The Hokage of the League

Author Note: So sorry for the long updates. I admit that I did procrastinate a lot in the production of my recent chapters but I promise to try and speed my updates up. SWTOR took all my time away. Also I'm glad to see that many of you enjoyed the humorous ending of the last chapter. I'll try to add additional scenes such as this one in future chapter, beginning in this one.

Two more things before you get to the chapter. I'll make it quick. Currently I'm in the process of trying to build my own gaming pc and I wanted to know if any of you readers had any recommendations for parts/components. That means CPU, Motherboard, etc. My price range is within around 800-900 max. Aiming for that black Friday sale.

The other thing is if you lovely readers would be so kind as to also recommend me some GOOD fanfics to read. Stories involving Bleach, Dragonball Z, Naruto, Halo, Mass Effect, and Fallout would be much appreciated. You can even check out more of my preferences by looking at my favorites on my profile. Thank you and happy reading :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Justice League or Naruto. All rights belong to their respected owners.

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Kyuubi/Kurama Talking"

(Jutsu Translations)

XxX

Chapter 11: An Uncertain Future and Rude Robots

Posed in a cross legged position on the dirt floor of a vast forest scenery, our spiky blonde haired hero calmly practiced the meditative trance taught to him by the old toad sages of Mt. Myoboku. Naruto took calm, slow breathes of air, his chest rising ever so slowly in tandem with the steady beating of his heart. He relished in the cool and empowering feeling of Senjutsu chakra flooding through his body's chakra system.

Gathering a sufficient sum of Sage chakra, the familiar red pigmentation faded into existence on the corner edges of his eyes. Suddenly he became more aware of his surroundings. His senses stretched further into the surrounding foliage. The cool breeze in the air complimented the distant sounds of a rushing waterfall provided a soothing atmosphere.

Birds nestled further into their nests and the cawing noises they made reverberated throughout the area. Not too long after the island's creation, birds had already began to migrate on the island, while a plentiful amount of sea critters had invaded the island's coast, filling up with clusters of mussels, crabs, and several other animals indigenous from the ocean.

Stretching his senses even further, Naruto concentrated on following the long trails left by the ants crawling across the grounds surface and the ones burrowing deep within the ground. Deep within the ground's surface, Naruto could detect small traces of ants counting upon the billions. It was impossible to keep tabs on every single individual insect given their size and how many there were, but the ant's population was not what he had been in search for. By following the general movement of the ants he was able to determine the paths they took underground, finding that the ants had created an impossibly long labyrinth of tunnels that extended throughout the entire island he had created.

Smiling in satisfaction, Naruto ceased the flow of Senjutsu chakra. In the beginning weeks of the islands creation, Naruto had made a powerful gravitational seal to keep the island's mass afloat. With no bottom base to keep the island above sea level, it would normally have just sunken without the seal. But the seal itself was only a temporary solution. While powerful enough to hold the structure adrift for an extended period of time, the seal required a daily supplement of chakra to keep the seal powered. Every day, Naruto would have to expel an exorbitant amount of chakra into the seal just to keep it going.

Thus is why he was monitoring the rapidly growing tunneling system that the ants had dug. The ant's tunnels were an integral part in helping Naruto rid himself of having to use the gravity seal. By tunneling a large catacomb of tunnels throughout the island, oxygen would be able to flow through the holes, thus giving the island enough buoyancy to stay afloat without sinking. The long roots that extended from under the many trees of the island also provided a steady flow of oxygen into the tunnels. Though, this was a slow going process. The ants, while fast workers, were also incredibly small so it was a long-going process. Slowly, Naruto had begun to wane the amount of chakra that was needed for the seal. Naruto estimated that within the coming months, he would be able to completely remove the seal without concern for the island's integrity.

