Same italics and disclaimers as before.

Chapter 37: Satisfaction

Naruto gazed over the oriental-style castle and breathed deeply. There were no lights on, but he could tell that any guards would see them coming. He touched the communicator in his ear. "Sterling, start feeding them the loop."

Below, a few of Dr. Roquette's nanobots tapped into the building's computer servers. At once, all the security cameras in the building began feeding a video loop to the security room. "The system will run a security scan in one hour," she warned him over the secure line, "You need to be gone by then."

"Understood," Naruto brought his hand away from his ear and flexed his fingers as he put his mask on. He adjusted the heavy coffin strapped to his back as he turned around. "You two have been through a lot in recent days," he said, "Can I trust you to keep your heads during this?"

Hiruzen nodded, but Jade drew her sai and crossed her arms. "No," she said darkly, "But you don't have a choice. You can't get in without me."

Naruto slowly nodded and walked over to her. "Ready? This is a permanent marker." She grunted in response and turned around, opening the back of her kimono. She shivered as her bare skin was exposed to the high winds and cold air, but Naruto quickly put his hand on her back and she felt a scratching across her back. He removed her hand and she tightened her kimono as his Hiraishin Formula took hold on her skin.

Hiruzen walked to Chomei's head. "You know what to do," he whispered in the Bijuu's ear and the Tailed-Beast nodded gently.

"Hiruzen," said Naruto, "Dropzone."

Hiruzen stood with Naruto at Chomei's seventh, rudder-like tail. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry him?" he asked, "You would be more effective at removing obstacles."

"You're an ANBU prodigy," said Naruto, "I need you to be as stealthy as possible. I take more of a direct approach."

Hiruzen nodded and drew his sword. "Now?" Naruto didn't reply, but leapt off of Chomei's tail, diving several hundred feet towards the Earth. Hiruzen shrugged and dove off as well. The wind whistled in his ears as he whipped through the sky. He activated his Byakugan to keep Naruto in sight. When Naruto waved his hand, Hiruzen pulled the strap on his back and a parachute opened up above him, jerking his descent to a halt. As he started to float downwards, he leaned to the side to direct the parachute over the castle to the other side.

Naruto continued to fall and waited until he was below the height of the castle walls before he opened his parachute. He grimaced as the coffin on his back strained against his shoulders, but he kept from crying out. He landed hard on the ground and immediately sliced off the straps of the parachute. Before the chute even hit the ground, Naruto was running silently across the rocky, Macedonian terrain. He vaulted around boulders and slid under fallen trees until he reached the castle walls. He stood very still for a moment until he heard the clopping march of foot soldiers. He quickly ran up the dark walls of the castle until he was about halfway up. As a large patrol walked beneath him, he touched his ear.

"25-man patrol, exactly as you said, Jade."

"Did you ever doubt me? Now shut up, I'm almost at the gate."

Naruto looked up and switched channels. "Hiruzen?"

"I'm in," breathed the Hyuga, "I just need to hide the chute." Naruto nodded and ran along the side of the wall. After a few corners, he came across an iron grate in the wall. Carefully, he leaned down and drew a kunai. He could only barely slip it through the lattice work of bars, but it fell with a splash into the muck below. Naruto Hiraishined inside the sewer and immediately gasped from the horrific smell.

"Remind me to kill Jade later,"

Don't think I like it any better. The smell of human waste from an army of assassins and assassins in training wafted over Naruto and he spent a moment thanking whatever deities that existed that he could walk on top of the sewage water rather than slosh through it. He carefully crawled down the sewer until he reached a series of smaller pipes that fed into the larger one he walked through.

"I'm almost certain there was a better way to get in," complained Kurama, "She just wanted to mess with us."

Take it up with her later. For now, just give me some chakra. Naruto sighed contentedly as Kurama's chakra ran through his system. A thin chakra arm made of red, boiling chakra emerged from his palm and snaked around his body. It grabbed a kunai and snapped it in two, separating the blade from the hilt. Which one did she say it was again?

"The one on the bottom to the left," Kurama reminded him, "It leads to the junior barracks."

Naruto grimaced as his chakra arm gripped the kunai hilt and forced itself through the lowest, tightest pipe. As the claw made from chakra disappeared from view, Naruto winced. Ew! I can feel everything!

"Jade said this toilet always overflows," smirked Kurama, "Enjoy."

Shut up, furball. It's your chakra. I think I'm almost at the end. Several meters bellow, the chakra arm slithered out of a grungy toilet and dropped the kunai hilt on the ground. With a flash of light, Naruto Hiraishined to the fallen hilt and shook violently to try and rid himself of the smell of feces.

"Think we have time for a shower?"

Best not push our luck. Naruto shifted the coffin and snuck out of the bathroom into the long barracks. The walls were lined with dozens of sleeping assassins, trained to awaken at the slightest disturbance. The light from a Hiraishin would wake them, as would the shifting of the coffin on Naruto's back. He had to wait for Jade's signal.

