Back with another chapter!

Some quick things – I am nearly done updating a few of my other stories such as my Last of Us & KFP stories. I'm also putting together chapters for my Scott Pilgrim story as well.

I addressed some reviews at the bottom of this chapter!

Hope you enjoy! 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.


Moving with Purpose

"Heading out already?"

Minato stopped and turned around, seeing his son leaning against his bedroom doorway. The teen stood with crossed arms and an unreadable expression on his face.

"I'll be heading out soon on that mission we talked about yesterday. I'll be flying out of Earth's orbit within the hour."

The father had just woken up mere minutes ago. He was about to head to his son's room moments before.

Seeing that the teen was not in a talking mood, Minato sighed, "Listen, son, I know that I lied about my health for years and I regret it now. You had a right to know. I just didn't want to-"

A pair of arms wrapped around the father, interrupting him. Realizing he was being hugged, the full-blooded Saiyan returned the gesture slowly.

"It's alright Dad, I forgive you."

They were simple words, but it was everything he needed to hear at the moment. He knew Naruto had been somewhat distant the last few days. It felt nice to know the rift between them was closing.

"All I ask is for you to come back safely, we still have missions to go on you know…" Naruto said in a joking tone, squeezing his father even tighter.

"I will, don't worry about that. When I get back, I'll be sure to take you on that fishing trip you always wanted."

"Wait, really? You're being serious?" Naruto separated from his father, a grin growing on his face. He had always wanted to go fishing growing up but his Dad was just too busy to ever make it happen. Sure they had gone on vacation, had barbecues, and other things but they had never gone fishing.

"Dead serious," Minato chuckled, "Just you, me, and the lake. I'll even get the day off from work so we can enjoy it."

"I…I'd like that," Naruto agreed with a smile. "…all the more reason for you to get back! The sooner the better preferably!"

"I will." Minato agreed, "Also, pay for your previous solo stunt is on the kitchen table under the mat. Extra in there from Cecil for following orders on such last minute. Especially since you were still new to everything."

The teen listened intently to his father's words.

"Before I leave, make sure to stop by with Cecil. We spoke about getting a training plan set up for you….and no skipping school while I'm gone! I have eyes and ears back here so I'll know…!"

Naruto nodded.

Normally, he would be overjoyed at hearing this news. Training was his bread and butter alongside fighting. However, at the moment, it was the least of his concerns. Right now, he just wanted to go on a fishing trip with his father.

He knew the coming days would feel like an eternity.


"Really? How did she take it?" Munching on a granola bar, Naruto asked his question between bites.

"Gross man," Mark chuckled at his friend's full mouth, "…but it went well, she even appreciated the gesture. It looks like getting her that necklace was the right move."

"I told you it would work!" Naruto said with a full mouth of granola, "Getting a girl a gift on the first date is the way to go!"

"Dude seriously, swallow your food. It's so nasty," Mark laughed. "…and don't take credit for my date, I was the one who had to go myself! That was so stressful…"

Eve chuckled beside the pair, "The ever fearless Invincible, defeated by the nerves of a first date…!"

The trio had become rather close friends in a short time. Their time spent in high school only furthered the bonds they shared.

They were currently sitting atop the high school's roof. Their lunch was spent talking on the rooftop without a care in the world. They sat in a circle and conversed nicely.

In a world full of threats, villains, and monsters, it felt nice to relax as teenagers for once. It was a rare luxury these days.

"So any plans after school today?" Naruto asked while crumbling up the wrapper of his granola bar. Putting it away for now, the teen looked over at his friends.

"I was supposed to hang out with Amber after school but I forgot she's working at the soup kitchens today," Mark answered while leaning back on both arms. "She's really passionate about helping others…"

"Was that a dreamy sigh I heard?" Eve said with a humor shining in her eyes. She and Naruto chuckled at Mark's embarrassed expression.

"Putting aside Mark's girlfrienddddddd…" Naruto dragged out the last few syllables of the word, earning a punch on the shoulder from his friend. "…are you doing anything after school Eve?"

"Nah, nothing really planned for me," Eve said while looking over at the duo. "I'm usually on call for Teen Team but nothing's been popping up lately."

"Same here, I'm supposed to meet Cecil later on for some stuff but that's not until way later," Naruto added while falling back and putting his hands behind his head. Cecil had called him earlier in the day and scheduled a meeting for that evening. He knew it was probably regarding that training plan his father mentioned.

"Wait, this is perfect!" Mark said in excitement. The other two turned their attention to the hero. "We have time to kill today! You know what that means…"

Eve and Naruto turned their heads to the teen.

"We have the chance to finally meet Teen Team! Eve can introduce us!"

"That's actually a good idea!" Naruto sat up quickly. Turning to Eve, he spoke once more, "Would that be okay Eve?" A small part of him would like to meet the other heroes in the world and Teen Team had been around a while by this point.

"Sure, I don't mind. They've asked to meet you both since the alien invasion we took care of, I'm sure they would be fine with it. How does right after school sound?" Eve asked with a tilt of her head.

"That works!" Both Mark and Naruto said at the same time, a cheesy grin on both their face.

"Dorks…" Eve shook her head in amusement. She whispered out the word with fondness in her voice.

Enjoying the quick moment of comfortable silence, Mark took the opportunity to look at his best friend. "So Naruto, what's been going on with you lately?"

"Hmm?" Naruto hummed, confusion on his face.

"Just wanted to see what you've been up to man. You texted me saying you had something to show me yesterday but never showed. I was wondering what it was."

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot!" Naruto said with a smile on his face. "Alright, watch this!"

That earned both Mark and Eve's attention right away.

"Kage, keep our suits change from yesterday!" Naruto shouted out, confusing both of his friends. They didn't know or see anyone near them. Nor did they know anyone by the name of 'Kage.'

"Understood, altered design being implemented unless directed otherwise."

Looking around to see if anybody could see them, Naruto acted once the coast was clear. Double tapping the pendant on his chest, the friends were ready to see his nano suit spread across his body in its usual design.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The red swirl stayed on his back, the orange lines still ran up his legs, and the suit still had its matte black finish. However, they could see one thing changed.

Naruto no longer had a helmet on. Instead, the suit rearranged its material and shifted into something The helmet was gone and instead, there was a different design. There were holes around his ear and an opening at the top, allowing for his black hair to flow over top.

Furthermore, a small hole near his lower back allowed for his brown tail to flow out as well. It swayed with the wind, allowing it to move freely.

The design on his face was different as well. He wore a dark visor that covered up his eyes only. It was the same matte black finish as the rest of his suit. His cheeks, nose, and jawline were uncovered.

"So…what do you think?" Naruto asked while standing up and flexing his arms. "Don't I look more awesome or what? No more stuffy helmet…!" He said in a playful boast.

"Woah, wait one second…!" Eve said while also standing up with a shake of her head, "Who is Kage and how did your suit change like that?"

Naruto smirked which his friends could see, something they couldn't before with the helmet. "I found out my suit had an AI model integrated in it. I can use it to help or rearrange the suit to better fit me. Basically, it's like the suit's brain if it was alive."

"Oh, man! That is SO unfair…!" Mark nearly cried tears of jealousy. He wished his suit could change on command or speak back to him. It was so cool to see something like this in real life.

Ignoring Mark's childish outburst, Eve looked back to the teen, "So I'm guessing that voice we heard was Kege? That AI model?"

"Ka-ge…!" Naruto corrected with a smile, "And yep, it's the name I gave it! It means 'shadow' in my mother's language."

"Well I'll tell you what…I don't know if I'm feeling that visor…" Mark said while finally standing up himself. He rubbed his chin in thought while examining his friends face.

"I think it looks fine," Eve shrugged, not thinking it was terrible. It almost looked like a pair of dark sunglasses on Naruto's face.

"I thought it would be a good idea because it keeps wind and debris out of my eyes when flying. Plus keeping my face uncovered lets me use my elemental techniques without worry," Naruto said before double tapping the pendant on his chest. The suit quickly retracted in a second, leaving his civilian clothes bare to the world.

