The world kept moving, but for those closest to Peter, Gwen, and Cindy, something felt off. Their sudden absence didn't go unnoticed, and while Peter's situation was relatively smooth, the same couldn't be said for the girls.
Cindy's mother was furious.
Her phone was blowing up with missed calls and voice messages, each more heated than the last.
"Cindy Moon! You better answer your phone right now! If you're not home before dinner, I swear, you won't be stepping out of this house for a month! Where are you?!"
More messages followed, each carrying a fresh wave of frustration, worry, and threats of grounding. Cindy's father was calmer, trying to reason with his wife, but even he had concerns. Cindy was intelligent, but she was also headstrong, and they weren't used to her staying out without warning.
But then, a simple text arrived on Cindy's phone.
[Staying at a friend's place. Don't worry. Will be back tomorrow.]
That calmed things a little, but her mother still wasn't happy.
"We'll talk when you get home," was the final message. Cindy was in for an earful.
Captain George Stacy noticed the unusual behavior right away. His daughter wasn't the type to stay out overnight, at least not without telling him in advance. Unlike Cindy's mother, though, he didn't react with anger. Instead, he simply sighed and trusted her judgment.
She was a responsible young woman. If she said she was safe, she was.
Still, the detective in him wasn't so easily reassured. He made a mental note to ask her about it when she got back.
Peter's absence should have caused an uproar, but Ben and May Parker had already been prepared.
Not because Peter told them directly—but because of Naruto.
Two weeks ago, Naruto had come to them. Not in person, but in their dreams.
And in those dreams, he showed them.
They saw a world without Peter stepping into his role. They saw what happened when power went unchecked. They saw destruction, suffering, and tragedy unfold because no one was there to stop it.
And they felt it.
Every ounce of pain. Every tear shed. Every life lost.
It was horrifying.
When they woke up, there were no lingering memories of the dream itself, only the weight of its lesson.
So, when Peter started to walk this path, they didn't stop him.
They trusted him.
But they also trusted Naruto.
Naruto's Plans for Peter
Naruto didn't just want Peter to be another masked hero. He had enough of those in his empire.
No—he wanted Peter to be a leader.
Someone who could truly make a difference.
Even if Peter never joined his empire, even if he remained in this world forever, he could still become something greater than a lone hero swinging through the city.
He could be a symbol.
And that was why Naruto intervened when he did.
Because Peter wasn't just some kid with powers.
He was someone who could change the world.
Naruto stood at the pinnacle of existence, the undisputed ruler of the multiverse. The journey had been long—centuries of war, conquest, and diplomacy. But in the end, he had shaped a utopia, a realm where every universe under his rule flourished in peace and prosperity.
His power was absolute.
The Otsutsuki King, once the greatest threat to all reality, had fallen before him. He had consumed the king's essence, absorbing the knowledge and power of an entire race that had feasted on worlds for millennia.
The Beyonder, a being once deemed omnipotent, had been humbled before Naruto's might.
Galactus? Nothing more than a child in comparison, a mere force of nature that Naruto could snuff out with a thought.
There were no challengers left.
The multiverse was his.
Where others sought domination for selfish ends, Naruto had done what no other conqueror had—he built a perfect system. Every universe under his reign was one of balance and progress. Hunger was nonexistent. War was a relic of the past. Suffering had been reduced to near nothing.
Science and magic coexisted, and civilizations reached heights they had never dreamed of.
The weak were protected. The strong were guided.
He was the ultimate ruler.
But even at the peak, even as the Emperor of Mankind, Naruto didn't rest. Because he knew—somewhere, in some corner of existence—there would always be another threat.
And when it came, he would be there.
Because he was Naruto Uzumaki—the Conqueror of Eternity.
Naruto had long since surpassed the confines of mortal comprehension. Even the so-called Cosmic Spider, an entity that wove the fates of countless Spider-People across the multiverse, was nothing more than an insignificant bug in his eyes. Peter had listened to Naruto's explanation, and honestly, he agreed—the Cosmic Spider didn't seem like much. If Spider-Man was its greatest avatar, then how strong could it really be? Certainly not stronger than someone like Thor or even Galactus.
But Yami—she was something entirely different.
