Contrary to popular belief, I am alive and kicking. Just so much crap kept happening and I kept putting this off.
I make no promises to finally change the way I update, but I can at least finish this arc. Enjoy!
Ocean Master blocked a simultaneous assault from Naruto and Sasuke with his trident. He had to admit, they were much more ferocious than he had initially would have guessed, both much faster than the average human. But they were still no match for him. With a quick twist of his trident, he threw both off balance. "I should finish them now." Pointing his trident at them, it began to crackle with electricity.
"Hsalps mih htiw eci!" Seemingly on its own, the water rose into a wave and splashed onto Ocean Master. Upon contact, it froze immediately into blue ice, the thickest ice known.
He wasn't completely encased; only his torso, his right arm and left leg were encased. He strained to break out, and while cracks showed, he wasn't getting out of this by strength alone any time soon.
Naruto turned to see Zatanna on another roof, giving him a wink. "Sasuke, quick! Hit him with every fire power you got!"
Sasuke wasted no time getting to work. "Goukakyu no Jutsu!" The fireball shot forward, looking like it would fry the Atlantean instantly, and not make much of an impact on the iceberg.
However, with his free hand, the super villain dropped a pellet. Upon impact, a huge gust of air exploded in front of him, hard enough to knock the others back including the fireball. Ocean Master broke free of the ice, and immediately aimed his trident at Zatanna. "Tsac a dle-" Zatanna could not finish the spell, as the electricity from the trident hit her dead on.
"Zatanna!" Naruto shouted. Something then sliced him across the cheek and lay him flat on his back.
Ocean Master pointed the prongs at his jugular, and smirked. Then, he stopped. It was hard to tell why, his mask making it hard to read him. But still, he smirked. "I just got word; your heroes are on their way towards defeat."
Aqualad looked at him in disbelief. He looked like he was about to shout…then calmed himself. "What?" Ocean Master asked. "No denial? No accusations of lying?"
"No point." Aqualad answered. "If you are lying, my screaming at you won't make you suddenly tell the truth. On the other hand, if you are telling the truth…it changes nothing."
"What?"
"If our mentors fail, then we must pick up where they left off. That was why we were all recruited to begin with; to take over should they fall." Aqualad pointed one of his water swords at him. "Care to find out how much stronger you made our resolve?"
Ocean Master took a head count, realizing that all of his henchmen were unconscious. He then aimed to stab Naruto right there, but then he turned into a trash can. He took a step back in shock, and hesitated. The real Naruto appeared next to Sasuke. "Haven't used that one in a while." Naruto stretched his shoulder.
"You've gotten better." Sasuke complimented him. "I'd have expected you to call out it was a substitution."
Ocean Master's first instinct was to flee, fight another day. But he was part of the Light now; he couldn't back away like a common thug. Not without making some kind of impact! "Fine." His trident charged up. "I admit, all of you together will be a challenge. But that will be all."
Aqualad, Naruto, and everyone still standing charged.
Sakura finally broke the surface, taking in a deep lungful of air. She then tried to push Connor up…only to get pulled under again. "Ngh! Too…heavy!" Sakura kicked furiously, at least to get Connor's head above water. She refused to let him die!
"Take my hand!" She looked up to see Connor's friends, Mal and Karen. Somehow, they found a canoe to ride, and stretched their hands to her. Though she felt great shame in still needing help to save people…the life in her hands took precedent. She grabbed hold, and they slowly hoisted her out.
Soon, the top of Superboy's head broke surface! "Got 'im!" Mal reached for his shirt with his other hand. Though the canoe verged on teetering over, they somehow managed to stay upright and hoist him in.
"That was incredible!" Karen said. "None of us could have ever gone that deep and got him this far!" Sakura blushed slightly; maybe she wasn't a total waste after all.
"Yeah, but now we've got a different problem!" Mal said as he felt for a pulse. "He's not breathing!"
"We have to CPR him!"
"Don't think that's going to do much good." Mal said, tapping his chest. "He may not be the Man of Steel, but he feels like he's made of some kind of metal! I can't move his chest!"
That's when Sakura sensed something move behind them. She looked…and her eyes widened.
Deidara carefully searched around the debris. This Superman was known for being up front when facing his opponents; sneaking was normally not part of his repertoire. Deidara's first instinct told him that the hero took the coward's way out. From what little he read, that seemed out of character for him. Besides, how could he get far? That kryptonite did a doozy on him, more so than even Deidara himself expected.
No, whether it be due to his character or these circumstances, he was going to stay and fight. Of that Deidara was sure. Still, it was best to take precautions. He reached behind his pouch and molded a small spider-bomb. It wasn't his best, but if it landed on a normal man a good portion of their body would be blown off.
He turned a corner carefully, he guessed the boiler room for the building. What was left of it anyway. Deidara's eye camera was equipped to see in the dark, and something there intrigued him. The water heater was not there. Or at least most of it wasn't. The bottom portion remained, as if it was sawed clean off. But no tool could cut something like that so perfectly.
He moved in and crouched down for a closer look. The rim showed signs of melting…so it was heat, not brute force that removed it. But why? This wasn't the work of a contractor; the melting was recent judging by the heat. So focused was he, he almost didn't notice the shadow behind him raising a fist.
Deidara spun just in time to cross block the blow. The force was staggering, sending him flying into a wall; it was a miracle neither arm was broken. On instinct Deidara tossed his bomb, the natural explosive giving off a small but bright and beautiful bang. The attacker shouted in surprise, but he didn't fall.
Even under the red hue of his camera, he could clearly see that Superman was still in the fight. And he found out what happened to the water heater. Superman, (though hunched) stood before him, covered in haphazard plates of metal all over his body. Deidara read he had heat vision; he must have used it to take the metal apart and fit it on him! Though his nose was profusely bleeding, what durability he had left and the metal protected him from major injury. "I was told that stuff would finish you."
"It almost did." Superman wheezed. "Good thing for me, Luthor does not like to share. Not too much."
Deidara growled. Seems that bastard gave him just enough to hurt the hero, but wouldn't let him kill him. Luthor must be the type who wants to finish his enemies himself! "I'll make you wish he gave me a bit more." Deidara unveiled his hands at work, the tongues already molding the clay. "Because now you will suffer."
"I think I can take it." Superman charged at a speed that surprised even Deidara, tackling the ninja right through the wall. Though he was greatly weakened, Clark was a trained football quarterback. Even without his powers, with his size and physique, he could have easily gone pro.
Deidara wheezed from the impact; it felt like he cracked a rib. Deidara smacked Superman in the face with an open palm, enough to jerk his head back and slip away. Quickly he threw a bomb, this one loaded with shrapnel. Though most of the debris fell off the Kryptonian, they cut enough to make him bleed on the chin. He then followed through with a small napalm bomb, the hero now alit with flame. "AHHH!"
He fell to his knees, helpless against the heat. A normal man at best would have been covered head to toe in black burns; if someone tried so much as to grab the skin, all flesh would peel straight off the bone. Yet this thing seemed to only suffer from a severe sunburn, judging by how red his chin was. "What are you?!" Deidara began to mold more clay, but was punched straight across the face by Superman.
The combination of his size and the metallic plates busted his face, though not enough to lose consciousness. "If you don't know by now…you will." Superman curled his finger, beckoning him to come.
As Deidara wiped the blood from his mouth, he snarled like a beast and charged. Super or not, he was going to kill this eyesore in front of him!
In spite of his incredible state of pain, Flash managed to move out of the way before the blades could skewer him. Quickly, he circled his opponent. "Don't panic now; just hit him!"
Flash charged, cocking his fist back. Sasori turned and pointed his hand at him. The hand bent 90 degrees backwards, and a cord with a sharp point sprang out. Flash slid to his knees and bent backwards, the stinger barely missing his nose, but losing his balance and missing Sasori in the process. Sasori looked, and grinned at him. "I suppose you've realized it by now?"
Flash didn't have to ask, as the answer dawned at him. His speed was slowed down drastically. He was still much faster than the average man, even most things. He ran at him with everything he had, but he was still nearly tagged. By his highest estimates, he was probably traveling somewhere in the upper hundreds. "You are still a hard target to hit," Sasori noted "But it's within my realm of possibility now. Also, that poison I stung you with is a new concoction. Against a normal human, it would be impossible to metabolize. They would be immobilized in moments, and within a matter of days, die an agonizing death. I imagine you will metabolize it in due time…but…"
Sasori pulled out a scroll, and seemed to take something out. "Great, it's like DragonBall's Capsules!" Flash thought
It seemed to be a puppet that Marlyn Manson would be dying to own. "I will kill you before we reach that point!"
Flash ran again, as the puppet flew towards him. He looked back to see the puppet puke out some sort of black sand, which seemed to have a mind of his own and chased him as well. "What's that supposed to do?" The sand quickly sped up, and formed into spikes. Flash veered to avoid any fatal stabs, but they cut through his suit and into his skin with ease. "Hnn!"
"By the way, the sand is poisonous too!"
Flash felt another wave of nausea hit him again. "Great, now he tells me." Flash was slowing down again, dangerously close to 200 mph now. The puppet made several shapes with its sand, launching them all at Flash. Taking the hint that everything was poison, Flash rolled at a 90 degree angle and clumsily got back on his feet. Just as he prepared to run, a spinning blade caught his ankle. "AAH!"
"I heard under optimal conditions, you heal fast. Sometimes instantaneously," Sasori noted. "But it seems my original poisons are too potent even for you. Your healing factor is impeded until you can metabolize it. Something, as I earlier stated, will not allow!"
A rope dart shot out of the puppet's wrist, ensnaring The Flash's wounded ankle. "Shit!"
With a sharp tug, Sasori spun him 180 degrees to the other side and slammed him into a lamp post. The post keeled over and fell, yet somehow Flash was relatively okay.
Key word being relatively.
Despite the ringing in his head, he managed to untangle the rope and roll away before the living puppet could skewer him. "I was content to let my toy do all the work for me…" Two sprouts suddenly popped out of his hands. "…But at the rate we're going, I think I'd rather try and kill you myself!"