Content with his endeavors concerning the island, Naruto's mind wandered to thoughts of Pamela. Would she accept his and Batman's proposition? Or would she deny his request and sever all ties with him? He wouldn't blame her if she did. Asking her to turn herself in was a lot to ask for. Whatever the case, he hoped that she would eventually cave in and take him up on his offer. All he could do now was wait patiently for her answer. Maybe a little patrolling in the city would help take his mind off things.

XxX

Selina Kyle gently stroked the mane of her cat, elapsing a low purr from the feline. Night had taken the sky and she was garbed in her night wear. A silver silk robe that glistened in the moon light. Just when she was about to settle in for the night, she received a surprised visit from her recently befriended red head.

Despite being miffed by the unscheduled visit and disturbed slumber, Selina nonetheless welcomed Pamela into her home. Just through a quick glance at the plant loving woman, Selina could tell that Pamela was unsettled by something. Her stance was rigid and her usual composure was disrupted, as though a great weight was bearing down on her shoulders.

Providing them both with some soothing tea to calm the red head's nerves, Selina initiated the conversation. "So, tell me what's wrong. It's obvious that something is on your mind. You're usually more composed than this. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say that it has something to do with Naruto doesn't it?"

Pamela frowned. She hadn't realized that she had been projecting her emotions so openly. She wasn't normally such an open book. Her mind has been so fixated on whether or not to accept Naruto's offer that she unintentionally let her guard down. Silently she cursed herself for her own blunder. She was not accustomed to this feeling of vulnerability, these feelings. They confused and infuriated her to no end!

Massaging her temples, Pamela released a deep exaggerated sigh. "Nothing escapes you doesn't it. Yes, it does have something to do with our whiskered friend."

Selina chuckled lowly at the whisker comment. "So, what exactly did whiskers do to get you so riled up?"

Pamela hesitated for a brief moment, pondering her next choice of words. Finally, she responded. "Well, he requested that I turn myself in to the authorities."

Selina did not respond, but merely raised her eyebrows in a bit of surprise as she stared directly into Pamela's eyes, as though searching for something. Finally, the feline lover broke her gaze, sitting up from her position and disappearing into the nearby kitchen. Selina's strange actions befuddled Pamela who wondered why she wondered off.

Mere moments later, Selina reentered the room, a large glass bottle of fine wine in one hand, while the other held two clear glasses. Setting the glasses down gently on the table, Selina then proceeded to pour herself a glass of the crimson colored liquid. Selina offered a glass to the still confused Pamela, who did not want to decline the woman's hospitality.

"I figured that we were in need of something a little stronger. Besides, I have a feeling that this will take a while." Pamela snorted in amusement. That's one of the many things that she had grown to like about Selina. She had a way of knowing just the right thing to say or do at the crucial moment. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Pamela decided to indulge in Selina's hospitality, taking a sip of the dark liquid's contents.

XxX

~Watchtower Headquarters~

Sitting above the landing in a crouched position, Flash watched in earnest as Hawkgirl worked on the inner components of the Watchtowers frame. Throwing a piece of candy in his mouth, the speedster smiled in glee from its sweetness. Dangling one of his legs off the upper landing, he attempted to initiate a conversation with the winged heroine.

"So on Thanagar you were a cop?"

"Detective" Hawkgirl replied offhandedly, still maintaining focus on what she was doing.

"What's it like there?" he inquired, swallowing another piece of candy.

"The same as anywhere I suppose." She answered honestly, sliding the pallet sheet back into place, having finished her work. "There are criminals and we catch them."

"And what about when you're not catching criminals? When you're not at work?" He pressed further.

"What about it?" she asked turning to face him.

Wally flashed her a flirtatious smile. "Well, is there a hawkboy?"

Hawkgirl gave an amused smile, but did not indulge Flash in a reply. Instead, she spread her wings, leaping beside J'onn, who had entered the room just moments before. "I'll be doing maintenance." The Thanagarian pronounced as she took her leave out the door.

Flash held a smirk, his gaze following the swaying motions of the winged heroine's hips, earning him a rather blank stare from J'onn. Flash had the decency to look sheepish.

