Hope you guys enjoy.

Naruto was enjoying a dream he immediately forgot the moment he was awakened by hushed giggles. Feeling very warm and very comfortable wrapped up in his sheets, he gave no mind to the noise, opting to fall back into slumber's sweet embrace.

That was until there was a feint flash followed closely by louder giggles that sounded awfully familiar.

"Mom? What are you - " Naruto began, his words slurred by his sleep impaired state of mind. Just as he opened his eyes, he was blinded by yet another flash, washing away his drowsiness immediately. "Mom! I told you not to take pictures of me while I sleep!"

Standing above him in the darkened room was the outline of his mother, illuminated only by the light coming from the hallway. He fumbled with his wrist watch, trying to find the application to turn on his lights, and was blinded twice more by the flashes before he was finally able to turn them on.

He was greeted with the sight of his mother smiling mischievously down at him from behind her camera. Her blue eyes were shining with mirth, vibrant red hair tied in a tail hung over her left shoulder, held together by a single orange hair band. She was wearing her favorite green dress over a white shirt.

"But how else am I supposed to remember my baby boy's second week of school?" Kushina asked, turning her phone to show him the last picture she had taken.

"Mom," Naruto groaned in embarrassment. In the picture one of his eyes was shut and his hair was a mess as he reached for the camera. "Just remember it like normal people! Or at least wait until I'm up, you nearly blinded me!"

"It's all about making memories!" Kushina cheered, raising her phone to take more pictures.

"Get out!" Naruto shouted, throwing his pillow at her.

His mother dodged the pillow easily, running out of the room to escape the volley of pillows he was lobbing at her, giggling all the while.

Later, Naruto was eating his breakfast, a stack of pancakes and scrambled eggs, while his mother was seated across from him. She was smiling innocently, humming a sweet tune as she ate, behaving as though she had done nothing wrong.

"Can you please pass me the syrup? Kushina asked kindly.

"Can you stop taking pictures of me while I sleep?" Naruto retorted.

"No," Kushina answered immediately and with no hesitation. "And besides, I only take pictures of important occasions."

"Like my second week of school?" Naruto asked with a sigh, passing his mother the syrup bottle.

"Exactly!"

"Mom, I love you but don't you think that's going a little overboard?" Naruto asked. "There's nothing special about the second week of school."

"Not in the slightest. You're going to Vision, one of the most prestigious schools in New York! I'm immensely proud of you and I know your father would be too. That's why I want to commemorate every moment!" Kushina said.

Naruto looked down at his half-eaten breakfast at the mention of his father. He died three years before and ever since; his mother had become borderline clingy. She took any and every chance to impose herself into his life.

He was fifteen and had a curfew of six in the evening, was not allowed to roam the city by himself, and was only allowed to have friends over under her strict supervision. While Naruto understood his mother's caution, he was beginning to grow tired of her overbearing behavior.

Her latest display being his abrupt change in school. After an incident at his previous school involving a bully and a beatdown he received, his mother panicked and pulled him from that school, enrolling him in a school he wasn't sure they could afford.

Sometimes he hated his whisker-like birthmarks.

Naruto wanted to return to his old school, where he had friends and even a few girls he was interested in but he knew there was no arguing with is mother. Not when she made up her mind.

"Yeah," Naruto muttered. It was all he could think to say in that moment.

He saw his mother's expression fall momentarily before she returned to her own meal.

They ate in relative silence following that exchange, with only the morning news playing from the living room offering a reprieve from the awkwardness. There was a sudden breaking news report mentioning the latest clash between Kingpin and Spider-man. Naruto perked up, as did his mother but for each their own reasons.

"Spider-Man," Kushina spat out, her normally kind and vibrant complexion contorted into something so angry, so foreign. "Just one criminal fighting another."

That was what his father used to say about Spider-Man.

Personally, Naruto was a big fan of the masked vigilante, though he understood why is mother was not. His father's death was not an accident and somehow Spider-Man was involved. Though he was certain it wasn't the hero's fault. For as amazing as Spider-Man was, he couldn't save everyone.

Unfortunately, his father was among those unlucky.

"I should get going soon if I want to get to Vision with enough time to drop off my stuff," Naruto said.

"Do you want a ride to school?" Kushina asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

His mother already had her keys in hand, shaking them. "Nope," she sang the single word.

