The Shinobi Visitor

Chapter 40 - The City That Never Sleeps...

(Flashback Begins)

Karakura Town continued to withstand the thundering shockwaves as the war between Soul Society continued.

Buildings fell by a participant or a stray attack intended to cleave that participant. The streets were riddled with upturned chunks of gravel and puddles of electrified water courtesy of felled power lines. Streaks of different colors formed a disarray collection of the rainbow spectrum as they collided against each other.

Four colors stood out however as they continued to clash against one that is pure dark, their power struggle showing the golden color of light against the corrupt power of darkness.

"Rasengan!"

Naruto had a chakra arm circled around Kronos and hit the chakra sphere at the Titan King's head. A rabbit attack. Kronos had to feel that one and he did once stumbled a little before the quartet pressed their attacks on him for their chance.

"As you mortals usually say…" Kronos, suddenly unfazed, blocked their attacks with his scythe. "Psych!"

The group was sent flying throughout the town after a blast of dark aura expanded from Kronos's body, knocking down several buildings and upturning the streets as two of them bounced hard like a pebble skipping on the water's surface.

The other two were parallel from each other and crashed against the local high school's main hall. One of them however was saved by the other's quick thinking but the latter received the brunt of the force as he laid on his back. A grunt could be heard from him as he looked at his partner.

"Rhea…you okay?" Naruto coughed a little since Rhea was on his stomach.

Rhea coughed a bit with a splitting headache as she looked at him. "As your race say…Swell." The two quickly got up and checked each other for any wounds, but Kurama's chakra already took care of them given the subtle refreshing feeling.

"You know you never said just how tough Kronos is." Naruto mused. "He took many attacks from my Rasengan, but almost all of them didn't make a budge."

"That last one caught him by surprise… at least he had us thinking that." Rhea said bitterly. She'd forgot about Kronos making fun of his enemies and feigning pain to lower their guard. "Unfortunately he's not even warmed up."

"Please tell me you're joking." Naruto pleaded hopefully. Rhea shook her head and he sighed. "No you're not. Well I should've expected this from a former Titan King."

"What do you mean by 'former'? I'm still the Titan King."

Their eyes widened as they turned around in time to see Kronos deliver a hook at Naruto that flung him out of the hall. Rhea held up her dual Tessen to block her ex-husband's scythe's blade, entering a weapons clash. Noticing him raise his eyebrow slightly, Rhea had to ask, "What is it?"

"You're putting up a fight." Kronos stated rather impressively. She never was a fighter during their time growing up and married together, especially when he had his way with her.

"After you took me by force, ate our children and you being sealed away, I spent several centuries as a broken woman." Rhea said venomously as she took a step forward after lowering her center. "But I found myself a new purpose: get stronger. Become a strong person…" With speed unprecedented to Kronos, Rhea folded one of her Tessen and smacked Kronos in the forehead followed several rapid strikes and lastly a roundhouse kick to the torso. "For myself and the man I love."

Kronos had wedged himself out of the wall after Rhea's brief onslaught and simply cracked his neck before he felt a wet sensation around his lips. He touched them and looked at his fingers to see not red blood but gold instead.

Immortals like the Titans and the Olympians have golden ichor instead of red blood like mortals.

The former Titan King smirked with a small hint of lust in his eyes as he sees Rhea in a new light. "My dear Rhea… I never knew you had this side of you. Perhaps I was wrong to treat you badly during our marriage…then again if I hadn't done that, you wouldn't be hot right now."

"Something's wrong with you." Rhea stated in monotone with a 'are you serious' look. "Did I really marry you?"

"Yes and I will take you back, but this time, I won't let you go. I'll never let you out of my sight again once I kill that mortal—."

"You mean me!" The ninja shouted as he commenced another assault. "Like hell…!" Naruto swung his sword hard at Kronos' scythe as Rhea came to assist him. "I'll let you…!" Rhea swept Kronos' legs and caused him to stumble slightly. "Touch Rhea again!"

Kronos barely had time to register a rather larger version of the mortal's energy sphere as it slammed directly onto his cheek. Naruto gritted his teeth before he let go of his Giant Rasengan, watching his Titan enemy being drilled out of the gymnasium along the trajectory.

"Before we go…" Rhea said after grabbing Naruto's arm. He looked at her before she planted her lips on his own, surprising him of the sudden action. "Thank you for entering my life."

With no more time to waste and a nod, both Naruto and Rhea ran out of the gymnasium to continue their dual assault on Kronos who was now defending himself with a small swirl mark on his left cheek.

(Flashback Ends)

"Patronus? Patronus?"

"Hm?" Naruto looked at Skye as she stared at the hooded hero. He was holed up in her van after they drove across the George Washington Bridge in the City that Never Sleeps. It took several hours but they were finally here. After his love session with Kuroka, Naruto met with Skye at their rendezvous point in Boston before their departure.

He explained to the girls about his going alone may focus the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. on him. It was an unknown city, meaning Naruto would have to adapt to his new surroundings. It also meant that Skye would really prove herself to the ninja while they track both the buyer and Black Cat and recover the artifact.

"We're finally here. Traffic's a pain though." Skye mentioned causally as she ate a breakfast sandwich. The hacker looked back at him and held up a wrapped sandwich. "Want one?"

"No thanks." Naruto declined politely, receiving a shrug from Skye before she focused on driving into Manhattan.

Being the intense populated city in the world, New York City had no shortages of its wild, well-known landmarks and boroughs. From what Naruto knows about the old city, there are five boroughs in total that are split with infinitely small but famous neighborhoods. The five boroughs are Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx and lastly Manhattan. Manhattan itself is split between three divisions: Uptown, Midtown and Downtown Manhattan.

"What boggles me is that despite Manhattan being a small borough, it's the most densely populated." Naruto said to start a conversation with his hacker ally.

"Yep. Nothing like living in a big city."

Patronus gave a 'so-and-so' gesture with his hand. "I'm more of a countryside person, but everyone has their preferences."

"What are you, a hermit?"

"That's a first… someone calling me a hermit." Naruto suddenly jerked his head upward when he heard laughter… the boisterous laughter belonging to his perverted of a godfather. Tapping his head a couple times with his finger, the ninja muttered "I must be hearing things."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

Their drive took them deep into Midtown Manhattan and after Skye cursed out some out-of-attention drivers, they parked their van deep in an alley. There were no cameras nearby or within the alley, no restaurants and passing customers…perfect for the duo.

"Here." Skye threw a rather large parchment at Patronus after she went to the spacious part of the van.

Patronus held up the parchment. "What's this?"

"Put it over the van."

"But won't that draw attention to you even more?"

"I've been doing this for two years."

"Well I know stealth better than you." The hero and hacker bickered for a while and it ended with Naruto exiting the van, carrying Quadcopter in its sleep mode in his hand. "Now where do I go?" Patronus asked after reaching the roof with three high jumps as he puts on the earbud. "Wait, where do we start?"

="According to local resources, Black Cat is known to be associated with one of the superheroes in Manhattan."=

"Who happens to be…"

="Spider-Man."=

"Really?" Naruto asked with surprise. "Spider-Man? I never thought he'd be associated with a known thief. How did he explain that to the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

="He never did. From what the rumors say, the two were partners for a while after Spider-Man convinced her out of the thieving. They even had a secret tryst that ended badly and Black Cat left the country for an unknown amount of time."= A pause in the earbuds had Naruto vexed since Skye doesn't really stop talking unless something is intriguing. ="Hello, hello. What do we have here?"=

"What is it?"

="There were several museum heists in Europe for the past three months. The three of them fitted Black Cat's MO from her previous heists."=

"Naughty kitty."

="Ignoring that cliché pun, it seems last night was Black Cat's first night back in the States."=

"But from we know about last night and Nekohime's scuffle, Black Cat was meeting with the buyer's thugs. Obviously someone hired her to steal the artifact. My guess is that Black Cat will try to sell it again here in Manhattan to the buyer."