"What, don't you get lonely?" The speedster said defensively.

"More than you could imagine." J'onn replied with a certain emptiness in his speech. Flash's smile immediately wilted into a frown.

"Hey, J'onn Im I didn't mean-" Flash started, not meaning to have offended his new friend, but the blaring alarms from the Watchtower interrupted him, setting both leaguers on alert.

"It's an incursion!" J'onn proclaimed, stepping over to the port window to get a visual on the intruders. Through the transparent window, three hulking figures could be seen passing by the Watchtower, heading straight for Earth.

"More like an invasion!" Flash exclaimed, seeing the three figures nearing the Earth's atmosphere.

"I'll notify the others." J'onn said as they both moved to mobilize the others.

XxX

Naruto fought back a laugh at his own handy work. He'd been on the patrol in the city for not one hour before he found a pair of foolish thugs who had the brilliant idea of making a quick buck by robbing an innocent bystander; dragging the poor man into an empty alley away from prying eyes.

They made foolishly choice to ignore the fact that this was Naruto's city. His jurisdiction! Oh, they would pay for their little misdeed the Naruto Uzumaki way. Swooping down upon the unsuspecting criminals, Naruto swept the pair off their feet into the air, by use of ninja wire that he always had on hand.

There had been a delicious satisfaction in hearing the pair squeal like girls as they were unceremoniously flung into the air upside down. Naruto reeled them in an exaggerated manner, similar to how a fisherman would reel a fish caught on the hook. "Whoa nelly!" Naruto bellowed, impersonating a southern accent. "I got myself some big ones!"

Still dangling over the edge of the building, Naruto's brows crinkled in feign disappointment at the sight of the thugs. "Aww man, I got a bad catch. Oh well, back you go." Both thugs eye's bulged in alarm at the sight of Naruto procuring a kunai to sever the metal wire that held them suspended in the air. That was about a 4-5 story trip back down into the pavement of the alley upside down. Not the most pleasant ending.

The thugs then begged, pleaded, and whimpered for Naruto to spare them. A wave of sour stench infiltrated Naruto's nostrils. Peering down at one of the thugs, Naruto could see the obvious stain that soaked his pants. Naruto felt revulsion at the sight of the man soiling himself, but took some amusement in watching his partner in crime went into a spasm fit at being drenched by his fellow thug.

Before Naruto could say or do anything else though, his league communicator went off. Someone was pinning him. The familiar voice of J'onn spoke into his ear. "Hokage, we have an emergency situation. Three unidentified beings have infiltrated Earth."

"Where are they headed?" Naruto questioned.

"I've calculated their trajectory rate and their destination appears to be the city of Detroit. The others have already been notified and will meet up at the sight of the unknowns landing."

"Acknowledged, I'll meet up with you guys there, though I may be a little late."

"Understood, Watchtower out." The communicator crackled out, leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

Naruto was surprised that there would be another invasion so soon. The Earth had only just recovered from its last invasion. Though, something still bothered Naruto. "Why would these invaders travel across space just to go to Detroit and why only three of them when it could be an army? Were they perhaps after something else?"

"I have a sinking suspicion that they're not here to start an invasion."Kurama chimed in, having arose from his slumber in light of this new development.

"I had the same thought. Guess we'll find out what's really going on when we get there." Naruto was rudely broken away from his thoughts from the cursing of one of the thugs, who suddenly grew enough courage to shout at him.

"Once I get out of here I'm gonna fu-!" Naruto abruptly ended the thugs tirade via a strike to the head; same as his compatriot.

The spiky haired blonde caressed the black chakra receiver he had struck them over the head with in a loving manner. "Ah, Forget Me Stick. You never could never do me wrong." Naruto's gaze moved toward the unconscious thugs and a foxlike grin stretched across the folds of his mask. Digging through his pockets, Naruto plucked out a permanent black marker. One of the many weapons in his pranking arsenal. "J'onn won't mind if I leave these idiots a parting gift. Fufufufu."

