14 Radar love

It's hard to describe the feeling of being literally connected to another person. Limbs entangled, lips locked, hips connected in a series of gyrations. It was even harder to describe when the most coherent thought you could muster was, 'hhhhmmmmm.' Running his hands up Gal's sides, Naruto, with great joy, began to grasp her breasts. Her moan's spurring Naruto on further, his hips bucking up into the woman sitting on top of him with even greater fervor. Gal, needing the much needed thing known as air, separated from Naruto, taking a savage breath in as she looked down at the younger blonde, the man bringing his lips onto her collar bone, her dainty fingers curling into his thick blonde hair.

She was forced to squeal out in shock and joy as she was forced onto her back, the blonde warrior grabbing her thighs and bringing them around his hips his hips moving even further into Gal as she moaned out, "Aahhh…Naruto!"

-x-

"Gal?"

Adora, or Gal as Naruto knew her, had made her way over to her throne, the massive chair towering over her person entirely. Looking down at them, the woman had obviously mastered the look of royalty, full of rightful condescension and self-righteousness. Her leg crossed daintily, she pressed her back into the chair fully with her arms laying along the arm rest with strength. She didn't say a word, simply starring down at Naruto and his group with clear indifference.

"Well…shit." Kurama mumbled, the beast honestly shocked by recent revelations.

Naruto was looking up at her in confusion, blinking rapidly as he tried to process what was going on in front of him. Gal was Adora? Adora was Gal? What the fuck was going on?! He was about to speak again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking behind him, Naruto saw Stakar shaking his head firmly, his eyes full of warning.

The middle Centurion, the one that had introduced Adora, spoke, "You are a guest here Uzumaki. Remember that next time before you embarrass yourself by confusing our queen for whoever it is you think she is." He spoke firmly, a frown showing through the open piece of his helmet.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I'm not confusing her for anybody…I think."

The high-ranking Nova officer reached for the firearm at his side, "Watch your tone boy-"

"Centurion Doon…enough." The room was a startling quiet, Adora's voice echoing through the hall as she looked down at one of her highest ranking soldiers with scorn, "Remember where you are, and who it is you are speaking too. Not only is he a guest, but he is also responsible for apprehending the Living Bomb. Is he truly someone you wish to cross?"

Doon bowed his head towards his empress, "My apologies madam." He then turned to Naruto, his eyes narrowed dangerously, "And you have my apologies as well…Uzumaki."

Naruto didn't respond, starring up at Adora, his face scrunched in confusion as he tried to sort through what was going on.

"She's…pretty badass." Kurama concluded.

Stakar stepped forward, "I don't mean to interrupt…whatever this is, but what about our payment?"

Adora turned her attention to the Ravager captain, "Your payment has been sent to the account number you gave us. Thank you for the service you've provided my people." Looking over to the Centurion to Doon left she said, "Yar, please have your men escort Stakar and his men to their ship."

Yar bowed to his empress before straightening upward, nodding towards a group of Denarians in the middle of the file. Said men stepped forward, the four Nova officers forming a diamond formation around Naruto, Stakar, Martinex, and Tara. Everyone began to walk towards the exit…everyone but Naruto. The blonde warrior stayed his ground, not taking his eyes off of Adora, the two starring at each other in a stubborn battle of wills.

"Uzumaki." Yar said, nearly shouting, "Your business is done here. Please do not make a scene." The Denarian closest to Naruto walked over to and grabbed onto his shoulder, not that the ninja payed him any mind.

"Leave him, Centurion Yar." Adora spoke, not taking her eyes off Naruto as she said, "Everyone is dismissed." The chorus of stomping boots on tile echoed through the throne room, each and every one of them soluting their ruler with a stance practiced millions of times before. Just as they started to make their way to the exit, Adora said, finally taking her eyes off Naruto, "Centurion Doon, who was it that you had working on the Desak case?"

"Denarian Saal, madam." Doon answered.

The empress nodded, "Denarian Saal, stay behind please. You as well Centurion Doon."

The two Nova officers did as requested, the Denarian standing behind his commanding officer, hovering over his shoulder like a parrot. The four waited patiently for the room to clear, the silence heavily awkward. Taking a moment to look over at the retreating Ravager squad, Naruto made eye contact with Tara the two giving each other a quick nod before she disappeared from sight.

His eyes on Adora once again he began to say, "So are you going to tell me what your deal is or wha-"

"Centurion Saal," Adora interrupted, "Please inform Uzumaki of your report."

Saal raised a questioning eyebrow, but after a sharp look from Doon, stepped forward none the less, his arms folded behind his back as he gave his report, his body facing Adora but his head turned towards slightly at Naruto, "On the previous day, a slum's housed bar in the city of Cog was visited by Desak Sterixian, a man whom calls himself the 'God Slayer' and the 'Annihilator of Pantheons.' Despite his ridiculous aliases, that doesn't prove him to not be dangerous. His kill list is quite vast, exceeding even Blastaar's. This proves true, as every patron in that bar was slaughtered. While we don't believe there to be any ulterior motives, we do find his arrival here to be…suspicious."

Naruto raised a brow, "Suspicious how?"

"Suspicious that he shows up the same day as you…actually." Saal answered, "Your exploits have already spread far and wide across the galaxy, along with the nature of one of your abilities." The Denarian shrugged, "Considering Desak's title, it really isn't that farfetched for him to come after you to see if the rumors are true."

"Rumors?" Naruto asked.

It was Doon who spoke, "That you have the powers of a celestial." A role of his eyes as he said it.

Naruto shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I'm new to all of this." Rubbing the back of his head he said, "What the hell is a celestial?"

"The closest thing that will ever come to a god. Beings so powerful they can manipulate the very fabric of the universe." Doon explained, obvious exasperation in his voice.

"We should totally fight one of these 'celestials.'" Kurama said, "That last guy you fought was a light weight."

"And what does this have to do with me?" The blonde asked.

"We believe that Desak may be looking for you, to see if the rumors are true." Saal said.

Naruto sighed, "You already told me that, I mean what exactly do you want me to do about it? Find the guy? Cause I have no idea how I'd even go about it."

"Of course not. I simply felt that you had the right to be warned. The chances of you finding him are rather slim." Adora answered.

"And if he kills more of your civilians?" Naruto asked.

"We'll take care of it Uzumaki." Doon said, "The Nova Corps is more than capable of handling him."

Naruto nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he waited for the conversation to continue, only for the room to grow quiet. He waited and waited, looking around the room to see that Doon and Saal were shifting around just as uncomfortably. His impatience growing too much to bare, Naruto finally snapped, "Is that all?" He asked.

