Present Time
Location: Washington DC
-x-
Naruto blinked as he did a quick switcharoo with his clone. Looking around the waiting room, he asked, "What"d I miss?"
Tony and Steve looked at the blonde in confusion, "What?" Stark asked, quickly noticing that the ninja wasn"t wearing the same clothes he"d been wearing before.
Coughing to clear his throat, Naruto answered, "I"m the real one. I"m…you know, me."
Looking around the room, Steve leaned in, "How did you do that…exactly?"
"If I answer that, can you tell me how you get the shield to always come back to you after you bounce it around?" Naruto challenged.
Steve gave the blonde a momentary stare before leaning back, "Fair enough."
Tony decided to answer the blonde"s original question, "We"ve been sitting around waiting to be called in for the last thirty minutes. So, to answer your question, nothing. You"ve missed nothing."
Looking down at his clothes, Naruto realized that he"d been wearing the same clothes he"d been wearing during his raid. Going through his clone"s memories, he quickly transformed his clothes into what he"d been wearing.
This proved to be just in time, as the door opened to reveal Secretary Ross coming through. Walking with him was a man of a similar age, though shorter in stature and pudgier in appearance. His hair was slicked back and well groomed, a thick beard wrapped around his face.
The three got up, Steve and Tony shaking the two"s hands.
Rogers was the one who spoke, "Secretary Ross, Director Norris." He greeted.
Ross nodded along, "Captain Rogers."
CIA Director Norris took Tony"s hand, "It"s a pleasure to meet you."
"Sorry for the wait." Ross apologized sincerely, his eyes on Naruto the entire time, "We ran into a bit of a mishap."
"Mishap?" Steve asked.
Ross still had his eyes on Naruto, "There was a…blimp in Sokovia." When the blonde didn"t blink under his stare, he turned to the other two with a smile, "Well, follow me."
The three followed after them, being led into a large conference room. Sitting at the large table in the middle of the room were two others. Ross decided to do the introducing.
"For those of you not familiar, this is Director of National Security, Douglas Chapman." He motioned to the man sitting on the left. A lanky man of African complexion, he gave a small smile as he stood up and shook the three"s hands.
Looking over to the woman sitting a few seats to Chapman"s right, Ross finished his introductions, "And this is Agent Jessica Drew of the CIA. I"m sure Captain Rogers and Mr. Uzumaki are familiar with her."
Jessica remained seated, though she gave Rogers and Naruto a costumery nod of acknowledgement.
The three heroes took a seat across from the other four, with Naruto situated in the middle with Tony to his left and Steve his right.
Ross cleared his throat as he began, "Before we get started, I just figured we"d explain why we were forced to make you wait."
"You mean the little mishap." Tony interpreted. Leaning back in his seat he said, "Yeah I think we all figured out what you were referring to."
"Who you were referring to." Steve added. Deciding to take the lead, he continued, "Who being Naruto, what being his raid on a Hydra base in Sokovia."
Chapman cut in, "Were you aware of his intention to raid said Hydra base?"
"Obviously not." Tony answered, "Otherwise we would"ve helped him out. More than likely that"s why he didn"t tell us."
"He told us after he showed up." Steve clarified, "We had no clue it had happened until then."
"Did you have any clue that he planned to wipe if off the face of the Earth with…whatever it is he did?" Director Norris asked. Seeing their confusion, he directed their attention towards the television situated on the sidewall. Turning in on, he flipped to CNN.
On the screen, a reporter could be seen standing within what looked like a warzone, "-arely thirty minutes ago. From eyewitness reports and recordings made, many have come to the conclusion that the Avenger known as Maelstrom is responsible for the attack here in Novi Grad. Why or who he is fighting is still unclear, but it is clear that he was attacking an old castle within Novi Grad hillside. That castle is now gone after it was attacked by Maelstrom after taking the form of a giant nine tailed fox. Please stand by for more information, we are getting new reports and bits of information with every minute that goes by-"
The TV cut out, everyone"s attention back on Norris as he spoke, "So what exactly were you after, Mr. Uzuamki?"
It was Tony who answered, "We already told you, he was raiding a Hydra base-"
"I"m sorry Tony," Ross interrupted as he motioned to Naruto, "But, I"d like Mr. Uzumaki to answer. If we want your opinion, we"ll ask for it."
With that, everyone"s attention turned to the still silent blonde. Sighing loudly, Naruto closed his eyes in thought, "I raided the base because they had something I wanted. Originally, all I wanted was to get in and go. But then I realized that they"d been using the thing I wanted to experiment on people. So, I blew them straight to h.e.l.l."
Chapman leaned in, "What were you looking for, specifically?"
"Loki"s scepter."
That got the other side of the table"s attention, "You…recovered the scepter?" Norris asked.
"Yes."
"And where is the weapon now?" Chapman asked.
"With Doctor Banner over at Stark Tower." Naruto answered nonchalantly.
Ross laughed to himself, "You gave a weapon of ma.s.s destruction to another weapon of ma.s.s destruction?"
Naruto shrugged, "Well, I took out the "ma.s.s" part of the destruction, so it should be fine."
This confused everyone in the room but the blonde, "What?" Steve asked.
"I took out the thing that made it dangerous." He explained simply.
"And what did you do with the…thing?" Ross asked.
"…I gave it to Dr. Banner?" Raising his hands up when he saw the incredulous he received he said, "Without something to channel it, it"s just a really smart rock. All anyone can do is study it to see how it ticks. Tony asked me to let him have a look."
Seeing everyone turning their disbelief onto Tony he sighed, "Thanks kid."
"You"re welcome!" Naruto answered cheerfully.
"Well, uh, I have perfect confidence in Dr. Banner"s ability to not use the weapon as a weapon of ma.s.s destruction." Tony said in an attempt at an appeasing manner, "Besides, if the kid"s right then there"s not much he or I could do with it anyway other than a quick once over. So, loosen your b.u.t.tholes please."