XxX

~Detroit~

J'onn, along with Hawkgirl and Flash were the first to approach the invaders that touched down on Earth. Upon meeting them, the League members found that the beings were actually humanoid machines. All three of them were hulking figures, a little past Superman's height at around 6" 8' to 7 feet tall. They all assumed the same appearance; a dominating red suit of armor with silver gauntlets and boots. Individually you couldn't tell them apart, thought the one who had presented itself first seemed to be the leader of the pack.

Negotiations had not gone well; quickly escalating into physical combat between the two parties. The synthetics quickly proved to be worthy adversaries, expertly making use of the electric staffs that they wielded. The situation seemed to be moving in favor of the machines, as the three leaguers were slowly being overwhelmed by their brutal efficiency and superior strength which only Superman could probably take head on.

Hawkgirl swooped in on an unsuspecting synthetic who had his back turned, heaving a vicious swing to the back hulking figure's head; sending him sprawling into the cement. The winged heroine was already in the process of slugging her spiked mace in the direction of the other machine, but the synthetic was quick to react and parry the Thanagarian's mace with his own staff.

Swiftly jerking the mace in another direction, the red clad machine used the small opening to project a burst of electricity through the end of his staff directly into Hawkgirls abdomen. The impact of the kinetic energy sent the winged heroine sailing through the air and through the glass window of a nearby diner and even through the following wall of the diner's interior.

Tables were uplifted and silverware was thrown aside from Hawkgirls harsh landing. With surprising stamina and resilience, the woman quickly recovered. She growled lowly in anger before speeding off into the air to rejoin the battle.

XxX

Pinning an electrified Hawkgirl harshly onto the topside of a vehicle, the machine moved to finish off his victim. Before the machine could enact the deed, Superman appeared on the scene, bulldozing straight into the synthetics chest with the force of a freight train. The two goliaths impacted into a concrete wall. Naruto used the opportunity of Superman's distraction to drop down above another machine with an already charged Odama Rasengan (Big Ball Rasengan) in hand.

"Odama Rasengan!" Naruto bellowed as he bore the full might of the giant condensed ball of energy onto his unsuspecting foe. The machine's back caved in under the pressure from the surprise attack. The earth shook violently from the impact of the attack, spreading a small cloud of debris everywhere.

Once the dust cleared it showed a heavily damaged machine sprawled upon the center of a small crater in the ground. Alarmingly, the machine was still relatively intact, with only the backside of its frame indented and a few punctured circuits jutting out from a few new holes in its frame. Naruto was surprised by this but was thankful that the machine didn't appear to be moving, which meant that the rasengan had done some significant damage to its internal circuitry.

Distracted in his musings, Naruto's hyper aware senses wailed in full alarm. Acting purely off instinct, the young blonde threw himself across the floor, just as an amplified blue/white flash of energy surged passed him. Flipping himself into an upright crouched position, Naruto evaluated his current position.

Hissing audibly in pain, Naruto quickly noticed the small burn mark where the projected electrical voltage nicked the upper part of his left arm. Cerulean eyes traveled upward to the sight of one of the machines standing tall on top of a large vehicle, with the end of its electric staff cackling with spark of electricity; no doubt the weapon that had struck Naruto's appendage.

Naruto cursed at himself for his foolish blunder. He could already foresee Kurama chewing him out for letting his guard down so easily. Just as he was about to reply in kind to the machine, Naruto's eyes caught upon the state of his short sleeved haori. What was once pristine attire was now singed and ruffled from being struck by the machine's staff. Not to mention the gaping tear in the shoulder sleeve of his haori. White hot anger flushed through Naruto's system. Naruto's usual carefree demeanor was now replaced by what could only be described as a demon possessed. Jabbing his index finger at the assailant responsible for this travesty, Naruto spoke in a voice filled with poison and promises of bloodshed, eyes shadowed by his long blonde bangs. "This coat was tailored to my exact specifications. Not only that but it's my only one I had made and you just ruined it."

