry!" Mark said sheepishly with a blush of embarrassment on his face. "I forgot, won't happen again!" The nerves he was beginning to ignore came back in full force.
"Don't sweat it, son, it happens when you're new. You'll learn as you go," Minato stated while the trio slowly got to the battlefield. Minato stopped on a dime high above the clouds with both Naruto and Mark stopping right behind him. From their vantage point, they watched as many aliens were shooting their weapons into a crowd of people.
Civilians were screaming, blood was flying, and bodies were piling up. Mark gained a disgusted look on his face, not used to the constant gore. His incredible eyesight allowed him to see the smallest of details, including the looks of fear on the corpses.
He could even see people lying on the cold concrete with their organs laid out. It was a hard sight for the teenager to digest.
Even the local police department was having trouble holding back the invading force. Their advanced technology and weapons were too much for the authorities to fight back. The police officers present were forced to take cover behind their cruisers for temporary protection.
"We have to help them!" Mark shouted out in alarm, with Naruto nodding right behind him. They both heard the screams and yells for help by both the police force and civilians. The chaos below was only beginning.
"Wait, focus!" Minato reprimanded, officially snapping into 'work' mode. "Rushing straight in would only be reckless! We need to think of a plan of action-"
Hearing a woman shriek, the three sharply turned their heads to see a mother cowering on the street. Upon closer inspection, they could see she was protecting her wailing infant wrapped up in her arms. They were cowering from the incoming danger.
Unfortunately, the invading force also heard her screams.
A nearby invader gained a cruel smirk and aimed their respective weapon toward the mother. With a sinister glint in its eye, the alien set its finger on the trigger. It took pleasure in watching the woman scream for her life.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" ("Shadow Clone Technique!")
Suddenly, hundreds of Naruto's appeared in mid-air, each with their black suit. Without saying another word, they all rushed forward to help the civilians caught in the crossfire.
"Dammit!" Minato clenched his teeth in irritation, watching as his son took off like a speeding bullet. He understood that it was his instinct to help others, but rushing blindly in would only lead to more problems down the road.
Following his friend's lead, Mark also shot forward to help anybody nearby. Rubbing his head for a second, Minato decided to try and play support for the team while the two evacuated the civilians. It seemed they didn't have time to form a plan.
BANG!
The alien's cruel smirk turned into that of confusion as he blinked a few times. Watching the smoke settle, he noticed that the human was nowhere to be seen. Instead of seeing scattered human remains, he only saw a scorch mark on the concrete.
Naruto had managed to scoop her up and fly away just in the nick of time. All before the alien could even notice him. It had all happened so fast.
"Thank you so much! Thank you!" The mother of one sobbed silently while holding the infant close to her chest. It was clear she was shaken up from the near-death experience.
"It's okay, you'll be fine." Naruto consoled gently, "Find shelter and get away from here as far as you can, it'll be over soon." It was a risky promise to keep as Naruto didn't even know if they could stop the invasion alone, but he didn't want the mother to freak out even more.
"Y-yes! Of course!" the woman nodded through teary eyes, "Thank you again! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here! Can I at least get your name?"
"I'm Nar-I mean I'm Maelstrom! Maelstrom!"
The woman smiled at the hero's slight mix-up, clearly realizing he must be new to the business. "Well Maelstrom, thank you! You saved my life as well as my baby's life! Thank you!"
The woman then ran off with her baby, disappearing after turning a destroyed street corner. Her footsteps echoed against the pavement as she ran for her life.
Turning his head around, Naruto noticed that his clones actually seemed to be dealing with the invading force rather easily. Some had been destroyed by lasers and other attacks, but a majority of them were holding their ground.
He could even see that the invading force was starting to struggle to gain more ground. Police officers and wounded civilians were still being evacuated, but it seemed to be a lot better than last time.
Glancing over, Naruto frowned as he watched Mark get tossed around from many of the tanks and weapons being shot at him rapidly. His best friend was slowly being overwhelmed by the constant enemies around him.
Wanting to give him a break, Naruto launched forward with a determined look on his face. His face was covered behind his helmet so he couldn't be recognized, but he didn't care about fame. He just wanted to make sure his friend was safe.
Flying and dodging the many lasers coming his way, Naruto flew with careful precision. The many flying exercises he had with his father were starting to kick in.
Just as he was about to help Mark, Naruto saw his best friend get hit with an energy blast from a tank of the invading force. It caused Mark to yell in pain and fly rapidly through the air uncontrollably. Naruto could even see a small stream of blood begin to drip down the hero's head.
"Mark!" Naruto shouted in worry with wide eyes. Just before he could act, the teen was surprised to see his father arrive in a blur. The older man gently caught Invincible to stop his wild spinning and help him fly upright.
"Oh, my head…I feel like I just went ten rounds in a washing machine…" Mark mumbled while shaking his head. Looking over his shoulder, the young hero gained a sheepish look, "Sorry about that Mr. Namikaze, I'll try to be better." It was rather embarrassing to be caught by your friend's dad, especially when it was your hero debut.
Similar to Omni-Man on missions, Minato had a firm look in his eyes but the words out of his mouth were kind, "It's okay Mark, but try to stick to the code names…" Looking over at his son, Minato narrowed his eyes, "You as well Naruto, I heard you shout Mark's name. He's Mark when you're hanging out as civilians or in private. Right now, he's Invincible. Understood?"
Not used to seeing his father so serious or stern, especially with him, Naruto could do nothing but nod. Despite the fact he might be doing better than Mark at the moment, he still had a long way to go if he wanted to be a professional hero.
Glancing over, Minato saw the clones his son summoned earlier fighting off the alien force. They weren't doing terribly, but he could see that the opponents were adapting. This would have to be dealt with swiftly.
Just before Minato could begin barking orders, they all heard a commotion from behind. The three heroes turned their heads to see many different heroes rushing in their direction. It only took them a moment to realize who it was.
"That's the Teen Team!" Naruto thought in shock, not expecting to see them suddenly. It was weird seeing such heroes online and then finally seeing them in person. It was like meeting a celebrity.
Mark was sharing a similar reaction to his friend.
Minato then felt a slight buzz on his earpiece before Cecil's voice came through, "I had them on call and decided to bring them in. Thought you could use the backup." The adult nodded, acknowledging the older man's words. Despite the fact he worked solo, he had worked with different teams and groups in the past.
The team landed before the trio, with an orange machine leading the group. It only took them a moment to speak in a monotone voice, "Greetings Steadfast, we are Teen Team. Cecil had us on standby and called us in as reinforcements to help with this invading force."
Looking over to see his son's clones still had the situation somewhat under control, Minato nodded. He had heard of Teen Team through some connections and knew they were on the upcoming. Despite the fact they were a newer group, they had made a small name for themselves.
