-Previously on, Happiness-
They all watched as it glowed white and rose into the air. It flashed, forcing everyone to close their eyes and, when they opened them again, there stood Raven, holding the now empty prism. "I told you, you shouldn't mess around with this," she said with her usual monotone voice. "But thank's making me whole again," she finished with a slight smile. As the other Titan's tried to figure out if she was being sincere or not, she went over to Naruto. "Thank you, for looking after Timid."
Naruto shrugged, "No problem. I liked her, although, I didn't think you would feel sorry for everything."
"I don't," Raven quickly replied, "That's just how Timid is." They both walked out of the comm room and down a hall, stopping at a door with Raven's name on it. She smirked at him, "By the way, I found your books."
"Oh, really?" he said with a smile, "What do you think of them?"
"I've already finished the first book. I would have finished the second if it wasn't for everything that happened."
"Want me to sign them for you?" he asked with a grin. Raven also smiled, knowing it was a joke. "How about we talk some more tomorrow? I've got to go now anyway, still working on my next book."
Raven opened a portal for him, allowing him to return to his apartment in an instant. "If I get to see an early draft of your book, then I'll think about it," she replied. Naruto laughed as he walked thought, saying his goodbye just as the portal closed. Raven stayed where she was for a second before walking into her room.
She still had that second book to read, after all.
-Story Start-
"So, where are you from exactly?" Raven asked Naruto. Currently, the two were in a coffee shop that Raven frequented quite a lot as the baristas liked to give her free drinks. It was still a little early in the morning so there wasn't a lot of people about.
Raising an eyebrow at the question as he wrote down a few notes for his latest book on a notebook, Naruto replied, "I already told you. I used to live in Gotham City for a while before I moved here."
Rolling her eyes, Raven said, "Yes, you told me you lived there for a while. I'm asking you, where did you grow up? Before you started moving around."
"Ah," Naruto sounded as he finally understood the question. In his mind, he recalled the idea he had to tell people that he grew up in a remote village in Japan. It was believable as his native language was coincidently like Japanese. Remembering this reminded Naruto of the months he spent using clones to learn English. Not something he wanted to repeat as the headache it gave him was incredible. Shaking his head out of his thoughts, Naruto decided to tell the truth for once.
"Well?" asked Raven, getting impatient as Naruto stayed silent.
"Konohagakure," Naruto answered, getting a confused look from Raven. "My home," he clarified, "It's where I grew up." Raven stared at Naruto for a second, knowing that he was telling the truth. "Konoha was a beautiful village, lying in the middle of a huge forest, with green as far as the eye can see. The name actually means 'The Village Hidden in the Leaves'."
Seeing the sad look in his eyes and the fact he stopped writing things down as he described his home, Raven asked, "You miss it, don't you?"
Hearing the question, the sad look he had disappeared as Naruto snorted, "Nope. Everyone there was an ass. I'm glad I'm away from there and I plan on keeping it that way." For some reason, Raven just knew he was still telling the truth but was still surprised at the sudden mood swing. "So, how's the book doing for you?"
The book in question was the third instalment of his series, 'True Confessions: Betrayal'. So far Raven was halfway through the book and she only started it a few days ago, a day after the whole personality-split incident. "It's good so far. I honestly wasn't expecting such a twist in the seventh chapter," Raven answered, remembering how tired she was when she began that chapter and then she was wide-awake as soon as she read the plot-twist.
"Well the title is called 'Betrayal,' after all," Naruto said with a knowing tone.
"Still, where do you even get these ideas?"
Naruto's only answer was a shrug. He honestly didn't know where these ideas came from, they just came to him and he makes it all up as he writes. "So, your team still annoying you?"
"Its like they do everything they can to ruin my day," Raven answered after drinking her tea. Finishing her drink, Raven signalled the barista that she would like another cup. Almost immediately, they brought her another cup and then left again with Raven saying her thanks. "Any demonic changes happen to you lately?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Smirking at the question, Naruto jokingly checked himself over and used a teaspoon to check his reflection. "... I don't look any different so I don't think so. Why? Sense a spike of that energy again?"
Raven huffed, not finding the joke very funny. "No, I still don't sense anything. I wish you would just tell me what it was already."
"I wish I could remember that night," Naruto said with a frown, "Maybe I could be of more help if I did."
"Please," Raven said with a slight scoff, "You just want to remember it so you can use it in your books."
"Okay, first off: No, that isn't true. Second: I'm not a pervert like my godfather, who would have done that without hesitating," Naruto said, a little offended. "Although, you don't sound like you're against the idea."
Raven's eyes widened as she began to sputter at the accusation, not expecting it at all. Naruto nearly fell out of his seat laughing when he saw Raven's face glow bright red. His laughing stopped suddenly when he fell on the floor without any warning. Groaning a little as he sat upright on the floor, Naruto looked at Raven's smirking face and then to his chair. Narrowing his eyes at the broken leg, he picked it up and showed it to Raven who had an obviously fake surprised look on her face. "That chair must have faulty or something," she said, trying to hide her smirk behind her cup of tea.
"Yeah," Naruto muttered with his own smirk, "Or something." However, just as he stood up, there was a smash from a window. Raven and Naruto looked in the direction the noise came from and saw a shattered window. Looking down, they both spotted the object that was thrown threw. Widening their eyes at the grenade that was thrown at them, Raven quickly used her magic to throw it to the other side of the room just as Naruto grabbed her.
