Chương 44: Almost a Fight
-Natasha's Safehouse, New York-
-February 13, 2009, 0245h local-
"Don't save Tony Stark from the Ten Rings. The fate of the Universe hinges on it." The Ancient One said.
"Uuuuggghhh..." Naruto groaned loudly. "Another one of those crazy people..." He mumbled to himself before walking back and grabbing Nat's arms. "Come on. Let's leave these wackos here." He finished.
Natasha was still wary about the pair, but she followed Naruto either way. The message about Tony Stark is concerning though. She knows Naruto has some form of contact with Tony Stark.
The doctors and nurses that came to Stark Mansion in 2006 have finally been solved. The latest reports about Stark show that he has somehow hidden a child of his. A daughter between him and Virginia Potts. The daughter has no official records and has never been in public.
There's also some indication that there are four inhabitants in the Mansion based on which rooms look to be consistently used. Still, SHIELD has no idea who's the possible fourth person since no one was ever seen an unknown person entering the household.
Natasha had the strongest feeling that Naruto was the one staying there. He probably knew about the kid too. The Bald chick just gave her suspicion more credence.
Naruto was about to open the bedroom door when sparking orange strings looped around his arm. He and Natasha followed the lines and saw it was coming from the Mordo.
"Get inside." Naruto ordered Natasha with no room for debate. The moment she saw real honest to god magic coming from the two, she knows her guns won't do shit to them, so she went inside the bedroom. She was preparing herself for any eventuality.
Mordo was about to send another binding spell to Natasha, but The Ancient one stopped him.
"Let Ms. Romanoff be." The Ancient One said.
When Natasha closed the door, Naruto looked back at Mordo.
"Let me go." Naruto said in a whisper.
"No. You're going to listen." Mordo answered back, still maintaining the binding spell.
Naruto took a deep breath and did a series of one hand seals and slapped his palm to the closest wall. Black writings spread out of the room, startling the Ancient One and Mordo.
Runes are what considered the "written programming of the Universe.' It can do a lot more things that simple spells and phrases could not. As such, runes take a long time to make since interaction with each character needs to be considered. They also need to be carved or engraved since the energy running through the characters would deform simple writing. The fact that the man in front of them can create complicated unidentifiable runes with simple hand signs is a frightening thought.
"You got 10 minutes to convince me not to end you right here." Naruto threatened while his eyes changed into something strange that's emitting a white glow.
The Ancient One decided it's best not to have a conflict right now, especially as the man they're talking to is still a huge unknown.
"This the Eye of Agamotto..." The Ancient One started while lifting the eye-shaped medallion that's hanging around her neck. "A powerful artifact created by my predecessor that utilizes one of the crystallization of the aspects of the Universe. The aspect of time..." She said while opening the Eye's iris, releasing a green glow. "With this, I can see all the possible futures that around me. I usually wouldn't see past my death shortly, but your influence has changed not only changed mine but everyone else's fate. It allowed me to take a peek of the future past my own." She explained.
"Still doesn't explain why I shouldn't save Tony and the whole fate of the universe." Naruto retorted, silently informing his clones to gather up Nature Chakra.
"His life would be fraught with challenges and heartaches. A series of heroism and self-sacrifice that would lead to his eventual demise. But in the end, he would save half the life in the universe. Unfortunately, that's all I can say." The Ancient One replied.
"That's some pretty specific details. I just can't help but feel there's something not quite right about your story..." Naruto commented, studying every word and actions the Ancient One used. Two small details finally clued him in on what's bugging him. "You were surprised..." He mumbled. The Ancient One could see the gears running in The Fox's mind. "You can't see me with that medallion of yours." He concluded.
The Ancient one was surprised, a rare feeling that's been increasing as more time continues. She has not prepared for this conversation since the time stone can't see The Fox, so she decided that she would let him think she knows his future too. But it looks like it's for naught.
"You never called me by my name, and you were surprised. Which means your necklace can't show anything that involves me." Naruto said with a grin while still internally counting the seconds down.
The Ancient One gave up her ruse, seeing there's no point in trying to lie right now.
"You have deduced it quite well." The Ancient One conceded magnanimously while hiding her frustration. Not being in control is a strange feeling she hasn't felt for a long time. The Time stone afforded her the luxury always to be prepared for any eventuality.
"Care to share your opinions on why?" Naruto asked.
Mordo has the feeling that The Fox is playing them. He has no idea how or why, but the sinking feeling in his gut is pervasive.
