Chapter 8 is here! Off to the races!

I have a long author's note at the bottom of this chapter to discuss some things. It's my longest one yet so I evened it out by making this my biggest chapter so far before the author notes.

Also, I addressed a few reviews at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I don't own "Naruto," "Dragon Ball Z," "Invincible," or any other sources of legitimized media, they belong to their respective owners.


One Beating After Another

Mark Grayson was not having the best day in the world.

He ducked under another reanimated corpse as it lunged for him. Their fists were only inches above his head.

It had been such a simple trip. Nothing like this was supposed to happen.

His father had already scolded him for his Mar's mission and expressed his disappointment. When he told him he wanted to go on the college trip, he scowled before walking away.

His mother had been much more understanding but he could see the worry in her eyes. She gave him permission to leave but told him to be careful.

That was another can of worms he would have to deal with at home.

Back to his current situation, Amber and William were so excited for their tour around Upstate University. It was all they could talk about in the car ride up here.

That was until Rick, someone William had been talking to for a while, didn't meet them on arrival as he promised. Amber and Mark didn't think much of it, but William was insistent that something was wrong.

Just to put his friend's worries to rest, Amber and Mark decided to search the campus in hopes of finding Rick. It had been hours of prowling the campus.

They almost gave up until a sudden sinkhole appeared in the center of campus. Mark had run to safety with his two friends before sneaking off and changing into his suit.

That's when he saw them. The best way he could describe them was as if a living corpse mashed with technology.

They wore a silver-plated helmet with a red dot, gray mechanical arms, robotic legs, and a black spandex suit. Their upper chest was bare to the world.

Three of these things had rushed out of the sinkhole at once. They snarled and made unholy noises from the back of their throats.

Thankfully, before any students could get seriously injured, Mark had been able to step in. That also meant he was the center of attention for these monsters.

He slammed a knee into the gut of one of the creatures but they shrugged it off and slammed a fist into his face.

Staggering back, he was jumped on by two more from each side. They proceeded to stomp and kick him with ferocity in their attacks.

Blocking with his forearms, Invincible grunted from the constant blows. They attacked like rabid animals. Once their eyes were set on their target, they attacked relentlessly.

They didn't stop or try to reason. They were mindless and primal.

Growling in anger, Mark grabbed one of their legs before it could stomp him again. Shouting, he spun the monster around which knocked over the other two.

He followed this up by slamming the one he was holding into the ground. Holding the leg with an iron grip, he put forth a lot of strength into the momentum.

One, two, three, four, and five times he smashed the living corpse into the campus sidewalk before it stopped moving.

Its limbs were bent at odd angles from the impact on the ground but stopped movement altogether.

Huffing and puffing, Invincible turned his head to see the other two enemies rushing at him. It seemed they had recovered quickly from their knockdown.

They both lunged at him at once. He was only able to toss one over his shoulders before the other wrapped its arms around him. The arms tightened while he struggled to free himself.

While trying to break free from the hold, the remaining opponent snarled and rushed him. It delivered punch after punch to his jaw.

Mark tried to break his arms free but it was proving to be more difficult than he thought. Another punch rocketed his face, making the teen slightly dazed.

"Enough!" Mark shouted in anger before adrenaline filled his veins. With a yell, he yanked both arms free and elbowed the attacker behind him with so much force it sent the enemy flying back.

Taking advantage of the small opening, he grabbed the living corpse in front of him.

Digging his hands around its midsection, the teen threw it as hard as he could. This just so happened to be at a few campus trees.

The machine-like creature slammed through three of these thick trees before slumping over. It twitched as if it was going to get back up. However, it did not rise again.

Mark felt his previous attacker jump on his back again, hitting him with sucker punches. Steeling his nerves and tanking the blows, he threw him over his shoulder.

Just before it could get back up, he rushed forward with great speed. Angling himself so he was behind it, Mark placed a forearm under the creature's neck. Applying pressure, he heard it scream out in pain.

Wincing from the loud noise, Mark pressed on regardless.

He had effectively placed it in a choke-hold.

The trapped corpse clawed at his arm with little success. It couldn't pierce Mark's skin no matter how hard it tried.

Switching tactics, it began delivering harsh elbows into Mark's stomach with one arm. With another, it started slamming a fist into Mark's face.

Unfortunately, that meant nothing was stopping Mark from attacking the neck.

"Come on! Come on!" Mark shouted in his head while tanking both hits. His stomach was starting to hurt and his vision was getting hazy, but he wasn't stopping until the threat was down.

It struggled even stronger than before. Mark assumed he was close to putting it to sleep.

A few more elbows and fists slammed against his body, but thankfully, his durability won out. Eventually, the blows became softer until its body slumped. Like a puppet with its strings detached, it went out.

Mark waited to see if it would jump back up, but it seemed he had finished it off. Letting go, it fell over on the ground by his feet.

"I have to thank Naruto for teaching me that…" Mark spoke in his mind while rubbing the spots he was hit in. Those living machines, despite their primal nature, sure hit hard. He didn't want to kill them so it made fighting back slightly tricky.

Thankfully, his friend showed him how to do a proper choke-hold last night at the Beckwell Community Center. He didn't think he'd need to use it so soon, but it worked well enough.

Maybe he needed to get in on some of the training Naruto was doing.

"That…sucked…so bad," Mark huffed while looking around. All nearby students had run away when the fighting first started. Glancing over, he could see that William and Amber also evacuated.

Flying over to the sinkhole where these three machines came out of, he saw that it led underground. Narrowing his eyes, Mark assumed it was the sewer line for the university.

Touching the ground, he noticed how damp and wet everything was. The large metal pipes pumped out a small stream of water along the ground.

Following a dark path, Mark came across something that made his stomach turn.

"What the fuck is this?" He whispered in shock. Body parts and machinery littered a small room down the sewer. An operating table was in the center with a shaky light above it.

Tools with dried blood were scattered along a rack. It was like a horror movie come to life.

"Dammit, my Reanimen rushed out before work was finished! I have to go before the authorities are called…"

A voice further down the sewer shouted in frustration. Mark levitated slightly over the water, not wanting to give away that he was approached.

He found a male with light skin, slicked back black hair, and hunched over while packing a bag full of things. He wore a mauve suit jacket, dark tie, white undershirt, trousers, and laced shoes.

A lab apron, plastic gloves, and doctor's cap were covered over his regular clothing. He looked frantic while shoving more and more things into his bag.

"You created those monsters out there?!" Mark shouted while clenching his fists.

Hearing a voice, the person turned around to see Invincible floating before him.

"Monsters? They were my creations! Proof that the human body's weakness can be overcome with engineering!" The man shouted back, "Their debut was sooner than I expected, but you cannot deny their power! Their usefulness!"

"What do you mean your creations? What are they?" Invincible tried to figure out the reasoning behind this entire mess.

"I don't have to explain myself to some shoddy hero!" The man spat back, "But if you must know, those were my Reanimen! People who donated their lives to being a superior human being!"

"Donated my ass, I saw your tools and chains! You mutilate their bodies and claim it's for the betterment of humanity!"

"I AM AN ENGINEER!" The male screamed back.

"No, you're a sick fuck! I'm taking you to jail!" Mark shouted back while swinging his arm. Rage and anger filled his form.

Before the man could respond, Mark grabbed his tie. Yanking forward, he gave a harsh fist to his jaw which knocked him out upon contact.

The male slammed into the floor with a groan. His jaw ached as he lay unconscious on the cold ground below.

Pressing his personalized earpiece, Mark spoke, "Cecil, this is Mark. We have a situation."

Nothing came through for a few seconds. Invincible was about to try again before a low buzz came through the other end.

"Mark? What the hell is going on kid, I thought you were visiting some college today."

"Plans changed. I got attacked by some…I don't even know what they are," Mark admitted with disgust in his voice. "You need to send someone here to clean up what happened."

"Explain what happened Mark," Cecil commanded.

"I…it's…" Invincible tried to find the right words. It was difficult to describe. "This sicko created what he called Reanimen. They're mutilated corpses that he smashed with technology. You need to get someone down here to see this."

To Cecil's credit, he didn't gasp in surprise or shock. The man had seen too much and lived through to be caught off guard at the news.

"Give us a few minutes and we'll have people on the way. For now secure the area and make sure you don't let these Reanimen out of your sight. If they attacked you chances are they'll attack civilians. I'm trusting you to keep it locked down until we arrive kid."

"Just hurry," Mark responded while taking his finger off the earpiece. He couldn't help but feel disgusted at what he was seeing.

The creator of these monsters was still knocked out, his pristine clothes getting splashed with sewer water.

"You're coming with me and answering for everything here," Mark growled out. He grabbed the man by the back of his suit with one hand and floated through the sinkhole.

He had three Reanimen to collect and a girlfriend to reassure.


Utah Mountain Range – Guardians of the Globe HQ

Many heroes dreamed of taking the big stage one day. The fame. The glory. All of it is directed your way for millions of people to see.

In the hero community, that was being a Guardian of the Globe.

Once you were a Guardian, you became well-known. Stores sold merchandise in your likeness as toys while kids looked up to you. It was the pinnacle of being a top hero.

At least, it was supposed to be the pinnacle.

Their base of operations was a large, circular room with technology around the walls. A grand staircase led up to a monitor and a wide screen. Guard rails ran alongside the edge while bolted-down chairs were spread out for each person.

The atmosphere of the room was normal as people sparked up conversations. Currently, the Guardians were lazing around while talking to one another.

"How come Cecil called us in today? We already had to deal with that dragon yesterday!" Rex Splode said while leaning back on a staircase.

"Cecil is the director of the GDA and direct superior to me, it is only natural he would have the authority to call us in," Robot spoke from the center of the room. The machine had its arms crossed behind its back.

"That's not what he meant Robot," Shrinking Rae said with a smile and shake of her head. She also sat on the staircase, leaning on one of her knees.

"I'm more concerned about what Cecil wants," Black Samson answered with a frown on his face. The hero was standing in the corner of the room.

"Why?" Monster Girl raised a brow from the side, sitting on a chair with a fist propping up her face. She seemed bored and ready to leave.

"Why? Because we were annihilated by that dragon Rex mentioned! That's why," Black Samson said while clenching his fists.

"He's right. We got taken out and didn't stand a chance. If it wasn't for Atom Eve and Maelstrom, we would've been toast," Kid Thor pitched in. His magical hammer resting upon his shoulder.