"It's not the worst choice, but I just don't think it looks that good," Mark admitted with a shrug.

"Oh yeah cause yellow, blue, and black were just the perfect combination for a suit…" Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"Hey, you got a problem with my hero suit?!" Mark said while getting in his friend's face. "I'll have you know it's iconic and stands out! Way better than some red swirl and orange lines like you!"

"Take that back!" Naruto shouted in return, budding heads with his best friend. "My suit is way better than yours! Not only can it do so many things, but it has a talking assistant built in! You can't beat that!"

Eve stared at both boys as they argued back and forth. With a sigh, she wondered just how long this would play out.

Thankfully, their argument ended when both realized the other person wouldn't back down.

Dusting off his hands, Naruto spoke to the group, "I'll probably just use the visor for now and see if I like it. Worst case scenario I just change it to something else. But I'm keeping the holes for my ears, hair, and tail to pop out of. That's just way too convenient to get rid of."

"I think that was a good change. It gives you more mobility while not restricting your movements," Eve nodded.

The trio spent the rest of their lunch break talking back and forth. Amber and William even joined them later on throughout the day.

It was nice being able to act like a teenager for once.


GDA Headquarters – Director's Office

Some people hated going to work. Others loved their job.

For Cecil, it was more of a necessity than any love or hate. If he couldn't fulfill his job as director, lives would be at stake. He didn't have room to love or hate his job, he just had to do it.

A pen scribbled away at some documents the man was filling out in his personal office. Just before he could start on the next sentence, he felt the temperature in the room drop drastically. Noticing his breath, the older man put the pen back into his breast pocket.

Resisting his natural instinct to reach for the gun under his desk or press the silent alarm in his armchair, the director simply spoke aloud.

"Come out, we both know you're here," Cecil spoke to a seemingly empty room. Nobody responded…at first.

"Killers always think they're so…sneaky."

"Cut the crap Darkblood, I need an update."

Damian Darkblood was a rather complicated being himself. A demon with red skin, a long tail, yellow eyes, gray hair, and two horns on his head. He wore a gray undershirt with a tan raincoat over. Finally, he wore a fedora atop his head and no shoes on his feet, completing his outfit.

He was known for being rather good at his job. That job was a detective who solved any crimes assigned to him. At this moment, he was currently employed by Cecil to solve who killed the Guardians of the Globe.

With no leads to go on, Stedman had been desperate to find answers. This meant he had to utilize all his resources, Darkblood being one of them. He had already been on the case since the Guardians were first reported dead, and now he wanted results.

Cecil Stedman considered himself to be a practical man. A man who got answers when the world needed them. He hated doing it at times, but he needed to do so.

Cecil didn't play in black or white, he believed in shades of gray. That meant that he dealt with people such as Damian Darkblood to get the job done sometimes.

Was it as glamorous as working with heroes? No. Did it produce results? Yes.

That's why Cecil hated himself more than anybody could ever hate him.

"Did you monitor the Graysons like I asked…?" The demon's deep, gravely voice echoed across the room.

"I ask for an update and you ask me a question instead…" Cecil mumbled while shaking his head. "…answer my question first then I'll answer yours. So tell me Darkblood, do you have an update?"

Darkblood muttered something under his breath before pulling out a notepad from his inner coat pockets. After flipping through a few pages full of writing, he landed on something he was looking for.

"Took Nolan's testimony, still doesn't make sense."

"What did he tell you?" Cecil asked while leaning forward on his desk. He had also asked Nolan what happened and needed to cross-reference the answers in his head.

"Summoned to Guardian headquarters with the rest of the team. Lights went out, attacked in dark, and left for dead. Didn't see attacker."

"I see…"

Cecil didn't give much of an outward reaction, but he was starting the paint the picture in his head. He remembered Nolan's own words when he asked what happened soon after the funeral procession.

"…I showed up to the Guardian's base because I was summoned. Before I could ask why I was there, all the lights were cut out. I heard some screaming and shouting before being attacked in the dark. Just before I could fight back, they knocked me unconscious. Next thing I knew, I awoke in a hospital bed surrounded by Debbie and Mark."

Cecil grit his teeth before slamming a fist into his desk. The loud noise reverberated throughout the room but Darkblood remained unfazed.

"Dammit…" Cecil almost whispered under his breath. It was rare for the director to show much emotion even in private, but he couldn't help it. All roads point towards an answer he didn't like. He had been doing his job long enough to connect the dots.

To anybody else, this would be a good thing. Corroborated stories with little change in events meant that the person was likely telling the truth. Nolan had given both him and Darkblood the same thing.

Yet despite that, Cecil didn't see it that way. He didn't see a truthful story, he saw a deceitful cover-up. Nolan didn't give anything away in his body language when recounting the events, but Cecil could pick up on other things. The way the man sounded detached, almost like he was recounting a script he practiced in his head.

Similar to when he first met the man two decades ago.

Cecil knew there were very few things that could seriously hurt Omni-Man. In his twenty years of being on this planet, he could count what could stop this man on one hand and still have fingers left over.

"…and I just sent one of them into space for who knows how long…" Cecil muttered in his head. He was begging to wonder if sending Minato out to space was a mistake. However, he also rationalized the decision in his head.

He knew these recon bots entering their solar system could be an issue. He would have preferred to send Omni-Man but the man never really took orders. Mark was far too young to deal with something on the outer solar system, the same with Naruto.

But just because he didn't have another choice didn't make the pit in his stomach any less dreadful.

Collecting himself, the director retracted his fist and took a calming breath. Looking into Darkblood's eyes, he responded, "…as for your question, yes. We began surveillance on the Graysons earlier this morning."

"Good," Darkblood nodded, approving this course of action. "Event is too suspicious, reeks of deception….I suspect foul play."

"Well, you keep those suspicions to yourself, understand that?" Commanded Cecil in a firm tone of voice. "Don't you dare act unless I tell you to. We're treading on some very thin ice right now and I'd rather not sink. On the off chance we are wrong, I don't want this to blow up in our face."

"Elephant in the room…Nolan is lying…" Darkblood said with his deep voice. "…I believe murder is answer. Murdered all the Guardians…"

"ENOUGH DARKBLOOD!" Cecil shouted out while standing behind his desk. With an annoyed look on his face. "Don't speak that out loud until we figure this whole thing out! Understood..!?"

Cecil wasn't scared of Darkblood telling the truth. He was beginning to follow the same line of thinking the detective was. However, he didn't want to risk Nolan hearing them or Darkblood to get this information out before he was ready to act.

Darkblood scowled, "…asks me to figure out case then frustrated when given answers…annoying creatures."

Cecil put the remark aside, "For now, you're not to bring this up to anybody or investigate any further. My team will handle this, you're relieved of your duty."

"Still need more proof…cannot support claim without evidence…" Darkblood mentioned while scribbling something in his notepad.

"That's why you're leaving this to my team. We'll find the evidence if there is any, your job is done. Understand?"

Darkblood didn't answer, instead choosing to continue writing his notepad. His mumbling grew louder, annoying Cecil.

"I said, do you Understand…!?" The question had more power put behind it than last time, causing Darkblood to look up from his notepad.

Instead of answering, the detective put away his notepad. He straightened up before speaking again. "Keep eye on new hero…Maelstrom…"

"What?" Cecil asked in confusion, caught off guard. Out of all the things he expected to hear, this was not one of them. He didn't know if Darkblood was alluding that Maelstrom had something to do with this or if he was trying to change the conversation completely.

"Could sense something…dark inside him during the funeral. Was close enough to feel it."

Darkblood had attended the funeral for the Guardians like many others. What they didn't know was he kept his eyes focused on Naruto for a good length of it. Since he was in the back and the fedora covered his face, he was able to fly under the radar.

Damian Darkblood still didn't know what he was sensing from that kid, but it was something strong. Something dark. Something he wasn't familiar with but it was enough to trigger his senses.

