Everything around Naruto looked like it had been subjected to a nuclear-sized explosion. The environment came across as the definition of ruin. Lines of buildings were broken in some fashion. There were trenches torn in the earth large enough to fit a yacht through. And even stretches of forest were toppled, leaving only toasted roots.
The source of this wanton destruction was the same blonde man with a trickle of blood dribbling down the corner of his mouth. His shirt was gone and exposed the hard-won body of an active ex-shinobi. Even his pants were ripped to leave ragged edges beneath his knees. Naruto looked exhausted with his heaving shoulders because he was exhausted. But it was a good kind of fatigue, fulfilling.
"That last attack drained what was left of my energy. I have to be careful if I need to use it in a real fight." The raw power of the move couldn't be questioned, but what good was it if he couldn't defend himself after? Naruto wasn't in the business of chasing after pyrrhic victories.
Naruto punctuated his comment by smearing the blood on his chin with his left thumb. He took the blood and used it to paint a fuinjutsu sigil on the ground at his feet. When he stepped on it, Naruto found himself sitting in the empty room in his apartment. He was back in his meditation chamber.
Comparing the results, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. He was happy with what he saw, but Naruto knew he could do better. There was something to be said about self-improvement teetering on perfectionism. "Twenty-four hours in my training dimension is four hours here. I should look into tinkering with the seal when I get time. I bet I can improve that ratio. Maybe knock it down to two hours instead of four."
Any potential plans ended when the phone went from screensaver to incoming call. Naruto looked at the foreign number for a second, then brought it to his ear. Clearing his throat, "Uzumaki Naruto speaking. Who is this?"
"Hello, Mr. Uzumaki. My name is May Parker. I apologize for calling unannounced, but a mutual friend pointed me your way." The words coming through the speaker surprised and intrigued the blonde.
"Mutual friend?" He had to wonder who this friend was. And what could they have possibly said about him to warrant a phone call?
"Yes. It was Mr. Angelo from the drive-in diner on 66th street." The woman on the other end of the conversation was kind enough to give Naruto the information he wanted. She also eased any suspicion in the one-time special forces.
"Ah. Good, ol' Tommy. He likes to listen. Okay, so what can I do for you, Ms. Parker?" Visuals of a man old enough to have gray hair came to mind. He was as close to a classic Italian as Naruto could find in the year 2023. A good man who made better food.
"That's not necessary. Please, call me May. I was wondering if you'd like a job, Mr. Uzumaki?"
"Naruto, if you would?" Over the phone, it was tough to pick up his slight pause. Naruto doubted she was offering him a job like his last one. People like Elektra weren't necessarily frequent. Not like he could talk about being... different. "Can you tell me more about this offer?"
"Of course! I manage a homeless shelter called F.E.A.S.T, and we're a bit short-handed. Tommy told me a little about you, and I think you'd be a perfect fit here. I'm also willing to pay you bi-monthly." Naruto didn't have to be a master of psychology to hear the pride in the woman's voice. And she had good reason to be proud if this was the truth. Not enough people went out of their way to help their fellow person.
The more Naruto thought about it, the more he liked it. May was offering him the chance to do some good. Helping people was just the thing Naruto needed in between training for the inevitable arrival of Thanos.
"What would you have me do at F.E.A.S.T if I said yes?" Naruto wanted to make sure he'd actually be helpful. He didn't want to get in the way or anything like that, as unlikely as that sounded.
"I can't give you a straight answer. We do whatever is needed to help the people who walk in. What we do on a Monday might be different from what happens on a Tuesday."
That made a lot of sense to the young man. Seeing no reason to deny her, Naruto agreed to the job offer. "I understand. I'm in! So when do you want me, May?"
"Fantastic! Thank you so much! If it's not any trouble, can you come in for orientation tomorrow?"
"It's no problem at all. I'll see you there." Starting on a Monday sounded like the perfect time to begin his new career as a member of the F.E.A.S.T team.
"Right! I'll send the address and hours to your phone. Goodbye, Naruto."
"See ya, May." Once Naruto got the information May promised through his phone, he decided on a trip. He planned on checking the building out. Knowing where the shelter was would help him avoid any mix-ups tomorrow. It wouldn't do to make a poor first impression on his new boss.
As Naruto strolled down the building-lined streets of New York, he realized something. It'd been so long that he had a hard time imagining the Big Apple as the crowded metropolitan center of the past. Familiarity was a scary thing like that.
But he couldn't reminisce on the current state of the world without circling around to Thanos. The looming threat of the purple giant served as both blessing and curse. It was awful knowing he was coming but not when. However, the anticipation of fighting Thanos ended up being great motivation.
Naruto never worked harder in his entire life than he had these last few months. The image in his head was Thanos with his double-sided sword when Naruto turned the corner into someone.
"Ah!" As a trained warrior, Naruto's sturdy frame absorbed the unintentional impact. He couldn't say the same for the young woman sitting on her rear. Accident or not, he felt partially guilty about what happened to her.
"Sorry bout that. A little bit of bad luck, huh?" Naruto offered the woman his hand. He noted she looked surprised for a moment before taking his offer. But it was probably just the shock of someone bowling into her on the street.
"We were both at fault, but I appreciate your apology." Her voice surprised Naruto. She was soft-spoken, but it didn't affect the impact of her words. It sorta reminded Naruto of an actress who could manipulate their voice. However, the whiskered one was sure it was naturally her voice.
Throwing on a marginal smile to convey friendliness, he released her hand with a nod. "If you're alright, I should let you go about your business, miss. Have a nice day, yeah?"
Naruto flipped his hips and took up his original route. This time he was stopped, not by the woman's body. No, that honor went to the urgency of her voice. "Wait!"
Blinking, Naruto put on the brakes and turned back around. His eyebrow rode up as a confused frown parked itself on his lips. The question was on his face, but he still asked it verbally. "What is it?"
In the long second they spent staring at each other, Naruto couldn't help but draw comparisons between her eyes and his. They were rather blue. Eventually, she shook her head with an elegant smile. "No, it was nothing. You have a good day too."
His stupefied blink finally made itself known and didn't stop even when the woman made her graceful exit. After that, Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Well, that was pretty weird."
F.E.A.S.T Center, New York
May gazed at their amassed supplies with pride and a content smile. Seeing this level of generosity warmed her heart beyond belief. "I swear we're getting more boxes every day. I'm glad more people are donating. This is what I dreamed of when I took over here."
