Alias: Shadow
Real Name: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Height: 175cm (estimate)
Weight: 55kg (estimate)
Eye Colour: Unknown
Hair Colour: Unknown
Allegiance: Unknown
Abilities: Teleportation (speculated), Air Manipulation (speculated)
Weaknesses: Unknown
Threat Level: High (estimate)
Bruce Wayne couldn't help but let out a sigh at the information he had managed to gather on the 'hero' now known as Shadow. He had only met the stranger once however he could tell that the man lacked any sort of fear towards him, the simple fact that he managed to wave off his glare without a hint of discomfort was enough to tell the detective that this man was either arrogant or incredibly powerful, possibly both.
What truly annoyed him though was the fact that this 'hero' had decided to start operating in Gotham, even Superman knew that Gotham was off limits to any hero outside of Batman unless they had a very good reason for getting involved.
However this Shadow had completely stamped on that courtesy, having already taken out several small time crooks. As far as the dark knight was concerned Shadow was just lucky he hadn't come across anyone truly dangerous yet, with the apparent arrogance he possessed it was likely he'd underestimate them and find himself in a truly tight spot.
The worst part was he had no idea who was behind the mask, the stranger had managed to cover his tracks better than any other superhero he knew of. It hadn't taken him this long to determine that the meta-human known as 'The Flash' was Wally West, or that Superman was Clark Kent, however despite his best efforts he couldn't figure out this strangers identity.
Honestly the only thing he did know was that this man was definitely not the original Shadow that operated primarily in New York, that man was ostracized from the superhero community for his methods, many felt killing criminals was going too far.
Letting out another sigh at his lack of detail on this masked crusader, he decided to simply push the thought out of his head since tonight was going to be one of the few nights that Dick would be taking time out of his studies to come over to help him fight crime.
XXX XXX XXX
Naruto definitely had to admit, something was wrong. He was currently playing in the football game against State Tech and one of the team stars, a bulky dark skinned man by the name of Brian Rodgers was acting very wrong. The only times Naruto had seen people act like that was under the influence of the Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu.
Meaning someone had it in for him. If he was right then it would probably be some form of hallucinogen that was causing the man's problems right now. Given that he doubted anyone would be stupid enough to take illegal narcotics before a major game, let alone a kind that would leave them terrified, he was certain someone had sabotaged his teammates performance, especially given the fact that scouts for major league teams were here talent searching.
Of course the real problem was the fact that he could detect a small chakra signature in the rafters with a malicious edge to its aura that he easily picked up on. Unfortunately he didn't have any bunshin near the arena and there wasn't anywhere he could create one without attracting attention to his abilities so all he could do was continue with the game like nothing was wrong and hope that either nothing came of this strangers presence or that there'd be a distraction large enough to cover him creating a bunshin and becoming 'Shadow'.
Naruto prepared himself to catch any throw Brian would send his direction only to freeze in surprise as the larger man suddenly had a breakdown and fell to the pitch, dropping the ball and begging the other team to not hurt him.
It was at this point that Brian's roommate rushed onto the field, a young man by the name of Richard Grayson, also known as the adopted son of Bruce Wayne… and almost certainly Batman's sidekick Robin.
Naruto couldn't stop his eye from narrowing as he felt the malicious chakra signature move away after the medical team rushed onto the pitch to determine what was wrong with the quarterback.
He knew this much, he would get answers about this game, that chakra signature was unique enough for him to hunt down when he finally got a chance.
XXX XXX XXX
Jonathon Crane was always considered a genius, however like so many other exceptional individuals that graced Gotham, he had developed psychological problems that made him incredibly dangerous, in his case an obsession with fear.
He loved nothing more than to watch people writhing in terror as his toxins invaded their bloodstream and pushed every little detail of the world to create debilitating weaknesses that didn't normally surface.
His latest toxin reacted with adrenaline to create a stimulant that invigorated the part of the brain dedicated to the emotion known as fear. It had proven very effective, quickly allowing him to fix several games so he could make some quick money to use to continue his research into more effective far toxins.
Of course there was the tiny problem that right now he was being followed. The person following him obviously had experience in tailing however he wasn't considered a genius for nothing and easily noticed the man's presence.
For that reason he had moved towards a derelict stadium, ready to ambush the stranger and dispose of them as necessary. He walked through the halls, going at a pace that was easy to follow just so that this stranger wouldn't lose sight of him.
Eventually he entered a small room, fully prepared for the stranger to follow him inside and he was not disappointed.
XXX XXX XXX
Naruto definitely had to admit that this stranger was unusual though he had already read the man's file from Arkham Asylum. Jonathon Crane, A.K.A. Scarecrow, a man with an obsession for fear that bordered on the levels of his obsession for ramen.