"Wait wait wait…are you saying that Maelstrom is hiding something? Something…dark inside him?" Cecil repeated the words, trying to wrap his head around this revelation.

"Don't know what it is…" Darkblood admitted with a shrug. His gravely voice continued, "…whatever it is, it's powerful…"

Looking Cecil in the eyes for a final time, the demon vanished from the room.

There was no smoke, no trail left behind, just gone. It looked as if Darkblood had never entered the room to begin with.

Cecil sighed, sitting back down and leaning in his chair. First, he had to deal with the fallout of the Guardians being murdered and now he was told to keep an eye on Naruto.

Stedman knew that Naruto was one of the most promising heroes to come up the ranks recently. Alongside Invincible, Cecil knew the duo could be the same powerhouses like their respective fathers.

While he didn't like Darkblood, Cecil knew he wouldn't throw a claim out like that unless he had a good hunch or evidence to back it up. In this case, there wasn't proof Naruto was hiding something, but he also knew better than to disregard the demon's instinct.

Putting a pin in that thought for now, Cecil let his mind wander to Nolan's household.

His team had begun surveillance from an empty house across the street. They were monitoring conversations, package deliveries, and even grocery trips of the family. He wasn't proud of the spying, but something needed to be done.

If Nolan wasn't behind this, he needed to be marked out of the investigation so they could find the actual killer. However, for now, he was their number one suspect. The only two heroes that could've done this to the previous Guardians of the Globe were Steadfast and Omni-Man.

If it wasn't for the fact Minato had a rock-solid alibi, Cecil may have suspected him. Now, however, there was only one prime suspect left. Even worse, Nolan checked all the boxes to make this horrific event happen.

After a few seconds of thought, the director made up his mind.

He needed to start preparing for the worst.

However, that was easier said than done.


"Almost there!"

Eve shouted behind her with excitement clear in her voice. Mark and Naruto were following behind her mid-air, keeping up just fine. All three were in their respective hero outfits.

School had let out not too long ago so they decided to make their trip over to Teen Team's base. Since they weren't on a mission Eve explained the entire team should be there. It was planned to be a nice introduction.

Looking over at Mark, Naruto spoke through the rushing winds, "How's your Dad doing since waking up?"

"He's recovering well. Doctors cleared him and he should be back to duty soon enough. He's even planning on training me personally the next few days…!" Mark responded with an excited grin on his face. He hadn't gotten a lot of alone time with his father since getting his powers so this would be nice.

"Aw man, now I'm the jealous…!" Naruto responded with a pout. He may have had the cooler suit but he knew spending time with your father had that beat.

Mark, in a very mature manner, grinned in satisfaction.

"We're here!"

Eve's voice garnered the attention of both teens. They watched as she slowly descended upon the rooftop of a bridge. Following her lead, both individuals landed softly next to her.

Tapping her foot softly once, Eve watched as the surface opened up beneath their feet. The three suddenly dropped onto the bridge with a slow descent.

They all landed on the cool metal surface with a soft thud.

"Woah…this is awesome!" Naruto said with amazement in his voice. He could see a helipad in the center of the room, a staircase in the corner of the room, a ping pong table, bookshelves, computers around a table, and gym equipment in another corner of the room.

"This looks pretty sweet," Mark agreed with a nod. He could see that there were a few floors in the base, likely the personal bedrooms of the team members.

"Where is everybody?" Naruto asked while turning to Eve.

"I'm not sure, I think they're probably around here somewhere," Eve said while walking forward. Following her lead, the two kept a short distance from the red-haired girl.

Before they could enter any room, they heard what sounded like laughing. After a few more seconds, they could hear it a little clearer. It was the sound of a girl giggling.

"That's Kate!" Eve perked up with a smile. Turning to the duo, she spoke once more, "Follow me, you guys can meet the rest of the team!"

They turned a corner before going down a long hallway. The giggling got louder so it was easier to locate the source of the noise. Eventually, it brought them to the entrance of their training room.

The double doors opened automatically which allowed all three to see the inside of the room. Unfortunately, they came across something unexpected.

Dupli-Kate and Rex Splode were in the middle of a makeout session, sitting on a nearby bench. The clone user was sitting atop Rex's lap, making the scene more intimate.

They were so caught up in their actions that the door opening didn't catch their attention. It made the trio take a double take, not expecting this at all.

That was until Eve shouted out.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS…?!"

Both Rex and Dupli-Kate snapped out of their little world, realizing that they had an audience. They turned to see all three heroes looking at them with varying reactions.

Mark seemed embarrassed, not expecting to walk in on the two in such a state. Naruto looked confused about what was going on, especially since Eve shouted in anger.

As for Atom Eve, she was absolutely livid.

"I can't believe you cheated on me AGAIN Rex! And this time with Kate of all people!"

Hearing this, Naruto's brain did a quick reboot. He didn't know that Rex Splode was dating Eve. It was even worse to know that he had been cheating on her.

Mark frowned at this revelation, not enjoying the news at all.

"B-babe, wait! Let me explain!" Rex said in a panicked manner, quickly standing up and causing Kate to suddenly fall on her butt.

"I can't believe I ever loved you asshole!" Eve shouted out with tears in her eyes.

"Wait, you two are still dating?" Kate asked in confusion while standing up. "Rex told me that you guys were taking a break. Agreed to see other people for a while. He told me you were on board with it and everything."

"No, we were never taking a break!" Eve said while biting her lip, trying her hardest not to lash out in anger. She scoffed before shaking her head, "…I can't believe I wanted to talk to you. To try and make things right…now I feel like the idiot."

"Wait, babe!" Rex said while walking forward with a worried look on his face. "I know we've been distant lately but I thought a break would do us some good!"

Eve balled her hands into fists, "YOU thought a break would do us good. And even if it did, you didn't tell me about it at all. You just wanted an excuse to cheat on me and get away with it!"

Mark and Naruto shifted uncomfortably in the background, not sure what to say or do. They watched this play out with darting eyes.

"I was hoping to make things right with us, to give us another chance at this…but I see now it's all useless…." Eve wiped away a tear from her eye while glancing at her friends, "…I'm sorry this had to be your first interaction with our team. We can do another tour at a different time…"

"Hey no worries," Naruto brought both his hands up in a placating manner, "It's okay Eve, me and Mark understand."

Mark nodded, trying to help his friend feel as comfortable as possible. He couldn't imagine the pain going through Eve's heart at the moment.

"Wait, Eve!" Rex reached for Eve's hand only for her to jerk it away.

"Don't you dare try to touch me!" She hissed out in such a low tone that Rex visibly flinched. The venom and hate in her voice was something he hadn't heard before. "We're done. Now and forever."

With a final shout, Eve flew away from the scene. Her powers carried her out of the hallway and out of the base. In seconds, she was gone.

"So uhh…sorry about this," Mark said while gesturing to him and Naruto, "We came to officially meet Teen Team but things went sideways…"

"You didn't tell me you were still dating Eve, Rex!" Kate said with a frown on her face. She knew the situation made her look like the homewrecker in this case. Not only did it look bad on her, but she hurt one of her closest friends at the same time.

"That was a real scumbag move man," Naruto spoke in a cold tone to the Hispanic hero. Rex didn't have time to say anything before Maelstrom looked at Mark, "I'm going to check on Eve and see how she's doing. We'll catch up later."

Nodding, Mark watched as Naruto flew out of the base as well. He was quick in his departure, likely trying to catch up to Eve.

"Well…I guess we'll stop by another time," Mark awkwardly said before also flying off. He would have wanted to join Naruto in supporting Eve but he knew the two were closer with each other than he was with her. He wanted to talk to Amber about this and see if she knew the best way to support his friend.

Now alone, Rex looked over at Kate with a sheepish look on his face. "Not the best first impression for Invincible and Maelstrom huh…"

"Really? That's what you're worried about?" Kate scoffed before walking off. She felt like taking a shower to wash all the proverbial dirt from her body. "…in case you didn't realize it either, we're also done."

