Injustice: The Path to Hell.
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter VI – Losing Control
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Telepathic Speech."
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
Location/Time
Sunday 6th September, 00:30.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
Feeling a shiver run through her body, Barbara's eyes slowly flickered upon, the moonlight reflecting down from above creating a beautiful sight as she looked around the desert in confusion.
'Where am I?' She questioned internally.
Raising her left arm, she pressed the locator button and a holographic map popped up, a blinking red light blinking to life indicating her location. A location that was certainly not Gotham.
'Bialya? What the hell am I doing in Bialya of all places?' Her eyes then panned to the clock at the bottom left and felt a second rush of shock course through her body. 'It's September? That doesn't make sense, it's March! Is there something wrong with this?'
Taking a quick, moment to run a diagnostics check on the holographic computer as a whole, she was left even more worried than before when she learned it was in full working order. There was no fault, it was September, not March.
'Then what hell happened in the past six months and why can't I remember a damn thing? Okay, calm down, Barbara. Think, think, think.' Closing her eyes, Barbara tried to think of possible explanations for her current predicament, but no part of this whole thing made sense to her. 'Gah! This isn't helping at all. I'll call Batman and ask him.'
As she went to switch on her radio, she paused. There was something in the back of her mind that told her she shouldn't do that. An instinct that screamed at her to not do it and as much as Barbara wanted to ignore it, get answers, and solve this whole debacle as quickly as possible, she was too trained in following her instinct to ignore it.
With a long, drawn out sigh of frustration, Barbara got to her feet, brushing off the sand covering her body and pulled up the map once more. Pressing in a few buttons, a second blinking red light appeared on the screen, the map zooming in on the second light that was a few miles away from her.
'So, it's not just me, Dick's here as well.' Lowering her arm, Barbara quickly began running towards Robin's location. It was night and in the desert that meant it was cold, she would make the best of that and cover as much ground now before the day gradually got hotter and hotter. Plus, the sooner she found Dick the sooner she'd have answers. 'I just hope Dick knows more about our situation than I do because I've got nothing.'
Sunday 6th September, 01:00.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
She only made it possibly a mile before she heard the rumbling of a truck coming up from behind her. Quickly, she dived for cover behind a nearby rock formation, peeking her head out at the side to watch as a long convoy of eight trucks drove in her direction.
Half of which she noticed had begun to peel off, south while the rest continued in her direction.
Not willing to risk the possibility of her being seen, Barbara crouched down low, watching as three trucks passed her by. On the fourth, she dived forwards at just the right moment, rolling under the truck between the wheels and grabbing hold of one of the pipes underneath. Pulling herself up as to not be dragged along the sandy desert floor, Barbara allowed the truck to bring her along for the ride.
'They seem to be heading in Robin's general direction. I'll follow them for now and let them carry me there.' She thought, planning out what to do.
It was certainly easier and less tiring to hold onto the truck and let it carry her and if it did start to move away from Robin's position or Robin started to change position, she could always let go.
Sunday 6th September, 07:00.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
Taking a deep breath in, Barbara worked hard to ensure the meditative technique Bruce taught her was in full effect. As strong as she was, even she was starting to feel the effects of holding onto a bouncing truck for nearly six and half hours.
Robin, like she had expected had been moving around, at first it had been in only a few meters in each direction from the original point he was at. No doubt trying to memorise his surroundings as to not end up walking in a circle. Then he started moving north, turns out that, the trucks were also heading that way as well.
Whether they were somehow tracking Robin or if it was a matter of circumstance, she didn't know. Either way, she made sure to at least prepare herself for the possibility of a fight.
From the map, she could tell that in a few minutes, they would cross Robin's location. Barbara was confident that Robin would be hidden away by that point. But even so, if they were tracking Robin that meant they'd be on to him.
Still as time ticked by, Barbara keeping a close eye on the map she waited till they got closer to Robin's location. As they did, she pulled out a grappling gun, and aiming it at a rock formation, something she suspected Robin had chosen purposefully due to the number of hiding spots it would provide.
Taking aim to her left, she fired the bolt while letting go of the pipe she is holding. She zoomed through the air, the grappling hook pulling her towards where it was anchored but it was not to be.
She was too close to the ground and so, she collided with it, bouncing, and rolling down the hill before eventually coming to a stop.
"Ow." She groaned, slowly rising to her feet as she looked to see the truck drive off, the tarp covering the back still in place meaning her presence was still unknown. "Now to find Robin."
Raising her arm, Barbara looked on the map to see Robin's location was just a little ways ahead of her and so, dismissing the map she started walking once more. Stopping only shortly to get her grappling hook.
He wasn't far, only a few meters up ahead of her and as she rounded the corner, she found him. He was crouched down, studying the direction in which the convoy had gone, the sand picked up by the trucks still slowly falling back to the ground. And, as if knowing she was behind him, he turned to face her flashing a smile of relief in her direction.
"Batgirl, you're okay?"
"Yeah, you?"
He nodded his head, something that made her smile in turn. "Do you have any idea what's going on?" Robin asked the question that had been on her mind and had hoped, he would be more informed on.
"No, I was hoping you knew why we're here and tell me what's happened in the last six months."
"I'm just as lost as you." He replied with a frown. "All I know is that Batman told us to keep radio silence. You haven't tried to radio anyone, have you?"
Barbara shook her head, momentarily feeling a wave of relief that she had listened to her instincts. "I was going to, but I decided against it." She then looked around warily. "So, what do we do now?"
"I noticed on my map that I had a GPS marker placed somewhere, though it's a few miles away from here. Don't know why." Barbara shrugged her shoulders; it wasn't like they had any other leads.
That was when both noticed the sound of something flapping in the wind, cautiously the two moved round the rock in front of them to see a piece of black fabric stuck to a rock. Robin moved forward picking it up and spread it out, a red S symbol displayed on it.
