Same italics and disclaimers as before.

Chapter 29: Happy New Years pt 1, Resolutions

Not many people roamed the Atlantic City boardwalk on New Years Day, so nobody saw the peculiar sights that occurred that day. At noon, with the sun fat in the sky, a circle of black light formed halfway down the boardwalk. One leg stepped out of the circle and the rest of a body followed. It was a lovely young woman, about fifteen years old, with skin as pale as milk. However, it was difficult to see her skin because she wore a heavy, dark blue cloak that covered her whole body except for her lower face. Her lips were covered perfectly with black lipstick that only emphasized her paleness. When she walked, her cloak parted slightly to reveal black high heeled shoes and tight, black leggings. A small bag containing her few, meager belongings was slung carelessly over her shoulder.

The young woman gazed out over the ocean with a frown, seemingly oblivious to the strange looks she was getting as her portal closed behind her. "It should be here," she muttered to herself, "Why isn't it here?" She closed her eyes for a moment and sensed the world around her as she had been taught to do. After a moment, she nodded to herself and began to walk down the boardwalk.

She must have walked half a mile before her feet began to hurt and she lifted herself an inch or so off the ground, drifting towards her destination. Finally, she found what she was looking for. The Tower of Fate had moved off of the sand of the beach and now stood like a beacon atop one of Atlantic City's most popular casinos. He would be around here, she knew. He didn't like to venture too far from the Tower. She spotted an alleyway besides the casino and she peeked around the corner into it.

The alley was empty except for a dumpster, some graffiti, trash, and a decrepit looking homeless man snoring against a wall, a half-sown cloth drabbed over his lap. The woman rolled her eyes and marched down the alley until she stood in front of the homeless man. "You know you're not fooling anyone, right?"

The homeless man continued to snore and the woman sighed. She kicked the man in the shin and he shook himself awake. "Huh? Oh," he blinked and rubbed his eyes, "It's you."

"Yes," said the woman, sliding down the opposite wall and sitting across from the homeless man, "Me. Sorry to disappoint you, but I needed to come home."

"That's alright," said the homeless man gently. He looked at the woman with a smile, but through sad eyes, "It's good to see you again, Raven."

Raven managed a small smile. "It's good to see you too. And it's Rachel. That's what my mother named me before she jettisoned me out to earth. Now will you drop the stupid disguise? Nobody's looking for you anymore." The homeless man sighed and waved a hand over his face. As his hand lowered, his body was engulfed in smoke. The cloud faded revealing a handsome but dirty face. A ratty eye patch hung loosely over his left eye. Although his burns had long since healed, there was still a patch of skin around his eye that was paler than the rest of his body. Three birthmarks striped across each cheek and his sun flower yellow hair drooped to his eyes, thick with mange. His orange jacket and pants were torn and stained, his boots long since worn out. Fuzzy stubble splashed across his face and he rubbed at it softly. The only thing that remained was the cloth on his lap.

"She's turned into quite the looker."

She's fifteen, you perv! And we practically raised her!

"I didn't mean it sexually! I was just saying that our little girl has grown into a beautiful young lady."

"For the record, you'll always be Raven to me," Naruto said, mentally rolling his eyes at his tenant.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Raven agreed, "You look terrible."

"And you look great." Raven grimaced and Naruto smirked. "What? You didn't like Azarath?"

"It sucked," Raven said flatly.

"Even meeting your mother?"

Raven hesitated. "Okay, that part was nice," she admitted, "But even then, it took her a while to warm up to the 'oh yeah, the daughter I had with an inter-dimensional demon is also my daughter' concept. Everyone else just treated me like I had the plague."

"I can relate," said Naruto dryly, "Imagine that for eleven straight years and you pretty much have my childhood. You only had to endure it for six months."

"And you wanted me to endure it for another year," Raven pointed out, "I'm not going back."

"Then I won't ask you to," said Naruto, "But I think it's a good idea. The Monks of Azarath are the best people to train you in your brand of magic."

"I'm strong enough," Raven grunted.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Strong enough to beat Trigon?" Raven said nothing, but fixed Naruto with a deadly glare. "Oh, don't give me that look," Naruto snorted, "Trigon will arrive on your sixteenth birthday. That's in less than a year."

"You don't have to remind me of when my birthday is, Naruto," Raven said coldly, "I'll be strong enough to take my father by then."

"And if you're not?"

"That's why I have you, isn't it?"

Naruto smiled. "That's a good girl. It's not a weakness to rely on others, it's a strength."

Raven nodded. "So, what have I missed?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not much. The election's in November and the campaigns have been heating up."

"I was never one for politics."

"Likewise. Zatanna and Rocket joined with the Justice League and a few new guys joined the team. Blue Bug or something like that and a little girl version of Wonder Woman."

Raven hesitated before clearing her throat. "How's M'gann?"

"How should I know?" said Naruto with mild disinterest.

Raven didn't even have to use her empathy to sense that Naruto was lying. "Who is it now?"

Naruto looked down and grunted. "A guy named Lagoon Boy. From what I understand, he's kind of a jerk. But he treats her well and that makes him better than most of the guys she's dated."

"Not better than you," Raven reassured him, "If she knew-"

"But she can't know," sighed Naruto, "Nobody can." He stood up and took the cloth from his lap, flipping it over his shoulder. It was long and pitch black with red splotches scattered over it. "Walk with me." He marched towards the boardwalk and Raven walked behind him. As they reached the end of the alley, three ten boys shoved them backwards into the alley. Naruto caught Raven before she tripped over her heels and helped her to her feet as the teens surrounded them.