="And the only person who would know her whereabouts is currently unavailable. Until now. Head to the highest building in Manhattan and throw the Quadcopter so I can collect data to better track him."= Skye informed the hero. ="Come on, get going."=

Naruto looked around to see several tall buildings around his location. He was perplexed whether one of them would aid Skye's plan. "Skye, there are many tall buildings around here. How am I supposed to know which one of them is the highest?"

="…You really are a caveman."=

"That's uncalled for!"

="So you say. Head to the Empire State Building down southeast from your location. You can't miss it."=

"Got it." Naruto responded before he ran across the rooftop after turning invisible with Jiraiya's jutsu.

As he traveled across the many blocks of buildings, restaurants and alleys, Naruto found himself in awe at the magnificence of the city. It was one big playground for superheroes, but more importantly for ninjas like him who needed to get to one part of town. With that in mind, Naruto maintained his speed as he vaulted over rooftops, slid under clotheslines and leaped easily across buildings without anyone seeing him.

His target in sight, Naruto landed at the edge of the building across the street after swinging himself over from a lone pipe. He whistled at the height of the Empire State Building. "That's a big building." He chuckled mirthfully. "But I've seen bigger."

="You went to Dubai?"=

"Uh, sure. Dubai." Naruto cocked his head as he pondered about Skye's words. "What's in and where is Dubai?"

After a running start, the ninja leaped high in the air towards the side of the Empire State Building and latched onto it with his chakra-coated feet before he ran all the way to the observation decks. "What's with the people here?" Patronus whispered since the earbud will pick anything of the sort and Skye will hear it despite the long range.

="You don't know? The Empire State Building is a tourist stop—one of the famous tourist spots in the world."=

"Okay." Patronus said as he jumped onto the spire and walked up to the very tip of the building. Upon reaching it and skillfully balancing himself on one foot, he stood with no fear and met something amazing: the grand view of New York City. "Wow, this is amazing. You can literally see the entire city from here. No wonder this is a tourist spot."

="Glad you're pleased. Now let's get to business, shall we?"= Skye asked in a teasing tone. ="Throw the Quadcopter in the air and it'll gather data from the wireless networks in Midtown around your location. Hopefully there'll be clues to Spider-Man or Black Cat's location."=

"Okay then." Naruto, who disabled the invisibility justu, threw the device high in the air.

The Quadcopter extended its four fans and hovered as it scanned the frequencies and gathered the data from the wireless networks as Skye typed in codes to store them in her servers back at the van. Finally, the task was done as the earbud blared with the hacker's voice.

="Okay, I hacked into the security feed of traffic cameras along with the police scanner frequency around Midtown. Now we can hear their reports and such... Gotcha!"= Skye paused when she pulled up a feed. = "Oh crap!"=

"What is it, Skye?"

="Spider-Man's getting his ass kicked!"=

Naruto's expression hardened when he heard that. "By who?"

="Don't know but it looks like he could use some backup. He's northeast from your location…to Queens."= Patronus faced the direction where Spider-Man was and looked down to judge the distance. ="By the way, how are you going to get down from thee—Holy crap, you're standing on the very top! What the hell?!"= She shouted with surprise after directing the Quadcopter to focus on him.

A thought came to mind, specifically from the Codex. An acrobatic move that defined all the Assassins throughout history besides the signature Hidden Blade.

"You're about to see a lot more of crazy action… like now."

="What do you mean—Patronus!"= Sky screamed through the earbud in shock after watching from her drone's camera feed.

Naruto had jumped off vertically as he swan-dived towards the ground with the wind pushing against him. The Leap of Faith. He'd always wanted to try this ever since he read about it in the Codex and why not do it from the tallest building in New York City while searching for an arachnid-themed superhero.

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Uzumaki Manor, Homestead Grounds

Forested Massachusetts

Rhea hummed loudly as she continued her daily activity of tending to her personal garden. It always filled her heart to help create something instead destroy like her brothers favored to do during the Golden Age. She looked to the side as Saeko was sitting on a large blanket with some food around, holding her children in her arms.

Ashla cooed when his mother wiggled her finger at him while Masaki giggled in turn. "My precious babies." Saeko smiled as she kissed their faces the way a mother would do for a child. "You're so beautiful." She placed the twins on their backs, their legs kicking the air with smiles on their faces.

With Naruto out of town, the girls were left alone once more although this marks the first time that he'd be gone for a while. Like a good father and lover would do, Naruto had kissed his children and girls with the promise of coming back to them safely. The girls and the twins had always felt comfort in his words. They knew, even the twins didn't at the time, that he always keeps his word.

"They're always precious at that age." Rhea said politely as she sat down next to them. Ashla and Masaki cried out gleefully with the boy's arms reaching for her. "May I?" Saeko nodded with a smile and Rhea picked up the older twin as he laughed joyfully. "He has your eyes."

"Yeah, but his looks are from his father." Saeko pointed out as she held Masaki close to her face, allowing her to grab a fist full of purple hair. "Thankfully you don't look like him, Masaki." Her daughter cooed cutely as her purple eyes connected with her own. "But I know your daddy will bring fury on the boys who try to take you from us."

"I look forward to seeing that." Rhea chuckled with Ashla nuzzling her bosom.

Saeko giggled in response. "So do I."

The thought of Naruto in Kurama Mode defending a teenage Masaki from creepy-eyed boys with the Thousand Years of Death was too good for them not to laugh.

The two mothers played with the twins under the sun until Saeko asked, "Where are Medusa and Kuroka by the way?"

"Training."

"What?" Saeko blinked while Rhea continued to play with Ashla by bouncing him high and low. "What was that?"

"After Naruto left when they were done with their love session, Kuroka wanted to learn new skills. From what she told me, Kuroka's currently focusing on her Senjutsu and planning to focus on freerunning as well as hand-to-hand combat."

"Is she—"

"Still bothered about what happened? Yes." Rhea saw Ashla's eye drooped a little after the fifteenth time and ceased to give him to Saeko. However, the mother refused and gestured her to do it instead, surprising the Titaness. "Are you sure?"

"You're as much a mother to them. And… I know you didn't get to raise your own children." Saeko said as polite as possible, hoping she didn't anger her friend.

Rhea, touched by her notion, smiled at Saeko before she lowered her top, exposing her left breast to feed Ashla with her milk. The baby boy happily sucked on it and began drinking the delicious substance. "He's quite the drinker."

"And a biter too like his father." Saeko giggled upon seeing Rhea flinch while feeding Ashla. "Of course you know that."

"We all know that." Rhea corrected her friend and fellow mother. "But he seems more drawn to me in bed."

Saeko's eye twitched as she stared at Rhea's bosom that was being sucked by her son for milk. It was obvious Naruto was a breast man and Rhea's the biggest followed by Kuroka, then Medusa and lastly herself. But he never showed favoritism towards the girls since he loved them all for their unique personalities and outlooks in life. Also it didn't hurt that each of them are beauty bombshells.

"Keep telling yourself that."

Masaki curiously looked between her mother and pseudo-aunt as if she sensed the playful yet surreal tension between them. The youngest daughter stretched out her little arms to her mother and Rhea's lone hands before touching them, receiving their eyes on her. She cooed sadly like she was telling them that she didn't like them to be mad at each other.

Seeing the adorable puppy-dog eyes from the six-month-old, Rhea and Saeko couldn't help but to go, "Aw~"

Masaki giggled happily after Saeko kissed her forehead while Rhea playfully pulled on her nose as her brother continued to feeding with nothing else in mind.

"We should know better. Naruto loves us all." Rhea said after shaking her head.

"And we love him just as much." Saeko responded.

The two mothers watched the day go by slowly until Kuroka and Medusa approached them from the forest albeit a bit roughed up if their clothes were any indication. Kuroka's usual kimono had slash marks from a katana while Medusa's had several soot marks from the Nekomata's blasts.

However, Senjutsu wasn't the only power Kuroka has in her disposal. The concentrated blasts utilized by the Nekomata was part of the arts known as Yojutsu, however her knowledge is severely lacking due to having no mentor to teach her.

