Of his parental figures, Kushina's red hot rage came naturally to him. He'd worked hard to limit it but never thought he would truly be free from it. The things that truly offended him were so deeply felt that the inferno sparked by them needed to burn. Lex's arctic fury was socialized. While not his preference, if he needed to intricately plot someone's downfall it was well within his skillset. It was just, if you can generate a tornado with the wave of your hand that's generally all the planning you need. Minato, then, would fall decidedly in the middle of the spectrum.
Minato was a genius. And like most geniuses he was a bit odd. He was an inordinately kind man and if one didn't know his vocation you could confuse him for an accountant. But his mother assured him, in their lifetime there hadn't been a more lethal shinobi than Minato. Naruto found it hard to square it until one day it clicked; Minato had no emotional triggers for his violence.
When discussing his time as a ninja and the Third Shinobi War, Minato confessed he didn't hate his enemies. Not even after losing his students. He admitted it didn't make sense to hate people you were trying to kill just because they were trying to kill you back. Minato owned his violence to an extent unforeseen by his son. He didn't justify himself, he was a ninja of the Leaf Village and killed enemies of the Leaf Village. In that way, Minato was the eye of the storm. Tranquil when surrounded by chaos, clear of mind when beset with destruction.
This was Naruto's current mindset. And as he tossed Hiraishin kunai throughout the room he looked upon the being he was going to kill. Not because his grief for Pam was so immense. Not because his anger was incalculable. Doomsday would die simply because he posed a threat and threats would henceforth be eliminated.
"Are you Kryptonian?" Doomsday inquired, confused as he could normally sense it but doubted any other being on this planet could have the power to fell him, even momentarily.
"Does it matter?" Naruto asked. Doomsday response was to blitz him, driving his fist through the fool that dared to assault him.
"Not really," he replied smugly until he realized two things. First, what he'd pulverized was a man that was dressed differently than his intended target. Secondly, slit throats were quite painful. He tried to let out a roar but his ability to speak was still compromised. He reached back for Naruto, the interdimensional ninja released the green glowing hand that laid atop Doomsday's head and using his wind chakra infused Hiraishin kunai, cut a path down the giant's back.
The hulking beast attacked in retaliation. His heavy fists sought contact, desired destruction and he wouldn't stop until they got it. The little man was fast, though. Appearing throughout the room, wherever one of those knives were located. Doomsday tried to grab one but was shocked when he tried.
The additional pain enraged him but not as much as failing to hit his opponent. His feral backfist contacted nothing but empty space. It had been a long time since an enemy could injure him without enduring some punishment in return. But Doomsday noticed all of the shorter man's attacks had been at close range. Ripping up parts of the floor, he flung the hunks of metal. His hope that the projectiles would cause an evasion he could capitalize on were dashed when the metal stopped in mid air and the changed direction toward him.
Doomsday smashed the incoming missiles of the torn floor. He felt two strikes to his side and looked over to see the little man with blue hands had attacked him. On pure instinct he went on the attack. The little man dodged him perfectly. It infuriated him.
Worst still, he felt himself tiring. Fatigue was a foreign concept to him. Never overly technical, even his beastiial fighting style was losing its form. He knew he just needed one, clean blow to end this. The man hadn't been able to hurt him but something was wrong and Doomsday had to end this fast. He attempted to sweep the legs with a low hook which forced the pest to jump. Midair, he believed it the perfect time to smash his prey. He unleashed a mighty straight punch that went through his target with zero resistance.
He or it smiled while it pointed to the left and then phased out of existence. Doomsday looked over to see another version of the unknown annoyance standing there completely relaxed except for having the tips of his middle finger and thumb together.
"If you'd had just two more evolutionary cycles this would have been a much different fight," the man said.
Perplexed by what was happening, Doomsday had to engage. "What do you mean?"
"You've almost evolved past needing organs or a central nervous system. If you had, my plan wouldn't have worked. I would say I guess I'm lucky but I had three other ways to kill you so really, you're just unlucky."
"Arrogant boy!" the behemoth bellowed even as he felt slightly weakened.