"Hey there, beautiful," sneered one as he drew a switchblade, "You mind giving me those clothes? I could really use them."

"Don't be smart, Shway," said another one, taking out a club, "Just tell her to get naked and lie down. Do what he says, girlie."

The third one stepped behind Naruto and the shinobi felt something cool and metal pressed to his temple. "Let them have their fun, one eye," whispered a voice in his ear, "Hand over everything worth a buck and you might just walk out of here with your life."

Raven glanced at Naruto. "Should we handle this or wait for him?"

Naruto closed his eye and leaned his head back. Kurama, is he almost here?

"On his way. Just a block or two."

Naruto nodded slightly to himself. "He'll be here soon. Let's wait."

"Shut up, punk!" snarled the thug behind Naruto, "Hand everything over!"

"And you!" the one with the switchblade swung it wildly in Raven's face, "Show us the goodies or we'll carve them off!"

Raven glanced at the switchblade, clearly unimpressed. Naruto cleared his throat. "I would advise dropping your weapons, gentlemen," he said calmly, "Keeping up this course of action might be the worst and possibly last mistake you ever make." All he heard was the cocking of the gun at his temple in response.

"If only things were so simple, eh?" said Raven with a slight smirk.

Naruto rolled his eye. "Hiruzen," he said aloud, "Try not to kill them." There was a slight breeze, almost undetectable to those who didn't know to expect it. Naruto looked down with a small smile. Hiruzen knelt at his feet, slowly sheathing his short blade. His once pale skin was now rough, calloused, and tan. His muscles were lean, but defined. His black hair had been cropped short and his mask hung at his belt. He had grown tall in the last five years, but the handsome pride that once lived in his brow was gone, replaced by acceptance.

The three punks were surprised at his appearance for a whole second before their brains realized they'd been wounded. All three screamed as they fell to their knees and collapsed, their hamstrings systematically and surgically severed.

"Sensei," Hiruzen greeted, ignoring the screams of pain around him, "I apologize for not letting you know I was returning early."

"Great minds think alike," muttered Raven.

"Apparently," said Naruto, "Hiruzen, join us. We're going to see the graves." Naruto walked up the side of the casino, Hiruzen and Raven on either side of him.

They stepped over a window and Hiruzen peeked in with a frown. "Amazing," he said, "It's New Years, a time for renewal and change, a chance at a clean slate. And here these people are, gambling away hard-earned money."

Naruto barked a laugh. "You never met Granny Tsunade, did you?"

"When I was a boy," Hiruzen shrugged.

"Be grateful their eyes are on their cards and not on us," Raven advised. After a minute of walking vertically, the odd-looking trio made it to the roof. The Tower of Fate stabbed high into the sky, but it was the four tombstones that jutted out of the roof in front of the Tower that Naruto cared about.

"I wish I'd met him," said Raven softly as Naruto knelt between the graves of Kent and Inza Nelson.

"I wish both of you had," sighed Naruto, rubbing the roof. They weren't actually buried in the roof of the casino, but their gravestones were mystically linked to follow the Tower.

Hiruzen stood at the next tombstone and wrinkled his nose. "I know it's disrespectful, but I didn't like him very much."

"I don't think anyone did," said Naruto, glancing at the ornate grave of Dr. Richard Occult, "I don't even think he liked himself. But he wasn't here to be liked. He was here to be a hero and a teacher."

Raven snorted. "Can't say he was bad at that. If I wanted to learn transmutation, he taught me transmutation. If I wanted to learn summoning rituals, he taught me summoning rituals. If I wanted to learn to blow stuff up, he taught me to blow stuff up."

Naruto stood up and walked to the fourth grave. "It's always so surreal to see this," he murmured.

"You should have at least watched the funeral," sighed Raven, "Everyone cried. I'm pretty sure the only reason Batman didn't show was because he didn't want to cry in public."

Naruto smirked. "Batman didn't show because he didn't want to dance a jig on my grave in front of everyone." He traced the letters carved into the eternal stone. Naruto Uzumaki, it read, Beloved friend and hero.

"I know what you're thinking," said Hiruzen softly, "You want to know why I returned before my training was complete."

"I assumed you finished early," said Naruto with a shrug.

"Not quite," Hiruzen cringed, "I studied with the six available Tailed Beasts, as you requested of me. But the last one, Shukaku the One-Tail, he was…less than helpful. I decided to end my training ahead of schedule rather than waste my time with him."

Naruto blinked. "You didn't like Shukaku? Really?"

"He takes week-long naps and refuses to awake unless there is an emergency," Hiruzen spoke with distaste.

Naruto stroked his chin. "Facinating, very fascinating. I'll have a little talk with him. In the meantime, I'm glad you're back. Your timing couldn't have been more perfect."

Raven arched an eyebrow. "You want to move the schedule forwards?"

Naruto looked out over the ocean and nodded. "Yes. With you two back, I can safely proceed." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Madara hasn't been seen in three years. There are only two reasons I can think of that he would hide himself away for so long."

"Either we wounded him more than we anticipated," Hiruzen nodded, "Or he's gathering his strength for some kind of endgame."

"I don't suppose it's too much to hope that we killed him?" asked Raven with a dry sigh.

"No, I'm not that lucky," said Naruto, "And as long as Madara lives in this world, all living things are in jeopardy. He could return at any time. It'll take the full force of every super-powered individual on and off this planet to withstand his strength."

"It took just five of us last time," Hiruzen pointed out.

