Clark Kent slowly rotated his coffee with his spoon. He didn't really plan on drinking the beverage. In fact, he was never too intimate with it to begin with. But he had needed a break from being 'Superman'. It had been such a short time since Bizarro had been killed. Even shorter as time since Superboy Prime had relabeled himself as Nova Prime.

Upon the revelation that the cloned teen had become forceful in his efforts against both villains and heroes, the Justice League had bared down on the blond haired Kryptonian. But he had continuously danced out of their clutches. And he had garnered an almost occult following with the public. Their views were beginning to change on him.

Where before, when he had been labeled Superboy Prime, the public had viewed him as nothing more than a rage filled teen hellbent on bulldozing through the masses, now he was Nova Prime. Where the Justice League were all adored for their morals, Nova Prime was praised for the brutality he delivered to the villains who showed the public no mercy.

"It's harsh, isn't it?" A voice questioned as a figure placed themselves down across from Clark. The disguised Man of Steel narrowed his eyes as he took in his blond headed clone's appearance. Where as the outfit he had originally worn after being released from Cadmus had too been prepped for battle, the clothes he now adorned seemed to be fit for his own comfort.

He wore a pitch black tee shirt that held an S shield on it. The shield was grey, as Prime's had been since its founding, but was in more of an S shape than his. Branching out from the S to the sides of the shield were multiple curved designs. Pulled on over the shirt was a black leather jacket, though obviously not the same one he had originally worn.

This jacket was smaller, and had no buckle hanging down from it. In essence, the original jacket had held a biker look while this one held a more winter wear look. Wrapped around his neck was an orange scarf that reached up to his chin. The lower length that dangled down reached just below his rib cage. The teen wore a pair of black jeans which were held up by a belt similar to Superboy's own.

His feet were donned in a pair of military combat boots that the black jeans were tucked down into. The blond haired boy leaned back in the booth across from the Man of Steel, toying with the end of his scarf as he, supposedly, glanced over the menu that lay on the table in front of them. That action was brief as his blue on black sclera eyes rose to meet Superman's own.

If the man of steel didn't know any better, he would think the blue coloring had lightened to a degree. "What's harsh? The way you've been slaughtering criminals? I don't know what you think you're doing, but you're not doing anyone any favors out there. You're not a hero." Naruto shrugged in response to the statement, seemingly disinterested.

"Oh, I don't disagree with you there." The vigilante answered evenly as the waitress walked towards them. Naruto's eyes narrowed at her as she made to touch him with her hand. "Tea." He spoke through his teeth, sending the girl hurrying away. "As you can see..." The civilian clothes wearing Prime spoke, returning his attention to his DNA donor, "I'm not very great with social interactions. Your team of sidekicks is a testament to that."

"What are you doing here, Prime?" Clark questioned his would be adversary. "If I weren't disguised and all of these people weren't around, I'd be hauling you in to Justice League headquarters. In other words; It wasn't a smart idea to come here."

"No. I think it was. You see, things are different," Naruto leaned forwards on the table, smirking slightly, "Clark. I no longer worry about you and your League. Not that I particularly cared that much about you lot in the first place. Still, with things as they are now, I'm out of your reaches. There's nothing, nothing, you can do to me.

"The public has accepted me. Not as a hero, but as a protector. Even policemen have more faith in me than the likes of you and Batman." Superman narrowed his eyes harshly. It was true. Policemen were more relieved than horrified at the disappearances of the villains that had tormented them, and slaughtered their friends and comrades. Even members of the Justice League itself were siding with Prime. It was corruption at its worst.

"Acceptance doesn't mean that your doing the right thing here. You never answered my question. What exactly are you doing here, Prime." The blond haired teen grinned moments before the lower portion of his features disappeared behind his scarf.

"But acceptance is a grand thought. The one thing I thought out of my reach is now mere inches from my face. And for the simple reason that I placed down my hatred towards you for short amounts of time. And focused my time on doing something better. Something greater." Naruto reached out, intercepting the waitress with his drink. She quickly rushed away at a dismissive gesture from the blond.

"Don't make any mistake about it. I still hate you. Not for the reasons I began with, mind you. But my hatred of you has expanded to Kryptonians. And from Kryptonians outwards. Because you endanger lives without a care in the world. You don't think before you act."

