Legend of the Fox

Chapter 5

AN: Hello all and welcome back. Firstly thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and sent me comments or whatnot regarding this story. Secondly as the manga is actually wrapping up I actually find myself a bit excited for once which is odd for me. Anyway it's rather late and as I don't really have much to say this time, here's the chapter.

Start Now:

As the sun rose over the Hidden Leaf Village the Godaime Hokage, Senju Tsunade looked on from atop the Hokage Monument with a small serene smile on her face. She currently stood in Naruto's spot atop the head of her grandfather the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Of course the difference was Naruto frequented the spot during sunset as he wasn't a morning person by any means. She however had no choice but to wake early on a regular basis, such was one sacrifice for the position she currently held. Still she usually used this time to prepare herself for the trials that would await her during the day at the same time she ran an eye over the village and was pleased by what she saw. By this point the village had been half rebuilt after it had basically been destroyed by Pein or rather Nagato all those months ago. In fact it was hard to believe that it had only been eight months since Naruto returned with Jiraiya from his training trip.

At the same time it sometimes felt like it had been even longer with all that had happened in just that small stretch of time. The war itself had obviously not been pretty and many lives had been lost during its short course. Konoha had lost several heavy hitters in Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi and Maito Gai during the course of the war with Gai being the greatest loss from a muscle standpoint and Shikaku being the greatest from a mental one. Of course there had been many more to lose their lives in the struggle but those were the big ones for her village that had the greatest effect. Kumogakure itself had been destroyed due to a tailed beast bomb launched by the Juubi itself very similar to the one that had taken out the command center that Shikaku and Inoichi had been operating from.

The Yondaime Raikage known simply as A had fallen during the war having taken the full brunt of the black flames of Amaterasu from Uchiha Madara himself, and the Sandaime Tsuchikage had also met his end at the hands of the legendary Uchiha. The man who had acted as the First Division commander during the war Darui had stepped up and taken up the mantle of Godaime Raikage while the Second Division commander, Kitsuchi had taken his father's place as Yondaime Tsuchikage. At the moment all of the villages were busy trying to recover from the losses they had suffered during the fighting and all had agreed on terms for a peaceful alliance between them. There had of course been a few times that small fires had flared up as more than a few parties had tried to end the alliance, but those fires had quickly found themselves being put out.

Initially after the alliances initial disbandment none of the other powers had wanted to stick with it, and all of them had felt there was no more need to it. The Juubi itself had vanished after all the fighting and no one had a clue where it had vanished to, though there were multiple theories. However everyone knew it was still around as about two days after it had vanished a large surge of power had been felt. When parties had arrived at the source to investigate they'd found five previously dead people standing at the source, those people being Roshi, Han, Fu, Yugito, and Utakata. When they had appeared their corresponding Bijuu had returned to their previous host and Shukaku likewise had done the same though Naruto still held a bond with each of the Bijuu. At the moment the only Bijuu without a jinchuriki was the Sanbi, or rather Isobu as she had learned was its name. Yagara had declined his reincarnation having felt he had done enough damage and instead had given the gift to someone else according to the others, and Isobu hearing this had left to find if this person would be a worthy partner. They had also arrived with another message, the Juubi or rather Shinju whichever you preferred was giving them a chance, they had returned to make sure they didn't fuck it up.

Of course things regarding jinchuriki had changed, no longer was being one viewed as a curse, thanks to Naruto and Kirabi it was now looked at as a high honor. The rules regarding jinchuriki had all been scrapped and rewritten as one of the first things the new council of Kages had done. A jinchuriki would no longer be a weapon or even a deterrent for other villages and they were to be given a certain level of treatment. They would no longer be neglected and abused nor could they be spoiled and placed on a pedestal however they were to be given the same treatment as everyone else, which suited the current ones just fine. It had also been made clear that only a jinchuriki could choose his or her successor; whether they be related to a Kage in some way or not was now irrelevant. Any group seeking to forcibly obtain a jinchuriki or bijuu was to be immediately stomped out by a taskforce consisting of representatives from all forces within the alliance, which at that point also included Taki thanks to Fu.

Those had been the easy terms and even the various Daimyo had agreed, one brush with the Shinju had been enough for everyone. However while everyone else was content to get back to the status quo Naruto had urged her to get the alliance back up. Initially reluctant she had relented to his arguing none of the great villages really had much manpower at that point and it would not be impossible for the smaller nations to band together and knock one or more of them out. It had been a tough battle but one she'd been able to win with the various Daimyo and the Kage of the other villages in order to get the alliance reformed. Seemingly as soon as word spread the great five had banded together they had started getting missives from other countries trying to join up.

At the moment the countries of Oni no Kuni, Haru no Kuni and Na no Kuni were all either in negotiations or newly approved members of the alliance, which she personally did not think was a coincidence since all three leaders had a connection with Konoha's resident troublemaker and jinchuriki and two of those leaders had or would be giving birth to Naruto's children. The Daimyo of Tori no Kuni had also sent a message about joining the growing alliance so she knew negotiations would begin with her soon as well. In the beginning a lot of people had voiced displeasure of allowing countries that had done nothing during the war to have a part of the alliance, however it had once again been Naruto who had stepped forward and give a reason why they should allow it, after all the more territories that were included the closer they'd come to a lasting peace, and at the end of the day that's all everyone wanted.