Ross sighed in agitation, "What is the thing that powers it? I"ll feel a lot better about the situation if you"d at least explain why it"s not an issue for an unstable scientist to have it."
Tony cut in, "Technically speaking, Banner isn"t unstable. It"s the other guy we all have to worry about."
"Anyone that willingly tests gammradiation on themselves should be considered unstable." Norris argued.
"Ah, but authorizing and supervising said test is totally acceptable. Got it." Stark fired back quickly, looking at the former general turned politician.
Ross decided to end that line of conversation, "Enough. Now, Uzumaki if you"d please."
Shifting uncomfortably as in his seat, Naruto said, "Look, why don"t you just get down to bra.s.s tacks already and just get to why you brought me here."
"Fine." Ross consented, though he clearly didn"t want to, "But first, I think Director Chapman had some questions for you."
Chapman opened the binder that was set out in front of him. Clearing his throat as he straightened his tie, he began to read, "Mr. Uzumaki, this is not an official inquiry or deposition. You are not being accused of or charged with any crimes you may or may not have committed in the seven years you"ve been a resident of this planet-"
"Four." Naruto corrected, "I was gone for three years."
"…in the four years you"ve been a resident of this planet. We simply wish to iron out the timeline of your time here, ask several questions we"ve gathered, and allow a dialogue between us that hopefully leads to a plentiful relationship for both sides. Is that understandable?"
Naruto looked to Tony and Steve. When he got a nod from them, he gave one of his own, "I understand."
"Good." Chapman said pleasantly, "Now, my first question for you is a little out of order, but I have to admit that I"m very curious of your answer."
"Okay."
The man nodded, "The alien who you fought a month ago, the one who called itself Desak, when he arrived he addressed you by a different name. He called you, Celestial. What does that mean?"
"Oh that? Well uh, Celestial is the name of a race of ancient intergalactic beings that are capable of manipulating the galaxy itself. So, essentially, s.p.a.ce G.o.ds." Naruto answered in a blank easy-going tone.
The room grew quiet at that.
Eventually, Chapman finally spoke again, "…I see."
Everyone seemed to look at Naruto in a new light, though if that were good or bad remained to be seen.
Norris decided to speak for the still stunned Chapman, "Let"s get to the ironing out of your history here."
"Right. What do you want to know, exactly?" The ninja asked.
"The timeline of your arrival here is still unclear." Chapman began, finally gathering himself, "SHIELD records show that you landed on Earth at 2:23 p.m. on April 3rd, 2008 in Kathmandu, Nepal. You were recovered by Kathmandu paramedics at 3:09 p.m. and then immediately taken into emergency care. The doctors who worked on you claimed that your body seemed to be healing itself at an impossible rate. The next day, SHIELD Agents were sent to investigate the phenomenon but failed to recover you, the hospital reporting that you"d gone missing the night before. Then, suddenly, you appear in Tonsberg, Norway on July 14th. That"s over three months of undoc.u.mented time, Mr. Uzumaki."
"Where were you in that time?" Ross asked.
"I was taken in by a monk and her disciples. They helped heal me, taught me your languages and history, and showed me where I needed to go to get home." Naruto answered carefully.
"And where are these monks now?" Chapman asked.
Naruto shrugged, "Don"t know."
Norris looked at the man skeptically, "You haven"t kept in contact with them in the seven-"
"Four."
"-years you"ve been here? I find that hard to believe." Norris finished.
Naruto turned his attention onto the man, driving a hard stare his way, "I don"t really care what you believe. They don"t matter. They don"t need to be disturbed any more than they have. That"s all there is to it."
"Let"s move on." Chapman insisted in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Looking back at his binder he said, "After you met up and allied yourself with SHIELD, it"s fairly easy to follow where you were and what you were doing. One specific moment happened on December 11th, 2011. On this date, you decided to intervene in the revolution going on in Symkaria, engaging with revolutionists stationed in Anian and one of their bases situated a mile outside the city. You also a.s.sa.s.sinated seven members of their government, all of whom were responsible for the revolution in the first place. Then, after all of that, you attacked an AIM facility where you killed several of the people working there. In all, your death toll for that day amounted to 239."
"Is there a question in there?" Tony asked.
"Were you aware that the United States had invested interests in the Symkarian Revolution? Specifically, the revolutionary"s side?" Ross asked.
Naruto shook his head, "I was not."
"Were you aware that by thwarting the revolutionists, you upturned several years worth of military planning? That you upset a carefully laid power grab that would"ve given us an unprecedented strategic advantage in that area?" Ross continued, "So, why did you feel the need to circ.u.mvent the United States government?"
The blonde sat in thought for a moment, taking in Ross"s rapid fire questions before answering.
"I wasn"t ruining your plans." Naruto said softly, "I wasn"t making a move against you, or Symkaria, or the revolutionists. I wasn"t making a power grab or moving pieces around a chess board. I wasn"t thwarting. I was saving a little boy from a situation I put him in. Everyone I killed, everyone I hurt, that happened because they either got in my way, or were responsible for their own misery. If I stepped on your toes, I didn"t mean to. I was just putting people down that deserved to sit in the dirt."
Ross looked Naruto over, "But to do so and not even ask for clearance, or explain yourself-"
Naruto laughed. As everyone looked at him with either confusion or indignation, he laughed some more.
"You seem to think I have an obligation to explain myself to you. You seem to think I work for you, or that you"re above me. I can tell just from how you talk to me. And it"s not that your arrogant. No, no you honest to Sage believe that you deserve to have some kind of command over me." Naruto began, looking at each of the men sitting across from him as he spoke, "You rule over a chunk of this planet. Your flag doesn"t cover every edge of the map, no matter how much you wish or think it does. If you did, if your borders really did branch out over the entire planet like Xandar or Hala, then I"d understand why you think you could tell me what to do. I"d actually be more receptive to the idea. After all, this planet took me in in my time of need and helped me get on my feet. I"ll always love Earth because of that. But you don"t have any kind of pull on me. I didn"t land in your country and get adopted by some farmers from Kansas. I landed in Asia and I got help from a super spy agency whose allegiance was to the entire planet, not a single country. My only connection to your country is that most of my friends are from here. That"s it."
