Itachi and Batman were currently alone in an isolated room of the Cave. Batman wanted to speak with him about a few things and didn't want outside interference from the rest of the Leaguers, most of whom were very skeptical about the Crow being here. Bruce sat down and motioned for Itachi to follow suite. He saw that the Crow had upgraded his attire to more standard gear, even though he was still too exposed for Batman's liking. When Itachi finally sat down, they got down to business.
"How did you get here?" Batman started off.
"Artemis. She left a message saying that she was in trouble and I came."
"She must trust you. I take it then that she's seen you without your mask."
"…yes." Itachi answered hesitantly. He had no desire to be psychoanalyzed.
"Good, that'll make it easier for the others to trust you then."
Itachi didn't like where this was going, "Why is that necessary?"
"Because you're going to be joining them on a mission after this conversation is done."
"Why would I do that?" Itachi really wasn't trying to get any more involved than he already was.
"Because you have something that most of them don't…combat experience. Most of them have never been in a situation like what they just faced with the red robots. Had you not shown up, it could have ended much worse. You know just as much as I do that what you know can determine a battle even more so than what you can do. I want them to see you up close and personal, to see how they each have a long way to go if they want the respect they crave."
Itachi couldn't argue with him. There is no way they should have been as outmatched as they were against the robots, not when there were six of them altogether. Sure, they were ambushed, but it concerned him that none of them were prepared except for Robin and Artemis. If that didn't change soon, they won't last long at all.
"Fine, but just this once." He answered after some thought.
"Good, how are things coming along for you in Gotham?" Batman inquired. He's heard good things about the Crow from news outlets all over the city. It's the only reason he was tolerant to him staying in Gotham, but just barely.
"Count Vertigo. He's sneaking his drug into the city. When I get back to Gotham, he's next. "
"I figured as much. He's been inactive for a while now, it was only a matter of time before he reared his head again, and in my city no less."
"I've been trying to get a lead on him for the past five days straight, but all I got was his name."
"He's good for that. I don't think he's working alone either. He and other high class super villains disappeared around the same time; it's too much of a coincidence. For now, leave this to the League. We're more equipped to handle him."
"Since when did I take orders from you?" Itachi responded coldly.
"Since I found out what you look like under that mask…Itachi." Batman responded with a smirk.
"How did you-" but Itachi was cut off, "Everyone is bound to slip up eventually. Just give them enough time. A month ago when Black Mask kidnapped Carson Collins, eye-witnesses reported that she was with a companion. They saw her with a young man just before the attack happened. When the ambulance was transferring the man to Gotham General, the EMT's reported that he woke up, broke out of his restraints, and escaped from a moving ambulance. That isn't something normal people do. When they stopped to search for him, they said it was like he was never there. Then just when I came to conduct my own investigation at her apartment, I find none other than the Crow waiting there as if he already knew what had happened despite it not being fully reported until the day after…too much of a coincidence."
Bruce took his silence as permission to continue, "After pulling all of my notes together, I figured that the only logical conclusion was that the young man and the Crow were one and the same. But before I was sure, I needed proof. So I observed you for the past month, both as Itachi and the Crow. You'd be surprised by how many cameras Gotham has; it's hard not to be seen. You frequent the Wayne Botanical Garden quite often. It was there that I saw you with Ms. Collins, and from there I followed you back to where you both left her apartment earlier that day before the ambush. I started pulling up past recordings from her apartment and it turns out I was right, because more often than not a figure would leave through her back door and return the same way at nights. That figure was the Crow."
"How long have you known?" Itachi asked. He then looked around the room suspiciously.
"No one can hear us. I've made sure of that."
"Not even Superman?"
"Especially not Superman, this room is reinforced with lead. He could be standing right outside that door and not hear a single peep."
"Isn't he supposed to be you're teammate? Don't you trust him?" Itachi inquired.
"I trust him with my life. Just because I trust him, doesn't mean I'm blind to how powerful he is. Precautions must always be made, as I'm sure you know."
Itachi nodded. He knew all too well about that from his life of a shinobi.