"And you do?" Superman questioned with a shake of his head. "For god's sake, you go about killing people. You're no better than the people you claim make the world as corrupt as it is."

"Oh? But I am." Prime returned before taking a small gentle sip from the tea that he now held in his hands. "I've gone about my business in a very Jack The Ripper type manner. Kill in silence and then fade away into the night. The public wouldn't have even become aware of me had it not been for you and your lot.

"You had the League attack me... In broad daylight. And then you broadcast me as Public Enemy number one. But that plan backfired, didn't it. Instead of rallying the masses to your plight that I've become evil incarnate, they rallied to my side. Because they want to feel safe. They don't want to worry about the Lex Luthors and Jokers of the world."

Naruto leaned further back in his seat with a subtle shrug. "As for why I'm here, well, things are quite in Metatropolis since I maneuvered back here. From what I'm to understand, things are so quite that the entire Team has taken the day off, what with their leader dispersing to Atlantis to think on his future."

"How did you know-"

"Come on now, Clark." Superman frowned deeply at the tone that the young teenager used when speaking his name. It was used in a way that let the Man of Steel know that his secret could be revealed at any given moment. "You and I both know that members of the League see things from my side better than they do yours now. Do you really think there isn't at least one that isn't informing me of what's going on there?"

Superman tensed heavily. If those words were true, then there was a mole in the League itself. He couldn't outright question every single member's loyalty and integrity. It would only cause further dissension amongst the highly skilled heroes. At the same time, it could simply be a ruse that the boy had concocted, having picked up information with his Super senses.

"What I think about my members doesn't concern me as much as you might wish it would." Clark returned through gritted teeth a Nova leaned forwards, smirking. "What concerns me is why your here, and how many people are in danger because of your presence."

"Oh, for Christ's sake, calm down." Naruto returned harshly as he leaned backwards, slamming into the cheap material of the booth he sat in. "You and your morale compass. You always think yourself better, more inclined to protect the masses. But if you think about it, that's what Wind Dragon thought too, isn't it? Is that arrogance I see seeping through your facade, Superman?"

Clark chomped his teeth together harshly as his blond haired clone whispered his name. Something had definitely changed in the whisker marked teenager. He was more controlling of his emotions, more intact with control over himself. "And isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Superman questioned angrily as he leaned forwards, forcing himself not to slam his palms onto the table in front of him.

"What was it that the League was reported? That Nova Prime believed himself the only person capable of 'changing the world'? Face it, Prime. You're insane. You just don't realize it. You think that you can bring change to the world, that you can bring 'peace' to it? You're wrong." Naruto chuckled as he placed his cup of tea down, now empty.

"Not insane." He replied, narrowing his eyes. "I admit, when I received my newest acquisitions, I was a little giddy. After all, I was receiving something from my home world... I imagine you had the same reaction to Kryptonite. Until it started sucking the life out of you." Superman's eyes narrowed dangerously as the blond haired teen chuckled with, seemingly, good nature.

"I admit, I got a little power hungry. The person who gave my powers to me left a little surprise within the surprise. You wouldn't know what a seal is, but it tried to completely eradicate my mind into a rambling madman. Perhaps he wanted an heir in another world? I couldn't care less. Not only did the seal fail because of the dangerous power her put into it, but...

"... It healed my mind. Slightly. You see, I see Cadmus' plan for what it truly was now. They didn't want a being that could handle himself. They wanted something broken in the first place. All the talk they gave me of fixing me and breaking me again was false. They had something they wanted from the beginning, you see?

"They wanted a being filled with rage. A being that couldn't get over his past. And that's what they did to me. They forced my mind to constantly relive my lives. In fact, they sent a G-Gnome that 'missed me' to keep that up. I squashed that little pest. I warned it after all. Through all of this, the seal fixed the damage they did to my mind.

"The part of my brain they manipulated to force me to continue raging over something I knew was false has been repaired. For the most part. Like I said, I still hate you. Because, despite what you make yourself out to be, you're not perfect. You're not god."

"I never proclaimed myself a god." Superman returned evenly as he clenched the edges of the table in front of him, shattering them slightly.

