Wrath wasted no time in beginning his onslaught by unleashing another Fireball Jutsu at the pair of vigilantes. Itachi leaped out of the way while Batman used his grapple gun to pull himself away at the last second. When Itachi landed he was met by his Wrath, whom had a kunai ready to stab him. Itachi quickly summoned a kunai of his own to counter which led to a stalemate of the two Sharingan wielders.
"I don't understand. How do you even exist?" Itachi asked as the pair continued to clash. Wrath kneed Itachi in his gut and doubled him over. Wrath was about to take advantage and stab through the nape of Itachi's neck when a grapple hook wrapped itself around his wrist and prevented the blow before it came. Wrath noticed that Batman had joined the battle.
"Wait your turn, Bat. I have a Crow kill." Wrath said as he attempted to cut himself loose. The kunai broke against Batman's reinforced grapple line, "Not today, murderer. You answer for your crimes against Gotham."
Batman then activated the shock function of his grapple gun and electrocuted Wrath. Itachi recovered from Wrath's knee and delivered a powerful thrust kick that sent Wrath flying through a nearby building. Batman joined Itachi as the pair looked on to see if Wrath was defeated. They got their answer in when Wrath emerged from the rubble with little to no damage done to him. He had a look of amusement on his face.
"The nerve you have Batman. You dare call me a murderer?! And what about you? The bodies I put down tonight are nothing compared to the body count you have you hypocrite." Wrath said as he dusted himself off.
"I've never taken a life. I don't kill. I can't say the same for you though." Batman retorted as he pointed to the still burning Gotham Cathedral.
"You really think you've never killed before. You're crazier than I thought. All of the people you've murdered…every time you let scum like Joker live. You could have stopped that monster years ago, but instead you just kept him around so he can continue killing people. Their deaths are just as much on you as it is on him." Wrath declared through a look of rage now.
"I'm not responsible for that serial killer's actions. I tried to save his victims." Batman said while defending himself.
"Tell that to Harvey Dent and his fiancé, whom you let get blown to hell and caused him to lose all of his sanity. Now he is just as much a murderer as Joker is. And like Joker, all of his victims are all on you too. I wonder if he thinks you tried to save him." Wrath said which struck a nerve with Bruce Wayne more that Batman. Harvey was Bruce's friend and he lives with knowing that Two-Face was born all because of him.
Batman had heard enough and sprinted towards Wrath. Wrath smiled and met the Dark Knight, or he would have if Itachi hadn't interfered and threw shuriken at Wrath to halt him movements. Wrath had to use a kunai to deflect all of the projectiles, which left him open for an attack by Batman and his electro-gauntlets. Batman threw a combination after combination at the clone, but landed nothing but air until finally Wrath caught one of the gauntlets with his bare hand. He laughed as the smell of burning flesh started to fill the air.
"If this is the best you got, it's no wonder your mother and father died in that alleyway. You lack the conviction to do what is needed. At the end of the day, you're still that same pathetic little boy that's crying and begging for his mother to wake up." Wrath said before kicking Batman in the ribs and knocking him to the side. He stood there still as his hand continued to sizzle.
"This pain is nothing compared to what you will feel Itachi. You're going to pay for what you did." Wrath said as steam started to emit from his hand. Itachi used Wrath's damaged hand as an opportunity to strike since the clone wouldn't be able to weave hand signs, "Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!"
A large fireball was shot at Wrath. He shook his head before weaving the same hand signs as Itachi and unleashing a Fireball Jutsu to counter Itachi's. To Itachi's surprise, Wrath's hand had healed and was fully functional. The two blasts collided and ended with a great explosion. The two Uchiha's emerged from the smoke, both glaring at each other with great intensity. After what seemed like a lifetime of silence, it was Itachi whom spoke first.
"You said I was going to pay for what I did…what did you mean by that?" Itachi asked. Wrath continued his glare as he fought back tears from the painful memories, "You murdered mother and father. Our entire clan. You even ruined our brother's life…for what?! A lie!"
"Mother, father…our brother? They aren't your family. You're just some carbon copy; a cheap knockoff of me." Itachi replied coldly. Wrath smirked at that.
"Sticks and stones. Tell me…was the village really worth murdering all of our family? Was that lie you told worth it in the end? The Uchiha died because you got sold on false goods." Wrath asked as he was genuinely curious to his answer.
Itachi stood there silent. Thinking back on that night wasn't something he did often. Itachi could tell that Wrath was getting as worked up about it as he was by the hurt tone in his voice when he asked his next question, "Do you even still think about them anymore, or have you completely forsaken our clan?"
"…I have thought about them every day of my life since that night. Being my clone, you should know that." Itachi replied as Wrath had heard enough and charged forward with a vengeance. In a symphony in sparks and rage, the two Uchiha fought. Each one landing hit and counter-hit, with neither one really gaining an advantage over the other. After a while, Itachi started to gain some leeway when he landed a strong cross to Wrath's chest. The attack stunned the clone whom countered by swiping Itachi's arms down and connecting with a headbutt. Itachi back flipped away to get distance. When Wrath tried to follow he fell into Itachi's trap. He had placed a paper bomb when he back flipped away and it was triggered when Wrath got close to it. The blast sent Wrath hurdling to the street.
