May I Live Once in Peace

by Two Halfs One Whole

"You don't have to forgive me, but no matter what you decide to do from now on...know that I will always love you."- Itachi Uchiha Though he lived a strenuous life he was able to tell his younger brother Sasuke how he truly felt. But now he has been brought back once more and placed in a new world with more problems than he ever thought possible. Adopted from Anime hotty lover.18

38. The Day Of Golden Light

Anime hotty lover.18 – You know what they say, "Great minds think alike." I mostly wanted to bring some realism to Carson. With how rough her background was, it seemed more realistic to have her be with someone at least once in the past.

Brave2000 – I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. And with the other Rinnegan abilities, I got you this chapter.

1968 – Ehhhh, just read on and be surprised.

Guest – I'm glad you like it so far.

Keybladelight – Want to and will are two different things. As for the Masked Stranger, you'll get your answers, and probably more questions, once you read this chapter.

Drew86419 – I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the beginning parts. Not my best work if I'm being honest but if you stay with the story, I promise you that I and the story get better.

Xenoblubber – Yeah, not my best work but I was just getting a feel for writing back then. I'm much better now. I hope you will give it another chance but I will respect if you decide to stop reading.

Andresskorskiruiz – A sequel or another story? For the sequel, it just depends if enough readers really want one. For another story in general, yes. I want to write something that involves Reiner Braun, Ken Kaneki, or Zuko since those are three of my favorite characters of any platform.

Heavenlyenigma – That may be true, but that's not our 22 million. ANYBODY would be upset if they had 22 million of their dollars burned. But, I'll probably wind up increasing the number once I finish the story and revise the earlier chapters for future readers' enjoyment.

Gabe – Oh yeah.

Dragonslayerajahn – You mean in his apartment? That wouldn't work because the only reason Roy felt so much about the accusation was because it was coming from Kaldur, his friend not some teenage heroes he had just met.

Guest – I respect your opinion, but I prefer a weak character but strong story/plot over an overpowered character but weak story/plot any day of the week. Ask WB/DC about how hard it is to make a good film about Superman that everyone loves. I LOVE MOS to my grave but for some reason most people didn't. A strong story always beats an OP character. The film Logan is always my go-to example of that. But hey, that's your opinion and I won't try to change it. We can disagree but still be peaceful about it. That's why I love being a reader.

---

The plan was plain and simple; keep Carson and Ms. Yumi alive. Itachi decided that the only way to do that was to get them out of Gotham City. The Day of Golden Light was supposed to happen sometime today and Itachi didn't want to take any chances. He had Carson and Ms. Yumi gathered at Carla's house along with James. He was currently going over the plan with them.

"We will exit the city using Westward Bridge. It is still abandoned so we won't have to worry about stealth once we get there, though we will have to travel on foot thanks to all of the abandoned cars still located on the bridge." Itachi explained.

"I still can't believe the city hasn't cleared that bridge after all of this time." Carla commented.

"They've been pretty busy with all of the city wide destruction that keeps happening. Gotham may be bad, but we can cut them a break on this one." James said in defense of the city.

"He's right. I believe that is why Itachi wished to remove us from the city." Ms. Yumi added.

"It's true and it's also why discretion is important. If my theory is correct, then I've been compromised. All of my comrades that were under suspicion of being a mole on The Team revealed that they had all been compromised by members of The Light. I believe I have been compromised as well. I think someone from The Light has been spying on me as well." Itachi revealed.

"Who could follow you and you not realize it until now?" Ms. Yumi asked with concern.

"Someone who is also from our world and is a shinobi like me; The Masked Stranger. She's the only one who is capable of it. I don't know why she hasn't made her presence known like the others, but I have to assume it's for a very important reason. Ever since E-Day, there has been no citing of her. We have to be careful if we are to make it out of the city in one piece. I figure that leaving Gotham is our best chance just in case she tries anything. It will reduce the risk of another major battle devastating the city." Itachi explained.

"What if she does attack us? You can't fight her and protect us." Ms. Yumi asked.

"That's where James comes in. He and his partner are tasked with getting you all to safety if the Stranger makes her move on us. She will think that she has the advantage but in reality she will fall for my trap. And with us being out of the city, I wouldn't have to hold back and I'll finally end this. That is how we stop The Day of Golden Light." Itachi said as he finished explaining the plan.

"So basically, your plan is to use yourself as bait. And then when the fish bites after thinking you're vulnerable, you'll spring your trap and defeat her. That's a sound plan, but what will you do if it fails? What is the Stranger never shows? And where are we even going after we leave Gotham?" Carson asked.

"To make sure that you and Ms. Yumi survive. The goal, above all else, is to get you to safety. That is why I gave James my code to get into the Cave should I fail to prevent The Day of Golden Light. You will tell my friends and the League about what happened and hopefully they will succeed where I failed. The Stranger will show. She needs me to initiate the next step of her plans. Once we leave Gotham, we'll head to a hideout I had made for just in case I was ever compromised. No one else knows about this." Itachi answered.

"Why do you have a secret hideout that no one knows about? Were you planning on ghosting on us?" Carson asked with hurt in her voice.

"Yes, it was only for just in case I posed too much of a threat to be around anyone close to me. In hindsight, I should have gone there when Wrath first made his intentions known but I was too arrogant. It cost me dearly and I won't make the same mistake with Wrath's teacher." Itachi explained.

"I see. So…who is James' mystery partner?" Carson asked while trying to switch the subject. Carla gave her friend a downdraught look before answering her, "Carson, I know that you may not like this, but Itachi said it was the best way for us to stay safe. We need someone who knows all of the back routes of Gotham and has a way to use them in plain sight without suspicion."

"Who is he?" Carson asked. Carla went to the front door and opened it. Carson gasped when she saw that the person behind the door was none other than Carla's husband, Phillip. The ex-corrupt cop took a step in with a look of guilt on his face, "Hey Carson, how have you been…"

"No, what is he doing here?! He's the reason why James and I almost died! You should be in jail. How are you even here?" Carson asked with anger.

"The city decided to have mercy on me when they found out that Black Mask was using my wife against me and let me out early. I was demoted to traffic duty and have had to do thorough check in's with IA since being let go. I'm clean now. Carla has visited me on a regular basis for a while now to. She knows how sorry I am and how much I want to atone for what I have done." Phil explained.

James went up to his sister and put a hand on her shoulder before speaking, "Carson, this is bigger than just us. If we don't succeed, something terrible could happen to our world. If working with Phil means possibly saving the world, don't you think it is worth it?"

"I swear I won't let you down. I will protect and serve like how I should have done from the very beginning." Phil swore.

"Okay, fine. But this changes nothing between us. You got an innocent child and my mom killed and I'll never forget that." Carson bitterly said.

"Neither will I." He responded. Itachi walked up to Phil and gave a nod of approval, "Thank you for coming. You didn't have to do this, but you did anyway. No one will think twice about where you go with you being a cop. It's the perfect cover for us. All I ask is that you get us to Westward Bridge quietly and safely."

"You protected my wife from Black Mask and every other creep who threatens this city. You showed me mercy when you would have been justified in putting me down for good. I won't let you down, Crow." Phil said with determination.

"I know you won't. You want to protect Carla just as much as I want to protect Carson and Ms. Yumi." Itachi responded as he got ready to go. Phil, James, and Carla all went outside to get in Phil's car. Carson gave Itachi one last kiss before heading outside too. She hoped that this nightmare would finally be over after this. Itachi put his mask on in preparation for the trip. While they would be travelling by car, Itachi would take to the rooftops the watch the surrounding areas to make sure The Masked Stranger wasn't following them.

Ayumi walked over to her ward one last time with a sad look in her face, "Itachi, please just run away. Forget about an old woman like me. I'll only wind up causing you pain."

Itachi took his mask back off and gave her a serious look, "Don't ask me to do that. I won't abandon you. I've already lost one mother. I refuse to lose a second one."

"But I beg you. Itachi, this Masked Stranger will hurt you. She will hurt you through Carson and me. I can't stand to see that. If you leave this city, she won't be able to get to you. You will be safe and that's all that matters." Ayumi pleaded.

"We have a plan and I have the Rinnegan. I will protect you." Itachi promised.

"The last time you and the Masked Stranger crossed paths, she left your body broken. I'm scared that she will take it a step farther next time. Itachi, I'm scared that if you go through with this plan, it will end in tears for the both of us. I don't want to see you cry." Ayumi said as tears began to flow.

"Why would I cry? I haven't shed a tear since I lost my family on the night of the massacre. Are you afraid that she'll kill me?" Itachi asked.

"No, I'm scared that she will break your heart." Ayumi answered. Itachi was confused by her answer, "How would she do that? That Stranger means nothing to me, but you are everything. One day, I want you to be able to see your son again. I'm fighting for that day to come."

"Thank you, Itachi, but please…I beg you to reconsider that. From all of these years of waiting and watching, I think that this Stranger from our world is more important to you than you know. I don't know how this day will turn out, but I do know this; no matter what happens in the end, please know that I love you and being able to spend time with you has made me the happiest I have been in a very long time. I hope you remember that in the end." Ayumi said as she started to walk outside.

"Why does it feel like you're saying goodbye to me?" Itachi asked with concern.

"Just preparing for the worst. We both know how beautiful a lie can be and just how ugly the truth really is. My son died without me being there for him and I never got the chance to tell him how much I loved him in the end. I won't make that mistake this time. Please, keep watching over me, Itachi. I will always love you." She said before leaving out of the door.