Bowing slightly, the machine spoke once more, "I am Robot and leader of the Teen Team. Behind me are Atom Eve, Rex Splode, and Dupli-Kate. Despite my leadership, we are currently under your command at the moment. Please advise."
Minato raised a brow but assumed Cecil informed them to follow his orders. In terms of seniority, he was the most experienced at the moment. The only people who could rival him in terms of experience were Omni-Man and the Immortal who was now deceased.
If Robot was a human perhaps he would have created a bigger fuss over losing momentary control, but alas he wasn't familiar with emotions. In his eyes, the situation made the most sense if they followed Minato's orders at the moment.
"Alright," Minato nodded with a firm look on his face, "Teen Team, go ahead and evacuate any nearby civilians along with law enforcement officers. Make sure to look out for people under rubble and in any stores. We don't want someone to die simply because we couldn't a building. Once we get everyone out of here, I'll put a stop to this."
"Understood," Robot nodded before turning to his team. "Dupli-Kate, use your clones to scan any nearby buildings and evacuate as many civilians as you can. Rex, you and Eve will provide support and secure evacuations. I will be assisting in pushing back the invaders as well."
"Right," Dupli-Kate nodded before doing as told. The female hero was of Chinese descent with fair skin, short black hair, and gray eyes. Her suit followed a gray and black color scheme with a number in the center of the chest. She was 5'6 and stood with a serious expression on her face.
"Already on it!" Rex shouted with a smile before dashing off. The hero had olive-colored skin, green eyes, dark red hair, and stood at a height of 5'11. His suit was similar to a jacket with a red and yellow color pattern. He also wore a red mask with yellow goggles covering his eyes.
As for the last person on the team, Atom Eve didn't verbally respond. The female hero simply nodded before flying off to assist in the evacuations. She stood at a height of 5'8 with a curvy physique. She had long red hair, green eyes, and was fair-skinned just like Dupli-Kate. She had a tight pink suit with the atom molecule symbol on her chest. A long pink cape fluttered behind her just as she flew off.
"We're going to be assisting them as well," Minato turned toward his son and Mark. "Mark, go ahead and focus on evacuating any civilians you see. You can use your strength to help lift any rubble or overturned cars that might be trapping some people."
"But Mr. Nam- I mean Steadfast…" Mark quickly corrected himself, "I can help push back these guys! Let me help!"
"I am letting you help," Minato said while watching the Teen Team in action. The hero group were already underway in doing their respective parts. "Since you're new to this, I don't want to risk you getting hurt. Don't look down on saving lives Mark, it's just as important as eliminating the threats. Remember that."
"R-right…sorry about that," Mark mumbled lowly to himself. He didn't want the others to think he didn't care about saving lives, but he was just caught up in the action. He had to remind himself that this wasn't a game, these were real lives at stake. With one final nod, the new hero blasted away and began to help.
"As for me?" Naruto asked while watching the Teen Team assist his clones in both pushing back the aliens as well as assisting civilians. It was quite funny to see Dupli-Kate with a confused look on her face, clearly wondering how Naruto had such similar powers to her own.
"You're with me, we're going to be the main powerhouses and give these guys a reason to push back." Minato then motioned for his son to fly beside him, which he did. The father and son then shot off like a missile toward the invading force.
It would be a one-sided fight.
Pentagon – GDA Headquarters
"Talk to me Donald, what do we have," Cecil spoke as he dusted off his hands. The director had just finished taking care of business with another situation. The older man had walked into the main control room of the GDA headquarters with machinery surrounding him.
Rows and rows of computers filled the room while a giant screen was plastered in the middle for all to see. Multiple agents of the GDA were either filing paperwork, typing on a computer, or watching the screen in the middle of the room.
"Sir! It seems sending the Teen Team as reinforcements worked out as you said. They're currently assisting Steadfast, Maelstrom, and Invincible in pushing back the alien invaders!" Donald replied while looking Cecil in the eyes.
Tearing his gaze away to look at the screen, Cecil couldn't help but smirk at what he was seeing. They had deployed a few drones earlier to monitor the progress and it seemed to be paying off. He liked the results.
"Nearly all civilians and law enforcement officers have been rescued or are currently in transit to nearby hospitals. No structural collapses at this time as well as minimal damage to the surrounding area. In all honesty sir, they seem to be containing this incident rather well," Donald finished while also focusing his gaze on the screen in front of them.
Cecil let his eyes wander on the battle playing out in front of him. He watched as Steadfast and Maelstrom tore through another few tanks with their Ki blasts. Both father and son were demolishing with Steadfast taking the lead.
"Thank god we still have Minato on our side. He's probably the only other person on this planet that can match Nolan in strength, and he's showing it right now…" Cecil thought to himself. Just like with Omni-Man, he had offered Minato the chance to lead the Guardians of the Globe. However, the Saiyan refused his offer claiming he simply wanted to raise his son without any extra worries.
With Omni-Man in a medical coma and the Guardians of the Globe dead, Cecil had begun to worry the Earth would struggle for a while. They probably still would, but it was manageable with Steadfast taking the spotlight for once. It also helped that his son seemed to be holding his own.
"Sir, we have Channel 5 reporting in on the incident as it's happening. I thought you should be notified."
Looking over, Cecil realized it had been an employee a few rows down who said this. Nodding his head, he turned to Donald, "You heard the man Donald, tap into Channel 5 and let's see what we have."
"Right away sir!"
It only took Donald a few keystrokes before the screen shifted from their live drone footage to that of Channel 5. A newscaster could be seen hiding a few buildings away from where the fighting was going down.
"Damn, seems like the news works quickly these days…" Cecil thought with careful eyes. He knew that public perceptions were one of the biggest things and he was just about to see what the news made of this.
Looking back at the camera, the newscaster spoke in a surprised tone of voice, "We are live and witnessing something rather amazing in action! It looks like one of the newest hero groups, Teen Team, fighting back against an invading alien force! They are evacuating civilians and helping law enforcement!"
"Huh…some good PR for once…" Cecil chuckled to himself quietly. He didn't expect it, but he would take it. It was nice to hear something positive for once in the news.
"Alongside Teen Team, we have the powerhouse that is Steadfast! It is rare to see him in action like this due to his rather reclusive nature, but it seems they are working together!"
Feeling a whoosh of air above them, the newscaster looked ahead to see another hero in yellow and blue fly away with a few civilians. Panning the camera over, the newscaster began his report again.
"It looks like a new hero is making a name for themselves. Whoever this is, has just evacuated more people out of the danger zone! I'd wager they're coming back to help some more!"
Suddenly, the camera man shouted with a frantic voice, "WATCH OUT!"
The newscaster turned his head to see something that made his heart stop. It seemed one of the aliens in the distance was aiming their blaster straight at them. In a split second, a beam of energy came shooting at insane speed.
Thankfully, they were saved just in time.
Just as the beam made contact, smoke filled their vision before it slowly dissipated.