A surge of blue electricity cackled sporadically around his body as he let his chakra explode outwardly. "Let me ask you, does a machine like yourself ever experience fear?"

Had the machine been programmed with emotions he would have shat a brick at the underlying bloodlust that was permeated by each word the blonde spoke. Instead, the machine posed the end of his staff for another assault. Before it could even fire another shot off, the Manhunter's face caved in from an electrically amplified hand plunged deeply into its headpiece. The last image that the machine had captured before its termination was of crimson red eyes with slitted irises. Not giving the already decommissioned machine a reprieve, Naruto grabbed its chest and underbelly before hurdling its remains at one of its fellow machines that was currently in a scuffle with Superman. The force behind the throw was enough to send them both tumbling end over end into the side door of a car.

A small trail of gasoline leaking from the heavily dented vehicle was brought to Naruto's attention, bringing an evil gleam to his eyes. Acting quickly, Naruto forced his stiff arm to form a few hand signs, finishing with the tiger seal. Swelling his chest with oxygen and a tremendous amount of chakra, Naruto brought his better arm up to his mouth before exhaling heavily.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)"An intense heat permeated the air as Naruto spouted a massive orb of fire that glided towards the direction of the machines who were in the process of getting themselves out of the badly disfigured car. The synthetics picked up on the motion of the impending ball of flames, keeping stoic expressions as the intense flames engulfed them and the vehicle in a fiery blaze of destruction.

….

~Meanwhile in a Nearby Barber Shop~

John Stewart leaned back in a chair provided in the barber shop he was currently in. After just returning from a recent trip in space, John had meant to spend the day revisiting his old home town. It had been so long since he had walked the streets of Detroit. While taking a casual stroll across the city, John had stumbled into his old high school teacher and his grandson.

Deciding to converse with his former teacher, both he and John reminisced about past events. Moving their conversation to a barber shop, they chatted while the man's grandson got his haircut. A loud explosion and a rough quake in the ground, ceased all movement from the barber shops occupants.

Narrowing his glowing eyes at the unexpected event, John powered his ring, changing the theme of his outfit to the usual Green Lantern uniform; surprising many amongst the room's occupants, including that of his high school teacher and the grandson.

Before anyone could question him, John swiftly flew out through the door and into the air to inspect the disturbance that caused the explosion.

XxX

As the hazy clouds of debris finally dispersed, it revealed both offending parties staring each other down. Both sides had regrouped to reevaluate the current situation. The majority of the league appeared fine, though Hawkgirls' feathered look frazzled from being struck several times by the machine's electric staffs. Naruto still sported an injured arm that felt numb and slightly stiff. Damn fox thought it a fitting punishment to not bother healing his arm because of his lack of situational awareness either that or that electrical blast had an effect on his chakra networks flow.

The non-organics seemed to have taken more collateral damage. One was heavily damaged while the other two were in complete disrepair; many of their parts were scorched but still intact from being in the epicenter of the ball of fire's explosion. That would've ended it there if not for about half a dozen more of the machines joining into the fray.

Flash spared a moment to observe ground zero of the destruction caused by Naruto's attack. "Damn Hokage, I hope whoever owned that Hyundai had great insurance cause they sure as hell aren't getting that back." Leave it to Flash to crack a joke during the calm before the storm despite the massive migraine that ached from the strike to the head he had received earlier. Though, despite it being phrased into a joke, Flash's humorous observation of the blonde's earlier attack was not unfound. Naruto had put a somewhat excessive amount of power into the jutsu.

Naruto made no verbal reply to the speedster but instead chose to summon his faithful blade Megami no Kuni. The cutting potential she gave Naruto was perfect to carve into the machine's tough exterior. A malicious grin plastered itself beneath Naruto's mask. "Kukuku, my sword craves the blood of her enemies…. Or is it oil in this case? No matter. The way things are going their expiration date is vastly decreasing."