"I love you too." Itachi responded as he put his mask back on. He was about to head out, but got a message from his teammates. The timing couldn't be worse what with Itachi about to begin a secret mission of his own. Fortunately, Itachi knew that this could happen and had a contingency plan in place for it, 'I won't fail again. I will save them.'

---

Roy was currently in the train tunnels of Washington D.C. while trying to escape his suitors. The people following him were members of the Justice League that had fallen under Vandal Savage's control thanks to Roy implanting the nanobots into their heads. The Flash, Aquaman, and Green Arrow were all chasing after him. It didn't take long for them to catch up to the young hero. Just when they were about to recapture him though, a train sped through and blocked the Leaguers' line of sight. It was just enough of a distraction for Roy to use the sewers to make his escape.

Back in Mount Justice, The Team happily welcomed Itachi as he Zeta-Beamed over in response to the message. They wanted everyone present to both praise just how strong The Team has gotten and discuss a pressing matter. They wanted to figure out just how the enemy was still getting intel on them.

"We have reason to feel proud of yesterday's victories. But one thing has not changed…" Aqualad started.

"Somehow the bad guys are still getting inside intel about us." Robin finished.

"Yeah, but at least we know none of us are the mole." Wally responded. Artemis and M'gann noticed how distant Itachi was being. It wasn't his usual way of distance either. They got the feeling like Itachi's mind was somewhere else at the moment. They slowed down to talk to him.

"Hey, are you okay? You're acting quieter than usual." M'gann whispered to her friend. When Itachi didn't respond to M'gann's question, Artemis spoke up next, "Is there something going on? You know you can tell us, right? We're a team and we're family."

"Focus on why we're here." Itachi coldly responded. They both knew that something was immediately wrong after that. They know Itachi to be dismissive, but he hasn't acted cold towards them since Wrath was threatening to destroy everything Itachi cared about. Artemis refused to let this go.

"If something is wrong or someone is in danger you need to tell us so we can help you." She indignantly whispered.

"The only thing I'm focused on is the mole. You should too." Itachi responded as he wanted this miniature intervention to end.

"We only want to help you. You've done so much for us when we all have problems. Why aren't we allowed to help you too?" M'gann sadly asked.

"Because I don't want your help, now leave me alone." Itachi said as he walked up towards the others in the conference room where Batman and Red Tornado were waiting for them. Artemis and M'gann had shocked looks on their faces. Artemis's quickly went to anger and frustration where as M'gann's quickly turned into confusion and sadness. M'gann was about to take matters into her own hands and read Itachi's mind but her boyfriend stopped her.

With Conner's super-hearing, he was able to hear the conversation even though they were whispering at a distance. He, too, was shocked by how cold Itachi was treating them and wanted to say something to him about but in the end, he decided to let it go for now.

"We don't have the right to invade his personal thoughts if he doesn't feel like letting us in. Now's not the time for that. But when we figure this mole thing out and put a stop to it, all of us will be having a conversation with Itachi. He's hiding something and I want to know what it is." Conner whispered.

"You don't think he's the mole, don't you?" Artemis asked accusingly. Conner quickly shot her down, "Of course not. But that doesn't mean he's not hiding something. I won't let him go through whatever he's going through alone. Are you with me?"

"Yes." Both girls answered in unison. The Team made it to the conference room as Batman addressed them, "That's correct. None of you were the mole. The mole was Red Arrow."

"Roy?" Robin asked.

"No way!" Wally shouted.

"Batman that cannot be. He was Green Arrow's protégé. We have all known him for years." Kaldur responded.

"Why don't you all ask Itachi? He also knows the truth, don't you?" Batman knowingly asked.

They all turned towards Itachi with a look of disbelief. Wally walked up to the vigilante, "Please, Itachi, please don't tell me that this is true. Is Roy the mole?"

"Yes, he is." Itachi answered. Robin got frustrated from hearing that, "You knew he was the mole and didn't tell anybody? How long? How long have you sat on this while just keeping all of us in the dark?!"

"Since New Orleans," Itachi answered as the others gasped. Kaldur couldn't believe what he was hearing from his friend, "Why would you keep that a secret from us for all this time? Did you not trust us?"

"…no." Itachi coldly answered. They all couldn't believe what they were hearing from him, "You wouldn't have believed me even if I did tell you. Not without proof at least. Me, some outsider from another Earth versus Roy, someone that most of you have either known or known of for all your lives. I was realistic in what accusing him could do to The Team's chemistry and held off on the information until I got definitive proof. After I put Riddle in my genjutsu yesterday and read his mind, I got all the proof I needed."

"Then why didn't you tell us yesterday about Roy?" Zatanna asked.

"Because he didn't trust us with the truth, that's why! Even though he's on this Team, he's never truly acted like one of us. This is our friend you're talking about and for you to hide something like this from us and act like it's no big deal is so messed up! Some friend you are! But what can I expect from a guy who lied to his own family. If he can do that to them, there's no telling how low he can get with us." Wally said as everyone stood shocked by his cold words.

"That was uncalled for! Take that back!" Artemis shouted. Itachi had no physical response to his friend's cold words towards him. He only sighed.

"Even if I had told you all that your friend is a mole, would it have changed anything? You would've still tried to reach out to him to try and figure out why he did it. I know how loyal you all are towards your friends. It's all right. You can be mad at me if you want to. You can even hate me if it makes you feel better. But right now, the only thing that matters to me is the mission." Itachi responded calmly. He took no offense to Wally's words at all.

Red Tornado decided to interject between The Team's squabble, "Unfortunately, the Roy Harper we have known for the last three years is another Project Cadmus clone."

"We've learned the real Speedy was abducted and replaced immediately after becoming Green Arrow's sidekick. The clone was pre-programmed with a drive to join the Justice League. Which is why he was so angry over any delays to his admission and why he refused to join The Team. This Roy Harper had no idea he was a clone or a traitor. His subconscious programming drove him to become League worthy. So he struck out on his own as Red Arrow. It was also why he had an immediate disliking towards Itachi. He felt that Itachi was a threat to that ultimate goal of joining the League. When he was finally admitted, his secondary programming kicked in ad he attempted to betray the League to Vandal Savage. Fortunately, I had already deduced Red Arrow was a clone. We were prepared." Batman explained.

"I take it you knew about this too?" Wally bitterly asked towards Itachi. The shinobi's answer shocked him, "No, I didn't know that he was a clone."

"Savage has been subdued, but Red Arrow escaped. He is now a fugitive, armed, and dangerous." Red Tornado informed them.

"If you guys hadn't rescued me from Cadmus…" Conner said as he wondered if this could have also been his fate.

"Wait, what happened to the real Roy?" Robin asked.

"We don't know. He isn't at Cadmus. We have to face the possibility that the real Roy Harper is dead." Batman stated. Wally, Robin, and Kaldur especially were saddened by that bit of news. They truly wished that they could have saved their friend.

"The clone Roy, The Team will find him." Kaldur declared. Batman quickly shot that idea down though, "Negative. Red Arrow is a member of the Justice League now. Leave him to us. I'm needed on the Watchtower. Tornado, stay with the kids."

Itachi caught how he ended his sentence and immediately thought something was wrong. While everyone was distracted, Itachi disappeared into the shadows and waited for his moment.

Batman then Zeta-Beamed back to the Watchtower as The Team contemplated what to do next. Kaldur turned towards The Team and mentally addressed them, "Clone or no clone, Red Arrow was one of us. We will go after him. Where is Itachi?"

They all looked and finally noticed that Itachi had vanished on them. Wally groaned and made a comment about this not shocking him at all since Itachi is notorious for ditching them. Before any of them knew what happened, Red Tornado was powered down out of nowhere.

"Tornado!" M'gann mentally said with concern.

"What happened to him?" Conner asked. They all noticed Itachi emerge from behind Tornado with a bunch of wires in his hand, "That was my doing."

"Why did you do that to him?!" Wally questioned. Robin used his scanned to see that he was totally powered down and that all of his functions were offline. Even Zatanna began to feel that something was off when she felt low-level magic at play. They wanted answers from Itachi.

"You didn't feel that something was off with Batman. He knew that Roy was a clone, but still let him join the same League he was programmed to betray. Something didn't add up. The best liars are the ones who know how to mix the truth in with their lies. And the real smoking gun was Batman's last words to us. He called us kids." Itachi explained.

"I…I was getting the same mystic buzz off Batman that I am off of Red Tornado." Zatanna admitted.

"Batman did call us kids. He never does that." Robin realized. Itachi went up to Tornado and took something that the robot was holding in its hand, "He meant to use this against us."

"One of those biotech chips we confiscated off Cheshire." Wally noted.

"Something is not right. Robin, Kid, Zatanna, and Rocket; see if you can get Tornado back online. The rest are with me to find Roy…I mean Red Arrow." Aqualad instructed as The Team went into action.

---

Aqualad's group left The Cave to begin the pursuit of their former comrade. Robin and his group stayed back to figure out just what the heck was even going on. Robin began scanning to figure out the problem, "The problem is hardware, not software. Itachi seemed to have shut down his entire body, but made sure to leave his brain intact."

"He may be a jerk at times, but he is efficient." Wally noted.

"You know you have to apologize to him, right? What you said was wrong on so many levels and considering how you reacted when he had proof, imaging how bad it would have been if he had revealed this without proof. Itachi was in the right." Rocket commented.

