"Are you sure about this?" Gwen asked
"Yes." Naruto said
The two were in Naruto's dojo, it has been an hour since George Stacy issued an arrest warrant for Kitsune, and Naruto honestly wasn't worried about it, it wasn't like he wasn't expecting it, and he wasn't about to let it stop him either,
All of the equipment inside his dojo was built by him specifically for him, the treadmill could take speeds up to Mach5, the bench press was special as Naruto applied his gravity seal to the bar,
The gravity seal would activate soon as a person's hands made contact with it, before it would increase in mass that you can handle and increase soon as you get used to the gravity setting you were at,
The Salmon Ladder was under a gravity field at all times and as the bench press bar it sensed out your compacity and adjusted the gravity automatically
Dumbells and Medicine balls, along with punching bags, and a wooden dummy, also there were bokkens, training daggers and boards for marksmanship
"While here, I will be teaching you fighting styles that are suited for you, teach you to aim better, the goal is to not overly rely on your powers. To get them under control and enhance them." Naruto said getting a nod from Gwen as she dropped her duffel, "Show me what you know."
Gwen smirked and got into a loose boxing stance that her dad taught her when she was little as Naruto got into his own (Muhammad Ali Jr-Baki)
"While you train with me, I won't hold back. Your opponent won't so neither will I? The world is a horrible place, especially for a woman. I will not have you go in unprepared and it leads to you getting raped or murdered, so when we're training its always serious."
Gwen nodded as she took a deep breath before she shot forward her feet leaving a crack in the floor as her fist neared Naruto, her eyes widened when what she's taken to calling her spidey sense activated when suddenly Naruto's fist was centimeters from her face
Slowly she looked up at him to see his serious visage, "You have a good form, your punch was slow and unnecessarily telegraphed. We will be changing that."
Gwen nodded before Naruto walked over to a closet and retrieved a pair of wrist weights and ankle weights, that he tossed over to her,
"I'm going to teach you a fighting style I invented that I'm still working on."
Gwen strapped on the weights and nodded at him before they got started
Naruto put Gwen through the wringer, and allowed her tonto take a break, as she drunk some water she looked up at him, "When will you take me on patrol with you?"
"Soon as we know that you won't punch a hole through someone." Naruto said as pieces of wooden training post were splintered around the dojo from Gwen's inability to control her strength, "I need to head out and look for Connors tonight."
"Why?"
"That Lizard thing from last night it had to be him. I found a journal of my dad's and it said that Connors was obsessed with getting his arm back. Giving him the algorithm was a mistake."
"Dr. Connors is a good man." Gwen said
"I'm not doubting that, but if you lost your arm and had a way to get it back, however slim it may be, would you try?" Naruto asked causing Gwen to frown, "I could be wrong, and I hope that I am, but that thing nearly killed someone last night and if it is Connors then its my responsibility to stop him since I'm the one who gave him the serum."
Gwen nodded in understanding
Hours Later
Kitsune jumped from building to building, and landed on the residence of Curt Conners, dropping from the roof and hanging from the ledge, Naruto forced the window open before he climbed in
Kitsune stalked through the home, he had made a stop at Oscorp where he found the rat used in Connors experiment, the rat was the size of a dog covered in scales and eating the other rats, he killed it and immediately left to find Connors
Walking into the Doctor's study, Kitsune grunted when he found the remains of the cacoon and syringe, "Idiot." he hissed before he left the house and landed on the street as he made to stand, Kitsune saw small lizards going down into the sewers
Sewer
Connors has set up a mini-lab in the sewer and was recording himself on camera, "Subject; Dr. Curtis Connors. Current temperature; eighty-nine points seven, steady for forty-eight hours. Blood panels reveal lymphocyte and monocyte readings consistent with the subject's past. Clotting rate vastly improved, marked enhancement in...in muscle response, strength and elasticity."
As Connors was testing himself, Kitsune followed the lizards, when he tapped the side of his mask and called Gwen, "Hey." he whispered
"Where are you?" Gwen asked
"I'm down the sewer, Connors is the Lizard, I'm tracking him. I gotta stop him before anyone gets hurt, but we need an antidote. Do you know how to run a serum?"
"Yeah, I do it at OsCorp all the time." Gwen said
"Okay, I'm going to send you the components for an antidote." Naruto hung up before he grabbed his phone and sent the components and waited for Gwen to text him back that she got it
"Eyesight similarly improved. Subject no longer requires corrective lenses. This is no longer about curing ills. This is about finding perfection. In an attempt to regress regenerative relapse, the dosage has been increased to three hundred milligrams." Connors injected himself injected himself with the serum and suddenly turned violent and knocked the camera away;
"My plan will help humanity to reach perfection." Connors said
"But what about Parker?" a voice hissed in Curt's mind
"What about Naruto?"
