Injustice: The Path to Hell.
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter X – New Goal.
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
"Other Speech variants."
Location/Time.
Thursday 23rd October, 16:40.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
Leaning back into the chair, Naruto looked to the older woman sat across from him. Dinah Lance, the Black Canary sat comfortably with one leg crossed over the other and a gentle, comforting smile on her face.
The room itself was quiet, not too much light that it became blinding, but enough that it felt cosey. Every little bit was done to put him at ease, but Naruto found that he still felt uncomfortable. The simulation that the team had undergone had ended nearly a week ago and things had become tense to say the least. Nearly the entire team had been 'killed' except for Miss Martian who the team had later came to learn was the cause for what had been a training simulation to become their new reality.
The simulations changes was all down to the trauma and realism of Artemis' death that in the heat of the moment, resulted in M'ganns telepathic powers going out of control. She overpowered Martian Manhunter and took control of the simulation.
'I always knew something was off, why couldn't I figure it out? Are her powers that great?' And the answer to that was something that the Justice League had kept secret from the team, but it was obvious to them all. M'gann's powers were greater than any of them had ever realised or could have ever grasped.
This information along with what had happened in the simulation had created a lot of problems amongst the team. M'gann had all but withdrawn within herself, blaming everything that happened on what she had done. Many had blamed their own weaknesses for what happened, and some had looked to him.
Naruto understood why.
He blamed himself as well so he could understand the reason they too blamed him. As the leader, he was responsible for the safety of his teammates and he had failed in that duty. And lives were lost as a result of his failure.
That was something he couldn't forgive himself for.
Even if it was just a simulation, M'ganns power had made it all too real. Everything about it, even seeing them die and all the feelings that came with it, it had all been real, too real. But it should have been obvious, in the beginning, when the Justice League had been killed, they had felt nothing. Just looking back on it now, the answers they were looking for were right there. It was all there, right in front of their eyes, but everything else, the realism of the simulation made them unable to focus on those aspects.
Just being there, in the middle of an alien invasion and being the last heroes left had been so overwhelming that they had been unable to focus on anything else. Naruto had forgotten why he was so confused and was lost in the simulation, just like everyone else.
"How are you feeling?" Dinah eventually asked.
"We've been doing this for the last few days. My answers not changed." Naruto replied shortly, Dinah just continuing to smile while his lips twisted into a frown. "Why are we still doing this? I've killed people before. I've looked in their eyes as they die. I've had nightmares about it, still do. That doesn't go, you just get used to it. So, when I tell you I'm fine and that I can deal with it, I'm telling you the truth. We don't need to keep doing this, it's a waste of both our times and there are more important things we could be doing."
"Like what exactly?" Dinah asked. "You may think that you're fine, but what about your team. Are they fine? Can you confidently say that M'gann could go out in the field again? That Wally could? Artemis?"
Naruto's frown deepened at this, looking directly into the older heroines eyes. "What's your point?"
"What's yours?" This made Naruto chuckle, though it was more sardonic than one of actual amusement.
"Is this what it's going to be?" He indicated to the two of them. "You answering a question with a question 'cos if so, I'm done here." Naruto went to stand up and Dinah just shook her head. This made him pause slightly and wait to let her finish.
"Not if it has to be. You don't want to open up about what happened in the simulation?" She asked rhetorically. "That's fine, we don't have to. I can't force you to speak about something you're unwilling to divulge, so I won't. Is there anything you are willing to talk about?"
Naruto paused, hesitating as his mind returned to what happened during the simulation, more specifically, at the end. The sudden act of awakening in that sewer, he knew that it meant he had been struck by those beams. But perhaps, simply 'dying' would have been better because now, he was left with so many questions.
Who was it behind those bars?
Why were they behind those bars?
Why did they look alike?
So many more questions and he had no answers to give him peace of mind. It was like every time he found some answers, he never seemed to find an end. Every question he had symbolised a door, every answer the key, but behind every door, there were only more doors waiting to be opened. And finding a key was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
It was frustrating to say the least, much like everything else in his life recently.
"No, I'm good," Naruto said, getting out of his seat and leaving the room.
Thursday 23rd October, 16:55
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
"What are you doing?" Turning to his left, Naruto saw Barbara stood in the doorway with a frown upon her face. He then looked down to the duffle bag he had on his bed, it filled with clothes and other stuff collected from around his room. "Are you leaving?"
Naruto hesitated momentarily before nodding. "Yeah, I'm leaving."
"Why?" Barbara asked, stepping into his room and Naruto went back to putting the last few bits of his clothing into the duffle bag before zipping it up.
"Because I can't be here anymore."
"That's bullshit."
"Is it?" Naruto posed; Barbara paused. "There's a lot of blame going around about what happened in the simulation and a lot of it is directed towards me. I don't blame them for that, hell I understand it cos I'm blaming myself also. I'm a leader and when the chips are down, I'm the one that's meant to lead our team and save them. And when it counted, I wasn't strong enough to save any of you, I need to control my powers. I can't do that here."
"So, you're leaving?" Barbara frowned sadly, clutching one arm with a tight grip.
"Yeah," Naruto responded, pulling his duffle bag over his shoulder. "I think I need some time to just focus on my powers. But I want you to know that if you or the team need me, I'll be in Gotham so, never hesitate to ask."
Despite that Barbara still couldn't help but feel saddened by him leaving. She could understand why, but couldn't he do that here? Couldn't he keep being part of the team and learn to control his powers? Keep going to visit Jason Blood and still leading the team?
Couldn't he stay here with her?
"I don't want you to go." She spoke up. "You've been leading us since the beginning. Kaldur, he's a good man, a strong and capable leader. But you didn't see what it was like when you weren't here. He can't take control as you can."
It was not the complete truth, Kaldur had improved massively, not only as a fighter but as a leader. When Naruto had been distracted over the past few weeks, it was Kaldur that had taken command and he had done so with great skill. But Barbara just didn't want Naruto to leave the team or leave her.
These past few months had been some of the most enjoyable moments, it was almost like she and Naruto were back to how they used to be. Like their relationship hadn't broken down, like she hadn't been Batgirl or he Black Mask, just two childhood friends once more.