"I wouldn't say we didn't stand a chance. I mean, we managed to hold our own for two hours. That dragon could breathe fire, regenerate, and fly around. We did our best with what we had," Dupli-Kate said from the side, a frown on her face.

"Unfortunately, our best just wasn't good enough. We need to be better than that. How can people rely on us, the best hero team in the world, if we can't even handle one threat?" Throwbolt chipped in, the heroine sitting on another bolted chair.

Black Samson smiled, glad that someone was on his side.

"Good to know I didn't have to explain your fuck up."

Everyone turned their heads to see Cecil walking through the double doors at the entrance. His dress shoes echoed in the room with each step he took.

"Our fuck up? I'm sorry we couldn't take down some mystical creature that could fly around and recover from any wound we gave it!" Rex mocked while rolling his eyes.

"That sarcastic bullshit doesn't mean anything to me, Rex," Cecil said in a dangerously calm tone. The director narrowed his eyes at the team.

They all heard the director continue, "If my top squad can't handle what I send at them, then our world is fucked. It doesn't matter if you are deployed to handle a street thug or alien invasion, you get the job done. No buts or ifs about it."

Rex muttered but didn't say anything, clearly embarrassed at the verbal lashing he received.

"We messed up, I get it, but we're still new. Our team dynamic needs time to grow. Plus we just got our training routines from Robot," Throwbolt explained from her seat.

"New or old, we need you all up to par. That's what I expected when I put you on this team. You're all held to a higher standard. It's time we upheld that requirement," The director explained with a frown on his face.

"So then how do we improve?" Monster Girl asked while sitting straight up in her chair.

"You train. Analyze film from previous fights and dissect what could've been done better. Come up with strategies that complement each other's abilities," Cecil said with both hands in his pockets.

Rex laughed at that idea until the director opened his mouth again.

"Dupli-Kate," Cecil began, startling the heroine, "You can clone yourself with each person acting individually. Yet all I've ever seen is you use them as cannon fodder. Throwing them at an enemy until you overwhelm them or your clones die."

"Well yeah," Kate sputtered, not used to being put in the spotlight. "But I-"

"But you need to be more creative. That won't work every time. Use them to form a ladder and get civilians out of harm's way. Use them to distract the enemy while another Guardian goes in for the finish blow. I don't care, just be smart with them."

Kate swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. She could admit that her strategy needed work….maybe a lot of work.

"Throwbolt, you can shoot electricity from your hands. Why have you never shocked Kid Thor's hammer so it can have a bigger kick?"

"I uhh…" Throwbolt began before Cecil turned his gaze away.

"Kid Thor, do you even know if your hammer can handle lighting? If it can be a conduit like the Thor of myth?"

"No sir," Kid Thor replied, "But even if it could what's to stop the current from shocking me?"

"Then have Robot make you a pair of rubber gloves! He's the brains behind the team! I mean Jesus do I really have to come up with team dynamics for you all? You're my best! My elite!" Cecil shouted while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Those were just ideas he came up with on the spot. The fact that none of them even considered them before was mind-blowing to him. Maybe he needed to reevaluate Robot's training methods.

A few seconds passed before Cecil collected himself. Sighing, he straightened his tie and glanced over them all.

"Anyway, the point I called you in is because you're all going to be sparring a few rounds with a certain someone I called in. They're trained enough to help you find gaps in your fighting style and maybe even give some helpful advice."

Robot then chimed in, "I see. Then the goal of today is to improve our individual capabilities. Would I be correct in assuming teamwork would come next?"

"That's the plan, yes," Cecil nodded.

Stedman then glanced at Monster Girl, "Everyone except you Amanda. Since your transformation makes you younger, you're going to be observing and put on a different training regime."

The heroine nodded, not objecting at all. Robot looked like he wanted to say something but held back.

That's when the entrance opened up, allowing everyone to see who it was. Stepping forward, each Guardian could see their guest for the day.

"Hello everyone!"

"Fuck off! Maelstrom? Really?" Rex said while throwing both arms up in frustration.

"I'd show a little more appreciation Rex, he saved your ass the other day. All of you," Cecil spoke with a no-nonsense tone.

Naruto blinked, not expecting such a hostile introduction.

Cecil had asked if he could stop in and train with the Guardians for the day. Considering that he had nothing better to do, he agreed. Nikki was with Eve so he had nothing to worry about.

He already had a few clones around the world helping so he was doing his part.

Everyone besides Rex didn't seem to mind Maelstrom's presence but Naruto could see that Black Samson was a little miffed. Likely because he saw him as a newer hero, someone not as experienced as him. Being forced to learn from someone half your age must've been a hit to his pride.

"I hope we can get along. I have a few things in mind to help," Naruto explained with clasped hands.

"I don't mind, we've seen how powerful he is," Shrinking Rae spoke with a nonchalant tone. "I see this as a win."

"Rex is just jealous that his powers aren't as cool as Maelstrom," Monster Girl joked with a teasing tone in her voice. Anything to mess with the hothead.

"You don't understand, he is just full of hacks! I mean, he can do all that crazy element stuff with his mouth!" Rex ranted with flailing arms, "And he has that flashy energy like Eve! This guy would be nothing without his powers!"

"Same thing applies to you…" Kate whispered under her breath. The only reason any of them made it to the Guardians, was because of their abilities.

"How about this Rex," Naruto explained with a smile, "You and I spar right now. I won't use any powers, just hand-to-hand. Winner gets bragging rights."

"I don't think Rex will take that offer, he's too chicken," Monster Girl added with a grin.

"You know what, fine! I'll take that deal! Just don't get pissed when I post this online," Rex stood up while stretching his neck.

Cecil, Black Samson, and Robot stood away from the center of the room. They didn't want to accidentally get caught in the middle and it allowed for more space.

"Whenever you're ready," Naruto taunted in a battle-ready stance. He wouldn't normally do this but Rex had been hating on him for a while now. He wanted to know why.

Rex didn't answer but rushed forward with a shout. The teen threw a right hook which Naruto ducked under. Placing a palm on Rex's ribs, Naruto gave a firm push that sent the hero back.

Hearing Monster Girl's giggle in the background infuriated Rex so he rushed back with a frown. He gave a leg kick to Naruto's face which the hero leaned back from.

Not discouraged, Rex tried to grapple Naruto by charging forward. He speared the teen with his right shoulder and tried to get him to the ground.

Naruto channeled chakra through his legs while planting his feet just to be sure. He wasn't moved an inch from Rex's charge.

"He's already moving fluently with his suit's increased gravity. The kid's adapting quick," Cecil muttered in his head from the side. His hands remained in his pockets while watching the spar.

However, this didn't discourage Rex. He punched Naruto in the side repeatedly with his right fist. While doing so he tried to lift up Naruto's leg with his left arm. He aimed to make the Saiyan fall backward.

Having enough of the short engagement, Naruto performed a leg sweep while simultaneously pushing his chest backward. The force knocked down Rex with a grunt.

He had performed the Deashi Harai. Looked like he ended up using it quicker than he thought.

Groaning in slight pain, the Hispanic hero looked up to a towering Maelstrom. He scowled, ready for the ridicule and taunting.

Instead, he was greeted with an outstretched hand. Raising a brow in confusion, Rex waited to see if he would pull it away but he didn't.

Sighing, the explosion-based hero grabbed the hand. He was yanked up on both feet before admitting defeat.

Naruto gave him a disarming smile, showing there was no bad blood between them.

"Now that we have Rex's ego settled, maybe we can begin," Black Samson spoke while walking over.

"Yeah, we'll go one by one so I can best analyze everyone. Feel free to hit me with everything you got, I can take it," Naruto said with a grin.

"I'll go first. I want to see how I stack up," Kid Thor spoke out while walking over with his hammer.

Just as Naruto was about to speak again, everyone saw Cecil press a finger to his ear. The conversation that followed was only heard in bits and pieces, but they could tell it was important.

Once it was over, Stedman glanced over at everyone else in the room.

"I have to go, something popped up. Robot, you're in charge while I'm gone. Make sure everything runs smoothly and report back to me with updates."

Without another word, Cecil flashed away.

"Woah I didn't know he could teleport," Naruto remarked with surprise in his voice.

"He can't. It's some technology the GDA made. Allows him to flash from place to place," Throwbolt announced to the room.

Seeing a few eyes on her, she shrugged, "I overheard him explaining it to Donald the other day. I thought everyone else knew."

"Well now we know," Shrinking Rae thought out loud.

"Nonetheless, let us begin," Robot spoke with an analytical eye. "We will begin with Kid Thor facing off against Maelstrom. Please refrain from causing damage to the surrounding area. Everyone else, remain a safe distance away."

"Let's do this then!" Naruto cheered with a fist in hand.

They were off to the races.


Upstate University – Campus Grounds

"What is this?" Cecil asked in his head as his men carried out these living corpses. The GDA agents had taken away the Reanimen, closed off the area, and put the man responsible in custody.

"Sir, we've identified the creatures in the attack. It seems they were all missing students from this university. We've got a positive ID of the man behind this in custody. His name is D.A. Sinclair, a student from this university as well."

The director turned his head to see Donald next to him, documents in hand.

Glancing over, Mark was shocked to see Rick's photo was one of the missing students. He didn't know how to break the news to William.

"Send him to our detainment facility for now until we decide what to do with him," Cecil answered to Donald who nodded.

"This Sinclair guy deserves to rot! He created those monsters! All of them are from those missing students! Who's to say he didn't kidnap them too!?" Mark shouted with anger.

"Jesus kid calm down, I understand. I'm in your corner, this guy crossed lines to do what he did," Cecil tried to placate with a raised hand.

"Yeah, it's just…sorry. Those Reanimen or whatever the hell they are just attacked like wild animals," Mark answered after a deep sigh.

"Yeah, I can see that," Cecil nodded while glancing at the hero. Mark still had scuff marks, scratches, and a busted lip from the skirmish. Even his suit was torn in places from the attack.

"I need to speak with Amber and William, they're probably worried sick of where I went…" Mark said while dreading the moment. He went on this trip to make up with Amber only for him to bail at the first sign of trouble.

They probably thought he was some kind of coward.

Before the director could give a piece of advice, he heard something come in from his earpiece. Pressing his finger on it, Mark only heard bits and pieces of what was said.

"…really? Local law enforcement couldn't take this guy down?… Alright, I'll send someone to handle it."

