Injustice: The Path to Hell.
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter XXI – Teen Titans.
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
"Other Speech variants."
Location/Time.
Monday 2nd April 2012, 09:55.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
It was silent.
Jason had no idea what to say or expect as he followed behind Naruto. His training with the team had just finished and he could tell by the faces upon Black Canary's and the rest of the teams faces it had not been a good one. He knew why of course, they never said it but Jason knew that a great deal of the problems the team were going through was because of him.
Not purely the reason behind it, but he knew a large amount was still there.
It was obvious to anyone who paid even a minuscule amount of attention to guys like Connor, M'gann and even Zatanna that they missed the old lineup. Even despite spending only a little under a year fully together, the team had formed a close bond and their achievements speak volumes.
Under Naruto and then Kaldur's leadership, the first roster of what was being called, the Young Justice had been able to almost singlehandedly stop the Light. In fact, they were the most pivotal factor in stopping the Light. It hadn't been the Justice League who stopped them, it hadn't been the older members of the Justice Society that had come out of retirement. No, it had been them, the younger generation that had saved the day and their mentors.
Yet that team had disbanded, its members spreading out and doing its own things. Naruto was the first to leave, heading out and training under the likes of Jason Blood and Ted Grant. Then, most recently training under Doctor Fate.
Dick was the next to go after his falling out with Batman, forming his own team with the heroes, Kid Flash and Artemis who left along with him. The team still continued running, Kaldur remaining leader with Barbara as his second. But then she left, retiring as Zatanna took over her position.
Even with those small numbers, the team had experience working together and they also had experience against much stronger foes. Compare that to their new members, including powerhouses like Donna and the Atlantean, Garth and Tula, none of them had that same experience. That disparity plus the imbalance of their overall team lineup was a huge cause for problems.
Him, a new Robin who was as Batman described, raw and undisciplined was causing only more problems. Jason wasn't blind to that fact, he overhead it enough times from people who thought he wasn't listening.
Whenever they looked at him, they didn't see him, they just saw Dick's replacement. One that couldn't even begin to fill the shoes Dick had left behind. Even Batman looked upon him the same way and Jason hated it. He had contemplated leaving the team a few times, staying in Gotham with Batman and training until he was ready.
But he doubted Batman would agree to that.
He was sent here to not only connect and grow to trust the people around him, those who would become his allies in the future. Jason was also sent to learn and grow under the tutelage of the entire Justice League and most recently, members of the Justice Society.
Guys like Wildcat, Green Lantern I, Citizen Steel, Atom, Starman and Hourman came and offered their own tips and tricks. Adding to the knowledge that the Justice League provided. The Justice League and now the members of the Justice Society were training up the newer generation to surpass them both.
And it all started with the first roster of Young Justice.
'I had no idea, Naruto was Maelstrom though.' Jason thought to himself, looking upon the back of the man he idolised above all else. He would be twenty now and yet walking behind him, it felt like looking upon the back of someone from the Justice League. It was insane to him to think that this guy had once been Black Hood, someone who struggled to fight against Killer Croc in what felt like so many years ago. Now stood as someone who radiated that same aura as the Justice League, someone with confidence, experience and power in droves.
"Erm, Naruto," Jason spoke, nervous for the first time in a long while. "Where exactly are we going?"
"Not far," Naruto replied. "Just to a little opening ahead. We'll talk there."
"About what?"
Naruto smiled. "You'll see in a little bit. Have some patience will ya."
They walked the rest of the way in silence until they eventually came upon a little door that Jason hadn't seen before. Though he didn't really spend much time in Mount Justice in the first place, too many judging eyes.
"What's this?"
"You don't know?" Naruto questioned, generally surprised. "I'd have thought the first thing Batman would have taught you were to always familiarise yourself with all your surroundings."
Sheepishly, Jason scratched the back of his head. "He might have done." He admitted. "But I forgot."
"Or you ignored it." Naruto correctly concluded, pushing open the door into a little cave that led out to the side of the mountain. "Well, here you are. One of the emergency exits in Mount Justice can only be opened from the outside and as you can see, heavily monitored." Naruto pointed out the numerous security cameras hidden around. "And no doubt there are many more security measures hidden away."
"Batman is paranoid."
"If only that was half of it." Naruto scoffed, hands shoved in his pockets as he and Jason walked to the ledge, both sitting down. "So, let's get to why I brought you here. Honestly, there's no easy way to say this, not in a way you'll like or try to ignore. So I'll just come out and say it, you should quit."
For a moment Jason didn't respond, just blinking in bewilderment before erupting. "W-what? Why?! Is it because I'm not ready because fuck that and fuck you!"
"It's because you have a chance at a better life, an easier life!" Naruto snapped before quickly collecting himself, carrying on much calmer after that. "You think you know, Jason, but you don't. This life, it's not what you think it is and don't try and tell me you do because you don't. I can see it in your eyes and I'm not the only one, everyone sees it. You think being a hero is a choice, something to do because you believe there's nothing else. You've built up an image of what this life should be but I'll tell you something, it's nothing like what you think."
Naruto frowned, looking out upon the ocean below. "When you realise that, it'll break something inside you, something you'll never be able to fix again. Once that happens Jason, you can never turn your back upon this life. You might try, but ultimately you'll be dragged back into it."
"Look at the heroes of the Justice Society, how many of them actually survived to live to an old age?" The answer was only a small number. "Contrary to what people think, they never fully retired. They just did a better job at hiding their activities from the rest of the world because the moment they step back into the public eye, they'll never be able to disappear again. Being a hero isn't easy, it isn't as simple as training and putting on a mask. It takes a certain mindset, a certain understanding that once reached, sticks with you for the rest of your life."