Unlike the Cosmic Spider, Yami had been created from the corpses of immortal monsters, infused with unfathomable energy, and designed to interact with every reality in the multiverse. Her power, though still maturing, already dwarfed Galactus. If she reached her full potential, she could easily unmake stars, devour realities, and reshape existence as she saw fit.
But she wasn't just a weapon.
Yami had been raised under Naruto's guidance, along with her siblings. And like all of Naruto's children, she was a walking contradiction—a being of overwhelming pride, yet capable of great kindness. She was playful and calm, yet could be sadistic and cruel if the situation demanded it. She believed in efficiency, in achieving results through the most effective and enjoyable methods.
Naruto had never fixed their egos—why would he? Watching people struggle because of their own arrogance was fun. It was entertainment for him.
But Yami, despite her pride, had chosen Peter.
Not because she needed to.
Not because the Cosmic Spider had anything to offer her—it was beneath her.
She had chosen Peter because she knew something no one else did:
Peter Parker needed a partner who would be truly bound to him.
Yami was an immortal being. No matter what, she would always stand above him. No matter how much he grew, he would never own her. He would never understand her in the way he needed to understand a true companion.
Thus, she had made a choice.
She had connected Peter to the girls, ensuring that they could walk his path alongside him.
It was fate, in a way.
Naruto had always said, "When you are born at the top, you miss all the things you could have gained along the way." That was why he had sent his children away—why he had stripped them of their divine advantages and forced them to live before they ruled.
Even now, in this universe, Yami had been tasked with bringing peace to Earth.
Did she care about these people?
Not particularly.
She wasn't some noble hero—she was Naruto's daughter. Her loyalties were absolute. The rest of the world was just background noise.
But she would watch Peter.
And depending on how he moved, she would decide:
Would she guide him gently?
Or would she push him down the most entertaining path?
Jessica Jones arrived at the hidden Spider Base, her steps light but purposeful. She had been in the middle of a case when Peter had told her he couldn't leave the base for the night, so she decided to check in on him personally. She didn't expect much—Peter was responsible, and she trusted him.
But what she didn't expect was to find two unconscious girls in the base.
She instantly recognized Gwen Stacy, but the other girl—a brunette wearing a black leather jacket—was unfamiliar.
Her sharp blue eyes flicked to Peter, narrowing slightly. "You wanna tell me what the hell is going on here?"
Peter sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah… It's, uh, kinda complicated."
Jessica crossed her arms, waiting.
Peter knew better than to keep her waiting, so he explained everything—the science trip, the radioactive spider bite, and the awakening of Gwen and Cindy's new powers.
Jessica listened without interrupting, her face unreadable.
Then, she asked the question that had been bothering her the most.
"Who's Yami?"
Peter hesitated for a moment, before sighing. "She's… the spider that bit me."
Jessica raised a skeptical brow.
"I know how that sounds," Peter admitted. "But she's not just some normal spider. She's a—"
How do I even explain this?
"—she's basically following me around as a ghost now. She's kinda like my guardian, I guess?"
Jessica's frown deepened. "So… you've got some mystical spider deity hanging around you?"
Peter scratched his cheek. "Not exactly a deity. She's more like a—uh—super-powerful being that's tied to me."
Jessica shrugged. "Eh. Not the weirdest thing I've heard."
If Peter had a ghost spider looking after him, then whatever.
It wasn't her problem.
What was her problem, however, was the fact that Gwen had spider powers now.
Jessica stared at Gwen's sleeping form, her blonde hair falling over her face as she breathed softly. She looked… peaceful. Almost serene.
And that's when it hit Jessica.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling that made her gut twist.
Was it… defeat?
Jessica had never thought about it before. She was already Wonder Woman in this universe, something far beyond what she used to be. And yet…
Gwen was more suited for Peter than she was.
Jessica was a warrior. A protector. But Gwen was different.
Gwen shared Peter's world, his intellect, his powers, and now—his responsibilities.
No matter how much Jessica wanted to ignore it, Gwen would understand Peter in a way that she never could.
And that bothered her.
It wasn't jealousy.
It was acceptance.
For the first time, Jessica questioned whether she had a place in Peter's life that Gwen couldn't take away.
Peter had always been dense when it came to love.
Before meeting Naruto, he was the kind of guy who would completely miss the hints, brushing off any romantic tension as just friendship. But after Naruto's blunt lessons on love, he wasn't oblivious anymore.