"I had to rewrite your genetic code, ya know. That's not exactly easy in the middle of a fight. I'm like a combat genius and it's not arrogance if you really are that good. Anyway, those super adaptable cells you got coursing through you? They now have the potential to turn cancerous… though I may have put my thumb on the scale just a wee bit. They are metastasizing as we speak. Those nasty little devils are going to feast on you. It'd be a near endless cycle but I need to speed things up a bit."
Doomsday saw the reaction and felt the results before the sound of the snap reached his ears. Now consumed in black flames he could only scream in agony. He'd never felt this much pain and hadn't felt this weak since his early lives. Was this really the end? Would he really die to tricks? To a coward's way of fighting? Him, the greatest warrior in the universe?
"W-what are yOU?" he shouted. He needed to know. Even as the flames were unrelenting and his body was tearing itself apart, he needed to know what could so easily defeat him.
"Just a humble gardner," the insulting man said as he walked away. Doomsday would burn to ash moments later, nothing left over in which to return from. Showing no interest in his work, Naruto flared his chakra so all the kunai returned to the storage seal. He departed via shunshin to the deck of the floating prison.
Naruto was eight when he first learned to wield the lightning release. Lex took one look at his son harnessing such power and smiled. Electricity and electromagnetism in a world of tech and metal made you inordinately powerful if you were creative enough. More than just launching lightning bolts like some deity, you could cause real damage. It took him a few months to be able to reliably produce the very thing he was generating now. Once the energy in his hands had swelled large enough, Naruto clapped and all went dark.
He wasted no time sprinting into the temporarily powerless stronghold. Harley had been helpful in pointing him to this place once he quieted down the other members of the Suicide Squad. Captain Boomerang would heal, it was only a broken jaw. She'd informed him she'd been in custody for over a month, Waller's team attacked Pam and her in Spain. She hadn't seen Pam's body, just a pool of green blood on the shoreline.
They let her bleed out and float off like an animal. So, as he placed precision cuts along the necks of the Cadmus employees he felt nothing for them. They could bleed out on the floor and he wouldn't spare them a second thought. The backup generators kicked in right as Naruto found the elevator shaft that would lead him to the subfloors. He pried the doors apart and made his way down.
He was met with fodder. It was likely for the best, it was taking a great deal of control staying in his current mental space. An actual fight might have him tip in the wrong direction, deciding wide scale destruction was better than attempting to get evidence while he avenged Pam. He made the Daab song mue, a pair of Thai curved blades, from Hyoton and cut down the gun wielding agents. Many died before they knew to put up a fight, others died fruitlessly trying to line up a shot.
It hadn't taken him long to clear out the floor and he had a clone pulling any data it could from a terminal, though he doubted it would have all the information he'd need. Five beings, as they felt not quite human, were within his perception, attempting to ambush him as he made way to the next floor. The corridor was tight, not all five of them could fight comfortably so they'd have to come in teams, if Naruto had planned to allow them to attack. He spat a small tidal wave at the five.
One launched a blast of wind, meant to repel the wave, another seemed to want to take control over it. He could sense it trying to be manipulated. He couldn't have that. Bringing his hands up, several ice spikes formed and darted toward his enemies. The attacks were repelled, again but they were only a distraction.
The wind manipulator was the first to go as Naruto flickered over and beheaded him. The water manipulator was cut vertically from the sternum to her belly button and then impaled, as he transformed one of his swords into a jagged icicle. The black man in blue was the first to react, electricity crackling from his hands but he was too slow. Naruto's remaining ice sword stabbed him in his under arm and with a savage yank came blood splatter. Vindictively, Naruto froze the blood into a dagger and stabbed the man. The other two were cut down before they could mount a counterattack.
"She's not ready to be brought online again," Dr. Hamilton warned. Amanda fought the urge to shoot him in the knee to gain his compliance. She didn't care if he had an emotional connection to the weapon, they were beyond that. Something happened on that fortress. Something knocked out the explosive devices she had implanted on her suicide squad and she'd lost contact with the agents on the scene. Now they were under siege, these were not unrelated.