Jason frowned as he listened to Naruto's words. "Then what do you want me to do? Stop? You didn't!"
"You're right." Naruto nodded his head. "And we share many similarities, but we also share a lot of differences. I reached that breaking point before I even became Black Hood. You haven't yet that reached that point yet but it's approaching, you still have a chance to have a normal life. And above all else, you had someone there to help you in your most vulnerable moment when I didn't."
"You didn't do much else after that!" Jason clenched his fists tightly. "You just dropped me off at the police station first chance you got."
Naruto chuckled. "I had a neighbour. His name was Hirzuen Sarutobi. An old guy that I never really knew, he was just that friendly old man next door who acted as a grandfather towards everyone."
Jason blinked, perplexed as to what Naruto was trying to get at with his little speech.
"After my mom died, I didn't have anyone. Not anyone that was there all the time. James and Barbara tried their best but Black Mask made it very difficult for them both, especially as I grew older. The only one unaffected was Hiruzen. Pretty soon after my mom died, Black Mask forced me into the Underground Fighting Arenas, the first fight I was battered and bruised and nearly on death's door. His goons dragged me through the door of my apartment and just left me there with the bare minimum of treatment ensuring that I wouldn't die."
Naruto chuckled at this point. "Hiruzen came in, somehow and nursed me back to health and then left. I thought he was going to kill me or rob me, hell I think I thought that at one point he was going to rape me. He didn't, just treated my wounds, prepared me some food and then left, locking my door. He'd keep doing that every time I went into the fights, would even start talking about martial arts to himself."
There was a pause, Naruto looking out at nothing in particular, just a smile upon his face.
"He didn't do much for me, Hiruzen." Naruto turned to Jason. "But what little he did was enough to get me to where I am today. Could he have done more? Yes. Could I have done more for you? Yes. But sometimes all it takes is for someone to do just a little and that can often be enough."
Rising to his feet, Naruto walked towards Jason and rested one hand upon his shoulder. "I'm sure your parents will be proud of you for being a hero. But I think they would much prefer you live a normal life. If not for yourself or me, do it for them. Quit being Robin, quit being a hero and live a normal life. Don't try and help people in big ways, instead just do little things. Help an old lady across the street, help someone with their heavy bags down their stairs. Sometimes, the best way to help someone is just doing the bare minimum."
And with those final words, Naruto walked past Jason and made his way back into the Cave, leaving Jason silent.
"Did you speak to him?" Connor asked as Naruto closed the door behind him.
Naruto nodded his head. "Yep, but now it's up to him to make the decision." Though as soon as he said that, Naruto's frown returned.
Connor noticed as such. "You don't think he'll listen, do you?"
"He's too much like me. Will he listen to what I've said? Absolutely, but the question is will it change anything?" The blonde released a deep sigh the two making their way down the corridors of Mount Justice.
"If that's true, then that's gonna get him killed one day."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked with a glare.
Connor returned it with a smirk. "Only that you're an idiot who can be very reckless at times. Not to mention he likes to improvise a lot of the time. Unlike you though, it's not like he has powers to fall back on."
"I take great offence to that," Naruto remarked, Connor shrugging. "My improvising is not reckless and it always pays off."
"Never said it didn't." Connor shot back. "Just that you're not all there."
"You're not much better. I seem to remember a stage in someone's life where they didn't know what stealth was even if it slapped them in the face. Or do you want me to remind you of the countless times you tried to sneak attack an opponent while screaming at the top of your lungs?" Connor flushed lightly, coughing into his fist. "Or shall I mention that time when you thought it would be a good idea to jump out of the Bioship, possibly causing a seismic event in the process on what was at the time, was a covert operation?"
Quickly Naruto was forced to lean his head to one side, avoiding the lazy and half-hearted punch thrown his way. For a moment both males stood there, looking at one another before Naruto smiled.
"Looks like you've gotten pretty confident in the past few months for you to try and sucker punch me like that, huh?" Naruto questioned.
Connor scoffed. "Please, if I really tried you'd be buried six feet under, I just don't want to go through the hassle of explaining it to the rest of the team." Superboy himself had been training extensively under the likes of Wonder Woman, Icon, Aquaman, Hawkman, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel and Atom Smasher, all massive heavy hitters with a great deal of skill. He learned how best to take blows, leveraging his invulnerability in order to land a devastating blow.
Also learning how to train himself to improve upon his strength, instead of just relying upon exposure to sunlight. He was also learning from the likes of Wildcat, Black Canary and Batman, learning how to fight like a normal human. Using his surroundings to his advantage to overcome a superior foe in a one-on-one battle. Even learning how to fully maximise his bodies movement in order to gain the most power out of blow.
But perhaps the most important trainer he had, was Superman himself. Under his tutelage he was learning and developing his understanding with the Kryptonian abilities he had, using his experiences to better himself. Even learning Kryptonian martial arts like the Torquasm and even a more obscure art known as Horu-Kanu.
It was safe to say that just as Naruto had not been slacking off, neither had Connor.
"Well, looks like you've really gotten confident in your skills. Allow me to remind you why I was the leader then."
Connor stepped to one side. "By all means." He retorted, not in the least bit concerned about the upcoming fight, neither fighter were as they made their way down to the training area. Both had been training hard and were equally confident in the progress they had made.
Now was as good a chance as any to see how far they had truly come in comparison to the other.
Monday 2nd April 2012, 12:00.
New York,
New York City.
Central Park.
