The sun rose over the forests in Fire Country. The birds chirped, and the air was moist and crisp. In a clearing, Kakashi Hatake awoke in his sleeping bag, his favorite adult novel flapped over his face. Groaning, he brushed it off and stretched. "I suppose we should get going." Then, he heard something not far from the camp. It sounded like someone hitting wood. Looking to see Naruto and Sakura still resting comfortably in their sleeping bags and one left unoccupied, he could immediately guess the cause of the sound. Walking just past the borders of the clearing, he saw Sasuke, kicking a small tree trunk with excellent persistence and energy. Normally, Kakashi would be quite pleased. But this was a mission; training at this time could lead to disastrous results. "You know, you should rest. We're on a mission; you need to keep up your strength should the worst happen."

"I'm fine!" Sasuke snapped as he continued hitting the wood with more force and speed.

However, Kakashi could see he wasn't fine. Minor scrapes and cuts formed on his limbs, and his hair was wet; he must have been at this for a while. "Sasuke...you'll never surpass Itachi in just one morning."

Sasuke looked back to him in shock, silently demanding an explanation. "What?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly. "Everyone my rank knows. Should you really be surprised?" Kakashi, getting irritated with Sasuke continuing to stare at him, simply turned back. "Enough. We need to wake the others and make a quick breakfast. I want to finish this mission today."

Sasuke only grumbled in frustration. "What could he possibly understand about me!?" It was one thing when no one knew of his past. But when someone did and did not take the time to understand his pain...he'd rather no one know at all.

Kakashi walked over to Sakura's sleeping bag and nudged her awake. "Sakura: time to get up." Sakura groaned, and forced herself to sit up. Kakashi then walked over to the snoring Naruto. For a good 10 seconds, he just stared at him. "I can't just nudge you awake, can I?" Kakashi sighed. Quietly, he channeled his chakra into his finger until it turned into electricity. Then, he pressed it against Naruto's stomach; not even the insulating material of the bag could protect him.

"AHHHH!" Naruto practically shot up into the air like a rocket upon contact.

"Morning." Kakashi said pleasantly.

"What in the heck was that for!?" Naruto as he rapidly massaged his stomach.

"Well, it didn't look like you would get up if I just asked you. We're in a hurry, and I don't want to waste anymore time. If we're to retrieve the scroll, it needs to be done today!"

Naruto immediately calmed down and settled as he was reminded of their mission. "Well, what are we waiting for!?" Naruto smiled as he tightened his headband in determination. "Let's go!" For a long time, Kakashi used to be skeptical when Naruto got this confident, but lately, especially on the important missions, he took it as a good sign.

"Ohh..." Kid Flash gripped his head with his good arm as he continued to moan in discomfort. "Anyone got the number of that comet that hit me?"

Slowly, his other teammates began to come to." "Uhhh..."Artemis moaned. "No. But I'd gladly put an arrow up Luthor's hole, if that's any consolation."

Superboy's face stirred as he became aware of Wolf licking his face. Gently, Superboy shoved his snout out of the way. "Ugh...Wolf!"

"Conner!" M'gann flew towards him. "Are you alright?" she asked as she helped him on his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Superboy replied. "I just need to find..." A mechanical sound caught their attention from behind. "Sphere!" Superboy exclaimed, hugging his mechanical pet. "You're okay!"

Aqualad finally got his bearings straight, as did Robin. "It seems we're all alright." he said. "But the fact remains that we were dragged through the other side of that portal. Superboy; could this be New Genesis? Or Apokolips?" Superboy had recently encountered beings from both of those worlds mentioned, as Sphere was from one of those worlds too. He was the best source of information on this subject.

"I doubt it." Superboy replied. "I would think the Young Gods would have found us a while ago if we landed in their home. And this is definitely not Apokolips. Too pretty"

Robin then added his own insight. "Not to mention this place doesn't look very alien. I recognize these trees; they are indigenous to Japan. Although..."

"...although?..." Artemis interrupted.

Robin continued. "...they're not native to Okinawa., where we landed. Well, just to be sure..." He flipped his wrist computer on. The holographic screen only showed static with the message "NO SIGNAL." "Damn."

"What's wrong?" Miss Martian asked.