It had in fact been that reason that she had allowed Naruto to take the lead in the negotiations and things had gone wonderfully. Despite the fact that he had very little training in the matter he had not allowed too much or too little for any party. In fact people were actually quite pleased with him because he treated everyone the same. For instance Kazahana Koyuki, the Daimyo of Haru no Kuni had given them the plans for the trains and in exchange Naruto had allowed her countries entry. At first no one had been happy on their side as they had no clue for why he would want such a thing but once the plans were in hand he had used them to show that they were a method for faster travel between countries, and this he'd wanted not for the shinobi but for the civilians so that they could all travel and see more of the world and understand what it was the alliance fought for. Needless to say after that people were a lot more trusting and the blond had yet to disappoint which was why it had been so easy to get Naruto the official appointment as her successor.

It was also for that reason she was worried, Naruto was not only the hero of the war but he'd been the one to ensure that everything they were doing now would be able to be maintained. It was for this reason that she was worried about the reactions of the other villages if they were to learn that something had happened to him. At the end of the day Naruto was what kept the alliance going and she didn't want to risk any type of infighting without him there to help maintain order. Sure it wasn't right she relied on him so much but since everyone respected him for his actions during the war his presence during the meetings helped things go smoother.

Another thing that was bothering her was the fact that she'd actually allowed the Uchiha brat out of his cell. The fact of the matter is the only reason the alliance had been able to get intact once more was due to the fact that Naruto had stated that the teen would be there for quite some time. Both Mifune and Darui had been quite adamant in killing the Uchiha who had taken a fair number of lives from their own men. More than that he'd actually revived Orochimaru and despite the fact that said Snake Sannin had in turn summoned the four deceased Hokage via Edo Tensei the fact that the snake was once again among the living galled at everyone. As of this moment there was only one living S-class nuke-nin and he was it and Orochimaru was good at hiding and biding his time. Suna wanted him dead, Konoha wanted him dead and all the others just wanted to ensure he wouldn't be a problem.

Unfortunately it had also been the council's decision to release him into Kakashi's custody. Because of this and the feeling that he would cause trouble if left to his own devices she had immediately written Naruto about the fact that Uchiha would be part of the team. She would have sent Sai instead but the ink user was currently on a mission with Anko and Tenzo and as such was unavailable. Hinata had volunteered for the mission herself but as she was now clan head and thus could not just go out as she pleased as such she had requested Neji be sent in her place. Still while she felt she had done everything that she could on her end, she couldn't help but wonder what could happen.

Elsewhere the current focus of her musing Naruto unaware of her thoughts was currently deep in meditation as he focused on collecting himself. Ever since his sage training he'd taken to meditating each morning before anything else, even if he wasn't drawing nature chakra it was a good way to prepare himself for the day ahead. Though it hadn't been long since the formation of what he called the Young Justice League things had still managed to progress nicely. Sara's protégé Artemis had indeed been taken under the wing of Oliver Queen otherwise known as the Green Arrow after she'd stumbled across a fight between Superboy, Robin and Kid Flash against a machine called Amazo that would steal the abilities of others. She had helped them out covertly and managed to save Kid Flash's life.

He himself had approached Artemis beforehand and told her of what they wanted. At first she'd been against it but learning that all they wanted was for her to be on the team and that she could do whatever she wanted and not have to play spy she'd been sold. She unlike Batman was even considered a full member of the League of Shadows, though what she did with those skills was up to her. Naruto himself had been doing likewise travelling wanting to get out and see more of this new world he had stumbled into. While his trip had only just barely begun he would admit that he found the sights and some of the people he met quite interesting. He'd had a really interesting conversation with this blonde girl he'd met in Paris while he'd been stopping for lunch. Seeing as all the other tables had been full she had allowed him to join her and the two ended up speaking about military service after she stated she was thinking of signing up. Having had his own experiences on the subject he had given her his own opinion on the matter and had left her with much to think about. While he didn't know it then as he never got her name his words had a profound effect on the young woman who turned out to be Lucy Lane and it would be that conversation with him that would change her perception about things quite drastically.

He'd also gone and spent a few days in Japan, mostly out of curiosity. Still the visit had been quite interesting and while there he'd met with a woman by the name of Tatsu, he'd met her in a club and things had been pretty lively when these Yakuza brutes had stormed the place. Never one to run from a fight he'd punched the first one who'd tried to grab him in the throat and started the massacre that had followed. He had been surprised to see Tatsu had been in there holding her own quite well during the melee and in the end both of them had left a pile of bodies in their wakes each. He'd followed out of simple curiosity as the attack had been meant for her and he'd wanted to see how she would respond. What he'd seen of her had impressed him she was good in both taijutsu and kenjutsu however eventually she'd been overrun and he'd decided to emerge from the shadows.

After the two of them had dealt with the Yakuza and their boss, who turned out to be her former brother-in-law she had offered him a gift which had been a katana to replace his own sword that had been broken in the skirmish. In truth it had shattered due to an influx of wind chakra he'd channeled through it that it had been unable to handle. Whatever the case she'd gifted him with the one her former brother-in-law had tried wielding against her during the battle. The sword itself was 42 inches overall with 28 inches made up solely by the blade which had a pale green inscription running along its length. Its name was Jinran-Maru (Raging Storm) and according to Tatsu was most likely some type of special or legendary as that was the type that her former brother-in-law was interested in.

