A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying my story. Also, speaking of stories, so far there is about a tie between which story I should do next, half of you want me to do another Mk crossover, and the other half want the banishment story. Can we break the tie?

We'll see!

Until then, here is the next chapter, enjoy!

What Happens Now?

Chapter 14

Realizations

Batman was currently sitting down on the rocky floor inside of the Kumo prison. He and Barry Allen were both stripped of their suits and dressed in long white and tattered robes for clothing, and were set up in cells that were side by side. Because the prison was built into the mountain itself, the area of the prison was extremely cold. The walls and floors were never flat and smooth, in fact most of them were jagged and, if moved on improperly or not very carefully, could cut you very badly. It was said that one could die within a few days inside a Kumo prison cell for that fact alone.

Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen could only hope that they wouldnt be among the ones that did perish within the cells of Kumo. It wasn't a pleasant way to go, not by a longshot.

Bruce finally realized that his current target, Naruto Uzumaki, aka the Fox Sage or the Kitsune Sennin, was standing directly in front of his cell. Next to him was Ino Yamanaka.

"Bruce Wayne," Ino began. "Billionaire by day and Gotham city's vigilante by night. Possess no powers at all, and has access to numerous technologically advanced weapons and accessories. Very smart and tactical, trained by the League of Shadows, which is led by Ras Al Ghul. Lost his parents due to a criminal act when he was a young child. Raised by his butler, Alfred. Jason Todd, aka Robin, is his son, which their relationship was strained due to conflicting beliefs about true justice. Former member of the Justice League, and also fought against the Regime. Responsible for putting many criminals in jail, but his archenemy, the Joker, as well as many others such as the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and many more, all broke out and were arrested again numerous times for many different felonies. Not one to trust, and even more so to work with. Believes that killing is always wrong, and that no one deserves to be killed for committing a wrong, no matter how vile. Did I miss anything, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce Wayne could only stare at the blonde haired woman, shocked that she knew absolutely everything about him, when he had known absolutely none of these people in his life. Not even the members of the Justice League knew that much about him! There's no way she could have known that much unless…

"You can read minds," Bruce said, more as a statement than a question.

"Not only read them," Ino said with a smirk, "Alter memories, replace memories, erase them, make the brain physically melt or explode…among numerous other things, but yes…I can read minds."

Hearing that made the Flash shudder. He did NOT want to know what that felt like!

"You know these bars wont hold me," Bruce stated matter of factly.

"Honestly," the Kitsune Sennin began, "I hope they don't. I'm looking forward to kicking your sorry ass again."

"Say whatever you want, Fox Sage, I will beat you."

"You cant now, and you never will. Do you know why, Bruce?"

Bruce only stared at him.

"It is because you lack conviction. You lack the guts of what must be done sometimes. Let me let you in on a little secret."

He walked up closer to the bars and said, "Quite frankly, I don't like killing at all. Every time I do it gives me a sickening feeling and I want to throw up. I want to erase every time I killed someone from my mind. However…I know I cant do that. I know that sometimes…you MUST kill to literally save the world."

Naruto leaned further and said with a bit of anger rising in his voice, "Was there ever a time in your life in which you woke up in a grayish white cocoon looking thing?"

Bruce wondered how he even knew that! A little while back, he saw this large tree limb looking like it had loomed over the entire city. He saw thousands upon thousands of people, including himself, being trapped inside this white cocoon shaped thing. Next thing he knows, the cocoon, along with the tree limb, fades away into the air, like ashes being blown in the wind. It just…faded away, as if it had never existed.

"I see that you actually remember…" Naruto said to him. "Just so you know, that thing disappeared because of me. Let me indulge you on some VERY important information. There was once a very, very powerful woman named Kaguya. Basically, she was a fucking goddess with an absolutely insane amount of power. She had indirectly activated what was called the Eternal Tsukuyomi, or the Eternal Dream World. Thats what those white cocoons were, cases that held literally every single person in this world, and sucked up their chakra, or life source if you will. She used that as her own energy. That huge tree limb was connected to the actual tree, or the Tree of Life. It sucked up everyone's life energy, or chakra, and she used that energy to take over the world. Or rather…she would have, if my team and I didn't stop her. So you see…"

Naruto roughly grabbed the bars of Bruce's prison cell and yelled out, "I saved your sorry ass! If it werent for my team and I, you would still be in that damn cocoon, as would everyone else, having your damn life sucked out! Because I killed her, YOU are ALIVE! Bitch, you fucking OWE me!"

