Stark Mansion, Los Angeles, California-
-May 30, 2010, 1000h local-
"...In other news. Multi-billionaire, Former CEO, and Ironman himself, Tony Stark, has given a modified Ironman suit to the United States military. Notably, the US Air Force. Although the specifications are classified, we can speculate on what it was built to do. As seen in these officially released photos, the black and grey suit named War Machine Mark 1 has opted out of the usual Ironman armor design. Tony Stark prioritized firepower and air maneuverability based on the large cannon mounted at the back, thick armor, and multiple flight surfaces. As per the agreement, Colonel James Rhodes, decorated servicemen and best friend of Tony Stark, is the chosen pilot for the War Machine armor. The abrupt donation of the highly advanced exo-suit is due to the recent appearance of a similar exo-suit in Monaco, which was handles by Tony Stark himself. Now, we'll see if the promised squadron of Ironman armors will be delivered in the future."
"Wow, the news loves you!" Naruto said while chilling on the couch.
Pepper went to Stark industries to go into some meetings. Some of them are about Tony's recent donation and its particulars, including legal and public relations. She brought Morgan with her so, as she said, 'doesn't get cooped up and become a motorhead at five years old.' Effectively leaving Naruto and Tony on their lonesome.
"I know, right. Who would have thought gifting the US military with a Multi-billion dollar death machine would garner that much public support?" Tony replied.
With his improved public image and a recent donation of defensive and some offensive military hardware, there have been talks of him being appointed as the Secretary of Defense. It's all up in the air, but it's slowly gaining traction. Tony won't even consider accepting the invitation if he was offered it since it would cut into his family and lab time.
Naruto's phone suddenly ringed, causing him to stumble for his pocket. He took it out and answered.
"Hello, Hime! What you doing?... Really!?... Now?... Of course not! I've been waiting for it for a month!... No problem. Be there in twenty..." Naruto pocketed his phone and looked towards Tony with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "We're going to get some donuts."
"No. No no no no no. No. I want to stay at home and watch some movies before going back to the lab." Tony emphatically replied, not wanting to leave the house since he's too lazy to leave the house. Definitely not because of Pepper telling them not to go and stay at home.
"Come on! We're not going far—just Randy's donuts."
"Alright. Alright. We'll take your car, but we better get back home before Pepper comes home."
"She comes home at 6. We'll be back way before that. Come on..." Naruto stood up from the sofa. "Whatever happens, remember, look at the camera."
-Randy's Donuts, Los Angeles, California-
-May 30, 2010, 1030h local-
Randy's Donuts is one of LA's iconic areas. The massive donut on the roof even got ripped off by the Simpson's. So it's understandable why Tony was confused seeing the empty parking lot.
"Let's go. We'll have free donuts." Naruto cheerily said as he walked towards the entrance.
Tony gave up a long time ago from questioning Naruto's quirkiness, so he just followed him through the door. The inside of the donut house is just as empty as the parking lot. Empty except for the pirate in black.
"You and the blondie over there are playing a dangerous game..." Fury started while motioning for Tony to sit down at the other side of his booth. "Well, more dangerous for you than him. Can't seem to kill no matter how hard I try."
Naruto moved to an open booth that had a great vantage point of Tony's face. He set down a small camera and concealed it using the menu.
"Sorry. I don't want to get on the wrong foot, but where do I look? Your eye or your eye patch?" Tony asked, but no one could tell if it was sarcastic or not.
"Letting Vanko live and giving what essentially amounts to a flying tank to the military—basically baiting everyone who has it out for you to come out the woodworks. That's a slippery slope you're trekking." Fury said before taking a sip of his coffee.
"Better the devil you know..." Tony took one donut from the box set on the table by fury and took a bite from it. "I'm sure you know, but I got a family now. I need to make sure they're happy and safe, and that involves knowing everything I need to know."
Fury stared at Tony for a good while before continuing.
"That thing in your chest. It was never finished, you know?"
"I know. It was never viable enough until I miniaturized it."
"No. Howard said the arc reactor was the stepping stone to something greater. He was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race. He was on to something big, something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor look like a triple-A battery."
Tony digested everything Fury said. He was thinking to himself that his dad was a lot like him in some ways.
"You told me I haven't tried everything. What do you mean I haven't tried everything? What haven't I tried?" Tony asked, a little miffed about Fury's implication.
"He said that you were the only person with the means and knowledge to finish what he started. If you're that guy, then you can solve the riddle of your heart." Fury replied. Not even a second later, they heard Naruto's coughing fit, probably choking from his coffee.
"Sorry. I just never heard you talk something cheesy before..." Naruto said with a smirk. "Carry on."
"I'm not going to say that my old man is a cold and calculative asshole since we obviously have different memories of him..." Tony leaned back on his chair. "But what do you want?"
"Simple. I want you to meet someone." Fury answered with a knowing smile.
The door opened and in walked Natalie Rushman. Well, she's Natalie Rushman if she wore a skin-tight tactical suit and guns hanging from her hips.
Naruto could see Tony's reaction seeing Nat walk in. Tony's jaw dropped with a totally gobsmacked expression.
Tony could hear Naruto cackling in the background. Slowly he turned his head toward Naruto and saw him practically dying of laughter. Looking closer, he could see a haphazardly hidden camera on the table.
