It has been a few days since Itachi took the first step to completing his plan of taking Black Mask down. He took down some underlings of his and discovered some crucial information that would help further the cause. The most crucial piece being that he discovered his true identity which was Roman Sionis. The official name of his criminal organization is the False Face Society. It was founded by Roman with the goal of taking over Gotham from the bottom up.

It was pretty common knowledge that Black mask operated out of the Industrial District of Gotham. He owned a steel mill by the name of Sionis Industries. Itachi spent his nights scouting the metal maze out. It was filled with men in masks, all of whom were armed with guns similar to those of whom raided Carla's Café. He would have swiftly made his presence known but he had one problem that was a major roadblock to that; Carson.

His first night out, when he came home late she absolutely freaked out on him. Apparently she stayed up all night worried about him and thought something bad had happened to him. He had to spend the next two days trying to make it up to her. That included cooking, cleaning, and worst of all…going shopping with her. She said he was off the hook only if he never scared her like that again. He let out an inward sigh of relief.

She had no idea that he was The Crow or what he really does on his night strolls and he planned on keeping it that way. He also learned that her brother James would be arriving in town in a few days and while he was in town, Itachi would be staying with Artemis next door as a favor to Carson. That too was a condition for him he had to meet in order to be forgiven.

Currently, Itachi was on the couch with Carson watching Gotham news. She was a big fan of the news surprisingly and an even bigger fan of Gotham's Dark Knight; the Batman. To her, Batman was a symbol of hope that Gotham could one day be redeemed. On the news currently was coverage of a villain he had taken down the night before, Clayface. The commissioner of GCPD was on and commenting on the arrest.

"We'd like to thank the Batman for his help in taking down Clayface. I know most in the city do not approve of his methods or his existence as a whole, but it is without doubt that Gotham has been made safer since he has emerged. He is proof that there is hope for us to progress into the light, but also hope that true justice will be dished out to those who threaten that vision. Thank you and keep it up."

The media was starting to ask questions when Carson suddenly muted the television and smiled, "He is so cool Itachi. I just wish he was here sooner so men like Black Mask could have never had risen to power. What do you think Itachi?"

Itachi didn't know how to feel about the masked vigilante. On one hand he was glad the city had someone guarding over it when others couldn't. On the other hand he knew that it would lead to a problem once the Batman figured out Itachi was on the prowl as well. It wouldn't lead to a peaceful resolution at all.

Carson was waiting for an answer so thoughtfully Itachi replied, "I think it is good that the people of Gotham has a protector like him, but because of how he protects the people Gotham will always live in fear."

Carson looked genuinely confused, "What do you mean? Is he good for us or bad for us?"

"Both. In the short term view, he is good for the city. With him watching over and fighting criminals that normal civilians can't, Gotham will be a safer place. But in the long term view of things, he is fighting a losing battle. His inability or unwillingness to kill will always continue this loop of chaos. He puts them away but sooner or later they break out and comeback to wreak havoc again. It's a pointless war he's fighting," he answered.

"So you think killing is the answer? That's how this city got so corrupted," she retorted.

"No, killing didn't corrupt this city. It was the people that inhabit it that ruined this city. Gotham reminds me of my home. There is a light side and a dark side that's always colliding against each other. It's up to people like Batman to keep that balance in check, but he alone isn't enough. This city suffers from people who lack of individual ability and the courage to do what is necessary, no matter the cost. If someone was there to kill the Black Mask instead of just letting him roam free because of a loophole in the law, things would be so much better for everyone including you Carson. Sometimes in order to stop a monster, you have to become a monster."

Carson turned towards her friend and looked him in the eye, "You don't ever have to become a monster Itachi and it's not on you to solve the problems of this city. You're right; we need to take back our streets from scum like Black Mask and we have to stop waiting on Batman. But I firmly believe without a doubt that killing is not the answer. We can beat monsters without lowering ourselves down to their level. We can rise above them," she then took his hands into hers, "Promise me that no matter what happens in the future, no matter what loss may occur that you won't be that monster. Stay how I see you now; my hero."

