Hey, Banmido here!If you're enjoying the story and want to support my work (and get early access to advanced chapters), head over to Patreon and search for banmido.Thanks for reading and it means the world!
MINDSCAPE
Rain plummeted hard against the cracked pavement of the alley way, washing thin streams of blood into the gutter. Neon lights from a broken street sign flickered against the wet concrete, painting the scene in flashes of sickly pink and green.
In the middle of the alley, sat atop of the lifeless bodies of four thugs in dark suits was a boy. His small frame was shaking, his blond hair matted with rain and streaks of red. Cold blue eyes stared at his hands, coated in blood that wasn't his. His shirt which was too thin for the biting cold was torn at his stomach, revealing an outline a weird sequence of what seemed to be tattoos.
Footsteps. Careful and deliberate.
Mother Jean had been walking this path for years. It wasn't safe, but she these streets like scripture. Nonetheless it was dark, unforgiving, and littered with souls the world had given up on and left behind. Her long black habit swayed in the bitter wind as she stepped into the mouth of the alley.
She saw the bodies first, twisted limbs, bruises littered all over, and faces frozen mid-scream. Then her gaze settled on the boy.
"Oh dear God," she whispered as the clutched her cross necklace.
The boy's head snapped toward her, eyes wide and feral. His lips curled slightly, baring small teeth. He looked ready to spring and attack, fleeing didn't seemed to be an option in his eyes.
"Shhh," she murmured, stepping forward. She raised her hands, palms open. "I'm not here to hurt you." she said.
He tensed, his breath hitched.
Then her eyes softened. She crouched down, moving slowly, until she was at his eye level. Her gaze swept over him, thin lines like whispers were on his cheeks. He was so young. Her heart squeezed painfully.
"My name is Mother Jean," she said softly. "Are you hurt?"
The boy's lips parted. He shook his head once, then again. His breath came out in short gasps, like his throat was raw.
Jean stepped closer. Carefully, she reached out a hand and brushed a lock of soaked hair away from his eyes.
He flinched at first, but then his posture slackened beneath her warm touch.
"It's all right," she whispered. "You're safe now."
The boy's lip quivered. Tears filled his eyes, mixing with the rain sliding down his cheeks, his voice was barely a breath when he spoke.
"N-Naruto.."
Jean smiled faintly. "Naruto," she repeated.
A shadow passed over her face as her gaze drifted back to the blood pooling beneath the men's bodies. Guns littered near one man's outstretched hand, a knife near another. But the boy's hands were empty. No weapons. And yet..
"Did you.."
Naruto's eyes darkened. He lowered his gaze to his shaking hands. His breath hitched.
"I... I didn't mean to."
Jean had to catch her breath. Her stomach twisted. But when she reached out again, Naruto didn't pull away.
"Come," she said softly, lifting him into her arms. He was light. Too light. His head tucked beneath her chin as his thin arms clutched weakly at her habit.
"I don't know what happened," she murmured. "But it's going to be all right."
Naruto's breath trembled against her collarbone. His hands were still stained red.
Jean cast one last look at the lifeless bodies behind them and whispered a small prayer for them in her heart before disappearing into the dark with the boy cradled close to her heart.
Naruto shot upright in bed, breath ragged and shallow. The echoes of his nightmare lingered in his mind, fading like shadows. His alarm blared loudly in the background, the relentless sound jarring him back into reality.
Golden chakra flared uncontrollably around him, causing small objects in the room to tremble and rattle under the pressure.
"Calm yourself, Naruto," Kurama's deep voice rumbled in his mind, steady and grounding. "You're safe. It was just a nightmare."
Naruto exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck as embarrassment washed over him. "Sorry, Kurama. I just... yeah, I'll calm down, sorry."
"Good, because you're releasing enough chakra to light up the whole block," Kurama deadpanned, his tone not amused. Naruto groaned and flopped back onto his pillow, but his paradise was short-lived. His eyes darted to the clock, and panic set in.
"Shit! It's already 8:45! Fuck I'm gonna be late!"
Naruto scrambled out of bed with the grace of a newborn deer, throwing on his ramen shop uniform. A simple black T-shirt with the logo of Ichiraku's plastered across the back. He barely managed to pull his sneakers on before launching himself out the window in a blur of motion.
The streets of New York blurred past him as he took a more… unconventional route to work. Rooftops. Fire escapes. The occasional reckless leap across buildings that made pedestrians do a double take. Normal people took the subway. Naruto was just built different.
He skidded to a halt in front of Ichiraku's with a solid thunk, landing right at the door just as Teuchi Ichiraku poked his head out.
"Naruto! Almost late again!" the old man scolded, shaking his ramen ladle like a disappointed father.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, flashing a sheepish grin. "I made it, didn't I?"
