Newt walked into the mall and up the stairs into the food court. He needed to find that girl, Shikami. It would be the only way to discover the location of Payne. Eyes seemed to follow him from the many people who now called this place home, water dripped from the ceiling.

He walked toward the only place he thought she might be, the women's bathroom. It was a risk, but to avenge his master there wouldn't be a problem. He opened the door, only to fall over tripwire and onto the dirty floor. He got up slowly but as soon as he stood he noticed he couldn't move.

"Gotcha."

Newt looked over and saw Shikami staring at him. It had been nearly 4 years since they had met before.

"Stop staring at me or I'll just kill you."

"Oh, I'm sorry... "

"This is such a drag. Just explain why you're here."

"I wish to find Payne."

Shikami rolled her eyes, "Like you're good enough to meet Payne. Why do you even want to meet him?"

"Ugh if I explain the whole story will you take me to him?"

"Possibly."

Newt took that as a yes and began to tell her the story about what happened. He told her how the president had sent Cory back in time in order to get rid of him and how Naruto had been taken by the government. He didn't want to cry in front of her so he left out his fate.

"Wait, so you know the president personally?"

"Yeah, I know it's 'a drag' but-"

"No, that's actually perfect, Payne would love to meet you. Also do you know what happened to Naruto? My dad was friends with him and I knew his son."

Newt looked down.

Shikami frowned, "I understand. Here I'll let you go."

Newt's muscles returned to his control and he fell forward.

"Ugh..." She groaned.

"Sorry, I've been trying to get better with my motor skills, only recently have I realized that years of being surrounded by idiots had made me one."

"You'll be an idiot for the rest of your life, pervert. Now come on let's go."

Newt followed Shikami out of the bathroom and into DC.

Jefferson played a few cords and swung his sloppy hair everywhere, "Not so fast Washington. In order to win America you know we will need to do a battle of the bands!"

"Quit this tomfoolery, Jefferson, I have won!" Washington shouted.

"Not quite, Washington. Before I arrived I mailed Madison an insult to his music skills and caused him to write another passage in the constitution, something like "America can be taken over if it is beaten during a battle of the bands!"

"No way, Madison isn't that stupi-," Washington cut himself off, "I see your point."

"So what will it be, Washington? Will you battle me and my sick future instrument or will you forfeit the country?"

"Wherever did you receive such an instrument?"

"You'll have to win to find out, Washington!"

Washington clutched his bugle and jumped to the top of a nearby building, "I shall not lose!"

"Lord Washington, I can play a sick drum!" Cory shouted.

"Don't call me lord, son. Do whatever you want I'll need all the help I can get!"

"I go first, President!" Jefferson shouted. His backups began to play an intoxicating tune, filling the air with a mysterious vibe, Jefferson began to sing with a heavenly voice.

"There are no strangers to love…"

Cory perked up, recognizing this song. It was created by a Xerath who went by the code name 'Rick Astley.' How did Jefferson know this song?

"You know the rules, and so. Do. I."

Washington turned to Cory with a look of worry, how would they top this?

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie, and hurt you."

Washington readied his bugle, Cory found a nearby drum set and sat behind it. Ready. Madison appeared and lifted his flute. They were ready for anything.

As Jefferson ended his song, a patriotic tune flowed from the rooftops. At this point a crowd had formed below who were cheering and shouting.

Cory opened his mouth and began to sing in a scratchy voice, "Yankee doodle went to town, riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni!" Cory began to laugh at this, "Yankee doodle keep it up, yankee doodle dandy mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy!"

The crowd looked up confused at the song choice, but began to dance merrily as the chorus began. Jefferson looked over the street with solemn eyes, he had chosen the wrong song.

"Father and I went down to camp, along with captain Goodling, there we saw the men and boys, as thick as hasty pudding! Yankee doodle keep it up, yankee doodle dandy, mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy."

The crowd began to cheer at the timeless tune, but were interrupted by a heavy metal guitar.

"We've always been this to feel all this pain, we've only been this to feel all this pain." Jefferson said before shouting for the entirety of America to hear.

"PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINNNNNNNNNN!"

"THIS PAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIINNNNNNN!'

A blur of lyrics assaulted the world as Jefferson began to play the chaotic second opening to death note. Cory, being an anime connoisseur, knew about this song. Suddenly the music stopped and Jefferson began to chant.

"Hey hey ningen sanka, ai ningen ningen fuan ka? Hey hey ningen sanka, ai ningen ningen fuan ka? Hey hey ningen sanka, ai ningen ningen fuan ka…"

"Lord Washington we need to stop them or they'll deafen the entirety of New York and we'll lose!" Cory shouted over the slowly building chant.

"I know, Cory. I'm trying to think… do you know any songs louder than this? I've figured out enough about you to know that you are, in fact, a time traveller."

Cory screeched, having been exposed, "Um, yes I know of one, but we will need to be perfect."

A slow piano melody began to play from Washington's roof, drowning out the sounds of Jefferson. They had done it. Now they just had to finish it!

Cory stepped up and a spotlight fell upon him, all eyes were on Cory, "The winner takes all…"

The audience gasped at the sheer beauty of the song. Some even fainted.

"It's the thrill of one more kill…"

"We need to stop him!" Jefferson said to his minions, who started going toward the roof.

"The last one to fall…"

Jefferson pointed dramatically at Washington's rooftop as an angry swarm of his soldiers began to climb it.

"Will never sacrifice their will."

The swarm reached the roof, but were greeted with the entire cast of the founding fathers with brand new instruments created by Ben Franklin.

