Injustice: The Path to Hell.
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter XIX – Azhi Dahaka.
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
"Other Speech variants."
Location/Time.
Sunday 20th December, 19:45.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
Trudging along the barren ground, Blue Devil came to a stop overlooking a large stretch of land. Behind him, his protégé Kid Devil followed a large boulder easily weighing over ten tonnes attached to his back pressing down upon him, followed. Yet despite the strain upon his body, Kid Devil continued to stride forwards with sweat streaming from his brow, chest heaving and muscles pulsing.
'I thought that the fire lit under him would be temporary.' Daniel felt a smile come onto his face. 'I'm glad to see that wasn't the case.'
The Third Generation of Heroes was the group Edward was a part of. The newest generation that had sprouted up recently and was only just beginning to make waves across the world. Yet they were big waves, it was plain to see to all the world that there was something different about this generation, something that neither of the previous two had possessed.
The First Generation, the one that went on to form the Justice Society had lacked power. Individually, they had possessed little in the ways of strength, even their strongest, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman had not been all that impressive compared to today's standards. They were just average at best, even those often mocked by the public such as Aquaman, Hawkman and Hawkgirl could have defeated even Wonder Woman and Green Lantern during the times of the Justice Society.
Talent and individual power had been their biggest downfall, even now after becoming much stronger than he had been in the past, Blue Devil felt like an ant amongst giants. A mortal amongst Gods would be the best way to describe it.
Their defeat at the hands of Mordu, the Lord of Chaos who single-handedly crushed them all was the cause for their splitting. He had broken their spirits, crushed their morale and shattered their confidence. Even claiming the victory at the end of the day was not by any means a result of hard work and teamwork. It had been a result of a single man, Doctor Fate, a figure they had often overlooked at the time.
After that defeat, one-by-one, members began disappearing. Some retired, others went solo and a few like Wonder Woman and himself secluded themselves and trained their hardest to grow stronger with varying degrees of success.
Eventually, the First Generation had passed and slowly, a new generation beginning to form. One with heroes far more talented and powerful than theirs ever was and could have been. They were, as many amongst humanity considered them, Gods amongst men. Heroes with the power to destroy continents with ease, individuals that Blue Devil knew could destroy even planets if they so choose.
No army in the world was strong enough or well-equipped to face such a force. But even they were not unstoppable, even they much like the Justice Society formed a team of their own, the Justice League. One that stood as a symbol of power and peace that completely overshadowed its precursor.
Yet it was more divided than theirs ever was.
The Justice Society needed to work together in order to cover their various weaknesses.
The Justice League were forced to work together in order to combat even more powerful foes.
A difference often overlooked by many, yet so monumental in its meaning. One that had sent the two organisations down to very different paths. Yet the Third Generation, they much like their predecessors had set down a completely new path of their own.
One that balanced the strengths of both previous organisations and therefore, stood to be even stronger than both. They were each young, none even over the age of twenty, an age that very few heroes of either the first or second generation had taken up the mantle of heroes. They had mentors that guided them, stopped them from making the wrong decisions that they had done.
The younger heroes were standing upon the shoulders of their mentors and striving to even greater heights. And they were all talented, each possessing unique and powerful skill sets much like the Second Generation.
Yet unlike the Justice League, it had not developed into arrogance and belief in one's own ability to the point they were unwilling to work with others. Many of the young heroes were close friends with others, a friendship that was key to forming a strong team. However, perhaps the biggest influence upon this group of heroes were the actions of two individuals.
The first, the death of Dove.
It had been so long since a hero had died and it was the first time a hero so young had died in the line of duty. A hero who had not lost his life over a stupid mistake or arrogance, but gave his life willingly. Selflessly sacrificing himself to save another. An act that had struck a chord within many, a reminder of the harsh world they lived in. A wake up call to how dangerous the would is and could be.
Yet the biggest influence was the actions of one young man, Maelstrom. A hero of only recent origins and while not fully known to the public, only recognised for his actions within the Splitting of the Worlds and for his part in the Gotham Gang War, yet his impact was profound. He had been the leader of the Young Justice Team, its first iteration and arguably, its strongest.
Naruto had set an example, pushing himself the hardest out of all his teammates, shouldering burdens that none were aware of or prepared for. He had recognised that as talented as many on his team were, they were not unbeatable and had strived to overcome that glaring weakness by developing a team that could work together seamlessly.
A lesson that had stuck with many, especially Aqualad who had taken on the role of leader in Naruto's absence and also Robin who had formed his own team of heroes, the Teen Titans.
But despite all that, Naruto's constant drive to grow stronger, to push his limits had perhaps knowingly or not, awed them all. It was difficult to remember a time in which the Justice League were not unbeatable. A time when the Justice League struggled and we're nearly beaten time and time again. So for many, it would have been the first time to see someone push themselves so hard and it inspired them to do the same.
Perhaps out of pride, perhaps out of a feeling of shame, perhaps out of guilt? Who knows the motivation behind their actions? But the result was the same, each member had driven themselves to match Naruto's determination, pushing themselves to work harder and harder. In turn, inspiring those around them to do the same.
'Not even Eddie was able to ignore such determination.' Daniel thought to himself, his protégé finally coming to a stop and removing the giant boulder from his shoulders. Bracing his hands on his knees as he sucked in deep breaths. "Stand upright, you'll be able to breathe much easier."
Kid Devil reluctantly did so, hands resting on top of his head, his face morphed in pain as his stomach and muscles screamed at him to stop. "Fuck that was hard."
"You said you didn't want it to be easy." Blue Devil reminded him. "If I remember correctly, you wanted to be able to beat Tempest in a fight and wipe that stupid smug look off his face."
Daniel had introduced his protégé to the Young Justice team a few weeks ago, about early November time. He had been toying with the idea of having Kid Devil join it, training with those his age could prove to be the driving force to get rid of his teenage laziness. Not only that, but the team often received lessons from various members of the Justice League, learning under not a single hero, but all of them, even their strongest members.