Peace and tranquillity. A rare occurrence in this day and age filled with strife and battle between beings of monstrous power. Every day, the news seemed to report of a battle somewhere in the world taking place.
Villain activity was once again upon the rise and yet, Central Park seemed to be one of those places untouched by it. An odd, yet comforting phenomenon to be sure. After all, with the vast amounts of tourists and others that passed through Central Park, it would surely make the perfect target for any villain looking to make his mark.
Or at least that's what Naruto thought as he looked around, leaning against the bridge, one arm wrapped around Barbara as both smiled into the camera. The young woman holding it smiled as she took the photo, Barbara thanking her and moving to take a look.
Naruto himself turned, looking down upon the river below. It shimmered, his face distorted yet he could make it out, all around him was peaceful, it was normal. 'So why do I feel like this?' He wondered to himself.
"Naruto," Barbara called, Naruto shaking his head and turning to her with a smile. "Everything okay? You've been quiet for a while now and I'm getting a little worried."
Naruto waved off her concerns. "Ah, it's nothing."
"Oh no, we're not doing that." She told him firmly. "Spill." The blonde rose a brow before releasing a sigh.
"There's no saying no to you, is there?" Moving forward, he took her hand in his, both beginning to walk across the rest of the bridge. "I don't really know how to describe it honestly. When I'm inside our apartment or at the Cave, I can relax easily. But out here, I just, I always feel on edge."
"Like someone's watching you?" Barbara questioned, her eyes beginning to look at their surroundings, more specifically the people around them.
"No." Naruto shook his head, running his free hand through his hair. "This is different, I just feel on edge constantly. It's like I'm constantly expecting to fight or someone to attack me at any moment."
"Is this just recent?"
"It's something I've been feeling ever since coming back. But like I said, it's only when we're not at our apartment or in the Cave." For a moment, Barbara said nothing, just going silent in thought. Naruto, in turn, didn't disturb her thinking, this was just something he wasn't quite able to wrap his head around, the answer constantly eluding him and it was frustrating.
He'd never had this problem before.
And what was perhaps more worrying, was that he was actually anticipating a fight. He was looking forward to one and that made him nervous about what was happening to him. Before this, he'd never looked forward to any fights, he'd always gone in very conscious of what it could mean, of the consequences that could result from his failure. Now though, while that nervousness was there, he also felt an underlining sense of excitement.
Eventually, Barbara gave his hand a squeeze. "This probably should have been something we expected, especially after what you've told me about Tartarus." She said comfortingly. "There you're constantly fighting, everything around you trying to kill you. Coming back here and constantly being on edge is natural, your still operating under the same mindset as when you're in Tartarus, fight or flight."
"That's really obvious and it kind of frustrates me that I didn't see it." Barbara laughed at his grouching words. "But that doesn't explain why I don't feel like that when I'm at our apartment or the Cave."
"Probably not so much those places, but the people there. Yes, you've got the familiarity of those places which brings you comfort, but also you have the people there that you know will be there by your side should things get dangerous." Barbara suggested before turning to him, the two coming to a stop upon the bridge. "Just focus upon me and I'm sure the feeling will disappear."
Naruto smirked. "That won't be too hard for me to do."
Before Barbara could respond though, an explosion rang out, screams sounding from the city as smoke rose up. All eyes turned, trying to see what could have caused such an action. Only to see, from the backs of the buildings, hundreds of winged creatures soaring into the air, following a figure with what he could just barely out to have red hair.
"Help now, focus on you later," Naruto said, both he and Barbara quickly rushing towards the origin of the winged creatures, the rest of the occupants within Central Park running away.
Monday 2nd April 2012, 12:00.
New York,
New York City,
Brooklyn Bridge.
Letting out a cheer, Miquel Barragan, aka Bunker thrust his hands into the air as he celebrated cheerfully. His first mission, his first outing as a hero as part of a team had been a success and it couldn't have been better.
The Fearsome Five, a team consisting of some pretty dangerous foes in the form of Psimon, Mammoth, Shimmer and Gizmo, led by perhaps their most powerful foe to date, Doctor Light had formed together. They had launched a series of attacks upon local banks and the Teen Titans had rallied behind their leader, Robin.
Recognising the pattern, they intercepted the Fearsome Five and even when learning it had all been a ploy to draw them out, the Teen Titans emerged victoriously. After all, they outnumbered the Fearsome Five near two to one and their members in turn were also nothing to scoff at.
The Teen Titans had grown from the initial number of just three which had been Robin, Artemis and Kid Flash. Since then they had been joined by a young man known as Cyborg, Blue Devils protégé, Kid Devil and a pair of heroes, Hawk and Dove II. He, Bunker was the newest member to join the team and he had enjoyed every moment of his time and was looking forward to more. Especially considering they had competition in the form of the other young hero team called Young Justice.
As their newly promoted vice-captain, Cyborg said, "rivalries were the best way to motivate yourself to improve." Considering how much he had improved in the short space of time he had been amongst the Teen Titans in comparison to his time as a solo hero, he was inclined to believe him.
"Someone's happy." Dawn Granger, aka Dove II noted with an amused smile, though deep down she was just as elated as Bunker was.
"We did a good job and took out some pretty tough guys." Artemis agreed. "He has a right to be."
Though despite the mostly cheerful and celebratory mood in the truck they drove entering into the centre of New York, a few kept a stone face. Those being Hawk and Robin. Most amongst the team had rarely ever seen much in terms of happiness from the hot-headed and quite frankly rude Hawk. The guy always seems to try and start a fight with someone over anything with the only one actually able to calm him down being Dove II though even that was rare.
