Naruto In Marvel Universe - Volume 1 Chapter 36

Naruto and Jessica Drew manage to convince She-Hulk to join Infinity Watch, Naruto promising her that with the Infinity Stones he can turn her back to normal. Illyana fails to get anyone she was tasked with recruiting, with Daredevil having been recruited by Captain America, who has now formed his own version of the Avengers, i.e. the Secret Avengers. The Secret Avengers consist of Captain America, Falcon, Maria Hill, and Daredevil.

Naruto, now comfortable with his team, takes them to his home world. Unsealing the Infinity Stones he’s managed to gather, Naruto shows the team just how powerful they are by melding their power with his Six Paths chakra. As Naruto and the team are about to leave, Naruto realizes that there are other people in Konoha besides Infinity Watch. Naruto is outraged to find what appears to be a Skrull colony holding up in Konoha. As Naruto is about to confront these Skrull intruders, Naruto is attacked by Carol Danvers. As the two duke it out, the Skrull explain to the rest of Infinity Watch that they’re refugees looking for a new home safe from the Kree. Naruto and Captain Marvel eventually reach a truce, and Naruto reluctantly lets the Kree stay on his world, offering to help them build a village on the outskirts of Konoha.

A year goes by, with Naruto and his team growing closer as a unit. Illyana learns how to utilize a magical version of Sage Mode, Owen Reece now has moderate control over his powers and is now a major powerhouse of the team, Jessica bonds with She-Hulk forcing her to question her loyalties, and Shuri develops the belief that Wakanda should open itself to the rest of the world much to her brother’s annoyance. In this time, Naruto stops the cult that has been using his name for their horrible sacrifices with the help of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.

A large part of this year revolves around Naruto and Wanda’s budding relationship, the two eventually opening up the each other over time, bonding over their mutual loss.

However, behind the scenes Helmut Zemo has been plotting and gathering allies. With the help of Taskmaster, the Chameleon, and tech provided by the Vulture, Zemo sets his machinations in motion.

It’s May 2016, and the Seoul Accords are considered an incredible success. So much so, that King T’Chaka of Wakanda agrees to publicly offer aid to the city of Nairobi who has been struggling with reconstruction after 5/22. The Secret Avengers are given intel that someone plans to assassinate T’Chaka during his press conference in Nairobi. Feeding that intel to Tony, the Secret Avengers provide clandestine assistance. As they stakeout the area, they spot someone planting a bomb near the conference building. However, they fail to prevent the explosion, leaving behind a wide number of casualties including T’Chaka who is killed and Black Knight who is injured trying to save him.

Unable to immediately prove who was behind the terrorist attack, the press and several countries blame The Secret Avengers’ meddling.

A week later; Naruto, She-Hulk, Magik, Spider-Woman, and Molecule-Man are doing practical field work to help build their teamwork. Because the Mighty Avengers and Secret Avengers have been focusing on big picture events, they’ve failed to notice a group of superhumans who have begun to wreak havoc in the city of Stamford. As they are fighting off the team in a strategically enclosed area, a sniper shoots and kills an explosively volatile superhuman they’re fighting named Nitro. This causes Nitro to self-destruct. The explosion causes an incredible amount of property damage, though thanks to Naruto there were no civilian casualties.

The press goes into a frenzy, with the CIA stating that the former Hydra Agent, Bucky Barnes, was responsible for both incidents. Naruto goes solo in his quest for revenge, refusing to let his team get caught up in any drama with the world governments. Tony’s team is sent to apprehend Bucky alive, Steve’s team is tracking him down to save him, and Naruto is hunting down Bucky to kill him.

While Naruto is hunting Bucky down, it is revealed that the Chameleon and Taskmaster are who bombed the building and Taskmaster is who killed Nitro and is working for Helmut Zemo. Chameleon and Zemo are seeking vengeance for their personal losses in 5/22, while Taskmaster is doing it for pay. Taskmaster, using the Chameleon’s mask to disguise himself as Naruto and using Vulture’s tech to imitate some of his powers, infiltrates the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre in Berlin claiming to be searching for info on Bucky. In his ‘search’ he causes mass damage and kills dozens of CIA Agents, including Sharon Carter.

In Bucharest, Naruto arrives as Steve and T’Challa give chase to Bucky. As Naruto arrives on the scene to kill Bucky, he is surrounded by Tony’s Avengers who reveal what happened in Berlin. Now wanted by the UN, Naruto is forced to retreat as he is swarmed by police and Avengers. Wanda, who is present during the reveal, escapes with Naruto.