She didn't want that to change, and she was afraid that the moment he left the team, that's exactly what would happen.
"I'm not going forever," Naruto told her. "I just think I need to spend some time just purely dedicated to training. Who knows, maybe I'll come back once I'm done. Besides, you'll be alright, with you and Robin at his side, Kaldur will be more than capable of leading this team."
"You're ignoring the point! I don't want you to leave! Me!" She stressed angrily. Was it selfish? Yes, but right now, she didn't care.
Naruto smiled as he crossed the distance between them, cupping her cheeks in his hands. "I know and I'm sorry, but this is something I have to do." Barbara's frown twisted deeper, eyes closing only for them to shoot open in shock when she felt his lips press against hers.
It was just a small, fleeting meeting of lips, almost chaste. But one that left her rooted to where she stood in shock. "Wanted to do that for a long time." He muttered; Barbara unable to respond and before she could, he walked past her with one last murmured, "Sorry."
Thursday 23rd October, 18:30.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.
With a sigh, Naruto downed the last of his drink before slamming the empty glass frustratedly down on the raggedy wooden bar. He had arrived in Gotham around an hour ago, maybe more and had headed straight to a nearby bar in the East End. While the legal drinking age in America being twenty-one, much like always in Gotham, especially in the East End, they were more like guidelines.
In bars in this area, so long as you were a paying customer, it didn't matter how old you were.
Naruto had made his way here as soon as he arrived and had since been drinking. He didn't know why, maybe it was just a need to have a good drink or maybe to get drunk, Naruto didn't know.
All he did find out was that the serum stopped him from getting drunk.
He'd started with a few pints of beer and there had been nothing. No buzz like when he had previously drunk, no light flush or anything of the sort. So, then he had moved onto various spirits and again, nothing.
He had drunk enough that even the bartender and the various customers around the room were looking at him in shock. And Naruto kept calling for more and still, not even a flush. There was nothing and it was frustrating. The serum had given him strength, had made him strong and yet now, it rid him of the ability to get drunk.
The healing factor that came with his serum, targeted anything that was damaging to his body, not only injuries but poisons and while some could affect him, those were far and few between. And alcohol is a poison, a drug and therefore, a target of his healing factor and no matter how much or how quickly he drank, his body defeated it quicker than it could take hold.
Pulling out his wallet, Naruto placed fifty dollars down on the bar and leaned over, picking up the remainder of the whiskey bottle and then grabbing hold of his duffle bag. Pulling it over his shoulder, Naruto took a large swig from the bottle and made his way out of the pub.
"He's leaving." Not even pausing, Naruto looked out of the corner of his eyes, his hearing focusing upon the sound of footsteps following behind him.
'Gotham hasn't changed at all.' He thought, continuing to make his way down the street, his pursuers following behind him from a distance. It was a dog-eat-dog world in Gotham, if you were weak, attach yourself to the strong. And if you were strong, target the weak. It was the only way to survive in Gotham, especially in the East End. You had to make a name for yourself or you would become a target and the easiest way to make a name for yourself was to target the weak.
But in turn that put a target on your back. No one said Gotham was an easy place and that's why it attracted the worst kinds of people.
Spying an alleyway a little further ahead, Naruto turned down it, his pursuers following him. "What?! Where the fuck did he go?!" One cried out as they turned down the alley to find their target gone.
"He was right here!"
'Idiots.' Naruto scoffed as he looked down at them from the windowsill he was sat upon. All the thugs had to do was look up and they'd see him, but as Naruto had learned, they rarely looked up. Which was silly to him considering Batman was a fan of the high ground and using gravity to aid him in dealing a devastating strike that could even cause Killer Croc to stumble.
It was then, in his peripheral visions that he picked up a blur of white, red and blue drop to the ground and Naruto turned to see two figures, climbing down the fire escapes. Both were dressed in full-body, white suit with some sort of cape, but whereas the larger built of the two had red highlights, the smaller one had blue. They were both well-built and they were both entirely focused on the thugs below.
'Who are these guys?' He questioned, looking upon it all in interest.
They were amateurs, that was for sure. Their skills in the fighting were basic, more brawlers than anything else, much like he was when starting as a Black Hood. But they worked well together and seemed to have some sorts of powers. They hit harder and moved faster than a normal human, about equal to him with his serum.
'Still, it's pretty impressive.' Rising to his feet, balancing on the small ledge, Naruto jumped up landing on the roof of the next building and spared one final glance down at the two vigilantes below. They were just finishing off the last few of the dozen thugs that had come to mug him. They wouldn't need his help and seemed more than able to handle themselves.
Confident in this, Naruto continued to make his way through Gotham City.
Thursday 23rd October, 18:50.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Naruto was in no real rush to get anywhere, he'd already got a room sorted out with Jason Blood the moment he started training with him over a month ago, Jason had left his home open providing him with a room to stay in whenever he comes to Gotham. So, with a room to sleep in, Naruto took the time to just wander the streets.
Whenever he had come to Gotham after joining the team, it was usually a matter of coming to see Jim or heading straight to Jason's home. He hadn't spent time just wandering the streets like he used to.
One thing he had learned was that things were only just slightly better than they were before becoming Black Hood. And worse than when he finally hung up the mantle and began training under Deathstroke. The criminals had risen through the cracks he had forced them into, yet they weren't the same as they used to be. Numerous they maybe, but there seemed to be some measure of caution to them, like they knew that if they did something or pushed someone too far, then they could have another Black Hood on their hands.
But despite that knowledge hanging over their heads, the criminal element was like a root. It had burrowed itself deep into the soil of Gotham, it was part of its foundations and while you may be able to get rid of the poison flower that blossomed, the roots were still there, and the flower would always grow once more.
"Naruto." The young man in question turned to see Kaldur, dressed in casual clothing walking towards him. He was dressed in loose, casual clothing, hands in the pocket of his jacket and a small smile on his lips.
"Kaldur." He came to a stop, fully turning and greeting his friend. "What are you doing here?"
"Could ask you the same thing." Kaldur returned as they began walking down the streets. "Barbara tells me that you're leaving the team. Why didn't you tell us?"