"Of course..." The Ancient One replied. Maybe giving something more concrete might turn the conversation. "One. You could be an entity not from this Universe, causing you to be outside the influence of this Universe... Two. You have enough power within you that you could overpower the Aspects. This essentially makes you a God. The authority of the Aspects won't work on you... Three. You are a true Immortal. Outside the influence of time. This would make you invisible to the power of the Eye..." She's reading his expression as she lists down her hypothesis, but The Fox's countenance remained neutral. "The question is, which one are you?" She asked.
Naruto flashed a dark grin to the Ancient One's question. Fate is such a polarizing concept. Others think it's a comforting concept. Whatever happens, you'll be where you're supposed to be. But for him, it's a constricting idea that he just wants to bash in.
"5. 4." Naruto thought to himself. "You're time just ran out." He said before flexing his arms, causing the binding spell to break.
Naruto rushed towards the man while conjuring a kunai into his hands. Mordo felt the recoil of the binding spell breaking and was unable to respond to Naruto's assault.
Lucky for him, The Ancient One quickly created a series of Tao Mandalas that was able to stop Naruto's kunai from stabbing Mordo in his jugular. She then created a portal that slammed into Naruto, causing him to be transported to the mirror dimension.
The Mirror Dimension is a world directly attached to their current universe. It serves as a training ground for sorcerers testing powerful spells and a prison for everyone who doesn't have a sling ring.
Of course, Naruto doesn't know any of this, but he can see hundreds of people in robes similar to the one The Ancient One and Mordo are wearing. Before he could react, thousands of sparking orange strings and red bands wrapped around his body, effectively holding him in place. He tried moving his fingers, but it seems the ropes are tight enough to prevent any movement.
In front of him, another portal opened up, revealing The Ancient One and Mordo walking in.
"It isn't my attention to this, but you left me with no choice." The Ancient One said with a small bow.
"I say you look pretty prepared for someone not intending to do this..." Naruto calmly commented. "I got a question, though..." The Ancient One raised her eyebrows, urging him to continue. "How many of them are you willing to sacrifice before leaving me alone?" He asked.
"No one, but the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, and you won't be the one to tip it over towards our demise." The Ancient One defended.
"Wrong answer." Naruto replied.
The Ancient One thought he was just bluffing until she noticed that one by one, the binding spells and the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak are disappearing. She and Mordo looked towards the direction of where the spells are coming from and saw a horrible sight.
Metal threads are holding up the ripped body parts of maybe 20 apprentices and five masters. The remaining sorcerers have metal threads crawling around their bodies. The only reason the spells are still holding is that they're still channeling through their hands.
"You should think about your approach next time..." Naruto's voice came from behind the two. The Ancient One and Mordo jumped away while conjuring Tao Mandalas. At the corner of their vision, the man inside the binding slowly disappeared. "You got three choices here. Bring me back, and we could all be buddies. You could try to fight me and see how many of you can get out of here intact..." He said while lifting his fingers. "Or, you could just leave me alone here, and we'll just forget about the whole thing." He finished.
The decision's evident for the current Sorcerer Supreme. If she accepts the third option, they could just leave him here, trapped in eternity in the mirror dimension. If somehow, in the future, the world needs his help, the sorcerers can just let him out. Either way, it's the best choice. It's too bad she can't use the time zone to check the future and be sure of her decision.
"Let them go, and we'll leave." The Ancient One said.
"What do you think, am I? Stupid? You leave first, then I'll let them go, and then they'll leave. What's the point of a hostage if you can't use them?" Naruto retorted.
"I'll leave. He stays and goes with the rest." The Ancient One bargained, preferring to leave Mordo behind so that someone could make sure everyone's safe. Or at least the ones that are still alive.
"Deal." Naruto accepted.
The Ancient One gave Mordo a loaded look, silently ordering him to make sure everyone's ok, before opening a portal and leaving. As soon as she left, Naruto let the other sorcerers go. Releasing them by batch and making sure the previous batch leave first before another one leaves.
Eventually, only Naruto and Mordo are left. Before Mordo leaves, though, he said his piece.
"We are the silent protectors of the world, and it's our job to protect it at all costs," Mordo said before opening the portal.
"Well. You're doing a pretty shitty job of it if the fate of the universe falls to a billionaire philanthropist..." Naruto retorted before Mordo could completely close the portal. He then looked around and chuckled. "Stupid assholes." He said before he suddenly popped, sending the memories back to the real Naruto who's lying on the bed back at the apartment.