He unleashed pressurized water and fire simultaneously. Flash caught the tail end of the flames while the water threw him back. He managed to get up and run, but with the poison and injuries he incurred, he was going no faster than a cheetah now. "Okay Barry, think!" He jumped straight up, lifting his legs in a split and touching his toes as he dodged more flying blades. "He literally has weapons up the wazoo! He doesn't even feel like a human being!" A blade made of black sand nearly took off his head, which he bent to make sure it didn't hit him. "Conclusion: he's not actually human!"
The puppet sprouted multiple arms to entrap Flash. Though he collided with one, his momentum kept him going. He bounced off the others like a pinball; to many it looked like he completely lost it but in reality it was the best way for him to use his opponent's strengths to his advantage. "I guess that means direct contact is useless…which means, my best weapon is some of my good old high school chemistry!"
Wonder Woman brought her bracelets back up, blocking a lightning strike. "Your defenses are impressive!" Kakuzu said. "Those bracelets should have conducted electricity into your body!"
"I don't say thank you to murderers!" Wonder Woman spread her arms to break the contact, kicking the masked beast away. Before she could attack Kakuzu, the Wind Mask blew her into a car and she rolled over it into the park. Wonder Woman suffered worse…but not much worse. She pushed herself up, but she felt doozy and aching. "Get it together…" The Earth Mask monster grabbed hold of her body, and like an expert wrestler, suplexed her into the ground. Thank goodness it was ordinary grass and dirt. Wonder Woman tried to break free, but much of her strength had been spent. Not being human, the monster shot tendrils from its body and into the earth, grounding it. The Amazonian Princess could not get proper leverage in her state.
Kakuzu sprung forward, like a marionette controlling its own strings. "Many warriors on my home planet would have given up by now. But you-! You have much strength to give yet!"
He produced a violet kunai, different from what he used in his youth. It was custom made by the Light, designed to penetrate the armor and skin of this Earth's superhuman races, namely the Amazons and the Atlanteans. "My heart will not bring you happiness." Wonder Woman warned him, her voice betraying no sense of fear. "Not forever."
He jabbed her right in the centerline, under her breasts. The blade went through her armor with effort, but stopped short. He pushed down, making a crack but couldn't move it efficiently. "Don't panic, I just need more leverage." Tendrils from the masks pulled her back further. "Yes, this will do!" He raised his kunai and brought it down.
Black Canary opened her mouth for her trademark scream, but a piece of paper flew at her, gagging her. She managed to stretch it, but it remained plastered over her. "It's over." Konan announced. Her papers quickly coalesced into a drill-spear. With her skill, it could easily pierce even steel. Konan stared into her eyes, not realizing that was a mistake.
For Canary uncurled her fist, letting a small, metallic orb roll across the road. Small indentations poked our, and suddenly a deafening sound exploded out of it. Konan lost her concentration and covered her ears, the sound unbearable without proper preparation.
But more importantly, the paper holding Black Canary loosened, allowing her to rise. She stomped on the sound bomb and punched Konan with a hard right. The kunoichi spun a few times before barely finding her footing. "We weren't informed you used gadgetry."
"Hardly." Black Canary answered. "But they come in handy when everything else is bound or impeeded. So consider it a compliment I had to resort to it." Canary pulled small black plugs out of her ears; while they protected her own ears and absorbed the sound, they got damaged after a single use. Oliver assured her that Queen Industries was working on new models with better resistance, but for now she was stuck with these prototypes.
Konan formed her wings and took to the air again. "Congratulations on getting free." Her wings flapped as scraps of paper fluttered down. Now it was Canary's turn to be taken by surprise; the papers smoldered, and exploded. She was rocked to the side, but thankfully she was able to roll with it, minimizing the damage. Konan flapped again, but this time fine needles of paper travelled at hyper speed. Flat on her back, there wasn't much Canary could do to avoid it. She brought up her arms in a cross block, behind her raised knees. She screamed as the small needles pierced her, bleeding road, but truth be told it looked worse than it actually was. She rolled back up, looking up at Konan. "Strike me if you dare, but you will never reach me again!" The flying kunoichi declared.
She flew like a falcon around her. Even if Canary blasted her with sound, she would be clear of the most damaging ranges by the time the sound reached her. And as she flew, needles propelled by singing twines of paper rained down on her origami mini rockets. Canary could not fight back now; she could only run and dodge…
"Sayonara." Hidan aimed for his heart, and now that the two of them were linked, both his and Green Arrow would be wounded. But only one of them would survive a stab to the heart.
"This is going to suck!" Arrow drew an arrow from his quiver and seemingly stabbed himself in the stomach.
"Fool! You'll only-AHHH!" Hidan froze up as an electric current ran through him, as it did Green Arrow. The charge didn't last long, only for about 10 seconds. But even if it wasn't fatal, a jolt like that could completely incapacitate a normal man.
Green Arrow was above average, but only just; he forced himself on his hands as he struggled back up, fighting the pain in his muscles. Hidan seemed to be completely out of it, having been taken by surprise. Finally, Green Arrow was on his feet. He ran over, intending to restrain Hidan, but the Akatsuki rose and kicked him in the stomach. Arrow reeled back, and Hidan panted.
The cultist had no witty comeback, simply raising his scythe and attacking. Green Arrow dodged, but it was of small comfort that if he got him again, he wasn't going to do that weird link thing. No, judging by the mad look on his face, he was aiming to take his head clean off now.
On second thought, that wasn't comforting at all.
If he did his link thing, he would have a chance to disrupt it. He didn't know how he was going to disrupt a beheading, other than preventing it altogether.
He blocked with his bow again, using it to jump kick Hidan in the stomach and force him back. Green Arrow could see in his eyes that Hidan was no longer all there. He snapped. The immortal spun his scythe so fast that it looked like a large saw. "I think I went from the frying pan and into the fire!" Arrow plastered himself to the wall to avoid another attack and rolled into the next room.
Quickly, he felt his quiver: only three arrows left. He had a polyfoam arrow, an explosive arrow, and a punch arrow. "The Polyfoam is going to save the day." Arrow decided. "Now, how am I going to make it count?"
Suddenly, the blades went through the wall he was hiding behind, the blades cutting his hood. Then an arm went through and clenched, catching the Green Arrow in a headlock. "Ack!" Oliver grabbed the arm with both of his and kicked his knees up, but finding leverage in this position was almost impossible! "Looks like the explosive is going to be the first to go!" He picked it up and slammed it in the wall above his head. It went off, knocking the two apart. Quickly, Oliver scrambled away to hide; as long as Hidan had his scythe, close combat was not an option. Hidan rose, smashing the floor with his fists before grabbing his weapon. He wasn't thinking, but his skill with the scythe proved that throwing him off balance was NEVER a wise move.
Kisame gave Aquaman another hard kick. The so-called king of the sea grunted as his body rolled across the grate. "Is this all you've got? Pathetic." Kisame gave him another hard kick right into the railing. "I hoped for a greater challenge, but it seems what the world wide web said about you was correct."
Aquaman wasn't really listening. He looked down below into the ocean. If he could just reach the water! "Well, I'm bored now." Kisame shrugged as he lifted Sadehama. "Sayonara."
Suddenly, the Atlantean seemed to get a second wind, launching himself at Kisame. He tackled the shark man hard enough to shatter the railing behind them, and plunged down onto the bottom grate of the rig. Though Kisame had the wind knocked put of him, it seemed Aquaman was now completely out of gas. "If you're going to to surprise me…" Kisame punched him off. "…at least have the strength to keep fighting!" Aquaman, leaning against the railing, eyed some debris of steel. As Kisame brought Sadehama down, Aquaman quickly grabbed one and used it to block his sword. But this would only be a temporary measure at best. "Come on, fight me! I've no respect for token resistance."
"In a minute!" Aquaman hissed.
Kisame's eyes relaxed in confusion. "Come again?"
"I said, in a minute." Aquaman began to sneer. "I'm concentrating." Suddenly, an Orca jumped out of the water, hitting the rig with all its might. Kisame stumbled back to the railing, and Aquaman pinned him against it. Kisame was going to throw him off any moment; he couldn't give it to him! He commanded the orca to hit the rig again.
It did so even stronger than before, and both fell into the ocean.
Itachi stood over Batman's collapsed form. "Pity. You were quite good." Since the orders were to merely fight, not necessarily kill, he decided to let him be. He would not recover from this ordeal for a long time…if ever.
He began to walk away, thinking maybe he should release the genjutsu he put on the inmates. He failed to notice the shadow rising behind him, only a creak in the floor alerting him in time to see Batman raise his fist against him. Even with his sharingan activated, he could not dodge it in time. Itachi flew from the blow and into the wall, hard enough to shatter the plaster. He breathed through his mouth as he felt his nose bleed. The Batman stared down at him like nothing was wrong.
"I put you through hell!" Itachi shouted. He rose, but needed a hand to steady his balance. No one had accomplished that before. "I made it last!"
"Yes, you did." Batman said.
"Then how-?"
"I work THROUGH pain." Was all he said. Itachi remained impassive on the outside, but Batman could see the slight twitch on his brow. It seemed he was never under that much pressure before. "It seems to me you never had to fight as hard as you did today. At least, not since you got that variation of your clan's eyes."
"And you?" Itachi asked incredulously. "I suppose you never had a challenge ever since you became the Batman?"
"Every day." Batman answered. He put his guards up, an open invitation to fight again. Itachi let out a slight snarl and charged.
Their arms pressed against one another; Itachi tried a sticky hand technique, but Batman was already on top of if. They traded blows and parried; to an outsider, they would appear even.
But Batman already knew he had the edge, for he destroyed Itachi's most important weapon: his composure.
Ocean Master twirled his trident expertly, keeping Aqualad, Naruto and Sasuke at bay. Aqualad quickly took the initiative and charged, managing to tackle the villain and throwing him off balance. He brought his water bearers, in the form of daggers, close to the villain's neck. Though killing was but outright forbidden in the Justice League, as far as the Kingdom of Atlantis was concerned, Aqualad was prepared to handle the problems of his home any way he saw fit. Ocean Master grunted, pushing back to keep the water from slicing his throat. In a desperate move, he head-butted Kaldur from behind; it gave him a bit more distance, and with it, leverage. Taking the tip of his trident, he sideswiped him and pinned him to the roof. Quickly he twisted his trident forward and pierced Aqualad's shoulder. "AAH!"