Itachi looked on from his spot on top of the roof as Wrath slowly got up with a smile on his face. It looked to Itachi like his clone was enjoying himself. Wrath stood up straight to reveal that he had barely taken any damage from this fight. He also had his Mangekyo Sharingan active.
"I think I understand why you avoid answering my questions about our family. It's because in your heart of hearts you know that you were wrong to slaughter our clan. Admit it; you made the wrong choice." Wrath taunted.
"There was no choice to make. It was either have the Uchiha Clan face extinction or do the unthinkable, save their reputation, and keep Sasuke alive. If you are truly my clone and love Sasuke like how I do, you would have made the same choice as I did. There was nothing easy about torturing my little brother for his entire life, but it had to be done for the good of the world." Itachi countered.
"Personally speaking, I would cut off Danzo's head and set the village on fire before murdering my own parents. But whatever helps you sleep at night." Wrath countered. He ducked when whizzing was heard behind him. Batman had recovered and joined the fight. Wrath barely paid him any mind and easy dispatched him when he activated one of the abilities of his eyes, "Hedoro!"
A flesh like material emerged from the ground in the form of senbon that stabbed into Batman through all of the weak points in his Kevlar laced suit. He laid on the ground in pain as Wrath walked up to him. He eyed the down vigilante with a look of coldness as he eyed the bat-symbol on the vigilante's chest.
"You know, my eyes let me see through a lot. Strings, lies, denial…I see it all. I can even see all of the areas of your suit, even the ones that contain the least amount of armor. For a big guy like you to move as fast as you can, you had to lessen the density of the plates surrounding your joints for complete mobility. I bet most people shoot at your chest at first sight even though it's where your armor is the strongest. It's a great misdirection and deception ploy, but you can't fool my eyes." Wrath said as he held his hand out.
"Katamarimasu," The flesh like senbon in his hand hardened until it looked like black, refined metal. Wrath glared at the bleeding vigilante as he gripped the now hardened senbon, "This is the second ability of my Mangekyo Sharingan. It allows me to harden my Hedoro and increase the power of its attacks. This senbon, for example, is now harder than any metal known to this planet, even Promethium. I bet with all of that armor around your chest, you've never taken a fatal wound there. Let's change that." Wrath said as he got ready to stab Batman.
"I don't think so. Fire Style! Giant Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi said as he floated directly behind Wrath and was in perfect position to land a direct attack. Wrath summoned a wall using his Hedoro to take the impact of the blast. When the smoke settled, Wrath stood perfectly unharmed. Itachi couldn't believe it, 'He didn't even harden it this time and it was still durable enough to protect him against my blast. That is a powerful jutsu that he wields.'
As Itachi stayed airborne, the makeshift wall that Wrath created using his Hedoro started shooting out senbon at an astounding speed. Itachi had no choice but to brace himself as the senbon shredded into him and knocked him out of the air. Wrath turned his attention back to Batman.
"Now, where were we?" Wrath asked. Batman answered by trying to drive a batarang into Wrath's clavicle. Wrath caught him and broke Batman's wrist to wench the batarang out of his hand. Wrath then drove his armored senbon straight for Batman's chest. Bruce tried to deflect it with his free hand, but the sheer force that Wrath had behind the thrust caused the senbon to pierce right through Bruce's hand and straight into his chest; even through his Kevlar armor.
Bruce's eyes went wide as he started to cough up blood. Wrath gave him a look of sympathy as he looked down at the bleeding vigilante, "All of these years fighting for this city, only to end up bleeding on the floor like your parents. Don't worry; I made sure to avoid all of the vital spots. Though, you could still perish from too much blood loss if you move around too much. This fight is now between me and Itachi."
Wrath left the bleeding Batman to go confront Itachi who had recovered from Wrath's counter attack. Wrath smiled at all of the cuts Itachi endured from it.
"The reason my defense is so strong is because Hedoro is what the muscle fibers and flesh of our Susanoo are made of. It's why the Susanoo is such an impenetrable defense. My Mangekyo Sharingan allows me to harness it at its most basic form and control it to my will. The Katamarimasu lets me harden it to a level even beyond the reach of the Susanoo. It was this jutsu combination that allowed our father to go head-to-head with the Fourth Hokage back in their heyday." Wrath revealed.
"I've never seen father's Mangekyo Sharingan ability before." Itachi said now knowing the scope of what he was dealing with. He knew his father was insanely gifted, but not to this extent. It made him revere his father even more knowing that the man held such power and yet rarely even used it.
"Father could have killed you the night of the massacre with this Jutsu. It wouldn't have even been difficult for him, but instead he chose to lay down his sword and die by your hand. He forsook the will of the Uchiha and chose love instead. In the end, he believed in you even when you stopped believing in him." Wrath said sadly.
"No, he believed in Sasuke." Itachi corrected sadly. The night still haunts him, "Even in death, father believed that Sasuke was the future of our clan. Sasuke can correct a history of wrongs done by the Uchiha."