So when he saw the way Jessica reacted to Gwen getting spider powers—the way her shoulders tensed, the way she bit her lower lip, the way her blue eyes darkened with thought—he understood immediately.
Jessica was bothered by it.
She didn't say anything, but Peter knew.
And he wasn't going to ignore it.
He stepped forward, lowering his voice so only she could hear.
"Hey," he said softly, catching her attention. "It doesn't change anything between us."
Jessica's eyes flicked up to meet his, her expression unreadable. "What do you mean?"
Peter smiled slightly. "I mean, you and Gwen… You both have a different place in my heart. One doesn't replace the other."
Jessica stared at him for a long moment.
Then, she laughed, shaking her head. "Damn, Naruto really taught you well, huh?"
Peter chuckled. "Yeah, he drilled some wisdom into me."
Jessica's smirk faded slightly, and she tilted her head. "So… does that mean you love us?"
Peter blinked. He opened his mouth—then closed it.
Did he?
He wasn't sure.
He cared about Jessica. He cared about Gwen. But love? That was big. That was serious.
"I… I don't know," Peter admitted honestly.
Jessica arched an eyebrow. "You don't?"
He shook his head. "I'm still figuring it out. But what about you?" He looked her in the eyes. "Do you love me?"
Jessica stiffened slightly.
She hadn't really thought about it in those exact words before.
She knew she liked him. She liked being around him. She liked how genuine he was, how he made her feel safe, how he made her laugh.
And after all this time, that feeling had only grown.
So after a moment of hesitation, Jessica took a breath and nodded.
"I do," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I… like you more than ever."
Peter felt something warm settle in his chest.
Peter held Jessica's gaze, letting her words settle in his mind.
She liked him. More than ever. That much was clear.
But what did it mean?
As a boyfriend? As something more permanent?
Peter inhaled deeply before speaking.
"Do you mean… as a boyfriend? Or as something more permanent?"
Jessica's expression shifted, her usual confidence flickering with uncertainty. She had never thought about it in those terms.
Her relationships had always been casual, nothing deep or serious. She wasn't the type to dream about weddings or soulmates.
But Peter… was different.
She liked him. A lot.
And the idea of being with him? It didn't scare her.
It just felt… natural.
"I'm not sure," Jessica admitted, crossing her arms. "I never really thought about it that way."
Peter nodded, understanding. "That's fair."
Jessica exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "But…" she looked at him again, this time with determination. "If we became boyfriend and girlfriend, we'd at least know where we're going from there, right?"
Peter smiled. "Yeah. We'd figure it out together."
Jessica smirked slightly. "You're getting smooth, Parker."
Peter chuckled. "Blame Naruto."
Jessica rolled her eyes but didn't argue. Instead, she stepped closer, her blue eyes searching his.
"Alright then," she said, extending her hand toward him. "Let's give this a shot."
Peter let out a deep breath, his thoughts tangled in a web more complicated than any he had ever spun.
He couldn't just say yes. Not when his feelings were still unclear.
With Jessica standing before him, Gwen sleeping in the next room, and Cindy still adjusting to her new life—he had yet to choose.
Jessica had confessed, and Peter respected that. But he couldn't rush into something just because of the moment. He needed to be fair—to her, to Gwen, and to Felicia.
"I'm sorry," Peter finally said, his voice calm but firm. "I can't just say yes when I'm still so unsure."
Jessica blinked, surprised.
"I need to understand my own feelings first," he continued, meeting her gaze. "I won't make a decision until I'm sure about what I want—and what's fair to all of you."
There was a moment of silence.
Then, Jessica laughed.
Not out of mockery, not out of disbelief, but genuine relief.
She took a step forward and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'm happy, you know?" she said softly. "I was starting to feel inferior to Gwen."
Peter's eyes widened slightly. "Why?"
Jessica pulled back slightly and gave him a half-smile. "Because she got spider powers, too. Because she's the kind of girl that just… fits with you in ways I don't."
Peter shook his head. "Jessica, you're not inferior to anyone."
Jessica smirked. "I know that. But… it's nice to hear you say it."
Peter sighed and smiled. "No matter what happens, you have a place in my life."
Jessica chuckled, crossing her arms. "Good. Because I'm not going anywhere, Parker."
Peter laughed. "Yeah, I figured."
And with that, the tension in the air eased, but the journey ahead remained uncertain.