A/N: Not beta'ed. Though I tried to read through it, there will be mistakes.

Also, fair warning - this is AU. There will be changes to events, and this will stray from canon entirely at a point.

Titan Tower, San Francisco, October 15, 2018, 11:00 AM PDT

Naruto spent a better part of the passing days sleeping, resting and entirely coming to bear that he really was not home. Sometimes, he woke up thinking he was in his small, dingy apartment, sure that he was done with it all, that they had won the war and he had brought Sasuke back, and all that was left to do was make sure that he would be the Hokage.

Then he turned over, his vision cleared and he saw the large city across the ocean, and he remembered. They had really won the war, but he was not in his universe anymore, and Sasuke likely wasn't too, instead, lost in this one, with no one to help him as Naruto had in the heroes of this place. He still needed him. And beyond that all, Naruto had taken on a new responsibility:

Stopping Meta-human trafficking.

As a result, he had joined the Teen Titans. Doing anything on his own here would be difficult for him, even with some of the knowledge he acquired from Raven's memories. So he would have to accept most things that came with being a hero here to get to that point of putting ending the trafficking practice, which didn't seem at all a bad thing to him. Though it was all still too strange to him. New people, the cities, heroes in capes and spandex.

He couldn't place how it all made him feel.

And for the first time since he's been here, he left the room they had given him for something that wasn't food, at Starfires' behest:

"You'll need an identity and a suit with the technology to change your appearance. Thanks to that video going around the internet, everyone knows how you look and... uh, your missing arm won't help with keeping your identity a secret when they see someone fighting the same way you did. How old did you say you were?" Nightwing asked, turning back to the largest screen in the room, which had his face on the display of a card.

"Seventeen," Naruto said, glancing around the rooms filled with screens, with many strange displays that he couldn't begin to understand.

"You're the same age as Damien. When's your birthday?" He inquired further.

"October 10."

Nightwing stopped his typing and turned to regard Naruto with a raised eyebrow, "That was a few days ago. You're telling me it was your birthday when you woke up as you were being taken to the Slate trafficking ring?"

"My birthdays always have been weird," He raised what remained of his arm from under the hoodie he wore, flapping the empty sleeves of it about, "I lost my arm on the same day too."

"Really? Raven didn't show me that," he turned back to the screen, and went on with his work, "Sounds like you've had it rough. Though that doesn't come as too much of a surprise, the strong ones usually do. You think you're a match for Big Blue?"

"Big who?" Naruto looked at him in confusion.

"Superman," Nightwing elaborated.

"I don't know. I'd have to watch him fight," He retorted.

Superman seemed to be the paragon of the world, the person that people looked to and admired for his heroics without reservation. It was an easy understanding to come to, what with the way people usually spoke about his kindness and the power he held as a being from another planet. Every other hero, he noticed from Ravens memories, was usually compared to some of the founding members of the Justice League in one way or another.

"That makes sense," Nightwing nodded, still typing away, "No one really knows much about you or your powers. Fair warning, so you don't feel too bad when you see it happen, Batman will probably try and find out as much about you as he can."

Naruto understood their reservations about his strength. The group that had tried to capture take him days prior was one they had fought and struggled against in the past, and Naruto had knocked out one of their strongest members in a single hit. They were trying to get a gauge on his power, to see how just how powerful he was in case something happened, in case they had to fight him one day.

It was that understanding that reserved Naruto from being open about Kuramas existence, or all the abilities he had access to. He felt he could trust them enough to fight alongside them thanks to the kindness they had shown him and Ravens' memories, but they had only met days ago. He wanted to hold off for now.

To that issue, they had doubtless noted his current unbalance thanks to his missing arm, even with the way he walked. It was a temporary weakness Naruto was determined to correct, but it was one he had nonetheless, and the only one they knew to use against him now if it ever came to fighting.

Unless Rachel had spoken to them about his fights back in his world.

"I'll watch out for that," he walked around the room, waiting for him to finish with his work. "Do you have anything on Sasuke?"

Nightwing shook his head, not looking to him, "Finding him will be difficult... He might now even be on the planet anymore, sold to alien traffickers, who might use him for their own designs. Scouring the galaxy for a single individual will be hard enough on its own, let alone doing it whilst looking for someone with no background at all to connect dots with."

"I'm not giving up on him."