"Ugh…" Naruto grunted as he took the force of the last into his body. He had heard some shouting and put two and two together before the alien could fire his blaster. Deciding on the quickest course of action, the new hero decided to just tank the blast himself before it could kill the news crew.
It stung, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. His father punched harder than these things hurt anyway.
"You guys alright?" Naruto asked while keeping his eyes on the alien. He could see it sneer in disgust before raising its blaster once more.
"Y-yes! Thank you Mr…?"
"Maelstrom. Call me Maelstrom."
Without another second to talk, Naruto shot forward and grabbed the alien by the front of his shirt. With a shout, the Saiyan threw him hard against one of the tanks and watched as it slumped over, unconscious.
Shaken but alive, the newscaster returned to his broadcast, "I-it seems we were saved by another new hero. He calls himself Maelstrom! He, along with another hero in yellow, seems to be assisting against the invading force. Whoever you are Maelstrom, we at Channel 5 thank you!"
"Not bad kid…" Cecil shook his head with a smile. It was hard performing in a hero debut especially when you felt every mistake was a step backward. However, it seemed the teenager was doing well in an already stressful situation. If he kept this up, he could see the kid possibly rise in fame to that of his father.
He also felt that using Invincible to evacuate more people was the right call. The kid was just too green for combat, but he could at least use his powers to help those in danger. Everyone was playing their part perfectly.
"Looks like this will be wrapping up soon."
"What makes you say that sir?" Donald asked with a raised brow.
"All civilians have been evacuated and Minato has the look in his eyes when it's time to get serious. Either he's about to do something that will end this or close to it."
His words were proven right only moments later.
"Everyone, stand back and allow me to finish this off!" Minato said in a loud, firm voice. Despite the chaos surrounding them, everyone could hear him.
"Now that all innocents are gone, I can let loose a little without risking lives…" Minato thought to himself with narrowed eyes. His black and red outfit shined under the bright sun, giving an almost menacing look to him.
All tanks were disabled and many of the invading troops were stuck behind cover. They had lost many of their people out in the open, so they had taken to staying behind cover. Whether it was rubble, cars, or other debris, they were not coming out unless they had to shoot.
"Maelstrom, can you push back all the remaining troops into the portals behind them?"
"Sure, no problem," Naruto smiled while floating beside his father. All the clones he initially summoned had mainly died out at this point, but it was worth it in his mind. Each clone took out about one to three aliens before dispelling. Shadow clones were worth their weight in chakra.
"Let us retreat for now," Robot commanded to his team in a monotone voice. "It seems Steadfast is going to finish this fight."
"I get that he's one of the top dogs, but shouldn't we at least help a little?" Rex asked while throwing a few more explosions at some aliens behind cover. "I mean, how is this new guy gonna push all these assholes back at once?"
Robot didn't answer but instead flew a few meters backward. Irritated at being ignored, Rex followed suit but mumbled a few curses under his breath. If there was one thing he hated, it was being ignored.
Atom Eve and Dupli-Kate also followed the rest of their team and gained some distance from the invading force. If one of the top heroes in the world told you to back up, you backed up. Besides, they were close enough to help in case things went sideways.
"Go ahead and start sending them back in," Minato ordered to his son. In that moment, the father held his palm outward and concentrated a high amount of Ki in his hand. The blue energy formed into a small sphere in the center of his palm.
"Got it!" Naruto said before taking a deep breath. It was time to show what else he could do besides being a brawler. It was time to bust out more tools in his arsenal.
"Time to show that all those chakra control exercises were worth it…" Naruto thought to himself. He had only spent chakra earlier summoning the shadow clones so he still had much more left, but what he was about to do required quite a bit of it.
"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" ("Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!")
Suddenly, hundreds of fresh Naruto clones spawned in at a moment's notice. Each clone had its respective nano suit on with no distinguishable differences from the original. They were lined up beside one another, with their father in the center.
"Follow my lead!" The original Naruto shouted out loud. Even some of the invading troops stopped momentarily, cautious at seeing this technique from their enemy once more. With a deep breath, Naruto proceeded to launch his attack.
Pouring enough chakra to make this traditional C-rank technique into an A-rank technique, everyone in the nearby vicinity watched with amazement. Almost as if by instinct, the helmet of the nano suit disappeared so nothing would interfere with the attack.
"Fūton: Daitoppa!" ("Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!")
Each clone followed the original's lead and channeled chakra for the wind technique. In one fell swoop, a harsh wind flooded the street. If it wasn't for the controlled flow and straight stream, the nearby buildings would have been damaged as well.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Rex shouted in surprise, not believing his eyes. Not only did this new hero manage to summon hundreds of copies, but he proceeded to release a small hurricane from his mouth alongside his copies. "WHAT AM I WATCHING!?"
"It's…It's incredible!" Eve couldn't fathom the power she was witnessing. Sure, she had seen Omni-Man on TV take on some world threats. But this was a different kind of power. This was something new. Something that didn't rely on brute strength, but cunning strategy and planning.
"I see why we were advised to retreat once evacuations were completed. It would not have been wise to be caught in the middle of that," Robot mentioned aloud but nearly no one paid attention to him. They were more captivated at the sight before them.
Dupli-Kate wondered if this new hero could be related to her family. She hadn't met anyone else outside of her family who could make copies of themselves. It was rather jarring to see someone else with her power.
High above the sky, Invincible watched with wide eyes. The new hero had just returned from dropping off more people at nearby hospitals. With that task completed, he had returned to witness what was going on.
Looking down below, Mark didn't realize his friend could do so many unique things. He was only familiar with his friend's strength and Ki manipulation. This was new to him…but it also made him want to see what else Naruto could do.
"GRAH!" Many of the invading troops could only growl and snarl as they were resisting the harsh winds around them. Despite their intense struggle, they were all flung away through the air. Tanks, troops, weapons, and even some street debris were flung into the open portals behind them.
One by one, everything was being flung back into the portal. The harsh winds were just too strong to fight against. Even the strongest troops and heaviest machinery were being flung through the portals.
"YEAH! SEND THEM BACK ALRIGHT!"
"THOSE MONSTERS KILLED MY WIFE!"
"KILL THEM! DON'T LET THEM RETURN!"
Turning around, Invincible saw a small crowd of civilians cheering on his friend. They were a few blocks away and being held back by law enforcement officers, but they were still cheering nonetheless. Mark assumed they were some of the people directly impacted by the sudden invasion.
Narrowing his eyes, Mark could see a newscaster broadcasting the event with the civilian crowd. He couldn't exactly make out what he was saying due to the harsh winds blocking out most noise, but he assumed it was regarding the alien invasion.
Seeing that most of the troops were funneled in, along with their weapons, Minato gave a loud shout. Charging his Ki to the point a faint outline could be seen around his body, Steadfast allowed the sphere of Ki to shoot forward from his palm.