"If he remains alive he can stop us before we begin. The Decay Rate Algorithm, he knows it. He will try to 'help' us."
"I'm not the one who needs help! There will be no more loneliness, no more outcasts. Species-wide distribution could enhance humanity on an evolutionary scale. One has to adapt to survive. Without changing likeness I might be free to cast off flesh wherein I dwell confide. I can save them!" Connors injected himself with a higher dosage and began to transform, "You're not gonna get in the way of my plan, Naruto Parker!"
Connors stood at 9ft tall and gained more muscle and had longer claws, Connors had added in from the worlds most dangerous and venomous lizards he could find and mixed them together to make himself stronger,
Kitsune made it to the lab and saw Curt's transformation and frowned watched as The Lizard growled and sniffed causing his eyes to widened and quickly he moved
The Lizard growled turning around to see Kitsune with his fist cocked back and quickly hit him with his tail, that wrapped around his throat and tried to slam him into the ground but Kitsune flipped and landed on his feet before he grabbed the tail and surrounded his hands in a sharp wind
The Lizard screeched in pain as his tail was cut off before he slashed his claws at Kitsune who ducked and punched him,
The Lizard grinned savagely as Kitsune looked up at him in surprise as the blow didn't faze him, and when he tried to grab that vigilante who dodged and punched at him again, Lizard thinking he could plow through the blow didn't bother dodging and was caught by surprise when the punch to the jaw sent him flying into a wall
"You've become addicted to the serum, doc." Kitsune said seeing the pile of syringes, before he glared at Lizard who spat a few teeth, "Stay down."
Lizard with a snarl lunged at Kitsune and tackled him into the water, Kitsune unprepared for this gagged as water filled his lungs before he screamed as Lizard bit him in the shoulder before he kicked off him and swam away
Kitsune burst from the water, gagging as he spat up water, "Disgusting." he said before he hissed and looked to his shoulder and moved his jacket and shirt out of the way to see his wound steaming closed
Standing up, Naruto rotated his shoulder as he walked over to Curt's small lab and saw all the equipment Curt was using along with a recording on the computer, "I spent my life as a scientist trying to create a world without weakness, without outcasts. I sought to create a stronger human being, but there's no such thing. Human beings are weak, pathetic, feeble-minded creatures. Why be human at all when we can be so much more? Faster, stronger, smarter! This is my gift to you. "
As Naruto listened to Connors on the computer he looked around and found Connors plans to use the old cloud machine at OsCorp to disperse a cloud of serum across the city, turning everybody into lizards, quickly he vanished in a swirl of leaves
Moments Later
Kitsune jumped from rooftops, heading for Oscorp when a helicopter arrived and he heard George's nice, "Stand down now, or we will open fire! You are surrounded there I nowhere to run!"
"You kidding me!" Kitsune hissed before he saw sharpshooter on the roofs that began to shot at him, Naruto flipped and aimed his palms at the helicopter before 2 chakra chains shot forward and stabbed into the bottom of it before he yanked himself up to the passenger window and he punched the window out before he grabbed George who shot him but the bullets had no effect
"Listen to me!" Kitsune yelled with a growl, "The Lizard is headed for Oscorp, your daughter is there right now!"
"How do you-" George paused when Kitsune lifted his mask enough to show 3 whisker marks on his cheeks causing his eyes to widen
"He wants to turn everyone in the city into lizards, I have to stop him, so help me or stay out of my way," Kitsune said before he released George and jumped away
"...Stand down." George said to his taskforce as he watched the boy he has known since he was 8 jumped away into the distance before he looked to the pilot, "Head for Oscorp."
Oscorp
Connors was on the rooftop with the cloud machine, that he had taken from Gwen, as he loaded the serum felt accomplished, "Initializing Denali device, detonation in T minus 2 minutes."
