Naruto: Son of the Demon
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Batman or Teen Titans
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Surprise chapter! This installment begins the Assassin's War arc. Here is Chapter 6. Enjoy!
[ ] designates hand signs.
{ } designates a foreign language.
Last Time….
East End, Naruto Uzumaki's Office
"The League of Assassins is in a state of civil war. Your Mother Talia al Ghul's defection caused a massive schism on Infinity Island. Ra's al Ghul has placed a mandate on her life."
"I suppose there is a price on my head as well then?" asked the blonde detective.
"Ordinarily one would think so but no." answered Shiva. "Ra's al Ghul's faction views you as the heir to the throne still." That doesn't mean other groups aren't targeting you though."
"Mara." hissed the ninja.
She nodded. "Mara al Ghul has formed her own splinter group centered around the Demon's Fist and they plan to rule the League of Assassins by eliminating prime targets such as you. She even tried to recruit me to the cause, but I told her I wasn't interested in the Assassin War.
"The Assassin War?" asked Naruto. "Is that what they are calling it?"
Shiva smiled. "It sounds a bit grandiose, but they are all competing for Ra's al Ghul's crown after all. A lot of superheroes and supervillains are going to be involved. That you can be sure of…unfortunately for you; due to your lineage you will be stuck right in the middle of it. I'll be interested in seeing how you fare in this little game."
…
Chapter 6
East End, Gotham City, United States
It had been two weeks since Naruto had his talk with Lady Shiva. He had warned his Father and Mother as well as his girlfriend Barbara and through her the Birds if Prey. He hadn't heard the slightest peep from anyone on Infinity Island. Now it was getting late and night fell on Gotham City. Naruto heard someone's window open playing an old Paul McCartney song on the radio…
…
'…When you were young and your heart/Was an open book
You used to say live and let live/(You know you did)/(You know you did)/(You know you did)
But if this ever changin' world/In which we're livin'/Makes you give in and cry
Say live and let die
Live and let die…'
…
The blonde sensed killing intent and reacted faster than the eye could follow by going aerial with a back flip. Seeing a man with mechanical, clawed hands shoot by his previous position, Naruto immediately recognized the group he was dealing with was the Seven Men of Death*① who were top tier members of the League of Assassins.
Seeing the claw handed Madavu*② had missed him, Naruto landed behind Hook*③ who was following up Maduvu's initial strike. The blonde already had his sword out and beheaded the ferocious Hook before the man could bring his vicious hooked hand into play. "That's one." hissed the blonde.
Naruto rotated and blocked a brace of shuriken thrown by an assassin whose name he didn't know*④. Then man had a shocked look behind his domino patterned mask as the blonde ninja body-flickered behind and shattered the man's spine by running a chakra charged index finger down the middle of the man's back. "That's two." Naruto twirled and lashed out at Whip*⑤, the only female of the group. She was impaled through the heart before she could react and Naruto pulled his sword out of her dying carcass to engage the others. "That's three." said Batman's son in a bone chilling voice.
…
'…What did it matter to ya/When you got a job to do you got to do it well/You got to give the other fella hell...!'
…
Naruto was a blur in motion and the remaining four members of the Seven Men of Death were taken aback. Maduvu, Detonator*⑥, Razorburn*⑦ and Shellcase*⑧ made the fatal mistake of pausing for a second to try to regroup and Naruto took the offensive, Batman's son cut an arm off Razorburn right at the elbow causing the man to howl in pain.
Still moving, the blonde body flickered in between Detonator and Maduvu who was barely able to block a vicious overhead sword strike with his metal clawed hands. At the same time Naruto mule kicked Detonator straight into Shellcase which sent both men tumbling.
Razorburn was crippled and the remaining three grabbed him and ran. Naruto considered pursuing them but decided it could be a trap. Flinging the blood off his blade, Naruto stalked over to the paralyzed, domino masked member of the Seven Men of Death and said, "Tell me who sent you and I'll make your death painless, otherwise…"
"It was Sensei!*⑨ He's trying to overthrow Ra's al Ghul!" sobbed out the shuriken wielder. "Please have mercy on me!" Naruto effortlessly lopped the head off the crippled man's shoulders and said, "I'm fresh out of mercy."