"I'm not getting a signal. And my holographic computer isn't broken. So, either the satellite for the signal is broken, which is extremely unlikely. Or..."

"Or we really have been exiled to an alien world. One the boom tubes never went to before." Aqualad finished.

Kid Flash groaned as he palmed his head. "Great; what do we do now? Find some aliens and say 'Take me to your leader?'"

Aqualad thought about it for a moment. "In a manner of speaking...yes."

"What!?" KF replied. "Dude! How do we know they'll be friendly!? Or even...sentient, for that matter!?"

"We don't." was Aqualad's only reply. "But what choice do we have? We have to make it back to Earth. One way, or another. And we're going to need help of some kind."

"I agree." Artemis said as she inspected her quiver. She still had a good amount of arrows, but the longer she was out here, the more care she needed to conserve. Running out of ammunition was a terrifying experience she did not wish to repeat; last time that happened, her teammates nearly died. "The question is where do we go from here? Assuming there is civilization here somewhere, we cannot afford to head the wrong way."

"I've an idea." Miss Martian volunteered. Placing a hand on the boy of steel's shoulder, she said "Superboy, would you mind if..."

"It's fine, Miss Martian. It's for the good of the team." The fact that the two aliens on the team were so in sync was not lost on Aqualad and Robin. Superboy used to hate needing help to achieve feats that Superman could do on his own, but he learned to accept his limitations and help from his friends. With the aid of Miss Martian's psychic abilities, he was lifted off the ground and above the treeline. Using his incredible vision, he scanned as far as he could see. "I found something." He called to them. "It looks like some kind of temple. It's pretty run down, but it's all I've got."

"It will have to do." Aqualad agreed. "We will head over there and see if we can find anything that will at least point us in the right direction." As soon as Superboy touched down, Aqualad asked him a favor. "Superboy, would it be alright if you, Miss Martian and Kid Flash travel naturally while the rest of us borrow Sphere? It will be easier for us to travel together that way."

"Sure thing, Kaldur." Superboy agreed. Sphere opened up, transforming back into cycle mode. "Follow me." Superboy leaped across the forest, covering several hundred feet with each stride. Miss Martian flew after him, while Kid Flash followed on foot, not even going a third of what he could.

Meanwhile, Robin, Aqualad, Artemis and Wolf boarded the Super Cycle. As they waited for the living machine take off, Robin shrugged. "So...yip yip?" The cycle flew forward with a sudden jerk as it's passengers yelped in surprise.

Team 7 jumped between the branches as they followed their mentor across the treeline. "Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura asked. "Are you sure we're going the right way!?"

"Positive." Kakashi responded. "My nose is on par with the Izunaka clan; I recognize the scent from the site the scroll was taken from."

Suddenly, he rose his fist and stopped on the next branch. Sasuke and Sakura stopped at his command; Naruto, however, kept going. Quickly, right after he passed him, Kakashi grabbed his leg and held him upside down. "Hey, what gives!?" Naruto yelled, flapping his arms.

"Putting my fist up means stop." Kakashi replied nonchalantly. He had to make a note to give Naruto a crash course in military sign language. "And keep it down." he added, clamping his hand over his mouth before Naruto could voice a complaint. "We're almost there; they may even know we're here. Stay quiet, and let's hope they don't know exactly where."

"Wally!" Miss Martian called to him telepathically as she looked back at her teammate. "You're falling behind! Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, babe! As fine as they could be, anyway!" the speedster thought back as he took care not to trip over any roots; Wally did have a habit of being a klutz, even when on duty sometimes. "I think I may have banged my arm up again from the fall; right now, I just want to take it a bit slow for me and easy Just trying to be careful-" Suddenly, an explosion went off behind him, the force sending him hurtling forward. Though he avoided the fire and any debris, it didn't help the wounded hero from tumbling on the ground. As his equilibrium struggled to put itself back together, Kid Flash moaned "Well, so much for that..."

Miss Martian flew back down to him, and Superboy also jumped back to check on him as well.

"Kid Flash!" Aqualad shouted as the Super Cycle descended. "Are you alright!? What happened!?"

"Something went boom." Kid Flash shrugged as Miss Martian supported him.

"Are you kidding me!?" Artemis yelled. Walking over to Kid Flash, she grabbed him by the collar and did everything in her power to restrain herself from shaking him. "We've been on an alien planet for but 2 minutes and already you're causing trouble!"