His words garnered him strange looks of befuddlement from his teammates at his oddly bloodthirsty attitude, but didn't act on it in turn of focusing on the situation at hand. The other leaguers prepared themselves to for the upcoming second round as the machines brandished their weapons.

Just as both sides were about to engage, a familiar large wall of iridescent green light flared in between both offending groups, ceasing all movement. Following the trail of green energy, the form of John came into view from the air. Landing gently on the pavement, John idly regarded the league, before turning his attention to the now strangely docile machines.

Naruto noticed the momentary glance that John gave the league before walking at a casual and non-threatening manner towards the red clad synthetics, putting the remainder of the league on alert. The imposed leader of the machines addressed John in its synthesized voice. "Are you the green lantern known as John Stewart?"

"I am." John acknowledged resolutely.

The machine outstretched its hand openly in front of John expectantly. "Your ring." Taking a few moments to gaze down at his powered ring, John wordlessly removed it from his middle finger, before handing it over to the open palmed hand, much to the growing shock of his fellow leaguers. Superman and Flash attempted to question John on his actions, but their concerns were gruffly brushed off by the former marine.

"You will come with us." The machine announced as two other machines shackled some restraints onto John's hands. Tapping the end of his staff roughly against the pavement, the leading machine gave the signal for a beam of yellow light to envelop both its fellow machines and John as well. Closing his eyes in preparation for what was to come, John felt a sudden pull as his body was instantaneously materialized and transported off to his destination that would determine his fate. The league stood there in silence and disbelief of what had occurred before them, all pondering the same question of what in the world had just happened.

XxX

~Watchtower~

Aboard the watchtower, Naruto watched in silence as J'onn stood stalk still, eyes glowing faintly in search for their captured Lantern. Naruto would've tried to search through his own methods but he knew how pointless that would have been. Even while in sage mode, his senses simply could not stretch that far and wide for a single being. It was the equivalent of attempting to find a single grain of rice on a beach. A pointless endeavor. At best he could only sense people from an entire continent but beyond that forget it.

Which is why Naruto was both pleasantly surprised and amazed by J'onn's ability to pinpoint on John's emotions. It was similar to how he could sense emotions and malicious intent while in his chakra mode, only J'onn's people had a more controlled version of it and better range.

The luminescence in J'onn's eyes ceased, signifying that his search had ended. "I sense turmoil. A heavy heart."

"I could've told you that." Flash jibed in.

"He's looking at stars." J'onn supplied helpfully.

"But which stars?" Superman, along with the others in the room moved toward the center which held the image projector. A light flared up, projecting an image of the Milky Way.

J'onn's yellow eyes scanned through the constellations on stars until he found what he was looking for. "There." He pointed toward a particular system, which Superman centered in on.

"Ajuris 5." Hawkgirl mused, reading the label of the planet. "Isn't that the system that lantern was sent on duty not too long ago?"

"Perhaps something happened there that led John to willingly turn himself in." Naruto added in afterthought, also inspecting the planet hovering above the holo.

Superman gently coughed into his palm, calling the attention of his fellow league members. "I'm assembling a party to go after John and find out what's really going on. Who's willing to go with me?"

J'onn, Hawkgirl, and Flash immediately volunteered to join, but Naruto remained surprisingly silent. "Hokage. How about you?"

Naruto took a moment to weigh his options before replying to the Man of Steel's question. "Well, seeing as how all of you are going on the mission to find Lantern, I feel that I would be needed more here on Earth. Not that Batman and Diana aren't capable of holding down the fort, but I don't want to leave them to deal with a crisis should it occur while you're gone. Besides-", he shrugged his shoulders, "-I prefer my feet on the ground and on soil as opposed to being in the vacuum of space. That's just a deathtrap waiting to happen." Naruto finished with all seriousness.