"No one is, "He glanced back to Naruto, "I just thought it best you know that it might take a long time. And... done."

Nightwing turned to him as Naruto looked to the screen:

"Welcome to the Titans, Naruto. Now, about your suit."

There were other Titans that had been away on missions that Naruto only got to meet for the first time later that day, called from his room by Starfire again.

A dark-haired girl named Donna Troy, princess of Themyscira and sister of Wonder Woman, who worked under the alias of Wonder Girl - her attire a dark-pink suit with a grey star over its chest, a thick, golden belt-like line over her hips that form into a 'W' over her hips and a pair of bracelets on her forearms.

The other was a dark-skinned boy named Wallace West who was a year his junior, whose mentor was the Flash, and who worked under the alias of Streak. He was in a mostly grey suit, with black spots over his arms, and a red lightning bolt symbol over his chest.

Their meeting was short-lived because it became apparent that an urgent meeting of the Justice League and its associated teams were to gather at the Watchtower. The air around the Titans Tower seemed to grow uncomfortable at the of the return of the two Titans and the news of the meeting as if an odd sense of foreboding at come over everyone within it at the impending gathering.

Everyone but himself, Naruto realized, with him being out of the know. And so, he decided to leave his room and ask.

"Hey dude," Garfield greeted him as Naruto entered the living room, the black puppy that was a resident of the building walking between Narutos legs playfully, "I was wondering where you're at. I never see out here, unless you're hungry...Uh, are you hungry?"

"No," Naruto assured him, "I'm good."

"Oh," Garfield nodded, a bit awkwardly, "Look man, I know what it's like to be the odd one out. You don't need to hide in your room all day. You can come out and hang out with me, you know? I won't judge, no one in the Titans will."

"I'm not hiding," Naruto shook his head. Though he wondered if it had been so bad everyone thought he was, "I'm just... You know, resting."

He realized it wasn't entirely true as he spoke the words.

"Raven said you were too," Garfield turned to the TV for a moment, "You should just know that you're one of us now. We got your back no matter what."

"Just..." His lips had started on their own, but he stopped himself with a sigh, "Why is everyone so tense today?"

"It's all the new restrictions from U.N, dude," For the first time, Garfield looked put off, "The organization with most of the world's government in it...From now only we'll need to get their approval for everything, now. Even humanitarian missions."

Naruto remembered the name from Ravens' memories, and the measure of concern that had come with it. He wasn't one for politics, but that didn't sound too bad to him. They needed to get permission for every single mission from the Hokage in Konoha, even if Naruto had wanted to skip that step sometimes himself. They still always ended up getting the job done and helping anyone who needed help in time.

But... Thinking on it now, their system was fast because it usually relied on the decision making of the Hokage alone. They didn't need to potentially go through dozens upon dozens of people to agree on a mission for them to go on it. Just the Hokage. That usually meant that they would be approved or denied instantaneously. People that needed help didn't need to wait too long.

"Oh," Naruto said, finally understanding.

"Garfield, it's time to go. Have you seen Na..." Starfire entered, stopping by the kitchen island, surprise adorning her features at spotting Naruto, "Oh, there you are, we should go now, the League is gathering...Actually, I... think you should stay, Naruto. Your suit isn't ready, and I don't want you to feel out of place in a room with everyone in their gear. I mean, you will only be present for the briefing after the meeting but..."

Naruto shrugged. He was not entirely on board with the idea of a suit and an alias, but getting that he had more to think about than himself where it was concerned, he said, "Sure."

Starfire seemed to pause again, turning to Beast Boy "Do you mind keeping him company, Garfield? You could attend in the waiting with the Team and Titans as a transmitted hologram."

"Don't worry Starfire," Garfield walked to him, and put his arm over Naruto's shoulder, "I got him."

Starfire smiled at them, "We will be Zata-Tubing out then."

That was a mode of travel that Naruto found interesting. Teleporting from one place to another instantaneously without using chakra or physical energy. He was sure it was more than useful for getting to or close to places that needed urgent help.

"We should probably head to the training room, huh?"

It was after that Naruto found himself standing by the programming console at the edge of the training room for the first time since his arrival here, watching Beast Boy in the middle of it after pressing on said console a moment ago.

This was where they were meant to train, but they hadn't done so at all since Naruto go here, and he couldn't help but wonder why, being here again.

