Injustice: The Path to Hell.
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter XVIII – Training Begins
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
"Other Speech variants."
Location/Time.
Friday 9th January, 12:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Just over a week, that's how long it had been since the Justice League had been both defeated and saved. It had not been an easy victory, a large number of them were seriously injured as a result of the battle, especially those who had been present in Bialya. The destruction that conflict had brought had resulted in miles upon miles of the desert being reduced to one single large crater.
Large sections of it had formed into warped glass and overall it was an odd phenomenon. It was something that news stations all across the world had been reporting on non-stop. There wasn't much information being released to the public, Queen Bee was being tight-lipped for some reason, she especially hadn't revealed the hand she played in defeating the Justice League and they knew she had. While Lex Luthor may have thought he had deleted and disabled all security measures and data collected by the cameras all across the Watchtower.
That wasn't true.
Batman was an incredibly paranoid individual, someone who had layers upon layers of security measures. Just when you thought you had disabled them all, it would later be revealed that was purposeful. Because all those layers of security measures were just a diversion that turned your attention away from the various hidden cameras all throughout, unconnected to the main system and even the sub-systems.
As a result, the meeting between the members of the 'Light' as they called themselves, had been caught on camera. Each of their members was known to the Justice League now meaning that in the future, they could better prepare for them.
However, it didn't change the fact of the matter that as of right now, things were tense. The public as far as they were aware believed that the destruction in Bialya was a result of the Justice League fighting and defeating a powerful foe. It was a story that the Justice League wanted them to keep believing because if it became known that they had been defeated, well that would only embolden villains all across the world.
They'd face a sharp spike in crime rates not seen since the first formation of the Justice League. A crime rate that had slowly been dropping with a few spikes here and there for years. All their hard work over the years would come undone in a single incident.
'Which is probably why the Light intends to keep the status quo as is.' Naruto thought to himself as he placed his last bag upon the floor of his new apartment. It wasn't overly cheap nor expensive, it was priced at a comfortable amount that he could live here for a good decade or so before needing to find himself a job. 'They practically control all villain activity but how long did it take them to gain that control? If there's a spike, they may lose what control they have.'
It was just a theory, of course, the Light may very well be planning something else by keeping this information secret. But considering they were the most powerful and influential villain organisation ever seen to date, it was one that made the most sense.
"I claim the biggest room," Rose said as she stepped past him, carrying her own bags as she meandered towards the left-hand room. "You won't be here very long anyway."
"Kicking me out already?" Naruto asked teasingly and Rose scoffed, door closing behind her.
"No, I agree with her," Barbara said as she came out of the right-hand room. "You won't be here very long considering you're going training with Doctor Fate. So we've claimed the biggest rooms for ourselves."
"You mean you've claimed my room while I'm out," Naruto murmured, wrapping both arms around her waist as he placed a kiss upon her lips. She in turn wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up to deepen it momentarily before breaking apart.
"Our room, don't forget I'm paying for this place as well as you two." She replied, pecking him on the lips once more. "I won't those bags bringing next."
Pointing to the two largest ones, Barbara picked up another slightly smaller one. "Yes ma'am." Naruto complied, picking up the two bags with ease and following her into their room.
Friday 9th January, 03:30.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
"This is just like old times, isn't it?" Barbara asked quietly as the TV played in the background. Leaning back into Naruto's chest from her position between his legs, she splayed her legs out across the sofa with a sigh.
Naruto hummed in agreement, one hand running through her hair. "I don't remember being here on a Friday at this time."
That made Barbara laugh shortly. "You're right, you'd be in a detention at this time."
"Damn straight." He replied pridefully and she elbowed him lightly in response because really, that was nothing to be proud of. "Though I admit, I don't think we were ever in a position like this when you came to my old apartment, nor did it look or smell as nice as this."
"It was a shithole," Naruto grunted in agreement at her words. "But God, we were idiots."
"There's a lot of times I look back on those times and I just think to myself, Naruto you fucking moron, tell her." Naruto laughed sardonically. "He never does but it's annoying to look back at those moments."
"It was so obvious, to both of us," Barbara added and Naruto nodded.
Silence descended between the two for a little while, both just basking in the presence of one another. Knowing full well that it'd be short-lived considering Naruto's upcoming commitment. "How long will you be gone?"
"A few months, but then I'll get a couple of weeks to come to visit and do what I want." Barbara frowned because he had completely avoided her question.
"You're avoiding the question, did Fate not say."
Naruto hesitated before sighing. "He didn't give a date. All he said was that depending on how far I want to go and how much effort I put in, that would determine how long it would take." Tightening his grip around her, he placed a kiss against her temple.
"All the way," Barbara said, a frown on her face as she turned to him, cupping his cheeks in her arms. "If what Slade said is true, you need to go all the way. I know you and you will never forgive yourself if you don't." Her eyes were ablaze, this was not a request, this wasn't a plea, this was an order. She was telling him to go as far as he needed to, to grow as much as was necessary and more so.
And Naruto nodded, matching her firm gaze with his own. "All the way." He reaffirmed, a silent vow forming between the two.
Sunday 30th November, 13:15.
Florida,
Location Unknown.
"Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?"
There was a pause, a moment in which Naruto's shoulders tensed, body becoming deathly still as a dangerous atmosphere befell the room. Slade didn't so much as blink or even more from his position, calmly staring out as Naruto slowly turned.
Eyes blazed red, slitted pupils honing in upon him, whiskers appeared upon his cheek, claws flexing dangerously. Slade could feel the intent of that gaze, Naruto would not so much as hesitate to kill him if the wrong words came out of his mouth. It was a strange feeling for sure, to feel like the prey rather than the hunter but it also wasn't uncommon either. He'd faced many life or death experiences and survived them all.