Itachi was moved by her words. Not since saying goodbye to his brother did he feel like his life had more to it then death and darkness. It was in this moment he realized something important, 'I may be her hero, but she is my light. Carson is genuinely a good person and I can't let that ever change.' He smiled at her kind words, "I promise."

She smiled back at him and hugged him before pulling away from embarrassment. Itachi didn't mind at all though. He got up and went to his room. Carson had class soon so he'd have most of the day to himself. Today he would buy tools that could help him when he's out in the field. He didn't need much, just some kunai and shuriken. He saw that they were sold in downtown Gotham so he'd pay that store a visit and commence with his plan to take down Black mask.

He went to his drawer and pulled out a project he's been working on. Unbeknownst to his roommate, he had a drawer full of paper bomb tags that he's been formulating at nights after patrol. Using these tags and the kunai knives he would deal a severe blow into Black Mask's criminal organization. Tonight Itachi was going to blow up Black Mask's cache that contained all of his revenue and funds; all twenty-two million dollars of it.

The crime lord kept all of his money in one place, the abandoned train station in Miagani Island. No one dared enter there because of it being claimed by Sionis. Very few knew what he kept hidden there but by the amount of guards he had stationed around the clock, it must have been important. That thug Itachi interrogated the other day had just finished a shift there by some stroke of luck which is how Itachi learned of its existence.

'Apparently, the reason he kept all of his cash in one spot is so that it could be the guarded by his most trusted men around the clock, or at least that's what he tells his subordinates.' He hypothesized.

'The real reason he does it is so that what happened with Carson's father could never happen again. Sionis wasn't going to have one of his underlings steal a million dollars right from under his nose ever again, and if it did happen there is no way that person would leave that train station alive. His paranoia will be his downfall though because tonight every dollar he has, along with his hopes of ever controlling this city, goes up in flames,' he thought.

He got some paper bombs and sealed them away in a kanji that was hidden up his sleeve. Just as he did he heard Carson yell, "Itachi! I'm heading out for class! Oh, if you leave the apartment at least leave a note telling me when you'll be back so I don't get worried! Have a good one," she then left out of the door shutting it behind her.

Itachi could swear there were times where he couldn't tell whether or not Carson was his roommate or his mother. Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Itachi grabbed his crow mask, sealed it away, and left out to buy the tools he needed to cripple Sionis tonight.

Carson had been in school for a few hours now and like always she counted the seconds until she got to go back home. It's not like she dislikes class, she just figured she could find so many more productive things to do with her time…like shop, relax, and hangout with Itachi whenever he could bother to be home that is.

She sighed outwardly. For the past few days he's been gone throughout the evening, not returning until late into the night. She wanted to respect his privacy, but a big part of her wondered just what he did at nights.

'Does he have a job, maybe he works out at night…what if he's secretly meeting with another girl?' Okay, she knew the last thought was crazy but at this rate anything is a possibility with Itachi.

She was brought out of her thoughts when some students that were passing by the table she was sitting were having an interesting debate so she decided to eavesdrop, "Man, can you believe it? The Crow took out another group of gangbangers. It's so cool!"

"I don't know. I mean there's still a reasonable doubt as to whether or not this guy is even real. Plus, what if he's just another sidekick to Batman? Is he fighting crime or building an army?"

"No way he's with the Bat. Tim said that the moves that he used were different than the moves Batman and Robin used. He said it was like he was watching a surgeon the way that the Crow took out those thugs down when he saved Tim."

"Yeah, don't remind me. Tim wouldn't shut up about it for the whole next two days. Says that what he saw inspired him. I just think he was scared so his mind played tricks on him. In the end I hope Tim is right and he's a vigilante that is independent from the Batman and the Justice League because the monopoly of super powered freaks they have is making me feel less and less safe. We need someone who is strong enough to oppose them should they go rogue or step up should they fall."

"One thing for sure is that Batman won't be happy about another guy stealing his spotlight. My dad is on the force so he has firsthand experience in knowing that Batman is very territorial about Gotham. He doesn't even let Superman help out and he's basically our next door neighbor; so this Crow is really about to be in for it."

