Injustice: The Path to Hell.
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter XX – First Confrontation.
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
"Other Speech variants."
Location/Time.
Friday 27th January, 14:00.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
Falling back into the rhythm of things wasn't all that difficult for him. Certainly, his time back on Earth, surrounded by Barbara and his friends was good and provided a much-needed break from the harsh environment of Tartarus. But upon his return, Naruto didn't have much struggle falling back into his usual routine.
In fact, it was more concerning as to how easy he acclimatised to the brutality of Tartarus than it was not.
But in a way, Naruto needed that break.
Tartarus whether one was conscious of this or not would wear a person down. Everything about it was tailored made to kill the weak. The burning environment of Tartarus could melt flesh from bone and the copious amounts of smoke would make breathing incredibly difficult for anyone. On top of that, the constant battles with Demons and the need to be on high alert at all times would wear one down mentally and physically. Especially when you had to sleep in small intervals, rarely getting a full nights sleep.
All of it led to a very unwelcoming and dangerous atmosphere that would make a lesser man go insane. However, Naruto's time away from Tartarus like always focused his mind even further.
Being around his friends, being around those he cared for and loved, it reminded him why he came to Tartarus in the first place. He needed to get stronger and his time on Earth had led to him eventually reaching a plateau that he couldn't find a way around or through.
In terms of skill, Naruto was perhaps one of the best fighters in the world. Up there way with the likes of Batman, Deathstroke, Talon, Wildcat and others. But one thing that separates him from them was an experience. He didn't have the necessary understanding or knowledge of fighting against superpowered foes which made them so dangerous. It was that lack of experience that led to him being so far below them despite on paper, being their equal.
He had reached the heights of martial skill, his techniques were refined to a fine art. No movement was wasted, his form was fluid and perfect, there was literally no way for him to improve his skills by training. The only way for him to get better was combat experience, to fight constantly against foes far stronger or against numerous foes at once. Only by putting himself in dangerous situations and risking his life could he get stronger.
It was similar for his powers, he had reached a limit after acquiring his third tail.
When losing control he could go beyond, at least according to Jason but Naruto had no conscious memory of it. So there was still more and Naruto could feel it there beyond a wall he just couldn't get past.
Yet his time in Tartarus, he could feel it.
Little by little, he was clawing his way up the mountain that separates him from the likes of Batman and Deathstroke. The same went for his powers, that impassable barrier between him and the next stage of his powers was slowly growing weaker and weaker. It wasn't easy nor simple, each time he strove higher was fraught with pain and near death. Yet nothing ever truly worth it was easy and for Naruto, there was nothing more worth it than having the power to protect those he cared for.
Hearing footsteps walking towards him, the sound carrying over the wind, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. There, walking towards him from a distance were two figures, small and leaner than any Demon he had encountered. But from his position upon a mountain of corpses, Naruto could easily see that they weren't Demons.
They were human.
Both clad in black cloaks decorated with red clouds.
'Akatsuki?' He thought, lips twisting into a half-frown and smile, unsure what emotion to really display or feel. There was a multitude to the point it was overwhelming him.
Rising to his feet, Naruto flexed his hands lightly, breath even and steady as he jumped off the corpses and landed in a crouch. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Naruto walked towards the two approaching figures with a calm gait until the three of them came to a stop across from each other.
"So you finally came." Naruto broke the silence between them. "I wondered how long I'd have to wait before one of you fuckers mustered up the balls to come to face me. What's wrong? Afraid to fight against someone who can fight back? Or can you only kill those who can't protect themselves?" Just the thought of his mother made Naruto's fists clenched tightly, a flare of magic to well up from within him and manifest in his favoured element.
Wind that rushed out from his body in all directions, ruffling their clothes and dispelling the nearby flames that roared around them.
Sasori and Deidara both tensed, sharing a slight glance in confusion. By that point, however, Naruto was done waiting and capitalised on this momentary opening. Leg rose up and slammed into the ground, the area around them for over a mile erupting outwards, large rocks flying into the air.
The closest to Naruto were suddenly hit by a powerful blast of wind that sent them shooting towards Sasori and Deidara like bullets. With their footing unstable, both Akatsuki members were already out on the back foot. However, they recovered relatively quickly with Sasori only slightly curling his already hunched form up a little more.
Rocks smashed into his body making loud, thunking noises as they shattered and bounced off his body. Deidara on the other hand threw something out of his hand where Naruto noticed that there seem to be a mouth of some kind on his palm. The white substance he released flew towards the oncoming rocks and upon contact, exploded.
'Explosions?' Bursting forwards, Naruto didn't give either a moments rest, but his mind worked quickly. 'That could be tricky, especially if that mouth can produce the substance constantly. As for the other guy, I don't know what he can do, but he's durable.'
Just as Naruto thought that he came upon the hunched-over figure, fist smacking against the surface that surrounded his body.
'It's hard, like wood but far stronger.' At that moment a powerful burst of pressurised wind ripped forth and launched the figure through the air. As he did, Deidara managed to land on his feet, quickly pack pedalling while throwing a handful of little balls. They weren't thrown very fast, more tossed halfheartedly and Naruto easily slid underneath them, closing in upon Deidara.
The two shared a short exchange which Naruto dominated, blasts of pressurised wind bursting from his hands. Deidara did his best to parry Naruto's blows and did remarkably well, but even while parrying them, there was still a powerful gust that caused Deidara to stumble.
It was only a matter of time before Naruto finally managed to break through his defence and come in close, fist mere inches from smashing into Deidara's face, a large quantity of magic surrounding his fist. 'I'll kill you first!' With the amount of magic Naruto had put into his fist it would be enough to reduce even a mid-level demon as nothing more than a stain upon the floor.
A human like Deidara wouldn't stand a chance.
Yet in that moment his instincts screamed at him to move and Naruto shifted the trajectory of his strike while simultaneously jumping into the air. The timely blast of wind struck the ground and caused it to explode, Naruto carried higher into the air as he watched little white bat-like creatures swarm into his position, many smaller explosions erupting outwards.
'When did he change the shape? Can he do that without touching them?' Naruto didn't know, all he did know was that something shiny was rapidly approaching from his right. Gathering the wind around him, he spun creating a sort of windshield that deflected the metal spikes away from him as he righted himself in midair.