So despite being the target of such killing intent, Slade didn't so much as bat an eye. "What did you say?" Naruto growled out turning to face him fully.
"Dismiss your powers, Naruto," Slade ordered. "Take a moment to calm your breathing. There is much to be discussed and that can only be done if you keep a level head."
"Why don't I just make you tell me?"
"Do you think you can?" Slade posed as Naruto stalked towards him, the blondes shadow engulfing his form as he towered over him. For a moment both master and former apprentice stared at one another, studying one another until eventually, Naruto subsided. Red eyes flickered back to blue as whiskers melted away into nothing, claws and fangs shortening.
However, the atmosphere remained.
"Sit." Reluctantly, Naruto did so. "What do you know of your mother's death."
"No," Naruto responded quickly and sharply, eyes glaring out at him. "I am not answering questions. You tell me everything now."
"Very well, however before we do that. I do need to ask but a few questions, to determine whether I am telling you the information you might already know. As you can imagine, it will save us both the trouble of repeating something that doesn't need to be said." Clenching his fists, Naruto's head jerked into a nod. "You already know about your family history and their connection to the Kin of Kurama, but do you know how they were destroyed? Of the faction that has been hunting down your family for millennia?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Very well then," Slade replied as that meant there was only one more question he needed answering. "Have you ever heard of the Demon, Trigon?"
Naruto paused as while he had heard the name from Jason Blood a few times, it was not something he was overly familiar with. "I only know that he's a powerful Demon." He answered and Slade nodded his head.
"I don't know much about his origins or his character either," Slade said and the mercenary had tried to learn what he could. But every occult group and cult he met was so completely terrified of this Demon that they rushed him away as soon as the name was mentioned. It was why whenever coming into contact with a group after accepting the mission to monitor and then later train Naruto, he had always brought up Trigon last.
"So what exactly?" Naruto snapped, frustrated with the lack of progress the two were making. "What does this have to do with my mother?"
"What I know of Trigon is that the Demon is a conqueror of worlds. A vast army of powerful Demons under his command. But that he also had a Demon as equally as powerful as he was in his service at one point in time. A Demon that your family killed at the cost of thousands of their members." Slade explained and Naruto scoffed.
"You see, I find that a little hard to believe." Naruto countered. "I don't know much about Demons in general, I have been a little busy with other things. But there's one thing I know very well and that's the fact that Demons are incredibly prideful. Just allying with one another is a difficult thing for them, but to serve someone they're equal to, yeah right."
Slade was undeterred by Naruto's scepticism. "I have come into contact with many that study the Occult. Not many were willing to talk about Trigon but there were a few. And each of them said the exact same thing, that Trigon had a servant of equal power to himself. One that the Uzumaki Clan defeated. Even managing to cut Trigon's connection to Earth off for eternity. But what no one knows is that before they could do that, one of Trigon's children slipped through and has remained here ever since."
"And what does that have to do with my family?" Gone was the anger and frustration in Naruto's tone, a pit forming in his stomach. "You're a lovely storyteller, but I didn't come here for a history lesson."
Slade shook his head. "You're a smart kid, I think you've got enough clues to fit together a theory, but you'll stick around to hear it from me personally, won't you?. And once I do, you'll be in no state to listen. And you need to know everything because if you don't know what you're facing, then that means Trigons gets you."
"W-why do you care?"
"Because if he gets you, that means he gets Earth as well. I'm in the business of death, I've seen it, dealt it and come close to it on many occasions. I don't fear death, but just because I don't fear it doesn't mean I want to die." Slade answered simply and Naruto could see the truth in his eyes. "I didn't know the true scope of who this being was or his plans until after I accepted. I was hired to make you a slave, but I taught you so that you could be strong enough to defeat Trigon."
"You shoved a sword through my chest and let Cadmus experiment on me." Naruto shot back and he didn't deny it.
"You would have never gone willingly and I needed you to have the power necessary to defeat Trigon. This Demon within you had the power to rival Trigon according to what others have said. Considering that Trigon's son has gone through such effort to cultivate a line of Uzumaki to gain access to you, only proves that."
"Then why wait for so long?" Naruto asked. "Why not take any of the Kin of Kurama?"
Slade shook his head. "I don't know. There are things that don't make sense, either because they've been made up to fill the gaps or because someone's purposefully changed things. Considering this Demon is cunning, I wouldn't put it past him to do so." He has only met that Demon and while he didn't exude power like many heroes and villains he had encountered, there was a cunning and intelligence in those pale yellow eyes that he had only seen in a few men.
Each of them was part of a small minority of people that terrified Slade.
"Naruto, this son of Trigon. He's been hunting down and killing Uzumaki for centuries. Not by himself, but with an organisation of individuals. I've only encountered one, a snake-like Demon calling himself Orochimaru. He is but one individual who is part of this group."
"And the others?"
"I know of only three, a Shark-like Demon named Kisame. A mad immortal cultist called Hidan and another immortal, a bounty Hunter called Kakuzu. And there's more as well, many more. One so powerful that they simply refer to him as God." Slade answered. "You'll notice them instantly, they were black cloaks with red clouds stitched upon them. And they go by a name, the Akatsuki."
"The Akatsuki?" Naruto repeated lowly, before shaking his head. "I understand, I'll keep an eye out for them. But what do they have to do with my mother."
"I do not know if the Akatsuki did it personally, Orochimaru might have had a hand, possibly Kakuzu." He had not met the latter personally but as a bounty hunter, he would no doubt have killed people in many ways. Orochimaru, that seemed especially likely but again, Slade couldn't be certain. "But your mother didn't die of exhaustion, Naruto. She was killed. And whether the Akatsuki had a hand in it or not, the son of Trigon was definitely the main culprit. That much I'm certain of."