As Naruto and Wanda try and figure out what happened in Berlin, his team’s base is infiltrated by American officers, forcing them to flee. Spider-Woman remains behind, assisting Ross in figuring out Naruto’s next move. She is reassigned to Tony’s Avengers to replace Wanda.

Steve, who was arrested in Bucharest along with Falcon, is taken to the temporary Joint Counter Terrorist Centre in Paris, under the supervision of Everett Ross. A Naruto disguised Taskmaster infiltrates the Paris building while Zemo activates Bucky’s brain washed berserker mode. During this time, Naruto and Wanda rendezvous with the rest of Infinity Watch.

In Paris, Taskmaster-Naruto nearly kills War Machine, crippling him. Bucky, Steve, and Sam flee from Paris, believing Zemo is going to activate the other Hydra Winter Soldiers. With both sides of the split Avengers turned against Naruto, Ross uses this to send Tony’s Avengers to try and get Captain America to stand down and unite against the bigger threat that is Naruto. Spider-Woman warns Naruto, having bonded with team during their time together. This warning comes just in time, as Naruto realizes that Bucky would know where Chameleon and Zemo would be.

Captain America’s team: Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, Agent Hill, Falcon, and Ant-Man arrive at the Charles de Gaulle to try and get a way to Zemo’s Hydra base in Siberia. Iron Man arrives with his team: Black Widow, Black Knight, Spider-Woman, Spider-Man, and Black Panther. Iron Man tries to convince Captain America to help them restrain Naruto, so they can try to calm the already terrible situation. It is then that Naruto and his team arrives: Magik, She-Hulk, Molecule Man, and Scarlet Witch. Tony and Steve, both angry and not believing that an angry Naruto wouldn’t hurt people to get what he wants, all engage Naruto in hopes of stopping him from hurting anyone else.

The ensuing fight leads with Steve and Bucky getting away thanks to Natasha’s betrayal of Tony, and Infinity Watch leaves after seeing the damage the fight had caused. No one knows that Naruto is tagging along with Steve and Bucky, nor that Zemo has revealed that Naruto nor Bucky were behind the attacks by killing Chameleon and leaving the evidence behind. Iron Man learns this after the battle, and after interrogating Sam goes to assist Steve in Siberia.

In Siberia, Zemo reveals that Bucky had killed Tony’s parents, starting a three-way fight between Iron Man, Captain America, and Bucky. Meanwhile, T’Challa is fighting Taskmaster in an intense hand to hand duel. All while Naruto watches this descent. Disillusioned by recent events, Naruto decides that Earth isn’t worth the trouble after killing Zemo. Visiting the Barton family, he gives them a goodbye and a means to get ahold of him before leaving with Infinity Watch for the outer galaxy, contacting the Guardians of the Galaxy to get a drink.

Several months go by, with Infinity Watch and the Guardians of the Galaxy having temporally joined up and enjoying some downtime on the planet Xandar. Naruto is reunited with Adora, and Infinity Watch and the Guardians get into a couple space related hijinks. One such escapade involved Quill’s long lost father, Ego. Ego, believing Naruto to be one of his many children, tries to convince him into going to his planet. Things quickly go sideways, as Naruto and Quill get into an epic cosmic battle with the celestial. Ego is eventually defeated with the help of Yondu, who joins the Guardians. The two teams then go separate ways, with Infinity Watch looking for any clues pertaining to the location of the Soul Stone.

Months later, Infinity Watch receives a distress call from Xandar. Thanos is attacking. Arriving on the scene, Naruto is shocked to see that the Guardians and Adora are at the mercy of Thanos and his Black Order. Thanos demands Naruto turn over the Stones in his collection. When Naruto refuses, Thanos ties to kill Adora, but is saved by Naruto. Adora is later revealed to be Nebula, and Adora is Nebula who’d been in Thano’s hands all along. Thanos then snaps her neck. After threatening the rest of the Guardians, Naruto finally relents, taking Thanos to his home planet. As Naruto prepares to fight Thanos, Thanos says that if he doesn’t do as asked, Xandar dies. With the lives of billions on his hands, Naruto relents with the idea that he can find a way to get them back. Returning to Xandar, Thanos puts the Space, Power, and Mind Stone into his Infinity Gauntlet, now only two stones away from completing the set. Thanos then reveals that he’d used the Reality Stone to put an illusion over the planet. Rather than half destroyed and at Thanos’ mercy, Xandar had been destroyed a week prior.