"And to answer your question, I've known for two weeks. You're good. If it wasn't for that Black Mask attack, I never would have put it all together."
"How did you learn my name?" he then thought about the possibility of Artemis mentioning it.
"It wasn't Artemis. Video comes with sound. I heard Ms. Collins say that name enough times to figure it belonged to you."
"Why haven't you told anyone else?" Itachi asked.
"Because that should be something that you do if you so choose. I value privacy."
Itachi resigned to the fact that he was discovered and took his mask off. Batman saw that the Crow was indeed the young man from all of the tapes he's watched and he marveled on how young he was, 'He can't be any older than twenty-two, and yet he has so much power and experience.'
Itachi put his mask back on and left out of his chair, "Let's go. The sooner this mission is over, the sooner I can get back to Gotham. You made your point…Bruce Wayne."
Now it was Bruce's turn to be surprised, "My eyes are for more than just combat. They let me see people on a cellular level. It just so happens that you and Bruce Wayne have the same chakra network. I do frequent the Wayne Botanical Gardens like you said. It was there that I saw Bruce Wayne give a commencement speech for a new section of the garden that was being opened and since no one person's chakra network is exactly equivalent to another's, it only makes sense that you are Bruce Wayne. Like you said earlier, everyone is bound to slip up eventually."
He then left out of the room. Bruce got over the shock of it and smirked, 'It's like I'm talking to a younger version of myself.'
Batman and Itachi rejoined the others in the conference room. Itachi was standing over by the bench where the rest of the team were sitting minus Aqualad, who was talking with Batman privately off to the side. Green Arrow and Black Canary were in the room with them trying to ease their anxiety. It wasn't really working since all they could think about was Red Tornado betraying them and why the Crow was still here. Artemis turned and gave Itachi a smile to try and ease the tension. But Itachi paid her no mind. He was thinking about how he let Batman discovered who he was. He didn't like how careless he's become since crossing over to this world.
Green Arrow offered Kid Flash a bowl of oats to regain his strength, but was immediately rejected. Robin concurred, stating that what they really wanted was answers about Red Tornado and the Crow, to which they were answered with more silence. Most of them gave cautious looks towards Itachi which did not go unnoticed. The only one not glaring was Artemis because he was her friend and Superboy, who seemed preoccupied with whatever Batman and Aqualad were discussing.
Using his super-hearing abilities he listened on, "Sportsmaster revealed the possibility of a mole within the Team. In light of last night's attack, Tornado appeared to be the traitor, but whether he betrayed us willingly or was preprogrammed is still-"
Superboy snapped after hearing this revelation, "You knew!" He then rushed and pinned Aqualad against the wall. "That android and his maniac family nearly killed M'gann!"
The others started to head over to intervene before someone got hurt, "Conner what are you doing?"
"Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us and said nothing!" The others did not like hearing that one bit.
"You knew?!"
"You didn't tell us?"
Itachi stayed back. He wanted to observe the dynamics of this team and see who would approach this with a level head.
"I thought to protect the Team from-" Kaldur was cut off by Artemis.
"Protect us from what, knowledge that might have saved our lives?"
"You almost died." Conner said trying to get M'gann to see his side of things.
"Enough." Everyone turned to see Batman insert himself into this. Conner immediately let Kaldur go and gave his attention to Batman. Itachi watched the display of command Batman had, 'They must all view him in a high regard for them to stop because he uttered one word.'
"With Red Tornado…missing, the Team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors. Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."
The hulking man that looked to be made out of marble stepped up to introduce himself, "I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys."
Everyone looked at each other to try and gage a response to the news. Superboy turned towards Aqualad, "After I dismantle Red Tornado, you and I are gonna-"
"Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League. That makes him a League responsibility. You will leave him to us." Batman declared leaving no room for discussion.
"I have another assignment for this team." They then read a report on how the Gotham mayor was attacked by a gorilla. The Team was none too pleased on the class of mission they were given.
'Was this the only thing he could find to distract us?' Conner said telepathically to M'gann.
"Batman please! Tell me you're not sending us on this joke of a wild ape chase." Robin pleaded.