It was early in the morning but New York was never a city to sleep so traffic was already bustling. Horns were blaring in the distance as they were stopped at a red light, waiting for what felt like minutes for it to change.

"So, how are things going at school?" Kushina asked.

"Fine," Naruto said, staring out the window to a virtual billboard advertising Spider-man's latest venture, a chain of Spider-man themed restaurants.

"Just fine? Have you made any new friends, maybe a few of the female variety?" Kushina asked with a teasing tone.

"Mom we've been over this before," Naruto groaned. "I already told you about Miles, he's the only cool person I've met so far. Everyone else acts like a bunch of snobs. Even the nerds don't talk to me. Which is actually kind of weird because I'm a nerd too. Not nerdy enough, apparently."

"What about girls? Is there a lucky lady I should meet?" Kushina asked.

"No," Naruto answered with a role of his eyes. Even if there were, he wouldn't introduce any to his mother. At least not until the day of the wedding. Even then, knowing his mother, she might scare them away.

"Good," Kushina said. "My baby's too young to be entangled by some hussy!"

"Mom, no one talks like that," Naruto said following a sigh.

They finally arrived at Vision, the massive boarding school encompassing two entire city blocks. There was a long line of luxurious cars dropping off students, some of which had amassed crowd outside of the school, chatting among themselves in groups.

"Here's fine," Naruto said as he unlocked doors in an attempt for an early escape. However, before he was able to open his door, his mother locked it again.

"Don't worry, I'll drop you off closer," Kushina said.

Naruto allowed his displeasure to be known with an elongated sigh. He already knew what was coming as they approached the front of the line.

"Have a great day at school!" Kushina called after him through the opened window of the car. "I'll see you Friday, and don't forget to call me my little Fox!"

Her call punctuated the kiss on the cheek his mother had given him before allowing him out of the car. Some of the other students saw it and were in the process of mocking him when she rolled down the window and called to him, garnering the attention of all.

Putting on a terse smile solely for his mother's sake, he turned and waved her away. Once she was out of sight, he dropped it, trying his best to ignore the jeers from those around.

"Cool mom you got there, Foxy."

Naruto turned to see who had spoken to him and felt himself fluster deeply at who it was.

Seated on the concrete railing of the stairs was a beautiful girl. She was tall with wavy shoulder length, platinum dirty blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a silver piercing above her right eye. She wore the grey Vision school uniform but there was an underlying rebellious air about her.

The total opposite of who he was.

In the end he ignored her as he made a quick dash to his dorm to drop off his suitcase. The room was currently empty, save for the Spider-Man posters on the wall and a few scattered articles of clothing. He shared a room with Miles, a fellow fan of the masked hero and his sole friend at Vision.

"Looks like Miles is late again," Naruto said to himself, tossing his things on the bottom bunk, his bunk, before making his way to his first class.

The day dragged on and it wasn't until the break before his final class that he met with Miles.

"Hola, Naruto," Miles greeted him in the hallway.

Miles Morales as two years younger than him, at thirteen, with dark skin and short, black hair styled into an afro. He had brown eyes always wide in wonder, a fellow fish out of water. From what he learned from his friend; he was also an unwilling attendee at Vision boarding school.

"Como estas, Miles?" Naruto returned his greeting in the foreign language.

He was currently trying to learn Spanish and Miles, being semi-bilingual, was helping him in any way he could. So far, that had amounted to prompt greetings.

Naruto offered Miles his fist, it was his preferred method of greetings beyond words.

Miles, who was currently struggling with a large stack of books in his hands, smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

Naruto bumped his fist regardless with a laugh, "Looks like you've got your hands full there. Need any help?"

"I'm good," Miles said, obviously trying to play off the fact he was struggling with his books. "Just gotta drop some of these off in my locker before our next class."

"Well you'd better get going then, we've only got like three minutes before the bell rings," Naruto said. "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Nah, I'm good. You should get to class, though, save me a seat," Miles said.

"Will do," Naruto said, watching his friend scurry away, almost tripping over his untied shoe laces.

He arrived at his final class of the day, science with Mrs. Corella. As Naruto made his way to his desk, he noticed the girl who mocked him earlier in the morning, sitting in his seat. He froze, unsure of what to do next. Class was about to begin and there were only two seats left. One to the right of the girl, where Miles usually sat, and one in the back with a kid who liked to poke people with the sharp end of his pencil.