"Oh man I'd kill to see that fight..." Both of the boys fell out of Carson's hearing range and faded away. She too was curious about this Crow guy that had popped up out of nowhere recently. She was skeptical of it all because he was more of a legend than anything. The only proof of this guy's existence came from people like Tim who just happened to be in the area at the time. And an eight year old kid like Tim isn't exactly the most credible of sources, even if he is a prodigy and a genius. It's been a few days and neither the GCPD nor GCN has made comments on it so maybe that means they have their doubts as well.

She didn't know how to feel about him at the end of the day. While Gotham needed all of the help it could get, sometimes not all help is good help. According to the other students this Crow guy is a lot more brutal and violent than the Batman is which can't be good. 'If he is real it's probably best if he's taken down before he goes too far,' she thought.

Just then the school bell rang signaling the students of Gotham Academy that the school day was over. The Academy now housed grades 7-12, and a new college campus that was state of the art from funding of Bruce Wayne himself. It was a miracle she got accepted into the academy, she had to really score high on tests and improve her grades just to be considered a viable choice for acceptance. She needed a lot of help to afford going to the school. Carla gave her a job, her brother James helped with tuition as well, and she also was one of the lucky few to receive a grant from none other than the billionaire Lex Luthor. It was part of an initiative to unite the neighboring cities of Gotham and Metropolis. She didn't know whether or not that was true but if it got her through school, then she didn't care.

She was walking out of the campus when she saw Artemis mingling with friends. She was about to run over to join them when she saw someone who stopped her in a tracks. After registering who this person was she burst out into a sprint until she crashed into him with one of the biggest hugs she's ever given in her life.

"I can't believe it, you're really here," Carson said now close to tears. She looked up to see none other than her brother James who had a big cheesy smile on his face. "I take it my goal of surprising you worked."

"Oh shut it you big jerk. This is amazing! I thought you wouldn't be here until at least Friday," she said.

"I talked to my commanding officer and she gave me the okay to go on leave early," he answered.

"This is so awesome. How long are you going to be here for James," She asked. His smile got even wider, "That's the good news Carson. My bosses approved my request to change stations and now I'm back here in Gotham permanently, or at least until they decide I'm needed elsewhere which with some luck won't happen for the remaining two years I have left on my term."

In all of her happiness over her brother being home, Carson had forgotten one key repercussion this would incur; Itachi. This means James would be moving back into his room and Itachi would have to leave without being seen or a big blow up would happen. Thinking fast she pulled her phone out and texted Artemis who looked at her from her group of friends wondering why she just didn't come over but once she saw James she was able to figure out pretty quickly why she didn't. She replied back with, 'Don't worry I have work right after school, on the way back I'll let him know to head to my place instead.'

Carson blew out a sigh of relief and mouthed thank you to her friend whom replied back with a wink. "Okay James, let's go home," James laughed sheepishly, "Well I was kind of hoping we could go get ice cream first. You know, at Luigi's, dad's favorite spot."

Carson laughed at her brother, "After all of this time in the military you still act like a little kid, it's almost embarrassing. Well here I thought we could enjoy some family time and I get to hear about you're cool army adventures like a mature adult, but what the hay, I guess that makes two of us, come on!" She then dashed ahead of her brother. "Last one there has to pay for it and I sure do love extra scoops on my ice cream so be ready James!"

James could only laugh and sprint to try to catch to up to his sister. Artemis watched on as she headed out to join her teammates. She heard a beep from her com and raised it to her ear answering, "Yeah Artemis here, don't worry Robin I just had to catch up with some friends but I'm on the way now."

It was currently ten at night and Itachi was staking out the abandoned train station on Miagani Island. Just as he predicted, there was an entire infantry of men who were only meant to guard the cash. Using his sharingan Itachi counted 25 men in total; 12 were in rotation guarding the perimeter outside, 12 inside the station, and one final man guarding the entrance to the money. Everyone was in a two man unit

"He should have had more men…" Itachi put his mask on and went to work, wanting to get this done swiftly before an unexpected surprise happened. Itachi summoned two crows that would get everything started. The first crow was for reconnaissance so he'd know what was going on around him at all times, the second was a distraction he'd use to create an opening. Both crows went forth and the operation had begun.

"Looks like another boring night. Doug sometimes I wish someone would at least try to steal from us so we'd get some type of action. The boss has everyone so scared that they don't even look in this direction."