"That's an order, Hamilton!," Waller asserted. "We have an unknown Meta cutting through our agents. The Ultimen are dead, Eiling is doing who knows what in Dakota City. You will wake her up or we're both dead." Seeing self-preservation win out again, Hamilton initiated the protocols and Galatea arose once more.
"What are my orders?" she asked.
"There is an unknown meta-human attacking the base. Find him. Kill him." Stepping clear of her stasis chamber room was filled with a sudden pressure that caused Waller and Hamilton to buckle.
"I'm already here."
Galatea flew to the voice's location and Waller heard a lack crack, confirming something had made contact. Then she heard Galatea scream as she flew back down to the ground, denting it on impact. Amanda saw a circular, spiral patterned wound on the clone's stomach as it coughed up blood.
"I could draw your death out for a month and it wouldn't be long enough, Waller," the voice said as it appeared behind a now standing Hamilton. He didn't have time to be afraid before the hooded and masked assailant broke his neck. Any attack he had planned on Waller was stalled by Galatea's heat vision. It missed him but forced evasive action.
"You wanna play, Science Experiment?" he asked in disgust.
Galatea roared as she engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Waller watched as Hamilton's "ultimate deterrence" against the Kryptonians fist fought the mysterious invader. Waller was no expert but she knew when someone was losing a fight and Galatea was getting picked apart like a rank amateur facing a grandmaster. What was worrisome was the man was not just the superior fighter but clearly able to hurt her.
They had, allegedly, implanted various combat forms into the clone's subconscious to make her more than just strong and fast. It didn't seem to matter. Her attacks weren't just blocked but redirected and the openings exploited. In the final exchange, Amanda saw the meta perform a series of finger jabs in Galatea's midsection and heard her mutter something about, "pressure points," before she dropped to the ground like a lifeless doll.
"Sleep," he commanded and the clone lost consciousness. "Everyone here is dead but you and the clone."
"I won't beg and I won't ask why just get on with it," Amanda demanded, planning to keep her pride to her defiant end. She hadn't expected he'd laugh.
"Your days of deciding anything are over. The next five seconds will feel like five days. Once I've broken your spirit, Amanda, then you have my permission to die. Let's begin," he said and her world shifted into perfect darkness.
The first sense to pick up anything was her hearing, the sounds of heavy breathing filled the surroundings. She then felt the earth shake beneath her but lazily as if it were following the pattern of footfalls. She saw two giant, red eyes look at her. No, through her, judging her. For the first time in the longtime Amanda felt fear.
"You think you're afraid now… you're wading at the surface of deep fucking water. Amanda, let me introduce you to the Kyuubi no Yoko." A crimson sun burst to life in the sky and Amanda is treated to the full visage of a monster fox with the now unmasked Naruto Uzumaki standing beside him. It didn't take long after his interrogation to get the rest of the information he needed. He has clones assigned to various tasks, none at the Cadmus base as he suspects some hero will be there shortly. He left the clone there as she wouldn't awake for hours but made sure a relevant file folder was nearby so no would be surprised.
Once back at the penthouse he made a beeline for his mindscape. He was coming out of his mission mindset and could no longer hold back the grief and sincere heartbreak. Once in, once he knew all would be safe, Naruto let the emotional barriers fall.
"Agggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" he yelled as g-force winds sharper than any blade cut through the surroundings. The storm of blades lasted for minutes but it wasn't enough. He fell to the ground, tears pooling in his eyes, refusing to fall. He'd been arrogant. He thought with their public breakup no one would bother her. He didn't keep tabs on her, it would have been wrong and creepy. But now she was dead, left to float out to sea like a piece of trash.
He still had Eiling to deal with but that gave him no solace. It didn't dull the pain in his chest. It did nothing as it was barely a goal, stepping on ants would be more difficult. His thoughts growing darker, Naruto was pulled into an embrace by one of Kurama's tails. No words were spoken but Naruto accepted the comfort. He knew he had to experience his emotions fully, not process his grief but actually grieve; to accept a world that no longer held a person who meant so much to him.
"This fire isn't natural. Water does nothing, depriving it of oxygen does nothing and we can't get any closer without harm," John relayed to Clark over comms.