Naruto exhaled. "To be completely honest, I guess I'm just not used to it yet. My whole life, it's just been Barbara and Jim, whenever I had to do something I only ever had to tell them. It's strange having more people to tell. Just not used to it yet, I guess."
Kaldur didn't answer right away and the two continued to walk down the street in silence. "Is it something you want?" He eventually asked.
"No," Naruto answered simply and quickly, understanding what Kaldur was hinting towards. "A lot in the team blame me, even knowing the simulation wasn't real, it felt real. Me being around them is just a constant reminder of that. So, I'm taking this chance to dedicate myself completely to training and discovering what I want to do with myself. It's not something I want to do, it's something I need to do."
"You always planned to leave at some point, didn't you?" Kaldur asked and Naruto nodded his head.
"Being part of the team, it was always temporary. I just never really expected me to enjoy being part of it so much." Naruto admitted. "That's why I need to take this time, not only to give the team time to come to terms with what happens but to get stronger. One thing I've learned is that there are always people stronger and if I'm gonna protect you guys like I failed to do in the simulation, then I need to get stronger. That's what I'm dedicating myself too now."
Kaldur was silent, coming to terms with what Naruto was telling him.
"I'm not saying this is permanent, I've enjoyed my time with the team, and I'd like to return someday. But this is something I need to do and if the team is ever in need of my help, I'll be there."
"Then I guess, this is a temporary goodbye," Kaldur responded. "Good luck, my friend."
"You too," Naruto responded, shaking hands with Kaldur.
Thursday 23rd October, 19:30.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
"So, you want to dedicate yourself to training your powers.?" Jason asked, sipping lightly on his tea as he looked across to Naruto.
"Yes and no," Naruto answered causing his mentor to pause. "Yes, I want to dedicate myself to training. But it's not purely on my powers. I realise that I've spent all this time just focusing on them that I've been neglecting my skills. They've stagnated and I don't want to rely purely on my powers anymore."
Jason paused momentarily. "I see." He took another long pause, sipping from his tea as he stared at Naruto curiously, almost making the young man uncomfortable due to the scrutiny he came under.
"What?"
"Naruto, I'm not going to lie and say that I understand you perfectly, because I don't. But I know when you're lying. What's the real reason you don't want to focus upon your powers?" It was Naruto that paused this time, hesitant in answering. "I can only help you as much as you're willing to help yourself. And by lying to yourself, withholding information like this, it means the help I'm capable of providing you is limited. So please, tell me the real reason why you don't want to focus purely on your powers."
Naruto didn't answer right away, eyes flickering around the room before landing on his hands. And as he did, his mind began to think back to what happened in the sewer when coming face-to-face with his doppelgänger.
{Flashback Begins}
"I just wanted to get a good look at you." The figure taunted and Naruto suddenly pulled away, jerking his hand free. But the only reason he was able to be due to the figure also releasing his hand. With no resistance, Naruto fell back and collapsed into the murky water below.
This served to make the figure laugh uproariously. "W-what the hell are you?"
"Who knows." The figure mocked. "Why don't you open the cage and find out."
Despite his earlier shock, Naruto calmed himself, slowly rising to his feet and glaring at the figure. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Yes." It replied bluntly. "I know you; I know what you are better than you do and ever will because you keep your eyes closed whereas mine are open. You will never know the truth of what's to come." Naruto clenched his fists and the figure moved forwards, hands wrapping around the bars and claws digging into it. "Come on, don't you want to hit me. All you have to do is come into the cage and you can beat me."
Taking a calming breath, Naruto let his fists unfurl much to the disappointment of the doppelgänger. "Nah, I'm good."
"What a disappointment." The figure scoffed. "Oh well, there's always next time our time's almost up. So, I think I'll give you a parting gift. Come a little closer and take my hand once more, I'll show you what your future holds."
Naruto stared at it in confusion, but curiosity took hold of him and despite his better judgement, Naruto moved forwards.
"Remember, so long as the cage is closed, I can't hurt you. So, there's no need to worry," the doppelgänger smirked. "For now." And it laughed, and laughed, and laughed. As if it told a joke that only it understands, which it did.
Reaching out, Naruto took the doppelgängers hand.
Gasping out, Naruto burst out from under the pile of rubble and debris in which he had been buried beneath. As he looked around, everything was surreal, almost impossible, a nightmare. From the ashen ground to the black clouds that hung overhead, plunging the world into darkness. His senses were being overwhelmed. All he could see was the ominous glowing fires where a city once stood proudly, the smell of death and decay, the feel of blistering heat, the taste of ash and the sound of deafening and haunting silence.
Slowly, as he pushed himself up, he heard a crunch and snap and suddenly he fell to his side as whatever his hand was braced against broke. Reflexively, he looked down and gasped out as he saw that it wasn't rubble he was braced against, but bones.
And as he looked around, tearing his gaze away from the sky and truly looking at his surroundings, Naruto realised that everywhere he looked, was a field of bones. Scrambling to his feet, Naruto charged up a nearby mountain of bones in an attempt to find out what was going on or where he was.
Only to freeze when he looked down upon the sight that greeted him on the other side.
The field was littered with creatures of all kind, like Demons from Hell, each cheering and chanting. Feasting upon bodies, torturing people and dead in the centre, upon a mountain of corpses, was a throne.
A throne surrounded by bodies, figures of power and influence.
Heroes.
Bodies belonging to Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Martian Manhunter. But the ones that stood out to him the most were the ones belonging to his friends and teammates. Kaldur, Connor, M'gann, Dick, Artemis, Wally and Barbara. Each of them lay, unmoving and dead at the foot of the figure sat upon the throne.
Nine tails laid out along the ground, slowly rose, clawed hands digging into the throne and red eyes that glared out across the land before stopping on him. Then, the figure smirked, his face twisting into that of a savage beast.
Suddenly, Naruto sat upright with a heaving chest, body coated in sweat as he found himself in Mount Justice. Slowly he ran one hand through his hair, eyes wide as he tried to come to terms with what he saw.
'They were me.' He thought to himself. 'They were both me.'
{Flashback End}
"Because I'm afraid," Naruto answered as he clenched his fists, while Jason listened to this confession silently. "I'm afraid of what I'll become if I don't do this."