"You keep 'making it' like this, and I'm gonna start docking your pay," Teuchi grumbled, waving him inside. "Now get to work."
Sighing, Naruto tied his apron around his waist and stepped into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves. He was just about to settle into a peaceful rhythm of chopping vegetables and pretending he didn't have superpowers until..
They walked in.
Kate Bishop and Kamala Khan.
Naruto froze mid-chop, his grip tightening around the knife easily splintering it as a quiet, suffering groan escaped his lips.
"They found me," he muttered in fear.
'HOW THE HELL DID THEY FIND ME?' he thought.
Kamala immediately perked up when she spotted him. "See! I told you he works here!"
Kate leaned in, nodding approvingly. "Huh. Honestly, this tracks."
Naruto debated staying in the kitchen, maybe claiming he was sick, or better yet, faking his own death. But fate or rather, Teuchi had other plans.
"Naruto! Go out there and take their orders!" he yelled.
Naruto sighed so deeply it could've been heard across the entire city.
Unenthusiastically he walked over to their table with the most nonchalant expression he could muster. "Welcome to Ichiraku's Ramen. What do you want? "
Kate didn't even glance up, casually flipping through the menu as she chewed and popped purple bubblegum. "Nice to see you too."
Kamala, on the other hand, leaned forward with excitement practically radiating off her. "So, listen! We were talking, and we think you should totally join the Young Avengers!"
Naruto blinked. Then blinked again attempting to feign ignorance. "The what now?"
"You know," Kamala gestured vaguely. "Young Avengers. Superpowered, cool, doing-good-in-the-world type of stuff. Saving people, stopping bad guys, the whole thing. Very heroic."
Naruto stared at them like they just asked him to commit tax fraud. "That's what you wanted to talk to me about? At my job?"
Kamala nodded enthusiastically, practically vibrating in her seat. "Come on, Naruto! You'd be perfect! You're crazy strong, you can move super fast, and you're cool!" She leaned closer to the table, excitedly whispering, "You're basically a natural superhero!"
Kate leaned back in her seat with a lazy smile. "Basically, you'd be the Hulk of the group."
Naruto recoiled, his face contorting with horror. "The Hulk? No way. I'm more like Thor, thank you very much."
Kate raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Thor, huh? You sure about that?"
Naruto crossed his arms confidently. "I've got the cool, ridiculous blonde hair. I've got strength that could bend steel, and, oh yeah, and I can fly. Thor all day."
Kamala, ever the thoughtful one, put a finger to her chin. "Hmm, but Hulk is like, the strongest there is."
Kate froze, her eyes widening in sudden realization. "Hold up. You can fly?"
Kamala leaned forward, practically bouncing in her seat. "Like, actual flying? Not just super jumps and stuff?"
Naruto shrugged, looking casual as always. "Yeah. What? You think I run everywhere? I'd never be on time for anything."
Kamala threw her arms up in joy. "Dude! This is perfect! How have you not signed up yet?"
Kamala beamed at him. "Imagine how cool you'd look! The Young Avengers could really use a flying guy!" she continued.
Kurama, of course, couldn't hold back his laughter. "Oh, this is rich. Look at you, brat. The 'flying guy.'"
Naruto grumbled, his patience thinning. "I swear to ramen, Kurama..."
Kate rolled her eyes but smirked. "Fine, fine. You can be Thor. Now, join the team."
Naruto exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, I appreciate the offer, really. But I've got a good thing going here. I make ramen, I watch movies, and I don't have to deal with superhero nonsense."
Kamala puffed out her bottom lip, pouting like a kid whose candy was taken away. "But you already do superhero stuff!"
""Yeah, but I do it on my terms," Naruto pointed out. "I'm not about to sign up for meetings, responsibilities, more responsibilities, people expecting me to show up on time.."
"You are late to this job all the time." Old Man Teuchi added in randomly from in the back.
Naruto pretended to ignore that.
Kamala sighed dramatically. "So that's a no?"
"That's a big no."
Kate shrugged. "Alright. Guess we'll just have to keep coming back here until you change your mind."
Naruto groaned. "That sounds like a threat.."
Kamala beamed. "More like a promise!"
Kurama, still laughing, rumbled in his mind. "You should join, Naruto. You're wasting your life away while working at this ramen shop and pretending you're a normal person."
Naruto scowled. "You of all people should know ramen is a way of life, Kurama."
Kate waved him off, clearly not bothered. "Alright, fine. Since you're here, we'll take two bowls of miso ramen."
"No pork in mine, please." Kamala added.
Naruto jotted it down, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. You guys are just.."
As he walked back to the kitchen, he overheard them whispering.
"Don't worry," Kamala said quietly, "We'll get him eventually."
Kate nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah. It's just a matter of time."