"Kuroka. Medusa. How was the training?" Rhea asked like a mother would to her children after a long day. The girls looked at each other and shrugged in a 'okay' gesture. "Why don't you two sit here?"

The slightly exhausted girls took their seats next to Rhea and Saeko. Ashla and Masaki squealed as they stretched out their arms for them to be carried. After fixing their blouses, Rhea and Saeko handed over the twins to Medusa and Kuroka to play with the twins.

For the rest of the day, the quartet of beautiful women enjoyed each other's company as the joyous cries of the twins slightly reverberated around them. The thoughts of their mutual significant other remained in their collective minds as they prayed for his safe return.

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Somewhere in Midtown Manhattan

New York City, New York

"Damn…Are you seeing this, Skye?"

="How can I not?"=

Patronus had arrived at the scene where Spider-Man was last seen. It wasn't a pretty sight. New York police cars were scattered down the street as multiple windows, doors and parts of different buildings littered for five blocks. Witnesses talked to the uniforms for their statements while police forensics were collecting evidence from the scenes.

"No sign of Spider-Man obviously. Or his assailant." Naruto observed after he had hidden behind one of the many billboards. Skye's Quadbot was hovering above him and out of anyone's line of sight. "Where could either of them be?"

="Back home or something. From what the video is showing me, Spider-Man really got his ass kicked by this guy who happened to look like a vampire."=

"Really? Wish I could see the video." Skye's chuckle rang through the earbud. "What is it?"

="Funny you should mention that. Look at the Quadcopter."= Naruto turned to the lowered Quadcopter and watched as a small compartment opened before he pulled out a rectangular device out of it. "=That my dear Patronus is one of the newest models of the Smartphone personalized by yours truly."= Skye stated with pride. ="I just sent you the video file."=

"…Okay." Patronus hesitatingly responded as he pressed several buttons until he managed to open the video file and held it horizontally to watch it. The video showed glimpses of Spider-Man fighting a rather tall man in a trench coat as their battle spanned across the street below from earlier.

As fast as Spider-Man looked to be in the video, his enemy was faster and a lot stronger if the scene of the hero being smashed through one of the buildings was any indication of his power. The feed switched to a deli's exterior cameras where it showed Spider-Man battle his enemy for some time until the kitchen area exploded with flames escaping the windows.

"That didn't looked pretty for Spider-Man. Gonna have to track him down."

="You sure that's a good idea right now? He'll be edgy when you meet him."=

"He's the only one who might know where Black Cat is. Also it'll help that we helped save his life from a killer." Patronus affirmed before he pocketed the phone in his pocket. "First we got to find something to track him with."

="The Quadcopter is picking up a lone frequency in the area. It's faint but it's there."=

"How will it take?"

="As long as it can take."=

Patronus shook his hooded head. "I don't like it." He said disapprovingly until an idea came to mind. "Time to use one of my methods."

="Which is?"=

"Later. Skye, can you hack the traffic feeds and try to get a fix on Spider-Man's assailant? It'd be better to know where he is, preferably away from the Web Slinger."

="I'll get to work."=

Naruto watched the Quadcopter leave the vicinity as he approached the burning building where Spider-Man's last known location. Jumping across the street, Patronus stealthily entered the building just as the firemen left it and examined the burnt kitchen for any clues.

"Nothing. Perhaps outside." Naruto mused before he went outside to the alley. It was covered with glass and concrete debris so his chances of finding Spider-Man are slim... or not. "Time to see if it works. Kurama, you ready?"

"I'm always ready. The question should be 'are you?'"

"Of course I am!"

Patronus closed his eyes and focused on his sense—senses… all five of them. He opened his eyes and although no one could see them, a pair of orange-light blueish glowed within his hood, giving the only indication of him having eyes at all. Patronus observed his surroundings and saw they were glowing of sorts: a light gray color with small snowflakes of black.

Wanting to check if it really worked, the ninja checked the alley for any signs that the authorities may have missed. And they did. Naruto noticed a soft crimson red glow underneath a broken wood crate near a pair of trashcans. It was a cloth with red and blue colors with a smudge of the crimson glow. His gaze shifted upwards and found a trail of the crimson red glow going to the rooftop.

"Going up." Patronus reached the rooftop with a single leap. He checked the surroundings for the trail and followed it until the edge. That's when he noticed the different aura colors of the people below; navy blue being the police; white for the passing civilians; the crimson red belonged to the blood he's tracking. "So far so good."

"Looks like you were right, Naruto."

"To be honest, I didn't think it would work but I'm glad it does." Naruto said honestly. "Although I only just developed it…"

Ashura put in his two cents. "Time will tell if it evolves from here."

"Most likely it will." Naruto said with a shrug. "But what should we call it?"

"How about Kistune Vision?"

"Egotistical aren't you." Ashura teased the Tailed Beast. "Oh wait, you are actually."

Naruto pondered about it but knew that it wouldn't be possible with Kurama's aid and the inspiration he found in the Codex. The extra-sensory ability of the Assassins dubbed Eagle Vision allowed them to identify allies, enemies, clues, etc. Eagle Vision appeared to be similar to the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, although the latter was more powerful since their ancestry traced to Hamura Otsutsuki, Hagoromo's younger twin brother.

Still it was impressive for people like the Assassins to acquire such an ability. The Codex even had family trees of each Assassin, especially those who inherited Eagle Vision such as Connor's family whose line were directly from the American Branch Mentor who had revived the Brotherhood in the Colonial era.

Naruto had begun developing his own sense since learning about Eagle Vision and needed Kurama's help to do so. Already he has a sensory ability: Kurama's Negative Emotion Sensing. From there, Naruto used the sensory ability as the foundation and slowly built up the sense around the Homestead and on the girls.

"I like Kitsune Sense better than Kitsune Vision." Naruto said, interrupting his friends' bickering.

"…I like that actually." Kurama snorted in approval while Ashura rolled his eyes as Naruto continued on his way.

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(Sometime Later)

WebCorps Building, Uptown Manhattan

With that done, Naruto continued to use the newly-christened 'Kitsune Sense' to follow the trail. It wasn't easy since the trail was erratic for lack of a better word and also the first time Naruto used Kitsune Sense without Kurama's aid. As he followed the trail over buildings and obstacles considered playthings by his people, Naruto found him-self standing before a particular building named 'WebCorps' has a lone and open panoramic window…with a line of web next to it.

Patronus Shunshined to the window and found his target talking to an old man in a suit. "Am I crashing the party?" He joked after exiting Kitsune Sense as his vision returned to normal.

"RAGH!"

Patronus rolled out of the way when Spider-Man lunged at him before he put his arms up in a surrendering gesture. "Whoa, whoa, Spider-Man! I'm on your side here!" He pleaded for the Web Slinger to listen and hopefully calm down.

Spider-Man was taller than Patronus. When he watched the video earlier, Naruto had studied the costume of the Web Slinger. His costume was skintight and mostly blue with red gloves, boots, the mid-section and lastly the mask. Black web designs were present on the red portions of the costume, starting from the mask while a black spider was on the center of the chest and a differently-designed red spider on the back. Dual lenses acted as eyes on the mask with a chrome covering.

Now the costume was in ruins. The upper back area was nothing, leaving his bare back exposed as the upper portion of his right leg and the lower portion of the left leg were in the same state while the mask remained intact except tufts of brown hair stood out.

"Yeah?! Then why is my Spider-Sense going crazy near you?!" Spider-Man demanded, obviously exhausted from his earlier fight. "You're working for him, aren't you?! Admit it!"

"Spider-Sense?" Naruto repeated that particular word before saying, "Look I'm not with that guy who turned you into his personal punching bag. And in case you're thinking how I'd know that, it was on the news."

Spider-Man only slightly relaxed but remained fully alerted. "Who are you?"

"Patronus." Sims answered for the hooded vigilante, getting the latter's attention on him along with Spider-Man's. "How quaint to meet you."

