Hey everyone! I'm so sorry how these are all taking so long! What can I say, life gets crazy. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

Sasuke sighed as he looked upon Happy Harbor from the base of Mount Justice. Like everyone else, he volunteered to go and help with the search of Naruto and Zatanna. Though he didn't show it, he was very worried about him. He knew Naruto was stupid, but not enough to get lost! Not in a town like this, where their temporary living space was clearly landmarked!

Sakura was close by, but kept her distance. She too was worried. Some part of her worried that Naruto snuck off with Zatanna to try something perverted. For some reason, that bothered her more than she would like to admit, and not for the reasons one would think.

Finally, Sasuke sighed. "Let's go inside."

"Go back?!" Sakura said. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto's still out there-"

"And we can't find him." Sasuke interrupted her. "Best case scenario, Naruto and Zatanna are making out and casted an invisibility spell or something…"

"No way!" Sakura shouted. "Naruto wouldn't do that!" Sakura calmed herself. "Would he?"

Sasuke smirked. "Believe what you will. Anyway, worst case he's dead. We don't know. And no one's come up with any good ideas." Sasuke went into the west door of the mountain.

"Gnirb mih kcab!" Zatanna shouted as she blasted Wotan with her magic.

Though it was powerful, Wotan managed to push it away with his own hand. "Enough, wench!"

Wotan countered with his magic, blasting Zatanna away. "AHH!" Zatanna rolled across the dirt, and felt like she had dived through an electrical storm and landed into a net of power-lines. Even so, she forced herself to stand on shaky legs. She looked at Naruto's unconscious body, burned like a crisp. Zatanna didn't want to believe he was gone, but even within the realm of magic, the chances of him surviving were practically zero. Zatanna felt her rage grow again, and turned her attention back to Wotan. "Og-"

A construct was then formed around her mouth, much like a muzzle. "Now now." Wotan sneered as he raised her further up in the air. "A girl like you shouldn't even think of having such a foul mouth." Zatanna was helpless as she felt an electric current run through her. "Though, that won't be a problem for you much longer."

"Let her go!" The voice of Etrigan shouted, not bothering with rhyming this time. Wotan pivoted Zatanna in front of him, using her as a shield against Etrigan. Though the demon itched to run through her to get to Wotan, but Jason held him back. Still, both knew an attack was coming.

Wotan only sneered. "You are both fools." Certain of his victory, he paid Naruto's still body no mind.

Inside the scope of Naruto's mind, his body seemed to float in the water. Despite appearences, he was in no danger of drowning. Kyuubi's eyes looked at him from behind the bars. "Pathetic." He snarled. "I agreed to give you that power you wanted, and you still couldn't make do with it." Despite his prior insult, he still grinned. "Still, I'm glad you came here. This realm…it weakens the seal. You're not able to break me out yet, but I can make some gains. Here."

The water began to boil, and red tendrils of chakra erupted out of the water. Like leeches, they latched onto Naruto. Lifting him out of the water, they pumped into Naruto like veins. "You think I gave you power before? You've no idea the true power of a biju…"

Back in the real(?) world, Naruto's body suddenly twitched. "Ugh…" Like a marionette, his body was lifted off the ground by no apparent force, and righted up.

Etrigan's brow raised as he saw what was happening, and Wotan turned as he saw his look, careful to keep Zatanna as a shield. "What is this?"

Naruto's body was then surrounded in a cloak of red chakra, much thicker than his previous power ups. His fangs and nails were further elongated, and finally the chakra extended behind him into a single tail. And while this was all happening, his wounds inexplicably healed. "Impossible!" Wotan exclaimed. "No mortal could have survived that!" Etrigan used Wotan's distraction to break the construct and retrieve Zatanna. The sorcerer paid her no heed, as he remained focused on the boy before him. "It's the same power as before! But, even greater!" Next thing he knew, a small fist caved his face in. Wotan tumbled across the ground, his face scarred and bleeding. "Wha-?!" Before he could fathom what happened to him, Naruto pounced on him and beat him like a berserker. There was no focus, no technique to his blows. Just pure rage and power. It was all Wotan could do to just fly away.

He tried to counterattack, but was forced to give the boy a wide berth Naruto continued to attack like an animal. Even when he dodged, noticeable cuts appeared on his chest. Just when Wotan believed he got the timing down, having cleared a slash, the chakra around Naruto suddenly extended into an arm of energy as it grabbed hold of the sorcerer. Naruto pulled him in, and Wotan countered with his lightning, but Naruto felt none of it. He clocked the sorcerer in the face, sending him tumbling across the ground. Before he could even recover, Naruto jumped on him and slashed at him across the face. "Ngh!" Wotan formed a pillar construct, forcing Naruto back. The ninja(?) took it as his feet skidded across the floor. However, it stopped, and Naruto shattered the construct with a karate chop. "What power is this!?" Wotan shouted. He put his palms together as his energy gathered, focusing into a ball. Naruto seemed to understand he was charging up, and ran up to meet his challenge, gathering his own energy into his palm. If Zatanna had seen Naruto's techniques more closely before, she would realize that he would normally need three sets of hands to concentrate his chakra. He was only using one, and the energy was flying all over the place, shooting off like bullets all over. Zatanna had to take cover. At the last second, the energy stabilized into an orb, and Naruto threw it forward. Wotan created a shield, but the Rasengan ran through it like paper. Wotan took the full force as he screamed, and was forced back, spinning and making a huge crater in the ground. The sorcerer was now a broken and bloody mess. He tried to rise, but he couldn't even move an inch. Naruto landed on him, and began to beat him like a savage.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Some unseen force seemed to hold back Naruto's fist, and he was slowly lifted off the ground. He began to fight it, but so far whatever it was held. Zatanna looked into the distance to see Zatara, having woken up.