"No... But the people did. What was it that they used to call Batman? A... man among gods? Face it. Despite your best attempts to keep your Justice League morally correct, it's become corrupt. Arrogant. Hateful."

"The only hateful thing I know that has come close to the League is sitting right in front of me." Naruto chuckled harshly as he placed his index finger on the rim of his cup, rotating it at a slow speed.

"Oh, I'm not going to argue that. But at least I'm not as ignorant as the lot of the League. Do you honestly believe that locking a villain in a cell for, what, three days before they escape will rehabilitate them? Come on, Clark, we both know that the only way to make the world a safer place is to completely eradicate them from the Earth."

"You 'hate' me because you think I believe myself as god. But what about you? What do you call yourself? Having deemed yourself fit to judge a man's life, and then end it?"

"I call myself Justice. Or Nova Prime. But if you look either up they have the same definition." Naruto replied sarcastically to his DNA donor. "Christ, Clark, I'm not god. I know that. Trust me, I've been face to face with the men who perceived themselves as such. You know what perceiving got those men? Death. Except one... But just one."

"I've faced men who proclaimed themselves as gods as well." Superman interjected harshly. "And I dealt with them in different manners. Banishment, exile, prisons of both the mythical and supernatural. I've yet to see hide nor hair of them since our final battles. Killing is not a means to an end. It's a justification to take rage out on others."

"I don't need justification." Naruto returned. "Justification is for those in the wrong. But I'm protecting people. Where you and your group of Super friends are running around the world trying to be heroes, I'm protecting people from their worst nightmares."

"You're one of their worst nightmares!" Clark exclaimed angrily, causing the surrounding civilians to turn to the two, confused. The disguised man of Steel chuckled, raising his hand into the air. "Sorry... Something's not settling right in my stomach!"

"Nice cover." Nova spoke up, chuckling. Clark rounded on him with a violent glare. "Oh, calm yourself, Man of Steel. If you focus any harder your lasers might just try to fry me." Clark made no indication that he found the joke funny. "So, I heard Klarion's in Justice League custody. Because of me. How is he? Hopefully still recovering from that blast I gave him. A trick from an old friend I learned recently."

"Klarion is fine. Except for the fact that he constantly rambles about deactivating you, he's fine. That little hole you put through him has already healed with his powers."

"Shame. He should be forced to bare a scar for a few days. It builds character." Prime smirked, tapping his shirt's shield. Clark's eyes narrowed even further. He knew what was underneath that shirt. A scar of his own S Shield. "Trust me... I know."

"Change your shield again?" Superman questioned, deterring the teen from that subject. "Did you decide that you wanted to be the hero? Wanted to bare a shield more similar to my own?"

"There's that arrogance again... bare a shield like my own... Conceited bastard. No, you see, I'm not as ignorant as your other clone. I know that walking around with my shield on my chest gives me away immediately. This shield is easily passed off as a design of either yours, or mine. Say, a fan of his protector. Isn't that what your shield was supposed to represent? Protection? Pity mine's the one synonymous with protection."

"The more you talk, the more I'm convinced that everything you accuse me to be is exactly what you are."

"Is that so?" Nova questioned angrily as he leaned forwards with his palms on the table. "Well you may not be far from the truth. Maybe I am arrogant. Maybe I am conceited. But I'm human enough to admit it all. I'm human enough to admit I am a danger to society. But I won't quit my work. Not now. Not until I die again. Because I'm not ignorant.

"I've made the mistake of allowing someone such as your godliness decide the fate of a world. But, you see, your godliness, it's your fault that so much crime happens. You think without you here that aliens would still come in the waves they do? No! They wouldn't! They would still come, I realize that. But not in the waves that they do to destroy you.

"But, for all of this back and forth, I came to offer you a thank you. One thank you. You see, if it weren't for you, the aliens wouldn't be coming in the waves that they do. And without them, the seal wouldn't have completely overloaded. You see, the power that was fueling the seal, I see your confusion so bear with me, had already fractured it.

"And as I thought silently to myself, I realized that this Universe can never have peace. With aliens constantly falling from the stars, clones appearing left and right, alternate universe melding over... This place is far from the home I grew up in. There is no ability for peace here as there was there. That revelation completely shattered the seals hold on my brain.