The Justice League had seemingly recognised the talent and potential of the new generation and intended to cultivate it as much as possible. Especially considering the fact that the Justice League had effectively been beaten last year for the first time in its career.
The public didn't know, but it affected the Justice League and its members all the same.
The new generation needed to be stronger so that if such a situation came about again, when the Justice League was defeated or controlled by the enemy, that there was a defence there to stop them. Considering the results, such training was beginning to take shape and it was precisely why Blue Devil had wanted to have Kid Devil join up.
But during in one of the training sessions, Edward had gone up against Garth and lost easily. Despite the Atlantean's greatest strength being magic, Tempest hadn't even used it, relying purely upon his admittedly decent hand-to-hand combat skills. Kid Devil despite being just as strong and as fast as him, despite being able to breathe fire that was a weakness of the Atlantean species, Kid Devil had been beaten in less than a minute.
That loss had stoked the flames and was precisely why they were here in Tartarus. Naruto had the right idea that there was no better place than here to train, but it was also incredibly dangerous. Death was a very real possibility, but Kid Devil had been determined and so, here they were.
"So, where did Constantine say Naruto was?" Eddie asked finally managing to recover his breath as he looked out over the horizon.
Pointing his finger northwest, Blue Devil then pulled out a little note that Naruto had written. "Right there." He then passed the note over to Kid Devil at his indication.
On it was a list of areas and the level of Demons that frequented that area. There were marks beside certain areas, thirteen in total that beside it read, 'Don't enter.' Which from what Naruto had told them previously and compiled with the basic rundown of the Demons inhabiting that area, probably meant that was the territories of the Thirteen Princes of Hades.
"That's the Mid-Level zone," Eddie noted, whistling lightly. "Didn't he say that he struggled against them in October and tried to avoid those guys as much as possible?"
"He did." Blue Devil nodded, a frown on his face. 'Has he taken an unnecessary risk? Maybe get a little too confident in his abilities? Or is he that confident?'
"That's a ballsy move." Despite initially looking down on the blonde, Kid Devil had gained a new appreciation for him upon his first meeting with the guy. Especially when he saw firsthand the guys skill and power. As good as Garth was, it was no secret that the likes of Miss Martian, Aqualad and Superboy could hand him his ass every time. Yet what he saw from Naruto that day completely overshadowed everything they had done, Naruto was in a league of his own.
'No wonder he's considered as the leading figure of our generation, he's fucking insane.' Noticing his mentors silence, Kid frowned in turn. "Should we go check on him, just to make sure everything's alright?" For a moment Blue Devil said nothing. "I think I've got a pretty good handle on teleportation now?"
But at that moment everything changed.
"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
A powerful roar ripped across the land, an explosion of smoke rising up into a small mushroom cloud. And mere seconds later, a powerful rush of wind hit them, nearly knocking both to their ground. In fact, if it wasn't for the boulder behind Kid Devil he would have gone flying.
Gasping out in shock, Eddie dropped to the ground head pounding from where it struck against the rock leaving a sizeable dent upon its surface. But Blue Devil meanwhile became completely still, eyes widening as he felt the power coming from that area.
"Somethings wrong." He murmured and mere moments later, a second roar sounded.
"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
It was quieter, less powerful but to Blue Devil, he recognised it instantly. "Kid, get us there right now!" Shaking his head. Kid got to his feet, tail flicking out and cutting downwards. A line of fire formed in the space, slowly splitting open revealing a portal that both jumped through without a moment's hesitation.
Yet as they came out the other end, they came upon the sight of the scaled head of a three-headed Dragon turning to them. Its jaw is wide open and an organise glow coming from the back of its mouth.
Reacting quickly, Blue Devil pushed his protégé with as much force as he could muster sending Eddie flying away from their location. At the same time, he pointed his trident directly at the Dragons head and with a roar, unleashed a powerful blast of Hellfire directly at it. Yet rushing to meet his wave of flames was another, even more, powerful blast of flames that was released from the Dragons jaw.
Sunday 20th December, 19:45.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
Releasing a shout, Naruto thrust his fist into the rock formation, simultaneously releasing a powerful, concentrated blast of wind directly into it. Unlike his earlier attempts, there was no delay, not even a fraction of a second. As soon as his fist came into contact with the blast of wind did as well and it erupted outwards.
Remaining there, fist extended, Naruto felt his lips twitch upwards in a triumphant smile. "Finally." He muttered happily, as he took a step back, arms dropping down by his sides. "About time I got that down, now what do I want to work on next?"
But before he could think about what to do next, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps, the vibrations they caused underfoot and he turned. Just as he expected, two Demons were walking towards him. Both large, but one just a huge ball of fat and another possessing large muscular arms but quite a skinny body.
However, Naruto in his time in Tartarus had seen stranger looking Demons so he quite easily dismissed them both out of hand. 'Hmm, they're both about the level of three-tails, maybe the fat one could be on the border of more than that.'Despite this Naruto was far from worried, instead, he felt a sense of anticipating grip ahold of him. 'I could beat them quite easily if I accessed a tail of power, but I'm hitting a roadblock in my magical abilities. Yeah, let's try to go without my Demon powers this time.'
With that thought, Naruto walked towards the two Demons. Yet once again they were interrupted, all three coming to a stop as the ground beneath them shook violently. A sound of rock beneath them crumbling and giving way as they all dropped to their knees in an attempt to stabilise themselves. None had even a moment to realise what had happened before the ground burst open, thick spikes puncturing through and snapping around the two Demons.
It was only then that Naruto realised he was looking upon a jaw of a massive beast before two more sets of jaws burst out. One surrounding him and Naruto barely managed to escape with his life, quickly jumping to a single tail and leaping into the air just avoiding being swallowed whole as they snapped closed mere inches below his left foot.