The lizard looked up just as a Dynamic Entry to the face sent him off his perch, but he grabbed Kitsune's leg as he fell causing Kitsune to began publishing him in the face as they fell and hit a spotlight
The two rolled out of it with Kitsune slapping away a slash from Lizard before he slammed his incomplete Rasengan into the reptile sending it flying back, quickly Kitsune jumped for the device but the spotlight was tossed into his back sending him slamming into a pole before he fell, as he made to get up the Lizard landed atop of him and aimed his claws at his head
"Goodbye, Parker." The lizard hissed before they heard a shotgun click and George walked over shooting at Lizard who backed away roaring in pain,
Kitsune got up as George walked over to him, "Present from Gwen." he said handing him the antidote
Naruto took it before he kicked a pipe for liquid nitrogen loose and tossed it into the Lizard who began to freeze, "Keep firing, don't let him regenerate!" Naruto yelled racing up to the cloud machine
George continued to fire but he ran out of bullets, "Shit!" he hissed
"Captain!" Yuri yelled arriving before they both began to shot their pistols at the Lizard but to no effect, as Yuri was batted aside and George was speared through the chest by the Lizards claws
Tossing the wounded officer, Lizard jumped over to Kitsune who replaced the serum with the antidote and turned to punch Lizard in the face as the antidote was shot into the sky
The Lizard roared as he fell and slowly began to return to Curt Conners but it lunged for Kitsune's throat but Kitsune leaned back and punched it in the chin causing its jaw to snap shut as he went upright before a punch to the chest sent the Lizard flying back into a wall where it returned to normal and fell forward unconscious
Kitsune looked up to see Yuri over George applying pressure to his wound and quickly he raced over, "Captain!" Kitsune yelled sliding on his knees beside the injured man
"Heal him. You can heal people right?" Yuri asked getting a nod before Kitsune placed his hands above George's chest and a green aura appeared but George grabbed his hands
"No, it's too late for me." George said wheezing as Yuri and Naruto shook their heads, as Naruto removed his mask, "I was wrong about you Naruto. This city is going to need you, you're going to make a lot of enemies. Please keep Gwen out of it. Promise me."
"I can't promise you that, old man. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I will stay away from Gwen but I can promise you that I will protect her and the people of this city with all my power." Naruto said getting a nod from George
"You always were a blunt brat." George said causing Yuri and Naruto to chuckle before George hissed, "Tell my family that I love them."
George Stacy died as Yuri and Naruto looked down and mourned
3 Days Later
Naruto stood beside Yuri watching as Gwen and her family stood at the grave for George, "Heard you were promoted to Captain." Naruto said
"Yes, I wish it were under better circumstances though."
"You'll do him proud." Naruto said as the two watched as a Shadow Clone as Kitsune appeared and talked to the family,
"As will you." Yuri said with a small smile as Gwen's mother hugged Kitsune after the clone bowed to her, "You should work with us."
"I'll work with you. I can already tell that my presence will be a problem for criminals with deep pockets, the people who know about me should be kept to a minimum amd our partnership should be kept secret." Naruto said watching as his clone left and dispersed before Gwen looked at him and he gave a slight smile which she returned before she returned to looking at the gravestone with her family
"Way ahead of you." Yuri said before she lightly hit him with her elbow, "Let's go get a drink."
"I can't get drunk."
"Well you'll buy me a drink, we should give them some privacy." Yuri said getting a nod from Naruto before the two left
Next Day
Kitsune blurred through the city before he came to a stop atop of a skyscraper and sat down, "Captain Stacy gave his life, its only right that if I'm going to do this that I'm willing to lay down my own for this city." Kitsune frowned before his senses went haywire, looking up he saw 5 small flying machines arrive and hover in front of him
"Not again." Kitsune sighed before they tried to slam into him
Kitsune ducked as he pushed himself off the skyscraper and flipped over a rushing drone before he kicked off a building and began to flee
"Amazing. His speed. His agility." a man said observing Kitsune's movements through the live feed the drones were sent to him
Kitsune landed on a building and quickly turned and punched the drone behind him before it exploded sending him flying back, "Flying smart bombs! Pack quite a punch too."
Kitsune shook his hand that he felt growing numb, quickly ducking, he grabbed another drone that flew over him and tossed it into another as he backflipped off the roof while the two drones slammed into each other and exploded
Running across the side of a building Naruto saw the last two drones boxing him in, and with a grunt continued to head for the one before him and jumped and split it in two and he flipped in midair and tossed a kunai into the eye of the last drone causing it to explode as well
"Where the hell do these votes keep coming from?" Kitsune asked
Unknown Lab
Norman glared at the old man beside him as static played on the monitor, "You blew it! You failed Smythe." Norman growled
"My father is the world's foremost expert in the field of robotics, Mr. Osborn. He is not a failure!" the wheelchair-bound man growled
"Relax Alistair! No need to defend me." Smythe said wheeling his son away with Norman behind him
"No need? You let that fox masked menace make fools of us." Norman growled
"Not for long. This was a mere trial run. The Seekers have proven that my targeting computers can find Kitsune." Smythe replied
"They're my targeting computers. I put up the money, you only invented them! What good are they? They can't catch him!" Norman asked annoyed
"That's not their job."