After a few minutes of trying not to breath too loudly, the door at the far end of the barracks burst open and Jade stepped in, her Cheshire mask fixed on her face. The assassins scrambled silently to grab their weapons and held them at Jade's throat. "At ease," she grunted, "I'm going to assume you all know who I am, because only an idiot doesn't know who I am and the League of Shadows doesn't allow idiots in its ranks." Her harsh, commanding tone took many of the assassins by surprise and some of them backed down.

"I heard you defected," said one suspiciously, his spear shaking in his trembling hands. In one fluid motion, Jade drew her sais, sliced off the spearhead, and sheathed her blades.

"Well I'm back," she said simply as the assassin fell back in shock, knocking over a few of his comrades in the process, "Unfortunately, the terms of my reinstatement into the League is training you maggots." She grabbed the nearest assassin by the robes and pulled him close. "So I guess my question is why you're sleeping when you should be in the parade grounds training."

The assassin gasped and trembled. "B-because it's n-n-night?" he stammered.

"N-n-night? That's why you're s-s-sleeping?" Jade mocked him as she pushed him away, "Get your butts out there you lazy cannon fodder. I have to turn you into actual assassins or we all get executed, clear?" The assassins couldn't leave the barracks faster. They swarmed out of the room like rats struggling to escape a flood and soon, Jade had the barracks to herself. "You can come out," she said, folding her arms.

Naruto opened the bathroom door and stepped out. "Good work."

"You smell like poop."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "All part of the plan. Down the hall, to the left, down the stairs four levels, down another hall, take two rights, down the stairs for three levels, through the impressive-looking doors, is that right?"

"Exactly," nodded Jade, "When in doubt, just go down. Watch out for patrols. If he hasn't been caught, Hiruzen will meet you there."

Naruto nodded. "Good luck."

Jade cracked her neck. "Too late for that." They left the room and Naruto followed Jade's directions as she chased after the assassins in training. Her directions were spot on and he hit no patrols as he made his way down the final, stone staircase. At this point, he assumed he was deep under the mountain. It had gotten hotter and hotter as he descended.

As he rounded the final turn of the spiral stairs, he came across a pair of wide, double doors inlaid with gold designs and jade carvings. Two guards lay unconscious on top of each other as Hiruzen leaned against the doors. "What took you so long?" he asked, "And you smell terrible, by the way."

"Thank you, captain obvious. Here," Naruto slung the coffin off of his back and handed it to Hiruzen before clapping his hands together, concentrating on his chakra.

"Jade was right," Hiruzen informed him, "The doors are connected to an alarm system. Once they open, it starts a countdown. If a button isn't pressed in the security room shutting off the countdown, the alarm starts."

Naruto grinned. "Good thing we have Sterling messing with their security systems. Partial Expansion Jutsu! Arms!" With a puff of smoke, his arms became thick and beefy, four times their normal size. With a grunt, Naruto pushed against the thick doors and they swung open with silent ease.

"Alarm shutdown," said Sterling in his ear as he strode forwards, "Forty-five minutes until the system resets."

"Thanks, Sterling," Naruto grimaced as he looked over his prize. He stood at the top of a long, thin staircase that spiral down around curved walls for several floors until it finally reached a pool of bubbling, green liquid.

"So that's the Lazarus Pit, huh?" Hiruzen peered down into the thick, primordial stew, "Gotta say, that looks disgusting."

"Bringing the dead back to life is a nasty business," said Naruto darkly, "Give me the coffin." Hiruzen handed the wooden box back to Naruto and he began to walk down the stairs. As he drew closer to the pool, his breathing became more and more labored. It was hard to breath, both from the heat of the pit and from the monumental task he was about to perform.

"He'll be angry," Hiruzen reminded him, "If this works at all, he won't be happy about being dragged from the afterlife."

"I don't need him to be happy," said Naruto as he reached the pool and knelt beside it, "I just need him alive. Guard the door, be ready for anything."

Hiruzen nodded and started back up the stairs. As he did, Naruto took the coffin and laid it gently on the water. He pushed it forwards into the pool and began to chant under his breath. He was no master magician, and this was a very complex spell. Naruto put every ounce of his concentration into his words and felt the power they contained being released over the water. Slowly, the coffin began to sink into the liquid and disappeared from sight. Eventually, Naruto's chant ended and he looked over the pool expectantly. He waited a minute, then another.

"Naruto?" called Hiruzen from above, "I don't think it w-"

The coffin abruptly broke the surface of the water and splashed ashore. Naruto stood up and carefully walked around the motionless wood. Carefully, he propped it upright. For a few moments, nothing happened. "Is that it?" he murmured to himself, "I was expecting something more…" A wood plank on the side of the coffin splintered and broke as a fist smashed through. "That," nodded Naruto, "I was expecting more that." The fist withdrew into the coffin and Naruto heard a deep, throaty growl.

"Kill," whispered a voice inside, "Death. Kill. Blood. Murder."

"And all that jazz," Naruto tapped the coffin and stepped past it.

"Quieter than I was hoping for," said Hiruzen, dropping back down to the pool level, "We're done here."

"Not quite," Naruto took the straps of the coffin and handed it to Hiruzen, "Get Jade and go."

Hiruzen blinked in surprise. "This wasn't in the plan. What are you doing?"