"I never joke about the mission." That quieted all of Robin's protests.
"I checked the sources, I studied the patterns…Mayor Hill's encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents. Aqualad, you and your team will depart for India and check this out." Aqualad nodded at his superior.
The rest of the Team left the room, with Wally making a snide remark about it being Aqualad's team. He was about to follow out when he was stopped by Batman again. He turned and saw the Crow approach them both.
"Crow will also accompany you and your team. He will assist in any way he sees fit. If anyone on the team has a problem with it, tell them it was a direct order from me and to get over it."
Aqualad nodded once more before turning towards the Crow. They both gave each other a nod of acknowledgment before heading out to join the team. Everyone was boarding M'gann's ship, including Captain Marvel.
"You're coming with?" Robin asked.
"Sure, we'll have a blast." He answered before boarding.
"Translation: He blames us for Red fiasco. He doesn't trust us." They then turned and saw Aqualad walk up to them followed by the Crow. "It's a big club." Wally said condescendingly. He saw the Crow behind them and scoffed, "Great, they trust the freak more than they trust us."
Itachi saw the doubt they had in what he assumed was there leader in Aqualad. He needed this to be fixed if they had any chance of completing this mission. 'It looks like Aqualad did the same thing I did in keeping everything close to the vest, and now everyone doubts him for it.'
The trip to India had been as silent and tension filled as Itachi thought it would be. Everyone acted like there were demons on the ship, and he and Aqualad were the worst of them all by the looks of things. The only person who attempted to have any contact was Artemis and that was only because she had already known him. Everyone else just glared or kept to themselves. Itachi made it a point to talk to Aqualad privately about all of this to get a feel of him.
When they finally landed, everyone left the ship once the area around them was clear. Aqualad then began to give directions to the Team, which none of them were trying to hear since they found out he had been keeping secrets from them.
"Switch to stealth, and we'll review mission parameters." He instructed.
"Parameters? We don't need no stinking parameters." Kid Flash responded.
"It's recon. We know what to do." Robin replied defiantly. He and Kid Flash then started to head off on their own.
"Kid…Robin…" Aqualad started.
"The three of us started this team because the Justice League was keeping secrets from us. "
"Or did you forget that like how you forgot to tell us about the mole." They then both left with each other, with no regard about the rest of the Team.
Itachi didn't like how this mission was starting. He saw it was getting worse when he saw Superboy try to make M'gann to leave with him so he could protect her.
"Come on, I'll keep you safe." She gave him a look of irritation, 'You're my boyfriend Conner, not my keeper. Stop acting like a character from 70's sitcom.'
"I just want to protect you." Conner said responding to her telepathic jab at him.
"Like Aqualad protected us?" Artemis shot back, "I'm not sure your protection or your patronizing is good for our health."
She then turned towards Itachi, "Crow, why don't you come with M'gann and I. Out of everyone here I trust you the most. What do you say?"
"No." Itachi answered. He knew what he was really here for. Artemis shot him a hurt glare before walking away with M'gann into the forest. Conner started to blame the others for letting the Team walk away.
"Why didn't you stop them? You're supposed to be in charge." When Aqualad tried to explain himself, but Conner blew him off and leapt away on his own. And just like that, the only ones left were Aqualad, Captain Marvel, and Crow. Unbeknownst to any of them, they were being watched from deep within the tree lines, which meant that someone knew that they were all split up now.
The split up teams were each being stalked and hunted, since the smaller groups made for easier pray. Aqualad, Captain Marvel and Crow happened to stumble upon the site where Mayor Hill was attacked. Captain Marvel was trying to see if this confirmed the validity of the story, but Aqualad was too plagued by doubts to focus. He lamented on how he might have been wrong to withhold such sensitive information, but Itachi stopped him.
"You weren't wrong. In the same situation I would have made the same decision." He spoke.
"But I violated their trust. How am I ever going to get them to believe in me as their leader after that?" Aqualad responded. He was surprised that the Crow spoke or even cared on the matter.