"Bill, are you stupid? The reason why no one attacks is because no one knows about this place. The boss is really particular about who knows about his money ever since a few years back when one of his accountants made off big behind the bosses back," Doug said

"Yeah I heard about that. The lucky guy made off with a million big ones and the bosses favorite girl. Pretty safe to say that when the boss found out he was pretty pissed and has been paranoid ever since. He moved all of his funds and put in one big spot which is pretty much daring someone to try it. Problem is no one knows it's all here so there isn't anyone to take up that dare. It sucks because I really wanted to shoot something and when I took this gig I thought that was what I'd be doing, not be a glorified babysitter," Bill complained.

"Just be happy you don't have to shoot that gun of yours you hothead. If someone tries to steal the boss's money and succeeds, that's it for all of us. I'd rather be bored than dead, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, you're right…" then the sound of glass being broken was heard. "What was that?"

"I'll go check it out, watch my back Doug," Bill whispered. He crept up slowly to where the noise came from and had his weapon ready. He looked behind the counter and saw nothing but a crow that just flew past him like a bat out of hell. After taking a few minutes to calm down after being startled he went to signal to his partner that the coast was clear, "Alright false alarm, it was just a stupid…bird…" he stopped when he saw Doug hanging upside down with his mask removed and his face pretty much blue from lack of air.

"They aren't stupid birds…" he heard a voice say from the darkness. He then saw Doug's mask get thrown his way and the red glaring eyes that threw them that were behind a crow mask, the same mask that's been rumored to be messing with their operations for the past few days. "They're called crows," Bill didn't even have time to cry out before he was silenced by a crushing blow. Itachi then hid the unconscious thugs so that their partners wouldn't see them.

He repeated this process for the rest of the squad guarding the outside. It was embarrassing how easy it was. None of these men even put up a fight; it was like fighting genin fresh out of the academy. After dispatching the men and putting them away safely, he treaded inside the station to face the rest of the men. With these thugs, he didn't have to be quiet since the station was so big, no sounds would be heard from the outside. He sent his distraction crow ahead to scout everything and get a read on where everyone's position.

The crow saw that everyone was bunched together as they were about to switch shifts and partners. 'Good, they're all in one place so I can just hit them hard and get it over with.' He placed a paper bomb on the wall most adjacent to them and waited for the perfect moment. His crow on the inside caused another distraction that drew their attention towards the wall Itachi had armed.

"I don't like this, first alpha squad ignores the routine check in and now we got random bird's coming down here. We might as well take care of this before it causes something major to happen."

"Just be glad Sportsmaster isn't running our shift anymore, dude is a real jerk and I'd tell him that to his face if I wasn't so scared he'd break mine," the others laughed as they cornered Itachi's crow.

"Night night little birdie," the crow then screeched and flew upwards, surprising the 12 men. Itachi then set his paper bomb off and blew the wall down on top of most of them, knocking them out. Only two survived to see The Crow walk out of the newly formed hole. They quickly scrambled to reach for their guns, but Itachi used his shuriken to disarm them. Now scared of what The Crow might do to them without their guns, the two thugs got up to run away but were blindsided by Itachi's speed. He grabbed one of them from behind and threw him towards a wall. The other one tried to fist fight with him but Itachi spared him a quick embarrassment by catching his wrist and breaking it, causing the goon to wail in pain. Itachi delivered a crushing right cross to incapacitate him. He only had one more left and that was the man guarding the money behind the safe itself. He started moving towards the safe but stopped when he thought he heard something. One of the thugs wasn't as unconscious as he thought and had him at gunpoint from behind.

"I don't know who you are freak, but this is where you die," the thug threatened. Itachi had a kunai ready underneath his sleeve. He was just waiting for his moment.

"What? Don't have anything to say! You're just a coward! You and all of the other costumed freaks like you. It's funny that all it takes is a gun to even the odds again you freaks," he ranted.

Itachi chuckled at him, "You think the odds are evened? You oppress the people of this city with those guns and fear, and you think you are the noble ones? I do think it is funny. I just recently had a friend tell me that I didn't need to become a monster to beat one, it's only now that I realize how right they were. Because you're not monsters, you are cowards. People who just prey on the weak and powerless so that for once you have someone who will tremble in fear over you. But I'm not weak, nor am I powerless," Itachi started as turned around with his mangekyo sharingan activated.