Sunday 6th September, 17:00.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
The sun was already beginning to set and with it, the overbearing heat of the Bialyan desert was beginning to dissipate. Both Barbara and Robin were overjoyed at this bit of news, despite being trained to work in overbearing heats, it was still difficult and tiring. As to keep their progress constant, throughout the day they had moved at a slow pace, never going beyond a simple walk.
But now, with light giving way to dark and heat giving way to cold they started to pick up the pace.
As they closed in on Robin's GPS marker, they scrambled up the dune and looked over, both quickly dropping to the ground in order to avoid being seen by anyone that could possibly be there, only catching a glimpse of a black box strangely placed there.
"Huh! Guessing that's why?" Robin vocalised, both cautiously peeking out over the edge to study their surroundings for any possible threats.
With the location secured, both jumped down, moving towards the black box in curiosity. They are noting that whatever it was, the box was incredibly high-tech. However, they were quickly disrupted when soldiers burst out from the sand, guns pointed at them.
One man, no doubt the captain of this little group shouting, "اعلیحضرت آنها را زنده می خواهند! (Her Majesty wants them alive!)"
As they moved in, Robin activated the smoke bomb he had sneakily placed into the ground in case they had walked into a trap. It was a good job he had as they had been surrounded on all sides.
Without any need to communicate, both sprang into action.
The guards despite having successfully ambushed them, were unused to fighting without being able to see their opponent. This was the case when all they could see was smoke. Robin and Barbara on the other hand were masters of this, even without their masks having inbuilt infrared vision in the lenses, Batman had taught them to fight without seeing.
Barbara quickly rushed across, slamming a flying sidekick into the face of one man, knocking him out. As she rolled along the ground she jumped back up into the air, smashing her knee into the jaw of another. Using this very same man as a springboard, she gripped hold of his shoulders and flipped herself over him and as she landed on the ground, threw the unconscious man into two others. The three of them falling to the ground in a heap.
She had unknowingly stepped out of the smoke by doing this, two guards who had done the same, aiming their guns at her exposed back.
But before they got a chance to fire, a number of Batarangs flew through the air and hit their hands. The bullets that ripped from the barrels of their guns went wildly off target and by the time they managed to properly aim their guns once more, both Barbara and Robin were on them again.
Crouched in the sand, both of Batman's apprentices studied the Bialyan guards who had managed to get back to their feet. Despite a good half their numbers on the ground unconscious, there was still a fair few of them.
"کافی! آتش باز کنید! (Enough! Open Fire!)" The captain shouted and the soldiers did so.
However, just as Barbara and Robin had safely jumped away, a black blur rushed across the ground and started taking the guns from the hands of the Bialyan soldiers. "I'll hold that, thanks." Then the black blur came to a stop revealing Kid Flash who let the guns in his hand drop to the ground.
With a smirk, the speedster then rushed forwards and started to give aid to Barbara and Robin.
When Robin rushed to deal with two Bialyan soldiers who still had their guns, they suddenly were pushed back by an invisible force. From the air behind him, Miss Martian stopped hiding and revealed herself, Robin looking at her shock and confusion.
Barbara on the other hand finished off the last man with a spinning hook-kick, coming to a stop to see Wally throw a man at three others where they collapsed to the ground. It was then she noticed one soldier about to get away, but an arrow cut through the air. She followed its trajectory, the arrow lightly exploding to reveal wire that wrapped around the escaping soldier tightly, bringing him to the ground.
"Okay, what the hell is going on?" She muttered.
"KF! Man, is it good to see a familiar face."? Robin exclaimed happily, moving forwards to clasp hands with Kid Flash.
"Hey, Rob. Memory loss?"
"Six months."
"Wait, you guys have all got memory loss as well?" Barbara asked, looking to the gathered group who all nodded their heads.
"Let's hogtie these creeps and compare notes after."
Sunday 6th September, 17:25.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
All around him he saw red.
Bubbling energy rushed towards him, converged around him before suddenly rushing into him. A constant never-ending stream that was seemingly absorbed into his body quicker than he could react.
And it was loud.
Like a thundering, repetitive booming noise that sounded in his head constantly. It was difficult to describe what the sound was like. All he knew was that it was loud and infuriating and it made his anger grow. Correspondingly, his anger grew in turn, the energy around him growing stronger and the noise louder in addition to this.
With a roar, he clutched his head in pain trying desperately to block out the sound, but his attempts to silence the noise only seemed to make it louder. As if the very attempts to silence the noise only served to make it louder.
And as it did, his rage grew.
Stronger till the last vestiges of humanity left him and all that remained was a beast.
A beast that roared its entry to the world.
Sunday 6th September, 17:25.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
"Aqualad and Maelstrom!" Most of them exclaimed in shock as soon as Miss Martian helped fix together the broken pieces of their memories over the past half a year.
"Where are they?"
"What happened next?" Robin demanded.
But Miss Martian looked just as confused as they were. "I don't know! That's the last thing I-we remember." She rectified.
"Ehh." Both Kid Flash and Artemis let go of each other's hand as quickly as they could. "We landed way over twenty-four hours ago. If Kaldur's been wandering the desert that long, well. That's not good for a guy with gills."
"Now that I know to look for him." Robin pulled up a map. "He's close, but not moving."
"And what about Naruto?" Barbara exclaimed. "If you all remember, Naruto was being experimented on by Cadmus six months ago."
Robin's eyes widened in shock. "Cadmus put him on ice because he nearly destroyed an entire floor and would have gone onto destroy Cadmus and without us there to stop him from losing control..." He let that hang in the air as they all came to terms with what this meant.
This was soon followed by an echoing, animalistic roar.
"That's not good." Wally admitted with a slight gulp.
"Batgirl!" Artemis shouted as the girl in question quickly rushed off in the direction of the roar.
Sunday 6th September, 17:25.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
Panting, Barbara rushed over the sandy, desert floor her gaze focused on where she could hear the sound of explosions. As she grew closer, Barbara could hear the sound of gunshots, see the flashes of light from an explosion and smoke rising up over the large sand dune in front of her.