Everyone looked at him in stunned silence.
Ross was the first to get over the blonde"s monologue.
"Perhaps…perhaps we should move on." He said.
"Right." Naruto said, "Let"s move on to the real reason I"m here."
Realizing he had the floor, the blonde continued, "Tony"s told me that you don"t want me to step on your toes anymore, and you don"t want me to step on yours."
"Yes." Director Norris admitted, "I think, going off what you"ve said today, you"d rather keep to yourself but still be allowed relative freedom from government control, am I correct?"
"Yes." Naruto answered.
"Sadly." Ross started, "That kind of freedom isn"t something that can happen. You are an alien here. A guest who is running his welcome thin. You kill indiscriminately, and if not that you beat them within an inch of their life, you destroy with your wanton abilities and accept zero responsibility and use our country like a rest stop whenever you want to take a break from breaking the countless laws we"ve let slide due to your relationship with both SHIELD and the Avengers. However, SHIELD has disbanded, and you"ve declined any allegiance to the Avengers on numerous occasions. That leaves you in the wind. That"s simply not something we can allow."
Chapman decided to intervene, "You have to understand our perspective. You are simply not someone we can allow to roam freely with zero supervision. Your abilities make you perfectly inclined to decimate everything that makes this world run. Political power, military, economy. You can"t ask us not to trust you when all that keeps you from ruining the world is your mood."
"Now hold on a second." Steve argued, "Naruto would never set out to destroy Americ"
"How can you promise that?" Ross demanded, eyeing the three men across from him, "How can any of you promise us that? No one can predict the future. Right now, he"s a neutral party. Two, three years from now we could be on opposite sides. And I don"t like our odds. That"s why we called this meeting. To try and set ground rules in place. To try and reach a mutual understanding. An agreement."
"And how exactly do you propose we reach an understanding?" Naruto asked.
Ross gave Naruto a careful look, "I understand you"re forming a team. Why?"
Naruto sat there, his arms crossed over his chest. Finally, he looked to Chapman as he said, "You were probably going to ask about the four years I was gone, right?"
The older man blinked, "Yes, I was."
"The reason I left was because during the Incident in New York, I managed to talk to the guy responsible." Naruto admitted.
Chapman nodded in understanding, "Loki-"
"No." Naruto corrected, "The man who sent Loki. His name is Thanos. Short version is that his mission in life is to find six ancient objects called the Infinity Stones. The reason he had Loki invade Earth is because the Tesseract being studied by SHIELD was in fact one of the Infinity Stones, the s.p.a.ce Stone to be exact. I used that Stone to get back to my home. After I did that, I travelled around s.p.a.ce looking for clues about the other Stones. I managed to find one more before coming back here to fight Desak. It was in s.p.a.ce that I learned that Loki"s scepter held an Infinity Stone."
"Which is the reason for the raid." Norris deduced.
The shin.o.bi nodded, "I now have three of the six. I"m forming a team to help me find and protect the others from Thanos."
"What happens if Thanos were to get all six of these Stones?" Chapman asked.
"I don"t know, that"s what scares me. He could literally do anything with them." Naruto responded quietly.
"Where are you keeping the other stones?" Chapman wondered.
"They"re in a safe place. No one can get to them but me."
Ross scoffed, "How can you be sure that-"
"Trust me. It"s literally impossible or anyone but me to get to them. I"m the last of my people, there isn"t anyone else that would know how." Naruto clarified.
The Secretary of State raised an eyebrow, "You"re the last of your kind?"
"Yes."
This seemed to ease Ross"s mind a little bit, knowing there weren"t any more people like that out there, "I see."
Coughing into his hand, Tony asked, "So, why do you care that Naruto"s forming a team?"
Ross straightened at that, "I have a proposition. You need official representation from Earth to make your life here a little smoother. If I know we have someone we trust with you, then I won"t feel inclined to continuously hound you on your many, many mishaps. They"ll be inclined to inform me of them as they"re happening which gives us time to react, along with giving us a direct line to you."
"So, your spy." Naruto simplified.
"If you"d like to put it that way, then yes." Ross yielded.
Steve raised a curious eyebrow, "It"s a little odd you"d be so forward about wanting to plant a spy in Naruto"s ranks."
Ross gave a placating smile, "I"ve been warned not to try and put one over on this man several times. I pride myself in being able to learn from mine or other"s mistakes."
"Who did you have in mind?" Steve asked.
It was then that Agent Drew stood up from her seat, "That would be me, Captain."
"I"m sure you"re aware of her abilities, Captain Rogers. You too, Mr. Uzumaki." Norris said, getting a nod from Steve and Naruto.
"Yeah well, I"m not." Tony said, "Mind filling me in?"
"Agent Jessica Drew has been gifted with several abilities due to…complications with her birth." Norris explained, "Enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, agility and senses, she also highly resistant to poison, toxins and radiation. Her hands and feet are capable of secreting a fluid that allows her to cling to solid surfaces. Along with all of that, her body produces an incredible amount of bio-energy, allowing to discharge it from her body. On top of all of these incredible gifts, she is an adept hand to hand combatant and weapons expert, as most SHIELD Agents are. She is our top field-agent."
Throughout the entire run down of her abilities, Naruto and Jessica stared each other down. When the room went quiet, the ninja realized they were waiting on him to reply.
Eyeing her again he asked, "What do you think of all this?"