He jumped towards the baristas and they all ducked behind the counter. A second later and the grenade exploded, destroying everything around it. Then as quickly as the explosion appeared, it disappeared, leaving burning wood and debris everywhere. Slowly raising his head above the surprisingly still-built counter, Naruto asked, "Who throws a grenade?!"
"Are you okay?" Raven asked the two baristas who nodded back. "What about you-" Raven began to ask as she turned to the blond but saw that he was already outside, "-Naruto," she finished with a sigh, wondering how stupid he could be if he runs to the person who threw the grenade.
"Who threw that?!" Naruto shouted to the empty street. Raven stood next to him, also eyeing the street but seeing no one.
"I can't sense anyone," Raven muttered in suspicion.
Naruto suddenly turned to the roof of the building on the opposite side of the street, then to the alley a few buildings down. He narrowed his eyes when he too realised he couldn't sense anyone either but he knew there were a few of them. Spinning around, Naruto quickly caught a foot that was aimed for his head and swung the person to the middle of the street. Shaking his hand a little, Naruto said, "Got a strong kick there. Who are you?"
The person in question was wearing a full black suit with metal plates on each limb and neck. On their mask was a simple orange circle. "There's no point in asking them that," Raven said with a scowl, "They're robots."
"Well, that explains the kick. Literally felt like I got hit by a metal baseball bat," Naruto commented before noticing something, "That robot isn't alone, by the way." Raven looked and saw that Naruto was right as another five robots appeared from the alley in front of them. "You take the ones on the left?" Naruto asked while cracking his knuckles. Even though he wanted to keep a low profile and not to be noticed, he couldn't just let some robots get away with throwing a grenade at him and Raven as well as the baristas.
"I don't know if you can take them on," Raven admitted with a little worry.
Naruto snorted a little, "You do remember that I fought Robin, right?"
"The Robin you fought was possessed and was acting on instinct and muscle-memory, more or less," Raven countered. "These robot's belong to a man named Slade, a mercenary who can fight us for fun. He designed and built these robots for that purpose as well." If anything, this made Naruto's smirk a little bigger. He alway's liked a challenge back in his old life.
As if they were tired of waiting, the robots ran at them both. Easily seeing the attack, Naruto blocked one of the robots punch and then grabbed the robot's arm. Grunting a little, he spun around and swung the robot into its lookalike, knocking them both back. Raven, seeing the opportunity, used her powers and lifted a lamppost. She tried wrapping it around the two robots but they got away too quickly.
Punching one in the face, Naruto ducked and flipped, kicking another in the chin before he punched it in the chest, knocking over a couple behind it. Another robot appeared behind him and just as he turned to face it, a few pieces of debris covered in black energy appeared and knocked the robot away and down for the count. Nodding his thanks to Raven, Naruto stepped aside another strike from a robot before grabbing its head and slamming it into a wall next to them.
He and Raven stood next to each other as they looked at the last four robots who each pulled out a weapon. Each took aim and both Naruto and Raven were forced to dodge and jump about as the robots fired yellow beams at them. Jumping over one, Naruto caught its arm as it swung at him. Bending it at an odd angle, the robot accidentally fired the weapon at one of its accomplices. Bending the arm again, the weapon fired into the robots own stomach just as Raven a car at the last two, slamming them into the far wall.
Panting a little as everything calmed down, Naruto laughed a little. "Well, glad that's over with."
"Was it not as easy as you'd thought it would be?" Raven asked back, examining one of the robots.
"They were better than I thought, I'll admit that," he said as he rubbed his jaw. "The last one I took out got a few hits in and with a metal fist, it hurt." Raven pulled out a communicator and called her team and Naruto looked closely at the robot he grappled with. He pulled off the mask to reveal a head full of wires and electronics. "I'm not even going to attempt to try and understand this," he muttered to himself.
Hearing a noise, Naruto turned to the two robots Raven took out with a car. He widened his eyes when he saw one of them begin to move and pull out a weird looking gun. The robot looked at him before turning to Raven. "No!" shouted Naruto as the robot fired a red blast of energy at her. But just before it did, Naruto managed to get in between and took the shot to the chest.
Spinning around at the shout, Raven was shocked to see the robot aiming at her with an odd-looking weapon. Raven was about to use her magic when a knife appeared and stabbed the robot in the head, making it flop lifelessly. Turning to Naruto who was on his knees, she saw his arm outstretched meaning he was the one that threw the knife.
Deciding to ask about the weapon later, she checked him over. Seeing no injuries at all, she asked, "Are you okay?" She couldn't help but sound concerned.
Patting himself on the chest to see if he was hurt, Naruto looked confused. "Yeah, I'm fine. How am I fine?" He stood up with Raven's help but she just looked equally confused.
"I don't know. As far as I can tell you're fine," Raven said with a furrowed brow. Shaking her head a little, she said, "I let my team know what happened and they said that they were all attacked as well."
"I guess it was smart to attack when you were all separated," Naruto admitted, "But in the end, they were still all beaten so maybe we stopped that Slade guy's plan?"