He possessed a P.H.D in psychology and had written several papers concerning fear before finally going off the deep end and allowing his obsession to rule him.
It was obvious now just how serious the situation concerning him really was upon seeing him terrify the bookies henchman that had followed him. The sheer glee in the insane psychiatrists voice as he dealt with his victim made it clear that the man really did love the sound of people screaming in terror.
He really didn't like the idea that he was stuck doing nothing while the henchman was being driven mad, however he had long since learned that although he possessed a powerful healing factor, he wasn't immune to poison… he still remembered that one time when Sakura had tried to kill Sasuke with a poisoned Kunai and he had ended up getting cut by it, he had only managed to avoid the side effects for a few minutes before he collapsed in a pile of drool.
He really should've asked Sakura to give him whatever upgrade Orochimaru had done to Sasuke to make him poison proof, then he wouldn't have to worry about people like this.
Well the past was the past and the present was the present.
Eventually the masked criminal left, giving the blond a chance to jump down and analyse the poor victim. Looked like his toxicology course was going to come in handy once again.
XXX XXX XXX
Batman and Robin were not having a good time, on their last job Robin had almost gotten them both killed after a sudden panic attack rendered him incapable of doing anything.
However this made it rather clear to Batman that something was definitely wrong if both Robin and his roommate had each had panic attacks on the same day. So the duo had immediately gone to the boy wonders dorm where the world's greatest detective quickly took notice of a telegram that had been sent the previous night.
"Robin, have you seen this?" the cowl wearing vigilante asked his younger partner, making the boy walk over to see the strange telegram he had read the previous night.
"Yeah, that's the weird telegram that came last night," Robin responded before taking the letter off his mentor only to note the pale substance that transferred to his gloves from the paper, "what's that?"
"Our next lead," and without further ado, the dark knight and his apprentice disappeared to run their tests.
XXX XXX XXX
Naruto had to admit, the compound was rather interesting. It reacted with adrenaline to create a protein that stimulated the fear centre in the brain while simultaneously removing the compound required for the 'fight' instinct, leaving even the most hardened warriors nervous wrecks.
Now he was glad he didn't try to face the psychiatrist, simply inhaling a tiny bit of the dust would've rendered him vulnerable for long enough for the good doctor to put him down once and for all.
Fortunately he found synthesising an inoculant rather simple, though creating an antidote wouldn't really be necessary unless someone was actually suffering the effects at the point of injection.
Of course the simple fact that he succeeded in doing such a thing really did impress Dr Evans, especially with the sheer efficiency he created the solution with, then again he had been putting a lot of Kage Bunshin hours into learning everything he could about toxicology and counteracting toxins combined with a bit of Iryō Ninjutsu he had learned off of Sakura after the 4th shinobi war.
"Well I have to admit, at this rate I might end up becoming the assistant," Dr Evans stated with wide eyes as he watched the blond finish creating an inoculant for the substance found on the letter brought in with the hired muscle.
"Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, I've gotta get this stuff to the commissioner," Naruto responded as he filled six sterilized syringes with the liquid and packed five of them while placing the sixth in a storage seal he had placed on his forearm.
Walking out of the lab he wasn't even remotely surprised to see Batman and Robin attempt to vanish into the shadows from their previous place at the commissioners side, honestly their attempts were impressive but against a shinobi of the elemental nations it wasn't enough to work.
"Commissioner Gordon, Batman, Robin," he said in a pleasant tone, earning wide eyes off the three he had just greeted, "I've analysed the fear toxin, it is a partial compound that bonds with adrenaline to create a protein that stimulates the fear receptors in the brain, I've synthesised an inoculant but it won't work if the victim is in the middle of a panic attack."
Silence reigned as the blond finished, he suspected that they were still surprised at the fact he knew the caped crusader was there and seemed to be paying no actual attention to him like most cops did.
"So, aren't you going to take it? There are five shots there and I would rather not stand around like a lemon if at all possible," the blond asked, earning a slightly bewildered look off the commissioner as he accepted the case of syringes, "well then, have a pleasant day you three."
It took a few minutes but eventually the dark knight left the shadows and narrowed his eyes at the retreating form of the blond.
"Who was that?" the muscular man asked the detective seriously, earning a sigh off him.
"That was a student from Gotham State, the professors are worried he'll turn into another Crane so they've sent him here for observation," the elderly man said seriously, earning a nod of acceptance off the superhero.
"That seems rather ironic, a person they're afraid will become like Crane is helping us against him," Robin said after hearing that statement.
"I'll have a word with you about him later, for now, we have to stop Scarecrow," Batman stated calmly, earning a couple of nods of confirmation from the other two.
