Okay, so I've been reading a ton of Avengers crossovers lately. The most common is definitely Harry Potter ones, and as much as I love Harry Potter fanfiction, Naruto fanfiction is where I started. So, here it is!

Calcutta, India

March 16,2012

Naruto Uzumaki hated Calcutta. It was dirty and packed full of people that didn't know how to look where they were going.

She felt dirty.

Not for the first time, she cursed her traveling companion for dragging her to this dirty city. Of course, he wasn't there for her to curse in person. She hardly saw him during the day, he was almost always off helping someone sick or injured.

She couldn't blame him for that. The city definitely need someone to take care of their people. She on the other hand didn't have the knack for heeling people, but she was a fantastic carpenter though, and was often helping patch up houses and the like. It didn't pay well, but like her companion, she didn't feel right taking money from these already suffering people.

So when she worked for the upper class in their beautiful homes, she usually charged double or triple, because her work was worth it. The money went back into her supplies for repairs and to feed and clothe Bruce and herself.

Naruto sighed thinking of Bruce, and nearly ran into someone in her lack of attention , "Sorry," She hurriedly murmured in Hindi to the red-headed woman before continuing on her way.

She'd met Bruce and forced herself into his life nearly three years ago. He'd been the Other Guy when she first saw him, and it reminded herself so much of the first time she'd lost control over the Kyuubi's power.

She'd cleaned him up and taken him to her hotel room, where he'd woken understandably confused.

He tried to give her the slip several times after that, but it never worked. It may have been a long time since she'd had a legitimate reason to use her skills as a shinobi, but that didn't mean she'd let them rust.

So when he had settled in the middle of the forest late that night, she'd simply came from her hiding place and settled herself in with him.

It had taken about ten more days, and he finally gave up on trying to give her the slip.

Of course, he had started up again after his next incident, but she kept following. She could tell he needed someone in his life, and to be one hundred percent honest, she didn't really feel like being alone again either.

Thus, they traveled, country to country, staying until Bruce was no longer comfortable, or Naruto had some brush with the law with her rather loud mouth. Until they came to Calcutta. It had been close to six months they'd been there now.

She couldn't wait to leave, but Bruce was happy here.

Naruto sighed and looked at the obnoxious orange watch on her wrist (Bruce always called it obnoxious, she loved it).

Seeing how late it was, Naruto took off through the busy streets, dodging through alleys, and narrowly avoiding crazed drivers on scooters to reach the small apartment Bruce was taking care of two sick kids in.

She paused at the bottom of the stairs, seeing a third child at the top of the stairs, begging for help for her father. So Naruto stepped to the side, and waited for Bruce to descend the stairs before falling into step next to him.

"How are the children holding up?"

Bruce sighed and ran a hand through his hair as they followed the little girl, "Not great. But I think they'll make it through now," He looked sadly at the girl before whispering to Naruto, "I'm not so sure her father will make it. The kids got help early enough." He shrugged, a little disheartened.

She patted his shoulder before noting where the little girl was leading them, "Outskirts of town, kid's lucky," She drawled looking around, not noticing anything too suspicious.

Bruce rushed forward to stop the little girl from running into the path of the large truck, and turned his face away so they couldn't take note of his identity.

He sent Naruto a look, he'd heard something. So she called out loudly to him, "Think I'll stay out here, don't want to be in the way."

Nodding very slightly to the left, Bruce turned and followed the girl into the house.

Naruto slipped away into the trees, not too far from the house before cloaking herself in an illusion and slipping back into the house.

Bruce was leaned up against the door frame, looking out of the window that the little girl had just slipped from, "Should have gotten paid up front Banner," He mutters to himself.

"You know," Bruce turns around to see a very beautiful red-headed woman speaking, a red shawl wrapped around her shoulders. "For someone trying to avoid stress, you certainly picked the right place to settle."

"Avoiding stress isn't the secret," He replies, his eyes darting around the room, looking for some place to escape or for some sign from Naruto.

"What is it then? Yoga?"

A bubble of laughter escapes him in his moment of panic.

"You brought me to the edge of the city," He observes, "Smart. I'm assuming I'm surrounded?"

"Just you and me," The woman replied, but Bruce knew it was a lie. He'd heard the soldiers outside, and he knew Naruto was around somewhere. He just wished he knew if she was inside or out.

He wanders over to one of the windows to peer out of it, "And your little actress buddy, she a spy too? Do they start them that young?" That was a silly question, but he was stalling for every moment of time he could get trying to spot Naruto.

"I did," her voice was flat in reply, whoops, didn't mean to piss her off.

"And who are you?"

"Natasha Romanoff." She says it with such certainty, like he should know exactly who she is. He sighs.

"Are you here to kill me Ms. Romanoff? Because that's not going to work out. For anyone." He smiles, it's blatantly fake, but she either doesn't care or doesn't realize. His bet is on the former.