Flipping through the air, Naruto landed in a crouch a little further away as he watch the body of a giant beast rise up, first three large heads that accompanied the jaws, three pairs of golden yellow irises glaring out at him. Then long scaled necks followed, closing in at the bottom and fusing to the single body of one large bipedal creature. It's large feet smashed against the ground, cracking it and causing it to shake violently as it shook its body removing the debris that coated it,
Then from its back, two large winds unfurled, a tail slithering along the ground and Naruto realised what he was facing. "Holy shit!" He cursed as he looked upon the three-headed Dragon.
"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
His words caused it to release a powerful roar, so much so that Naruto's vision was quickly overtaken by smoke and his body picked up in the powerful shockwave and sent flying backwards. Grunting as his back slammed into the ground, bouncing off and going a little further before landing back down.
After the fifth time, Naruto managed to dig his tails into the ground, twisting his body to land feet first. Even so, he was continually pushed back, tails and feet leaving deep trenches within the ground as he struggled to come to a stop, before eventually burying his hands in the earth in order to aid with the futile effort.
Eventually, though he did come to a stop, over twenty miles away, the three-headed Dragon a tiny speck in the distance. 'That was fucking insane! All that just from a roar!' He thought in wonderment. 'Not only that, but it's power. It's crushing.' Just sensing it had made Naruto break out into a cold sweat but he clenched his fists and shook his head.
'As I am now, retreat is the only option.' Naruto told himself. 'This guy is on a whole other level than anything I've faced before. Even if I went all out, I don't think I could win.' At that moment powerful beams of energy ripped across the landscape converging upon him.
There was no time to dodge and so, Naruto used a favoured tactic of his.
"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
While nowhere near as powerful as the roar that this Dragon had unleashed. It was still strong enough to knock the beams off course, exploding around him and just as Naruto prepared for a follow-up, he stopped. For in the distance, the Dragon unleashed a wave of flames at two falling figures.
"Is that?" He muttered, eyes widening as he recognised one of the figures.
It was Kid Devil and as he watched the second figure get engulfed in the flames of the Dragon, Naruto quickly realised it was Blue Devil. "Fuck it." Cursing, Naruto burst off, rapidly closing the distance between him and the falling Kid Devil and leapt.
He caught Blue Devil's protégé and landed, placing him down safely before rushing towards the Dragon. As he grew closer, thankfully he could make out Blue Devil was alive, still fighting against the wave of flames released by the Dragon with a wave of his own. But that was but a single head, the remaining two turning to him.
Seeing the tail coming, Naruto quickly leapt to the right, never once breaking his stride as he closed in rapidly only to see the two heads preparing numerous more glowing blasts between its jaws. And from the much larger ball of energy, dozens of tinier ones came shooting forwards at a rapid pace.
"Shit!"
Quickly, Naruto darted around, feet shifting and constantly dodging every energy bolt he could. Occasionally using his tails to smack a few that got a little too close though it took all three just to knock one off course.
Hearing the ground being torn up, Naruto followed his instincts and leapt into the air. It was done just in time, as the Dragons tail rushed through the air he had once been in.
As soon as he landed, Naruto quickly leapt backwards just as Blue Devil did the same, both coming to a stop beside one another. "Don't know why you're here but I'm thankful for it," Naruto said and Blue Devil nodded his head. "Any idea who this guy is?"
"Not a clue." Blue Devil replied.
"Guess it doesn't matter at the end of the day. It's here to kill me so guess we just have to kill it first." Though what neither said was just how difficult a task that would be. Even now they could feel the power within the Dragon, it was demonic in nature and was immensely powerful. "Got any ideas."
Before them, the Dragon rose up, neck glowing brightly.
"Move!"
Simultaneously both Naruto and Blue Devil broke away, three waves of brilliant red flames rushed towards them, fusing into one powerful wave. As it did, Blue Devil aimed his trident and fired numerous bolts of magical energy that struck the scaled hide of the Dragon leaving slight scorched upon it. Naruto himself swung his tails earning similar results. Yet any follow up was meet by a powerful magical barrier.
Upon seeing this, both came to the same result, magically powerful this creature may be, but it's defences we're not all that great. 'It may have taken the form of a Dragon, but this Demon, it doesn't have its defences.' Blue Devil couldn't claim to have a large number of interactions with Dragons in his life, but he had a few.
Dragon scales were incredibly durable both to physical and magical attacks. This Demon, perhaps out of pride or trickery had assumed the form of a Dragon but had been unable to replicate everything.
Up above, a portal formed Kid Devil dropping down and landing upon the back of the Demon. His mouth opened and from it, a breath of flames bore down upon the back of Demon causing it to release a roar of pain.
Sunday 20th December, 19:45.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
Constantine had limited experience with Tartarus, interacting with Gods like Hades were always far more hassle than was necessary. They were arrogant and expected mortals to bend to their every whim without rhyme or reason. At least Demons were aware of what a trade was, even if their idea of a trade wasn't fair.
In a way, despite claiming to be better than Demons, they were just as bad if not worse in some cases. At least Demons didn't fuck everything that lived, breathed and walked on two legs. One need only look at the number of bastard children the Gods had produced over the millennia to see how bad the Old Gods were. So when Nabu cashed in one of the many favours Constantine owed him, it was safe to say that he was less than pleased to learn it was to do with Tartarus.
The barrier between Hell and Tartarus was incredibly thin, even paper-thin didn't do it any justice. The only thing that stopped it from being taken over by the denizens of Hell, Demons that on average were far more powerful than those found in Tartarus, was due to one figure.
Hades.
The power he wielded and the connections he held to the Old Gods of Olympus ensured that Demons didn't push their luck. Some like the Thirteen Princes had earned his favour and there was a few other powerful Demons that came to Tartarus as a means to rest. Hell was a constant battle, with territories in all Nine Circles being exchanged constantly. Therefore many of the older Demons who had simply swapped that drive for more, the Sin of Greed for one of Sloth escaped to Tartarus.
It was much like how normal everyday people would go on holiday somewhere to relax.