Raven shook her head. "Not likely. Slade is the type of person that would think of every outcome and make sure it goes in his favour. Even though we managed to beat those robots, I can't help but feel like it was a part of his plan."
"You should get back to your team so you guys can figure this out," Naruto suggested with Raven agreeing.
Opening a portal, Raven was about to step through, she asked, "While my friends and I deal with Slade, what will you be doing?"
Giving Raven one of his famous grins, Naruto answered, "I'm actually going to a museum exhibit tonight. I've heard they've got something interesting to reveal and they're throwing a gala to celebrate. If you've dealt with Slade by then, feel free to join me. And bring Starfire if you want. Oh and dress nice." Raven gave a smile a nod before walking into the portal as it closed behind her, leaving Naruto alone with the robot bodies and the two barista's who watched from the sidelines. "Coffee machine still working?"
One of the baristas glanced into the destroyed coffee shop, "Somehow, yeah."
"If you guy's make me a cup of coffee then I'll be more than happy to help clean."
Now past lunch time, Naruto entered his apartment with a sigh. He was a bit dirty from helping clean the coffee shop after the whole fight. Now he was needing a shower. He walked through the living room before stopping with narrowed eyes. "I'll admit, I almost didn't realise you were there," he said, turning around with a kunai in his hand.
He stared at the intruder in his apartment, not recognising the man at all. But the suit he wore was similar to the robots he fought with earlier. A black suit with metal plates and a mask that covered the right side of his face completely while the left side was orange and only had a single eye hole. Honestly, Naruto was actually reminded of his old sensei Kakashi at this very moment.
"I would be disappointed if you didn't know I was here," the man said. Even from the way he spoke and held himself, Naruto could tell that this man was not someone to underestimate.
Making it look like he had relaxed his stance, Naruto still held the kunai and was ready in case the stranger attacked. "Are you this 'Slade' I've heard so much about?"
The man chuckled a little. "That is one of my many names, yes," he answered. "And you would be Naruto Uzumaki a friend to a certain Titan." Naruto stiffened a little at how the man knew him and his friendship with Raven, but he made sure to not show any sign of surprise. "I have been watching you for a while now, ever since you caught my attention with the Puppet King."
"That Puppet guy was working for you?"
"No. I just like to keep tabs on everyone in this city, be them heroes or villains," Slade honestly answered. He had no affiliation with the Puppet King and couldn't care less if that villain was killed or not. "I was watching the Puppet King and his attack on the Titans when I came across you."
"Should I be flattered?" Naruto sarcastically asked, wishing that this guy would just get to the point already.
Slade knew he was annoying Naruto and it amused him slightly. "Ever since I saw you fight alongside Raven and Starfire, you have piqued my interest. Especially when you fought Robin and came out unscathed."
"That Robin was just the body, it wasn't really Robin I was fighting."
"Even so, you impressed me. And then you impressed me again when you fought against my robots." This time, Slade moved slightly to show he held the remote to the tv. Turning it on, Naruto was surprised to see footage of him and Raven fighting against the robots. The footage ended when it showed him getting shot by the odd-looking gun. "That weapon was a test. If it worked on a Titan then it would work on them all. But then you took the blast for her."
Getting angry at the thought of this man saying how Raven was a just a test, Naruto decided to ask, "What test exactly? The gun did nothing to me."
"It did at first. You see, the weapon infects you with nanoscopic probes which I can control," Slade explained as he produced a tablet, showing a diagram of Naruto and how the probes were coursing through his body. Naruto didn't show it but he felt violated all of a sudden. "With these probes, I could have killed you with a press of a button."
This caught Naruto's undivided attention, "Could have?"
Now Slade sounded a little annoyed as he spoke. "This diagram was made a minute after you were shot. This one," Slade said, swiping across the tablet to show another diagram of Naruto, "Was made a half hour later. Somehow, there isn't a single trace of my probes anywhere."
'Is that Kyuubi's doing?' Naruto thought, wondering if the Kyuubi's chakra was still healing him after all this time. "Is that why you're here? To find out why I don't have your probe things anymore?"
"At this moment I couldn't care less how you did it, but I am curious about it," admitted Slade. Now his single eye took on a look that Naruto did not like. "I am here for a different reason. You are going to help me break the Titan's."
For a whole minute, Naruto just stared at the masked man with narrowed eyes. Neither men said anything as they stared at each other. That is until Naruto began to laugh, almost hysterically. "Y-You think I'm going to help you?!" Naruto gasped out. He calmed down but still held a smile, even if it wasn't a real one. "What make's you think I would? Like you said, your probes don't work on me so you can't control me at all."
"Not you, no," Slade said as the tv suddenly changed to a different video, showing each of the Titan's on a boat in front of a large device. The device looked like it malfunctioned before a large gun, similar to the one that shot Naruto, appeared behind the Titans and shot each of them before they could do anything. Eyes widened at this, Naruto finally realised what Slade meant.
Roaring in anger, Naruto seemed to appear in front of Slade from across the room. He grabbed Slade's head and slammed him into the wall. The mask Slade wore cracked lightly due to the pressure Naruto was creating. In his free hand, Naruto angrily made a ball of energy and held it at Slade's chest. With his eyes flashing red before they turned back to blue, Naruto shouted, "Release them! Release them NOW!"