Jessica straightened her posture as she answered, "I think you need a buffer between you and the government of this country. I can act as your buffer-"
"Fine, I except." Naruto declared.
"Wait, Naruto-"
Steve was interrupted as Naruto said, "But here are my rules. I can come and go from this planet as much as I please. I don"t have to tell you where I"m going or for how long. Second, Infinity Watch is my team. We don"t work for you, or Earth, or the Avengers. Third, if I ever catch a whiff of you trying to use me or my team to advance you and your county"s goals, we"re done. Fourth, she can tell you what I"m doing, she can tell me if you don"t approve, and she can report to you if I do something she or you don"t like, h.e.l.l she can try and arrest me if she thinks she can, but she"s a part of my team now. She doesn"t do missions for you, she only does them for me. And by her, I mean only her. I don"t want my team to be the new hangout for supped up government agents. And fifth, anyone I choose to be on my team is under my protection. That means people like Owen Reece and Jennifer Walters aren"t yours to watch or worry about. They"re mine."
"They"ve joined your team?" Chapman asked, writing their names down.
That question made Naruto falter for a moment as he said, "Well…I"m scouting them. It"s a process."
"Are there any more rules you"d like to make?" Ross asked, everyone in the room seeing his frustration barely held in.
"None that I can think of right now, but I"m sure I"ll think of something." The ninja answered.
"We"ll have to go over this more, but we"ll get back to you when we"ve come to an agreement. And, when we"ve come up with more rules of our own." Ross informed, "We"ll send Agent Drew your way when we do."
Naruto looked around as everyone around him seemed to relax, the thick air that hung in the room lifting slightly as they all got up from their chairs, "Is that it?" He wondered.
Tony patted him on the back, "Yup. Good job kid, you got a little less angry then I thought you would."
"Thanks?"
-x-
"Shall I call for him?"
Sitting over a vast cliff side, an elderly voice broke out pa.s.sed the sounds of the vicious waves crashing against the cliff wall, "Yes, it is time. I cannot postpone it any longer, I think."
The younger, feminine voice spoke back softly, "I know that this is difficult for you."
"I have made many, many difficult decisions when it comes to my children…you"d think I wouldn"t find it so hard to make another. Especially considering the circ.u.mstances." The elder spoke, his voice strong yet deeply broken.
"This must be done, my king."
"I know…bring him to me."
"At once."
-x-
"So…explain to me why you"re willingly allowing a spy onto your team?"
Naruto sighed at Clint"s question, leaning up against a table as the two waited on Bruce and Tony"s arrival. Steve had decided to stay behind in DC. Though he was curious when Tony asked him to say h.e.l.lo to Agent Carter for him, he decided not to ask after seeing Steve"s bashful reaction.
Folding his arms across his chest, he answered, "Because, I needed to make the compromise. It was either agree to let her onto my team knowingly and control the situation or tell them to f.u.c.k off knowing they"d do something drastic in retaliation. I know I can handle any of those situations, but the last one is the more annoying of the two."
"But she"s gonna be recording your entire team"s strengths and weaknesses, how to use and beat them and you. She"s gonna be writing down every law you break and every person you f.u.c.k over. She"ll have a laundry list on you a mile wide." Clint reason, "Doesn"t that bother you?"
The shin.o.bi laughed, "Don"t worry, I"ll handle all of that."
"If you say so." The archer relented, "Hey uh, I was told to ask you if you wanted to come over for dinner. The misses is making that thing you like."
Naruto"s entire attention was on Clint, "Ramen?"
"What? No, meatloaf. How old are you?" Clint demanded.
"I like meatloaf?" The blonde asked.
"She made it for you the last time you were over, you wouldn"t shut up about how amazing it was. You literally made her week." Clint tried to remind him, "Look, as long as you give a repeat performance I don"t give a s.h.i.t if you remember or not."
Laughing, Naruto complied, "Sure, I"ll come over. We can carpool to your place."
"You have a car?" Barton asked.
"Didn"t I tell you about my s.p.a.ceship?"
"…you"re what?"
"My s.p.a.ceship. She"s called the Kushina." Naruto detailed.
Clint stared at Naruto for several seconds before replying, "Oh. Okay."
As the conversation ended there, Tony and Bruce walked into the room. Tony had taken off his jacket and tie, the first few b.u.t.tons of his shirt unb.u.t.toned to offer some breathing room. Bruce, sporting a lab jacket, walked up to the two, giving Clint a smile and Naruto a nod.
"What"s this I hear about a s.p.a.ceship?" Bruce asked curiously.
"That I have one." Naruto elaborated, "I can take you both out for a spin if you want."
"Definitely gonna have to put a book mark on that one." Tony said enthusiastically, "I think we"re gonna be busy looking at this gem for the next couple weeks."
"First, they"re called Infinity Stones. Second, we agreed to one week." Naruto corrected with a light glare, "And I"m gonna have a clone on standby to come and pick it up and drop it off with the others, so don"t think about trying to bargain for any spare time."
"Right, right my bad." Tony waved off, looking the blonde over, "Where is the Stone anyway?"
"Right over here." Banner answered, motioning towards the table in the lab. On the table sat the scepter and the jewel, the glowing rock situated onto a strange looking stand.
"Wow." Tony gasped.
Motioning towards the jewel, Naruto said, "This is the Mind Stone. Its power lies in the mind. It is literal intelligence. In its diluted state within the scepter"s jewel, it can control the mind and make an average-joe as smart as you or Bruce." he explained to Tony, "If I were to take it out of the jewel, if you were to touch it, it would drive you insane from the overload. You"d probably learn the meaning of the universe, but you"d be rendered catatonic. That"s why I left the Stone inside, so you can a.n.a.lyze it without having to waste time coming up with a way to contain it."
"This…really is incredible." Bruce observed, walking closer to the table and leaning in to give it a more scrutinizing look, "How will you be able to contain it when you take it out?"