Cecil looked at Mark with a firm look on his face, "Listen kid I get that you're busy here with your girlfriend, but I need you at the moment. We just got reports that some guy in downtown Chicago robbed a bank."

Nolan was still refusing to take orders so Cecil had to find a workaround.

"A bank robber? No offense but couldn't you send some other hero team to deal with it? Or even Naruto?" Mark would've normally taken the offer but he wanted to at least speak with Amber and William.

"Sure but this guy can turn his whole body into stone. He's clearly got some kind of powers and any secondary team will take a while to get there. Naruto is busy training the Guardians so you're all I got."

"Wait Naruto's training the Guardians?" Mark raised a brow.

"Not the thing to focus on right now. Can you do this? If you're worried about the friends you came with, I'll have my team make contact and explain things," Cecil said in a firmer tone. If Mark couldn't do this, then he needed to find a replacement as soon as possible.

If Mark still refused, Cecil wondered if Naruto could send a few clones instead to take care of the problem. His mind already working on backup plans. The perks of running an agency for decades.

"No…I can do this. Just make sure Amber and William are safe. Let…let them know I'm Invincible. I think it's time they know."

"You sure kid? This type of revelation can be heavy on the personal life," Cecil asked with a raised brow.

"I'm sure. It's about time they knew. Rushing off with no explanation is tearing me up, it's time they knew the truth."

"As long as you're sure. I'll get them up to speed but get ready for the fallout," The director warned while flagging a few of his men over.

Mark nodded with a frown. He would've preferred to tell them in person but he felt this couldn't wait. He had already left on five days with short notice and now this.

It was more for Amber than William, but the sentiment was the same. William would probably be fine with it but he was worried what Amber would say. He prepared the tongue-lashing that would come his way.

Putting that to the back of his mind for now, Invincible shot off into the sky. He had a bank robber to take care of.


It took a few hours before the day was over for the Guardians.

They had just finished their training for the day. The spars with Naruto had been very telling.

Dupli-Kate wasn't efficient with her clones. She relied on numbers instead of creativity.

Kid Thor was powerful with his weapon. If taken away, he was left useless. That meant he needed a better way to secure it on his person.

Rex Splode tended to let his temper control his emotions. He needed to learn when to reign it in, control himself, and fight back smarter.

Throwbolt would wildly throw her bolts out, not thinking of the next step. Forethought and careful planning needed to be worked on.

Shrinking Rae seemed to have a great grasp on her powers and critical thinking skills. Unlike the others, all she needed to work on was her base speed and strength.

Black Samson was a well-rounded fighter. He had the experience, power, and tactics to put up a good fight. His only problem was that if his suit was taken away, his powers went with it.

Since he didn't spar Monster Girl, he couldn't give her tips besides the basics. He encouraged her to read battle strategies and learn how to use the environment around her in a fight.

Surprisingly, Robot didn't spar with him, claiming it wouldn't have done him any good. Instead, he analyzed fight patterns and went over mental probabilities for better results in the future.

Once their spars were over, the team went over the fight from the other day. They broke it down, and threw in ideas on how to better work, before moving on to the last part of training.

Finally, they all brought up new ideas on how to work better as a team. Like the examples Cecil gave earlier, they brought up other scenarios to bring up their synergy.

The training was then brought to an end. Black Samson and Robot said they were heading out for the day since their duty was over.

Black Samson claimed he wanted to head home and relax.

Robot announced he had other matters to attend to. If only the team knew he had a secret meeting with a certain pair of criminal twins.

With both people gone, Rex cracked a smile and tapped a certain part of the floor. A fridge propped up with numerous beers. The Hispanic hero claimed that the boring 'adults' were gone, so it was time to have fun.

So they did. They didn't drink enough to impair themselves, but enough to enjoy themselves.

Naruto didn't drink, he wasn't even of legal age, but it felt good to do so. Relaxing with the other heroes 'after hours,' cracking jokes, and having fun was nice.

"Holy shit, really? You crashed some soccer field in DC taking down that guy?" Amanda laughed with a beer in hand.

"I'm telling you the truth! His bald head scrapped the field so bad there was some white paint on it!" Naruto laughed back with a beer in his hand as well.

Shrinking Rae chuckled from the side, "You couldn't wash it off with that water ability you have?" She had seen his counterattack to the flames by the dragon in the footage earlier.

"I could've but it was funnier to leave it on. A reminder to stay on the good side of the law," Naruto smiled while taking another drink from the bottle.

"I'm gonna be honest, I thought you were a goody-two-shoes. I never thought I'd see you with a beer in hand and cracking jokes with us," Monster Girl smiled while reaching for another in the fridge.

"Wait really? Did all of you think I was a goody-two-shoes?" Naruto perked up, glancing around the room for their reactions.

"Uhh kinda," Rae shrugged with an apologetic grin.

"I thought you were a good person," Throwbolt tried to lessen the blow with a shaky smile. Deep down, she too thought the hero was a goody two-shoes.

"Complete boy scout," Rex nodded from the side, chugging the beer in hand.

"I don't see the issue, I think Maelstrom is a fine hero!" Kid Thor chimed in a confused look in his eyes. Two empty beers sat next to him, standing on the cold steel of the staircase.

"What do you do in your free time?" Dupli-Kate asked while her clone fetched her another beer from the fridge.

"Mainly train and volunteer at a soup kitchen with my friends," Naruto answered before realizing he shot himself in the foot.

"Then yep, total goody two-shoes," Kate chuckled with a shake of her head. Her clones returned and absorbed back into her body, leaving a fresh beer in her hand.

"Assholes…" Naruto muttered with no malice behind it. This earned a few laughs in the room.

The atmosphere felt warm. It was nice to relax for once and take the day off from fighting crime or saving the world. The small moments where they remembered just how human they were.

Glancing over to a certain wall, Naruto asked a burning question in his head.

"I didn't want to bring up the elephant in the room, but why is that there?" He extended a pointer finger to where he was staring at. Turning their gaze, they could all see a small blood stain along a metal wall.

It had long dried, looking almost like a dark brown.

"That is our reminder. Our reminder that we aren't shit compared to the last Guardians of the Globe. Reminds us to fulfill expectations. Take responsibility. That sort of thing," Rex waved off with a flap of his hand. It was clearly not a big deal to the teen.

Or at least, he made it seem that way.

Naruto blinked and gestured with his hands, "That's left over from the previous Guardians? When they…you know…"

"Yep," Monster Girl popped the word from her mouth, "Cecil's version of a welcome gift. If you ask me, it's hella creepy to leave on the wall."

Naruto shifted himself on the staircase, trying to push down the feeling of disgust. He couldn't see it well since it was across the room, but he thought he spotted a small piece of brain matter.

"Changing the subject…" Kate interrupted while twisting open her new beer. "How do your clones work? I've wanted to ask for a while now."

"My clones? Well, when I summon them they're exact copies of me, and if they're hit hard enough they can pop. I can summon more if needed and disperse them on command if I want to." Naruto shrugged.

"So if they pop, they don't leave any residue? No blood, guts, organs, just gone?" Monster Girl asked while putting her beer to the side.

"Just gone," Naruto nodded, "They'll disappear in a cloud of smoke but that's about it. It's like they were never there to begin with."

"I'm curious, you feel their pain?" Kate asked with a tilt of her head.

"Nope, all I get from my clones are their memories. Any soreness, numbness, pain, or physical traits go out the window," Naruto answered. "Why, do you feel pain from yours?"

"All of it. Every death or any pain is all felt by me," Kate answered grimly while thinning her lips. She perceived each death of her clones as a personal experience.

"You get like all the perks without the drawbacks man! More hacks!" Rex shot into the conversation with a laugh.

"Well, it's not like they don't have drawbacks. If I run out of energy I can't summon them anymore. Or if they get hit too hard, they're gone. They're probably not as durable as Kate's clones," Naruto explained while placing away his beer.

"I always thought that Kate was the only one with clone powers. It's kinda weird to see someone that can do something similar," Rae spoke while taking another sip of her alcoholic beverage.

"Well, my brother can also make clones."

Naruto perked up at this, "Wait, your bother? I didn't know you had a brother."

Kate sighed, "He's not the…best. Morally. I don't get to see him often but he can do the same thing as me. That's why I was curious, I've never seen anyone do what we can outside our family. Even if it's not exactly the same thing."

Before Naruto could respond Kid Thor decided to step into the conversation.

"Do your copies have the same abilities as you?"

Naruto glanced over to the hero before nodding, "Yes, they can do what I can. However, they do have a personal amount of energy so if they use it all they'll also dispel."

"You've mentioned this energy thing a few times, what is it?" Throwbolt asked curiously. She was done drinking, having finished a few bottles already.

"Without getting too much into the specifics, it's basically what allows me to do everything you see. The elemental stuff I can spit out or seals I use, all of it is powered by that," Naruto answered while stretching his arms forward.

"Can you run out of it?" Throwbolt responded.

"I can, but I've never gotten close."

This time, it was Rex who spoke, "How come?"

"I guess I've just never been pushed that far. I have loads of it, to begin with, but I haven't been in a situation where I had to use these techniques over and over again without a break. It naturally recharges over time so I haven't had to worry about it before."

"Can you summon one right now?" Monster Girl asked with a raised brow. She had a slight smirk on her face, likely feeling the effects of downing multiple beer bottles at this point.

"Sure," Naruto nodded before making a quick hand seal. A clone poofed into existence for the group to examine.

"That's pretty cool. It's similar to what Kate can do but they operate in different ways," Rae said while adjusting her glasses in one hand, her other holding a cold beer.

Monster Girl walked around the clone in examination, rubbing a hand to her chin.

"Do you ever get into arguments with your clones?" Naruto asked Kate with a wide grin.

"Sometimes. And let me tell you, It's so weird finding yourself annoying," Kate joked with a laugh.

"Trust me, I understand. There was one time I had a few clones who tied me up. All of them commanded I had to agree to their demands or I would be locked away," Naruto smiled while recounting the story.

"You had a revolt with yourself? That's so dumb!" Rex snorted in amusement. He imagined the situation in his head and laughed.

"It was stupid," Naruto added with a laugh.

"What were they demanding?" Throwbolt asked while chuckling.

"They wanted more free time, demanded I summon them more than just to fight, and claimed I didn't have any special privilege as the original."

