Wrath stared down the remaining members of the Suicide Squad with great intensity. He truly was the opposite of Itachi who was always calm and collected in battle. Wrath was ruthless and eager to kill anyone who stood in his way, but the person he wanted to kill the most was Itachi. He wanted justice for having his family taken away from him and he is determined to get as powerful as necessary so that he can make Itachi suffer before killing him. But first he had to deal with the foes that stand before him now.

"Don't think that we'll go down as easily as the others!" Shrapnel yelled. He, Captain Boomerang, and Bronze Tiger had recovered from the explosion and were preparing to be in fight of their lives. Wrath paid them no mind and went into a monologue.

"Why do you do what you do? You're thieves, rapists, and murderers…for what? Does it make you feel empowered? Look where it got you, standing before me moments away from death. Do you know how many lives you've ruined? And not once did you ever blink an eye about it. You remind me of someone else I know. I'll kill him too, just like I will you." Wrath declared.

"Just shut up and fight. I swear punks like you-" Captain Boomerang got interrupted by shuriken thrown his way. He used his boomerang to deflect them and tossed some explosive boomerangs out as a counter attack. Wrath jumped forward to dodge the projectiles and went to engage in a close combat fight, but was met with Bronze Tiger. Wrath brought out a kunai and deflected the tiger claws easily. His sharingan made each attack visible and predictable. After toying with the criminal long enough, Wrath got him into a critical condition when he cut Bronze Tiger's left leg and shredded the muscles and tendons inside. Bronze Tiger fell to the ground in pain from the attack. Wrath was about to deal the killing blow when crystal projectiles were shot at him and forced him to back away from the fallen foe. Wrath smiled when he landed as the two criminals rushed to their teammate's aid.

"So there is honor amongst thieves. That was some good teamwork you guys just displayed mixing in close, long, and medium ranged attacks like that. I'm also glad you have the basic skills of deflecting shuriken, but let's see you dodge this," Wrath weaved the hand signs needed to use the legacy of his family, "Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!"

A giant fireball was released and primed towards the trio of criminals. Knowing that it was too big to dodge and that Bronze Tiger was hurt badly, Shrapnel stepped forward and made a desperate last ditch effort by creating a crystal wall to protect his teammates. The fireball collided with the wall and came to a deadlock. Wrath's fireball wasn't making a dent into Shrapnel's wall.

"Boomerang, take Bronze Tiger and the others and get out of here. I'll hold him off as long as possible!" Shrapnel ordered.

"You think you can boss me around like that?! You can forget it; I won't leave a man behind on the job." Boomerang responded.

"This isn't up for discussion. This guy isn't like anyone else we've ever faced before. He means it when says he intends on killing us. We can't let him do that. I may not have liked Slipknot and Cheetah, but they didn't deserve to have their heads taken off. We can't let Waller win. She has to pay." Shrapnel reasoned.

"She's gonna get hers. I promise you that." Boomerang said as he carried a barely conscious Bronze Tiger towards safety. He went to King Shark and Livewire to get them too.

Wrath was entertained by their pointless effort to delay their deaths. No wall would hold him back from completing his mission. He poured more chakra into his jutsu which made it even more powerful. It resulted in the crystal wall, as well as everything else in the fireball's path, to being blown to bits, which included Shrapnel.

The end result of the explosion was Shrapnel's body from his torso up being blown off as the rest of him fell in a smoldering heap. Wrath walked up to the corpse and took a deep breath before addressing the rest of the Suicide Squad, who were all hiding, "That makes three of you. Hiding will only delay the inevitable. Do you all know what the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was? It's when he convinced the world that he didn't exist. That devil's name is Itachi Uchiha. He somehow convinced the world that he's a hero…that his deeds in the past can be washed away because of the pointless good he's doing here. He is a murderer who took the lives of his entire family for a village that didn't even live up to his morals. He did it for a lie! I woke up to seeing my little brother being heartbroken because of that monster! I saw my parent's bloodied, mangled corpses on the floor because he felt that the side of the village was the right one for the future. He chose strangers over his own kin."

Wrath activated his sharingan and quickly found the location of the surviving members of the Suicide Squad, "It's just like you. I don't care what good deeds you all have done since teaming up, your sins must be paid for with blood. I am true justice. The weak have cried out for too long while the heroes of this world watch on from their golden throne of lies. No more will the voices of the oppressed be ignored."

He dodged a bolt of lightning that was shot his way as Livewire came out fully recovered by his initial attack, "You talk too much. Who are you to pass judgement onto us? Yeah, we've done unspeakable things, but so have you! I don't see you planning on offing yourself for the greater good of the world!"