"I hear you, GL. Get to my current location, Batman is heading up the investigation," he said before he sighed and turned to the woman standing behind him. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, mostly. She knew who killed Doomsday. Those words still threw him for a loop. Compounding it was the feeling Clark knew, too. And if Harley told him Ivy was dead then it explained Cadmus.
"As you weren't charged with nor convicted for anything, you can leave. Is there somewhere we can take you once this is all over?"
"Yea, Metropolis," Harley answered and Clark sighed again. This was a mess, not that he expected to find anything substantive.
"Superman we need you on the lowest sublevel; now," Bruce said with his customary politeness. Clark rushes there and sees a dead Dr. Hamilton and an African American woman. Also, an unconscious woman that looks like Kara, only older.
"Is she another Kryptonian?" Clark asks.
"Yes, but not how you think," Bruce says. "After Darkseid took control of you Dr. Hamilton was so afraid of another occurrence that he took a genetic sample from Kara when he treated her. This place, Cadmus, funded his research to produce a genetic clone; one that has reached peak physical maturity. Whoever attacked this place was able to kill everyone here and disable someone meant to be stronger than Kara. Do you know anyone who can do that?"
"Ya know, I find myself not caring all that much right now," Clark confessed. He was livid at Hamilton's betrayal. All the good he's tried to do, he was a victim of Darkseid as well but it was easier to fear him.
"And do you also not care that this person killed Doomsday with some kind of irrepressible fire?" Bruce pushed.
"It sounds like someone was building an army to kill us. Tell me, Batman, what is the appropriate response to discovering that?"
"We go after the bad guys. Even the bad guys we like. He can't keep doing this."
"First, don't make me laugh. When was the last time you managed to arrest Catwoman?" Bruce said nothing so Clark continued. "Now, since you know who it is show me some proof."
"Proof!?" Bruce growled. "The cameras have been wiped, most of the electronics fried by an EMP. The only witness is unconscious and possibly programmed to kill you on sight."
"So, no proof then?" Clark asked just to rub it in.
"Is this what we are now? A known killer walks the streets and we sit on our hands. That makes us complicit!"
"This Cadmus organization was targeting us but it may have targeted others. Maybe the attempting kidnapping of Poison Ivy was to use her as leverage. Instead they killed her. Do you think that would have stopped them? Or that getting Doomsday would only ever be a deterrent for me?"
"I'm going to stop him, even if I have to do it alone," Bruce said as if resigned to his fate instead of actively making a choice. Clark, tired of his martyr act, had to twist the knife.
"If you could do it you would have already. I hear helicopters approaching, I'll see you up top." Once topside, Clark picked up the clone and moved to meet the charge of federal agents. It was immediately apparent something was wrong about this. It was only made worse by Waller's captives actively fighting them. He hurried over and commanded they stop, all did. A single agent approached him.
"Special Agent Lynch," a tall, dark haired man greeted. "I want to thank you for your help but if your team could clear out and turn over any evidence the agency would appreciate it, Superman."
"You'll understand if I'm confused as the CIA isn't a law enforcement branch, nor do they tend to operate domestically."
"Special circumstances, I'm sure you'll understand."
"I do. Just like I understand a government official was leading an organization meant to fight my team. You'll understand if we wait for other authorities to arrive and for each of the detainees to have legal representation." Lynch looked as if he wanted to continue to argue but an alert on his phone and several other G-men stopped him. He read the notification and turned his back.
"Until next time, Superman," Lynch said as every agent returned to a chopper and departed.
"That was objectively weird," Wally said.
"Yes, what would make them stand down like that?" Diana wondered.
"Everything they were going to try to cover up has already been released on the internet. Every major domestic and international news source has it," Bruce explained.
"So, problem solved?" Wally asked.
"Not remotely. Waller was running this with a General Wade Eiling, he wasn't here tonight. I'm sure he's next on his hit list," Bruce answered, stressing his so Clark would know his meaning.
"Hey Supes, who's the babe?"
"A clone of Supergirl made from stolen genetic material," Clark said, unamused.
"Oh… so she's probably single?" Wally pressed further. Thankfully Diana slapped him in the back of the head.