"I was told to be a distraction…" Ocean Master hissed. "But you have interfered with my plans too many times!"
"Hosenka no Jutsu!" Sasuke fired his flaming shuriken.
Ocean Master quickly spun his trident, deflecting them. "Your fire will be extinguished!" His trident glowed, and the water hit Sasuke with enough force to force him off, the waves following the movement of his weapon.
Before he could even gloat, Naruto charged with his bushin. Though he destroyed most of them, the real Naruto managed to hit him in the face with a punch. It felt like he hit a wall, but he kept on hitting the criminal while a bushin dived under his knees, forcing him to fall. As soon as he was down, Naruto was on top of him and seemingly proceeded to beat him silly like a mad man. Had Ocean Master been an ordinary man, Naruto would have dominated him, but instead, he picked him up, standing while Naruto continued to flail. "You have spirit boy…I'll give you that." He then slammed Naruto on the roof, forming a hole in it with his head. He picked him up by the ankle again, looking at his unconscious face. "I was told to spare you…" His trident charged. "…but something about you really sets me off."
Suddenly, red projectiles hit him in the face, the last one exploding. Dropping Naruto, he wiped the soot off his lens as he heard laughter. Robin appeared before him. "Oh. You." He brought his trident to his side. "You best run along boy; none of your friends were a match for me. You won't fare much better."
Robin only smirked. "So, is it smugness? Or cowardice? Cowardice, it's got to be."
Ocean Master's mouth twitched. "You were warned." His trident charged, and he fired. Robin already threw down a smoke bomb, the electricity passing through it harmlessly. Ocean Master looked around, not seeing him anywhere. "There's nowhere for him to hide! Where-?" He stumbled from a sidekick to the head from Robin. Reaching into his utility belt, Robin pulled out a spray and fired. But it didn't contain an aerosol; no, this contained fire! Ocean Master stumbled from the heat. But still he fought back with a backhand across Robin's body, sending him spinning, the spray falling into the water. Robin needed a moment to get his wind back, and rolled out of the way of the trident. He snagged his cape, but Robin quickly detached it from his suit. He fought back with kicks between the legs, but Ocean Master hardly flinched. He followed through with a kick right to the groin; the Atlantean criminal flinched again, but it wasn't as painful as it would be from a full grown Atlantean. Ocean Master made a wide swipe with his trident, but Robin somersaulted over the pole arm and got on top of the Atlantean. Quickly he locked his neck and sprayed him in the face with a pepper gas, entering everything that wasn't protected by his mask. Ocean Master felt his mouth water immediately, like his whole face was on fire. "Enough!" He wheezed. Reaching behind him, he grabbed Robin and threw him down on the roof, planting his foot on his chest and nearly pushing him through it. "Do not fear death, boy." He hissed. "You're just a boy in a cape. That's why you couldn't save your friends, and that's why you can't defeat me!"
"Who said anything about me defeating you?" Was Robin's only reply.
"YARGH!" Ocean Master turned to see Superboy fly towards him. He raised his weapon, but Superboy quickly passed his guard and nailed him right in the mask.
Robin propped himself up as he thought back to just a few minutes ago…
Sakura caught sight of Robin in a tree nearby. Without a word, he jumped right into the canoe, hardly making a sound. "Sorry. Zeta Tubes at the base were offline; had to find another way."
"We've got bigger problems," Mal said. "Superboy ain't breathing!"
"I think I've got just the thing." Robin took out a slab of metal, and a birdarang. He placed the metal over Superboy's mouth, and the birdarang on his chest, right where his heart was. "We thought about what to do if either Superman or Superboy drowned; we figured a good amount of voltage should do the trick." Lights began to flash on the Birdarang, like a timer.
"That I understand, but what about this?" Mal held up the metal piece.
"Do you want him to bite his tongue AND give away our position?"
Mal's eyes widened in realization. "Oh."
"Quick, it's about to go off." Robin instructed them. "Hold him down, and put the slab back in his mouth." They all did as they were told, Mal quickly putting the metal in Connor's mouth and holding his arm down, as the other three did the same for the rest of the limbs.
The birdarang went off, and Superboy's eyes snapped open as he convulsed…
"He's off balance!" Robin shouted to everyone. "Dictate the terms and take him out!"
By then Sasuke jumped back onto the roof, and Naruto regained consciousness. As Ocean Master reeled from the blow, Sasuke quickly charged his Chidori, while Naruto made another bushin to form his rasengan. Sasuke charged first, jumping over Ocean Master's defensive stab. He went right for the fracture in his mask, further fragmenting it. In a panic, Ocean Master punched him off.
But Naruto followed after him, his perfect sphere in hand. "Rasengan!" Naruto hit his mask; the previous blows having weakened it allowed the Rasengan to shatter it completely. Ocean Master stumbled back, falling to his knees.
Aqualad rose, and his face went into shock. "Prince Orm?!"
Indeed, before them was the Second Prince and Minister of Science of Atlantis: Orm, half brother of King Orin, the Aquaman. "Kalduron." He addressed him coldly, rising slowly. Kaldur remembered the kind faces he made in the presence of Orn. Now the Prince looking at him in pure hatred. "When I finally had you and my brother at my mercy, I hoped to reveal myself to you, so that you would know you both died fools."
Zatanna, Artemis, and Miss Martian returned as Orm looked on in fear. Before, he was a mystery to his foes, not knowing the how and why of his powers. Now he was exposed, and the element of surprise was gone. He could probably kill a few of them…but with sacrifice they would inevitably win. And someone would tell his brother either way…Orm sneered, walking back to the platform as it rose again. "Savor your small victory." He said. "If I have read up on your guests' foes correctly, I would wager most of your mentors will not survive."
The platform sunk under the surface, and the flood slowly began to recede. "Is it true?" Robin asked Naruto and Sakura. "Do you think our guys are doomed against yours?"
"No way!" Naruto waved it off. As everyone stared at him, he realized the gravity of the situation. "Okay. Honestly? I don't know."
"Itachi is among them." Sasuke said. "Whatever else the others may be, I do not see anyone but me defeating him."
Superman brought his armored arms up as Deidara threw up a surprise bomb. Though he was still more durable than the average man, even in his weakened state, he cringed from the impact and heat. "Think you can take me on through physical means?" Deidara taunted him from a corner. He sported a black eye from a hard cross Superman hit him with earlier. "Maybe at your peak, but right now I don't have to play by your rules!"
Deidara quickly molded more spider bombs, crawling across the floor. Superman knew he couldn't rely on his improvised armor much longer and rolled away as they went off. However, the shrapnel from one pierced the armor around his calf and dug into his skin. "Hnn!"
"You've annoyed me for long enough!" Deidara popped out from his corner, smiling at him but turning to run away up the stairs.
Superman's eyes widened under his armor as he made a realization: He was going to blow up the whole building!
Deidara quickly molded a clay bird, smaller than his usual but enough to carry him and out, the sun shining bright. Deidara noted the police had cordoned off the civilians off from the building they were fighting in. While he wasn't one to target innocents, he didn't particularly care if they got caught in the crossfire. "I better finish this now!"
Superman ran up the stairs, pulling the armor apart on his chest. It took much effort, more than he should have, but with a desperate heave he managed to expose his symbol.
But, that was only step one.
He had to make it to the right spot, less the explosion blew off his legs.
Or all of him.
"Excuse me!" Lois Lane pushed her way through the crowd, up to the police barrier. "Lois Lane, Daily Planet!"
"Can't let you through, miss!" The officer said.
"What's the situation?"
"Superman is taking some other super villain!" The officer explained. "I got here late, but witnesses say he can make bombs out of thin air!"
Lois looked up and saw Deidara make a giant thing of clay, a bomb she assumed. "Where is Superman!?" She shouted.
"They say he was forced into a building!"
It didn't take long for Lois to deduce something like Kryptonite was involved.
Deidara finished his bomb, enough explosive matter to reduce any structure to ash. Anyone caught in it would literally disappear; he doubted this Superman would be any different in his current condition. "Here you go, 'Supes-chan!'" He called. Dropping it, he shouted "Let's see if even you can become art!"
Superman found an old and torn bed with the springs sticking out. "It'll have to do." He jumped on, crouching low as the mattress creaked under his weight. It was a long shot, but it was all he got.
"BANG!" Deidara called excitedly as the building went up in flames, the shockwave enough to knock the civilians down. With that explosion, he felt no need to check for a body...
But to his surprise, he caught sight of Superman, still armored, flying through the wreckage, but it didn't look like he was moving. "Seems my work is done."
"Nngh!" Superman grunted as the G-Forces nearly tore his body apart; by all means he should have been dead. His chest was exposed, and he could feel the solar energy charge him up. However, he was worried his haphazard armor would prevent him from recharging fast enough. This sort of thing neither he nor the league tested; if he survived this, Batman would surely call him an idiot. Somehow not tearing his back in two, he began to feel gravity taking him back down. "Now or never!"
Though he still struggled, with his bare hands he managed to tear his armor open….
"Time to go." Deidara quickly flew away; he was tempted to throw a few bombs down, but his ordeal with Superman, even depowered, drained him. He managed to fly a few blocks, when suddenly he felt something take hold of his bird, causing him to nearly fall over. "Wha-?" The bird flapped as hard as it could, yet it kept going in the opposite direction. Deidara looked down to see Superman on the bottom, grabbing hold of it and flying away with it.
Deidara got another bomb ready, but Superman said "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
To make his point, he pushed the bird further up. "Ngh!"
"Your bombs won't kill me, but if you do it at this height, I WILL let go. The shockwave will knock you off balance, and at this height you're going to get hurt. A broken leg at least. And I don't think I'll be fast enough to catch you."
Deidara's lip puckered as he considered his words. Giving up, he threw his arms up and sat down. "Where are you taking me?"