…
'…You used to say live and let live/(You know you did)/(You know you did)/(You know you did)
But if this ever changin' world/In which we're livin'/Makes you give in and cry
Say live and let die
Live and let die…'
…
The song and the battle were over. Heading home in silence, the blonde detective stuck to the shadows and faded into the darkness.
…
Infinity Island, Indian Ocean, Sensei's hidden fortress
The next morning, the remaining members of the Seven Men of Death reported into their Master via video call. Sensei was enraged. "You outnumbered him -a mere boy- seven to one and you not only lost, but half of you were cut down?! Is that what you are telling me?!" roared the old man.
"We unleashed a sleeping dragon." said Maduvu in a weak tone. "We never expected him to be so powerful or so merciless. You must understand Master, he tore us apart."
Sensei shook his head. "You are supposed to be the best of the best and now you are groveling like children. This is pathetic. How can you expect to defeat Ra's al Ghul if you cannot defeat his grandson? I expected so much more of you."
"Please forgive us for our failure Master." said Detonator. "If you give us another chance-"
The old man cut him off. "If I give you another chance then the rest of you will be dead as well. Return to Infinity Island. I will find a use for you here."
"We understand and obey Master." said Maduvu. 'To be honest I'm glad we aren't going after Uzumaki again. He is a monster.'
…
Ra's al Ghul's Base
The head of the League of Assassins had contacts around the world including Gotham City. He was informed of the Seven Men of Death's dismal failure and laughed out loud. "My heir grows stronger by the day! To think some of these factions thought he was too weak. This will teach them otherwise. I can't wait to see what Naruto does next."
That wasn't to say Ra's al Ghul's war was going well. Only about a third of the assassins in the League stayed loyal to him. Another third was following the traitorous Sensei and the remaining group was split between Mara, Talia and others. The losses were catastrophic as well. Ra's al Ghul figured it would take decades to rebuild the League of Assassins to its former strength.
He had much to think about…
…
Naruto's Apartment, East End, Gotham City
The blonde detective decided to take the weekend off after his battle with the Seven Men of Death. It was late Saturday night and he was enjoying some hot sake before he turned in for the night. That was when he heard a tapping on his window. Naruto peered over and saw it was Batgirl. The redhead smiled at him as he opened the window and let her in in the darkness.
She kissed him hotly as he grabbed her hips and pulled her to him. She ran her hands over his chest and back before she whispered, "I'm all dirty. Let's shower together." Feeling he had a major erection for her, Barbara smile and stripped of her Batgirl costume and grinned at the lust burning in his eyes.
Naruto started licking and kissing her neck as she unzipped his pants and started stroking his throbbing member. "I want you…" he rasped out.
…She smiled wildly as he took her into his shower and turned the steaming water on. She moaned as he fingered her to get the redhead even more aroused. Barbara whispered, "I want you in me." He pushed her back against the shower wall and felt the hot water cascading down their bodies. Then he entered her causing the beautiful crimefighter to mewl and moan as she took in his full length.
As he picked her up by her firm rear, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. She rammed her tongue into his mouth as he stroked her hard and fast. When they came up for air they were staring into each other's eyes as they climaxed as one. Panting heavily, she whispered, "I want to go all night."
He smiled and said, "Anything for you, gorgeous."
They eventually stumbled out of the shower and made love to each other on the carpet on the bathroom floor. Then he picked her up and carried her to bed. The two lovers went at it like animals until dawn and after a sexual marathon, they fell asleep completely sated in each other's arms…
…
The blonde woke up in the early morning the next day feeling his beautiful lover was still asleep and laying on top of him in her slumber. He was tired and a bit sore. Barbara woke up about a half hour later feeling equally achy and sore from all of their wild activities the night before.
Seeing her tousled, bedhead hair and green eyes; Naruto said, "Good morning Barbara, I love you."
She smiled tiredly and replied, "I love you too, Naruto. Let's doze for a while. I'm still sleepy."
They kissed one another softly and he said, "Your wish is my command."
The pair slept in until noon…
…
Wayne Manor
Bruce Wayne was taking to his lover Talia about the remains of the three members of the Seven Men of Death's bodies he had found the night before last while prowling as Batman. He finally came out and asked, "Talia, do you think Naruto killed them?"