Only for Deidara to burst from the smoke, riding a large white bird formed of the same substance that made up his bombs. 'I hope I'm wrong about that because otherwise, that's insane.' Naruto thought, quickly using timely bursts of wind to change his trajectory, avoiding Deidara who pulled out some unformed white substance into his hands, the mouths upon them eating it whole. 'So that's how he does it. That's just gross.'
Before he could think upon it further Deidara released more balls of white explosive that from them, wings unfurled and converged upon him. Naruto at this point though had already begun to approach the ground and gave one last burst of wind from his hand.
It struck the explosives with powerful force causing them to explode. Naruto himself was flung rapidly, spinning top over tail his feet landing on the ground. The momentum built up though was a little much and Naruto fell back, rolling to his feet and pushing off, landing in a crouch.
'So this may not be as easy as I had thought.' Naruto watched as Deidara floated above him, hand mouths feeding upon more explosive substances and prepping more bombs. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto also saw Sasori sprout a metal tail with the pointed end aimed at him.
"Heh, now I'm just disappointed." Naruto scoffed, rising to his feet, his words making both Sasori and Deidara pause. "I honestly expected more considering I was told you were pretty strong. Aren't you meant to be the guys who hunted down eight of the nine? Look at you, struggling against little old me. Pathetic."
"Oi brat, I'll show you weak!" Deidara went to move, just as Naruto wanted and he prepped his counter.
"Deidara, stop." However, the calm words of Sasori cut through the momentary silence. "He's baiting you. He has been this entire time. He knows he can't beat us both so he intended to separate us and deal with us one at a time. This entire time he hasn't been taking you seriously."
Naruto smirked. "That's not true, I'm trying my hardest." His words were dripping with sarcasm making the already irate Deidara grit his teeth even harder, veins bulge from his forehead. "And you're only partly right about me trying to separate you in the beginning."
Both Akatsuki members looked to one another and then to him.
"Oh boy, you two really didn't do your research did you. Then again, I suppose not many know the geographical landscape of Tartarus like I do." In that instant, the ground began to rumble and all around them figures began to rise up over the horizon, from the ground around them. "You see, this is one of the no-mans lands. And it's called that because none of the Thirteen have claimed it for their own. So all you've got is a bunch of Demons fighting for control, and well we just entered the fray making one hell of a racket, thanks for that."
Here Naruto bowed to Deidara, but the blonde paid little attention to his words. Both he and Sasori looking around at the hundreds of Demons around them warily, each of them radiating a great deal of power.
"And well these fuckers, they're part of the areas I tend to avoid. But I'd hardly be a welcoming host if I don't show you the best and worst parts of my temporary home." From within him, Naruto felt the familiar burning sensation well up and spread throughout his body, hands flexing to reveal sharp claws. "So let me introduce you to one of the most dangerous areas within Tartarus."
And in that instant, a three-tailed Naruto's burst forwards, drop-kicking a particularly large Demon in the back. It didn't pack a huge amount of power behind it, certainly not enough to send a high-level Demon like it flying. But it did send it stumbling directly towards a nearby Demon.
From that single moment, chaos erupted as a huge clash took place.
Naruto himself focusing his gaze purely upon the figures of Sasori and Deidara.
Friday 27th January, 15:30.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
This was meant to be simple.
Sasori had seen the recordings Zetsu had gathered upon Naruto's various battles throughout his time. He, unlike his partner, a Deidara had studied the recordings closely, watching, learning and understanding how his target fought and thinks. Unlike the freaks of nature that existed amongst the Akatsuki, perhaps only he and Deidara were the closest to normal.
They had no immense physical strength or speed.
For all their skill in their unique fields of magic, they were both humans. Magic was an excellent equaliser, but all it would take was one moment of inattention and that would be the end of them. Unlike the rest of the superheroes and villains in the world, they couldn't brush off city-destroying attacks.
It was why Sasori took extra care when preparing to hunt down his targets. Deidara was usually safe, battling from a distance upon his clay bird. Sasori couldn't do that, he had to be close to his puppets to control them and so fighting powerful beings was something he liked to avoid as much as possible.
That was the sole reason he had never brought the attention of the likes of Constantine, Giovanni Zatara or Doctor Fate down upon him. The moment he did, Sasori knew that there would be no escape and if he fought them and somehow did, he would be on the radar of the Justice League. At that point, Sasori might as well just turn himself in or give up because there was no way he was going to win such a fight.
But Naruto, he thought he could fight and defeat the blonde. He was certainly a very skilled fighter, one of the best Sasori would wager. His skill and control over his demonic powers while impressive and the destructive capabilities of it were certainly worrying as well, Sasori felt confident in his victory. After all, he just needed to ensure that Naruto couldn't utilise that same technique he had used against Aquaman or Icon. If he managed to do that, Sasori doubted he would need Deidara's help at all. With Deidara though, as much as he disliked the longer-haired blonde, Sasori couldn't deny his skill and so, he knew it would be their win.
Yet none of that had happened.
'He's smarter than I gave him credit for.' Sasori begrudgingly admitted pieces of his favoured puppet, Hiruko breaking away as it finally began to reach its limits. That alone irritated Sasori to no end, Hiruko was one of his prized possessions, formed with a mixture of magic, alchemy, runes and good old craftsmanship, it was designed to be Sasori defence again the Justice League.
The early Justice League that was.
Once they started showcasing powers beyond simply destroying cities, Sasori had decided then and there that the best principle in combatting the Justice League was to just avoid it altogether.
To run and hide effectively.
Seeing the Demon hammering away at his body stop momentarily, only to rip away his metal tail moments later, Sasori used this to fully break away. Activating the countermeasure within Hiruko that caused it to explode, shards of wood, doused in holy water firing out and impaling dozens of Demons all around him. Sasori landed on the ground, rolling to his feet and taking a moment to take stock of the situation.
Deidara was up above, moulding and forming clay that he unleashed upon the ground. The Demons below, often too busy dealing with each other to deal with them caught in the explosions.