"You see, that's why I hate you. Since when did being a victim of oppression and wanting freedom make someone wrong? Because we lost fights for our independence, we were ostracized for it. Because we chose not to accept that cruel fate of servitude and defeat, we were segregated. And because we chose to fight for our freedom against a corrupt village, we were all murdered for it. I have your memories, Itachi. They have tortured me ever since I could first form a thought. The Uchiha are yet another example of how corrupt the system of the world is and why it needs to be corrected." Wrath said in a dark tone.
"Murdering innocent people isn't the way to achieve that." Itachi said as the grief of Gotham was still felt by him. Wrath sneered at Itachi for that comment, "Coming from the guy who slaughtered his family in the name of that same corrupt system, you have no right to tell me how I should correct it when you're part of the problem I even have with that system." Wrath retorted angrily.
"I know…it's why I know that the path that you are on now is wrong. It's why I have to stop you before any more people die senselessly. Hasn't there been enough death already?" Itachi asked trying to appease to his clone's humanity.
"I don't know. Why don't you ask mother and father that you hypocrite. The only way to change the world is by eradicating all of the cancer that infects it. This world isn't so different from ours. They, too, oppress those who can't fight back. They murder in the name of peace. How backwards is that logic? Society…what a joke. They sure fooled you though. They put shackles on us, forced us into a segregated corner of the village to be spied on, and had the nerve to call it equality and heritage. I will change it all." Wrath declared.
"This isn't the way. There were women and children whose lives that you took. Fathers who will never get to see their children again. Civilians who just watched their best friends die. Avoiding tragedies like this is why I did what I did that night." Itachi said angrily.
"And the tragedy of the Uchiha Massacre is why I did what I did tonight. I fight for the oppressed and the dead. So that their sacrifices won't be meaningless! I will create a world where madmen like the Joker get the true justice they deserve; death. The heroes who let them keep on killing will get that same justice. I will create a world where children won't have to cry out anymore. A world where a little girl can be the hero she was meant to be rather than some shackled up slave whose voice got ignored by heroes like that piece of trash that's bleeding on the floor. A world where people truly live as equals instead of a part of some food chain where the strong devours the weak. A world where a thirteen year old boy won't have to murder his family in the name of some messed up lie. A world where a boy won't have to see his parents gunned down in an alleyway because of the jewelry his mother was wearing. If creating that world means that I have to become the monster that tears down this old one, then I'll do it. There's no road left but the one that leads to the end." Wrath said with conviction.
"I'll stop you. There are people in this world that aren't beyond redemption. Everyone deserves that chance." Itachi replied.
"The Uchiha didn't get their chance, so why should these people!" Wrath said as he charged forward. Itachi met him in the middle and engaged him in a battle of taijutsu. The two combatants exchanged shots, each on fueled by their rage against the other. Itachi had the advantage on speed and power, but Wrath's intense will alone kept him in the fight. Itachi threw a jab, hook, cross, and follow through roundhouse kick combination that caught Wrath off-guard and knocked him to the ground.
Itachi summoned a kunai and went for the killing blow. Just before he reached his clone, Itachi was halted by intense pain felt in his feet along with the inability to move anymore. He looked down to see that spikes had emerged from the ground and pierced both of his feet, pinning him to his current spot. Itachi saw that Wrath was using his Hedoro again to his advantage when he molded the form of the spikes that hooked into Itachi's flesh. Wrath submerged the spikes back into the ground to further immobilize him. He normally would have been able to break free with his own strength, but the flesh like material was too strong and sturdy to break.
"Die!" Wrath yelled as he got up from Itachi's attack. He had formed a javelin out of his Hedoro and threw it full throttle at Itachi. Itachi went to activate his Susanoo, but the javelin pierced right through the skeletal ribcage and stabbed Itachi in his abdomen. Itachi hacked up blood as Wrath smiled at his handiwork.
"I told you that with the ability of my Katamarimasu, I can make Hedoro even harder than the flesh of the Susanoo. You're ultimate defense is useless against me. Look at you…gasping for life like mother was when you cut her back open. But now she will get true justice." Wrath said as he formed another hardened javelin.
"If my defense is so useless…I guess I'll just use yours then!" Itachi said to the surprise of Wrath. Before the clone could react, Itachi burst into a flock of crows and knocked Wrath's javelin out of his hands. Itachi rematerialized, caught the hardened javelin, and plunged it right through Wrath's abdomen. It was Wrath's turn to start coughing up blood.
"You die here." Itachi said as Wrath looked on. Wrath shook his head before chuckling, "You're still so predictable."
Itachi ignored him and went to pull out the javelin so that he could deliver the final blow. When he tried to pull it out though, the javelin stayed in its spot. Itachi then felt the flesh slime crawl onto his arms and harden so he was stuck in that position. He looked up to see that the flesh came from Wrath's own body and figured out exactly what that meant, "You used a clone jutsu."
Wrath emerged from the ground, unharmed and quite pleased with his plan. "You underestimated me. I sprung my trap before you sprung yours. When I took you out of the air before stabbing Batman, I made a clone just in case. Not even the Sharingan can distinguish the unique physiology of my Hedoro since it's a derivative of Wood Style Jutsu. There was no way of you knowing until it was too late."
Wrath then used his hardened Hedoro to apply massive pressure to Itachi's arms to the point where they were close to breaking. Wrath used his dual Jutsu to form his ultimate weapon. It was a hardened scythe that was akin to the Grim Reaper. Wrath marveled at the irony of this situation.