"Hey, whatever happened, it wasn't me!" KF raised his hands defensively. "I didn't feel any tripwires, and the explosions came from the trees!"

"He's right." Robin agreed, looking at the singing foliage and missing bark on the trees. "Wally may have triggered it, but it was a mistake any of us could have made going on foot. And I can't figure out exactly what or why something exploded."

Aqualad looked down on the ground, noticing scraps of paper. "Unless the civilization here has a pollution problem, I doubt these scraps of paper were left here accidentally."

"Let me have a look." Kid Flash said as he lowered his goggles. They weren't just to keep the air drag from shredding his eyes; they also came with binoculars and elector-magnetic spectrum settings. "These things have heat escaping from the inside." Kid Flash confirmed. "I guess I did set off a trap, and somehow these things created an exothermic reaction."

Aqualad looked on ahead. "If you really did trigger a trap, Kid...then we should be expecting some company soon."

Ishidate Engetsu stared out of the window inside the abandoned temple as he adjusted his red wig (a tradition among the clan he abandoned; he had short hair underneath). The Leaf's Sand-Sound war was the perfect opportunity to steal one of the most powerful village's greatest treasures. It would be of great use to him...and perhaps he could find a potential buyer once he was through with it. He was no fool though; he knew they would send someone after him. It was only a matter of time; and if his prize was any indicator to go by, he had a feeling the Copy Ninja would be on his tail. He had a group of several other rogue ninjas under his command, all experienced chunin. Then, an explosion to the west caught his attention.

"It seems someone has triggered one of our traps." one of his rogues said.

"Indeed. Ken, why don't you go check it out?" The bandit ninja under his command bowed and leaped out of the window, into the forest.

Ishidate then turned his head the opposite direction. "What is it?" one of his subordinates asked.

"Odd...we have intruders coming from over there. Then what triggered the explosion back there?" he questioned, looking in the opposite direction. After a moment of thought, he waved it off. "No matter; I'm sure Ken handle whatever it was...assuming it survived." He then smiled. "Come; let's go greet our guests I have a good feeling I know who it is."

Ken came upon the sight where the explosive traps were sprung; however, what he found confused him. There was no body; the explosive tags were powerful, but not that powerful. They were specifically set to go off when something human sized passed through them, and even if a wild animal did trigger the bombs, he would have found evidence of that. "Looks like whoever triggered it survived..." Great, now Ken had to be on extra alert.

Little did he know, he was being watched. "He looks...human..." Miss Martian commented. It was not at all what she and the team expected. Then again, they did have a Kryptonian on their team; proof that life in the galaxy sometimes did repeat the same design.

"Yeah. In fact..." Robin dared to venture. "...I'd say he's a ninja."

The rest of the team was silent. "...Really?" Artemis groaned.

"We have the League of Shadows; why is that so hard to grasp?"

"Don't ninjas dress in all black from head to toe? And what's with that vest?" Kid Flash argued.

"Not to mention the cultures would have to be so different that I'd doubt we'd see ninjas anywhere else but on earth." Aqualad chimed in.

"Well, that's the closest I can figure." Robin shrugged.

"I'll go ask him." Superboy said. He then dropped down from the trees, revealing himself to Ken. "Sorry, but did you set that trap? One of our friends nearly got killed by that." he asked nonchalantly. Judging by his blank stare, it seemed the person did not understand him.

("I don't know how you survived that explosion, but I'll make up for it!") he shouted as he unsheathed his sword. "Botu Senpou (Dancing Whirlwind) no Jutsu!" He made elaborate but quick spins as he rushed towards Superboy. He brought his katana down...and the blade went flying off into a tree. Ken only stared in wonder. The boy's clothes were not armor, nor did he make any motion to defend himself! How did he do that? His questions went unanswered as Superboy suddenly lifted him off his feet by the collar with no apparent effort.

( "Thanks for letting me know which language you speak.") Superboy said in Japanese. "Now that we understand each other, I'll ask you again: did you set that trap?"

Ken, slowly comprehending the position he was in, nodded yes. ("It's to protect our village. We meant no harm.")