Granted, they only sealed her into another moon in another dimension with absolutely no way to be released, but Bruce didn't need to know that.

"Because I killed her, everyone today is now free and once more living their lives as they were, and that includes you, Mr. Billionaire. I don't care who you are, what you've done, what your beliefs are…sometimes, in order to save everyone, you…must…kill."

"You do NOT have to kill!" Bruce yelled at Naruto.

"You are one dumb ass mother fucker, you know that?" Ino said to him. "didn't you hear a word he just said?! Here, let me SHOW you!"

Ino performed a few hand signs and then thrust her hands out in her signature jutsu.

"Yamanaka Secret Jutsu: Memory Transfer!"

Bruce Wayne's eyes rolled in the back of his head as the memories of the Fourth Great Ninja War replayed in his head.

The Biju being sealed in the Gedo Statue.

Madara being revived.

Madara battling the Ninja army.

Madara and Obito killing thousands upon thousands.

The White Zetsu army.

The death of Neji.

The revival of Kaguya.

All of Kaguya's terrifying abilities.

Finally, the sealing of Kaguya.

Bruce Wayne saw it all in the span of a few minutes. All of the emotions and terror that it came with too.

For this first time, in a long, long time…he felt true fear.

And he was glad that he was never a part of it.

"Now, Bruce, do you understand?" Ino asked him.

Bruce could only shake on the floor, his body trembling in fear from the visions he had just had replayed in his mind.

The Kitsune Sennin really was the savior of the world. He defeated that…that monster of a woman, if she even was one, and had freed everyone from that creature's grip.

Naruto and Ino walked out of the prison, leaving Bruce and Barry to their own thoughts.

Hopefully…their message got through.

….….

Later on that evening, back at the Kumo hotel, Sakura was talking to her blonde haired friend.

"Ino, stay away from Naruto! He'll hurt you too!" she pleaded

"Quit being irrational, forehead," Ino said. "I was with him for a while today down in the Kumo prison, and he and I got along just fine. I mean…I admit I was a little annoying in the beginning of this mission…but I remembered what he had me do before he left the village."

Sakura looked at her and asked, "What do you mean? What did he ask you to do?"

"He had me read his mind and look at his memories Sakura," Ino answered. "And I found out some very…very disturbing things about our village. I remembered it all not too long ago and it reminded me that the world we live in, cant be taken at face value Forehead."

"What are you talking about Ino pig?" Sakura asked, getting a little frustrated.

"Ino, did you know that Konoha was partially responsible for Uzu's destruction?"

"What's Uzu?"

Ino smacked her forehead and said, "Wow Sakura, really?! We learned what Uzu was back in the Academy. We didn't learn very much, but we learned what it was. You must have been fawning over Sasuke. Ugh…"

"What's Uzu Ino pig?!" Sakura practically shouted out.

"Uzu is short for Uzushiogakure. It was the homeland of the Uzumaki clan."

"And?" Sakura said. "so what if it was the home of the Uzuma…ki…"

Realization dawned upon the pink haired woman as she remembered what Ino had just told her.

Konoha was partially responsible for the destruction of Uzu.

"Naruto's home?" Sakura asked quietly. Ino nodded her head.

"That's…thats terrible…" Sakura said. "He actually had a home, and Konoha had a hand in it being destroyed?"

"Not directly," Ino answered. "The Sandaime received a warning, a warning that said either help or ignore Uzu's pleas. The Sandaime wasn't a fool, he knew exactly how powerful the Uzumaki clan was, and they were also their allies. However to protect his own people, he was forced to ignore their pleas. Naruto is furious because he believes that no matter what is thrown at you, there is always another way to win."

"Ino looked out of her hotel window and said to no one in particular, "And I have to say that I believe him, too. Sakura…you also have to realize what you did to him."