Yet the very figure who had led them into his trap from the beginning had long since fought his way to safety, now sat comfortably upon a hillside, lazily watching the battle below. He didn't need to do anything, Deidara was too busy dodging blasts of magical energy that attempted to knock him out of the sky to be able to get to the blonde. Sasori himself was no different and in an arguably worse situation than his partner, stuck in the thick of the battle as it was.
All the blonde needed to do was wait and watch as they were whittled down little by little by the Demons making his fight against them that much easier. A smart move, a very smart move and that irritated Sasori more than he would care to admit.
Things were not going to plan.
'I have no choice.' Sasori thought, pulling out a scroll from his pocket and threw it into the air, it unfurling as it fell. As it slowly floated to the ground, a few Demons attempted to attack Sasori from behind.
Yet out from his stomach, a compartment opened and outshoot a cable that stabbed through the Demons with ease. It wrapped around them tightly and pulled them towards him, they didn't resist, using this as a means to close the gap between them. Something they regretted instantly when out from Sasori's back, two poles extended, from them five blades propped out and sound rapidly like a propeller.
Using his puppet body in combat was something he liked to avoid, it was why he spent so much time on Hiruko. Luckily for him, this experience had taught Sasori many things about fighting a large number of powerful enemies at once. His time in the past was always dealt with a few strong but mostly dozens of subpar enemies. The greatest opponent he had thought was the leader of his former Occult Group.
Besides that man, Sasori was the strongest by far and so, when Sasori went on to kill the rest of his Occult Group, they posed little threat. Demons of this level, each were slightly below himself, but still incredibly dangerous.
That was a level of danger that Sasori had never found himself in before. He has thought he had come prepared by forcing that proest to gift him with holy water and divine blessings upon all his puppets. Yet while they had an effect, it was not enough, certainly not for Sasori's liking.
However, it was time for Sasori to end this and then put what he lad learned to greater use in the future. That was the only way to survive, learn and adapt.
"Sasori. You must leave." Zetsu warned, rising from the ground beside him as the scroll finally hit the ground. "Constantine is arriving. He was closer than we expected. And stronger."
"I warned you not to underestimate him." Sasori scowled, not liking the odds he was currently facing. "You should have sent God and the Angel to stop him. God is perhaps the only one in our organisation that can match him."
"It matters little now. He's on his way here. What's done is done and now the fun times over." Nodding his head stiffly, Sasori pulled apart the white cylinder over his heart releasing hundreds of strings. At the same time, he channelled his magic into the scroll on the ground, the runes upon it glowing brightly before hundreds of puppets appeared in the sky. Each of the strings Sasori released from his heart latching onto one of the puppets. "Ohhh! So many puppets. Put on a show for us Sasori!"
Ignoring the fool, Sasori focused all his attention upon cutting a path for him. A flare of magic was sent into the ring as a signal to Deidara that they needed to leave. In response, the number of explosions and the power behind them increased.
Friday 27th January, 15:45.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
"Oh no, you don't!" Naruto snarled, a blast of wind bursting from his hand as he rocketed into the air from his relatively safe position upon the rock formation overlooking the battle below. As soon as the battle began he quickly made his way here, the Demons too busy fighting one another and the Akatsuki members to be of any concern to him.
Only a handful had given chase after him but he was able to use the terrain to his advantage and catch them off-guard and dispatch them in short order as he jumped to his second tail to be extra careful.
From there, Naruto had been watching and waiting.
He'd like nothing more than to tear the Akatsuki apart, to make them spill all their dirty little secrets. But above all else, he wanted to know who killed his mother and in turn, who he had to make suffer. However, as much as he would like to do that, Naruto wasn't going to let anger cloud his judgement and make a fatal mistake.
When that happened, Naruto had a tendency to become very one-dimensional and as a result, Naruto had worked hard to solve that problem. But it was still a work in process and Naruto had to bite his tongue many a time when he felt the urge to jump in the fray and kill either of the two.
But as he witnessed the new form of the smaller Akatsuki member as well as the hundreds of puppets he released moments later, Naruto knew it was smart of him to wait. Who knows what else he had up his sleeves? He also wasn't blind to the fact that there was someone new down there with him, someone half black and white. Not the human skin colour, but midnight black and paper white in colour. A strange Venus-flytrap looking contraption surrounding their head.
They had allies and Naruto could have very well been walking into a trap and his instincts told him to not give chase. But he had suppressed the urge and need for too long. Not only that, but the Akatsuki were also trying to escape.
The only connection to his mother's killers was attempting to flee the scene and that was something Naruto could not and would not allow.
Just as Naruto began to descend to the ground, Naruto fired another blast of wind from his hands. Angled slightly down so as to push him further up into the air, but mostly angled near parallel to the ground to push him forwards. It was powerful as well, Naruto's skill in wind seeing the most progress to the point he had reached a bastardised version of flight and he shot through the air like a bullet after the retreating Akatsuki.
As he drew closer, Naruto aimed specifically at the flying bomb-thrower. While the puppets of the other could prove troublesome, especially if they were as sturdy as the one he had worn as a shield, taking out the long-range air support would be the smartest move to make.
Clouded by a need for revenge Naruto may be, but the battle instincts that had saved his life allowed his body to work fluidly. And so he pushed himself higher and higher till he was higher than the flyer then bringing back his right hand he aimed.
Deidara must have felt something was amiss or perhaps he had been warned, Naruto didn't know but he turned. It was at that moment Naruto thrust his fist forwards, a spiralling funnel of red hot flames bursting out.
Fire was not his strongest element, nor was earth. But he had worked hard at them all, putting in just as much as effort and even more recently into improving them than he did with water and wind. For fire though, Naruto didn't need the power to expand the horizon of what he could do like with wind, water or Earth. What he needed was control to utilise flames in ways over than just a wave of pure destruction.
That was simple, just conjure the image in his mind, concentrate hard and shove a shitload of magic. It was why Naruto loved utilising magic so much more than his demonic powers, they were not only more versatile, but they were far easier to use and progress in. He also knew just how lucky he was to have such large pools of magic which made what he did impossible for most beginners and even sorcerers with decades of experience.
Very lucky.
But it still wasn't something Naruto could just slack off with nor did he ever consider it. Naruto like always put a hundred and ten per cent into his training like he always had. He was never content with what he achieved and wanted to strive for something beyond that because he knew as good as he was, there was someone better out there.