Naruto groaned again, dragging his feet toward the kitchen, mumbling under his breath. This was supposed to be his peaceful place, his little slice of ramen-filled mediocrity. Now, it was a recruitment office for a team of kiddy superheroes.
As he prepped their ramen, Kurama piped up again. "You do realize they're not gonna stop, right? This is just the beginning."
"Yeah, I kinda got that part," Naruto muttered.
"So, what's your plan?"
"Simple. I ignore them until they get bored and give up."
Kurama snorted. "That's adorable. You think they're going to get bored?"
Naruto frowned. "...That's how normal people work, right?"
"Right. And remind me Naruto, have any of these people been normal so far?"
Naruto didn't dignify that with a response. He finished preparing their orders, grabbed the two steaming bowls, and made his way back out.
"Here," he said, placing the bowls in front of them. "Eat. Plot my downfall later."
Kamala grinned. "Thanks, Naruto! You're the best!"
Kate smirked. "Y'know, you could be getting paid way more doing superhero stuff instead of working here."
Naruto scoffed. "Yeah? And you could be paying for extra toppings, but here we are."
Kate pointed her chopsticks at him. "Touché."
Kamala slurped up a mouthful of noodles, her eyes lighting up as she leaned forward. "Ooh! What if we just test the waters? No commitment! One mission. A trial run!"
Naruto sighed, already regretting engaging in conversation. "Yeah, see, that's how it starts. 'Just one mission, Naruto!' Then before I know it, I've got some government suit breathing down my neck and some alien invasion ruining my Friday night."
Kate shrugged. "Okay, but counterpoint, you'd get to punch aliens."
Naruto hesitated. A moment of weakness. He'd always wanted to punch an alien.
Kurama, ever the agent of chaos, immediately jumped on the opening. "Oh, she's got a point, kid."
"No, she doesn't."
"Yes, she does. You love punching things. And let's be real, you're getting soft staying inside all the time, you definitely need to get out more."
Naruto scowled, rolling his eyes. "Getting soft? I'm as hard as ever, Kurama," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Like a rock... or, y'know, a really solid noodle."
"I'm not even going to comment on the implications of your statement, brat."
Kate and Kamala exchanged glances as Naruto stood there, eyes narrowed in deep internal debate.
Then Kate smirked. "You're considering it."
"I am not considering it."
Kamala gasped. "Oh my gosh. He totally is."
Naruto groaned, rubbing his temples. "I hate both of you."
Kate sipped her broth with a grin. "That isn't a no."
Naruto let out a deep sigh, feeling the weight of inevitability pressing down on him. He could already see it; Kamala and Kate weren't going to drop this. The more he resisted, the harder they would push, and before long, he'd find himself wrapped up in whatever nonsense the 'Young Avengers' were planning.
The thing that really irked him, though? Kurama was having way too much fun with this.
"Damn straight I am, I just don't see the problem, kid," Kurama said, his deep voice brimming with amusement. "They're offering you a chance to actually do something interesting with your life. Instead, you're standing here serving ramen and pretending you don't want a good fight."
"I'm not pretending. I'm actually enjoying my normal, non-superhero existence."
"Sure you are. That's why you're talking to me instead of telling them to get lost."
Naruto scowled, ignoring the very valid point Kurama had just made.
Kate was already watching him closely, a knowing smirk on her face. "So? What's the verdict, Ramen Boy? You in?"
Naruto crossed his arms. "First of all, never call me that again. Second. what exactly would I be doing? Because if you say 'saving the world,' I'm gonna laugh."
Kamala's eyes twinkled. "Well, yeah, eventually! But mostly stopping bad guys before they can destroy everything."
Kate shrugged. "Think of it like community service, only with more explosions."
Naruto rubbed his temples. "Yeah, that's my issue. I like my life quiet."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "You? Quiet?"
Kurama laughed deeply in Naruto's mind.
Even Kamala gave him a skeptical look. "Yeah, I don't buy that at all."
Naruto clicked his tongue. "Listen, I just-"
Before he could finish, the restaurant door slammed open. A group of guys in matching red tracksuits strolled in, looking like they had just stepped out of a 90s rap video. Their thick Eastern European accents only made them sound more ridiculous.
"Ayo, bro," one of them called out, cracking his knuckles. "Nice place you got here, bro. Be a shame if something... happened to it."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and stared at them like they were the last people he wanted to deal with today. Then, he looked at Kate and Kamala. "Who the hell are these guys?"
Kate groaned. "Ugh. Tracksuit Mafia."
Kamala blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, that's actually their name?"
"Yeah, and somehow, it's not ironic."
"Listen, bros," the lead thug continued, "We're here for business. Protection fee. You pay, we make sure no one messes up your nice little ramen shop, bro. You don't pay... well.."