"Wait, Kate!" Rex said in a hurry, trying to chase after the Asian heroine.

She didn't even turn around to acknowledge his presence.


Eve didn't have a destination in mind, she just wanted to find somewhere and cry. Not only did she walk in on her boyfriend cheating but it had to be with someone she trusted as well. It made her feel embarrassed, foolish, and stupid for trying to make her relationship work.

If her own partner didn't care about her feelings, why did she make such an effort to satisfy his? It made her feel worthless and shameful.

Finding a nearby forest, Eve directed her flight path to the dense trees. The secluded area allowed for privacy and time to collect her thoughts.

Landing down, she found a few logs in the center of some trees. They were rugged and worn down by nature, but it would do. The leaves above provided shade while the logs allowed a place to sit.

After sitting down, she proceeded to let everything out. Sobbing into her hands, she released all the pent-up emotions that had racked her body. It was like a dam bursting from holding too much water.

The tears rolled down her face and arms, littering the dirt below with droplets. She cried and sniffled while imagining the event over in her mind. It made her heart hurt and body numb. She was still in shock that it happened.

At that moment, Eve felt a hand softly grasp her shoulder. Looking up with a surprised gasp, she saw Naruto standing with a soft smile on his face.

He wasn't dressed in his hero suit. Instead, he was donning his civilian clothing like he usually would. Naruto wasn't here as Maelstrom but instead as himself. Eve didn't need a hero, she needed a friend.

Naruto didn't say anything at first, instead choosing to stare at her with kindness in his eyes. Then he asked her a question. It was a simple question, but it meant a lot to her.

"Can I sit with you?"

It took a few seconds for Eve's scattered brain to give a response, but she eventually produced a small nod. Taking the confirmation, Naruto sat down next to the female hero on the log.

Naruto didn't say anything at first after sitting down. He let the silence fill the atmosphere around them.

It took him a second before speaking, "Eve…I think that you're amazing."

Eve glanced over with tears in her eyes. She didn't quite understand what her friend was saying.

"I know we haven't known each other the longest, but I can say that you're a good person. You're nice, outgoing, headstrong, and someone who has made a positive impact on my life as well as Mark's. Even Amber and William only have great things to say about you."

He glanced over with a smile on his face, "If Rex didn't see any of that, then that's on him. But don't let his mistake bring down your self-worth. I think -"

Naruto stopped feeling a weight on his chest. Blinking, he realized the girl had suddenly embraced him in a tight hug. Bringing his arms around, he gave the female a comforting squeeze.

"Thank you, Naruto. That means a lot."

"Of course, anytime Eve," Naruto spoke with sincerity in his voice.

The two hugged in the middle of the forest, enjoying the moment. Birds chirped in the distance and leaves rustled around them but it didn't bother them at all. In fact, it only added to the serenity in the moment.

After a few more moments, the two separated slowly. Eve wiped her eyes with the back of her hand while smiling softly, "Thank you again Naruto…you're a good friend."

"Don't worry about it," Naruto waved off, ignoring the wet spots on his shirt. "Mark was also worried but didn't want to overwhelm you. He'll likely be checking in later on."

Eve smiled, "Yeah, Mark's a good friend too."

Naruto saw the tension slowly leave Eve's body. It seemed she was calming down from the intense experience she had earlier.

They stayed like that for a while before Naruto broke the silence.

"Do you remember the first time we met like this? When we talked against that boulder?"

Eve nodded, wiping the remaining tears on her face. She glanced at her friend with full attention.

"The reason I was out that night was because…was because I got news that my father was dying."

Eve covered her mouth in shock, not expecting such news.

Naruto continues with closed eyes, "He has a heart condition with no known cure. He's had it for years but I just found out recently and I didn't take it so well."

"Oh my god!" Eve said in shock, "I can't believe that! I'm…I'm so sorry to hear that…"

"It's alright," Naruto replied, "The reason I'm bringing it up is because you told me your problems but I never got to tell you mine."

"No, it's okay! You didn't have to bring that up if you didn't want to…!" Eve placated with raised hands. She couldn't believe that the formidable Steadfast had such severe health issues.

"I wanted to share it," Naruto continued with a smile, "Talking with you helped me get through it. I hope that I can give you the same peace you've been helping me achieve."

The teen then looked at Eve in the eyes, staring with fondness, "That's why I appreciate you as a friend Eve. Don't be afraid to tell me any problems or help you need, that's what friends are for."

Atom Eve smiled widely before embracing Naruto in another hug. She mumbled but Naruto could hear it clear as day.

"Thank you."


"Alright son, you ready for today?"

Naruto walked behind Cecil, their footsteps echoing off the corridor they were in. The two had entered the GDA headquarters only minutes earlier. Just like he prepared, Naruto met the older man at the front entrance right on time.

He was dressed in his newly modified hero suit, loving it more already.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Naruto responded while following the man. Their trip was silent as Cecil lead them down various hallways. If it wasn't for the guide, Naruto was sure he'd get lost in the facility.

Cecil stayed up ahead, talking while doing so, "The new Guardians of the Globe tryouts will be held tomorrow. Your father already refused to join but that doesn't mean you can't throw your hat in the ring."

"Hmm…" Naruto hummed to himself, "I don't know about joining since I'd rather be a solo act. It just fits me better and I can still help the Guardians on the side if they need me. But I'm not opposed to showing up."

The director nodded, "It's just an idea."

Feeling a vibration in his pocket, Naruto reached in his pocket. He had been bombarded with various messages. Unlocking his phone and swiping through, he could see that he had been added to a group chat with some friends.

It was titled 'Soup Kitchen Staff' with him, Mark, Amber, William, and Eve in it. Scrolling to the top, he saw that Mark had added everyone in the group. He looked at the conversation going on.

"Hey guys! It's Amber in case you don't have me saved!" This was the first message in the whole group. "I had Mark add everyone because I wanted to ask a favor."

"Sure, what's up?" William responded right away.

Amber responded moments later, "I help at a soup kitchen downtown after school sometimes. It's more of a volunteer group so we don't get paid for it. I wanted to know if any of you wanted to possibly join me later today or sometime this week?"

Naruto was the first one to respond, "Of course – I'm so down to help!"

He knew his hero duties alongside school were eating up his time, but Naruto wouldn't mind helping out. If anything, he felt like this kind of help was neglected by most heroes. Himself included.

He thought it would be a nice idea. His father always said he cared too much.

"I can spend a few hours volunteering," William agreed, "What time would you want us there?"

"Thank you, Naruto!" Amber responded before answering William, "We'll be at the soup kitchen in two hours if you can make it today. We usually stay until midnight to help clean up but you can leave earlier if you need to."

"I can make that," Naruto typed in the chat.

"Hey sorry, I just saw this!" Eve interrupted in the chat. "But yes, I can do that too! I'd love to help!"

"Me too!" Mark responded in the chat for the first time. "I'm out with my family at the moment but I can swing by later today!"

"Thank you all so much!" Naruto couldn't see Amber's reaction but he assumed the girl was overjoyed. "I'll send the address in a few seconds! I'll see you all then!"

Nodding in satisfaction, Naruto put away his phone. Throughout this time he had followed Cecil perfectly, his body on autopilot. The perks of teenage technology usage.

It seemed he put his phone away at the perfect moment. Cecil finally stopped walking as they entered a certain area of the facility.

"Welcome to our training wing kid," Cecil announced while scanning the area, "This is where most of our heroes come to help develop their powers. Increase their strength, Improve their speed. That kind of thing."

"Woah…this is pretty awesome," Naruto admired the room around him. It was massive in size, comparable to a football stadium. He could see standard gyp equipment in one corner, specialized weights in another, and a team of scientists typing away towards the back.

"It's practical," Cecil concluded with a nod, "It might not be as cool as training in the Sahara or Amazon rainforest, but it'll do."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression, "I guess you've seen my private…training expeditions?"