His dour and sullen mood was expected.
Robin thought was a surprise, usually he would be popping a little smile as he sat quietly, watching them celebrate. However, instead he was frowning openly.
"Hey, Rob! Everything alright?" Kid Flash asked. "We're going a little slow, aren't we?"
"I'm going at the speed limit," Robin replied simply.
Kid crossed his arms over his chest. "So why the long face? We won."
"Is that supposed to change the fact that we got lucky?" Robins words were sharp and straight to the point, frustration leaking into his tone. "Look at each of us closely, we're battered, bruised and exhausted. If Artemis hadn't spotted Psimon when she had we would have lost right then and there. He is a powerful telepath who has in the past, wiped the memories of various heroes and left them for dead."
Both Artemis and Wally went still, the not so subtle reminder of what happened in Bialya cutting through their celebratory mood.
"Yeah, but she did," Dawn noted, trying to act as mediator.
But Robin only shook his head. "We didn't properly scout the area as we should have. A few members ran ahead attempting to stop Doctor Light, Shimmer and Mammoth who were the bait to lure us out." Many restrained the urge to look towards Hawk whose fist clenched, teeth-gritting together. "It forced the rest of us to abandon necessary recon that would have exposed Psimon much sooner and rush in to provide support. Even with Psimon down, we were split apart and our initial plan to take on the likes of Doctor Light and Mammoth were thrown to the wayside."
With each word that Robin spoke, the mood within the truck became more and more sombre. Though that had never been Robin's intention in the first, he didn't want to burst their bubble. However he was frustrated with himself, people like Batman and others on the Justice League made it seem so easy. If it was guys like them he could understand they were older, more experienced and well-respected. Yet that wasn't the case, both Naruto and Kaldur had been able to command the same level of respect and control that members of the Justice League had despite all the things that should have held them back.
And here he was, the protégé of Batman, trying to set out on his own and nearly failing. That was why he was so frustrated.
"Cyborg," Robin said after a moment of silence. "Did you download the footage from nearby security cameras?"
"Yep, I got it all."
Robin nodded his head in thanks. "Good. We'll take a few days to rest and recover. Then we're back to training. No more individual work, we're focusing upon working as a team and anyone that can't get on board with that is off the team."
A hard-line, but one that Robin remembered vividly that Naruto used against the team after the incident with Red Torpedo and Inferno. When the team looked upon the verge of breaking apart, Naruto firmly reminded them of their place, the silence Batman gave when they looked to him for aid only further proved how serious Naruto was and that his position of leader was not just for show.
Despite all of the emotions that were running high, Naruto doused all of those flames and threatened to take away the comfort that they had grown used to. He threatened to kick them off the team and take away the teammates and friends they had made.
A harsh response, but one that got them all to listen and fully accept him as a leader. At the time, Robin had been angry about the decision and the action Naruto had taken, even for many months afterwards. But now, after becoming a leader himself he could understand and respect Naruto's decision even more. A leader wasn't a right or a privilege, it was a responsibility and as a leader, one couldn't always be your friend. They were there to make sure that you got out alive, whether you think that's the case or not.
"What the hells that?!" Cyborg exclaimed, all looking upon the purple portal that suddenly came to life before the Empire State Building. The figure of a woman rushing out of it, dozens of winged creatures following behind her.
They were not allies and it was quite obvious from the first moment that the winged creatures were after the woman. But in the process, they were damaging their surrounding.
"Kid, check it out," Robin ordered, the fatigue of his earlier fight being ignored as he focused upon the challenge before him. There was a blur of yellow and red as Kid Flash jumped out of the truck and zoomed off, quickly returning inside.
He took a breath. "Not much to say other than the obvious. Those winged creatures are targeting the woman. She's fighting back but getting overwhelmed and more are coming through."
Nodding his head, Robin pulled his truck to the side of the road, horns blaring as other cars rushed to avoid his sudden action. However, he quickly jumped out, pulling out two escrima sticks as the rest of the team pulled up around him, they too ignoring the aches and pains of their bodies from their battle against the Fearsome Five.
That's when all felt a wave of heat wash over them, a stream of flames rushing up and engulfing the purple portal and all those winged creatures that were pouring out of it. 'What the hell is that?' Robin wondered internally, wary of what else might be a threat. His and the rest of the Teen Titans looking down.
He was not the only one to stop and turn, the winged creatures that had been giving chase after the woman and she in turn also looked to the origination of the fire.
There, arm outstretched was Maelstrom and by his side Batgirl.
Slowly the flames subsided, light embers wafting off his hand as Maelstrom looked up. He gave a little wave before thrusting both hands and was seemingly rocketed into the sky, legs lashing out and concentrated arcs of wind followed, slicing cleaning through the winged creatures.
This awoke them from their shock, each screeching orders in an unknown, alien dialect as chaos erupted once more. Robin watched it all with a smirk coming upon his face and he jumped onto the railing of the bridge. "Teen Titans, go!" He ordered, leaping off as the rest of the Teen Titans burst into action alongside him.
Monday 2nd April 2012, 12:15.
Hell.
Eighth Circle
Tenth Bolgia.
Hell.
An ever-changing landscape with Demons constantly battling for power. A dog eat dog world in which the hierarchy of its Circles was always in contention. The strong devoured the weak, the weak devouring one another. Each in an effort to grow stronger and stronger all for the goal of survival. But eventually, that desire gave way to one of the sins: Envy, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Wrath and Pride.
The once sole goal of survival was changed and morphed, Damned Souls of the Humans that had served their penance but denied entry into Heaven were reborn upon the first floor. They fought to survive, each victory and battle, devouring the flesh of their victims. It changed them, both externally and internally as they continued to progress along their evolutionary path.
