Ben opened the door, his eyes immediately locking onto the unconscious girl in Peter's arms.
"Peter, what happened?"
Peter walked in, carefully placing Jessica on the sofa.
"I came across an incident, so Naruto decided to help me out."
He knew the news channels might have shown his masked appearance, and he didn't want them worrying too much.
May stepped closer, her motherly instincts kicking in. She cupped Peter's face, her eyes scanning for injuries.
"You didn't get hurt, did you?"
Peter smiled. "No, Mom, I'm fine. There wasn't any action this time—just a rescue. But I did bring back someone from my past."
He gestured toward Jessica.
"Jessica Jones. She's my friend from middle school. And yes, she's a superhero. Super strength, flight, and some kind of energy manipulation."
Ben nodded in approval, his eyes warm with pride.
"Well done, Peter. You saved a lot of lives today."
Peter barely had time to react before his uncle pulled him into a hug.
Ben might not be flashy with his emotions, but Peter could feel how proud he was.
"You did good, son."
May turned her gaze toward Jessica, taking in her features.
Tall, athletic, striking eyes…
'She's quite the beauty.'
Her expression remained neutral, but inside, she was already making calculations.
Peter had never brought a girl home before. Not even once.
It wasn't that he lacked attention from girls—May knew better than that—but he never acted on it.
And now, here was a young, attractive girl, asleep in his house.
May hummed thoughtfully, filing that information away.
"What happened to her?"
"She's just exhausted," Peter answered. "She'll stay with us till morning."
Satisfied, he turned toward the stairs. "I'll go drop my things off and come back for dinner."
As he disappeared into his room, May's gaze flickered back to Jessica.
Without a word, she left the room and returned a moment later with a blanket.
She gently draped it over the sleeping girl, tucking it in around her shoulders.
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Don't say it."
May's lips curled into an innocent smile. "Say what?"
Ben sighed. He knew that look.
May was about to meddle.
Ben believed in letting Peter figure things out on his own.
It was the way he was raised, and it was the way he wanted to raise his nephew.
If Peter wanted to pursue a relationship, he should do it by himself.
If May got involved, Peter might just freeze up and withdraw.
"Let the boy handle it," Ben muttered, shaking his head. "Did my father come and talk to you about our relationship?"
May smirked. "No, but Peter is a gentle boy, unlike a certain brute here."
Ben rolled his eyes. "I'm only a brute when it counts. Otherwise, I'm gentle."
May laughed, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. "Bah."
As they sat down for dinner, May's thoughts drifted back to the past.
Her love story with Ben had been far from straightforward.
Once upon a time, May had been a practical woman—one who wanted to marry for money.
Ben had pursued her honestly, but she had rejected him.
Instead, she accepted the proposal of a wealthy man, believing he could give her a life of luxury.
But dreams of wealth shattered when Ben rushed to her one day, urgency in his eyes.
"May, that man you're engaged to… He was involved in a robbery. He shot someone."
Before she could fully process it, her fiancé arrived at her doorstep.
His voice was calm, but his eyes were frantic. "Marry me. Now."
May had hesitated.
She asked him if what Ben said was true.
And when she saw the guilt flash across his face, she knew.
That hesitation…
Saved her life.
The man escaped without her, but he was captured on the way.
After that, she began to see Ben in a different light.
Not as some ordinary man with modest wealth—
But as someone rich in kindness and integrity.
And the rest… was history.
Now, sitting across from her husband, May smiled.
She had changed because of love.
After dinner and finishing up any last tasks, a decision was made.
Jessica would sleep in Peter's room.
Not because there weren't any other places, but because she was a supernatural being.
If she had nightmares or an uncontrolled reaction, she could end up damaging the house—or worse, hurting someone.
Peter didn't object.
It wasn't like he was going to stay awake worrying or something.
…Right?
He wasn't used to sharing his room.
Especially not with a beautiful girl.
Still, he shoved those thoughts aside, made sure she was comfortable, and finally collapsed into bed.
The moment his head hit the pillow—
Peter found himself back in the forest.
The air was crisp, the sky endless, and standing in the clearing was Naruto.
His presence was commanding yet casual, like he belonged to the very fabric of the world.
"How did you feel about today?" Naruto asked.
Peter exhaled, remembering the events.
"I'm happy I took action."
His fists clenched at the thought of what could have happened.
"If people had died… I would have been devastated. But if I hadn't been able to save Jessica? I think I'd feel guilty forever."
Naruto gave a small nod.
"Good. Enjoy that feeling."
His voice was firm, but there was something deeper—something personal in his words.
"Don't let others dictate how you feel about your actions. Some people will praise you. Others will criticize you—even when it's obvious you did the right thing."
Peter listened, sensing a heavy history in Naruto's words.
"People aren't always bright. Most of them can't tell the difference between truth and lies. They believe what they're told. But never forget—there are good people in the world too."
Naruto crossed his arms.
"We're going to train for a month. And I want you to enjoy the fight. Enjoy the ride. If you don't, negativity will eat you alive."
Peter's mind churned.
Naruto spoke with experience, not just theory.
There was pain in his words.
A lesson learned the hard way.
And then Peter asked a question he never thought he'd ask.
"Will I learn to kill?"
Naruto's gaze didn't waver.
"I won't force you to kill. But you'll learn how to. Because sometimes, it will be necessary."
The weight of that truth settled over Peter's chest.
Naruto continued.
"There are monsters in this world, Peter. Some people are so powerful that the legal system protects them instead of punishing them. When that time comes, you'll have a choice."
Peter knew what he meant.