"What do you plan to do with her?" John asked, pointing to the clone. Clark shook his head as he did not know.
Naruto walked out to his veranda emotionally drained and in no mood for any bullshit of any variety for any reason, which explained the clipped tone he used when speaking to his visitors. "I'm going to blow up this damn veranda since none of you bedtime buckaroos will use my damn front door."
"Bedtime buckaroos isn't one of your best," Clark said,
"I will beat your ass," Naruto said in response. Clark took it as a sign of his emotional state and not an actual threat.
"Harley requested I bring her here and given everything, I thought it was a good idea."
Naruto looked at the woman with a blank face before he relented and welcomed her in. She walked past the two since it was clear Superman had more to say.
"Leave Eiling to the Justice League," Clark declared with no preamble. Naruto scoffed.
"Sure, I'll do just that."
"I think you will," Clark added. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath to rid himself of any pesky impulses.
"And why do you think that?"
"Because I'm asking you to. They've been outed, everyone knows about Cadmus. You've gotten justice for Ivy. Let that system you defended so eloquently work."
"Fine," Naruto said, losing interest in arguing with this big, dumb puppy. He turned to go back inside but Clark stopped him with a question.
"Is she going to wake up?" he asked about the clone over his shoulder.
"I imagine so as she appears to be asleep. I'd give it a few more hours and be prepared for when she does."
"Uh huh. Thanks, Naruto."
The Uzumaki said nothing but waved at the Kryptonian. He entered to see Harley sitting at his table, two tumblers one filled, and his bottle of Blue Label scotch. She poured some of the brown liquid into the second glass and slid it over to him. He sat across from her and took the drink. He brought the glass to his lips and took a moderate sip, letting it sit on his tongue for a moment before swallowing.
"So, what do you want?" he asked.
"I figured there were two people who loved Ivy and if I'm going to properly mourn I should do it with the only other person feeling how I feel."
"Oh, sharing drinks and feels with the woman that made me a cuckold, this is how this shit day should end."
"Get over it, Red. She's gone. Whatever issues you have with me would seem minimal in comparison to that," Harley downed her drink after her admonishment of Naruto. "And if it makes you feel any better, she still loved you. I had to watch her mourn the end of your relationship, she tried to hide it but I could tell. You don't do that with someone you're indifferent to or dislike." Harley refreshed her drink and downed it again.
"You weren't one of us and it's hard to consider you normals real. I didn't get it, how she could be with a normal guy; some rich kid, tech geek. You weren't real. So, I saw my moment. The person who was there for me, propped me up until I truly broke free of Joker. We understood each other. We...w-we loved each other." Harley stopped to refill her glass, her tears ignored.
"But I couldn't protect her. You could have, easily. If I hadn't been selfish she'd still be here." She consumed the liquor in a single shot.
"Several weeks ago Amanda Waller and Wade Eiling approached me to work with them, to continue in Lex's position. I told them to kindly fuck off. That kidnapping scheme was to use Pam as leverage. Whatever share of responsibility I share or you share, the main culprits were Waller and Eiling. And as far as everything else… I would love to blame you. To say you got in the middle of us but Pam had a change of heart, she made a choice. Blaming you wouldn't change that."
"I miss her," Harley said.
"Me, too," Naruto said as he swirled his drink. The two sat in companionable silence, their sole connection a better reason for antipathy than bonding. It sank in like waves that she was really gone, Feeling more real by the moment.
"What I won't miss was how picky she could be. This one time her shampoo brand changed its formula and she complained about it for weeks until they changed it back. But that was Ivy, when she cared she cared."
Naruto's laugh, a small chuckle that bloomed into a fit as he held his hands to his eyes. The gesture was not enough to block all the tears from falling down his whiskered cheeks. "She complained so much I just bought the damn company and made them go back," he said as he continued to laugh. "She was so happy to have it back, something so minor."
"Did she know?" Harley asked. He shook his head in the negative.
"I didn't do it for credit so she didn't need to. The problem was solved and she floated for days. Over shampoo." The two would trade stories for the rest of the night about their shared lost love. In the morning several cities were treated to a new addition, each had gained an impossibly tall tree rivaling some buildings.