Eventually, if they survived long enough, would forever change, breaking away and forming into the very Demons that resided within Hell. He, Lord Satanus and ruler of the Eighth Circle, the Province of Odium was no different.
Born from the flesh of the great wizard, Shazam, he had grown up with great ambitions and aspirations. Both he and his sister had lived their lives, trying to reach a father who they had never known. Yet their journey, all their trials and tribulations had been for nothing, they had died before even getting to lay eyes upon the man. Upon their death, they had descended into the bowels of Hell, tortured and toyed with by the Demons of Hell, he upon the Eighth Circle that he now ruled. His sister upon the Second, the province of Err.
Upon their release, both had been twisted and had clawed their way up to where they were. Both ruling the Circles that they had been tortured within and constantly battling to retain control. Demons were sinful creatures, always desiring more.
Reclining upon his throne, Satanus looked out across his realm, power seeping within the floors of his throne room and spreading out across the land. Everything that touched it, he felt and saw. He could sense their power and he smiled upon what he found.
His army was growing larger and more powerful with every day.
Yet there was also something else amongst his realm, something much closer to him. Before him, the ground erupted outwards, a figure bursting out and quickly being ensnared in its grasp. A strange creature, a Demon but a weak one, so weak in fact that it had almost escaped his senses as it approached him through the ground.
"You have unique abilities." Lord Satanus murmured, looking upon the Demon, half-black and half-white in appearance. "Tell me, did you think you could kill me so easily?"
"That would be no fun." The white half spoke, voice cheerful and like that of a child and Satanus frowned in annoyance. A feeling shared by the black half, one that Satanus noted with curiosity. This was not one being, but two that shared a body. "Killing you was never our intention, Lord Satanus. Talking was."
"Yet you approach me from the undergrowth like a snake hiding in wait."
"Entering into Hell, let alone your realm would have been impossible for us had we approached in any other way."Lord Satanus would concede the Demons point on that, he was correct after all. It would be killed long before even reaching his realm, let alone approach him.
Relaxing upon his throne once more, Lord Satanus waved his arm, dismissing the rock that held the Demon in place. "You have my curiosity, for now, tell me why you have come before you lose it. Though first, tell me your name."
"I'm Zetsu and he's Zetsu. We're both-Be quiet!" Black Zetsu snapped angrily at his counterpart before turning to Lord Satanus once more. "Zetsu is my name. And we have come to offer you aid in your campaign to overthrow Lord Neron, in return for your aid in an endeavour of our own."
That caught Lord Satanus' attention, leaning forwards in interest. "Oh, and how do you propose you could help me?"
"I cannot." Black Zetsu replied easily, reaching into his cloak and pulling out a scroll. "May I?" Lord Satanus nodded his head and Zetsu rolled out the scroll, numerous runes inscribed upon it and while not able to make it out entirely, Lord Satanus knew some of what it was. A containment scroll.
There was a brief flash of magic before two jewels laid upon the scroll where it had once been empty and Zetsu held them up. Brilliant jewels that shone with a beauty that was almost unnatural. 'Dear sister would love such jewels.' Yet before he could think upon that further, he saw something within the jewel. Not a reflection, but a movement from within the jewel itself and his eyes widened. "These are…?"
Zetsu nodded his head. "Yes, they are. Within are two foes of your father, the wizard Shazam. Once held within the Rock of Eternity and freed but defeated and sealed within these by Captain Marvel with the help of John Constantine. One, a human gifted the powers of Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus and Crateis in a mockery of your fathers own champions. His name, Sabbac the Second. And the other, the Harvester of Stillborn Souls, Pharyngula."
Names well-known within the circles of Hell yet their bearers had long since disappeared. However, they were still spoken of and feared for good reason. They stood on a level rivalling himself and that meant good things for him.
"There is more, should you listen to my terms."
"More?" Satanus questioned.
Zetsu nodded his head. "Yes, more. Lord Neron is a being that rules over Hell. All those that reside within it give power to him. You rule this Circle as an extension of his will. He stands above all and even with your army and your sisters along with these two, you would not emerge victoriously."
"Then what do you propose?" Lord Satanus asked with a scowl. As truthful as it was, it stung his pride and angered him. But there was a reason Lord Neron had ruled Hell longer than the First of the Fallen and Lucifer Morningstar combined had. He may not have the power of Lucifer Morningstar, but he had more than the First of the Fallen and possessed the first rulers of Hell's temperament and guile.
He ruled with an iron fist, stamping out rebellions before they could take form. The fact that Lord Satanus had accomplished what he had under the nose of such a ruler was a testament to his preparations, but that time of safety was soon coming to an end.
"I offer many things." Zetsu explained. "Connections and access to vast armies beyond even your own. But above all else, I have access and the ability to manipulate the human world how I see fit and have done so."
Deidara and Sasori were never meant to succeed in capturing Naruto Uzumaki. They were meant to test his abilities and allow Zetsu to gain an understanding of what would be needed to be done in the future to more effectively capture him. Even if the two did succeed, they would have never been able to escape from Tartarus with him, not with Constantine upon their tail.
So instead, Zetsu had as he always had, manipulated events to aid in a much grander scheme.
"Ixion is dead. Hades' favoured Prince is gone and with it, the Thirteen are at war. The Old Gods are as always divided and too prideful to intervene." And Zetsu may have offered Hades a few things in return for his non-interference. As well as a few other things to compensate for Ixion's 'accidental' death. "Offer aid to them in return for servitude. Add their armies to your own and you shall have the numbers to overwhelm the Ninth Circle. My own assets shall destroy Nerons' core while himself and his army are preoccupied."