Talia smirked, "Who else would have that kind of skill? You said that the mask wearing one had his spine shattered in an awful way. That's Naruto's secret skill. Besides, I'm sure they attacked him first. You said you found Razorburn's left forearm as well. Our son probably slaughtered them in self-defense. I'd think you'd be proud of him. I know I am."
"You know how I feel about killing Talia." said Bruce.
"It's one of your more endearing qualities darling." she replied. "Naruto is an assassin. I'm sure if you asked him that he would tell you the truth."
The Master of Wayne Manor replied, "I'm going to stop by his place and ask him in person."
…
Naruto's Apartment
Naruto was at his computer desk when he heard a knock at his apartment door. It was his Father, Bruce Wayne. He was at a loss as to what to do since Barbara was in the shower singing to herself. Hearing his Father knock again, the blonde scrambled over to the door and opened it.
Bruce said, "Good afternoon Naruto, I wanted to talk to you."
The blonde said, "Now is not a good time Father."
The head of Wayne Enterprises frowned and said, "Then make the time. We need to talk."
Naruto awkwardly opened the door and Bruce heard a woman's singing and grinned. "Ohhhh, now I see. I guess it can wait."
Barbara poked her head out of the bathroom door and said, "Naruto, can you grab me some fresh panties, I-" That's when she saw Bruce standing there smirking and blushed as red as her hair. "B-bruce! What are you doing here?" she squeaked out.
The dark-haired man wanted to laugh but Naruto's death glare stopped him. Bruce said, "Son, why don't you get your girlfriend what she needs and I'll wait in the kitchen."
Naruto frowned and said, "I'll be right there Barbara."
…
Twenty minutes later, Barbara was in one of Naruto's oversized sweatshirts glaring at her mentor, Bruce Wayne. "If Naruto told you it wasn't a good time then the least you could have done was made other arrangements."
Bruce smiled, "I honestly had no idea, Barbara. What would Jim say?" The redhead was blushing again and Wayne laughed. "I won't say anything."
Naruto growled, "Get to the point Father."
It had initially been a shock to Barbara that Naruto was Bruce Wayne's son (he'd told her about it after Talia moved into Wayne Manor) but now that she was seeing the two men interacting together for the first time, she saw that they really were related. It was uncanny the way they acted alike.
Naruto's Father said, "Fine, I want to know if you had a run in with the Seven Men of Death."
The blonde assassin nodded and said, "They attacked me on my way home Friday night and I defended myself against them."
Barbara face palmed and asked, "How many of them died Naruto?"
Naruto sighed. "Three. It was them or me Barbara."
"You know I hate it when you kill Naruto." she said.
"I do what I must to protect myself and those I love and care for." said the blonde. "There was no peaceful resolution with the Seven Men of Death."
"So, Ra's al Ghul is after you?" asked Bruce. "They answer directly to him."
The younger man shook his head. "They were following a mandate from Sensei. Ra's al Ghul still considers me his heir from what I understand."
His Father said, "Still, you could have-"
"You have your methods and I have mine Father." stated Naruto. "This is a war in the shadows. It's survival of the fittest. A lot of blood is going to be spilled even if you call in the entire Justice League to stop it. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better… And I'm not a superhero. Let me do things my way."
"You could go underground at Wayne Manor until it's over." said Bruce.
The blonde pointed out, "That would just put you in further danger… On top of that you have Mother to protect."
Barbara said, "Bruce, you know I'm diametrically opposed to killing but in this Assassin's War Naruto has the right to defend himself."
The dark-haired man sat in silence for some time and finally said, "If you need me Naruto, you call me. I hope after this war is over, you'll reconsider your views on matters, but Barbara is right. You must defend yourself against the League of Assassins. …And unfortunately, you are right on another point. Talia needs my protection as well."
The redhead thought, 'Why would Talia al Ghul need extra protection? She's very formidable and is a member of the League of Assassins herself.'
Bruce stood up and said, "Keep me in the loop Naruto. I will help you if you'll let me."
Naruto nodded. "I'll keep you informed." Then he showed his Father out.
Minutes later, Barbara saw her boyfriend come back into the kitchen looking sad and she said, "I'm not angry at you Naruto. I just wish there had been another way."
The blonde nodded and said, "I know some of the Birds of Prey kill. I know I'm being a hypocrite but I hope you don't have to become a killer too. I love you Barbara."