"I know, I know. I just hate how stupid he must think we are. He's always ahead of us. I'd like, just for once, for us to be ahead of him on something. He's so distant towards us at times that it feels like he doesn't want to be here with us. He doesn't really need us. He can do so much on his own and not even have to involve us. Just look how he figured something was wrong with Batman and Red Tornado based off of one sentence. Don't tell him I said this, but I don't want him to leave The Team. He's my friend." Wally admitted.

"Then maybe try not to take your insecurities out on him. Itachi didn't hide it from us to be snobby or malicious. Itachi only wanted to spare your feelings. The mission isn't all that matters to him. We all matter to him too. Itachi, at his very core, is a kind person. What kind person wants to break the news to his friends that someone they have known for years has been betraying them behind their back? Could you have easily broken that bit of news?" Zatanna questioned.

"No, when you put it like that, I don't think I could have," Wally admitted. Robin put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Itachi is on our side, man. He's been there for us plenty of times and we have been there for him too. Sometimes, we just have to remind ourselves that Itachi has been doing this a lot longer than we have and he has more experience than we do. Itachi would never do anything that would intentionally hurt us."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll apologize to him when all this is over. I owe it to him as both a teammate and a friend." Wally swore.

"Good, now we have to figure out how to fix Tornado." Robin said as they got back to the task at hand.

"I think I have an idea on how to do that." Zatanna said as she pointed towards Tornado's personal chamber. They went to the room and found his human body lying on the table and figured what Zatanna had in mind. Wally started to process of downloading Tornado's consciousness over to his human body.

As the download was going on, Black Canary transported over to The Cave. She walked over to the group as she addressed them, "Hey guys, I wanted to check in and see how you're handling the-, what are you doing to Red?!"

"It's not how it looks." Wally said trying to defend the group. Canary saw exactly how it looks, "It looks like you're downloading his consciousness into a new body."

"Okay, it's pretty much exactly how it looks. But…" Tornado rose up in his new body once the download was completed and immediately warned them of the imminent danger, "Team, get out of The Cave now!"

Canary used her Canary Cry to attack the young heroes unexpectedly. The attack tore apart Tornado's new body and blew Rocket and Zatanna backwards. Robin hid under the table to avoid most of the attack and went to counter Canary. He leapt at her but she caught him by the arm and threw him to the ground. She then swung him around before throwing him several feet away from her. Canary was about to use another sonic blast, but noticed that Robin had planted a bomb on her. The bomb went off and surrounded the Leaguer with sleep gas to incapacitate her. Before she could try to leap away, Rocket formed a force field around the hero and trapped her with the gas. Canary eventually would succumb to the gas and fall unconscious.

"Black Canary attacked us?" Zatanna asked not believing what just happened. Tornado forced himself up after he recovered from Canary's attack, "Black Canary is the least of our problems. We must abandon The Cave!"

The group quickly found Wolf and had Sphere transform into its vehicle mode to get away just as Icon, Doctor Fate, and Captain Marvel all teleported into the Cave to presumably attack the heroes like how Canary did. They made it out of The Cave safely before any conflict arrived.

They were flying in the air as Tornado laid out how they would progress from here, "Stay off your radios. Let the super cycle track Superboy. Instruct her to mask all signals. We cannot allow the League to track us."

"Right. Of course. Just one question; why is the Justice League after us?!" Wally shouted.

"It's not us the League is necessarily after." Tornado responded.

"What's that supposed to mean? They sure looked to be after us back in The Cave?" Wally responded.

"That was only because you and your friends could be used as bait to lure in the League's real target. The hero that Savage wanted under his control all along but never got the chance to because said person was several steps ahead of him and rejected the League's offer to join them. After that, he forced Savage's hand to be more aggressive in his pursuit." Tornado revealed.

"Oh no…" Robin said as he realized who Tornado was referring to. Tornado had a gloomy look on his face when he finally revealed the name, "The League's target is Itachi Uchiha. Savage plans on sacrificing Itachi to The Masked Stranger so that The Day of Golden Light may transpire. That day begins on New Year's Day at midnight. We must keep Itachi away from her or the entire world will suffer the consequences."

"What is The Day of Golden Light and why is Itachi needed for it?" Robin asked. Tornado looked down in dread of the information he was about to pass down to the young heroes.

---

While Robin's group was on the run from the League, Aqualad's group was currently flying over the Hall of Justice in M'gann's Bioship. They were going over possible leads to Red Arrow's location.

"Computer logs indicate that Red Arrow is heading to The Hall from the Watchtower, but he could be anywhere by now." Artemis said worriedly. Good thing for them, Aqualad knew his friend and where his friend decided to hideout after going solo, "After Roy went solo, he installed equipment caches in several major cities. One is here."

The group made their way to one of Roy's secret hideouts. Kaldur decided to go on his own since he thought that Roy could mistake that the whole group was there for malicious reasons. Kaldur wanted to appeal to his bond with Roy. The leader snuck into the hideout and kicked the door down to see the archer with his bow already drawn and on the defensive. Aqualad walked forward cautiously to show that he did not intend to harm his friend.

"I have not come to harm or apprehend you, but The Team requires answers." Aqualad stated. Roy wanted to believe him, but he wanted to make sure that this wasn't a trick, "Tell me something you haven't told to anyone else. Tell me who broke your heart.

Aqualad sighed sadly before answering, "Tula. The girl I loved chose my best friend, Garth, over me while my best friend on the surface world aims an arrow at my chest."

That answer was enough to convince Roy that it wasn't a trick and that he could trust his friend. The two of them returned to the Bioship where answers could finally be given to all of the questions they had.

"We were told you were the mole, but we have reason to doubt." Aqualad started. Itachi shook his head at how they had dismissed what he revealed to them. He knew they would choose Roy over them. It took Roy one look to figure that it was Itachi who figured it out. He sighed before he put their doubts to rest though, "Forget doubt. I was the mole."

"Batman and Tornado said that you're a Cadmus clone like me." Conner revealed.

"That explains it. I was a sleeper agent…pre-programmed to infiltrate the League. I think Sportsmaster was my handler. He had a key phrase, 'Broken Arrow,' that could shut me down and put me in a hypnotic state to steal secrets for his superiors, or even incorporate further programming. I'd then carry out all orders subconsciously while being completely unaware of what drove me. I think one of those orders was to focus suspicion on the four of you. I'm sorry." Roy sincerely said.

"How did Batman discover this and prevent you from betraying the League?" Kaldur asked.

"He didn't, isn't that right Roy." Itachi responded in more of a statement than a question. Roy nodded his head at the shinobi in response.

Robin's group was currently trying to catch up with Aqualad and his group. While on the way, Red Tornado had fully explained the depths of Vandal Savage's plans, or at least as much as he understood himself, "Savage used Roy to implant devices in each of the Leaguers by the name of Starotech. It is an alien bio-organism fused with nano-technology and magic. It shuts down the mind's autonomy, allowing Savage to reprogram the individual to suit his needs. Even my inorganic brain was not immune to its affect. It was based off of Itachi's genjutsu and its ability to allow him to control victims under his control in any manner that suited him. It's this world's best attempt at copying it. But similar to a genjutsu, this technology has its drawbacks. Like with genjutsu, if faced with outside interference, the Starotech will be rendered powerless and its victim will be freed of its control. Itachi figured that out and managed to power my body down before I could infect any of you. And since the Starotech is body specific, as John Smith I am permanently free of Savage's grip."

"This Starotech worked on super-powered humans, four flavors of alien, and android. Even Doctor Fate, I take it, couldn't fight this off. It defeated all of you without a fight?" Robin asked to make sure he hadn't heard wrong.

"Indeed, it is a remarkable achievement. It is thorough and left us with no time to even know what hit us until it was too late. If Itachi hadn't seen this coming and took us up on our offer to join the League, the world would already be lost." Tornado stated

"All this just to get Itachi and this Masked Stranger together, but why? The Stranger seems pretty strong on her own if she took down the Justice League by herself already. Why go to such lengths and be so secretive all of a sudden?" Wally asked.

"It's because her goals have changed. Last time, she only wanted to stall for time where as this time, she needs to meet a deadline or her plans will be thwarted. She needs Itachi and knows that we will do everything in our power to keep him away from her." Tornado explained.

"But what brought about this change?" Rocket asked.

"Two things; the first being that Itachi had awakened the Rinnegan. The Stranger needs it for the next part of her plans. The second and possibly most important, the League was recently successful in creating an interdimensional portal transmitter. It creates a rift across all dimensions that can be used to transport someone to another dimension. We were planning on using it to send Itachi back to his Earth." Tornado revealed as the young heroes protested.

"I can't believe that!" Wally complained.

"Why would you do that!?" Robin demanded.

"It was only meant as a last resort. A means to permanently keep Itachi away from the Stranger should we fail to defeat her. Roy must have found out and alerted them. That's probably what changed their tactics and made them more strategic about acquiring Itachi." Tornado surmised.

"Why weren't we informed about this? We don't have a say about our friend?" Robin asked.

"We felt that you would not be able to separate your feelings of friendship and loyalty from your responsibilities as heroes. It was never meant to be used. We want Itachi here as well, but we had to account for something else. Something that none of you might not want to hear nor understand." Tornado explained.

"What could possible justify something like this?" Zatanna asked. Tornado steeled himself for the cold truth, "In case Itachi decided to leave us and return to his home. This device is a means for Itachi to return to the home that was taken from him. It would have been our gift for him should he had decided to join the League. The chance for him to finally go home." Tornado revealed.