"To jail." Superman replied. "I'm going to inform them about your tricks when we get there. So don't give me an excuse to catch you again."
Deidara huffed as he lay against his clay.
Flash should have known that simply aiming to dodge the one puppet would not have been enough. Why, OF COURSE he would have had more. After all, everyone knew every psycho puppet master carried a whole army of marionettes with them!
Flash chose to accept it and made a beeline for the nearest hardware and drug stores, now with a whole entourage of puppets following after him. From the brief glimpse Flash could gather, they didn't seem as elaborate as the black puppet. But they all carried samurai swords.
That had to be super bad, right?
One cut in front of him and nearly got him with a slash. Flash twisted and resumed running. He didn't see Sasori also running behind him; granted, his speed was nowhere close enough to be considered "super" but he was faster than even Usain Bolt, greyhound speed probably. "There they are!" The two shops he eyed were Mom and Pop shops, very hard to come by these days, especially in Central City. "Sorry for what I'm about to do! " He ran straight forward right through the window of the hardware store. Normally he would have vibrated through the window but with his speed shut down to the level of the natural world he had no choice.
Good thing even with the tears he was sporting in this battle, the suit mostly protected him from the glass. Quickly he grabbed a tin, some spoons and several glasses. As the puppets burst through, he realized he couldn't get out the same way and bolted for the emergency exit. "I have to take the long way around!" As he went further along, he realized something: he was getting tired. His powers normally gave him incredible stamina, only feeling tired when he ran across the continent. Now he was feeling it same as everyone else. "Not yet! Not yet!"
Sensing the puppets closing in on him, he ran back towards the drug store. Unfortunately, the back only had one window for him to jump through. It was up high, one full story, and the only window was two feet wide, possibly even less. On one hand, if he pulled this off, he could hold off this little shop of horrors long enough to get what he needed. But that was dependent upon if he could pull this off in his current condition. Feeling a katana nearly nicking his heel, he pushed himself further. "No choice, Barry! Between the wall and being cut up like sushi…I choose the wall!" He made a massive leap; had he been in peak condition he could have cleared another story or so. He wasn't sure 60 mph was going to cut it.
By some miracle, he managed to clear it and get inside. Too bad he could not stick the landing, hitting his shoulder and skidding across the marble surface. "Ouch!" Luckily, He didn't break anything (at least, not anything new) and forced himself back up. Some of the puppets tried to force themselves in, but it seemed Sasori couldn't control them very well from here. At this point, it wouldn't have surprised him if these puppets could become a cannon and blow up the wall, so he decided to assume they could and made a bee line for the aisles for the next part of his plan. First, some water balloons. Baking Soda, bleach, draino and some meds…he hoped Bruce was going to be in a good mood after all of this! He ran to the front, seeing the puppets gathering there as well. "Man, I better also request some of his smoke bombs after this too!"
He could still move his hands at super speeds as he caused a can to hiss out smoke. Quickly throwing it in front, he managed to blanket the area immediately in front of him. Flash wasn't entirely sure if Sasori could see through these puppets; even if he couldn't, getting past them was still a huge risk. He ran straight through, still having the energy to cartwheel over them and their blades. He made it to the end, and ran like it was his last.
Sasori retracted his fingers, pulling the puppets back towards him. "You are trapped now!" Once again, he unleashed his flame. And Flash did something unexpected: he ran right into it! Covering his face, he relied on his uniform. Due to its properties, his suit was heat resistant to counter the friction his speed generated. However, it was not designed for direct fire, especially of this magnitude. He hoped for the few seconds he needed, it would be enough. Soon, he was right in Sasori's face. "So, you choose to die with a personal touch!" Sasori unleashed his many blades…and Flash jammed his right hand with a white, gooey substance and leap frogged over him. "Glue!? Fool, my fire-!" Though the residue turned a bright orange, the flames wouldn't come out. He forced his body to do it harder, when suddenly his arm exploded.
"Not JUST glue. I added in a few extra." Flash said. "It's more like a super hard resin. You have to remove it physically." He ran behind him again, pulling up his pants. "Wedgie!" He couldn't stay long, as Sasori immediately retaliated with his saw blades coming from his back. Flash still managed to get out of the way.
Sasori was about to fire another rope dart at him, when he suddenly felt himself lose balance. "What the-?!" He fell over, realizing his legs have given out. Looking behind him, he could see what remained of his lower half was on the ground, melting away.
"That there was hydrochloric acid." Flash ran by; it seemed he was speeding up again. "I intended to give you a full wedgie but turns out you go commando." Sasori lashed out with a coiled blade, but Flash managed to dodge that to, and got behind him. "Don't worry, I'm not offended. There was nothing there to offend ANYONE."
"Silence!" Pulling hard on his strings, he brought several of his puppets over. Some were sent to attack Flash, but this time he was ready. Quicker than most, he managed to fell several of them with super quick punches and kicks, all while avoiding anymore scratches. While he was busy with them, Sasori bisected one of them and made it attach to his open body. Sasori was back on his feet now. "Looks like you're out of tricks!"
The puppets came down on him their swords, but Flash rolled out of the way. "Oh no, I got one more." Sasori put his left behind his back, tugging at the strings. The Black Doll flew in from behind, but did not attack. Instead, it disassembled and began to cover Sasori, like a layer of armor. "Try your luck now!" Sasori challenged him.
Flash chuckled. "You actually just screwed yourself!" Flash ran at him, but then past him.
"He's getting faster! He's metabolizing the poison faster than I calculated." Flash wound up the last chemical weapon like a speed ball, and threw it. It exploded upon contact…and nothing happened. "I don't know what you were getting at there, but it seemed to be a massive failure!"
"Ah ah." Flash waved his finger.
Sasori couldn't help but notice he was looking much more sure of himself again. "Well, let him," Sasori thought. "Even if he somehow fought off the poison, he forgot about my puppet army!" Indeed, during the earlier commotion he hid them in various spots. "Time to send you to hell!"
With a sharp tug, the puppets came out to slice Flash in all sorts of ways. Sasori took no chances, charging directly at him with his armor as well. A normal man from either world would have found escape impossible. Luckily for Flash, he utterly failed at being normal. When he exuded a brief flash of his electricity, he rushed, dodging each blade perfectly. By the time Sasori could realize and reflect on it, Flash was in the clear. "Impossible!" Sasori thought. "I tailored the poison to his metabolism! Even if my calculations were off, he shouldn't be this fast! Unless-!"
Flash ran towards the light post he collided with earlier. At the base, several severed, live wires were sparking. Even with his speed, he had to be careful. Lightning may have created him, but it was not an experience he wished to repeat. He tugged at the insulated parts to grab a handful, and ran back. By that time, Sasori had realized the truth. "Unless the Light was unable to learn his full potential!"
As soon as he finished the thought, Flash tossed the live wires at him. "By the way, that was ionized water!" Flash called. The combination of water and electricity looking for an exit was, to say predictably, shocking. Immediately sparks sprouted, and Sasori convulsed. Though he did not actually feel pain, the shock disrupted his chakra, forcing all his puppets to fall, including himself. Flash, trying not to be a complete and total moron, took a stick and poked at him. "Um, you're not just playing dead by any chance, are you?"
Suddenly, something shot out of Sasori's back. Flash recoiled on reflex, only to realize nothing was happening. "Damn, maybe I should install zooming lens in my cowl!" He thought as he tried to eye what escaped his back, but it was too high up for him to see. He then noticed the other puppets were disappearing in poofs of smoke, similar to that ninja kid whenever he copied himself. "I've a feeling I won the battle, but a war is still brewing." Kicking Sasori's now lifeless body, his dead eyes just staring at him, Flash sighed. "I better see what this thing is made of…after I warn the guys."
He didn't make note of the hollow cavity in Sasori's chest.
Kakuzu got ready, the tendrils popping out of his skin. His masks seemed to have the Amazon pinned. "I never imagined someone could be so powerful!" He thought. "Her heart alone could help me live for centuries!" Not since he attempted to acquire Harashima's own beating heart did he feel such anticipation…and fear.
"Keep her steady!" He remembered reading that though she was strong and had impenetrable gauntlets, she bled like any other mortal. His beasts moved just enough to reveal her lower legs. She was still fighting, but she was in a compromised position. Here, she had no leverage, and no escape. "Your heart is mine!" He shot his tendrils forward, into the mass which they passed through…and they hit a wall. "What?!"
"I know you were trying to get me to panic, catch me off guard," Wonder Woman said under the mass of living black. "It was a sound strategy…but you made one small miscalculation."
"A miscalculation?"
"Yes." Out of nowhere, the Masked Beasts flew off as she swung her arms open, one of them knocking right into Kakuzu.
As he recoiled from the blow, he wondered "HOW!? How did I miss!?"
He felt something pull at him, and realized the heroine grasped onto his attacking tendril. She pulled her arm out of his grip and literally blocked him! "I am the Princess of the Amazons, and heir to the throne of Themyiscara!" Without missing a beat, Wonder Woman punched one of them into a car. She followed up quickly by bending the front end over and folding it onto the monster. Another roared as it charged, but Wonder Woman quickly wrapped it up in her lasso, wrapping its arms against its body. It would slip out in no time, so the Amazon swung it hard into another, throwing both into a telephone poll. The force was more than enough to knock it down, and the live wires landed on them.
"AHH!" Kakuzu hunched over, feeling the pain of his hearts. Quickly, he recalled them all. The one trapped in the car slid out, and the other two turned into liquid and slithered away. They all merged back within Kakuzu. He hunched over to breathe. "If I didn't do something, I would be down to one heart!"
Wonder Woman flew over and landed a solid punch in his face. Kakuzu rolled like a pin ball and into the park. The old ninja never been hit so hard before; he could tell his jaw was broken. Yet he feared she held back.
Way back.
Wonder Woman landed on him, pinning her boot into his sternum. "I have fought many monsters and villains, giving it my all." She pressed harder, causing him to wince. "So far, you have proven yourself to be nothing more than an annoyance!" Grabbing him by the throat, she lifted him to face level. "But then again, why should I be surprised…when my opponent is even afraid to die by natural causes, the kindest departure of all?"