"Hurry, Zatanna! He's going to kill him! We need him alive!"

Zatanna nodded, and held out her arms. "Get a grip, Naruto!" Now it seemed his whole body was bound, only able to move his head like a mad dog. Zatanna walked towards him, still holding out her arms. "Naruto, you won! You have to stop this!" Naruto jerked his head back, causing a wave of chakra to push her back.

"Hurry!" Jason shouted. "His power is leaking! I fear he will only grow more feral!"

Zatara was about to pull out his cane, but Zatanna stopped him. "No! I got this, Dad! Trust me!"

Zatara stared at her, but nodded. "Be careful, my love." Zatanna nodded back, and continued.

Naruto was going absolutely crazy, breaking his limbs out of the mystic grip. Thank goodness he was still off the ground in place. "Naruto, I don't know what's happening to you, but you need to regain control. Wotan is our only chance out of here, and we can't take you back like this." Naruto's eyes were almost pure red, and she wasn't confident he even heard her. "Stop it, Naruto!" Zatanna snapped. "What would your friends think if they saw you like this?" Naruto cocked his arm back, preparing to claw her face out. Zatanna closed her eyes and shouted "Do you want Sakura to see you as you are now?!" Naruto's claws stopped an inch from her face. Though his animalistic features remained, he went from enraged to simply confused. Maybe even a little ashamed. Zatara dropped a sweat, worrying over what would happen next.

"Zatanna…" Naruto suddenly screamed, gripping his head. "Zatanna!" He wailed as he struggled to regain control. "HELP ME!"

Zatanna didn't know any specific spells to deal with this. "I guess I'll have to make one up." Zatanna took a cautious step forward, holding out her hands. "Renni Nomed, enogeb dna tser!" It seemed to trigger something in Naruto, as he roared again like he was in pain. Suddenly Naruto's eyes went blood red and he took another step forward, seemingly intent on ripping her to shreds. "Renni Nomed, esaec ruoy live dna enogeb!" Naruto's chakra flickered blue for a second, causing him to stumble back. But whatever was taking control was not down for the count.

Just then, Jason came up behind him, pouring water over Naruto. The water evaporated like it was thrown over a fire. But Naruto began to claw at his own face, like it was acid. Jason then wrapped a chain around Naruto's neck. Naruto reached for the chain as Jason held him down. Whatever it was, it seemed to be weakening him. "Now, Zatanna! Try again!"

Zatanna did so, yelling "Renni Nomed, tsuj ssip ffo!" Naruto let out a yell that vibrated the earth. All feared the spell did not work. But the orange chakra began to disappear like smoke. Naruto's body slumped, and Jason released him. "Naruto!" Zatanna ran over to him. "Is he-?"

"He should be fine." Jason assured her. "I hope."

In Naruto's mindscape, a series of red bubbles retreated back into a cave. "Nnggh!" The Kyuubi growled. "Oh well…it was fun while it lasted."

"…Naruto?" Naruto fluttered his eyes opened, but his vision was unfocused. His eyelids weighed a ton. "Naruto!" Naruto opened his eyes, breathing deep. Zatanna, Jason and Zatara were all with him.

"Ohh…" Naruto tried sitting up, but he was sore all over.

"Easy!" Zatanna said, supporting his head.

"What happened?" Naruto groaned. "And why do I feel like I got beat up by a horse? Or Sakura-chan?"

"You won." Zatara said. "Though you pushed yourself much too hard."

"And the blue guy?"

"He lives," Jason said, looking to the battered Wotan, not having moved since his battle. "Albeit just barely."

Finally, Naruto managed to stand with Zatanna's help. "Okay." He sighed. "So, what now?"

"Now, we go back." Zatara said.

"Dad…" Zatanna said. "Since this realm severed your link with Nabu, does this mean you are free?"

Zatara looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry, my love." His face grew said, yet he still explained with conviction. "I have seen things. The world still needs Fate. One day, we will be together again. But for now…"

Zatanna rushed to hug him. Zatara returned the hug. "Oh Dad, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know I've been a pain…"

"Zatanna, it is true you often frustrated me. But you were always perfect the way you are. And you have made me so proud." Zatara then looked to Jason. "Jason, thank you for honoring my wishes." He said. "I requested you be made her guardian if there were no other options available. If it is what both of you wish, nothing would make me happier."