"Can't say the same since I don't know you." Patronus answered cautiously.

"Where are my manners? Ezekiel Sims at your service." The bare-foot man gave a little bow. "You're a long way from Boston. What brings you here?"

"Him." Patronus pointed at Spider-Man who tensed up when his finger was on him. "Easy boy, it can wait. Now we have to focus on the matter of stopping that guy from killing you."

Spider-Man scoffed with a step backwards. "'We'? Who's we? I don't know you and—"

"But I do." Ezekiel interrupted. "And you know me."

"Barely."

Naruto sighed heavily with his hands on his hips. He expected this from Spider-Man after what he'd been through. Hell, he would response exactly the same. "Spider-Man…" The said hero looked at him. "Have you ever met that guy before?"

"…No." Spider-Man finally answered after hesitating. It was only when his Spider Sense subsided that he answered the hooded vigilante.

"Any reason to kill you? Revenge? A psychopath? Which is it?"

"None of the sort. Not even a personal reason." Spider-Man chuckled painfully as he cradled his ribs. "Just that I'm pure and should sustain him for a while."

"…Did this guy think about what he said before saying it?"

"I thought the same thing too. It didn't faze him."

"So what did he mean about you being pure?"

The young duo looked at Ezekiel after he raised his arm. "I can explain that part."

"Please do." Patronus said before Spider-Man held his arms up to stop Ezekiel from spilling the beans.

"Hold on!" The arachnid-themed hero exclaimed hotly. "What makes you think we can trust him?"

"Although I'm hurt by his words, I gotta admit that he's right. How can you trust me that easily?"

Ezekiel shrugged his shoulders. "I've been watching you for some time now, Patronus. Your work in Boston is impressive for someone new to this life. Good job on saving the mayor and his family by the way."

"That was you?" Spider-Man asked with surprise as he looked at the rookie.

"You sound surprised." Patronus drawled sarcastically before talking to Ezekiel. "Explain. Now."

The WebCorps building was illuminated by a bright flash far to the distance after an explosion plumed smoke like a mushroom cloud, drawing their attention.

"It's him." Ezekiel stated grimly as Spider-Man jumped out of the window and fired a web line towards the site. Patronus however stood still. "You're not going?"

"I will but I need to know about my enemy before releasing hell." Patronus said sagely.

In his youth, he was brash and charged into the battlefield but during the war, he grew from that habit. There are times where he will brush that aside and attack his enemies with his full power.

However, this isn't one of those times.

"Where should I start?"

"A name." Patronus stated before Ezekiel gave him the name that both he and Spider-Man would remember for the rest of their lives.

"Morlun. His name is Morlun."

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Midtown Manhattan

"Don't you dare! Don't you freaking dare!"

Spider-Man had just arrived to a scene of destruction and chaos caused by the one who has been chasing him. Overturned cars and flames showered the street as terrified people ran away from the scene for personal safety. As for the one responsible for all of this was standing in front of him… with a crying child in his grip.

Morlun. He stood taller than the Web Slinger and had very pale skin like a vampire, red-yellow eyes with black sclera. His untamed, long black hair slightly fluttered with the wind. His attire was the same as earlier thought without any cuts or any sign of damage. It was dark blue bordering black suit with a white dress shirt and white collars around the wrists and a soft sky blue shirt under the dress shirt.

Morlun barely seemed to register his prey's existence as he looked at the child in his grip and his prey a couple of times before doing what the latter demanded him not to do. He threw the child aside like garbage. His prey lunged to catch him to avoid any injury.

Just as he predicted.

Spider-Man barely managed to get the child to safety before ducking a fist and countering with his own. It didn't faze Morlun even the slightest as he smashed his hammer fists into Spider-Man's back, causing him to stagger and bend his legs under the pressure. But Spider-Man remained standing and continued to strike with all his strength into them.

After a flurry of punches and kicks, the Web-Slinger received one healthy dose of a right cross to the face and crashed against a nearby store's wall, but he quickly freed him-self and charged at Morlun once more. Putting even more strength than before, Spider-Man landed a body blow at his enemy's chest, which staggered him barely.

"Got to put more strength into my attacks!" Spider-Man exclaimed internally before his Spider-Sense blared as he performed several back-flips to dodge Morlun's attack.

"Please resign to your fate, Totem. It'd be better for you and I."

Spider-Man was shocked when Morlun was already on top of him after landing from the last back-flip. With quick thinking, he performed a sharp high kick from an extremely low angle which would not be possible if it weren't for his enhanced agility and durability.

A small shockwave rang out from the point of contact being Spider-Man's leg connected to Morlun's chin that barely tilted upwards.

"My turn then."

Spider-Man grimaced when Morlun grabbed his extended leg and slammed him against a wall followed by the roof of a car, denting it from the force before finishing him off on the concrete street.

"Not yet." Spider-Man said in pain.

His arms shot out as dual web lines attached themselves to cars on opposite sides of the street and yanked on them. Morlun didn't move before the cars smashed into him on both sides, but Spider-Man didn't stop there as he moved towards a lone beam and wielded it like a baseball bat and hit his enemy's back that actually forced him to bend forward ever slightly.

"It's starting to work! If I keep hitting him then—Ughh!"

His idea was halted when a hand grabbed his throat.

Morlun stared at his prey as he tried to get him release his grip, but it wouldn't work on him. He has him now. His pure totemic energy will sustain his life for he is an Inheritor like his family and nothing can stop him now.

"Eaken."

Except a powerful fistful of wind to the face that sent him flying down the street while his grip accidently released his prey.

After getting up from a flaming car with no related injuries, Morlun casually walked back where he was hit and found a black hooded stranger with a sword on his back helping Spider-Man back to his feet. "And who are you to interfere with my hunt?" He asked politely with a subtle hint of venom in his voice.

"Just a traveler, Morlun." Patronus answered casually, getting a raised eyebrow from said person. "I have business with Spidey here and he's no good to me. So why don't you move along, vampire?" He gestured his hand in a 'shoo-shoo' motion at the Inheritor. "Go on. Go back to your coffin or cave or whatever you vampires sleep during the day."

"Peculiar that you know my name in spite of our meeting the first time, but as you humans say it—you watch too much vampire movies." Morlun popped his knuckles after flexing them casually. "I'll have to kill you first as an appetizer then for the main course. I often cherished the young ones."

What he got were two blank stares from the two heroes as they looked at each other, then him and each other again several times until they pointed at him.

"Do you even think about what you say? You're a real Class A freak!" Patronus and Spider-Man exclaimed with vigor before sharing chuckles.

"I am going to enjoy feasting on your flesh." Morlun stated ominously, ending the chuckle session of his prey.

Patronus simply laughed, accepting the challenge. "You're going to have to catch us first~" He swiftly pulled out and threw a smoke pellet in front of him and his colleague.

Morlun stood there unfazed even when the smoke cleared and his targets were gone, but no matter since he can track the totem anywhere and anytime.

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Web-swinging with utmost accuracy and speed culminated from years of experience and training away from perhaps his most and dangerous powerful enemy besides a certain goblin, the exhausted Spider-Man was blurring across the New York skyline along with traversing the rooftops.

Nothing could slow him down until he forgot about Patronus.

"Crap, now I got to— What the hell?!"

"What's up Spider-Man?" Patronus asked like nothing was wrong as he ran across the many rooftops parallel to Spider-Man with speed that no normal human can do. He was actually on pace with his web-swinging!

"Who are you?!"

"Just a traveler who needs your help." Patronus answered with absolute and a straight face as he jumped over rooftops and high buildings while sliding under obstacles that obstructed his field of vision with absolute ease.

"Kinda fighting for my life you know!"

"I know that!" Naruto answered back with clear annoyance. He didn't expect to find himself fighting an enemy so soon but then again he should've remembered that New York City is a magnet for heroes and villains. "So that was Morlun huh. You sure he isn't a vampire?"

"Pretty sure he responded back there about not being one."