"Yes…that is all." Adora said, her voice an example of perfect stoicism.

"I see."

That was all that needed to be said.

-x-

Naruto walked out of the throne room, his hands in his pockets and his head low as he came up to the Ravager trio, the three waiting patiently for him outside. He walked passed them without saying a word, forcing them to follow him.

Tara was the first to speak, "So what did she want?"

"Just letting me know that some maniac may or may not be looking for me. Standard stuff." Naruto murmured.

"Who exactly?" Martinex asked.

"Desak something or other."

"Seriously?!" Tara and Martinex asked at the same time, the same kind of shock in their voice.

Naruto shrugged, "Yeah, so?"

"The God Slayer? That guy is crazy strong! They say he's killed dozens of godly beings." Martinex explained.

Stakar nodded, "He's the kind of guy you ignore at all costs, no bounty is worth taking that guy on."

The blonde ninja shrugged again, "Yeah, so?" He repeated, "If he comes for me he comes for me. I'll take him on like all the rest."

"Seriously?" Tara asked in disbelief, "How can you be so calm about the fact that one of the universe's biggest boogeymen might be hunting you down?"

"Cause I really couldn't care."

Tara's disbelief only grew, "What the hell is your problem?"

Naruto didn't say anything, continuing his trek towards his ship. The walk to the docking bay took twenty minutes of silence, the blonde not really feeling like saying anything. Opening the bay door to his M-Ship, Naruto was halfway up the ramp when he stopped to turn towards the Ravager trio, "Well…I don't really know what to say." Rubbing the back of his head his eyes squinted shut he grinned, "It's been fun I guess."

Stakar chuckled, walking forward to extend his hand out for a hand shake, a gesture Naruto quickly returned, "I hope this isn't the last we'll see of you, Naruto Uzumaki."

"I can say the same, Captain." Naruto chuckled back, "If I need anything stolen I'll make sure to get ahold of you."

The Ravager captain nodded, "I know just the Clan."

Looking over at Martinex he said, "See you later diamond guy."

Martinex sighed, "It's not diamond…"

The blonde ignored him, turning towards Tara instead, "We'll have to race sometime, when I'm not so mediocre of course."

Tara gave a hesitant smile, "So I won't have to expect a challenge for another couple decades I guess?"

"Ha ha." Naruto said sarcastically. Walking fully into the ship, the bay door began to close, the blonde giving a final wave goodbye to the people that gave him his start in his latest adventure.

The door closed, Martinex turned to his captain, "Do you think we'll be running into him again sir?"

Stakar smirked, "Oh yeah, I'd bet my stash of cigars on it. The kid's just too interesting not to run into again."

Tara watched as Naruto's ship lifted off into the air, gliding forward in a swift motion, "Goodbye…Naruto Uzuamki."

-x-

Darkness had befallen Xandaria, the planet's twin moons hovering above, lighting up the night sky. The cool, breezy air feeling incredibly soothing against Adora's skin, the empress looking down on her city from her impressively big balcony. Her nightgown sweeping along her legs, riding the wind rather easily, the woman leaned against the railing, a chekka cigarette jammed in between her lips, her fingers gently caressing the thin blue cylinder. Pulling the cigarette away from her lips, Adora closed her eyes as she released a breath, smoke billowing out of her mouth like an agitated dragon. Looking down at the cigarette, Adora gave a heavy sigh before flicking it into the city streets below. Straightening upwards, the empress walked back into her room. Running her hand through her hair, Adora looked up only to jump in shock when she realized she wasn't the only one in her room.

"You know, your security sucks. Like really awful. But then again, when it comes to sneaking into and out of places, there's no one better than Naruto Uzumaki." Sitting down on Adora's bed, his legs crossed with his hands behind his back propping him up, Naruto tilted his head slightly, his face blank as he looked Adora in the eye.

Adora crossed her arms under her breasts, "What are you doing here, Naruto?" She asked.

The blonde got off of her bed, "You know what I'm doing here Gal."

"That's not my name."

"It is to me."

The empress scoffed, "You're acting like a child."

"Like a child huh?" Naruto asked, taking a step forward, his face now dangerously serious.

"Yes." Adora said, just as serious, "Now, I suggest you leave. I don't think you'd like to see what my security can do."

Naruto was now standing just a few inches away from Adora, his nose at her forehead as his formed eclipsed hers, "And I don't think they'd like to see what I can do."

"…I'm pretty sure I've already seen what you can do."

The two stood there, not saying a word as they allowed Adora's words to float around for a while before Naruto finally burst out into laughter. Taking a few steps back, Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "You know…I really wasn't expecting that."

Adora sighed, though a slight smile adorned her face, "What are you doing here Naruto?"

"What I'm doing is trying to figure out what your problem is." Naruto said matter of factly.

The queen of Xandar walked passed Naruto, "My problem?" She asked, "My problem is that I am the empress of this planet that is the capital to an empire that has been one of the universe's most influential for thousands of years. From the mountains of paperwork, the constant political controversy, the endless number of soldiers who have died fighting a war I am now responsible for, no matter how hard I try to end it, and a sea of Kree soldiers who would like to see me dead, after a long and arduous session of torture, ****, and dismemberment of course." Turning around sharply she continued, "So excuse me for wanting to have a moment where I wasn't a queen, or a ruler, or an empress. Excuse me for wanting to just be Gal."

Naruto stayed quiet throughout her speech, his face a blank slate as he spoke, "So, just wanting to be Gal means getting a guy drunk enough that he won't remember having sex with you the next morning?"

"You're taking this much too personally." Adora said, "I didn't plan on what happened to happen. It was impulsive and foolish and I apologize if you feel like I used you."

The blonde shifted on his feet uncomfortably, one hand resting on his hip while the other scratched the back of his scalp, "So what now?"

"What do you mean what now?" Adora asked, "What happened last night was a mistake, simple as that."

"Simple as that huh?"

"Yes. If it makes you feel any better, I'm sorry."

Naruto sighed, "Yeah, I didn't really know what would happen here, but I was at least hoping it would go…I don't know." Walking towards the balcony door, the ninja walked out onto the platform, resting his foot up against the railing. Turning his head back towards Adora he smiled, "See ya later?"

"Perhaps." Adora said, her arm wrapped around her midsection.

"Well, see ya later then…Adora."

-x-

Six Months Later

Location: The Planet Interdis

-x-

The rustling of foliage being brushed aside along with the clicking of metallic equipment and weapons echoed through the uphill forest floor, a ten men squad of Nova Corps Denarian and Centurion officers trekking their way through as they scanned the area. None said a word, each knowing that their target was close to their location. In front of the pack was a female Centurion, who raised her closed fist up, signaling the officers behind her to stop. This was due to the sound of a tree slowly falling to the ground. The loud crash drew their attention toward it for a split moment. A moment too long.