"Easy for you to say! I'm the one dragging all this heavy stuff around." Naruto breathed out his mock complaint between bouts of moving the heavy boxes into their allotted space. He was grateful May invested in the storage garage attached to the shelter.
"Oh, stop being such a big baby, Naruto. This should be nothing for a young, strong man like yourself." May's words sounded sharp, but the way she smiled during the roll of her eyes sold her out. She was amused with the lively blonde's antics. It was an overstated line, but he was a breath of fresh air.
"Nope. That's not gonna work!" The blonde remained steadfast in his position, not allowing a little flattery to push away the annoyance of mind-numbing physical labor. Shinobi work and civilian work were worlds apart. And in his opinion, the latter really sucked at times.
"How about we go get some ramen? My treat." May had a firm understanding of Naruto at this point. If he had one glaring weakness, it was ramen. And she wasn't above letting Naruto indulge when it was appropriate. After all, Naruto worked hard for their shelter. He earned a good bowl of ramen occasionally.
"You're a saint, May. Truly a saint!" As she expected, Naruto's reaction was nothing short of exuberant, fitted with a small cheer at the end. This is what happened when the blonde Uzumaki got the idea of ramen in his head.
The woman in charge laughed at his abundant love for the noodles of Inari. That's what he called them. Her good mood took a turn south when Naruto brought up something more serious. "How are you holding up?"
May understood the question even if it was vague. Lately, Naruto urged her to open up about Peter's disappearance. He correctly claimed it was better than keeping her feelings bottled up. It didn't take long for his stubbornness to wear her down.
"This... this place helps. It gives me something to focus my energy on. Peter vanishing hasn't gotten any easier to deal with, but knowing I'm doing something he'd approve of helps me get through the day." It was painfully clear that no amount of time would heal the pain in May's heart. Naruto's heart went out to her. First, she lost her husband, then her nephew in two different yet tragic events.
Words couldn't heal this pain. However, the right advice could give the woman hope to keep going. And in time, Naruto hoped May would find something to help her heal. "Sometimes, all we can do is put our heads down and move forward. It will get better; it always does."
Whatever comment May planned on making was swallowed by the woman when the door flew open. At the same time, Naruto felt a terrible shudder sink into his bones. It was enough to make his entire body lock up for a second.
"Martin? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost?" Martin or Martin Li was a fellow overseer of the F.E.A.S.T shelter. He was a humble man who was proud of his Chinese background and willing to share it with those curious enough to ask.
The shocked disbelief on Martin's face was the kind you couldn't fake. "What? You mean you haven't heard?" He rushed over to the old box television hanging in the corner and flipped it on. The screen took a moment to warm up before it told Naruto and May a story.
May and Naruto watched a series of still shots cycled through the screen. The reporters spoke, but both were too focused on the chaos to hear them. However, the caption across the bottom couldn't be ignored.
The Avengers' last stand?
"Oh my god!" While May stared at the screen in abject horror, Naruto was already out of the building. He wasted no time dipping into the powers given to him by Freyja. As soon as the cloak formed around him, Naruto took to the sky. He had a cross-country trip to make.
Battleground, California
For a man sharpened in the flames of World War II, a battleground like this was nothing new for Captain America. It was easier to stay focused on the target when he knew there weren't any civilians in the area suffering from the surprise attack on their base of operations. He'd get even with Thanos by stopping the purple brute here.
Tony Stark couldn't be bothered with the building. He could have a new one made within the year. Sure, losing their time machine was slightly annoying, but the arrival of his greatest foe compensated for any loss. Now he could save everyone they lost and protect what he gained simultaneously.
Thor, current ruler, in name, of New Asgard, saw something different when he glared at Thanos. Not aiming for the head sooner haunted him to this day. His pride wouldn't allow the blonde thunder god to make the same mistake twice. Thor owed the people not here that much.
Lesser men thought twice about battling one of the Avengers' big three. But fighting all three of them at the same time? That was downright insane. And yet, Thanos sat there with a calm gaze leveled on the three-man unit. Not only did the stone hunter have an aura about him- Thanos had a swagger, an absolute confidence in himself and the mission.
No one in the grouping of four spoke. The only sounds present in the tense stare-down were the crackling embers and running water coming from broken pipes. This was the only way it could end... in absolute ruin.
"You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me." There was a palpable amusement in Thanos' voice as the heroic trio approached him. Splitting his time between the rock in his fingers and the Avengers, he shared his thoughts in a way that didn't fit their somber battle site.
His eyes singled out Captain America simply because he was the one in front of him. "I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible." Thanos almost sounded thankful.
The longer Thanos spoke about his mission statement, the more his resolve came through. No one could talk him down. And he believed no one was capable of stopping his destiny. "And as long as there are those that remember what was... there will always be those unable to accept what can be."
"They will resist." He wore a ghost of a smile when he turned his poignant gaze onto Tony. The Iron Man stood in silence, staring at the consequences of their time meddling in a glassy-eyed daze. But Tony wouldn't be the snarky, millionaire genius if he stayed silent for too long.
"Yep! We're all kinds of stubborn!"
Believe it or not, Thanos actually agreed with Tony. He nodded his bald head before looking off to the side at nothing. Thanos was more attentive to his thoughts than the world around him. "I'm thankful. Because now... I know what I must do."
Tossing the rock aside, Thanos got to his feet. The little light that did break the cloud coverage reflected off his armor as he moved. Thanos had the confident gall to turn his back on Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America like they were nothing. He also brazenly ignored how they tensed in preparation. "I will shred this universe down to its last atom. And then, with the stones you have collected for me, create a new one teeming with life that knows what it has lost. Only what it has been given."
"A grateful universe."
An array of light pinged off Thanos' durable, metal armor as the man beneath it drew his cleaver-like sword out of the ground, not unlike the myths surrounding Excalibur. And despite himself, the planet-jumping murderer couldn't help but smirk as he felt the ire rise around him.
"Born out of blood." The firmness laced in Steve's voice was reserved for the most dangerous foes. The type of people who had a mind so twisted they genuinely believed the righteousness of their atrocities.
"They'll never know it."
Tony's realization wasn't new, but he felt it needed to be said nonetheless. "You're insane... obsessively so."
Thanos chuckled in the face of Tony's insult. Hardly bothered, he had no issue turning the accusation back on the coalition of heroes opposing him. "Oh? Are you telling me you three aren't the same? We're cut from the same cloth in this regard."