Versions with a blue hue of the proteges of all Justice League members appeared simultaneously, and members of the Titans that had left with them

Rachel was there suited like most in the room, silently standing next to Robin at the top of a small flight of stairs. Seated on a platform next to the stairs were two blond girls that seemed familiar, but he could not remember the names of, one wore a red mask that covered the top half of her face and extended to below her chin from the sides of her face. Her suit was black with different shades of red, with an arrow logo on her chest and on both of her upper arms.

The other was in a dark purple and grey that covered her entire person, her face saves for her eyes covered by a mask, and her hair mostly covered by a hood.

Across them sitting on another platform was Blue Beetle, and standing next to him on the steps was the brown-haired Kid Flash, in yellow, black and red spandex, with red goggles over his eyes, yellow gloves on his hands and a red lightning bolt symbol over his chest.

Streak sat on the stairs below them with another dark-skinned teen he knew to be Static, who had a backwards cap, and a black shirt with a bolt of yellow lightning in a circle over its chest.

Focusing on a screen with another girl Naruto also didn't recall and Wonder Girl was with Superboy, with a black shirt with a red 'S' on its chest. The girl herself was in a grey and black suit, with her brown her tied into a ponytail.

How the heck do some of them keep secret identities?! It surprised him how many of them went without anything covering their faces and somehow managed to keep the world unaware of who they were outside of their hero persona, especially someone like Superman who seemed to have the attention of most people who cared for the heroes.

"Sup guys?" Beast Boy walked to the front of the gathered group as if he hadn't seen some of them that day at all.

"Hey Beast Boy," Kid Flash walked from Blue Beetle to bump fists with him, "You're looking crash."

"Of course man," He held himself up proudly, "Robin hasn't gotten to me yet."

Streak snorted, earning a glare from the younger boy that removed the smile from his face.

"Glad to see being in the Titans suits you. I know M'gann is too, she's observing the meeting for the Team with Starfire," Superboy said from atop the stairs, smiling at the green boy before looking around, "Starfire tells me you're with the new guy... Do we get to meet him?"

"Yeah, I was kinda looking forward to that," Naruto didn't know if he read it right, but Kid Flash almost looked concerned.

"Calm down, guys. Calm down," He made downwards motions with his hands spread out, "His suit isn't ready yet, and he's sort of a private guy, you know how it is," He covered his mouth with his hand, and leaned to whisper to Kid Flash, looking in Naruto direction, but the blond heard him all the same, "He wants to make sure his identity is secret. Even to you guys."

"No, I don't," He said, drawing eyes to him, but no one could see him. At least... he thought they couldn't, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Way to ruin the anticipation, man," Beast Boy muttered in disappointment.

"Well," Superboy looked in his direction too, "Nice to meet you Naruto."

"Nice to meet you too, Superboy," Though he felt they couldn't see him, he turned to each of them as he spoke, "Kid Flash and Static. Oh, and you too Arrow Girl, Boiler -"

"Arrow Girl?" The teen in the red suit said in an affronted manner.

"I mean..." Naruto scratched his head, looking to the green boy for help, "Arrow...Woman?"

Beast Boy burst into a laugh, and she only looked further aggrieved. Static hid his smile, like Superboy and Wallace. Naruto did notice the slight upturn of Ravens' lips, and it was having his eyes passing over her did he notice the way Robin's hand had slipped into hers when Batman and Green Arrow appeared as a hologram to Naruto and Beast Boy, presumedly from the meeting they were meant to be holding.

"It's time," Batman said, and as if a switch had been flipped, Boiler stood and walked away from the gathered group, Arrow Woman behind her, who took a moment to glare in Narutos' direction.

"Recognized, Green Arrow, 08. Spoiler, B-28. Arrowette, B-27."

At least the Spoiler girl didn't notice, Naruto flinched.

"Where are y'all going?" Beast Boy asked, to no reply.

After a brief pause, Robin followed them too, enticing Raven to frown in his direction, but ultimately, at that moment, she was silent as he left and Batman turned to speak to Black Lightning.

"Robin, B20."

"Join us, Jeff. I think we want the same things."

"The same things?" Black Lightning's eyes narrowed, "Really?... Batman I just resigned from the Justice League, and at least their leaders were elected democratically. I want nothing to do with... Batman incorporated. The truth is I don't trust you. Especially with after what you pulled in there today."

"Pulled what? What did he pull?" Kid Flash looked to Beast Boy, who shrugged, confused too.