Before he could finish, Naruto was already in motion, his movements too quick for the eye to follow. One second, he was behind the guy, the next, he was flicking his forehead with the most effortless "boop" sound you could imagine. The thug was sent flying backward, crashing into a table, and sending bowls of ramen flying everywhere.
The other goons barely had time to react. Naruto grabbed a second thug by the collar and casually tossed him into the group like he was nothing more than a dodgeball. The force was enough to send the entire crew toppling to the ground like dominos.
The remaining tracksuits looked at each other in horror, their bravado completely gone. They bolted for the door, yelling in panic, "Nope, nope, nope! Not getting paid enough for this, bro!"
Naruto, meanwhile, stood there looking completely unbothered, arms crossed and mouth set in an unimpressed line. "Seriously? Extortion? In a ramen shop?"
Kate and Kamala stared at him, unimpressed, as if this was the most casual thing in the world.
"Uh-huh," Kate deadpanned, arms folded. "You were saying about not wanting to be a hero?"
Naruto groaned and rubbed his forehead like this was the worst inconvenience of his life. "I hate both of you."
Kamala grinned like a cat who got her favorite toy. "You'll learn to love us."
Naruto shot them both a look that said, "I swear, if this turns into another whole thing," but he was already rolling his eyes and sighing like it was an existential burden. "I swear to all the Ramen Gods above, I'm gonna regret this."
Right then, Teuchi cleared his throat from behind him, looking way too comfortable in this whole situation.
"Naruto," Teuchi said, arms crossed with a grin. "You good? Need a hand or something?"
Naruto groaned, clearly trying to avoid the inevitable. "Nah, I'm good," he muttered, then dropped the bomb. "Actually, I'm quitting."
Teuchi blinked, his eyes narrowing in the way parents do when they're 100% about to hit you with some real talk. And then, without missing a beat, he said, "Well, can't say I didn't see it coming. You're always welcome back though. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, alright?"
"Naruto froze, eyes wide. 'Wait, hold on. You're okay with me leaving?' He blinked twice, as if he hadn't heard it right.
Teuchi gave him the kind of shrug that only the most seasoned ramen chef can pull off. "Kid, listen. You're cool and all, but I can't keep pretending like you're some glorified noodle stirrer when you've got other hero stuff to do. Go do your thing. I'm sure the world needs saving."
Naruto blinked again, processing this. "I thought you were gonna beg me to stay and be all 'no, Naruto, don't go! We need you!'"
Teuchi chuckled. "Nope, you've been practically making me an accessory to superhero antics every week. Honestly, I'm just trying to keep the ramen shop in one piece. Plus, your 'special ramen orders' were the most chaotic thing I've ever seen in my life."
Kamala and Kate were side eyeing the whole interaction like they were watching a live action sitcom. Kamala was practically shaking with laughter, while Kate was looking at Naruto almost confused on how he turned out this way.
"So, you're really gonna quit?" Kamala asked, excitement evident in her voice.
Naruto sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair, trying to act like he wasn't a little bit sad about leaving the only place he could relax and unwind. "Yeah, I'm out. I'm a free agent. You guys have a 'no-strings-attached' superhero team waiting for me, right?"
Kate nodded like she was signing him up for a gym membership. "Yep, no strings. Except, y'know, the whole 'saving the world' thing."
Kamala smirked, giving him a once over. "So, when do you wanna meet the team?"
As Naruto walked out the door with Kamala and Kate, a familiar voice echoed in his mind, deep and full of amusement.
Kurama's voice rumbled like thunder, but there was a hint of fondness beneath the sarcasm. "You're really doing this, huh? I've got to say, kid, I'm impressed. I never thought you'd give up ramen and GTA 5 for this whole 'hero' gig. But hey, at least you're finally living up to your potential."
Naruto rolled his eyes, not even bothering to hide the slight grin tugging at his lips. "Shut up, Kurama. I'm doing this for the chaos. Don't make it sound like I'm all noble now. Plus once GTA 6 releases I'm out of the superhero biz!"
"Yeah, yeah," Kurama muttered. "Just don't get yourself killed. I'm not in the mood to babysit."
OMAKE: "What makes a hero?"
Someone who saves people? Someone who wears a cool suit? Maybe it's both. Maybe it's neither.
The world doesn't agree on an answer.
To some, a hero is a god in red and blue with hammer in hand, soaring through the sky with the weight of humanity on his shoulders. To others, it's a man in armor, building the future with steel and fire. Maybe it's the soldier who never stops fighting for what he believes in, the spy who never stops running, or the kid from Queens who just won't stay down.
He didn't wear a mask. He didn't have a catchy name. There was no tragic origin, no radioactive spider, no government experiment gone wrong.
But he was different. Always had been.
Nonetheless, Naruto had never asked to become a hero. So why was the world dead set on him becoming one?