Naruto looked back at the boiling Lazarus Pit. "Ra's al Ghul has used this stuff to stay alive for over six hundred years," he said, "Not something I can allow anymore."

Hiruzen slowly nodded and threw the coffin on his back. "Please don't do anything too stupid."

Naruto grinned. "But it's what I'm best at! Now go!" Hiruzen ran up the stairs and disappeared through the giant doors. Naruto held a hand to his ear. "Sterling, activate the alarm."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Naruto nodded, "They'll be expecting someone trying to break in, thus making it easier for the others to break out."

Sterling didn't reply, but a second later he heard the wail of a siren ring through the castle. Naruto sat down and focused on inhaling natural energy, quickly entering Sage Mode. Still sitting down, he formed two Shadow Clones and then went about forming dual Rasenshurikens in his hands. Standing up, he launched both into the ceiling above. The jutsus sliced through the rock like a hot knife through butter and exploded deep within the stone. The earth rumbled and stone began to fall from above. Naruto grinned as the screams and cries of assassins reached his ears and he Hiraishined away with a flash of light just as a large boulder was about to touch down where he was sitting.

He appeared behind Jade as she was running across the battlements of the castle. She glanced behind her and nodded at him. He couldn't tell if she was actually grinning, or if that was just her mask playing tricks on him. "That marker of yours works," she observed, "Can it take me outside before we're discovered?"

"Only I can do that," said Naruto, "What's our exit strategy?"

"Well it was for you to come out the way you came," Jade snarled, "But now we have to improvise. Three at five o'clock."

Naruto stopped running and turned around, weaving his hands together. "Shadow Stitching Jutsu!" he called, his shadow bursting up and slamming the three assassins against the wall. He turned and ran after Jade as they rubbed their heads in pain.

"There's a small hangar," panted Jade as he caught up, "It's used for supply drop offs. It's only big enough to hold a helicopter and opens over a three hundred foot cliff."

"Works for me," grunted Naruto as they made a hard right turn.

Jade led him to the hangar and he saw she was right. The hangar was so small; it barely held the one copter that resided in it. "What do you think?" asked Jade, "Do we steal a helicopter? Or summon Chomei?"

Naruto shrugged. "I always wanted a helicopter."

. . .

"So let me get this straight," Roy Harper, the original, glared back and forth between the two men that stood before him, "While I was on ice, you found another Roy Harper, the sidekicks formed their own team, a guy named Madara tried to take over the world, aliens invaded the earth, and Ollie grew a dopey goatee?"

The other Roy Harper, a taller, older-looking version of himself, rubbed the back of his head nervously. "We try not to call ourselves sidekicks anymore."

Ollie looked hurt as he rubbed his chin. "You don't like the goatee?"

Roy slammed his fist down on the bedpan besides him. "So missing the point!" he hissed, "You've both been talking around it all day! Now, I want answers. What happened to me? How can there be another Roy Harper? Who is this guy?" He jerked his thumb at his ever silent roommate, a greenish tinted kid with sun yellow hair and scratches on his cheeks. "And most importantly, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ARM?!" He gestured to the bandaged stump where his left arm once was with horror and anger.

"Okay, okay," sighed the other Roy, "We wanted to wait until you were strong enough, but I guess the moment's here."

"Moment's passed!" snarled Roy, "Get to it."

The other Roy winced. "What's the last thing you remember before we found you in Tibet?"

Roy hesitated and looked away. "I've been trying to piece that together," he muttered, "I remember investigating a Lexcorp shell company."

"We suspected them of smuggling weapons to North Rhelasia," nodded Ollie.

"Some Lexcorp goons got the drop on me," murmured Roy, "I remember I was embarrassed how easily they got me. Then…nothing."

Ollie and the other Roy shared a glance and Ollie cleared his throat. "There's no easy way to say this," he said gently, "But Roy, that was eight years ago."

Roy stared at him for a few moments before his mind was able to process the words. "What?!"

"Lex Luthor and the Light, this criminal organization he works with," said the other Roy quickly, "They abducted you. They amputated your arm."

Roy was shaking in his hospital bed. His mute roommate looked on with mild interest. "W-why?" stammered Roy, "T-to keep m-me from u-using my b-bow?"

"No," sighed the other Roy, "They needed an endless supply of your DNA to perfect their human cloning process."

Roy stared at him in amazement. "So that's what you are," he murmured to himself, "A clone."

"Yeah," the other Roy looked passed him out the window, "They grew me. In a matter of months I looked your age. They programmed me with all your memories and skills and other…things."

"They spoon-fed me clues to your location," said Ollie, sitting down besides him on the bed, "I thought I was doing detective work, but in hindsight…" Roy glared at his mentor with a look of utter and complete hatred. "You were gone for three months!" protested Ollie, "I'd been going crazy! So when I found you, er, him, I didn't question it. I had no idea he wasn't the real, um, original you."

Roy turned away from Ollie and disgust and focused again on his clone. "So you took my place?" he said, "You've been living my life for eight years." The other Roy looked away in shame and Roy felt a twinge of sympathy for his clone.

"And he's been tirelessly searching for you for five of those years," Ollie reminded him.