That someone may very well be the next villain he had to face and Naruto would never forgive himself if that was the case.
Blue Devil, Jason, Nabu and even Constantine, they had all described his determination as something they admired and in the case of Constantine, thought he was "fucking insane." They had all noted that sorcerers with far more talent than he didn't train anywhere near as hard, they told him that he was progressing at a speed that was phenomenal and was practically revolutionising a field of magic that didn't receive much attention due to the magical requirements.
Using incantations and magic circles it allowed Wizards and witches with less magic than he to perform similar acts with the incantations and magic circles doing most of the work. As a result, when they progressed and their magical power increased, the spells themselves became much stronger and much more powerful with sorcerers able to provide more magic to supplement the incantations and magic circles.
Using magic as he did, freely without those two things was something that rarely went explored because of that reason. But for Naruto, it was so much easier and suited him perfectly. Sitting down, reading books and memorising incantations and all that nonsense would never work for him. He'd get nowhere.
But with this type of magic, so long as he could think it and had the magic and determination to keep practising at it over and over again until he made what was in his head, reality. Then, in that case, he could do anything.
But none of that crossed Naruto's mind, all his attention and focus was purely upon Deidara who watched the rapidly approaching funnel of flames. He let out a shout, veering to the right to try and avoid the flames and he did a good job, mostly. After all, one of the wings of his bird was hit and the flames Naruto produced triggered a chain reaction.
Deidara had barely a moment to leap off his bird as it exploded, the shockwave big and loud, knocking him out of the sky at far faster speeds than before. Even Naruto himself was caught in the explosion, though with a few blasts of wind to help stabilise himself, he quickly got back in the game.
By that point though, Sasori had manoeuvred a few puppets to catch Deidara as he fell from the sky, the two continuing to rush towards the barrier between Hell and Tartarus. Escape wasn't far away for them and Naruto wasn't going to let them go, not without taking out at least one of them. Dead or alive it didn't matter to him, he just wanted to get his hands on one of them.
'I should have gotten involved!' He berated himself internally shooting off after them. 'I shouldn't have been bidding my time! I should…'
Before Naruto could say anything more, a large hand rose up out of the ground and Naruto quickly thrust both hands forwards. Much stronger blasts of winds rushed out of his hand, striking against the hand and bringing Naruto not only to a screeching halt but actually throwing him back. Skilfully, he flipped so he was approaching the ground feet up and used a timely wind blast to slow his descent.
As he landed gracefully upon the ground, a large hulking mass of a figure crawled its way out of the ground. It was only then that Naruto realised that this figure wasn't actually under the ground, he was the ground.
A huge giant figure of a beast and it was now looking directly at him. 'This is beginning to get a little repetitive.' Even so, Naruto shifted himself into a ready stance, prepared to face this beast before him. Perhaps in his right frame of mind, Naruto would have called it quits and if this prior to the Akatsuki attempting to flee, he would have.
But that single instance, that thought that possibly the Akatsuki could escape and with it, the answers he so desperately sought going along with them. All sensible reason left Naruto's mind and he focused on only one thing. Getting past this Demon and hunting the Akatsuki, even if it meant going into the depths of Hell to do it.
Friday 27th January, 16:00.
Tartarus,
Location Unknown.
Collapsing to his knees, Naruto caught himself on all fours before he could smack face-first into the ground. Sweat streamed down his flushed face as he panted heavily in an attempt to recover his breath.
Beside him, Constantine also collapsed onto his backside, not as exhausted but still showing signs of combat. Clothes ruffled and hair dishevelled, a deep frown on his face as he looked upon the smoking body that was laid out upon the floor behind him. Its form was almost a completely blackened charred mess, parts of its head missing and an entire arm gone completely.
Reaching into the inside of his trench coat, John went searching for a cigarette, something to help calm his nerves. He had not been prepared to face a Demon of that level and while not the strongest he had ever faced, fighting Demons required certain mental preparations as well as magical. He had not prepared any such things and that had left him a little nervous throughout the fight.
"What the fuck you were thinking, lad?" John questioned, taking the cigarette out of his mouth after a long drag. "Ixion? Of all fucking beings in Tartarus, you went to pick a fight with Ixion. I don't know if you know your history clearly you don't but this is a guy who fought Hermes, a God for fucks sake!"
Naruto didn't reply, fists clenching as he glared in the direction that the Akatsuki had fled. It was obvious, so clearly obvious that it was almost infuriating. That figure who had approached the puppet user, he had led them here, they had led him. They had intended to use this Demon, Ixion to cover their escape. More likely, they may have intended to use Ixion to beat him for them. If so, they would have succeeded had Constantine not being nearby to offer a hand.
'Damnit!' He had been so close, so close to getting the answers he desperately needed and it was his own impatience that cost him.
"You're not gonna give an answer?"
"Shut up." Naruto snapped at John. "I already know I made a fucking mistake, you don't need to keep pointing it out. Thinking about it, why the hell are you even here in the first place?"
Constantine rose a brow at the anger Naruto was showing, he was hardly worried though. "Nabu asked me to remain behind for a week after dropping you off here. Your last run-in with Azhi Dahaka had him nervous that his apprentice could get himself killed over his sheer stupidity. Looks like the old boy was correct because lo and behold, not even three days after dropping you off in Tartarus, what do you go and do? Oh nothing much, just manage to piss off one of the biggest fuckers in Tartarus."
Naruto scowled at the knowledge that Nabu had made Constantine effectively babysit him. He understood that if not for Constantine's arrival, he would have lost this fight. No matter what he threw at Ixion the Demon had just brushed it off. It was almost like fighting Aquaman all over again, a guy that could brush off all his attacks and respond with even stronger ones.
It was also a completely different experience than what he had against Azhi Dahaka. Ixion seemed to have next to no magical power, or at least didn't know how to use it. Instead, he had immense physical strength, speed and durability to the point Naruto had barely been able to keep up.
John had saved his life by appearing when he had.
'If he wasn't such an asshole about it I might have said thank you.' Naruto thought, rolling onto his back and looking up at the sky. 'But this just goes to show, I still have a long way to go. I even had to resort to using my Demon Powers again. Something I've been trying to avoid for a long time.'