Jason and Zatanna looked at each other. Jason gave a slight nod, and Zatanna stepped away from her father. "Dad…thank you for looking out for me. Mr. Blood is a man of honor and has extensive knowledge in the arcane arts." When she finished that sentence, she took a deep breath. "But my place is not with him." Both adults looked rather stunned. "After everything that is happening, I realize the team needs me. I will do all I can to complete my training, but the world needs me. Besides…" She looked to Naruto, and smiled. "…they're the best friends I ever had. And I don't want to leave them."

Zatara only gave a small smile, and hugged her. "All I want is for you to be happy."

Jason then stepped forward. "I promise I will do my best to teach Zatanna, when she is ready to seek me out."

"Thank you, my friend."

"Now," Jason clapped his hands together. "I believe we should cast the spell before Wotan regains consciousness."

Wotan was suddenly in the middle of a magic circle, along with both mortal and demonic blood poured next to him. "Kostei ma qafalac." Zatara and Jason said together. Naruto and Zatanna stood on the border together with them as they observed. "Kostei ma qafalac." They repeated. "Kostei ma qafalac!" Everyone shone in an aura of light, and they were gone from the strange realm.

Next thing they knew, they were back in Happy Harbor. "We're back!" Naruto exclaimed. Seeing the faint orange of the sky, he exclaimed "And it's still dusk. Looks like we haven't even been gone a minute!"

"Uh, Naruto?" Zatanna asked. "The sun's coming from the EAST. We've been gone at least twelve hours!"

"Oh." Naruto said. "That could be bad."

"The Team was probably looking for you all night." Zatara said. "You should head back." Quickly, he kissed Zatanna on the forehead. "I'm sorry, I can't put this off anymore. Just remember…I love you, always."

Zatara put the helmet on, and once more, he was Dr. Fate. "You have done well, child." Fate said. "In exchange, I will grant you a boon. On your birthday, for one hour, I will set your father free."

Zatanna was stunned. "One hour? That's-"

"That is all Fate can afford. Until the impending chaos is abated, Fate needs your father."

Zatanna clenched her fists, tears streaming down her face. "Fine. You have a deal."

Fate's sigil appeared behind him. Lifting the body of Wotan with telekinesis, he was ready to leave"You will see your father next summer." He floated into it, and disappeared.

Zatanna hugged herself, and Jason placed a hand on her shoulder. "Fate will release your father for good one day, you have my word." He said. Once again produced his card. "I see now your place is here, and with the other heroes. When you are ready, seek me out. I will make you one of the greatest mortal magicians the world has seen."

Zatanna turned around and said "Thank you." Blood gave a slight smile, and walked off.

Naruto came to her. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to save your dad. I can't imagine what that's like; having him so close and yet so far."

Zatanna nodded. "There was nothing you could do. But, in the end, you saved us all." Zatanna then looked at him. "So, just WHAT was that? That power…it was like you were becoming a different person."

Flashes of the battle and Kyuubi's eyes flooded his mind. "I…I cannot answer that."

Zatanna nodded. "Okay. But you're going to have to explain it someday. Especially your teammates."

Naruto gulped. "Let it go for now. Let's go."

"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted as she held him up by the collar, shaking him violently. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Uh, I-I missed you too, Sakura-chan!" Naruto stuttered as he tried to calm her down.

Miss Martian intervened. "Let's calm down here." She said as she helped set Naruto down gently. "We were all worried about you and Zatanna, but I take it none of it was your fault."

Robin, who had helped with the search earlier, raised a brow under his sunglasses. Something about the two of them alone didn't sit well with him. "I take it nothing…inappropriate, happened?"

Zatanna blushed at first, then gave him a smirk. "I didn't take you for the jealous type." Robin quickly looked away.

"Well, what matters is that you're both okay." Wally said.

"Indeed." Aqualad said as he walked up to them. "In any case, we need you both to make a report."

"Understood." Zatanna agreed.

"Enjoying yourself again, it seems." Vandal Savage noted with a hint of anger..

"Eh. I didn't think it would go as far as it did." Klarion said as he kicked his legs up on the couch. "I was just trying to mess with Fate."

Savage sighed. He hated dealing with allies he could not control. But it seemed for now the witch boy was sated. "In any case, we are ready to begin the next phase of our plan."

Klarion stretched and yawned. "Yeah, well, you let me know how that goes."

"Be on standby. We'll be ready for you to imbue the Starro remains with your sorcery." Savage exited the room, walking down the hall. There, he saw all the members of Akatsuki waiting for him. "Thank you for your patience, Akatsuki." Savage said. "Now, I believe you are ready to prove yourselves to The Light."

Next arc, while the teams deal with something else, it will be Akatsuki vs Justice League!

Also, Zatanna's birthday is not given in YJ Outsiders, but the boon occurs on August 1st. Since no other significance was given to this date, I decided to make it Zatanna's birthday.

See you all next time!