Naruto smiled at Banner as he stared at the Mind Stone, his mind racing a million miles a minute, "The energy you see me use lets me hold and partially control the Stones. I"ve managed to learn how to hold off their power, but other than that my control of them is pretty s.h.i.tty. That"s one of the reasons I don"t like to use them."
"Makes sense." Bruce mumbled, most of his attention on the Mind Stone now.
"I can"t believe you have two more of these just lying around somewhere." Admitted Clint as he observed the Stone from a distance. Out of the three Avengers present, he had the most experience with it, and it was safe to say he didn"t want to interact with it anymore then he had to.
Deciding to ignore Clint"s comment, Naruto created a Shadow Clone before handing it off.
Looking back at Tony, he asked, "What"re you planning to do with this again?"
"I just want to see what makes it tick." Tony admitted freely, "If what you say about it is true then it could prove to be a boon for several projects I"ve got in storage, one in particular coming to mind."
"Nothing nefarious I hope." Naruto said half-heartedly.
Tony made an offended face, "Look at who you"re talking to. Have I ever done anything nefarious? Underhanded? Sure. Questionable? All the time. But nefarious? Come on."
"Alright kid, let"s go." Clint said, getting bored with the conversation.
"Right." Naruto answered, putting his hands in his pockets as he followed after the archer.
"You guys going out on a date?" Tony teased, "Don"t stay out too late you two."
"Why don"t you go join your Science-Bro in looking at the rock." Clint shouted back in annoyance.
Bruce looked up from observing the Stone, "…do people actually call us that?" He asked Tony, causing Naruto to laugh as he and Clint left the room.
-x-
"Wow. Just…wow."
Clint, sitting in the pa.s.senger seat of the Kushina, looked on in wonder as they blitzed through the air at lightning speed. In order to ignore any air traffic, they"d flown up into the mesosphere and had cruised around for a bit before they flew off to Clint"s homestead in Maine.
Naruto smirked, "Yeah, she"s something else."
Looking over the distant planet below, Clint asked, "And you got her from a s.p.a.ce pirate?"
"Pretty much." The blonde admitted.
"Awesome." Clint looked at him, "Can I fly her?"
Naruto"s laugh had no humor in it, "No chance in h.e.l.l."
"Oh, come on! I let you fly the Quinjet the first time I took you out on it, return the favor!" Barton pleaded.
"Let me my a.s.s! You forced me to fly it as some stupid kind of test!" Naruto shot back.
"Stop being such a brat!"
"I will, when you stop being such an a.s.shole!"
Clint relented in annoyance, "Just take us to the farm d.a.m.nit. I"m hungry."
The shin.o.bi grumbled but relented, smirking knowing he"d won the argument.
Finally reaching their destination, Naruto rested the ship down in the open field in front of the homestead. As they descended, Naruto quickly noticed a Quinjet that was parked several yards away.
"Who else is here?" Naruto wondered, looking to Clint.
Said archer scratched at his chin, "Well, uh…"
"Clint, who"s here?"
Clint"s answer had to wait, as the two saw his children burst out of the house and run towards the ship. Opening the back for him, Naruto allowed Clint to run out and greet his kids with a bearhug. As Naruto followed after him, he smiled as the happy kids gripped their father like a life line.
Eventually, they noticed Naruto behind their dad, walking from inside the ship. Letting go of their father, they run up to the blonde shin.o.bi.
The oldest at 11 years old, Cooper, ran up and reached out for a high five. Lila, who was at the cute age of 6, wrapped her arms around his left leg in a tight hug.
"Uncle Naruto!" Lila cried out happily as she looked up at him with stars in her eyes, "You"re back!"
"How long have you been back?" Cooper asked.
"Where did you go?" Demanded Lila.
"I heard you went into s.p.a.ce. Did you go to Mars or something?"
"Did you make friends with any Martians? I bet you did, but Cooper says they aren"t real."
"That"s because they aren"t." Cooper argued.
Lila glared at her brother in protest, "Are too."
"Are not-"
Naruto decided to cut this off before it got any further, "I"ve been back for a couple months actually. And no, I did not go to Mars or talk to any Martians. I did however go to s.p.a.ce and met some really cool aliens."
Lila had stars in her eyes, "Woah, really?"
"No way." Cooper denied.
"Yes way." The shin.o.bi rea.s.sured, "This one guy was made of ice, another looked like a walking tree, and one was pretty much a talking rac.o.o.n."
While Lila ooed and awed, Cooper looked at the older blonde skeptically, "You"re making that up, right?"
"Would I make something like that up?" Naruto asked.
"You made up the story about you fighting a knight over a rock…so yeah." Cooper said.
Naruto lowered his head in defeat, "No respect."
"Why don"t you guys give Naruto a little bit of breathing room, I"m sure there"s plenty of time for him to try and convince you that he actually met a talking rac.o.o.n." Called out a voice from the direction of the house.
Looking over, Naruto saw Laura Barton exit from the homestead, walking down the porch carefully as she cradled her bulging stomach. Clint was quickly by her side, giving his wife a hug as he helped her down the last step.
"There actually was a talking rac.o.o.n." Naruto argued as the kids left his side.
Laura laughed as she looked at him challengingly, "And how exactly did it move its mouth in a way that made it capable of forming proper sentences?"
This left Naruto hanging, unable to explain how Rocket could actually talk. As he tried to form an argument, another set of footsteps came from the door, getting his attention.
And, much to his shock, Natasha peered out from the door frame looking at Laura, "The mashed potatoes are ready."
"Oh, thanks Nat." Laura answered. Doing her best to be subtle, she shifted her gaze back and forth between Naruto and Natasha.
Naruto, who had frozen for a split second, awkwardly said, "Hey, Natasha."