"I'm cleaning up the mess that the heroes of the world left. You all are just a starting point. I know what I'm doing is morally wrong, but why I'm doing it is what separates us. The wrath of the Uchiha's will be felt and I will drown this world in blood. You all kill for the sake of your own pleasures; I do it so that someone else will never have to ever again. I do it so that what happened to my family will never happen to another family again." Wrath responded.

"And what about our families?! Our friends and loved ones?! Don't they get a chance or do we all have to suffer because some dude we don't even know pissed you off?" Livewire asked.

"I'm at war. It's the reason for my existence. Waller may think that I will do her bidding and be a measly soldier for Argus, but at the end of the day I am an Uchiha. My loyalties lie with the future of my clan." Wrath explained.

"How can you say it's a war when only one side knows about it? That's not war; it's an ambush…a massacre. How is that fair for us or the innocent civilians who have nothing to do with your gripe?" Livewire pleaded. This was probably the first time in her life that she has had to reason with someone like this. It's probably because of the amount of people that would be in danger if Wrath goes unchecked. That's why his answer sent chills down her spine.

"Was it fair when innocent women and children of my clan were murdered in the dead of the night? Not all of them had something to do with the gripe of our enemies. They were just guilty by association. The same applies to you all. All my family wanted was to be treated as equals, and it got them all killed. I can't forget that…I won't forget that. You say that this is an ambush; I say that this is retaliation against the world. When I say the world, I mean against the flawed system of a world where just because someone doesn't look like you or act like you, they get designated as the enemy. Because they come from somewhere different they get treated as the enemy. It doesn't matter what universe it is, the injustice remains the same. If you want to treat us like the enemy, then we will become the enemy." Wrath replied.

Wrath then weaved hand signed to use the Phoenix Flower Jutsu. Volleys of fireballs were shot towards the members of the Suicide Squad that were hiding behind a shipping container. The container went up in flames as a result. Explosive boomerangs shot out of the flames and headed straight for Wrath. The cloned shinobi countered by leaping up above them. While he was still airborne a bold of lightening was shot towards him.

'A combination attack…so they're trying to get me while I'm unable to move. It's a good thing I have some tricks up my sleeve,' He thought as he summoned a clone. The clone grabbed Wrath and not only threw him out of the direction of the lightning bolt, but also simultaneously threw him towards the origins of the attack. Wrath landed to see that the area had already been abandoned, but he had several ways he could locate them. One of which happened to be a wounded tiger just waiting to be put out of its misery, 'Bronze Tiger is bleeding heavily. He won't have much longer until he dies from too much blood lost. Lucky for me that he's leaving a trail of his blood everywhere he goes.'

He followed the trail of blood to a shipping container. Blood was leaking from the inside so he figured that they must be planning a last ditch effort to hide there. Wrath smiled before putting some explosive tags on the door and blowing it open. He stepped inside and once the smoke had cleared, Wrath saw that the only thing inside was the remains of an amputated leg.

"Game over." Wrath said.

"Yeah, for you!" Wrath turned around just in time to see the enormous jaws of King Shark inches away from chomping down on him. Wrath just leered as King Shark snapped his jaws shut with the intent of killing the cloned assassin. A gush of blood splattered just outside the shipping container soon afterwards.

Livewire rounded the corner to see if their sneak attack worked. They knew Wrath would use Bronze Tiger's blood to follow them, so they used that knowledge to their advantage to send him to a closed off area so that King Shark could get the best shot in at killing him. She cauterized Bronze Tiger's leg with her lightning after amputating it to stop the bleeding and had Captain Boomerang take Bronze Tiger out of here. But if they kill him here and now, then the world will be safe from this terror. Should they fail, then the only option left is for one of them live and warn the world of this monster inside. That way both Wrath and Waller fail.

"Is he dead?" Livewire asked. There was silence for a while, but eventually she got a response; just not the one she was hoping for. King Shark's corpse was flung from inside the container and landed just before her feet. Shark's jaw was reduced into a broken, bloody mess. And Shark's head looked like something even bigger than him had been used to impale right through his brain since there was a deep whole at the crown of his skull. What confused Livewire was that Wrath didn't have a blade that big on his person, so how exactly did he kill Shark?

Livewire had a look of resignation and devastation, "I don't understand. How did you-"

"Did you really think I didn't see through that cheap trick from the very beginning? I was smiling for a reason when I opened that container. I knew what you were doing the entire time. I knew that the shark was following me, I knew that you were behind to seal me inside should the plan fail, and I also know that the other two of your teammates are trying to escape the building right now. My eyes see all. You're fates were sealed the moment you became my enemies." Wrath said as he stepped out.