And if Slade was certain of something, that usually meant it was true.
Naruto knew that and the pit in his stomach sunk, his muscles seemingly giving out as he slumped in the chair. There was no shock, no anger, nothing. He was just blank, not quite the response Slade had expected, but understandable all the same.
Sunday 11th January, 07:00.
Massachusetts,
Salem,
Tower of Fate.
Coming to a stop, Naruto looked up at the empty space before him, duffle bag thrown lazily over his shoulder as he held it in one hand. 'Even now, I still can't see the thing. Then again, even Hawkman, Alan and Guy fell for those illusions.' After he had finished with Icon, Naruto had been out of the fight completely.
Roy had given him a hand, getting him to safety but he had been stuck to watching the remainder of the fight. A fight that still lasted for a good half an hour before Captain Marvel, Captain Atom and Doctor Fate were finally defeated.
Even then, Doctor Fate had been the last one standing, utilising powerful illusions and teleportation to keep himself at bay before he eventually just seemed to shut down allowing Barry to tag him. Despite that, however, the illusions Doctor Fate had used were incredibly dangerous, oftentimes disguising powerful attacks as smaller, or making smaller attacks seem larger.
Sometimes there weren't even any attacks but the illusions were so real that the heroes responded anyway, hitting nothing except air in the process. It was safe to say that Naruto had gained a new appreciation for illusions from that fight alone.
Much like Kaldur had done many months ago, Naruto pulled out the key Doctor Fate had given him upon the Watchtower once the Justice League had been saved. He then extended it out, feeling and hearing it slotting into place as he turned it.
Before his eyes, a huge building appeared out of nowhere. 'Here goes nothing.'
Sparing a final glance at his surroundings, Naruto pushed open the door and stepped inside. Much like his first time, the door seemingly shut behind him instantly without any action on his part. But the place he found himself in was different. It was almost like an old living room with a roaring fire and numerous old, yet expensive and stylish armchairs. The walls were decorated with bookshelves lined with books upon books, suits of armour and burning lanterns.
It gave off a very medieval kind of air and Naruto didn't hate it. In fact, he kind of liked it, the different décor was unlike anything he was used to and it was quite nice. Homely as well.
"Welcome, Naruto." Turning to his left, he saw Doctor Fate walking towards him from a side entrance that hadn't been there prior. "You arrived earlier than expected."
"I was a bit nervous about that to be honest," Naruto replied. "The last time I came here the Tower hadn't taken too kindly to my presence."
"But that wasn't just the Tower of Fate, was it?" The blonde didn't answer, his mind replied the taunting laughter of the figure in his mind. "Certainly as a Demon the Tower naturally restrained you, especially with your teammate's actions. However, it did not attack you, that was due to the other half of your soul."
Naruto, who had been nodding along with Fate's words came to a stop. "Other half…of my soul?"
"Yes. When you were experimented upon Cadmus, they through methods currently unknown to me, split your soul apart. You, Naruto represent the humanity of your soul. While your other half represents the Demon. Two sides that are naturally at odds with one another as Demons and Humans naturally are." Fate explained. "You need not worry though. It seems there was a seal naturally in place to keep said Demon half restrained, one, unlike anything I have quite seen before. I'm sure, Jason Blood has explained what has happened to prior half-breeds?"
"He has." Naruto agreed. "Should I be dead in that case?"
"Normally, yes. But this is unlike anything I have quite seen before, though I have seen certain parts of it before. Your family, the Uzumaki Clan were quite gifted in the art of Runic Magic and its applications of sealing away powerful beings and Demons. Instead of killing Demons, they oftentimes sealed them away in artefacts, then using them as weapons." Fate walked forwards, a new entryway forming and Naruto followed behind. "It is no lie to say that your family revolutionised the art of Runic Magic to a degree that even I cannot match."
That left Naruto stumped, as did many things surrounding his family. They were these fantastical, larger than life figures in the supernatural world and yet, he'd never heard any of this before. Now here he was, constantly encountering people that knew more than he did and heaping on more and more information that he had never known before.
It was disorienting.
"So this is their work? Maybe the Kin of Kurama did it?" Naruto suggested and Fate nodded his head.
"That is the most likely possibility and provides an explanation for being the largest group of stable half-breeds in history." Fate explained. "Either way, you have little to fear. So long as you do not open the seal purposefully then the Demon will remain behind it. I have added my own protections to it and even modified it to better aid you on your magical journey."
"How do you mean?"
"The seal purifies Demon Magic, turning it into the magic that you, as a human can wield naturally and easy without any adverse effects or having to sign contracts with another Demon, especially the part of you residing within the seal." Fate explained. "Considering your own large stores of magic, and the large well of Demonic energy residing within you, it will constantly replenish."
"So I have a limitless source of Magic? Cool." Naruto murmured with a smile. Talk about a cheat sheet, it'd be nice to finally have an ability that wouldn't have an adverse effect.
"Not quite."
'I should have known better than to open my mouth.' Naruto slumped his shoulders in defeat. 'Nothing can be easy or simple, can it.'
"While yes, you will effectively have a limitless source of magic. The stores of Demonic energy within you are not limitless. So long as you do not exhaust them then you can keep using magic. Second of all though, if you use too much magic in a single instance, you will still exhaust yourself mentally. Your body and mind have limits and while your magic might replenish, your stamina will not." Fate explained and Naruto released a sigh.
One hand running through his hair in frustration, Naruto clicked his teeth in annoyance. "Y'know I liked it better when all I had to do was kick the shit out of the guy in front of me. This power shit and all that is just plain confusing."