"What happened?" Natasha asked when Naruto's eyes opened.
When Natasha entered the room, she tried to listen in on the conversation through the door, but it suddenly became eerily silent. Naruto must've used his fuinjutsu to isolate the next room. Ten minutes later, though, Naruto suddenly appeared in the room. Apparently, he left fortified clones to deal with all the hubbub since he wanted to sleep.
"They left 'me' in some mirror dimension. Hundreds of them bound 'me' in the same orange string and another red one. I killed a few of them to send a message. They then left me in that mirror dimension without a second thought. The whole place must be a prison of some kind." Naruto explained.
"What are you going to do?" Natasha asked.
"I placed a hiraishin seal on every one. I'll just track them from time to time." Naruto replied with a shrug.
"Should I report to Fury about this?" Natasha inquired. A whole organization of sorcerers is a pretty big thing.
Naruto thought about it for a second. It's probably a bad idea to let Fury know about the whole magic being real thing, but that's probably what he needs right now.
"Yeah." Naruto answered with a dark grin.
Every time Naruto flashes that smile, somebody would want to rip their hair out.
"What are you thinking, Naruto?" Natasha asked warily.
"When an international soy agency starts to look into a secret organization of mystics, what do you think would happen?" Naruto answered with a question of his own. Natasha couldn't help but groan. The whole chaos that would ensue after would cause her to lose a ton of free time. "Two baldies duking it out. What can be more fun than that." He mused before lying back down.
That's when he felt a familiar pull from a Hiraishin seal.
"Ugh. Can't I get some decent sleep..." Naruto commented with a groan. "I have to go, Nat."
"What is it this time?" Natasha asked, utterly exasperated.
"I have no idea, but it's probably Tony." Naruto replied.
"Someday, you're going to tell how you two became so chummy." Natasha stated.
"Sure. Sure." Naruto retorted sarcastically before disappearing.
-Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan-
-February 13, 2009, 0900h local-
"For your consideration, The Jericho." Tony said theatrically before the shockwave from the explosions reaches their position.
Applause spread throughout the audience as soon as they recovered. The usual banter started between the US and Afghan military officials, Tony, and some DOD representatives.
Frank, on the other hand, kept a low profile in the background. He was scanning the surroundings for any possible threat. It's weird for him wearing civilian clothes out in the middle of the desert. The least civilian clothes he has when deployed is a white shirt and khaki combat pants.
He's trying to stay away from large groups and the main base since somebody might recognize him and blow his cover.
Frank still can't believe he agreed to do a bodyguarding job for a billionaire. If Naruto didn't save Curtis from that suicide bomber, he would not even consider doing this job for any amount of money.
He's in denial of how Naruto stopped the suicide bomber, but he recognizes that Naruto did something. It looks like the mystery of how Curtis could suddenly appear next to him with a blonde man would remain a mystery forever.
It took another hour of standing around in the middle of the desert before Tony walked towards him.
"We're going to head towards Kabul. The Generals are not here. For some reason, the A-Holes are not where they're supposed to be." Tony informed Frank. He thought they could return to the US quickly. Naruto's warning about the terrorist group is making him jumpier than usual.
"We going to take a chopper?" Frank asked with a gruff voice.
"No. The cheap A-Holes can only spare a four humvee convoy." Tony replied at the same time as the convoy arrived.
Frank can see that their 'guards' are all as green as they come. The whole thing is triggering the warning bells inside his head. He unconsciously reached for a pistol in strapped to his back, but he was able to stop himself.
"Hey, Rhodey! You coming!?" Tony shouted since Rhodey is talking with the Humvee driver.
"Nah! I have to check the planes!" Rhodey answered back. It's not abnormal for rhodey to be pulled in by military bases to check with their planes since he's one of the best pilots around.
Tony started walking to the humvees, Frank following closely behind him. The two got on the third car from the front with Tony sitting in the middle of the back seat with armed soldiers on each side, and Frank got on the passenger side seat.
"Be careful out there." Rhodey added before the slapping the roof of the car, signaling the convoy could go.
Tony sure had a way with people since, after 20 minutes, he's taking selfies with every soldier inside their car. Frank was going to reprimand the soldiers for their unprofessional behavior when the lead car suddenly exploded. The convoy had no choice but to stop.
"Ambush!" Frank shouted through the radio.
The rear car was about to do a reverse J maneuver when It suddenly exploded too.