"You stop now! If you take another step I swear on everything that I love that I'll blow your head off," Itachi then stopped. The thug smirked underneath his mask as he started to pull the trigger. He didn't know that Itachi's crow was still in the area and just at the last moment it swooped in and started attacking him to protect Itachi. Itachi now seeing his moment launched his kunai at his assailant which. It successfully disarmed the glock from his hands while Itachi dashed towards him and landed a powerful blow to his body that sent him flying.

Itachi walked up to him as he was on the floor coughing up blood and on the edge of being unconscious. The Crow lifted him up by his lapels and took his mask off. He stared at him, as if he was searching the deepest corners of his souls before whispering these last words to him, "I…am…the real monster." Itachi then placed him in a genjutsu where he lived out the most painful moment of his life over and over until he was rendered into nothing but a state of stupor.

His crow flew to him and landed on his shoulder and they went to take out the last man and finish the mission. As he had deduced earlier, the safe was locked down tight and the money would be inaccessible to most that didn't have the pass key, but Itachi was not most. Summoning out his paper bomb tags, Itachi set his plan in motion. Placing a tag on the weakest points of the safe that he saw thanks to his sharingan, he was ready to blow that safe wide open. After the last tag was placed he decided to give fair warning, "If you can hear me, I suggest you back away from the door or this will hurt… a lot."

The man on the other side scrunched his face in confusion at hearing that, "I don't know who you are freak, but I suggest that unless you wanna get filled with lead that you leave this whole damn station! My men will be here soon as I radio them in," he then began to call for backup but got no answer…from anyone. They had all been taken out and he was the last man standing.

Itachi, having taken that as his answer, set the bombs off. The pure impact from the collective explosions knocked to last guard out cold. The door to the safe was blown apart, allowing The Crow to just walk in. Now that he was in the final stages of his plan, Itachi summoned forth the final set of paper bombs that he had left. He placed all of them on and around the pile of money owned by Black Mask. After being satisfied with everything, he got the unconscious guard and took him to where he would be safe from the blast.

He then set the bombs off and watched as the green paper go up in flames. Millions upon millions of dollars were being burned away. 'It's time someone took something important away from him, it's just too bad all he cares about is his money,' he thought.

Itachi wound up and collected the rest of the guards from in and outside of the station for the police to pick up. The blaze had consumed the entire station and almost represented something symbolic. He was about to leave when his second crow had alerted him that another presence had come to the scene. He was about to seek it out but quickly found out who it was when he saw none other than a batarang thrown at him, which he quickly countered with a shuriken of his own. They collided and saw that it was indeed the Batman himself who had thrown it.

'Looks like our meeting is happening faster than I thought it would,' he thought. Batman was a sight to behold. He towered over him at 6'4 and looked to be about 230 pounds. Itachi could see why he was to be feared. Batman glared at The Crow and saw his work. 'Twenty-five men incapacitated and a train station that is engulfed in flames, it seems this guy has had training. I can't take him lightly from how he countered my batarang, it was the perfect counter and to be able to do it from a place of disadvantage and surprise means he is special,' he deduced.

"I don't want to fight you Batman, but if you interfere then you'll leave me no choice," Itachi started. Bruce didn't take too kindly to being threatened.

"Then I guess you have no choice then," he snarled as he launched three more batarangs. Itachi countered with three shuriken of his own. It ended in a stalemate but Itachi stayed on the move and went to be the aggressor. He launched a kunai at the dark knight that had a paper bomb attached to it so that when it hit the building Batman was on it would take away his footing. Batman dodged the knife, but the explosion went off and sent him forward towards Itachi's position. Batman quickly recovered though and responded by throwing smoke bombs at the Crow to hide where his landing spot would be. Using his sharingan, Itachi saw through the ploy and reacted by leaping into the air and launching shuriken at Batman.