Cecil chuckled, "Trust me kid, I keep tabs on almost everything around the world. Feel free to keep using them but I had something in mind for today."

The director then walked into the center of the room before facing the teen. He stood with his hands in his pockets.

"Sure, what's up?" Naruto asked with crossed arms.

"I need a breakdown of everything you can do, start to finish."

Naruto blinked, processing the words in his head. After some thought, he responded, "Well you've seen what I can do with my Ki blasts." To emphasize his words, Naruto summoned a small dark sphere of energy into his palm.

Cecil nodded, already used to seeing the same kind of thing with his father.

"I can manipulate it to a degree. Nothing like Eve can do, but good enough for me," Naruto said, "Then I can use my energy to help form other kinds of attacks."

"Such as?" Cecil raised a brow.

"Elemental attacks, produce clones, and other things in my tool belt," Naruto replied with a shrug, "I'm sure you've seen some of it already."

"I have," Cecil confirmed, "I just needed a breakdown of what you could do so we can better make a training plan for you."

Naruto nodded, expecting as much.

"It seems he's a bag of tricks," Cecil thought with no outward emotion. "He's still hiding some things, which is fine. I didn't expect a full confession of everything he could do….but it makes me wonder if there's a limit to what can be done…"

Naruto's powers didn't follow any rhyme or reason that Cecil could predict. Even Naruto's father's capabilities were limited to Ki.

However, the teen had shown that and so much more. Typically most heroes could only stick to one specialty. Such as specializing in certain elements. Some heroes had hydrokinesis. Others were proficient in electrokensis.

Even Omni-Man and Invincible were within reason. They were tough, very powerful, and extremely quick, but that made sense to the director. Their powers came from their bodies and special biology. They couldn't magically summon energy from their palms or spit wind from their mouths.

Cecil wouldn't admit it, but his interest had been piqued when Darkblood mentioned there was something powerful in the teen. He didn't know if it was literal or metaphorical, but he would keep an eye out for it.

"Alright, I got some ideas in mind," Cecil interrupted the silence. Snapping his fingers, he looked over his shoulder, "Jonathan, bring me the training routine we worked on."

One of the scientists within the team suddenly stood up and brought a clipboard over to the director. Thanking the man, Stedman looked over the page before glancing at the teen.

"I spoke with Minato on some things you needed work on. We decided to improve your basic capabilities such as speed, strength, durability, etc. We also need to work on getting you a fighting style."

"A fighting style?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head.

Cecil flipped through a page on the clipboard, "Yeah kid, a fighting style. I'm talking about learning how to fight. Throwing combos. Not just hitting and getting hit in hopes of winning a fight."

"So you want me to learn something like…" Naruto waved his hand in the air, thinking of what to say. "…Karate? Muay Thai? Things like that?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Cecil nodded. "I'm not too good at teaching you these things myself, so we hired some of the best teachers to help with this. You don't have to stick with one forever if you don't want. Combine them or pull what you like from them, but I want you to know how to fight."

Chuckling, Naruto smiled, "I think I know how to fight alright."

"Do you?" Cecil raised a brow. "Do you know how to properly perform a Rear-Naked Choke? How to execute a body slam without hurting yourself? Or even when to use it in a fight to get the best advantage? Because I do and I don't even have superpowers."

"Okay, point taken," Naruto conceded with a mumble, "I guess I could learn a thing or two to help with my fighting style."

"More than that, you're going to learn how to strategize and counterattack. That's just as important as anything else. And that's not even touching what you can do with your powers. We're just scraping the surface here."

Looking over at the team of scientists again, Cecil shouted, "Do we have the patches ready!?"

They all nodded before Jonathan brought forward a case to them. Opening it up, both men could see it was full of small, white-colored patches. Grabbing one, Cecil looked at the teen.

"These little patches will monitor your vitals to keep track of your health throughout the training process. You peel off a small plastic layer to stick to your body. Our team of egg heads over there will keep track and report to improve future training sessions."

Naruto widened his eyes. He didn't think Cecil would go so far for what he thought would be a simple training exercise. It was clear the man had planned this out thoroughly.

"Go ahead and de-suit for me."

Nodding, Naruto double-tapped the pendant which retracted his outfit immediately.

"Jonathan, place these where needed so we can monitor his vitals."

The scientist nodded before asking Naruto to lift his shirt. Doing as asked, he felt the cold stickiness of the patches hit his bare chest. After placing all of them, he was allowed to bring his long-sleeved muscle shirt back down.

The scientist then excused himself back to his team who were setting everything up.

"I know this is probably asking a lot, but do we have some sort of…I don't know…gravity chamber I could use?"

"Gravity chamber?" Cecil asked with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, like a chamber that has increased gravity. I thought it would be good resistance training after seeing it in a show once…" Naruto explained with a shrug. He knew it was probably a long shot, but he wanted to know.

The idea came from a show he watched with his father once. The main character used a gravity-altering chamber to improve his overall strength, speed, and power.

"Can't say we have something like that…although now that you mention it, that would be useful…" Cecil almost muttered to himself at the end. "…Give us some time and I can see what we can do on that."

"Oh well," Naruto sighed. He knew it was unlikely but he still wanted to ask. If anybody had that kind of technology, it would be the GDA.

"I believe I can be of assistance with this request."

"What the hell was that?!" Spoke Cecil in a startled manner.

"Oh right…! My suit has a special AI in it that helps me when I need modifications and stuff! I named it Kage...sorry about that…" Naruto apologized in his usual sheepish manner.

"Jesus kid that would have been good to start out with," Cecil muttered with a shake of his head. Surprises like that triggered his instincts to prepare for the worst.

Looking down at his pendant, Naruto asked his question, "What's your idea, Kage?"

"I can artificially increase the gravity within the suit's parameters. This can be done by upwards of three hundred times Earth's natural gravity before it becomes unstable."

"Well shit…that solves that problem," Cecil chuckled with a shake of his head.

"Yes!" Naruto shouted in excitement. Looking back on it now, he should've asked Kage to begin with. Sure the AI assistant was still new to him but it was common sense in hindsight.

He would just have to utilize his resources better moving forward.

"Alright Kage – set the suit to five times Earth's gravity!" Naruto said in an excited manner while double-tapping his pendant. He thought it would be a safe start.

"Understood."

In the next moment, Naruto felt like his body had become a ton of bricks. He sank to the ground so rapidly it caught even Cecil off guard.

"Kid you alright?!" Cecil said in a startled manner. It looked as if the Earth itself had dragged the teen down by force.

"I-I-I…I'm okay…" Naruto grit through his teeth, feeling like he was under tons of pressure. He had fallen straight down, barely catching himself with his arms. The gravity had forced him into the push-up position.

"Call it off! It's clearly way too much!" Cecil advised with wide eyes.

Instead of responding, Naruto grunted from the effort of trying to stand up. He thought about channeling chakra through his body to make it easier. Maybe even manipulate the Ki to improve his odds.

Instead, he fought back with nothing but his raw strength.

"T-t-this is…supposed to be…training…right C-Cecil…?" Naruto asked with a strained expression. He panted from the effort of getting back up.

Call it stubbornness. Call it stupidity. Or call it Saiyan pride, but Naruto wasn't backing down. It wasn't in his blood to give up.

Slowly but surely, right before his eyes, Cecil watched as the teen got enough leverage to place one knee under his body. He was still struggling, but it was progress.

His body twitched from the effort, his muscles burning. Despite the pain, Naruto grit his teeth and forced himself to lean upright on one knee. He almost fell back from the momentum but quickly caught himself.

"If…I can't handle…something like this…" Naruto said before shouting with effort. Finally, he stood on his two feet with the gravity enable.

It wasn't perfect. In fact, his feet were still wobbly and he could see the spasms on the teen's body. But it was a start. It was an improvement.

"Then I'm not worthy to be a hero!"

Cecil looked on, something similar to pride in his eyes. He didn't speak at first, watching as Naruto tried his best to balance himself.