'And with it, remove his connection to Hell. Without it to aid his powers, Lord Neron will be weakened tremendously.'As the thought came to his mind, Lord Satanus smirked. "Very well, Zetsu. What do you wish for in return for such aid?"
Monday 2nd April 2012, 15:30.
New York,
New York City,
Titan Tower.
Naruto let out a low whistle as he entered into the Titan Tower for the first time. He had seen pictures, but actually been up close and personal with it, was an entirely different matter. It was insane at how well furnished it was and looked far more luxurious than Mount Justice.
"How much did this cost?" Naruto wondered and beside him, Barbara smirked.
"I think it was somewhere around two, three billion?" Barbara asked and Dick nodded his head, masked pulled off.
"Yeah, about just over three billion. The money had been set aside by Batman for me as a sort of trust fund." More than a few amongst the Teen Titans shook their head at the ridiculous number Dick described as a trust fund. But then again, Bruce Wayne was one of the richest men in the world with Wayne Enterprises seeing massive growth in recent years, that number was probably only a drop in the ocean compared to what they were raking in every year. "I just put forth the plans to a development team and…"
Dick waved his hand around at the place as to accentuate his point. "This is just, insane," Naruto muttered, still in awe of his surroundings as the rest of the Teen Titans moved around, used to the layout and over the feeling of awe they got when entering.
Barbara meanwhile moved towards a large sofa, where Eddie had switched on the large flatscreen TV and switched it to the news. Already the Teen Titans and their clash first with the Fearsome Five and then with the Gordonians as their newest guest, Koriand'r had told them. A name further backed by Hal Jordan though the information he had on them was limited.
"Do you think we can trust her?" Dawn asked from where she sat in another seat, the drink held in one hand.
"She wasn't allied with the Gordonians." Dick pointed out. "They were obviously chasing her and if what she described about her past is true, then she is the victim."
"You sure you're not just saying that because of the fact she kissed you?" Wally teased, though it was also a genuine question. None imagined that a simple kiss from an admittedly incredibly beautiful alien would be enough to cloud the judgement of Robin's mind. But stranger things had happened.
Despite the seriousness of the topic, Artemis smiled. "Well, he is at that age."
"Very true." More than a few nodded their heads sagely, joining in on the targeting of Dick who just scoffed.
"Hardly. As she said, her people learn languages through the act. Besides, I'm currently enjoying a healthy relationship." Speaking of which, he would probably have to call Zatanna and explain, especially when he looked to see the most recent image. One which he could clearly be seen kissing Koriand'r in the background.
"Aww, look at him trying to deny it. It's so cute." Barbara continued, Dick shaking his head as he rolled his eyes at her teasing remarks. He honestly should have expected this to happen when the entire team saw Koriand'r kiss him. Some, namely Naruto had given him thumbs up and more than a few didn't even attempt to hide their smirks upon their faces as they watched. Even when she explained why she had done it, the looks had persisted.
Actually, they only grew more profound.
Luckily for him, she wasn't here, the Justice League taking Koriand'r away in order to confirm that her intentions were not a threat to Earth. Which meant meetings with the Green Lanterns to confirm her alien heritage was as she said, then a meeting with Martian Manhunter. Even after that, she would undergo a little period of time in which she would be monitored by the Justice League before being allowed to go free.
Considering recent incidents and the Justice League's history with Alien threats, it was a precautionary method that had long since been agreed upon to be followed. There was a reason the Young Justice team had not gone on any missions after its foundations. Unknown variables like Superboy and Miss Martian had been monitored, even Naruto at a later date as well to ensure that they weren't a possible threat.
'This isn't going to end for a long while.' He bemoaned internally. "Anyway, I wonder why Hal didn't know much about the Gordonians."
His not so subtle attempts to change the subject didn't work in the slightest.
Away from the group however, Naruto and Hank stood awkwardly within the kitchen. Naruto had just been moving around, studying his surroundings and admiring it all. That of course, eventually led him to the kitchen where he had ultimately run across Hank who had been getting himself a drink. It was fine at first, Dawn was there, but she had simply patted Hank on the shoulder and left.
Standing in opposite ends of the island unit, both young men just watched the rest of the team tease Dick good-naturedly. Neither said anything or made a move in case it disturbed the awkward silence.
Though the two shared many similarities and despite not being willing to break the silence, neither liked the awkwardness about it. However neither of them were the ones to break the silence, instead it was the arrival of a third figure, Victor Stone who turned their attention away from the awkward silence that and befallen them. Though he quickly froze in his tracks upon coming under their scrutinising gaze.
"I…was just gonna get some water." He said as if trying to excuse why he was coming here in the first place. He moved towards the fridge, pulled open a cupboard and gingerly picked out a glass, careful to watch his strength. But before he filled it up, he paused. "I know it's none of my business, but is there a problem here?"
"No."
"Yes."
Naruto and Hanks respective answers earned blinks from both Naruto and Victor, the former turning to Hank. "There's a problem?" Hank said nothing in response. "Alright. I get it, you blame me."
"Damn right I do," Hank responded, jaw tensing angrily.
Naruto just looked down. "Yeah, me too."
"Don't do that, you don't have the right to act sorry for yourself." Hank spat out and there was a momentary quietening from the other room, his words being louder than he meant them. All three in the kitchen looked to see those in the main room trying and failing to act like they weren't watching the proceedings.
Victor had a suggestion. "There are a few spare rooms nearby if you want to do this somewhere more privately."