The heroes looked down in defeat. They all knew Itachi loved his home above all else and would go through hell for it. He chose to kill his own family rather than abandon his home, so they dreaded the chances they stood of convincing him to stay should the offer be presented to Itachi.

---

"I'm sorry, but how is it that you are no longer enslaved?" M'gann asked to Roy.

"I wasn't implanted with a Starotech for starters, only my Cadmus programming. And once I had satisfied its last parameter, my mind began to clear. I'm sure Savage planned to Starotech me, but he paused to…bask. Something about a day of light or something. He also mentioned the Masked Stranger and reuniting her with Crow. He then went over to the interdimensional portal transmitter to…study it. I think their master plan involves using it somehow. But that doesn't make any sense considering was created to…" Roy trailed off as he felt a headache coming on. Itachi felt sympathy for the man and decided to help ease at least some of his pain.

"I can clear your mind of any residual programming using my genjutsu. But tell me, what is this portal transmitter and why was it created?" Itachi asked.

Roy gave him a sad look before apologizing. The others were interested in what he was about to say too, "Itachi, the transmitter-"

Roy was cut off when Robin telepathically made contact, "Miss Martian, are you in range?"

"Here, Robin. Linking both squads and decamouflaging." She responded. Robin piloted their transportation inside of the Bioship's docking bay, "Good because we really need to compare notes…"

Once everyone got together, both sides revealed what they learned to each other. Both groups had basically discovered the same thing; that Savage had used these Starotech devices to take control of the League and gain access to the Watchtower, Roy really is a clone and spy, and Itachi is the true target of Savage and The Light. Their goal is to capture him so that The Masked Stranger can use him for some unknown reason. Robin decided to hide the part about the interdimensional matter transporter's true purpose for a different time when he found out that the others still hadn't learned it yet. That was an explanation owed to them by the League, not anyone else. They had to table that and think of ways to counter Savage's plans.

The first, and obvious, reaction was for The Team to try and convince Itachi to stay away from the Watchtower. Obviously, that was shut down by said shinobi. Itachi had no intentions on letting others fight his battle just to keep him away from one person, especially since he already knew that The Masked Stranger was after him. He couldn't tell them that though and decided to keep it close to the vest. So instead he opted to go a different route.

"The only way we can defeat Savage and save the League is from the inside. All of us are needed to fight them. We just need a way in without being detected. Fortunately for us, three of them are here now." Itachi said as everyone turned to Canary, who had woken up, Red Tornado, and Red Arrow.

"Itachi is right. They are the only ones with access into the Watchtower." Robin said in agreement with Itachi.

"Yeah, but what do we do about Canary? Itachi can't just pull wire out of her head too. It wouldn't end as cleanly as it did with Red." Wally pointed out.

"From the way Roy and Tornado have explained this Starotech to me, I believe it is designed to simulate a genjutsu. Or at least this world's best attempt at one. But I've found since being here, that technology is fickle. It shouldn't be hard to reverse its affects." Itachi surmised.

"But how? None of us even know where to begin with this Starotech." Rocket pointed out. Itachi had a quick answer for that, "Tornado said that Starotech was the result of The Light experimenting with bio-organisms, science, and magic. How do you counter all of those things?" Itachi asked like he expected one of them to know the answer. Thankfully, Wally was getting where Itachi was going with this.

"By using the source! If we reverse-engineer one of those things to create a sort of anti-program to counter it. We can both free the Leaguers and prevent them from falling back into Savage's control!" Wally explained.

"But how will we do that in a short enough time with even knowing how they even constructed it?" Conner asked.

"We do know how they constructed it. They experimented on a tentacle that looked to be of Atlantean decent. I'm positive that was the organism used for the Starotech. Magic, science, and sea creatures, does that sound like any place familiar?" Itachi asked to the group.

"Atlantis!" They all answered. Itachi nodded at them in confirmation before turning to address Kaldur, "Aqualad, do you think you can go to Atlantis and have your people reverse-engineer it quickly? Since it comes from your home and used magic like how your people do, you all are our best shot at beating Savage."

"M'gann, set a course for Atlantis. We must move quickly. Between Queen Mera and Vulko, we should be able to create a counter organism quickly. Good work, Crow." Kaldur responded as they group strapped in.

"Wow, Itachi. Batman may be the world's greatest detective, but you're not too bad yourself. Always one step ahead of everyone." Robin commented.

Itachi nodded back at him as he mentally prepared for what happens next. He knew there was a good chance he would wind up fighting members of the Justice League and knew that if it came down to it, he couldn't hold anything back against certain members. And if The Masked Stranger was really there waiting for him, Itachi would show her no mercy.

---

It was an hour before midnight when Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Red Arrow returned to the Watchtower. They were greeted by Savage as they walked in. He asked Canary if she had any problems since she had taken so long to get back. She responded by informing him that she re-infected Red Tornado and Red Arrow. Red Tornado concurred with Canary's statement and even revealed that they had succeeded in infecting The Team as well and they were waiting for reprogramming back on Earth.

"I think not. Starotech does not reprogram the mind. It offers us remote control of it," Savage revealed. Klarion had a knowing look as the heroes' lie had been exposed, "We know exactly who's infected and who's not. And none of you are!"

Klarion used his magic to quickly restrain the three Leaguers. Savage smirked as new Starotechs were being prepared so that he could regain control over the heroes.

He walked over to them as he got ready to implant the devices, "50,000 years of life and nothing has ever trouble like the founding of the Justice League. Dedicated to maintaining society's calcified status quo, the League would protect mankind from disaster, crime, and tragedy of any kind. The world will never truly be a better place as long as your group continues to interfere with its rebirth. You hold this and every other world back because you cling to this broken system. Because you did, you forced my more enlightened colleagues and myself to organize a response. Under the guidance of our leader, we created a co-optive network of operatives, placed key individuals in key positions, and made certain we were on the cutting edge of all new technologies. Genetic engineering, bio-chemical engineering, cloning, robotics, nano-robotics, and even techno sorcery were all avenues of use. Not to mention every conceivable method of mind control; genjutsu included. With cold hard science, divine intervention, and a little misdirection; you champions of stagnation have now become our agents of change. Now the last piece to this puzzle will have no choice but to come into place once he realizes that the world's greatest heroes have been shown the light. Once he does, the Earth will finally be able to progress as it always should have been instead of being kept in place by the will of a corrupt and all powerful being."

When the villain was finished, all three of the heroes had been re-infected with the Starotech. As this was going on, Miss Martian had her Bioship in camouflage mode as she and the rest of the heroes had successfully infiltrated the Watchtower.

"RT did it. Wirelessly bypassing security for us as soon as he got inside the Watchtower. Savage shouldn't know we're here." Robin revealed.

"Move out." Aqualad ordered. The Team then split up and began to ambush members of the infected Justice League one by one. Plastic Man was first on the list. Artemis hit him with an arrow containing knockout gas. Before he knew how to react, Wally sped behind him and implanted a nano-device that incapacitated the hero.

Hawkman was next to fall when Superboy and Robin snuck up on him. Superboy punched the hero when he wasn't looking, which allowed Robin to take his back and quickly implant a nano-device to incapacitate him much like with Plastic Man.

The Atom was taken out next after him. As the shrunken man was conducting a science experiment, Zatanna used one of her spells to get the attention of the scientist. He grew back to normal size only for an invisible Miss Martian to implant him with the nano-device and take him out of the picture.

Captain Atom fell next when he found himself trapped in a force-field generated by Rocket. It was so strong that the hero couldn't use his nuclear powers to break free. She dropped the field in the exact moment Aqualad used his powers to create a water whip and use it to implant the nano-device into the hero.

It didn't take long for Klarion to figure out that The Team had infiltrated the Watchtower, "The brats are aboard. They've taken away four of my toys."

"Recall all League members away on missions. The Crow must be here too. This is our chance to capture him and bring both him and the device to The Masked Stranger and fulfill our goal. We will also put these children in their place once and for all. Perhaps the threat of us killing his friends will make the Crow more compliant." Savage responded.

Klarion like the sound of that plan but had one more question to answer, "Hey Vandal, shouldn't those three be back online by now. They're not showing up on my screen."

Savage turned to investigate but got greeted by a ferocious Fireball Jutsu that was fired directly at him and made contact. The Crow dropped down and revealed himself as Canary, Red Tornado, and Red Arrow stopped acting like they were under control. Savage used his strength to douse the flames off of him, but Tornado followed up by using his wind to stop Savage from progressing any further.

Canary went for Klarion with her sonic scream but he easily neutralized it with his magic. Crow walked up to Savage and had a dead serious look in his eyes that Savage could swear reminded him of The Masked Stranger whenever she was pissed.

"Where is she? Tell me where the Stranger is." Crow threatened. Savage smirked at the shinobi, "Oh, she isn't here. She had a family emergency to attend to, but she sends her regards. But if you really want to meet her, I'll bring you to where she is. All you have to do is come with us."

"Who is she and why does she hate the world so much? Why am I needed for her goals to be fulfilled?" Crow asked of the villain.

"For the first two, not even I know the answers to that. And I have known her since she first came to this world. You're just going to have to ask her yourself. I have the feeling that you'll get plenty of chances real soon. As for the last question, I do know the answer to that. Why do any of us do anything of major consequence? Because we believe it will make the world a better place." Savage replied smugly.