"I'll be dammed kid…you managed to impress me on the first day of training…" Cecil smiled. Looking over at his team, he yelled, "How are his vitals reading?"

"S-sir!" One of the stunned scientists spoke from behind the computer, "We're reading everything to be normal! No spike in any category or cause for concern!"

Stedman nodded at the information. "Then that means this kid has so much potential left in him…." It was his job to bring it out. A stronger Naruto meant a stronger hero. A stronger hero meant a safer Earth.

"Bring in the instructors!" Cecil commanded to seemingly no one. Before Naruto could ask anything, he saw the entrance doors open and about five people walking in.

It looked like these were the people hired by Cecil to help catch him up to speed on his fighting style. He knew these training sessions would be tortuous but worth it. He also didn't want to disappoint his father given the fact he helped put this regime together.

"Anything else we should know before training begins?" Cecil asked with a half-smirk on his face. He was looking up from the clipboard in his hands.

Naruto smiled with a wince, feeling the gravity trying to push him back down. "My…clones can…remember everything…their memory comes back to me…" Naruto gasped as his legs buckled, bringing him back down to one knee.

He didn't let that stop him, however, immediately trying to stand back up.

"Now that makes this even better," Cecil commented with a grin.

Naruto smiled back, ready for his first training session.

It would leave his body aching and his spirit tired.


"Do you see that up ahead Mark…?"

Mark Grayson snapped out of his daze before looking at his father. Following his gaze, he could see his father pointing at a sinking cruise line ship. People were screaming and flares were being shot up into the sky.

He had just put his phone away from texting in the group chat that Amber made. He was happy his father didn't catch him or else a scolding would've likely been sent his way.

"Dad, we have to help!" Mark shouted in alarm, wondering how he could've missed something so huge right in front of him.

The father and son duo had decided to go out together to help Mark with experience. The teen knew he needed a chance to spread his wings and dive into the hero world for real. This was a great way to do both.

They had been flying miles up in the air before Omni-Man had said something.

Just before Mark could dive down, his father outstretched an arm over his chest.

"Answer me this Mark, why do we save them?"

"Dad!" Mark panicked as the yells from below got louder, "We have to help them!"

"Answer my question son," Nolan didn't yell but Mark could hear the firmness in his voice. His stare looked sharper almost…colder.

"Uhh…" Mark tried to find an answer in the stressful situation. "We…we help them because that's what we do! Because we're heroes!"

"Close, but that's not what I was looking for," Nolan said with a sigh. "The reason we help them, Mark, is because they can't help themselves. They need our help to survive, to live through threats beyond their capability. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"Y-yes Dad!" Mark nearly shouted in panic, "Can we go help them now?"

Nolan eyed his son for a second longer, debating on what to say. Instead, the father gave a short nod before Mark barreled into the sea below.

Omni-Man was next to his son in an instant. They sunk under the ocean and placed both hands on the ship above them. It seemed nearly effortless to Nolan while Mark struggled to push the weight out of the water.

Carefully, both heroes rose out of the water with the ship above their heads. It only took them a few moments to find a nearby shore to rest the ship. The civilians walked out slowly, shaken but alive.

With their job done, both heroes shot up into the sky once again. They flew in silence before Mark broke it with a question.

"Why did you ask me that Dad?"

Mark didn't want to admit it but that quick, brief look in his father's eye scared him. His father probably thought he didn't notice, but he did.

It was something he'd never seen before. Something cold, uncaring.

Nolan looked over with a warm smile on his face, "I simply wanted to make sure you understood why we take this job so seriously, son. Lives are at stake and we can't afford to mess up."

"R-right," Mark nodded with a shaky grin. The information made sense in his head, it was the most obvious answer.

Despite this, Mark couldn't understand one thing.

Why did he feel like his father was lying?


Beckwell Community Center – 2 Hours Later

"And there's a second scoop, just make sure you don't tell anyone I did that!" William whispered with a white apron over his chest and a ladle in his hand.

"Thank you, deary," An old woman responded with a kind smile. She was standing in line like everyone else at the soup kitchen. She took her bowl and walked down the line, letting another person take her place.

The group took turns serving those in line while some prepared more food or cleaned the dishes in the back. Right now, it was Amber and William's turn to serve the food.

That left Mark and Naruto on dish duty while Eve prepared more food for those in the shelter. This little bubble of privacy allowed them to have a chat.

"…that's how I managed to save a ship full of people today," Mark explained while scrubbing a plate clean with a sponge. Just like everyone else, he wore his usual civilian clothing.

"Nice man," Naruto responded with a grin. The Saiyan half-breed was next to Mark, using the sink to clean off the soapy dishes. "I wish I could say I did something awesome today, but I just trained myself into the ground."

"How'd that go?" Eve asked while chopping a few vegetables on a cutting board. She scooped the diced ingredients into a pot while grabbing more from the fridge.

"Hurt like hell."

Mark snorted at the honest response while Eve shook her head in amusement.

Naruto also chuckled and followed up on his statement, "…but in all honesty, it was worth it. Learned some new things…I can already feel myself getting stronger!"

"Okay, calm down there Mr. Tough Guy," Eve joked while chopping up fresh ingredients, "There's only so much a few hours of training can do."

"I'm planning on making it more of a routine thing," Naruto said absentmindedly while cleaning another plate, "It doesn't do me any good if it's a one-off thing. It's gonna suck but it's worth it."

"Shouldn't you be sore right now if you trained as hard as you claimed?" Mark asked while pouring soup on another dirty plate, "Like as in can barely move your arms sore?"

"I was earlier," Naruto admitted with a nod, "But now I feel way better. All I needed was some water and ten minutes of rest, now I'm as good as new!"

"It just sounds to me like Naruto didn't train but instead lazed around all day…" Eve said in a teasing tone.

Mark laughed while Naruto hung his head and mumbled. Nobody appreciated his greatness.

However, what he said earlier was true. He had trained to the point his body was extremely sore, but he recovered quickly.

Having a mix of Kyuubi's regenerative chakra along with his resilient biology, Naruto felt a difference. It wasn't much, but it was there.

The very concept of getting stronger was about tearing apart your muscles. Micro tears in the muscles, once healed, left it stronger than before. That's why people hit the gym or worked out in general.

Not only did this apply to the Saiyan, but it also managed to involve his race's special Zenkai boost. From his father's explanation, he got stronger the closer he got to death. While his training wasn't putting him near death, it did allow for small bursts of his Zenkai boost to shine through.

This ability paired with the Kyuubi's chakra made his body a training machine. He could train, gain the benefits, and heal to do it all over again. It was amazing.

He had gone from barely managing five times Earth's gravity to getting the hang of it toward the end. It was that progress that kept him motivated to push harder.

The instructors Cecil hired also helped him learn new things. The director had told him to have a few clones train and spar with each instructor individually while the main Naruto handled other things. Once they popped, Naruto had gained their knowledge.

Overall, Naruto felt like he was making pretty good progress for just starting his training routine with Cecil.

"…ruto. Naruto, can you hear me?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto looked over his shoulder to see that Eve was waving at him.

"I've been calling you for a few seconds now."

"Sorry, I spaced out!" Naruto replied with an apologetic smile. "What's up?"

"I was asking how your dad's doing?" She spoke in a kind tone and soft smile.

"Oh," Naruto replied to the unexpected question. After a few seconds, he spoke, "He's doing better. Cecil called him for some mission off planet so he'll be gone for a few weeks. Maybe a month or two."

"Your dad's off planet? Since when?" Mark asked in confusion. He put down the plate he was scrubbing to look at his friend.

"He just left this morning," Naruto answered while turning off the sink to personally hand scrub some dirt left on the plate.

"Well I wouldn't worry too much about that," Eve said while scooping up her chopped ingredients once more, "Your dad is like one of the strongest heroes besides Omni-Man. He'll be fine up there."

Nobody noticed Mark shift uncomfortably at his father's name. His experience earlier came to the forefront of his mind.