For the next sound heard was the blood curdling scream of the Centurion leader. Each soldier spun around to see that a sword was now buried in her back, the pointed tip sticking out of her abdomen, crimson blood dripping from the blade to the ground bellow. Standing behind her was Desak, his menacing figure towering over her, the warrior gripping his sword in a death grip. In one swift motion, Desak swiped his blade upwards, splitting her apart like string cheese, blood spraying out like a water fountain, splattering all over Desak in a shower of red, further enhancing his menacing appearance.

Casually twirling his sword, Desak said, "I have no issue with the Nova Corps…yet you continue to hunt me like an animal. My eyes are on the 'Man of Flames' only, not you Nova dogs." Pointing his sword towards the nine Nova Corps officers, he growled out, "Pray to your gods if you gave any…for you will be visiting them soon."

And like that…he was upon them.

-x-

Location: Idinis Village of the Planet Interdis

-x-

The small village of Idinis was surrounded by forest and foliage, the tree leaves covering the village residents in a constant shade. The small town was made of the very forest surrounding it, the chopped down timber woven together into a variety of small sized huts. People were littered throughout the area, some wearing homemade clothes made out of whatever it is they could gather, others obviously not of that region, their mildly outlandish uniforms showing they were Kree soldiers. Their dark green armor creaked and groaned as they stomped through the village.

Walking through the village was a man in a brown hooded cloak, the figure doing his best to avoid the attention of the patrolling troops circling around. Each step was meticulously planned to ensure that he didn't in anyway get on their radar, his eyes set on the bustling bar several yards in front of him. Finally seeing a clear path, the man nearly charged forward, and was just two feet away before he reached the door.

"Hold it."

The cloaked man stopped in his tracks, holding his breath as he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. The hand pulling him over so that he was facing who spoke, the man saw he was facing three Kree soldiers, "Yes?" He asked.

The middle soldier stepped forward, the one on the right being the one holding onto his shoulder, "Do you have you papers sir?"

The man gulped, "Is there a reason you need to see my papers?"

"Standard procedure." The soldier said simply.

"Right…of course." Slowly, the man began to reach into his cloak, sweat building along his temple, "Just a second." His fingers wrapped around the handle to his pistol, desperation in his eyes as he knew there may be no way out of his predicament. Just as he was about to pull out his gun and open fire, an explosion echoed from a distance, getting the attention of the three Kree soldiers in front of him.

The middle soldier pressed his finger into his earpiece, "Konar, what was that?" After taking a second, the soldier looked over at his comrades, "Nova officers 5 klicks out, let's go." The three, seemingly forgetting about the cloaked man, ran after the sounds of the explosions and gun fire.

Taking an incredibly powerful sigh of relief, the cloaked figure grabbed onto his chest, his heart vibrating in his chest. After several moments, the man finally managed to calm himself down. Straightening his cloak the best he could, he opened the door going into the bar, looking for the man that had contacted him. It only took a moment before he saw a man waving for him. The man had short yet spikey blonde hair, with a brown scarf wrapped around his neck and the top of his torso. His grey jacket was unzipped, a brown shirt that read 'I'm A Pacifist,' with a pair of black cargo pants wrapped around his legs.

Walking over to the table, the man plopped down into the chair, "I'll have you know I almost go myself killed getting myself over here."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "It's not my fault that you don't know how to be inconspicuous. Rule number one on blending in, cloaks stick out of a crowd like cancer on a CT Scan." After taking a quick sip of his drink he said, "Take the hood off, you're indoors. Hoods indoors sticks out too."

"Oooo, look at you, Mr. Serious trying to be all suave and cool. Good lord." Kurama said with a sigh, "If you need me I'm gonna take a nap for a couple days."

"Good." Naruto thought, "You've needed one for a while now, you cranky old bastard."

"You know…the sarcasm really isn't needed." Taking off his hood, the man was revealed to be a man, his yellow skin tone making him kind of look like a Simpson's character, "Now…where's the Uni-"

"Don't." Naruto interrupted, "Now order a drink, can't have you look any more suspicious."

The man sighed, "I don't think we'll have to worry about that, I'm pretty sure all the troops have gone to investigate some Nova officers spotted nearby, I'd say we have an hour or so. Lucky us."

"No such thing as luck Gog." Naruto said, taking another sip of his drink.

Gog looked at him with skepticism, "Were…were you behind it?"

Naruto's face was blank as he spoke, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Tilting his head, he continued, "Now…order a drink."

"I don't drink…"

"Gog." Naruto said, an edge to his voice, "Order a drink."

Giving a hesitant nod, Gog raised his hand up to get a waitress's attention. Giving his order, the yellow skinned man turned back to Naruto, "Now what about-"

"Don't. This is supposed to be covert dude. Now, while I don't usually do covert, these Kree soldiers skulking around makes it necessary. I sent what you want the moment you entered the bar. Now, let's get down to brass tacks." Naruto said, slight agitation in his voice.

Gog frowned, "Don't forget about that there's a second part of our deal."

"Which is?"

"You'll know when it gets here."

Naruto scoffed, "That doesn't sound suspicious at all." He said sarcastically, "Whatever, you know what I'll do if you try and double-cross me…or whatever." It was kind of hard of Gog to tell if the blonde was truly being threatening or joking.

"Right." Gog said with a sigh, "You're wanting to know about the Infinit-"

"Call them gems." Naruto interrupted.

"Right." Gog repeated with a nod of his head, "You're wanting to know about the gems." He finished with a slight roll of the eye, "As far as their location, the only known location is on Terra, or Earth as the people on that planet call it, though I don't know which one it is. The others are a complete mystery, though one was used in a war between the Asgardians and the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim though it was hidden away by the Asgardian ruler at the time, a place Eternity knows where."

"That's two gems, I need three more." Naruto said.

"Three?" Gog asked, "But there are six gems, not five."

"Let's just say I know where one of them is." Naruto shrugged, a small smirk on his face.

"Ahuh." Gog said, "Well, there is a rumor…"

"A rumor huh, well in the words on a make-believe monster, 'facts can be so misleading, where rumors, true or false, are often revealing.'" Naruto said, quoting the character Hans Landa.

The yellow skinned man sighed at Naruto, nodding none the less, "Well, I've heard around the waterhole that a certain purple giant has one in his possession, but like I wouldn't put too much into it."

"Hmm, interesting." Naruto said with a nod, cupping his chin with his hand, "Anything else?"

