Chapter 3: The Weight of Iron and Dreams
In which a mutant's hope is kindled, and a ninja draws the line between trust and vigilance.
The sky above the Land of Wind stretched endlessly, a golden dome of heat and silence. Beneath it, two streaks of movement sliced through the arid air—one glowing with the warm blaze of chakra, the other darting like a shadow bound to its light.
Naruto flew steadily, his sage chakra flaring faintly around him, forming a protective cradle that carried Peter's platform like a ship across the sky. The desert sprawled beneath them: rolling dunes, cracked earth, the occasional glittering mirage shimmering in the distance.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
Peter broke the silence first.
"So… is it true?" he asked, his voice crackling slightly through the chakra barrier. "What you said back there—that this world is full of people with powers like yours?"
Naruto nodded, his golden hair rustling in the wind. "Yeah. There are a lot of us. Shinobi. Samurai. Sage beasts. Even gods. But…" His voice turned thoughtful. "Most people here don't have chakra. Not really."
Peter's brow furrowed behind his mask. "Wait, what do you mean?"
Naruto glanced back at him. "Chakra is something everyone has the potential to awaken in this world. It's in the body, like blood or breath. But not everyone learns to use it. Training takes years. Most people just live normal lives—farmers, merchants, blacksmiths. It's not that they can't use chakra… they're just never taught."
Peter was silent for a moment, processing.
"So…" he said slowly, "you're saying the power is here. Everywhere. It's just locked away?"
Naruto gave a shrug. "Pretty much."
Peter's mind reeled at the implications.
"I have friends," he said at last. "Good people. Mutants. They were born with powers—like mine, or even stranger. Some can fly, read minds, move metal. And they're hunted for it. Hated. The world they live in sees them as mistakes."
Naruto frowned. "That's wrong."
Peter smiled bitterly. "Tell me about it."
The wind whipped around them, warm and dry.
Peter continued, his voice quieter now. "If your world has that kind of acceptance… I know people who would give anything to live here."
Naruto was quiet for a beat, then spoke carefully. "I'm not the one who decides that."
Peter looked up. "You're not?"
Naruto shook his head. "There are authorities—clans, nations, the Daimyō, the Five Kage. If someone wants to live here, they have to go through them."
Peter raised a brow behind his mask. "You talk like you're not one of them."
Naruto smirked. "I'm not yet."
Peter tilted his head. "Then who are you, exactly?"
Naruto slowed just a little, the desert wind brushing past them like whispers.
"I'm the protector of this world," he said simply. "And the future Hokage."
Peter blinked. "Hokage? That's… what exactly?"
Naruto grinned. "The leader of a ninja village. My village—Konoha. It's like a town, but it runs on shinobi strength and loyalty. The Hokage is more than a mayor or general. He's the heart of the people. Their shield. Their voice. Their dream."
Peter nodded slowly. "So… a bit like the Avengers' leader. Except you don't get a mansion or a billionaire best friend."
Naruto laughed. "Nope. Just paperwork. And people trying to kill you."
The joke hung in the air for a moment before Peter asked, "Is it worth it?"
Naruto looked out at the endless sand stretching below, golden and scarred.
"Yes," he said softly. "Because I made a promise. To protect this world. To make it better than it was."
Peter didn't answer right away. Then he murmured, "I get that."
Their eyes met—two protectors from opposite worlds. Different powers. Different pains. But the same purpose.
The wind picked up, and in the distance, a faint pulse of energy stirred.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "We're close."
-------------------------
The endless dunes of the Land of Wind shimmered under the blazing sun, each crest of sand rising like a wave frozen in time. Heat danced along the horizon in wavering mirages, and in the distance—like a hidden jewel in a sea of gold—lay an oasis. A lone cluster of palms shaded a shallow pool of water, the only sign of life for miles.
Naruto and Peter descended silently, their presence breaking the still serenity of the place.
There, resting against the trunk of a date palm with surprising calm, sat a man dressed in deep crimson. His cape hung like a regal banner over the sand, and a silver helm gleamed beside him, nestled gently in the roots.
He was not armed, not braced for battle.
He was waiting.
Peter's posture tensed the moment his feet touched the ground.
"Magneto," he said warily, voice edged with old memories. "Of all the people to find in a desert…"
Naruto's gaze flicked between them. He didn't sense hostility—yet—but there was a tension in the air, thick as steel.
Magneto opened one eye lazily, as though roused from a nap. "Spider-Man," he drawled. "Charming as ever."
Peter stepped forward, placing himself between Naruto and the mutant. "This guy's a mutant," he said without looking back. "But not the good kind. He's powerful… and dangerous."