"So what did you do?" Kid Thor asked while placing his hammer on his shoulder.

"I showed them how special I was as the original and dispelled them. Showed those fuckers," Naruto nonchalantly said with a shrug of his shoulders. The alcohol might've loosened his tongue a bit.

Everyone in the room laughed at the unexpected use of profound language. Even Rex smiled, glancing at the Saiyan with an approving look in his eyes.

"HIYA!"

Everyone turned their heads to see Monster Girl slam a harsh kick in between the legs of the Naruto clone. The copy winced and fell over before dispelling into smoke.

"Ow," Naruto said plainly, getting the clone's memories. "Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to test if a kick to the nuts counted as hard enough. Clearly, it did," Monster Girl shrugged with a smile on her face.

Another round of laughter filled the room.

More time passed as conversations were held between everyone. Eventually, Naruto got up to find the restroom in the base.

Once he was directed by Rae, he followed the directions down the hall.

When he was out of sight, the Saiyan felt someone tapping his shoulder. Turning around, he came face to face with Rex Splode.

"Hey man, I just wanted to give a quick sorry…I normally don't apologize so this is new to me," Rex said with a red blush of embarrassment on his face.

"Apologize? Apologize for what?" Naruto blinked.

"For being a bit of an ass. I know I've been a dick shooting the odd remark or sarcastic comment when you would talk. And for that I… apologize," Rex acted like he would throw up if he had to say the last word again.

Naruto remembered all the times Rex and he interacted. The times Rex would shout how much he didn't need Naruto's help, or call his abilities hacks.

"I can see now that you're a genuine guy and I feel bad for dogging you all the time. Especially in that spar we had. You could've rubbed it in my face, which I deserved by the way, but you didn't. That makes you pretty solid in my book," Rex admitted with a soft grin on his face.

Who would've thought that sharing a few beers with someone could change your opinion of them?

Naruto was about to respond before the Hispanic teen held up a hand, "Before you speak, I also wanted to apologize for our first interaction. I cheated on Eve, that was on me. Like you said, it was a scumbag move. I can see now that I have a lot of growing up and maturing to do."

Naruto was taken aback, impressed at the level of maturity being shown by Rex.

"I already apologized to Eve and Kate for what I did, but I know I messed up big time. It's gonna take a while, but I'm trying to be less and less like a dick every day," Rex finished with a sigh.

"Well man, I have to say, that's some self-awareness right there. I'm actually surprised at how much maturity you're showing," Naruto joked. His opinion of the teen had shifted.

"I mean I fucked up. I can't fix that, but I can try to work on myself moving forward. I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Rex held up a fist bump. "You're a cool dude. Hope we can be chill moving forward."

"I'd like that. Just stay on this path and we'll be good," Naruto smiled. He would freely admit that he didn't care much for Rex given his attitude and selfish behavior. But it was hard to hate a person who was actively trying to do better for themselves.

They fist-bumped, a sign of their new friendship together.


Chicago – Downtown Area

Mark floated over to where Cecil had told him to go. Since he was familiar with the city, he traveled toward the bank which was previously robbed.

Looking over the area, Mark eventually set his eyes on the assailant. It was a dark-skinned man in a gray hoodie. The individual was leaning against the building, arms crossed.

Mark thought he recognized the man for a second but shook the thought out of his head.

"About time someone arrived," The man spoke in a deep voice. Mark eyed him wearily while floating down to his level.

"Are you the person who robbed this bank?" Mark pointed at the establishment behind him.

"Yes."

"Then I have to take you in," Invincible readied himself into a battle stance. Anyone willing to rob a bank had some power behind them.

"You could do that, or you could actually do some good for a change." The hooded figure seemed to not mind the situation, keeping his body relaxed.

"What do you mean? I am doing good! You robbed a bank man, that's not a good look!" Mark said in a disbelief tone of voice. He was ready to end this already hectic day.

"I did but I didn't," Finally the man reached down for a bag by his feet. Mark tensed but watched as the bag was kicked over to him. It landed by his feet with a soft plop.

Opening the bag, Invincible witnessed the rows and rows of cash piled inside. Everything looked to be pristine and untouched.

"I only robbed this bank to get some attention. Didn't break any windows, hurt anybody, or break anything inside. Just tripped the silent alarms like I wanted. Was hoping they'd send someone like you so we can talk about a problem I have."

"I don't really care what your problem is. Thanks for giving back the money but I have to return this now," Mark sighed while putting the bag under his arm.

"Go on then, ignore us like every other part of society. I thought a hero would be different but I guess we don't matter as the little man."

"That's not what I…" Mark let out an annoyed sigh. He just wanted the day to be over with and cuddle with his girlfriend. "Okay fine, what's going on?"

He had a few minutes left before his patience was completely gone.

"I need help taking down my boss."

"Your boss? Why not just call like a union board or something," Mark shrugged with a shake of his head.

"He's not a regular boss, more of the criminal kind. Leader of crime rings, underworld business, that kind of thing. Runs this entire city."

"So then why were you working for him?" Mark narrowed his eyes. He didn't know why this person would have a sudden change of heart.

"Because I needed money quickly and he could use my powers to get some things done. Deal on both sides. It worked out but he wants to keep me in when I want out." To emphasize his point, the man turned his body completely into stone.

"Looks like Cecil's information was right," Mark thought with slight shock at seeing the transformation. He watched as the man slowly transformed back into his original appearance.

"Why take his money in the first place? Couldn't you just…work at Burger Mart or something? Get a normal job?" Mark offered while adjusting the bag of cash under his arm.

"When you need to take care of a little girl and provide for a family, you sometimes take desperate measures. Especially when they need food on the table and rent is due," The man spoke in his calm voice but an undertone of anger could be detected.

"Okay fine, fine," Mark conceded with a raised hand. "But I don't see why you can't just take him down yourself."

"Because he has more people in his pockets than I can handle myself. His name is Machine Head. The man runs drug rings, extortion operations, and insurance scams. He hires goons to protect him in his personal office so he can get away with it Scott-free. I might've worked for him but I never agreed on his views."

This was starting to sound like a problem to Mark. The more he pictured the situation in his head, the more Machine Head needed to go down.

"I need him gone tonight because Machine Head plans on taking out my family if I don't continue to work with him. I can't have that happen so I need all the help I can get."

Invincible chewed the inside of his cheek while pondering what to do. A few more seconds of silence passed before he gave an answer.

"Alright I'll help, but you need to give me information on what his schedule is. What to expect. That sort of stuff if we want a chance at bringing this guy down," Mark explained. The good side of his heart won out but he still wanted to get this done sooner than later.

He couldn't rush in blind, that would be stupid. Not when they had time to prepare and someone who could provide inside information.

"He has a personal assistant, Isotope, who can teleport people away. Thankfully, the man's out of town on business so we won't have to worry about him. He also hires mercenaries to guard his personal penthouse suite but they're just regular people with guns. Nothing too special."

Mark nodded, digesting the words.

"He likes to keep around a few personal people besides Isotope. One of them is named Magnattack who can shoot out these alloy plates that float around his body. Another is called Furnace who can shoot fire from his arms."

"Is he-"

"Yes, he's basically a giant furnace."

"Got it," Mark nodded, "Anyone else we should be worried about?"

"That's everyone I know of."

"Then let's get to it. I have to return this money first but then we'll head out," Mark said while propping the bag of cash to his shoulder. Walking back inside the bank, the hero turned his head.

"I never caught your name…."

"Titan," The man responded calmly.

Invincible nodded, heading back inside the bank with the missing money.

The sun was setting soon, he wanted to hurry this up.


Near Chicago, Illinois – Somewhere in the Wilderness

"How are you liking it?"

"It's so good! I can't believe you can make mango juice from thin air!"

Eve giggled while eyeing the excited child.

She was currently residing in the home she made from scratch. This was her personal abode, also called her tree house.

The home was constructed while blending in with its surroundings. Leaves, vines, and roots upheld the structure and made up the design. Windows lined the walls for natural light, comfortable furniture littered the inside, and small lights were strung overhead.

It was a comfortable retreat. The atmosphere was warm and cozy.

She had only recently constructed her home, choosing to do so after getting in a fight with her parents. Her constant worries and feeling lost in life made her want to retreat for a while. The only people that knew of this location were her close friends.

However, she wouldn't be surprised if Cecil somehow knew where she lived. It felt like that man had eyes on everything.

Naruto had asked if she could look over Nikki while he helped the Guardians train. The heroine didn't mind and it allowed her to know the child better.

They had spent the last few hours talking, relaxing, and cracking the occasional joke. The more she got to know Nikki, the more she realized why Naruto had her around. She was a bundle of joy.

Right as Eve was going to suggest a game board to play, they heard a voice ring out.

"Knock knock!"

Turning their heads, both individuals saw a floating Naruto with a smile on his face.

"You're back!" Nikki shouted in surprise. Placing down her glass of mango juice, she rushed over to hug the teen.

Landing on the ground, Naruto felt a small missile slam into his chest. He had his suit off, dressed in his civilian attire. It was nice to just be himself sometimes, especially when not on hero duty.

"I told you I'd be back! Pinkie promise!" Naruto laughed while wrapping his finger around Nikki's. It had become a small tradition for the two.

Nikki giggled in response, slightly pulling Naruto's finger.

"How'd training the Guardians go?" Eve asked while sipping her respective drink. A vanilla milkshake was in her hands with a cherry on top.

"Honestly? It was more fun than I thought. Gave them some advice and we left on good terms. I got to know them a little better."

"That's good," Eve agreed with a nod.

"Did you ask if I can go next time?" Nikki asked from the side with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Ahh it slipped my mind, I forgot to ask. Next time I'll ask for sure," Naruto gave a dramatic shake of his head. Nikki frowned and kicked his shin while Eve giggled.

"Want anything?" Atom Eve offered. She was about to make herself another milkshake since hers was close to finished.

"Just water," Naruto thanked while catching a water bottle Eve threw at him. He unscrewed the cap and downed it all in one gulp.

It was better to wash the taste of beer out of his mouth sooner than later.

"Hey guys…is that normal?"

Hearing Nikki's voice call out in concern, the two heroes turned their heads to see something odd. A hovering, green disc of energy was in the center of Eve's tree house.

Eve instantly changed into her hero outfit while Naruto double-tapped his pendant. Grabbing Nikki softly, he placed the confused girl behind him.

That's when they saw a man emerge his head from the portal.