"How does murdering innocent people help make the world a better place?" Crow asked. Savage laughed at him, "I don't know. Why did you murdering innocent members of your clan make your world a better place, Itachi? Oh, I know a lot about you. I have a great source of reference. But still, I don't know as much as my partner. She knows everything about you and has so much invested in you. You are as important to her as a child is to their mother. She knows you more than you know yourself."

"Enough of your words," Itachi was about to attack the villain, but a huge portal opened within the Watchtower. Out of it came members of the Justice League that were away while in search of Itachi. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Hawkwoman, and Batman were all glaring at Itachi and the other heroes as Klarion laughed.

Canary wasted no time in using her scream. She shouted at Manhunter only for the Martian to phase through it. Hawkwoman took advantage of the distraction and struck Canary with her mace. Red Arrow was focused as ever as he shot an arrow at Manhunter. The Martian tried phasing through that attack as well, but Roy was prepared and used an incendiary arrow. Manhunter caught fire as a result and fell to his knees. He tried doing the same to Batman but the vigilante was too skilled to fall for something like that and knocked the arrow away.

Batman then engaged Roy in hand to hand combat. Roy threw a sweeping strike with his bow but Batman quickly ducked it and got into the clinch with the archer. After a right hook and knee to the stomach, Roy was sent to the floor and knock unconscious. Tornado was the last one defeated when Green Lantern used his ring to keep the android in place. Superman and Wonder Woman proceeded to rip all of his limbs of before the android fell next to Roy and Dinah in a defeated heap.

All of the infected League members turned their attention towards Itachi as Savage glared at Itachi, "You found a way to reverse-engineer a Starotech cure and used it to vaccinate the League members from my control. There's no point in taking neither those three nor any of your friends alive. I would offer you another chance to come willingly, but we both know you'd refuse."

Itachi responded by using one of the jutsu of his Rinnegan, "Universal Pull!"

Hawkwoman's mace was pulled over to Crow. The winged heroine got pulled along with the mace since she kept such a strong grip on it. The result ended with Crow catching her by her throat and slamming her down on the floor hard. He created two black chakra receivers and used them to pin both of Hawkwoman's wings to the ground so that she couldn't move. She shouted in pain as he did it. Superman and Green Lantern both shot off heat vision and laser blasts respectively to get Itachi off of her, but he blocked both attacks by quickly summoning a half-body, armored Susanoo and using his Yata Mirror. Thanks to his Susanoo's protection, the others could only watch as he implanted the nano-device into Hawkwoman's neck and freed her from Savage's control.

Savage clapped at Itachi's show of power, "Bravo, Crow. That show of efficiency reminds me of the Stranger whenever she gets in the mood for a fight. But can you do that to the rest of the League? If you can't, you'll be brought to the Stanger and I'll win."

"No, you'll lose no matter what happens because I always come prepared." Itachi responded as his fight with the Justice League started.

---

While Itachi was engaging his fight against the Justice League, members of The Team had battles of their own. Icon, Doctor Fate, and Captain Marvel had all just arrived inside the Watchtower. Miss Martian was waiting for them and as soon as the coast was clear, she attacked from above by using the nano-devices. One of them made their mark with Doctor Fate and quickly took him out of the fight. Icon responded by shooting an energy blast to destroy the other two devices and knock Miss Martian from her hiding spot. Rocket reacted quickly and flew over to her uncle and implanted a nano-device before he knew it and took care of him. Only Captain Marvel was left.

The demi-god spotted Zatanna and quickly moved to attack her. The sorceress didn't have any nano-device on her and had to react fast. Fortunately, she remembered from Tornado that the Starotech was body sensitive and Captain Marvel was one of two bodies that the soul of Billy Batson possessed.

"Trulb tuo mazahs!" She shouted. Captain Marvel did as the spell ordered and shouted his magic word, "Shazam!"

The demi-god was turned back into Billy Batson and freed of Savage's control. Aqualad went to help the boy up as the other did an account of the battles so far, "Too bad Curotech doesn't work as fast as Starotech. We could really use the League's help."

"It is a miracle that Queen Mera, and Doctors Roquette, Spence and Vulko were even able to re-engineer a cure and vaccine at all, let alone in just a few hours. We must move quickly. Crow is engaging Savage and I would very much like to provide backup for him." Aqualad responded.

"Hey, if you guys aren't busy?" Wally called out. Aqualad quickly responded, "On my way! You three rendezvous with Robin and Superboy and go assist Crow."

"You two go ahead, I'll be right behind you." Zatanna said as Rocket and Miss Martian did what was ordered by Aqualad. She strolled over and attempted to remove Nabu's helmet from her father. The result of that was the helmet shocking Zatanna away from it as a defense mechanism. She got frustrated and decided to match magic with magic, "Temleh, esaeler ym rehtaf!"

The spell didn't work and Zatanna wound up being blast by the residual recoil of her spell. Billy went to check on her to see if she was alright. He knelt down and saw that the girl was crying from disappointment and grief, "I can save Fate from Savage, but I still can't save me father from Fate."

Artemis and Kid Flash were in a heated battle with The Flash, Aquaman, and Green Arrow. The archer shot an arrow at the scarlet speedster, but he caught it while also shoulder rushing his nephew to the ground. She thought quickly and shot an explosive arrow, only this time she aimed at the speedster's feet. The tactic work as Flash couldn't react in time and got knocked away from the explosion.

Green Arrow returned the favor by shooting an explosive arrow at Artemis in retaliation. She leapt out of the way to avoid the arrow as it exploded and regrouped with Kid Flash, "I'm amazed we're still alive."

"It's because they're being controlled. They're limited by whoever's pulling their strings. The very thing putting us in danger is the only thing giving us a chance." Kid Flash replied.

Right after that, Aqualad came to provide assistance to them, "Artemis, Kid. Now!" Artemis shot an arrow at the door that had a steel cable attached to it. Aqualad instructed them to hold on as the alarm within the room rang. The cargo bay doors suddenly opened and the room started venting the atmosphere. The Leaguers eventually succumbed to the pulling force of space and were sent flying towards the outside. Aqualad reached over to close the bay door which resulted in the Leaguers being saved. They instead slammed against the doors hard and fell into unconsciousness. Kid Flash sprinted to the adult and implanted the Curotech devices before they could recover and ended the fight.

Back up top, Itachi was in the middle of a fight with Leaguers of his own. He and Batman were engaged in hand to hand combat currently. It wasn't much of a challenge as Crow had already proven to be the better of the two fighters. Batman threw a jab, cross, hook combination that Crow easily blocked. Batman decided to follow that up with a roundhouse kick to Crow's body, but Crow caught the kick and pinned it to his body as Batman found himself stuck in Crow's grip. Crow kicked Batman's plant leg out from under him, got a grip of the back of Batman's neck, and ferociously threw the Dark Knight down face first into the ground. He was about to finish the job and implant a Curotech device into Batman, but was stopped when Wonder Woman came at him while wielding her shield and sword.

Crow summoned a kunai to try and deflect her sword, but the Amazon cut right through it. Itachi reacted quickly by leaping off of the platform they were on to avoid being hit. Unfortunately for him, Superman was waiting as the hero tackled Itachi out of the air. Crow knew that they needed him alive so this wouldn't be fatal, but if he didn't do something fast that the impact of the attack would take him out of the fight.

Itachi summoned the ribcage of his Susanoo just as they made impact. The ribcage took the brunt of the impact and Itachi made it unscathed. Now it was time for the shinobi's counterattack, "Timeshadow!"

Itachi used his Rinnegan's ability to reverse time around Superman to just before he made impact with Itachi in the air, only Itachi still was on the ground as it finished. Once Crow has the Kryptonian where he wanted him, he allowed time to resume as Superman came hurdling down towards him. The difference now was that Crow was ready.

The vigilante leapt up and used Superman as a springboard to propel higher. Superman didn't know what happened as he missed his target somehow and went crashing into the ground as a result. As Crow was airborne, Wonder Woman decided to try and meet him. That was her big mistake because instead of a kunai, Crow summoned a chakra receiver that stayed intact when it made contact with the Amazon's sword. Itachi quickly transitioned into his next attack as he took hold of her arm and threw her into the ground where Superman was still recovering. She wound up colliding into him as a result of it.

Itachi would finish his attack by using his most trusted jutsu, "Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!"

The fireball collided with both of the heroes to cause a giant explosion, 'That should keep them down for a while.'

Before Crow could react, Green Lantern shot a laser blast from his ring at Itachi's blind spot and blasted him into a nearby balcony. The Lantern flew at Itachi soon afterwards to keep up the pressure. The attack would have worked, but Green Lantern made one big mistake; looking into Itachi's eyes.

'Genjutsu,' Before John Stewart knew what hit him Itachi put him under a genjutsu and rendered the galactic hero out of the fight. Itachi went over and removed John's ring before implanting the Curotech to free him from Savage. Itachi felt the ground beneath him start to shake and knew that things were only going to get harder, 'Looks like Superman is awake.'

Manhunter suddenly came out of the ground from behind Itachi and trapped him into a bear hug. Itachi could feel the alien trying to invade his brain as the bear hug got stronger. Itachi took a look back and smirked behind his mask as before mustering his next words, "Took you long enough."

"You waited for me?" The Martian asked as he increased the mental input being used to try and invade Itachi's mind. Itachi shook his head, "Not you…your niece."