Reaching it, she started running up.
As she reached the top, Barbara crawled up the last few inches as to make it easier up the steeper part of the dune. Coming to a stop, she overlooked the fight happening below. There were a number of Biaylan soldiers aiming their guns and firing at a large plume of sand, officers screaming for others to move into different positions surrounding whoever was inside and the subject of their assault.
At a further distance, a tank aimed its large turret, just waiting for a moment as the soldiers got into position.
Then, it fired.
It struck something in there, exploding outwards and launching sand and smoke out in all directions once more. For a few moments, Barbara lay there in silence, waiting and watching for any sign of whatever the tank had been hit.
Then a figure burst out from the smoke rushing forwards with smoke wrapped around them clouding them from view.
Whatever it was, it was fast and was moving on all fours.
To Barbara, it seemed to take ages for the smoke wrapped around the figure to disappear. It first revealed what seemed to be a bubbling red cloak, then a single tail formed of the same stuff poking out at the back. Clawed hands that dug into the ground, pulling the figure across the floor at greater speeds, utilising the strength of the arms in conjunction with their legs. However, Barbara noted that where each hand and foot touched the ground, the cloak seemed to boil the sand leaving warped glass in its wake.
In actual fact, it only took a fraction of a second to reach the tank that fired upon them, a roar breaking out from the figures mouth that blasted the smoke off him. The roar itself seemed to also serve as a shockwave, knocking the nearby Bialyan figures off their feet and even sending the tank skidding back a few meters.
Leaping up, the figure revealed to be Naruto landed on the tank with a deep growl and Barbara was left frozen in shock.
Watching as her childhood friend dug his hand into the metal of the turret, the cloak seemingly causing the metal to superheat and melt. With a deep growl, Naruto's strength and the power of his cloak seemed to prove too much for the groaning metal as it was ripped off completely.
Triumphantly, Naruto roared out to the world, holding the tank turret in his hands.
"او را بکش\! (Kill him!)" One of the commanding officers of the Bialyan soldiers cried out, the soldiers behind him firing upon Naruto.
Barbara leapt to her feet, about to shout out for Naruto to move, only to watch in horror as her friend jerked forwards falling down into the tank, no doubt riddled with bullets. "NO!" She screamed, attracting the attention of more than a few soldiers who looked to see Batgirl charging towards them.
Quickly diving to one side, she avoided the initial hail of bullets and rushed to scramble back over the hill as more bullets struck the ground she used to inhabit.
Luckily, she managed to get to cover in time as she thumbed a number of Batarangs and took a quick peek over the edge. Only to suddenly jerk back down when bullets struck the hill, one even whizzing right above her head.
However, she managed to get a good look at where the soldiers were.
Many were approaching her position in a semi-circle formation, guns raised towards her just waiting to fire. Behind them, another two groups were breaking off, no doubt to try and flank her position while another group approached the tank cautiously.
Taking a deep breath, Barbara prepared herself mentally before jumping up and swinging her arm round as hard and as fast as she could. The Batarangs left her fingers and arced through the air towards the soldiers. While this happened, Barbara moved back to hide behind cover almost as soon as the Batarangs left her fingers, before sliding down the hill.
The last thing she wanted to do was to remain a single position, especially when she had been exposed. That was just a suicidal thing to do and considering these soldiers weren't just common thugs and had actual tactics training, remaining in one position would be stupid. No, if she wanted to stay alive and get to Naruto in time to save him, she needed to move to a new, more defensible location before the two flanking forces reached her.
Behind her, Barbara could hear the sound of the Batarangs exploding, the sounds of men crying out as they were caught in the explosion and flung away. They wouldn't be killed, but they would certainly be in a lot of pain.
"او در حال بازگشت است! (He's coming back!)" Hearing the shouting of soldiers, Barbara once again rushed up another dune and took a position to look upon the movement of the Bialyans. They had completely abandoned her, a small squadron still looking around for her, but the vast majority turning back and facing the tank once more, each with guns.
Out from it, a deep rumbling growl could be heard.
A sound that put them all on edge.
A clawed hand gripped hold of the edge of the tank, the metal melting and groaning under the pressure as it clutched at it. There, Naruto rose up from above the tank, his lips pulled back in a snarl, the sharpened fangs that peaked out terrifying even her.
"آتش باز! (Open fire!)" The Captain shouted, the guns firing everything they had upon Naruto,
However, Barbara watched in shock as the bullets upon hitting them seemed to stop and then turn to molten lead even as he jerked back.
Releasing a roar throwing all the incoming bullets back. Naruto then jumped out of the tank and landed with a crash in the middle of a large group of soldiers. The tail at his back whipped round and smacked six soldiers, launching them into the air with a deep, burn mark across their chests.
He then burst forward, claws flashing as he allowed bullets to strike and melt against his cloak. Clawed hands swung round, cutting through bulletproof armour with ease, knocking many back, clutching their chests, and crying out in pain.
The berserk Naruto just tore through an entire unit of men, numbering a hundred with ease. There were still another unit that were moving in and Naruto just focused on them. They, so fearful of the sight before them that they dropped their weapons and ran away, Naruto turning to give chase. But before he could even move onto them, another figure landed on the ground, sand rising up in the air to temporarily cloud them from sight.
Naruto also looked towards the figure, the soldiers around him scrambling away in a rush. The cloud around the figure slowly fading away to reveal a newly rehydrated Aqualad. Pulling his Water bearers and dusting one of the few water bottles he had, he created two blades, his back-leg shifting as he lowered himself into a ready stance.
"Aqualad, be careful." Barbara warned as she slid down the sandy hill to join him. "Whatever that cloak is, it's able to melt solid steel and stop bullets in their tracks."
Nodding his head, Aqualad shifted forwards. "Stay behind me and provide support."
Barbara didn't say anything, instead moving backwards as to allow Aqualad more room. She didn't want to get caught up in the middle of this fight, no she would need stay as far away in order to be of the most use in the coming fight. Getting too close would only result in Aqualad having to protect her and therefore being at a disadvantage.