"You gonna at least tell me what had you so pissed that it sent you completely off the fucking rails? I'd like to know next time so that I'm not blindsided the next time you pick a fight with some insanely powerful Demon." John continued to press and Naruto propped himself up onto his elbows.
"I had questions and they had the answers I needed." John scoffed at the vague response. "Shouldn't it be pretty simple now? I mean sure, I know that you've said I won't stand a chance against the other Thirteen, but the strongest is gone."
John shook his head. "Nah, Tartarus is gonna see a little turbulence I reckon. As you said, Ixion's dead and that's going to make more than a few of those cunts try to expand their territories further. Hades the old bastard won't do anything, he'll probably find it more amusing than anything else so he won't intervene."
"So what are you suggesting I do then?"
"I'd say keep your head down but I doubt you will. I'd also say get the fuck out of here now, but again, doubt you'll listen. The best advice I can give you is to just prepare yourself." Constantine explained simply. "Some of the Thirteen will probably send their servants to either recruit or kill you. After all, you played a hand in killing Ixion however small it may be."
The little dig made Naruto's gaze narrow in frustration. "Either way, lad. Just prepare yourself." Brushing off his clothes, Constantine rose to his feet, Naruto sitting fully upright.
"Where are you going?" Naruto asked.
"To tell Nabu he's got his hands full with you as his apprentice."
As Constantine slowly began to walk away, Naruto collapsed back on the ground, staring up at the sky in thought. 'I know that Constantine doesn't think much of me or my skills. But this might be what I need. If the Thirteen do try and hunt me down as he said, then it means I'll have to get much stronger in order to survive. I've always done better when my backs against the wall, now should be no different.'
Sunday 1st April, 12:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham State University.
Life was strangely quiet and peaceful in the last few years. Villains were still out there causing havoc, but their activity was much more sporadic and far less organised than it had been. Barbara would like to believe that after their failed plan to control the Justice League that the Light had disbanded, but she doubted that very much.
The Light while perhaps not the strongest team of villains that ever formed, after all individually the Injustice League brought much more to the table than the Light did in terms of power. But what it lacked in physical strength it more than made up for with influence, wealth and intelligence.
While the method or the time it had taken for the Light to gain what seemed to be control of the worlds entire villain element was unknown, they had succeeded. A single defeat like the one they had endured would be a blow to them, but enough to weaken their control over the villains of the world to the point they disbanded? Highly unlikely, to believe that to be the case would be the height of naivety.
No, Barbara and many others suspected that the Light was simply biding their time once more. Allowing the villains they controlled to act freely until such a time that they needed them again.
The Justice League were already looking into the various members of the Light and keeping them under heavy scrutiny. Batman himself overseeing the monitoring of their members as much as possible. They were a slippery bunch, those like Lex Luthor and Queen Bee in positions of power and influence that even Batman couldn't reach easily.
Barbara knew firsthand because she and Robin before he left to form the Teen Titans had been with him. However, since that time, Barbara had begun to distance herself from Batgirl. Not forever and not permanently, if the situation arrived in which Batgirl was required Barbara was more than willing to take up the mantle once more.
Unlike many who became heroes, she had found a balance between being a hero and her real life. She wasn't fully separated from the world, something only she, Wally and Artemis could fully understand. To them, being heroes was secondary to who they were underneath whereas, for others, it was the other way round.
At this point in time, when Naruto left to train with Doctor Fate, Barbara had asked herself realistically, what did she want to do with her life? The answer was right there as she didn't have to look hard for it, Batgirl was a part of who she was. But it wasn't who Barbara wanted to be for the rest of her life. She wanted to graduate, get a degree and help the world in a way other than being a hero. Bruce had already offered her a job at Wayne Enterprises once she graduated and Barbara had intentions to accept.
Bruce had been with the help of Lucius Fox been expanding the ways in which he could help the people of the world. His company was one way in which he was doing it, using his resources not only to fight crime but to help people get a better standard of living, find cures to diseases and help solve a number of problems, including violence and war.
That was why Barbara had begun to distance herself from Batgirl, but fully retiring but focusing on another way to help. 'God knows that Naruto does enough fighting for the both of us.'
Finishing off the last touches of her makeup, Barbara took one last look at herself in the mirror before grabbing her purse and walking out of the bathroom. The corridors were bustling with students going about their business and she, much like them went about her own.
As she walked closer and closer to the exit of the university, Barbara's smile also grew in turn. She was excited and why wouldn't she be? Naruto was back and she had missed him a great deal.
Pushing open the door, she made her way out through the little courtyard area and into the car park, where Naruto was sat upon his motorbike. He hadn't grown any taller, nor filled out any, but his skin looked slightly more tanned though if his stories on Tartarus were anything to go by, it was probably due to his skin being burnt one too many times.
But he just looked stronger, just like he did every time he returned from Tartarus. At times she had to wonder if he had a limit because she certainly felt like she was beginning to hit hers. It was a feeling she was beginning to become used to being left behind.
All of her old teammates, they seemed to be leaving her behind, constantly getting stronger and better. She had seen the training sessions between the new members of the Team. Especially the spars between Kaldur and Connor, they were getting immensely stronger and faster every time she saw them. M'gann was getting more and more powerful and skilled with her abilities, Zatanna learning new spells. Dick was getting taller, his once lithe frame beginning to fill out with muscle, being stronger than her now.
Her old teammates were getting stronger and the only ones who seemed to be just like her were the two people she knew to be considering retirement, Wally and Artemis. There was just something about the three of them that separated them from the rest. They didn't have that ability, that mentality to go above and beyond, or at least hadn't found it yet.
Yet the others had, none more so than Naruto.
When she looked at him, just relaxing upon that bike he just seemed to radiate strength and power. It wasn't quite on the level of the higher tier members of the Justice League, but it was getting there. That alone left her in awe, he was her childhood friend, someone who had started off his career weaker than her and he had completely blown her out of the water.
He was reaching a level that looking back on it, had seemed impossible for him or anyone of their generation. It made her proud to see him becoming like this.