It was then that Natasha seemed to notice Naruto"s presence at the bottom of the porch stairs. Blinking several times, astounded, she then gave an accusatory look at Laura then Clint. Surprisingly, it was Clint who backed down as he averted his gaze. Laura simply gave an encouraging smile.
Finally, Natasha said, "Hey, Naruto. Are…are you here for dinner too?"
"Yeah." Was the only thing Naruto could think to say.
The awkward air was cut off as Lila grabbed Naruto by the hand, "Uncle Naruto, I want you to sit with me." She demanded innocently.
Thankful for the excuse to turn his attention to anything else, Naruto smiled down at the little girl as she pulled him up into the house, "Okay, okay I"m coming."
As he was pulled in, something flying close by caught his attention. Looking over, he raised an eyebrow as he saw a raven land on the porch railing. It was larger than what you would call average, with a single glowing green eye staring into his very soul. He wasn"t able to think on it too much longer as he was pulled fully into the house.
-x-
The sounds of clinking silverware echoed through the kitchen as the six ate their dinner. On one side sat Naruto and Natasha, with Lila in between them, and Clint, Laura, and Cooper sitting respectively across from them.
In between bites, Laura looked to Naruto, "So, how is it?"
Naruto"s smile was wide as he swallowed, "I love it."
Laura smiled back, clearly pleased that her guest was enjoying her cooking. Unbeknownst to his wife, Clint gave Naruto a subtle but appreciative nod and thumbs up.
"Well," Laura began, "I can"t take all the credit."
Lila looked up from her plate at the shin.o.bi, "Yeah, Auntie Nattie helped Mommy make it."
"Really?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.
The attention now on Natasha, the woman looked up mid-bite. Realizing she was expected to answer she swallowed before saying, "I didn"t help out that much-"
"Since when do you cook?" Clint asked skeptically, only to get an elbow jab from his wife.
"I don"t-"
"She helped cut up the potatoes, she mashed "em too." Lila informed.
Natasha continued to try and downplay her involvement, "You cut more than I did-"
"She was very helpful." Laura persisted, though why only she seemed to know.
Naruto could only smile in amus.e.m.e.nt as Natasha was bombarded with how helpful she was, "I didn"t realize you"d become such a good cook." Naruto said.
"You know I can"t cook worth a d.a.m.n." Natasha reminded, "Remember the homemade ramen I tried to make for you?"
The blonde laughed, "Yeah, yeah I remember. You totally butchered it. I don"t think I"d ever heard you apologize for something so much for so long."
"It didn"t help that you kept laughing at me." The Avenger"s a.s.sa.s.sin challenged, "And then the cake I tried to make for you on your birthday, remember that?"
He quickly remembered that birthday, "Yeah, how did you burn the icing again?"
"I thought you put it on and then cook." Natasha answered.
"Careful, Naruto." Kurama"s voice warned calmly.
His partner"s booming voice brought Naruto back to reality, noticing that Laura was smiling at their conversation as she pretended to focus on her food.
Laughing with restraint, Naruto said, "Yeah, those were good times."
The mood around the room suddenly got a little tense, everyone entering an almost awkward silence as they began to dig into their meals once again.
It was Cooper who finally spoke, "So Naruto, are you gonna be an Avenger now that your back?"
"Uh, no. No, I"m not." Naruto answered lamely.
"Why?" Lila asked.
"Well…" Naruto said, trying to think of an edited reason for why he refused to join the Avengers, "Well, when I was a kid, I had this one friend who called himself an avenger. He was about your age," He said looking to Lila, "When someone took his family away from him. He was your age, "He said this looking to Cooper, "When he abandoned our home to avenge the thing he lost. He did a lot of bad things to do that, all because he was an avenger. So, I guess the idea of calling myself the thing that nearly destroyed my friend makes me feel…bad."
"Oh." Lila said quietly, "What happened to your friend?"
Naruto could feel Natasha freeze up at that question.
"He…pa.s.sed away." Naruto said gently.
"Did he ever become your friend again?" Cooper asked.
Smiling gently, Naruto"s eyes hazed in sadness, "Yeah, I"d like to think so."
Seeing that her children had finished their plates, Laura cut through the tension, "Why don"t you guys take your dishes to the sink and wash up?"
Though they didn"t look very pleased, they quickly complied with their mother and got up to do as she asked.
"They"ve both gotten so big." Naruto said as they left the room.
"Well, it"s been nearly three years since you last saw them." Laura said, "They really missed you while you were gone, Lila especially. You"re her favorite superhero you know? Action figures and everything."
"I"m sorry I didn"t come by sooner." Naruto apologized, "I should"ve visited at least once. I just…"
"You were busy, I know." Laura rea.s.sured, "What"s important is that you"re here now."
Clint finally decided to speak now that he"d finished his meal, "Is it really true that you met a talking racc.o.o.n?"
-x-
Standing on the porch, Naruto leaned up against the railing as he watched Clint play catch with Cooper and Lila, throwing the baseball with supreme accuracy each and every time. In return, both kids returned the ball with surprising accuracy of their own, with Clint almost never having to move his glove to retrieve the ball.
"Did he teach them how to do that, or are they just as freaky as their dad?" Naruto asked.
"A bit of both." Natasha answered, sitting on the porch steps as she watched the sun set over the tree line, "Though I"d say Lila is the more natural of the two. If they don"t watch out they"re gonna have a Lady Hawkeye on their hands."
Naruto looked over at Natasha, observing her for several moments. Eventually, he slowly got off the railing and trekked over to her, calmly taking a seat next to her.
He only allowed them to sit in silence for a few seconds before saying, "You can pretend to sit here and stare at that sunset for as long as you want, but you and I both know that"s not what you"re really lookin" at."
Natasha didn"t look away from the tree line, "What are you talking about?"
Motioning his head towards the kids, the blonde said, "I see how you look at them."
"Naruto-"
"I think anyone that knows you, knows that that"s what you want." He interrupted.