"Trust has nothing to do with it. I'm sure you trust each of them with your life, but it's not just your life that's on the line; everyone else's is as well. They aren't responsible for the safety of the group, as the leader that burden falls on you. It can be a lonely path, and you won't always make the popular decision as it pertains to them, but having that responsibility sometimes means that you have to pick the lesser of two evils, with there being no right answer at the time of the problem. They will move past this and forgive you."
"How can you be so sure? I don't even know how I can prove myself as their leader…" Aqualad mumbled sadly.
"Then don't," Itachi the walked up to him. Captain Marvel watched the scene from a distance, "Prove yourself as their comrade, and more importantly, prove yourself as their friend."
This struck a chord in Aqualad. He'd almost forgotten that being their friend far outweighed being their leader, and he knew what he had to do. He thanked Crow for the sage words, but Itachi shook his head, stating that he hadn't done anything and this will all be resolved by Aqualad alone.
He was about to respond when they all felt the presence of a nearby enemy. He sounded big because the ground actually shook as he approached closer and closer. They all looked up to see a mutated looking elephant stampeding towards their direction.
Captain Marvel flew ahead to try and push it back, but was sent flying by its tusk to a nearby tree. It was then that a second mutated elephant came out of the opposite forest. Both Itachi and Kaldur were trapped in between then. When one of them tried to charge forward, Aqualad and Itachi both leapt out of the way. Itachi easily evaded the beast, but Aqualad wasn't as fortunate as he was tackled and landed over by the still down Captain Marvel. Itachi stayed back to try to observe the beast to try and find a weak spot.
It wasn't just them that were being attacked, the rest of the Team were all dealing with similar problems. Superboy was getting attacked by a pack of mutated wolves, Robin and Kid Flash were being hunted by mutated vultures, and Artemis and M'gann were being hunted by gigantic alligators. Robin and Kid Flash noted how big the vultures were and deduced that they must have been enhanced by cobra-venom. Everyone was struggling with each of their super-powered adversaries, but most of all Superboy since he was alone and now facing what looked to be the leader of the pack of wolves, a white wolf.
Aqualad and Marvel were getting overwhelmed by the elephants when Itachi noticed that both had electrical collars on. He weaved his hand signs and launched his attack. "Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
The volley of small fireballs went right towards the collar and destroyed it. Just as he thought, the wild animal instantly became passive and stopped with its attack. Aqualad saw this and used his water-bearers to disable the second collar and stop the other elephant. Soon afterwards, both of the elephants left in peace. Captain Marvel sung praises to Itachi and Aqualad for figuring out the problem was the collars.
"The collars indicated intelligence behind this attack. The rest of the team may also be at risk." Kaldur responded.
"I agree. You should relay the information to them and try to regroup." Itachi added.
Aqualad nodded in agreement and went to use his communicator, "Team, report status-"
There was a high screech that cut him off, "The com is jammed. And Miss Martian failed to establish a telepathic link before we split up."
"Actually, you let everyone split up before communications were set." Captain Marvel spoke.
"He's right Aqualad. This is on you as the leader." Itachi added.
"But earlier you said-" but Itachi interrupted him. He now was starting to see why Batman had him go on this mission. "That was to cast out your doubts, but this is to correct your mistakes."
"They would not listen," he defended himself. Marvel and Itachi both weren't letting him off the hook. "I guess…but back at the Cave, Batman got them to stop the arguing with one word." Marvel countered.
"Because Batman is…Batman."
"Hey you don't have to tell me. When I first joined the League, all he did was boss me around and it's hard not to take it personally. But I never disobeyed an order and that's probably what kept me alive."
"Never forget that when it comes to the mission, even though as leader you have to manage personalities; never make it or take it personal. Safety will always outweigh popularity. You and the others need to remember that if you're going to survive and thrive as a team…I know you all can do it."
"How?"
"Because I've met your mentors. They have each passed down their will to each of you…including their leadership. So find them and lead them." Itachi answered.
"Batman takes command. He has to…for the good of the League and safety will always outweigh popularity. Thank you both for helping me understand."