Kakuzu's eyes spasmed in rage. She dropped him like he was a school yard bully. "Crawl back to your masters. I'd ask you to go bother my lesser powered colleges…but somehow, I think even THEY would be too much for you. So just go, and don't come back!" Kakuzu stumbled, crawling before he rose up to run and jumped away.
Sighing, the Amazon heroine walked out of the park.
Professor Kapatelis made her way through the panicked masses. Being around the Princess for years, she had a sense of when a battle was over. "Wonder Woman! Wonder Woman!" She called, making sure to be discreet.
Soon enough, Wonder Woman walked out of the park. She rubbed her left arm, bleeding profusely, but nothing fatal. "There you are!" She ran to her friend. "He must have been tough! Cheetah and Silver Swan are the only ones I know of who can cut you up like so!"
"Eh." Wonder Woman shrugged. "I've had worse."
Kapatelis looked behind her and into the park. "He got away?"
"So he thinks." Wonder Woman tapped her left bracelet. "Batman is trying to make his devices standard issue within the league. I had a tracer hidden in my bracelet and slipped it on him at the end of the fight."
"Incredible!" Kapatelis clapped her hands. "I'm sure Batman will be thrilled!"
Wonder Woman looked at the destruction around her, and cringed. "Until he gets the bill anyway."
Hidan sliced the doorways down, turning his head left and right like a mad dog. "Come and meet your death, coward!"
He didn't seem to know how close he was. Green Arrow was crouched right under an abandoned cubicle, his punch arrow at the ready. If he rose to shoot, Hidan would be too fast for him; the immortal would take his head before he could pull the string. Not that Hidan needed to do something so excessive to kill him.
"I have killed so many, warriors and cowards alike." Hidan sneered as he continued. "You definitely fall into the later. Archers. Can't stand them. Think they're hot shit, being able to kill someone from so far away."
"You think that's cowardly, you're not going to like the firearms here I imagine." Arrow thought.
"But once you take their range away, they crumble. Face it, you're nothing without that weapon."
"Maybe you're right." Hidan made a sharp turn, spotting the cubicle where the sound came from. "I'm no Batman. But you know what makes us archers special?" Hidan dragged the spike of his scythe across the carpet floor. "We're survivors." He answered.
Suddenly the computer was launched off the desk and right at Hidan. On reflex he blocked, but that brief moment of taking his eyes off the target allowed Green Arrow to follow up with the punch arrow. Now wide open, Hidan flew back as he was knocked right in the face, the impact breaking his nose. "Nnngh…"
The Green Arrow immediately pinned him down, punching him with his fist and bow. He was doing a good job bloodying up his face, but Hidan grabbed his fist after the fifth. "Now it's over!"
He got back up with ease, throwing Arrow on his back by the wrist onto the floor. Quickly, he sliced the three blades across his shoulder. "AAAHH!"
Hidan turned black again, licking all the blood off his scythe. "Go to Jashin, and grovel before my God!"
Before he could impale himself, the Green Arrow elbowed him in the groin, causing Hidan to bend the knee. In spite of the shared pain, using his free hand, Green Arrow quickly reached into his quiver and pulled out the foam arrow, jamming it right between Hidan and the Scythe. The red foam erupted from the core, Oliver rolling away. "Cheazhhh…!" Hidan tried to curse but the foam inhibited his speech. He then tried to complete his ritual, but the foam hardened and he couldn't move his hand an inch.
Green Arrow gasped, almost choking on his own bile. Just then, some officers finally arrived. Though normally the Green Arrow would have chewed them out for taking so long, had they come any sooner they were likely to have killed both of them. "Move, move!" The SCPD moved in, guns drawn on Hidan.
"Don't worry." Green Arrow waved, though he sounded faint. "Unless he's stronger than Brick, he's not breaking out of there."
One of the officers helped him up by the shoulder. "You should get that shoulder checked out." He said. "Looks pretty bad."
"Oh, I'm sure it is." Green Arrow agreed. "And I will." He picked up his broken bow and began to walk out. "AFTER I help out a special someone."
Konan swooped low, and with a strong flap of her wings, cut Canary's shoulder. "AH!"
Konan quickly ascended, being wary of any sounds she would make. "This was almost fun," Konan said. "But having fun in battle is not wise. So…" She formed origami shuriken, which spun in midair.
It seemed it would take a bit to reach their desired speed, which gave Black Canary a moment to think her next move. "Act, never react." She repeated her mantra. She could find ways to ascend to Konan's level, but not only were they all crapshoots, in the air Konan would still have the advantage. So the logical conclusion was to bring Konan down to her level. But how to do it? "She doesn't strike me as 'evil'…maybe she carries something precious?"
"Die." Konan threw her arm, and the shuriken launched like heat-seeking missiles.
Canary rolled forward; she dodged most of them, but one cut deep across her back. "Can't stop!" She landed like she was going to do a push up. But instead, she let her limbs go as limp as possible as she inflated her neck. And screamed right into the ground. The force of the sound waves propelled her up, straight into Konan. She collided with the flying kunoichi, knocking her off balance.
Still, she managed to right herself and remain afloat. However, Canary grabbed hold of her ankle, and used her previous momentum to somersault onto Konan and get her into a body lock from behind. "Get off me!" Konan resorted to elbowing her, something very uncharacteristic of her. But Canary endured them all. While Konan attacked in a blind rage, Canary ignored the pain and remained focused. However, Konan soon flipped, kicking Canary off and back onto the ground. Konan took a moment to regain her composure, and then tried to go for Canary's ego. "You know, in spite of your abilities, I find it pathetic to name yourself after a bird, when you yourself can't even fly."
"Don't let Batman hear you say that." Canary whispered, more to herself than anything.
"Let's waste no more time!" Suddenly paper surrounded her, pointed and ready for attack.
"She must have had all those hidden the whole time!" Canary realized.
"Die." Konan announced coldly.
"You want this to get destroyed with me?" Canary held up a photograph.
Konan's eyes widened, and she dropped her battle stance, instead patting her body. Realizing it was missing, she looked back at Canary, but instead of apathy, she looked at her with pure hatred. "You-!"
The photo in question showed a man and three kids. The man looked to be in his late 30s, maybe forties, sporting a wild white mane and red markings down his eyes, smiling at the camera. In the middle was a kid with spikey orange hair, also smiling. To his right, a boy with dark red hair that covered his eyes. And the girl in the middle… "This is you, isn't it?" Canary eyed the photograph. "You're all pretty cute…"
"Give it back, you bitch!" Konan charged through the air.
Normally, at that speed, Black Canary would have trouble catching her. But now, it worked for her. For her all her speed, to Canary, her fury made her completely predictable. She countered with a spinning roundhouse, nailing Konan right in the jaw. Konan tumbled across the road. "So, it does mean something to you." Konan took her paper and made it into a rope dart, shooting it right at Black Canary, but she dodged. "I'm guessing you weren't born this way. Dare I say you weren't even raised this way."
"None of your business!" Konan swiped to the left, but Canary pinned it with an axe-kick. Before Konan could sharpen the paper, Canary ran across it like a bridge, and landed a flying kick into Konan's face. Konan stumbled but stayed up. She made a dagger out of paper, and swiped at Canary.
Though she sliced her right arm, Canary bared it and got her into a clench, kneeing her in the stomach. "In all seriousness, let us help you!" She said while still kneeing Konan in the stomach. "You'll still be held accountable, but you'll have a chance to start over. At least in our world…and hopefully, in yours as well!"
"Your good alone will not change the world! Either of our worlds!" Konan's paper coalesced to form a jian sword, and slashed. She only got Canary's leotard, but it was close. Konan attacked with slashes and stabs, putting Canary on the defensive again. But her pickpocketing still did the trick; Konan's rage limited her imagination, and thus, prevented her from unleashing her most devastating attacks. Quickly Canary caught the blade between her hands and disarmed her with a crescent kick.
Before Konan could realize her mistake, Canary unleashed her cry. At such close range, the attack was devastating. Konan held her ears in vain, flying back and feeling like her brain was being scrambled like an egg.
She didn't realize she had been laying in the road for several minutes while she recovered, Black Canary standing over her. Her senses back together, Konan rolled away but couldn't yet stand, supporting herself with her arm. "You're lucky; another decibel and I could have made you permanently deaf." She tossed the photograph back to Konan, who quickly took it back and tucked it under her sleeve. "My offer to your and your comrades stand." Canary said. "Please think it over. Before there's no turning back."
"You'll rue those words." The paper wings returned to Konan, but Canary could tell she was not aiming to attack. As she took to the air, Konan said "I sincerely thank you for your concern. Frankly, your world was not a target of ours. But now that door will never close…and we must neutralize you. By any means necessary." She made a sharp turn, and flew off into the Rockies.
Canary sighed, and winced as she felt the pain attack her. "I'm never laughing at men crying over paper cuts ever again," She slowly walked to the railway to sit and catch her breath. Her bluetooth came on, and she pressed. "Oliver!?"
"If you're answering, Pretty Bird, I'd wager you handled your problem?"
"As you did yours, I presume." Canary said. "Mine could control paper. Yours?"
"He killed people by stabbing himself." Arrow said. "Or something like that."
"Well, that's certainly…interesting." Canary turned serious. "But Oliver, we need to talk to the League about this new group. This isn't the typical get together of our supervillains." Her eyes narrowed. "I think we are fighting orphans of war."
Kisame punched Aquaman across the face again; in spite of how his hands ached, he was getting a lot of good hits in. He wound up another punch, certain he would knock him out.
But Aquaman caught it.
He opened his eyes, the two aquatics having a stare down. Then, Aquaman grinned. Kisame's eyes widened. "Uh-oh." Aquaman punched him back, hard enough to cause a water boom as he propelled backwards like a jet.
Aquaman had a feeling he only had a few minutes before he returned; he looked around the debris for his weapon. Among the gray steel, he found the golden hue of his trident. "There you are!" He immediately made a bee(fish?)-line for it.