"And of those five, one is dead, one is a traitor, I had to fake my own death, and Hanabi…" Naruto glanced at Hiruzen. The Hyuga breathed in deeply through his nose and exhaled slowly through his mouth. His body was relaxed, but Naruto could sense the sadness Hiruzen still felt at the mention of his aunt.

"Long story short, I'm the only one who came away from that encounter without any lasting side effects," said Raven.

"And Madara was weakened at the time," Naruto pointed out, "Which is why we made plans." He turned back to the others and sat down, crossing his legs under him. "Raven?"

"I'll use the influence of your tragic death and my own crime-fighting presence to join the team," she recited from memory, "Once inside, I'll feed information to you about the League's primary concerns. If they deviate from focusing on Madara, I'll try to guide them back in that direction."

Naruto nodded. "Hiruzen?"

"I'll use my underworld connections to put together an elite team to handle the League's biggest threats for them from the inside out."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why I was worried."

"One question," said Raven as Naruto stood up, "You never told us what your part in the plan was."

Naruto grimaced and swung his black cloth from over his shoulder over his body. It was a long trench coat that sealed up the chest. Its neck was wide and the coat itself baggy. The sleeves were longer than Naruto's arms and the back fell to his ankles. It was pure black, except for a series of red clouds sown into the fabric. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "Akatsuki robes? Weren't they your enemies?"

"They were," said Naruto as he sealed the coat closed with chakra, "But they weren't always evil. It was originally a peace-keeping organization in the Village Hidden in the Rain. The red clouds symbolized the tears of blood the villagers shed during the Great Ninja Wars."

"So you wear it in honor of the tears you hope to prevent," Raven nodded in understanding, "But that doesn't answer my question. What exactly are you going to do?"

"First, I'm going to find myself a decent mask," he said, stretching his arms, "Then, I have some personal things to look into. Don't worry though, if you ever need me, I'm just a call away."

Raven shrugged. "Fine, keep it to yourself then. I'm going to go get started. Crime's bound to show up sooner or later."

"Good luck," said Naruto as she made a portal and floated through it.

Hiruzen bowed to Naruto and crouched down to jump off the rooftop, but hesitated. "Sensei," he said carefully, "May I visit my aunt before I begin my mission?"

"Can you get in touch with my contact in Vietnam first? Getting her firmly on our side will be a big benefit."

Hiruzen nodded and jumped away towards the ocean. "You should have told them about the files," complained Kurama, "After all the trouble you went through to get them, you should just release them to the internet."

Too risky. The upload could be traced back to me. Besides, this is personal.

"I'm still not sure why this is such a big deal to you. The Bijuu are practically your kids, Raven is your daughter in all but name, even Hiruzen looks up to you as a teacher. Why is this one so important?"

Naruto reached into the pocket of his Akatsuki cloak and pulled out a small flash drive. This one is different. He's literally made of me and M'gann. He represents everything I could hope for.

"Ah, I see. He's living proof that you and M'gann can mate and have kids."

Naruto clutched the flash drive tightly in his fist as he watched the sun start to set over the clouded horizon. Someday, when Madara is defeated, M'gann and I can be together again.

"I somehow doubt that she'll be overjoyed with you faking your death."

Agreed, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

"Just so long as you remember there is a bridge to cross." Naruto took off his eye patch and let it flutter away in the wind. He opened his Sharingan and winced as he suddenly saw everything he needed to see at that moment.

Let's go. There's a tech shop on the edge of the city. I can make a mask when everyone's gone home.

. . .

Hiruzen ran until the shoreline was out of sight. He bit his thumb until it bled and made the necessary hand seals. He slapped his hand down on the water and smoke shot into the sky. "Hiruzen! My man!" roared a happy voice, "Been forever! How's it goin'?"

Chomei's massive head broke through the smoke and Hiruzen smiled. "Hello, Chomei. I need transportation to Vietnam."

"All aboard the Lucky Seven Express!" Chomei lowered his head and Hiruzen leapt atop his head, "Fifteen free rides says I can get you there in less than a day!"

Hiruzen crouched down and attached himself to Chomei's skull with chakra. "A free chakra massage says you can't."

"You're on!" Chomei looped into the air as Hiruzen began his count. When Chomei reached cloud level, he opened his wings and flared them, making the clouds in front of them part like the Red Sea. With a triumphant roar, he shot off faster than any jet liner could. Chomei wasn't as fast as the speedsters, but Flash had conceded that Chomei's stamina outmatched his own, letting him beat his wings faster than Flash could move his feet. Hiruzen kept time as Chomei shot over the continent, shifting off course only to weave through the Rocky Mountains. When they passed the west coast of North America, Hiruzen leaned over Chomei's head. He could have sworn he saw the outline of Gyuki's tentacles in the waters a few miles south of Hawaii, but it lay have just been the light playing tricks in the waves.

Finally, the coast of Asia appeared on the horizon. "Now's where things get tricky. Unfortunately, they don't print political borders on the ground."

"Just go to the southern coast," Hiruzen directed, "And don't worry about speed. You've already missed your deadline."

Chomei grumbled. "Alright, but this counts as the first free ride."

"Fair enough." Chomei dove down through the clouds as he spotted the coast of Vietnam.

"Where exactly you looking for?"

"The beaches, right on the shore." Chomei pulled up a few meters above the shoreline and darted forwards. "There," said Hiruzen after a few minutes and several hundred miles, "Don't stop, I'll jump." Chomei swooped down slightly and Hiruzen backflipped off his skull. He skidded lightly over the water before violently stopping in the sand. It had been early afternoon in Atlantic City, but it was near midnight in Vietnam.