"The hold that told me that I was the only one that could bring about peace. Peace is a lie. I know that now. Peace is a fool's dream. But, the world needs dreamers to continue to revolve, right? With the destruction of the hold on my mind came the destruction of the rage that had consumed me for so long. In essence the entire chain leads back to you and another man who holds no place in my heart.

"So, in essence, I owe you both thank yous. And with that, any civility between us is about over." Nova glanced around at the civilians surrounding him, Superman tensing in response. "Not here you bozo. Do you really want to murder innocent people? Do you see how far the might has fallen, your godliness? Listen, and listen well, Clark."

The black haired Man of Steel frowned deeply. The humor and sarcasm that had been in Prime's voice since he had first sat down across from him had all but disappeared from his words. "You little League? They're annoying me. Everywhere I go, they're prepped to attack me. Lately, I've been picking off the small leagues.

"The mob bosses, the swindlers, the drug dealers, the small time murderers. But I'm just about ready to continue my work on a higher scale. The Deathstrokes and Jokers, the Lex Luthors and Blockbusters of this world... They all need to die. And I'm the only one who, apparently, has the guts to do away with them... Permanently. So I'm going to.

"I'm not stupid, Clark. When I begin killing your Super villains, the people you claim as your nemesis, your League is going to come after me harder than before. Your Sidekicks are all going to band together in a useless Young Justice League squadron to intercept me. And I'm going to begin dealing with them as I should have been all along.

"I'm going to hurt them. Maim them. I may even kill a few. Because I'm doing the right thing. It may not be morally correct in this world, but it is right. Look around you, Man of Steel. The reason all of these people are so happy? The reason they feel so protected? Is because of me? Does that make you mad?" Superman's nostrils flared in return as Nova grinned, shaking his head.

"The people around you are questioning if you and your League are any better than the criminals. Think about it. You protect your arch nemesis more than you do them! 'No, he'll reform eventually,'" Clark's eyes flashed with rage as Naruto impersonated his voice, "'Let's just put him in an asylum.'" Naruto brought his hand to his mouth, coughing, before imitating Batman's voice.

"'What was that, Commissioner? Joker's escaped the asylum and killed thousands of more people? And he's threatening the rest of the world? Don't worry, I'll have him back after he kill just a few more.'"

"You better watch your tone..." Superman warned, Nova chuckling harshly in return.

"Face it. You're not any better than your villains. I know I'm not, now. I've accepted that. As a matter of fact, I never claimed myself to be. I never claimed myself to be a hero. But at least I admit it. The way it look? You just continue locking away enemies so that they can escape, you can battle them, and then lock them away again. The perfect scheme to keep your publicity alive... forever."

"Shut up!" Clark exclaimed, lurching to his feet. "I'm tired of your mouth! You ramble on so constantly that it makes me sick! Make no mistake about it No-" Clark paused in his sentence, noticing the alarmed glances of the onlookers. He reached up, straightening the front of his suit, as well as his tie. "Excuse me. I think I need to step outside. I'm a little... on edge today."

With that, Clark exited the booth, and left the vicinity altogether. Naruto remained behind, staring at the spot he had occupied. Superman's reaction only seemed to confirm his thoughts. Superman thought himself a god. He may not have realized it, but he did. And if he realized it or not, there was a way to topple every god. Even Naruto had his weaknesses that could be exploited.

Standing to his feet, the disguised Prime exited the diner, shaving his hands into his jean pocket. Everything he had said to Superman was true. Obito had placed a seal upon the helmet he 'gifted' to Naruto, to control him into being in the exact same mindset as the black haired shinobi. But, with Cadmus still trying to control his mind, their schemes had backfired on each other.

Naruto had fought through them, coming to realizations that caused the seal to overload with the power of the Kyuubi that had been placed inside of it. The backlash had, in fact, destroyed the progress that Cadmus had made in making him into a violent, mindless beast. And with that, Naruto had become better. Smarter. Stronger. A combination of the original blond, the rage filled Superboy Prime and the Obito puppet. The best of himself.