Superboy narrowed his eyes. ("I'm not that scary. I can tell you're lying. Why don't you tell us the truth?") Ken suddenly struggled, and used all of his taijutsu skills to escape. Not only did the boy before him not seem to feel any of it, hitting him was like hitting a brick wall. ("Look, I don't want to hurt you. We're lost, and we just want to know what the down low is.") Superboy pleaded with him. Seeing the man clam up, he called to Miss Martian. "M'gann, see what you can pull out of him."

"On it." The strangest looking girl Ken had ever seen floated towards him. Miss Martian's eyes glowed, and Ken felt a strange sensation in his mind. "There's a lot to go through..." Miss Martian said as her friends slowly emerged from hiding one-by-one. "But all I can say is he's a thief. He stole something...some kind of scroll. I can find out more..."

Superboy suddenly turned his head toward his left. "What is it, SB?" Robin asked. "You hear something?"

"Yeah..." Superboy nodded grimly. "Battle."

"Great." Kakashi muttered. As usual, Naruto got too confident, and SHOUTED for the thieves to come out. Kakashi was worried the thieves were ninja...even with the one-day war that occurred, no mere rogue could hope to penetrate their most secret defenses. It was confirmed when Kakashi had to suddenly pull him away from an incoming explosive kunai. Even worse, the leader of this band of thieves was someone Kakashi recognized. "Engetsu Ishidate."

The S-class missing nin looked down on him with a smirk. "I'd expect someone of your caliber to know who I am...Hatake Kakashi." He and his men stood in the trees, while Kakashi and his genin remained on the ground. "I must say though, I'm rather disappointed." Ishidate taunted him. "For someone of your stature to be stuck with such mediocre genin...I can only imagine the shame you must be feeling now."

"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "Who are you calling mediocre!?"

Kakashi clamped his hand over his mouth, though in hindsight that was probably pointless by now. "Better than being a traitor to my village with no place to go, resorting to thievery just to stay alive." he shot back. "We're both out here in the open now, so why don't you just give up the scroll and we'll pretend this never happened."

"Why settle...when I can have your head?" With a snap of his fingers, more ninja appeared. Though they seemed low-level, their numbers were astonishing.

"Kakashi-sensei, who are these people!?" Sakura shouted.

"Rogues, Sakura. That's all I can say. Whatever happens, don't let Ishidate get hold of you!" The jonin and three genin as they got their weapons ready, preparing for an attack...

The team finally came upon the other side of the mountain, the Super Cycle carrying half the passengers plus Ken handcuffed. Miss Martian lifted Kid Flash into the treeline while Superboy helped himself up. "There it is." Superboy said, pointing to a clearing. Screams could be heard, and except for Superboy's enhanced vision, all the team could make out visually was dots moving almost inhumanly fast.

"Now the question is who's fighting who?" Aqualad asked.

"Well, let's take a look." Robin said. Pulling out his binoculars, he zoomed in. "More ninja guys fighting more...wait, what the hell!?"

"What is it!?" Artemis asked anxiously.

"There are kids down there! Kids fighting!"

"Let me see!" Aqualad snatched them from him and took a look. Indeed, two young boys and a girl were fighting alongside one adult. None of them looked any older than Robin!

"I see them too." Superboy confirmed. "And they're fighting with lethal weapons. They know what they're doing."

Kid Flash's goggles also zoomed in on the fighting. "Yeah, though so far only the masked and dark one are holding their own. The girl seems to be doing everything she can just to survive, and the blonde one seems to be attacking with only brute...wait, did he just make copies of himself?"

"Aqualad, what should we do?" Artemis asked.

Aqualad himself pondered that. While he did not like the sight before him, he also did not know the who what and why, and was hesitant to intervene in a conflict that was not their business...

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Naruto once more made more of him as they separated and launched an assault on all who approached them.

Though most were brought down, one managed to hit them and evaporate them before they could land a blow. A big, burly man with a kabano, black hair and the ugliest face Naruto had ever seen looked down on him like a child prepared to burn ants with a magnifying glass. "You better have more tricks than the kage bushin to beat me!" the rogue said. Naruto tossed his shuriken but none hit their mark, as the large ninja was faster than he looked. He suddenly appeared behind him, and whacked him across the head with his weapon. Naruto somehow didn't die, but it was clear he lost this fight.