Hiruzen took a deep breath. "Byakugan!" His dojutsu activated and he immediately saw several miles down the beach. His target's home was a small hut on stilts, built over a steeper, rocky section of the shore. It looked like she wasn't home, but the array of sensor systems hidden in the rocks, the mines in the water, and the motion-activated machine gun that hung from the hut indicated that she would be back.

Slowly, Hiruzen made his way up the beach towards the hut. He carefully navigated around the sensor systems, using the larger rocks as cover from the radar pulses. When he drew close to the hut, he hurled one of the tri-pointed kunai Naruto had given him at the machine gun. His Byakugan afforded him pin-point accuracy and the kunai jammed itself in the gun's firing chamber. Hiruzen deactivated his Byakugan as he knelt at one of the stilts. He pushed several large stones away and made a small niche in the gap between the rocks. He crawled in and pulled the stones back. The only way he could be seen now was if someone was standing right over him.

Hiruzen had always liked stakeouts. They were easy and required only patience and self-control, both of which were places where Hiruzen had improved greatly over the last five years. After an hour or so, his muscles started to cramp, but he used his Gentle Fist to massage his legs. All the time, his pale eyes didn't leave the hut above him.

The sun was rising in the east when she returned home. "I hope you weren't hoping to surprise anyone like that."

Hiruzen pushed the stones off of him with a groan. "I was one of the youngest members of the Leaf's ANBU Black Ops! How did you see me?"

"I didn't," a figure dropped from the hut and helped Hiruzen to his feet with a smirk, "I always say that when I come home. So far, it's never failed me."

"Clever," Hiruzen muttered, "I should have expected no less from the great Chesire."

The smirk his target wore vanished instantly. "It's Jade," she said coolly, "I haven't been Chesire for two years."

"No," Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and nodded to the covered pack that Jade had slung over her chest, "A year and nine months."

Jade nodded. "Fair enough. Come in." She pressed a button on her metal belt and a trapdoor in the floor of the hut slid open, dropping a rope ladder to the waterline.

The inside was actually quite nice. The walls were thicker than they looked and the hut itself was divided into several small rooms including a kitchenette and two bedrooms. "I don't think we've met," said Hiruzen with a light smile as Jade uncovered her pac, "It's a girl, right?"

"Lian Nguyen-Harper," Jade nodded as she carefully took her baby from the sling and placed her in a hand-made crib, "Don't worry, I'm not going to spend hours bragging about how perfect she is."

"And yet, I have a feeling you're still twice the parent your father was."

"I don't need confirmation from you," Jade sat in a wicker chair and motioned for Hiruzen to sit across from her in a bean bag, "I was carefully to cover my trail, so finding me mustn't have been easy. We weren't particularly close when we were in the Shadows together, so whatever made you desperate enough track me down must be big."

"It is," said Hiruzen, "It's about Madara."

Jade didn't let her body betray her emotions, a little trick her father had taught her long ago, but her she couldn't hide the contempt from her voice. "That guy needs to die," she said gravely as she grabbed a water bottle from the small table between them and took a gulp, "If he isn't already dead. He hasn't been seen in the criminal world since Shinobi…well, you know."

Jade wasn't the only one who could control her emotions. Hiruzen's heartbeat didn't increase so much as a beat when he lied. "Yeah, we lost a good hero that day." Jade offered him the water bottle and he shook his head in refusal.

"So what can I do for you that would concern Madara?"

"A friend of mine is putting together a team," said Hiruzen, lacing his fingers behind his head, "An elite group to counter the Light."

Jade blinked. "You want to take out the Light? Why?"

"The Light is close with Madara," Hiruzen explained, "We take out the Light, we bring Madara out of hiding."

Jade stared at him for a moment before breaking out into harsh laughter. "Three things," she chuckled, "One, it won't work. Madara doesn't care about anyone. Taking out the Light would mean nothing to him. Two, even is it does work, what are we going to do? Last time Madara attacked, he nearly destroyed Metropolis! How many people died? 3,400?"

Hiruzen winced slightly. "3,402," he said softly, "Not to mention the injured and crippled."

Jade nodded, her joviality fading. "That's right, your aunt. The Joker and Madara are a bad combination."

Hiruzen cleared his throat. "You had a third point?"

"Yes. Why should I join up? I have a daughter, a nest egg to last me the rest of my life, I'm retired."

"You're also one of the best assassins in the world," Hiruzen pointed out, "And don't worry, you'll be well compensated."

"I have money, Hiruzen. What can you offer me that would make me want to leave?"

Hiruzen reached into his pocket and withdrew an envelope. "I've been carrying these since I deduced where you were hiding three months ago," he said as he handed the white paper to Jade, "I knew they'd come in handy."

Jade opened the envelope and drew out two printed pictures. Her eyes widened slightly as they scanned the black and white images. "Are these authentic?"

"Does it matter?" asked Hiruzen with a shrug, "There's your first lead in years. You can't afford to ignore it. So, I help you, you help me, deal?"

Jade glanced at her baby girl, sleeping with adorable little snores in her crib. She looked back to the pictures and rubbed them thoughtfully. After a minute of thinking, she slapped the photos down on the table. "Deal." She extended her hand and Hiruzen gave it a firm shake, "But I'm not doing this for Roy, I'm doing this so Lian can have a father."

"Your reasons are your own," said Hiruzen, "When can you be ready to go?"