Livewire gasped as she saw that he didn't have a scratch on him. In a desperate attempt to survive, she shot lightning at him, but Wrath stood there like a statue as the attack was blocked. Livewire looked up to see a black, ribcage surrounding Wrath. His eyes had also changed forms and began to bleed. He had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, "Allow me to introduce you to my Susanoo."

The ribcage then formed a limb and grabbed Livewire before she could even react. She tried discharging lightning, but nothing worked in her favor. She was stuck in the grasp of Wrath.

"Let go of me! I didn't do anything to you or your stupid family!" Livewire shouted as she felt her ribs being crushed slowly.

"You didn't have to. We're enemies remember…enemies at war against one another." Wrath replied.

"I don't care about your stupid war! I just wanna live!" Livewire replied as she started coughing up blood.

"I'm sure your victims didn't care about your carnal desires either. I'm sure they all wanted to live, but did you spare them?" Wrath asked solemnly as his Susanoo squeezed even harder.

The sounds of her bones cracking and breaking could be heard echoing throughout the building, along with her cries of pain and anguish. And Wrath was enjoying every moment of her torture, "As much as I enjoy hearing you scream, I asked you a question. Did you spare them?"

"No! Okay, no I didn't! I still killed them because I'm a horrible person alright! All I cared about was me and what I wanted. I was just tired of feeling like all life had to offer me was venom so I decided that it was my time to dish it out. Whether it was Superman or innocent civilians didn't matter to me. I just wanted someone else to hurt like how I did. I'm sorry." She said as she started crying.

Wrath eased up on the pressure after hearing her words, "I can relate to that. That's probably how my family felt before they were killed. Life creates anger, which turns into hatred, and fosters revenge. There's no such thing a happy ending, only suffering. The only way progress is ever achieved in the world is through pain, suffering, and death. It is how we grow as humans because this truly is a cruel world."

"Please, let me go and I promise you that I'll change." Livewire pleaded. Wrath looked her in the eyes and with a cold dark voice he replied, "No, you still have to die. As much as I sympathize with you, that doesn't change the fact that you and I are enemies on opposite sides of a war. This is for all of my fallen kin that was lost on that night because of that devil. Itachi Uchiha must suffer for his sins and killing you is the first step in doing that."

"But I've never met the guy before. What would killing me do to him?" She asked.

"It will show him what I'm capable of…what he's capable of. I won't stop until all of the cancer in this world is removed." Wrath answered as his Susanoo resumed crushing her. She cried out even louder than before as blood started pouring from out of her mouth. With a single thought, Wrath had his Susanoo crush her to death as the screaming stopped. Her organs were destroyed and her bones were reduced to dust. Her mangled corpse dropped to the ground as Wrath turned towards where Bronze Tiger and Captain Boomerang ran off to and followed in pursuit of them.

"Come on, only a little bit more before we're clear," Captain Boomerang said as he was carrying Bronze Tiger in a fireman's carry on his shoulders. They had gone through every exit, but they were all blocked in. They're only hope was the entrance the came through. Bronze Tiger wasn't as optimistic as his teammate, "We haven't heard from King Shark or Livewire in a while. They were supposed to have caught up to us by now."

"They're probably dead. Nothing we can do about that. This guy is serious. We can't beat him, but if we could just escape from this nightmare, then that means he loses too." Boomerang said as they were coming up on the entrance.

They could see the headless corpse of Slipknot lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. Boomerang was about to run out, but Bronze Tiger stopped him, "Wait! This guy has literally been ahead of us since the very beginning. I don't think he'll just let us walk out this easily."

"Yeah, the psychopath is probably right on our tails as we speak. That's why we need to move now!" Boomerang responded.

"But he sealed off every exit to this place but this one. Why is that? I don't think we should go out there." Bronze Tiger said through shallow breaths. He was barely conscious from having his leg amputated, so if it were a trap there was no way he'd be able to avoid it.

"You stay here and get killed then. I want to live." Boomerang then ran out through the entrance. Once he walked out of the doorway and made it to Slipknot corpse, he tripped a wire trap that unleashed a volley of shuriken his way. The former thief thought fast and used two of his boomerangs to deflect as much of the shuriken as he could. His arms and legs got shredded, but he somehow managed to protect his vital areas. Having lost most of his strength and a lot of blood, he dropped his boomerangs and turned towards his partner to tell him that the coast was clear.