"But not you, Oliver," snarled Roy as he turned back, "You gave up on me!"

The other Roy stood up with his hands in the air. "I don't want to be the cause of anymore conflict," he said nervously, "I'd understand if you never want to see me again."

"I don't know," muttered Roy, "Seems to me you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't ask to be created. Plus, you found me. I can't blame you for this." Like a flick of a switch, Roy turned from calm to furious in a second. He grabbed Ollie by the lapel and pulled himself up so they were face to face. "But I can totally blame you!"

"Roy, I-"

"We were partners!" shouted Roy, "Friends! How could you not know I'd been replaced?! How could you leave me in Luthor's hands for eight years?!" Ollie looked down in shame and Roy released his jacket. "And how could I not see how useless you are?" he grunted, "Get out!"

Ollie stood and walked out of the room, turning back sadly at the door before vanishing from sight. His roommate watched Ollie go and hummed thoughtfully. Roy leaned back in his bed and glanced over at his clone. "Look, uh, Roy," he said softly, "I need some time to process all this."

"I understand," his clone nodded and walked out of the room. Roy stared out the window as a flock of robins flew by. After a deep sigh, he leaned forwards. "It's funny, you know?" he said aloud, "You'd think that I'd be used to weird stuff like this. I was Ollie's partner for almost a year before…well, you heard." The blond kid regarded him strangely, but remained silent. "So," grunted Roy, "You're Maritan Manhunter's niece's kid, right? What's that like?"

The boy slowly shrugged and Roy nodded. "You were in Tibet with me, right? Do you know how you got there?" The kid shook his head with another shrug. "Whatever, you were probably another one of Luthor's prisoners," grumbled Roy, "I don't suppose you'd want to help bring him down, would you?" The boy just shrugged, keeping a neutral face. "I like you," Roy decided, "You're a good listener." He pulled off his sheets and yanked off the cables that connected him to the machines around his bed. "I'm busting out," he said, "Got some things I need to do for myself. You want to come? Be nice to have some company." Roy swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He was thrown off by the unfamiliar balance, but a hand rested on his shoulder to steady him. "I'll take that as a yes," Roy grinned as he looked over his shoulder at the mute boy. He shambled over to the window and pushed it open. "Can you fly? Would make things easier." The boy shrugged and carefully climbed up to the window sill. With a sharp intake of breath, he pushed off and spread his arms. For a split second, it looked like he might even do it. But then gravity took hold and the boy cried out in surprise as he floundered towards the ground. Roy winced as the boy slammed into the cement sidewalk several floors below.

"I guess not," he muttered. He was about to turn away when the boy down below started to stand up. Roy looked down in amazement. "Impossible," he muttered as the kid brushed off his hospital gown a gestured for Roy to jump as well. "Catch me!" he called out as he vaulted out the window. He fell for a second before he landed with a grunt in the boy's arms. "Nice!" he said with a grin, "Looks like mommy didn't give you her powers though, just her skin tone." As he spoke, the kid looked away as a motorcycle rumbled down the street besides them. His eyes were wide and his mouth gaping in alarm. "What?" snorted Roy, "Never seen a Harley before?" The boy slowly shook his head and stared around in wonder. Roy grabbed his arm. "C'mon. We can't just stand around. I'm getting some vengeance, and I'm very impatient."

. . .

Raven tilted her head to the side slightly. "They got her arms wrong," she decided, looking up at a holographic statue of Artemis, "They were longer than that."

"It's a digital rendering of her body schematics," sighed Tim next to her, "It's a perfect replica, Raven."

Raven turned her head to other side and hummed. "No, her arms are wrong."

"Whatever." Raven, Tim, Jamie, Garfield, and Bart were in the grotto in the basement of the Cave. Five hologram statues of fallen heroes stood flickering around them. They stared up at Artemis in respect, but Raven found her eyes drawn to the satutes on either side of her.

She'd met the second Robin, Jason Todd. He was crass, but honest and she respected him enough. His statue was the oldest in the grotto, but still shone as brightly as the day it had been set up.

On the other side of Artemis was Naruto in his Shinobi uniform. His fox mask looked silly as a hologram and it bothered her that they hadn't shown his face in his memorial. Naruto was more than just a hero. It didn't matter, she knew the truth, but it still upset her every time she saw it.

On the other side of the grotto were the last two statues. One was of Aquagirl, Tula. Just the thought of the insufferable water mage made Raven's blood churn in her veins. Still, all death was tragic and hers was no exception. She was a hero and didn't deserve to go out the way she did.

Next to her was a man in a blue outfit. Raven had never seen him before, but his plaque read 'Blue Beetle, Ted Kord' so she assumed he must have been Jamie's mentor.

As she turned her attention back to Artemis's memorial, there was a sharp crunching sound below her. She glared down at Bart as he munched noisily on potato chips, oblivious to the visual daggers being sent his way. Eventually, Tim elbowed him in the ribs. "Sorry," he said sheepishly as he realized his disrespect, "Mourning makes me hungry."

"Hey!" realized Jamie, "You stole those from my locker!"