Friday 24th October, 16:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Cracking his neck, Naruto leaned back with a sigh into the sofa as he flicked through the channels on the TV. His body was slightly aching from his earlier training with Jason Blood, but it wasn't as bad as it had been. Jason had cut it short by almost four hours, explaining that he was heading out to meet with an old friend.
Instead of staying in Jason's home, Naruto had instead gone out to meet Barbara, it was only around halfway on the way to the phone booth acting as the Zeta-Tube between Gotham and Mount Justice when he realised that Barbara was still in school. So, he had dropped her a text, rung up Jim and then made his way to the Gordon household using the spare key he had been given. He had been here for around two and a half hours in which he had spent just relaxing.
"Naruto, you here?" He heard Barbara call as she pushed open the door, stepping inside to her home.
"Yeah, in the living room." He called back, turning his head to see Barbara, clad in her school uniform peeking her head around.
"Just gonna get changed." She told him, flashing a smile before heading up.
Turning back, he listened to G. Gordon Godfrey lampoon the Justice League once more. Despite their actions in defeating the plant monsters that had been controlled by the Injustice League, they were still facing backlash from the destruction that had been caused before the League intervened. It was a joke, but Godfrey had charisma and he knew exactly how to manipulate people to his viewpoint.
It's why he had become such a popular reporter and incredibly successful. Nearly all news stations presented heroes in a good light, but not Godfrey. He targeted them and people listened because it was different to every other media station.
Heroes were accepted and tolerated by governments because they did the job of their police force for them, free of charge. It meant that police forces had been cut down to the absolute bare minimum in all cities except for Gotham. As a result, news stations that worked for one political party or another, kept the image of heroes positive because it served their political viewpoints perfectly.
However, GBS news and Godfrey went against that act.
As much as he didn't like him, Naruto did find his ranting amusing and informative. He didn't skimp on details and he presented facts as they were. Was he against twisting facts to suit him? No, he just like any news presenter would twist facts to suit him, but he rarely did so as he preferred to present the truth in a way others would twist. He just said things that most people knew but tended to ignore in favour of maintaining the perfect image of heroes that they had built up in their minds.
It was what made him equal parts interesting and annoying to listen to.
"What you watching?" Barbara asked, collapsing onto the sofa beside him, turning to look at the adverts playing on.
"Godfrey." He answered and her face twisted into a slight frown. She was never much of a fan of his, especially not with the constant attacks he directed towards heroes and even her alter ego was not safe from him. It was his words that started the rumour of her and Batman having a more explicit and intimate relationship than many had thought.
He hadn't outright said it like that, but his words had directed people to that conclusion. "He's an asshole."
Naruto began chuckling at her words. "Yeah, ain't that the truth." He nodded in agreement before pausing. "Quick question, do you know anything about the two new heroes that have been going around in Gotham. They wear, white with one having blue highlights and another with red?"
Barbara hesitated, her face scrunching up in thought in a way that Naruto found quite endearing and cute. "Yeah? Yes. Their names are Hawk and Dove, real names, Hank and Don Hall, brothers born in Washington. They started there as well about, two years ago. But it's where the Hall of Justice is, so there aren't huge amounts of crime. They moved to Gotham, about two months after you left to train with Deathstroke, set up shop in East End."
"You think they're…?"
Barbara nodded her head. "More than likely, Black Hood had an impact on a lot of people. There was a huge surge of vigilantes for weeks on end once you started fighting Black Mask and winning. Guess the Hawk and Dove duo are the same."
Once again, the silence between the two of them, neither knowing what to say.
"Well, erm, this is…"
"Yeah," Barbara replied.
Eventually Naruto sighed, deciding to address the elephant in the room. "About what happened in the Cave, before I left." Naruto continued, a slight blush coming onto his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, I, er. I meant what I said, er, you know, about me wanting to do that for a while."
"You meant it?" She muttered quietly, a blush on her face as she smiled. "So, what do we do from here?"
"We could," Naruto paused, mulling over his words. "See where it goes?"
Barbara's smile widened, chewing on her bottom lip to at least quell some of her excitement. "Okay." She said, turning to him with a large smile upon her face. "Let's do that, see where it goes."
Friday 24th October, 21:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
After a long night at the Gordon household, enjoying a meal with both Jim and Barbara, Naruto finally began making his way back to Jason Blood's house. He was unable to wipe the smile off his face as he did.
He and Barbara despite the roundabout way in which they had said it, were officially dating as they had clarified later on before Jim came back. It had made his stomach feel weird which was strange, he'd never felt nervous when hanging out with Barbara, but it had been awkward in the beginning.
But things had calmed down and they eventually just laid there on the sofa watching TV. It was a very lazy afternoon they shared, but it had been one Naruto greatly enjoyed. They had decided to, of course, act as normal as possible around Jim. They didn't want to reveal anything too soon in case nothing came of it, plus they just wanted to explore a relationship without anyone getting involved.
Lightly jumping up the stairs a few at a time, Naruto opened the door to the Blood household and made his way inside, shutting it behind him and kicking off his shoes. He made his way down the corridor, not stopping to look and was going to head straight upstairs to his room.
"Naruto." He paused just as he passed by the entrance to the dining room and turned to see Blood sat at the mahogany table. A cup of steaming tea in his hand and across from him sat a large, muscular man with black hair and blue eyes. His clothing was simple, a white shirt, leather jacket and pants. Scarred hands held a bottle of beer loosely in one hand as both he and Jason turned to look at Naruto as he stepped inside. "Allow me to introduce you to an old friend of mine, Ted Grant."
"So, you're the infamous, vigilante Black Hood, turned mercenary Marauder, turned new hero, Maelstrom. Quite an impressive résumé you've got there, Naruto." The young man in question paused, warily reaching out and shaking hands with the taller, older man.
"Nice to meet you too," Naruto replied, being polite but still unsure of who the man was. "Erm, not to sound rude, but who are you and why are you here?"
"Jason's a friend of mine, back in the day when I was a hero, Wildcat." Naruto's eyes momentarily widened in shock. Who didn't know who Wildcat was? he was famous for being a member of THE original superhero team, the Justice Society of America, the precursor to the famous Justice League of the modern-day. He was also a member of the famous All-Star Squadron who had fought in World War 2. "I'm aware that you want help with your training, is that right?"