"No, of course not," She replies, almost as if she thinks he's buying her shocked tone, "I'm with SHIELD"

"SHIELD huh," He murmurs and shifts the weight on his feet back and forth. "How'd you find me?"

He can't help thinking Naruto was right, Calcutta was the wrong choice.

"We never lost you Doctor, we merely kept our distance, even helped keep some interested parties off your scent."

Great, so he is officially an animal.

"Why?"

"Nick Fury seems to trust you. But now we need you to come in."

"And what if I say no?"

Romanoff smiles, he knows it's a fake. Her next sentence comes out in a sultry tone, and he can almost feel Naruto growl in fury.

"I'll persuade you."

Bruce nods, but he can hear the threat behind the words. It makes his heart rate jump a few paces.

"And uh, what if the Other Guy says no?"

She begins to walk towards a table located in the main room, "You've been nearly a year without an incident Doctor, I don't think you want to break that streak," She says it so confidently, so assured, that he's almost tempted to prove her wrong. Damn Naruto's wild side for rubbing off on him.

"But I don't always get what I want," He whispers, almost to himself, as he plays with a rickety cradle-swing in the middle of the main room.

"Doctor, we're facing a global catastrophe," She says, ignoring him and pulling out a cell phone.

He laughs, "Now those I actively try to avoid."

"This is the tesseract," she says, no room for non-sense in her voice. She places the phone on the table and sits in the lone chair placed at it, taking what could almost pass for a relaxed position. Bruce knew better. He'd seen Naruto take nearly that exact posture on more than one account.

He played along, taking his reading glasses from his coat pocket and sliding them onto his face. He picks up the phone and examines the photo pulled up.

"What does Fury want me to do with it? Swallow it?"

Natasha leans forward, and speaks to him in that tone of voice like he's a complete idiot. Naruto had it down better. "He wants you to find it. It's been taken, it emits a gamma radiation signature that is too weak for us to trace. There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you," She paused and leaned back into her chair, "If there was, that's where I'd be."

"So Fury doesn't want…" He trails off, looking at Natasha for any signs of deceit. Should've paid closer attention to the little girl, he may not have been in this ridiculous situation otherwise.

"Not that he's told me, no." Natasha replies, knowing what he's asking without him saying.

"And he tells you everything?" Bruce asked, skeptical.

Something cold and hard flashes through Natasha's eyes, "Ask him yourself." She spits.

"So no one's going to put me in a cage?" His tone his mocking, he knows that's not true.

"No one's going-"

He interrupts and slams his hands hard onto the table. It stings for a second, but it brings him back into focus, and he can see Naruto finally. She's a shadow on the wall right behind Natasha.

"Stop lying to me!"

In a second several things happen. Natasha is standing with a gun, he's learned not to question where women manage to pull the weapons from, and that gun is pointed right at his heart.

Naruto is right up against Natasha, one of her strange blades in each hand, one is held closely against Natasha's throat, and the other is very lightly pressed against her back, in a position that if she shoved it forward, it would plunge right into her heart.

The surprise on Natasha's face would be one of Bruce's favorite memories in the weeks to come.

Bruce raised his hands, "Sorry, that was mean," There's a laugh resting on his lips, "I just wanted to see what you would do. You can let her go now dear, I don't think she'll be trying that again."

Naruto seemed to growl low in her throat and shook her head, her eyes flickered to the gun still in Natasha's hands, her fingers on the trigger.

"Okay, let's do this the easy way," Bruce murmurs. "Where you put that away, and the Other Guy doesn't make a mess, okay?"

Natasha glares but she very slowly lowers the gun, because Naruto still has her blades held threateningly against her skin. When the gun is finally set on the table, Naruto removes the blade from her throat, "Call them off," she hisses.

The red-head turns her head to cast a furious glare at the blue-eyed shinobi before pressing her hand to her ear.

"Stand down. We're good here."

Naruto steps away and Bruce laughs, "Just you and me here."

Natasha sends a glance at him from the corner of her eyes and it just breathes fury.

Naruto, the child she is on the inside, stuck her tongue out at the SHIELD agent before turning to Bruce.

"We're leaving Calcutta?" Her voice was so hopefully.

"Bruce is, you're not."

Naruto just shot her a warning look as did Bruce, "She comes with me."

"Like hell she does. She's not part of the initiative."

"Call Fury. He can have nothing, or plus one. I think he'll take the plus one," Bruce replied. "I'm not leaving her behind after three years, besides, would you rather have her as an authorized extra person, or one that managed to sneak into wherever we're going?"

Naruto grinned broadly, revealing unnaturally sharp canines. It made Natasha uncomfortable. "Fine," She finally ground out. "Fury's going to be pissed."

"That you were snuck up on?" Naruto added in helpfully before winding one of her arms around Bruce's. "Because I think he's going to be more upset about that than anything if he's a good commander."