"Interesting," muttered Slade as he saw Naruto's eyes change colour. He then stared at the ball of energy with interest. "If you kill me, or harm me in any way, then one of my robots will activate the probes and kill each and every Titan, including your friend Raven."
Snarling, Naruto increased the pressure on the mask, with pieces of it falling to the ground. The Rasengan he held lightly touched Slade's chest, tearing apart the armour like it was nothing. Without warning, he released Slade and dissipated the Rasengan. "If you hurt them- if you hurt her, then I will kill you," Naruto threatened, his voice turning deep and evil as his eyes flashed red again.
Slade looked at the blond and actually believed he could do it. The Titan's were heroes and would never kill but this person didn't care about any of that, which made him all the more dangerous. "You wouldn't be the first to give me that threat," Slade commented before walking towards the door. "Now, follow me." Wordlessly, Naruto followed the man and glared at him the entire time.
-Later That Night-
Raven appeared in front of Naruto's door with Starfire and Robin by her side. All three of them were dressed differently than they usually do. Raven was wearing a black dress that ended at her knees, black high heels, and a dark blue open top over the dress. It was clear she wasn't very comfortable in it as she kept fidgeting. Robin just wore a standard tuxedo while also still wearing his mask. Finally, Starfire wore a light purple dress and long white sleeves.
Before she knocked on Naruto's door, Raven looked at Robin, "Remind me why you're here again?"
"These type of events are usually targeted for robberies," he said with a shrug, but a glare from Raven made him sweat a little. "Starfire told me that you were both going to a Gala tonight and she asked if I wanted to join."
Shooting a quick glare at Starfire, Raven mentioned, "I thought you would be concentrating on finding Slade."
"I would rather be but Starfire insisted that I go with her. Plus, I've got both Cyborg and Beastboy doing that for me," Robin said. He hated the fact that while he was out trying to have a good time, Slade was somewhere in the city planning something again.
"I just wanted Friend-Robin to enjoy this gallery of art with us," Starfire said to Raven, giving the violet-haired girl a puppy dog look.
Shaking her head, Raven just sighed. While she knows Robin has met Naruto before, she would still rather they keep minimum contact with each other. It was honestly bad enough that Starfire already knew about Naruto and that he was the one that helped with the Puppet King. Raven was just thankful that Starfire hasn't said anything about that yet.
With those thoughts in mind, Raven raised her hand and knocked on the door. She waited but no one answered so she knocked again with the same result. "Is he not here?" asked Starfire.
"So he invites us to the gala and has already left?" Robin asked, not sounding impressed. He was told that Raven had run into Naruto in the city and he had invited her and the team to the Gala. He knew that the gala starts in a half hour so maybe Naruto was already there?
Raven just looked at the door, knowing that something wasn't right. "Maybe he was just running late and is expecting us to meet him there," Raven suggested. All of their communicators went off at the same time, making Raven jump a little as she wasn't expecting it.
Robin opened his and scowled. "Looks like there's a robbery in a nearby lab. Beastboy and Cyborg are already heading there so let's go," he said as he pulled off his tux's shirt to reveal his normal outfit. He then took off down the hall and towards the exit with the girls following after, not caring to change their clothes as they knew they had no time.
Naruto scowled even more than he usually was. He was currently in a lab and staring at a thermal blaster which Slade wanted him to steal. What didn't help was that Slade liked to remind him that if he didn't do as ordered, the Titan's would die at a push of a button. What also didn't help was what he was wearing. Slade just so happened to make him a uniform.
The outfit was mostly black from head-to-toe with dark orange lines. While his right shoulder was the same colour as the suit, his left shoulder was covered in a dark orange mesh with his left arm in a white sleeve. He was also wearing a mask that looked almost identical to Slade's except it was fabric and not armoured, that and he had both eye holes.
While he hated the man, Naruto couldn't deny that Slade had an okay sense of fashion as he thought about keeping the suit once this was all over.
Looking ahead, Naruto could see the thermal blaster in a highly secure safe. Even from just looking at it, he knew that alarms would go off once it opens no matter what he'd do. Wanting to get this over with, Naruto reached into a pouch and pulled out a disc. Throwing it towards the safe, the disc shifted and became a very sharp 'S' that stabbed into the door. Beeping could be heard before the disc suddenly exploded, taking the safe doors with it.
Taking hold of the thermal blaster, Naruto could easily hear the many footsteps of multiple guards running towards his location. Stowing the weapon in another pouch, Naruto smashed through the closest window and ran out onto the balcony. Jumping into the scaffolding above, he watched as the guards ran outside and then ran back inside when they didn't see anyone.
Landing back on the ground, Naruto turned around but stopped when he saw Cyborg, Beastboy, and Starfire standing ahead and looking ready to fight him. Hearing footsteps behind him, Naruto took a deep breath and turned his head, seeing both Robin and Raven blocking his exit. Seeing how well dressed Raven was, Naruto blushed but couldn't help but groan. He had forgotten all about the gala which would have started by now. Another reason he was going to beat the crap out of Slade when he got the chance.
"You're not Slade," Robin stated with narrowed eyes, wondering if this was another robot or if it was somebody new.
Naruto wanted nothing more than to explain what was happening, but knew the consequences if he did. "What will you do now?" Slade's voice appeared in an earpiece Naruto wore. "Will you fight them?"