Sakura tried her best as well, but the kunoichi she was facing had superior strength, speed and skill. In terms of appearance, the enemy kunoichi was extremely beautiful, with long raven hair, creamy skin and a large bust that Sakura desperately wished she had. Sakura was hoping she could at least drive her off, but it seemed she was toying with her. "Ridiculous." the woman said. "Such futility. I'll give you one more chance: come at me with a big move." Sakura created more bushins, making a move to attack the woman. She easily cut through them with her katana, but the real Sakura dove between her legs and buried a kunai in the ground. "Really? This is your absolute best!?" The kunoichi sliced her katana at the kunai, destroying the explosive tag attached to it. Sakura found herself pinned against the tree, and knew her opponent would catch her before she could make a move. "I'd normally tell you to prepare for an honorable death...but you dishonor yourself by placing yourself in the battlefield with no real skill to speak of! Perhaps I'll keep you alive a little longer to make you regret your choice."

Sasuke was having much better luck against another ninja with white hair and red eyes, almost like his sharingan; he and his opponent seemed evenly matched in taijutsu, each striking and blocking with precision. But to Sasuke, evenly matched was unacceptable. Suddenly, he kicked him into a boulder and shot wires at his opponent, binding him. "There's more! Katon! Ryuka no Jutsu!" His cheeks expanded as he spewed flame, which traveled on the wires like it was oil.

The man only smiled when he should have screamed in fear. "You sure you want to do that? Think again!"

He snapped his fingers...and Sasuke saw he tangled himself in his own wires, as the flames came towards him! It was a genjutsu the whole time! "Shit!" Quickly, he pulled out a kunai and cut them loose. He avoided a fatal blow, but the flames singed his skin pretty bad still. He realized he wasn't moving as fast as he should have; he was still recovering from his morning work out.

"Hah! I thought those eyes of yours would have caught on sooner!" Sasuke's eyes widened. "Yeah, I know who you are. Your brother gave me quite a nasty scar." he said, pointing his thumb to his collar bone. "I couldn't even land a scratch on him."

Sasuke's face went cold with fear. It could be easy to write the man's taunt off as lying...but he knew in his heart that he wasn't. "AHHHH!" Sasuke pulled out a kunai and charged the man.

Though he was fast, his anger made him predictable and the man easily side-stepped him. "Such spirit." the man said. "Such passion. But you're not really all here, are you?"

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a knee to his cheek, as he spun in the air and fell in pain. He struggled to stand, but his body was shaking. "I'll show you...I'll show you all..."he growled. If he had anything more to say, the foot from his foe forced him into the dirt and silenced him.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was having much better luck with Ishidate, whom he forced onto the defensive. Kakashi, having summoned his dogs, was able to make him fight harder than he otherwise would have to and even land a shuriken in his opponent's shoulder. "I'm ending this, Ishidate!" He formed the Raikiri in his hand, but instead of charging, he threw it. The chakra took the form of an electrical wolf, and it was heading right towards him! Suddenly, he pulled a substitution, but not with an inanimate object. No, in his place was an unconscious Sakura!

Kakashi pulled back and redirected his attack, but Sakura suddenly sneered at him. "Fool." She transformed back into one of Ishidate's kunoichi, and Kakashi realized he had been trapped.

Kakashi whirled around with a kunai of his own, but Ishidate had closed the gap and grabbed Kakashi's wrist. "You'll make a lovely trophy...or maybe I'll sell your encased corpse."

Suddenly, Kakashi felt his wrist get heavy as solid stone formed over it. "Uggh!" Kakashi kicked him off and back flipped away, but he knew it was futile. With his hand imprisoned in stone, making hand signs for ninjutsu and genjutsu was impossible. And taijutsu was the one area where Ishidate was slightly superior to him.

As he damaged the dogs enough to send them away, he sneered and calmly walked over to him. "It seems this is your end, Copy ninja. I promise to give you an honorable death...too bad I can't say the same for your genin team."

"It's looking bad for them." Superboy noted. "Aqualad..."

"Yes." Aqualad handed the binoculars back to Robin. "We'll help them. We may not know the why, but I can clearly see children in danger; that's enough reason for us to act. Superboy, get in there! We'll back you up shortly! Kid Flash! Run and save who you can, but avoid combat if possible! Artemis, find cover and neutralize any you see! Go!"