Kisame managed to stop himself, and shook his head. "He must be going for his trident!" Kisame began to look for him…and felt himself hit by an orca. He turned to face it and yelled "Do not underestimate me!"
He formed several water sharks; they wouldn't be able to outright kill the orca, but they would be enough to wound it. Then a hammerhead shark rammed him from behind. "Ngh!" Before he could address it, the tentacles of a giant squid grabbed hold of him, trying to drag him down. "What's happening?!" He cut the tentacles of the squid, and swam out of its reach. "This isn't just a bad spot!" He realized. "These animals…they're attacking me on purpose!" He thought back to that meme he showed Itachi. "Itachi was right! That internet isn't reliable!" He got interrupted when a bottlenose dolphin rammed right into his solar plexus. "I…HATE…dolphins!" He twisted and kicked the dolphin away to the side. Though it was stunned, it quickly recovered and swam away as fast as it could. "AQUAMAN!" He shouted. "Face me yourself, coward!"
"Be careful what you ask for!" Aquaman came swimming at super nautical speed and rammed into Kisame. The shark man blocked his trident with Sadehama, but the force threw him way back as Aquaman attacked with a flurry of strikes.
Finally, one of the prongs slipped past Kisame's guard and got him in the shoulder. "NGH!" Aquaman swung down, knocking Sadehama further down into the ocean.
Kisame gripped his shoulder, glaring at Aquaman as he pointed the trident right to his face. Then he bolted down for the sword. "Struggle all you want; just gives me a chance to humiliate you further." Aquaman followed after him.
Kisame grabbed he handle…and just when Aquaman prepared to skewer him again, Kisame simply put it on his back. "You misunderstand." Kisame couldn't help but smile. "Sadehama isn't just a sword. It is a part of me, and when we work together…"
His face became distorted, and Aquaman could see his flesh writhing and expanding under his cloak. Before he knew it, Kisame grew to the size of a whale. His body was more shark-like than before, especially when forming the dorsal fin. His limbs became long and spindly, able to tear humans to shreds. His face was almost completely shark like…except for the eyes. The eyes conveyed human emotion, and belonged to a sentient being.
Unfortunately they also belonged to a killer.
Finally, this creature grinned at him, with a mouth of fangs that belonged to no human he knew of. "Do you like it?" Kisame asked. "I save this for especially powerful enemies; I never thought you would qualify."
He took a swipe at him; not only did the strike hit him hard enough to send him flying, forcing him to drop his trident, but it also drew blood. Kisame continued to bat at him like a cat with one of its toys, Aquaman virtually helpless to counter. For a while, all he could do was reel in pain. Eventually, he managed to get out of range of Kisame's claws, and managed to push off the water to propel himself forward and hit Kisame back. The punch was strong, but Kisame withstood it with ease and wasted no time in chomping down on Aquaman. Though Aquaman struggled within his maw, the teeth did not penetrate too deeply thanks to the Atlantean's physiology. To Kisame it was like biting down on a hard rock. So he settled for thrashing him around, before throwing him back out. His wounds weren't deep, but still, Aquaman left a trail of blood within the water.
"You've tested my patience enough! Let's finish this…with your head in my grasp!"
Aquaman managed to regain consciousness, and righted himself. "Come and take it, if you can." He beckoned him.
"You've got nothing left! I've bested you physically, you don't have your weapon, and I'm more powerful than any other creature in this sea!" He swam at him with the speed of a torpedo.
"All true," Aquaman agreed, closing his eyes. "But you forgot one thing." Kisame opened his mouth as he swam towards him. "For when you transformed, you became more a creature of the sea than man." Kisame was about to devour him…and stopped dead. "Of which I am King of them all!"
Kisame felt himself swim back, as his jaw closed. "Wha…what's happening to me?" He managed to ask, unable to move like he wanted.
"You probably thought all I was good for was controlling fish." Aquaman sneered, crossing arms. "Even if that were true…it was a pretty stupid idea: trying to beat me by becoming that which I control."
Kisame then felt his body change back to his normal form, but he wasn't directing the change. "S-stop it! Stop it please!" He pleaded.
"Though you still retained your sentient mind, it seems your subconscious regressed in that form. Otherwise this would have been impossible for me."
Kisame supposed he was right; in his shark form Kisame felt more prone to his base instincts than normal.
Finally, he reverted back to his normal form. Had this been on land, he would have collapsed on the floor, sweating profusely; the transformation was exhausting. Immediately, the summoned aquatic life surrounded him. "I suppose this is an offer to surrender."
"No, they're just waiting to attack you." Aquaman said. "I'm taking you in anyway; we have questions for you. In that you don't have a choice."
Kisame bit his tongue; of all the Akatsuki to be captured, it had to be him! The "lamest" hero of them all! Just then, a red portal opened up behind him. "Hey, that's not-!"
Aquaman swam towards him, but the portal sucked him up and disappeared before Aquaman reached it. Clenching his fist, the nautical hero cursed "Damn it!"
Batman and Itachi's fists collided. Batman didn't try to take him in a contest of strength; he knew he wouldn't win. So instead he grabbed Itachi's arm and threw him back down to the main floor. As Batman prepared to glide down, Itachi unleashed his shuriken. Some managed to pass through his cape, but others got stuck in his suit, unable to penetrate his armor.
Still, Itachi managed to halt Batman on the floor with a quick push on his shoulders and twisted. Itachi's heel hook caught Batman in the chin, causing him to stumble. Itachi wasted no time and grabbed him by the arm and head. Quickly he smashed him into the wall, causing a crack. The cowl protected Batman well; when Itachi tried a second time, Batman grabbed hold of his arms for better leverage and elbowed him in the ribs. "Hn-!"
Batman went on the attack again, and now it seemed they were on a more even playing field. At the start of the fight, Itachi had a clear edge, but now Batman was gaining on him. They were locked in a duel of sticky hands, each trying to pull the other in before breaking out to strike. Despite the environment, Batman noticed Itachi's eyes weren't following him. "I wonder…"
At the last second, Batman broke out or the hold and swiped his fingers by Itachi's left eye. "Uh!" Itachi stopped, holding his eye and stumbling back.
"Before, I believe you would have seen that coming." Batman stepped forward, as if the fight was already over. "That technique…it takes a toll on your eyes, doesn't it?" Itachi gave an irritated look, and turned to swipe him with a kunai. He got Batman across the arm, but he only cut the cloth and armor underneath, failing to break the skin. Itachi went in for another, but Batman blocked. Itachi tried switching hands with the blade, and Batman didn't miss a beat on defense. Seeing it was going nowhere, Itachi sweeped Batman from behind, causing him to stumble back on a table. Itachi then aimed for the space between his cowl and his shoulder, an opening leading to his jugular. Batman caught Itachi's blade hand with both of his, and threw Itachi over him. Even with his talent and ability, Itachi could not right himself in time, breaking another table underneath him. Itachi shakily forced himself up, still holding his kunai.
Batman flung a batarang to his weapon hand, hard enough to make him drop it. Batman followed through with his grappling gun, wrapping Itachi in a thick cord. The Akatsuki took a deep breath. "No one before has ever got the drop on me in such a fashion. And until now, merely shaking off Tsukiyomi was impossible."
"There's a first time for everything." Batman said, tugging on the cord. "So, is this a surrender? Or do you have a plan to retreat?"
Itachi was about to retort, when a voice entered his head. "Retreat." It was the Savage's voice! "You've done exactly what you were told. And if you wish to be of more use to your master, you will find a way to escape."
Itachi sighed. "You were a worthy opponent, Batman."
"I'm guessing you have another ace up your sleeve." Batman didn't release his hold on the cord. "So show me and let's get this over with."
To his surprise, Itachi actually smiled. "Yes. But I am saving it for some one else." Itachi grabbed hold of the cord with his left and tugged, while producing another kunai in his right. "For what it is worth, I was skeptical that you would be a challenge. The Light, in spite of being your enemy, spoke very highly of you. And I see why; even if I revealed all my secrets, somehow I think you would have found a way to win. Which is why, as they say on this planet…I must take my leave."
Batman ran towards him, hoping to reach him before Itachi cut the cord. But just when he was on top of him, Itachi dispersed into a murder of crows. It seemed Itachi worked his way out of the cord a while ago, but he couldn't have gotten far! Batman noticed a black cloth retreating behind a corner. Quickly Batman ran to chase it, and caught sight of Itachi in front of a Boomtube. Just when Batman got ready to lunge, Itachi jumped into it and vanished.
Batman only stared ahead, knowing that further pursuit was futile. Tapping into his cowl, he sent a frequency to the Watchtower. "Martian Manhunter, do you read?"
"I read you Batman." J'ohnn replied. "It seems you and the others have faced off against the criminals of the Ninja world. I take it you'll be happy to know everyone won?"
"But they all got away, didn't they?"
"Superman and Green Arrow have successfully captured theirs. One faced off against Flash, but his status is unknown."
Batman sighed. "If none of them have any pressing matters, tell them we need to hold a meeting on this development as soon as they are able. What about the Team?"
"Happy Harbor is flooded; the team is facing off against Ocean Master! I don't know how we did not know about this until now, but I'm heading over there right now!"
Batman growled; it sounded like this was going on for a while; which meant someone was interfering with their surveillance. "As soon as I'm able, I will join you." He groaned as a massive headache hit him, no doubt an aftereffect of that illusion. "I need your help with something."
Happy Harbor, RI
18:00
It seemed as soon as Ocean Master left, the tide began to rapidly recede. The make-shift boats descended to ground level, and civilians began to take a chance as they tested the water's depth. "Looks like things are going back to normal." Artemis said.
"And this whole thing was a distraction." Superboy agreed.
"Even so, we won, right?" Naruto asked.
"Lately, I'm not sure if we've had any legitimate wins." Aqualad said.
"Well, I think the citizens have greater need of us." Superboy gestured towards the damp streets, where everyone immediately got to work trying to put their lives together. "Anyone up for cleanup?"
Mount Justice
18:50
As soon as they were able, the League arrived in the cave to check on the team. Most everything was well, but Naruto took notice of Aquaman's sad face as Aqualad broke the news to him.