"Yeah? Does that mean…"
Ted Grant nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll be your combat instructor."
Monday 27th October, 12:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.
Crouching down lightly, Naruto looked down from the rooftop as he looked upon the duo below. He had been training with Ted Grant for around three days now and it was difficult. A lot of it required fitness work that he would do in his own time, with Ted coming over once maybe twice a day to spar with him. It was pretty basic and simple, but it was effective.
The spars were more all-out fights with Naruto having to do everything he could to keep himself in the fight, while blindfolded. In terms of skill, Wildcat was very, very capable and it was no wonder individuals like Batman and Black Canary had sought him out for instruction.
But Naruto found that either it was retirement or otherwise that had may perhaps, dulled his skills ever so slightly. But there was a savagery to his style of fighting him that made him incredibly dangerous and one that Naruto, despite being skilled in his own right struggled with. Especially when with every fight, Ted Grant seemed to be 'dusting off the rust' as he called it and became a more dangerous fighter.
However, Naruto from their first fight had put up a good fight and it had ended with no real winner. Yet when they fought for the second time, blindfolded and robbed of one of his greatest senses, Naruto struggled immensely.
On top of that, he still trained with Jason Blood, but instead of learning to lose control in order to gain a greater understanding of the depths of his powers, they instead focused on expanding his capability with the power he had at this moment. Not expanding it, but using what he had in new, more imaginative and creative ways.
It was a slow process, much like everything with his powers, but the part that was making the most progress was the expansion of his new fighting style. One that worked in conjunction with his demonic powers, his tails and the instincts that came with it.
Today was a rare, day off, Naruto wasn't too sure how to feel about that. On one end, Naruto knew that resting was just as, if not more important to training than the actual back-breaking work. But on the other end, when all he wanted to do was get stronger, resting like this could be frustrating.
So, he had taken to the streets.
Stopping day-to-day crimes was, surprisingly cathartic, he almost forgot how enjoyable it could be and East End was filled with it. And as always, heroes found a way of crossing paths without even meaning to.
He had been making his way across the rooftops, no real destination in mind other than to constantly be moving in preparation to respond to a crime. Only to come across one, a robbery. When he went to stop it, Hawk and Dove who must have been closer to the crime than himself, responded quicker.
Once again, Naruto looked upon them, eyes studying the way they fought and worked together. 'They certainly, know each other well.' That much he could tell from the way they worked as a team when was attacking the other would be defending. That kind of connection only came from those who had known each other for a long time, when they understood the way a person would think and react in certain situations. 'But they're amateurs.'
As they finished off the last group of thugs, Naruto watched the two climb up onto the rooftops using the fire escape in a nearby alleyway. They paused, momentarily to look down at the police who cuffed the criminals and that's when Naruto rose to his feet.
They must have seen him because they turned to look at him and Naruto raised a hand in a short wave. He didn't know what they thought of it and looking at it from their perspective, he realised it'd be a little strange.
Monday 27th October, 12:10.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.
"Who the hell are you?" Hawk angrily questioned as he looked upon Naruto, clad in his Maelstrom outfit standing across from them.
Naruto took a moment to study their countenance. While Dove seemed the calmer of the two, both were appearing very confrontational and downright aggressive in Hawk's case. "Names Maelstrom, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Dove responded trying to be amicable. "You a hero?"
"Yeah, though you probably should have checked that first. I mean, what if I was a villain and lured you here?" As soon as Naruto said that he winced. 'That could have been worded much better. Well done Naruto, you've officially set the record for the worst way to introduce yourself to two hostile heroes. Congrats, give yourself a pat on the back for that one.'
"Are you?" Dove pressed, both he and his brother tensing up in shock.
"Am I a villain? No, it was a joke. A poor one, but I have a tendency to speak before I think." Naruto replied, shaking his head. "I can't say I've been the best hero and I've had my fair share of bumps in the road so to speak, but I haven't been an outright villain per se."
"That supposed to make us trust you?" Hawk stepped forwards, his form radiating hostility as he closed in upon Naruto.
"No, I'm just not lying to you."
"But you're not saying the whole truth either." Hawk came to a stop in front of Naruto, being the slightly taller of the two looked down at Naruto and with his bigger frame made him seem like a big threat. But Naruto didn't move, only locking eyes with him and not giving an inch of ground.
"You're right, but I don't know you enough to tell the whole truth, so forgive me if I keep some of my personal history to myself," Naruto said and noticed Hawk clenching his fist in his peripheral vision. "Look, I admit, I came across as sketchy as fuck, that I realise and I'm sorry about that. But I'm being honest with you, so I'd like it if you took a step back and got out of my face."
"And if I don't?"
Dove moved forwards, placing one hand on his partner's shoulder. "Leave it, Hawk." However, Hawk just shrugged him off and glared down at Naruto.
"Nah, don't think I will."
"I'm giving you one last warning, listen to your brother and get out of my face." Hawk paused, taking a step back almost as if listening to him only for Naruto to see his arm swing round. The suddenness caught him by surprise and the fist slammed into the side of his face and threw him through the air, slamming into the ground with a grunt. 'Think that broke my nose.'
"How the fuck do you know we're brothers, huh?!" Hawk shouted, stalking towards the downed Naruto once more.
Pushing himself up onto his knees, Naruto looked down at the ground as he rose one hand to check on his nose. Just as he expected, his nose was broken, twisted at an awkward angle. Releasing a frustrated breath, Naruto gripped his nose and with a sharp twist and a sickening crouch, moving it back into place.
'Fucking hell, that hurts!' He groaned out, getting to his feet with a smirk. "That's a mean right hook you've got there." Cracking his neck, Naruto turned around and looked at Hawk. "I can tell that you're not gonna listen to any sense of reason, so come on then, I'll play with you for a little while."
"Oh, you'll play with me?" Hawk mocked, letting out a short laugh as Dove watched on in frustration. His brother had always been hot-headed and while this Maelstrom had made things difficult, they didn't have to resort to violence straight away. But like always, his brother was quick to violence and had a very short temper.
Again, Hawk went to swing at Naruto, intent on smashing him with a right hook like before. Only to find himself stumbling back, a dull throbbing in his cheek and eyes wide in shock. "W-what?" He stuttered, trying to figure out what had happened.