"Hey, where I come from it's not stealing, it's scavenging," protested Bart, "Besides, we don't have these things in the future. Blame Kid Flash, he got me hooked."

"Forget I asked," Jamie grumbled.

"So why is this here?" asked Bart after a pause, "I mean, it's pretty and everything, but these people are heroes! They should have giant statues! Big, crashing memorials in the Hall of Justice or something!"

"The League doesn't want or need a public shrine to its fallen," said Tim simply, "We have enough problems with hero worship as it is."

Jamie grunted. "Or maybe they just don't want the world to know they're not immortal."

"Does it matter?" sighed Raven, "Artemis wouldn't have wanted a big, flashy thing. She would've wanted something simple, like this."

"What about Naruto?" asked Garfield hesitantly, "Is this what he would have wanted?"

Raven smirked. "If Naruto could see his statue, he'd kick all our butts for mourning him in the first place." She glanced at Jamie. "What about your mentor? Is this what he would want?"

Jamie sighed and turned to look at Ted Kord. "I never met him," he said sadly, "The world will never know of his sacrifice."

"But you'll know," Bart pointed out, "Carrying on the whole Blue Beetle line and all that."

"I wish," Jamie snorted, "It's a total rip! Everyone has a mentor but me. Superboy has Superman."

"That took a while," Raven interrupted.

"Wonder Girl has Wonder Woman," Jamie continued, "Robin has Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl! Raven had Naruto and Dr. Occult, and now she's taking lessons from Zatanna! I mean, you've been in this era less than two weeks and already you have three Flash mentors! One of which feeds you my junk food."

"Life is pain," nodded Raven. Tim shot her an ugly glare and she slumped her shoulders in reluctance. "Look," she said, putting her hand on Jamie's shoulder, "Take it from someone who knows; life isn't fair. It throws a lot at us with the expectation that we can handle it. But that's why we adapt, roll with the punches. You got off to a bad start without a mentor, but that doesn't mean you won't win the race."

Jamie blinked. "What race?"

Raven rolled her eyes and dropped her hand from Jamie's shoulder. "It's a metaphor. Read a book sometime."

Bart wrapped his arm around Jamie. "You know, Blue, we have more in common than you realize. Our love of chips for example? Let me buy you a replacement. We'll hang out, eat, it'll be totally crash!" He led a very confused looking Jamie out of the grotto, leaving Raven to shake her head in disappointment at them.

"Why didn't you go to Rocket's bridal shower?" asked Garfield, "Wasn't that today? She invited pretty much every female Leaguer and team member."

Raven shrugged. "I was never one for weddings and Rocket and I were never very close. Besides, the showers are just boring. Name one exciting thing that's ever happened at a bridal shower." Garfield thought for a moment shrugging. "That's what I thought," nodded Raven.

. . .

Roy stumbled against a wall and grit his teeth against the pain. He probably should have stolen some painkillers before they left the hospital, but hindsight was 20/20. The blonde kid walked calmly next to him, helping him when he staggered. They'd taken great caution not to be seen as they moved through Star City and they now found themselves at the end of an alley between two brick warehouses. "Ollie and I had a safe house around here," he muttered, touching various bricks on the wall, "Hope they didn't abandon it." The kid stood behind him and reached out to touch a brick. As he pressed it, the brick rolled away to reveal an optic scanner. Roy blinked and grinned. "Lucky guess," he said as he put his eye against the scanner.

A blue beam ran over his retinas before retracting. "Recognized," said a computerized voice, "Red Arrow."

Roy raised an eyebrow as he leaned back. "So the other Roy changed his name to Red Arrow? How…original." He glanced at the other boy, but apparently sarcasm was not something he was accustomed to yet. The wall split open and Roy ushered the kid into the darkness beyond. The wall reconnected behind them and the lights flickered on to reveal an entire armory. It was a long room with a Zeta Tube at the end of it. The walls were lined with every ranged weapon imaginable. "Looks like some things haven't changed," noted Roy dryly, "Ollie's still a packrat."

He walked over to a shelf where an old costume still hung. "Wonder if he kept this out of laziness, nostalgia, or guilt," he muttered as he picked up a pointed, yellow hat, "Help me out?" The kid nodded and helped the one-armed Roy out of his hospital clothes and into his uniform.

"Thanks," said Roy as the kid clipped his belt shut, "You know, you really need a name." The kid was silent as always. "Do you have one? Do you speak at all?"

The kid shrugged and Roy grunted. The novelty of his company was quickly wearing thin. "Look, I'm about to go out and do some serious stuff," he cautioned, "Maybe it's a good idea for you to stay back. You know, acclimate a little bit before you see some action." The kid paused and slowly shook his head. Roy sighed and picked up his old bow. It felt right in his hand, but without another hand to draw the sting, it was useless. He slung it over his shoulder anyway and picked up a duffle bag, quickly filling it with a myriad of weapons. "Take anything you want," he said, grabbing a grenade, "Lock and load." The kid tilted his head slightly and picked up a pistol. He raised it hesitantly and pulled the trigger. "No, you have to turn the safety off." Roy showed the boy how to use the gun and pointed at a target set up against the wall. The kid took aim and fired. He immediately yelped and dropped the gun, surprised by the kickback and the loud noise.