"Well, this isn't a confirmed gem, but there's an object on Morag that is said to hold a lot of power. Could be one, though I kinda doubt it. The planet was practically destroyed during the war." Gog said with a shrug. He was about to continue when the waitress walked back over with his drink, causing the two to cease their conversation. Giving a quick thanks, Gog gave a quick sniff of his drink, his nose crinkling up in disgust as he set the glass down, "Anyway, I have no clue where the last two are."

"So, that's one unknown, there's a thing that may or may not be on a destroyed planet that may or may not be a gem, then you got one on Earth which I'll be heading to eventually, one that's been hidden by some old god king, then one that might be in the hands of the guy whose name causes people to shit their pants when they hear it. Great." Taking a gulp of his drink, Naruto finished it off after he finished his run down of what Gog told him, "You know, for a guy that's supposed to know a lot, you sure don't know a lot about what I need to know."

"The gems are old, older than just about anything. A lot of people don't even think they're real." Gog said, trying to defend himself.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Naruto said, waving his hand dismissively, "Now what can you tell me about the war?"

"Now that I can tell you about." Gog said, "What exactly are you wanting to know?"

"A quick overview will do for now."

"Right." The man said with a nod, "The war started just a little over a thousand years ago. Kree High-Ruler Heevar and the Xandarian Emperor Staar both began expanding their borders, the two consolidating two planets each into their empires in just three decades. Tensions began to rise as their encroaching borders grew closer and closer, leaving little space for wiggle room for either of them. After Heevar's death, his sister, Hele, was appointed High-Ruler, with her first act as ruler being a peace treaty between the two empires, a treaty the now aged Staar saw as a smart move to make. After nearly a year of negotiations, the Nova-Kree Treaty was formed, creating the largest joint empire ever recorded. It only lasted five years before things started to fall apart. Staar death lead to the Nova Empire being led by the previous Nova Prime, Teir, the first person to ever be called a Super-Nova. Tensions began to rise when Kree began to work on what would later be called the Terrigen Mist. It wasn't until a year later that everything exploded, both figuratively and literally. A Xandarian transport unit, carrying Nova civilians, was destroyed by a Kree battleship."

"Why would they attack a civilian transport?" Naruto asked.

Gog nodded, "Most people have forgotten why, mostly because Xandar has made it their mission to do so." He smirked at seeing Naruto's confusion, "I'm sure you're wondering why they'd want people to forget why the war was started." Leaning forward he said in a hushed voice, "The reason why is because it was theirfault."

That piece of news actually shocked Naruto, the blonde being forced to spit his drink out of his mouth back into his glass rather awkwardly. After coughing it off, he said, "What?"

"That 'civilian transport?'" He asked rhetorically, "It was actually a cover. Those civilians? Spies. Kree was simply preventing them from stealing incredibly sensitive information. The people of the Nova and Kree Empires were furious of course, though for completely different reasons. While it was said by the Kree that they were simply doing what anyone else would do, Xandar officials spun the story as the Kree simply killing a dozen civilians in cold blood. War was inevitable."

Naruto shook his head, "Holy shit."

"Yep." Gog said with a nod, "And though Xandar has been trying to end the war for centuries now, the Kree are a vindictive people who don't forget. Sure, there have been a several instances when they were close to peace, but something always happened that ruined it, always an atrocity or massacre of some sort."

"What about now? There's a treaty in talks now, what're the chances of it passing through."

"Slim." Gog said, "Kree fanatics like Att-Lass or Yon-Rogg are doing everything in their power to keep that treaty from happening."

"So, if those fanatics were taken care of, the treaty would probably go through?"

"Perha-"

The sound of the bar door slamming open caused Gog to finish his sentence before it was complete. Rushing into the establishment was a man, his curly blonde hair drenched in sweat as he huffed and puffed, trying with all his might to catch his breath. Standing straight from his hunched position, he pulled at the collar of his blue jumpsuit, trying to cool his body the best he could. Looking around the room, he saw that everyone was looking at him in shock and confusion. Fixing his crinkled clothes, he tried to make himself somewhat presentable as he walked over to Naruto and Gog's table.

Taking the third seat, the man said, "Sorry it took me so long, there are like twenty Kree soldiers outside the village. Something about Nova officers disappearing in a cloud of smoke." He finished with a sigh.

Gog shook his head, "It's fine. Naruto, this is Speed Cater. Speed Cater, this is Naruto Uzumaki."

Speed nodded his head towards Naruto, "Good to meet you."

Naruto didn't bother returning the nod, instead keeping his eyes on Gog, "Who the hell is this guy?"

"I told you, this is Speed Cater-"

"Gog…seriously." Naruto interrupted.

"He's…the second part of our deal."

Naruto raised a brow, "How is that exactly?"

"You will be transporting him to the planet Sovereign, one of the few planets in the system not a part of either empire, and is a neutral power." Gog explained.

"And why would he need to go into hiding on a neutral planet?" Naruto asked.

Gog looked to Speed, silently telling him to answer Naruto's question, "I'm…kinda, being hunted by a squad of mercenaries who have been ordered to bring me in dead or alive…preferably dead."

"Why?" Naruto drawled out.

"Because I may or may not have stolen a Kree relic." Speed explained in a rather hurried manner.

Naruto looked mildly impressed, "What kind of relic?"

"The hydro-gun used by High Ruler Hele." He said, his voice nearly a whisper.

"Hydro-gun?" Naruto asked, looking to Gog.

Gog gave a side glance to Speed before saying, "They were the preferred weapon of choice used by the Kree. They're outdated now, but back then they were pretty in demand. While nowadays you can buy one at any wrinky dink thrift store, this one is special for obvious reasons. The thing is priceless."

"Yeah, that includes the black market. Not even the Broker from Xandar wanted to buy it. Too high-profilethey all say. Bunch of bull if you ask me." Speed said, finishing his sentence with a scoff, "You know what the funny thing is? The damn thing doesn't even work."

Naruto looked at Gog with doubt on his face, "Do you seriously expect me to help this guy out? Seems to me like he's deserves what's coming to him."

"Hey asshole, I don't deserve any of wha-"

"This was the deal Uzumaki. While you werent aware of what it was, it's not my fault you accepted it before you got a clear picture. We could've waited for him to show up, but you went ahead and started the transaction the moment I entered the bar. So, it doesn't really matter if you don't like it, you will do it. Or does your word truly mean so little?" Gog said, actual steal in his voice as he spoke.