Jade punched through the wood and straw walls of the hut without even looking at it. She withdrew her fist, gripping a white, metal mask of a grinning cat. "Now," she said, strapping the mask to her face as she glanced down at the pictures once again. In them, burly men were carrying a frosted cylinder out of a building and into a waiting truck. Inside the cylinder was the outline of a human body.

. . .

Raven floated over Gotham City, a speck of black against the sunset. The city was largely empty, most citizens either hungover from New Years Eve parties, spending the day with their families, or, being Gotham, in Blackgate or Arkham. Raven hated the city with a passion. All the negative emotions were hard to ignore. And bad things tended to happen when she was overwhelmed with emotion. But if she was going to intercept members of the team, Gotham was the place.

Her eyes were closed as she tried to sense major crimes going on. Needless to say, it didn't take her very long before she sensed activity in the Gotham sewers. She drifted lazily to the ground and a black portal flowed under her feet. She exited the portal several feet below ground in the sewers. It was smelly, but Raven was no delicate flower.

A familiar figure ran from down the sewer and Raven shrank into the shadows. It was Superboy, but not the Connor Kent she remembered. Phyisically, nothing had changed, he looked exactly as he had when she'd last seen him. But his shirt was tighter and long-sleeved, the red 'S' shield on his chest prouder and more pronounced and he wore fingerless biking gloves over calloused hands. He skidded to a halt a few meters away from Raven and knelt down, investigating a small patch of slime on the sewer walkway.

Quick as a flash, a grungy tentacle wrapped around Connor's ankle and he was sucked into the water. A massive creature made of mud and dirt rose up, Connor firmly in his grasp. "You always fall for this gag!" the creature roared in laughter as it shoved Connor into its chest, slowly absorbing the clone into its muddy skin. "Keep struggling, kid! Even a Kryptonian has to breath!"

Raven picked her moment and darted forwards. "Let him go," she said coolly as she floated out of the shadows.

The massive creature stared at her, bending down to get a better look. "You don't look like a regular hero," it grumbled, "Who're you?"

"Raven?" the air behind the monster shimmered and a green-skinned, hooded young woman appeared, floating in the air.

Raven raised her hands at the creature. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her eyes glowed black and the creature suddenly cried out as its chest was ripped open. Connor came hurtling out of the mud and landed with a thud next to Raven.

He blinked in confusion at the girl until recognition crossed his face. "Raven? What're you-"

"Not now," Raven shoved Conner out of the way and darted into the air as the monster turned his arm into a giant club of solid mud and slammed it to the ground where they'd stood. A figure darted in the shadows and shuriken embedded themselves in the creature's back, letting lose a burst of electricity through the mud.

"Sorry," growled the monster, "That trick doesn't work on me anymore!"

Raven surrounded her body with a protective orb of black light. As the monster was turned away, she shot into its back. As the orb became engulfed in mud, she slowly made it wider and wider, pushing the mud away until the creature's skin was stretched tight. With a final push, she made the creature burst like a water balloon, shooting globs of mud all over the place. Before anyone could react, Raven snarled and made small balls of light around the mud piles, separating them and keeping them from reforming.

"Well now," said Connor, rubbing the back of his head in confusion, "That was one way to handle Clayface."

The Martian floated to the ground with Raven and lowered her hood. Where Connor had barely changed, Raven almost didn't recognize M'gann. Her hair had been cropped into a cute pixie cut and most of her freckles had vanished. Everything about her seemed more streamlined, slimmer and longer. "Raven," she breathed, "It's you!" She grabbed the pale girl and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Moons of Mars," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes, "I haven't seen you since…since…"

"Yeah," said Raven quickly, "It's been a while."

Someone stepped out of the shadows and Raven pushed M'gann to arm's length. "Somebody want to tell me what just happened?" It was Robin, yet not Robin. His hair was slicked back and his costume more form fitting. His sleeves and cape were long and a metal bo staff dangled over his shoulder.

M'gann wiped the tears from her eyes. "Raven, this is the new Robin. Robin, this is Raven. She's…she was Shinobi's sidekick."

"Oh," the new Robin extended his hand and Raven shook it, "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Raven's voice was a perfect monotone, "It's good to see someone picked up the mantle."

Robin shrugged. "Someone had to keep Batman in line."

Connor sniggered and M'gann cracked a smile, but Raven was stoic. M'gann pulled down Raven's hood and she scowled slightly. If she hadn't been trying to appease the heroes, she would have turned M'gann into a toad for touching her precious cloak. Instead, she allowed M'gann to affectionately pet her long hair, tied back in a loose pony tail. "You've grown," she said softly, "I can still remember when you were just a mini-magician. Naruto…he'd be so proud."

Something popped out of the water and Raven turned to it, ready for a fight. She blinked in surprise as a large alligator wearing a red jumpsuit crawled onto the walkway and morphed into a short, monkey-like boy with green skin, hair all over, and an identical red suit. "Aw man!" complained the boy, "Is it all over? I was hoping to-" He stopped when he saw Raven and his eyes widened. A slow, smooth smile played over his face as he coiled up to her. "Hello, gorgeous," he said coolly, "Has anyone ever told you that you're the most beautiful thing God put on this earth?"

"God didn't put me here," Raven said, her voice chilling as she stared down at the young boy, "What are you?"

"Old enough for you babe."

"No, no you're not. I meant what are you?"

The green boy did a backflip and landed as a green snake. He used the powerful body to spring up and turned into a green dove he fluttered over to Raven and turned back into a monkey-boy, landing in a bow. "Name's Beast Boy," he said proudly, "Future leader of the Justice League!"