Now on a war path to find the Soul Stone to keep it out of Thanos’ hands, a distraught Naruto goes to the Guardians. He asks Gamora if she knows anything about where it might be. When Gamora denies knowing anything about the stone, Naruto demands she stop lying. Nebula, who’d accompanied Infinity Watch after the destruction of Xandar, convinces Gamora to tell him. Now knowing that the Soul Stone is on the planet Vormir, Naruto heads there on his own. Reaching Vormir, Naruto is met by the Keeper of the Stone who tells Naruto that he must sacrifice something he loves to get the stone. Knowing he could never go through with that kind of sacrifice; Naruto does the only thing he thinks he can. Activating Cosmic Sage Mode, Naruto destroys Vormir and the Soul Stone along with it. An exhausted Naruto floats alone in space, Kurama keeping a chakra cloak up to keep him safe. As he looses consciousness, he is saved by Infinity Watch and the Guardians.

A month after the destruction of Vormir, Hela makes a sudden appearance, seeking Naruto’s help. Hela, having had a change of heart after her battle with Naruto, seeks redemption. She tells Naruto that a beast called Mangog has been released onto the universe. The Mangog was created by the Tenth Realm, Heven, right before their destruction by the hands of Asgard. Mangog, a creature driven by the feelings of hatred and despair of its creators, is an unstoppable force. The only thing that can end its existence is the destruction of the very thing it hates, Asgard. Until then, it’s unstoppable. But Hela believes that her half-brother, Thor, may know of a way to stop it. However, he has disappeared.

Naruto and Hela travel to Asgard, confronting its new king, Loki. Loki tells them that the day before Odin passed on, Thor was attacked by a warrior by the name of Beta Ray Bill. Beta Ray Bill comes from a race of aliens that were nearly wiped out by the Asgardians, and is the previous gladiator champion of the Sakaaran gladiator ring led by the Grandmaster. Having been defeated by the new champion, the Hulk, the Grandmaster has promised Beta Ray Bill his freedom if he can bring him a warrior of his caliber. Beta Ray Bill chooses Thor as his replacement, attacking Thor as he’s training with Odin. Beta Ray Bill manages to take Mjolnir for himself, defeating Thor and taking him to Sakaar as a new slave.

Naruto, Hela, and Loki travel to Sakaar to free Thor, entering the gladiator ring as Thor and Hulk’s fight is about to hit its climax. Naruto fights off the Hulk while Thor and Loki take on Beta Ray Bill and Hela fights Valkyrie. Thor manages to beat Beta Ray Bill with his fully developed powers, and Hela easily keeps Valkyrie at bay. After Naruto knocks Hulk out and gets him to turn back into Bruce Banner, the fighting is at an end, Naruto killing the Grandmaster when he tries to use the collars on Banner and Thor’s necks. Now free and feeling indebted to Naruto, Beta Ray Bill agrees to help him stop Mangog. Now with the Hulk, Thor, Valkyrie, Hela, Loki, and Beta Ray Bill, Naruto goes to Asgard just as Mangog arrives. Despite this epic force, Mangog is practically a force of nature. Realizing there’s no other way, Thor gives Naruto permission to destroy Asgard to weaken Mangog. While Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Loki, and Valkyrie lead the Asgardians to escape, Naruto, Hela, and Hulk hold off Mangog. When everyone is evacuated, Naruto activates Cosmic Sage Mode and destroys Asgard, fulfilling Hela’s prophecy. With Hela’s help, Naruto destroys Mangog.

As Naruto helps the Asgardian refugees get to Earth, Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive ambush Infinity Watch and the Guardians of the Galaxy in search of Naruto, who Thanos believes has the Soul Stone. The two eventually retreat with Gamora and Nebula in tow. After torturing Nebula, Gamora reveals that Naruto destroyed the Soul Stone. Though angered, Thanos continues with the plan to get the Time Stone on Earth, which is under Doctor Strange’s protection. Thanos sends an advance team consisting of Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, and the Chitauri to find the stone and possibly retrieve it.