One by one, he punctuated his thoughts on each man by pointing his massive blade at them. "We have the soldier who can't let go of his past. The god prince who won't stop thinking about his failures and shortcomings. Then there's the visionary who is so obsessed over the future, it almost cost him the present." He savored seeing his words seep under Thor's skin. Good, one more push, and he'd be set off.
"How are any of you different from me?" Comparing himself to each of them was the last straw for Thor. Raw lightning coursed through the god and his weapons as he screamed at his most hated enemy.
"Enough with these games!" The heroic threesome tried attacking from all sides. Tony even knocked Thanos' sword down with the vibranium shield, but it didn't work. Thanos swatted both Thor and Steve aside before sending Tony's energy beam toward the sky with the help of his sword.
Like any good soldier, Captain America led from the front. Steve launched into a straight-up brawl with the alien giant. He threw punches and knees in equal measure, laced with a healthy diet of shield-based attacks. However, the moves that worked for literal years weren't enough to make Thanos step back. Not one step. He simply absorbed every attack and returned the damage twofold.
Sprouting a claw-like receptacle from the back of his smart suit, Tony set Thanos in his sights. "Alright, Thor, hit me!" His body jerked when the god's lightning hit his back and transferred into the power cells with an audible hum. Tony launched a spray of lasers, but Thanos turned in time to spin his blade. The fanning motion protected him from the worst of Iron Man's assault.
Preoccupied with defending himself, Thanos couldn't stop Mjolnir from being slapped at him like a baseball. So he did the next best thing. He shrugged off the bursting beam; in one motion, Thanos scooped Tony up, so it was Iron Man who took the brunt of Asgard's most famed weapon straight to the heart.
Tony was already unconscious when Steve managed to land a cartwheel kick to Thanos' skull. The super soldier produced enough force to snap the Infinity Tyrant's head down. However, the purple one came back with a straight right hand. Steve blocked most of the punch with his trusty shield but was still sent flying through the debris and rebar.
Not letting his guard down yet, Thanos turned to Thor next. With a hurl of his sword, he endeavored to cut the displaced god down mid-charge. Thor's combat instincts were sharp despite his pudginess, which is how Thor slid under the singing blade so easily. But before he could bury Stormbreaker in Thanos' chest, the two-sided weapon returned ala a boomerang and stopped the heavy ax cold.
Not letting his guard down for a second, Thanos turned to Thor next. With a hurl of his sword, he tried cutting the displaced god down mid-charge. Thor managed to slide under the singing blade, but before he could bury Stormbreaker in Thanos' chest, the double-edged weapon returned like a boomerang and stopped the heavy axehead cold.
Thor managed to perform a clean disarm on his taller opponent with the help of some lightning-enhanced muscle fibers. Unfortunately, Thanos returned the favor. Then he overwhelmed the blonde god with a short punch barrage that ended when Thanos snatched Thor up by his throat.
Physically dominating the mighty one like a small child, the Black Order's leader pinned the Asgardian against some rubble. Thor took two concrete-heavy punches to the mush unprotected. And while he was loopy from a possible concussion, Odinson got thrown through another thick chunk of broken foundation. His body was already limp when Thanos planted a foot on his chest.
Thor tried catching Thanos off guard by calling Stormbreaker to him, but Thanos intercepted the weapon mid-flight and turned it back on Thor. What came next was a test of strength as Thanos tried jamming the ax into the heart of its chubby owner.
A look into Thor's eyes showed that he understood he was losing long before the biting end of Stormbreaker dug into his armor. Odin's last child was saved from the touch of Death when Mjolnir flew through the air and nailed Thanos clean between his broad shoulders.
It wasn't anything more than a glancing blow, but it was enough to grab the attention of both men. Thanos and Thor saw Captain America with a shield in one hand and a hammer in the other.
"I knew it!" Thor couldn't savor years of speculation coming to fruition because he got curb-stomped into the ground for his lack of attention. This left Thanos and Captain America in a one-on-one.
Thanos was still trying to make sense of the new development as he charged the Captain. Steve was more than ready to answer the challenge as he spun Mjolnir by the strap at the end of its handle.
When the pair finally clashed, Steve struck first with a jumping uppercut from the top of the hammer. A flash of lightning and the boom of thunder rang out as the giant of a man was finally knocked off his feet. Thanos was still trying to get up when Steve sent the shield hurling forward. The vibranium sailed past the massive man, but that's what Steve wanted.
He combined the star-spangled disc with Mjolnir to create a shockwave behind Thanos' ear. The shattering impact sent the grimacing menace stumbling forward. Still dazed by the attack, Thanos was slow to react as Steve unleashed a furious assault that used his shield and Thor's hammer in perfect harmony. He wielded Mjolnir like he spent years with Mjolnir in his hands instead of minutes.
'Help me out here! Let's bring the lightning!' Mjolnir answered the call, producing a jolt of lightning that the First Avenger drove into Thanos' chest. Crying in pain, the paralysis from the shock dropped Thanos onto his back.
'Again!' With his teeth gritted together in stern determination, he hoisted the hammer toward the heavens. Mjolnir lit up like a beacon, so when Steve dropped the godly weapon, he also called a shining bolt down on Thanos, driving the groaning man into the ground.
"Gah!" The celestial metals of his armor finally shrugged the lightning off, freeing Thanos. And he immediately rolled out of the way of a lightning-charged hammer strike.
Before Steve could recover from his miss, Thanos took him by the neck and lifted him overhead for a ten-foot chokeslam. And while Thanos bought himself time, he couldn't make Steve release either of his weapons.
Pissed off that they did this much damage to him, Thanos grabbed his weapon and crushed his damaged helmet with a snarl. He stomped toward Steve, unleashing heavy swings that ended with him stabbing the American-themed hero in the thigh with a vocal growl.
The cry of pain was just as reactive as the hammer swing Steve tried landing in retaliation. But Thanos wouldn't allow it. He caught Steve's wrist and sent the hammer flying away from its new owner.
With one bum leg, Steve couldn't do anything more than try and block the hacking aggression of Thanos with his Stark-produced gift. The panic really settled in when he saw the shield chip. It only got worse. Every swing stripped away more of the shield in a shower of raging sparks.
Their one-sided slugfest ended with Thanos sending Steve away with a stiff kick to the ribs. Landing on his back with a gasp, the bloodied man didn't even have the energy to lift his shield arm. It was now that Thanos took the time to express his... distaste for the earth and its people.