XXX XXX XXX
Naruto definitely had to admit that Crane's goal of rigging games only made sense under the pretence that he didn't want to raise suspicion and get arrested again, but that didn't change the fact that he still wasn't the most subtle even when trying to be, sudden uncontrollable fear rarely ever happened under normal circumstances.
He had managed to locate the phobia terrorist without much trouble before he started following him through the crowd, or rather, above it. He didn't want to have a panic caused by the master of fear, that would never end well and he knew it.
Another point that he had taken note of was the presence of a certain pair of vigilantes, he actually entertained the idea of letting the Bat and Bird take down the terrorist themselves but if he didn't take down someone with a well-known gimmick then people wouldn't take him seriously.
Watching the fear Doctor walking into the stadium they were currently located, the young blond dropped from the ceiling in his costume, earning gasps from the people on the floor as he landed effortlessly, immediately turning towards the treeline and waving at the younger member of the dynamic duo before rushing inside, ready to face the Scarecrow.
XXX XXX XXX
"Who was that?" Robin asked himself as he put away a pair of binoculars he had been observing the entrance with away. He and Batman had split up with his mentor entering the arena via the roof, ready to make his move when the master of fear presented himself.
Of course he had never seen this person before and seeing the stranger literally wave at him while he was hidden in the treeline and using binoculars put him on edge, whoever this person was they were incredibly observant… just like that strange student at GCPD.
His mind instantly reeled at that point, was it possible that his stranger was going to the same college he was? Shaking his head he pushed that thought out of his mind and rushed forwards, even if it was the same person he'd need help against an opponent like the Scarecrow.
XXX XXX XXX
The Scarecrow currently walked uninhibited by the crowd courtesy of his current disguise, a large brown coat and a bushy fake moustache attached to a pair of large glasses, sure it wasn't a particularly good disguise and anyone that paid attention could tell that it was one, however in a large crowd it stood out far less than his normal mask.
He was intending on putting a large dose of his adrenaline activated fear toxin into the number twelve helmet, the helmet of the player Mitch Nole, the star quarterback of the Gotham Knights.
Turning a corner he was surprised to almost run into a decorated porcelain mask standing right in front of him.
"Boo," the owner of the mask said calmly, earning a raised eyebrow off the genius psychiatrist at the rather pathetic attempt to scare him.
"If you are trying to scare me then you'll have to do a lot better than that," Crane said completely unfazed by the strangers presence.
"I know Dr Crane, that was just to get your attention," Naruto said in a way that made it sound like he was smiling at the 'disguised' man.
Immediately the master of fear turned on his heel, expecting to see a second person about to attack him, only to come face to face with air and then feel a massive impact strike his back and send him flying down the corridor.
"Honestly Dr Crane, I was expecting you to be a little smarter than that," Naruto told the man in a mocking manner as he placed his palm to his forehead in an overly dramatic gesture, "woe is me, for even a genius is a fool."
Hearing the masked man's words made the Scarecrow scowl as he pushed himself up off the floor and turned to face his assailant, easily taking note that the man wasn't exposing any skin for him to aim his toxin at, meaning he would have to defeat this man in standard combat. Fortunately he wasn't exactly weak.
With a surprising burst of speed the downed criminal rushed towards the supposedly distracted hero with a right hook, only to find himself hitting air as the man vanished right in front of his eyes. What truly caught his attention though was the small rush of air that passed him when the man vanished.
"Where were you aiming?" Naruto asked calmly as he put his head over the fear masters shoulder, only to blink when the man rolled forward, his fake moustache falling to the ground and revealing the large, toothy mouth that came with his normal mask.
"Who are you? How are you so fast?" the straw haired villain asked with a hint of nervousness in his tone, he may not have been scared of this stranger but he could tell that the man wasn't the sort he could handle without his fear toxin to inhibit his movements.
"Who am I? I am… well the media is calling me Shadow but I prefer the name Zero," Naruto told the supervillain calmly, earning a raised eyebrow off the psychiatrist.
"You want to be called a Zero?" the master of fear asked with confusion in his tone before the starting whistle sounded, making him curse at being held up by this stranger.
"No, I want to be called Zero, the number of infinite possibilities," Naruto explained, earning another raised eyebrow off the masked crook.
"The number of infinite possibilities, if you want that title then that would suggest that you have a wide array of abilities," the genius psychiatrist stated calmly only to receive a strange hand sign in response.
"Yep," and the next thing the Arkham inmate knew, was fear.
XXX XXX XXX
Robin didn't know what had happened, he had quickly caught up with the duo he had entered after, only to overhear a conversation where the masked man revealed himself to be shadow before stating that he wanted a different name.
That was actually rather amusing in his eyes, most people wouldn't understand the meaning of calling himself Zero but his amusement ended when the Scarecrow suddenly started screaming in terror. Looking around the corner he saw the masked man standing with his hand making a strange sign while the master of fear was kneeling on the floor and clutching himself as if he'd just seen a ghost.