Doctor Strange gets a warning from Magik, warning him that Thanos is coming to Earth for the Time Stone. As Magik calls to warns Naruto, the Asgardian ship is ambushed by Thanos’ invading army. Their ship is boarded and nearly destroyed, though most of the crew manages to escape thanks to the help of Naruto. Doctor Strange goes to Tony Stark, telling him of the situation as Ebony Maw arrives in Manhattan. A battle ensues, and Doctor Strange is about to be taken when Naruto, Thor, and the Hulk arrive with Asgardian reinforcements. Naruto kills Maw, the Hulk kills Cull, and Thor leads the Asgardians against the Chitauri attacking the city. With this victory, Tony and Naruto prepare for Thanos’ eventual arrival.

Thanos gathers all of his forces to Earth. This includes the remnants of the Black Order, the Outriders, Chitauri, Sakaarans, and Centaurians. These forces converge on Earth, with the intent to distract the Avengers and their allies while Thanos deals with the Time Stone. On Earth, Tony and Naruto reunite with Steve Roger’s Secret Avengers, who all go to Wakanda to try and gather more forces. The Guardians of the Galaxy and Infinity Watch are brought to Earth by Naruto, completing the defending side. Their forces include the complete Avengers roster, Infinity Watch, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther and the Wakandans, the Asgardians, and the United Nations military. As the battle is about to begin, Doctor Strange secretly uses the Time Stone to look into as many possible futures as he can, with him only seeing two futures where victory occurs. Knowing he’ll be needed in the coming conflict, Strange hides the Time Stone in the stars above Earth as a precaution.

The first wave comes in the form of Outriders at the border of the Wakandan capital Birnin Zana. As they begin to break Birnin Zana’s force field, Black Panther and Captain America open the force field to keep them from being overwhelmed. As the Wakandans and Asgardians fight off the force, the Chitauri arrive and begin to bombard the city with Leviathans and their chariot assaults, forcing the Wakandans to focus on protecting the city, splitting their force’s attention. As the battle intensifies, the Sakaarans are fought off with the help of the Guardians and Infinity Watch. A break in the fighting ensues with the deaths of Corvus Glaive, Loki, and Heimdall.

This break is halted by the arrival of the Centaurians and Thanos, with Thanos using the stones to enhance himself and his army. Thanos alone defeats Iron Man and Captain America’s Avengers, killing Captain America and nearly crippling the Hulk. The incredibly powerful Thanos then comes head to head with Naruto and Doctor Strange. As their fight begins to cause damage to the area around them, Tony rejoins the fight. Naruto, weakened from overuse of Cosmic Sage Mode, can do nothing as Tony is nearly killed by Thanos. In order to save Tony’s life, Doctor Strange gives up the Time Stone.

With this victory, Thanos heads to where Vormir had once been, using Gamora as a guide as Earth’s forces finish off the rest of his forces. Using the Time Stone, Thanos revives Vormir. A recovered Naruto follows them with a Hiraishin seal he’d placed on the gauntlet, just after Thanos’ sacrifice of Gamora on. Failing to convince Thanos to stop, Naruto fights him in an attempt to stop what he plans to do. Thanos, who now on par with a cosmic being like Death or Eternity, pushes Naruto to his limits as he tries to keep him from snapping his fingers. Naruto, who is running on fumes after a full day’s worth of fighting, thinks he’s about to fail once again. But, realizing that he’s finally getting a chance at redemption after failing to save his people, Naruto gets a second wind. Using the Hiraishin on the Infinity Gauntlet, Naruto attacks the stones themselves with a Truth-Seeking Ball, destroying the Stones and the gauntlet. The explosion from the attack destroys the left arms of both Naruto and Thanos, the two bleeding out as Vormir crumbles from the aftershock of their battle. Thanos, near death, laments whether or not any of what he’d done was worth it. As he dies, Thanos wonders if he’ll see Gamora one last time.

Back on Earth, the battle has officially ended. Earth has suffered heavy losses, with the deaths of Loki, Heimdall, Jessica Drew, Yondu, and Captain America weighing heavily on everyone. Naruto then arrives via Hiraishin, passing out immediately from the exertion. Waking up a day later, Naruto tells Tony that Thanos is dead and that the stones are destroyed. This victory is bittersweet, as Steve Rogers funeral quickly follows. Later that day, Wanda and Naruto are staying with the Bartons, the two watching the sun set while lounging on the homestead’s porch. Wanda asks Naruto if they’ll be staying on Earth for a while. Naruto, not seeing why not, says they should probably find a house to stay. Smiling, the two embrace before silently dancing in each other’s arms.

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Story Complete