His fellow leaguers deadpanned at the blonde shinobi's last comment. "Space travel is actually very safe if the right precautions are taken. You've just gone paranoid from watching too many of those sci-fi horror flicks." Hawkgirl chided humorously.

The blonde gave Shayera an even look, arms folded over one another. "You say that now, but I won't be the one that gets ejected into space where I'll die from lack of oxygen and…" Naruto shivered, attempting in vain to forgo the horrific scenarios that plagued his over imaginative mind.

Once Naruto's sanity finally crept back in he took notice of the absence of his fellow leaguers who had left Naruto to his inner ramblings and paranoia. Large globs of tears smeared Naruto's vision. Kicking the tip of his foot into the hard metal plating of the floor, Naruto began his trek towards the station's hanger bay with slumped shoulders, muttering under his breath something akin to ungrateful companions.

XxX

~Some time later~

Silence. Not a single word had been spoken since the initial meeting of Pamela and Batman. Naruto, who had the fortunate pleasure of sitting between the two, sat in long silence, fidgeting at the uncomfortable atmosphere in the room. Now he wasn't one for experiencing claustrophobia but with how intense the former enemies stared each other down, he wondered if having this meeting was a mistake after all.

Naruto hadn't expected the sudden call from Pamela, who had agreed to at least meet Batman in person for a formal discussion on the exact details of what this plan entailed. He was curious as to what had changed her mind, but nonetheless he was glad that she had at least taken the initiative to attend this meeting.

The meeting had taken place at an unspecified location that was isolated and made certain it was secure for them to speak freely without having to worry about possible eaves droppers snooping in on the conversation. Though, as a precaution, Naruto had stationed a few clones around the perimeter of the small building to keep lookout.

Munching on the remainder of what appeared to be… animal crackers, Naruto felt his patience waning. Annoyed with the conversation or rather lack of conversation, Naruto attempted to break the ice with his usual approach toward tense situations. "When you two are done admiring each other I would like to start this discussion." Naruto held in a flinch from the glowering stare the two pointed in his direction. A bat-glare and a scowl from Pamela was enough to properly cow even the likes of Naruto. Diplomacy was still an attribute that he had yet to improve much on.

"So," Batman addressed Pamela. "Hokage here tells me that you've taken it upon yourself to drop your villain activities. Now I've heard his side of the story but I need to hear it personally from you. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Pamela chortled in amusement, eyes glancing off in Naruto's direction. "Blondie here may act like an idiot half the time but he has an annoying way of getting to you." The designated blonde of the group gave a cry of indignation at being referred to as an idiot.

"Hey Pam, I resent that. I am not an idiot, I prefer the term ignoramus."

Pamela crossed her arms at the stupidity of his answer. "And what pray tell, is the difference?"

Wiping away leftover crumbs, Naruto answered nonchalantly, "Unlike other idiots who are just naturally stupid, I purposely act ignorant just to make things interesting. It provides a bountiful amount of amusement that brings me joy in day to day proceedings."

"Your version of amusement is taking enjoyment from other people's torment. Some would call that sadistic." Pamela quipped.

Naruto just huffed. "Bah! Who isn't a sadist these days? Everyone, no matter who they are takes some pleasure in watching another's sufferings. The only difference is by how much."

Before the two could continue their banter, they were interrupted by a rather miffed looking Batman, who had his usual scowl plastered on his features. Naruto honestly couldn't distinguish whether or not the cowled man was scowling because he was annoyed at the two of them getting sidetracked or if that was his default expression. Naruto made a silent pledge to somehow get Batman to smile or at least smirk one of these days.