"Oops, didn't mean to come back to my home dimension just yet…." The man mumbled to himself before glancing at the trio, "Oh sorry! Didn't mean to appear in your home, still working on getting these portals down! You know, dealing with new powers and everything!"

They could only see his head but they got a good look at him. He seemed to be dark-skinned and had a slender face, brown eyes, and a dark goatee. The man also had dark curly hair.

Eve and Naruto shared a look, neither knowing what exactly was happening.

"I'll excuse myself now. Apologies for any concern my arrival brought on. Farewell," The man said once more before retrieving his head back into the swirling portal. A few seconds later, the energy wisped away.

Eve made a motion to open her mouth but nothing came out. Naruto twitched an eyebrow, unsure what to make of the situation.

It was odd and random.

"Was that…normal?" Nikki asked with a tilt of her head. She was still getting used to being around heroes all the time. Maybe this was normal in their community.

"No…that's not normal," Eve answered with a slow blink.

Never mind, it seemed this was weird even for hero standards.


GDA Headquarters – Detainment Area

The cold, sterile area annoyed Doc Seismic immensely. He was placed in his cushioned cell, thick bulletproof glass separating him from the other end of the room.

Ever since Maelstrom brought him in, he couldn't get the thought of revenge out of his head. Maelstrom needed to pay. The GDA needed to pay. All heroes and people in his way NEEDED to pay.

A few agents had come since his arrival. When he wasn't being presented with stale food, he was bombarded with interview questions.

What are your motives?

Are there any collaborators we should be worried about?

Who provided you with the gauntlets on your hands?

All of it was incredibly redundant and boring. He always responded the same, by ignoring them with a glare.

They eventually got the message. Ever since his last interaction, he hadn't been interviewed or interrogated again.

Hearing the metal door slide open with a hiss, Doc Seismic groaned in annoyance. Just when he thought things were going to be quiet.

"I haven't answered any of your previous, ludicrous, questions! I already told the last people who walked in here, don't bother!"

The person who entered the room didn't respond. They pressed a few buttons on the wall before all lights went out in the cell.

"Hmm?" Doc Seismic raised a brow, not sure what was going on.

That's when the other person began to speak.

"Doc Seismic, it is a pleasure to meet you. I've managed to cut the power, cameras, and lights in your cell for the next five minutes. That is all the time we have before the guards come in to do their regular patrol."

A small pause happened before the man walked to the bulletproof glass. Glancing at his face, Doc Seismic could say confidently that he'd never met this man before.

"I work with an organization that runs things behind the scenes of this world. We could use your prowess and skill within our ranks. I'm extending the opportunity to join us if you so wish."

"Well whoever you are, you're not stupid," Doc Seismic chuckled. His power was nothing to scoff at after all.

The madman leaned back while getting a good look at this mysterious person.

"How do I know you're not tricking me? I mean to make it this far you're either a GDA agent or a fool aiming to waste my time."

"I assure you I come in good faith. I would not have cut the cameras and audio recording devices in this room if I was aligned with the GDA."

Doc Seismic stroked his chin with a small nod. It made sense after all.

"What do I get out of this? I hope you know I won't work for free," Doc Seismic frowned while awaiting an answer.

"Our organization can provide any resource you need. Money. Equipment. Land. Whatever you desire can be delivered instantly."

"That doesn't sound too bad…" Doc Seismic grinned mentally. He could imagine using this organization to further his own goals before leaving them in the dirt. He still had his ambitions to follow.

If that meant doing their bidding once or twice, he could live with that.

"What about this? You're gonna get me out of here?"

"That can be arranged should you accept our invitation to join."

The crazed man chuckled with a shake of his head.

He wasn't in the best position to negotiate given his lock up so he would have to play along if he wanted any chance of getting out.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I leave and we never speak again. You are transported to some prison to waste away, stripped of all possessions, and die of natural causes. All your ambitions, goals, and plans will die with you."

"You sure drive a hard bargain," Doc Seismic laughed. "But sure, what the hell! I'll join your group! Now get me out of here."

He could probably escape on his own but that would take time and effort. Plus, he was getting into some secret club this way so it could work out in his favor.

He would have to wait and see.

"Understood," The figure nodded, "I will inform my superior and arrange your immediate transport. Fooling the GDA will be difficult but not impossible. All I ask is that you give us time until we can extract you properly."

"Yeah yeah whatever, just don't make me wait forever," Doc Seismic waved off with a frown.

Looking at his wristwatch and noticing he only had one minute until the guards came back, the mysterious person typed a few buttons on the wall panel. Once again, the lights, cameras, and recording devices came back up.

"You made a wise choice Doc Seismic. We will be seeing each other again soon."

With his final words said, the figure walked out of the room. The sliding door opened and hissed behind him.

When the guards eventually came in for their patrol, they couldn't understand why the prisoner was laughing nonstop.

His voice bordered on insanity, laughing at a joke only he understood.

They didn't spare him another glance but that was fine with Doc Seismic.

He had just brokered his own freedom and they were none the wiser.


"Aw man, really? I lost again?" Nikki pouted in sadness.

"I tried to tell you, don't land on my property or it's over," Naruto teased with a grin.

The three were playing a board game Eve pulled out. She claimed she used to play it as a kid so they gave it a shot.

They sat around Eve's wooden table, each in their respective seats.

It had been hours since Naruto arrived and the sun was setting in the sky. They decided to spend the day away together as a group.

"Don't be mean Naruto, it's her first time playing," Eve shot back while Nikki gave a 'yeah' from her seat.

Before Naruto could comment on that he heard his communicator beep rapidly. Placing a finger to it, he heard Cecil shout from the other end.

"Kid, I need you NOW!"

Eve and Nikki could hear the man's voice and they were a few feet away. That's how loud the shouting was.

"Woah calm down Cecil, what's going on?" Naruto asked in a firm voice. Situations like this never panned out well.

He stood up and motioned he had to take this call real quick.

"Mark needs backup, the kid is fighting some group and losing badly. I'm talking critical injuries and broken bones."

"What?!" Naruto shouted in surprise, worrying the two girls beside him. "Where is he? Give me his location now!"

Now it was Naruto who was riled up.

"Downtown Chicago, I've already sent the Guardians to help but I'd feel better if we had another pair of hands there. I'm organizing our secondary teams but I need time to get them ready. I tried contacting Nolan but his earpiece was off. You're our only option right now kid."

"Yes, yes of course! I'll head there now!" Naruto said with desperation before cutting communication. He glanced over at Eve and Nikki with panic in his eyes.

They held their breaths, clearly feeling the tension in the air.

"Eve, Mark is in trouble. I'm heading to help him but I need you to take care of Nikki while I'm gone. Can you please do that?" Naruto asked. He would've preferred to fly straight away but someone had to watch the girl.

"Y-yeah, of course. I'll look after her until you get back," Eve confirmed with a shaky smile. She was clearly worried for her friend.

Eve wanted to go herself but knew that if it came down to it, Naruto was the better fighter. Plus, someone needed to watch the young girl.

"Nikki, behave yourself while I'm gone. Don't give Eve any trouble and use my card if you need anything." Reaching into his pocket Naruto threw his wallet at the heroine. Eve caught it with ease.

Maelstrom suited up, ready for action.

"I will," Nikki nodded with a soft voice. She was worried what was going on but tried her best to hold it together.

Seeing her worried eyes, Naruto let a small smile spread across his face. He kneeled down before extending his pinkie finger and wrapping it around hers. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Pinkie promise."

"Pinkie promise," Nikki responded with a weary smile. She was worried, that was natural, but Naruto was strong. He wouldn't go down easy.

Summoning a few clones, he ordered them to watch over the two girls. While they were useful, having a real person watch over Nikki was the safer option. If anything happened to him while out, his clones could dispel.

Better to avoid any unnecessary situations.

"Thank you again, Eve, I owe you one," Naruto smiled before flying away with his hero suit on. The harsh winds parted around his form.

"Stay safe…" Eve thought with worry in her heart. Anything that could give Mark serious trouble was clearly a threat.

Nikki watched his form depart from her line of sight.

Both hoped he would come back just fine.


Mark felt his blood rushing. Not through his body, but out of it.

Blood trailed down his nose, ears, eyes, chest, legs, ribs, and back. His was full of cuts, bruises, wounds, and injuries. His suit was torn up exposing his stomach, biceps, and lower legs.

His broken body was in the center of the room, his back feeling the cold wood flooring beneath. Sharp rocks scraped against his exposed ribs and legs. It hurt to even think about moving.

It was easier to mention what wasn't hurting at the moment.

The situation had seemed simple enough at first. Help Titan take down his boss, lock him up, and head back to Amber. Maybe even speak with his parents. His father was still mad about his decision to leave for Mars.

The two had gotten into a heated argument before he left for Upstate University. Mark wondered if it would be the last conversation with his Dad before he died.

You see, once he and Titan slammed through the entrance to the high-rise tower, they made quick work of the mercenaries. All his guards and personal staff were taken care of quickly.

Undeterred in the slightest, Machine Head called in for backup with some device on his wrist. Other goons and henchmen teleported in at the ready. They all seemed to have powers of some kind.

Was it more than they expected? Yes. Was it impossible to overcome? No.

At least Isotope was gone from Titan's report. That meant Machine Head didn't have an easy escape from the area.

Even when the backup was called in, Mark didn't mind it. He and Titan were making quick work of these D-list villains.

That was until they came face to face with a certain warrior. The Viltrumite didn't know the name of this behemoth but they fought like hell.

In Mark's opinion, this new enemy resembled a lion. They were covered in white fur, braids on either side of his head, had yellow eyes, and two cat-like ears atop his head. He wore red boots & gloves, a yellow belt, a black leotard, and red shoulder pads.

However, it was the weapon in his hand that really gave Mark trouble. A golden mace that expanded toward the top with a red handle. It had become well acquainted with Mark's skin by this point.

On the verge of passing out, Mark had heard the Guardians of the Globe break through the ceiling of the penthouse. Titan lay unconscious nearby, his rock-like features giving way to the skin underneath.

He too had been beaten by the villains in the room. Neither stood a chance.

When the Guardians arrived, Mark felt a spark of hope in his chest. He hoped that they would be able to take down the monster in the room.

Sadly, they too had been put down.

Granted, they did better than Invincible expected. Monster Girl engaged the cat-like warrior from the beginning, buying time as her teammates took care of the rest.