Superboy leaped off into the distance, while everyone else followed any way they could.

Sakura prepared for the worst. She could see everyone else on her team had lost. Her teammates were about to die, only because their enemies had caught them off guard. But she was truly outmatched by her opponent. She was paralyzed with fear at the thought of her own death, but her greatest shame was that she couldn't protect those around her. "Sasuke-kun...Kakashi-sensei...Naruto...I'm sorry..." she thought as a tear ran down her cheek.

The enemy kunoichi only gave her a bloodthirsty smile. "I think I'll take your limbs first. After I cauterize them, I'll just leave you here in the field to watch the others die." She approached her, lifted her sword...and suddenly an impact sent rock and her flying away. The kunoichi rolled with the blow and back on her feet. ("What the hell was that?!")

In the smoking crater between her and Sakura, a muscular boy rose to his feet. ("Get out of the way, boy!") The kunoichi, not one to tolerate others getting in the way of her prey, threw kunai at Sakura.

Quickly, Superboy ran towards her and crouched over her, the weapons bouncing off of him harmlessly. Both enemy and rescued looked at him in awe. ("Are you alright?") Superboy asked the girl he was carrying, still using Japanese.

Sakura's face only became as red as her blouse. ("Uh...yeah...") was all she could say out loud. Inside her mind though, she was blowing steam out her nose and clutching her cheeks. "HE'S EVEN MORE GORGEOUS THAN SASUKE-KUN!"

Superboy carefully placed her behind the tree.( "Wait here; help is on the way.") Superboy, then walked over to the attacking kunoichi. She threw a kunai, this time armed with an explosive tag. The metal exploded in Superboy's face full force. Though he stumbled and clutched his eyes in pain, his face was not burnt and she couldn't even be sure if his eyes were red through irritation. For the first time in a long time, the kunoichi trembled in fear. ("What...what are you!?")

"Trouble. And there's more to come if you don't surrender now." he warned her.

("L-Like you!?")

("Not quite.") Suddenly, explosive blasts dotted the valley as the Supercycle flew over them, scattering the other thieves. "Wow, Sphere; I didn't know you come with weapons." Superboy commented to himself.

As Aqualad scanned the area, he issued his next command "Miss Martian! Just in case, link us up again!"

"On it!" she replied, then concentrating.

"Artemis, are you in position!?" Aqualad asked telepathically.

"I am. And I've got my first target..." Still in the forest, but in range, Artemis fired an arrow through a space impossible for the average archer to achieve. The arrow exploded, knocking all the canon fodder in range out.

("What's going on here!?") Ishidate yelled. ("Since when did you call for help!?") he yelled towards Kakashi.

Kakashi grinned underneath his mask. ("Truthfully, I didn't. But whoever they are, I'm sure glad they're here!")

Ishidate looked as the odd group of kids flanked his group. They didn't appear to be ninja, but it was clear they were not to be taken lightly, he could see. Realizing this was going south, Ishidate barked an order to his strong man. ("Tetsumaru! Finish yours off, now! We need to concentrate all our efforts on these bunch of strangers now!")

While Aqualad didn't speak much Japanese, just looking at the biggest man of the group raise his weapon was enough for him to deduce what was about to happen. "Kid! He's going to kill the blond one!"

"ON IT!" As Tetsumaru brought his weapon down, a blur as yellow as Naruto interfered and disappeared into the forest, Naruto gone with him. As Tetsumaru wondered what happened, Kid Flash dove into the forest, carrying the unconscious Naruto on his shoulder. "I'll give him this...this kid can take a beating!" Kid Flash thought as he did a brief check on Naruto's temple; no apparent broken bones. He just hoped his brain wasn't completely scrambled. After laying him down gently as he could, Kid Flash yelled "Hey, kid! Wake up!" He slapped Naruto's face, as the boy's eyes fluttered open.

("Wha-? Where-?") Naruto, upon seeing Kid Flash, jumped up and pulled out a kunai.

"Whoa there! I'm here to help!" Kid Flash exclaimed, holding his hands up.

("I don't know what you're blabbering on about, but you're not going to defeat me here! I will live to be Hokage! That's a promise!")