The Batman didn't see his opponent leap into the air and had to react fast when he heard the whizzing sound of flying shuriken. Grabbing a stray batarang, he deflected most of them but one did get through his defenses and cut him. Reacting quickly before another wave could be launched, he used his grappling gun to escape the smoke but the hook of it was caught by the Crow himself, and soon Bruce found himself being hurdled across rooftops. He stopped the Crow when he sent out a shock through his grappling gun that hit the Crow and sent him flying. Batman was then able to reset and grapple away safely.

Itachi was surprised by the shock and had to react quickly to land on his feet on a nearby rooftop. 'If I don't end this quickly more people will be drawn by the flames and a big crowd is not what I need right now. Its time to disappear.'

Bruce knew he couldn't make any more mistakes like the smoke bombs or it would end up badly for him, 'This guy isn't really trying to fight me, more like he's simply countering and trying to evade me. He's good, good enough that I can't make mistakes with him or it'll end with me being on the losing side of this and I don't lose. I bet he'll try to escape with this next move because the more time that passes the more likely that people will get here to assist me, I'll be ready for his next attack.'

Batman decided to rush him for hand to hand combat. He thought that since he was so adept in weaponry that his best bet at dragging this out would be for a straight out fight. The Crow was an all-around fighter though so when they engaged in a battle of physical will it quickly turned into Itachi's favor. His taijutsu and sharingan combination was more than enough to overwhelm anyone. He saw though the dark knight's fighting style and dismantled it piece by piece. It didn't matter how many times he would switch styles, Itachi would see it and counter it accordingly. For each jab/cross, there was a hook kick counter that the Crow threw, for each grapple hold, Itachi knew and executed its reversal much to the disarray of Bruce. It became clear to the both of them pretty quickly that the Crow was on a far more advance level and on the verge of winning this. His taijutsu and strength was wearing on Batman.

Batman having seen this wasn't going to end well decided to get some distance and used one of the few solid hits he got in to quickly retreat away. His bones ached and his was starting to tire out while his opponent has the same strength, speed, and impact as when the first started. Itachi saw his fatigue and knew that this was his moment to escape. In their series of exchanges, Itachi was weaving hand signs unbeknownst to Batman and was ready to make his move now. "Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

He then launched a volley of small fireballs, which he individually controlled with his chakra and was able to send them out in an unpredictable pattern towards Batman. Batman was shocked to see this, "So he is a meta!" He then tried to avoid them but saw by their speed that it was pointless and he wasn't going to avoid all of them. He used his cape to try to protect him since it can be heat resistance should the time call for it. He wrapped himself around it and braced for impact, but that was when Itachi sprang out his real attack. Hidden in the fireballs were chakra controlled shuriken that were primed towards Batman now that his vision was covered.

Batman heard the whizzing sound of shuriken and knew he had been tricked and went to evade them but it was too late as he was struck by them all. None of the hits were lethal, but the impact of them sent him flying off of the rooftop. Batman used his grappling gun and shot back upwards before he hit the ground. By the time he got back up though it was too late, the Crow was nowhere to be seen and the firefighters had just arrived on scene. Having realized he had just been bested, Bruce disappeared into the night.

Alfred was a man of few words or cares. He loved his job and his family in Bruce and Dick, but no amount of love for either of them would mean that he wouldn't let them know when either of them was wrong, and tonight that honor goes to none other than Master Bruce himself. He can be so hard of hearing sometimes it's scary.

So when Bruce came out of the batmobile with his batsuit all torn up, him bloodied and bruised, and wearing the worst scowl he's had in years it was pretty safe to assume tonight was going to be one of those nights.

"Alfred I won't be going to my lunch at three tomorrow, please inform Ms. Vale for me," he started. "Tonight I just went up against and lost to the most trained opponent I've faced since Slade Wilson. This 'Crow' was trained, had metahuman abilities, and had fighting experience of a battle trained warrior. Moves that I usually make in the field that no one is fast to react to, he was not only fast enough but knew the exact counter to them. His attacks were calculating but lucid enough that he was left time to switch up and improvise on the fly. Bottom line; he is good, no he is very good and I need to know where he stands."

Alfred looked at Bruce and sighed. Looks like another case for Master Bruce that he'd obsess over. Well, the most he can do is support his ward and tend to his wounds. "Well Master Bruce you can worry about the Crow later. For now, we must tend to your wounds and you must tend to Master Dick."