Robot had shouted orders but the ringing in his ears wasn't able to pick up what he said.

He hadn't been able to see it perfectly through his blurry vision, but Mark did see Rex and Dupli-Kate work together to finish off Furnace. Rex had used his explosive material to poke holes in the armor while Kate used her clones to batter the villain around.

Their teamwork had laid the goon on his back, unmoving with magma leaking from its body. It had tried to get back up but Rex made sure to slam another explosive against its head.

It looked like the pair could put aside their personal drama when it came down to it. Mark could respect that.

In another part of the large suite, Robot and Throwbolt took on Tether Tyrant with ruthless efficiency. He had been shocked to see Throwbolt charge electricity into Robot's body on purpose. The machine glowed a bright orange from the attack.

In return, the leader of the Guardians used the energy to fire energy beams into their opponent. Tether Tyrants tried to block the blasts but they had proven too much, launching the man back and slamming his head on a concrete wall behind.

Their creativity surprised Mark.

Blood pooled around Tether Tyrant from the harsh impact, but he would live. Possibly a concussion and fractured skull, but he would live.

Upstairs, Kid Thor had managed to subdue Kursk with the help of Shrinking Rae. The two had to dodge bolts of lighting and wisps of electricity from their opponent. They had even caught a few blows respectively.

Kid Thor had been hit with an especially large bolt, sliding him back into the penthouse wall and coughing blood.

Rae had been zapped as well, making the girl's muscles lock up while screaming in pain.

Seeing that his partner needed help, Kid Thor had managed to dodge a few more bolts sent his way before slamming his hammer on the underside of Kursk's jaw.

Deciding to change tactics, Mark saw Rae shrink to about two inches and land on Kid Thor's hammer. The two spoke briefly which Mark couldn't catch before Rae was sent flying. Kid Thor had swung his hammer through the air for extra momentum.

Recovering from being knocked down, Kursk tried to get back up only to choke. Shrinking Rae had managed to fly through the air undetected and expanded herself to put Kursk in a choke-hold.

With a roar, Kid Thor used this opportunity to slam his hammer repeatedly into Kursk's ribs. Blow after blow rocketed against the man while Rae did her best to hold him in place.

He gasped for breath while simultaneously wincing in pain. Kursk was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

For extra measure, the hero gave three harsh blows to the electric-based villain's jaw. Panting from the effort, Kid Thor watched as the villain slumped in Rae's hold.

Letting go, Shrinking Rae saw the man fall onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. They nodded at each other before rejoining the others.

The last Guardian, Black Samson, dealt with the last goon hired by Machine Head. This was Magnattack, a person who could control the alloy plates around his body.

The henchman managed to shoot his plates forward to a flying Samson. The dark-skinned hero was able to dodge a few but some did knick him.

Two plates in particular had come too close, slicing his cheek and calf respectively. Both areas leaked a small trail of blood.

With a shout, Samson fiddled with a device on his wrist which released a harsh vibrating noise.

Mark was grateful he couldn't hear it because it looked painful from Magnattack's expression.

The goon was slumped over while clutching his ears, trying to block the noise out. Taking advantage of his suit's capabilities, Black Samson rushed forward and slammed a fist into his face.

Following up, Samson used his superior strength to grab his opponent from behind. With a shout of effort, the man suplexed Magnattack into the ground. The effort behind the technique was so strong it shattered the ground underneath.

More blood leaked from Samson's calf, likely due to the strain he placed on it. That took a lot of effort.

To Magnattack's credit, he slowly rose from the ground on shaky legs. Before he could send another alloy plate to Samson's face, he got slammed into by Monster Girl from behind.

The goon was squished against a concrete pillar in the penthouse. It was lights out for him after that.

Overall, Mark felt like the team did exceptionally well.

They fought smart and tried their hardest. It felt like Mark was seeing a completely different team. Their fight against the dragon in Rome was miles away from this.

They had improved rather well in a short period of time.

Was it perfect? Of course not. Did they still have some flaws in their teamwork? Sure. Was there room for improvement? Most definitely.

But their hard work paid off since there was only one person left in their way.

As for Monster Girl, she shook her head to gain her bearings. This entire time, she had been grappling and trying to keep her opponent occupied.

The cat-like warrior had been tough, eating her punches while delivering some of his own. While she did buy enough time for her team to finish the others, something felt wrong.

Throughout their small skirmish, her opponent never seemed worried. As if the thought of brawling against her brought him amusement.

The Guardians slowly surrounded their final opponent, encroaching slower and slower. With everyone else taken out and Machine Head hiding under his desk, it was a done deal.

That's when Mark heard a deep, guttural growl. All hell broke loose soon after.

Invincible felt his eyelids grow heavy, tempting him to sleep. Fighting to keep his eyes open, Mark managed to get bits and pieces from the battle.

With a blurry vision that occasionally focused, he saw as the Guardians were dismantled.

The first one out was Shrinking Rae.

The heroine had shrunk to a height of two inches and let Kid Thor throw her forward. It was the same strategy as before. It had worked before, so it could work again. Why fix what wasn't broken after all?

That was until it didn't work.

Shrinking Rae had flown through the air and tried to catch her opponent off guard. Unfortunately for her, the enemy had sharper reflexes than expected.

With a twitch of his ears and whiskers, as if sensing a disturbance in the air, the cat-like foe swung its mace through the air like a baseball bat.

Only inches from her startled face, Rae expanded in mid-air to her full height. The golden mace made contact and sent her flying through the air.

It hurt, but that was good. That meant she didn't die on contact which would've happened if she stayed tiny. That mace would've splatted her into gory bits if it wasn't for her quick thinking.

She slammed her back into the guardrail along the staircase before slumping unconscious. She was severely injured but breathing, even if it was labored.

Seeing their teammate's condition, the others felt anger flooding their system. Rex and Black Samson bombarded the cat-like warrior with their respective blows.

Rex charged up material from his tool belt and let it explode against his opponent's face.

Black Samson used his suit's energy to launch energy bullets in tandem.

Each of the three tried their hardest to put down the final warrior for good. Instead, they saw as he used the mace for protective cover. Constantly moving it to block most of the blows.

"Good! More of this!" It growled out with a bloodthirsty smile.

Distracted momentarily, the foe didn't see Robot charging up a special beam from behind. Opening his chest cavity, the plates retracted to reveal a circular object in the middle.

Throwbolt was beside him, using massive amounts of energy from her body to power the leader. She glowed a bright yellow, a testament to how much power she flooded Robot with.

A large concentrated beam of energy blasted into their opponent from behind, courtesy of Robot's chest. It blasted forward and made the cat-like foe grunt in frustration.

Rex and Black Samson didn't stop either, shouting while continuing their assault. They didn't want to give any breathing room.

Curling his lips in annoyance, the warrior stumbled forward before gripping its mace tightly. With a roar, it turned around and let it fly with perfect precision.

A loud bang reverberated through the air as the Mace pinned Robot against a concrete pillar. The leader tried to remove it himself but the mace had tore through so much critical material. The light flickered from its eyes while the struggling stopped.

Robot had been powered down.

Mark knew it was the beginning of the end for them.

Monster Girl tried jumping in with an angry roar, eager to avenge her teammates. However, the cat-like opponent smiled before grabbing her transformed head with one palm, snatching her out of the air.

She had been correct, he had simply been toying with her earlier. This was his true strength, not what he had shown earlier.

Grinding her backside against the concrete, the fighter threw her against both Black Samson and Rex with tremendous strength. The three tumbled through the air with various expressions of pain on their faces.

Thankfully, Kate was able to summon her clones in the back to cushion their fall. She was able to catch all three of her teammates with some of her clones being smashed in the process.

They didn't have time to breathe as the cat-like warrior pounced on them once more. With extended claws, it tore through Kate's clones like paper.

She tried to summon more and more, but he kept on slicing through them like she was made of butter. Gore and blood began littering the floor, her clones piling on one another.

Exhausted from summoning so many, Kate tried her best to stay conscious. However, that proved difficult when she was tired and on the verge of collapse.

Monster Girl stood up with a groan but tried to focus. She could see the main Kate in front of them on swaying legs. She had protected them until they recovered.

Black Samson and Rex were still out cold on the ground. For the moment, she was the only person able to help.

Dupli-Kate had a limit and it was rapidly approaching. She could only summon so many clones at once, one after another, without break. Unfortunately, Kate could tell she was feeling weaker and weaker.

A sign she was pushing her ability to the max.

Ten more clones were summonsed at once, yet once more, they were sliced away. This had been Kate's final limit, making the main girl collapse in a heap.

The warrior licked the blood off his claws, growling in approvement. His ruthless nature shined for all the Guardians to see.

Monster Girl jumped in once more only for the warrior to tense his muscles. He wasn't looking forward to playing with these insects any longer.

Ducking under a swing, the cat-like fighter used his claws to dig them into Amanda's chest. She roared out in her transformed state, feeling the pain shoot through her body.

His claws sliced through, streams of blood splattering against the ground.

Kid Thor tried to intervene while rushing in with his hammer. Moving his head out of the way from a swing, the fearless fighter elbowed him away with great strength.

The elbow slammed into Kid Thor's forehead, splitting his skull and skin around the area. The force tumbled the hero away.

Licking his lips in anticipation, the warrior stabbed both claws into the ribs of Monster Girl's form. Digging deep, he roared before lifting Amanda into the air.

Trails of blood ran down his claws and arms. With a smirk, he lifted Monster Girl directly in the air. The open wound pumped blood out, directly into his waiting face.

The cat-like warrior basked in the warm liquid. Crimson fluid splattered against his white fur and hair as he let it run down his body.

"No! Monster Girl!" Throwbolt shouted in surprise. She could see Amanda roaring in pain while being lifted in the air. Gravity only allowed those claws to dig deeper into her body.

Charging up more energy, Throwbolt screamed before launching it from her fingertips. The bolts of electricity surged forward.

It landed, making the warrior grunt in pain. With an annoyed growl, he threw Monster Girl to the side like a piece of trash.

The hero tried to breathe while twitching on the ground. Their lungs had been damaged in the assault.

Tanking blast after blast of electricity with more growls of annoyance, the warrior eventually reached Throwbolt. Their white fur was singed with wisps of smoke, having been burned off by the heroine.

Throwbolt was unprepared for the right hook heading to her face. She tried to lean out of the way but it was no use, caving in her cheekbone.