"Then whose job is it?" Norman asked before a light came on in another doom allowing Norman to see a black Coyote robot
"That's whose job it is. Gentlemen, I give you my Fox Slayer."
Norman looked at the robot and pursed his lips
Daily Bugle
Jonah and Robby were listening to the beautiful woman as she listed off what she needed, "Then there's the caterer, the parking attendants, the musicians, the cleaning crew it's all been taken care of, right Mr. Jameson?"
"Of course! This isn't the first Charity Ball I've hosted, Mrs. Hardy."
"Yes, but this is the first one with the Hardy name attached to it. Now, what about the photographer? Mother says we absolutely must have one."
"Yeah, well, tell mother that if I spend any more money on this thing, I'm going to need charity." Jonah said
"Jonah! Remember that Felicia's mother is an important philanthropist, and advertiser! Besides, we know of a photographer." Robby said causing Jonah to grimace
"You don't mean-"
Naruto was sitting down waiting as he shifted through pictures of Kitsune he brought in for Jonah, "This is the second time I was attacked by flying to its, I need to leave one functioning to fo d out who is sending them."
"Naruto!" Robby yelled causing Naruto to look up, "Mr. Jameson wants to see you."
Naruto got up and walked over
Jonah had his fingers crossed behind his back, "I assure you, Miss Hardy, this Charity Bal is just as important to me as it is to you. That's why I'm sending my hmm very best photographer."
"Hmm Who might that be?" Felicia asked
"Naruto Parker." Felicia said surprised
"Felicia?"
"You know him?" Jonah asked surprised
"She goes to college with a childhood friend of mine." Naruto said
"Mr. Jameson says you're his best photographer."
"More of a freelance photographer." Naruto said
"Anyway this charity thing is a big deal, Parker. Ms. Hardy's mother is sponsoring it, and I'm hosting it. Think you can take pictures of something other than Kitsune for a change?"
"We'll talk about my fee later." Naruto said to Jonah before he loomed to Felicia, "Why don't I walk you out."
"Thank you."
"Hate that kid." Jonah groaned before he looked to Robbie, "Robbie, see if you can find Eddie Brock. He's supposed to have some big scoop for me."
Elsewhere
Drops of acid burned a small hole into the robot enough for a screw to be inserted as Norman observed the robot, "Not too close Osborn. That acid's the only thing that can penetrate the Black Coyote's armor."
"They're almost ready." Norman smirked
"Yeah, almost." a young man smirked walking up, "Eddie Brock's biggest scoop! Huh-hoo! The capture of Kitsune! You will not regret bringing me in on this Mr. Smythe."
"You're in charge Brock! With the media here, everything will be done on the up and up! Wouldn't want things getting out of hand, would we?" Smythe said looking to an annoyed Norman
"I don't intend to play judge and jury, Spencer. I just want Kitsune captured. According to the late Captain Stacy, he's a criminal."
"Yeah, and he's big news too! I gotta go line up my crew! See ya." Eddie waved walking off
"I have to leave also. But I want to reassure you, everything will be done strictly by the book. You have to trust me!" Norman said before he left and boarded the elevator when he began to cough and got a handkerchief and hacked up blood, still not healed from his fight with Kitsune, putting the handkerchief in his pocket the billionaire left the lab
Later
Norman entered an office, and reported, "The Coyote's ready."
"Does anyone suspect that I'm involved?" a man asked from the shadows
"No, not at all." Norman said
"Good. That is as it should be." the man said watching videos of Kitsune's exploits, "Crime. My livelihood. My life! All of it jeopardized with the sudden appearance of Kitsune. How could I run a worldwide criminal empire, if I can't even control my home-base, New York?"
"We don't know the full extent of Kitsune's powers, so we have to be prepared for anything." Norman said
"That loose cannon must be removed." the man growled
"You don't have a thing to worry about." Norman assured
"But you do, Osborn. If it fails, I get your company. Remember? Interesting way to pay back a loan, isn't it?" the man asked only for Norman to wave him off
"The debt will be paid in full as of tomorrow." Norman said before he began to leave but paused, "Something occurs to me either Kitsune is destroyed, or you get Oscorp. Whatever happens, you win."
The man walked out of the shadows revealing a large bald man wearing a white suit, "That's why I'm the Kingpin."