He had thanked her profusely for the gift and afterwards the two had gone out for a drink. The next morning he had woke up with her nude form wrapped up in his arms and had been surprised when she had told him that she didn't want anything else from him and was perfectly fine with the casual encounter as she would not commit to another relationship as her heart was still with her departed family. Naruto had understood and the two had parted on good terms as he'd headed to the airport and hopped back onto his private plane. At the moment he was on his way to Salem, Massachusetts as he'd gotten word that Klarion the witch-boy was on the hunt for Dr. Fate. While he had no use for the witch-boy he could use the aid of Dr. Fate he'd heard much about the Lord of Order and he was hoping he could help him with a way home. While he doubted he would be able to return immediately just having a way to do so known would allow him to set a plan in motion. Closing his eyes at that thought he decided he could get a bit of sleep while they traveled to their destination.

Within the Hidden Leaf Village the copy ninja Hatake Kakashi sighed as he entered the dusty confines that was Naruto's apartment. He like many others had often questioned why the blond kept the place as he hardly ever ventured to the place since he'd been granted access to the Namikaze family home. Naruto himself had never answered the question though the common belief was that he kept the place so that he could remember where he came from and in a way keep himself humble. The complex itself was now fully refurbished and fully occupied as many people had wanted to live in the building that their newfound hero had once called home. The fact that Naruto owned the building from after being literally tossed the deed by the previous owner who'd wanted to be away from the 'demon's influence' always managed to amuse him as he was now raking in cash monthly from people who just a few short years ago wanted nothing to do with him.

That he mused was one of the problems of living in a village like Konoha. While the village itself was peaceful for the most part and they were gifted with great weather nearly year round the village infrastructure left a bit to be desired. Because the village populace was made up mostly of civilians ones reception by the villagers was usually based on their usually biased and uneducated opinions. He himself had been forced to live throughout the entirety of his remembered childhood under the stigma of being the son of a man who'd saved his comrades and thus abandoned a mission. Because of the repercussions of such a thing due largely to the actions of the villagers his father had drunk himself into a depression and committed suicide. As a result Kakashi himself had lived for a long time believing that the rules of the ninja were the most important things in life. Those beliefs had been challenged by those of his teammate Uchiha Obito, who in Kakashi's first mission as a jounin had sacrificed himself to save himself and their teammate Rin gifting Kakashi with his Sharingan eye, which had been snatched out by Madara during the war.

After that Kakashi's perception of reality had shattered and he had never actually been able to pick up the pieces. For years he'd simply gone through the motions of living life especially after the death of his sensei during the Kyuubi attack. He'd joined ANBU and had gone from mission to mission improving his skill and raising his legend yet all the while hoping to run into someone who could in fact kill him and in doing so reunite him with his team. Knowing of exactly what he wanted to happen to him he had opted to not even bother getting to know Naruto when he was a child, sure he had looked out for him and protected him but always from the shadows. He had never wanted the child to get to know him and bond with him when he was looking for death and would just end up breaking the bond with his actions. Yet lo and behold in the end he'd gotten no choice as he'd become the boy's jounin instructor.

Of course having not even wanted or even applied for the job he had initially just decided he would fail the team like he had all the others the Sandaime had stuck him with. This one however had passed if barely so that option had gone out the window. Still he had stubbornly stuck to his initial decision and had as such not put in the work necessary to make them an effective team. Despite that they had weathered the storm and though all had made separate decisions and gone their separate ways they had become living legends known collectively as the Neo-Sannin, the apprentices of the original Legendary Three that had been taught by Sarutobi Hiruzen himself, and he was given the credit by the civilians as he'd gotten them all to a level where the legendary ninja would seek each one out to train. Of course such a thing wasn't true in the slightest but none of them had ever said such a thing.

Sasuke had of course done himself no favors in abandoning the village and seeking out the Snake Sannin for power but some of the civilians had even come up with a romanticized version for that. Some non-sense about a secret mission given by the Godaime herself. Sakura had become one of the villages most beloved due to the things she'd done in the hospital over the last few years. Naruto however had become a symbol of power to the villagers, a living embodiment of the 'Will of Fire' that the Sandaime Hokage had once preached about. Not only his strength but his kindness, the fact that he could be so forgiving to people who had once wished him harm had made a huge impact on the village populace. So much so that even others that had once been unfairly judged were being given second looks by the villagers who'd already been proven wrong once by the blond wonder himself.

Shaking such thoughts away for later Kakashi made his way through the apartment which if not for the layer of dust within would look as if someone still lived within its walls. Remembering Sasuke's last words to him within the prison he moved to the refrigerator and after wrapping his hand around the handle for the freezer door pulled it open only to wince as he did as a small prick hit his hand. Pulling away from the now open door the copy nin regarded his hand and could see a small pinprick where a dribble of blood was coming from the inside of his right ring finger. Frowning beneath his mask he looked up in time to see that the entire back wall of the freezer was now inscribed with a seal that he could see was only just settling from its appearance, most likely coming into visualization due to a blood trigger, which was why he'd been poked.

Annoyed though curious at the precaution taken by his blond student the copy nin set to work clearing out the trays, racks and ice cream bucket that had been inside and setting them to the side. As he did so he reached over to the seal on the back wall and after smearing a bit of blood from his still bleeding digit was not surprised by the plume of smoke it caused. When it cleared he was holding within his hand a piece of parchment while two more seals appeared, one on each side of the freezer. Pulling his hand out of the freezer to read the note he couldn't help but chuckle as he did.