Her eyes closed from the pain, blood spitting out her mouth.

Not done there, her enemy delivered another punch that sent her backward. Falling back, Throwbolt felt the cat-like warrior stomp her skull with vicious kicks.

One. Two. Three. Four heavy stomps slammed her skull into the penthouse concrete. When the braided fighter stopped to look, he could only see a bruised, battered, and beaten hero.

Throwbolt had been beaten unconscious. It was difficult to tell if she was even still alive because her chest didn't rise or fall.

Feeling a sharp pain in his side, the lion-shaped creature growled before feasting his eyes on Kid Thor once more.

The hero had a split forehead with blood leaking down, but he stood with might. He was panting from the effort of staying awake, but he wasn't backing down.

Another swing landed on his midsection which was followed up with another to the back of his leg. The blow was strong enough it caused the warrior to buckle, falling on one knee momentarily.

Realizing this weapon could be an issue, the opponent grabbed the head of it with an open palm. Yanking it, he tore the weapon free from Kid Thor's grasp.

Before the hero had time to react, he felt the hammer be used against him. One second he felt the hammer slam against his skull. The next, the world went black.

Tossing the hammer aside, the beast noticed Black Samson and Rex Splode getting back up with groans. Deciding enough was enough, he walked over with heavy stomps.

Blood coated his face, claws, mace, and tongue. Some of it was from Mark, and some of it was from the Guardians.

Despite that, he wanted more.

Rex was the first to react, trying his best to attack with an explosive. Just before he could throw the object in his hand, the warrior clamped down on his bicep.

With a sickening smile, the tightened the grip until the bone snapped in half. Rex screamed in pain, dropping what he was holding.

"F-fuck you, motherfucker! I-I can't even feel that!"

The lion licked his lips, "Such false bravado from an insect about to die!"

With a roar, he used Rex as a battering ram against Black Samson. He smashed both of them together, over and over, until they were a heap of broken bones and bloody messes.

Realizing they couldn't put up a fight anymore, the cat-like foe released Rex's limp body with a snarl.

That's when he looked around, basking in the joy of battle. Glancing around, all that could be seen was the aftermath of another battle.

Now, everything was caught up to Mark's recollection.

Waiting a few more seconds, Machine Head raised his head slowly. The crime boss noticed the damage to his property but put it aside for now.

"Well shit, you kinda fucked up my place. But at least you got the job done," Machine Head spoke with the occasional auto-tune slipping through. "Remind me to stay on your good side Battle Beast."

Battle Beast…so that was his name. Now Mark could put a name on the person who was likely going to kill him.

"They stood well for a time. I almost believed they could pose a challenge. How wrong I was…" Battle Beast growled with another lick around his maw.

Walking over to Robot, Battle Beast yanked the mace from his body. The machine slumped down, having nothing left to keep it upright.

The warrior then walked over to a beaten Invincible, growling with a smile. He gave a stomp to Mark's chest, leaning down with a sneer.

As for the crime boss in the room, Machine Head wondered just how lucky Isotope and Magmaniac were at the moment. He had sent the two out of town for a job earlier that week. They didn't even have to witness the massacre in this room.

"Since your services were…provided," Machine Head gestured with a rolling hand, "I believe we can part ways now. Our deal is completed."

"No one is going anywhere."

A calm voice spoke overhead. Looking up, they saw a floating Maelstrom with his arms crossed. He had entered the same hole made by the Guardians of the Globe.

That's when Naruto got a really good look at the room.

Everyone looked dead, on the verge of death, or beaten unconscious. All of them were broken down and left to die.

The Guardians were scattered across the penthouse, soaking in their own blood. These same Guardians were the people he was making moments with earlier that day.

The laughs. The jokes. The cold beer they drank while sharing stories from their missions.

He could remember Monster Girl's snarky remarks.

Kate's conversation about their clones.

Throwbolt's echoing laughter.

And Rex's fist bump they ended off with. His start to being a better person. Now, he was in a heap, unconscious and slumped over Black Samson.

When his eyes glanced over to Mark, Naruto felt like tearing the world apart.

There lay his friend in the worst condition he'd ever seen. Mark looked like he was only moments away from going to sleep and never waking up.

This was his best friend. The same person that stood by him as they grew up. The same one who he could rely on when times got tough.

It made him filled with rage at how much Mark needed him here. How he could've helped him if they had tackled this together from the start.

What was the use of all this power if he couldn't even protect his best friend.

Now he lay beneath this monster's foot, choking on his blood. It made him fill with all the more rage.

Normally he'd be open to speaking with his opponent before fighting. If something could be resolved without violence, it was better. But now, that wasn't happening.

Not because he deemed words unworthy. Not because he thought that talking it out wouldn't work. No, it wasn't that kind of reasoning at all.

It was simply because Naruto wanted to beat this cat-like creature within an inch of its life. He wanted to make it scream in pain for all the horror it inflicted on his friends.

He wasn't doing this for the honor. Or because of his glory as a hero. Or even because it was the right thing to do, to stop them before they could hurt anyone else.

For once, Naruto wanted to be selfish. His Saiyan blood burned through his veins, a certain anger clouding his mind and thoughts. It was something he'd never felt before but welcomed the feeling wholeheartedly.

The instinct to destroy was raging forward. His Saiyan instincts were screaming at him to kill. And for once, Naruto was willing to oblige.

Naruto wanted to make him bleed.

"Ahh, I recognize this one. Your abilities please me. Mark my words, by the end of today, I will taste your blood! I swear it on my name of Battle Beast!"

Ignoring his enemy for now, Naruto tried to use the last bit of sanity he had left before the anger clouded his mind. Maelstrom pressed his earpiece with careful precision.

"Cecil, send medic teams and a cleanup crew to my location right now. Everyone here is in critical condition."

"Yeah see I can't really have you bringing more heat down on me, so I'm gonna have to ask-" Machine Head didn't get to finish his sentence before a dense Ki orb slammed into his face.

A small explosion rocketed him backward into one of the penthouse's various windows. The force cracked the thick window and sent Machine Head to the floor.

All it took was this one attack to knock the crime boss out cold.

"Shut the hell up!" Naruto spoke in a deadly whisper, hands clenching with anger. Sanity slipping away from the rage consuming him.

"The blood of a warrior shines through you. This will be most exciting indeed!" Battle Beast spoke with sadistic joy. Glee shined through his voice while retracting his foot from Mark's chest.

Invincible tried to call out to his friend but a bloody gurgle was his only response.

"I normally try to reason with people. See the good side to them. But you…you made a huge mistake today." Naruto said calmly, tensing every muscle in his body.

"Oh? Please enlighten me! What is this mistake you speak of?" Battle Beast mocked while holding his mace.

"You tried to kill my friends. You tried to kill someone I consider a brother. Someone I'd give my life for," Naruto snarled out. His normally cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by a wrathful spirit.

He floated across from Battle Beast, never tearing his eyes away.

"You act as if I should fear your power, yet, you haven't proven why you're worthy of such respect," Battle Beast was starting to get excited. He normally didn't speak this much before a fight but his instincts were telling him to prepare for a big one.

"I hope you don't have any last regrets in this life." Naruto answered back with no joy in his voice. No quip to add on. Just a simple voice with an angry undertone.

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm going to murder you."

No more words were exchanged as Naruto flew forward at high speeds. Before Battle Beast could respond, he was taken away and smashed through the penthouse windows.

A shockwave reverberated throughout the penthouse, a testament to how much power Naruto put behind the tackle. Like a speeding bullet, they were off in the clouds within moments.

Then, there was silence.

After a few more moments, Titan stood up. He glanced around the room before walking over to Mark. He receded the stone around his face, looking at Mark in the eyes. It was the least he could do.

"Sorry about this, I didn't want it to get this ugly. I have to bounce before the cleanup crew gets here," Titan said in an apologetic tone. "For what it's worth, I hope you survive."

With his peace said Titan exited the penthouse. Things had heated up in there more than he expected and it was time to go.

Cecil's medical teams and staff teleported in minutes later but by then, Titan was gone.

Only then, did Mark allow the sweet call of unconscious to carry him in.

The last thought he had before the world turned black was if Naruto could handle that monster he was facing.

He remembered his friend's final words before departing. Words that sounded so cold, so detached, so unfamiliar to the thought of Naruto. He would've never been able to associate it with the Saiyan before.

"Because I'm going to murder you."

A small, small part of Mark hoped Naruto could prove it true.

Then, he was out.


Deep Space – Billions of Miles Away from Earth

Minato panted and clutched his chest, leaning against an asteroid that floated by him. The Saiyan was in deep space, feeling annoyed and frustrated.

His heart disease created more trouble than expected at this point. Traveling along the way, he'd been forced to make multiple stops which slowed down his progress.

Truthfully, he had felt this pain before on Earth but it would spike randomly. Come and go. At most, it would stick around for an hour or two.

Now, it was staying around for multiple hours but he decided to push through it regardless. Whether it was because his disease was getting worse or space travel was somehow affecting it, he didn't know.

He'd have to find out once he returned home.

The mission had started off easy enough. Find the three recon drones, analyze, and handle the situation. Whether it was to report back or destroy them.

However, that's where the easy part died and the hard part began.

Originally, the drones had been scouting Eris. Yet when Minato made his way over to this part of the solar system, they had actually jumped over to Neptune.

That meant they were jumping planet by planet, scouring for something. They hadn't found it on Eris, so they moved on to another planet.

Once he found the bots on Neptune, they didn't attack him as expected. In fact, they did more of the opposite.

All he got was a green laser pointed at him, a holographic screen that scanned him, and a robotic voice that commented 'Positive Identification.'

After that, all three bots raced out of the solar system with their mission seemingly completed.

Minato had contemplated leaving it there. Just returning home and stating that they weren't going to bother Earth at all.

After all, they were racing away now. They stopped jumping from planet to planet and decided to depart altogether. All three, shooting side by side through deep space.

Yet, the responsible side of his brain won out. The side that wondered what would happen if he ignored this. If he chose not to act and it came back to bite them.

Therefore, he followed the recon bots through the cosmos. They led him deeper and deeper into space so he didn't know if his communicator could still contact the GDA, even with its specialized range.

It was easy to lose track of time while out in the universe. It felt like a few days to the father but he was sure it was longer than that.

So far, he had managed to destroy two of the drones so far. There was only one left, seemingly going in a random direction throughout the universe.