But again, John still had no desire to get involved but of course, John owed a favour and Nabu asked for it to be paid in this way. A stalwart figure such as himself could hardly refuse and all he had to do was show Nabu's new apprentice, Naruto Uzumaki the Half-breed a secret entrance into Tartarus.
There were dozens all throughout Hell, it was simply a matter of safely escorting him to one that was challenging and hence why he was required. There was of course only one gateway to Tartarus through the human world, but that was guarded by the Amazons.
'You'd have better look convincing a vegan to eat meat for the rest of their life than get the Amazonians to allow you access to the entrance. Let alone, Jason, that old bastard is one stubborn old fucker.' John frowned, watching as Blue Devil and Kid Devil made their way through the same entrance he had led Naruto through many months ago.
He'd shown them the way once before and Blue Devil was hardly weak. But things had been strange within Hell recently, Demon activity especially from the stronger ones was becoming more prevalent.
Simply getting to and from the entrances was getting more difficult and dangerous. As strong as Blue Devil was, even he would not survive against some of the more powerful Demons. Not to mention the dozens of Demon Lords that existed within Hell. To do so alone would be a challenge, but trying to protect his inexperienced protégé, Kid Devil would make it impossible.
Hence why he was now stuck being a glorified chauffeur/bodyguard.
How fun.
'Just a few more years, that's what both said.' He reminded himself, lighting another cigarette as he looked around at the numerous smoking corpses of Demons. 'Just another few years and I can pretend this phase in my life never happened.'
But in that instant, a wave of power washed over him. One that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, a shiver going down his spine. 'There's a Demon like that within Tartarus?!' That was something that John had not been aware of. 'Ixion is the strongest Demon in there but even he doesn't have this level of power. What kind of monster is there and why did Hades let it live.'
And for a moment, John paused before clenching his fists. "Fuck it." The cigarette fell from his mouth and he put it out with his foot before storming through the portal.
Sunday 20th December, 20:30.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
Grunting, Naruto smashed a powerful haymaker down upon the Demons head, knocking it to the ground. A second turned to face him, a powerful blast of energy about to fire upon him only for Blue Devil to intervene.
Holding his trident in a reverse grip, Blue Devil took a few strides forwards before throwing it with all his might. A loud shout escaping his lips as he stumbled forwards upon the follow-through. At the same time, Kid Devil tackled him into a portal just as the third head unleashed a wave of flames.
The trident shot through the air, piercing into the neck of the Dragon causing its blast to fire harmlessly into the air. A loud screech escaping it as blood poured from its cut allowing Naruto's to fall safely to the ground and join the two at a safe distance.
"This isn't working as well as I thought." Kid Devil breathed out, chest heaving.
He's done well considering this was his first real fight. Admittedly he'd been relegated to extraction duty in the final twenty minutes or so, but he'd done incredibly well. His control and mastery over teleportation and the act of opening portals had improved massively, becoming almost instinctual now thanks to his life being on the line. Yet it was obvious that the duration and inexperience with his powers were getting to him.
Kid Devil was exhausted.
Naruto and Blue Devil were perfectly able to continue the fight, but both were keenly aware that the reason they had been doing so well was down to Kid Devils teleportation ability. Without it, things would become much harder.
"It's that durability of his, that's it's a weakness but it's been protecting itself with a magical barrier," Naruto noted with a scowl recalling the numerous times recently in which he had been about to land strike only to hit a magical barrier. Considering that the beast was magically powerful, those barriers were incredibly powerful and more often than not, would be condensing into a ball afterwards and then fired at him.
Blue Devil nodded in agreement, he too had experienced similar problems. "If I can retrieve my trident I should be able to shatter its barrier if I pump enough magic into it. But we just need something that can kill it in a single blow."
Here both Naruto and Blue Devil spared a look to one another, each thinking of the same thing. "Fine, fuck it!" Naruto cursed out with a heavy sigh. 'I really didn't want to try that technique again. It's effective but it fucking hurts to get caught in that explosion.' If it wasn't for the serious damage it did to him as the user, Naruto would consider using it more often, but honestly, it was just far too dangerous and damaging to him.
"What's our plan then?" Kid asked.
"Blue Devil distracts it while I gather power. Kid, once I've got enough power in, you open a portal for me right in front of me and drop me above its neck. Right at the base where all three heads connect. Blue Devil, you destroy the barrier. Simple, right?"
Despite that, none of them, even Naruto believed it was.
There was a lot of things that could go wrong and it could all fail if even a single thing went wrong. If Blue Devil wasn't able to properly distract it. If Kid Devil was just a little too late in the creation of his portal or even a slight bit off. If Naruto didn't gather enough power in time or did it too early.
A lot of little things that if not done perfectly, would end up in failure.
But in a way, in situations where everything was at stake, oftentimes great things could be achieved.
It so happened that at this time, everything did.
Blue Devil poured his heart and soul into every action. Expending every ounce of strength he had in his bones as he fought desperately to keep the Demons attention upon him. And just as Naruto had poured a single tail of power into the condescending ball above his arm and began adding a second, Kid Devil opened a portal that Naruto leapt through.
There was a shout from Kid Devil, indecipherable to Blue Devil whose sole focus was purely upon his task at hand. But he registered it and it's meaning and leapt away, funnelling as much magic as he could into his trident as he landed upon the ground. As soon as he did, he took one large step forward, muscles straining and throw his spear with all his might. Muscles exploded within his arms, Blue Devil utilising every inch of his body in this throw as he collapsed to the ground just as Naruto appeared outside the other portal.
With a shout, Naruto fell headfirst into the Demon, ball of unstable demonic energy thrust forward and it exploded outwards.
Sunday 20th December, 20:30.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
Knocked to his knees, Constantine erected a barrier in order to protect himself from the powerful winds that rushed across the area. Large rocks and other assortments of debris carried along, some smashing into his barrier and breaking apart further.
'The hell was that?' He wondered, letting his barrier drop as the howling wind died down bringing a temporary respite.