That made Naruto think back to Sasuke's relationship with Itachi. He couldn't imagine what that was like, family betraying you. It began to make him wonder if he was lucky to never have one in the first place...
"Sasuke-kun, quit being a baby and let me see!"
"I'm fine!" Sasuke shouted. Naruto turned to see him walk away from Sakura, carrying the first aid kit as she followed after him.
Naruto rubbed his head, sighing. While Naruto did not like Sakura doting over Sasuke instead of him, he did not want to see Sasuke treat her like that by the same token. "I better see to them. Just in case." He followed after them.
Martian Manhunter had his hands over Bruce Wayne's head as he delved into his mind, psychically healing it. "The psychic damage is extensive," J'onn commented verbally. "I'm amazed you are not a vegetable right now; I don't think even most martians could easily shake this off." He removed his hands from Bruce's temples.
"As I told him, I work through pain." Bruce said, pulling his cowl back on.
Sasuke was intent on heading into his room for a nap, but as it turned out Batman forgot to seal the conference room. "And you're sure…it was his brother who did this to you?"
Sasuke stopped, now intent to listen "There's no mistaking it." Batman answered with certainty.
"What do you intend to do? I do not recommend letting the boy know…"
Just as Sakura caught up with him, Sasuke burst into the room, kicking the plexiglass door down. "You fought Itachi!? And you weren't going to tell me!?"
The two heroes looked at him stoically, though those who knew them would have been able to tell that they were perturbed at being caught. "Yes," Batman answered truthfully. "I fought your brother. I could not defeat him, but he was forced to retreat in the end. Unfortunately, I could not discern anything from his past-"
"But I bet you know where he is!? Or where he will be!?" Sasuke demanded.
By now, Sasuke's outbursts had attracted the attention of everyone, as they gathered to see the equivalent of a car wreck: an event that no sane person would want to happen, but once it did it was hard not to look. "What do you intend to do?" Batman asked.
"What do you think?" Sasuke growled. "I'm an avenger…" They all felt bad vibes coming from Sasuke, the two martians unintentionally picking up Sasuke's mental energies. J'onn felt many emotions like this before, while M'gann did not, not even from her estranged brother.
Zatanna in particular felt something dark and terrible within him. Sure, she felt his negative emotions, but there was something else. Something physical, something that seemed to feed off his negative emotions? Or perhaps the opposite?
"You are staying here." Batman said.
"You think I'm going to let my family's killers go?" Sasuke shouted.
"Your brother is in our jurisdiction, and will answer to our justice." Batman barely contained his voice. Robin winced. Batman rarely showed anger to comrades, because he hardly had to. If he did, something was about to go really wrong. "If by chance he finds his way back to your home, he's your problem. But as long as he and his allies remain on our earth, they play by our rules."
"Tell me where he is-"
"And you will be defeated again at best." Batman answered.
Sasuke trembled, and began to chuckle. "You're a joke, all of you." He said. Though he did not yet intend to attack, his sharingan still activated. "You claim you're all about delivering justice and restoring harmony and balance, yet you're letting my parents' killer go!"
"I will pursue him momentarily." Batman growled. "And you're staying here." He pointed at him.
"Show me the way," Sasuke repeated, this time his chakra subconsciously generating electricity. "I can go with you, I can go alone…and if you won't allow either, I'll go through you."
The Team got ready to jump and restrain Sasuke, but stopped when Batman held up his hand. Then, he calmly unclipped his utility belt. "Go ahead and try it. If you can get past me, I'll let you go. You may use any techniques you wish," He let his arms fall to his side. "And I mean any."
Sasuke seemed to grin…and it sent shivers down the spines of his teammates. "You better hope you're all talk," Sasuke could barely contain his mad laughter. "Because if you are strong enough to force me into using my ninjutsu, you'll wind up dead!"
Sasuke ran at a speed that seemingly rivaled Kid Flash's, and sent Batman skidding back with a flying lick to his chest. Sasuke didn't waste time and lashed out with a flurry of punches. But to his surprise, Batman blocked them all. Sasuke tried to sweep his leg, but Batman quickly checked him. "I drove your brother away," He said. "Did you think you were ready to face him!?"
"Shut up!" Sasuke jumped with a round kick, which Batman blocked with his arm. Though he winced, he caught Sasuke's foot and forced him to spin back down to the floor. "AH!" Sasuke turned to glare at Batman dangerously.
It was at this point both Naruto and Sakura realized that this wasn't a mere sparring match, not on Sasuke's end. They got ready to intervene, but Robin held them both back. All he did was nod, but he understood their fear. Not only did they not want to see him get hurt…but if he managed to win, they would probably be separated forever.
Sasuke charged with even more fury. Under normal circumstances the size difference between them would have been a done deal for the ninja, but his other worldly biology and training allowed him to seemingly put one of the greatest fighters of this world on the ropes. But in spite of that, Batman was still in control.
Sasuke managed to land a body shot on Batman; even under the kevlar he felt it. Sasuke crouched and attempted his Lion Combo, trying to launch the man into the air with a kick aimed for his chin. Batman once again caught it, spun Sasuke like a ball and slammed him into the wall.
Needless to say, Naruto and Sakura were legitimately impressed. They both understood their biology was superior to the humans of this world, and yet Batman was holding his own against Sasuke. No, it wasn't just that; he was already tired from his last fight, and yet he was still holding back. He might even be able to hold his own against Kakashi if it came down to it!
Sasuke grunted as he forced himself up, circling around Batman. "In Konoha, we're taught to approach our teachers with the intent to kill," he said. "You should start doing that."
Batman circled with him, so that he was now the wall was behind him instead of the team. "I won't. Not for anyone. Not your brother. And not for you."
"Then that's your mistake!" Sasuke brought his hands together, firing the Goukakyuu. Batman jumped over the flame, spreading his cape. Sasuke tried to follow him, but by then the flames had lost their initial potency. Batman knocked him down with kick, hard enough to make him bleed.
As Sasuke spat onto the floor, Batman said "This is over! You are staying here!"
Sasuke still forced himself back up. "Nothing will stand in my way!" Sasuke made a different set of signs, both his teammates recognizing the technique.
"Sasuke-kun, please stop!" Sakura begged him. Naruto made a bushin to form his rasengan again, but he would never get it ready in time as Sasuke concentrated the electricity and dragged it across the floor.
Once again Sasuke showed incredible speed, his Chidori sure to pierce Batman even if his suit was insulated. He thrust his left hand forward, and he flew with Batman into the wall. Everyone panicked, even Robin. But they calmed down when the way the results. Batman had trapped Sasuke's wrist with both his hands. The Chidori current was powerful, already tearing at Batman's gauntlets and making his hands bleed. But Batman didn't react, keeping his hands away from the jutsu's core. Quickly he swept Sasuke's legs, flipping him over and dislocating his wrist. "AAHH!" At last, Sasuke gave up, holding his wrist. He tried pushing it back in, but even for him that was a difficult task.
Seemingly satisfied, Batman walked away to pickup his utility belt. He noticed the burns and cuts on his hands, exposed through his ruined gauntlets. "Great. I'll have to make a stop at the cave." As he clipped his belt, he finally noticed the sting. "Alfred's really not going to like this."
Noticing the other two ninja helping him, Batman repeated his command. "You are staying here, and that is final." He said. "Pull something like that again, and we'll have no choice but to send you to Belle Reve."
Though Team 7 didn't know what that was, they understood it would mean Sasuke may never return home with them if it came to that. "What gives you the right!?" Sasuke shouted as he braced his wrist. "What could you possibly understand about me!?"
As the Zeta Tube opened, Batman turned to face him. Though he was normally almost unreadable with his mask on, everyone could see the look of sympathy on him. "I do understand you," he said softly. "Better than you could ever know." Finally, Batman entered the portal.
As Sasuke winced on his knees, Artemis approached him. "Come on, let's get you to the sick bay…"
Sasuke pulled his hand back as he forced himself to rise. "Leave me alone!" As he walked to his room,
Sakura shouted "Sasuke-kun!"
"I've got this!" Miss Martian volunteered, floating behind him. Naruto sighed, feeling powerless to help.
"Damn it, Teme," he thought. "Why don't you just open up?" He walked away, hands in his pockets. "Why can't you see we just want to help you?"
Batcave
19:30
"I'll ask Mr. Fox about designing some gloves with higher insulation," Alfred noted as he wiped his hands. "But you'll have a lot of questions from the board."
"Don't they always?" Batman sighed as he fastened new gloves over his bandaged hands. "I'm going to trace Itachi."
"And what will you do when you find him?" The Butler asked. "If I recall, you yourself said you couldn't quite beat him."
"I ran out of time," Batman said. "Now, I'll be ready."
Alfred turned to the Bat Computer. "Wonder Woman seems to have a similar idea as well," he noted as he read the text. "It seems she also let her opponent go to place a tracker on him."
"All the better." Batman noted. He walked over and typed commands in. Soon, his tracker flashed in red on his private GPS.
"He's already in Bludhaven." Alfred noted as the GPS zoomed out. "That would be an hour's drive from here by freeway."
"I figure they had help." Batman had a bad feeling about this, but he had to see this through.
He approached the Batmobile, helping himself inside. "Perhaps you would like a coffee for the road?" Alfred approached him with a paper cup, some steam escaping from the hole.
"Actually, could you please fetch me an electrolyte solution from the fridge please?" Batman asked. "I've a feeling I'm going to overexert myself." Alfred walked briskly up the stairs.
Metropolis Police Department
Deidara was escorted into a cell, his hands sealed in metal via special cuffs. They also snapped a collar on him, some kind of safeguard against individuals with powers, they told him.
Deidara actually smiled; this was practically a luxury hotel for him! They had a proper toilet, room was clean and there was a cot! If these people really wanted to punish him, they would have pinned him to the wall with his hands raised and left him with nothing. He relaxed against the wall, smiling.
Then, a red portal opened up, which Klarion and his cat stepped out of. "Hold it right there!" The guards shouted, raising their guns.