Dove himself could hardly believe what he saw.
It was quick and he struggled to believe what he saw. Maelstrom had parried the blow to one side, while simultaneously hitting him with a cross of his own. This was followed up with a front kick directly to his chest that knocked Hawk onto his ass. It was quick, decisive and skilful, more so than anything they'd seen before.
Meanwhile, Hawk sat there, looking up in shock before letting out a snarl of frustration.
Scrambling to his feet, Hawk went to throw another punch, only for it to once again be parried to one side. This time though, instead of striking him across the cheek, Naruto went lower, slamming his fist into Hawk's side. He twisted his fist as it struck, digging it further in and by the pained grimace upon his brothers face, Dove knew exactly where it had struck.
Dove when starting his career as a hero alongside his brother, had studied many videos and books on fighting. One such shot was a liver punch; it was incredibly painful and could incapacitate a grown man if struck in the right way.
From the looks on his brother's face and the way he collapsed to his knees; Hawk was done. That was obvious to both him and his opponent who just stood over him without even attempt to continue the fight. It was still difficult for Dove to grasp just how quickly this fight had come to an end.
Every opponent they had come across, no matter how difficult was one they always managed to overcome. No matter how many thugs or what weapons they brought, they always came out on top. Yet, Dove hadn't even been able to move to help his brother before the fight had come to an end. He'd been too shocked by how easily his brother was being manhandled and just when he overcame that shock, the liver punch was thrown, and the fight came to an end.
However, he wouldn't just stand here and do nothing.
Rushing forwards, Dove went to attack Naruto from the side, hoping to catch him off-guard only for his surprise attack to fail miserably. He leaned to one side, avoiding the blow with ease and came round to strike at Dove only for him to let out a whistle when Dove just barely ducked under the swipe.
Rolling along the ground, he got to his feet and spun around to glare at Naruto who just stood there calmly. "Well? You just gonna stay there all day?"
Scowling, Dove clenched his fists and rushed forwards once more. Numerous fast punches shot towards Naruto who just masterfully parried the blows to one side, stepping back and leaning his head backwards to avoid the roundhouse kick that followed. It was a basic combo, but one that Dove had obviously only just begun practising.
His movements were stiff and extremely choreographed, it was predictable.
Not to mention Dove seemingly put a bit too much momentum behind the blow and spun around, presenting his back to Naruto who took this opportunity presented to him. A simple front kick that struck the younger brother in the back and knocked him to the ground where he caught himself on all fours.
Hawk meanwhile grit his teeth and charged forwards, ignoring the pain in his and going to tackle Naruto with a roar. This noise made what could have been a surprise attack become extremely obvious and Naruto turned around, shifting his legs wider apart, allowing the bigger man to wrap his arms around his waist and push him back slightly. Yet, Hawk only managed to push him back a few inches before Naruto managed to get a steady foothold and bring his forward momentum to a halt.
Stronger than Naruto Hawk maybe, but he didn't understand the necessity of proper footing. The slightly bent knees Naruto had allowed his centre of mass to be lower to the ground and provide him better stability. This meant that he wasn't knocked off his feet like Hawk had hoped.
And with his own strength, Naruto resisted Hawk's forward momentum and with superior foothold and stability, managed to bring it to a halt. Hawk grunted, trying to push further and further against Naruto, just hoping to bring him to the ground, but he couldn't.
That's when he let out another grunt as he felt Naruto's elbow dig into his back and quickly pushed away, fist swinging out to knock his opponent out. But Naruto much like he had been doing before, parried the blow and with the same arm, slammed another elbow into Hawk's face and then crouched low, swiping his legs out from under him.
Hawk landed on his back, air rushing out of his lungs and its then that Dove leapt over him, fist drawn back in hopes to land a devastating knockout blow. Only for Naruto to seamlessly and easily catch the blow in one hand and with the other, grabbed hold of Dove's forearm.
He spun his body, catching Dove on his back and then using the forward momentum Dove had gathered from jumping, flipped him over his shoulder and onto the ground. Much like his brother, Dove felt the air rush from his lungs and coughed out painfully.
Without even looking, Naruto spun round and slammed a kick into Hawk's right side, halting his second sneak attack. Unlike before, Hawk had obviously learned the folly of shouting and had attempted to come up silently. Unfortunately for Hawk, his footsteps and breathing were loud making his movements incredibly simple and easy to pick up.
The blow dug into his side, directly into where Naruto had hit him with the liver punch and once again, Hawk dropped to the ground in pain.
Naruto crouched down in front of Hawk. "You done?"
Despite the pain in his right side, Hawk rested on his knees and glared out at him. "Yeah, I'm done." He admitted, nodding his head. "You're deceptively strong, you know that?"
"You've got a mean right hook; did you know that?" Naruto smirked and Hawk returned it.
Dove just watched it all in confusion. 'What the hell is going on?'
Tuesday 28th October, 12:10.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.
"So, you're a hero?" Hawk questioned as the three of them stood, overlooking the city from a nearby building. Dove stood beside him, the new individual who had kicked his ass, Maelstrom leaning against the wall behind them, arms crossed over his chest.
"Yeah, have been for about, two years I guess?" Naruto answered.
Both Dove and Hawk picked up on the slight hesitation and questioning tone in which he said that. "You don't sound too sure on that, how come?" Dove brought it up and Naruto frowned beneath his mask.
"Well, I haven't always been, what you'd call a hero. I quit the business for a few weeks, took up the mantle again, then left for half a year where I became a mercenary, but that changed when I spent eight months out of action. So overall, I guess it's not two years unless you're talking about from when I started to the current day." Naruto explained, the brothers turned to look at him in confusion. They both knew a lot of details had been skipped over, but even then, it was still a strange and confusing timeline.
"That's…an interesting journey you've had," Hawk said, and Naruto chuckled at the understatement.
"That's one way to put it. What about you two? What made you move to Gotham?"
"What'd you mean?" Dove asked.
Naruto tilted his head. "You started in Washington so what made you move to Gotham?"