Choosing to come had been a difficult choice personally speaking. He had no real attachment to any of the people here in Tartarus, but what did interest him was the power belonging to the Demon. It also worried him that a Demon of such power could have escaped his notice and even Hades' for so long. And if Hades did know, what kind of Demon was it that enabled it to reside in Tartarus undisturbed for so long?
He'd been making quick progress when he sensed the explosion of demonic energy. It rushed across the landscape and held a depth of rage that was chilling to his senses. Small though it may have been in comparison to many other demonic entities, that power held a potency of rage that not many of the Demons Constantine had faced ever possessed.
And he has faced plenty of Demons in his crusade against the supernatural forces that threatened Earth.
Then came the blinding light that it forced John to a stop, eyes scrunching in an attempt to cover himself from the sight. It didn't do much and then came the violent vibrations of the ground beneath his feet, buckling his knees and forcing him to the ground. Constantine was experienced enough to know what came next and so, had summoned a barrier to protect himself from the wind.
And now, as he opened his eyes, wincing as he did, Constantine was left to look upon a billowing mushroom cloud ascending to the sky. Beneath it, a wide crater miles in length and scorched limbs of Demons scattered all across it.
In the centre, there was one large splatter of blood, half the remnants of what could have been a Dragon of some kind. Before three figures laid out, slowly getting to their feet after some deliberation. 'They won?' The disbelief he felt was by no means small, the power he had felt coming off that Demon was not weak. In fact, it was surpassing Ixion, yet these three had defeated it in such a short space of time.
Constantine knew that Blue Devil was by no means weak, but he also wasn't exactly strong either. He was middling and by no means should have been able to take on this Demon while protecting his protégé at the same time. Speaking of which, his protégé wouldn't have been much help either, his powers were undeveloped and he was a rookie, untrained and inexperienced.
As for Naruto, the kid had potential and had certainly been training his ass off for months within Tartarus. But despite all that, there was no way in hell that he should have been able to win, even with Blue Devils help.
'So what the hell happened here?'
Knowing exactly where he needed to go as well as knowing what awaited him, Constantine clicked his fingers and disappeared in a blink. Appearing moments later before the three battered heroes. "So this is a fine mess you lot got yourself into, chaps. Left you alone for less than five minutes and you suddenly get yourself involved in one big shit show. Congratulations." The scathing sarcasm that leaked from his tone was entirely too clear but it had no effect. Each of the heroes still recovering from the after-effects of the explosion to take note.
"Constantine?" Daniel greeted after a short while in which the sorcerer in question managed to light a cigarette. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was curious to see what kind of Demon had this sort of power and had gone unnoticed in Tartarus for so long. Care to describe it for me seeing as though it has next to nothing left of its head."
"A Dragon with three heads." Kid Devil answered with a glare. "That good enough for you or would you like more?"
"I dunno lad seems like you gave a pretty good description to me. Let's just go over all the other multi-headed Demon Dragons I'm aware of." He snarked. "Oh, that's right, too many to count. Details gentlemen, come on!"
"The right head was purely red, much like the rest of its body. Its head was decorated in a number of horns. The middle was green, nothing decorating its head. The third was grey like its underbelly, two brown horns sticking up from its head." Naruto explained, equally as nonplused as Kid Devil at Constantine's attitude. "It had a great deal of magical energy but its durability was weak..."
"Explains how you lot beat it then. Got lucky if you ask me." For a moment, Constantine went silent completely ignoring the scowls that decorated all three heroes faces, in Blue Devils. "Sounds to me like you guys got very lucky indeed, what you just faced was Azhi Dahaka, not to be confused with its Persian mythological counterpart. This is just a cheap copy, some Demon who encountered it before its death and decided to carry on its name. Known for its shape-shifting ability and incredible magical power, just not very strong. Which explains why it came here."
"That certainly helps us." Kid Devil muttered sarcastically. "Next time we face this Azi Dakaha, or whatever you call it this knowledge will be so helpful."
"It's pronounced Azhi Dahaka."
"Whatever."
John took another look back at the Dragon and then at the surrounding lands. "Though I do have to ask, what'd you do to kill it? Certainly can't have been you, Daniel, you ain't got anything that can cause destruction on this level. It's like a nuclear bomb exploded here."
"That'd be me," Naruto said, raising one hand. "I just concentrated about two tails of power into a ball and just hit it with it."
"And that worked?"
Naruto shrugged. "Worked out pretty well against Icon when I tried it, seems to have worked out perfectly well again here." That was an understatement, arguably because Naruto knew what to expect and how to time it better he had done much better this time around.
"Show me?"
"Not likely." Naruto scoffed, shaking his head with a frown. "The moment I put an ounce of power and condense it into a ball it starts to become unstable. I also can't just absorb it back into me, once I bring it out that's it. I already exhausted two tails just doing this. I've only got one tail left so I ain't doing this anymore for a long while."
"It becomes unstable? Do you just condense it into a ball in your hand and just leave it there?" Naruto nodded to his head and John sighed. "Seriously, did Nabu not help you with this shit? Think about it simply kid, what happens when the water pressure gets too high? That's exactly what's happening to you when you use this technique. You can't just condense your power and leave it there, power needs to move around, to be doing something as to relieve some of that pressure."
Naruto rose a brow because honestly, he'd never thought of it that way. "So what do you suggest then?"
"For starters, try adding less power. Then I dunno, try spinning it." And at that, Constantine turned on his heel, muttering along the way as he did. The three heroes watching him leave with varying reactions.
Naruto himself meanwhile collapsed back and rose one hand into the air, looking at it. 'Spinning it, huh? I never thought of it like that.'
Thursday 31st December, 07:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
It was strange returning to Gotham after his time in Tartarus.
The nostalgia was there, the crime, the pollution. Everything that reminded him of his old life back before he entered the dark world of heroism was there in the open. Yet something was missing, that sense of unease he would always feel.