With perfect accuracy, the sphere shot forward faster than a bullet and was absorbed into the portal. A few seconds later, everyone saw all the portals simultaneously close. There was a few seconds of stunned silence.
The dispelling of all the clones interrupted the quiet atmosphere.
"Yeah baby, we did it! Come on Robot, give me five!" Rex shouted with a wild grin on his face. Turning to his robotic friend, Rex felt the smile slip away. All he could see was an unblinking expression on the machine.
"Incredible…this guy is just full of surprises!" Eve thought to herself with crossed arms. It was crazy to think that someone this powerful had been under the radar for this long. She assumed if someone this strong was among them, they would have been revealed by now.
"I hope I'm not out of a job…" Dupli-Kate mumbled to herself while watching the civilians cheer. Someone other than her brother or her could now also make copies of themselves. It left a lot of questions in her mind.
Unlike the rest of his team, Robot looked on with analytical eyes. He didn't speak aloud but instead allowed his thoughts to take over.
"My data shows that not many heroes have multiple abilities. Those that do, typically fall under energy manipulation like Atom Eve. I wonder if this new hero is perhaps holding back other skills as well. This will require more data scans."
Robot knew they weren't a threat, but the machine always made a note to study up on things that caught its attention. As of now, Naruto was the next anomaly to be uncovered.
"Holy shit…" Mark ran a hand through his hair while talking softly, "Never knew Naruto could do that…" It was clear there was a lot of catching up to do with his best friend.
Now that the threat was gone, law enforcement officers began approaching them. Everyone knew the cleanup would be tiring, but at least they were safe for now.
The Next Day – Reginald Vel Johnson High School
"Dude, you are so telling me how you were doing those things yesterday!" Mark exclaimed as he was walking down the hallway. Beside him was his best friend and fellow warrior, Naruto Uzumaki.
After the invasion was dealt with, all of the heroes were recalled while GDA agents went in to fix any mess left behind. A few of the dead troops were carried away while some other civilians' bodies were recovered.
That didn't leave much time for Naruto and Mark to talk, but now they had a chance. And Mark was taking advantage of every second he had to grill his friend.
"I mean really, spitting air out of your mouth like that! Not to mention all those…copies? Clones? Whatever they were! You were doing shit straight out of a comic book man!" Mark said while elbowing his buddy in the side. It was a playful jest. "As best friend, I get all rights to know this kind of stuff…"
Chuckling at Mark's behavior, Naruto began to respond, "Okay okay calm down you weirdo…" Adjusting his backpack strap, the teen continued, "…what you saw me do yesterday was just some Chakra manipulation and techniques I had been working on for a while."
Mark nodded, understanding what Naruto was referring to. Given that he had known about his friend's sealed fox, Mark had become accustomed to what Chakra was. It was just different seeing it in action.
"I've been trying to expand what I could do, you know? Never know when the situation might call for a fire to be put out, or if I needed clones to face an army…I just get these thoughts sometimes so I want to make sure I'm as prepared as possible."
Mark looked ahead before responding, "Nah, I get it. Sometimes I worry that I'm not prepared or ready for whatever the situation might need…I mean if it wasn't for your dad telling me what to do, I might've been crushed yesterday. I was running around like a headless chicken, I still need more training."
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself! You did great the other day! I even saw the recording of the news, they caught when you took those people to the hospital!"
"Yeah, but I'm still learning things about my powers, makes me realize just how much of a rookie I am…" Mark sighed, "Sorry for the depressing mood, but I just need more experience. I hurt some of those people that I flew to the hospital by accident. I didn't think that flying too fast would give them whiplash, or that grabbing them by their arms to lift them up would cause them to bruise so easily. Just things like that…"
"That's called learning how to control your strength," Naruto smiled before slinging his arm over Mark's shoulders, "I was the same way when I started my training. I couldn't tell you how many plates I accidentally snapped or the amount of times I broke the string on my dad's lawnmower."
Mark chuckled, "Your dad's lawnmower? Seriously?"
"It's true…" Naruto nodded with a grin, "Every time I pulled the cord to rev it up, it snapped off. Dad had to go to the department store about five times before he just mowed the grass. That's when I learned we have to be careful in a world that feels like cardboard sometimes."
"Yea…I can relate to that…" Mark mumbled while thinking about his own moments. He had thrown trash into space by accident, snapped his toothbrush in half while daydreaming, and broke a controller when he raged too hard in a video game. That last one sucked too because he had to use some of his money to buy a new one.
The two teens then arrived at Naruto's locker, stopping momentarily. Withdrawing his arm from Mark's shoulders, the Saiyan began ruffling through his backpack before adjusting his books. As he did this, he spoke aloud to Mark.
"At least we got some positive news coverage, that's gotta count for something!" Naruto said as he put away his science textbook. "We both made a pretty good debut if you ask me."
"Of course, you'd bring that up…" Mark replied while leaning against the lockers with crossed arms, "You were the one to save that news crew. It's a shame they inflated your already huge ego, now I have to suffer the consequences…"
"Ha-ha…" Naruto dryly laughed before shutting his locker door, "You're just jealous that I'm awesome but it's okay, I'd be jealous too if I was in your position…"
"Oh yeah?" Mark said with a raised brow and sly grin, "If we're being honest, the only thing I'm jealous of is-"
"Mark!"
Both teens glanced over to see Amber Bennett approaching them. The blond-haired girl had a small smile on her face with a few textbooks in her hands. She quickly stopped in front of the duo before greeting Naruto. The Saiyan simply responded with a quick 'Hey' and smile.
Sensing that the two might want some alone time, Naruto placed his hand on Mark's shoulder, "I'll be leaving you two alone…" Leaning into his friend's ear, the teen whispered out quickly, "…meet me later today and we can have a spar or two, we can catch up after…"
Feeling the rush of excitement enter his body, Mark gave a quick nod before the Saiyan walked off with a smile. He waved Amber goodbye just before he walked down the hall and took a sharp left. He didn't want to intrude on them.
Just before Naruto could get lost in thought, he saw something unexpected. Down the hall, all by herself, was the hero Atom Eve. Of course she wasn't dressed up in her usual costume, instead she was wearing blue pants, a jean jacket, and a yellow shirt.
"How did I not notice it before? Atom Eve is Eve Wilkins! Even their names are similar…" Naruto mentally facepalmed himself at the sudden realization. Eve was well known throughout their high school for her good looks and kind nature. Barely putting the pieces together made Naruto feel rather dumb.
It didn't help that it was so obvious before. Eve's long red hair looked exactly like that of Atom Eve's. Their facial structure was a dead giveaway and yet he hadn't realized it either. He didn't realize just how good Eve was at hiding in plain sight.
"She's so pretty…" The Saiyan almost felt a blush crawl up his face at seeing the heroine up close. She was a rather attractive young woman after all.
However, it seemed Naruto's mental conflict had caught the attention of the female hero. She looked over to see the black-haired teen staring off into space while looking in her general direction. Confused, Eve walked over and waved her hand in front of the Saiyan's face.