"You ever heard of Black Hood?" Naruto had to withhold a snort and just nodded his head. Did he know Black Hood? Of course, he did, they were looking at him. "He inspired us to become heroes, but as you know, Washington doesn't have much supervillain action because the Hall of Justice is there. The Justice League always deal with it so when we learned that Black Hood had disappeared, we decided to move here, continue what he had started."
"Black Hood, inspired you?" He received affirmations from them both. "So why don't you take his stance towards villains?"
His question made the brothers pause, each hesitant and reluctant to answer. Whether it was because they didn't know the reason why themselves or for some other reason, Naruto couldn't tell. "We tried." Dove eventually answered, looking to his brother especially. "The closest we got, was beating someone to the point they wouldn't be able to feed themselves, let alone walk again."
"It's not a nice feeling, no matter who the person is, to break them to that point." Hawk continued and Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "What about you? Have you…"
"I have yeah," Naruto replied, understanding what Hawk was hinting towards. "Not anymore though."
"How come?"
"Because it doesn't go away. No matter how much of a monster they are, killing someone never gets easier." The frown on Naruto's face deepened. "Every time you close your eyes, those you've killed are looking at you. Their deaths playing over in your eyes, especially those you got up close and personal for when you can see the light drain from their eyes."
"Do you remember them?" Dove pressed and Naruto was reluctant to answer.
"I remember all of them."
Neither Dove nor Hawk knew how to respond to that question and just went silent, recognising the haunted tone in which he spoke.
Monday 27th October, 12:40.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Leaning his head back, Naruto evened his breathing out, slowly shifting his feet around as he strained his ears to pick up on the sounds around him. But there was nothing, and so, he clenched his fists and rose them to guard his front.
Hearing footsteps to his left, Naruto spun and thrust his fist forwards. He was right in his decision as his knuckles struck a forearm, but Naruto let out a grunt as he stumbled away, a fist smashing into his face. Reflexively, he swung a leg round to try and create some distance. However, this worked in the favour of his opponent as they ducked low, under the kick.
A shoulder braced against the underside of his thigh, an arm wrapping around over his extended leg. The figure then pushed up and Naruto was picked up off the ground and slammed down onto the ground.
With grit teeth, Naruto spun around, bringing himself free from the grasp and lashing out with a front kick that struck a raised guard. Seeing this, Naruto rushed forwards, not letting his opponent put some distance between them. Powerful and quick punches, nothing fancy or acrobatic, it would be difficult considering he was robbed of his sight, but Naruto continued to close in.
He knew he was on the right track and despite not landing an actual blow, his opponent was parrying his attacks to one side which told Naruto he was pressuring them. But much like always, he still struggled to fight without sight and didn't notice the first heading towards him.
Naruto felt the blow smash into the side of his face, and he stumbled back. This, in turn, left him open for the low sweep that took his legs out from under him.
Gasping out, he laid there on the ground and frustratedly, ripped off his blindfold and looked up at the ceiling. In his peripheral, Ted Grant moved into view and held out a hand for Naruto. "You're getting better at knowing where I am," Ted told him and Naruto took the hand, allowing his instructor to help him to his feet.
"Yeah, it's just after that. All I can hear is my movement and not yours." Naruto replied and Ted nodded his head.
"It's understandable. You're enhanced senses allow you to pick up on the act of fighting without seeing quicker than those without. But your senses are also working against you as well." He explained. "If it makes you feel any better, Bruce took a month to reach the level you're at."
"That would if I didn't have a serum that enhanced my senses."
"Understandable." He then looked to a grandfather clock at the side of the room where Jason was sat reading and drinking a cup of tea. "But I think we'll call it a rest for today. You've been improving rapidly so I assume you'll be able to get this down in another few weeks."
"Thanks for this." Ted just waved off and Naruto hesitated momentarily. "Ted, I was wondering, would you be able to help two others with their training?"
"Who?"
"Hawk and Dove," Naruto answered, and Ted paused as he thought over it.
"I should be able to, so long as they're willing to work alongside you and do a similar type of training." The blonde nodded his head. "Alright, let me know when they'll be ready to take part in the training."
"Will do." As Ted turned and left, heading up the stairs, he stopped just for a moment to say goodbye to Jason while Naruto made his way to sit at the table. He leaned forwards, pouring himself a cup of tea and when presenting it to Jason, the older man extended his cup allowing Naruto to pour him one as well.
"How was your outing yesterday?" Jason asked, finishing off the last page of the tome he was reading and placed it down on the table.
"It was…interesting," Naruto answered after a slight pause. "Hawk and Dove have talent and they seem to be alright guys."
"It's good that you're not just focusing purely on the training. You need to form relationships with others because as you've experienced, eventually you will come across those who will be too much for you to handle alone and you'll need people who'll have your back." Jason stressed and it left Naruto confused as to why he was emphasising this.
But the reason Jason was doing this was that he had begun narrowing down the list of suspects in the Uzumaki case and patterns were beginning to form. There were still several suspects that were standing out to him the most. But even then, those that he had eliminated as the main suspects were still there on a separate list. He wasn't eliminating anyone at all, but simply narrowing down those who not only had the power but the influence and desire to not only kill and control the Uzumaki clan to such a degree.
That list was small, but the people on there were made up of beings that neither Jason nor Etrigan would willingly choose to battle. That was why Jason was emphasising to Naruto the need to make friends and build trust with those around him.
Because eventually, whoever was behind the Uzumaki Clans destruction would come for Naruto and he would not be able to fight them off alone. He'd need more people to come to his aid if he were to survive.
So, here we are, another chapter done and with it, Naruto has left the team, Hawk and Dove, inspired by Black Hood have moved to Gotham and a member of the All-Star Squadron, Wildcat has been introduced. Naruto now has two mentors, Wildcat and Jason Blood and he's teaming up with Hawk and Dove occasionally. And last, but certainly not least, a little something is going on between Naruto and Barbara. Hopefully, you've enjoyed this, I know a lot of you weren't overly pleased with Naruto joining the team and to be entirely honest, I was planning to have Naruto remain part of the team throughout season 1.