Shaking his head, the father sighed and readied himself to finish this. One last drone to destroy and he could head home. He felt like a nice shower and warm meal would do wonders right about now.

Gathering his wits, Minato leaned off the boulder and shot through space. He needed to get another medical appointment to address these worsened symptoms. Something had to be done about it.

After all, he still had a fishing trip to go on.


Talescria – Virgo Supercluster

Allen the Alien tapped his foot impatiently.

It had taken him a while of nonstop traveling to get home as soon as he did. That was while he flew at top speed with no distractions.

And just as soon as he arrived, he was stopped at the entrance. Something had apparently spooked the Coalition of Planets while he was gone so they had to screen him properly.

That was an hour ago and he was still waiting by the entrance.

However, just as Allen contemplated barging in, another individual walked out from the main area.

This was General Telia. She had pink hair with bangs, dark eyes, blue skin, and a slender physique. She wore a black and red uniform with yellow markings along the chest.

She was also Allen's girlfriend.

Deciding to keep it professional, Allen cracked a small smile, "General Telia, I see you've come to retrieve me. It's about time, I've waited forever here!"

Telia gave a shaky smile in return, "I wish I could say things were fine but they weren't. Some bad stuff happened while you were away Allen. By the way, what happened to your arms?"

Looking down, Allen could see the discoloration from Naruto's ki blasts long ago, "Oh, just something I picked up. No big deal." A quick rest in the healing capsule would make him right as rain.

The general looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it.

Telia made a gesture to walk with her, which Allen did right away. As they stepped in tandem, the orange alien couldn't help but feel confused.

"So what kind of bad stuff are you talking about?" Allen let a bit of amusement seep into his voice. "Like are we talking about leaving the stove on at home bad or someone made an old man joke around Thaedus bad?"

"You know I usually love your wit and charm. But right now, the Coalition is on high alert," Telia answered with a resigned sigh.

"Okay, so this is bad, bad then. What's going on?" Allen asked while walking alongside his girlfriend.

"We got news from our contacts that the Viltrum Empire hit another planet while you were gone. A representative from their race just joined our council as well, so we have tensions mounting in our inner circle."

"Ohh… that is bad," Allen agreed with a nod. "Then we need to focus everything on stopping the Viltrumites from advancing. I think that'll help ease us off high alert."

Telia shook her head, "The Viltrumites striking is just a small issue at the moment. It is the least of our concerns right now."

"Okay, then what IS our concern right now? Cause I'm getting a little confused on what could be more dangerous than-"

That's when the pair walked into the grand hall of Coalition Headquarters. The council was present while a hologram played in the middle. Thaedus, their leader, was in the middle of speaking before noticing the duo walk in.

Allen felt his heart sink at the screen above him. In bolded letters read: 'Threat Level: Unknown.'

That threat level was only given to beings with power so great, it was inconceivable. Even Viltrumites were ranked on a threat level of 'high.'

Allen had learned about the ranking system through his training in becoming an evaluation officer just like everyone else. Despite that, most people agreed they would never see this in their lifetime. That's just how extremely rare it was for this to happen.

Yet here it was, right before his eyes.

The screen showed one person flying in space, laughing manically. They had light skin, black spiky hair that reached his mid-back, dark eyes, and a floating brown tail behind them.

He was shirtless, dressed in a neckband, crown & wristbands, wore white pants, a yellow belt with a blue gem, and a red waist cloak hanging. A pair of yellow boots strapped firmly to his feet.

Another figure floated behind him with a firm frown on his face but did not say anything. This person was wearing a white collared cape with some hidden armor underneath. They too had black spiky hair, dark eyes, and a floating brown tail behind them.

A device was seen in his hand but he was not using it at the moment.

Rubble was seen floating around them both. Green energy glowed in the palms of the laughing man, its swirling energy glowing for all to see.

"Allen of Unopa, I am sorry you had to arrive in such dire times. How was your visit?" Thaedus asked with a calm voice. Pausing the hologram, all eyes turned to the Unopan.

The council leader had a balding head, white hair, and minor wrinkles. He wore an outfit composed of gold and yellow with large sleeves.

Telia walked over to the side, allowing her partner to speak.

"It was good, I found us someone I thought could help in pushing back the Viltrumites but I can see we're dealing with this right now…" Allen gestured at the hologram above.

"Yes, it seems we've received some concerning reports," Thaedus sighed from his seat upon the council. "It is believed this individual was responsible for destroying a galaxy south of here."

Allen's brain did a quick reboot.

"Surely you mean like a planet in the galaxy right? Or maybe a few planets? Maybe a star?" Allen tried to reassure himself by speaking slowly.

"No Allen of Unopa, it has been confirmed this individual destroyed the entire galaxy. We are still reeling from the news ourselves, but it is true. This was the only footage obtained from our scouts in the area before they too perished."

"Holy shit," Allen spoke in shock. It was unheard of to even conceive this kind of power. A Viltrumite would be like an ant compared to this person.

Telia also couldn't believe the report. This was her third time hearing it and it still shocked her.

"How much time do we have until he gets here?" Allen asked while pointing at the ground.

"They are still several galaxies away from us, but it is concerning to think what could happen if they make their way here," Thaedus couldn't quite make sense of the violence. Destroying a galaxy was like the work of a deity.

"Are they working with the Viltrumites?" Allen asked while hoping the answer was no.

"We cannot be certain at this time, but we believe they are not cooperating together. No evidence supports an alliance of some kind," Thaedus answered back in a firm voice.

"Great…so now we have two problems to take care of," Allen sulked slightly. Just when they had to deal with the Viltrum empire, this freak show had to show up.

"Enough of this for now. Explain the person of interest you mentioned before," Thaedus asked while trying to shift the conversation for now. It was less stressful for everybody present.

Allen gained a sheepish smile while thinking of what to say next.

"Okay well…it's a hero named Maelstrom. They are a defender of Earth and can hold their own pretty well. We talked and he liked our values. Even complemented our organization's name" Allen explained with a shaky smile. He was dreading what he was going to say next.

"Then it seems they would make a useful ally." Thaedus agreed with a nod.

"There's uhh…only one tiny problem!" Allen assured while pinching his fingers together.

"And that is?" Thaedus asked with a raised brow.

"That guy who can help us…might have that same tail as the guy on screen."

A few tense seconds passed with nothing of note. Nobody said a thing, even Telia and Thaedus stood by with contemplative looks on their face.

Then, everyone began shouting at once.


Done with chapter 8! First, I'll be addressing the reviews and then giving my author's note!

AILONKLAT 1: First off, thank you for your support and love for the story! I appreciate your review and kind words! All I ask is that next time you translate my story into Spanish on another platform, just DM me so we can talk about it! I'm open to things like that, just let me know first moving forward. Hope you like this chapter!

Blaze1992: I hope your thoughts about Dupli-Kate and Naruto were answered in this chapter a little. It was funny you commented just before I gave them another interaction, but there you go! Also, regarding him returning to his home world, I will be working with that in the future. Won't say how, but stay tuned to find out.

Redlox2: Regarding the chapter 7 review, I do plan on having Cecil expand on what the 'demon' inside Naruto could be.

Onxio: I agree, most people from Naruto's world would have to be Otsutsuki level or higher to compete with the average Viltrumite.

FoxSage001: Interesting you should bring up the Otsutsuki clan and if I plan to involve them. All I'll say is that I'm going to be doing some very interesting story arcs coming up.

Now for my author's note.

I know nobody has said this in the reviews, but I wanted to make a quick point. In case you feel like Mark needs to get beat down more often or he hasn't gotten beat down enough because that's how the official series goes, I decided to do it differently. For a few reasons:

1) Mark in this story is stronger at the beginning than in the series. Why? Because he has Naruto there helping him. That sounds dumb but when you have a sparring partner who you train with and keeps up with you, you develop quicker. Training alone is effective, but it's even better with partners. Also, Mark doesn't really try to train until Season 3 while here he does at the start.

2) He hasn't faced the strongest threats just yet either. In the series, Mark starts losing consistently after facing Omni-Man. Up to this point, he's only fought Reanimen, the occasional villain, and the Martians. All of which series Mark struggled with but took care of them.

He gets smashed by Anissa, Conquest, Lucan, the variants, and other big threats later in the story. Most of them which come after his father's fight. Besides Battle Beast.

I've been introducing a lot of people, villains, and building the world so far in this story, but I plan on going into arcs. It's gonna get VERY interesting soon…

Big topic: Pairings. I've had a few DM's from people asking who Naruto will end up with. If it's Eve, Anissa, some other female, or if his love interest has even been introduced yet. I've been asked if it's going to be a harem or a single relationship.

The truth? I don't know yet. Some can make the argument he should get with Eve while others just want to see a harem.

I've had an idea where I want to take it but I haven't ultimately decided on the pairing yet. So I'll ask this.

Tell me what you think. Let me know in reviews or DM's if you want to see a harem or single relationship. I'm open to either route and hate will be thrown regardless, but I would like to see the audience reaction to this.

Whatever is decided, I will do my best to make it work.

Also, I wonder how Minato will react when he gets home and sees how much his son's changed in a short time. Not just in power but in emotional maturity.

The joys of writing characters!

Onto another topic – Broly. The big bad Legendary Saiyan. Oh boy, here we go.

I know with an introduction like this, people won't be happy and that's fine. You can't please everyone. I wanted to combine all three worlds of DBZ, Naruto, and Invincible since chapter one. I've even said that I would include them as a multiverse of sorts.

Now as for Broly I plan on using more of his DBZ than his DBS traits. If you prefer his DBS version, that's totally fine! I think both versions of the characters have their ups and downs, but for me, his DBZ version just fits better with what I have in mind.

I also gave him a tail in this version. I know Paragus ripped it off to better control him and prevent him from going Oozaru, but I kept it in my story.

Some will hate this, I already expect the displeasure in the reviews and that's fine. But I'm sticking with my decision and I ask you to trust me in making this story flow just as good moving forward than it has already.

If you're a person that's interested in seeing where this goes or just loves the inclusion of Broly in anything, shoot a review! Broly fans stand up! I'd like to see how people react to his introduction.

That's all for now! Thank you for all your support and reviews! Let me know what you think of this chapter!

I tried to make the conversations and character relationships as natural as possible. I hope some of that shined through in this chapter.

Until next time!

~ Cheers!