"Sorry, but I've got to go," Naruto said, the suit changing his voice slightly as to not be recognised. With that said, he suddenly jumped off the side, shocking all of the Titans there. They all ran to the edge and saw Naruto, somehow, running down the side of the building.
"After him!" Robin said as he and Cyborg ran towards the stairs. The others would fight above while he and Cyborg would meet them at the bottom.
Beastboy jumped off the balcony and turned into a pterodactyl as Raven and Starfire simply flew after. Screeching, Beastboy raised his talons and was just about to catch Naruto when the masked man suddenly hugged the wall, making Beastboy fly past. Seeing an opportunity, Naruto jumped off the wall and landed on Beastboy's wing. Using his chakra, Naruto was able to stay on the wing even as Beastboy did everything he could to knock him off.
Seeing that she couldn't use her Starbolts in case she hit Beastboy, Starfire flew down and tried punching Naruto, but he easily dodged to the side. She swung again but Naruto grabbed her fist and swung her around into Beastboy. The impact knocked them away as Naruto jumped back to the wall of the lab. Once again, he moved away as Raven had used her magic to throw objects at him.
Naruto hesitated and it cost him as Raven managed to throw a dumpster nearby at him. It hit him hard, disorientating him slightly but he quickly recovered. Pulling out a disc, Naruto threw it and it exploded in a flash of light in Raven's eyes, blinding her for a moment. Naruto took this chance and ran past her, not able to bring himself to fight her.
However, Naruto widened his eyes when he saw a blue beam heading right for him, courtesy of Cyborg. Jumping over it, Naruto cursed when he turned and saw the attack hit Raven in the back and into the wall. She began to fall and Naruto could see she was unconscious. "Let her fall," warned Slade but Naruto ignored him as he suddenly jumped towards Raven and grabbed her in midair. He had no way of getting back to the wall and he was falling too fast to properly correct himself.
Somehow managing to twist in the air, Naruto turned and made sure the impact with the ground would hit his back and not Raven. Once he hit the ground, Naruto shouted in pain. He was thankful that he managed to land in a nearby alley and that it gave him a spare few seconds away from the rest of the Titans. He wasn't paying attention when Raven gained consciousness again, groaning at the headache she managed to gain.
Seeing who she was on, Raven was quick to jump back and encase the man in her magic, effectively trapping him. "Well, this is an odd 'thank you'," Naruto commented. Raven's magic had a hold on each of his limbs so he couldn't even move.
"Who are you?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "And why would I thank you?"
"For saving you?" Naruto said as if it was obvious. "Look, I don't have time for this so just let me go."
Raven didn't say anything as she saw her team appear and surround the man once again. "Who are you?!" Robin said, unintentionally repeating Raven's question.
"If you don't do something then I will," Slade said in the earpiece, thumbing the button slightly.
Raven stepped forward and raised a hand, intending to take off Naruto's mask. Now desperate to get away before he was found out, Naruto concentrated before shouting. As he shouted, he released some of the Kyuubi's chakra which quickly destroyed Raven's magic around him before disappearing like it was never there. Now that he was able to do, Naruto was quick to use a Substitution Jutsu with a nearby bin confusing everyone there.
"Find him!" shouted Robin, angry that their lead on Slade was gone.
The entire team scattered but Raven stayed where she was, staring at the spot Naruto was at in shock. "No..." she whispered with wide eyes and slight fear. Sinking into the ground, Raven quickly appeared in front of Naruto's door once again. She pounded on the door, not wanting to believe what she saw. "Naruto!" she shouted, "Naruto please answer the door!" A light down the hallway exploded due to the emotions Raven was feeling.
Still, no one answered and Raven teleported her way into the apartment. Because it was dark out right now, the room she was in was cast in shadows thanks to the lamppost outside. Turning on the light, Raven saw an overturned chair and spider-web cracks on the wall next to it. There was a struggle here but Raven didn't know who Naruto was struggling with, or who it was that struggled with Naruto.
Feeling that she was losing control of her emotions, Raven sat down on the couch and hugged herself. "Azeroth Metrion Zinthos," she whispered before repeating herself again and again. Once she had control, albeit barely, Raven stood and took a shaky breath. 'If that really is you Naruto,' Raven thought as she slowly sunk into the floor, 'Then you'd better have a good reason for this.'
Making his way into the hideout, Naruto ripped off his mask and stormed his way towards Slade and his 'throne'. Throwing the thermal blaster at him, Naruto said, "There, you have what you want."
Catching the device with ease, Slade examined it before saying. "Excellent work. You would make a fine apprentice, perhaps even better than Robin could ever be."
"This deal won't save you forever," Naruto said. "Sooner or later, your plans will fail and I'll be there to kill you."
Slade only laughed at the threat. Monitor's appeared next to Naruto, catching his attention. "The Titan's still have no idea that my chromoton detonator was more than a decoy. Now that my probes are inside their bodies, they could remain undetected for years, decades even." The footage showed each of the Titan's getting shot and then the diagrams of the probes attaching themselves to their blood cells. "Unless, of course, you disobey me and I decide to destroy them all with a push of a button." The next scene to show was when Naruto saved Raven from her fall.
Naruto scowled in understanding. If he tried to save any of them, then they would all die. "Am I going to steal something else now?" Naruto demanded, knowing this wasn't over.