Boomerang was on his way to retrieving his injured partner when he heard a strange crunch on the bottom of his boots. He looked down to see that it was a piece of paper with strange writing from a different language on it. Upon examining it, he noticed that there were even more of them on the ground, hidden underneath Slipknots blood. Once the paper in his hand started to ignite, he realized what the true trap was. He looked at his partner and mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to him before being blown into bits by all of the paper bombs he was standing over.

Bronze Tiger could only look on as he witnessed his teammate get reduced into a million bloody pieces. Not only did that happen, but the only entrance left was sealed off as a result of it. He was resigned to the fact that he would die here in this place. Soon afterwards, he heard footsteps come up to him and saw that Wrath was looking down on him with a stoic look on his face.

Wrath knelt down until he was at eye level with Bronze Tiger, "I told you it didn't matter if you ran or not. I came here on a mission and I had no intentions of failing it. The world has to pay for the atrocious crimes against my family. We deserve true justice and that justice begins with you all."

"But killing me won't bring back your family," Bronze Tiger replied.

"I'm not trying to bring them back; I'm delivering justice for them. This war is for their justice." Wrath said resolutely.

"You call this war? My team and I had nothing to do with whatever happened to your family. I've fought in wars before and this isn't what it looks like. Hiding in the darkness and attacking from behind is what this was. War is between two sides that know about each other and both have equal chances of winning. War is between nations who choose to fight each other. We didn't know anything about you and we sure as hell didn't choose to fight you. You made the choice for us." Bronze Tiger responded angrily.

"Really? So when you all challenged me to come out of the dark and even threatened to cut my head off, that wasn't a choice to fight me? Well how about this for a choice; scream or don't." Wrath replied coldly.

"No, no, no, no. It doesn't have to be this way. Look we can still go back. All you have to do-" Wrath cut him off, "You want me to spare you, then bring my family back. Bring back everyone you and your teammates have ever killed and I will let you go. That's all I ask of you."

Tiger could only stutter in fear because in all of his years he's never seen this much rage in one man's eyes before. He finally mustered up the courage to respond to Wrath, "What justice is there in killing in the dark? How is the world supposed to fix something that they don't even know is wrong?"

"Trust me when I say that the world will find out about me and my family. I'm not hiding anywhere. I want them to know the name of the usurper who took them down. Tonight, was just a test run for me. My creators needed to know if I was willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission. You all were just guinea pigs in the end. My true target lies beyond the horizon still. Bringing forth true justice is my purpose in life." Wrath responded.

"Justice? You're pure evil. You plan on killing a lot of people…people who haven't done you any wrong whatsoever. You honestly think that the Justice League will just allow that to happen? Are you prepared to go against an army of superhumans and gods?" Bronze Tiger asked.

"Yes, because I know who I'm fighting for. I fight for the lives lost on that fateful night. I fight for those who can't anymore. I even fight for victims who have had their lives ruined by people like you. Murderers, rapists, thieves, people like you and your teammates, and false heroes like the Justice League; I will exact justice for all of the victims created by your legacy of destruction. I will create a new legacy. I'll be your worst nightmare because I fight with the wrath of the dead on my side." Wrath said before using his Mangekyo Sharingan's second ability to grind Bronze Tiger's skull until it was horribly mutilated.

After it was done Wrath stood up, took out his com unit out, and called James, "It's done. They're all dead."

"Good, come back to base to file a report." James ordered.

"Understood." Wrath was about to leave when he started receiving more flashbacks of Itachi's memories. This time it was of the events that transpired after the Uchiha Massacre. Wrath growled in anger, 'Just you wait, Itachi. My wrath, no…the Uchiha's wrath will come down on you like a force of nature. The world will forever be changed by it. Nothing will stop me; not Waller, not the Justice League, and certainly not you. The war has begun!'

(Itachi's Earth)

Itachi showed the League what transpired after the massacre of his family. He and Madara had met up and were talking about heading out to the Akatsuki hideout. Itachi told him that there were things he wanted to confirm with the Leaf higher-ups. Afterwards he showed them the private meeting he had with the Third Hokage. The old shinobi expressed gratitude to the teenager for preserving peace in the village, but also deep sorrow for forcing Itachi to have to commit such an act in the first place. Itachi knew that this was unavoidable and so held to ill will towards the village leader. Itachi revealed that he plans to join a group called the Akatsuki so that he could keep an eye on them from the inside. Itachi's goal was to make sure the promise of sparing the Leaf was kept.