"Indeed." Fate agreed, the two rounding a corner and coming to a stop before a door. "This will be your room for the duration of your stay. Food will be provided to you by the Tower."
"It can cook?" Naruto questioned disbelievingly and Fate didn't answer, instead clicking his fingers, a number of books suddenly appearing in his hands. Books that he extended towards Naruto who looked at the title of the first one as he took them. "What's all these?"
"Your first assignment. Read these all by tonight, memorise the information within them and then tomorrow, I shall test you upon your knowledge. We shall repeat that five times a day, every day until you can complete it all without a single failed question."
Before Naruto could even open his mouth, Fate strode to the left, right towards the wall which seemingly swallowed him whole. Thus, leaving Naruto is in silence, staring at the wall before backing at the book.
'I thought I left homework behind when I left school.' Shoulders slumping in defeat once more, Naruto turned to his door and pushed it open.
Friday 20th February, 16:45.
Massachusetts,
Salem,
Tower of Fate.
Breathing heavily, arms extended Naruto looked towards the burning wooden doll across from him with wide eyes. Sweat streamed down his forehead as he looked at the burning wood in awe.
And slowly, he let out a short laugh that dissolved into a full-blown laugh. Arms dropped by his side as he collapsed to the ground, finally having achieved the very thing he had tried and failed to do for that past month. His training in magic had been slow in the beginning, purely comprising of reading book after book, memorising the information within and then being tested upon it the next day.
Naruto had never been more thankful for the ability of the serum that enabled him to retain and recall information much easier than before.
He read everything from the basic principles of magic to the more advanced understandings of it. Then when that was crammed into his mind, Doctor Fate made him start to read the basics of the many branches and schools of magic. Naruto hadn't been overly interested in a lot of them and those he had been interested in, such as Illusionary Magic meant having an understanding that Naruto doubted he'd be able to achieve in order to do anything meaningful with.
Considering the threats out there, Naruto needed something he could start practice now. Something basic that many practitioners of magic learnt the basics of after learning how to project pure magic.
Elemental Magic.
To Naruto, not only did this look cool but it was also incredibly powerful. Hence why so many practitioners learnt it so soon into their studies. It gave them the ability to fight powerful figures but it had one very severe downside. The magical power necessary to utilise Elemental Magic on a vast scale was often too great for most magicians to properly utilise.
This was why many went on to study things like Illusions, Summoning and more abstract areas of magic that could be used by those with less magical power. But for someone like Naruto who possessed a naturally large core of magic, bolstered by his demonic power as a result of the seal, he did not need to worry about the drain upon him. He had the power there, all he needed to focus upon was improving his control, something he did daily.
"You've improved." Doctor Fate noted as he watched Naruto from the side of the room. A click of his fingers and the wooden dummy both disappeared from its spot on the floor, but also reappearing back in its original spot, unharmed.
"I know." When Naruto said that, it wasn't out of arrogance, he had improved and he could feel it. This wasn't like when learning to use his demonic powers or when he was learning to fight. No, he could very clearly see and mark his improvements whereas, in the past, there was always a number of factors that limited him.
His Demon powers were great but came at the cost of making him risk the chance of losing control constantly. As a result, his progress in that area was stunted by Naruto always being wary of potentially losing control of himself.
As for when learning to fight, all the way back in his time as Black Hood, his progress has appeared nonexistent. But in actual fact it was subtle, often going unnoticed due to the level of opponents Naruto was facing.
Now things were different, he could easily see his development in magic in a number of ways. 'It actually managed to reach the dummy without fizzling out like it usually does.' He thought with a smirk, sitting upright. 'That makes it three elements alongside earth and wind. Now I need to work upon water.'
Pushing himself to his feet, Naruto looked towards the dummy and then towards the bucket of water at the side of the room. And with an upturn of his lips, Naruto extended one arm out towards it, magic wrapping around the water.
He had no time to rest, all that mattered was he kept working and working till he could use each element in its most basic fashion. After that, all it would take was to keep climbing up the metaphorical ladder before him as he strove to new heights. Then, when all was said and done, he'd hopefully no longer need to rely upon his demonic powers anymore.
Wednesday 13th May, 14:00.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
"So, this is Tartarus?" Naruto wondered aloud, looking out across the burning landscape before him. "I honestly imagined this to be Hell from the looks of things. It always looks like how Hell is always described."
Naruto directed his statement to the man beside him, clad in a loose brown trench coat and looking a little scruffy in appearance. "If you think this is Hell, lad." John Constantine murmured, raising the cigarette to his lips as he did. "Then I'm afraid you're a long way off from that. This is peaceful in comparison to what lays in wait for you in that shithole. You've got your wankers here no doubt about that, but you've got some real fucking cunts in Hell."
"Anything I should be on the lookout?" Naruto asked and Constantine snorted humourlessly.
"Yeah." He responded. "Everything."
Naruto rolled his eyes at that, but he supposed he should have expected it from the man. The blonde couldn't really claim to have known Constantine all that long, a few hours at most but that was more than enough time to gain a pretty decent understanding of his character.
He was upfront, rude and crude.
Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air to Naruto, more like the people he used to have to deal with in Gotham East End every day. 'But those were simpler times.' He thought to himself. "I mean anyone besides everyone. People particularly powerful that I would stand no chance against."
Constantine looked to Naruto once more, tempted to repeat himself because as he was, the kid was out of his league. His magical powers were nowhere near developed enough to fight against even the weakest Demon yet. Small and tame Tartarus may be, especially in comparison to Hell, it still wasn't a place to take likely. It made Constantine question why Nabu had allowed the kid to come to Tartarus to train.