"Maybe guns aren't your thing," said Roy, "And you aren't trained in a bow. Do you have any Martian powers besides being able to survive long falls?" The kid hesitated before looking at his hands. His skin stretched and his bones twisted with a sickening crunch. Roy stumbled back in surprise as his fingers meshed together and sharpened, his entire hand becoming a blade of hard flesh. "Well," he said after a pause, "That's pretty friggin' awesome." There was a beep from a nearby computer and Roy turned. The screen showed security footage of the alley outside where Ollie and the other Roy were walking purposefully towards them.

Roy shoved the kid towards the Zeta Tube as he pulled the pin on the grenade and set the coordinates for Metropolis in the computer. The Zeta activated just as Ollie entered the hideout. "Roy! Wait!" he shouted.

"Sorry, G.A.," hissed Roy, "Can't let you stop me." They both disappeared with a flash of light just as the grenade exploded, taking out the Zeta Tube and half the armory.

They stepped out of the Metropolis Zeta Tube and Roy grinned to himself. "Well that was fun," he said, "Now, we need to plan an attack. And," he glanced at his companion up and down, "We need to get you some new clothes. How do you feel about five-finger discounts?"

. . .

Roy stared up at the penthouse of Lexcorp Tower in Metropolis. Inside, he knew Lex Luthor, the man who'd stolen everything from him, was working. He drew out a large, heavy grenade launcher from his bag and struggled to hoist it onto his shoulder with one arm. "Gotta love modern weapons tech," he said with a smirk as he looked through the scope at his bald target, "It's easier for a one-armed man to fire a missile launcher than it is to put on his pants." He fired the missile and it streaked into Lex's office, exploding with enough force to blow up a tank. "Well," he said with a satisfied grunt, tossing the missile launcher away, "If that didn't kill him, step two will. You ready for this?"

He turned to his silent partner and grinned. The kid was now dressed in a white v-neck t-shirt under an open, black jacket with red lining. His lower half was covered by black jeans and combat boots. All stolen from a nearby thrift store. He nodded to Roy and grabbed the one-armed archer. With a grunt, he jumped off the roof. They fell for a moment before the kid landed on the ground with a groan. The cement crumpled under his feet and he quickly stepped out of the hole he made. "C'mon!" Roy hopped out of the kid's arms and ran across the street towards the entrance to an underground garage.

A security guard ran out from the garage and stared up at the flaming upper level. Roy punched him in the stomach as he ran by and the he doubled over. The kid vaulted over the guard's back, forcing him to the ground as the boy followed after Roy. They ran down the ramp to the first level of the garage and Roy scanned for what he was looking for. "There you are," he murmured as he spotted a pristine, white Bentley on the far side of the garage, "Luthor always loved his little baby." As he spoke, a door burst open and Luthor strolled casually out, carrying a chrome briefcase and being followed by a tall woman, his apparent bodyguard. Roy grunted as he drew a bazooka from the duffel bag and fired its RPG at the car. It exploded and both targets were thrown back against the wall.

"Oh dear," sighed Luthor calmly as he picked himself up, "I loved that car."

"For a smart man, Luthor," growled Roy as he walked forwards, tossing aside the bazooka in favor of a handgun, "You're pretty easy to out maneuver. One little missile flushed you right out."

"Mr. Harper," Luthor greeted, brushing himself off, "And Project Jinchuriki too, what a delightful surprise. It's good to see you both again."

"Feeling's not mutual!" snarled Roy, cocking his gun and thrusting it at Luthor. Behind him, he felt the kid bristle. "Tell your bodyguard to disarm!" he ordered.

"Hmm, Mercy?" Luthor helped his female companion to her feet, "She carries no weapon." Mercy thrust her hand forwards and her arm suddenly split open, revealing a robotic cannon that was built into her. The cannon shot a laser burst that knocked the gun out of Roy's hand and sent him spinning. "She is a weapon," said Luthor with a smirk, "Mercy, kill them." The kid grabbed Roy around the waist and rolled both of them behind a car as Mercy shot a laser blast at them, denting the pavement of the garage from the force of her blast.

"Split up!" whispered Roy, "Take her from behind!" The kid nodded and rolled under the car. Roy stood up and ran along the row of vehicles, laser beams flashing around his head. He drew a crossbow from his duffel bag and backflipped off an SUV. He shot an explosive bolt at Mercy and it struck the car behind her. Roy grinned and backed behind the car as the bolt exploded and sent Mercy flying face-first into the hood of the SUV. Out of nowhere came the blond boy. He grabbed Mercy's head from behind and slammed her face through the windshield. She cried out as the glass cut her face and the kid pulled her back out to slam her into the hood again. She raised her arm and shot wildly at him, forcing him to release her and backfliped away.

"Quite the arsenal you've brought tonight," Luthor observed.

