12:46 AM.
The calm was deceptive.
S.H.I.E.L.D. thought it could control its variables. Measure. Archive. Analyze.
But Naruto Uzumaki wasn't a variable.
He was an anomaly.
Once, he had been that in his own world. Carrying a legendary beast within. Raised in rejection, forged in fire.
Here, in this foreign world, he carried something else.
Not a demon.
Something heavier: memory.
The memory of a world he had failed to save.
He stood in the makeshift meditation room of the apartment. Tatami mats on the floor, faint incense, light filtered through blinds. A Japanese hourglass had been flipped not long ago, its grains counting silence.
He closed his eyes.
And allowed himself to think.
I no longer have a bijū inside me… but I have this system. This thing that makes me stronger, every second...
And the more I grow, the more I feel this world is not ready for what I'm becoming.
He raised his hand.
A spark of red chakra danced between his fingers.
No hand seals needed. No focus. Just his will.
And that… terrified him.
Not because he feared his power.
But because he feared what he might become if he stopped fighting to remain human.
A soft noise behind him.
Natasha.
She wore a plain black t-shirt, her hair tied back in a messy bun.
"You're not sleeping," she said.
He didn't respond. His eyes remained half-lidded.
"You think they'll tolerate you for long?" she asked.
He turned his head, calm.
"No."
"Planning to run if things go bad?"
He looked at her, without hostility.
"I don't run anymore."
She stepped closer.
"Then you stay."
He raised an eyebrow.
"With you?"
She leaned in, her lips close.
"For now."
S.H.I.E.L.D. – Technical Interrogation Room, 09:02 AM
Three agents. A biological analyst. A field medic. Maria Hill observed from behind the one-way mirror.
Naruto sat calmly. His gaze swept the room.
A stress detector hummed softly in the background.
He stayed steady.
"Can you describe the origin of your energy?" asked the analyst.
Naruto blinked.
"No."
"Refusal to cooperate?"
"Inability to simplify."
Silence.
The medic stepped in.
"Your vitals are impossible. Your bone density exceeds titanium. Your cells regenerate every minute. That's biologically impossible."
"I am beyond your biology."
"What is your objective here?" the analyst continued.
Naruto placed his hands on the table.
"To live. Observe. And… prevent this world from collapsing like mine did."
The detector buzzed.
No fluctuation.
He was telling the truth.
On the other side of the glass, Hill stiffened.
"He's not lying. That's the worst part."
Natasha stood beside her.
Arms crossed. Cold. Steady.
"Then why are you so set on treating him like a threat?"
Hill sighed.
"Because we've seen gods fall, Romanoff. Supermen corrupted. He's no different. Maybe he just... hasn't snapped yet."
"Or maybe… he's the only one who already fell. And got back up—alone."
🌘 Evening – Apartment
Naruto lay on the couch, an old book in hand. Japanese kanji on the cover. He had pulled it from his dimensional storage.
A trace of his world.
An ancient poem.
Natasha walked in from the hallway, damp towel over her hair.
"You're reading The Tale of Genji in a world full of drones?"
He gave a faint smile.
"It's quieter."
She sat on the edge of the couch.
"You think all this is going to explode?"
"Not if. But when."
She nodded slowly.
"Then let's be ready."
They looked at each other.
Not as warriors.
But as two people who had chosen each other in the chaos.
And who, for the first time in a long while… didn't feel alone anymore.