'To gain the fighting experience he said. Fat load of good that'll do when he's dead.' Constantine scoffed once more. "Yeah, there's a few. Ixion, can't miss that big wanker. Cronos, the father of Zeus, but he's way over that way and I doubt you're stupid nor arrogant enough to believe you're ready for that. Other than that, I'd say the only ones you have to worry about are the other Thirteen Princes of Hades and Hades himself, but that annoying prick never comes down here much anyway."
"Thirteen Princes of Hades?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Bunch of equally annoying pricks that were chosen by Hades to look after Tartarus while he's doing whatever the fuck he usually does. Ixion's one of them and he's the strongest. But each of them are strong, stronger than you by a large margin." Constantine explained before turning on his heel. "Good luck, lad. Try not to die too early or pathetically."
Shaking his head at the guy, Naruto looked back over the burning landscape and felt a smirk come onto his face.
This was the perfect opportunity to train to his absolute limits without interruption. It was precisely why he convinced Doctor Fate to let him come here and why Fate had asked Constantine to lead Naruto through a back entrance that avoided going through Themiscyra and the Doom's Doorway. Plus it avoided the guardian of said gate, Jason of Iolcus or more commonly known as the great hero who led the Argonauts to claim the Golden Fleece.
However, none of that mattered to Naruto as he looked down at the nearest group of Demons below him. 'Time to start hunting.'
Saturday 10th October, 19:00.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
Many things had changed within Mount Justice and the team of young heroes that resided within it. All of which stemmed from their clash between the Justice League ten months ago and the aftermath that followed. For some, the changes came even before that, that clash only hammering home the truth of the world they lived in and the dangers they had faced.
Each of the members of the team had been forever changed by those incidents, no longer able to look upon the world in the same way as before. In a way, they were scarred, possessing a wound that would never leave.
But there was no way to change that, to remove it.
All they could do was change themselves and that's what many had set out to do. However, such changes did not come without consequences and one such consequence was disagreement.
A disagreement between student and mentor which tore the team apart and left a hole yet to be filled, until today. Standing beside M'gann, arm wrapped loosely around her shoulder, Connor watched as Kaldur with the help of Zatanna and Rocket led the new members of the team around the cave of Mount Justice. They had been at it for about half an hour now, making sure everyone would be aware of where things were as many would be staying here for the foreseeable future.
There were four members, each replacing the four members who had left the team a few months ago. These members were Donna Troy, Garth, Tula and Rose Wilson. Each of them would be replacing the four missing members, Dick, Barbara, Wally and Artemis. Barbara had left the team for personal reasons, distancing herself more from her career as Batgirl to pursue her education further. Though there were still sightings of Batgirl on the news every now and then showing she hadn't quite left the life behind just yet.
However, Dick, Wally and Artemis had left to form their own team of heroes, or Dick had and the other two followed him. They were doing pretty well for themselves, more well-known than they were, but that was because their team was a more covert operation whose entryway into the public attention had been delayed till it was deemed necessary by the Justice League.
The Teen Titans the new team was going by, Dick leading it with Wally, Artemis and a few others being a part of their ranks. They were small still nor overly powerful, but that was never really much of a problem considering their threats were low-level at this point in time.
'The question is, what's going to happen with our team now?' Connor wondered to himself, looking up the members of their new team.
Before they had a good lineup and formations. He, Naruto and Kaldur was the heavy hitters, Wally and M'gann the all-rounders who could swap in and out of any position while Dick, Barbara and Artemis had been the long-range specialists and tech support. Even when Zatanna joined the lineup hadn't changed with her joining the long-range fighters where there had been a pretty big weakness that M'gann had to cover. Even when Raquel joined she took a defensive role.
Even further amongst them was further formations.
In the front runners, Connor had always been the main tank, Naruto the one that fought at midrange using his tails as well as hit and runs tactics to cause distractions. Kaldur meanwhile had been the supporter, using his magic to help cover them. Even with Naruto, gone things hadn't changed and while they did suffer massively, things managed to find a rhythm.
Amongst the long-range fighters, Barbara and Dick had been the tech support as well as the main tacticians. But they were also the ones that protected Artemis and Zatanna from danger when all else failed.
However now they were missing three of their long-range fighters as well as one of their midrange fighters, Wally who was often the guy used to get people out of harm's way. More often than not rushing around the field, moving people out of an attacks range and only rarely getting involved in the action.
Donna Troy had similar powers to Wonder Woman and while unsure of just how powerful she was, it was obvious Donna was a front line fighter along with him and Kaldur. Not a huge thing, though it did disrupt their teamwork a bit. Rose was another problem, she didn't really have much in the way of long to mid-range skills meaning she would be another close-range fighter along with him. But unlike Naruto, was one that didn't possess the powers to keep her on their level.
Garth and Tula on the other hand did possess magic, but again, where they would fit in was unclear at this point. 'This team is a mess at this point. I miss the old one.' He thought to himself with a slight frown. 'Just hope Kaldur with the help of Canary and Tornado can sort something out.'
Connor was well aware that Kaldur was a smart guy with a good head on his shoulders. But when it came to intelligence, especially tactically, Kaldur just wasn't a match for Dick or Barbara. Those two were on a different level with only Wally being a possible rival to them intellectually, if his maturity didn't limit him as it always did.
And Naruto, he has just been an anomaly. Not stupid, but not smart either, Connor would wager that in terms of IQ alone he'd probably be just as if not smarter than the blonde. But Naruto just had a knack for planning and he could think on his feet really well, more so than anyone he'd seen beside the Justice League.
'Maybe it's because of all the pranks he pulled as a kid.' Connor remembered the tales Barbara had told, Naruto as well about his childhood pranks with his mother. 'I mean he did bring down Black Masks criminal empire on his own in what, a month? Maybe less? I just don't think Kaldur's quite as good as them, but at least he recognises that.'