Raven raised an eyebrow and pulled up her hood. "Keep dreaming, kid, about the Justice League and me. On second thought, don't dream about me."

"Be nice, Raven," chuckled M'gann, "Garfield is my adopted brother!"

"Raven, huh?" Beast Boy, or Garfield Raven supposed, licked his hand and slicked back his filthy hair, "Nice to meet you."

Raven decided the best course of action was to ignore the annoying green ball of fur and mange and hope it would leave her alone.

M'gann touched her ear. "Delta squad to Cave," she said into her communicator, "Target is neutralized thanks to an old friend…Raven, you remember, Naruto's…of course. Understood." She lowered her hand. "Nightwing wants to speak with you at the Cave," she said to Raven.

"Ooh! He must want you to join the team!" Garfield winked at Raven.

"What should I do with him?" she asked as the black orbs that contained the pieces of Clayface floated around her. The mud inside them struggled against their onyx prisons.

"We'll take him to his cell at Arkham," said Connor, grabbing one of the spheres and examining it.

"Careful," said Raven, "I'm told Kryptonians are sensitive to magic." As she spoke, a spark of black light bit sharply at Connor's thumb and he jumped back in surprise.

"Point taken," he mumbled, "Gar? Robin?"

Garfield sighed. "Oh, but I wanted…never mind." He morphed into an octopus and quickly grabbed some of the orbs in his tentacles before pushing himself back into the water. Robin wordlessly took off his cape and used it as a makeshift bag to collect the remaining orbs.

Connor and M'gann started to walk away, but Raven stayed put. "Where are you going?"

The two heroes looked back at Raven and then at each other. "Um, to the Cave," said Connor.

Raven waved her hand and a black portal formed besides her. "So, let's go to the Cave."

M'gann sighed contentedly as she stepped through the portal. "I forgot how useful remote teleportation can be." Connor clambered through with a grimace and Raven arrived after him.

The Cave looked exactly like she'd remembered it, but the atmosphere was different. In the days when Naruto brought her here for combat training with Black Canary, Kid Flash would dart in and out of the halls in search of food while Artemis tried to trip him up with trick arrows. Kaldur and the first Robin would discuss politics and tactics in the corner as Naruto and M'gann would cuddle together. Rocket and Zatanna would play chess and Leaguers would came in and out of the Cave with missions, news, or just visits. It had been jovial but serious, like the rest of the world was cold and harsh, but at least the Cave was a safe haven.

Now it just felt empty, which was ironic seeing as there were now more members than ever. As Raven closed the portal behind her, a fish-like creature was sparing with a tall, handsome, masked man in blue and black armor. Their fighting was fierce, but ended as soon as the man in blue caught sight of the returned heroes. "Raven," he said, motioning for the fish creature to stand down, "You're back."

"Yes," she said carefully, "I heard you got a new look, but I didn't really believe it."

The man put his hands on his hips with a grin. "Well? What do you think?"

Raven looked him up and down. "Silly, but bad-ass. Nightwing, right?"

The former Robin, first protégé to Batman, gave a mocking bow. "At your service," said Nightwing, "Now, why are you back?"

M'gann slapped at Nightwing's chest as she walked past him. "She's been gone for two years and the first thing you want to know is why she's back? What's wrong with you?"

"Relax, angelfish," said the sea-creature, "He's just upset 'cause I kept beating him." M'gann smiled and allowed herself into the embrace of the bizarre fish-human hybrid.

Raven cleared her throat and M'gann turned back to her. "Raven, this is Lagoon Boy."

"Hey," grinned Lagoon Boy, "Raven, huh? Shinobi's old sidekick? Be good to have another magic user on the team."

"Cool it, La'gann," instructed Nightwing, "She's not on the team yet."

Connor raised an eyebrow. "Nightwing, she took out Clayface in thirty seconds. We'd been fighting him on and off for the better part of a day before we even got him into the sewers. Trust me, she's ready for the big leagues."

"Be that as it may, I'm not just going to toss her into the field," Nightwing countered, "It would be an insult to Naruto if his former protégé was used as a weapon, and it'd be an even bigger insult if we didn't let her establish bonds with the rest of the team before sending her into battle."

"She could help me with the records," said a deep voice. A muscular young black man stepped out from one of the hallways. "You've no idea how hard it is to coordinate all you guys and maintain proper record keeping at the same time."

"Raven, this is Mal Duncan," said Nightwing as the man approached, "He's our new ops manager and Bumblebee's boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Mal extended his hand and Raven sighed internally as she took it. She had a sinking suspicion that she'd be meeting a fair amount of new faces, and she was terrible with learning new names.

"Bumblebee?" she asked.

"New member," explained Connor, "She joined last year."

"Lets not get off topic," said Nightwing, "If she joins the team, it might cause ramifications from both the League and the Light. I have unconfirmed reports that Klarion might have finally finished putting himself together, and he's shown an interest in her abilities in the past."

"I'm right here, you know?" said Raven dryly.

"Right. Sorry," Nightwing nodded grimly, "Do you want to join the team? I mean, obviously I'd have to run it past Batman first, but-"

"Not particularly, no," Raven said truthfully, "But Naruto would have wanted me to join, so I guess if you'll have me…"

Nightwing nodded thoughtfully. He opened his mouth to respond, but a holoscreen with the silver face of Captain Atom popped up. "Emergency alert," said the Leaguer, "United Nations Headquarters is under attack."