'So that's what the fucker meant; he knew all along!' Tony thought. 'Wait! His other girlfriend is a super spy. Motherfucker.'
"I want you to meet Agent Natasha Romanoff..." Fury said with a shit-eating grin. "She's going to maintain her cover in your company as an added protection to whatever shenanigans you might get into."
As fast as Tony's brain works, he still hasn't processed that the Natalie Naruto was flirting with was actually the super-spy girlfriend he was talking about.
"Agent Coulson is waiting at your mansion with a crate of Howard's stuff. He left me some of his things for safekeeping..." Fury got out of the booth and looked around for a bit. "It seems like you won't need our help with temporarily abating the syndromes, but it won't last forever."
Tony finally snapped out of his shock, even temporarily, and looked at Fury.
"I've been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium. I've tried every combination, every permutation of every known element." Tony explained.
"Well, I'm here to tell you, you haven't tried them all." Fury answered back before walking out of the donut house.
"So should I call you Natalie or Natasha or maybe Natashalie?" Tony sarcastically commented.
"Call me whatever you're comfortable with..." Natasha picked up a sugar-glazed doughnut and took a bite from it. "Though it would be easier to call me Natalie while I'm still on the job."
"Wow, that's a good laugh..." Naruto interjected while walking towards their booth. "and I got all that on camera. I'll show it to Pepper later." He leaned in on Natasha and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"I'll take a box of donuts back to the office. Mrs. Potts sent me out to get some files, so I need to get back soon..." Natasha stood up from her seat and took a box of donuts from behind the counter. "I'll see you later." She kissed Naruto one last time before leaving.
Naruto and Tony remained sitting down. Well, Naruto would release a chuckle every now and then due to Tony's cycling facial expressions. He let it continue for another minute or two before snapping Tony out of his mental loop.
"Come on, man. You got some work to do." Naruto took the remaining boxes of donuts and led Tony out of Randy's donuts.
-Stark Industries, Los Angeles, California-
-May 30, 2010, 1300h local-
Pepper was having a hectic day. Who would have thought taking multiple days off in the span of two weeks could pile up the work. It would be another 15 minutes before her next meeting. Maybe she could visit Morgan at the nursery again. But it looks like her plan needs to be held for now.
Tony burst into the room with a tired yet excited expression. In his right hand is a box of cheesecake, though she doesn't know what flavor it is. In his other hand was a large cup of coffee.
"I came bearing sustenance!" Tony announced as soon as he got inside. He placed the box of cheesecake and coffee on Pepper's table and sat down on the guest chair.
Pepper had to stop himself from smiling, seeing Tony's antics. But at least she can tell that he brought her blueberry cheesecake. Her favorite dessert.
"Ok. You brought a bribe. What did you and Naruto do now?" Pepper sarcastically asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't do anything, promise! But Naruto decided to play a prank. A good one at that." Tony grumbled the last part.
"Ok. What did he do?"
"I would rather delay the inevitable and not talk about it right now..." Tony responded. "Though I think Naruto already finished editing the recording."
Pepper released a bright smile hearing Tony's statement.
"I'm sure Rhodey, Happy, and I would enjoy Naruto's movie."
"I'm sure you would..." Tony mumbled. "Anyway, aside from visiting my beautiful wife and my baby girl..." Pepper couldn't stop herself from smiling this time. "I came to get dad's final gift."
That gave pause to Pepper's train of thought. Tony might have moved on from his, for lack of a better term, daddy issues, but he still would rather not talk about Howard much.
"What is it?" Pepper asked.
Tony looked around the room a moment and pointed to one particular item in the room. One of his leftover items from when he was still the CEO and remaking the Stark Expo.
"The diorama?" Pepper asked again for confirmation, to which Tony nodded. "How did you know?"
"You'll know in Naruto's screening how I found out, but that diorama might there might be the solution for this." Tony tapped the arc reactor in his chest.
Pepper's eye widened, and she quickly pressed a button on the desk phone.
"Natalie. Can you hold my meeting for another 15 minutes?"
"No problem, Mrs. Potts."
Tony stared intently at the telephone. How come he didn't see her at the secretary's table at the office outside?
Pepper stood up from her chair and practically dragged Tony towards the diorama. She then removed the white blanket covering and positioned Tony in front of it, and stood beside him.
"How could this help you?" Pepper asked confused
"I'm not sure..." Tony trailed off as he stared at the diorama. He looked through his circled hand repeatedly before dropping on the couch behind him. "Holy shit."
"Not everyone is as intelligent as you, so Tony, talk to me, please."
Tony stared at the diorama in silence for a few seconds before responding.
"I still need JARVIS's help to analyze this, but this looks like an atomic structure..." Tony took a deep breath before continuing. "A new superheavy element."
"And that's good, right?" Pepper questioned hesitantly.
"That's great. Really great..." Tony stood up and paced in front of the diorama before looking at Pepper again. "I got an idea on how to make it, but I'll run some simulations by JARVIS. I'll take this with me."
"Do you need help with taking it with you?"
"Yes. That would be great..." Tony took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. "In the meantime, I'll cash in on the 'favor' I got from Naruto from his prank..." It took a few rings, but Naruto finally answered. "How fast can you dig out a new basement for the mansion? A little bit over 4 kilometers in circumference."
"About 15 minutes if you don't want anyone to find out about it." Naruto replied.
"Great. We're in hardware mod."