"Hello? Everything okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah sorry about that!" Naruto snapped out of his thoughts with a sheepish grin. Rubbing the back of his head with one hand, the teen spoke in a nervous tone. "I didn't mean to startle you or anything, I was actually about to go up and talk to you…"
"Hmm? Do I know you?" Eve asked with a slight head tilt. To her knowledge, this was the first time speaking to the teen. Their high school was so massive that some students could go all four years and never encounter each other. Also, she would have remembered speaking to someone with whisker marks on their cheeks.
"Not exactly, we kinda met yesterday during the whole…invasion thing…" Naruto whispered the last part out, not wanting any students to overhear.
"You were there?" Eve thought before her eyes lit up, "Oh, you were the guy in the black and yellow suit right?"
"Uh no, that was my friend. I was the guy in the black and orange suit…the one with the red spiral on the back…" Naruto mumbled on, not sure if he should continue in risk of embarrassing himself. He thought he had made a memorable impact yesterday but the glazed look in Eve's eyes made him think she didn't know what he was talking about.
However, Naruto mistook the look in Eve's eyes. Eve wasn't oblivious to what he was referencing, she was in shock that such a powerful individual was a teenager. Just like her.
"He can't be much older than me and he's in high school…but he's the guy that produced those strong winds yesterday!" Eve was wondering how the world could be so small for them to be in the same high school. The actions of the Saiyan were still the talk of the town in her group.
In fact, even after they had left, the only thing that the Teen Team could talk about was how the new hero did so much. From what they had seen, the hero could not only tank attacks, fly at high speeds, clone himself, but also manipulate wind. And that was after they all agreed it was only the tip of the iceberg.
"I'm new to this whole hero thing but I just wanted to introduce myself. That's why I wanted to speak with you…" Naruto said with a nervous smile.
"So you are that new guy from yesterday!" Eve said with a snap of her fingers, "Yeah dude I totally remember you! You did pretty well all things considered for your first time."
"Thanks, it wasn't easy," Naruto replied as the nervousness slowly left his body. At least Eve recognized who he was, that made things easier.
Eve smiled before looking around. After realizing that most students were walking to class, she leaned in and whispered, "My real name is Eve Wilkins but I go by Atom Eve. Most people just call me Eve."
Following her lead, Naruto also whispered back, "I go by Maelstrom, but my real name is Naruto. It's nice to meet you, Eve!"
Leaning back slightly, Eve got a good look at the teen. Naruto stood at an impressive height of 6'0 for a seventeen-year-old teenager. His black hair, violet eyes, and whisker marks gave him a certain charm. A pendant hung from his neck that stayed over his shirt. Upon closer inspection, she could see it was a crimson, spinning swirl.
"So Naruto," Eve smiled, "How are you liking the hero stint so far? Is it everything you hoped for?"
"Well, it has its perks. Positive news coverage, saving lives… more followers on social media…" Eve snorted in amusement at this. Shrugging, Naruto continued, "But I definitely need some pointers and tips on how to go about it."
"Then allow me to help fill in the gaps," Eve said before turning, "Shoot me your questions and I'll help out in any way I can."
"Thanks," Naruto smiled before following after the female. The two got lost in conversation as they walked down the hall together.
It seemed school had just gotten a lot more interesting for the Saiyan.
Pentagon – GDA Headquarters
"I poured enough energy in that last attack to destroy half of Asia. They're not going to be back for a while, if they even survive it to begin with," Minato reported while leaning against the wall. He was reporting back to Cecil regarding the invasion.
"Good, should make them reconsider attacking us again. Nothing speaks better than getting your ass whooped," Cecil spoke while typing away at a computer. A few seconds later, the man stood up before looking over at the Saiyan.
Nodding in appreciation, Cecil continued, "Thank you for the help yesterday, we really needed it. With the Guardians dead and Nolan incapacitated, I didn't know who else to turn to. We expected a casualty count of three hundred or more, but instead, it was only a third of that."
"Think nothing of it, I don't mind doing my job," Minato waved off. The man preferred staying hidden is possible. As long as his son was safe and he was providing a roof over their heads, he was fine.
Chuckling, Cecil shook his head, "Speaking of, I heard your son made something of a name yesterday. Forming clones, spitting wind…I'm still getting calls from people asking where I hid him for so long. It's been quite a headache how much ruckus he's made already."
"That sounds like my son," Minato smiled with closed eyes.
"That being said, I wanted to ask what else he could do. I'd prefer to know the full capabilities of all heroes I employ, makes it a lot easier to do my job," Cecil said with a curious gaze. If he truly wanted Naruto in the field, it would be easier to know what he was able to do.
Minato simply shrugged, "Don't ask me, ask my son. He likes to keep some things hidden and only reveal them when necessary. You're better off talking to him directly."
"Fair enough," Cecil spoke, "I was also wondering if you planned to take your son in the field now?"
"That's something I wanted to speak about actually," Minato pushed himself off the wall, "I think he's ready to accompany me on missions now. Anytime you call me, expect my son to be there. Unless you need him or me specifically, we'll be doing joint operations."
"I wouldn't expect anything else…" Just before Cecil could continue, he got a buzz on his phone. Looking over the message quickly, the man scowled before putting away the phone. "Looks like I have to meet with someone right away. Sorry about that."
Cecil began to walk away with a sour expression on his face. Just before the director crossed the double doors into the hallway, he looked over his shoulder, "I'll be sending pay for the invasion soon enough. If I need you, I'll call."
Minato nodded, satisfied with the agreement.
The two men soon left, each with their own task at hand.
"Hey Dad!"
Minato walked into his home to an amusing sight. Sitting in their living room was Naruto along with Atom Eve, both in civilian attire. The two had been talking just before the father walked in.
"Your dad is Steadfast?!" Eve said in shock, witnessing the famed superhero. Minato had walked in with his hero suit on after speaking to Cecil. "No wonder you're so strong…" She whispered out the final part in amazement.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that," Naruto said with a sheepish grin.
Walking in, Minato smiled as Eve stood up right away. He wasn't used to his son bringing over friends unless they were Mark. Reaching out a hand, Minato spoke out, "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise sir! I'm Atom Eve but I mainly go by Eve."
Chuckling, Minato spoke, "Well I'm Steadfast but any friend of my son can call me Minato. Thank you for helping us the other day, we appreciate it. Especially since it was my son's debut to the world."
"Of course! We were actually just talking about it!" Eve said with a smile on her face. "He came up to me in school and explained who he was. I was just giving him some tips."
"Good, it's about time he made more friends," Minato laughed while Naruto gained a red hue on his cheeks. "Anyway, I'll let you two kids have fun. I'll be upstairs if you need me. Feel free to grab anything from the fridge."