Mal immediately played with a holoscreen keyboard. "Beta squad is only two blocks away," he announced, "They can handle it."

. . .

There was a television in the tech shop that Naruto turned on the second he broke in. He went to work on his mask in a burst of machines, sparks, metal, and wood as the television announced various news headlines. When he was almost done, he held up the mask to the light to observe it. What do you think, furball?

"Honestly? You want my totally honest opinion?"

Absolutely. I wouldn't ask otherwise.

"It looks stupid."

Thank you for your honesty. The mask was made of smooth plastic covered by a thin layer of shiny, hard metal. The bottom was carved off to make a mouthpiece, but it still covered his tell-tale birthmarks. The eyeholes were covered by tinted lenses, so Naruto's Sharingan could see out, but nobody could identify him by his dojutsu. Other than that, the mask was totally unremarkable and smooth, no images or likenesses at all.

"You'll look like a moron."

I'll look like nobody, which is the idea.

Naruto attached straps to the mask and slipped it over his face. "You're hair is probably a dead giveaway."

I'll invest in a wig. Maybe I'll find a red one like mom's hair. Naruto turned to the television and rolled his eyes at a random news story. He was about to change the channel, maybe watch some cartoons, when a breaking news bulletin shot across the screen.

"This just in," said a news anchor gravely, "Despite the best efforts of heroes Batgirl and Wonder Girl, United Nations General Assembly Leader Tseng Dangun is dead. He died at the hands of this individual," the screen cut away to an image from a security camera, showing a massive, muscular beast of a man with milk-white skin and thick, black facial hair.

"You've got to be kidding me," groaned Kurama, "Lobo? Here? I thought we had an agreement."

We did. And he broke it. I'll have to deal with him.

"Joy."

The news anchor put a hand to his ear and his eyes widened. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said slowly, "I have just been informed that General Assembly Leader Tseng was, in fact, an alien being in disguise. We are uncertain at this time just what that means and if there are more aliens hiding under our noses, but we here at GBS advise everyone to take extreme caution until we have more information."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the television. Kurama…

"I know. This wasn't part of the plan."

I don't like things deviating from the plan. Naruto cracked his knuckles, This needs to be resolved. As soon as is humanly possible.

"And how do we plan on doing that?"

Naruto took a deep breath. He'd snuck in through the vent system to avoid detection, but now he chose to implode the outer walls. A pair of Rasengans reduced the storefront to rubble and Naruto stepped through the hole as the alarms sounded. For now, all we can do is wait, he grumbled to Kurama, We need more information. Once we know more about these aliens, we can make a move against them. Until then, we need to keep the League firmly focused on Madara.

"What if we have the League take out the aliens? They can probably do it faster." Naruto thought on that as he walked down the streets, police sirens in the distance slowly drawing closer.

You might just have something there, Kurama. With any luck, Raven'll have the same idea.

"You think she's already on the team by now?"

Of course. She's a clever little bird.

"Mmm, not so little anymore, eh? She'll be bringing home a boyfriend any day now."

Don't even joke about that.

"Who's joking? By the way, you know you can't go by Naruto or Shinobi. Even something like Kage or Ninja would give you away. You need a new alias."

I know. I picked one out long ago.

"Oh?"

My name shall be the thing I aim to prevent to the innocent, and cause to the guilty, Naruto walked up the side of a building and began leaping from roof to roof, My name is an homage to the past and a prediction for the future. It's the one thing we all share that pulls us all together. Naruto shot off of a rooftop and landed on the side of a high-rise hotel. He shot up the building, leaving a trail of whispy wind behind him. When he reached the rooftop pool, he ran across the water and up a radio antenna. He felt like he was atop the entire city as he balanced atop it. I am Pain, he finished in a hush.

Kurama paused for a moment before he grunted. "You're way too dramatic sometimes."

Naruto shrugged and jumped from the tower. He soared through the air, falling as fast as gravity could take him. He closed his eyes and smiled as the wind rushed past his mask with a whistling sound. His robes billowed behind him as he hurtled towards the earth. Just as he was about to hit the pavement of the streets and splatter into a shattered corpse, he flickered away in a flash of yellow light.

. . .

Raven folded her arms over her chest defensively. "We've been running out of rooms," M'gann was explaining as she fluffed up Raven's new bed with her telekinesis, "This is the only spare one left."

Raven arched an eyebrow. "Besides Naruto's old room. That's been empty for years."

M'gann rounded on her, her eyes wide. "How did you know?"

"I can read emotions," Raven said casually as she dropped her small bag on the bed and began unwrapping it, "You were lying and thinking about Naruto's room at the same time."

"You can read minds?"

"Nope. Empathy, not telepathy," Raven pulled out an ornate hand mirror and quickly put it on her nightstand.

M'gann cleared her throat. "Is there anything else you'll need?"

Raven looked around and scowled. "Black paint," she said, "Lots and lots of black paint."

M'gann gave her a strange look. "I'll, ah, put in an order."

There was a knock on the door and Connor poked his head in before either girl could protest. "Nightwing wants us for briefing. Right now."

Raven made a portal and stepped through into the Cave's main hall. "Dios mio!" shouted a voice next to her. She glanced over at a stumbling teenage boy outfitted in futuristic looking black and blue armor with twin pincers on his shoulders.

"Hola," she said, "¿Como esta?"

The young man sputtered at her, his black mask moving with his face as his eyes widened. "Y-you speak Spanish?"