"Your next target is in Wayne Enterprises," Slade said as he went over to a workbench and made a few adjustments to the thermal blaster. Walking back over to Naruto, he attached the blaster to his wrist and stepped back. Naruto examined it and flexed his wrist. The weapon itself was attached to a brace and was below his palm. Once he flexed his wrist, the weapon fired, destroying one of the screens next to him. "I'll send you the details of what I want when you get there."
Still holding his scowl, Naruto nodded and put on the mask before leaving, making sure to slam the door off its hinges on his way out. Slade just watched him leave before turning back to his monitor. He examined each Titan's biological scan and made sure to note of anything interesting. Looking at a particular Titan, his eye widened before he began to laugh evilly.
Back at the Titan's Tower, Raven appeared and saw each member of the team were working on figuring out Slade's motive and whoever this new person was. Starfire was the first to notice Raven as she floated over to the girl. "Friend-Raven? Is everything okay?"
Raven just glanced at Starfire and shook her head lightly before speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Robin, can I speak to you for a moment?" she asked with seriousness.
Robin was wanting to say that he was too busy, but hearing how serious she was he walked over to her. "Raven, what's wrong?" he asked.
Bringing him over to the other side of the room so that no one else would hear yet she said, "I think I know who the person working for Slade is."
Robin's eyes widened before he demanded, "Who is it?"
"Before I say who it is, I'm not entirely sure he's actually working for Slade, I think he's being blackmailed somehow," Raven explained, putting Robin in deep thought.
"Who is it?" Robin still demanded.
Raven hesitated before finally saying, "I think it's Naruto. I can't explain how I know, I just do." Robin spun around and was about to run to the computer before Raven grabbed his arm. "Robin, if it really is Naruto then I don't think he's doing this willingly."
Robin seemed to think about it before carefully asking, "Do you trust him?"
Raven was surprised by the question but she already knew the answer. Nodding, she said, "Yes," without her voice wavering in the slightest, showing she really did trust Naruto.
Sighing at how this might get complicated, Robin then said. "Okay. If you trust him, then I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Do you know how he's being blackmailed at all?" Raven shook her head. "Alright. Let's check out his place, maybe we'll find something there.'
"I was just there," Raven said, getting a surprised look from Robin. "What? I wanted to make sure it was Naruto. Anyway, when I got inside there was a chair overturned and cracks in the wall, like someone was thrown against it."
"Was that all?" Robin asked with Raven nodding. "That's not much to go on. Take me there anyway, there might be something you missed." Raven nodded and readied a portal while Robin turned back to the team, "We'll be back. We're just checking out a lead and be back soon."
Arriving inside Naruto's apartment, Robin glanced around and raised an eyebrow at how plain everything was. He easily saw the chair and wall and checked them over. The chair told him nothing and he examined the wall, accidentally kicking something on the floor. Looking down, he saw pieces of metal that didn't fit with anything in the apartment. Picking one up, he looked at it closely and said, "I know this. It's from Slade's mask."
"So that means Naruto had managed to pin Slade to the wall somehow," Raven said. "That means Naruto fought back."
Before Robin could say anything, his communicator went off. Answering it, Robin said, "Cyborg, have you found anything?"
"Maybe. There was silent alarm tripped at Wayne Enterprises, might be connected to Slade," Cyborg answered.
"Best to check it out even if it's nothing. We'll meet you there," Robin said before hanging up. Looking at Raven, he asked, "Do you know where Wayne Enterprises is?" Raven nodded and made a portal that let them sink into the ground.
Breaking open a vent, Naruto jumped down into a large room before glancing around to make sure no one was around. Seeing that he was alone, he walked over to the only device in the room that was just oddly floating under a spotlight. "Who the hell design these places," Naruto muttered to himself as he grabbed the device.
"Naruto," said Raven's voice, making Naruto freeze with his hand on the device. He craned his neck and saw all of the Titans at the entrance.
Sighing, Naruto pulled off the mask, making everyone but Raven and Robin gasp at who it was. He looked at them and could see the hurt and confusion in Raven's eyes. He hated himself for causing that look. "What gave it away?" he asked, pocketing the device away.
"That energy you used," Raven answered. "I recognised it from before."
Not making a comment on that, Naruto just said, "You guys aren't going to let me walk out of here, are you?"
"What do you think?" asked Beastboy as he changed into a gorilla and roared.
Naruto glanced at the vent above them. It would be easy to just evade all of them and leave without hurting any of them. As if hearing his thoughts, Slade's voice appeared, "Do not run. Fight them now," he ordered.
"I've got the device," Naruto said quietly, with none of the Titan's being able to hear him, "Why can't I just leave?"
"Fight them, or I'll end them!" Slade shouted.
Scowling, Naruto threw away the mask in his hand and ran at the Titan's. Beastboy roared and jumped at the blond, aiming to grab him and end the fight. Naruto caught the gorilla's fist and proved himself stronger as he swung Beastboy around and into a wall. Starfire flew at him and fired a few Starbolts at his feet, "Please Friend-Naruto, why are you doing this?!" she begged to know.
"Sorry Star," Naruto said, "This is something I just have to do."