Naruto sat there for a while, his back leaned into the chair as he and Gog had a mild stare off. Finally, the blonde relented, giving an overdramatic sigh as he said, "You are so lucky I'm a man of my word. Otherwise I'd have slapped you across this room and then tell you to kiss my glorious ass." Leaning forward, Naruto asked, "Are you sure these guys won't attack this Sovereign place?"

"Of course. My planet may be neutral, but it is strong. Both the Kree and Nova empires know this, and both acknowledge they have enough on their plate without having to deal with us." Gog spoke, his voice holding a hint of pride towards his home planet.

"Fine." Naruto said, crossing his arms over his chest, "We leave after this meeting. Though I still have a few more questions."

"Of course."

-x-

"So what do you call this thing?"

Sitting in one of the gunner's chair, Speed looked around Naruto's ship, an unimpressed look on his face. Naruto answered as he put in the coordinates, "Kushina."

"Kushina?" Speed asked with a chuckle, "What is that your girlfriend's name?"

"It's my mother's." Naruto answered, turning to face him he continued, "She's dead, in case you were wanting to feel like more of horse's ass." Turning back around.

"What's a horse?"

"Nevermind." The blonde ninja said with agitation. Finishing up his prep work, Naruto started the duel engines, revving up the ship before lifting off into the air. Looking over at one of the screens to his left, Naruto saw that he had to take 265 Jump Points to get to Sovereign, "So how do you know Gog, exactly?" He asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"I was about to ask the same." Speed answered, crossing his arms across his chest as he rested his feet on the control dash in front of him.

"First off," Naruto said as he got up from his seat, the ship now on autopilot, "get your feet off my stuff." He finished by swatting said man's feet, causing him to give the ship's captain a scathing look, "Second of all, I asked first." Walking down into the lower deck, Naruto walked over to a locker door. Opening it he threw his scarf and jacket inside.

Speed, who had decided to follow after Naruto, answered, "It wasn't long after I stole the hydro-gun that I was forced to run from the Atlas Squadron. I tried to pawn it off anybody I could think of, but nobody wanted the trouble. So, I went to Gog for information on who might be interested. And while he might not've been able to help me sell the damn thing, he promised he'd find a way to get me to Sovereign." He explained.

"And why would he do that exactly? Gog doesn't seem like the kind of guy to help out a guy like you, not without getting paid anyway."

The curly haired man shrugged, "Let's just say we came to a mutual understanding."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You've lost me."

"Good." He proceeded to follow Naruto back up to the cockpit, taking his seat back at the gunner's station as he spoke, "So what about you, how do you know Gog?"

"I'd heard about him about a month ago on Xandar. I sent him a message, we got in touch, we set up the meeting, we had the meeting, he fucked me over by making you my responsibility, and now here we are." Shifting the throttle forwards, Naruto took back control of his ship, piloting it up into the planet's atmosphere.

Speed scoffed, "If I remember correctly, you said you could've 'slapped him across the room' when Gog told you about the second part of the deal. And from what I've heard about you, Naruto the Celestial, you're more than capable of doing that. So, why didn't you?"

"Because I'm a man of my word. It's my ninja way." Naruto said, "It's my own damn fault not hearing what the second part of the agreement was. I've made my bed, now I gotta lay in it."

The thief looked at Naruto skeptically, "You're a strange man, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto shrugged, a though crossing his mind a few seconds later, "And don't call me 'The Celestial.' I don't know where people got that idea, but I'm most definitely not that."

And so began the long ride to Sovereign.

-x-

"AAAHHHHGH!"

"Brute…enough." The man that spoke was massive, standing just over seven feet tall, with muscles nearly slitting open his dark green leather uniform. His long black hair draped over his tan skinned head, his hair at the nape of his neck. Glimmering in the poorly lit room was his iron clad jaw, the thick piece of metal protecting the bottom half of his face rather snuggly.

Growling, the man spoken too took a dangerous step forward. His head coming just under the other man's impressive jaw line, he his entire body was covered by a dark blue fur, with sharp bottom canines poking out from his lips. His matching outfit covered the rest of his hairy figure, but it did little to prevent anyone from seeing his vast build, "I'm not done yet Ironjaw."

"Enough." Stepping forward was a man of a rather slim frame, his body clothed by what could now be confirmed as their uniform, which consisted of a pair of dark green leather jacket and pants, with the Kree symbol for 'A' plastered on the left shoulder, "I ordered Brute to continue with his fun Ironjaw. The fool deserves it." Now fully out of the shadows was a rather handsome man with thick blonde hair and handsome features, his looks were ruined by the rather sinister gleam in his eye.

"But Hug-"

"Ah ah ah." The man interrupted, "Remember Ironjaw, we're in the middle of business. And during business what do we use?" He asked sarcastically.

"Codenames." Ironjaw said rather testily.

"And what is my codename?"

"…Phoenix."

"Good." Kneeling down in front of the once screaming man, a cruel smile stretched across his face as he cupped his chin, "We can't have someone like Gog the Knowing learn our names…now can we?"

Gog, his once unblemished yellow skin was now ruined completely. His left eye was now swollen shut, a massive purple knot covering it fully. His nose was broken with the right side of his temple split open, blood pouring out of both and dripping on to the floor. It got worse from there, from his trouble breathing and the black and blue spots along his sides, it was clear his ribs had been broken. His arms tied up above his body, the noosed rope forcing his body to hang several inches off the ground. Blood covered his hands entirely, his fingernails torn out and the skin around his fingers flayed off. His pants were left on, the wet spot running along his crotch showing that he had soiled himself.

Light suddenly entered the dimly lit room, "Sir, Captain Att-Lass is here." His head poking out was a rather thin looking man, his turquois colored skin and fin on top of his head making him resemble a fish.

Getting back up, Phoenix answered, "Thank you Man-Monster." Walking out of the room, the leader of the group was forced to shield his eyes from the Interdis sunlight. Walking passed a man with the build of your run of the mill professional athlete, he nodded towards the fellow blonde, the resemblance between the two rather striking, "Cougar."

Cougar nodded back, "Brother."

Phoenix sighed in agitation at the fact that his brother had revealed that fact, the door to their little torture chamber still open, but said nothing as he made his way to the Kree Cruiser. The ship was rather small made for two or three people at a time, like a Nova Star Blaster only that is was more circular in shape rather than that of a star. As the hanger door opened, out stepped a man with traditional Kree armor, only his was a lighter green in color and the armor around his neck and head was lighter and resembling more or a helmet, leaving only the bottom half of his face visible, similar to a Nova Corps helmet. His skin tone blue, much like most of his people, the man had a thin mustache on top of his upper lip. Walking in front of him was a Kree woman, her curly black hair resting on her shoulders, her uniform red in color, it being less armor and more spandex, with black shoulder paddings and gloves. Wrapped over that was a long and open green trench coat.