"Just saying." Patronus muttered loudly as he and Spider-Man landed a particular building that was shaped like a pizza from the looks of it. The hooded Shinobi walked closer to the front and saw the large letters before reading them. "'Daily Bugle'. Who would work at a place like this?"

With his back turned, Naruto didn't see the arachnid superhero stiffened upon saying those words.

Spider-Man despite his exhaustion, coughed into his hand. "People who are passionate or wanted to help those close to one's self." He muttered the last words under breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto put his finger to his finger within the hood to call his hacker friend. "Skye, can you hear me?"

="Loud and clear. Whatever you did, the police are on high alert. The police scanner is going crazy with reports! I take it you met Spider-Man's stalker."=

"A vampire from the looks of it." Patronus answered while Spider-Man palmed his face. "You have his location by any chance?"

="…No dice. Looks like this Morlun character is a creature of the night after all."=

"I need you to do something for me."

="Which is…"= Skye waited while Patronus informed her of what he needed. ="I don't know why but I hope you have some plan that doesn't get you killed. I'd hate to be the only hacker vigilante who's become unemployed after one day."=

"Get to it." Naruto said before the comms cackled as he turned around to face Spider-Man. "Okay we have an advantage in numbers. We have that going for us now. Also I can sneak up on him and—"

"That won't work." Spider-Man interrupted the rookie vigilante. "Once you made physical contact with him, he can track either of us no matter where we are. Morlun will find us and—" He received a chop on the head from an annoyed Patronus. "What the?!"

"That kind of attitude will get us nowhere. Luckily for us, I didn't actually touch Morlun and I also have a plan in motion."

Spider-Man blinked several times as one thing really confused him. "Why didn't my Spider-Sense react?! Do I see this guy as an ally?!" He thought to himself before saying, "What do you mean by that?"

"…I didn't actually touch him."

"Then how'd you—" He screamed in pain as his hands clenched around his masked head after the Spider-Sense rang intensely. "H-he's here!"

"I see him." Patronus clarified after activating his Kitsune Sense. He saw a rather venomous purple/black aura covering their approaching enemy. "Man this guy is evil and flying?" He also added to the mental note of Spider-Man's aura being gold with an outline of silver just before he had deactivated his new Assassin-inspired sense.

"He can fly?!"

"Apparently so." Naruto answered simply before he threw another smoke pellet to the ground to obscure their movements as he and Spider-Man made their quick escape via freerunning and web-swinging respectively while Morlun was right on their tail.

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S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

Above Manhattan Island

Captain America walked through the many corridors and halls of the VTOL-capable carrier. He was summoned by Nick Fury about another mission for him to undertake. Upon arriving at the large rectangular conference room, Captain America was greeted by the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. and one of his oldest friends and allies of the modern time.

"Tony." Captain America greeted rather curtly as he took off his mask.

"Steve." Tony responded curtly. Tony Stark AKA Iron Man was fair-skinned with a clean beard and short black hair as riddled marks of age were present around his eyes. He donned a red and gold mechanical suit of armor that didn't look bulky and lightweight for him to move in battle. A helmet/mask was 'opened' upon the table with thin lenses as eyes for him to see through.

"What is this, Fury?"

"I know things are tense between you two but now's not the time." Fury pressed a button and the holographic screen on the wall behind him activated with a still photo of one black figure whose head and face was completely hidden in a hood. "Here is your mission."

"Who is he?" Tony asked.

"You don't' know? This is Boston's own residential hero: Patronus."

"Latin. Interesting." Tony said somewhat impressed. "What does he have to do with us? What does S.H.I.E.L.D want with him?"

"As of July 15 at 2100 hours, S.W.O.R.D. detected a breach 40 miles outside of Boston, Massachusetts. We sent in a team to investigate and contain the perimeter. Said team engaged a hostile presence shortly after their arrival. The hostile presence soon disappeared afterwards."

"Let me stop you there. You think Patronus has something to do with the breach?" Tony asked skeptically. "You know as well as I do that there are many people in our world who have the capability to open breaches and portals to other worlds. I mean we have an Asgardian God on our team."

"Used to." Steve added rudely.

"Bear in mind S.H.I.E.L.D. is investigating and keeping tabs on all those who have the capability." Fury stated afterwards. "Patronus added himself to that list when he saved Boston's mayor and his family from Crossbones."

"So what do you want us to do?"

"I want both of you to find Patronus and bring him here so we can question him."

"No." Both Tony and Fury looked at a resolute Steve. "Patronus hasn't done wrongdoing after his heroic debut. He didn't break any laws and Boston is safer under his protection."

"You kept tabs on him?" Tony asked rather mischievous. "Are you sure you haven't done any wrongdoing yourself?"

Steve spared his former teammate a look. "Director Fury, I won't do it. Patronus is doing fine work and I will not do any action that may destroy any chance of building trust with him."

"What do you mean by that?"

Captain America said nothing else as he saluted the director before leaving the conference room and its occupants behind. He believed in liberty and justice. Patronus seemed to uphold those beliefs as well like all other heroes he knows such as Spider-Man, Black Widow and Falcon.

Perhaps he could be a fresh face to the team he's planning to build. Someone who could build rapport with the others. But first, he'll have to gain Patronus' trust.

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Port of New York

Lower East Side, Downtown Manhattan

"Does this guy tire?!"

"I should be asking you that!" Spider-Man cried out after yanking on his web-line to pull himself upwards to dodge a fist from Morlun. Instead a billboard took his place as it was easily destroyed while Morlun didn't react to the pain.

Patronus vaulted over an AC unit and threw several shuriken. The shuriken bounced off the superhuman's skin like they were nothing and Morlun didn't look fazed at all. "Well that didn't work."

Their chase ended when Patronus threw a third smoke pellet to cover his and Spider-Man's movements.

="Patronus, I take you're at the port."=

"Yeah thanks." Taking a quick glance around his surroundings, Patronus nodded in approval. "Perfect."

="Are you sure about this? From the looks in the video, he's not affected by anything."= Skye stated while watching the live feed from the Quadcopter.

Patronus waved his hand in a so-and-so motion. "More or less."

="Notice the confidence in my voice."= Skye responded sarcastically through the earbud.

"Sure. Gotta go."

"Who were you talking to?" Spider-Man whispered next to him, breathing heavily as he takes deep breaths to recuperate his body.

"My friend."

"Has she been listening this whole time?"

"…Oops." Patronus finally said after a while. He managed to calm the Web-Slinger with a raised hand after activating his Kitsune Sense as the environment around him changed colors again.

Out in the not-so-far distance on the other side of the warehouse was the glowing black/purple aura belonging to Morlun as he was casually walking like it was a stroll. He could see through walls! Although the aura looked blurred to the point he could barely see it compared to Spider-Man's who was right next to him.

"Note to self: improve Kitsune Sense to possibly read their minds."

"I can hear you, Totem."

Both heroes tensed when the Inheritor spoke for the first time in a while.

"Whenever I hunt one of you, I can hear your heartbeat. You Totems, no matter how powerful or experienced you are in a constant state of fear. Your heartbeat beats into a rhythm that my family and I enjoy right to the moment we lay our hands on you."

"Family?" Both Spider-Man and Patronus thought at the same time. "There's more like him!?"

"However your colleague tells a different story."

The heroes shared a look as Morlun continued his monologue.

"I assumed he was one of the pitiful humans who was over his head intervening my meal."

Patronus kept his eye on Morlun's aura as the latter turned the corner away from their location or so it seemed. Why? Because he stopped before making the final turn with his back facing them. "Does he know where we are?" His hidden eyes widened when he thought about Morlun's earlier words. "Crap he can hear Spider-Man's heartbeat!"

Spider-Man noticed his associate reaching for the katana's handle on his back and that told him to be ready.

"Even now, his heartbeat is calm and steady and that intrigues me. I admit I never met a human like him. I look forward to eating his life essence before yours, Totem."

"JUMP!" Patronus whispered sharply as he and Spider-Man took to the ceiling beams above just before Morlun crashed through the wall of the warehouse, sending debris everywhere that flew across the large room.