"Hey." She greeted, arms wrapping around his neck as one of his went around her waist, the other holding onto his helmet.
"Hey." He returned, tilting his head back a little as she pressed a kiss against his lips. "You ready?"
Barbara nodded, taking the helm he offered her and fitting it upon her head. Swinging her jean-clad leg over the back of his bike, Barbara wrapped both arms around his waist. Resting her against his back, Barbara just smiled happily to have him back. She knew that if Naruto continued to get stronger like he was, then she wouldn't have to worry about a thing.
Perhaps in the future, she could fully retire from being Batgirl, just be Barbara Gordon and focus on helping people through Wayne Enterprises. Maybe eventually settle down and have a family.
It was a future she looked forward to.
Monday 2nd April, 02:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Moving carefully across the rooftops, Batman kept himself low to the ground and out of sight, never moving too quickly as to attract attention nor too slowly to allow his target to escape.
A target who was a skilled fighter, one he had trained with during his early days before donning the mask and cowl. Back when he had just been Bruce Wayne, a young man angry and desperate for vengeance. The name of his target was part of the rising vigilante force in Gotham, though was standing out, not due to his violent ways, but because of his recent successes.
Vigilantes weren't rare, especially not in Gotham.
However, vigilantes that achieved any form of success were. He, Batman was the first and his young protégés Robin and Batgirl were the second. Followed later by Huntress, Black Canary and then Black Hood. Naruto's presence amongst the moonlight world of heroes and villains made many changes. The rise in heroes, especially those willing to go to extreme lengths was one such change.
Even now, the influence of Black Hood was felt world wide with many vigilantes in cities all over the globe becoming their own versions of Black Hood. Batman wasn't speaking hypothetically either, there was a rising organisation of vigilantes that called themselves the Hoods.
However, the problem Batman had with them and by extension, the entire Justice League was that they weren't vigilantes or heroes. Nor where they like Naruto had been when becoming Black Hood. No, they were more like an organised criminal organisation operating and trying to convince the world that they were a group of like-minded good Samaritans who had finally grown tired of the order of the world.
It was a lie.
Barbara had been doing a great deal of research into the Hoods and Batman had been doing his own as well. It was nowhere near as extensive as Batgirls though, she motivated to find out who was using her boyfriends moniker for their own schemes.
And the results were worrying.
The Hoods may have started out as a group of good Samaritans as they had claimed, but their way of controlling and checking the history of their members had been lacking. It seemed that their first rats came in the form of dozens of members belonging to the League of Shadows, most noticeably Ra's al Ghuls second in command, Sensei.
The aged assassin was a lead trainer within the Hoods international branch and held considerable influence within its ranks. Batman was hesitant to say that the Hoods were another branch of the League of Shadows considering that Sensei and his followers weren't the only ones to have infiltrated the group.
Amongst them were members of various criminal organisations, providing them considerable funding from organisations such as the Triad and Yakuzas. Not only that, but the group had also seemed to have absorbed an ancient order that had been formed by Templars after the end of the Crusade, the Order of Saint Domas.
Among which were highly skilled and trained fighters, one of which he was following. A former rival turned friend, Jean-Paul Valley.
It was sad to see someone he had at one point, considered a friend fall so low. But it was highly likely that after so long, that life and the cruelty of the world had caught up with him. If an organisation like the Hoods that had started out, inspired by the Black Hoods and built upon good intentions could fall so low, then Batman could only imagine what had become of Jean-Paul.
He had always been easily susceptible despite his skills.
Feeling a presence appear beside him, Batman didn't pause in his observations of Jean-Paul. "We need to talk?" Naruto said from beside him, clad in his Maelstrom costume.
Batman shook his head, pointing down, a silent indication that he was occupied at the moment. He was certain that Jean-Paul was working for the Hoods, his costume alone said volumes and he was one of a number of Black Hoods across the city. He needed to know the main location of the base and someone of Jean-Paul's calbre would be highly ranked.
Not all the way to the top, someone with his mental illness would not be fully trusted. But his skills would earn him a position that was higher than most.
However, Naruto didn't seem to care as he, without a care in the world dropped down into the alleyway. "Oi, copycat." Naruto spoke up, Jean-Paul spinning round with his high-tech rip-off of his former Black Hood costume. "Old Bats wants to ask you a few questions." He pointed up, Jean-Paul looking up to see Batman looking down upon him.
In response, two drill-like weapons appeared in his hands and Naruto rose a brow. 'I thought Barbara was kidding when she said I had a bunch of copycats running around, but this is pretty amusing to see. Was I this hardheaded as well?'
"So, you wanna fight?" Naruto questioned, smirking. "Good, I'm a little frustrated at this moment in time so this should help me out a little."
Monday 2nd April, 02:15.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
"That was unnecessary." Batman spoke up, walking up to stand beside Naruto as he looked down upon the beaten form of Jean-Paul. It hadn't even been a fight, Naruto's seemingly struggling momentarily in the beginning. That was a lie, Batman had seen through it instantly as had Jean-Paul.
Naruto had been feeling him out, testing the limits and abilities of his foe before finally moving into finish it off. Once he had it was over relatively quickly, Jean-Paul not able to properly defend against the never ending assault Naruto unleashed upon him.
The blonde had improved massively in the space of the year and a bit he had spent training under Doctor Fate. It was good to see.
"I was following them to find the location of their base. If you are here to do that also you should have followed my lead."
"Get MM, either one to get the information you need out of his head." Naruto shrugged. "I didn't come here for the Hoods anyway, I came to ask what the fuck you think you're doing? Or what the fuck was going through your mind in the first place?""
'So he's here for that is he?' Batman realised, but allowed none of it to appear on his face. "She told you."
"You're not denying it?"
Batman shook his head. "There's no need, it's obvious why you came. It was either because of the Hoods or due to him. Considering you've already revealed that you didn't come here for the Hoods that left only one option."
"Okay then, now that's out of the way." Naruto replied, frowning heavily to the point even Batman could see it despite his face being hidden by his Maelstrom mask. "Let me repeat myself, what the fuck were you thinking? I get that Dick left and set out on his own. I don't get why you need a replacement for him, but what the heck, guess even you get lonely and so felt the need to replace him. So why the fuck, out of all the kids in this city did you have to choose Jason Todd of all people?"