"Do you have a training room or a sparring area?" Naruto asked, Hank's lips twitching upwards at his words. Victor on the other hand looked a little wary but before he could argue against the decision, Hank already started walking away, Naruto following behind.
"That's not really what I meant by privacy though." He said weakly, but the two were already out of earshot.
"It's alright, Victor," Barbara called. "Those two are a lot alike. The first time they met Naruto kicked Hank's ass and afterwards, they were acting like best buds who hadn't seen each other in years. It's best to probably best to let them fight it out, Naruto won't kill him." Despite those words however, Victor was still wary and eventually followed after the two.
Interested in the fight to come, Miquel and Eddie followed also, dashing after them before any of the others could utter a word. Dawn in turn looked ready to follow but Artemis placed one hand upon her shoulder and shook her head. It was bad enough that Victor, Miquel and Eddie had gone, Dawn and the rest of the team going would only make a volatile situation even more so.
"If it gets too bad, Naruto will bring it to an end without hurting Hank," Wally said, hoping to provide some measure of comfort to her. "Plus Victor has the common sense to get Miquel out of the room. If not, Eddie will."
Monday 2nd April 2012, 15:45.
New York,
New York City,
Titan Tower.
Shifting his footing and evening his breathing, Naruto pulled off his jacket and chucked it to one side. Taking a quick moment to loosen off his shoulders, Naruto spared a glance towards the little audience of three they had and felt his lips twitch down into a frown. That would not help this situation at all.
Looking towards Hank across the room, the man limbering up already having uttered the phrase necessary to access the power of the Hawk. It was obvious to anyone watching that things between him and Hank were far from good. Their fight being watched as a form of entertainment would not help matters in the slightest, nor would having Hank's defeat being displayed publicly for their amusement help matters either.
'Do I end this quick? Or do I end this slow though?' On one hand, Hank would hate him for holding back and that would not help make matters any better. Contrary to this, ending the fight quickly would not serve to help release any of Hank's pent up aggression. 'I guess I'll have to strive for a middle ground. This will be awkward.'
As Hank finished off his last stretches, arms raised and ready to go, Naruto nodded his head. He too, raised his arms in preparation only to be forced to quickly backpedal as Hank rushed towards him. There had been no signal but Hank didn't care about the fairness of it all and threw his fist forwards directly at Naruto's face. Yet despite the lack of warning, Naruto was more than prepared, his instincts honed from years of fighting allowed his body to react when his mind was still reeling.
The fist brushed past his face by mere inches, Naruto and Hank staring directly at one another. Their faces were calm, eyes carefully tracking the movements of one another. And so, Hank was able to flip over Naruto's roundhouse kick, land upon the ground in a crouch.
The low sweep was something Naruto took a marginal step back to avoid while moving back in with a front kick that Hank blocked. Even so, he was jerked slightly but held firm, going to grip Naruto's leg only to be forced to let go and duck underneath the second roundhouse kick that followed. A defensive move Naruto performed in order to force Hank to put some distance between them.
As soon as he did, Naruto was upon him instantly, numerous fast and hard punches smacking into Hanks raised guard who weathered the storm like a boxer. Then, slipping under the right hook, shifting round to stand at Naruto's side where he came at the blonde with a straight jab-cross combo.
From his position, it was an awkward assault to dodge, but one Naruto did all the same, body twisting to face Hank as he back-pedalled away. Much like he had earlier, Hank didn't give Naruto a moment to rest and continued to close in.
Eventually, he went for a leg kick, Naruto blocking it with his shin, directing it back to the ground while using the same leg to strike Hank's other knee causing it to buckle. It was followed up with a hook that smashed into Hank's jaw and whipped his head to one side. It was the first blow to land and Naruto used this opening.
A devastating combo was unleashed, Hank attempting to block but his defence was torn apart with ease.
"Dude, this is insane," Miquel murmured, struggling to believe what he was seeing. Out of all the Teen Titans, Robin was the best fighter, but beside him, Artemis and Hank were tied for the next best. In fact, considering his powers and the enhanced strength and stamina they gave him, Hank had the slight advantage in close quarters. The only one it didn't seem to work against was Robin, but nonetheless, he was a dominant fighter on the Teen Titans.
Enough so that he couldn't be taken lightly by any of them. Yet before their very eyes, the three of them were watching the complete dismantling of that same person. It looked close, yet it was obvious to anyone with eyes to see that Hank was losing. None of his strikes were landing, Naruto dodging and parrying with ease. On the other hand, the blonde was landing devastating counter punches and while not all landed, those that did stall Hank just a little more each time.
"You can say that again," Victor muttered, looking towards the blonde. He'd known of Naruto, Dick, Artemis and Wally had talked about their all team including their first leader, Maelstrom. They'd even seen surveillance footage of the old teams training sessions and even some of their missions, including the battle against the Justice League upon December thirty-first.
No one could deny that Maelstrom was good, he was one of the best of their generation. Yet the training sessions Naruto had with Kaldur and Connor were before his training under Ted Grant, something Dick had explained. So understanding where the strongest of their generation like M'gann, Connor and Kaldur stood in comparison to Naruto was unknown.
Hank was a guy that stood as one of the most experienced fighters in the Teen Titans. Someone that could give even Garth a good fight and stand a decent chance of winning. He could even go a few rounds with the likes of Connor and Kaldur.
Yet as close as this fight seemed, it was clear Hank was outclassed.
The only one not surprised by this turn of events was Eddie who looked on with arms crossed. "I told ya. Naruto would beat Hank easily."