She gently cupped his cheek in her hand and he leaned into it. "I love you too Naruto."
…
Infinity Island, Indian Ocean
A week later, the news of the defeat of the Seven Men of Death reached the ears of the Demon's Fist and their leader Mara al Ghul. Suffice it to say she was not happy. Several of her underlings were shaking in their boots at the news of Naruto's success. Even worse, a small faction seemed to be interested in making her cousin the leader of the League of Assassins.
…As for Naruto? No one knew where he stood on the matter. He seemed content to remain uninvolved like Lady Shiva. He hadn't made an ultimatum or even a threat to the seven that attacked him. The blonde slew three of them and maimed another before they ran like cowards.
'What's his game?' thought Mara. 'Naruto never fit in with the Demon's Fist and never really bonded with any of us. Could it be he never wanted to lead us? He left at the first opportunity citing he didn't trust any of us… The only thing that makes sense is he doesn't want anything to do with the League. If I had his kind of power, I'd take over in a heartbeat. I just don't get him…'
…
East End, Gotham City, United States
While Mara al Ghul ruminated over her cousin's puzzling actions, Naruto was back to doing detective work in the East End. There hadn't been any more direct threats to his person, so he took the next case that landed on his desk. There had been a robbery of a religious artifact at the Immaculate Virgin Mission, which was a nunnery near the location of his original office.
He was known to the Sisterhood there because he had helped them before when he saved a young Sister named Rosetta's life when she was assaulted by a gang member. As it was, Sister Rosetta had moved up through the ranks and recommended they call Naruto Uzumaki when the artifact turned up missing.
An elderly nun named Mother Canon came to his office and explained, "The Sword of Santa Coleta has been stolen and we would like you to help us recover this valuable item."
"The Sword of Santa Coleta?" asked Naruto. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that artifact."
Mother Canon said in a scolding tone, "Saint Colette was a carpenter's daughter who dropped out of two orders of nuns, became a recluse, then revived the local Franciscan convent and eventually became superioress of the entire order. The sword was named for her."
The blonde raised his eyebrows. "I see, do you have references to the sword? Pictures, records, et cetera? Was anything else stolen from the premises?"
"We have plenty of references and no, nothing else was taken." she answered.
Naruto nodded. "Was the artifact of particular value aside of religious reasons? If nothing else was stolen, then it wasn't a random theft."
The old nun looked affronted. "A random theft? In a nunnery? Are you serious young man?!"
Naruto's eyes darkened. "Greed knows no bounds and holds no morals about religion. The sword might have been worth a great deal to a weapons dealer, a collector of religious artifacts or simply for its monetary value if it was made of gold and platinum." He set his pen down. "I need to know all the facts and examine all of the evidence if you want me to solve this case Mother Canon."
The old woman stared hard into Naruto's azure pools as if searching for something before she said, "You seem to be as wise as Sister Rosetta claims despite your age. We normally don't let outsiders come into the vaults, but I will make an exception for you."
Naruto nodded and said, "There is no time like the present. I need to gather my things and I'll accompany you back to the Mission."
…
Immaculate Virgin Mission
Naruto was shown into the Mission's vaults which held a great deal of wealth and artifacts from several orders of Franciscan nuns through the centuries. He noted the vault's doors weren't forced and there was no apparent evidence of foul play except the sword was missing of course.
"Who has access to these vaults?" asked the blonde.
"Only Sister Belle and I. She is keeper of the keys."
Naruto asked, "May I see the keys? I want us outside the vault with the doors locked."
Canon nodded and called for Sister Belle to lock the vault. After hearing the doors latch with a satisfying click, Naruto nodded. "So yesterday morning the two of you checked the locked vault and when you unlocked it, the sword was gone?"
"That's correct." replied Sister Belle. "We were shocked as no one can open the door without this set of keys."
The young detective pulled out a pen light and looked in the keyhole. "Looks like someone was handy with a lockpick judging by these scratches. Do you know of any of the Sisters being former thieves?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" said Mother Canon. "No lockpick could-"
Naruto sighed before pulling a lockpick set out of his pocket. He said, "Observe. This looks to be about four inches." Pulling a four-inch lockpick out, he inserted it into the keyhole and within seconds there was a click just like before. Then he opened the door silently. Closing the door again, Naruto locked it again. "Well, that solves how and where they got in. Now we need to establish when, who and why."