Even after his time under Deathstroke, his time with the team, he still felt that unease. Almost as if something was breathing down his neck, like he was a prey being stalked by its predator. It was still there, but it no longer set him on edge. Perhaps he was just been cocky, yet Naruto didn't think it was that.
'They're just not strong enough.'
That was what it boiled down to really and perhaps he was arrogant to say that but was it really arrogance if he was simply pointing out a truth? Gotham was known for being a dark place, there was always being a crime committed at all hours of the day, a murder in every alley, a shop being robbed around every corner. Yet it was also known for not having the most powerful villains, terrifying all the same, but not overly powerful.
Naruto had faced off against the most powerful heroes in the world, he'd fought constantly against hordes of Demons day in and day out. Each time he survived despite all the odds being stacked against him.
Not only had he survived, but he had also grown stronger as a result.
His career as a hero was not a story of constant victories. It was the very opposite, defeat after defeat. Other heroes of his generation had the protection of their mentors who would be there to save them if the odds became too dangerous. Naruto he didn't have that nor was he able to recognise when a situation was too much for him to handle. And unlike those heroes of his generation, when he could recognise it, there was no one more experienced to restrain his hot-headedness.
As a result, Naruto had faced foes far beyond his level of skill and lost badly. But each defeat had two things in common.
First, he survived.
Second and most importantly, they taught him a lesson. Those fights highlighted faults in his fighting style, chinks in his armour. They showcased every one of his weaknesses and forced him to adapt and grow to overcome them.
It was highly dangerous and the results spoke for themselves.
Pushing open the door to his apartment, Naruto found that only Rose was present, she sat upon the sofa flicking through the channels in her underway. She recognised him instantly and her eyes widened in shock upon looking at his darkened skin almost as if he had gotten a tan.
"Yo." He greeted giving a lazy wave of his hand.
"Oh, you're back."
Naruto blinked, not having quite expected that response though he smiled when he realised she was putting on an act. "Yes, I am and just in time for Christmas." He replied easily, stepping in and looking around at the empty dishes in the sink, Barbara would not like that at all. "Barbara not here?"
"She's at her dad's," Rose answered and Naruto nodded his head. He had thought they'd be heading over together but he was a bit late, by a day.
'They won't make a huge deal out of it.' He brushed it off and smiled, reaching down into his bag and pulling out a gift. Rose watched him, Naruto dumping his bag on the floor and walking towards her, collapsing down on the sofa. "Merry Christmas."
"I didn't get you anything." Naruto just shook his head.
"Doesn't matter, here." He shook the wrapped present making the object inside rattle a little and cautiously, Rose took it. For a moment she just stared and Naruto sighed out. "Jesus Christ Rose, I had no idea you were so scared of a gift."
That got the reaction Naruto expected, a glare and punch to the arm before Rose opened the parcel revealing two daggers. "How much did this cost you?" She wondered in awe, picking one up, it was light in her hands yet felt much more comfortable and sturdy than her others.
"Nothing actually," Naruto said and she looked at him questioningly. "What, I killed the Demon that it's made from. You're looking at what I like to call a Dragon Tooth Dagger."
"That's a shit name."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's still a work in progress. But as the name suggests, it's made from Dragon tooth and the spikes at the ends are made from the claws of a Dragon."
"You killed a Dragon? Nice one."
"Well, not an actual Dragon. More like a shape-shifting Demon that took the form of a Dragon, but same thing."
Rose smirked. "It's really not, this is a cheap knock-off of the dagger you described."
"Fuck you." He shot back good-naturedly and the two fell into a comfortable silence for a little while. "Are you going to M'gann's party tonight, at the Cave?"
"No." Her response was quick and straight to the point.
"Meh, I think you are." She turned to him with narrowed eyes.
"I'm really not."
Naruto took a moment as if considering her words before shaking his head. "Nope, pretty sure you are."
"I'm not."
"You really are."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes. I can do this all day."
"No. So can I."
"Yes. Then I guess it's a question of who can last the longest."
"No. Guess it is."
Thursday 31st December, 12:00.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
"I hate you so much," Rose muttered petulantly, arms crossed and a deep scowl upon her face.
"I know." Naruto on the other hand was noticeably chipper for a number of reasons. One was the fact that he had successfully managed to draw Rose out of their apartment and to a party, she acting like a child only making it that much more enjoyable. But on top of that, he was able to get a chance to be amongst his friends once more, it was a great feeling and one he had sorely missed.
As great as his training was, Naruto couldn't deny that it meant separation from his friends and Barbara which was never easy. It was strange for him really, when he was younger the only people he had were Barbara and Jim, but now he had so many more people. If he had gone training as he had, he would have missed Barbara and Jim massively. But it was as if the more people he had waiting for him, the more he wanted to return.
Yet he couldn't, not until he had gotten strong enough.
"She doesn't seem overly pleased," Barbara said, walking towards him with two cups in her hands and a smile on her face. Naruto returned it, taking the cup she offered him in one hand, free arm wrapping around her shoulder and bringing her in for a kiss that she happily returned. "Missed you."
"So did I." In response to his jest, Barbara slapped him on the shoulder, taking his hand and leading him towards where everyone was gathered.
"Everyone, he's finally arrived!" She called out, a cheer resounding through the cave.
Thursday 31st December, 16:45.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
The party was beginning to die down, a few like Rose, Wally, Artemis, Dick and Zatanna heading off. Barbara was still here, talking with Raquel, M'gann, Donna and Tula with the remaining boys of Naruto, Connor, Kaldur and Garth doing the same.
"So what's it's like, in Tartarus?" Connor asked eventually.
People hadn't talked about it in detail properly, the party here was just a reunion, a means for them all to relax and just have fun. There had been a few questions here and there about what people had been up to, but for the most part, it was just a time to sit back and have fun. But despite that, there were many with an underlining curiosity as to what Naruto had been up to especially.