Afterwards, Leaf Anbu had arrived along with Danzo and the Third Hokage. They saw the results of this dreadful night and felt sorrow for the fallen clan. They discovered that there was one survivor, Itachi's little brother Sasuke. Everyone else was dead. Third Hokage instructed everyone to quickly remove the bodies from the streets and check the insides of the buildings as well. He couldn't let the rest of the Village see this carnage.

"Who could have done all of this?" Kakashi asked. It was then that Danzo walked up to begin the lie that would forever tarnish Itachi's legacy, "Itachi Uchiha."

"Itachi did this?" Yamato asked not believing what he had just heard. Artemis could swear she was about to throw up hearing that vile old man spew lies about her friend.

"Yes, Itachi Uchiha despised his clan. That is why he killed his best friend Shisui and took his eyes, and caused in-fighting among his brethren…and then finally he committed this atrocity." Danzo said slyly. Everyone in the Team started getting angry for Itachi.

"To do something so drastic for the sake of your village and your only reward is being vilified for it is just wrong. They don't deserve you, Itachi." Artemis said to her friend.

"I wish that Danzo creep would get his. This is all his fault." Conner said angrily.

"No, this was the result of decades of oppression and anger. Everyone is guilty in this." Itachi said defending Danzo.

"No, Itachi stop defending that creep! They took your family away from you. They made you-" M'gann started but Itachi cut her off.

"They didn't make me do anything and they didn't take anything away from me. I chose this path." Itachi said as the scene continued to the Third Hokage and Danzo speaking alone as the corpses were collected.

"This settles everything." Danzo said sounding pleased with himself. Third Hokage responded with as much disgust in his voice as the other had in their hearts at watching this transpire, "What does this settle? Do you not see the huge problem we are left with?!"

"I consider it very minor." Danzo responded coldly. Black Canary wished she could have one hour locked in a room with this psychopath and just about every other person there felt the same way.

"Danzo, I cannot allow you to act on your own authority any longer. Effective immediately, you are relieved of your duties as second in command." Third Hokage ordered. Danzo tried to defend himself, "But Hiruzen, I did it for-"

"The good of the Leaf, right? Well guess what, the Uchiha belonged to the Hidden Leaf so that isn't an appropriate defense that you should be making. Your Anbu and Foundation will be dissolved! I will deal with you later. Until then, you are to be confined to your quarters!" The Third Hokage walked away to help salvage what was an already un-salvageable disaster. Artemis had a smug smirk on her face for seeing the old man get ripped into by his boss like that.

"Serves him right." She said.

"Agreed." Batman added which shocked everyone around him, "I may be for the mission coming first, but not if the results are this. Danzo was wrong for forcing a child to do this."

Danzo headed out to leave the Uchiha compound and was quickly joined by two of his Anbu as escorts.

"Lord Danzo, the body count doesn't match up." One of the masked Anbu said. The other one spoke up too, "It's like they all just disappeared. I know because I witnessed everything."

Danzo quickly realized that he was in the presence of Itachi and grew worried. Itachi continued on with his threat, "And I will continue to watch on from a distance. So if you so much as touch Sasuke, I will pass on classified Village intel to every enemy nation the Leaf has."

Itachi them disappeared into a flock of crows and flew off leaving Danzo both shocked and scared much to everyone else's pleasant surprise.

"Leave it to Itachi to stick it to him in the end." Wally said.

The scene changed to Itachi saying his final goodbyes to his village just outside the gates. Suddenly, a pair of anbu emerged from the darkness and confronted Itachi. Robin recognized them as the two Anbu that Danzo had assigned to Itachi a while back.

"What do you want now?" Itachi asked.

"You're a Rogue Ninja listed in the Bingo Book, Captain. An S-class, no less. As Foundation members, we want to make it appear like we legitimately pursued you. Please go easy on us."

They both then attack Itachi. Itachi realized very quickly that they were not here for just appearances sake as they suggested. The way they were attacking him actually suggest that they mean to kill him.

"Your swordsmanship hints at more than just maintaining appearances." Itachi accused.

"Your Sharingan won't work on us. We won't look into your eyes." The Anbu then leapt forward with an attack, both stabbing Itachi with their swords. Or so they thought. They quickly realized that they were really stabbing each other from the fact that they were bleeding from fatal wounds now.

"A genjutsu?! How…" Itachi emerged from the shadows once the two were seconds away from dying, "When you first came to me as my subordinates. I embedded a suggestion just in case you were to ever turn your swords on me."

"You didn't trust us…from the very beginning?" The fallen shinobi asked.