'Hi sensei, if your reading this one of two things is going on. It's either A your birthday or B something gone wrong, hopefully it's the former so happy birthday! In the seal on the right is my present Jiji told me some things so I figured you'd like it. On the left are the ones from Sakura and Sasuke. Truthfully I think I got you the better one but I think you'll like all three of your gifts. See you at the party

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, the original team Kakashi"

Chuckling despite himself the silver haired jounin reached forward to the seal on the right and after smearing a bit of blood and dealing with the resulting plume of smoke felt another weight settle into his hand. As he pulled his hand out once more he found himself holding a sheathed blade nearly a foot long which he recognized as a tanto. However unlike most that he'd seen this one was straight having not even the slight curve that was usually developed with the blades. However it was the marking on the sheathe that truly caught his attention as he focused on it, his hand actually shaking slightly as he beheld the sight of the four diamonds connected into the shape of a shuriken, the Hatake family crest. Shakily he removed the sheath and unleashed the blade showing a gleaming silver in color. Turning as if in a trance so that he was facing away from the refrigerator he channeled just a small bit of chakra into the blade and slashed into the empty space watching transfixed as the streak of white light followed the path of the blade. Unbeknownst to him a single tear escaped his newly gained left eye at having his father's legendary blade repaired and returned to him. He wondered absently if this was how Naruto had felt when he himself had gifted him with the Hiraishin kunai that Minato had given him.

Sheathing the blade and placing it on the counter he made a mental note to get himself a harness so it could reclaim its spot on his back. Moving back over to the freezer he frowned as he had to bite into his thumb and draw blood as the small wound his ring finger sported had healed, a leftover gift from the time Naruto had shared his bijuu chakra with the troops during the war. Drawing the blood from his finger he swiped it over the seal on the left this time which instead of being placed on the wall had been placed on the bottom. As the smoke cleared he could see two glass jars sitting their within which floating in liquid were two eyes, both of them red with three tome-markings.

As he spotted them he blinked as he found himself standing with a dark void, a familiar place as he remembered sitting within this void and speaking with his father when Pein or rather Nagato had nearly killed him. He quickly turned as there was a flare of chakra behind him and in an instant a vortex appeared from which appeared a figure who landed in a crouch. The figure soon stood to his feet showing a ghost from his past that stood at five feet even and had short, spiky, black hair and black eyes. He wore a long sleeved blue uniform with metal plating on the part that reached the back of his hands, as well as a blue jacket with an orange collar and trimmings. The jacket was fastened to the rest of the outfit by two buttons on the collar and he knew without even looking that it had the Uchiha clan symbol on the back.

"Obito!" exclaimed Kakashi in shock.

"Well it's about damn time!" exclaimed the youth.

"What's going on?" questioned Kakashi

"Long story short I programed a genjutsu into my eyes to activate the moment yours met them. I thought this would have happened during the war but I didn't expect Naruto was powerful enough to handle that mess like he did. Anyway I don't have a lot of time so I'll get to the point. Even though we don't share a blood connection you've become my brother, so I'm giving you this last gift. Don't' wallow this time live your own life, find a girl, have kids and we'll all get together and talk in time. Until then however I think it's time you became the person who's name resounds even throughout the foreign lands. Sharingan no Kakashi.

Kakashi blinked again and found himself once more within Naruto's dusty apartment and looking into an empty freezer. The jars were still there only now instead of a pair of Sharingan eyes within them they held a pair of regular dark brown eyes while within the sockets of his own eyes a pair of triple-tomoe Sharingan eyes spun in place before they settled and faded to regular dark black eyes. Despite this he could still feel the power that the two eyes gave off and noticed that the chakra drain that he'd once suffered from was now nearly non-existent. Collecting the glass jars he sealed them away within a scroll he kept on hand and after restocking the freezer grabbed his tanto and left the apartment.

Elsewhere the members of the team stood within what appeared to be nothing more than a regular quiet neighborhood. Two of them were absent Wonder Girl had was undergoing some training on Themyscira with the Amazons and Robin was with Batman doing their dynamic duo thing in Gotham. Superboy while welcome on Themyscira had opted to leave and return to the team as he could tell many of the Amazons had felt uncomfortable with his presence on the island. This left the assembled group of Superboy, Aqualad, Artemis, Miss Martian and Kid Flash in attendance all of which were currently in their civilian attire. Holding out a golden key which he'd been given by the team's watcher Red Tornado, Aqualad turned it, causing a click to sound out before a new building came into view where there had once been empty space.

"Impressive." Came a voice catching their attention.

Turning towards it they were all greeted to the sight of a figure standing atop of a building's roof. He wore black pants loose around his thighs while tightening around the shin area which was covered by a pair of dull back shin guards that nearly blended seamlessly with his pants. Over his torso he wore a sleeveless black top with orange stripes going down the sides of the front while three slim belts wrapped around him with several pouches attached. His forearms were also covered by forearm guards of the same dull black color as his shin guards and his head was covered by a hood. Finally covering his face was a white and orange mask, the orange designs giving it the likeness of a fox while over his shoulder the hilt of a sword could be seen.

"Kitsune, what are you doing here?" questioned Aqualad recognizing the voice after a few moments.

"Same as you I'd wager, trying to locate Kent Nelson." Said Kitsune leaping down from the roof and landing lightly in front of the group of teens.

"I hope you guys came more prepared than you look, my sources say Klarion is also on the trail." Stated Kitsune

"Who?" questioned Kid Flash.

"Klarion the witch-boy, he is a Lord of Chaos; from what I understand in the days of the Justice Society he was one of Dr. Fate's greatest enemies." Stated Aqualad with a frown.

"I suggest we go in before Klarion finds him then." Stated Superboy.

"The league will have questions for you?" stated Aqualad turning to regard Kitsune.

"That doesn't mean they'll be answered. Besides they'll have to find me first, I'm interested in seeing if their skills match their egos." Stated Kitsune as the group entered the building doors which closed and vanished behind them.