With a final glance to his embarrassed son, Minato began walking up the stairs. Just before he reached the top, the Saiyan reached into his pocket. Retrieving an envelope, he quickly threw it to his son.
Despite the quick throw, Naruto caught it in his hand with confusion written all over his face.
He answered the unsaid question, "That's your pay for helping yesterday, almost forgot to give it to you. Keep working and you can expect this kind of money." With everything sorted, the father made his way up. He was ready for a shower.
Slowly tearing the envelope open, Naruto unfolded his check only for his eyes to widen. It was a rather large amount of money. Feeling curious, Eve almost took a peek to see what it was.
"Now I know how dad can afford the house…" Naruto said while looking over his first hero check. Folding it back up, he looked over to Eve, "I have to deposit this in my bank, wanna tag along?"
Looking at the time, the female frowned, "Sorry I would, but I have some plans with my boyfriend soon."
"No worries then," Naruto replied with a smile. He didn't expect Eve to have a boyfriend, but it didn't matter to him at the moment. The two had just met earlier today after all.
"Before I go…" Handing her phone over to the Saiyan, Eve smiled, "Put your number in so we can hang out again sometime. We can even talk about more hero stuff and show you the ropes a little better."
"For sure," Naruto nodded before doing exactly that. After putting his number and saving it under 'Naruto,' the teen handed it back.
"Awesome! I'll see you at school tomorrow!"
With a wave, Eve walked out the front door before flying off. Watching his friend, Naruto quickly saw the girl disappear within seconds.
Grabbing his phone, Naruto proceeded to dial. After a few seconds of it ringing, the user on the other end picked up.
"Hello?"
"Mark, you won't believe who I met today!"
"Who?"
"Eve Wilkins dude! Not only that, but she's Atom Eve!"
A few seconds of silence followed before a shout, "SHE'S ATOM EVE!"
Naruto nodded, "Yep! And I told her we were helping out yesterday so she knows we're heroes! We're making big waves man!"
"Dude, I am so jealous you met her before me…" Mark said in a gloomy tone before perking up, "But I didn't have to bad of a day either!"
"Really? What happened?"
"Well you remember how Amber came up to talk to me?" After hearing Naruto hum a confirmation, Mark continued, "…She basically asked if we wanted our date to be tomorrow night and I said yes! We're going to be watching a movie and heading to a restaurant man! This is like my first official date ever!"
Naruto grinned on the other end of the phone, "She's definitely into you man! You have to make sure not to screw this up!"
"Oh trust me I have it all planned out! I'm gonna take her to see this horror movie I've heard a lot about. After that, I made some reservations at this Italian place I think she'll love. I even went out a bought a new outfit today!"
"I'm excited for you man, sounds like it's gonna be great," Naruto replied. A small pause overtook the conversation before Naruto shifted on the couch, "…I was also wondering if you're still down for that spar I mentioned earlier? Maybe we can even play some games after."
"Oh yeah, I'm so down," Mark grinned on the other end of the phone. "Suit up and meet around 8PM?"
"That works for me!"
"Good…and when I kick your ass, you have to buy me that new Seance Dog issue that just came out!"
Naruto chuckled, "Fine, but if I kick your ass then you have to buy me some ramen! Actual ramen from a restaurant, minimum of five bowls!"
Mark shuddered at the threat, he knew just how much of a ramen freak his friend was. "I'm not doing five bowls! Two bowls max!"
"Four bowls!"
"Three bowls!"
"Deal!" Naruto smirked, "Get ready Invincible, I don't play around with my ramen!"
The duo laughed before hanging up, each feeling excited for their upcoming spar.
Flying through the air was a breeze for the female hero known as Atom Eve. She was rather experienced so it wasn't too difficult to navigate in the sky. She was currently donning her hero outfit with pink trails coming out of her palms and feet.
With a soft landing, the teen landed atop a skyscraper overlooking the city. Forming a small smile, she took in the view. The sun was beginning to go down so she got an even more beautiful sight. The orange hue of the sunset added to the experience.
Just before she could soak it in anymore, she received another text on her phone. Unlocking it, the teen was surprised to read what was said.
"Sorry for this…but I have to cancel. Some things came up and I got busy."
"Ugh, I can't believe this right now," Eve muttered with a frown. With a huff, the female began typing a response before stopping. With narrowed eyes, she decided to delete the draft and instead press the phone symbol.
Putting the phone up to her ear, she heard it ring before a voice on the other end picked up.
"Hello?"
"Rex, where are you?"
"Listen, babe, I'm sorry but some things came up!" Rex said before Eve heard another noise in the background. She couldn't be sure, but it sounded a lot like Rex was at some sort of event.
"I only agreed on this because you said you wanted to make up for being distant lately!" Eve argued on the phone with a frown. "Now you're telling me you're bailing out? Seriously Rex?"
Sighing, Rex replied, "…no you're right, I'll head over right away. I'm sorry, I just lost track of time and -"
"No…no forget it," Eve shook her head in frustration, "Clearly I wasn't important enough for you to show up. Don't bother."
"No Eve it's not like that-!"
Before the hero could continue, Eve decided to hang up the call. With a frustrated huff, she ignored Rex's follow-up call. At the moment, she didn't really want to talk to her boyfriend.
Sitting down with her legs pulled up, the teen contemplated her relationship. While she did love Rex, things had started straining lately. The past few months had been proof of that. Something in their relationship had just started…dying.
Rex was a handful and could be a jerk at times, but she didn't think he would forget something like this. It really hurt her feelings that he would push her aside, especially in a moment like this.
She didn't want to admit that her love life was falling apart, but it was becoming clear that it was. The worst part was she didn't know if things were going to get better. It was a whirlwind of emotions.
Things had been so much different when they first started dating. Back then, Rex seemed to be much more…soft. He listened to her, helped her, and cared for her. But lately, she wasn't feeling much of it anymore.
She had tried bringing up how she felt, but each time Rex either blew it off or treated it like no big deal. The most recent situation being a perfect example of that. It was starting to wear her down emotionally and she didn't know what to do.
A part of her still loved Rex, that much was clear, but it was hurting her to stay. She wanted to keep trying, but it felt like Rex didn't care. The worst part was that she didn't have many people to turn to for help.
"They say being in a relationship should be a partnership…but I feel so alone right now…" Eve thought while overlooking the city. Sighing once more, the female hero allowed a few more moments of peace to overtake her.
Soon enough she would fly away, face reality, and put on a smile again. She had to.
However for now, she could soak up her thoughts. All the negative and positives were weighing heavily in her mind. So much to think about.
Atom Eve could wait, right now, she wanted to be Eve Wilkins.
"You ready to take your beating like a man?" Naruto smirked while cracking his knuckles. Both teens were flying high in the sky with their respective suits on. "I'm not going to go as easy as I did the first time. You have some experience in you now, so get ready for a tougher challenge."
Bringing his fists up, Mark responded, "We'll just have to see about that. Don't take it hard if you're the one going down."