"I was a double agent that means I was loyal to not only the Leaf, but to the Uchiha clan as well. To this very day, I still don't know whose spy I was." Itachi said as the two anbu passed away.

"Wow Itachi, you really do plan ahead. How far does this go?" Artemis asked. M'gann answered for him, "Until the day he dies. From the moment he chose this path, he planned every step from the night of the massacre to his last day alive. Isn't that right, Itachi?"

"Yes." He replied.

"Wait, what do you mean by death?" Artemis asked fearfully. The rest of the Team and the Justice League were also confused by M'gann's statement.

"You'll just have to continue looking on to find out." Itachi answered as the scene changed to him rejoining Madara. They were both in front of the Akatsuki hideout, "Within the organization, I'm known as Tobi. I'm not an official member. I'm a newbie in the Akatsuki who doesn't possess any spectacular jutsu. You should treat me the same way."

"Why hide your true identity?" Itachi asked.

"If word gets out that Madara Uchiha is still alive, things could get complicated. Only the leader of the Akatsuki, who we're meeting now, knows my true identity." From then on the League was shown the group Itachi spent the rest of his life associated with. A band of thieves, murders, and terrorists all bent on ruling the world and achieving peace.

"A lifetime of happiness sacrificed to work with scum like them. That truly is a tragic story." Green Arrow commented.

"Yeah, I hate that you had to live like this because your village was so corrupt." Artemis added.

"It didn't matter to me because I was happy in the end." Itachi corrected.

"How? How can anyone be happy after living a life like this?" Superman asked.

"By the end of all of this, you will see how." Itachi answered as the scene changed again.

They were all transported to the memories of Itachi's early stages with the Akatsuki. They saw him lose his first partner in battle and then be attacked by his second in Orochimaru because of greed. It also showed that the massacre of his clan changed him. He wasn't as kind as he used to be and had no problem resorting to violence instead of finding peaceful resolutions. The change saddened all of them.

The scene stopped at Itachi sitting on a pond deck observing sharks as the circle the waters. They could tell that some time had passed since the Uchiha Downfall since Itachi looked older than when they last saw him.

"What is this?" Robin asked curiously as they all wondered why they were taken here.

"This is where I met my partner in the Akatsuki. We bonded over the horrible crimes we committed in the past." Itachi explained.

They all turned to see a giant blue man carrying an even bigger sword walk up to Itachi and introduce himself, "I'll be teaming up with you from now on. I'm Kisame Hoshigaki, formerly of the Hidden Mist, and an ex-member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Pleased to meet you."

Itachi paid him no mind and brushed him off, which Artemis found both comical and familiar, "Wow, it's almost like I've had this very same conversation before. It's crazy how that happens."

"I wasn't even rude with you when we first met." Itachi rebutted.

"But you were to Carson." That shut the Leaf Shinobi down as the others chuckled at Itachi's expense. Kisame kept persisting even after being ignored.

"And you are Itachi Uchiha, formerly of the Hidden Leaf. I've heard the rumors of how you slaughtered all of your fellow Uchiha clansmen. I understand you well. In fact, it was for that very reason that I chose to team up with you out of everyone in the Akatsuki. The sensation that comes from killing your comrade is indescribable, isn't it, Itachi?" Kisame asked with glee.

"You talk too much. You may know a lot about me, but do you know anything about yourself? You got lost in the mist and ended up here. You're nothing but a thug who couldn't figure out where to go. Isn't that so?" Itachi responded coldly.

Wally felt chills and the insult wasn't even aimed at him, "So, you've always been Mr. Blunt."

"It's hard to correct a flaw that no one points out to you. You should try it some time, Wally." Itachi responded.

"You mean being more blunt or correcting other people's flaws?" Wally asked sounding confused. Everyone on the Team chuckled as Wally had just proven Itachi's point.

Back to the scene, Itachi clearly struck a nerve with Kisame since the blue shinobi raised his sword against Itachi in response. He began explaining how sharks begin to cannibalize each other right from birth. It's because that from birth they all have the mentality of eat or be beaten.

"From today onward, you and I belong to Akatsuki. Please, be wary of me." Kisame threatened.

"That goes for you too." Itachi said as a return threat which made Kisame laugh before he returned his blade to its resting spot on his back.

"Anyway, let's have fun together. And hope that we're not the last two facing each other." Kisame said in a friendly tone.

"Anyone who has raised their hand against a comrade, even once, never dies a decent death. Remember that." Itachi warned.

"I guess that means that you and I are already worthless." Kisame replied.