Naruto didn't want to sit next to that kid and neither did he want Miles to, so, gathering what little courage he had, he approached the girl.

"You're," he cleared his throat when it broke, "you're kinda in my seat."

She looked up at him with a smirk. "So?"

"Uh," he stammered with no retort in mind.

"is there a problem, Mr. Namikaze?" Mrs. Corella asked with arms crossed and a face set in a deadpan.

He looked back at the girl, who was now resting her chin in the palm of her right hand, smirking up at him. Her bright blues were regarding him, the corners of her eyes wrinkling with mischief and in a silent challenge.

"No," Naruto relented with a sigh.

"Then take your seat," Mrs. Corella said. "We're watching a video today and I don't need you blocking the view."

Hearing people begin to laugh, Naruto felt his resolve waiver quickly. "Sorry Miles," he muttered to himself, taking a seat next to the blonde.

"So, who's Miles?" She asked.

Naruto had not been expecting the question, or for her to speak to him for that matter. In fact, he had whispered the words so low he was surprised she heard him.

"A friend," Naruto answered promptly, staring forward as the lecture began.

"Neat. I'm Gwendolyn, by the way," she introduced herself following a hum, "Gwendolyn Stacey, but most just call me Gwen."

Naruto nodded his acknowledgment but said nothing else simply because he didn't know what to say. He was not used to girls talking to him, least of all beautiful girls.

"You know Foxy, when someone offers you their name, you're supposed to offer yours too," she continued.

Naruto glanced at her and felt himself fluster again seeing her undivided attention was on him. He quickly looked forward again, watching as Mrs. Corella began to set up the projector.

"Naruto," he said, "Naruto Namikaze."

"Cool name," Gwen said simply before looking away.

Despite himself and her behavior towards him thus far, Naruto found himself smiling.

Miles arrived ten minutes into class, much to the chagrin of Mrs. Corella. Naruto could only offer his friend his silent condolences and apologies as he walked by, staring at both himself and Gwen.

"I tried," Naruto whispered.

"Not really," Gwen said nonchalantly. "He actually caved in pretty much right away."

Miles shot him one final look of betrayal before trudging off to the back of the room. Naruto narrowed his eyes at her and once again, she smirked in response.

"I take it that's Miles?" Gwen said.

But Naruto didn't answer. He did, however, flinch hearing Miles yelp from the back of the classroom.

He wasn't able to apologize to his friend after class because Mrs. Corella had requested Miles stay behind so she could speak to him. With little else to do, Naruto made his way to their shared dorm to do his homework and wait for him.

The moment he shut the door behind him, shrugging off his backpack, his phone began to ring. Naruto didn't have to look at his phone screen to know it was his mother, no one else ever called.

"Meet any girls today?" Kushina asked with no preamble.

I swear that woman has mind powers, Naruto thought to himself.

"No, mom, I didn't. Just another boring day," he said.

"Well that's good to hear. I was just calling to check in on my sweet, baby boy!" Kushina said.

"Mom," Naruto whined, feeling embarrassed.

Just then, Miles stormed into the room, looking very angry. "What the hell, man? Why didn't you save me a seat? That weird kid stabbed me!"

"Is that Miles I hear?" Kushina asked. "Hello Miles!"

He did not have his phone's volume turned up to the loudest setting but somehow his mother's voice seemed to broadcast loud enough for his friend to hear.

"Oh, is that your mom on the phone?" Miles asked with a grin. "Hello Mrs. Namikaze!"

"Alright mom, got to go!" Naruto quickly made to hang up the phone but was unable to before his mother got in a few last words.

"Don't stay up too late and don't forget to call me, love you-"

Naruto hung up the phone and tossed it to the side.

"Ah, does Naruto's mommy miss him?" Miles mocked.

"Shut up," Naruto said, leaning back in his bed with a sigh. "Don't think I didn't hear about what happened this morning? 'I love you dad'," he mocked back.

"Fair enough," Miles groaned, tossing is book-bag onto the floor. He sat down at their shared desk, in front of the computer. "This sucks, on top of being stabbed, Mrs. Corella's making me write a personal essay about what kind of person I want to be."

"You tried to fail again, didn't you?" Naruto surmised.

"Yeah, probably should have gotten at least a few answers right," Miles admitted.