"Hey," Captain Marvel then pointed to his head, "Wisdom of Solomon." Itachi nodded his head. He wanted to make sure Artemis and the others were safe and then finish the mission.
"Aqualad, can you hear me?"
"Yes Miss Martian, report." He responded.
"Artemis and I were attacked by animals wearing inhibitor collars, like those used on convicts on Belle Reve Prison."
They were being watched by a tiger hidden in the grass. Captain Marvel saw this and decided to chase after it. Before Itachi and Aqualad could stop him, he flew away. Itachi looked at Aqualad who just shrugged in response, "Hey, speed of Mercury."
'It seems like the adult here is more childish than the children on the team' Itachi thought.
Marvel followed after the tiger until it stopped and turned on him. He tried to placate it so that it would let him take off its inhibitor collar. Just as he got close a trap sprung out of the ground that incapacitated him. He looked up to see a tooled up gorilla appear and start pounding its chest in triumph.
Artemis and M'gann were recovering from their fight with the alligators. Artemis was getting the water out of her quiver while lamenting on why Itachi refused to go with them when M'gann got a message from Aqualad, "Miss Martian, I need a telepathic link up with the entire Team including the Crow now!"
She then reached out and established a good link for all of them, though she wondered why he had Crow included in it. Artemis voiced her concerns in the link.
"Should he really still be giving us orders? And should we really be following them?"
"Listen please!" Aqualad pleaded.
"Oh good, Aqualad's voice in my head. I so missed that." Kid Flash responded sarcastically.
"Hey Kaldur! KF and I were attacked by giant vultures. Of course sense we're moles you probably think we attack ourselves" Robin added.
"If he did, he wouldn't tell you." Artemis jabbed.
"Superboy are you online or just pouting?" M'gann asked.
"Busy, call back later." He said as he was being attacked by the white wolf. He then was thrown against a nearby giant rock.
"What gets me is how nonchalant he is about not telling us." Kid Flash remarked.
"He's chalant, extremely chalant." Robin said angrily.
"How can we be a team if he doesn't trust us with his secrets?"
"Or Connor doesn't trust us to take care of ourselves!"
Itachi and Aqualad were following Captain Marvel's trail. The others kept bantering about the lack of trust in the group. Itachi gave him the go ahead nod and Aqualad put an end to it all, "Enough!"
Itachi didn't interfere nor voice his thoughts to the team; he only wanted to listen to see how Aqualad would handle this situation. His mindset was 'your team, your problem, you fix it'. There was no room for babying anymore because now one of their own was captured.
"Captain Marvel has been captured and we must act as a team to save him." Aqualad announced.
"Under your leadership? I don't think so-"
"This is not up for debate! You all chose me to lead. When the mission is over, if you wish to select new leader I will happily step down. But until that time, I am in command here."
Itachi gave him a nod of approval as they set out to find Marvel. Listening to them banter reminded Itachi that despite all of their talents and gifts, they were all still children who didn't know anything. 'Batman was right…they lack true combat experience. Let's see if they can make up for it with their teamwork.'
Elsewhere, Captain Marvel has just woken up strapped into an operation table. He also had a collar inhibitor that took away his ability to move from the neck down. He heard a voice come from the room that explain that the reason he was strapped to the table was because of a procedure that was going to take place. They planned on examining his brain to see the extent of his wisdom given by the wizard Shazam.
Eventually the Team plus Crow all met up and had converged on what they believed to be where Captain Marvel was being held.
"I'll fly over." M'gann stated.
Itachi looked over the place with his sharingan and advised against it. Kid Flash concurred, "Negative, the field is stemmed like a dome over the whole compound."
"The high-lines are insulated, but one good shot could cause a momentary gap." Robin deducted.
"I see a target." Artemis declared.
"Then be ready to hit it. Be ready…all of you. Crow, will you assist me in creating a gap for Artemis?" Aqualad asked.
"Yes." Crow answered.