"No, we aren't fish that are eating each other. We're human. No matter who you are, you don't know what kind of person you really are until the very end. One only realizes their true nature at the moment of death." Itachi explained as the scene went blank and time skipped forward.

"Wow that was deep. Half the heroes in the League aren't as wise as you were at that age. It's humbling," Hal Jordan commented.

"How does he turn into a friend of yours? He's despicable," Wonder Woman said disapprovingly.

"Time changes us all. It allows us to reflect on the past, so that we may one day change our future. I know it from firsthand experience." Itachi answered as the scene changed to Itachi and Kisame looking at the Hidden Leaf Village. Years had passed and the Village looked like it has just got done being ravished.

"What are you doing back here?" Aqualad asked.

"The village was recently attacked. I was worried about Sasuke and wanted to check on him. Especially when I found out that the Third Hokage was murdered and Sasuke was being targeted by Orochimaru." Itachi explained.

"Still looking out for your brother even after what transpired. You are a good big brother, Itachi." Superman complimented.

"I made a promise to my parents that I intended on keeping."

The scene changed to Itachi and Kisame standing in the hallway of a hotel with a blonde haired boy. Itachi and his partner had just finished battling Leaf Jonin. The others witnessed Itachi dismantle one of them with just a single glance. But before it escalated even more as more shinobi arrived, Itachi ordered a retreat. In reality, it was because he wanted confront the Leaf higher-ups.

"My reason for returning wasn't just to check on Sasuke. It was also to remind Danzo and the rest of the Leaf Council that I was still out there watching and it was still in their best interest to leave Sasuke unharmed. The Third Hokage was my only ally in the Leaf so when he died, there was nothing protecting Sasuke from underhanded scum like Danzo anymore." Itachi explained.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that we don't blame you one bit." Conner said.

"Why are you here though? Wouldn't it have been best if you had left?" Captain Marvel asked.

"I needed to keep up with my reputation, so hunting down the village's jinchuriki would help maintain my rouse." Itachi answered as the scene played out.

"Is that why you let those ninja from earlier detect you?" Batman asked.

"No, that was just a coincidence. But I did use it to my advantage." Itachi answered.

"How is that?" Wonder Woman asked.

"They made sure that my younger brother knew I was nearby. I wanted to assess his strength." Itachi answered as the scene played out.

Itachi and Kisame were debating on how they would capture Naruto. Itachi just wanted to make it fast, while Kisame felt the need to severe a few of the boy's limbs incase he tried to escape.

"Say Itachi, it'll be a pain in the neck if this kid tries to run away. Maybe I should chop off a leg just in case." Kisame suggested sadistically. Not feeling like arguing anymore, Itachi decided to allow his partner to do whatever he felt like with the child. The others looked on in horror, but M'gann reminded them that Itachi had to play the villain.

Just as Kisame was about to maim Naruto, Itachi spoke up and address the one person he was truly interested in, "It's been a long time…Sasuke."

Everyone turned to see Itachi's little brother, Sasuke, standing down the hall. He had the angriest and most vengeful look that any of them had ever seen before or will ever see again.

"Wow, seeing your brother like that must have been intense for you." Wally said.

"No, it was disappointing." Itachi pointed to the scene as the others were about to ask what he meant by disappointing.

"Itachi Uchiha!" Sasuke said solemnly. Everyone took note of how much anger was in Sasuke's voice when he uttered his brother's name. It was like just the mere mention of him drove the young man insane.

"Well, a Sharingan. And he looks an awful lot like you. Itachi, who is this kid?" Kisame asked.

"He's my younger brother." Itachi answered stoically.

"That's strange because the way I heard it the whole Uchiha Clan was murdered…by you." Kisame said now entertained by this reunion of the brothers.

"Itachi Uchiha…I hope you're ready to die. It's just as you said all those years ago brother. I fostered my hatred for you all this time. I've lived my life for one single purpose. To see you die! It ends here!" Sasuke proclaimed.

Itachi watched as Sasuke performed Chidori, which was a high level jutsu that shinobi his age don't usually master. He would have been impressed, if not for how wild and out of control Sasuke came rushing in as he attempted to kill Itachi.

'Not good enough. He still needs more time…and motivation. He's let feelings other than hate fill his heart. I need to correct that before it's too late.' Itachi thought as he countered his brother's strike.

Itachi easily brushed off Sasuke's attack with only one hand. Sasuke went to throw a punch with his free had, but Itachi stopped it by breaking the wrist of the hand he held captive. It resulted in Sasuke falling to his knees and wailing in pain. Naruto wasn't having it anymore and tried to fight back, but Kisame easily rendered him useless with just one swing of his sword.