"I speak every language," Raven offered him her hand and helped him to his feet, "I'm-"

"Everyone, this is Raven," said Nightwing. Raven looked around and realized that she was surrounded by the entire team, including people she hadn't met yet. M'gann, Connor, Nightwing, Lagoon Boy, and Robin were there along with the boy in blue armor. Unfortunately, Garfield was also there and wiggled his hairy eyebrows at her. Wolf lounged in the corner and Mal stood with his arms folded next to Nightwing at the front of the group. "Raven's an old vet of the team, but some of you haven't met her. Raven, this is Wonder Girl, Batgirl, Bumblebee, and Blue Beetle."

Raven glanced around at her new teammates and gave them all brief nods. She frowned when she realized some members were missing. "Where's Kaldur?" she asked aloud, "And Zatanna and Rocket?"

"Zatanna and Rocket joined the League," said Nightwing quickly, "But that's not important right now. It's all hands on deck."

"Two hours ago, Wonder Girl and Batgirl helped expose that General Assembly Leader Tseng was actually a disguised alien," said Mal, bringing up holoscreens to illustrate his point.

"If by 'expose' you mean 'get our butts handed to us by an intergalactic bounty hunter'," muttered Wonder Girl, a blonde teenager dressed in what looked more like a cosplay outfit than a superhero uniform.

"Green Lantern has identified the alien as a Krolotean," Nightwing continued, "Based on his knowledge of Krolotean culture and the work of our Zeta scientists; we've determined that the Kroloteans are using Zeta Tube technology to transport between worlds. Using Zeta scanners, the Watchtower has identified areas rich with Zeta radiation where the Kroloteans may have temporary bases set up. Our mission is to help the League destroy all these bases simultaneously, search for any humans the Kroloteans may have abducted, and, if possible, capture an alien for interrogation."

"We'll be splitting you guys up," said Mal, "Nightwing and Wonder Girl, you guys are alpha squad. Take the Super-Cycle to Philadelphia and I'll send you the coordinates. Batgirl, Bumblebee, you two and Wolf are beta, assignment: Vlatavastok. Robin, Lagoon Boy, Beetle, you guys are gamma. We're sending you to New Orleans."

Raven's empathy allowed her to feel the mixed emotions of the group. Wonder Girl was ecstatic and La'gaan was depressed, but the others didn't stand out as much. "What about us?" she asked, motioning between herself, M'gann, and Connor.

"You four will be zeta squad," said Nightwing, "You're to meet with Dr. Adam Strange on the Watchtower and accompany him to the planet Rann. There, you'll help an alien scientist recover stolen equipment which will hopefully help prevent further invasions like this."

Connor stared at Nightwing. "You…you're sending us off-world?"

Nightwing grinned. "Yep!"

Raven was taken aback for two different reasons. She was as shocked as Connor that she would be leaving the planet, but she had also caught Nightwing's subtle counting. "The four of us?"

Garfield winked at her. "Don't think that leaving the planet will deny our chemistry, mama!"

"Great," groaned Raven, "Anyone have something sharp and pointy? I could really use it right now."

Nightwing activated the Zeta Tubes as the others ran to the hangar. M'gann and Connor stepped through followed by Garfield. Raven shot a glance at Nightwing who nodded reassuringly back at her. She walked through and landed inside the Watchtower. She had been there only once before, and under very different circumstances. Then, it had been a wild place, with heroes running back and forth trying to maintain a grip on the situation. It was all in vain of course, when Madara Uchiha was involved, he held all the cards.

Now it was much calmer, with only a few heroes scattered around here and there, working with holoscreens or discussing recent events. "Hey!" a man in a strange-looking red coat ran up to them, "You guys must be zeta squad. I'm Adam Strange."

Connor looked him up and down. "Strange, huh?"

Adam blinked and looked down at himself. "Oh, this? This is typical Rannease garb. By the way, you might want to change your shirt."

Connor patted the 'S' on his chest. "What's wrong with my shirt?"

Adam glanced at them all. "Oh, Nightwing didn't tell you, did he. The Justice League is persona non grada on Rann. Every League member has an arrest warrant in their name."

M'gann frowned. "What? Why?"

Adam shrugged. "No idea. Batman said something about 'sixteen hours' though." M'gann and Connor glanced at each other and nodded to themselves. Connor quickly turned his shirt inside out and Adam recalibrated the Zeta Tubes. When they were ready, he turned to the group with a smile and opened his mouth.

"Ask if we're ready," said Raven quickly, "And I'll tear your soul out of your body."

Adam wisely shut his mouth and Garfield snickered. "My girl got a temper on her!"

Raven rubbed her forehead. "Garfield, I've known you less than a day, but I already don't like you. Ms. Martian, keep your brother in line or I'll permanently glue him to it."

M'gann laughed aloud. "And miss this entertainment? I'll risk it." She stepped through the Zeta Tube and Connor followed her with a sigh. Garfield tugged on Raven's arm and pulled her through as well.

They emerged on a platform surrounded by exotic flora and colors that human eyes had trouble processing. Raven gazed around as Adam came through the Zeta Tube behind her. "Zeta squad," he said proudly, "Welcome to Rann."

"Oh man," sighed Raven, "And me without my camera."

. . .

Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!

Okay, so here's part one of season two. Obviously, I chose to go with the time jump for reasons that may or may not be explained later. To sum up; everyone thinks Naruto is dead, Hiruzen is secretly a good guy now, and, oh yeah, there are aliens now.

I'm trying a new style with third person from different points of view. It's not quite omniscient, but it's multiple limited. Please let me know how I do with it.

Also, can someone let me know when Raven's birthday is? I can't seem to find it online.