Kid Flash realized this kid was a hot head, and the language barrier between them wasn't helping any. The most exposure Kid Flash had to Japanese were his anime fansubs, and unless subtitles suddenly appeared here, that wouldn't count for much. ("Whoa, time out!") Kid Flash cried as he backed away from his slashes. "Does it look like I want to hurt you!? Or even could!?" he exclaimed, pointing to his cast. Naruto didn't care for what he was saying, and attacked, trying to slash the speedster anyway he could.

Thankfully, Kid Flash was able to dodge every strike. "Oh, for the love of-!" "Guys, mine thinks I'm a foe!"

"Hold on." Miss Martian said. "Let me link him up."

Naruto felt a tingling in his mind, and then he heard a girl's voice. Not physically, but in his head. "Stop! We're here to help!" it said.

("What!? Where!?") Naruto screamed. He knew he didn't physically hear it, but yet he did somehow!

"This kid really is an idiot." Kid Flash thought, forgetting he was in the link as well.

Recognizing Kid Flash's voice in his head, Naruto pointed at him accusingly. ("Hey! Who're you calling an idiot, idiot!") he accused. ("And what's happening to me!?")

Kid Flash sighed. "Since we're not getting across to each other verbally, my friends linked us up telepathically. We're speaking through thought." Kid Flash informed him.

"KF!" Robin shouted. "I'm surrounded! Could use a little help here!"

"Right! Sorry, kid. Just stay here and you'll be safe!" Faster than anyone Naruto had seen, Kid Flash took off.

Sasuke struggled to stand, not yet ready to die. Not when there was still so much for him to accomplish! ("I'll deal with these freaks after I finish you off...") his attacker said as he prepared to kill the boy with his bare hands. Suddenly, a large rock, with no other apparent force propelling it, knocked him over. ("The hell!?") Miss Martian hovered into view, both the enemy and Sasuke staring at the strangest (though not unattractive) girl they had ever seen. "The hell are you!?" Miss Martian didn't speak Japanese, but in this situation she could see the intent well enough. The ninja attacked, but Miss Martian used her telekinesis to throw him above her head. The attacker, though taken off guard, quickly regained his footing. "I don't know how you did that..." He put his hands together in a formation MM did not understand. "But you will not be doing it again!" Suddenly, two arms sprouted from his sides, each holding a blade. "The power of my Kekkei Genkai! Jihatsu Edakai no Jutsu! (Spontaneous Limb Creation)!" He charged faster than Miss Martian could react with her mind, but quickly she generated several arms of her own to catch him, some of which absolutely did not belong in there apparent origin, such as her stomach, or her forehead. "What-? How?"

"Enough." was all Miss Martian said as she used her telekinesis to send him flying away. The arms disappeared back into her body as she hovered towards Sasuke. "Are you alright?" she asked telepathically.

"What..." Sasuke asked, still in shock. "What are you?"

"A Martian...if this is really another world, I wouldn't expect you to understand that."

Ishidate stood in place, brandishing a weapon defensively as Aqualad approached him. "Miss Martian, link us up. All of us. They need to hear this." Soon, everyone felt the tingling in their heads, and those who hadn't experienced it already . "I am Aqualad of the Justice League. We do not understand the reason for your conflict, but seeing as children are in danger, we suggest you walk away now, or prepare to be hurt." Ishidate just stared at him flabbergasted, then laughed. "I'll take that as a no." Aqualad sighed. He unsheathed his waterbearers, taking on the form of swords. "Artemis!" Artemis fired another arrow from her hiding spot, this time the arrow exploding into a net that bound Ishidate.

Down but not out, he commanded his fellow shinobi. ("Kill them! Kill them all!")

"Everyone! Prepare for battle, and protect the children!" Aqualad commanded.

Akeno, the kunoichi who was attacking Sakura earlier, charged Superboy with all of her kenjutsu skills. Superboy only stood in place as the sword broke in half, and grabbed her wrists, pulling her to the ground. Akeno tried fighting back with kicks, but only wound up hurting herself. ("What are you made of!? Steel!?") she screamed.

("So they've said.") Superboy replied nonchalantly, not even breaking a sweat in keeping her down.

Suddenly, Akeno reached into a pocket near her collar and spat a smoke bomb into Superboy's face. He choked, releasing her. Smiling, she jumped on top of him, made her hand signs, and leaped away. Superboy tried to catch her, but then chains came out of nowhere and bound him. What was stranger, they were actually holding him down, no matter how much he struggled.