"Peels." Klarion said, raising his hand up. The guards' eyes became unfocused, and quickly lost their balance as they fell to the floor unconscious. "Did you at least kill anyone?" Klarion asked with a tone of boredom.
"You could have killed them, you could have killed me for failure." Deidara scowled. "A failure you knew was going to happen."
"Eh. The odds were against you, sure, but we didn't know you would lose." With another wave of his hand, the cuffs disintegrated, freeing Deidara's hands. "Well, feel free to hop in." Klarion invited him.
Deidara shrugged, and did as he was instructed.
The guards woke up soon after.
20:10
Itachi and Kakuzu met up in a warehouse. "Did you win?" The immortal asked.
Itachi's face didn't change, except for a slight twitch from his left eye. "I didn't lose." Itachi responded. "I doubt you could claim the same."
Indeed, Kakuzu had but one mask left. "I better find strong people to kill soon." He growled.
"I hope not too strong, for your sake." Itachi reached into his sleeve, pulling out a metallic object. "We may expect some company soon?"
"Of what kind?"
"The hero kind." Klarion and Deidara stepped out of a red portal. "Don't worry, your friend doesn't have a tracer. I looked, though the Boy Scout is not known for those sorts of things."
"Always best to take precautions," Itachi said. "Especially against the ones you don't think will pull a fast one." He suddenly reached over behind Kakuzu's cowl, pulling out a device similar to his. "It's always most effective from those you least suspect."
Bludhaven
20:30
Batman reached the abandoned factory, jumping out of his car. Activating his sonar lens, he detected no one inside. There was a possibility that they were casting one of their mystical techniques, but Batman was pessimistic that was the case. "It seems I'm right on time?"
Batman didn't even look up to see Wonder Woman floating down to his side. "Unfortunately, I don't think any of us arrived on time."
Wonder Woman looked at the dilapidated building. "They ditched the trackers?"
"Most likely." Batman nodded.
Nonetheless, they proceeded to the structure. Inside, they carefully navigated the dark and dusty halls. Their beacons took them to an empty room, but no one inside. Batman reached into an old box of fasteners, finding one of the trackers. "Maybe they are still here?" She asked.
Batman shook his head. "No, they're gone."
Vandal Savage looked to the Akatsuki from his stage. "This outcome was not unexpected," Savage said, looking down at everyone. "Even so, I am somewhat disappointed." He eyed a puppet carrying a scroll that seemed to have pulsating flesh around it, no doubt Sasori's core. "We have matched you with compatible opponents, even aided some of you with tools you needed to win. The Light hoped some of you would at least put some members out of commission," He eyed Deidara in particular, who just turned away in bitter humiliation. "Still, I have learned over my long, long life, that failure can be a great teacher." He stared at all of them. "So let this be a warning to you: you now know what you are up against. If you decide to engage with the League, or any other heroes without our permission…you will do so at your own peril, and only your peril."
Savage walked into the shadows, and the rest of Akatsuki returned to their respective quarters.
All except Konan.
Konan marched with purpose towards the Akatsuki leader, watching what recordings the Light could get of the fights. As she approached, another stood in front of her. "Is there a problem, Konan?"
Konan took a step back, knowing how dangerous the individual before her was. Even so, she stood her ground. Her concerns probably should have been directed at him to begin with. "Savage is playing you. Playing all of us." She said.
"So he thinks," The other answered. "It serves our purpose better."
"How!?" Konan demanded angrily. "This world is nothing but a fun little experiment to you! They had nothing to do with us before, and they shouldn't now!"
"You lack perspective, Konan." He said. "You're biased against the potential of this world." He held up his hand, clenching it. "Both the heroes and villains of this world…powers beyond even many of the Kekkei Genkai of our own world! To harness that power would advance our plans ahead of schedule!"
"Even if you could convince some to join our cause, the majority will cling to this world! They may even turn on all of us!" Konan argued.
"And that is why we are here." The man with the odd eyes approached her. At his voice, she held her tongue. Not out of fear, though.
Rather, it was out of trust and respect.
"We have researched this world throughly," He said. "Their heroes are not the only ones we should worry about. They possess arms beyond our current capabilities." He pulled out one of those smart phones the Light supplied them with, playing a video. In what seemed to be one of their oceans, a giant explosion rocked the seascape, resembling a mushroom. "They call it a nuclear bomb. It could easily surpass the power of the Gedo Maizo; perhaps, even my own powers." Konan nearly gulped. "And those are just the weapons their governments let their people know about. They have all sorts of other destructive means."
"And if we don't get involved now, their lust for destruction could reach our world!" The other in the shadows said. "These heroes have kept those appetites in check. But if they found their way over to our world sooner, we would have no way to protect it!" The masked man noticed Konan's face grimace. "You saw the same horrors of this world we all did. You and Nagato once had similar experiences, but your terror was localized. Do you want to spread that everywhere?"
Konan turned away, holding back tears. "No."
Satisfied, the mask man turned heel. However, he did stop. "There is something. Something Savage is hiding."
"A weapon?" The man with the strange eyes asked.
"No, whatever it is, he fears it." The masked man walked off again. "I must find out what."
Itachi was one not to show his wounds under any circumstances. Even at times he had go to an infirmary, he would bare all pain to hide any wounds he incurred in battle until he got proper treatment.
Still, to be hurt to this degree-! Had Itachi not killed them years ago, he would have been embarrassed to face his family in such a state
Right now, though, healing was second on his mind; he wanted to confirm something first. Finding the training room, he looked at Cheshire doing odd stretches. Yoga, he believed it was called. "I take it you didn't win." She said without turning around and stopping her exercise. Itachi noticed her mask was nowhere to be found.
Itachi wasn't surprised she sensed him, as he let her relax and stand straight. "It was as you said," he acknowledged. "I had every physical advantage, and yet he seemed to match and overcome each one!" He held a hand up to his eye. "Even-!"
"Don't feel bad." Cheshire sauntered over to him. "We've all had a Batman moment at one point or another." She said. "I think it's because we focus on heroes like Superman, the Green Lanterns, Marvel…that we underestimate how a seemingly mere mortal can rise." She looked at him with a mischievous grin. "Yet, it seems you didn't do too bad yourself." She reached for Itachi's cheek, caressing it.
Though Itachi didn't show any external reaction, his heart fluttered. He hadn't felt such a thing ever since Izumi.
Not since he murdered her. "What makes you say that?" He asked to stop his train of thought more than anything.
"Though you don't strike me as that kind of guy when he loses…" She stopped caressing him. "…you're not entirely upset. Most who fight him get extremely agitated he gave them a run for their money, if not outright defeated him."
Itachi couldn't help but let the slightest smirk appear on his face. "Well, I hadn't such an intense fight in quite some time. Had it not been for a mission, I could have thought of it as fun." True to her code name, Cheshire's grin widened. "You should always try to find fun in work. We don't have much free time in our type of careers…" She suddenly rose on her toes and kissed Itachi on the lips. His eyes widened in surprise, but he did not fight it. When they separated, she walked past him, still smiling. "…so grab every moment you can."
Itachi didn't respond, but when he was certain she was out of view, he brought his fingers to his lips.
Watchtower
22:09
"It seems everyone had rough day." Superman opened up at the table. In spite of having recovered from his recent bout of kryptonite poisoning, he still sported a rash on his face. "Not that it is a contest, but some of us more so than others."
"It just proves we cannot be careless with these ninja villains." Batman concurred.
"Do you think these villains attacked us as a distraction from some other activity?" Wonder Woman asked. "If the theft of the life form from Star Labs is any indication, it seems that will be the end goal whenever these ninja get involved."
"I don't doubt the veracity of your concerns, Wonder Woman." Batman said. "But today, I don't think distraction was the primary objective: I think it was 'education'."
"Education?" Captain Marvel asked.
"Whatever this cabal is, it has made an alliance with an alien organization," Batman explained. "There was bound to be politics in such an alliance. To keep it, they would need to prove the other side needs them as well."
"And they sicked them on us." Black Canary concluded, rubbing her arm. "To show we are just as dangerous as their native foes."
"They could've read papers like the Daily Planet or Gotham Gazette for that." Green Arrow said.
"Nothing would confirm their fears or skepticism more than experience," Aquaman said, leaning forward in his chair. He still sported the burns and wounds from his battle. As soon as he got back into the ocean he would heal up within a day. But what was really bothering him was the revelation of Ocean Master's identity, which he had not yet shared with the League. "And we have no one to blame for our difficulties but ourselves. If we had regarded the ninja's enemies with more priority, perhaps we would not have had so much trouble."
"Hey, we won, didn't we?" Flash asked.
"Those battles shouldn't have been as close as they were." Wonder Woman answered. "And on top of that, we failed to apprehend them."
"Hey, my guy seemingly self-destructed!" Flash thumbed himself.
"That's probably what they want you to think." Martian Manhunter said. "If your opponent was truly a living puppet, I imagine he left his consciousness in an obscure part you overlooked."
As Flash sulked, Batman said "Don't be too hard on yourself, Flash. These ninja are masters of deceit as well as powerful adversaries."
"Still, we should consider our victories where we can," Superman interrupted as he stood. "They will learn from their failures, no doubt about that. But we should also learn from where we succeeded too." He said. Even the most stoic members of the league felt their spirits rise up. "If we do that, no matter what they throw at us, in the long run we can win."
"It's not just us I'm worried about." Batman put his hands together. "The three ninja we are currently hosting are intrinsically linked to this Akatsuki. And I fear they may work to use them against us."
Sasuke had retreated to the room hours ago, gripping the bedsheets as his eye narrowed in rage and helplessness. "And if they get their way, they might just add another to their roster." Batman finished up above.
Naruto hung outside the room, sighing. In spite of their differences, Naruto was always concerned for Sasuke's wellbeing. And if he couldn't solve Sasuke's issues, could he ever make a good Hokage? Worse, he didn't even know if he could do so much as comfort Sasuke. Sakura already tried.
Naruto finally walked off, opting to sleep on the couch, not liking the feeling he was getting from Sasuke in his state of mind.
That's all I've got for now. Always feel free to review…there hasn't been a lot of those here lately, but unfortunately a lot of bots