Connor seriously doubted he could do much better and nor did he want to. He just liked hitting things and that was all he was really good at. Leading people never took his fancy nor did he ever fancy doing so.
There were always plenty of more capable and willing people out there that wanted to lead.
"I'm off to go train," Connor murmured, placing a kiss upon M'gann's temple before turning and leaving. 'I'm not letting Naruto get any further ahead of me than he already is. So wherever you are and whatever you're doing, you better not be slacking off Naruto.' That thought made him smirk, a short, quiet laugh escaping his lips. 'Knowing that idiot he probably doesn't even know what it means to slack off.'
Saturday October 10th, 19:30.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
An explosion rang out, smoke and debris erupting into the air, rocks raining down upon the surrounding land. Demons nearby rose their arms, protecting themselves from the powerful blast of wind that rushed out threatening to pick them up off their feet. All the while, they started out with narrowed eyes.
One such Demon, a large, muscular six-armed figure glared out at the figure who had been hunting their kind for many months now. The Princes of Hades were doing nothing, simply watching the events with amusement, others just viewing it as beneath them.
This figure, a half-breed had been hunting them down and killing them and they had finally tried to put an end to it all. Yet that had not been the case, the half-breed just tearing through their ranks.
"Shouldn't we go down and help?" A young red-skinned figure with flowing grey hair asked, his tail flexing around anxiously as his yellow eyes locked upon the Demons below. Three tails suddenly bursting from the cloud of smoke and cutting through dozens of Demons in an instant while a blur rushed out the other end. "He's outnumbered?"
"Not yet, Kid." Blue Devil replied, resting his trident down on the ground and leaning upon it. "He's spent that last few months here in Tartarus fighting against these odds all the time. Plus, he's much stronger than you give him credit for."
"Didn't he get his ass kicked by Aquaman as well as Hawkman and Hawkgirl?" Edward Allan Bloomberg, aka Kid Devil and new sidekick to Daniel Cassidy, the Blue Devil asked.
"So did I, don't forget," Daniel replied. "Aquaman may not be as strong as the top tier of the Justice League. But there are few in this world who can fight him and win. He lays at a level of power too strong for any to hold back against, but in turn, too weak to go all out against. As a result, he is often looked down upon due to that reason. However, besides those truly monstrous figures amongst us, Aquaman stands as the most powerful on Earth. So much so that he could beat you with very little effort."
"I know that," Eddie muttered. "Just from the way you described Naruto it was like he was some amazingly powerful figure. Yet he's struggling with those guys down there."
Daniel shook his head. 'He's young and still has a lot to learn. Demons, much like the Justice League cannot so easily be ranked.' He bemoaned at the shortsightedness of his young sidekick. New to the business of heroes and therefore, not fully understanding the depths of the world. Even heroes like Green Arrow, Atom and Black Canary, often touted as the weak links of the Justice League could be truly terrifying figures in certain situations.
If they had time to prepare and if just a few factors were in their favour, they could each defeat the strongest of the Justice League. That alone made them a big threat, they were much like Batman in that regard but they just lacked his reputation. As for the upper tiers of the Justice League, well it was all but impossible to properly rank them simply because of just how powerful they were. A battle could go in any of their favours at the drop of a hat. They each had powers that would favour them in certain situations but also had the ability to fight in even the toughest battles.
That was what separated them from the Justice Society.
Not only were their foes far more powerful, but the Justice League themselves were made up of heroes that had long since surpassed them in nearly every way. Blue Devil felt a little inferior when comparing himself and his old teammates to them. Just one of the Justice League members would have been able to do their work alone.
And as he watched Naruto finish off the last of the Demons gathered below, Blue Devil felt a smirk grow onto his face. "Naruto represents the future generation, your generation." He explained. "Out of all the heroes in the world besides those in the Justice League and those who were from the Justice Society, he's the only one capable of becoming and replacing the best that the Justice League have to offer."
"Not now, and not for a long while of course. But he's well on his way to getting there. Even amongst the Justice Society, as he is now he would have been one of our strongest members. And yet, he would have been our youngest." Blue Devil continued. "Naruto is young and has a lot of time to grow and improve. What you often forget Eddie, is that the Justice League didn't just appear with the level of power that they have today. They fought many battles, trained hard and pushed themselves past their limits time and time again. That's how they have grown to become as powerful as they are now. Naruto has reached a level of power that many amongst the Justice Society never did and one that many in the Justice League didn't achieve at such a young age."
Kid Devil remained quiet at those words, turning to look back at the blonde. His cloak and tails subsiding in red flakes as his demonic energy that rushed abuzz over the area disappeared. He remained standing there for a few moments, taking deep breaths to replenish his stamina before opening his eyes and looking up directly to them.
"Yo, Blue Devil." Naruto greeted with a smile and short wave.
Daniel returned it. "Naruto, I'd like to introduce you to my protégé, Kid Devil." The young teen rose his hand as a greeting.
"Nice to meet ya," Naruto said, slowly beginning to walk towards them. "So what brings you to Tartarus. Not exactly a good tourist destination."
"Fate asked me to, said something about Constantine being sick of coming back and forth like a glorified Uber Eats driver." Naruto chuckled at that, Blue Devil smirking in turn. He'd had the pleasure of meeting the British sorcerer and while he was powerful, he was an unorthodox man amongst those who studied the Mystic Arts. But that was also what made him a memorable person, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who had met Constantine that didn't remember the man.
"Yeah, I can imagine that from him. Guess that makes you my Uber Eats driver from now on, huh?"