Seeing that he was refusing to back down, Starfire's eyes glowed green as she flew down. Landing on the ground, she threw a fist but was surprised when Naruto caught it with ease. Kneeing her in the stomach, Naruto raised his fists and slammed them into her back, knocking her to the ground. Robin appeared with his bo-staff, managed to hit Naruto in the head with it.
"Is Slade blackmailing you?!" Robin shouted, angry at seeing Starfire get hurt. Naruto said nothing as he rubbed his head a little. He then pulled out two objects that extended into two eskrima sticks. He twirled them around before running at Robin. Robin managed t block one but wasn't quick enough to avoid the one aimed at his feet. Spinning around as he knocked Robin off his feet, Naruto kicked him hard enough to cause the boy wonder to roll across the floor.
Seeing Cyborg aiming his arm at him, Naruto threw a stick and lodged it into Cyborgs weapon. "What?!" gasped out Cyborg as he looked at his arm, only to see the stick suddenly glow. "Crap!" he shouted as it exploded, thankfully not taking his arm with it. Walking over, Naruto placed a disc on his chest that suddenly electrified him into unconsciousness.
Knowing there was only one person left, Naruto turned to see Raven staring at him. "I never wanted to do this," he admitted.
"Then please stop," she begged.
"I can't," Naruto said, sounding as though he was fighting himself. Raising his arm, he aimed the thermal detonator and prepared to fire. It glowed red before the energy disappeared. "I just can't," he said as he fell to his knees, punching the ground.
"Then I will," Slade's voice said.
Naruto widened his eyes and looked towards Raven. She looked confused for a second before suddenly feeling pain everywhere. It felt like her entire being was being stabbed, electrocuted, and burned all at the same time. Unable to contain it, she screamed in agony as she too fell to her knees. Naruto ran to her side, holding her hand. He could see the same thing happening to the rest of the Titans as they all screamed and shouted. "Stop this!" Naruto shouted and begged. "Please!"
"The only way for it to stop is if you ATTACK HER!" Slade shouted as he slammed his fist down onto his chair.
Tears formed in Naruto's eyes but his eyes widened again when he felt a hand on his cheek. Looking, he saw Raven looking at him with her face scrunched up in pain. "It's okay. Just do it," she said through gritted teeth, having barely managed to overhear Slade through Naruto's earpiece. "Attack me."
Closing his eyes and nodded, Naruto stood and aimed the thermal blaster. He saw Raven nod her head. Shouting, he fired and hit Raven in the chest, knocking her unconscious. Almost immediately, everyone stopped screaming as the pain faded away. Looking around, Naruto saw that everyone else was unconscious due to the immense pain they felt. "I'm sorry," he whispered to Raven before running away.
He had a look of pure rage as his eyes flashed and stayed red. 'I'm ending this now,' Naruto thought as he vanished in a burst of speed, knowing exactly where to go.
A few minutes later and the Titans began to wake up, one by one. "What the hell happened?" groaned Beastboy as he rubbed his head.
"Naruto handed our asses to us," replied Cyborg, "That's what happened."
"It's not his fault," Raven said, catching everyone's attention. "He didn't have a choice."
"What do you mean 'he didn't have a choice'?!" shouted Beastboy. "He could have just beat us and walked away! No, instead he somehow tortured us all!"
"That wasn't him!" Raven shouted back, surprising everyone. "Naruto refused to attack me and then the pain started. I think it was Slade that did that, not Naruto."
Cyborg looked at his arm before saying, "My scanners aren't picking anything up but if we head back to the tower then I should be able to figure out what happened."
Slade stared at the screen in front of him, watching Naruto defeat the Titan's. He frowned at how he refused to hurt Raven and then at how he apologised before leaving her. He glanced down at the smaller screen in front of him, trying to formulate a plan in his head before he heard footsteps behind him. "You did well. But if I see you hesitate like that again, then I'll kill them all," Slade said as he turned and looked at his apprentice.
"Not if I kill you first," Naruto said as he suddenly punched Slade in the face, managing to punch the man right through his own chair and into the screens behind him. "You did something that no one has done in years, not since I left my home."
Rubbing his jaw, Slade stood and glared at Naruto. "And what would that be?" he asked.
"You pissed me off!" Naruto shouted, feeling Kyuubi's chakra giving him power. His features changed, his teeth turned into fangs, his nails turned into claws, his whisker marks deepened and he gained a feral look. If it was anyone else, they would be terrified but Slade slowly stood and pulled out a bo-staff.
In the Titan's Comm room, Beastboy was covered in wires as Cyborg typed into a computer. "I found something," he said as a picture of Beastboy's blood cells appeared on the screen. "The enhanced sensor's are picking up radio interference on a nanoscopic scale." Everyone gasped when they saw small devices latch onto every blood cell in sight. Looking closely enough, they could all make out the familiar 'S' symbol on each device.
"Those things are inside me?!" shouted Beastboy, looking disgusted.
"They're inside all of us. Billions of them. That's how Slade did what he did to us," Cyborg said.
Robin spoke up, "If that's true then Slade could destroy us at any moment."
"Unless Naruto does what he say's," Raven said. She felt relieved knowing that he was innocent and was forced to do all of this. Sensing something, Raven turned towards the window and looked out. "I think I sense Naruto," Raven said, "I know where they are!"