"What I did to him?" Sakura asked incredulously. "Now what are you talking about?"

"Do you seriously not remember?" Ino asked her, a little angrily. "I only read his memories, I wasn't there myself, and I remember. Come on Sakura…use that large forehead of yours and think. When was the last time you really talked to Naruto?"

Sakura thought for a second and said, "Back at the hospital, right after Sasuke was…executed."

It still pained her to realize that the love of her life was gone for good this time, but she had made peace with it. Thinking about it at all still hurt her though.

"Thats right," Ino said, hoping that she could mend this broken friendship, "Now, what was the last thing that you told him?"

Sakura thought long and hard, remembering everything that had happened on that day. She then remembered all of those absolutely terrible things that she had practically yelled out at him, accusing him of her lover's death. She remembered seeing the horrid look of pain on his face, his defeated form, and she had to admit…at that time, she liked it, took pleasure in it, and capitalized on it, punching him so hard that he flew into the side of the hospital wall, cracking it.

However…now that she thought back, everything made sense to her. Why was he so distant? Why did he attack her? Why did he cut her arm off, only to be lucky enough that Tsunade was able to reattach it? Why did he hate her so much?

Now she understood.

She couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her face. She covered her face in her hands and let the tears flow and wailed in her hands.

Ino, being the pink haired girl's best friend, was there to comfort her.

"Sakura," Ino said softly, "I understand that you lost Sasuke…and that must feel absolutely terrible. But, in your grief, you may have caused yourself to lose out on one of the most caring people that you could ever meet. Someone who had literally had your back every step of the way. Did you know that him keeping his promise to you hurt him so much, it almost drove him to insanity?"

"What…*sniff*…what do you mean?" Sakura asked, her eyes red and puffy and tears still flowing.

"Remember that promise you had Naruto make you all those years ago? About bringing Sasuke back to you?"

Sakura nodded.

"Well, you know how Naruto felt about you, and that he wanted you, but you never wanted him. He never could take that. All he ever wanted was to make you happy. He saw that keeping that promise, that was the only true way in doing so. But, the entirety of the time…he was breaking, Sakura. When I read his memories, by the way, he doesnt know that I went this deep, but when I saw them, I felt the emotions too."

Ino turned her head and began to cry a little as well. "The feelings of loneliness and hopelessness he felt…I honestly don't know how he did it. Either way, it really tore him apart, Forehead. On top of that, there was the war, and then after that, Sasuke's execution. Then on top of that, there was your…reaction, towards him. After all of that…its no wonder he is the way he is now. This world, on top of people like us, Sakura, broke him completely. I probably would have killed myself a long time ago if I was in his shoes."

Sakura was still crying, her face back in her hands.

"I…I…I…*sniff*…need to…*sniff*…need to apologize…to him…"

"Yeah," Ino said quietly, "At least, you need to apologize."

….….

Naruto once again sat on his bed, meditating. He was beginning to feel the pent up anger rise earlier when he was talking to Bruce down in the prisons, and he didn't want it to come out. He was afraid that he would lose control.

His handle on his own anger and rage was finicky at best. One loose strand, one unavoidable accident, one stupid remark could set him off. He had almost lost it in the prisons, the only reason he didn't have Bruce killed, was in fact because he really was trying to do good in his city, he was just too cowardly to do what must be done sometimes, and he couldn't stand it. It reminded him of the Sandaime, who was too cowardly to do anything when Uzu was being attacked and ultimately, destroyed.

The only real people that could help him rein in his anger were Hinata, Starfire, and Wonder Woman, but they were all out shopping right now. He was doing his best to maintain his anger, and, finally after a while, he was managing to keep it down and relax.

The door to his hotel room opened, and in walked Sakura Haruno, uninvited.

His eyes turned red.

….….

A/N: Weellllllll then…whats gonna happen next, huh? Any opinions? Let me know what you think!

Remember folks, the more reviews that you make, the faster the next chapter comes out! The reviews and messages that you all sent after the last one REALLY helped me with this one, soooo….send those reviews people!

Until next time, Roku out.