And with that revelation, he had come to another. Superman was arrogant, conceited. He was too arrogant to realize he was being cloned. Too arrogant to believe that such a feat could be achieved. And it had been that arrogance that had allowed so many clones to be created. That arrogance that had allowed Naruto to be cloned into rebirth. The arrogance that had allowed Match and Naruto to bond. Match...

Nova Prime was very much aware of his brother's still living presence. Cadmus had given the G-Gnome they had sent to torment him the right to reveal the clone's status as still present. Yet he hadn't made a move to save the clone. Perhaps he had fallen farther than he realized since his escape from Cadmus. Perhaps he was sitting, waiting to see if Superman cared enough to rescue him.

No, the truth was, Prime was bidding his time. The report the G-Gnome had given him about Match wasn't a good one. The clone was highly unstable, even more so than when Naruto had been with him. Within a few years, his mind would be gone and he would be deformed. A Bizarro version of Superboy, it seemed.

Match, as it were, was being kept safe in Cadmus. Safe from being allowed to grow. He was currently being held in a way that kept him from destabilizing farther. Naruto didn't really want to admit it. But, until he could find the proper tools to either keep Match in the same holding, or to stop him from destabilizing altogether, then he was safer at Cadmus' bases.

"You've irritated the League." A voice spoke up from a dark alley. Naruto halted in his tracks, barely offering a sideways glance.

"I know." He returned simply with a shrug. He had seen the look on Superman's face. He hadn't entirely believed Naruto's statement that members of the Justice League saw his cause in a light that the Man of Steel couldn't. But that hadn't been a lie. In fact, the person speaking to him from the shadows was, in fact, a well respected member of the League.

"They're going to be gunning for you now... Harder than before. But that's what happens when you let a whole bunch of Super egos grow unattended. Listen, I'll throw them off your trail as much as possible. Contaminate crime scenes, hinder investigation, botch missions against you... Anything you need. But I'm not going to turn on the League. Not yet. You still need an insider."

"I have plenty of insiders."

"Yes, but two heads are better than one, and three are better than two, and so on, don't you agree?"

"Very much so." Naruto returned with a dismissive shrug. "Go about with what you normally do. Your support is all I need in this. It's greatly appreciated."

"Well, it's about time someone really started doing things against the criminals. I just wish I had had the guts to do it myself." Naruto shrugged in response to the statement. Though he frowned as he felt something baring down on him from behind.

"Run." As he swirled in his tracks, he snarled angrily as a very familiar form plowed into him.

The civilian clothes wearing Nova Prime slammed into a wall, creating cobweb splinters throughout it as the figure chuckled. "I remember faces really well... Nino..." Naruto snarled as he righted himself back onto his feet, glaring harshly at Bane. "I was here in Metropolis on business... But would you look at the odds. It turned personal, real quick."

"It's about to get even more personal." Naruto replied, rushing forwards. Bane ducked down underneath a vicious blow from Nova, and launched himself upwards with an uppercut to the blond's chin. The Venom pumping through his veins added more force to the blow, causing him to stumble backwards with a violent snarl.

Lashing out, Prime's leg slammed into Bane's side, forcing him to stumble sideways in surprise. "Things are different this time around." Naruto spoke, dodging under a well placed punch from the luchador like villain. His fist sailed past his blond haired adversary's skull, slamming into a wall behind him. The bricks crumbled down into nothing but dust.

Two red lasers slammed into Bane's back, causing him to cry out in pain. As he fought away from the hateful beams that extended from his opponent's eyes, the people around them rushed away, not even caring about the scene and who was partaking in it, only safety. Bane's body twisted, his fist slamming into Naruto's jaw violently as it snapped to the side.

"Yeah? I still see one of the six Nino's that cost me my Venom factory! That hasn't changed, has it Nino!?" Nova ducked down underneath Bane's fist before the beast of a man rushed forwards to plow into his adversary. Naruto rolled aside as he observed Bane. The man was a physical wonder with Venom. But he was entirely outmatched. He could only bulldoze through things.

"No, that hasn't changed. I helped destroy your factory alright. But I'm not part of that team anymore. I'm not so filled with rage that I can't see past your brutish facade. And I'm not held back by the Justice League's morales any longer!"

"Then prove it Nino!" Bane attempted to slam into his enemy once again, though Naruto launched himself into the air, wind beginning to dance angrily in his hand as it had become known to do in this world.