"We'll just have to see about that," Naruto smirked, "…Loser is whoever yields first. No maiming or lethal shots, let's just test how far we've come."
"I know what a spar is for," Mark chuckled, "You might've started training before me, but I'm no complete rookie. Just come at me and we'll see who's better." The teen was feeling his body tingle with excitement. Whether it was their 'manly' nature or warrior blood, neither teen backed down from sparring.
It was one of the only times they could use their real strength without worrying if the other person would burst like a balloon. Plus, it helped both of them improve. Solid training partners were hard to come across as a human, but as a hero, it was nearly impossible. Especially when you reach a certain strength.
"Let's go then!"
With that said the second official spar between both teens began.
Taking the lead, Naruto shot forward in a burst of speed. Without wasting a second, the Saiyan delivered a left jab to Mark's head. Barely reacting in time, Mark brought his arm up to defend. The blow was blocked but Mark winced behind the power of the punch.
"Damn…Naruto's punches were always stronger than mine," Mark thought while preparing to counterattack. Unfortunately, his best friend didn't give him the chance.
After having his jab blocked, Naruto gave a spinning hook kick with his right foot. The armored leg made contact with Mark's jaw and jerked the hero's head to the side. A small particle of saliva escaped Mark's mouth.
Deciding to push his luck even further, Naruto delivered a Double Axe Handle onto Mark's back which launched the teen into the ground. Not wanting Mark to recover, Naruto chased after him.
This time, however, Mark had enough. Quickly re-balancing himself, the new hero saw his friend coming straight for him. In a split second, Mark dodged Naruto's punch and returned with one of his own.
The speed of the punch caught Naruto off guard which resulted it in landing. The Saiyan felt Mark's body weight lean into the punch, making it have a much harder effect as well. Jerking his head to the side, Naruto was monetarily stunned.
Mark then delivered a harsh uppercut into his friend's stomach, causing Naruto to bend in half slightly. With a shout, the teen allowed his punch to follow through and shoot his friend across the sky.
This time, Naruto re-balanced himself mid-air. After doing so, he looked on with a proud smile on his face.
"Well would you look at that, not half bad for being new to this whole fighting thing," Naruto spoke, "I could feel you throwing a proper punch and that uppercut wasn't half bad either."
"Thanks, I've been practicing a few things in private," Mark shrugged with a nonchalant grin. "But let's keep going, I'm nowhere near finished yet!"
Naruto didn't respond but instead gave a nod. He didn't know why, but the longer the spar dragged out, the more he felt his blood pumping. It was like something…primal in him was thirsting for the battle. The chance to get stronger, faster…better.
While Mark may not have known it, Naruto was holding back quite a bit. First off, he wasn't using his chakra or Ki in the fight. He didn't want to risk hurting Mark in an attack in case his body couldn't handle it yet.
Secondly, even with just using his raw strength, speed, and power, Naruto was miles ahead. Mark was just too new in getting his powers, he didn't have the experience or training that his friend had. While the half-Saiyan was no Omni-Man or Steadfast, he knew he was miles ahead of the average hero.
However, despite their power gap, Naruto knew it wouldn't last forever. Mark was just too persistent and determined to be a better hero, he knew his friend would get stronger. For years, Mark talked about how he wished he had powers and his desire to be just like his dad. Now that he had the chance, Naruto was sure his friend wouldn't waste it.
Granted, that also meant he wouldn't lag behind. Just because he might be better now, he knew it wouldn't stay like that forever. If he wanted to keep providing a challenge to his friend, he would have to get better.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto watched as Invincible rushed him head-on. Ducking under a kick, Naruto gave a sharp elbow into Mark's side. Hearing a gasp from the hero, Naruto knew the air had momentarily been sucked out of his lungs.
A moment later, Naruto grabbed his friend's leg before spinning around rapidly. At first, it was rather slow, but it slowly started gaining momentum with winds rushing by them. If anyone looked up at the moment, they would see something similar to a spinning top toy.
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto let go after reaching a high velocity. He watched as his friend crash landed into the Earth and skidded across the dirt. Despite the momentum, Mark's suit didn't seem to have a tear on it.
Groaning, Mark stood up with a dizzy head. Shaking it off, he looked up to see his friend waiting for him. "Man I did not expect you to do something like that…where did you even come up with that?"
Naruto simply shrugged in response, "I just thought of it in the moment. I like planning on the fly, it's worked for me so far."
"Well it looks like I'll have to pay that back," Mark smirked despite the small headache coming on. He knew in a real fight, the opponent would've capitalized on his disoriented state. That's why these spars helped him improve, especially since he was still new.
Shooting off the ground with a jump, Mark prepared to get back into the fight. Just before he could put his next plan into action, both teens heard his phone ring loudly.
Stopping in mid-air, Mark brought his hands up in a 'T' pose, the universal sign for a timeout. Nodding, Naruto simply floated beside his friend as he answered the call. It wasn't fun fighting if your opponent was distracted.
"Hey Mom, what's up?" Mark answered with a kind tone. A few seconds of silence passed before Naruto say Mark's eyes widen considerably. Another few seconds passed before Invincible said another word.
"Really? Just right now?!" The words were almost screamed in disbelief which worried Naruto. He wondered what was so important to garner such a reaction. "Yeah of course, I'll be right there! Just give me a few minutes!"
Invincible ended the call before looking up at his friend, "Sorry for that, but I just got news that my dad's finally awake!"
"T-that's great man!" Naruto replied. It was a pleasant surprise that his friend's father was back up and running so quickly. Omni-Man's condition had been rather severe beforehand, it just went to show how tough the man was. "Forget the spar, go see him!"
Mark nodded, "We'll have to finish it some other time…especially since I was winning!" Before his friend could get another word in, Invincible blasted off through the air toward his father's location.
"No way were you winning! I was dominating that fight!" Naruto tried to shout out to his friend. He was flying further and further away each second, "Since you left that's technically a disqualification! That means I win! We agreed on three bowls! Three bowls!"
Mark simply chuckled and shook his head in amusement. While Naruto couldn't see it, small streams of water ran down his face as he raced faster to his father. He was overjoyed that he was awake again. The tears of joy he had only further proved it.
For now, the hero stuff could wait. His father was awake and his family was healing again. That's all that mattered at the moment.
Plus, he was rather excited to share so many things with his father. So much had happened while he was unconscious. He looked forward to it.
Naruto crossed his arms just before his friend reached out of eyesight distance. He would normally be there with him, but he could tell this was more of a private family moment. Once Omni-Man was up and running again, he would swing by.
Looking at his phone, Naruto realized not much time had passed since their spar began. Not wanting the night to go to waste, he decided to do some more training.