"To be fair though, you were talking about how he's the strongest of our generation by far. But I'm just not seeing it." Miquel replied. "Sure he's beating Hank, but it looks to be a pretty close fight to me. All I'd say that Naruto has on Hank is experience."
Eddie rolled his eyes at that response. "You haven't seen what I've seen. You saw him fight against the likes of Aquaman as well as Hawkgirl and Hawkman right? Connor admitted that at that point in time, he wouldn't be able to fight against them if they came at him like they did against Naruto so it's obvious he's the strongest of our generation. Blue Devil thinks so as does Dick, Wally and Artemis."
"Just not seeing it." Miquel wasn't convinced.
"He's not using his powers though." Victor intervened before an argument could erupt between the two. "Yet I guess, Miquel is also right. Without seeing his powers for myself I can't really say whether I believe you or not. Gotta see to believe it and all that."
"Fair enough." Eddie shrugged.
Monday 2nd April 2012, 16:30.
New York,
New York City,
Titan Tower.
"So, you took up being Hawk again?"
"Yes," Hank replied stiffly.
"How'd that happen?"
"Her." Hank nodded his head towards Dawn who was sitting conversing with Artemis and Barbara. He himself adjusting the ice pack upon his cheek, wincing slightly at the sharp stab of pain that shot through him.
"Is she?"
"Yep."
"Oh. How'd that-"
"Long story."
"One of those?"
"One of those." For a moment both said nothing before Hank sighed. "Just ask?"
"…Did you have a funeral?" Hank nodded his head. "When was it?"
"A few weeks after. Would have been longer considering we had no family to help us but Jason, Ted and Alan donated. They helped sort it out." Naruto nodded his head.
"Sounds like something they'd do." There was a pause. "You know, I would have also helped, I was just…"
"I know. Ted told me everything. I saw the security cameras as well. I know what you did." Hank replied cutting him off. "I was angry, Naruto. Needed someone to blame and I blamed you. It's not easy for me to admit this, but you were just the easiest person to blame."
Naruto shook his head. "You're not the only one who blamed me, I did as well."
Hank scoffed. "There's a surprise." He snarked, Naruto's lips twitching up into a small smirk.
"Honestly though, I did." Naruto continued. "I took Rose's word as fact, didn't even consider the possibility that Talon didn't trust her or was lying to her. Which I fucking hate myself for, because it's so like him to lie to his allies. Because of that, instead of sending a clone with Don or having one deal with Deadshot and Solomon Grundy, I left him to go for you alone."
"Yeah, and if I had listened to Ted and Alan, retreating back none of it would have happened in the first place. Instead, I let my pride get the best of me and instead of retreating, I continued to fight to make myself a liability which then led to the whole fiasco in the first place." Both went silent for a little while before Hank chuckled humourlessly. "Guess we're both idiots."
"I thought we already knew that?" Naruto joked, Hank, smiling slightly. "God I need a drink."
"Amen."
"I've got to introduce you to Atlantean wine at some point. That is the shit."
"Atlantean wine?" Hank questioned dubiously.
Naruto nodded. "Oh yeah. It fucks you up."
Hank's smile widened further. "That sounds right up my street."
So another chapter done and with it, Starfire has been introduced. As has a few more individuals such as Cyborg, Dawn Granger as the new Dove as well as Bunker. For those of you who don't know him, he was a New 52 addition into the DC Universe and I did this because I didn't want to do the usual lineup of the Teen Titans. This is my own universe within the wider DC multiverse and so, the Teen Titans lineup is a little different to usual. But we also got a resolution between Hank and Naruto over Don's death and a little look into what happened into Hank afterwards.
However, not only that but we got some movement back in the Demon world, mainly with Zetsu inciting action from Lord Satanus who is now gathering allies to overthrow Lord Neron. Not to mention, the death of Ixion has left an opening with the power structure of Tartarus that has attracted eyes from Hell. But Hades still remains quiet and unseen.
Now, as some of you may or may not know, the layout of Hell I'll be using is different to that used in the comics. Not much is known about it other than the fact that Hell changes as you walk which is something I'll be using, but as Zetsu explained, is a trick used by the rulers of each circle to confuse and disorient those that could be a threat. There are still the Nine Provinces, which I believed are the Nine Circles, so they're still in effect. But the layout of each circle will be as described in Dante's Inferno. So go check that out for a little more info.
Anyway, not much else this chapter however, I'd say there's probably only two or so chapters left until the end of this arc. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but the time skip arc was never going to be a long one. Not like YJ season 1 was, nor will YJ season 2 be long either.
Now that's out of the way, let's get on with the questions:
hunter41963801: I have considered doing something like that, but honestly, I don't think at this point in time it's something Naruto would do. It may change in the future, but at this point in time it's unlikely. As for Joker, you better believe it. All Naruto wants is for Jason to live a normal life, which is one of the reasons Naruto didn't take him on as an apprentice or help him in any fashion after dropping him off with the police. Jason's death will not be something Naruto takes lightly.
Lord Suryansh: The ages of everyone during 2010 are listed in the first Data Profile of the Young Justice Season 1 Arc. As for Jason, he is around eleven nearly twelve at this point in time.
Yakuza2010: Ah right, thank you very much. Well in answer to your question, yes and no. As you can see, Black Hood has already inspired numerous copycats all over the world in the form of the Hoods, though they have been corrupted and taken over by numerous criminal organisations including the League of Assassins. Jason is another person and I guess you can also count most of the new generation of heroes amongst those he's inspired.
Anyway, hope that answers any questions you might have, if not please let me know and I'll try and answer them as best as I can.