"Meet the counter to your Totsuka Blade; this is my Shinigami Scythe. How ironic. You took the souls of an entire group of people and tonight with this weapon of death, I take them back!" Wrath then went to slash Itachi's head clean off of his shoulders. Itachi reacted fast by turning his head and using his Mangekyo Sharingan's ability; the Amaterasu.
Wrath's arms were covered in black flames as he dropped to the ground in seething agony. The flames were quickly eating at his flesh and spreading throughout his body. Itachi watched as his clone went to drastic measure to preserve his life. The hardened Hedoro that was attached to Itachi softened and retreated, though the damage was done since the dangerous jutsu had broken a good amount of the bones in his arms. The Hedoro then surrounded Wrath and started to form two curved blades that were now hardened thanks to the Katamarimasu. Itachi watched in shock as the blades started to hack away at Wrath's arms.
'He's stopping the fire from spreading by severing off his limbs. His conviction is unnerving,' Itachi thought as blood squirted everywhere from the blades. Itachi would have unleashed another round of black flames if it wasn't for the fact that Hedoro unhardened and hovered over the clone like a shield. Seeing that there was no point since Wrath should be down for the count, Itachi went to check on Batman.
Batman was barely conscious when Itachi made it to him. Itachi had to move fast if he was going to save him from blood loss. The only problem was that because his arms were broken he wouldn't be able to lift Batman up. And even if he were able to, it would leave the both of them defenseless. Itachi didn't have enough chakra to summon his Perfect Susanoo so that meant that he was out of options.
"Woah, you both look like crap." Itachi turned to see Hal Jordan; one of Earth's Green Lanterns. Itachi was confused why the hero was here when he noticed that one of Batman's gauntlets was lit up.
"Batman sent out a distress beacon to all Justice League members in the nearby vicinity. I was the closest so I showed up first. The others should be here soon. I didn't know that the situation was this bad." The Lantern commented.
"He's bleeding out fast. We need to get him medical attention or he'll die." Itachi warned. Jordan saw the damage done to both of the vigilantes. They both looked like they could pass out at any moment, "Crow, who did this?"
"That….would be me." The heroes turned around to see a beaten up Wrath that was standing a few feet away from them. His arms were completely severed which left Wrath looking like a bloody mess. Hal was shocked to see that the Wrath that caused all of this damage to Gotham looked exactly like Itachi.
"Crow, what's going on? Why does this Wrath guy look just like you?" Jordan asked as he stared the clone down.
"It seems that someone got a hold of my DNA and cloned me. He is the product of that. Wrath…is the reason why all of those people are now dead." Itachi said sadly. He saw Wrath with a stoic look on his face, "Are you ready to really start fighting Itachi? These games are starting to bore me."
"You have no arms and it's two against one. You sure this is really what you want?" Jordan said while taunting him.
"It was two against one when they faced me too. Look where that got them." Wrath countered as Jordan growled. Itachi stepped up to respond, "Lantern, I want you to take Batman and go. I'll fight him alone."
"No, I can't let you do that. You're arms…you'd-" Itachi cut him off. He wasn't in the mood for arguing, "The only reason he inflicted this much damage to me was because my attention was split between watching over Batman and fighting Wrath. If you joined in then he'd just go after you so that it'll leave me compromised. This is for the best."
Jordan was about to keep fighting Itachi but Batman put an end to it, "Do….what he says. Wrath…is…still dangerous."
Jordan looked away in frustration as he used his ring to form an orb around himself and Batman. The pair lifted up and prepared to return to the Cave since it was the closest medical facility they had access to. He left Crow one last message before leaving.
"You had better not die, Crow. I may not agree with your decisions in the past, but I can still see that this world needs you in its future to survive. Good luck." He said before flying away.
Itachi turned to see his clone. He watched as steam started discharging as Wrath's arms were regenerating. The flesh material of Wrath's Hedoro was attaching itself to the clone's missing limbs and began repairing him. In a matter of moments, Wrath's arms had completely returned much to Itachi's discontent.
"By changing the chakra form of my Hedoro, I can use it to repair damaged skin tissue and heal any injuries that I may incur in battle. With a little more effort and chakra, I can even rebuild destroyed limbs like my arms. That is what you saw when steam was being emitted from my arms." Wrath revealed. What he wasn't saying, though, was just how much chakra he expends in order to use that function of his Hedoro.
'My chakra is almost gone. That battle with Harm earlier made me use a lot more chakra than I had intended to. And I still don't have complete control over my Hedoro or Katamarimasu. My range of control is still only five meters. Not to mention that it still takes far too much chakra for me to use them. I hate to admit it, but I need more time and training before I'm ready to kill him,' Wrath thought with frustration.
"I know you're low on chakra. My Sharingan just showed a massive drop in your chakra reserves. Looks like that healing ability takes a lot out of you. You can't beat me. Give up and answer for your crimes." Itachi demanded.