"What happened to Dick," Bruce asked. "He and the team had another clash today. Or I should say Mr. West and Ms. Artemis did. Their constant is really putting a strain on the team and even cost them on the field today. He doesn't know how to get them to finally work together."

"I'm confident he and the team will be able to look past their differences and succeed, I'm not needed," he replied.

"That a lot of confidence to have in a child who is still learning what type of hero he wants to be Master Bruce. Perhaps some guidance on how to handle the situation is what's best for him," Alfred countered.

"He has earned every bit of confidence that I have in him Alfred. Dick is capable of doing anything he puts is mind to if he focuses on it and puts in the required effort. I did train him after all," he said while groaning from his injuries.

Alfred rushed to his side and began treating him, "That's a lot of ego and confidence you have in your training Master Bruce. How can you be so sure?"

Bruce smiled and took off his cowl, "Because you raised me…so in the end it's almost like you were the one who trained him and I'll never doubt you Alfred. That's why I'm so confident."

Alfred was touched by his words and smiled back, "Very well Master Bruce, it's time to treat those injuries. While they aren't fatal, stitches will be needed," Alfred then began to get his medical kit. "While I suture you up, we can discuss you ignoring my call to bring back up. Oh and trust me Master Bruce, you have a lot of wounds so this conversation will take quite the while."

He then pulled out the needle and thread and started to walk over to Bruce. Bruce knew he was in trouble and groaned at the long agonizing process that he was about to endure. Not from being stitched up by his butler, but from the tongue lashing he was about to get from his father figure. 'Another reason why I'm going to get that Crow,' he thought.

Itachi was standing on the rooftop across from Carson's apartment. He felt someone inside with her and used his sharingan to see that it was none other than her brother James. They were currently on the couch laughing and watching television. He saw empty tubs of ice cream and boxes of pizza as well.

It seems like she's enjoying her time with her brother. It makes me wonder what could have been if my family wasn't so hell-bent on war with the village. Maybe that could have been Sasuke and I, he pondered internally.

He took his mask off and began to head inside when he heard the sound of on object cutting through the air. That is enough! I thought I made sure I wasn't followed back here with my crow, but it seems this Batman wants round 2. Well so be it.

He activated his sharingan and turned with lightning speed to catch the object that turned out to be an arrow. He thought it was strange since before the bat only used customized shuriken but now it's a special type of green arrow. He looked and saw why it was not like his earlier fight. For one it wasn't a hulking man that was staring him down, it was a slender blonde woman. And it was a woman that he knew too.

"I heard about you Crow. You're quite famous around these parts, almost like an urban legend. Well I just had a crappy day at work so I need to blow off some steam. And would you look at my luck to see some creep stalking my neighbor across a rooftop. Now I get to bust your legend!"

She then shot three more arrows at him which he dodged with ease. Itachi recognized her voice too. Becoming frustrated with her target moving and not even putting up any fight, she decided to go for a more hands on approach. She rushed him with the intent of engaging in hand to hand combat but Itachi had no desire to fight a friend.

"Stop this Artemis, enough is enough," he said. When Artemis heard him speak her name she stopped in her tracks. She then took a closer look at him and saw that his mask was indeed off. She thought his voice sounded familiar and as it turns out, The Crow is none other than Itachi.

"Wait, Itachi you're the Crow? I'm so lost and confused right now," she said while seeing that it was indeed her neighbor's roommate. Itachi took his hood off so his face was in clear view and deactivated his sharingan to help her recognize him.

"I know this seems like a lot, and I do plan on explaining myself, but perhaps we should do this inside instead of out here in the open," he suggested.

She nodded and took her mask as well. "Why do I always get put in these positions?"
She asked herself. Itachi sighed internally, knowing that his night definitely didn't end the way he had hoped it would.

Sorry for the long wait for the update guys. I hope I didn't make Itachi too powerful or change him in a way other than what you're used to seeing him, if I did please let me know. I'll try to do better and get on a writing schedule to pump these out faster. Let me know what you think and any suggestions you all might have for the direction of the story. Till next time (hopefully soon), have a good one and I hope you enjoy the chapter guys and gals!