"It doesn't bother you that I've recruited a second Robin, but more who that Robin is?" Batman repeated. "Why?"
"Why? Are you really asking that question?"
"You left the boy. A boy who inspired by you and angry enough at the world to do try doing something about it. If I hadn't of taken him under my wing, he would have gone to the Hoods." Batman explained. "I assume Batgirl told you how dangerous the Hoods are becoming so you know how bad that would have been?"
And it would have been a bad thing.
Jason was much like Naruto in that he didn't have the natural talent of someone like Dick, but he did possess a great deal of determination and willpower. His progress while slow, was improving day by day, little by little. Determination like that had been shown to be capable of doing great things, but in turn it could also be used to accomplish terrible deeds.
If Jason were to join the Hoods, he'd gain access to some of the worst criminal elements in the world. He'd be freely manipulated moulded into a killing machine. Not to mention, that what Jason lacked in talent, his body was in terms of conditioning, far beyond what Dick's had been at this point in his training, which was saying a great deal. The two Robins he had trained were two ends of the extreme, one possessing amazing talent and flexibility but a physical body he had train up to standard. However, Jason on the other hand was someone who lacked the talent, but possessed an amazing physique for his age.
"Would you have trained him?" Batman continued. "No, you would have left him to his own devices. Your reasoning for doing so is admirable. Letting him live a normal life, it was something any child would have wanted. But you overlooked one simple thing, what he wanted."
Monday 2nd April, 08:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Tapping his finger against the table, Naruto frowned as he watched but didn't register the TV playing. His mind was more focused on going over everything in his mind after his talk with Batman.
Ultimately, Naruto knew that everything Batman had told him was correct.
He wasn't bothered that Batman took another Robin. He was bothered by who it was.
He had left Jason, believing that he would settle down and move on eventually. Let him live a normal life, a life that he would not get if he joined the dark world of heroes and villains.
He also knew that if Batman hadn't gotten to Jason first, the kid would have probably ended up joining the Hoods and that would have been a disaster.
And finally, Batman was right. He would have never trained Jason himself, at the time he simply wasn't ready mentally or physically to take on a protégé. Not only that but he didn't want to bring someone who had a chance to live a normal life into the world he lived in. Just like Batman said though, as admirable as that was, Naruto hadn't taken into account how Jason would react or what he would do.
At the end of the day, Jason had made the decision to join the world of heroes and there was nothing he could do to change that.
"Naruto, stop frowning," Barbara said, placing down the plate of breakfast upon the table, form clad in nothing more than one of his old shirts and the underwear she had been wearing last night.
"Sorry. It's just frustrating." He admitted and Barbara nodded her head.
She could understand where he was coming from, it was the same way she felt when she learned that Naruto was Black Hood. All this time she spent as Batgirl, trying to protect him from the world and eventually, he joined it himself. That, along with the knowledge that no matter how hard she fought, Naruto always seemed to be in constant danger was something that had always irked her.
"It's understandable, but you know, it's not too late to change it." Naruto looked to her, brow raised in questioning. "Look at the world right now, it's not tame but it's certainly milder compared to what it's been like for us in the past few years. Jason hasn't been wrapped in anything major or gotten involved in anything too dangerous so there's still time for him to make the decision to live a normal life and put this behind him."
That's what it boiled down to though, Jason was currently one of the lucky ones. Eventually, he'd be faced with a situation that would forever force his eyes open and he'd never be able to leave this world behind him.
With the Light keeping their heads down, that meant villains were working solo once more. How long that would remain the case was uncertain, but either way, eventually the villains would move as a unit once more. The world of Gotham would come under major threat once more and when that happened, Jason's time was done. He'd be forever stuck in the world of heroes and villains.
As much as she might like to think that she was able to distance herself from it, from being Batgirl. The very fact that she kept donning the mask and cowl despite being retired was proof that she had not fully escaped her path and never would.
"We can go after I've finished breakfast and gotten changed," Barbara said. "I haven't seen the others in a little while so it should be good. Besides, I doubt you'd be able to contain yourself longer than that."
Naruto after a moment smiled, chuckling lightly. "You know me so well."
"Of course I do."
"How humble of you." He returned dryly.
Monday 2nd April, 09:45.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
"This team is one big mess," Naruto noted, looking upon the training session with a look of bemusement on his face.
Barbara elbowed him in the side. "Naruto." She warned but Kaldur just laughed, far from offended and in fact relieved that someone was finally opening admitting such a thing. Team unity was a mixed bag and it was having an impact on their most recent missions which while not ending in failure, had come too close too many times for his liking.
"What?" Naruto exclaimed defensively. "I'm just saying that this is one of the most unbalanced teams I've ever seen. You've got one long-range fighter in Zatanna. A support fighter in Raquel. And one, possibly two mid-range fighters in Garth and Tula. Three if you include yourself." Naruto directed towards Kaldur. "The rest are all frontline fighters, one of which has no powers and another who doesn't have the strength to contend with the other members. If it wasn't for M'gann who could fill in at support, mid and long-range I'd say that your success in your past few missions was nothing short of a miracle."
The lineup itself on paper was far more powerful and arguably the strongest team of young heroes put together.
It had powerhouses like Donna Troy the new Wondergirl. It had Superboy, Aqualad, Tempest, Aquagirl, Miss Martian, Zatanna, Rocket, Robin II and Ravager. That was an impressive lineup. But the one thing they lacked above all else, was teamwork and proper positioning.
Superboy, Wondergirl, Aqualad, Ravager and Robin II as frontline fighters. Two of which were the obvious weak links and the third, Aqualad could fill in as a mid-range fighter with his fellow Atlanteans, Aquagirl and Tempest. Behind them was Zatanna who was the only, long-range fighter with Rocket acting as the defence. She filling in a role similar to what Kid Flash had done except instead of removing them out of the immediate danger zone, instead covered them in a powerful shield.
If it wasn't for Miss Martian helping fill up three roles as an additional mid-range, support and long-range fighter this team was doomed to fail. There was just no serious balance and perhaps one could argue that the frontline fighters should be able to crush the opposition and that would be the case, usually.