Batman walked away in silence, as Black Lightning went to Static. In their place, came M'gann, Super, Aqualad and Starfire.

"Batman, 01."

"I'm sorry, Virgil. Maybe you can find a new mentor. One who's..." Black Lightning looked away from Static, "Less damaged."

Kid Flash asked again, "Will someone please tell me what's going on?!"

"Black Lightning, 23."

What was all that about? Naruto turned to the live Beast Boy from the sidelines, who then went to M'gann.

"What's going on, sis?"

The pale-skinned girl sighed, before walking to the centre of the room, eyes within the room turning to her, "Batman, Batwoman, Plastic Man, Hardware, Green Arrow, Katana and Black Lightning just left the League. By the looks of it, Spoiler, Arrowette and Robin just left us with them."

"What? Why?" Blue Beetle asked, his mask falling off.

"The operating restraints placed on all of us, " M'gann shook her head, "It's making things difficult... I guess this is the way they chose to deal with it."

"That many at the same time," Wallace started, scowling under his mask, "They planned this."

No one objected to his claim.

Naruto wondered why they let each other go, instead of looking for a way to deal with it all as a united team. Leaving wouldn't solve the problem, and would doubtless make things all the worse. They were a team, and they were meant to find solutions as one too, not leave at the sign of a difficult obstacle.

"How are they meant to help you find the Uchiha brat if they can't even keep themselves together?"

Maybe it's not all bad, Naruto offered, This doesn't mean they'll stop trying to help me find Sasuke.

Kurama growled, "How well do you think you would have done bringing the Uchiha back without the kunoichi?"

You mean Sakura? Naruto frowned. He saw his point, It'll be harder, I think, but not impossible.

Harder than it already supposedly was, he realized, remembering Nightwings words about Sasuke potentially being off the planet. Naruto didn't know how connected to the rest of the universe this earth was, or how he would even begin to find out for himself. He didn't even know how he would begin to search if he went out on his own. There was still too much he was unaware of in this world.

Beyond that, he had given his word to Starfire that he would help, and reserving doubt in what was his team now would do nothing to help his cause. He had to trust them and their ability.

"You don't."

"This is crazy," Beast Boy pulled him from his missing, a worried look on his face.

Not entirely, at least, he agreed.

Training came only the next day, and Naruto realized that they had been on break until the rest of the team was back, and with Streak and Wonder Girl returning the day prior, it was time to train with them for the first time.

His fighting instincts were still compromised.

Sometimes, he raised - or tried to - his right arm to block or parry oncoming attacks, only to realise mid-fight that he didn't have it, that he could rely on nothing but his left in combat or nothing at all. It was an odd thing for him, to be able to perceive every single training hologram sent his way but to find himself still almost being hit half the time.

It was only thanks to his speed that he hadn't been hit at all.

Though it didn't help him at all when Streak ran into him as he jumped away from a sword slash, bringing them both tumbling to the ground.

Then the program was ended, and Starfire was hovering over them, a concerned expression adorning her features as they both got up, "Are you two alright?"

"Fine," Streak said, glancing at Naruto, as Raven, Beast Boy and Wondergirl converged on them, "Just the new guy getting in my way."

"Sorry," he retorted, a sort of frustration creeping into him, "I'm new to fighting with only one arm...I think I should only train alone for a little while until I get the hang of it."

"We're a team, Naruto," She shook her head, "You aren't meant to be the best, mistakes will happen, but you should always be able to count on all of us to watch out for despite your troubles. It's why we have team training."

Naruto acknowledged that much, but it wasn't the point of the issue for him - he was too fast for most of the opponents they faced within the hologram and felt himself self-consciously relying almost entirely on his speed rather than any of the skills he had acquired through the years of training under his teachers. He knew it was in response to his distrust of his current Taijutsu skills.

The holograms were entirely too slow for him to pull himself out of that mindset in the middle of training. He needed a strong opponent, who matched his speed, and whose hits would hurt.

Beyond, feeling the negative emotions most of the team was let off wasn't helping. They were all in concerned states, mentally. Raven in particular seemed entirely too sad, and he had felt that grow from his room last night, and he found himself remembering Robin holding her hand before he left.

"I know, but..." He sighed, "Do you mind if I train outside by myself for today?"

"Do not tell me you plan on leaving us too so soon," Wonder Girl said, almost dejectedly.