Crow and Aqualad then made their way over to the base of the compound. Aqualad used his water bearers as a conductor for electricity to tear a whole through as Itachi used his fire blast to stretch it open for Artemis. She took her shot and hit the device that turned the force field off. The others went to join Aqualad and Crow when a monkey signaled for others that intruders were present and activated the alarm. They were fighting off the monkeys when Captain Marvel's captor sent Monsieur Mallah, the gorilla who captured said Leaguer, to deal with them.
Itachi was the first to defeat his attacker, using a kunai to parry and remove its collar from its neck. Aqualad followed after and then gave his team directions, "Remove their collars!"
"Sounds easy when he says it." Robin said while fighting off two of them. Artemis delivered a kick to create some space and shot arrows at Robin's attackers to remove their collars. Two more of them snuck behind her and were about to attack when Robin and Crow each launched their shuriken at the monkeys and deactivated their collars.
Miss Martian was being attacked by Monsieur Mallah when Kid Flash ran in to intervene. He charged at the gorilla but bounced off of him having not inflicting any damage.
"Get your hands off her you darn dirty ape," Kid yelled at Mallah going for another attack.
"You're not taking my brain." Captain Marvel said calmly as his captor was beginning his operation. It was then that his captor revealed itself to be a brain that was attached to a mobile machine. Marvel was confident that the operation wouldn't work on him, to which the brain responded by saying that's what trial and error was for. Just as it was to begin, the brain was attacked by the same tiger that led Marvel to be captured.
"Traitor, you will suffer for that!" He then began to electrocute the tiger through its collar, which Marvel vehemently protested. Out of nowhere, Monsieur Mallah was thrown through the wall which stopped to electrocution. The others joined in to see just who was behind all of this.
"It's The Brain!" Kid Flash announced.
"Ugh, I can see it's a brain." Artemis retorted.
"Not a brain, The Brain."
Mallah then activated the pylon traps that captured Captain Marvel. Everyone was down except for Itachi, who was on a knee.
"Crow, Superboy, now!" Aqualad signaled. Itachi then activated his mangekyo sharingan and used his Amaterasu to destroy the device in Mallah's hand. Smashing his way through was Superboy, who was accompanied by the white wolf he was fighting earlier. It pounced on Mallah first and the others jumped in to assist it. Through sheer force and numbers, the Team was able to back Mallah and the Brain into a corner. Aqualad went over a freed Marvel when he saw that they were close to victory.
"Thanks, now one good turn deserves another." Marvel said as he went to free the collared tiger.
Sensing that they were about to be defeated, Mallah cried out in defiance. Superboy walked up to him and dared him to do something, "Try it. I hate monkeys."
The Brain signaled for Mallah to calm down for they would retreat. Changing forms into a more intimidating weapon, the Team braced themselves for a massive attack only to be surprised when all of the lights went out. When they came to, Mallah and the Brain were both gone.
"Wait, that big weapon thing was a light switch?" Kid Flash asked while confused. The others were just glad that it was finally over.
They Team was heading back to the ship. Artemis noticed that Kid Flash was grinning and asked him about it. His response was to show her his souvenir that was Mallah's hat. She rolled her eyes and disregarded him, while saying that gorillas have lice. He looked at the hat and threw it on the ground from frustration on how stupid that just made him look.
The others were making sure the animals were alright before leaving. Itachi stayed off to the side again while watching the others. Itachi saw how Captain Marvel was interacting with the tiger and pondered to himself on whether or not he was a superhero or an overgrown child.
"The rest of the pack is gone, what are you still doing here?" Superboy asked of the white wolf.
"Think he wants to stay with you." M'gann offered.
"Can I keep him," Conner asked excitedly. Kid Flash chuckled to himself, "First the sphere, now this beast. Dude, you sure make a habit of collecting strays."
"Maybe because he's such a stray himself." M'gann said while smiling at her boyfriend. "Aren't you?"
"M'gann I'm sorry. I was just worried." He answered.
"And that's sweet Conner, but on a mission I'm your teammate, not your girlfriend. Agreed?" She said while lowering herself so that they were at eye-level.
"Yeah." Itachi saw the interaction and deduced that they were more than just friends. The looks that they were giving each other spelled it out for him plain as day. He didn't know how to think about it, he didn't care either way but eventually that was gonna cause a rift in their team chemistry if gone unchecked. 'And by the looks of things, it has been going on unchecked for quite awhile.'