"Welcome, Captain Att-Lass, Commander Minn-Erva." Phoenix said with a mild solute, "We've managed to obtain the information we need."

Minn-Erva frowned slightly as she could hear screams coming from the shack a few yards away, "Then why does it sound like you haven't."

Phoenix's face shifted into mild disgust, "The little vermin admitted to having relations with the little thief while he was in his care."

The Kree commander gave a quick chuckle, "Leave it to a man from Paramater to have a problem with such a thing." Folding her arms behind her back she continued, "What did you learn, Lieutenant?"

Looking at for Captain Att-Lass for a moment before looking back to his commander, "The thief's name is Speed Cater, home world unknown, though he's spent time of the Kyln. He's a pretty standard thief, the fact that he hasn't join the Ravager's is a little shocking, though I doubt very many of the clans that specialize in thieving would accommodate his life style. He apparently landed on Hala where he learned that the High-Ruler's hydro-gun was on now on display. He then formed a crew, all of whom were killed during the heist and their getaway. He came to Interdis about three weeks ago after all the buyers he contacted refused to take his score off his hands, mostly due to our pressure. Gog allowed Cater to stay with him and help him find refuge on Sovereign, his home planet, in exchange for sexual favor. Cater is now in the current care of one Naruto Uzumaki. They left three days ago."

That got Minn-Erva's attention, "That flash in the pan? I hear that certain planets have dubbed him 'The Celestial.' He can supposedly manipulate the elements around him and can travel through space without the need of a ship. All stories more than likely, but his defeating of Blastaar is nothing to scuff at."

Phoenix scoffed, "Please, that beast was overrated."

"Could you have defeated him?" Att-Lass asked, speaking for the first time since his arrival.

"By myself? No." He nodded his head behind him in the direction his team was at, "With them though? Definitely."

"Good." Minn-Erva said with a nod. Looking over at the shock containing the still ongoing screams she said, "Deal with the Sovereign fool. His screams annoy me."

-x-

It had been four days since Naruto and Speed had departed for Sovereign, the long trip doing nothing to help the two blondes get along.

"Will you shut the fuck up about the Kyln already! The way you make it sound it was a paradise compared to some of the places I've been!" Naruto screamed from the pilot's chair. "Boohoo, there were murderers there! Boohoo, there were mean guards there! Boohoo, if you did get a room you were forced to sleep on the ground in a massive cuddle party! Boo-fucking-hoo!"

Down below deck was Speed, the curly haired man got up from his seat, storming up into the cockpit, "Well, excuse me for trying to strike up an Eternity forsaken conversation! And what the hell you would you know about staying in a shitty prison?!"

"I got sent to a prison that sealed off all my powers so that they open a box that sealed away the warden's son, only for the unsealed son to be possessed by a demon that was also within the box." Naruto said matter of factly.

"…Bullshit."

Naruto was kept from continuing when Kushina's left side was hit by what looked like a laser blast, the force of it rocking the ship slightly, the blast not doing much damage due to the shields activated around the ship. Pulling up one of the screens, Naruto looked to see who the asshole was that shot at him. From what he could see it was a pair of ships that weren't much bigger than his, maybe a quarter bigger in overall size. Only while Naruto's was more of a jet in shape, the shape of these ships reminded him more of a helicopter minus the propellers and more square in shape and design.

More blasts began to bounce off the hull, forcing Naruto to go into an evasive maneuver. Pulling up, Naruto did a barrel roll, the ship moving like a top at the end of its spin, before straightening out, the ship now upside down before he pushed the throttle forward, causing the ship to tailspin down wildly. The maneuver proved useless however, as the attacking ship was still hot on Naruto's tail.

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed. Looking over at Speed, whose eyes were wide from the sudden move, he shouted, "Make yourself useful and man the torrent gun!"

"Uh…right!" Grabbing ahold of the joystick to his left, Speed began to try and get a lock on the trailing shit, "You got anymore moves like that one?"

"Not…really." Naruto said rather weakly, juking to the left harshly to try and get some distance, "That's the most I've learned since I got this ship."

"Great…just great."

Naruto scoffed, diving down before entering another barrel role. Waiting for the ship to even out he asked, "Who the hell are these guys?"

"No idea…could just be some pirates or something."

"Great…just great." Naruto said, "Are you even trying to shoot there guys?!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Speed shouted, doing his best to at least skim one of the ships, "Die, die, die, die, die, die!" The curly haired man sprayed laser fire towards the two ships, each one missing by a fair margin.

Pulling the throttle back, Naruto forced his ship upwards sharply when he saw that both of the ships hard fired some kind of missile towards him, "HOLD ON!" He screamed, forcing the ship into another barrel role, the missiles following the ship in a tight spin.

"Come ooooooon!" Naruto yelled out, pushing Kushina to her limit as the missiles wove into each other tighter and tighter. In a moment of total epicness, the missiles collided into themselves in a silent thud.

Naruto finally evened out, looking back where the missiles 'exploded,' Naruto said, "Can I be honest?" He spoke as he dove down, "That wasn't very satisfying." He ended the sentence by juking to the left.

Speed was too busy trying to shoot down one of the ships, it being an honest act of some higher power that he finally landed a hit, the laser blast rocking one of the rear engines causing it to fall into a rapid tailspin, "Hell yeah!" Speed yelled out. Looking over at Naruto he smirked, "I don't know, that was pretty satisfying."

Naruto scowled as another laser hit his Kushina, "Yeah, I'm done." Creating a Shadow Clone, the ninja had the clone sit in the co-pilot seat, "Make sure these guys are as close as possible without them being able to get a good enough shot at us to take us out, got it?" The clone nodded as Naruto went below deck. Walking over to the hanger door, Naruto opened up a screen that showed the rear camera, showing that the ship was right on their tail. Activating his Six Paths Sage Mode, Naruto reached his hand out, his fingers making a grabbing motion as he searched for the ship through his Magnet Release. Finally finding it, Naruto watched on the screen as the ship stopped in its tracks for a moment before it suddenly began to crumble into itself. It wasn't before long that the ship was nothing more than a giant metal beach ball. Closing the scene, Naruto walked back up to the cockpit, walking passed a flabbergasted Speed, his clone popping as he took the pilot's chair, "Now thatwas satisfying."

"Wha...what?" Speed stuttered out, "Ho-how…with the other you…and the ship." Now blinking rapidly he rubbed the back of his neck, "Wow."

"Yeah…I know." Naruto said with a smirk.

-x-

"Why haven't you come in to report Captain Att-Lass?"