The Atlantean cautiously moved forwards as Naruto snarled at him, his body lowering as he flexed his claws threateningly. Both of them studied one another closely, one with a calm, analytical gaze and the other, filled with rage and animalistic instinct.
The sight did not dissuade Aqualad and he instead, took another step forwards, testing the grounds of the berserk Naruto's limits. This proved to be the very thing that seemed to push him over the edge as he pushed off the ground and leapt at Aqualad with a roar. Clawed hands outstretching as if to tear apart the Atlantean.
Shifting one of his swords into a mace, he stepped to one side while swinging his arm round, smashing it into the side of Naruto's face. The strike packed enough force behind it to send Naruto straight into the ground though he caught himself on all fours. There, Kaldur struck Naruto's exposed side with a front kick that sent the blonde rolling and skidding across the ground, clawed hands digging into the ground as a means to stop himself.
Rushing forwards, Kaldur met Naruto before he had chance to recover.
The mace shifting back to a sword and struck at Naruto with fast and powerful strikes. His superior sword-skills allowed him to easily keep the wild beast that was Naruto at bay.
As Naruto attempted to come round with a swipe, Kaldur ducked underneath, swinging both swords round into Naruto's exposed stomach and throwing the blond back. He followed after, never giving Naruto time to recover and swung his blades around again and again.
Kaldur had trained extensively in the Atlantean military academy in order to be one of the best warriors in Atlantis. So great were his skills that he had been recognised by his King and given the great honour to join him on the surface world as a hero, to bear the mantle of Aqualad. A great and powerful foe the berserk Naruto might be, but he lacked one key thing that Kaldur had in abundance.
Discipline.
Despite the cloak surrounding Naruto working to keep him free of harm no matter how hard Kaldur hit him or in what place, Kaldur never lost hope. Continuously pushing forwards, his arms a constant blur of motion as he kept the berserk Naruto on the back foot, always being knocked further and further back. Never giving him any breathing room to recover as he constantly closed the distance with long strides.
Yet Kaldur never lost sight of what was going on around him.
His footwork shifting over uneven ground, adjusting as to maintain balance at all times. His gaze following the movement of Naruto's tail and parrying it when the blonde attempted to strike him with it. At the same time, keeping his gaze on Naruto's other limbs and his own.
It was a masterful display of skill and discipline and showed why Kaldur was one of the main powerhouses of their team and widely accepted as a future member of the Justice League.
Stepping forwards, he thrust his blade forwards, Naruto reflexively stepping back just barely avoiding the tip of the blade. Kaldur followed through with an upward swing with his left hand. Naruto once again stepping back to just barely avoid the strike, however he stumbled back off-balance. Seeing this, Kaldur took one large step forwards and with his arms crossed over, then swung them both background in a cutting motion.
The cloak surrounding Naruto acted defensively and almost as if it was alive, it shifted and caught the two water blades.
Grunting, Kaldur strained his arms to try and free his blade.
Just when it seemed he would be able to free them, Naruto's hands wrapped around his wrists holding them in place. Even so, Kaldur attempted to free his hands, ignoring the snarling from the bestial blonde. However, he scrunched his eyes up in pain when he felt his skin start to become hot and irritated.
'Barbara's wrong, it's not boiling hot, it's toxic. Almost like acid.' He thought finally managing to rip his hands free. When he did, Naruto landed a headbutt to Kaldur's face, the Atlantean stumbling back with a grunt and blood dribbling from his bust nose.
Not done there, Naruto pulled one hand back and landed a devastating uppercut that lifted Kaldur off the ground. Jumping after him, he grabbed Kaldur by his ankles and swung him down, cratering the ground with the force behind it.
Landing in a crouch, Naruto gripped hold of the dazed Atlantean by the neck, lifting him into the air. With a snarl of victory, he landed another blow to Kaldur's chest, the air displacing before he was sent flying back. His body spun through the air rapidly before slamming into the sand dune behind him causing it to explode outwards.
Before Naruto could continue, numerous Batarangs flew towards him, each one exploding upon impact.
Barbara looked at him from where she was stood, arm outstretched as she watched Naruto step out of the smoke unharmed. A deep growl emanating from his chest as the cloak around him bubbled furiously, a second lump forming and growing at the base of his spine. The lump stretching out and growing into a tail that angrily waved behind him.
Seeing his attention fully on her, Barbara slowly shifted backwards.
It was this movement that triggered Naruto to release a powerful roar. Much like before with the tank, it seemed to be similar to that of a concussive force however it was entirely different than last time. Far more powerful that when it struck her, the force picked her off her feet and launched her through the air.
Landing with grunt, the wind rushing from her lungs, Barbara rolled across the ground before she came to a stop. Laying there, she twisted her sore body round to see Naruto falling down from the sky towards her and she scrambled to get out of the way, just barely doing so.
Even then, when Naruto landed, the ground cracked, and the force blew her away a little further.
Naruto gave chase once and this time, there was no way for Barbara to avoid it in time. So, she prepared to defend herself in a close quarter's situation, one she had hoped to avoid entirely.
Only for Kaldur to arrive, tackling Naruto to the ground.
The two separating as they landed on the sand and rolling apart.
"Batgirl, get out of here. His cloak, it's toxic." Barbara took note of the red handprints on Kaldur's wrist and upon seeing this, took his words to heart. Quickly turning around and running once again put as much distance as she could between them while still remaining in range.
Seeing her go, Naruto went to give chase, his animalistic mind still remembering her attack on him and desiring revenge. Only for Kaldur to rush forwards and shoulder barge him with enough force to knock him back, Naruto flipping through the air and digging his tails into the ground. Then, almost like a slingshot, launched himself back at his opponent once more.
Kaldur while shocked, had good enough reflexes that allowed him to avoid the tackle, instead turning to see Naruto dig his hands and feet into the ground creating trenches as he did so. Aqualad quickly twisted his lead foot, spinning round in order to attack Naruto when he was exposed.