"Yo bird boy, how are you doing?" came an upbeat call, making the boy wonder look at the masked man that was facing his direction, "don't worry about this guy, just caught him in an illusion that makes him live through his worst fears."
That immediately made Batman's partner stiffen, this strange 'hero' was giving Crane a taste of his own medicine, only without the medicine. That definitely made this man a very dangerous opponent if he ever decided to go against everyone, however he had to admit that the strangers current attitude seemed a little far from becoming a criminal.
"Hello Robin, Shadow, do either of you know where the toilet is?" came a call from behind the boy wonder, making him turn to see someone he hadn't expected.
"Dammit Blondie! My name isn't Shadow!" the masked man shouted at his bunshin, earning a dismissive shrug off the spiky haired blond.
"So do either of you know where the toilet is?" the Kage Bunshin asked once again, earning a few directions from the boy wonder who immediately discarded his previous suspicions about the masked man and the toxicology student being the same person.
"Stupid kids, not even showing a hint of respect to the guy that saved their assess from a fear spreading madman," Naruto grumbled under his voice as he tried to keep a straight face at his own ploy.
As long as he didn't let others know of his ability to replicate himself he would have the perfect alibi to preserve his secret identity, he had been seen around his real face.
"Well, he doesn't seem like a particularly normal person anyway," the young Grayson tried to alleviate the other hero's annoyance.
"Meh, whatever, I'm outta here, see ya later Dicky boy," Naruto said before disappearing via shunshin, though he did get to see the boy wonders shock upon calling him by his name.
"Batman is not going to be happy," Robin muttered to himself before moving over to the now unconscious Scarecrow's body and lifting him before setting off to find his mentor and inform him of everything that had happened.
XXX XXX XXX
Batman really was not happy right now, to think that not only had Shadow gotten involved with one of his villains but he had also displayed knowledge of his apprentices identity, which in turn meant he probably knew his identity as well. That was not an acceptable situation.
Outside of that there was also the fact that according to Robin, he seemed more concerned about his alias than the Scarecrow when he dealt with him, easily defeating the Scarecrow by apparently using an illusion that acted in a manner similar to the Scarecrows fear toxin.
Letting out a sigh, he decided it wasn't worth stressing over, all that would do would be leave him with a headache, so he simply updated his file on the newest hero in Gotham.
Alias: Shadow/Zero
Real Name: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Height: 175cm (estimate)
Weight: 55kg (estimate)
Eye Colour: Unknown
Hair Colour: Unknown
Allegiance: Unknown
Abilities: Teleportation (speculated), Air Manipulation (speculated), Illusions
Weaknesses: Unknown
Threat Level: High (estimate)
Looking at the information, he tried to push the uneasy feeling he had about this person out of his mind before rising from his seat and preparing himself for bed.
XXX XXX XXX
'Scarecrow caught. According to police reports the criminal known as Scarecrow was apprehended last night by the vigilante known as Shadow. According to GCPD the criminal has been returned to Arkham to undergo therapy after falling prey to his own toxin'
Naruto's eye twitched. He had explicitly stated to Crane that his name was Zero, not Shadow, so why was the paper still calling him that? Were the reporters trying to piss him off or were they just stupid?
It was nice that they had at least given him the credit instead of shifting it over to Batman and Robin, then again he was the newest sensation as far as headlines went, the new hero getting in on Batman's turf was a story in of itself.
And he already realised that the papers were sensationalist garbage for the most part.
However that could wait, to think that he'd actually been given an offer by Commissioner Gordon to join the forensics team on a permanent basis, apparently he had impressed the man with his quick analysis of the adrenaline activated fear toxin, according to the old detective they needed someone with that sort of skill in Gotham.
He was definitely interested in the offer, it would give him a place where he could collect information on criminals legally and possess a way to find out about crimes without having to stumble upon them.
However he had also made it quite clear that he wanted to continue his education and given that he had just signed up to a full forensics course at the University meant he wasn't going to quit until he had finished it.
"Are you still glad you decided to prepare an inoculant before facing the haystack? He didn't even try to use his fear toxin against you," Kurama asked from the back of his mind, earning a shrug off the young man.
"It was a compound that is absorbed through the skin, I didn't know that when I first saw him use it," the spiky haired blond thought back, earning a snort from the demonic fox.
"Please, even if it wasn't you could've taken him out in an instant if you wanted to," the bijū stated in an amused tone as the blond started flicking through the channels.
"Yeah, but I didn't know if hitting him would've released the toxin or not, so I decided to leave it until I knew what I was dealing with," Naruto responded before settling on an action film.
"Damn… that chicks hot," the kitsune said upon seeing the main characters romantic interest.
"Ero-kitsune."