"Convoy from Bagram to Kabul carrying HVT under attack. Twenty-five minutes away from Bagram. Requesting immediate reinforcements..." Frank rapidly said through the radio while simultaneously recording it. He set it to play on a loop. "Everybody dismount!" He ordered.
The green soldiers didn't even question the order. Having someone to lead them allows them to push past the panic and move automatically.
Every soldier got off the car and found cover, shooting at everyone who's not one of them.
"You. You..." Frank pointed to the two closest guys next to him. "Man the 50 cals."
The two soldiers got in the humvees and started using the machine guns.
Frank pulled the frozen Tony out of the car and dragged him towards the embankment at the side of the road. He grabbed Tony's lapels and shook him hard to snap him out of his stupor.
"Get it together! We're going to get out of here. You hear me!?" Frank yelled to Tony's face.
Tony repeatedly nodded, thankful for something to focus on except for the blaring gunfire, but it didn't last for long since they both heard something dropping behind Tony.
The pair looked behind them and saw a mortar shell marked with the logo of Stark Industries.
Frank went wide eye and quickly grabbed Tony. He was starting to pull him away when the mortar exploded, and everything went black.
Tony, on the other hand, remained half conscious but quickly succumbing to the darkness. He could feel the burning sensation in his chest before he passed out.
-Northern Afghanistan-
-February 13, 2009, 1145h local-
Tony woke up with most of his body in pain, especially around his chest. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw the ceiling, which is weirdly made of rock.
He felt something uncomfortable in his nose, grabbed it, and pulled it out, causing him to cough.
"Looks like the magnet worked." Tony heard Frank said. He turned towards where the voice is coming from and saw a man shaving.
The man looks to be a 6'1, fifty-something-year-old man with pepper gray receding hair and slight build. He seems to have a middle eastern ethnicity and might be some kind of doctor.
"Ah. Yes. The great Tony Stark seems to be awake..." The man replied before turning towards Stark. "I'm Ho Yinsen. Your doctor for now. How are you?" The man now named Ho Yinsen asked, but Tony ignored it and opted to lift his shirt.
"What did you do to me?" Tony questioned back, referring to the metal contraption in his chest connected to the car battery.
"That's an electromagnet. The only thing keeping these..." Yinsen said while lifting a vial filled with metal shards and shaking it. "From reaching your heart as you heal. I can't remove some of them since they're too close to your heart."
Tony gave Yinsen a grateful nod before turning to Frank.
"How are you?" Tony asked.
"A little beaten up, but I'll live." Frank replied gruffly.
"He's sugar-coating it. You're capturers wanted to kill him since he's a former military. The only reason he's still alive is that a manifest said he's the lead maintenance and operator of your Jericho missiles." Yinsen remarked.
"Either way. We need to get out of here." Frank suggested, ignoring that his lie has been exposed.
"As I said, there's no form of communication device inside this room, and there are at least 50 armed men just outside that door..." Yinsen retorted exasperatedly. "Besides, we always have some company." He added, gesturing to the camera mounted at the aide of the room.
"I noticed." Frank replied.
"Why is no one coming in if they're always watching us?" Tony asked. If the terrorist wanted him for something, they should be storming in as soon as he was awake.
"Because I suggested they wait until later tonight. Any stress right now might cause the metal shards to stab your heart suddenly, and they don't want that." Yinsen answered.
Tony thought hard on how they could get out. He scanned the room for anything they could use to get out. He noticed the forge on the other side of the room. They could make weapons, but that would take time. Time they don't have since they're always on camera.
That's when he noticed his wallet on top of the table.
"Give that to me." Tony ordered urgently. Frank reached for it and tossed it towards him.
As soon as he caught it, he started searching inside it. He found what he's looking for at the back of his picture. Good thing he didn't use Pepper and Morgan's photo as his wallet picture or a terrorist cell might have more leverage against him.
Tony pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. It's the strip of paper with writings Naruto told him to hold on to and tear the bottom half if he's in trouble.
"What's that?" Frank asked.
"Our reinforcement." Tony replied before tearing the paper.
Tony expected something to happen. Maybe a small beeping sound or flashing lights, but it just remained the same. The group waited for a whole minute, but nothing happened.
"Well, that's anti-climactic." Tony commented.
"What are you calling anti-climactic?" Naruto's voice was suddenly heard inside the room. The group saw Naruto walking out from a pillar behind Tony. "So, need some help getting out?" He asked the stunned group.
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