"Uh, where'd the door go?' questioned Superboy asking the question on everyone's mind.

"Greetings." Came a new voice getting them to spin around to see a holographic image of Kent Nelson standing before them.

"You have entered with a key, But the tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent." Requested the hologram.

"We are true believers. Here to find Doctor Fate." Stated Wally before anyone else could speak. The hologram frowned before fading away.

For a moment everything was silent as Wally also frowned before creaking was heard and the floor gave way from beneath them towards what looked to be a pit of lava. Acting quickly Artemis pulled a grapple gun from her jacket before firing into the earthen walls and swinging towards it grabbing Aqualad along the way. Miss Martian had grabbed Wally and flown off to the side while Superboy slowed his fall by grabbing onto the earth wall he was nearest to digging a trench as his momentum carried him only to come to a halt at least after his feet had fell into the pool of water. Yelling out in pain he was surprised when a hand grabbed his own and pulled him a bit further up, allowing him to see Kitsune somehow perched on his feet. Looking back down he was just in time to see the last pieces of his boots flaking away.

"Those were my favorite boots. This Nelson guy better be worth it." Stated Superboy his eyebrow twitching.

"Having trouble, maintaining altitude. I'm so hot" Stated Miss Martian her form slowly sinking.

"You certainly are." Stated Wally from his position in her arms.

"WALLY!" yelled an aggravated Artemis.

"Hey, inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind." Stated Wally.

"Why didn't you fly?" questioned Kitsune quietly to Superboy.

"I can't." stated Superboy through gritted teeth causing Naruto to frown beneath the mask.

"You should be able to. Both Superman and Wonder Woman can fly. However considering you take more after him, it may just be that your body hasn't unlocked the ability at this point." Stated Naruto after a few moments of thought.

"My physiology and M'gann's are susceptible to extreme heat. We must climb out quickly." Stated Aqualad which Naruto heard thanks to his sensitive ears and filed away for later.

"Hello, Megan. We never truly answered the question. Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the helmet were safe!" called out the Martian.

For a moment it was silent before a slab of stone slid over the lava allowing all of them to drop to the floor much to their relief.

"This platform, it should be red hot, but it's cool to the touch." Stated Aqualad placing a hand down to the floor.

"Don't worry megalicious. I got you." Stated Wally wrapping his arm around a sagging M'gann.

"Enough! Your little "impress Megan at all costs" game nearly got us all barbecued." Stated Artemis pushing Wally off Megan and back into a wall.

"When did this become my fault!" exclaimed Wally.

"When you lied to that whatever it was and called yourself a true believer!" exclaimed Artemis.

"Wally, you don't believe?" questioned M'gann.

"Fine! Fine! I lied about believing in magic. But magic is the real lie, a major load." Stated Wally.

"Wally, I studied for a year at the conservatory of sorcery in Atlantis. The mystic arts created the skin icons that power my water bearers." Stated Aqualad.

"Dude, you ever hear of bioelectricity? Hey, in primitive cultures, Fire was once considered magical, too. Today it's all just a bunch of tricks." Stated Wally

"You're pretty close-minded For a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers." Stated Artemis.

"That's science. I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment, and here I am. Everything can be explained by science." Stated Wally.

"Not true." Stated Naruto making his presence known to the group once more.

"While it is true that science does have its applications, and many of them can be positive as evidence by our friend here," started Naruto pointing a thumb at Superboy as he moved forward "the truth of the matter is that there is much that your science cannot explain. Your people simply like to believe themselves powerful and use science to explain things they cannot understand. Case in point, I believe Aqualad wants to test your theory." Stated Kitsune motioning to Aqualad who was still crouched on the ground.

"Dude wait the backdraft will roast us all alive!" exclaimed Wally seeing Aqualad about to lift up a panel. The Atlantian teen ignored him and lifted the panel and instead of heat and flames greeting them they were met with cold snow.

"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" questioned Artemis before leaping through with the rest of the group following after to be met with dark skies and snow covered mountains on the other side.

"Well?" questioned Artemis with a raised eyebrow as she turned to face Wally.

"Ever hear of string theory? We're in a pocket dimension." Stated Wally.

"No, pocket dimensions are small like storage compartments. That was time/space manipulation on a greater scale than I ever thought was possible." Stated Naruto smiling beneath his mask as he was definitely on the right track.

"Hey what's that?" questioned Megan pointing over to where a cane could be seen floating in front of them.

"Ooh maybe it's Nelson's magic wand." Stated Wally rolling his eyes and darting over to grab it at the same time as Artemis did.

"I got it." Spoke both at once only for the cane to glow not allowing either to release it before blasting off into the air and vanishing with both in a golden flash.

"And that boys and girls is why we don't grab floating objects when searching for sorcerers." Stated Naruto

While Naruto and the others were forced to trek through the snow Artemis and Wally had appeared with a golden glow within a labyrinth of stairs that formed in all manner of directions. Looking around they spotted a trio of figures one of whom they recognized as Kent Nelson who was held with rope tied around his hands. One of the others was a scraggy looking boy with long, thin limbs, a thin neck and an angular face. He has black hair in a mop-top style with V-shaped bangs and devil-horns rising over the ears to points slightly above the top of his head. He also has arched eyebrows and sideburns that taper to a point along with long, sharp, black fingernails. He was dressed in a black suit and tie with a white shirt with a long stiff collar.