"In all my years of conquest, violence, and slaughter, it was never personal." Not from him towards the people being wiped out anyway. The other way around? There were most definitely personal feelings involved. "But I'll tell you now... what I'm about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet... I'm going to enjoy it. Very very much."
That's when beams of light dotted the ruined site, each one teleporting another section of Thanos' legions to the field. If they were struggling against one man, how could they handle a force of over 100,000?
Steve's eyes shrunk from the pain. He showed the haunting look of a man resigned to what came next. However, that didn't stop Steve from meeting his fate head-on. Strapping the shield over his sliced forearm, he hissed from the jolt and swallowed the blood in his mouth.
Hey, Cap, you read me? Cap, it's Sam. Can you hear me?
On your left...
Naruto had seen more battle than anyone in his generation, including every battlefield of the last Shinobi World War. So as he gloated over the carnage of the fight below, he was more sad than shocked. He was disappointed it always came to this.
He was a moment from blasting one massive spaceship out of the sky when something entered the atmosphere. Naruto looked up at the same time as the ship's cannons. A few of their blasts almost hit Naruto through the cloud covering, making him playfully gasp as he dodged.
That was when a golden streak of brilliance plummeted toward the earth. It ripped through the ship like paper, ushering in all the dramatics of a fireball. Naruto felt his hair blow back from the force of the explosion as he whistled to himself. "Whoever that is sure knows how to make an entrance."
"I can't let them outdo me. Can I?" Naruto's excited grin was highlighted by the telltale signs of Sage Mode forming around his eyes. Meanwhile, his hands held a pair of Rasengan, each the same size as a head from the Hokage Mountain. The orb in his right hand glowed white while the other turned a blistering red. Wind and fire; the best combo for maximum damage. "Ready or not, Thanos. Here I come!"
"Rasen Hogeki! (Spiraling Bombardment!)" All anyone heard was a roar of white noise before the world went up in a flash of light.
On the Avengers' side of the field, Tony tried looking through his fingers at the blinding light. He was far from successful, hence trying to ask for more information. "Who the hell is this? Friend or foe?"
Steve took the chance to steal a much-needed breath. "All we can do is wait and see." The heat on his face made the youthful-looking man scrunch his face up, causing more of his blood to run down his face.
Thor's long hair just stopped flapping in the breeze as he tightened his grip around the long hilt of Stormbreaker. "I don't like this."
"What's going on here?" Black Panther spoke for the entire group that joined the original three. It included himself, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel.
"Apparently, no one knows." Tony couldn't say anything more, not with Peter cutting him off and pointing at the lowering dome of orangish-white light.
"Look! It's clearing up!"
None of them counted on seeing a kid stuck in the center of the newly-made crater. The blonde's eyes were glued to the equally-shocked forces of Thanos as he remained stuck in his superhero landing pose.
There wasn't a soul on the battlefield that knew who Naruto was except for one man. And that soldier couldn't stop the surprise from escaping his exhausted body. "Naruto?"
"You know the kid, Cap?" Carol Danvers was the most worldly of the assembled Avengers. Her time traveling through space showed her things her comrades could never imagine. What impressed the people of earth weren't things that impressed her. However, the mysterious blonde who clearly packed a punch intrigued her. Although Carol felt calling Naruto a kid was a great disservice.
"He can do that? Don't you think we could've used his help!?" Forget who the kid was; Tony could get that answer later. He just wanted to know where Naruto was during this whole clusterfuck!
"I met him once in New York... and he didn't show anything like that, Tony." Answering both questions in one sentence, Steve didn't forget to defend himself from the accusation thrown at him by his inventor friend.
"Is he dangerous?" Falcon literally dropped in with his own questions. Sam thought some suspicion was natural in his line of work. And right now, Naruto was generating more than some paranoia in the black superhero.
Thor's blue eyes hardened over with the mettle of a warrior. At the moment, Naruto looked focused on Thanos, but the son of Odin refused to be caught off guard if things weren't as they appeared. "I think it's clear he is dangerous. The question is, what's he doing here?"
Naruto's base shinobi senses were more than enough to pick up their conversation, even from this distance. So, he thought little of looking over to Captain America with a smirk and salute. "Hey there! I hope you don't mind, but I invited myself to your little party."
"Hold on a second." Raising one finger, Naruto turned and caught a lunging Chitauri Warhound by the face with one hand. He tossed it up, grabbed it by the ankle, and batted away another Warhound before burying the first head down in the desecrated earth.
There was a calculating look in Black Panther's eyes as he watched Naruto dispatch the enemies swarming him without breaking a sweat. "He's strong, unnaturally so..."
"What's going on?" Naruto surprised them all when he appeared in the heart of their little group with his elbow perched on Spider-Man's shoulder. The carefree avatar of Death ignored the multitude of attacks and weapons being aimed at him. Instead, he stared at Peter with a smirk. "How's it going, Peter?"
"Come on, man! Don't blow my secret ident-" When the words finally clicked in Peter's head, it left the young Parker with an inquiry of his own. "Wait... how do you know my name?"
"That's easy! I work for May!" Naruto declared with a cheery smile, still forgoing the chaos around him. Better yet, he was dragging Peter into his madness, unintentionally causing the young man to drop his guard too.
"You know Aunt May?" Peter's next question would've been about May's well-being if not for Tony, who couldn't take any more of the insanity in front of him.
"Wait! Wait! Hold on a second, wonder blonde-" The newcomer to the fight turned the tables on Tony. Not only did Naruto cut off the world-famous Iron Man, Naruto did it while pointing cheekily at Carol.
"You talking about me... or her?"
"I like him already." Thoroughly amused by Naruto's approach, Captain Marvel essentially gave Naruto her stamp of approval with one statement. She could feel it in her gut. This new guy was a bit of a renegade, just like her.
The younger blonde came right back with a face-splitting grin. Naruto's eyes twinkled with joy because he could feel Tony getting super annoyed by the constant sidetracking. "Same here. Kickass entrance, by the way!"
"Huh, I thought I saw someone on my way down..." Crossing her arms over her suit, the short-haired woman looked at the clouds with a pensive stare.
"Hey! HEY! Can we focus on the important shit here!? Who are you, and what are you doing here?" His patience came to its end, and in doing so, Tony uttered a word that would have gotten him chewed out if Morgan were here.
"I believe he's here for me." The unmistakable sound of the Mad Titan's deep voice reminded everyone why they were gathered in the first place. Not that Naruto ever let Thanos out of his sensory range, mind you. "I can't put my finger on it, but you have a familiar feeling to you. It doesn't matter; my purpose is done."