"Taking cover in the shadows? That can only delay the inevitable."

"So can this."

Spider-Man watched when four small lights glowed around his enemy before chains burst out of them. They wrapped around Morlun's arms and legs before being pulled taunt thereby restraining him. "What the hell?"

His shocked eyes glanced over to Patronus who had his left index and middle fingers together in front of him as if it was a hand-sign.

Morlun didn't look worried as he merely inspected the chains and tugged them slightly to test their strength. "Do you really think these can hold me?"

"So and so."

"…Free me and allow me to feast on you." Morlun demanded stoically aloud for his targets to hear. He may not see them but he can still hear their heartbeats.

"No thanks."

"So be it."

Morlun tensed his limbs and the chains broke from the strength behind the action. However, Patronus was already in front of him and slashed Tenkaichi's blade across Morlun's chest. The unknown Inheritor felt an unusual sensation across his torso and looked down to see red liquid cascading downwards. He was wounded!

Naruto was surprised as well but remembered about the metal he used to forge Tenkaichi. Putting that for afterthought later, Patronus quickly spun around and smacked Morlun on the face with the flat side of the katana.

Spider-Man watched with shock as the enemy he had been struggling to fight back was propelled out of the warehouse by a rookie. Is Patronus stronger than him? How did he manage to wound him?

"Wait a minute… he wounded him! There's blood on his sword. This is our chance!"

Landing near him, Spider-Man stretched out his hand for the sword. "Give me the sword."

"Why?" Patronus asked, tilting his head while hiding Tenkaichi behind him.

"His blood is on your sword." Spider-Man responded. Patronus's head tilted further in response, causing him to sigh exasperatedly. "If I can analyze it, I can figure out a way to beat him."

Patronus looked between the katana and the veteran superhero before reaching for the latter's left arm and ripped off the leftover rag of his costume. Ignoring the protest, Patronus wiped the blood on the rag and gave it to Spider-Man. "Get going. I'll hold him off for as long as I can."

"I'm not sure those chains of yours will do much…" The Wall Crawler said after grumbling on the leftover rags of his costume. "But I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that, the tattered hero web-slinged out of there with the blood sample.

"Those seals aren't the only things that can help me." Patronus turned around to see Morlun strutting back to him although his footsteps sound a little louder. "Did I piss you off or is the sun bothering you, vampire?" He asked while twirling Tenkaichi casually.

"The former actually."

"Good." Patronus smiled within his hood as a subtle glow barely surrounded his body, an indication of his chakra rising. "It's been a while since I cut loose."

The warehouse soon imploded within by the dual clash of the two super powered beings by a powerful shockwave ring.

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(Meanwhile)

Upper West Side, Uptown Manhattan

A rather lavish apartment building stood among the many tall buildings of the famous New York skyline as its residents enjoyed their time within whether they're single or married.

In New York City, you either make it or break it. One particular tenant was considered the epitome of that aspect in life.

The doorman of the building greeted several residents as they either entered or exited while being mindful of his everyday life. However, his day was lifted further when he saw a familiar face exiting a cab that stopped in front of the building.

"Well, hello Ms. Hardy."

"Please call me Felicia."

Felicia Hardy stood there as a beautiful woman with long, straight blonde hair that stopped just under her shoulders. Her green eyes were beautiful as they became more and more each time she blinked. She sported a white blouse and green loose skirt that reached her ankles and didn't hide her curvaceous figure. Felicia was a blonde bombshell considered by many and earned the ire of jealous wives and girlfriends along with the lustful gazes of their significant others.

However, there was one who lifted her heart after her incident years ago but now he belongs to someone else.

Felicia shook her head upon entering the elevator and once more when she entered her exquisite apartment. She'd never had to worry since her job operates on alternative revenue stream.

Taking a seat on her Victorian style couch after a rather unpleasant interference on a business meeting back in Boston. Despite seeing all types of beings throughout her career and with the one who got away, Felicia had never seen or meet someone who had two tails like the female she fought the night before.

"And that's saying something." Felicia muttered before she looked at her recently-obtained possession. "You're probably involved in this I'm sure." Wanting to rid herself of the noisy thoughts, Felicia turned the flat-screen television on to catch up on news about America.

Imagine her surprise when a certain news reporter began another slander campaign against an arachnid-themed superhero she's very familiar with. Her surprise turned to shock when a video popped alongside the reporter and showed Spider-Man being thrashed around like a chew toy by someone she never seen or heard before.

What's more was that a photo of a black hooded figure appeared next to the video.

"Yep, New York City is still the same." Felicia said after getting over her shock. Still she couldn't rid herself of worry for Spider-Man.

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Forest Hills, Queens

Queens, New York City

"Ah-choo!" The unmasked superhero sniffled before wincing from the sharp pain. His rag of a costume laid on the floor upon returning home while he applied some first-aid on his bleeding wounds as thick white bandages were strapped around his chest and rib areas. "Damn it. Note to self, Peter: Break the damn Parker Luck someday."

The un-costumed Spider-Man was a muscled man with short brown hair and hazel eyes as he wore his boxers with nothing else. With an ice pack over his swollen right eye, Spider-Man or by his civilian identity Peter Parker pulled out a microscope from his closet and set it on the nightstand next to him.

"I may not be Reed Richards, but by God I'm a scientist, and I've got the equipment to prove it." Sitting on his comfy bed as he put the blood sample underneath the scope, Peter looked through the lenses and set it to maximum. "Unbelievable. His blood is an amalgam of every kind of cell: animal, bird, human and insect. Purest form of DNA I've ever seen."

He stood up from his bed and walked back to his closet. "That explains how he can go after me or anyone else Ezekiel described as a Totem."

From his earlier discussion after one stunning first meeting, Peter met Ezekiel during one of his nightly patrols to relieve stress from everyday frustrations. He later met the older 'Totem' when he donated a rather large donation to the Midtown Science School Peter was working as its new science teacher. They met for coffee where Ezekiel explained about Peter's powers being of mystical origin; the spider who bit Peter had chosen him to be the avatar of the Great Weaver and therefore becoming Spider-Man.

"If my guess is right, Morlun's cells breaks down over time and require periodic recharging from a source life-form in each category." Peter mused aloud to himself as he took out a spare costume. "The purer the source, the stronger the charge. That's why he wants me. Ezekiel thinks that I'm closer to this totemistic source." He paused after putting on the torso and gloves. "Truth is I've never entirely accepted his story."

Peter continued putting on the rest of his costume.

"Maybe it's true and maybe it isn't. However, there is one thing I know for certain: I am not pure as Morlun thinks I do and that may be my one chance to beat him." Peter declared certainly as he pulled down his mask. "Hopefully, that Patronus guy is still alive."

With that in mind, Spider-Man fired a web and swung towards the direction of the port where he last saw Patronus. Hopefully alive when he gets there.

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Port of New York

Lower East Side, Manhattan Island

"Don't let him touch you. Once he makes physical contact, he'll find you no matter where you are."

Ezekiel's words echoed within the ninja's mind over and over as his battle against Morlun. Naruto was conflicted about this as to how to combat an enemy who may potentially come after his family, but he came to realize that he'd learned a number of skills and techniques from Ryozanpaku that would allow him to fight without actually touching Morlun with his arms or legs.

Patronus leaped backwards to dodge another grab attempt by Morlun. "Too easy."

"Will this make things difficult?" Morlun asked rhetorically as he threw an abandoned car at him.

Patronus slashed at the incoming vehicle before it even reached him as he stood there in the same spot. The divided machine landed on both sides of him as Patronus assumed one of the stances he was taught by Shizune back in the Soul Universe.

There are three basic but crucial stances to those who wields the blade, both past and present generations.

The first was the High Stance that focuses on offense, emphasizing attack power and aggression but limits both blocking and dodging abilities. The second was the Low Stance that focused on evasion—excels at dodging—and quick strikes once the user is behind his/her opponent's back. Lastly was the one that balances aspects of both the High and Low Stances known as the Mid Stance and enhances blocking plus allows to time one's movements and ability to strike.