"Do you know what difference between you and me is? You lived your entire life devoted to lie, while mine will be spent revealing the truth. Our battle is one of deception versus reality. I haven't lied once since waking up for the first time. Not when I slaughtered the Suicide Squad, not with that filth in the Dollmaker or the corruption of that Cathedral, nor will I with you, Itachi. I will kill you and take everything away from you. Unlike you, my plans don't require me to die for them to succeed. I will change the world. Even if a frontal approach to it fails, there's always more than one way that I can go about doing it." Wrath said as he turned to leave.
Itachi was determined to take him down and summoned his skeletal Susanoo with all of his might and went to grab his clone. He would have succeeded if it weren't for the searing flames that blocked his path.
"Fire Style! Great Fire Destruction!" Itachi had to leave to retreat to the rooftops as the streets below were engulfed by powerful flames. Itachi saw across the fire to see the person responsible for unleashing that jutsu. It was the person known as the Masked Stranger.
"Who are you?" Itachi asked as the assailant joined Wrath on the rooftop across from Itachi's. Itachi eyed the person with the gold and red masked with great caution. The Masked Stranger looked on at the damage done to both of the Uchiha's.
"I see you've both formally met. That's good. As for your question…I'm the reason you're here on this Earth. I'm the great threat that the Sage of Six Paths warned you about." The Stranger responded.
After hearing this, Itachi immediately leapt to engage them. He figured that he could hit them both with Amaterasu and end this madness once and for all. To Itachi's surprise, the Masked Stranger met him head on with blinding speed. Lightning started to gather in the Masked Stranger's hand. It got so powerful that it emitted red, ominous lightning. Even with his Mangekyo Sharingan active, Itachi was powerless to defend against the Stranger's attack. The Stranger drove his hand right into Itachi's abdomen and knocked him so hard into the ground that a crater was formed.
Itachi started coughing up blood from the impact of the attack. At the last second he used his Susanoo's ribcage to cushion his fall. It's the only reason Itachi was still conscious at the moment. The Masked Stranger land on top of the ribcage and leered down at Itachi. Red lightning started to emit in both hands now as the Stranger delivered two thundering blows that demolished the ribcage and Itachi's last line of defense. Itachi was dug even further into the ground by the sheer force of power in the attacks.
The lightning in the Stranger's hands faded away. Itachi saw this and tried to burn his opponent with his Amaterasu. The Stranger reacted quickly by grabbing Itachi by his face while intentionally blocking his field of vision. The Stranger applied pressure and started to squeeze Itachi's skull until the satisfying sound of bones breaking and Itachi's mask cracking was heard.
"I've been around for a long time. You're not the first Uchiha to be able to wield the Amaterasu. It is a powerful jutsu, but all powerful jutsu have flaws. The Amaterasu is a jutsu that is predicated on the user being able to see their target. Block the field of vision of the jutsu caster and the Amaterasu is rendered useless. It's why I just broke the orbital bone of your right eye." The Mask Stranger said as he let go of Itachi's face. Itachi could no longer open his right eye.
Itachi was then lifted by his lapels until he was dangerously face-to-face with the Masked Stranger. Itachi looked between both of his adversaries and realized something important, "You…you created Wrath."
"No, you did. When you slaughtered your clan that night and chose to lie rather than face the truth; you created Wrath. Now this world will burn because of it. What happened to you, Itachi? You used to be so ruthless and unchained, but look at you now. You've been tamed and housebroken like some pet. I was observing your earlier fight with Wrath. You had multiple opportunities to kill him, but instead you chose to save Batman. I wonder how many people will suffer because of that choice. The old Itachi who slaughtered his own clan wouldn't have hesitated to go for the kill. You will never be able to defeat Wrath as long your will to act is weaker than his. I don't know what the old Sage was thinking by sending a pacifist like you to face me, but it's going to get a lot of people killed. In order to save humanity as a whole, you must be willing to sacrifice the humanity within yourself. I can make that sacrifice because I truly wish for the world to be a better place. Wrath wants justice for the oppression implemented on those who can't defend themselves like the victims of the Dollmaker. What do you want? Just to be able to say that you don't have to fight anymore; pathetic. You once were able to make that sacrifice for what you thought was for the greater good of humanity, even if it was just for a lie. I hope for the sake of the people you hold dear that you get that will to act back, or else Wrath will take everything away from you. Instead of fighting for a lie, maybe you should try fighting for the truth. Goodbye for now." The Masked Stranger returned next to Wrath as the pair began to leave.
"I'm…not done…yet," Itachi said as he struggled to get back to his feet. He was on the verge of passing out. The Masked Stranger laughed at Itachi's vain attempt of a comeback, "Stay down. You're God couldn't kill me. He doesn't even have the stomach to try. The coward sent you…to fix a problem that he created. Kinda of reminds me of you when you left the fate of Sasuke to Naruto Uzumaki, despite the fact that you were the reason Sasuke wound up being so lost in darkness. It's no wonder the world is so messed up when its creator is so spineless. You all serve him like he is this good and all powerful being, but if that were true then you wouldn't have needed to murder your clan like to preserve peace. Yet again, you find yourself fighting for a lie. One of my collaborators put it best with this; if God is all-powerful, then he cannot be all-good. And if God is all-good, then he cannot be all-powerful. Itachi, the Sage of Six Paths is just as evil as Danzo."