"My niece?" Manhunter got hit with a psychic blast courtesy of his niece, M'gann, as she was in her White Martian form. Itachi then broke free of J'onn's grip and threw him head first into the nearby wall. He even added a paperbomb for reassurance. Once the bomb went off and Manhunter was revealed to be unconscious, Itachi implanted the Curotech into M'gann's uncle and freed him too.

"How you holding up?" M'gann asked as she reverted back to her normal appearance. Before Crow could answer her he had to deal with a charging Wonder Woman. He promptly took care of her by using the skeletal fist of his Susanoo to crush the Amazon into several floors beneath them. She smiled at her friend, "You didn't even bother looking at her."

"With her screaming like a crazed barbarian I didn't have to. I take it the other members have been freed?" Itachi responded. She nodded in confirmation. They both looked down and saw that Superboy, Robin, and Rocket had also joined the fight. Superboy had just slammed a big piece of tech down hard onto Superman while Robin and Rocket were dealing with a pissed of Wonder Woman who had just landed into their laps.

"Go help Robin and Rocket. I'll help Superboy take care of Superman." Crow said as he leapt down to rejoin the fight. Robin and Rocket had their hands full. Though they successfully managed to trap Wonder Woman in one of Rocket's kinetic force-fields, it also meant that she had to put all of her focus into keeping the Amazon contained. It didn't help that Batman was trying to attack her too. Robin was forced to run interference and fight his teacher.

He threw smoke bombs to try and get the advantage that way, but found out that Batman was still more than capable of fighting while blind as he was introduced to the wrong side of Batman's fist. Superboy had the same luck as he just ate a nasty left hook from Superman that sent him flying. Superman would have continued the assault but heard the sounds of someone's descent and looked up. He saw the Crow soaring down and shot his heat vision at the vigilante.

Itachi took advantage of Superman's choice of attack by employing a quick, multilayered attack that all began with a single jutsu, "Water Style! Water Bullet Jutsu!"

He shot a giant torrent of water at the heat vision and the ensuing collision caused the field of play to be swallowed in a deep, dense fog. Itachi knew that heated water would cause steam that could provide him and his teammates with the cover they needed while dealing with these powerhouses.

Superman flew through the fog to where he last saw Crow, only to get there and find out that Itachi wasn't there anymore. The Kryptonian looked on in frustration from having lost track of his target. He decided to take his frustration out on the next thing he saw, Miss Martian. Superman flew straight at the unsuspecting girl and punched her right into a wall. Superboy saw this and rushed out in anger, but was promptly subdued by a two-handed hammerfist of Kal-El.

Robin found himself on the losing fight with Batman. No matter what he threw at the vigilante, Robin couldn't seem to connect with a strike, whereas Batman seemed to connect with everything he threw. Robin got desperate and threw a triple kick combination to try and throw Batman off, but the crime fighter check all three kicks and landed a hard uppercut against his sidekick that sent the teenager hurdling to where Superboy had just landed.

"We need to do something fast or it isn't going to end well for us." Superboy said in frustration.

"Yeah, we need to work together." Robin said in agreement.

Superman and Batman made their respective descents to finish off the young heroes. Itachi waited for something like this to happen and now had open looks at both of the heroes back. After shooting his Water Bullet to cause a fog, Itachi quickly used the Rinnegan to shoot himself to the ground. He took the gamble that this controlled Superman would go where he last saw Itachi first rather than using his super-vision to scan the field before reacting. He took the bait and Itachi made it safely to solid ground. Itachi knew that he wouldn't have long before Superman would find him, even in a fog. With only seconds to spare, Itachi used the Transformation Jutsu to transform before Superman found him. And who did Itachi transform into? None other than Superboy's girlfriend, M'gann.

Superman let frustration get the better of him and knocked M'gann into a wall, but in reality it was Itachi that took the hit. And when Superboy saw his girlfriend get taken out like that, Itachi knew the clone would rush in and take up all of the attention of Superman. With that, all Itachi had to do was wait until the moment was right before making his next move. Now he had a chance to take out two birds with one stone, "Almighty Push!"

The attack sent Superman hurdling into the ground faster than what was intended and caused the hero to crash down hard. Batman looked up and saw that the culprit of this attack was in fact Itachi, but in doing that he made a fatal mistake of his own; taking his eyes off of Superboy and Robin. Superboy took advantage of it by swing Robin around before ultimately throwing the Boy Wonder at Batman whom, because of the enhancement of Superboy, couldn't react in time and got kicked into a wall before falling down to the ground hard. Robin moved quickly and implanted the Curotech to free Batman.

When Superman slowly started to get up, Superboy came rushing in to hold him in place. Crow got his next jutsu ready before asking, "Are you sure about this?"

"Just do it!" Itachi nodded at him as he weaved the necessary hand signs. Itachi took aim and unleashed the jutsu, "Fire Style! Blaze Ball Jutsu!"

A fireball made up of the black flames of the Amaterasu made contact with both Superboy and Superman, though Superman took the brunt of the attack. They were engulfed in black flames as both succumbed to the searing heat. Once Superman stopped moving, Itachi used the Petra Path of his Rinnegan to absorb the charka of his Amaterasu and douse the flames before serious damage was caused. Once the cost was clear, Robin implanted the Curotech and freed Superman before helping Conner back to his feet.

Itachi went to check on his friends, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just didn't think that would be as hot as it was." Conner responded.

"Dude, you totally just took down Batman and Superman," Robin said with impression in his voice. Itachi shook his head before correcting him, "No, we just took down Batman and Superman."

Robin and Superboy smiled at their friend's correction. It still amazed them how humble Itachi was despite being as powerful as he was. Itachi saw that M'gann and Rocket had just freed Wonder Woman and knew that he still had one thing left to do, "Time to get Savage."

Savage saw that the Justice League had all been freed from his Starotech and knew that this fight was over, "Time to make our leave."

"Come on, we can take them!" Klarion responded. Savage looked at him with a raised brow, "Them, maybe. But The Crow, absolutely not. And if we were to fight, you'd only lose control and destroy this station in the process. Do you really want to those problems especially after the last time you interfered with her plans? Even if they are not in our thrall, the Light still needs the Justice League alive for phase two."

"Yeah, I see your point. But we didn't even accomplish her plans. We lost Crow and now we'll be returning empty-handed. It won't end well for us like this either." Klarion responded.

"I wouldn't say that. We have the interdimensional portal transmitter which makes this not a total failure. Besides, I have a feeling that there was no way we could ever bring The Crow in." Savage replied.

"What makes you say that?" Klarion asked. Savage shrugged, "Just a feeling. You can't lose what you never had, right? And I have the feeling like we never were even close to getting The Crow today. He said it himself. Even if he fell, we'd still lose because he came prepared. And remembering how she prepped us on how the boy thinks, it would only make sense for my hypothesis to be why he said that."

"What does any of that supposed to even mean," Klarion asked. Savage whispered to him what he really meant. Klarion's eyes got wide with shock and excitement. Savage turned off the monitor and got ready to be teleported back to their base, "Moves and countermoves, Klarion. He thinks he has us in check, but in reality, we just checkmated him. I wish I could see the look on his face once he realized that all that he fights for is already gone. Because those things, like him, were never real to begin with."

Klarion used Tikal to conjure a portal that began to transport them just as Crow arrived to the scene. Savage and Klarion smirked as Crow tried one last ditch Fireball Jutsu. The portal transported the villains before the blast connected, but Savage did manage to leave one parting message. Though it could also be considered a threat as well, "See you soon, Crow."

Itachi groaned in frustration that he let the two of them escape. That wasn't the only thing that frustrated him though. His teammates joined him on the observation deck. For appearances sake, Itachi hid his true feelings.

Red Tornado congratulated them on succeeding, "Congratulations, Team. You have won the day. Savage was defeated and Itachi has been kept from their grasp. The Day of Golden Light has been averted."

Just as he said that a giant screen appeared before them alerting them that it was New Year's Day as music played. Wally took advantage of the moment and took Artemis into his arms, "I should have done this a long time ago."

"No kidding." She replied as the two finally kissed and became an official couple. Feeling the romance in the air, the other members of The Team decided to follow their lead. Conner and M'gann began to kiss, and so too did Robin and Zatanna. Even Aqualad and Rocket got in on the romance.

The only person off to himself was Itachi. He was glad his friends got to experience a moment of peace in all of this chaos, but peace wasn't in the cards for him. He still had one thing left to do and since The Masked Stranger never showed up to the Watchtower, it means his theory about her following him from the shadows in Gotham was true. It meant that his loved ones, Ayumi and Carson, were in grave danger.

Itachi inconspicuously made his leave from the group as they were all still busy celebrating. He stopped outside of a corridor before taking his Crow mask off. He dropped it to floor and gave his friends one last look, 'I'm sorry, but this might be the last mission we ever go on together. I wish I could tell you the truth, but you'd only try to stop me or worse; want to go with me. I can't risk your lives for a problem that began in my world. This is my fight…a fight that will kill me one way or another. Thank you all for being my friends. I'll always remember our time together. But from now on, I am no longer a member of The Team.'

With that final thought, Itachi went up in smoke, revealing that he had been a clone jutsu all along. The real Itachi had never left Gotham and was still following after his loved ones. Once the memories of his clone from the events of today hit him, Itachi immediately felt sad. He wished he had just more day with his friends.

---

After Itachi's clone went up in smoke in the Watchtower, Wally stopped kissing Artemis and looked around the room for Itachi. Wally wanted to apologize for how he acted towards him earlier in the day. He noticed that Itachi wasn't with them and got worried, "Guys, where's Itachi? I don't see him."