"Sounds like it." Blue Devil responded with a shrug before frowning. "You gonna deal with your guest or shall I?" Eddie looked to both of them in confusion, Naruto sighing and taking his hands out of his pockets.
"I'll deal with it," Naruto replied.
"What's going on?" Kid Devil asked and Blue Devil raised a finger, telling him to be quiet.
Turning his head to the side, Naruto glanced towards a nearby pile of dead Demon bodies. His blue eyes sparkled as magic power wafted off his body in a light blue sheen of wavy smoke barely visible to the naked eye. "Oi, how long you gonna pretend to be dead for?" Naruto questioned. "Either fuck off or come at me."
That's when a figure burst from the pile of dead bodies, the same six-armed figure from before. He was severely injured, two of his arms on the left missing and blood seeping from deep scratch marks upon his chest.
From his mouth a roar rippled forth as he descended towards Naruto, landing with a boom, the ground exploding outwards, fists smashing down further upon where Naruto had once stood.
"We gonna help?"
Daniel shook his head. "Just watch."
From the smoke, Naruto burst out, feet shifting as he closed the distance between him and the Demon. It turned to face Naruto, seven-foot tall bulging with muscles as he turned, Naruto's fist smacking against his sternum. There was but a fraction of a second in which their surroundings was filled purely with the sound of a dull smack.
Eddie himself struggled to believe how ineffective that was as did the Demon who received it. Yet after that fraction of a second ticked by, there was a powerful burst of wind that rushed from Naruto's fist and tore a hole directly through the Demons body. So wide in diameter that the Demon was bisected horizontally. Air displacing around it as Naruto's strike followed through.
'What the fuck?!' Eddie cursed mentally. 'What was that?'
Friday 10th October, 02:00.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
Naruto whistled lowly to himself as he looked up at the burning sky of Tartarus. It had taken some time to acclimatise to this realm and it had not been easy. Besides the burning heat of the world, there were the hordes of Demons that inhabited this world. All of which didn't like some chump like him coming along and disrupting their daily lives.
'I suppose from their perspective, I did just come along and start killing them randomly.' Naruto mentally told himself and not for the first time.
However, Naruto was getting the hang of this place, he no longer required his demonic powers in order to not suffer heavily in this place. The first few days had required that but thankfully the serum in his body began to adapt and it no longer affected him. Constantine had cast a small protection spell upon him when they first arrived, it quickly wore off after he left and that's when Naruto's skin began to rapidly burn and peel off.
This was after he'd already exhausted himself fighting against a small group of Demons before this. So the first few days had certainly been an interesting experience and not easy by any stretch of the meaning.
However, once surviving in this place without his demonic power was no longer a problem he was able to start learning a few more things about this place. First of all, the Princes of Hades didn't give a shit. That was plainly obvious by the fact he'd yet to encounter one of them despite gradually increase the size and scope of his hunts.
Then again though, Naruto had begun to realise just how he ranked amongst the Demons of Tartarus. Those he had been fighting was what Naruto liked to refer to as, the Lower-Class Demons. They could range anywhere from his Tailless Form to his Two-Tails form in power. One-on-one, Naruto could even beat a Two-Tails level Demon in just his Tailless Form. Anything below that and he didn't even need his demonic powers and that's where his progress in magical combat came into play.
However, there were of course a few Demons he had encountered, those that he lovingly – or not so lovingly depending on your viewpoint – referred to as the Mid-Class Demons. These were Three-Tails or above.
Naruto could beat Demons on a Three-Tails level or just slightly above that in a one-on-one fight. But there were a few even higher than that, guys Naruto had been able to recognise as much stronger than him simply by the sheer power they radiated. They were weaker than guys like Aquaman, Naruto was certain on that, but he was able to recognise when victory was slim.
He had become very good at that over these past few months.
What made Naruto even warier was the fact that these guys weren't even one of the Thirteen Princes of Hades. So it made him wonder just how powerful those guys were because if they were on the level of Aquaman or above, well he was screwed.
This was precisely why he was respecting the boundaries of their territories and staying as far away from them as possible.
As a result of these factors, he tended to limit himself to Mid-Class guys on the level of Three Tails or just slightly above. But that was when he was looking to push himself in his demonic powers, more recently he was beginning to focus on Lower-Class Demons, more specifically at aiming to expand his capability in magical combat.
Unlike most practitioners of the mystic arts, Naruto didn't utilise the widely used Incantation Magic and that was for one very simple reason.
He didn't need to.
Most out there who started learning magic did not possess huge magical cores as he did and therefore, Incantation Magic was their way to circumvent that gap. It allowed them to focus their limited magic in a way to gain massive results and therefore required a great deal of control. Thanks to his Uzumaki heritage, Naruto had enough magic that it rivalled a Sorcerer with decades of experience.
But as useful as that was, it came with a downside, improving his control was slow going. In a way though, that worked favourably for Naruto as instead of having to spend his time memorising spell incantations, Naruto could focus on a different aspect of magic.
Pure magic manipulation.
That wasn't its actual name and it didn't really have one, it differed from practitioner to practitioner. In layman's terms, Naruto instead of using incantations to conjure something from nothing, Naruto instead used himself and his surroundings as a source. A type of magical study that not many could explore until after spending years developing and growing their magical core.
By that point though, they would be so set in their ways of using incantations which would become more effective now that they had more magic at their disposal that they wouldn't bother. Incantations we're flexible like that, but of course, they were limited in that you either needed to know the incantation or in the case of some like Zatanna, be able to speak backwards fluently. For Naruto though, while there wasn't much research in this area, it suited him much more than incantations.
'Just over a month now, then I can go back.' Naruto thought with a smile as he thought upon seeing Barbara. He had already been back three times this year, nearing the end of each season. So he would be returning in time for Christmas, something Naruto was looking forward to.