Att-Lass was sitting in his captain's chair, now aboard his battleship as he headed for the planet Hala. Leaning in his chair rather lackadaisically, his chin resting in the palm of his hand as he looked at his fellow captain, "I was taking care of our little thief problem, Captain Kell-Varr." Said man was of a pale tan complexion, his wavy blonde hair flowing out just above his eyes. His uniform was very like Minn-Erva's only more masculine.

Kell-Varr raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't aware you had apprehended the thief?"

"I haven't." The blue skinned man answered, "Though my squadron is on the cusp of doing it as we speak now."

The blonde-haired man scowled, "You'd send those barbarians? They'd destroy the artifact before bringing it back here."

"Perhaps." Att-Lass drawled, "But that isn't the point, now is it? The point is sending a message to those that dare think of embarrassing our empire ever again." His eyes grew sharp, "Am I wrong?"

Kell-Varr's eyes narrowed, "Watch yourself Captain Att-Lass."

"Oh I will Kell, I will." With that, Att-Lass cut out the feed.

Minn-Erva raised an eyebrow at her captain, "Was it truly so wise to challenge Kell-Varr in such a way?"

Att-Lass didn't say a word, simply looking forward out into the passing cosmos before, his mind on something not even Minn-Erva could guess as to what. Finding the task pointless, the woman turned back to her station.

-x-

Three Days Later

Location: The Planet Conjunction

-x-

The desert planet of Conjunction was rather a rather hostile planet, with its ever present and fierce sand storms making most of the planet inhospitable. The few places that you were capable of going into was always a beehive of activity, with most of them made up of fuel stations, bars, and casinos, making it the perfect stopping place for any space traveler, so long as you knew how to use a gun of course. The current hut Naruto and Speed were in was a rather busy bar, with such a wide variety of species it was hard to find two of anything.

Having just walked into the bar, Naruto pulled down the scarf that was covering his mouth and nose before pulling up a pair of rectangular goggles. Patting the sand out of his hair, Naruto said, "I'll get us a drink, go find us a table."

Speed nodded, walking away into the crowd to look for an available table. Heading over to the bar, Naruto leaned against it as he waited for the bartender to notice him. It was as he waited that he noticed the door open, causing his attention to be drawn to whoever was walking in. It was two men, their sizes the polar opposite of each other. One was at least seven feet tall with a big build on top of it. The strange thing about him was fact that it looked like his jaw was made of some kind of metal. The man next to him was four feet tall at the most, his turquois skin tone and the fins on top of his head reminding Naruto of a fish. The pair walked towards the center of the bar, leaning against it much like he was.

Looking over, he saw that the bartender was finally heading his way. Giving his order, he was once again forced to wait, thus causing him to look around the bar. It was then that he noticed that two other people had just entered, the two looking as though they were brothers with their matching blonde hair and facial features, the only difference being that one had a more athletic build.

His attention was taken off of them when his drink was given to him, the blonde quickly transferring over the Units necessary. Walking over with the drinks, Naruto once again noticed an additional patron, this one walking over to the empty table next to his and Speeds. He was a big man, his body covered from hair to toe in hair, reminding Naruto of a werewolf in some ways.

Taking a seat, Naruto gave Speed his drink, the two of them drinking in silence for a moment. It was as he was drinking that he felt several eyes on his person. As discretely as possible, Naruto looked around towards where he felt the eyes belonged too. Each set he found belonged to the people that had just recently entered the bar. Only they weren't looking at him.

They were looking at Speed. Or more specifically…the hydro-gun holstered on his hip.

Naruto didn't wait a second longer, a blue seal in the shape of a spiral forming in the center of his palm, slamming his hand onto Speed's shoulder, the same seal now on the spot he'd slapped him. He then disappeared in an instant, almost as though he had teleported.

-x-

"What the hell?" Speed asked, looking around to see that he was now in the lower deck of the Kushina. He jumped in shock when he saw Naruto suddenly appear next to him, "Naruto, how the…what the?"

"I'm not Naruto…technically. I'm a clone." The Shadow Clone clarified.

"How…how did we get here?"

"It's a move called Hiraishin, or a variation of it anyway." The blonde clone explained, "We don't have time for explanations, that bar was a trap and the boss is fighting the guys that are after you."

That got Speed's attention, "Seriously?! Well what're we waiting for them, let's go!"

-x-

Naruto was currently cursing his luck, the blonde finding himself on his back having been thrown out of the hut by the big hairy brute. Getting up, Naruto brushed the sand out of his hair and off his body, "That was a cheap shot, asshole."

Stepping out of the hole he had created was Brute, a savage smirk on his face as he looked down on Naruto, "Not my fault you didn't see it coming."

"Hey, it's not often you see a guy transform into…that." Naruto said, pointing towards Man-Monster, his once tiny frame now even bigger than Ironjaw's, his once turquois skin now an angry red, "But that won't happen again…trust me." His eyes closed for a single second before opening, his eyes showing that he was now using Sage Mode.

Man-Monster snarled angrily as he tore off the remains of his shirt, "So says the dead man." No one in the group seeming to notice the change in color of Naruto's eyes and eyelids.

"Now, now Man-Monster, let the man have his delusions. These are his last moments after all." The voice belonged to the now smallest of the group, the wicked grin on his face matching the evil gleam in his eye. Looking over his shoulder he said, "Show him a good time, Ironjaw."

Forced to duck to get through the hole much like Man-Monster had too, Ironjaw walked out with a massive sword in his hand, the double edge blade gleaming in the desert light. He didn't say a word, simply charging forward with a speed that honestly surprised Naruto, him being the fastest guy he'd seen so far while out and about the universe. That didn't matter though, as Naruto simply raised up his arm up in a rather lazy fashion.

"Fool." Ironjaw mumbled, bringing down his weapon with an unbridled wrath. Upon impact, the ground beneath them cracked into the shape of a spider web, small fissures in the ground forming with a loud crack.

Alpha Squad couldn't help but be shocked at the sight before them. However, it wasn't the show of strength used. It was the fact that Naruto had caught the blade as though it were a simple club or pipe, with no sign of injury, the blonde simply starring up into the other man's eyes. Then, with one quick hand motion, Naruto broke the sword in half. If they had been impressed before, it could only be how they felt about the blonde grabbing ahold of the now air born blade. With a quick rotation and the simple addition of Wind Chakra, Naruto threw the bisected sword into Man-Monster's throat, severing his head from his body all in one fluid motion.