Magneto chuckled, his voice deep and calm. "That's the pot calling the kettle radioactive, don't you think?"
Peter scowled behind his mask. "You've tried to start more wars than I can count. Last time I saw you, you were trying to tear a city out of the ground."
"And yet here I am," Magneto said, gesturing around to the sand and palms. "Not a building in sight."
Naruto studied the man closely. His chakra senses couldn't read anything—this man had no chakra at all. And yet, he radiated something heavy… magnetic, controlled, ancient. Not primal like Hulk. Refined.
A king without a throne.
"I don't sense killing intent," Naruto said at last. "He's not looking for a fight."
Magneto inclined his head. "Quite right. I may be many things, but I am not a fool. We are strangers on a foreign world—stranded. Even I can see the futility in starting a war when we're not even sure where we are."
Peter crossed his arms. "That doesn't sound like you."
"I fight when there's something worth fighting for," Magneto replied coolly. "And right now, I'm more concerned with surviving than proving a point."
He reached into a pouch at his side, pulled out a small metallic sphere, and let it float lazily above his palm—his powers still sharp, even in this unfamiliar world.
"I do not wish to be your enemy," he said at last, looking directly at Naruto. "At least… not yet."
Naruto nodded slowly. "Then we won't treat you like one. As long as you don't hurt anyone."
Magneto gave a curt bow of acknowledgment, as if he were an ambassador and the conversation had concluded. "I will remain here, for now. This oasis suits me. Quiet. Balanced."
Peter still looked uncertain. "You're really not going to pull any metal from the sky and try to conquer anything?"
"I could," Magneto said simply. "But what would be the point? There is no cause here yet. No oppression. No betrayal. Just… sand."
Naruto smiled faintly. "It has a way of humbling people."
"I'll consider myself humbled," Magneto said dryly, leaning back against the tree.
-------------------------
The oasis was a tranquil mirage nestled among the golden dunes of the Land of Wind, its mirror-like surface undisturbed, as though time itself had chosen to rest here. Palm fronds whispered softly in the wind, casting dappled shadows over the sand. Yet the stillness held a tension—thin and taut—as if it recognized the weight of the man seated beneath the tree.
Naruto hovered nearby, his cloak fluttering in the warm breeze, while Peter landed gently beside him, still watching Magneto as one might watch a coiled serpent—beautiful, but perilous.
Magneto finally broke the silence, his voice sharp and cultured. "So, tell me—what is this world we've landed in?"
His eyes, intense and intelligent, locked on Naruto. "You seem… native. And powerful."
Naruto gave a measured nod. "I was born here. This is the Elemental Nations—one part of a world filled with many villages, countries, and people."
Magneto tilted his head slightly, intrigued. "People like you?"
Before Naruto could answer, Peter stepped in. "This world," he said, gesturing around them, "is what you've always wanted, Magneto."
Magneto's gaze narrowed. "Explain."
Peter folded his arms. "A world of advanced humans. People with power. Not all of them—but enough that it's normal. Accepted. Celebrated, even."
For the first time, the older man's iron composure cracked. Not with alarm, but something far more dangerous—hope.
He stood slowly, dusting the sand from his crimson robes. "You're telling me…" he said, voice quieter now, almost reverent, "that this world is populated by evolved humans? Not freaks. Not mistakes. Not hunted children. But recognized beings of strength?"
Naruto watched the glint in Magneto's eyes—the spark of something long buried.
Peter nodded. "Not everyone is powerful, but the ones who are? They're warriors, leaders, teachers. People admire strength here."
Magneto looked away, his gaze distant. "I spent my entire life dreaming of such a place. A haven for mutants. A utopia where the gifted could thrive without fear, without needing to hide… or fight to survive." His tone grew sharper, bitter. "But Earth taught me that humans fear what they do not understand. That weakness lashes out at strength. That peace is a lie unless it's backed by power."
He turned to Naruto now, his voice measured. "This world sounds promising. But I am not a fool. Words are wind. Ideals are fantasies until tested. I will see for myself."
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. "What does that mean?"
"I will walk alone," Magneto said simply. "If this world is truly as tolerant as you say, it will survive meeting me. If not…" His voice lowered, a faint magnetic hum pulsing in the air, "...then perhaps it never deserved peace to begin with."
Peter took a step forward. "Erik, don't start—"
"I don't need your guidance, Spider-Man," Magneto said coolly. "I will not be led. I will not be watched like a child. Unless," he added, a dangerous gleam in his eye, "you're prepared to try and stop me by force."
The air tensed immediately. The oasis shimmered faintly as metallic traces in the sand began to vibrate.