They fell into a momentary silence, the sounds of the busy New York streets invading the room from the opened window. In the distance, the train rumbled and there were traces of a feint argument brewing.

"So, that girl was pretty cute," Miles said.

Naruto had his eyes closed but he could hear the grin in his friend's infliction. "Yeah, she was, wasn't she?" He admitted with a sigh.

After an afternoon of music and school work, Naruto had fallen asleep. When he woke up, he found Miles dressed in his street clothes and a backpack thrown over his shoulders.

"Going somewhere?" Naruto asked.

They had a strict curfew at Vision. They weren't allowed to leave after a certain time and judging by how dark it was outside, it was passed that time.

"Gonna go see my uncle. Wanna tag along?" Miles asked.

He did, very much so. Naruto was tired of being cooped up but he knew his mother wouldn't approve. "I don't know, it is a school night and it's already passed curfew."

"Don't be such a square, Naruto! Who's gonna know if we go out?" Miles asked. "Come on, my uncle's a cool dude. You'll love him!"

"I don't know," Naruto trailed off.

"I'm disappointed in you man, I thought you were cool," Miles said in overexaggerated disappointment and with a shake of his head.

"I am cool!" Naruto said, sitting up.

"Are you? Because you're not acting very cool right now," Miles said.

"Let me get changed," Naruto said, throwing on his favorite white hoodie.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Miles cheered.

That's how Naruto found himself following Miles into an upscale apartment. Outside of it anyway, on the fire escape.

"Oh shit, we're really high up!" Naruto said, his back pressed up against the wall.

"Come on man, don't tell me you're scared of heights?" Miles asked with a smirk.

"Uh, yeah! If I fall down there, I'll die! I think that's a pretty justifiable reason to be weary of heights," Naruto said, placing a heavy emphasis on the word.

"You wimp," Miles laughed before approaching the window. "There he is, watch this."

Naruto looked in the window, seeing a man seated on his couch, his face dimly illuminated by his phone. He heard a familiar click. He turned to see miles taking a picture of the man.

"I'm sending him this," Miles said.

Naruto watched as the man brought the screen closer to his face before laughing inaudibly with a shake of his head. Miles had his face pressed up against the glass, making funny faces into it.

"Hey there, Nephew!" A tall, bald man greeted Miles. His focus immediately shifted to Naruto; his expression suspicious. "Who's this?"

"Hey uncle Aaron! This is Naruto," Miles introduced him with a nod of his head. "He's my roommate at Vision. Don't worry, he's cool."

Naruto didn't feel very cool beneath the man's scrutiny. He was about to wave but decided to nod, his face set in what he thought was a serious expression. Though he wasn't sure why.

For a brief moment, Naruto could have sworn to have seen Aaron flinch, but it very well could have been a trick of the light. The train passed in the distance, momentarily obscuring the glow of a nearby billboard, and by that extension, Aaron.

"Well come in then guys!" Aaron said, his expression breaking into one of warmth and acceptance, motioning them inside. "Name's Aaron, by the way, Miles has told me a little about you."

Naruto shook the man's outstretched hand. "Naruto, and Miles has told me about you too. Said you were the coolest Uncle ever."

"Dude," Miles groaned in embarrassment.

"Has he now?" Aaron chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

The more time Naruto spent with Aaron, the more he was beginning to believe Miles' praise of his uncle. He was the complete opposite of what he was used to with his mother. He played video games with them, openly cursed, and spoke to them as if they were adults.

Most importantly of all, he made him feel welcomed.

"So, how are things going at that preppy school?" Aaron asked.

"It's so boring," Miles complained. "Six hours of homework every day, when am I supposed to sleep? It also doesn't help that everyone is so stuck up, well except for Naruto here, but I wish I could just go back to my old school."

"Can't be all that bad," Aaron said. "Smart girls are where it's at. There must be someone you're interested in?"

Miles placed the controller down and made his way to the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. "Nothing like that. At least not yet," he said, taking a few swings.

"Come on Nephew, I expected more from you," Aaron said with a laugh, showing he was joking. "What about you blondie? I can't have a nephew of mine hanging around with a square?"

"What's wrong with a square?" Naruto asked indignantly. "It's a perfectly rational shape!"

Both uncle and nephew stared at him with brows pitched.

"Dude, I vouched for you," Miles said.

"Ah," Naruto cleared his throat. "There is this girl, tall, blonde, cute. She's actually in our science class."