Right now, Patronus held his sword in front of him with his feet at shoulder-length. His preferred stance being the Mid Stance. "Plus a little insurance or two."

"Why do Humans mutter before their death?" Morlun asked stoically as he dashed towards his opponent. "It's something I never understood of your kind." He managed to say before being repelled back by a powerful burst of wind produced when Patronus swung his sword. "Again with the wind. Do you honestly think you'll hurt me with an elemental attack? You were fortunate about the first blow. I assure you that won't happen again."

Smirking within his beaked hood, Patronus chuckled humorously. "Who said that was an elemental attack? That blast was just the shockwave from my swing." He pointed the tip directly at Morlun's chest. "Come at me with all you got."

"With pleasure."

The port shook after each contact between fist and blade since Morlun stood guard from now on, thereby increasing his invulnerability to its full power. Patronus and Morlun matched each other blow for blow, much to the latter's surprise. He'd never thought he'd meet a Human whose strength is similar to his prey's or perhaps even his own.

This is very intriguing indeed.

Patronus was almost on the boat of thought as he clashed once more before exhaling a powerful stream of wind to push himself back away from Morlun. "Oh no you don't." Morlun's foot dug into the ground, leaving a small footprint dent behind as he jumped towards Patronus and swiped through him with his sharp nails. "Through him?"

The stunned 'Patronus' stood there before shuttering out of existence, much to Morlun's surprise.

"Too slow." Patronus whispered from behind.

Morlun lashed out with such swiftness that he cut the air but his backhand missed its target. Actually several targets. "My, my. Interesting trick, human."

The Patronus clones stood all over the port as they surrounded him with all their blades pointed at him. Oddly enough they didn't move from their spots, giving Morlun time to grab a lone metal beam and swung it like a bat against all the clones. Instead of bodily contact and like the earlier contact, the clones flickered out of his view.

"Thank you, Hayato sensei, for the Bunshin technique." Patronus thought as he hid in a vantage point atop a crane tower with Morun in full view. "How long will Spider-Man take? I hope he didn't leave me hanging."

"Incoming!"

Heeding Kurama's warning, Patronus channeled his wind chakra through his sword's blade before swinging it at the thrown beam's target, cutting it in half safely. The two beams fell to the harbor below as sea water splashed around the port.

"Now for the big ugly." Patronus said as he met Morlun's charge with a Shunshin, surprising the latter with his suddenly-increased speed. His blade met Morlun's fists, entering a clash between them even as they fell to the ground but landed without problems. Their clash traded blows with none penetrating the others' defense as expected by Patronus.

Morlun however wasn't pleased. And the source of his displeasure was in his enemy's hands so he decided to harm his wellbeing.

Patronus's eyes widened when Morlun grabbed Tenkaichi's blade with both his hands after a swing. He tried to pry it away from his grip with all his strength but Morlun kept the death grip on the blade so tight his hands started to actually bleed as drops of the crimson liquid fell to the ground.

"Time for this to go away." Morlun stated.

Although he couldn't see it, Patronus was smirking at Morlun. "I don't think so." He suddenly threw out his left arm and extended his golden Hidden Blade before rotating it with his fingers downwards and wielded it like a dagger. As quick as he could, Patronus stabbed it into Morlun's right arm.

"GAH!" Morlun yelled as he let go of the sword in favor to hold his bleeding hand. "He has another weapon but it can actually harm me even if I'm alert!"

"Thank you, Pivot Blade."

As each Brotherhood had their own unique variation of the Hidden Blade, its members had a choice to either upgrade or stay with the original. Per custom, Naruto had chosen the Pivot Blade for the left Hidden Blade bracer since it is the main one. The Pivot Blade was interesting for Naruto but it also complemented his style and forced him to train his left arm to be as strong as his right arm back at the Homestead to properly wield the weapon.

Patronus held Tenkaichi and the Pivot Blade at the ready as he and Morlun circled around each other like a pair of lions about to fight for leadership of the pride.

That is until a semi-truck had smashed into Morlun from the sky.

"…Damn." Patronus said simply as the one responsible landed next to him. "Feel better?"

"Surprisingly yes." Spider-Man admitted.

Patronus inspected the spare costume and nodded in approval. "Yep, better than the old one." He joked, trying to shed some light on the situation.

To his surprise, Spider-Man chuckled.

"Thank you. I've been saving this one for a special night like this one."

Patronus laughed as he sheathed his sword on his back before wiping the blood from the Pivot Blade with a rag. "Let's go." He fixed the Pivot Blade back to its Hidden Blade orientation as it retracted within the sleeve while he and Spider-Man left the port to get distance away from Morlun. "I take you have a way to beat him."

"Yes I do."

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(Nighttime)

Southern New York Nuclear Power Plant

="Patronus, tell him he's an idiot!"=

"Skye says you're an idiot." Patronus said stoically. "And I say I agree with her."

"A few minutes ago you didn't know what radiation was."

The two heroes had journeyed to the plant while Spider-Man told him about Morlun's DNA being pure, his status as a Totem and their connection. When radiation was mentioned, Naruto received a science lesson that he would never forget in his life from both Spider-Man and Skye.

"Yes and now I do. I can tell you that it's dangerous and reckless to put your body at great risk. And aren't we exposed to this stuff by being here?"

"The radiation is held within a chamber of the plant and they have several shutdown protocols in case of a leak." Spider-Man explained despite his nervousness. He looked back at Patronus who looked to be very unsure about his plan. "Look I appreciate you helping me, but I got to do this. It's between me and him. There's no other way. I have to end this."

"…I can't go inside because I'm a bit uneasy about this radiation business but I can secure the perimeter in case… in case Morlun gets out and you don't."

Spider-Man had to admit that it was a reasonable plan. "Sounds good to me. Here's to my plan's success." He raised a hand and Patronus shook it before leaving to secure the perimeter around the plant.

With that in mind, the Spider Totem sneaked inside the plant before coming across a junction box. He pried it open and found several wires and buttons connected to several rooms throughout the plant. Using his inherent intellect, Spider-Man loosened the chosen wires and…

*Blare**Blare**Blare*

="THIS IS THE PLANT SUPERVISOR…YOU ARE INSTRUCTED TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY…I REPEAT…EVACUATE THE FACILITIES AT ONCE…"=

Spider-Man stared out the window that overlooked the main hallway towards the radiation chamber as many employees fast-walked out the plant as quickly as they could without knocking each other over.

"There we go! One simulated meltdown and nobody around to get in the way. I figure it'll take three hours or less for the federal emergency teams to get inside and find that it's a false alarm." Spider-Man thought as he stood before the door that holds the key for his survival or possible downfall.

As he entered the room with a radiation suit over his costume, Spider-Man went to work with the dangerous chemical around him that are housed within their containers.

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Sector 64

The wall that secured the facilities from intruders collapsed as Morlun walked through like it was nothing. Behind him was a human man in a trench coat but with eyes that belonged to an elderly man and a shadow around his chin.

"Hey stop!" Both Morlun and his accomplice looked to the left as a security guard ran towards them. "Put your hands where I can see them!"

"Dex… why is he telling me to stop?"

"I don't know…Morlun." Dex said hesitatingly as the guard raised his gun on them.

"Now get on the ground and—GAWK!"

Morlun studied the guard in his grip before casually flicked his wrist, snapping the neck instantly. He dropped him and stared at the wall before him where his prey was waiting on the other side.

"He's inside. Wait for me."

"Yes, Morlun."

"Time to end this. Then I'll go after that Patronus fellow to teach him a lesson about interfering with my meal." Morlun said after finding no sign of the second hero.

"AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" Someone screamed from within the building.

Morlun heard that and drove his fist through the wall and entered the chamber. "Curious. I thought I heard a…" He looked up to the balcony and found his prey on the floor, no responsive to his presence. "Ah…it would appear that I did. Not that it'll mean much to you in your current condition, but you'll be pleased to know that the energy I take from you the moment of your death, the pure spider within you, will sustain me for at least another hundred years."