"Eh, I could work on my Ki techniques…or maybe I can actually practice that fire Jutsu in Dad's scroll I've been trying to get down…" Naruto reasoned in his mind. "…or I could work on my Fuinjutsu. And I think my chakra control could use some more refining…and maybe I can actually speak to this stupid fox for more than two minutes at a time…"
The more he thought about it, Naruto realized he could use the extra training. While he was powerful in his own right, there was still so much more to work on. If his father wasn't asleep at the moment, he would've asked for his help.
It didn't bother him too much, he'd trained by himself before. He was rather accustomed to using his clones as training dummies. It also helped that he used the clones to practice Chakra and Ki attacks. Gaining the clone's memories was so useful in learning things quickly. It was his little cheat code.
Without another thought, the teen shot forward through the sky. A dark Ki outline surrounded his body while zooming forward, showing just how much power Naruto was exerting to get there even faster. Just thinking about training was getting his blood pumping.
He had a few training locations in mind. Sometimes he liked practicing new stuff in the Sahara Desert, Amazon rainforest, and even the South Pole. However, he decided to use one of his more secretive training grounds today. His location: Ducie Island. One of the most remote islands in the world.
It was perfect for using his stronger stuff without risk to the environment or people. With his location secured, Naruto shot off in the sky. The night was just beginning but Naruto knew he would be gone for hours.
It was another night of bone-crushing training and he loved it.
However, his long night of excitement had to be put on hold for the time being. His phone began ringing which stopped him in his tracks. Retrieving the device, Naruto saw that it was a private caller reaching him.
Debating on answering the phone, Naruto eventually decided to do so, "Hello?"
"Kid, glad you answered, we need some help on a situation."
"Cecil? Is this you?" Naruto asked with a raised brow. He could recognize the man's voice instantly over the phone.
"Yeah sorry about the random call but you turned in your earpiece yesterday and we didn't have another way to reach you."
"How'd you get my number? I don't remember giving it out."
"Trust me when I say we have our ways," Cecil said on the other end before shifting the conversation, "But I need some help at the moment and you're the only one available. Are you up for another job?"
"Umm…sure," Naruto said with a blink. He had wanted to become a hero and save people just like his father, now it was time to prove it. "But why not contact Omni-Man or my father if it's something this urgent?"
"Omni-Man is barely waking up from a medical coma, I'd rather not hassle him if I don't have to," Cecil said in a calm tone. However, Naruto felt like the man had said something with a hidden meaning. It was quick and he almost didn't notice it, but it was a shift in tone. "Plus your father isn't answering his earpiece or phone at the moment. Invincible is too green for my liking, so you're up to the batter's box. Question is – are you up to play ball?"
Naruto almost shook his head in embarrassment. He loved his father but the man could sleep like the dead at times. Not only was he a heavy sleeper, but he was someone who could sleep through five blaring alarms. If it wasn't for his internal clock, the man would never wake up.
"Sure, what's my first…or I guess my second official mission?" Naruto said after a moment of thought, not sure if the alien invasion he helped in counted as his first or not.
"Let me answer your question with another question, can you breathe in space?"
"I can't breathe up there, but I can survive up there. Dad used to take me into space and show me some tricks." While Naruto couldn't breathe in deep space, he could use his Ki to form a barrier around his body and allow him to survive. It was actually this kind of manipulation that inspired his Obsidian Shell.
"Good enough for me," Cecil continued, "We have reports of an incoming target heading straight for Earth. We estimate their arrival in the next ten minutes so this is urgent. Omni-Man faced him three years back and won, so he's not unbeatable. All we need you to do is push him back and make sure he leaves."
Naruto nodded on the other end of the phone, "I'm on it. I'll keep you updated."
"Good luck kid, if it gets too hot just come back down and we'll figure something out. Don't lose your life over this."
The call dropped seconds later, leaving Naruto to float in mid-air. The Saiyan quickly put his phone away to avoid any chance of accidentally destroying it.
Naruto took a deep breath before shooting upward in the sky, it was time to get to work. Just as his father explained, you never knew when you were getting a call to action. This time, there was no dad to bail him out if things went sideways. He only had minutes to act so he had to be quick. Calming himself, the Saiyan hybrid shot into the sky at high speeds.
As he got closer and closer to the stratosphere, Naruto began manipulating his Ki to form a barrier around his body. Not only would it protect his body from the freezing conditions of space, but it would also allow him to breathe.
It was time to prove himself.
Meanwhile, at the GDA headquarters, a different conversation was being held.
"Sir, was it really wise to send Maelstrom in so soon? I understand he's powerful, but he's still a new hero sir. Not only that, but he's a teenager. Can we trust him with something of this caliber?"
The alien invasion was one thing. There had been multiple heroes to act as support, with one of them being among the strongest in the world. This time, the teen was going in solo with no available backup.
Cecil sighed before looking over at his number one, "What other choice did I have Donald? We don't have many heroes who can survive in space. Those that can, are currently having a family moment after their father nearly died….Besides, this kid takes after his father in a way that not many others do."
Donald raised a brow, "In what way sir?"
"They follow orders, Donald. And that's more valuable than many superpowers..." Cecil then closed his eyes momentarily. He didn't say it aloud, but there was another benefit to this mission. Something that he wanted to study more on: Naruto's abilities.
One of the main things the director of the GDA hated was being caught off guard. Surprises just so happened to fall under that category. This mission was a perfect chance to see what else the Saiyan could do. Even if he didn't show anything new, it would still be good experience for the teen. However, when Naruto returned, they would have to see what he could do. He couldn't lead a hero effectively if he didn't know their capabilities.
For now, however, he would have to trust that the teen could handle what was coming to Earth. He hoped his trust wasn't misplaced.
And thus we have another chapter completed! Sorry about the long wait again, life just got busy. To make up for it a little, I made this chapter around 11k words before the author notes.
As I mentioned up top, I am working on new chapters to a few of my stories. The Ultimate Warrior and Strings to a Better Life in particular will be getting updates soon.
Furthermore, regarding this story, I plan on changing a few things. I will be adding some things, removing others, and changing certain elements. If you noticed already, I didn't do the Flaxen invasion three times like the show. It was actually closer to how the comics portrayed it with it only being one instance. This is only the start of things I will be changing.
Another thing I wanted to mention is I will keep some main plot points, but Naruto will actually have a presence here. Meaning his character will make an impact. Storylines will change, plot points will be affected. I will try my hardest to convey that, but I will try my hardest to make Naruto unique instead of just replacing Mark in everything he does.
Also, if you feel like Mark got sidelined or pushed aside in this chapter, don't worry. He will still play a major part in the story, but let me be clear, I will focus a lot on Naruto. If you don't like it, watch or read the official source material instead. This is a crossover story so I want to make it how I'd like to.
I'll be adding some multiverse things in the future and I have a pretty good idea of how to make it flow naturally. Thank you to anyone who is still following this story or any of my others, I appreciate all the support!
I hope you enjoyed it so far and I'll continue to work on what I can!
Until next time!
~ Cheers!