"You mean the girl who you gave my seat to?" Miles asked in an accusatory tone.

"Woah, woah, woah, man. You left my nephew high and dry over a girl? Not cool, man. Bros before hoes," Aaron said with a shake of his head, though he immediately grinned at him, "That is unless she's really good looking."

"Are you serious, Uncle Aaron?" Miles questioned. "I had to sit next to Stewart! Stewart stabs people!"

"Was she good looking?" Aaron asked again.

"She's really hot," Naruto admitted under the pressure of the man's prerequisite for betraying a friend.

Aaron hummed while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I'll allow it."

"Are you kidding me? I'm the one who got stabbed!" Miles complained.

"You'll be fine," Aaron waved him off. "Getting stabbed builds character. Anyway, do you guys know about the shoulder touch?"

"No," Naruto admitted.

"Of course I do!" Miles boasted. "But you should probably tell Naruto, since, you know, he doesn't know."

Aaron chuckled and turned to regard Naruto. "Alright, it goes like this. Next time you see that girl, walk up to her and put your hand on her shoulder," he said, acting out his words. "And just say, hey."

"Hey?" Naruto questioned in disbelief.

"Come on, get up and try it on Miles," Aaron said.

"What?" Miles said.

"I don't know about that," Naruto said.

"Oh you two quit being such babies and try it," Aaron said.

Reluctantly, Naruto walked up to his friend, placed his hand on his shoulder, and said, "Hey."

Similarly, Miles placed his own hand on his shoulder and repeated the single word, "Hey."

"Not like that, like this, heyyy," Aaron elongated the word, managing to sound much cooler than either of them.

"Heyyy," Naruto tried.

"Heyyy," Miles repeated.

They stared at one another before Naruto broke first.

"Okay, this is getting weird," he said.

"Yeah," Miles agreed.

Aaron burst out laughing. "I can't believe you guys fell for that!"

"Uncle Aaron!" Miles shouted, flustered.

Naruto was feeling embarrassed himself.

"Sorry, sorry," Aaron said in between chuckles. "I just had to! You guys are so easy but I wasn't lying when I said it works. You just have to say it right, and to a girl. Or another guy, if either of you are into that. I don't judge."

"Uncle Aaron, come on!" Miles protested.

Almost simultaneously, both Naruto and Miles' pockets vibrated.

"That from your girl?" Aaron asked Naruto.

Goodnight, I love you!

"No," Naruto said following a sigh, "no it's not."

He locked his phone and pocketed it, deciding he would text his mother back in the morning.

"We should probably get going soon, Uncle Aaron," Miles said as he stared at his own phone.

Aaron gave no indication he had heard what Miles said. Instead he made his way back to the sofa and picked up the notebook Miles had been scribbling in earlier. He whistled loudly, flipping through the pages.

"You been holding out on me?" Aaron asked, presenting to them the notebook with Mile's illustration. "These look really good. Have you put any of these up yet?"

"You know my dad," Miles said with slumped shoulders. "He'd kill me."

Naruto recalled Miles describing his father as the world's most boring cop. That was a touchy subject for him because in his mind, at least he had a father. It took his every self-restraint from voicing as much every time he heard his friend complain.

"I've got a spot you would not believe!" Aaron said, trying to hype up his nephew.

That unnerved Naruto slightly. He fully believed Aaron to be a cool character, lax and inviting. However, to suggest his nephew break the law by tagging, he was unsure of what to make of it.

After some more convincing, Miles gave in and that's how Naruto found himself unwillingly going deeper into the city than he had in a long time. He didn't really want to go with them but felt an obligation to his friend to accompany him. But if he was being honest with himself, he never really could say no.

Naruto's trepidation grew as soon as they hit the tracks of the subway system. His eyes were peeled and his remaining senses on high alert, looking and listening for any signs of an incoming train. Beyond even the possibility of being made to mush, he was worried about what his mother would say or do if she were to discover he had left school to hang out with Miles and his uncle of questionable morals.

They walked for what felt like miles along the tracks, through many cutaways and more tunnels, until they finally reached a tall metal fence. Above it a sign reading ALCHEMAX-PRIVATE-PROPERTY.

With that, Naruto felt his nervousness double. If they were caught, he would be in so much trouble. His main concern, fear really, lay more so in his mother rather than the authorities themselves.