The spy finally turned to head to look at him, "And if you know me, you know I can"t have it…even if I did."
"Then let me heal you."
"Naruto-"
"I never offered it to you before because I knew you needed to ask me. If I had asked, you"d have said no, no matter how much you actually wanted me to. So, I backed off and gave you s.p.a.ce." Naruto reasoned quietly.
Natasha fought for the right words to say, "Naruto, I can"t…why would you do that for me? If it"s pity or somethi-"
Naruto shook his head as he said, "I"m not doing it out of pity, or anything stupid like that. I"m doing it because of that look I was talking about. You try and hide it, but after everything we"ve been through I can read you like a book. And it"s because of everything that I know you"ll never ask me, because you don"t think you deserve it. That you don"t deserve to have that happiness."
Wiping her eye, she said, "I really don"t deserve it. Not after everything that happened. Not just with you, but…everything. I"m a monster."
"I"ve seen monsters, Natasha. I"ve seen the worst of the worst. And despite myself I can"t think of you on the same level as them. You"re like...three tiers below that. At least." Naruto, giving her a joking smile at the last part.
Natasha couldn"t help but laugh. The two sat there for a moment, enjoying each other"s company, something they both missed.
"I thought you said you were done with me?" Natasha finally asked.
"Yeah…I did. I guess you could call it a time out if you want." Naruto said with a shrug.
"And how many of these "time outs" do I get?" She asked, her voice taking on a strange tone of hope.
He shrugged again, "I"ll burn that bridge when I get there."
They entered another silence, before Natasha gave a sigh, "Just…let me think about it."
At that, the door behind them opened, "Hey Naruto are you sure…oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?" Laura asked, looking down at the two as they sat together on the steps.
Naruto got up, dusting off his pant legs as he said, "Whatcha need?"
Laura looked back and forth between the two before asking, "Are you sure you don"t want to stay the night? We have an extra guest room, so it really isn"t a bother."
"No, thank you I"m good. I"m actually gonna be heading out." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh, okay." Laura said, disappointed. Walking up to him, she held her arms out for a hug goodbye, "Well be sure to come again, you"re welcome anytime."
Bending down into the hug, Naruto said, "How can I not come back after that awesome dinner?" Leaning in, he whispered, "Maybe next time we"ll watch The Parent Trap and you can pick up some tips?"
As Naruto leaned back, Laura gave him a parting kiss on the cheek. Patting the spot she"d peck, she said with a knowing smile, "We"ll be sure to do that then."
Walking down the porch steps, Naruto called out, "Hey kids, I"m heading out!"
"Awww." Lila moaned, running up to the blonde and clutching his leg in a death grip, "You can"t leave now! You only just got here."
Naruto rubbed her head as he said softly, "I"ll be back, I promise."
"…you promise?" Lila asked, her voice m.u.f.fled in Naruto"s pant leg.
"Promise of a lifetime." Naruto answered, slowly pealing her off of him. Leaning down he gave her one last hug. Getting up he gave Cooper a fist b.u.mp, "I"ll be seeing you later, kid."
"Could you show me how to throw those knives?" Cooper asked hopefully.
Before he could answer, he saw Laura give him the look only a wrathful mother could. His eyes on Laura he said in a loud, awkward tone, "No kid, knives are dangerous. Wait until you"re older."
When Laura looked away, satisfied that Naruto had handled the situation, the ninja gave the kid a subtle okay gesture with a heavy wink.
Eventually, Naruto was able to walk up to his ship alone, giving one last wave goodbye as everyone seemed to decide to go inside. Turning to his ship, he said, "You can come out now."
The sound of flapping wings echoed before the one-eyed raven landed at Naruto"s feet. Kneeling into a catcher"s stance, he asked, "Well, what"s your name?"
The raven tilted its head back and forth as it observed the blonde that towered over it. Finally, it opened its beak to respond, "Muninn."
"Well, Muninn. What do you want with me? You"ve been following me since Wakanda, right?" Naruto asked.
"I was asked to observe you by my master." Muninn informed the blonde, "He wished for me observe until the time he wanted to speak to you."
"And it"s safe to a.s.sume that that time is now." Naruto guessed.
Muninn twitched its head in a nod, "That"s correct."
Naruto stood up straight as he asked, "Who"s your master then?"
"My master goes by many names. Lord of the Aesir, Spear Shaker, Wise One, the Raven King. But most know him as the King of Asgard and Protector of the Nine Realms." Muninn recited, "My master, my king, is Odin Borson."
"Well…s.h.i.t." Naruto said in surprise, "What does the King of Asgard want with me?"
"Our king has a quest for you."
Naruto nearly jumped as a presence suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Standing next to him, draped in a simple long sleeved green gown, was Amora.
The Enchantress.
She seemed to have toned down her appearance in recent years, as she seemed to be trying desperately to come off as average as possible. As far as Naruto was concerned she"d failed in the attempt, because even with then she was still an unnaturally natural beauty. Then again, she was a G.o.ddess.
"Enchantress." Naruto greeted with clear caution.
"Don"t let that b.i.t.c.h get to close, brat. I don"t think I can deal with another visitor today My patience is running thin as it is." Kurama warned with a growl.
"I haven"t gone by that name for a long time." Amora informed, "Not after that day."
Narrowing his eyes at the woman, he said, "What do you want?"
"As I said, our king has a quest for you." Amora repeated, "It"s of the utmost importance."
"And why in Sage"s name would I go anywhere with you?" The warrior demanded.
The Enchantress sighed, "I know that our past is…tricky, but I wouldn"t be here if what my king requests of you wasn"t important. If I had it my way, I"d have never shown my face to you again. But, I owe my king everything. So, I come before you, knowing that the only thing keeping you from wiping me off the face of the planet is your patience alone. Isn"t that enough of a sign that I"m being sincere?"
"Not really." Kurama argued, not that she could hear him.