"You're…wrong. The only evil…is you. I…can stop…you. I…will protect…everyone." Itachi mustered out with all of his strength. Wrath shook his head at his template, "There you go again; lying. It's all you know how to do. Lying to other people and lying to yourself. Over 2,000 people died tonight…all under your nose. Why didn't you protect them? Or the Uchiha Clan on that fateful night; why didn't you protect them? You couldn't even save our brother; you had to let some outsider solve a problem that you created. Name one person that you've ever truly protected. Death follows everything that you touch."
"Let's go. The Justice League will be here any moment now. We have more important matters to attend to." The Stranger informed of Wrath.
"Argus. While you sit there and pass out Itachi, I'm going to go kill some more of the people who poison this world. The only reason we are letting you live is because there is still so much for us to take from you. When you wake up, don't look for me. You'll just be wasting your time. I'll come find you when I'm good and ready. When I do, the whole world will see you for the fraud that you are. Until that day, I swear to you that I won't kill another soul after tonight. You don't have to worry about your bad habit of lying being passed to me. Unlike you, I'm a man of my word. I will be the one to change humanity and create a world of true justice. See you later, Itachi." Wrath said as he and his partner disappeared.
The adrenaline in Itachi began to fade along with his consciousness. He could hear voices speaking, but couldn't make out what they were saying. The darkness completely overtook him as the voices got more and more distant.
James, Amanda Waller, and the rest of the Argus facility were in a state of panic. They were currently under attack by Wrath and on the verge of all being slaughtered. When they first heard that it was Wrath that was behind the destruction of the Gotham Cathedral, Amanda immediately ordered that the clone be exterminated. That's when they realized just the depth of how ruthless Wrath was. When the bomb implanted in Wrath went off they expected for it kill the clone, but instead what happened was part of GCPD Headquarters being destroyed.
"Director, we need to get you out of here. It won't be long before Wrath breaches our lockout protocol. When he does, he's gonna kill everyone in sight. You can't be one of those people." James said as he led her to an escape shuttle underground.
"You're coming with. That's an order! You're too good of a soldier to lose to this monster." Waller said as an explosion was heard in the facility.
"Target has breached! I repeat, target has breached! Alpha Team is engaging the target!" The soldier said over the radio.
"No, get out of there! He'll kill all of you. That's an order!" Waller responded. The soldier refused, "We can't do that, Ma'am. Teams Bravo and Charlie are heading to the shuttle corridor to provide backup and make a last stand while you and the others get away. We're going to hold him off as long we can. It was an honor serving under you."
The soldier stopped talking after that. Waller and James only heard gunfire from that point onwards. The Alpha Team was giving all they had into killing Wrath. The room fell silent after the last round was fired. Waller closed her eyes with the dread of what was going to befall her soldiers.
"Approaching target to confirm kill." The captain of the squad said as he inched closer. A disturbing sound was heard next. Waller knew what that sound was. It was the sound of flesh being torn apart like paper. Another sound was heard after that; the sound of the entire Alpha Team screaming in fear and pain.
And after the two sounds of torn flesh and screaming was over, only silence remained. Waller cursed under her breath for having created this monster. James rushed her and anyone who could fit on the escape shuttle and closed the doors. Waller looked at him indignantly as she saw him enter the escape commands.
"Don't do this! What about your sister?! You won't be able to take care of her if that monster kills her!" Waller argued as the shuttle hatches began to open and the engines of the shuttle started to turn on.
"I helped create this monster. I thought he was only going to fight the bad guys, but for some reason he thinks we're all the bad guys. I should have known that only evil could be produced by a man like Itachi. I have to atone for the lives I got killed by sacrificing myself. You need to help stop him. It was an honor…" The shuttle blasted away as James stayed behind to mount one last stand. It was just him and the Bravo and Charlie teams left.
'I'm sorry, sis.' He thought as everyone left in the room aimed their guns at the entrance in front of them. The lights went dark in the room and silence befell them as they waited. Everyone shook in fear as the door creaked open and footsteps were heard. Then the light of red, Sharingan eyes was revealed. And with that light, they all saw that he held a scythe in his hands.
"Death has come for you." Everyone started firing at the Uchiha clone. Wrath used his scythe to both deflect the bullets and attack the soldiers. As he got closer to the soldiers he began hacking them down one by one. Whether it was cutting their chest open, decapitating them, severing limbs, or as he did with the teams' captains; bisecting them from the crown of their heads down. The floor was littered with limbs, organs, and blood. Before he knew it, only James was left with the clone as he had just finished killing the last soldier.
James shook as the clone turn his attention towards him and began approaching them. His gun was out of bullets and he was out of options. When Wrath was a few inched away from him, James could see the deranged, bloodthirsty look in his eyes.
"Stop your shaking. I'm not going to kill you. You're one of the good ones." Wrath said as he deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan and his Shinigami Scythe. James saw that the deranged look of Wrath was now a look of sadness, "If I killed you, someone close to me would be crushed. Plus, you want to change the world like I do. I'm going to need your help."
James couldn't believe what he was hearing. Wrath was actually sparing his life, "Why would I help a psychopath like you?! You murdered all of those innocent people who didn't do anything wrong! Scum like the Suicide Squad and Dollmaker I can understand, but why did those people at the Cathedral have to die?! I had friends there when you blew it to hell!"