Bruce had observed the two converse with each other and he couldn't help but be a bit surprised in the change that he could see in Pamela. Never in all of his life had he seen the former eco-terrorists so open with another individual. Whatever change the Hokage had sparked within the botanist, Batman couldn't deny that the change was somewhat refreshing. The possibility that Pamela was only acting and that this new persona was just a well hidden façade did not escape Batman's suspicions. After all, Pamela was no stranger when it came to masking her true intentions. She had fooled both himself and Harvey Dent before when she had plotted to poison the former law attorney under the guise that she had intended to marry him, as well as several other instances. But his instincts told him different this time. He had no proof to back his claims, but Pamela's intentions felt actually genuine. Was it possible that the man standing next to him had done something he hadn't thought possible? Could the Hokage have actually gotten to Pamela and convinced her to drop her villainess streak? Only further observation could reveal the answers to the Dark Knight's questions.

Reaching a hand into his cape, Batman procured a manila themed folder, which he set in front of Pamela. "Inside the folder is a copy of your criminal record. Multiple charges of vandalism, attempted murder, and several other charges are amongst the crimes that you've committed. While the odds are against you in this situation, there is a remote chance that the charges against you could be dropped, but not unless you fully cooperate."

Pamela carried an unreadable expression but Batman caught the slightest twinge of annoyance from the woman. The fact that Pamela hadn't interjected him yet showed that she had some promise. "What exactly would you have me do?" Pamela asked coolly.

"Well for one you have to be willing to turn yourself in." This time Pamela showed obvious discomfort.

"You'd be sending me back to the Asylum in Arkham? What good would that do for me?" Naruto took over for Batman, sensing the increasing mistrust in Pamela.

"By willingly turning yourself in you show the public that you're willing to change and cooperate. Many people have heard of your exploits during the invasion and some you even saved yourself. While many of the populace are still somewhat wary of you because of your past misdeeds, you've already gained the favor of more than a few; namely those of the victims you personally saved. If we do everything right then you could get off with a long term probation or at least a shortened sentence."

Naruto wasn't as misguided as to believe that this plan was full proof because it wasn't. He knew that were more than a few hurtles that they would have to leap over before they cleared Pamela's name, but then again, when had any of his schemes been conventional in the least bit? Naruto prided himself on being highly unpredictable and this time was no different. Somehow, he knew without a doubt that this would work out in the end. This mentality was not only constricted to Naruto. The red head who was the subject of discussion felt the unwavering temperament in Naruto's character.

Shifting her gaze toward the blonde, Pamela then proceeded to commit herself into a stare down of attrition, similar to the one she had engaged in with Batman earlier. After what seemed like an eternity, Pamela finally caved in with a heavy sigh and a shrug. Even the plant obsessed botanist knew when she was fighting a losing battle. Even if she didn't fully buy into the young shinobi and Batman's plan, Naruto's impervious conviction was enough to convince her that it could actually work. His unwavering determination was contagious.

Had this been no less than half a year back, Pamela would've outright denied their proposition much less attended this meeting. It was almost unfathomable how much the blonde had wormed his way into her life. She couldn't help but find the humor in the irony of it all. She was entrusting her life with this man when it was a man who had been the cause of her apostasy; the source of all her problems and insecurities. Sometime you just had to take that leap of faith and play the cards you were dealt with. And it was just her luck that the joker of all things would be the one to lead her out of her self-imposed time of villainy.

End…

XxX

Additional Author's Note: This is more of a message towards those few who leave rather insulting reviews. I can deal with harsh criticism but it would be nice if you could refrain from blatantly just leaving insults. Some of them did provide some usual tidbits of advice that I took to heart but still it'd be great if you could lay off the unnecessary bashing of how you think the stories bad. I know that I'm not the best writer out there on this site and I'll be the first to openly admit that I'm a storyteller, not a writer. There's a difference. Fanfiction is a site to bring in upcoming and amateur storytellers/writers so they can share their ideas and stories with other readers for the pure pleasure of reading an enjoyable story.

For all my respectable, lighthearted readers, fellow storytellers, and even criticizers, thank you for your time and for taking the time to read my story and listen to my rant.