"Eve, can you bring that pot over here please?" Amber called out from the food line, serving another person.

"For sure," Eve responded while carrying the large pot over. She set it down beside Amber, receiving a quick 'thank you' before walking back to prepare another pot.

William was too lost in his world of talking gossip with one of the older people in line.

"It looks like William has a knack for this," Mark joked, receiving two chuckles. The trio continued to work on their respective tasks, taking the time to enjoy the comfortable silence.

Washing her hands, Eve looked over at the duo, "I planned on going to the Guardians tryouts tomorrow, are you both going?"

Cecil had notified all current heroes and upcoming heroes about it after all.

Mark jolted, "I forgot about that!"

Naruto shrugged, "I might, haven't decided yet."

"How come?" Eve asked with a tilt of her head.

"It wouldn't make much sense for me to show up if I don't plan on joining the team. Even if I qualified, I don't think I'd take it. I prefer being solo for now than joining a team."

"I have to agree with Naruto on that," Mark nodded, "I don't see myself joining the Guardians of the Globe either."

"Oh come on guys!" Eve threw her hands in the air, "Most guys your age would kill to be on that team! The fame! The glory! And you both are just tossing it aside!"

Naruto gave a sneaky smile, "…you just want us to go so you're not by yourself tomorrow, huh?"

Eve mumbled but it seemed that he hit the head on the nail. Mark laughed in the back, finding it to be amusing.

Just before the three could continue, they heard a loud crash come from the dining area of the soup kitchen. A second after that, another crash reverberated throughout the room.

Naruto was the first one to rush into the area, his apron rustling across his chest.

"What's going on?"

Looking over, he could see a grown man slumped over the dining bench. A broken ceramic plate was laid out next to his head.

Next to his slumped form was a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her clothing looked to be in rough shape, indicating she may have been homeless. She wore a pink hoodie with holes, a green beanie, and a white undershirt. She had on dark jeans with stains and torn-up sneakers.

Instead of finding a frightened girl, he found a girl with a scowl on her face. She was rubbing her throat while eyeing the unconscious man with hate in her eyes.

A woman on the other end of the room spoke up, likely wanting to de-escalate the situation.

"That man picked up the girl by the throat and started choking her! She only defended herself from him!"

Naruto glanced over at the woman before looking back at the girl. At that moment, his friends also emerged from the back. They glanced around the room, analyzing the situation.

The Saiyan half-breed walked over to the young girl before crouching down on one knee. The girl acknowledged his presence with a quick glare.

"Did you…" He then pointed at the unconscious man, "…knock him out with that plate?"

To her credit, she didn't back down, "I did. He tried choking me because I apparently stole his seat, so I defended myself."

He eyed the girl up and down. She saw this and tensed, unsure of what was going to happen.

Were they going to kick her out? Then she'd really have nowhere else to go.

Would they send her to juvie? It would suck but at least she'd get free meals.

Or would they scream and spit at her, like so many others had done on the streets?

Instead, she received a fist bump.

It took her a few blinks to make sure she was seeing things correctly. Trailing up the outstretched arm, she found the owner staring at her with a smile.

"You're not…mad or something?"

"Mad?" Naruto raised an amused brow, "What you just did was awesome. You defended yourself and gave this punk a reason to think twice about it in the future. I say it was a win-win."

Naruto also took the woman's testimony as a way to back up this child. He could've been wrong in his decision but his gut was telling him otherwise.

It took a second before the girl allowed a wide smile to spread across her face. She didn't know the last time she smiled, but it felt nice to do so again.

Raising her small fist, she gave the half-breed Saiyan a strong fist bump. Both of them giggled like idiots, smiles on their faces.

"Well it looks like Naruto has this under control," Eve announced with a soft smile.

"Honestly, I didn't think he'd be great with kids," William shrugged before walking away. "Maybe it's because he's a child at heart."

"I'll get the broom," Amber said while walking toward the janitor's closet. Someone had to sweep up the ceramic pieces of the plate. Mark joined her, engaging in conversation as they walked.

As for Naruto, he stood back up with a grin, "So what's your name squirt?"

"It's Nikki," The girl said with a toothy grin. She couldn't help but find Naruto's carefree spirit infectious.

"Well Nikki, I like your spirit," Naruto admitted with a smile and crossed arms. "Tell you what, how about you get another meal? On me."

"Wait really?" Nikki asked with stars in her eyes. "No catch or anything like that?"

"Nope, no catch," Naruto confirmed, "All I ask is that you don't break another plate over someone's head this time."

"Deal!" Nikki said with a grin. Hopping to her feet, she followed the older teen back to the lunch line to grab another plate of food.

It might not seem like much to some, but for Nikki, it meant the world. Not a lot of people were kind to those homeless. This was something she wouldn't pass up.

Besides, she liked the feeling of smiling again. It had been too long since she last had.


Somewhere in the Night Sky

Nolan felt tired after another day of work.

He wasn't tired physically of course, but rather mentally.

Today had been the start of his personal training for Mark. Not the physical kind, but the psychological side.

He knew his duty to Viltrum needed to be upheld. It was without question. His loyalty ran too deep.

That's why he tried to help his son see things his way. He couldn't outright explain or force anything down his throat, it would have to come naturally.

Viltrumite ideals and beliefs were much different than Earth's. He needed Mark to start adopting these or else there would be…problems.

Sighing, Nolan shook his head with a scowl on his face. If only Mark had never got his powers…if only his Viltrumite blood stayed dormant forever.

The years of raising Mark like an earthling instead of a Viltrumite had been a mistake, he could see that now. He never expected Mark to gain his powers, hoping he would die of old age one day. It would've made his mission a lot easier that way.

Mark and Debbie, both meant the world to him. Yet, Viltrum was his duty. His soul. His identity.

Nolan couldn't cast aside what he was sent to do.

He knew that Earth was planned for indoctrination. Viltrum had set their sights and sunk their teeth into it, it's why Nolan was here in the first place. To prepare it for Viltrumite rule and take over.

That meant he needed to secure it and purge it of all threats. Even if those threats lay in his family.

Shaking his head again to rid those thoughts, Nolan continued flying through the night sky. Mark had left hours ago to help his girlfriend with something.

That made Nolan frown again, realizing just how much Mark was influenced by his upbringing. Viltrumites didn't care much for the notion of romantic partners.

At most, they mated and bred for strong offspring. That was it. What he felt for Debbie was rare among his people.

The sad reality was that Mark cared far too much about the people of this planet. He played hero, saving lives and bringing peace. Perhaps this was his fault. Most boys looked up to their fathers growing up and he was a hero in Mark's eyes.

"I should have taken him to Viltrum and raised him there…or at least been stricter on him growing up…" Nolan muttered in his mind as he flew at hundreds of miles per hour. He didn't have a specific destination in mind, simply trying to clear his head. "…how could I have been so foolish…"

Now that Mark had his powers, the timeline for securing Earth moved up by quite a bit. He had already been given twenty years on this planet and Viltrum's patience was starting to wane.

He thought his plans were coming to fruition. Slaughtering the Guardians of the Globe was the easiest, most efficient way to clear them out at once. He didn't enjoy it per se but realized the importance of it.

Then came along the topic of Steadfast. Minato Namikaze, someone he had a rivalry with for decades at this point.

Nolan didn't know who would truly win in an all-out fight between the two and that was a scary thought. This planet shouldn't have had any big threats to his empire, yet here he stood.

If the constant spars throughout the years told Nolan anything about the Saiyan, it was that he would not go down without a fight. He hoped the illness contracted a few years back would finish off the man, yet it hadn't.

He knew it was cowardly, unbecoming of a Viltrumite to allow a disease to finish off what he was responsible for. Yet, he couldn't help these feelings of camaraderie. Of…friendship when thinking of his rival.

"No..! Viltrumites do not have friends…" Nolan reminded himself while shaking his head.