Only to be surprised as Naruto seemingly stopped himself, turned around and closed the distance between them at speeds far surpassing anything he had shown before. 'He's gotten much faster.' Kaldur parried a blow to one side and leaned back to avoid a roundhouse kick. His legs suddenly being swept out from underneath him by Naruto's tails.
Laid there, Kaldur rolled to one side avoiding the second tail, which created a deep cut along the ground where he once was. However, he had to quickly avoid a punch aimed for his head, the fist slamming into the ground just at the side of his face, numerous deep cracks forming along the ground.
There was a momentary pause, in which both Kaldur and Naruto stared at one another.
Then it was broken by a double footed stomp to Naruto's chest that threw the berserk man back.
Rolling to his feet, Kaldur picked his Water-bearers only to notice that the water had seeped into the sand. Seeing this, Kaldur attached the Water-bearers to his back and raised his fists in preparation.
'He's stronger as well. It seems the tails represent his growth in power.' Kaldur realised, looking upon Naruto with much more wariness. Naruto's powers had always been a point of concern, especially considering how little control he had over them. But the main point of concern shared by many was the fact that none of them knew the upper limits of his strength.
The more his rage grew, the stronger and faster he became.
That was all they knew.
While what Kaldur was seeing reflected that thought, the cloak and the tails proved that they didn't know, nor could they predict everything about his powers. There could be many more abilities that could come about if there were still more too his powers as of yet undiscovered.
Taking a deep breath, Kaldur let magic flow throughout his body, the black eel-like tattoos that ran over his arms and chests glowing blue. Electricity came to life, sparking across his arms and he worked to keep it there as Naruto charged at him.
Parrying the punch to one side, he slid one arm around Naruto's waist. Stepping behind him, Kaldur wrapped his other hand around Naruto's waist, clasping both hands together and with a grunt, lifted Naruto of the ground. Electricity coursing through his body and then into Naruto's causing the once thrashing individual to go tense as he roared in pain.
However, Naruto wasn't the only one struggling with pain.
Kaldur closed his eyes tightly, the skin on his arms and chest stinging as the toxicity of the cloak bypassed his Atlantean physiology that usually was more durable and capable of withstanding toxic substances as if it were nothing.
Barbara watched it unfolding before her eyes unsure of what she could do to help.
Kaldur gritting his teeth in order to ignore the pain of holding Naruto at bay, the cloaks toxic properties burning his skin while Naruto roared out in pain as the electricity coursed through his body. The magical attack seemingly bypassing the defensive cloak.
Eventually, the two dropped to the ground.
Whether it was due to Naruto going limp or simply because Kaldur could not hold on any longer, Barbara did not know. All she could see was that the cloak that had surrounded Naruto was gone, but he was not down for the count.
He was rising to his knees ever so slowly, steam wafting over his body and claws still apparent as he looked up in anger, his blood red eyes locking onto her own. But it seemed that the anger he once had for her was no longer worth anything, instead there was even greater anger surrounding him and Naruto released a powerful roar that shook the very ground upon which she stood on.
The cloak that had disappeared from his body returning in full force, a single tail taking shape followed quickly by a second, and to her horror, a third also began to form.
Dismissing her entirely, the berserk Naruto slowly turned around and looked to Kaldur, the Atlantean having been blown away by the force of Naruto's roar. Despite that, he had gotten to his feet and had shifted into a ready stance, his skin red and blistered from where he had come into contact with the cloak.
His lips pulled back into a snarl, a deep, reverberating growl echoing across the quiet desert as he locked gazes with the calm, Aqualad. Even while being overwhelmed and caught surprised by the strength and ferocity of his foe, Kaldur's mental fortitude stood strong, a testament to the training he had undergone.
However, Barbara knew that this was not a fight Kaldur could win, the board was too stacked against him.
Outside of the desert, Barbara would wager that Kaldur's own physical attributes, while lacking in comparison to Naruto's own enhanced and ever-growing ones, when coupled with his tactical, analytical mind as well as his own skills as a fighter would be able to keep Naruto at bay. However, that would only be the case if he could use his greatest weapon, his water-bearers.
With them gone, Kaldur would be forced to rely upon close quarters combat and against an opponent whose simple touch was deadly, that was too great a risk. Not to mention Kaldur was weakened by the deserts environment that worked against his own natural physiology.
Kaldur was at a great disadvantage, one that grew worse as the fight progressed.
Looking into her utility belt, Barbara clicked her teeth in annoyance when she saw that she only had a few Batarangs left. Things were not looking good, she hadn't been able to run support very well, Naruto being too fast and too wild for her to accurately throw her Batarangs without hitting Kaldur.
'We need to buy time till the other can get here.' Wherever Superboy was being held, with Miss Martian, Robin, Kid Flash and Artemis heading to free him, Barbara knew they would succeed. 'Now it's a question on whether we'll be able to do that.'
And that was the crux of the matter.
Could Batgirl and Aqualad keep Naruto busy long enough for reinforcements to arrive? Or would they be defeated before that happened?
A whistling wind blew across the desert as the Barbara and Kaldur stared at the snarling figure of Naruto. His form clads in a bubbling cloak of energy, three tails waving angrily behind him as he flexed his clawed hands. None of them moved, Naruto's bestial mind running purely on instinct, his eyes flickering between the two individuals his instincts recognised as threats.
Kaldur and Barbara on the other hand, were warily remaining standing. Both knew that a single movement on their part could force Naruto to attack and they did not fancy their chances. In any other situation, Kaldur would be more than willing to do so.
His natural, Atlantean physiology gave him superhuman strength, speed, and durability. Yet, it had one very key weakness, heat.
The desert of Bialya was perhaps one of the worst places for him to fight a berserk Naruto, especially with how powerful Naruto had become. The blondes' power had far surpassed Kaldur's own expectations. Without his tails, Kaldur was still comfortably stronger than his friend and leader, even with a single tail, Kaldur was still the stronger of the two, though they're difference in speed was gone.