"You haven't seen the half of it, Luthor!" shouted Roy as he dodged under a car to avoid Mercy's gaze.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about weapons," said Luthor casually, "I myself never go armed. No, the greatest arsenal any man can bring to the party consists of his own mind, his intelligence, his stratagems, his force of will. And you two have all of those in spades." Roy heard glass shatter and he looked around the car to see the blond kid dodging Mercy's lasers around a compact. Roy broke cover and fired another explosive bolt at her. Without turning, she caught it in midair and hurled it back at Roy. It struck the SUV and Roy dashed away with a grimace. The explosion sent him flying and knocked the crossbow out of his hands.

He slid behind a car as Mercy turned her attention back to him. He quickly rolled under a car and reached into his duffel bag once more. This time he pulled out a length of detonation coil, a rope imbued with multiple small explosions. "Kid!" he shouted, giving away his position. Mercy's lasers ripped over his head, but were quickly cut short when he heard a cry of pain. He looked out from his hiding spot and grinned. The blond boy had sharpened his hand into a blade and stabbed it through Mercy's shoulder. She grit her teeth against the pain and swung backwards, roundhouse kicking the kid in the stomach and knocking the air out from him. Roy darted forwards and wrapped the detonation coil around Mercy's arm. She punched him in the chest and kicked him into a car. He fell over and scrambled to pick up the detonator to the coil as she approached him and raised her laser. He grabbed the detonator and pushed the trigger. Mercy's arm exploded and she cried out as she was sent into the windshield of a car. She slumped over and the kid jumped on top of her, stepping on her other arm in case she had an extra ace in the hole.

Luthor frowned. "Mercy," he muttered, reaching out towards his bodyguard. Roy shot forwards and wrapped a second length of detonation coil around Luthor's arm.

"This is your tech, isn't it, Luthor?" he teased as he drew the detonator, "You sell it illegally. Fitting revenge, really. I use your own tech to do to you what you did to me."

"Except we gave you anesthesia," Luthor complained, "Your methods seem a tad more violent."

"We reap what we sow, Luthor."

Luthor nodded in agreement. "But are you prepared for the harvest?" Roy heard his partner growl and turned to see a squad of Lexcorp guards, all with assault rifles trained on their chests. "Vengeance is a suckers game," said Luthor smugly, "And yours comes at the price of two lives for my one."

"You think I won't pay that cost?" demanded Roy, "Besides, the kid here can make his kin denser than the bullets!"

"Ah, yes," nodded Luthor, "His Martian powers were a bit of a disappointment during the initial testing, if I recall. But it looks like he's found some use for them. Now his Shinobi powers, on the other hand," Luthor's eyes twinkled as he grinned, "They were something to behold, let me tell you."

"You're getting off track," sneered Roy, "I'm more than willing to die to take you out!"

"You want we should shoot him, Mr. Luthor?" asked one of the guards.

Luthor peered strangely at Roy for a moment. "No," he decided, "I'm content to wait patiently for Mr. Harper's decision."

"Don't mock me!" shouted Roy, "I'd run any risk for revenge!"

"I don't believe in risk," said Luthor calmly, "I believe in preparation." He placed his briefcase on the ground and propped it open. Roy stared in amazement at its contents, his grip on the detonator loosening. "What is it you really want?" asked Luthor, "Revenge? Or satisfaction?"

Roy's decision was split second, but he didn't regret it. "Tell your goons to stand down," he said, tossing aside the detonator and picking up the briefcase. Luthor motioned to them and their guns lowered. Mercy groaned as the kid jumped off of her and glared at Luthor.

"Ah," Luthor nodded, "Quid pro quo, eh? I'd expect no less. You want satisfaction as well." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a series of folded papers. "Here," he offered them to the blond, "All the information we compiled about you, Project Jinchuriki." The kid snatched the papers away and stared at them. He glanced over at Roy and nodded.

"Don't think for a second this makes us even, Luthor," snapped Roy as he turned and started to leave, his silent partner following him, "You've just assuaged my vengeance for now." They left the garage and Roy turned, grinning as he saw Green and Red Arrow running towards them. "Hey guys," he said as they approached, "What took you so long?"

"Roy!" panted Ollie, the Green Arrow, "Are you alright?"

"I'm good," he said calmly, "Well, better than I've been in eight years anyway."

Ollie gapped at him. "You didn't-"

"Kill Luthor? No, that's a project for another day."

There was a rustling in the air and Roy looked up in time to see a green skinned young woman in a black and red outfit soar down and grab him by the lapels. "What did you do?!" she hissed in his ear.

"You must be M'gann," he remained cool, "Nice to finally meet you." She glared at him and dropped him, flying over to her clone.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, checking him over carefully, "Are you hurt?"

The kid took a deep breath. "I'm fine."

Roy stared at him. "Oh, now you can talk? When your mommy's around? Forget this; we're never working together again."

M'gann stared at her son. "You speak," she sighed happily, "Thank goodness."

The kid looked over the papers in his hand. "Jinchuriki," he said slowly, "My name is Jinchuriki."

M'gann frowned as she looked down at the papers. "Where did you get those?"

The kid, Jinchuriki, shrugged. The other Roy, Red Arrow frowned at the real Roy. "What's in the case?"