The group of heroes tensed as Thanos lifted the gauntlet commissioned by the future him. His vicious smile wasn't a good sign for anyone. A brave few tried rushing the big man even though they would never reach him in time.
"I am inevitable!"
Then Thanos did it again. He froze the entire planet with a snap of his fingers. However, it became clear something was wrong. Confused and agitated by the lack of anything, Thanos flipped the gauntlet over and found the gem-holding slots to be empty. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Are you looking for these by any chance?" Tony felt he earned the right to puff his chest. At least a tiny bit. It's why Tony boldly showed his nano-technology glove fitted with the same Infinity Stones Thanos thought were his. But he didn't forget to show appreciation where it was due, namely Naruto. "Thanks for the distraction, kid."
"Inevitable, eh? I can do one better. I. Am. Iron Man." Tony's heart was beating a million ticks a second, but he portrayed nothing but confidence as he lifted the gem-encrusted hand. Now it was Tony's turn to snap his fingers, ignoring the cries from his friends to stop.
His snap didn't work either.
The befuddled Stark triple-checked the stones before trying again and again. Each time he waited less time in between snaps of his fingers. "What the hell is wrong with these things? Come on, you stupid rocks!"
"Sorry to throw a wrench in all of your plans. I'll have to stop you there." When Naruto snapped his fingers, he did it for dramatic effect. He could have released the illusion on the area however he wanted, but this way felt poetic. What was revealed was Naruto holding the real gauntlet.
"Kid. Give me that right now." Tony enjoyed having fun as much as the next guy. But even he knew this was no time for games. He was so focused on the rocks he didn't even care how Naruto tricked them.
The sunshine-haired sage brushed Tony off in favor of looking down at the glowing set of six stones. "I always wondered what it was about these rocks that drove people up the wall. But holding them in my hand, I can see the allure."
He plucked the red gem out of the metal hand. In doing so, Naruto caused several nervous shuffles as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The amount of power pumping through his veins would've been addictive to someone with less self-control.
"Naruto? What are you thinking?" The whisper-like sound of Steve's voice was all the indication one needed to understand his uneasiness.
"Give me the stones, and I'll spare you in my new universe. This is your only chance." Thanos was far less gentle when he made his demands. But to offer Naruto sanctuary showed how desperate he was becoming. Or it might of, had Naruto actually believed anything the alien said.
Ultimately, Naruto decided to ignore them both. He spoke, but not the words his fellow warriors wanted to hear. "But what I can't understand is why everyone is stuck on the idea of snapping their problems away. This one gem is capable of so much more. Reality itself..."
"A child like you doesn't have the power to wield the Reality Stone!" Thanos barked back at Naruto. Like his enemy in Tony, the son of Titan was losing what little patience he had with this whole debacle.
"No, not alone, I don't." Something in the air changed after Naruto admitted his human shortcomings. That shift became more tangible as a pillar of white light shot from Naruto to the heavens. Some of the Chitauri tried firing on the tunnel of energy, but not even their strongest blasters put a dent in it.
After the initial surge of power from his transformation ended, Naruto stood tall in his strongest form with a pair of entirely white eyes. What Naruto wore before was replaced by something completely different.
A long overcoat constructed of pale cosmic power fluttered behind Naruto on a non-existent wind. Open down the front, his bare chest was seen bearing a number of archaic tattoos, none more familiar than the Reaper Death seal that glowed raven on his gut.
A gift from Death, a recreation from his past life, there were nine black spheres bobbing in circular orbit around Naruto. Every last one had a swirling white core akin to the Uzumaki clan emblem Naruto wore on the inside of his shirts. Right over his heart. He dubbed these orbs... All-Killing Spheres (Tomogoroshidama).
Naruto's new form was so powerful that it overwrote earth's gravity in the area around him. The sudden heaviness in the air caused everyone, even the physically strong ones like Thanos and Captain Marvel, to kneel before Naruto. He paid them no mind as he only had eyes for Aether and its brilliant, crimson glow. "It's a good thing I am not alone then, Mad Titan."
The potent source of chaotic energy inside of Wanda was going haywire. It protected her from most of Naruto's presence, but she couldn't find it in herself to move a muscle. 'What is this power?'
Perhaps the only one capable of understanding who Naruto communed with to have such power, Thanos shoved his longing so far down it became petty bitterness. Now he knew why the boy felt familiar. It was her... "Another hopeless soul chasing Death? You're wasting your time, child. Death cares not for you and your trials."
"Wrong, old man. Death chose me." Naruto carried his smirk with pride as he watched Thanos' eyes twist in outrage. The deviant Titan might have held his tongue, but the pure, emotional angst was there if one knew where to look.
With how much time Naruto spent studying Thanos, he had a fair grasp on the massive man's operating procedure. Not unlike shinobi, he inflicted mental warfare on his foes. Most times, Thanos won his fights long before the actual combat.
People across the universe were so deathly afraid of Thanos that saying his name was a curse. He had his enemies making mistakes that he and his massive army punished swiftly. But unlike other planets, unlike the Avengers, Naruto wasn't afraid of Thanos. Thanos wasn't in his head.
Actually, Naruto was one hundred percent sure he was in Thanos' head.
Naruto placed the reality-warping rock against his seal. In a flash of light, Aether sunk into his body, making his white cloak pulse an angry red. When the assimilation completed, a fluid pattern of ruby coloring circulated through Naruto's white cloak. It almost looked sentient.
"Aether... you have been awakened." Naruto and his carefree laugh made friend and foe alike nervous. Some of them wondered if he lost it after interacting with the Infinity Stone. "You clean up here, Avengers. I will deal with the past."
Naruto stomped his foot, creating a red portal under Thanos. Before the lumbering man could move, he was sucked into the traphole to the horror of Maw and Proxima, the only two Dark Order members able to fight.
Naruto stepped through his own tear in reality without looking back.
Naruto's Reality
Thanos was dumped into a place he'd never seen. It was foreign because he was in Konohagakure no Sato, Uzumaki Naruto's childhood home. Out of breath from jumping realities, he needed a moment to find his feet.
During this time, the madman from Titan surveyed his surroundings for the one responsible for teleporting him. All he found was the village's varied pieces of architecture. It didn't take long for Thanos' eyes to wander toward the massive mountain where Naruto sat on the rock image of his father.