It was when the second tail formed that Kaldur began to grow worried.
Naruto not only far outstripped him in speed but was also stronger than him as well. Even outside the desert, Kaldur would wager that he may be able to match him, but even then, that was not certain. However, Kaldur was still more than prepared to fight Naruto and confident in his ability to win a fight. Naruto was not sane of mind and was running purely on his instincts, yet that meant he lacked the superior fighting skills that he possessed.
That was why Kaldur was comfortable fighting Naruto even in the desert, even when equal in strength and inferior in speed, the Atlantean was confident that his superior skills would bring him the victory.
But now, with three tails, Kaldur was not so sure.
Even Barbara was wary, she knew that she was far outmatched in the physical department and with the cloak Naruto had acting as a barrier that would prevent her from doing anything. Considering the current limitations, both were unwilling to jump straight into a fight.
And luckily, while running on instincts, Naruto wasn't taking the initiative. If he were sane of mind, he would leap straight into battle and use their current weaknesses against them, but without his mind, Naruto was incapable of doing that. Which worked perfectly for them, it meant that they could continue to stall for time simply by doing nothing.
All they had to was stall for time and wait for the rest of the team to arrive.
"M'gann." Barbara called mentally, hoping that her Martian teammate would be within range to hear her thoughts. But all she received was silence and she couldn't communicate as such to Kaldur without possibly forcing Naruto to move. Something that both wanted to avoid as much as possible. "M'gann."
Again, and again, she called but all she received was nothing.
'Damnit, where are you guys?' Barbara tensed up when she noticed Naruto begin to move, it was a simple act of moving ever so slightly. Raising his body and seeming to almost to notice sense something.
"We're nearly there. Are you and Kaldur okay?" Barbara could almost release a sigh of relief but withheld the need to do so.
"We're okay but be careful. Naruto, he's more powerful than we realised. He's got some kind of cloak that's acidic, even Kaldur's durability couldn't withstand too much exposure and he managed to somehow melt through tank metal with ease. And his physical strength and speed is nothing to scoff at, not even Kaldur can match him now." Barbara informed them.
"I'll make a move, but Superboy, you need to get here quick. I won't be able to hold on for long." As Kaldur said this, he shifted one-foot forwards, the sound of shifting sand alerting Naruto whose head whipped back round to glare at him.
Kaldur took another step forward, clenching his fists as he got into a defensive Atlantean style. He would need to be very careful if he were to hang on long enough, but he was confident that even as weakened as he was, that he could do just that. But he needed to ensure that the rest of the team understood the urgency of the situation that they were in.
Just like he expected, Naruto took this act of provocation and roared. Much like before, the shockwave produced was far stronger than any other and the sand kicked up from forced Kaldur to close his eyes, shifting his footing as he was pushed back by it.
Temporarily blinded, Kaldur was forced to strain his hearing in order to pick out where Naruto was. He did it just in time as he managed to raise his arms up in order to block the punch, but even then, he was unprepared for the amount of power behind the blow. His guard was burst wide open and the fist carried onto slam into his jaw.
With a grunt, Kaldur was flung backwards slamming into the remnants of the tank, sending it skidding backwards before he and it flipped over. Rolling along the ground, Kaldur looked up to see Naruto with his fist pulled back falling towards him, only to hear the sound of an explosion.
That's when a black blur tackled Naruto out of the sky, and they slammed into a nearby sand dune causing it to explode outwards.
"You don't look too good." Wally said, appearing in front of Kaldur instantly, presenting one hand and helping Kaldur to his feet. The speedsters gaze looking upon the red, irritated skin with a look of wonder and shock. "Man, he really got you good."
Before Kaldur could say or do anything, there was another loud bang, followed by the sight of Superboy landing a few feet away from them. A large red mark of raw skin cutting diagonally across his skin as Naruto slowly walked towards them and it was in that moment the rest of the time arrived, each pausing to take stock of the situation.
"Damn, that hurt!" Superboy spat out some sand that had gotten into his mouth as he rubbed his irritated skin.
"This ain't looking good." Artemis pointed out. "He's managed to damage our two big hitters."
"How dangerous is he?" Robin asked to Kaldur only for Naruto to make his move. All three tails whipping out slamming down upon them. M'gann managed to protect herself and Barbara by knocking the tail away with a telepathic push. Artemis, Kaldur and Robin diving away to avoid the second while Kid Flash just ran to the side.
As he did, Kid Flash spun round and rushed to Naruto quicker than the blonde could react and peppered him with a number of blows. Each of them did nothing, seemingly bouncing off the cloak surrounding Naruto.
And as he did, Kid Flash quickly pulled away with a cry, his hands shaking in pain. "Ow, that hurt!"
"KF! Look out!" Artemis cried out but it was too late, one of Naruto's tails spinning round and striking Wally in the abdomen sending him flying back. Seeing this, both Kaldur and Superboy rushed forwards.
"Don't touch him!" Barbara warned mentally. "The cloak, it's acidic!"
"Great, we can't even touch him." Robin snarked.
"We don't need to." Barbara shot back, turning to Miss Martian as she did. "Miss Martian, you need to hold him in place as long as you can, I've got a plan."
Nervously, M'gann nodded her head and flew up into the air, her eyes glowing green, both hands extending outwards towards Naruto. Pulling one arm back, Kaldur and Superboy were pulled away from Naruto, both sporting rawer skin as they were. At the same time, the fingers on her other hand strained as they curled slightly, her arm shaking as she struggled to hold Naruto in place.
Even with Kaldur and Superboy in safety and she focused her full effort on holding Naruto in place, she struggled greatly. He was fighting her every step of the way and to her and everyone else's shock, Naruto was slowly moving forward.
"I can't hold him forever!"
"What's your plan?" Robin asked, Artemis, Kid Flash, Superbad and Aqualad coming to her side.