Kisame decided that in order to eliminate Naruto mounting anymore resistance against them, he should sever the boy's arms first. Before Kisame could do that, the boy's guardian, the legendary Jiraiya, had appeared to defend him.

"I know that Naruto is the reason why you're here," Jiraiya proclaimed. Itachi stared on impressed, "So you're how Kakashi knew about us. You're right, Naruto is the prize that the Akatsuki are after, and we will have him."

He and the toad sage were about to fight, when Sasuke spoke up again, "Stay out of this. The only one, who's going to kill him…is me!"

Sasuke slowly rose to his feet so that he could challenge his brother once more. Internally, Itachi was impressed with Sasuke's determination, but externally he needed to keep appearances up and so he coldly dismissed his younger brother's ambitions, "Go away. I have no interest in you."

Sasuke rushed forward anyways and was soundly put down with a solid side kick from Itachi that sent his flying all the way across the hallway. Sasuke persisted and rushed his brother again, but the result was the same as Itachi kneed him and back-fisted him so hard that he was sent flying down the hall again.

'So this is your limit. Two strikes and you can't even make hand signs anymore. What have you been doing, little brother? I see you need a reminder.' Itachi thought seriously as he decided to oblige his brother on the fight he wanted.

Everyone watched Itachi slowly walk up to him until he was towered over the downed body of his brother. He then started to beat his brother to within an inch of his life. Sasuke didn't stand a chance. He couldn't even defend himself anymore. Itachi just had his way with him.

"Why are you doing this to your brother?" Superman asked while feeling uncomfortable watching the scene.

"To show him how weak he was compared to me. To motivate him to get stronger before time ran out." Itachi answered vaguely.

"What do you mean before time runs out?" Kaldur asked.

Itachi kept silent as the scene showed him grabbing Sasuke by his collar and choking him. He wanted to absolutely humiliate his brother.

"You're still too weak. You don't have enough hate. And you know what; you never will." Itachi whispered tauntingly to his brother. He then put his brother under the Tsukuyomi and tortured him with the genjutsu until his brother passed out. He showed Sasuke the night he slaughtered their clan to remind him that he was still as weak as the night it all happened. To remind him that nothing had changed.

Once Sasuke was taken out, Jiraiya attempted to apprehend them, but Itachi used the Amaterasu so that he and Kisame could escape. Itachi had accomplished all he set out to do in the village. Itachi decided that he needed rest because his body was feeling weak from using such powerful attacks.

"Jeez, you beat the living crap out of your brother. It didn't bother you seeing how angry and hurt he was? You didn't have to do that." Artemis stated as the others agreed. They too wanted an explanation. Itachi sighed as he knew he couldn't put it off any longer.

"I normally wouldn't have acted like that, but Sasuke needed to get stronger as fast as possible because I didn't know how much time I had left. And in order for the Uchiha Clan to get true justice, and I finally pay for my crimes, it had to be Sasuke who killed me."Itachi answered.

"What was stopping that from happening?" J'onn asked. M'gann shed a tear as she pointed to Itachi when he got to his and Kisame's hiding spot. They all witnessed Itachi cough up a lot of blood despite not once being touched.

"Why is that happening to you?" Artemis asked worriedly about her friend.

"I was dying. At some point in time, I contracted a terminal illness. I had three years left at the most before the disease would kill me. And the longer I fought it, the more painful it got. A disease couldn't be what redeemed the Uchiha; Sasuke had to be. That's why I was pushing him so hard." Itachi answered.

The others stood the silent as they witnessed the disease start to ravish Itachi's health. It was uncomfortable to watch for them. Fortunately, Itachi skipped ahead to the next important even that happened to him.

"What are you going to show us now?" Conner asked.

"The event that gave me hope that my brother could overcome the curse of my clan." They were then teleported two years in time to when he confronts Naruto prior to his fated duel with his brother.

(Part 1 of the truth done!) Whew! That took a lot longer than I had expected. Oh yeah I almost forgot, I'm back! It's been too long. With boot camp and "A" School, I was always swamped for time. But that's all done now! I've missed you guys so much! Thanks for all of the support you all gave me and now that I am a U.S. Sailor, I know that more love is to come. Wrath is on a mission to make change and I can't wait to show you all how he plans on doing it. It won't take me three months this time, I promise. Thanks for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews while I was gone. Let's keep it up and get this ball rolling again! Don't forget to send me a review or a PM to let me know what you think of these last few chapters! Until next time guys and gals!