"Don't ever look back,"

Madison kicked a few off while playing his piano.

"On the wind closing in,"

Franklin swung his guitar around as he played it, knocking more soldiers off.

"The only attack,"

Washington fell to his knees and played his trumpet so loud that the soldiers began to fall.

"Were their wings on the wind,"

John Locke appeared and knocked a few down using his books.

"Oh the daydream begins!"

He gives Cory a thumbs up and jumps down into the crowd.

Together the founding fathers begin to sing, "and it's sweet, sweet, sweet sweet victory,

YEAH!"

The 'yeah' knocks the rest of the soldiers off, leaving only one band.

"And it's ours for the taking, it's our for the FIGHT!"

"In the sweet, sweet, sweet sweet victory, YEAH!"

"And the world will last the fall!"

Jefferson, furious, dives for the roof, but is stopped by Locke.

"The winner takes all!"

A mysterious figure flies down behind Locke.

"You don't win no silver!"

"You only lose the gold, you push with a fever!"

Cory gasps.

"For your time keeps tolling on!"

The figure produces a snake that pierces through Locke with his fangs.

"Against all the odds, against all the pain,"

Cory jumps across the roof and catches Locke before he falls, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Your back's on the wall, with no one to blame!"

Locke gives a farewell smile as his eyes go blank.

"Wild hearts won't be tamed!"

Cory closes his eyes and looks up at the figure as sweet victory fades into background noise. Before his stood Stickler with his mechanical arm device.

"Hey Cory, long time no see!"

"S-Stickler… why?"

"He was suspected as the identity of Payne, the CIA sent me back here to exterminate him."

"H-he isn't Payne…" Cory got up and put his headband on.

"Cory what are you doing? What do you mean he isn't Payne?"

"HE ISN'T PAYNE!" Cory unsheathed his katana and swung it at Stickler, who jumped back.

"No matter, he would have died soon anyways."

Cory slashed once more at Stickler, "THAT ISN'T THE POINT!"

Stickler dodged once again, "Cory, do you know who Payne is?!"

"I'm not telling a traitor who he is. You have abandoned this country," Cory said as he stood back.

"Cory, this isn't a game. I need to stop Payne!"

"Too bad, I will stop Payne myself." Cory entered his seppuku form as energy resinated around him.

Stickler backed away as his power sensors overloaded. He activated his pure lightning energy shield and ran at Cory, throwing snakes at the boy. Cory dodged the snakes and teleported behind Stickler and slashed at him, only to knock both of them back from the powers colliding.

"Cory, you know you can't beat me. I have the powers of everyone you've ever killed and more!" Stickler said as black tentacles shot out of him and flew towards the chosen one. Cory sliced them as the came and dodged out of the way. He looked down at his arm to see a bloody wound, but it instantly healed itself.

"What do you mean?!"

"Haha you haven't seen me then! I've been following you for the past year using this arm to replicate the powers of everything you've fought!"

"EVEN THE CHEF?"

"Ha you're funny! As if I would copy the powers of someone as useless as him."

"You don't have my powers, though!"

"Cory, my suit can't even handle that much power in its current state. Copying your powers would be suicide."

"Hm, then I can beat you!"

"Nope, see ya." Stickler said, giving a peace sign as he shot another barrage of tentacles at Cory. He flew away as Cory gasped and passed out.

"Cory, just wake up, I'm sick of waiting," the voice of Montezuma rang over his body.

Cory sat up to see the ghosts of Montezuma, Michael Jackson, and Locke.

"Hi," Michael said, waving.

"H-hi what are you guys doing here?"

"Well you can't seem to figure out what that necklace I gave you does so I came to just tell you," Montezuma said, annoyed.

"This useless skull thing?" Cory asked.

Montezuma facepalmed, "Unbelievable."

"Maybe you should just tell him what it does, um what was your name?" Locke asked, new to this.

"Ugh. I am Montezuma Caesar, former ruler of the Neo Aztecs!"

"Oh, but Caesar was Roma-"

"I know. Ok Cory I'm just going to tell you because you seem to have such a low IQ that nobody can help you. The necklace holds the souls of those close to you that have died. Michael, Me and Locke seem to be inside it now, but you know if you want to go on a killing spree I suppose it would fill up quickly…"

"I don't want to do that!" Cory shouted.

"OK OK, calm down. So basically we can work together to heal you while we are in the necklace. Of course it has limits and us taking this physical form drains our energy immensely, but it'll be useful in the upcoming battle. Now can I try to convince you to abandon the United State yet?"

"No, of course not!"

"Well it was worth a shot. Cory take the right path and don't look back. You'll do great things."

Montezuma soluted and disappeared.

"Cory." Michael stepped forward, "I hope to see you again soon."

Michael disappeared.

Locke stepped forward, "You have done good for this country, Cory. Remember though, if things get too bad, don't stay on the side of the country. You'll need to recognize good and evil in order to win this war. Don't let me die in vain."

Locke disappeared, leaving Cory alone.

Three months later, Cory walked alone in West Virginia. Things had turned well since the battle with Stickler. Jefferson was officially forgiven after begging Washington for days. He might even be president one day. The rest of the founding father were also well.

Cory had been a wanderer since the battle of the bands. Nothing interested him here anymore, he just wanted to go home. It was then that he fell into nothingness and awoke in a destroyed and abandoned lab. He was back.

That's the end of season 4. This marks the end of the childhood story, now we go onward to the fall of DC story, hope to see you then.