"Artemis, switch to exploding arrows, Robin me and you need Batarangs. Switch them to full blast." Robin hesitated slightly but nodded his head. "Aqualad, I'm gonna need you to charge up as much electricity as possible, you're gonna hit him full blast. Superboy, Kid Flash, I want you to stand guard. If Naruto breaks free from M'gann before Aqualad's ready, then I'm not sure this will work."
All of them looked to see Naruto ever so slowly shifting towards them, an angry snarl upon his bestial face. Each of them taking note of the red cloak becoming darker and darker in its shade, the bubbles becoming more aggressive and frequent. Yet most horrifyingly of all, they watched patches of his skin seemingly melting away revealing glowing, pulsing veins. As horrifying as it was, it was a sign to them that there was more to come and if they didn't end this now then they might never win.
"His cloak is a defensive measure, but it has its limits." Barbara continued. "When Kaldur first hit him with lightning, it disappeared momentarily. But it didn't put him out for good and that was with two tails. We'll hit him first with as much firepower as we can, he'll survive as even a single tail could withstand a tank shell, but it should weaken the cloak long enough for Kaldur to blast him fully. When he does, we need to take him out in that singular moment."
The five of them nodded their heads and got into position.
Superboy and Kid Flash taking the front, the former spreading his legs into a wider stance with his fists raised like a boxer. Kid Flash in turn leaning forwards almost like a runner, his back foot further back as he dug the balls of his feet into the sand to find better purchase from which to push off.
Flanking them and a little ways back was Batgirl and Robin, both with a handful of Batarangs ready. And further behind them was Artemis and Kaldur. The former had already nocked three arrows, each with large metallic arrowheads packed with explosives while Aqualad seemed to be clad in lighting. His eyes closed in concentration as his tattoo's glowed a brilliant blue.
"I can't hold on much longer! I'm sorry!" Miss Martian apologised loudly; her voice shaky with the sheer amount of strain she was under. It was a stark reminder to her that as strong as she had become, there was still much for her to improve upon.
"It's alright, just a bit longer." Barbara replied as she took a deep breath, her gaze focused on Naruto's as he continued to force himself forwards. The bubbling of his cloak becoming more furious, she just knew that something was going to happen soon and that was probably another tail. She just had this feeling of dread fill her at the thought, if the growth of his power was in keeping with the leaps of strength speed from the other tails, then they'd stand no chance.
But in that moment, another powerful roar ripped from Naruto's throat. Comparing the previous roar from before to this one was...impossible. The difference in power behind it was incomparable.
The previous one had been a taster, nothing more than a cheap fake.
This was the real deal and all around them ground shook and cracked open.
Each of them, reflexively covered themselves. Even Kaldur who had been gathering magic was broken from his concentration, all the accumulated magic dispersing in an instant as a large concussive force struck him with the force of a freight train.
"It's gone! I'm gonna need more time!" He called over the radio much to the discontent of everyone.
But Superboy just huffed, clenching his fists as he listened out for movement. And as he did, he suddenly spun round and slammed his fist into Naruto's face when he burst from the sand in an attempt to attack the unprepared Kid Flash. The punch released a shockwave of its own the dispersed the nearby sand cloud and flung Naruto backwards.
"T-thanks." Wally stuttered having been terrified when he saw Naruto burst from the cloud. The feeling of terror he felt back in Cadmus coming back in full force.
"You need more time, right?" Superboy called as he watched Naruto finally land on the ground, bouncing and rolling along it before coming to a stop with a skid. "Then I'll give it you, just don't take too long. I'm not fancying my chances with that cloak of his."
And that was the truth.
Much like back in Cadmus, Superboy's natural durability was practically useless in the face of Naruto's powers. Before it was the claws that cut through his skin as if he were a human and now it was the cloak. The acidic and toxic properties being incredibly deadly to him.
As he charged forwards, he met Naruto's charge head on, but instead of grappling with him, Superboy instead used the footwork he had learned from Black Canary. Ducking and weaving around Naruto's swipes, avoiding the claws that he knew that could cut him as well as avoiding the tails that had already damaged him in the first scuffle.
And after a few seconds that felt like minutes, Superboy began to get into a rhythm, finding himself being able to avoid the strikes more easily. So much so that he began to respond in kind.
Ducking under one claw swipe, Superboy threw a hook that struck Naruto in the side. It didn't send him flying, it didn't have the necessary power behind it to do that, but it did stall him long enough for Superboy to land a few follow up strikes. Only to have once again to begin dodging the tails that nearly took his head off.
The two danced around one another then, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse.
But in this equation, the mouse was fighting back and winning.
If this had been months ago, back when Superboy first got out of Cadmus he'd have probably being overwhelmed. Sure, he was the more powerful of the two, but he lacked fighting experience. This would have been the deciding difference as Naruto's superior speed was circumvented by the fact that Superboy actually knew how to fight.
As a result, Naruto despite constantly being the aggressor, was unable to actually land anything more than a glancing blow.
A powerful uppercut to his sternum caused Naruto to curl around Superboy's fist, his mouth opening in a pained gasp. But Superboy was unable to fully follow through with the strike, the cloak already working to erode away at his skin and so, he quickly withdrew and slammed a right cross into the blondes jaw to send him flying backwards.
Right towards Kid Flash who much like over the course of this entire fight had been occasionally rushing into shoulder barge Naruto. The superior armour on his shoulders worked well to protect his skin unlike his hands, but even so, it was obvious to see that the suit had been damaged despite only having momentary contact here and there, most of the shoulders pads entirely gone.
"Right, I'm done!" Kaldur called.
"Thank god!" Wally cried in relief, rubbing the skin on irritated shoulder.
Miss Martian herself reached out with her telekinesis and pulled Naruto towards where she stood, right between Batgirl, Artemis, Robin and Aqualad. Without actually having a proper foothold, Naruto couldn't put up any actual resistance and so M'gann was able to easily pull him towards her.
And as he landed at her feet, she flew up into the air.