The ninja wasn't done with that however, having continued his rotation he quickly began to gather Boil Chakra along his arm and elbow. Finally reaching a full three hundred and thirty-six degree turn and now fully facing Ironjaw, Naruto released the built-up chakra in his arm, "Boil Release: Erupting Propulsion Fist!" He called out.

The only ones that didn't jump back from Naruto's attack was Ironjaw and Phoenix, the former because he simply didn't have enough time to dodge, the latter because he knew the attack wouldn't hit him. Right upon impact, the area on Ironjaw's body that Naruto hit exploded outwards, the excess Boil Chakra shooting out of his back like a burst pipe, the chakra then exploding out in a vast jet of power, leaving the area covered in a vast mist. There was no blood, the life liquid evaporating upon contact with the boil release. This was much to Naruto's relief, as all that was left of Ironjaw was his lower abdomen and legs, the lifeless body parts flopping to the ground in a sickening thud

Cougar found himself surrounded in the thick mist, the squad member finding it near impossible to see a foot in front of him. Looking around wildly, he tried with all his ability to see anything, only to fail miserably. The feeling of his arm being cut open caused him to curse and jump backwards, holding his now bleeding arm in alarm, looking around with even more fervor.

"Show yourself, you fucking coward!" He screamed out, trying to get a rise out of him so that he could pinpoint a location. He got his wish, only not in the way he was expecting.

"You know…" Naruto echoed out, his voice sounding as though he were everywhere, "From what I can tell, you and I are the same body wise, so I wonder if you have the same eight kills points as I do." His voice echoed out, it shifting in volume so that Cougar couldn't tell how close he really was, "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys…"

Suddenly, the sound of what could only be described as a thousand birds chirping could be heard heading towards. And then, the next thing he knew, he felt a striking pain so great all he could do was heave from the force of it. A hot liquid began to build in his mouth, causing him to cough from the sudden intrusion. Looking down after his coughing fit, Cougar could only widen his eyes at the sight of a hand covering in what looked like lightning sticking out of his chest.

"Heart."

With a violent heave, Naruto pulled his fist out of the corpse's body, the man once named Cougar dropping down in a wet splat. He wasn't allowed to celebrate long, as the mist had cleared up for the most part, and Brute was now hot on his tail. He'd killed a good handful of clones that were meant as a distraction, but his Chidori had created a lot of noise, noise that was now bringing the man that lived up to his code name barreling down on him in a savage charge.

Just as Brute was within an arm's length away, Naruto's arm shot forward with a speed never seen by the raging beast. He wasn't allowed to ponder on it much longer, as his windpipe was now closed shot under the blonde warriors grip, said man bringing Brute up off the ground before slamming him back into it, leaving a massive crater behind.

Naruto didn't relent, pushing his arm down on Brute's chest he said with a dangerous calmness, "Magnet Style: Journey to the Center of the Earth!" Brute quickly felt a massive pull on his body, the force of it so great his body began to dig into the ground before blasting off into the depths of Conjunction.

"I suppose you don't mind me asking what you did?" Walking into view, Phoenix stopping just a few yards shy of Naruto, his stance rather lackadaisical.

"Simple." Naruto said, straightening up as he did, "I simply made him irresistible to the magnetic core of this planet. If the pressure doesn't kill him, the heat eventually will."

"You are impressive." Phoenix complimented, "Muchmore powerful then we could've possibly imagined."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "How did you find us? No one knew he was with me except…" It was as he spoke that he realized it, "…Cog."

"Bingo." Phoenix said, his wicked smile growing only in cruelty.

Naruto was hesitant to ask, but knew he needed to, "What did you do to him?"

"Oh you know, standard procedure. Torture, torture, torture, and…oh yeah, more torture." He said rather nonchalantly, "At first it was all business. But after he revealed his little…habit, well…then it was all pleasure."

Naruto looked at him with confusion on his face, "Habit?"

Phoenix shrugged, "His habit to make the beast with two backs with those that were of his gender. How else do you think the thief got within his favor?" His smirk, if possible, grew even bigger, "It's too bad I was ordered to kill him…otherwise we could've had so much fun."

Naruto was shocked by the revelation, but didn't ponder on it too much as he said, "You're insane.

"I like to think of myself as a sociopath, in all honesty." Was his retort, his ever-present smirk still in place. That seemed to be the end of the conversation for the self-described sociopath, the man charging forward twice as fast as Ironjaw, his fist enveloped in an orange energy.

His sense of danger flaring like crazy, Naruto jumped the side as Phoenix brought his fist down on the ground below, the resulting explosion of energy forcing him to take to the skies. Phoenix was hot on his tail, shooting out blasts of energy out at the blonde ninja. Naruto wasn't having any of that, shooting off two blasts of wind from his fingertips, intercepting each energy blast with extreme prejudice. The eviler of the blondes came into the other's safe space, the two of them entering a rather one sided and brutal brawl of fists, kicks, and elbows. While Phoenix could barely get a metaphorical word in, Naruto took over most of the conversation of fists. For each counter was a fist that nearly broke bone, for every strike was an organ that was almost burst from trauma, and for every block was another brain cell lost from the fact that his brain was constantly bouncing around in his skull from getting his face pounded in. After several minutes of this, Naruto grew tired and decided to finish his little massacre.

Bringing his arm back, Naruto formed a Rasengan in the palm of his hand before swiftly bringing it down into Phoenix's torso, drilling back into the ground below with a fierce velocity. He didn't relent with that, as he was suddenly surrounded by a cloak of lightning. Raising his leg up over his head, Naruto allowed himself to descend onto the prone man below.

"Guillotine Drop!" With an unrivaled ferocity, Naruto slammed his heal down on Phoenix, the force of it exploding out in a fierce explosion of debris and chakra. Jumping back, Naruto waited for the cloud of smoke he'd created as his Lightning Armor dissipated.

Naruto sighed as he put his hands in his pockets, watching with a blank face as Phoenix pulled himself out of the crater his body had formed. Getting up with a wobbly step, Phoenix's grin was still in face, blood flowing from his open mouth, "Heh heh heh…you-you're strong." He nearly collapsed before catching himself, his body hunched over as he fought with all his will to stay on his own two feet, "But one of these days…you're gonna attract something you can't stop, something you can't beat. And I plan to watch from wherever it is I end up after death, and laugh as you end up like I am now."

Naruto's face remained calm as he brought his hand up, his fingers forming the shape of a gun, "Whatever you gotta tell yourself, asshole."

Phoenix began a slow chuckle that quickly became a maniacal squeal of laughter. This went on for several seconds, that is until a wind bullet found itself drilled into his skull.

Naruto sighed, "Whatta mess."

Kurama gave off a long yawn, "What I miss?" He drawled.