The final figure was a man with black hair pulled into a slick ponytail with sideburns and a goatee beard with his narrow face and brown eyes. He wore a white button shirt that was left open mostly allowing his hairy chest to be seen along with a gold necklace. He wore black pants with a golden belt buckle with a stylized 'A' on it along with a pair of black gloves. Finally he wore a single earring in his right ear, which threw Wally for a loop as he knew that men sporting only a single earring should wear it in their left ear, one on the right only symbolized that he lived a 'different' life style.

"Abra Kadabra." Said Wally upon recognizing the man.

"Well will you look at that." Said Kent

Just as his cane started glowing, engulfing the elder in the same golden glow before he began to float and shot over to it before anyone could react. As he landed he wasted no time grabbing hold of the cane which finally allowed Artemis and Wally to release it while the robes binding Kent quickly came undone.

"In here."

As he said this Kent stood and pointed the head of the cane to a wall just behind the two teens. The wall glowed before it slid open allowing the trio to jump into the new compartment before it closed behind them.

"No, no, no. I want that helmet. I want it, I want it, I want it!" exclaimed Klarion lifting his palms towards the closing doors red energy beams firing at them only to hit regular stone as the doors faded away. Meanwhile inside what they now realized was an elevator the trio watched quietly as they were lifted up several flights to their next destination.

"I'm Kent Nelson, by the way." Stated the old man.

"No duh, OW!" exclaimed Wally after Artemis popped him.

"I'm Artemis, Miss Manners here is Wally." Stated the girl

"Well, Artemis, we're up against an opponent With tremendous mystic power." Stated Kent.

"Abra Kadabra? Flash proved he uses futuristic technology to simulate magic. Guy's all show and no biz." Stated Wally with a scoff.

"Right you are." Stated Kent.

"He is?" questioned Artemis in surprise.

"Abra is a charlatan. But Klarion, the witch boy, the kid with the cat. He's an actual lord of chaos, the ultimate enemy of a Lord of Order like Doctor Fate." Explained Kent.

"Right, you're a lord of order." Said Wally clearing unbelieving of such a thing.

"Oh, no, not me. I'm just an old coot Fate used to put on. At least until my wife Inza convinced me there could be more to life. Ah, she was a real pistol, that Inza." Stated Kent taking out his pocket watch to view a picture of his late wife before putting it away.

"Anyhoo, Klarion's after the helmet. If he gets his sticky little mitts on it, He'll turn the planet into his own personal playground of pandemonium."

As Kent said this there was a ding as the elevator reached its stop allowing for its occupants to get off. As they exited the elevator all they could see ahead of them was a giant golden bell, much like one could find in a clock tower. Only this one was blown up to massive proportions and was of course made of gold. As they approached Kent stopped looking behind them and upwards as a rectangular doorway appeared behind them. As it did the forms of Superboy and Aqualad came falling out to land with a crouch Atlantian on top of Kryptonian, while M'gann came floating down and lastly Kitsune appeared landing with in a crouch.

"Well at least one of you came dressed for work. Friends of yours?" Stated Kent eyeing the masked teen before turning to Wally, yet before he could answer both had to dodge a ray of blue energy that Abra Kadabra had sent at them from the tip of a wand from the next platform over.

"Friends of yours?" retorted Wally as he leapt out of the way of a second blast.

Never one to take being attacked lying down in a quick motion Kitsune had sent a shuriken flying towards the duo that managed to strike the wand in the man's hand and carry it along as it carried on with its momentum. Kent meanwhile had approached the bell which rung out with a gong and entered along with Wally. Seeing them go Klarion flew over and entered from the other side with Kitsune was quick to follow after entering just before the bell lost its glow forcing the others to remain behind. Kent and Wally appeared with a golden flare standing beneath a golden helmet which was floating in the air atop of a building. As he reached up for the helmet Kent was met with a blast of red energy that struck him in the chest and knocked him back into Wally who managed to catch him. Pushing himself to his feet Kent began chanting before slamming his cane to the ground managing to create a golden force field just as Klarion sent another blast of red energy their way which struck it harmlessly. As Klarion went to fire again he was suddenly sent flying as Naruto made his presence known by nailing him with a kick to the face.

"Dainamikku Entorī (Dynamic Entry)"

As he landed from his kick behind his mask Naruto couldn't help but smile in remembrance of Konoha's taijutsu expert, having seen the man perform the move so many times it was easy to replicate.

"Who the hell are you?!" exclaimed Klarion as he recovered floating a few feet in the air.

"This is your one warning brat, leave. I have business with Dr. Fate and will not allow you presence here to interfere." Stated Kitsune.

In response to this Klarion sent out a blast of red energy only to gawk in surprise as in a single motion the masked teen had drawn his sword and cut straight through the blast the two halves flying in two separate directions before exploding with small bangs while the masked teen calmly sheathed his blade. Enraged Klarion began flinging a barrage of blast at the masked teen who responded by running through three quick seals before taking a breath and exhaling.

"Futon: Kami Oroshi (Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain)"

With his exhale a large vortex of wind shot from his mouth sucking up the energy balls and returning them back towards Klarion who at the last moment managed to create his own force field that stopped the attack. Naruto didn't have long to watch however as in an instant he jumped away just barely dodging a beam of red energy that nearly struck him from behind. As he landed he was once again forced to take evasive action as several bullet like blast came towards him.

Finally deciding enough was enough Naruto surprised Klarion as he began actually running towards him dodging through the energy blast as he went. In seconds he'd closed the distance and before Klarion could try a new strategy or even flee Naruto had summoned a Rasengan slamming the spiraling sphere of blue energy directly into his mid-section and sending him tumbling away. However instead of staying down Klarion climbed to his feet showing that he was actually no worse for wear.