Hearing a roar in the distance, Naruto looked to his left to see a group of Demons engaged in a fight. It was a common sight in Tartarus, especially in these small areas in which the Thirteen Princes of Hades hadn't claimed as their territories.
Even with being gifted the right to rule Tartarus by Hades, they were always looking to expand their powers. He had seen a few skirmishes between their borders on many occasions in his time here. There wasn't much in Tartarus that hadn't been claimed by one of the thirteen, but those areas that weren't were rife with constant battles. Demons battling for control of what little land they could claim as their own.
The Thirteen Princes themselves were unable to act without leaving themselves exposed to their enemies. 'Well, there's no use trying to get sleep now. I'd wager they're only at most Low-Class Demons. I'll try and limit myself to just magic from now on that's the only way I'm going to get better.'
Saturday 12th December, 06:00.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
It had slumbered for many centuries within this place.
Tartarus was quieter than Hell. Demons still fought for power, but the battles were weaker and less destructive than those in Hell. In Tartarus, the Demons were much weaker than those in Hell and it was watched over by the pets of Hades. There were very few Demons willing to earn the wrath of the Ruler of the Underworld and so it was the best place to come.
It was quiet and therefore, a perfect resting spot for him.
But that had all changed recently, there was something out there, someone who was disturbing his slumber. Someone who fought and killed constantly above his resting place and he was annoyed.
The darkness of the cave under the ground receded as a single eye opened glowing a golden yellow as its slitted pupil glared out at the surroundings. A huff of warm air rushed from its flared nostrils as its scaled body rose up from the ground. A powerful, thick tail slithering across the ground as it rose onto all fours.
There was only one way to preserve its eternal slumber.
Kill that which had disturbed him.
So here we are, another chapter done and with it, the seventh arc, the Time Skip Arc begins. Naruto has begun training under Doctor Fate and as you can see, he's learning elemental magic. Dick has of course, left the team and gone to form the Teen Titans a bit earlier than he would have done normally. The reason for this will be explored further, but new members have come up to replace those that have left. Wally and Artemis have gone with him, Barbara beginning to distance herself from Batgirl a little while to focus upon her studies in higher education.
A little warning though for this arc, expect huge time jumps. There will still be a few minor story arcs to cover in this arc, but for the most part the next five years will be skipped over in short order.
Anyway, I feel like I should clarify a few things in case there's any confusion. Hopefully there isn't and I've done a good job, but I'll do it anyway. Demons are ranked in four ways, Low (0-2 tails), Mid (3-5 tails) and High (6-8 tails) tier with Demon Lords (9 tails) like Etrigan, being above them all. Naruto is also studying elemental magic which is different to what most other Sorcerers use and I feel like I didn't do a good job explaining this.
But basically, he doesn't use incantations, simply using a pre-existing source or himself as a medium to control elements kind of like Chakra itself. This way he doesn't need to memorise incantations which can be pretty limiting, nor does he need to learn to speak backwards fluently. Hopefully that clears up any possible confusion there might still be on the type of magic Naruto uses.
Anyway, let's get on with the questions:
Fusion Uzumaki: It will be part of book 2, same as YJ season 1. It will be YJ Season 1, Time Skip and then YJ season 2. Those are the arcs for this book.
alphacentauri9217: Yeah, I can understand the frustration. But honestly, it was the only way to be realistic without nerfing the JL like a lot of fics do. In a way though, it will be far more satisfying when Naruto does start to win fights because it will be earned and a long time in the making.
Sultan Asil Arslan: I know what you mean, but that's because Plastic Man isn't at that level of power. A lot of DC characters are nerfed in a lot of stories and while I've done it to a lesser extent, many DC characters aren't quite at the level of their more recent comic book counterparts. Plastic Man is at his pre-Fernus levels of power but that's coming as there's still many years to come. Naruto isn't the only one that will be getting stronger but so will those around him.
NaruLemon Stories: No offence taken, but just remember that he's against the JL who would each wipe the floor with canon Naruto at his absolute peak of strength (including Bayron Mode Naruto). In terms of skill, Injustice Naruto is on the same level as prime Canon Naruto. Not to mention his tailed beast forms are much more powerful. Canon Naruto (Bayron) is JUST above Aquaman.
And I mean that literally, he would win 9/10 fights, but it would be with High Diff and he would just barely win each time. Injustice Naruto with three tails was able to JUST barely hold off Aquaman for a short time. So that should go to show how strong he is. As for full gold mode, yes and no. It would be 50/50 but it would firmly place him in the top tier members of the JL alongside the likes of Superman and Martian Manhunter. Able to fight them with an even chance of winning/losing.
Sly Dragneel: Yes, what was talked about between Slade and Naruto will be addressed, this chapter in fact. As you can see we're getting a little more information about what part to play Naruto has in a much wider scheme and plot.
SandaKagami: The Rasengan will definitely be coming soon. As for the Rasenshuriken, well that's not for a much, much longer while to come. The reason for that will be explored in the future, but just know it is for a reason.
Yakuza2010: Yes, right now he'll be spending most of the time during this arc separate from his Maelstrom persona with only a few instances of him taking up the mantle again. He'll be stepping back from hero work for a long time in general as he focuses upon his training however once his training is over he'll be returning to take up the mantle once more, this time stronger than ever.
Will Killer Frost call in a favour from Naruto in the future? Possible, I'm still not overly sure if that will be so take that as you will. As for a private memorial service, there has been one but between close friends and family. Considering what happened and Hank's state of mind, he's looking to blame others and one of those is Naruto. It's irrational and will be explained and expanded upon further in the future.