They all had confused looks on their faces as they realized that Itachi had indeed disappeared. Conner used his vision to search the entire station, but didn't see him anywhere onboard the Watchtower.

"He's not here. Here as in anywhere on the Watchtower. I don't understand. It's like he's van-" Conner got interrupted when M'gann's uncle and Doctor Fate came charging in. They both looked panicked and distressed, "Where is the savior?!"

"W-We don't know. We're trying to figure that out ourselves. Tornado, did you see where he went?" M'gann responded.

"No, he snuck away while you all were distracted with kissing each other. He did not mention where he was going." Tornado answered. Fate's shoulders sunk, "Then it is as you said. The end of the world is upon us."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We just beat the bad guy. This Masked Stranger chick never even showed up. The Gold Day of Fight or whatever it's called ain't happening. What's the big deal?" Wally complained.

Doctor Fate responded by pointed out the viewing window to where Earth could be seen. They all gasped when a giant, spread out golden cloud surrounded about half the planet. Aqualad was the first to find his voice, "What is that?"

"While I was under Savage's control, there was a point where I peeked into Itachi's mind. I discovered that Itachi was never here." J'onn revealed.

"What do you mean by that? Of course he was here. We all saw him fighting and kicking the League's butt." Rocket retorted.

"You saw a clone do that," J'onn responded. They did not like where this was going. J'onn looked on as he continued, "Itachi, the real Itachi, never left Gotham. He stayed behind to use himself as bait for The Masked Stranger. He suspects that the Stranger has compromised him and threatens to kill his loved ones. He believes that she has been spying from him from the shadows whilst waiting for an opportunity to strike. Itachi wasn't sure about it though, so to test his theory, he sent a clone with you all when you called him in earlier in the day. The clone was meant to see if the Masked Stranger would be with Savage here in the Watchtower. If she did, then his theory would have been proven wrong and his loved ones safe from danger. But she never showed, which means…"

"Which means that Itachi is in danger because the Stranger has him right where she wants him. This attack was never about getting Itachi to come to her. She wanted us away from him. And we fell for it. Now he's by himself…with her…" Robin finished.

"That gold cloud must mean that it is already done. The Day of Golden Light is here." Fate ominously revealed.

"Why didn't he tell us?" M'gann asked. J'onn put a hand on his niece's shoulder as he delivered the worst of the news, "Itachi did not want to add to your worries. He suspects that his life has been in danger for a long time now. He knew that at any moment the Stranger could strike and wanted you away from him when that happened. He has enlisted help from people he knows locally because he knows they will run when he tells them. He fights so that none of you will have to and intends to do this alone, even if it kills him. I think…you should respect his wished and stay behind."

"Team, move out now!" Aqualad ordered as the young heroes ignored J'onn's request and ran towards M'gann's Bioship. Before they got too far though, Fate summoned a shield halt their progress. Artemis turned and stomped over to the ancient sorcerer with hot tears still falling down her face, "Drop that shield this instant. I will NOT stand here and wait for my friend to die! Do you hear me?! Drop it now!"

"You wouldn't survive the trip. No ship can make it through that cloud for that is not a normal cloud. That is what the savior refers to as chakra. Something that shouldn't be able to be seen by mortals anywhere can be seen by almost the entire world. There is no surviving that. Not even Superman would survive flying through it. Itachi knew that and meant for you to stay and live. You'd only be a burden and force him to hold back anyways." Fate responded as that last statement stung all of the kids.

"Go to Hell! We can still try!" Artemis responded as she drew her bow at Fate. Tears obscured her vision but that didn't deter her from fighting for her friend, "If it were Zatanna down there would you honestly sit back and wait for her to die?! I'm talking to Zatara, not this bastard spirit! Well, could you?! You, nor Itachi, don't get to decide the battles we can and can't fight! Only we do! Drop that shield, now!"

"I will not," Artemis started to shoot her arrow. Fate put a hand up to stop her, "I won't drop the shield to let you all die trying to fly there. I will, however, teleport you to as close to Gotham as possible. I don't know where the savior is precisely located so you will have to find that out on your own, but I can give you a fighting chance."

They all had shocked looks on their faces, "Why?"

"By what right do I have to deny you the chance to possibly either save your friend, or say goodbye to him like how he has to you?" Fate responded.

"Thank you," M'gann said as she wiped the tears out of her eyes. Fate decided to give them fair warning, "Most of the League still hasn't awoken yet. You will be doing this completely on your own. Even if you find him, it may still be too late. This day will change everything. Are you sure you all are ready to take on everything that that means?"

"Watch us." Conner responded as the Team got ready to help their friend. They all prayed that it wasn't already too late. Doctor Fate got the spell ready, but first decided to let them know what was awaiting them, "Before you go, I must tell you of the prophecy."

---

A police car stopped right outside of the Westward Bridge. From out of the car came Carla, Phil, James, Carson, and Ms. Yumi. With all of the abandoned cars still on the bridge, they knew there was no point in continuing to drive and decided to go on foot the rest of the way. Once they crossed the bridge they would be in the outskirts of Gotham. From there Itachi would lead towards his hideout where they would wait it out until The Masked Stranger was dealt with.

Speaking of Itachi, the shinobi landed in front of them from atop the bridge. Carson ran to him and hugged him since all day she had no idea where he was thanks to him following from the rooftops, "I'm so glad to see you again. I hate not knowing if you're okay."

"I'm alright. You never left my sight." Itachi responded. James went up to him to ask about their security status, "Are we good?"

"No one was following us. With all of the back routes Officer Pierce was taking, it would make it hard for someone to follow and I not notice from my high vantage points. Even someone for my world like The Masked Stranger." Itachi replied.

"Good, we should keep moving. We can't afford to stay stagnant for long." James suggested. Itachi agreed and led the way as they traversed in silence through the bridge. With all of the cars blocking large chunks of the bridge the group would have to sometimes separate in order to keep progressing. Carla voiced her concerns about using this strategy, "Um, are you sure we should be separating like this?"

Phil put a hand on his wife's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile, "It's for the best. This way, we not only have a more spread out field of vision, but we also have aren't such a big target. If the Stranger does show up, we have a better chance of escape being more spread out."

"Thanks, Phil. I'd almost forgotten how good at this you are. But if we're spread out, couldn't the Stranger take one of us hostage." She said. Phil sighed at her, "That thought occurred to Crow when he went over the plan with James and me. He figures that if the Stranger shows up and the group is separated, she'll most likely go for Crow first since he is the target that she's after. And since he's purposefully so far ahead of the rest of the group, we'd all see the attack and make a run for it."

"So, he really is using himself as bait then…" Carla muttered to herself. Phil sighed at her, "He is."

She kicked a piece of rubble in frustration. She already knew that it was the plan, but she hated that using Itachi as cattle for slaughter was their best course of action. It only proved how ahead of everyone The Masked Stranger really was.

James and Carson were walking together through the bridge. James decided to indulge in conversation since it was a very large bridge and would take them a long time to cross it on foot, "So, what are you and Itachi's plans if everything works out well in the end."

She stopped and did a double take. James laughed at her response, "What did I say that was so jarring?"

"Nothing it's just…it's just you've never asked about Itachi and I's relationship before. I don't really know what's next for us. It's whatever Itachi decides in the end." Carson responded.

"I see. Hope it ends well for the both of you. He makes you happy, so that makes me happy. I know I was immature about him before but seeing how he makes you smile, I never want that to end. Just be careful not scare him off with your wild imagination and take your time with this. You both have the rest of your lives to be together after this threat is dealt with." James wisely said.

"I know, it's just that I'm scared that there always be something like 'this'. And I know Itachi. He has no problem isolating himself from people if he feels it's in their best interest to stay away from him. He also has a desire to not see people worry, even if that means burdening himself with extra stress. He's a selfless person." Carson sadly said.

"I see the way he looks at you. No matter how many times things like this happen; it will never overtake the place you hold in his heart. I look forward to walking you down the aisle when you and he eventually get married." James teasingly said. She slapped him in the shoulder as her face got red from blushing.

"Knock it off! Talking about weddings. You'll jinx us. But thanks, I'm so glad to have my brother here with me. With you and Itachi here, I know that nothing could ever hurt me." Carson said to her brother. It made James both happy knowing that she had this much faith in him and determined to not let her down.

Itachi walked ahead of the group with Ms. Yumi. She and him walked in comfortable silence, at least that's what Itachi thought. To Ayumi, it felt like she was literally waiting for her world to end. Itachi finally got wind of how stress she seemed and stopped once he got to a carless section of the bridge.

"What's troubling you?" Itachi asked as he turned to face her.

"How did it go with your friends earlier? Has the clone disbursed yet?" Ayumi asked. Itachi nodded his head, "It has. The threat was defeated though they did manage to steal some device that affects dimensions in theory. But don't switch the subject. Why do you look so distressed?"

The others had caught up to them and wondered why Itachi and Ms. Yumi had stopped. The woman sighed before responding, "I'm scared that I'm going to lose you. After all this time, and all these years waiting; I don't want it to be over. But it looks that's how it's going to be. This bridge is supposed to take us to safety, but I fear it will only take us to heartache."

"What are you talking about? You're not going to lose me. You're just stressed. I've asked too much of a woman your age and for this I am sorry. But please, we can't stop while it's only half-way done. We have to keep moving forward." Itachi implored of her. Those words seemed to snap something inside of her because her entire demeanor changed afterwards.