Naruto, thinking it over for several moments, eventually asked, "What"s the request?"
"My king wishes to tell you that himself." Amora answered, "But, what I can tell you is that you are the only who can do what my king needs done."
"Why can"t he do it?" Naruto demanded, "Isn"t he supposed to be this all-powerful G.o.d or something?"
Amora frowned, "He has been…stripped of his power. He is weak and frail. He"s…he"s in no shape to do it."
"And what about Thor?"
"I can"t say. I"ll leave my king to explain why." Amora tried to reason.
Taking a thoughtful breath in, Naruto released it as he said, "Fine, let"s go."
Amora slowly walked up to the blonde, Muninn flying up and landing on her shoulder. As she reached up to grab his arm, Naruto grabbed her forearm firmly, "If this is a trick, I won"t be happy. Understand?" He asked, his voice dangerously low.
Wincing at the vice like grip around her arm, she nodded, "Yes, I understand."
Letting her go, Naruto quickly sealed the Kushina into its seal before saying, "Let"s go."
"Right." Amora said weakly as she grabbed his arm.
A strange, otherworldly energy suddenly enveloped them, a flash of green lighting up the field. And then, in an instant, they were gone.
-x-
Waves crashed savagely against the towering cliff side, slowly but surely eroding it away with each and every mighty slap of water. Staring out into the horizon, an aged man sat on a cl.u.s.ter of boulders with a look of pure contemplation on his wrinkled face.
Smiling, he said, "Welcome, Naruto Uzumaki."
Looking around Naruto eyed the beautiful field with actual awe, he said, "And, where am I?"
It was Amora who answered as she walked to sit beside her king, "The Lofoten Islands. I took him here after I found him in New York a year ago."
"Why was he in New York?" Naruto asked.
Amora looked at her king, sadness in her eyes, "Loki exiled him, banishing him into a Manhattan retirement home through the use of spells I taught him. I managed to find him by chance and break the spells, but he"s refused to leave his exile. So, I took him here. It"s the closest thing to home I could find."
Odin, who seemed to have been ignoring the conversation going on about him, said wistfully, "My son…Loki, is a troubled boy. In his 1,500 years of life, he has lived in the shadow of others. But now, through my exile, I can give him the chance to be out of that shadow, no matter how short that may come to be. I consider it my last gift to him."
Naruto looked Odin over for a moment. He seemed…frail. He was wearing a loose set of beige clothes that hid his body, but his face was all he needed to see to know that he wasn"t well.
"You"re dying, aren"t you?"
The elderly king chuckled, "Aren"t we all?"
"How long do you have?" The Uzumaki asked slowly.
"Two years, seven months, two days." Odin said without hesitation.
"Okay," Naruto began, scratching his scalp, "Is that like, a guess or…?"
Odin laughed softly, "I suppose you could call it that. Though I can see many things, there are many things that are cloudy to me. You for instance. Or the future I see. Either way, I find that coming date very worrisome."
Continuing to scratch the back of his head, Naruto said, "Yeah I would too."
"It isn"t my death that I find worrisome. No, no something else will happen on that day. What I see is foggy, mysterious, but in a way obvious. Something my death is a catalyst to." Odin claimed, "My death is the movement of a single cog among many, all working down the clock to life itself. That is what I see. Death."
"What does your death cause, exaclty?" Naruto asked, disturbed by the king"s words.
"With my death, my power fades. My power is the only thing holding back the Executioner of Asgard. She will bring Asgard and its people to their knees with her power. She will slaughter anyone who gets in her way before she is stopped, if she can be stopped at all." Odin declared, "With my death, my eldest child will be released onto the world."
"You want me to fight your daughter when you die?" Naruto asked in slight disbelief, "Why don"t you just ask Thor to do it? This seems like a family issue."
"Thor is mighty." Odin admitted, "But Hela…she is G.o.dly. In my prime I could barely defeat her. It was my weakness that allowed her to live, and it was my hubris that allowed me to a.s.sume I could hold her off forever. In my youth I a.s.sumed I would live eternally, and it wasn"t until I grew too old, too weak, that I realized I"d been a fool. And now this new generation must live with my foolishness."
Naruto sighed, unable to resist finding the parallels between Odin and the Third Hokage. Both had allowed monsters to live and died regretting it, "What did she do? Your daughter, Hela, she had to have done something pretty terrible to make you feel this way about your own flesh and blood."
It was Amora who answered, "She committed an unspeakable act against Asgard."
"Unspeakable huh." Naruto muttered, "So what, you expect me to be on call until you finally pa.s.s on, so I can fight this super strong she-G.o.d, wherever it is she pops up?"
"No. We will send you into Hel as soon as you can, and you will find and destroy her within her prison." Amora corrected.
"And what the h.e.l.l do I get out of any of this?" Naruto demanded, eyes squinted shut in scrutiny, "It seems to me like you a.s.sume I"ll do it out the kindness of my heart or something."
"Your reward for completing Odin"s quest is the location of the Reality Stone." Amora answered.
That caught Naruto off guard, "You know where it"s at?"
Odin stood up from his seat, slowly walking up to much younger man, "Thor had managed to procure the Stone right before my exile. I didn"t like the thought of having two Infinity Stones so close to each other, especially considering our previous security blunders. In secret, I ordered Thor and his posy to find someone who was capable of hiding the Reality Stone. While he managed to find someone, I believe I"ve found someone better." He said as he motioned to Naruto, "My sight has faded much in my old age. Your past and future are as blurry to me as the rest. But the bits I can make out, I know I"m making the right choice in choosing you to take on the quest."
As Odin rested a hand on Naruto"s shoulder, the blonde looked into the All-Father"s eye. In it, he could see the weight of his burden, that weight almost crushing him in his old age. Seeing that, he sighed.
Why not relieve some of that weight off?
"Okay. I"ll do it."