"They had to die. The people in that church allowed a monster like Dollmaker to kidnap innocent children and do unspeakable things to them. They all knew about it and did nothing to help those kids. Compared to the lives that those children have lived, the victims of that church was shown a great mercy. They all died in an instant. Those victims of Dollmaker have to live with what happened to them for the rest of their lives. Do you know what happens to a picture when you change even a small part of it? The entire frame gets ruined. There's no benefit in only changing the parts of the world that we don't like. We have to change everything, or else nothing concrete will come of it. I will change it so that no children or oppressed group of people will ever have to live that way ever again." Wrath said in response to James.
"But there were children in that church. Children who had nothing to do with the rest of that collusion. What about them? Did you even care about them? Do you even care that you took away their chances at life?!" James asked with tears in his eyes.
"Sarah, Tristan, Laura, Michael, Jasmine, Amy, Samuel, Shawn, Jennifer, Jessica, Amanda, Adam, Blake, Jacob, Christian, Victoria, Oscar, Bobby, Sandra, Robert, Cashmere, Rick, Glenn, Isaac…" James listened as Wrath sadly kept listing off names. At first it was confusing him, until he started to realize who these people were.
"The children…you know their names?" James asked hesitantly. Wrath stopped and nodded, "I know all of their names. I do care…they shouldn't have needed to die. It pained me to do it, but killing those children made the world a better place because the corrupt cancer they mingled with burned with them."
"What type of world is worth living in where children have to die in order to make it better for everyone else," James asked now that all of the fight had left him.
"The one we live in. The fact that this city is built on a graveyard of forgotten souls is proof of that. It's why I have to change it…so it won't be like this anymore. Please, help me." Wrath said solemnly.
"I have enough dead people on my conscious. What can I do that you can't do yourself?" James asked.
"You can get me to the Crow. Once Itachi dies, we can truly begin to change the world. We can make it a world that Carson can finally be happy in." Wrath said as the last sentence drew James's attention.
"You know…my sister?" He asked fearfully. Wrath nodded his head, "I do. I'm Itachi's clone. I have all of his memories. He truly cares about her and that's how we're going to defeat him."
"You want to use my sister as bait?" James asked as anger started to rise up within him.
"No, bait suggests that she will be in harm's way. Itachi would never harm her. I just want her to bring him to me when the time is right." Wrath said.
"She…she'd never betray him like that. She's…in love with him." James said scornfully. Wrath had already accounted for this, "That's why I need you. She loves you too. She will listen to you. Just think about it."
Wrath stepped aside and signaled for James that he was free to go, "Why don't you think about it? Go see the world for a few days and watch the ripple effect of my actions. You'll see that I was right."
"Why are you letting me go? I could turn you into the Justice League." James said while trying to figure Wrath's angle. Wrath smiled at him, "Because I know that you'll see what I see. Go on, go to your sister and tell her how glad you are to see her. I'll be waiting here for your return."
James cautiously walked past the clone until he was out of the door and then sprinted. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the dead bodies of people that he worked with and call friends. Unfortunately for James, the stench of blood and the weight of the guilt he felt made blocking out the tragedy tonight impossible.
"Are you sure about letting him roam free? He could tell the Justice League and ruin all of our plans." Wrath turned to see the Masked Stranger now in the room.
"He won't do that. He despises them as much as we do. Besides, it's the only way to get Carson on our side. She will determine whether I kill Itachi, or get killed by him. James will help us because he, too, wishes to change the world. I don't want to kill everyone, just those who are responsible for the shackles that hinder this world. I'm going to need people like James to help me usher in the new world. What happened to the Uchiha will never happen again." Wrath saw that his partner was now using the wall for support and went to help.
"No, it's okay. Using those jutsu on Itachi took a lot out of me. I don't have much time left to keep going on like this. I won't be able to help you if you get yourself in a jam again like tonight." The Stranger said between heavy breaths.
"You shouldn't have done that. It was careless," Wrath said while scolding his partner. The Stranger laughed, "I needed to push Itachi over the edge. He has to become that ruthless killer again. It took Sasuke being in danger to bring that out last time, but your brother isn't here. But Carson is. Using her, we're going to drive him into so deep of a corner until his only way out is through us. That's how you'll get your chance to kill him."
"When that time comes, I'll be ready." Wrath replied.
"Not yet, Itachi is still stronger than you. You need to get better at controlling you're Hedoro and Katamarimasu. When you do, nobody on will ever be able to defeat you. Itachi will fall." The Stranger said confidently.
"I get my rematch in one month. That's when I let the world know that Wrath is here. You have until then to train me so that I can be ready for it." Wrath informed.
The Masked Stranger stood up straight and showed the conviction that Wrath had become accustomed to, "Well then...let's get started."
"He's waking up!" Itachi heard words but still couldn't make them out. There was a bright light that invaded his vision when he tried to open his eyes, or eye. Itachi still couldn't see out of his right eye since it was bandaged. Itachi felt more and more people enter the room as he struggled to lean forward.
"Stop! You might reopen your stitches. Just lay down." Itachi ignored the voice and kept trying to get up until a firm hand kept him down, "It's okay, Itachi. You're with friends."