"What does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul?" The sky screamed around Naruto, generating winds north of hurricane force. And they were made because Naruto merely floated down to greet his guest. "It's a question I can't shake ever since I heard of your genocidal mission, Thanos. What did you gain? Power? Glory? The prize of satisfaction?"
"It was... is my destiny!" There was this itch in the back of Thanos' brain. He knew it well; the same creeping madness that plagued him as an unwanted child on Titan. To taste it again was terrifying and addictive.
"What makes your destiny worth the lives of trillions? What of their own destinies?" For Naruto, it always came down to freedom of choice being stolen. Free will was humanity's greatest treasure, and attempting to change that would never sit well with Naruto. Whether Thanos or Kaguya, the blonde wouldn't suffer this kind of scum.
"Worms, insignificant worms! They should be thankful to be sacrificed in the name of my universe!" Thanos' blood ran hot in the veins while he spewed vitriolic thoughts. Some more recent than the hate twisted mementos of his dark past.
Naruto took another step forward, putting even more pressure on the monstrous man on the verge of a mental breakdown. And that meant applying pressure, both physical and emotional. "You didn't have the right to make that call."
"The ones with power always make the call! I am the power!" Naruto watched with an apathetic eye as spittle flew from Thanos' mouth. Even the Titan's veins were bulging under his primal aggression.
"No, you had the stones. The stones had power. Without them you are nothing but a madman haunted by things you could never have. It's almost sad..." Did Naruto have to lay it on so thick? Absolutely not. But Neko's training all but demanded he used Thanos' mental imbalances to his advantage.
"Shut up! Shut up before I kill you!" Naruto replaced Thanos with memories of a young Gaara, only Thanos didn't have sweet sand powers that nearly turned his limbs into a paste on several occasions. Good ol' Gaara, Naruto missed him.
Where was he? Oh, that's right. He had a few more buttons he needed to push. "It always comes back to killing with you, doesn't it? Always doing your best to chase after Death."
There, that should do it.
"I said silence! I won't listen to one of Death's bitches! Fight me! Fight me! Fight me!" Crass language aside, the frothing beast of a man played right into Naruto's hands. He successfully dragged Thanos back to the man who'd attack with the savageness of his tormented soul. Not the figurehead of fear.
"Fine..." With the assistance of the Reality Stone, Naruto formed a new sword for Thanos. The only difference between the two was the red taint in the metal from being forged by an Infinity Stone.
Thanos immediately lunged after Naruto. He threw slashes so fast the air around him split in half, but Naruto dodged them all with ease. When Thanos went for an overhead, he finally thought he had Naruto. Until the sword came down on Naruto's head and broke in half.
His shock turned into a hot fury as Thanos flipped to the unbroken half and stabbed at Naruto's heart. Again, his blade failed him as the sword turned into molten slag when pitted against the cosmic shroud wrapped around Naruto.
Thanos cast aside his broken weapon with a look of disgust. Putting his trust in his own hands, he hammered Naruto with a constant flow of fists. The blows that weren't dodged were shrugged off by Naruto.
Eventually, he got tired of letting Thanos engage him. Naruto struck back with a punch that doubled Thanos over. Then an uppercut sent Thanos into the air, where Naruto flashed behind him and drove the Titan down with his version of the Omote Renge.
Naruto waited for his foe to get back up with arms crossed tightly and his cloak fluttering in the wind.
With the time graciously granted to him, Thanos managed to pull himself out of the pit. Where the blood flowing from a wound in his mouth became clear. "Why am I so weak? I was stronger than this! I am stronger than this!"
"Maybe once, but the Mad Titan is nothing more than stones and fear. Here you have no Infinity Stones. Here there is no fear. In my reality, my universe, you are nothing."
"No, I am something! I won't disappear like no one! I'm the son of A'lars! Thanos, the strongest Titan ever to exist!" Clutching at the sides of his skull, a visibly shaking Thanos appeared to be yelling at himself, not Naruto.
Tapping into a meager portion of the Reality Stone's power, Naruto created a perfect replica of someone familiar to Thanos. Her thick, black hair sat on a flawless, peach complexion. She didn't say anything, but her posture exuded the authority of a queen. "What about this woman? Aren't you the son of a mother and a father? Thanos, son of Sui-"
Pushed to it by Naruto, Thanos harnessed the power of his Eternal blood. The raw cosmic power wafting off his fist shattered Naruto's illusion and sent the blonde blasting backward into a building that collapsed on top of him.
The rubble shifted about until Naruto emerged from it, cloak still formed. There was a bruise on his jaw, but it healed in less than a second. "Only a heartless monster would attack his mother so callously. Despicable..."
"That bitch had it-" Naruto shut him up the only way he knew how; by driving his knuckles into the frothing fighter's face. Thanos' heavy body tumbled head over heels until Naruto dropped a heel in his gut. Thanos grunted before mule kicking Naruto in the chest, throwing the cosmic-cloaked sage into the sky above Konoha.
'Hah! That's more like it! I want the man who made people fear him, crazy or not! I don't have time for the coward who relied on an army of minions and the combined might of the Infinity Stones.' While Naruto relished the chance to fight the true Thanos, Aether wasn't nearly as happy. It made its feelings known by pulsing inside the blonde's seal.
Less words and more feelings, Naruto got a gist of what the Reality Stone said and responded in kind. Though, it did feel a little weird talking to a space rock. 'Don't give me that. You're incredibly powerful, but the power isn't mine or Thanos' by right. It's why I haven't really used your strength yet. Be patient.'
Naruto changed one of his All-Killing Spheres into the shape of a spike that he drove down in an attempt to impale Thanos. His reflexes were sharp enough to avoid certain doom, but not even the Eternal could react in time to the water dragon surging at his face point blank. Before Thanos could blink, the beast sunk its hydro fangs into him and took the Titan off his feet.
With its jaws wrapped around the purple mad one, Naruto's elemental leviathan smashed Thanos through entire blocks of Konoha's trading quarter. When it became evident punching the beast wouldn't work, the insane warlord turned his focus on Naruto. The discharge of power that fired from the shiny spot on Thanos' forehead caught Naruto unprepared.
The cloak saved Naruto from having a hole blown in his chest, but the detonation still nearly grounded him. 'I heard rumors Thanos had implants, but I always thought they were just that. Rumors.' The Uzumaki materialized in front of Thanos mid-freefall, using a Shunshin to do the deed.
"Doton: Cho Kajugan no Jutsu! (Earth Release: Super Weighted Boulder Jutsu!)"