"This way guys," Aaron said. He proceeded to jump the fence, ceiling high, with a grace and precision that had Naruto believing he'd done so often.

He and Miles shared a look before he stepped forward. Naruto ran and jumped, catching the top of the fence with one hand, his other slipped. He could feel his only grip on the fence slipping momentarily but he managed to swing his feet until he could grasp on with both hands. Digging the points of his shoes into the fence, he climbed, struggling some before finally managing to pull himself up and over.

"Not bad," Aaron praised before motioning to Miles. "Come on then, Nephew, your turn!"

Mile's attempt was much less graceful. Being two years younger than Naruto and shorter still, he could not reach the top of the fence as easily. Once he did, his foot caught the fence, making him fall face first from the top.

"Miles, you okay?" Naruto asked as he quickly moved to help his friend up.

"Totally cool," Miles said while dusting himself off. He was trying to play his fall off but Naruto could see the slight limp in his step.

Just beyond the fence was a narrowed hallway which eventually gave way to a large, opening in the loose shape of an octagon. The ceiling was tall for being underground, leading up to a brick sky. With an electric slam, Aaron illuminated the room revealing various street portraits. Some appeared older, slightly faded in color, while others offered more vibrant colors.

"Woah!" Miles cheered as he ran into the opening, taking it all in. "Brooklyn!" He shouted through cupped hands. A few moments later, the room shouted back, echoing his call thrice.

"There's history on these walls," Aaron stated fondly, his own eyes surveying the room. "Come on then, Nephew," Aaron said, pulling from within his own backpack a can of purple spray paint and an old boombox. He tossed the can of paint to Miles and set the boombox down. "You're on your own now."

Naruto sat himself on the old car-seat placed in the center of the room, enthralled as he watched Miles work to the beat of old-school hip-hop. His passion for his art was tangible in his smooth and motivated movements.

"You want in on this, Naruto?" Aaron asked from beside him, holding a can of paint in his hand.

"No, I'm good just watching. Besides, I've never really been good at doing anything artful, I'd just ruin it," Naruto admitted. Though he was almost jealous of his friend's talent. He never realized up until that moment how much he wished he could draw.

"So what are you into?" Aaron asked.

"Ah, you know, school, comics, video games, that kind of thing," Naruto said, feeling like a loser at not being able to produce anything more.

"Come on man, there has to be something you enjoy doing outside of books and video games," Aaron said, pressing him.

"Well," Naruto began, "It's not really something I'm currently doing but it is something I want to do, ya'know, eventually."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Aaron asked with what sounded like genuine interest.

"It's kind of weird but I want to learn how to fight," Naruto said.

"Fight? Like martial arts, boxing maybe?" Aaron asked.

"Something like that," Naruto said. "Honestly, I don't know exactly what I'd like to learn but I do eventually want to learn a practice."

"Not a bad goal, depending on what you want to fight for," Aaron said with a nod of approval.

Naruto smiled at the man's praise. "Thanks. This'll probably sound kinda cheesy but I want to learn how to fight so that I can protect my mother. I promised my father I would."

Aaron looked down, "That mean your old man's not around anymore?"

"No," Naruto sighed. "He died three years ago. With him not around, I feel like it falls on me to look after my mom, ya'know. That's why I'm trying so hard at Vision, even though I hate it, so I can get a job as soon as I can. I want to lessen the burden on her. That's also why I want to learn to fight; I want to protect her."

"I can definitely respect that," Aaron said, patting his shoulder. "I lost my pops when I was young too. I know it can be hard."

"Yeah," Naruto laughed, feeling emotion waver his voice, "yeah it sucks. But what can you do?"

They both fell silent for a moment, watching Miles paint, listening to the music reverberate off the concrete walls.

"Who was your father, if you don't mind my asking?" Aaron asked.

"You might have heard his name before," Naruto began, smiling at the memory of his father. "He was the police commissioner for the Brooklyn PD. It's actually how I first met Miles, his dad and mine were friends."

"I thought you looked familiar," Aaron said, looking at him. "You're Minato's kid."

"You knew my old man?" Naruto asked.

Aaron seemed to flinch and that time, Naruto was certain of it.

"Kind of... my brother may have mentioned him from time to time. I also saw him on tv a few times," Aaron said. "He didn't seem too fond of Spider-Man."

"Yeah," Naruto said following a sigh.