Itachi finally got his bearing and saw that he was in the medical bay of the Cave. Every member of the Team plus Superman, Black Canary, Green Lantern, and Captain Marvel were in the room with him. It all started to come back to him.
'I was in a fight with my clone, Wrath. Batman got hurt. I was about to finish off Wrath when someone else showed up claiming to be the one that the great Sage sent me to defeat. They defeated me and nearly killed me. But why did they let me live?' Itachi thought.
Artemis rushed in and gave him as much of a hug that she could without hurting him. When Superman and the others brought him back in the shape that he was in, they all had assumed that Itachi was dead. It took forever to get M'gann to stop crying and stop Conner from rushing out to do something stupid. Artemis was ticked off when she found out how Itachi got this injured.
"You bastard! Why would you do something so stupid?! You could have…you could have been killed. We thought you were dead. I hate you for making me worry and cry like this." Artemis said as she kept hugging her friend.
"I'm…sorry. I just wanted to end all of this." Itachi said to ease his friends.
"Both of your arms were broken, massive puncture wounds in both of your feet, your right orbital bone was crushed, definite signs of a concussion, internal bleeding, and a deep laceration of your abdomen. Not to mention Batman's injuries, which thank heavens we managed to heal as well. You could have died…you should have died." Black Canary lamented.
"I was fighting Wrath. He's…a clone of me, only more ruthless. His ideology of what the world is and what he feels needs to be done makes him too dangerous. I was about to finish him when his partner showed up. That same person is why the Sage of Six Paths sent me here. And now I can see why, his power was incredible." Itachi said.
"A clone of you? How is that possible?" Aqualad questioned. Itachi explained that someone had stolen some of his DNA and made Wrath from it. Artemis and Zatanna explained what happened to them earlier that night when they met up against Wrath. Itachi hated that they had to go through that, "I'm glad he didn't hurt you."
"I knew I shouldn't have left. They were probably counting on it. And they ganged up on you right afterwards. You almost died because of my stupidity. Some hero I am," Jordan said while blaming himself.
"No, because of you Batman is still alive. It would have been worse had you stayed and Batman and you went up against them. At least now I know what I'm up against. How long before my injuries heal?" Itachi asked. He wanted to find and defeat Wrath and his partner before anyone else suffered.
"A few days. Lucky for you we have members on the roster whose powers specialize in healing. It's why you're even able to speak to us now. What concerns me is that you said I instead of we." Canary said while scolding the Uchiha.
"There can't be a we. I'm going to take on Wrath, alone. I'm the one Wrath is angry at. He's going to take it out on the entire world. It has to just be me. That way nobody else has to get hurt." Itachi revealed. Everyone had a problem with that.
"You're an idiot if you think we're just gonna let you face that monster again by yourself. We should have never have let the League kick you out. You almost died because of it. We're going to beat him together as a team like how it should have been from the very beginning. No more solo work." Artemis said with a look of conviction in her eyes.
"But-" This time it was Robin that spoke up, "No buts. That lunatic blew two holes in my city and almost killed my friend. This is personal. I'm not sitting on the sidelines for this. None of us are."
"He's right. The only way we do this is together. I couldn't take watching you hurt like that. If I were there I know I could have made a difference. We all feel like we could have. You're stuck with us." Conner said with the same look of determination as Artemis.
"I don't deserve to have you all as friends…" Itachi says as he lay back down finally. M'gann bent down and gave him a kiss on his cheek, "We don't wanna see you suffer anymore, Itachi. Friends don't let other friends get themselves killed. The burden won't be as heavy if we're all there to help you carry it. Please, let us help you."
"Come on, let's let him rest. We can talk more when his injuries are fully healed. If you need anything, we'll be right outside. They're right, Itachi. This is bigger than any one person. The only way we get through this is together. No more solo work." Superman declared before walking out with the others. Artemis reluctantly let go of her friend and left with the other, leaving Itachi alone with his thoughts.
'The words Wrath and his partner spoke hurt more than anything else. Wrath…he truly believes that what he's doing is right. And what did his partner mean when he accused the Great Sage of being evil? Maybe Wrath really is my reckoning for what I did to my clan. It's like all of the anger and rage that I felt towards myself and kept bottled up for all of these years has manifested itself in the form of Wrath. His will to act is dangerously powerful. If he truly fights to avenge what happened to the Uchiha Clan, then I have to stop him before he hurts anyone else…I have to live with these deaths for the rest of my life. How many people are going to die because of me?' Itachi thought sadly as he closed his eyes in an attempt to go to sleep. Unfortunately for him, the vengeful look of Wrath's eyes would haunt Itachi for the entirety of the night.
That's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy reading it! I'm sure I'm gonna hear about it because of how beat up Itachi wound up, but remember he was fighting against two-on-one and had to watch Batman's back. And he still beat Wrath. Though Itachi may be stronger than Wrath, but the Masked Stranger is a different animal. Moves and countermoves are being implanted and I can't wait to write what happens next. Thanks to everyone who read and provided good feedback on the last chapter. I really appreciate it. It was much better received which made me happy. Let me know what you all think of this chapter in the reviews and PMs. Until next time guys and gals!