Naruto's hands on his body made Thanos grab for the head. However, he found himself barely able to move a finger, and that alone took so much effort it felt like his eye would burst from the exertion he spent trying.
Abusing the giant's lack of mobility to land an axe handle strike, Naruto sent Thanos plummeting into the forests outside Konoha with a dirt geyser on landing. Naruto flew down to join him until an uprooted tree was flung at him.
One of the Uzumaki's black and white spheres twisted into a protective plate. When it moved to protect Naruto, not only did it block the tree, it erased the piece of fake nature from the face of reality. Naruto's pupil-less eyes snapped to the left, where another beam came screeching in. But another faithful shield stopped the attack in its tracks.
His stubbornness paid off for Thanos as he caught Naruto in a firestorm of lasers that forced Naruto to block every direction with his Tomogoroshidama. With the pinging noise of the blocked blasts in his ears, Naruto tried finding Thanos in the forest. It wasn't going well, which annoyed Naruto to the point of action. "Fine, if you want to play hide and seek, I'll smoke you out."
"Shakuton: Goka Mekkyaku! (Scorch Release: Majestic Flame Destroyer!)"
The buildup of chakra required to pull off the move caused the former shinobi's chest to swell. When Naruto released it, he breathed out a sea of white fire. As soon as the tidal wave of flame hit the forest, it torched the whole thing, creating a massive wildfire any pyro would be proud of.
It wasn't enough to stop Thanos, who raged forward and tackled Naruto in the stone likeliness of the Sandaime despite the charred chunks of flesh lacing him with agony.
Thanos was certain Naruto wouldn't be able to stop him from bashing his brain out against this rock. Thanos was so focused... so blood-thirsty that he failed to see the dark sword coming down on his right hand until the pain of having his forearm severed hit him.
Naruto's plans for Thanos weren't finished there. He called upon the might of his first original technique. As soon as the ball of compacted chakra hit Thanos in the chest, the battle-blinded warrior got taken away with a pained scream.
"Cho Mini-Rasenshuriken!"
The kinetic energy locked away in that little shuriken was enough to carry Thanos back to the center of the village before it lost form and exploded violently. Flying against the headwinds buffering him, Naruto waited patiently for the hissing wind dome to subside.
Naruto found what was left of Thanos waiting for him; it wasn't a pretty sight. The once luxurious armor he wore was reduced to scrap that would fall to the ground if Thanos so much as fidgeted. His distinctive purple flesh was littered with bleeding lacerations and charred chunks of decaying skin. The litany of wounds were trying to heal themselves, but the damage inflicted was so extensive that even Thanos' Eternal physiology was struggling to keep up.
He really did look like shit.
Letting his guard down was a mistake.
The mentally unbalanced space tyrant proved his act was just that when he sprang at Naruto like a viper. Freyja's beloved tried stumbling back, but he couldn't get out of Thanos' reach in time.
Thanos only needed one arm to keep Naruto at bay. That left his other hand free to gather deviant energy. He didn't stop until he held enough unnaturally purple power to eclipse the Hokage Mountain. A pair of sadistic eyes shone as Thanos slammed his attack into Naruto's chest with a throaty growl.
For a time, the landscape of Konoha was given a break from the explosions and destruction. Naruto emerged from the attack with his left arm limp at his side. Plus, his wrist was twisted in the wrong direction, uncomfortably so. While that patched itself up, he stared at the ruined recreation of his childhood home.
It looked identical to Konoha when Nagato attacked. A smoking crater devoid of life. 'It's not real. You're okay... you're...'
He tried everything from grinding his teeth to squeezing his fists, but none of those little tricks doused the building fury. Naruto tasted a feast of anger in his gut, and this time it wasn't Aether. This rage was all him, born from a mental trigger that Thanos unknowingly unleashed.
No more restraint. No more holding back.
"He dies. Now!"
Naruto finally called on the Reality Stone, manifesting it in the form of red chains. All four emerged from Naruto's spine and wavered menacingly over the cloaked fighter's head. The Aether chains followed his unspoken command and stretched out for hundreds of miles until they sunk into Thanos with four thuds Naruto felt through the vibrations in his chains. As soon as they were taut, he reeled in his prey.
Dragged kicking and screaming to a fully-repaired Naruto, Thanos had no choice but to kneel before Naruto. "You're so hungry for power, then have a taste."
Naruto pumped Thanos with so much of the Aether's essence that the giant's veins glowed red against his purple skin. However, that was nothing compared to Aether's warping touch disabling every implant and boon of the Titan's genealogy. When Thanos finally started screaming, Naruto made sure to double the amount of Aether flowing into the captured criminal's body.
"Right now, Aether is removing everything that makes you special, Thanos of Titan. When it's done, you'll be no one. But I will give you one last reward. An attack no one has seen before."
The bottomless pits of white that Naruto called eyes shone like exploding stars. And his white cloak bubbled like an angry cauldron about to overflow as Naruto kept drawing on the power given to him by Freyja. Naruto's breathing sped up, but it couldn't be detected over the sound of shattering glass?
But this wasn't glass; it was the sound of reality splintering under the exponential presence of Death's chosen sage. "I only tried this once. That was when I was calm and in control. Right now, because of you, I lapsed into a memory I abhor. And I'm downright pissed... so for better or worse, I'm gonna put every inch of my power into erasing you from the face of reality. Enjoy these final seconds; they are your last."
All nine of Naruto's orbs shrunk down to the size of marbles before they melded into a singular, palm-sized sphere. Its white nucleus sat trapped in a smooth black exterior until the circular manifestation began bulging at random intervals. It looked like something trying to punch free from the orb, but it was just power not meant to be controlled, doing its best to escape.
Cupping the unstable concoction with both hands, Naruto watched the cluster of cosmic energy float into the sky above them.
"Uchu no Shi Hijutsu: Sutari no Shuen. (Cosmic Sage Secret Art: Starry Demise.)"
Behind the clouds, where it tucked itself away, the core of his attack expanded nigh endlessly until it resembled the sun in size. The sheer scope actually brought fear to a helpless Thanos' eyes. And when it could no longer sustain itself, the generated star imploded on itself. Everywhere one looked, shooting stars were crashing down, unleashing a rain of meteors that contained a nuclear weapon's worth of pure cosmic power in each fragmented chunk.
And although none of the falling bombs had struck them yet, Thanos' desperation increased as the intensity of explosions ramped up. In fact, one of those falling stars was heading toward him and Naruto. One wore a smile at the impending starfall while the other was doing anything he could to get away from his imminent demise.