"Say, kid," Aaron began.

"Yeah?"

"How's about I teach you how to fight?" Aaron asked. "I know a little mixed martial arts myself. You won't be winning any tournaments, mind you, but when I'm done with you, you should be able to fend for yourself."

"Really?" Naruto asked, feeling his hopes rising. "You would do that?"

"Yeah, man," Aaron said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Can't have my nephew hanging around with a book nerd. Now, a book nerd who can fight, that's pretty cool."

Naruto smiled widely. "I'd like that."

"Hey guys, check this out!" Miles called to them.

"Woah," Naruto was impressed by what he saw. In the short time he and Aaron were talking, Miles had created a true work of art.

"Great job, Nephew," Aaron praised, "but there's one more thing you need to do."

Aaron shook a can of white spray paint before he traced the outline of Miles body, his figure standing forever proud before his creation.

"I'll take a picture if you two want to stand there," Naruto said, pulling from his pocket his phone. He felt something land on his hand but he thought little of it as he focused on the painting and Miles and Aaron standing before it. Just as he pressed the screen of his phone, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand.

"Ah, spider!" Naruto slapped the spider and swatted it away. "I fucking hate spiders!"

"Dude, is there anything you aren't scared of?" Miles joked. "Maybe you'll become the next Spider-Man?"

"And maybe it's venomous and I'll die!" Naruto argued.

"Listen guys, I've got to get going," Aaron announced, his previous good mood suddenly absent as he looked at his phone. "I'll lead you guys out of here and we'll catch up later."

Miles' uncle left them at the subway. While Miles was busy inspecting his handy work from his phone, Naruto was leaning against the wall of the train. He had his arms wrapped around himself, shivering, and feeling light headed.

"Nice camera work, Naruto, you ever consider becoming a photographer?" Miles said with a chuckle. "I'm totally setting this as my wallpaper."

Naruto didn't answer. His vision was beginning to blur and suddenly, everything was becoming loud. From the voices of his fellow passengers, to the rumbling of the train track, it was all becoming too much.

"Naruto?" Miles voice was the loudest, sounding as though he was shouting directly into his ear. "Yo man, are you okay?"

"Everything's so loud," Naruto said through clenched teeth. He shut his eyes tight and pressed both of his hands over his ears and yet, it did nothing to diminish the searing pain in his head. It felt as though someone was jabbing the center of his brain with a burning stake.

All of the noises, all the pain, it melded together to disorient him. Idly, Naruto felt himself being ushered along; his arm draped over the shoulder of who he assumed to be Miles. When next his senses began to return to him, he found his world lurching sideways as he impacted his bed.

"Naruto, talk to me man!" Miles almost shouted, slapping his cheeks a few times.

"Don't do that," Naruto groaned, "head hurts."

"You're alive!" Miles sounded relieved.

"Turn off the lights," Naruto rasped, feeling the invading light burn his eyes.

Turning off the lights lessened his pain to an extent hardly noticeable, but it did help. Suddenly, he was feeling so cold. Naruto rolled in bed, wrapping himself as tightly as possible in his sheets before balling into a fetal position.

"Uh, do you want to go to the hospital?" Miles asked nervously. "That spider may have been poisonous."

"Spiders are venomous, not poisonous," Naruto said with a groan and a shiver. "And no hospitals. My mom will kill me if she finds out I left Vision."

"Dude, she can't kill you if you're already dead!" Miles argued.

"Shut up, I just need to rest my eyes for a little bit," Naruto muttered, feeling the pain in his entire body begin to slowly fade and, in its place, a deep yearning for sleep.

"Don't say that!" Miles shouted. "That's what people say before they die!"

Despite his friend's cry, Naruto fell into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Just a little side project, a pallet cleanser from my other story, really, so updates may be a little more sporadic. Though I'm kind of surprised no one's made an Into the Spiderverse crossover yet. At least not that I'm aware of. Hopefully this inspires much better authors than I to try.

Now before anyone says anything, I had Gwen give out her name because it didn't seem like she had a reason to hide it other than for comedic value. In that scene, she came up with a name on the spot, as though she hadn't registered at the school with a false name to begin with.

Also, this is the Naruto, if he was born in the Spider-man universe and with both of his parents. Deep down, his core values are still there.

Paring: NarutoXGwen with a slight possibility of one or two more, depending on where this goes.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and until next time.