The problem lied in the weak links, Ravager and Robin II.
Rose was by no means weak or incapable of protecting herself. In fact, that was the opposite, but the role of a frontline fighter was to take down the enemy and draw their attention to themselves and away from the backline fighters. In a conflict such as this, Rose and by extension Jason were effectively glass cannons.
Jason was another problem, he was inexperienced and young. He didn't have the serum that enhanced his physical capabilities and therefore, was even more of a glass cannon than Rose.
Ideally, Rose and Jason should be acting as guards for Zatanna, sticking close to her side and acting as her main defensive formation. Ensuring that Rocket could focus her efforts on securing the safety of the frontline and mid-range fighters with the assistance of Miss Martian if necessary. Jason himself acting further in a similar capacity to Dick and Barbara by surveying the situation and coming up with on the spot plans and relaying them to the leader and the rest of the team.
However, neither Rose nor Jason had the mentality or patience to take part in that role. Both were far too eager to be in the thick of the action for their own reasons and that was affecting things.
"We're looking at a few additional members to add to the roster because of these issues," Kaldur spoke up. "We're placing heavy emphasis on support, mid and long-range fighters more than anything else."
"Who've you considered?" Barbara asked.
"Well, we've looking at the protégé of Atom, Karen Beecher, aka Bumblebee. Though I'm also aware that Dick has been as well. Wally's cousin, also named Wally has begun showcasing the powers of a speedster so I've been talking to both him and Barry about introducing him to the team. The final member we've been considering is Zatanna's cousin, Zachary. He's not as powerful as she is in magic, but he does have some skill."
Naruto honestly had no clue who they were, but he trusted Kaldur's judgement. "So where are you intending them to go. I guess Wally support with Raquel. Zachary with Zatanna. But what about Karen? Mid, long?"
"Were uncertain for Karen, her list of abilities and powers are not fully known at this point. However, at this moment we're thinking of her joining M'gann as a freely moving fighter. She's shown powers that could be used in all positions so if necessary she can go anywhere."
"If it works, even if Dick gets to Karen first you'll at least have rounded out your team a little more. The problem is just the number you'll have, it'll make stealth missions more difficult. Eventually, you might have to operate like the JL and start splitting into smaller teams."
That earned smiles from all. "Well, they do say that we're entering into a new Age of Heroes. Might as well show these old-timers how it's done." Connor jested.
So another chapter done and with it, Naruto has his first encounter with Akatsuki, specifically the members Sasori and Deidara. Now I didn't show much of the fight because at this point, I want to keep most of Naruto's progress a secret. This will be a common theme throughout this arc, but I want to show more what happens in between without doing huge info dumps to show what happened over the five years since YJ season.
Anyway, during that fight, Naruto had his first run in with a member of the Thirteen Princes of Hades, Ixion and with Constantines help, killed him. This will have repercussions for certain. However, we also learned that Jason has now become the second Robin, a newly created organisation called the Hoods who have taken influence from Naruto have become corrupted. This will not be the first or last time they make an appearance. But don't expect huge amounts from them.
Before we get onto the questions I just want to clarify a little on the timeline. Now, as you know I put dates up on the chapter and this is where I've made a huge blunder. You see, YJ season 1 takes place during 2010 which I completely forgot about until this arc. Like I said, a huge blunder so the dates don't exactly match up with 2010. Nor do 2011's which take place in the previous chapter. However, as of 2012 onwards which is this chapter, they will be accurate to the actual timeline of current day. Again, I apologise on this blunder, please forgive me.
Anyway, let's get on with the questions:
Alexander443: One thing being overlooked is the times in which this takes place. The first three arcs take place in around five months. That's less than half a year in which he fights Black Mask, Deadshot, Robin, Batman, Batgirl, Talon, the Undead Talons, Killer Croc, Mister Zsasz and then joins the Suicide Squad. He went from being an amateur fighter unable to put up much of a fight against Robin to then being on their level by the end of that timeframe.
Seven months later he returns and is able to take them both on in one go. Seven months of dedicated training under Deathstroke. Look at that, in a year he went from being below Robin and Batgirl to being able to take them both in one go. He spends eight months out, where he gains new powers in which he is unable to control them with anger. However, as explained by Jason Blood, Naruto needed to first experience the rage to gain control of it. That's what he was doing when training under Jason Blood, losing control of his powers, Etrigan would put him down, rinse and repeat. Gradually Naruto gained more and more control.
It took Naruto three months of training under Jason to unlock his three tails of power but he hasn't been able to go beyond that. Three tails was his limit and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't go beyond that. Instead he worked with what he had and adversity forced him to do new and imaginary things. Like using his cloak to create clones. Naruto has been put into positions and trained extensively for many months to gain control over his demonic powers, with far more experienced and knowledgeable individuals.
And now he's learned magic, but he's in his second year of training under Doctor Fate to get to his current point. It may seem like less, but it isn't. Unlike the first book, it's not condescended within a few months, instead spread out over years. So yes, you will see jumps in power and so on, but I'm not giving Naruto powers purely because the plot demands it. If so, Naruto would have unlocked four tails of power back during the Talon fight or back when facing the Justice League. Instead he didn't and was forced to barely survive and use what little power he had in new ways. Hence clones and a proto-Rasengan.
SandaKagami: It's the beginnings of a Rasengan just without spinning it, so a rudimentary Chidori would be about right. As for the spinning part? Yeah, I can see it being a little forced, but just wanted to throw it in there really. Rather than him gain a huge epiphany from watching a hurricane, it's instead just a throwaway tip from Constantine. Something which I think would confuse many who would think like you, he got it from watching something powerful. However the actual story being something as simple and underwhelming as Constantine just throwing out a random tip would be, I suppose a little more funny in that regard.
Yohnos: Sage Mode, is something that will be entirely unique but something connect only to his human half and incompatible with his Demon powers for a while after he gains it. As for coloured, I'm not certain, possible but it all depends as it may very well change as we get closer to that point. As for gaining a Green Lantern Ring? No, but will he gain a Lantern Ring? Possible.
Yakuza2010: He'll learn more about his parents past yes. And I don't know who Zoey is? Are you on about the daughter of Deadshot, Liveshot?