"What the hell, that should have killed you." Stated Naruto in shock

Before either of them could continue there was a golden flash behind them and both turned to see a new figure had made his appearance. The figure wore a uniform which consists of a golden helmet that covers the entirety his head, excluding the ears. Along with a long, high collared cape, fastened with two large buttons beneath which is a blue shirt with a golden oval set in the chest. He also dons a large golden belt with a circle in the center, and deep blue pants with golden boots.

"Damn it! That kid actually put on the helmet!" exclaimed Klarion in anger before changing targets and flinging a barrage of blast at the helmeted man who responded by creating a golden energy shield.

"Give it up Nabu, order went out of style in the 20th century." Stated Klarion as he kept up the barrage.

"This battle is pointless. You sought to take the helmet before it claimed a host, but you are too late." Stated Dr. Fate.

"Shut it you old fart!" exclaimed the witch-boy.

After he said this he created a pair of pillars from the building they were standing upon sending them slamming into the gold wearing sorcerer on two sides and smashing him between them. Before he could celebrate however the glyph that Dr. Fate was known for appeared on the construct before it exploded outwards freeing the helmet wearing hero who fired a ray of golden energy of his own at Klarion who's form was seemingly swallowed by the energy. Naruto however watched as he appeared behind Dr. Fate and blasted him in the back with his own red energy that resembled lightning. As he hit the ground Fate managed to recover but not before Klarion arched and sent another blast at him, this one in the shape of a large demon head. Dodging the blast Fate turned as it came back at him and created a shield to block the attack only for Klarion to blast him in the back again.

Once again forming his energy bullets he sent them after Fate who created a circular shield only for it to begin to crack after the third attack and shatter after the fifth. Pressing his advantage Klarion blew out a stream of red energy in a way that it appeared he was blowing fire only for Fate to take flight to avoid it. Undeterred Klarion turned allowing the blast to chase the helmet clad hero and seeing his moment created a pillar of red energy which Fate flew headfirst into that forced him to hit the ground hard and bounce twice before settling.

"You're out of practice, Nabu. And that pathetic host body, Zero affinity for the mystic arts." Stated Klarion.

As he said this he raised both of his arms up causing the clouds above to gather with the sound of crashing thunder echoing before a bolt of red lightning came shooting down from the sky. Fate at the last moment managed to create a dome like shield to protect him from the attack.

"Oh rainbow power." Stated Klarion clearly mocking the lord of order only for his attention to be drawn to his cat who chose that moment to make its presence known.

"I am paying attention you stupid cat. In case it slipped your notice, I'm winning." Said Klarion

That was all he could get out before much to his shock the business end of a sword came shooting out of the front of his chest as the form of Kitsune appeared behind him holding his blade and showing he'd drove it in through the boys back in such a way that it cut threw his spine and ribcage appearing so that he could see the flat of the blade sticking out of his front.

"I believe the little furball was referring to me." Said Kitsune darkly as he removed the blade to allow the boy to collapse.

However instead of collapsing Klarion surprised the teen as he actually chuckled as the wound healed itself over as if nothing had happened. While Naruto was in shock at such a thing Dr. Fate had been given all the time he needed and with a single flare of his power created a shockwave that shattered both his own protective dome and also the lightning that had been falling down at him.

"It is difficult for a lord of order or chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plane. I am bound to the helmet and use a human host. But that is not your way." Stated Fate dodging around several large energy balls Klarion flung at him by taking flight before firing a blast of his own energy at Klarion who reacted by creating a rock wall from the ground they were standing upon.

"You're babbling Nabu." Stated Klarion allowing the wall to crumble.

"Am I?"

As he said this Fate sent another blast of golden energy outwards which Klarion created a circular shield to block. However instead of hitting the shield the energy flew straight past Klarion and his shield and struck Klarion's cat which bounced twice after the hit before skidding to a stop thanks to the wall of the building they fought upon.

"Teekl! I can't believe you would assault a defenseless pussycat." Stated Klarion.

"Pussycat where?!" exclaimed Kurama making his own presence known.

"Damn it Kurama, how many times do I have to tell you they broke up last year before it sticks. No more music videos for you ero-kitsune" thought Naruto.

"We both know that creature is no cat, witch boy, and without your familiar, you have no anchor in this reality." Stated Dr. Fate unknowing of the small distraction within Naruto's mind, words which were proven true as Klarion's form began to flicker in and out of focus.

"Bully, kill joy, geezer!" exclaimed Klarion resulting to name calling as he had not gotten his way. Fate responded by sending another blast of energy his way which Klarion only barely managed to dodge by jumping into a portal he managed to create that dropped him next to his cat allowing him to pick it up before both he and the cat vanished into black and red energy.

"So all I had to do was kill his cat to get rid of him, such a lame weakness." Stated Kitsune sheathing his blade.

"While I appreciate the aid Solarian, tell me how you escaped the confines of your planet." Stated Fate.

"I was flung to this dimension from my own due to a misfired seal; I was hoping you could help me find a way back." Stated Kitsune.

"It is unnecessary for you to cross dimensions. Your planet exist in this one, in a portion of space that was sealed off so that Lords of Chaos such as Klarion would not take advantage of an entity that sleeps on its surface, one of the Lords of Creation." Stated Dr. Fate.

"You mean the Shinju." Stated Naruto already beginning to put the pieces together.

"If you mean the God Tree then yes. After the creation of all the lords of creation went into seclusion and the God Tree chose its favorite world Solaris as its home. When the Lords of Chaos plotted to steal the fruit of the tree we sealed that entire section of space away in order to prevent a repeat of such a thing. You most likely bounced off of a dimensional wall due to this misfired seal and thus was able to land on this planet." Stated Doctor Fate.

