Chapter 2: The Web Beyond Worlds
In which a stranger in black brings new truths and new troubles to a world still healing.
Naruto had not slept since the day the sky split open.
It had been two days—perhaps more; time had blurred in the aftermath—since the end of the war, but the young Hokage-in-waiting had refused rest. His chakra had been depleted to a whisper after the final battle, but through willpower and chakra pills, he remained awake, vigilant, unwavering.
The world was fragile now. Shattered like glass glued back together, one wrong tremor and it might all fall apart again.
And so Naruto remained in Sage Mode, his senses stretched across the vastness of the continent like a living net. He was always listening, always watching—not for fame or duty, but out of a gnawing, bone-deep fear that something might slip through while the world was busy mourning.
And that was when he felt it.
A flicker. A ripple. A presence that did not belong.
No chakra. But immense power.
It wasn't a tailed beast. It wasn't a god. And it wasn't one of them.
Several of them, actually—like stars blinking into existence all across the land. But one… one was closest.
Just outside Konoha.
Kakashi turned toward him, sensing the sudden shift in Naruto's mood.
"Is it starting again?" he asked, not unkindly.
Naruto's expression hardened. "Something just arrived."
Without waiting for a reply, he vanished.
One instant, Kakashi was looking at him.
The next, he was gone in a flash of golden light.
He arrived at the edge of the forest, the familiar scent of Konoha trees brushing his senses. The grass bent under his sandals as he landed, his eyes already scanning.
And then—he saw him.
A figure in black, crouched low in the clearing.
The man wore a strange, alien suit—tight-fitting, glossy like ink, with a white spider emblazoned across the chest. His mask had large, expressive white lenses where his eyes should be. He looked alert, like a predator—but not dangerous.
Not hostile.
Naruto could feel it.
This man—this being—was not a threat.
But neither was he ordinary.
Their eyes (or lenses) locked. For a long moment, neither spoke. They didn't need to.
Naruto could sense the confusion in the other, the tension rippling through his body. But beneath it, there was no malice.
Just… caution. And relief.
Peter Parker—Spider-Man—straightened slowly, hands raised in the universal gesture of peace. He didn't speak, of course. Not in a language Naruto could understand. But his posture was calm, unthreatening.
Naruto stepped forward, his voice soft but firm. "Who are you?"
Peter tilted his head, then made a confused shrug.
Naruto frowned. Language barrier.
Ino. That was his first thought. She could read the stranger's mind. But the memory of her—pale, trembling, the fresh loss of her father still a raw wound—flashed across his mind.
No. Not her. Not now.
So instead, Naruto closed his eyes.
There's another way.
He reached within, calling on something deeper than speech. Something older. Something purer.
Ninshu.
The art of understanding—not by words, but by spirit.
It was how he had connected with Nagato. How he had reached Kurama. It was not just technique—it was intention. A meeting of hearts.
He extended his hand.
Peter stared at it for a moment, uncertain.
Then, slowly, cautiously… he took it.
And in that moment, they connected.
They stood together—not in the forest, but in a space between thoughts. A sea of stars stretched around them, warm and endless. In this place, their spirits touched.
Peter gasped. "What is this…?"
Naruto smiled. "It's a conversation. Without words."
Peter blinked, stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Their thoughts flowed between them like rivers joining. Trust. Grief. Pain. Hope.
And then—images.
Peter showed him what had happened.
A white room, endless and sterile. A being of incomprehensible power. The Beyonder.
He had taken them—Peter, and others like him—from across dimensions. Not to torture. Not to kill.
But to play.
"A contest of champions," Peter thought bitterly. "A game to him. A war to us."
Peter had fought. And survived. They had been told the game was over.
But now… they were here. In this world. Scattered.
And the Beyonder had not sent them home.
"I don't know why," Peter said, frustration coloring his tone. "But I think… it's not over. He's doing something else."
Naruto's mind reeled. Another being. Stronger than Kaguya? With the power to pluck people from other realities?
And now they were here, in his world?
Naruto's thoughts sharpened, his instincts rising.
"Are they dangerous?"
Peter hesitated. "Some of them… yes. But some are heroes. Like me. I want to help."
Naruto nodded slowly, his gaze narrowing. "Then help me identify them."
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Naruto, still cloaked in the glowing warmth of his sage chakra, extended a hand toward Peter. The forest clearing behind them shimmered in the evening light, but the tension in the air had not faded—it had only shifted. New threats had arrived, and time was a luxury he could no longer afford.
"You can't keep up with me," Naruto said simply, not as an insult, but as a matter of truth. "So… I'll carry you."
Peter raised a brow beneath his mask. "You mean… like a princess?"
Naruto blinked, confused.
Peter laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kidding. Kind of."
With a thought, Naruto extended his chakra outward, weaving it into a floating platform—a glowing orange disc, solid beneath Peter's feet. The chakra curled around the web-slinger protectively, shielding him from the rush of wind and the tearing speeds they were about to achieve.
Peter stepped on experimentally. "Okay, cool. Flying ninja Uber. I can work with that."
Naruto nodded once, then vanished.
They became a streak of light against the sky—orange fire cutting through the clouds like a comet, dragging the shadowed silhouette of a man clad in black in their wake.
Their destination: the Land of Frost.