But as usual, these characters are more often than not, writing themselves. Barbara and Naruto's relationship is the biggest example of this. Naruto and his leaving the team is another, so I hope you enjoyed it. The work of the team will be done in the background from now on with more focus on Naruto and his training, as well as the relationship between Naruto and Barbara, as well as the Hawk and Dove duo. With its own, additional event taking place. Anyway, if I haven't answered your review below, then I will have sent you a PM, but let's get onto the questions:
BartoAllen: Glad to see you're enjoying it. This chapter is the start of their romantic relationship. And other pairings? Do you mean Starfire and Supergirl, or are you talking about other character pairings? Because if it's the former, we still have a ways to go before that happens and if it's the latter, the same time as it did in canon for now. Not all the seasons and not entirely, as you can see, Naruto has left the team and gone on his own. But Season 1 and 2 are pretty similar, but I'll be doing what I've done so far, either skip episodes, stick to purely important scenes or have Naruto do his own things at the same time as it happens. As for development, you'll see, don't want to spoil it.
Jason Hunter: If you're talking about his Nine Tails power then no, he will not be OP. He will be powerful and will be on the level of a top tier leaguer, but he will not be OP in the context of DC comics. As for Killing Joke, yes, he will. And when it comes to costumes, right now their comic book costumes are the ones. You can pick and choose which one you want as it doesn't bother me, that only changes if I purposefully make a description of their costume.
Guest: Not going to touch the whole DBZ vs DC debate because tbh, imo the DBZ fanbase is just too toxic for me to handle. As for the Naruto opinion, if Naruto was the MC then I'd agree, the main protagonist is always as strong as the story needs him to become. But, with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and the introduction of Bayron Mode and the consequences of it and the way the story is progressing, I think we've seen the peak of Naruto's power.
I don't like it, in fact, I'd love to be proven wrong, but it's obvious that Bayron mode is the strongest Naruto will ever be and can ever become. That's what I believe it symbolises because quite frankly there are many ways to make Naruto incredibly powerful, but never to that extent again. This is because it'd be impossible to pass on the torch to Boruto if Naruto was still growing strong. I don't like it and I'd love nothing more than to be proven wrong, but I think we can all agree that, Bayron Mode is the utmost peak of Naruto's power. People say that I don't include Boruto, that's false, I do and with the latest instance with Bayron, Naruto's done. When I was ranking Naruto, it was looking at all his forms, including the powers in Boruto. It wasn't just me, I had friends and people I talk to helping me do the research and we agreed he'd be Lantern level. Darkseid on the other hand, is just too far beyond him and even if he was the MC, it'd take Naruto years to reach a level capable of matching just a nerfed Avatar. And even then, sometimes in his weakest iterations, its actually been proven that those are actually Desaad pretending to be Darkseid.
Guest: The proof is in the pudding, cartoons, animations and live action only ever scratch the surface of what comic book characters are truly capable of. It's honestly shocking just how underpowered characters are in non-comic media and the only characters who get some measure of justice done to them is those likes Green Arrow, and even then they're pretty nerfed. Comic Green Arrow somehow managed to fire an arrow through the head of an undead Aquaman who was controlling a Kraken from half a mile out in a raging storm. Non-Comic media Green Arrow has shown nothing on a similar scale like that. But yeah, I agree with you that they could do something similar.
Yakuza2010: In the future, yes, but Naruto is notoriously stubborn and in this case, Naruto is being stubborn in the belief that he can deal with this himself and doesn't need outside help. As for villains, no and as you can see, he's left the team, but will still be there to help the team if necessary. As for the Suicide Squad, besides Killer Frost, Naruto wasn't friends with any of them nor close enough to be willing to help.
laserot21: The introduction and mention of the pairing are in Book 1, chapter 2. With the beginning of the tally of votes on the next chapter. However, when editing my old chapters I must have deleted the polls that followed, but basically:
Naruto x Barbara x Koriand'r x Kara got 422 votes.
Naruto x Barbara x Kara got 197 votes.
Naruto x Barbara x Koriand'r got 105 votes.
And Naruto x Barbara got 47 votes.
So, it's a landslide victory in favour of the harem and I like to give the audience some measure of influence on the story. The pairing and also the character basis is something I allow them to choose for themselves. If they wish to envision a characters comic appearance, movie appearance or cartoon appearance then that's fine, there's no right or wrong one.
aPancake: Naruto up until this point has believed he's human and thought he knew who his family was. Only to suddenly learn that he had no clue that his family was demon-hunters, but also, he's learning he's no longer human. It's one of those things that you can't just ignore or overlook. To us, it's not that big of a deal because we're not in a similar situation, but if you were to suddenly learn that everything you thought you knew about yourself and your family was false then it would have a big impact on you.
NaruLemon Stories: I'm considering it, yes, but it's still something that I haven't fully decided on whether to go through with it. And you're right, he is different from canon Naruto and will have more abilities and techniques than his canon counterpart. But so far, I have a long list of abilities and techniques that I'm not sure if adding the Adamantine Chains would be necessary, but it's something I am considering. And you're right, Naruto, as he is now probably, wouldn't survive it without some injury. But Naruto will become stronger, much stronger. This is still him in the beginning stages of his power growth.
hunter41963801: Naruto to start will be a purely ground fighter with the ability to do super leaping kind of like Superboy. But eventually, he will develop the ability to fly, won't say how though.
Yohnos: I've read both and while no to the former, it's a possibility of the latter, I'm still not sure yet, but I've left it open for a possibility in the future.
Warlover1015: Sorry, I've already got the progression of the pairing sorted out and tbh, adding more to the harem would only complicate that further. So, the pairing will stay as it is.
Sultan Asil Arslan: Naruto will be on par with beings like Superboy-Prime, Monarch and eventually, True Form Darkseid, so he will be extremely powerful. As for other universes, I'm trying to avoid doing that. I will be introducing characters from other universes like Superboy-Prime and Batman Who Laughs eventually, but I'm probably going to avoid doing huge, universe merging events. That may change, but at this moment in time, interactions with other universes will be limited simply because of how difficult it would be to put it in writing. Doing it as a story would be much harder and at this point, far beyond my skill level and comfort zone. I've only just started getting comfortable with writing dialogue and also balancing less than a dozen characters in one scene. Any more than that and I might start having serious problems.
Hope this clears up any confusion and if you have any questions still, then please let me know and I'll answer them as best as I can.