"No... No, it's nothing like that," He wasn't sure how to put it in a way that didn't make him come off as arrogant, "I have a special sort of training I usually do by myself... Yeah, that's it! I just sort of want to see how well it works now that I only have one arm, you know? I don't want to put you guys into danger by having you worry about me in the middle of a fight."

Starfire looked at him sadly, "If you really feel like you must...I will not force you to be here."

The way she put it made him feel bad, like he did not want to be part of the team. Yet, he left the room all the same. He needed to be better, and doing so by using the holograms would take way too long. Naruto hoped she would understand when he came back better, assuming that what he had planned worked as well as he hoped it would.

"What are you thinking?"

Training with my clones, Naruto answered, That way, I get better both defensively and offensively. I can work to better my chakra control too, so I can better my one-handed hand seals.

"What chakra exercises?"

I...Well, there's the leaf concentration one, and you know, Naruto stopped a moment to truly consider it, as the elevator he was now in descended. The Leaf Concentration exercise would be too easy with his current ability to control chakra. Even if he added more leaves to it.

"You should use the Rasengan, Naruto," Kurama told him plainly.

"That's it!" Naruto grinned, nodding - it would work better than any exercise he could do. He was sure he could already make one as big as the Odama Rasengan or close enough to its size with one hand, but any bigger, he would begin to struggle. Applying the concept with its creation by adding more chakra, whilst maintaining its containment and rotation, he was sure he could make it bigger, whilst improving his ability to control chakra.

I'd have to be careful, Naruto thought when he was outside, finding himself in the large space at the back of the Tower, which went from brick floors to open grass, I don't think they'd appreciate me destroying their gardens.

Kurama didn't grace him with a response, so he raised his hand and crossed his fingers once more.

In a large puff of smoke, 300 clones appeared, purposely creating more than he had used the last time he trained this way, sure that he would be able to mentally withstand at least this much now. He had fully recovered from the war and his fight with Sasuke now - his chakra reserves were replenished, all his wounds had healed, and he was more than a bit excited to get back to this sort of training.

He heard Kurama let out a soft growl.

I'll be fine, he assured him, "Alright, Narutos! You know what to do!"

Two came to him, and the others gave them some room to manoeuvre and for themselves to practice, functioning as a line to keep Naruto confined and on the defensive.

"Come on."

Naruto was woken by a strong onset of negative emotions in the darkness of night, to which he knew the source.

His eyes burned from his desire to go back to sleep, the fatigue of his training earlier day made his head feel heavier than it was. But he forced himself up from his bed, fighting everything that wanted him to return to bed - the softness of the carpet, the chill in the air and the idea that he was going to be training again in the morning until he was by the elevator.

Kurama? He tried, to no response.

Lazily exiting the elevator when he reached the floor, he groggily trudged to her door, pausing his hand in the air for a moment as he was about to knock, and listened in.

His attempt was met with silence for a long moment, but before he could knock, her voice came, "You're still a very loud thinker."

Naruto opened the door then, just walking in, and regarding her - the redness of her eyes told him that she had been crying, and the wiped at the moisture on her cheeks told him that she didn't want him to see. She sat on her bed with her legs crossed, and the pyjama top she wore had west spots on them.

Raven regarded him with a cold eye.

"You're worse when it comes to hiding your emotions," his voice was raspy from sleep.

"Or you're just too good at sensing all the bad ones."

"Maybe that too," Naruto nodded, standing awkwardly at the door as an uncomfortable silence that he did not let be for long set in, "What's wrong?"

"That's none of your business."

He expected that, with the way she seemed to be right now, but it wasn't in him to leave her alone, which was strange. He wasn't friends with her yet, and she may as well have been a stranger, yet the urge to help stretched beyond his usual kindness, "I'm a concerned teammate, plus you did sorta wake me up."

"I'm sorry," She said, and it almost sounded genuine, "Now, please leave."

He pulled on his suspicion, "Is it, Rob...Damien?"

The look he got from her was scathing, and it made him shift uncomfortably, "Leave."

Well, he did turn to leave, unsure about how to push this, "I'll be back tomorrow, then, Rachel. Maybe you'll be ready to talk to someone then?"

"Don't bother."

Naruto knew he would.

A/N: Another chapter.

Hope you liked it, feel free to review and PM me for conversation regarding anything at all.