Roy grinned. "Satisfaction." He dropped it to the ground and opened it up for the others to see. "It's not elegant," he said, taking out the mechanical, weaponized arm that Luthor had give n him, "It won't fool anyone into thinking it's the real thing. But it's more powerful and versatile than the model Luthor gave his own bodyguard. It'll literally make me a living weapon." He put the arm back in the case and snapped it shut. "Nobody's putting me on ice again. Ever."

Ollie and Red Arrow shared a glance. "Speedy," he said slowly, "You sure you're okay?"

Roy ripped off his mask and tossed it aside. "Speedy's dead," he declared, "He died eight years ago. But I kind of like the sound of…Arsenal."

. . .

Naruto stepped out of the shower and shook the water out of his hair. "Stupid sewer," he muttered as he dried himself.

A screen on the wall flicker on and Sterling appeared before him. "Hey."

Naruto gasped and scrambled to cover himself with a towel. "Sterling!" he barked, "I'm a little busy! And naked!"

"Relax," Sterling rolled her virtual eyes, "Nothing I haven't seen before."

Naruto stared at her. "What?!"

"Nothing," an advantage of having an electronic body was that Sterling could control when she did and didn't blush. She chose not to blush in this moment. "You need to see this." A second screen turned on and Naruto watched the news footage from the Lexcorp tower. He sighed at the security footage from the garage where Speedy and his son fought to kill Luthor.

"I was afraid of this," he said, pausing second screen, "The G-Gnomes were massacred before he could be fully matured. His mind is incomplete and he doesn't know right from wrong yet."

"You gave him to M'gann," Sterling shrugged, "I think we can trust her to teach him."

Naruto slowly nodded and smiled to himself, touching his son's face on the screen as his arm transformed into a blade. "Regardless, I have one powerful kid."

"Certainly a hero in the making," bristled Sterling, "But he has a long way to go."

"Yup," Naruto waved her away and she left him alone with his thoughts and inner demon.

"Are you ready?"

More than ready. Let's go say hello to a dead man. Naruto dressed in his Akatsuki robes and fingered his mask, but left it behind as he exited his room. Hiruzen stood guard outside of the medical lab and nodded to him as he went through.

The lab was largely empty, save for the bad farthest from the door. There, a pale but muscular young man rested, his body completely relaxed. His face was handsome, but his eyes were too piercing to be comforting. His hair was short and black, but now had a streak of pure white that Naruto suspected would never go away. As Naruto approached, he turned over to glare at him.

"I imagine you're very confused right now," said Naruto. He waited for the young man to respond, but he received nothing. "You've been dead, Jason," he said bluntly, "For almost three years now." The young man, Jason, still didn't reply, but his breathing quickened. "I brought you back," continued Naruto, "With a spell using the Lazarus Pit."

Jason grunted, but said nothing. "A lot's happened since you left us," breathed Naruto, "I'll fill you in later, but what's important now is that the world needs someone like you, Jason. Madara already tried to take over once and we stopped him. But he's on the rise again and the Light is feeding him resources. I'm putting together a team to counter them and when I was looking over possible candidates, yours was one of the first names that came up." Jason turned his head to look at the ceiling, away from Naruto.

Naruto slowly turned and began to walk away. "Why?" Jason's voice was hoarse and scratchy from years of disuse. Naruto stopped and turned to look back. "Why me?"

Naruto smiled. "You said it yourself."

"By any means necessary," Jason whispered with a nod, "I want tools, weapons."

"I can get you your old Robin gear."

"Forget that," Jason coughed harshly, "I want new tech. Knives, vehicles, guns."

Naruto blinked. "Guns?"

Jason glared at him. "Is that a problem?"

Naruto slowly nodded. "Guns it is."

He turned to leave Jason to his rest and he reached the door before Jason coughed again. "One more thing," he called, "Is the Joker still alive?"

Naruto stopped. "Unfortunately."

"Then I want him," said Jason firmly, "I want the Joker. I want his head. On a platter."

Naruto's grip tightened on the doorknob and he breathed deeply. "Done," he said as he stepped out.

"Jade wanted to see you," said Hiruzen as he closed the door behind him, "She's leaving."

"I know," said Naruto, "Be right back." He Hiraishined to Jade on the beach and she leapt back in shock.

"Don't do that!" she hissed angrily, "And you can do that anytime you want? For the rest of my life? This is why I hate tattoos!"

"You're leaving."

Jade rolled her shoulders and turned away. "My dad's picking me up any minute now. He wants to team up to avenge Artemis. I can't say no."

"I wouldn't expect you to," said Naruto, reaching into his robes, "Here." He pulled out a white envelope and held it out.

Jade looked at it strangely as she accepted. "What is it?"

Naruto's face became hard and stony. "A blank check," he said firmly, "Your father can write any number on there that he wants, but he won't see a cent of it until I have Kaldur'ahm's helmet on my wall."

Jade stared at him. "You're commissioning my dad?"

"He chooses his own price," Naruto turned away and started to walk back towards the compound, "He won't refuse."

"Can you afford this?"

"Sterling can hack into every bank in the world electronically. We have all the money we could possibly need. Keep in touch."

"He'll want to check with the Light first," she called after him, "It's an honor thing."

"Good," he replied, "It's time for the Light to recognize Pain."

. . .

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