"Yes…forward. I have to keep moving forward. It doesn't matter what I want to do. There's only what I have to do, for the sake of my son." Ms. Yumi said with conviction.

"Good, now let's go. This Masked Stranger could still show up." Itachi warned. Carson and the others ran up to going the pair. They stopped when they felt the mood around Ms Yumi and Itachi. James asked why they had stopped, "What's the hold up? We have to keep going. There are no cars to provide us cover so we're exposed here. The Stranger could still be on our trail."

"We were just leaving. I won't let the Stranger get to us." Itachi declared as he started walking. The others joined him. The only person who stayed still was Ms Yumi. When she spoke her next words, everything changed, "It's too late. She's already here."

The group stopped in their tracks and got so quiet they could hear a pin drop. Itachi turned immediately and asked her what she meant by that, "How do you know? I've been watching everywhere. There's no way she could be here and I not know it first."

"But you did know it first," They all felt the atmosphere change as the clouds above them shined a color of gold for as wide as the eye could see. Itachi looked up and saw that this cloud wasn't at all what it seemed. It was chakra. Chakra so powerful and palpable that it not only be visible seen, but had somehow turned gold. The fact that the others could look and see the cloud too was proof of that. The only person not in awe of the wonder that they were seeing was Ms. Yumi. Itachi spoke to her again, "Is this how you can sense the Stranger nearby?"

Her answer shook Itachi to his core and left him speechless for the first time in a very long time, "No, I don't sense her…I am her."

As she said that, something dropped from her person. They all looked and saw that it was a mask. The others didn't know what it meant, only James and Itachi since they were the only ones to have actually met The Masked Stranger. The mask that fell was the same one that the Stranger wears. The others saw the looks of Itachi and James and knew that something very bad had just happened. For Ayumi, it meant that the last strings holding her back had finally been severed. James and Phil had their hands on their gun holsters, waiting to draw the firearms out at a moment's notice.

Ayumi's face got soft as tears began to flow down her face, "That's always been my problem. I'm always an observer, never a doer. But when I came here, I swore that would change. I was tired of suffering and dying for people who wouldn't do the same for me. No clans, no worlds, I'd only live for what matters most. You Itachi, my first born son is the only thing that I care about. I've waited so long for you…too long for you. For over two lifetimes, I have spent here waiting and planning for our reunion. For the Sage's conscious to finally overwhelm him and compel him to fix his greatest sin. When I first came here I was but a babe, I didn't the comprehend the full scope of what was awaiting me when I started this mission. And now, with the opportunity right in front of me, I feel so conflicted. Because doing this means I can never have a normal relationship with you again. I used to be nothing but a self-doubting pacifist. But it's too late for peace. I have no doubt that what I'm doing is for the best. I shouldn't have to lie to be with my son. Or where a mask just to really talk to you. So that's why I'm not hiding anymore and will keep moving forward as who I really am. There will be no more lies! I am Ayumi Uchiha! Granddaughter to Indra Otsutsuki and the mother of the Uchiha Clan!"

Itachi couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing. Ms. Yumi had just told him that her real name was Ayumi Uchiha. But she had first told him that she was Asura's granddaughter and a descendent of the Senju Clan, 'Has she really been lying to me all this time?'

Her body began to be shrouded in steam. It started to revert and get younger right before everyone's eyes. When the process was done, Ayumi's body looked like a woman in her mid-twenties. She had stopped crying and now had a look of conviction on his face. Itachi also saw that she had Mangekyo Sharingan in both eyes now and hands that were covered in gold lightning.

"No more waiting and watching. As your mother, I will take you back from that Sage's evil clutches and together we will save the world!" Ayumi declared as she ran towards Itachi who was still motionless from shock.

"I don't think so! Now, Phil!" James yelled as they both drew their guns to try and shoot Ayumi. The woman showed them no mercy for interfering. She attacked James first by ducking past a fired round using her Sharingan. Ayumi then used her electrified up hand to cut through and sever James' right leg completely from his body. She then went over to Phil who tried backing away, but was powerless when she sprinted forward and cut his throat open to the bone. Both men fell in bloody and painful heaps. Carla went over to Phil to try and stop the bleeding, but could only watch through tears as her husband suffered and died from massive blood loss as blood poured from his neck. She wept loudly with sorrow and grief. James began screaming loudly in pain from losing his leg before going into shock.

Carson quickly ran to Itachi to try to get him to run away, "Itachi, please, go and get out of he-"

She stopped suddenly when she felt her body go numb. Itachi eyed went wide from the blood that landed on his face. He and Carson both looked down and saw an electrified hand protruding from out of her chest. Ayumi had used her Gold Lightning to pierce through Carson. Itachi's lover started hacking up blood and, without him commanding it, Itachi's Rinnegan activated.

"I won't let anyone get in between us again! I'll cut through everything in my way. I'm sorry, Itachi," Ayumi's body started to be surrounded by a golden aura as lightning covered her body much like when she activated her Chakra Mode. She gave Itachi one final look before weaving a hand sign, "I never wanted to break your heart like this, Itachi."

Out of nowhere, The Team came sprinting on the Bridge. After Doctor Fate told them of the prophecy he opened a portal to send them to Earth. Zatanna used a spell to track Itachi's whereabouts and jet over to Westward Bridge. Conner heard the whole thing and told them about Ayumi being the Masked Stranger. Artemis ran faster than she ever had as she tried to warn her friend, "Itachi, you have to get away!"

"Harmonic Convergence Jutsu!" Ayumi yelled. A giant golden bolt of lightning that originated from the heavens above struck the bridge as a result of the Harmonic Convergence Jutsu. It was drawn to Ayumi's golden aurora like a lightning rod and struck her. The force of the lightning was so strong that everyone and everything on the bridge got blown away. Itachi had to use a kunai to hold on to a stanchion as the bridged rocked back and forth. Itachi looked up to see the result of the jutsu and finally understood what The Day of Golden Light truly was. It was a golden, Perfect Susanoo.

The Susanoo's yell filled the air. Carson's half-living body went flying from the lightning bolt hitting the bridge. Ayumi's Susanoo took hold of her before soaring up towards the sky. Ayumi looked down at Itachi as she started ascending, 'Carson only has a limited amount of time left before she dies. If you want to save this girl, you're going to have to come get her.'

Itachi stood there and watched as Ayumi flew away with Carson. No matter how hard Itachi tried to move, his legs wouldn't budge. Itachi was doing something else of note though. The one thing he hasn't done since he was thirteen years old; cry. Not tears of blood, actual tears fell from his eyes as an emotion he wasn't used to swept over him. In that moment, Itachi finally understood why Sasuke just stood there crying after he revealed that he had murdered their parents. All these years, Itachi thought it was fear, but only now does he understand what truly kept his brother from moving; heartbreak.

Itachi thought of a memory of Ayumi when what she once said truly made him happy, 'Because Itachi…I care about you like you were my own son. That is what you mean to me. Itachi Uchiha…my son.'

'Ayumi...Uchiha,' Itachi thought with disgust. The tears in his eyes went away and were replaced with tears of blood as his Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan glared up at Ayumi's Susanoo. He swore he would get Carson back, but that wasn't the only promise. Itachi normally tried to tame his emotions in times of trauma, but he made an exception when it came to Ayumi. He made one more declaration as the heartbreak and sorrow he felt soon turned into hatred and rage that filled his heart, 'I swear it! I'll kill you!'

A giant red explosion occurred on the stanchion he stood on as his Perfect Susanoo formed and charged right after Ayumi's Susanoo. Itachi's Susanoo wasted no time as it tried to plunge the Totsuka Blade right into Ayumi's heart. And with that, the clash between mother and son had begun.

---

We are finally done with this one! This chapter was something special to write. From beginning to end, I felt so enthralled with it. And now I can finally say that Ms. Yumi is indeed the Masked Stranger and she is not here to play games. James and Phil (RIP) immediately felt her wrath after just the mere mention of getting in her way. Yes, my plan from when I first introduced her was to make her The Masked Stranger and if you pay attention throughout the story, there were several hints to her being the Stranger. From how she spoke to Itachi to how she was strategically put into certain scenes throughout the story, but there was one major hint that she had always been the Stranger; she was the only other person in the DC world that came from Itachi's world. I'm surprised that no one put that together. However, a few of you did correctly guess that Ms. Yumi was the Masked Stranger so kudos to you. I can't wait to get into her backstory because I already have it mapped out and I want to see if I can get you all to understand why she does what she does. It will answer a lot of the questions I already see coming from readers so I cannot wait to write it.

A lot of other stuff happened in the chapter too. Guys, that's all of Young Justice Season 1. Though I will incorporate the ending of the episode towards when this story finally wraps up as a set up for a potential sequel, the rest of the story will come completely from my brain and suggestions of you fellow readers. I don't know how long it will take me to write them, so please stay with me for a little while longer. After the big fight next chapter, I will get into Ayumi's background and lay out almost everything she has been doing behind the scenes. The only hint I'll give is that all that Itachi thinks he is fighting for is already gone because they never truly existed. Thank you to everyone who supported last chapter. If you haven't already, please favorite, follow, and review this story. Let me know what you think and how you would like the story to progress from here. All opinions are taking into account, even constructive criticism. Feel free to PM me too. I'm not the best with responding, but that's only because I'm a shy guy a first. Well, till next time guys and gals!