"Is it possible for you to send me back." Stated Naruto.

"At this point no. My current host is insufficient for such a task as he lacks the mystical aptitude required to do such a thing. However in time I shall possess the ability to pierce the veils. In the meantime my physical self will check up on your world, perhaps even petition for the release of your world from its seclusion. You hold a fair bit of power in your body, and even a fraction of the power held by what you call the Shinju." Stated Doctor Fate.

At the last of these words Naruto went still eyes wide beneath his mask. While he had not outright said it the fact that he could apparently sense Kurama's presence within him through the teen for a loop. At this point no one, not even Thalia knew of his companion and he was regularly sleeping with her! To think that this man, no this entity was so powerful that he could tell such a thing right off the bat worried him. He was thankful for his mask which masked his emotions well as at this point he was sure he couldn't though he had much he needed to let Tsunade in on and as such simply nodded his understanding.

"Then our audience is over, we will meet again in time." Stated Fate before Naruto was engulfed in a golden glow and vanished.

Much later at Mount Justice, the base for their team Wally could be found standing before a wall approaching a case which held a collection of souvenirs from their various missions. These souvenirs included an eyeball, the mask of one of the cult members of Kobra, one of Artemis's arrows, the mask of the League of Shadows member Cheshire and now the Helmet of Fate. Of course at first Nabu had been unwilling to let him go however the spirt of Kent Nelson which had also found himself within the helmet as well as Wally was had managed to convince him to let him go as he wasn't the right candidate. Artemis had given him a hard time about keeping the helmet when he clearly still didn't believe in magic, but like all things that annoyed him he managed to brush it off.

"Wally." Came a new voice breaking him from his thoughts, turning towards it he was greeted to the sight of Batman approaching him.

"I heard your team had a run-in with Kitsune and the two of you spent some time separated from the others, what can you tell me?" questioned the bat getting straight to the point.

"Well he's good with a sword and seems to be able to manipulate wind. He also has no problem using lethal force he tried killing Klarion twice during the conflict, once he even ran his sword through him from back to front out of his chest. He actually came seeking the aid of Doctor Fate to return him home as he thought he was from a different dimension. Apparently though his entire section of space is supposed to have been sealed off by the lords of order a long time ago. Long story short it seems he's just looking for a way home, Fate told him he'd try some things so in the meantime he's just waiting to hear from him." stated Wally

"Did Doctor Fate mention what planet he comes from?" questioned Batman.

"Called the place Solaris. Said it was sealed away because one of the lords of creation lives there and Kitsune only got out due to some kind of fluke." Informed Wally causing Batman to frown, already trying to solve the puzzle without all of the pieces.

Back in Konoha the members of the retrieval team were gathered within the Hokage Mansion along with Tsunade, Shizune and team Kurenai even though the latter group was not going on this adventure with them. Many of them were also wary due to the presence of the Uchiha and though they did not voice it, none of them would shed a tear if he happened to die during the mission.

"Are you lot ready?" questioned Fukasaku from his position in front of the large seal, several fundamental changes having been applied to it since it's last usage.

"I need you all to realize that this is a one way trip. We managed to stabilize the seal but it will only work once but it will drop you exactly where it dropped Naruto-chan a few days ago. You'll be in a desert that they call Egypt very similar to Kaze no Kuni. From there you'll have to find Naruto-chan on your own he travels a lot so that may take some time." Stated Fukasaku getting understanding nods from all six of them before Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Each of you were given an ANBU mask that you are to use any time you make any kind of obvious moves. According to Naruto there are many so called heroes and villains in this world so a few more masked people won't stick out as much. While this is by no means an official move for any of you I provided the masks so that you could move anonymously. While under the mask you will respond only to the moniker given to you and are never to use actual names, understood." Stated Tsunade.

"Hai Hokage-sama" answered all at once.

"Also included in your care packages were bingo books. Each of these were customized for this world listing many of the heroes and villains of that world so you are not caught off guard." Said Shizune having personally supplied the books.

Many of them had already leafed through the books and while much of what they saw they found hard to believe they had quickly adapted to the weirdness in a way only shinobi could. Sakura and Ino had also both talked about several of the boys that had been depicted in the books and were looking forward to the trip for more reasons than they should.

"So how exactly will this work?" questioned Neji eyeing the giant seal he currently stood on.

"We've tweaked it a bit to act similar to the seals used for the Hiraishin no jutsu. However this is a one way trip because we just don't have the power to use it twice due to the distance you guys are going." Stated Fukasaku and seeing no one else had any questions leapt off from his perch on Akamaru's head to land just in front of the seal.

Seeing this each of the nine members of the group placed on the mask they'd been given as all of them slipped into mission mode. Running through a short seal sequence the elder toad sage flared his chakra before placing his webbed hands on the seal. For a moment the seal began to glow brightly before a flash of light blinded everyone in the room which cleared to show those who'd been in the seal no longer present.

"I really hope they'll be okay." Stated Hinata not liking the fact she'd been left behind for this adventure.

"Does anyone else feel like the really fun stuff always revolves around Kakashi's team?" questioned Kiba as he and his teammates left the mansion.

"They have Naruto." Stated Shino is if that was all the answer that was needed, which in truth it was.

As they walked off however all of them wished the best for those who'd just left and hoped the mission wouldn't prove itself too troublesome.

AN: That's it chapters done. Thanks for reading and please review. Till next time, LATER.