The end result of Naruto's newest invention was nothing short of total destruction. Thanos, the Reality Stone, even the reality Naruto created- none of them survived the celestial onslaught unleashed by the avatar of Death.
Freyja couldn't be more proud of the young man lying unconscious with his head resting on her thighs. Gently massaging Naruto's scalp with her fingers, the raven-haired beauty basked in the chance to spend a quiet moment with her beloved one.
"Once more, you have kept your promise to me, darling." Freyja paused, and the soft chime of her giggling filled the soundless void housing the unlikely pair. "Despite this being your first real test in that form, I know you will be displeased that it rendered you unconscious."
The caramel-skinned representation of Death could already see the thousands upon thousands of hours Naruto would invest over the coming months to make sure it didn't happen again. It left her shaking her head, but the smile couldn't be more genuine.
"You defeated a foe lesser men do their best to avoid, and you'll be ticked off that you didn't do it better. However, I suppose that's one of the things that drew me to you in the first place, Naruto." As she reflected, Freyja brought out a new Reality Stone, one she took from an already doomed timeline. She closed Naruto's hands around the rock because he'd need it for what came next.
"There is one thing left in your path before you can rest, my chosen one. Allow me to lend you one last helping hand until we meet again." Freyja slowly leaned over Naruto until she could press her black-painted lips against his forehead. She held the gesture of affection for a minute, flooding Naruto with more than enough energy to awaken him from his slumber.
"Go, and end this once and for all."
Naruto's conscious thought returned simultaneously to his eyes flying open. He did well to hide most of his shock, but he couldn't stop himself from whipping his head around. This was a typical shinobi response to waking up from an unplanned nap.
He wasn't too surprised to find himself back on the original battlefield. That was expected, all things considered. He'd have to...
Wait, were those wings?
The sage actually stopped mid-movement and double-checked to see that he indeed had a pair of wings behind him. They were almost identical to the artistic representations he'd seen depicting angels. Only his wings weren't made of thick, white feathers but rather translucent energy tinted ever so slightly with the same pale coloring of his cloak.
Why did he think Freyja had something to do with that?
'I can already fly, so is it just aesthetic? Or can they do something I don't know about yet?'
"Naruto!" Said person put those thoughts on a shelf and floated down to Steve, who quickly ran down what occurred in Naruto's absence.
"Is it just me, or does he look like an angel? But angels and Death don't really mix..." What started with Peter rubbing the sweat from his forehead turned into him admiring the majesty of Naruto's form.
"Some cultures actually place a heavy emphasis on an angel of death, Peter Parker." Like his younger compatriot, T'Challa was starting to wear down from constant fighting. So he was willing to try anything to take his mind off the fatigue, like giving a small piece of cultural wisdom to the high-school superhero.
"So you're telling me the bad guys have limitless troops?" Naruto grunted with a hidden scowl. Great, it sounded like the Edo Tensei all over again. At least they were chakra-powered zombies.
"That's what Tony thinks, and it sure feels like it." This wasn't Steve's forte, but even he could tell that the evidence pointed toward Tony's theory being proven correct.
"And you guys want to use the stones to make them all vanish." A reasonable response but dangerous for even the strongest of superheroes.
"It's the only feasible way out of this." It was clear to Naruto that Steve didn't like what using the Infinity Stones entailed. Not that he blamed the World War II veteran.
"But you don't know who will do the honors?"
"Tony offered, but Pepper shut it down. She's not letting him anywhere near the fight since he took the hit." Captain America's eyes were instinctively pulled toward where Tony was sitting. A spot guarded not only by Pepper and Rhodey but a whole collection of suits that Pepper summoned from New York.
"What happened?" Naruto followed the experienced soldier's gaze to the man in question. Something was clearly wrong, but what?
"He had a nasty hit on the spine by one of Thanos' generals. He... he can't feel his legs anymore." Upon hearing the nitty gritty, Naruto couldn't help but grimace at the idea of being paralyzed from the waist down.
"Thor and Hulk are going back and forth about who is more capable, but..."
"Neither is in the physical condition to pull it off. Hell, your best chance is her..." The whiskered ninja jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Carol. Captain Marvel had taken to the air and blasting anything that tried getting near her and the gauntlet. "...had I not been here."
Leaving Steve behind, Naruto flew to Carol. She had a hand ready to blast him but stopped when she recognized his face. "You're back. Where's big purple?"
"Gone, every last atom." Naruto was fine admitting that the statement came with the tiniest of smiles. Maybe it was Freyja's feelings, or they could have been his. With Thanos, it was tough to tell. They both despised the former Titan that much.
Carol was glad to hear some good news. Taking a moment to admire the vibe of the godly-looking fighter, she made an offer that was just a little out of place for an active combat site. "Hey, you want to spar sometime? Go a few rounds."
Naruto tossed his head back and laughed. Gods, he needed a good laugh right now. Still giggling to himself, "Let's make plans, Marvel. But before that, I'm going to need the shiny hand."
"I know that you know, but be careful with that." Naruto acknowledged her point with a brisk nod. The exchange was smooth, and incorporating the stones into his form was even easier. Each Infinity item appeared in a line around Naruto's collar, all six glowing with the brilliance of an otherworldly diamond.
Naruto felt all eyes on him as he rose into the cloudy sky over California. He filled his lungs with a calming breath, vaguely aware of the guns aimed at him. No doubt they wanted the Stones back. "Here goes nothing..."
Naruto sent the Infinity Stones shooting from his cloak with an emphatic snap of his fingers. The six gem-like items hovered around Naruto's motionless, emitting an ethereal glow that slowly expanded into a sphere. When all six colored circles touched, the electricity in the air stopped.
That was the last thing Naruto saw before everything went black.
When Naruto returned to the waking world, he was flat on his back with his cloak gone. That left him bare-chested, but he had bigger problems. Like the feeling of every molecule in his body being set on fire. Fuck, that hurt. Straining himself to check his body, Naruto was relieved to see nothing was crippled or burned beyond repair.
Now that he thought about it, it was kinda quiet, unnaturally so...
Several people ran over to check on him. Some of them Naruto recognized, and others he didn't. He picked Steve's face as the one to focus on. That's when Naruto stumbled on a realization that made him grunt. "I can't hear you." Naruto saw the alarm spread. "Don't freak out; it will pass. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna close my eyes for a bit."
Naruto was confident that people were yelling for him to do the opposite, but the message he read off Steve's lips told Naruto enough.
We won.