He turned and saw Robin speak with Aqualad. He was asking him why he kept the mole intel secret. The others gathered around, wanting to know the answer to that as well. Aqualad gave Itachi a look, whom responded by nodding.
"The source of the tip was Sportsmaster."
"What? You can't trust him." Itachi noticed how quickly and indignantly Artemis responded and figured she had a personal history with this Sportsmaster person.
"I do not. It seemed possible, even likely that he was attempting to divide the team with false information." He responded.
"And given how this mission went, her nearly succeeded. But you had to consider that it might be true." Robin said now understanding Aqualad's reasons.
"Yes. As leader I did, in which case I did not want to alert the traitor as it would put the rest of the group in danger. I did not want to lie, but sometimes being the leader means being the bad guy."
"I hate to say it, but it makes sense." Robin stated now at peace with the situation.
"I am still prepared to step down."
"All in favor of keeping Aqualad as leader," Itachi saw everyone in the group raise their hands. In favor of Aqualad. He smiled at the scene behind his mask, thinking about how they just might be alright in the end.
Marvel flew out on his own, electing not to ride back with them on M'gann's ship. Before they started to leave, Aqualad spoke again.
"There is another matter we must discuss," He then turned towards the Crow, the others followed suite. "I propose we take a vote on whether or not we should take the Crow in as a member of the Team. In the past 24 hours he has saved us multiple times and given sage wisdom that I know I will carry with me forever. This Team needs his experience…all of us. I believe it will be the best thing for us. All in favor?"
Itachi looked up to see all of their hands up, even Kid Flash's. Artemis had the biggest smile ever. The Team couldn't deny the fact that without Itachi, they would have died several times over in just the last day. Itachi had a stoic look on his face behind his mask. Having seen everyone raise their hands, Aqualad spoke again.
"It is decided. Crow, will you join us?" Itachi had to really think on this. His head told him to keep doing this alone so that was he wouldn't endanger anyone or have someone discover his past. But his heart told him to move on from the hurt and start living his life again. Truth be told, after all of these years Itachi still felt like the 13 year old boy who massacred his clan and family; like a monster let out of a cage. But could he finally move on and trust someone other than himself again? After pondering long and hard, Itachi gave his answer.
"No, I think it's best for everyone if this was just a one-time occurrence," Aqualad and the others had looks of disappointment. Artemis shot him a special look that said "we'll talk about this later". He mentally sighed at the thought of it since he knew how feisty she would get.
"But…if you ever need my help, I will be there." Itachi stated resolutely. Aqualad smiled at this and walked up to him. He extended his hand which Itachi reluctantly met and shook.
"The same goes here. If you ever need us, we'll be there for you Crow. You may not be on the Team, but you are a comrade of ours, and a friend of mine." Itachi's eyes widened behind his mask. Itachi wasn't used to being described as a friend, he hasn't been since Shisui died.
"Ehhhh, I don't know about friend, but I guess I can consider you a comrade." Kid Flash said to which Artemis smacked him upside his head. "What? How can I consider him a friend when I haven't even seen his face?"
Before Artemis could respond Itachi spoke up, "He's right. I may not be ready to join your team, but I still want you all to know that you can trust me."
Itachi then took off his mask and revealed his face to the others. He didn't look like a scary vigilante that could make criminals go insane, he looked normal to them. Kid Flash was the first to get over the shock and then ran up to him. He eyed him and then speed-shook his hand before Itachi could protest.
"Nice to meet you, and your name is?" Itachi looked down and back up. He smiled at Kid Flash and answered, "Itachi. My name is Itachi Uchiha."
"Well Itachi, I'm Wally. Over there is Artemis, Kaldur, M'gann, Conner, and well…" he looked over at Robin and grinned. Robin smiled and gave him a thumbs up, "And Robin."
They all boarded the ship and headed back to the cave. The trip there was much more lively and they all were much friendlier with Itachi whom acted shy. Not since before the massacre could he say that he had this many friends whom were all so kind to him. He honestly didn't know how to react.