"Rasengan!" The attack slammed into Bane's back. The luchador type man plowed into the concrete beneath him, splintering it into thousands of jagged shard. A harsh wound made itself known as the wind dissipated into the air. The luchador could be released a primal roar as he launched himself to his feet. His right hand grasped Nova's blond locks, sending him into the concrete.

Where Bane's entire body caused splinters in the road, Prime's caused an entire section to be dislodged as his head slammed against it violently. With his grip still firm on the blond locks in his hand, Bane raised his opponent's skull into the air before slamming it down into the concrete, repeatedly. Blood dribbled down Naruto's face as pieces of the pavement lodged itself in his skin.

"I'm going to murder you Nino! Wipe you from the face of the Earth! You destroy my Venom!? I destroy your life! Come on! Say something! What's the matter!? Bane broken your tongue!?" The Luchador chuckled harshly as he lifted Prime from the ground, raising him high over his head with little effort. "That's not the only thing Bane's going to break, Nino! Bane's going to break you in half!"

With those words, Bane slammed his opponent down onto his right knee before allowing him to roll off onto the paved ground. The luchador could be cackled insanely as he turned his back on Prime and began to march away. It was a fatal mistake. Naruto lurched from the ground, his Kryptonian body and metal within having saved him from any permanent damage caused by Bane's Venom strength, grasping Bane's body in both hands.

The mask wearer yelled loudly as he was lifted into the air in a fashion exactly similar to the way he had held Naruto. "Hey! What's going on!? Put-"

"And now, I break you, Bane!" With that, Bane's back cracked sickly as it slammed into Naruto's knee. The luchador like man screamed violently as he rolled across the ruined pavement of the abandoned area. Wind began to dance around Naruto's hand once again.

"Damn you! Damn you, you Puta! You think this says anything!? You barely wounded Bane! And you didn't kill him! You talk a big game, but just like at Santa Prisca, that's it! You're all talk and no action, Nino!" Naruto said nothing as the energy in his hand swirled into a shape that only he himself was very familiar with.

"Bizarro could withstand this attack. But he was Kryptonian. Let's see how a steroid taking human can handle it, shall we?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Puta!?"

"You've been broken, Bane. Permanently. So bring forth all of the pride you can muster and kneel in prayer before you die. You'll need the repentance." Prime's arm raised high into the air as Bane's eyes widened in fear.

"Wait-"

"Rasenshuriken!" The attack flew from Nova's appendage before slamming into Bane's body. The man released a violent scream as it ripped through him, completely disemboweling him. Naruto watched on, seemingly disinterested.

"And now, the League is pissed."

"You could have helped."

"Can't be seen helping you, Prime."

–-

Chapter... 7? Is it 7? Finished. Wooow. People not happy with Naruto's change. Tried to save it in this chapter. I hope it helped a little. A Naruto who's prepared to follow his word, but not completely angsty anymore? I hope that redeemed him a little bit. Probably not. Probably pissed some people off... Nothing I can really do about that. There's only so many times I can try to redeem something.

I started off with a pretty clear path and it just got jumbled and I had to change direction. I hope this redeemed the last chapter. Thanks for reading it!

For anyone who's reviewed and expected me to answer, and I haven't, I'm so sorry! I appreciate all of your reviews, good or bad! And I appreciate any time you've given this story! Thank you, thank you, thank you! So, to be a better writer, I'm going to try my best to pay even more attention to my reviewers! It's not fair for me to seem like I'm ignoring you. Now, I haven't looked at a long list of reviews, so I'll wait till after this chapter to really get into answers for reviews. Right now, I'm going to answer one.

Jack The Ripper: First off, love the name. Just finished a book named Ripper with him in it, loved it. I just want to say it's a great idea. You put some thought into it and I can definitely see it outranking what this ragtag fan fiction is turning into. Go for it. I think you reviewed as guest, but if you have an account, go for it. I'd love to read it. It really is a great idea. I'm honored you were inspired by this story. Thank you for that!

And thank all of my readers, reviewers, and the people who hate this story! It's thanks to all of you that I'm still writing it! I'm done for now, and I hope I've redeemed Naruto's character in a way that it's different, but not entirely so. Thanks again guys!