Sister Belle and Mother Canon were baffled at the young detective's ingenuity. He had bypassed their security effortlessly.
That was when Sister Rosetta came over and asked, "Have you made any progress Detective Uzumaki?"
"Ah, Sister Rosetta." said the blonde. "We're making progress."
"Good, I hope you can solve the case quickly." said the younger Sister.
"I'll do my best." replied Naruto. Rosetta smiled and was on her way again.
…
The Private Investigator was soon in the Mission library studying photographs, drawings and the history of the Sword of Santa Coleta. 'Forged in 1448 C.E. just after Saint Colette's death. Two-edged sword that has a blade that is 24 inches in length. Its most notable feature is a blood red, marquise cut ruby in the center of the blade near the hilt. The ruby is called Colette's eye…'
'So it was it was actually used as a weapon to defend various nunneries through the centuries…' he mused. 'Only chosen nuns could wield it as it chose them with its holy power…' "This sounds an awful lot like the Demon's Eye blade that was lost by the League of Assassins back in the 15th century…"
That's when Naruto felt a spark of killing intent and drew his katana over his head in the nick of time to block the Sword of Santa Coleta from slicing into his skull. The blonde body flickered across the room and saw his opponent was none other than Sister Rosetta. She was smiling wickedly and her eyes were ruby colored.
Rosetta said in Arabic, {"You are right. It is the Demon's Eye Blade. Only a direct descendant of Ra's al Ghul himself who has psychometry can wild this blade. When you rescued me two years ago, I learned what this blade was and who you are. I've been waiting all this time for an excuse to draw you back here."}
"You are possessed by the spirit of that blade Rosetta!" said Naruto. "Drop it before it's too late!"
{"You have the purest blood Naruto."} she said with a smile. {"If we mate our child will be the next Ra's al Ghul!"} She attacked like a berserker and said, {"Show me your power!"}
The battle raged across the library and nuns were running and screaming as Rosetta destroyed everything in her path. Finally, the blonde charged his katana with wind chakra and cut the Demon's Eye blade, shattering the ruby in the process. Rosetta froze up and said, {"NO! All that power was mine! MINE!"}
Then Naruto knocked her unconscious with a chop to the neck…
"Good Lord! Sister Rosetta is possessed!" said one of the nuns. "Call Mother Canon. Rosetta was speaking in tongues!"
…
The next morning, a sobbing Rosetta was taken to a mental hospital for treatment. Naruto felt heartbroken that the sweet and kind sister Rosetta had been twisted by Ra's al Ghul's sword. The blonde partially blamed himself but mostly he blamed his Grandfather. Naruto had always been rather indifferent about Ra's al Ghul but now he was angry.'
Batman's son hissed, "There will be a reckoning…'
…
POSTSCRIPT:
*①: The Seven Men of Death: Seven of the deadliest assassins of the League and Ra's al Ghul's personal hit squad. They answer only to the Demon himself.
*②: Maduvu: Member of the Seven Men of Death. He has mechanical, clawed hands.
*③: Hook: The hook-handed member of the Seven Men of Death.
*④: unnamed shuriken-wielding assassin: A male domino-mask wearing, shuriken-wielding member of the Seven Men of Death. Despite multiple appearances, his name has never been given.
*⑤: Whip: A female whip-wielding member of the Seven Men of Death.
*⑥: Detonator: Member of the Seven Men of Death. He specializes in demolitions.
*⑦: Razorburn: Member of the Seven Men of Death. He has advanced hand-to-hand combat abilities, great throwing abilities, and wields two knives for weapons.
*⑧: Shellcase – Member of the Seven Men of Death. He has advanced hand-to-hand combat abilities and has good marksmanship.
*⑨: Sensei: First appearing in as an aged martial arts master from Hong Kong, he was Darrk's second in command. He was put in charge of the League after Darrk's death. However, he would prove just as disloyal as his predecessor, and the Sensei would eventually struggle with Ra's al Ghul for the control of the organization. One of his personal goals is to raise assassination to an art form.
Wow! Way too many footnotes! It seems that Naruto is beginning to see just how bad Ra's al Ghul is. The question is, what is he going to do about it? See you next time, Blue out, 10/17/22