Naruto remained still. Then, slowly, he raised one hand and formed a single seal.
A perfect copy of himself burst into existence beside him, silent and calm.
"I'm not going to force you," Naruto said, voice steady. "But I'm not stupid either. You'll walk freely—but this clone stays. If you hurt anyone, threaten any village, or try to twist this world into a battlefield for your cause… you will be neutralized."
The clone nodded silently, already syncing its senses with the landscape around it.
Magneto regarded the doppelgänger with something close to amusement. "A shadow with a leash, then?"
"More like a mirror," Naruto replied. "You'll see how we live. And we'll see who you really are."
The desert wind passed between them, stirring cloaks and sand, and with it came a strange understanding—wary, but real.
Magneto turned without another word, retrieving his helmet from the sand and placing it over his head with quiet finality. "Then let the world judge me," he said. "And I will judge it in return."
He began to walk away, the metal traces in the earth briefly humming beneath each step, but fading quickly as he disappeared into the dunes.
Naruto and Peter stood in silence, watching him go.
Peter exhaled. "That guy's a walking powder keg."
Naruto crossed his arms. "Maybe. But even powder can stay dry… if the storm never comes."
They turned toward the next horizon, the wind guiding them forward. The desert behind them held one more wanderer now—one burdened by history, power, and a fragile, dangerous dream.
---------------------------
The desert wind howled across the endless dunes, scattering grit like whispers across the sky. In the distance, Magneto's crimson cape fluttered like a war-banner caught in slow retreat, his silhouette shrinking against the sea of golden light.
Naruto and Peter remained atop the airborne chakra platform, hovering high above the sands, watching him disappear. There was no spoken farewell, only the vast silence that followed choices made without full understanding.
Peter broke that silence first, his voice taut with unease.
"Are you really sure about this?" he asked, turning to Naruto. "Letting him walk away like that?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately. His eyes, deep and golden in Sage Mode, remained fixed on the trail of wind that Magneto had left behind. His silence wasn't hesitation—it was calculation.
"My clone is still with him," Naruto said at last. "If Magneto makes one wrong move, it'll be over in a flash."
Peter frowned, arms folded. "Don't underestimate him, Naruto. I've seen what he can do. He's not just some metal-bending old man—he can shift tectonic plates if he wants to. His power could threaten the whole planet. He's done it before."
"I know," Naruto replied softly, his tone calm, but carrying the weight of certainty. "I've seen it. Not with my eyes… but with my senses."
He closed his eyes for a moment. "My Sage Mode connects me to the world—every vibration, every current of life and energy. I could feel the magnetic fields warping around him. The potential is there, no doubt. But here's what Magneto doesn't know…"
He turned to Peter now, eyes gleaming like molten amber. "He has no idea what I can do."
Peter hesitated. There was something chilling in Naruto's calm—not arrogance, but controlled power. Something coiled and quiet, like a mountain holding back a storm.
"If it comes down to it," Naruto continued, "my clone won't hesitate. If Magneto threatens anyone—if he even begins to act on the old instincts he's still carrying—I'll erase his limbs. Not kill. Just enough to stop him."
Peter's expression darkened behind the mask. "That's… brutal."
"It's measured," Naruto replied, his voice quieter now. "Brutal would be acting on impulse. Erasing anyone who might pose a threat. That voice… it's already in my head."
He looked down, and for a brief moment, his cloak rippled with tension.
"Ever since the war ended, I haven't slept. Not once. Every hour, I take chakra pills, enter Sage Mode, scan the continent—over and over. I feel everything. Every breath, every tremor. Because if I miss one threat…"
He trailed off, then took a slow breath.
"Part of me wants to just… eliminate anything I don't understand. Anyone who could harm this world. It would be easy. I have that power now."
Peter studied him carefully, silently.
"But if I do that," Naruto whispered, "then I prove Sasuke right."
Those words lingered in the air like a curse.
Naruto's hands clenched at his sides, and his voice cracked, just a little. "He said I'd be crushed. That I'd break under the weight of protecting this world. That peace would never be real unless it was enforced by violence. That I'd have to become a tyrant."
His gaze hardened. "But I won't. I'll find another way. I have to. Or everything I fought for… everything we lost… will mean nothing."
Peter was silent, the wind tugging gently at his suit.
"You're trying to be better than the world expects you to be," he said softly. "That's not easy. Especially when you're strong enough to make people obey."
Naruto nodded. "That's why I won't. Not unless I have to. I'll be patient… even with people like Magneto. I'll give them a chance to choose peace. Because if we don't give them that… then we're just replacing one kind of destruction with another."