Once a remote and mountainous region buried in cold and silence, now it was something else entirely. The remnants of the great battle had twisted the land into a frozen graveyard. Where once there had been jagged cliffs and white-capped ridges, now there were gouges in the earth, colossal slabs of mountain that had been thrown into the sky and crashed back down like celestial punishment.
Naruto's heart tightened as they flew low over the devastation. Not even trees remained. Just ice, rubble, and the whisper of something angry… something alive.
They landed in the midst of it.
Naruto's sandals crunched against ice. Peter dismounted the platform with a graceful flip, crouching low, his spider-sense prickling.
And there he was.
The Hulk.
A towering mass of green muscle, crouched like a beast among the ruins. His back rose and fell with heavy, labored breathing. The wind rustled against him, tugging at the tattered remains of clothing around his waist. Frost clung to his arms like chains of ice, but he didn't seem cold. If anything, the mountain around him looked more fragile than he did.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. He could sense the power—dense, unfathomable. No chakra. But something else. Something primal.
If he goes wild… I don't know if even I can stop him fast enough.
But then, beside him, Peter stepped forward.
"No sudden movements," he said, hands raised. "He's not just muscles. He's my friend."
Naruto nodded, trusting him.
Peter approached carefully.
"Hulk?" His voice was soft, almost like talking to a cornered animal. "Hey, big guy… you with me?"
The green goliath stirred.
Slowly, Hulk turned his head. His glowing eyes narrowed at the sight of Peter, then Naruto. He sniffed the air, scowled.
"Spider… man."
Peter chuckled nervously. "Yeah. That's me. Look, buddy, I don't know what the Beyonder did, but we're in another world now. You didn't smash anything this time. Promise."
Naruto watched closely. His hands were already forming subtle seals behind his back—just in case.
But the Hulk didn't rise. He didn't roar or leap.
He just sat. Shoulders sagging.
"Different sky," Hulk grunted. "Different… world."
Peter nodded. "Yeah. And we need your help, big guy. Something's going on. We're not alone here."
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Snow drifted gently across the ruins of the Land of Frost, blanketing shattered stone and twisted steel in quiet absolution. The mountains—once symbols of stillness and strength—had been broken, tossed aside like toys by beings far beyond human comprehension. And now, amid the vast white wasteland, the Hulk sat like a crumbling statue, his breath fogging the cold air, his massive shoulders hunched with weariness.
Naruto watched him in silence, the wind tugging at his cloak.
Peter approached the green behemoth with a kind of reverent care, like someone visiting an old friend at a graveyard. "You okay, buddy?"
Hulk's reply was a low, grating murmur. "Don't follow me."
Peter blinked. "What?"
Hulk turned his head slightly, not meeting their eyes. "You go. I stay. No more people. No more smashing."
Peter looked back at Naruto, uncertain, then stepped closer.
"Hulk… why?"
The giant's voice rumbled from deep within his chest, his words full of sorrow rather than anger. "Everywhere I go… people scream. People run. Always scared. Always trying to hurt Hulk." He looked toward the pale horizon, the snow-covered peaks like jagged scars. "Here… no people. Just cold. Quiet. Peace."
There was a weight to those words. The kind of weight Naruto recognized.
The weight of someone who had spent a lifetime being hated for existing.
Naruto's heart twisted.
He looked to Peter. The web-slinger stood silently, shoulders tense beneath the black suit. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
"He's telling the truth," Peter said. "As sad as it sounds… this is the closest thing to peace Hulk's ever had. People back home… they're afraid of what they don't understand. They treat him like a monster."
Naruto lowered his eyes.
He knew that pain too.
He had lived it.
The fear. The whispers. The stares. The word "demon" spoken behind his back, etched into his childhood like a curse.
But here… in his world, things were different now.
He stepped forward, lifting his chin. His voice carried through the frost-laced air, calm but unwavering. "Tell him," Naruto said to Peter, "that this world isn't like yours. The people here aren't normal. They've lived alongside monsters, gods, tailed beasts. If he wants peace… real peace… he doesn't have to hide here in the snow."
Peter blinked. "You serious?"
Naruto nodded. "This is a world where power doesn't mean exile. Where people like him can belong."
Peter turned back to the Hulk. "Hey, big guy. Listen—Naruto says this world isn't like the one we came from. People here… they're strong too. And they don't hate strength. They respect it. They live with it every day. You wouldn't have to hide out here. You could be part of something."
Hulk didn't move for a long moment.
Then his brow furrowed, and he growled, "People lie."
Naruto stepped forward. "I don't."
The wind whipped his blond hair across his eyes, but his gaze never wavered. "I used to be hated too. I had a monster inside me, and people feared me. But I didn't give up. I earned their trust. If I can do it, so can you."
Another silence.
Then Hulk shifted, his massive hand dragging a line in the snow.
"Not now," he said at last. "Too tired. Too much… noise."
Peter placed a hand gently on the Hulk's shoulder. "That's okay, big guy. You rest. We'll come back later. You'll see."
Naruto gave a solemn nod. "We'll check in when the snow melts."
And with that, the two turned and took to the sky again, the orange glow of Naruto's chakra lighting the air as they vanished into the distance.
Behind them, Hulk sat motionless in the snow.