It was in that moment that dozens of Batarangs and three arrows slammed into the kneeling figure of Naruto while Kaldur rushed in. He ignored the heat, instead focusing on keeping the magic stored within him as he rushed towards Naruto.
Much like before, he wrapped both hands around Naruto's waist, ensuring that the blondes' arms were locked down by his side. And again, the two were stuck in the same position, Kaldur holding on as long as possible while funnelling his magic into Naruto's body. The lightning coursing throughout the blondes' body causing him to roar out in pain. Kaldur in turn holding on for as long as possible.
But like before, it eventually became too much and Kaldur let go, both he and Naruto dropping to the ground. Yet, unlike before there were more people around and now, with his cloak entirely gone, Kid Flash rushed forwards and slammed his right fist into Naruto's temple.
The kinetic energy gathered from his run added extra force to his strike and so, Naruto collapsed to the ground unconscious.
And all the while the team remained silent, each thankful that it was all over with.
So here we are, another chapter done, it started off a little rocky, but I think I did a good job towards the end. Hopefully, I also did a good job of showing how dangerous Naruto is as a berserker, while also showing that Aqualad isn't as weak as you all think he is. A lot of people seem to underestimate just how powerful Aqualad and Atlanteans are in general.
They're not weak.
They exist at the very depths of the oceans and are exposed to quite frankly, insane amounts of pressure, their bodies are incredibly durable, strong, and fast. I mean look at Aquaman, sure he's not on the level of top tier heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, Shazam, etc, but every time he's fought against those guys, he's given an incredibly good showing. He's shown strength capable of matching those heroes for a short time and is by no means week.
Aqualad isn't on that level true, but he's still an Atlantean and incredibly strong. Let me put it this way for you, Aqualad (weakened by heat) berserk 2 tails Naruto Aqualad (fully recovered and not in desert) 3 tails Naruto. That's how it goes and that's not me nerfing Naruto as you might believe, but me acknowledging just how strong Aqualad actually is. Superboy himself is stronger than 3 tails Naruto but weaker than 4 tails. Aqualad has on a number of occasions has beaten and fought Superboy to a standstill.
Sure, his feats are limited by the confines of animation and so on, but if you look at it how it is, he's not weak. Sorry if I'm rambling, just want to get this out of that way now and hopefully limit the number of reviews asking the same thing.
Now, onto the questions:
Yakuza2010: Yeah, it always confused me as to why, but then that's just part of his character I guess. Don't think he was probably ever exposed to magic before that and just believed it was made up, he's more than likely the type that has to see it to believe it. Yes, Vandal Savage does know and while Naruto won't be encouraged per say, he will strike out on his own eventually.
LightninXX: Still not sure what to do with Otsutsuki, I think I might make mention of them, but I doubt I'll ever properly introduce them. The DC universe is big enough as it is without introducing the mess that is the Otsutsuki clan.
WalkerFRD: Yes, he will have control over the elements through magic. As for Kyuubi's gift, in canon I think that instead of providing him abilities, it enhances everything that was already there to a level other Jinchuuriki can't match. Incredible chakra reserves, stamina, healing so on so forth. You'll notice that when Naruto received the serum, he doesn't get any unique abilities like Slade or Rose and that's because of a similar principle to what I just said. The serum didn't provide any abilities, but instead worked in conjunction with his powers and enhanced everything that was already there to a level above what Slade and Rose can have.
Don't worry, I won't be including a huge amount of Naruto characters and most won't be around for very long. Some will be around longer than others, but most will be for one arc, if not simply a passing mention. There's a lot of people and villains in DC that introducing too many Naruto characters would leave me bogged down.
Sultan Asil Arslan: There's a possibility, yes. But in DC more often than not, it's not the good guys doing something like that, but the bad guys. That mentality is deeply engrained into all characters in this universe. And while yes, I'm going against the church, I don't actually have anything against it. I don't like any religion, I think it can do good things, but it's also being used to justify some truly horrifying acts. The Uzumaki clan was one of the examples of the latter.
SandaKagami: Yeah, the Uzumaki clan are cool, plus they're the ones that are most suitable to be Jinchuuriki in the Narutoverse so I thought that having them be Demon Hunters would be a good way to incorporate them into the story. But there's still more to come, much more. As for rogue Uzumaki? Can't confirm nor deny because I'm not overly certain yet. I'm trying to decide where to draw the line on introducing characters from Naruto, don't want to introduce too many or too few. But yes, Naruto will be learning some Uzumaki techniques in the future, though they may not be strictly from canon. But I'll definitely give your suggestion a look.
tamagat: Don't worry, I understand, and this is where Naruto's progression starts to pick up. The reason it's been so slow is because he's basically been wandering around in the dark and after gaining some modicum of control over his tailless state, he kind of reached a plateau. This chapter, he's just broken through that threefold.
Vizard890: Yes, he does.
Vongola Ninja: Yep, a big wake up call to Wally that he desperately needed. This is where things in the team really start to shift and change when it comes to their synergy and teamwork. As for Naruto, there's a lot of possibilities and to be honest, he's barely scratched the surface of what he can do with them at this point in time. As for Raven, yes, she will find someone to confide in with Naruto.
I'm thinking of a brother-sister kind of bond, but I might just settle with a kind of mentor-student relationship at most. It all depends on how it unfolds because often these characters write themselves if you know what I mean. Naruto and Barbara were meant to get together at the end of the Court of Owls Arc, but look how that turned out?
7hanatos: Yes, it is.
Yohnos: Yes he did, Barbara's rant served as quite the humiliation for him and his meeting with Kent Nelson helped changed things. Sometimes, punishment isn't necessary when they've already become aware of their failings as that alone, can be punishment enough. But Wally will be going through big changes.
Bladewolf101: Oh god no, that was just awful. I hated that scene; it just didn't make sense in any way to me. And Naruto and Barbara will take a few more chapters, but it will be happening soon, that I promise you.
Anyway, hope that cleared up any questions you might have had and if not please, let me know.