"It's…interesting." The understatement earned a light chuckle. "But in all seriousness, it's hard. Demons there are weaker according to Constantine so I'm inclined to listen to him. But even then, we're talking guys on the level of you Connor when it comes to strength or above. I'd say some could even be as strong as Aquaman possibly."
A few nods were given.
"They also don't know what the meaning of rest is. Or surrender." The blonde continued. "I can't count the times I've been exhausted and wanting nothing more than to have something to eat or a good nights sleep only to have another group of Demons come along looking to pick a fight. I think in the beginning, I didn't get a moment of asleep for at least a week."
Garth gave a low whistle, as even for Atlantean that was no mean feat. Sleep was an important facet for all species, very few could function without it. Even then, those like Kryptonians who realistically, shouldn't require sleep still did in a way. Maybe not to help them recover from physical exhaustion, but they needed it to help with mental fatigue. If they didn't, then eventually it could develop into them having a mental breakdown.
Not exactly a happy thought when one considered the strength of Superman.
Add on top of that a mentally unstable Superman and well, that was a recipe for absolute chaos and destruction.
"But it's gotten easier?" Kaldur questioned, getting the hint that Naruto was giving.
The blonde nodded. "Not massively, but I at least get more time to sleep. Demons are territorial and not all that intelligent, well most of them anyway. Even those that aren't and run purely on instinct have kind of reached an understanding with me, I guess."
"Understanding?" Garth rose a brow in wonderment and a healthy measure of disbelief.
"I use the term loosely. Most just come at me especially newer ones looking for a fight. But some of the weaker ones try and avoid me or at least come in hordes so that's good for training to fight against numbers. But my main understanding is with some of the stronger ones. They let me eat and sleep, recover my strength and then they fight. If they let me do that then I'm more inclined to let them go."
There was a pause as all three guys looked at one another before turning back to Naruto. Their faces said it all, complete and utter disbelief. "What?"
"Nothing," Kaldur replied, shaking his head in amusement at his friend's words.
"I suppose we should expect this from you by now," Connor added.
Garth, on the other hand, he laughed openly. "Man, you're one weird guy. I can see why everyone respects the hell out of you. Letting Demons go so that they can get stronger, just so you can sleep? That's unheard of."
Naruto shrugged. "I had to do something otherwise I'd probably be dead by now. Seemed like the best option at the time. It's also helped me out a great deal considering it's made me stronger as a result."
"So what's your plan after this then?"
"Same as usual," Naruto answered with a smirk. "Keep getting stronger."
Monday 25th January, 03:00.
Location Unknown.
Echoing down the dark corridors, footsteps sounded.
Two figures, one tall with long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail walked ahead with a confident gait. Trailing behind him, a smaller, hunched over figure followed, his beady eyes staring out at around the cave, oftentimes glaring at the back of the blonde ahead of him.
Two very different figured, yet bearing one similarity.
The long black cloak is decorated with red clouds.
The Akatsuki.
As the two stepped out into the large atrium it was to find an odd sight waiting for them. There, gathered in the large open area within the cave of their base, were nine figures, each clad in the same black cloaks decorated with red clouds.
In the centre laid a large rock formation, sat upon it were two figures. Hair orange in colour and cut short, numerous black piercings decorating his face and eyes purple with a ripple pattern extending out from the pupil. Beside him, stood a beautiful woman with light blue hair cut short with similar black piercing upon her face.
Surrounding the rock formation, three pairs were lined up, them making the fourth. Situated to the north of the rock formation was a tall, muscular figure possessing deep blue skin and sporting gills and scales upon his face. Its teeth were nothing more than sharp fangs that were clearly displayed by the large grin upon his face. Attached to his back, an equally large blade almost as big as his seven-foot figure in length and much wider, it wriggling as if alive.
Beside him was a much smaller man possessing long black hair. Eyes a blood-red in colour with three strange markings surrounding it, they reflecting nothing more than cold indifference as he viewed the world around him.
To the east was another tall and muscular man, face covered in a sort of turban of some kind. Eyes glaring out at everything, dismissing his partner entirely as he remained tense and ready for action.
His partner on the other was a direct contrast, lazily sitting down upon the floor and whistling merrily. The cloak he wore was modified leaving his chest bare and collar pointed and longer than the norm. Laying beside him, a three-pronged scythe was attached to a long rope connected to himself.
To the west, was another odd pairing. One, a man clad in a swirling orange mask yet rocking back and forth upon his heels like an eager child. There was little for either of the two figures to go off considering he was a relatively new member of their group.
But beside him was an older member, a snake-like figure with long flowing black hair and a pale face decorated with purple makeup around his eyes. His gaze locked hungrily upon the smaller figure beside his blue-skinned partner. A long, snake-like tongue flicking out from between his lips.
"Now isn't this a strange sight?" The blonde proclaimed loudly. "All of us gathered here. This hasn't happened since we were first formed. So what's the occasion?
Then, rising from the rock formation, another figure appeared. He was the strangest of them all, a figure half black and white in colour, a Venus-flytrap accessory surrounding his head. Yet he wore the cloak of Akatsuki all the same.
"The Uzumaki has been spotted, an opening has presented itself." The black half-spoke. "He's finally away from the Justice League and all the other little heroes. The fun gets to begin. He will be entering Tartarus in a few days, Deidara, Sasori. You will be capturing him there."
The blonde looked to his partner Sasori, before giving a scoff. 'I could do this myself but honestly, I'd rather not get on his bad side.' Deidara thought, looking up towards the figure sat silently upon the top of the rock formation. 'God ain't no joke and I don't want to fight against him ever. Not after I saw what he did to the last guy who disobeyed Zetsu's orders.'
It was strange really, to see God, a human so powerful that his title did not seem to be a stretch follow the orders of a weakling like Zetsu. But then again, stranger things had happened in the world. Either way though, the last time someone refused to follow Zetsu's orders, they had incurred the wrath of God and since then, none had ever thought let alone raised any complaints again.