Speaking of friends, Omni-Man thought back to his son's best friend. Maelstrom or Naruto, the son of his rival.

The two boys had grown up together, brothers in all but blood.

He had been vehemently against the idea at first when Debbie brought it up. It had even gotten to the point they shouted about it. The thought of allowing their child to bond with someone close to their age was inconceivable. In the end, however, he had conceded to Debbie's idea.

Once their sons became close friends, the fathers followed after.

Nolan grit his teeth thinking about it. Close bonds and friendships only slowed down a Viltrumite. It would only slow down Mark. It was beginning to slow down him.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar sound. Something or someone was going into an atmospheric entry. They were blasting through Earth's atmosphere at a high speed, flames licking around their forms.

The figure's form was hundreds of miles away, barely a speck in the distance, but he could see it all too well. It made his body tense.

Omni-Man narrowed his eyes dangerously while blasting toward the objects coming from space. Multiple shock waves came from his feet as he broke the sound barrier repeatedly.

Whatever came into Earth's atmosphere landed on a farm field, the flames from the heat long disappearing. The shock wave from the sudden stop was loud but didn't destroy anything besides the ground.

However, they had landed in a small town. It wasn't large by any means, having a population of less than three thousand, but it was a town. That meant it was populated and word would get around soon that a disturbance of some kind had just occurred.

These thoughts ran through Omni-Man's head as he arrived at the landing site.

Once the dust and smoke cleared, two female figures emerged. One was younger than the other but they both dressed in the same white outfit. Nolan narrowed his eyes.

The first female had long-braided dark hair, few wrinkles on her face, blue eyes, and light skin. A sharp blade hung from the end of her ponytail.

The second female looked to be the younger of the two. She had short black hair, tan skin, high cheekbones, and blue eyes. She had a toned physique with a curvy figure hidden underneath her white outfit.

Nolan recognized them in an instant. He flew down to meet them, face to face.

"Thula. Anissa. What do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Ahh…Nolan…" The female known as Thula spoke aloud, her braided hair swaying in the wind. "How lucky we are to find you right away. This makes our job much easier."

"Don't make me ask again," Nolan growled out. He didn't like having his question avoided.

Thula smirked, not threatened at all. "Annisa and I just finished a mission in this sector of this galaxy. Thragg has been requesting an update report for a while now, so we decided to visit on his behalf. He finds it…odd how long you've needed to conquer this backwater planet. It took us weeks to get here, we'd rather leave with something of substance."

"Even Thragg knows how foolish it is for another Viltrumite to encroach someone's post," Nolan bit back, his arms crossed. "Tell him I have everything under control and leave."

This time, Anissa spoke out, "The outfit you're wearing is not of Viltrumite origin. Why is that?" A Viltrumite's sacred outfit was one of the most important things to them. You wore it proudly for Viltrum and yourself.

Nolan glanced over at the woman, "This planet, Earth, has heroes who wear specialized outfits. This one was designated to me. The people here look to me as their savior."

"Their savior?" Thula choked back the scoff wanting to leave her throat. "How amusing."

"Is there something preventing you from preparing the planet?" Anissa raised a careful brow, "I do not see what is holding you back."

Nolan nearly lost his patience with the woman, "The day I need to explain my reasoning to you is the day you rank above me."

"It is not my rank you should be concerned with, but rather the Grand Regent. It is his words alone that we come in search of an update," Anissa didn't put any maliciousness in her words, simply stating the facts.

"For once, I have to agree with her," Thula announced with a finger on her chin. She glanced at the man before them, almost daring him to say something incriminating.

Nolan felt his body tense, wanting nothing more than to punch a hole through both women. Just when his own thoughts were against him, Viltrum had to send these two agents for a personal 'update' as they called it.

He wanted to scoff at the notion. But for now, he would play nice.

"Follow me."

They were two short words but both women heard them perfectly. Without a second to waste, all three shot into the air.

As for Nolan, he had a certain destination in mind. He needed these Viltrumites gone quickly. Each second spent here would give Cecil more of a chance to discover them. The last thing he needed was for the director to breathe down his neck regarding this incident.

They needed to leave, now. Nothing short of a fight would make it happen. Thankfully, Nolan had another thing in mind.

It took some time but Nolan had taken them to a nearby city. Electronic billboards, movie theaters, casinos, and other entertainment facilities littered the area.

They flew high above in the sky, the harsh winds doing nothing to them.

"Look below, do you see it?"

Both women glanced down but didn't say anything.

"These creatures need vehicles to travel. Vehicles to fly. Everything they do is only a mere fraction of our power."

"So what's stopping you from indoctrinating the planet today?" Thula asked with a bored tone in her voice, almost like this planet already lost her interest.

"Because of them," Nolan pointed at one of the electronic billboards playing. They could see various news reports of 'heroes' guarding the planet. How their good deeds allowed for their world to be a little safer.

"Heroes?" Anissa said the word aloud as if hearing it for the first time.

Nolan nodded, "They are the defends of this planet. I'm nearly finished in weakening all defenses for a smooth Viltrum takeover. Once completed, there will be no one left to stand in our way."

"Hmm…I see…" Thula announced while flipping her braid over to the opposite shoulder. "I suppose that is sufficient for now. I will meet with Thragg and report the progress to come."

"Good," Nolan growled the word out of his mouth. "Now leave."

Thula smiled like she wanted to say something but instead chose not to. She found amusement in Nolan's guarded behavior.

As for Anissa, she glanced over at one of the billboards playing the news. In bolded letters, she could read: "Maelstrom! One of the best upcoming heroes!"

A camera feed displayed video and photos of Maelstrom's actions in fighting back the alien invasion. She could see his movements, how he fought back with ferocity.

It shifted to his sudden use of clones and wind manipulation simultaneously. Both powers combined to send the forces back with little resistance.

This sudden display of power was interesting to Anissa. Nolan was the only true competitor for her on this planet and he was of no importance to her. Yet here this individual stood, with power, unlike anything she had seen before.

It wasn't much to go on, but Anissa's interest was piqued. If there was ever a reason to visit this planet again, she would like to meet this Maelstrom.

Even if there wasn't a reason, perhaps a conversation with Thragg would allow her to patrol this area of the galaxy more often. It would be dangerous to approach Nolan's post without prior approval but she could be sneaky if needed.

Licking her lips, the normally collected woman flew off with Thula back into space.

They had come and collected what they needed. Therefore, their mission had proven fruitful.

Especially in more than one way for Anissa.


Chapter 5 is now finished! Longest chapter so far, around 13k words.

Some things to mention.

If anyone wonders how Anissa and Thula could enter Earth's atmosphere without triggering some GDA satellite or sensor, just look at the show. Anissa visits Earth and Cecil is none the wiser until she makes herself known, in the middle of the day too.

Also, Minato did not meet the Viltrumites in space. He's going near the outer Solar System while these two Viltrumites came in from another direction heading to Earth, missing each other by billions of miles.

In case you feel as if Minato or Naruto are becoming Cecil's errand boys/lap dogs, they're not. They're getting paid for their services like you would at a job. Also, the dynamic will change/shift as the story progresses so you'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

We have some plot things moving forward that I'm pretty excited about. Hope you all enjoy these setups we have going on!

Now, time to dive into some reviews!

Savageverse: You're right, Tech Jacket is a guy in the comics. However, their gender has NOT been revealed in the show yet so I want to wait and see. Even if it gets revealed they're still a guy, I may swap their gender in the story. That's why I kept it obscure.

Random reader 44: Yep, working on the newest chapter.

God of Wind 200: Naruto can sorta breathe in space. In canon, he fights just fine on the moon against Toneri but that's pretty iffy. Most people say there was an artificial barrier that let them breathe around the moon while others claim he could just breathe because of plot armor. I decided to play it safe and go with the Saiyan route because we know they actually can't breathe in deep space without using Ki or some kind of breathing device.

Reviews are great ways to help me out! Thank you to those who have and continue to do so!

Until next time!

~ Cheers!