When they got back to the Cave, the Team plus Conner's new pet Wolf went to get changed and go home. Itachi, now back as the Crow, went to talk with Batman again.
"So how were they?"
"Inexperienced like how you said, but they showed potential. They eventually saw Aqualad's side of things and forgave him."
"Good, they need to work as a cohesive unit if they are ever going to succeed."
"I agree. They offered me a spot on the Team."
"And your answer was?" Batman asked.
"No, but if they ever need me I'll be there. I even revealed my identity to them." Itachi answered.
"Why?"
"For their trust. They won't trust a mask, but they will trust a face they know; it's human nature. Plus, I know that my experience won't be enough to get them to the levels I know they can reach, but my trust might."
Batman nodded his head, satisfied with his answer. There was a threat looming that was bigger than the Team, Itachi, or even the whole Justice League. They need all of the experience and trust in each other that they can get if they hope to win. Batman went over to the zeta-tube and set it for Gotham City.
"Keep doing what you're doing in Gotham and await for the Team's call. They will need you, you can count on that."
"And I'll be there." Itachi then went through the zeta-tube and headed back to his home to finally get some rest.
It has been five days since Itachi went on that mission with the Team, since he allied himself with them. He decided to rest up, only sending his crows to scope out Gotham at night. He felt good about the decision as the days passed because he finally felt like he was starting to move on from all of the darkness that was in his past life. He wasn't the only one who was glad, his ward was as well.
Since taking down Black Mask over a month ago, he had been staying with a kind elderly woman, the same one who gave him his Crow mask. He randomly came across her one night on the prowl and she surprisingly recognized him. She invited him in and didn't take no for an answer. Itachi was flustered by how aggressive she was about it, until she told him the truth.
It turns out she isn't just a regular elderly woman, but an agent sent by the Sage of Six Paths to help guide Itachi, thus why she gave him the mask. She explained how she was a descendant of the Sage's son Asura Otsutsuki and had been given a mission to guide the hero would come to save this world. When she accepted she was sent here to live and wait until Itachi finally was sent over, that was over 80 years ago. Once she revealed her history she then went on to further explain why Itachi was sent here, and how he needed to help save the world. That's why she was glad she extended an olive branch to the young heroes.
She even told him that the great Sage made a few modifications to Itachi. "My dear boy, don't you find it strange that you awoke here with sharingan in both of your eyes despite using the forbidden Izanami Jutsu? Or how you no longer have that pesky disease that helped insure your death? Or even how despite your use of the mangekyo sharingan, your vision has remained perfect? That is the work of my ancestor."
As he thought about it, Itachi did notice significant differences. He was no longer sick and his sharingan felt even stronger than ever before. He just thought that was because of the rebirth, but now he considered the fact that the Sage might have given him new powers to unlock.
"In many ways Itachi, you are the son the great Sage wished he had. You kindness and will to do what is best for all no matter the cost is why he chose you. It is my duty to guide you, in any way possible. Even if that means you have to work for me." She said while smiling.
It was true, Itachi worked for her in exchange for her housing him. It was how he funded his new Crow attire and weapons. It also gave him a good cover story for scouting criminals since a lot of them came through Chinatown. Her name is Ayumi Otsutsuki. She had him refer to her as Ms. Yumi, as it was easier to say rather than her full name. The store was open, but he had just finished his shift. He was about to go inside when Ms. Yumi came out to inform him that customers were outside and she preferred that he assisted them. Not wanting to be rude, he left out to meet said customers.
When Itachi saw who they were, he froze in his spot. One of the customers looked up to see who had just come out to assist them and gasped. The customers who Itachi saw were none other than Artemis and Carson. And Carson soon got over the shock and felt nothing but white-hot anger towards Itachi.
Artemis had one thought run through her head while at this impromptu meeting, "Awkward much."
That's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you to all of the new readers and followers of this story, I enjoyed all of your reviews so keep it up! Once again thank you and let me know what you thought or if you have any suggestions for me! Until next time guys and gals!