"The Uzumaki will be captured. But what of Constantine and Blue Devil?" Sasori questioned. The latter wasn't so worrying, but he was no less a dangerous threat, but considering their entire organisation specialised in the capturing of Demons he wouldn't be too much trouble.
Constantine on the other hand was entirely different and he was a serious threat. There were very few practitioners of the Mystic Arts capable of rivalling Constantine and there was perhaps only one in this room who could, and that was the strongest of them all.
"Blue Devil is currently preoccupied. As for Constantine, don't worry about him and have some fun." The White half spoke up, far more cheerful and laid back compared to the serious and firm black half. "He will find Hell far more inhospitable to him should he attempt to return to Tartarus before you have captured Naruto Uzumaki."
Sasori nodded his head but said nothing.
It wasn't the best plan nor much comfort to him, going against Constantine, in general, was something he would like to avoid entirely. At the end of the day though, he had a job to do and he would complete it. Especially if he wanted to earn the favour of Trigon and survive when the Demon invaded Earth.
If it meant going up against Constantine to do so, then so be it.
"In the meantime, the rest of you continue gathering money and resources." Black Zetsu ordered melting back into the rock.
So another chapter done and with it, the first of a few big bads have been introduced and taken care of this chapter. There isn't much about Azhi Dahaka other than what he looks like and the fact he was beaten by Chimera so it allowed me freedom to do what I wanted. Hence why I went for incredibly powerful magically, but weak defensively. This way it makes sense for someone like Chimera to be able to beat him at the same time making Azhi Dahaka a realistic threat.
Kid Devil is starting to get more motivation to work harder, joining Blue Devil to train in Tartarus. Naruto himself is progressing much further into harder areas of Tartarus. He also has gained a little advice from Constantine on how to improve his Proto-Rasengan, so you'll be seeing the completed technique eventually.
Other than that, we saw a bit more of the friendship between Naruto and the team. But don't expect entire chapters dedicated to it as that would take far too long. This time-skip will hint to scenes such as that, but in order to avoid loads of filler, I won't show them all, at least not this arc. I'd personally like to get through the Time Skip arc quicker than the YJ season 1 arc, but I'm also cautious not to run through it too soon.
Anyway, let's get on with the questions:
mohamadoulo23: I can understand why you might think that, but this is a Naruto crossover. I am bringing not only elements of the Narutoverse lore into this story to help fill in certain gaps in DC's own lore and to make sense why certain things are done in universe. I also need characters, purely having Naruto alone would be enough yes.
I'm also cautious to ensure that I don't add too many Naruto characters and so, only add them when necessary. Minato and Kushina were added because they are his parents. The Uzumaki clan, mainly Mito and Ashina helped establish the Uzumaki and Kin of Kuramas history. However, the Akatsuki are here to provide a team purely dedicated to hunting down the Nine Tailed Beasts. The Akatsuki were already put together for that reason and it makes sense to have them here as well.
Anisuculenticate: Doctor Manhattan is too OP to introduce this early on. Plus he's in a completely different universe so he's not present yet. But mainly, he's just too powerful to have running around at this point in time.
Stonepotrice: Yep, the team has split apart and yes he does. He was the person Naruto went to first after his battle against Black Adam. But his knowledge wasn't fully extensive like Jason's or others would be. As for Raven, well Naruto doesn't know about her if that's what you're asking. However, because the JL had cameras watching the Light's meeting, they are aware of someone called Raven that the Light are trying to find.
No, her motivation for becoming Batgirl is a little different as she did it purely to try and give Naruto a safer life. Now that he's a hero it's kind of impossible, especially with how powerful he's becoming. Instead she's semi-retired and trying to help people in other ways that don't require being Batgirl.
WalkerFRD: Yep, Slade has said that the only reason he's able to match Batman is because he doesn't come with the intent to kill. If Batman came to kill, Slade would lose though that's not say it wouldn't be a close fight as it would be. Because of Batman's unwillingness to kill it's a draw, but that knowledge that if Batman did snap and come with the intent to kill that he would edge out a the victory is what puts him above Slade. Haven't forgotten Killer Frost, just at this point there is nothing for her to do and would be needlessly included.
Sultan Asil Arslan: When he unlocks his Nine Tails, Naruto would actually be above Etrigan in terms of pure power. However, Etrigan had a son called Golgotha who was actually far more powerful than Etrigan was. But when the two fought, Etrigan won and killed him. Power is not the determination of a fight like it was in DBZ, unique powers as well as intelligence, fighting skills and experience all play a part and while Naruto would be more powerful, it would not be an instant or easy win for him against Etrigan.
Lord Suryansh: Yep, sorry that my bad but basically it's been a year of training though only the back end of that has been spent in Tartarus. His training began in the Tower of Fate then he headed off to Tartarus. As you can see, no, effectively, Naruto is Kurama. Or well, Kurama was the one who mated with Mito leading to the developing of the Kin of Kurama. As for the Demon Sage Mode and so on, don't worry I've got a road map for Naruto's power development. I can't really reveal due to spoilers so PM if you want to know. But I have got my roadmap laid out.
Yakuza2010: He always has and that's never going to change. But he fights to try and make a difference in whatever way he sees fit. He's always conscious of killing people, especially after what Jason explained to Don about how Naruto began to change. Possible, though probably not in this arc. Thanks for the suggestion I'll give it a look and not really, I just don't think there'd be much to do honestly.
RengokuWolf: Please see my response to mohamadoulo23.
hunter41963801: Yes, Naruto will meet Raven eventually and their relationship will be at first, mentor and student in a way. Then develop into a sort of sibling relationship similar to how Naruto views Rose. And yes, most of the time skip arc will be Naruto training but there will still be action and hints to stuff that has and will happen in the future. That's why I don't want to spend ages on this arc.
Guest: Yes, I'm aware that the Boruto Novels are canon. I'm not quite sure what you mean about that, but if you're talking about where canon Naruto should be ranked based on the Boruto novels then yes, I'm aware and there things I've taken into account. Even Bayron Mode