He stopped just before his prey.

"So while your sacrifice was inevitable and unwilling…at least it was in a worthy cause." Morlun grabbed the front of Spider-Man's costume. "Nothing to say?" He observed the unconscious Totem. "Until now you've been talking for the both of us. I don't have your skill. I hardly know what to say, well, except—" He grabbed Spider-Man's head. "Goodbye."

Cue the grayish-yellow glow from his hand and his prey's masked head.

"AAAGGGHHH!" Morlun screamed out in pain before tossing Spider-Man away. "Get away from me!" He demanded in fear while looking at his glowing hand. "I…I don't understand, what—"

"Typical, isn't it?" Spider-Man slowly rose to his knees. Injecting a vial of radiation fluid into his body brought him pain beyond imagination. "Just when you think you know someone… they surprise you. You wanted to feed on the spider in me because it was pure…right from the spider's mouth so to speak. But there's one thing different about me, Morlun."

Drawing all his might, Spider-Man fired a right cross right to Morlun's cheek. "I'm not pure!"

The same unimaginable pain inflamed Morlun from the latest strike before it became amplified by Spider-Man's onslaught of punches and kicks all powered by the radiation he injected in himself.

"What is this?! This pain!"

Grabbing on Morlun's suit, Spider-Man pulled him towards before head-butting sharply at his chin as he followed through with a front kick. His enemy fell over the railing after the kick and Spider-Man didn't let up as he jumped over and landed before him to continue striking like Morlun had done before him and that's when he noticed something.

The radiation is leaving his body with each strike against Morlun. Instead of his life-force being absorbed, the radiation he injected in himself takes the fall and Morlun is actually choking on the radiation.

"Get away from me—Unghhh!" Morlun shouted in pain after being struck once again.

Spider-Man, however, didn't relent and continued his brutal assault. "You feel it don't you?! How does it feel to be pursued by a relentless person?!" He shouted with his last punch knocking Morlun against a wall. "Can't let you get a breath or two to recover your strength."

Spider-Man grabbed Morlun's head in a vice grip, inducing another dose of radiation into his enemy and weakening him as his back-handed punch sent him back deeper into the wall. The last bit of radiation within his body was depleted from that punch but it was worth it.

Morlun laid there in front of him, severely weakened by the many doses of radiation he inflicted on him. However, his appearance had changed and not for the better. Two to four antennas protruded from his forehead while his fair skin changed into green scales and his eyes turned to pure bright red.

"…Holy…" Spider-Man whispered in shock.

"Please…just let me live… I beg you."

"..." Spider-Man contemplated his choices to let him live or end him right there. His train of thought was interrupted when his Spider-Sense tingled in his skull. "What—"

Both he and Morlun looked at a broken section of the chamber where a stoic Dex was pointing a gun directly at his captor.

"I quit."

"NO!" Spider-Man pleaded but it was too late as Dex fired a bullet directly into Morlun's heart, causing him to fall to his knees while his body was disintegrating.

"…I was…just hungry. That's all… it was nothing personalllll…"

Spider-Man and Dex watched the glowing pile of radiation that was once Morlun as the door behind him was banged on a few times. Most likely the federal emergency teams.

"He hurt me. He hurt me a lot." Dex tried to clarify his action.

The hero looked at the tired ex-henchmen. "Get out. Never come back. Or I will hurt you a thousand times worse than he ever did." He warned venomously before leaving the station.

TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM

It wasn't long until he met with Patronus leaning against a black van. Before Spider-Man could greet him, he was stopped by a raised hand.

"Are you clean?"

"Yes."

"Let's us make sure of that." Patronus said before knocking on the van. "Skye, do your thing."

Spider-Man watched someone in a ski-mask exit the van with a square-like device in her hand. It was connected to a separate arm that acted like a scanner of sorts. "A Geiger counter? Where'd you get that?"

"No questions please." Skye waved the scanner around Spider-Man while the counter beeped slightly but no signs of radiation. "He's clean. I don't know how but he's clean."

"Sorry Spidey, but Skye and I couldn't take the chance." Patronus said honestly before repeating Skye's statement as a question. "How are you clean? Isn't radiation lethal?"

"Only in lethal doses in a normal human…but my physiology changed after I received my powers. Needless to say, one dose is all I'm ever gonna take for the rest of my life."

"Please do." Patronus and Skye answered in unison.

"Plus, Morlun absorbed the dose of radiation I injected in myself each time I stuck him. Radiation is his one weakness as it appeared."

"Speaking of Morlun, where is he?"

"…He's dead." Spider-Man finally answered, receiving wide eyed stares from the duo even though he couldn't see them.

"Did you—"

Spider-Man shook his head as he shook his wrists that stung from punching Morlun so hard. "A victim he kept and abused shot him right through the heart. Then he literally turned in a glowing pile of ash."

"Whoa." Patronus and Skye responded in unison once more.

Spider-Man chuckled before sighing in relief. "Tell me about it." He offered a hand to Patronus. "Thank you... for saving my life." Patronus hesitatingly took the hand before gripping it vice-like as they shook their limbs. "Now what did you want with me?"

"That can wait until tomorrow."

"No offense, but I kinda don't want to see you tomorrow." Spider-Man answered honestly, getting a surprised yelp from the rookie.

What he didn't expect was Patronus dropping to his knees and hands with a depressed cloud over him.

"And I thought we were friends after this."

"But we haven't had any sleepovers or read comic books together." Spider-Man joked while Skye snorted behind her fist as Patronus looked at him strangely.

"That was so bad."

"I have my moments." Spider-Man answered before he winced afterwards. The adrenaline from the entire day is fading and his injuries are beginning to hurt now. Time to speed this up. "So I ask again: what can I help you with?"

Patronus shared a look with Skye before answering. "Black Cat." Spider-Man blinked in surprise as the rookie looked at him. "Last night she stole an artifact from the Boston Museum of Art & Antiquities. We tracked both her along with the employer who hired her in New York."

"And you're asking me because…" Spider-Man paused for them to answer.

"There are rumors about you and Black Cat." Patronus and Skye chuckled when Spider-Man sighed loudly with his body leaned forward.

"Of course there are."

"So they were true." Patronus stated joyously. "Then do you two have a secret signal or something?"

"What am I, a creature of the night or something?" Spider-Man asked annoyed. Good thing his mask hid his flushed face of embarrassment. He could barely see his eyes but knew Patronus was staring right at him. "…Fine. Here." He took something out from his hidden utility belt and gave it to the hooded hero. "This will transmit a signal to our…secret rendezvous back then. But they only work at night."

"So we have to use it now." Skye said after receiving the transmitter. "I'll start the van."

Patronus and Spider-Man glanced at Skye entering the vehicle before they looked at each other. "You want a ride?" asked the hooded hero.

"No thanks. I'll be fine on my own." Spider-Man refused politely.

An idea suddenly popped in Patronus' prankster mind. "At least let me help you." He said while his grin was hidden within the hood.

"How are you going—" His Spider-Sense blared but it was too late as Patronus held his arms before hoisting him and spinning around "HEY, HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOOIIINNNGGGgggggg!" Spider-Man screamed after being let go as he soared further and further away from the station.

"Hope to see you again, Spidey!" Patronus shouted before he entered the van and noticed Skye, who had already taken her mask off, giving him the 'what was that' look from the driver seat. "What? I helped him get home."

"By throwing him like a bullet to nowhere!?"

"New York was that way, wasn't it?"

Skye sighed loudly before chuckling as she turned around and drove the van on route back to Manhattan. "You're something all right, Patronus."

"Like Spider-Man, I have my moments." The disguised ninja said as he put his arms behind his head and relaxed his body against the van's interior wall.

Now they were closer to finding Black Cat and the artifact, but Naruto couldn't help but feel there's more to come for him and Skye in the City That Never Sleeps.