Panting slightly in exhaustion, Slade glared at Naruto from across the room. His armour was covered in deep scratch marks and his mask was cracked once again. As beat up as he was, Slade could see that Naruto didn't have a single injury on him but could see that he was getting tired. "You won't last much longer," Slade said, "When this power of yours runs out, I'll break you and force you to watch as I kill each of the Titan's, ending with Raven."
Naruto roared and lunged for Slade, aiming a swipe for his midsection. Slade stepped back and avoided the attack, but the force of it was still enough to make him skid back a few feet. But Naruto didn't stop as he used the momentum from his swing to spin and heel kick Slade, with Slade only just blocking it. He gasped out in pain when he felt bones in his arms ache from the impact.
Seeing that Naruto was close enough, Slade pulled out a knife and slashed Naruto from his shoulder down to his waist. Naruto shouted out and jumped back as he held his wound. Looking down, he could see his blood seeping from between his fingers and he could also see that the wound was already closing. "Interesting," Slade said as he saw Naruto's healing abilities, "I underestimated you, that was my mistake. But you attacking me, that was your's," he finished as he showed Naruto the button to activate the probes.
Before he could press the button, his hand was encased in black energy. Looking, he saw the Titans had arrived and were glaring at him from behind Naruto. "You're finished, Slade," Robin said with a glare.
"A pleasure to see you again, Robin," Slade said, sounding calm despite his situation. "Unfortunately that won't be happening today. Another time, perhaps." Pulling out a disc, he threw it at the group as it exploded and created a smoke screen. Raven lost her concentration and released Slade's hand, who pressed the button. Hearing a noise, Naruto looked and saw a machine activate at the same time, just as everyone began to scream.
Just like before the pain appeared in all of the Titan's. Naruto saw this and roared again as his anger grew. He appeared in front of Slade and grabbed the man by his throat, lifting him up with one hand. Slamming him down, the ground cracking under the pressure, Naruto grabbed the man's arm and threw him to the side and into the machine controlling the probes. Slade shouted out as the machine infected him with probes, which immediately began to destroy him from the inside. The man couldn't even move to destroy the remote to save himself.
Naruto stood in front of him and readied a Rasengan. It glowed red just like his eyes. "NOW DIE!" he shouted, slamming the Rasengan into Slade.
The machine exploded, causing a chain reaction as other machines began to self-destruct. Naruto was thrown back but he landed and saw that the probes have stopped working. Turning back to normal, he ran to Raven and shouted, "We need to get out of here!"
Raven nodded and chanted, "Azeroth Metrion Zinthos!" A large bird made of her magic appeared from the floor and protected them just as another piece of machinery exploded next to them. The bird enveloped them all and sunk into the ground as another explosion destroyed everything.
"And that should be the last of those probes," Cyborg said as Beastboy unhooked himself from a machine and began to dance like there was a party.
Naruto sat on the couch next to Raven, Robin, and Starfire. "I'm glad that's over with," he said as he stretched with the others agreeing.
"Is Slade really gone?" asked Starfire, her voice sounding a little scared.
Robin shrugged. "I'm not sure. Once that place is secure, we'll check it out," Robin suggested, wanting to know himself. He then glanced at Naruto and reminded himself that he needed to talk to the blond about everything that happened. He would do it now, but everyone was relaxing and celebrating, knowing they had just beaten Slade.
With Beastboy jumping around, Cyborg felt that the celebration needed something. "Now's the perfect time for an All-You-Can-Eat-"
"Free-Form-" continued Beastboy, knowing exactly what Cyborg was talking about.
"Breakfast-Explosion!" they both shouted with grins as they ran to the kitchen.
Leaning over to Raven, he asked, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She looked confused but nodded nonetheless. Standing up, she led him out of the comm room and towards her room. He was surprised when she actually invited him in. Before he stepped inside, he gave her a questioning look to see if he really was allowed.
"Are you wanting to talk in private?" Naruto nodded, "Then this is the most private place in this whole tower."
Stepping inside, Naruto glanced around Raven's room and laughed a little as he saw piles of books and candles sitting on top of them. Her entire room was dark in both lighting and decoration. "You really are a goth, aren't you?" he asked her.
Raven never liked that word. So she liked dark things, who cares? Going over to her bed, she sat on the edge with Naruto joining her. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" she asked.
"After everything that happened today, it made me realise something," Naruto began, surprising Raven at how serious he was. "I didn't want to tell you my past because I just wanted to forget about it and live my new life here. But with what happened, I realised I was just running away from my problems."
"What do you mean?" Raven asked.
Turning to look her in the eyes, Naruto said, "I'm going to tell you everything."
-Author's Note-
I do apologise for the long wait but here is the newest chapter and I even managed to add a lot more than I had planned. I feel better about this chapter than the Doom one but I am keeping that just in case I need it again.
Originally I was planning on splitting this chapter in two but this was the better choice. I have something BIG planned for the next few chapters so please be patient because I want to make sure I get it right. I'll do my best to upload as soon as possible as I'll be aiming to upload by the end of February.
The outfit Naruto wears when he works for Slade is my profile pic, minus the sword and gun.
If I have a spare moment, I'll see if I can make a new chapter for 'Normal'.
Thank you all for reading. If you have any questions or if something isn't right then please feel free to PM me and I will do my best to answer.