Kingpin. Norman Osborn. People who did terrible things yet walked free.
Could he really kill someone like that?
Peter exhaled.
"I'll decide when the time comes. Right now, I'm just starting."
Naruto grinned.
"Fair enough. But for now, we have more immediate problems."
Naruto's smile turned slightly wicked.
"I'm going to train you to fight all kinds of people. Your body will memorize different fighting styles. You'll also learn ninja arts and create your own personal fighting style."
Peter nodded. That made sense.
"You'll also get to fight another Spiderman."
Peter blinked.
"Wait—what?"
"You'll see how you would have ended up fighting without my training."
Before Peter could fully process that, Naruto's tone darkened.
"Finally… I'm going to break you."
Peter stepped back on instinct.
His heart jumped.
"…What?"
Naruto's voice was calm, but absolute.
"I'm going to build up your pain tolerance. You will experience what it means to be truly broken."
Peter's mind raced.
He had expected sparring. Intense training. Maybe even some tough conditioning.
But this…
This was something else.
Naruto stepped forward, his presence overwhelming.
"Nothing here is permanent. But if you don't learn this, you'll make mistakes because of pain. And mistakes get people killed."
Peter swallowed hard.
His mind screamed that this was crazy.
But his heart knew—
Naruto was right.
Taking a deep breath, Peter clenched his fists.
"…Understood. Where do we start?"
Naruto's grin widened.
"We start… with your beatdown."
And in that moment, Peter realized—
This wasn't training.
This was survival.
Peter took a deep breath, clenching his fists as he stood across from Naruto in the endless clearing.
The air was crisp, the ground firm beneath his feet, but his heart pounded.
He was about to fight Naruto Uzumaki—the guy who could probably wipe out planets if he wanted.
And worst of all?
He had no idea how to fight.
"Lesson one, Peter," Naruto said, rolling his shoulders. "Muay Thai. The art of eight limbs."
Before Peter could process that, Naruto was already in front of him.
A flash of golden blur—
CRACK!
Pain exploded in Peter's ribs as Naruto's knee sank into his side like a steel hammer.
Peter flew back several feet, gasping as he hit the ground hard, coughing. His ribs throbbed, and he was sure something had cracked.
"Stand up." Naruto's voice was calm, instructive. "If you can still move, you fight. That's the rule."
Peter gritted his teeth and forced himself up. His body screamed, but he clenched his fists anyway.
Naruto was on him again.
This time, Peter saw it—a sharp movement, a glint of muscle tightening.
Naruto's elbow came down—
CRACK!
Peter's vision blurred as the elbow smashed into his shoulder, sending him crashing back again.
"Elbows and knees, Peter. That's Muay Thai. Close range, brutal, and efficient. If you don't have space to punch, you use these."
Peter groaned, rolling onto his stomach. His arm hung limp—dislocated.
"Get up."
Peter staggered to his feet, panting. He felt lightheaded—his body wasn't used to this level of pain.
Naruto raised a leg.
"Now, Taekwondo. Legs are longer than arms. Why throw a punch when you can kick from farther away?"
Peter barely processed the words before—
BOOM!
Naruto's foot collided with Peter's gut, lifting him off the ground.
Peter's body folded in mid-air, his stomach screaming in agony.
Before he could land, another kick—
SNAP!
A spinning heel kick smashed into his jaw, sending him spiraling.
He hit the ground hard, tasting blood. His vision blurred. His jaw throbbed—something was definitely broken.
"Rule two, Peter. You need balance."
Naruto was in front of him again, standing firm.
"A good fighter stays light on their feet. You need to be able to throw kicks and dodge them. Right now, you're stiff. You hesitate. That'll get you killed."
Peter coughed, blinking up at him.
How the hell was Naruto talking so casually while breaking him apart?
Peter forced himself up again, wobbling. His vision swam.
Naruto nodded approvingly.
"Not bad. You're getting used to it."
Peter had never felt pain like this.
But he wasn't dead.
His body screamed, but something inside him—something deep—refused to stay down.
Naruto's stance changed—this time, he raised his hands in a more direct, rigid posture.
"Karate. Economy of movement. No wasted strikes."
Peter braced himself.
Naruto moved.
A precise, knife-hand strike slammed into Peter's collarbone—
SNAP!
The bone shattered.
Peter gasped, falling to his knees.
"Karate is direct," Naruto said calmly. "You don't throw unnecessary punches. Every strike should end a fight. If you're fighting someone bigger, aim for joints. Break them."
Peter's vision was blurring now. His breath was ragged.
He wanted to collapse.
Naruto crouched in front of him.
"But you're not done yet."
Naruto's hands snapped forward, grabbing Peter's arm and neck in an instant.
Before Peter could react, he was airborne.
The world spun—
BOOM!
Peter slammed into the ground, his spine screaming as Naruto expertly threw him with zero effort.
He barely had time to register the pain before Naruto locked him into a chokehold.
Peter panicked—his breath cut off, his vision blackening.
"This is grappling," Naruto's voice murmured in his ear. "Control. Leverage. You don't need strength to win—you just need to take away their ability to fight back."
Peter clawed at Naruto's arm, struggling—
Then SNAP!
His shoulder dislocated again as Naruto bent his arm the wrong way.
A choked scream left Peter's lips—
Then Naruto released him.
Peter collapsed, gasping for air.
His body was ruined.
Ribs cracked. Jaw fractured. Arm dislocated. Collarbone shattered.
He was broken.
Completely.
And yet—
His fingers dug into the dirt.
His body tried to rise again.
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
Peter's vision swam, but he soon he was healed completely and the lesson resumed.