"Superboy!" Robin called. "What the heck is your deal!? Why are you just standing there!?"

"Why do you think!?" Superboy replied back. "I'm bound in chains!"

"First, impossible! Second, there's nothing there!"

"How can that..." Superboy stopped his train of thought as he saw Akeno run towards the tree he dropped Sakura off at. "Robin, she's going after the girl! Keep her away! Miss Martian, I think I'm stuck in some sort of...illusion!"

"I'm on my way!" she said.

Sakura's hopes were crushed as she saw Superboy paralyzed in some sort of genjutsu. She could run over and break the spell...but then she'd be wide open. ("There you are, little girl!") Akeno was right above Sakura. She came down, brandishing a knife, but red shurikens distracted her long enough for Sakura to move out of the way. "What!?" She picked up one of the fallen objects. ("What kind of crap is this? They aren't even sharp enough to kill a man.") Suddenly, she heard a mischievous laugh. Both Akeno and Sakura were oblivious as to the source as they looked in every direction. ("Where are you!?")

("Up.") She looked up and caught two boots to the face. Robin jumped off, landing next to Sakura.

He threw another birdarang, but Akeno caught this one. ("Really...such average skills.") Suddenly, the object spewed green smoke in her face, choking her up.

("Hold on!") Robin commanded Sakura. Grabbing hold of her, he fired his grappling line up and pulled them both out of sight. As soon as they were in the treetops, Robin commanded ("Get on my back! I'll get you away from here!")

("I can get about fine!") Sakura said, irritated someone other than Sasuke treated her as a damsel in distress. ("And my team needs me.")

Robin sighed. ("Suit yourself. Now hurry!") Robin leaped off one branch to another like a monkey, while Sakura simply jumped several in a single stride. It wasn't in the same league as Superboy's jumps, but it was still much better than most highly trained athletes could hope to accomplish. ("Wow. You DO know how to get around.") "And she's kind of cute too." Robin noted. Sakura suddenly stopped and glared at him. ("Oh, the link. Sorry about that, forgot...") he smiled nervously. ("But it's true! That's a compliment!")

"ONLY SASUKE-KUN IS ALLOWED TO CALL ME CUTE!" she screamed loudly in her mind as she hopped away.

Robin kept his surface thoughts silent as he whispered "Uh, you're welcome!" and continued on.

Aqualad swung at Ishidate, who easily side-stepped him. He tried to counter with a wakizashi, but Aqualad blocked it with ease, being experienced in close-ranged weapons training. Ishidate suddenly jumped and spun around, catching Aqualad on the chin. However, though he stumbled, the Atlantean easily recovered. "He's stronger than he looks. A lot stronger." Aqualad and Ishidate continued to engage with their weapons. Aqualad suddenly surprised him with a kick that sent him tumbling meters away. ("Not sure if that was worth it...ugh!") He clutched his stomach in pain. ("You're a lot stronger than me. But your combat skills are average at best. AHHH!") Ishidate charged, while Aqualad took up a defensive position. Suddenly, he tossed a smoke bomb, and was gone. Aqualad, having experience with this sort of tactic, twisted around to block shuriken using his waterbearers as a shield. They bounced off harmlessly, but that was not the end of his tricks. Aqualad, using another waterbearer behind the shield, shot a bullet of water right at Ishidate. The ninja was stunned upon impact and fell to the ground. ("I've had enough of your tricks, boy!")

Suddenly, he drilled right into the earth. Aqualad looked about nervously, knowing he could pop out anywhere at any time. Suddenly, a hand popped out of the earth and grabbed his ankle. Stone started to form perfectly around his body "AHHH!" Aqualad tried to get away, but was held down tight. As the process reached his waist, Aqualad turned a waterbearer into a whip and struck the hand.

Ishidate popped out of the earth, clutching his stinging hand. ("Let's see you break out of that one, tough guy.") Aqualad only grunted as he tightened his core and leg muscles. Suddenly, the stone shattered, and he was free again. Ishidate's face broke into a sweat. "What...what is this kid? Only someone like Senju Tsunade could have broken out of that!"

("Hey!") Kakashi called Aqualad over. ("Get this off of me!") he shouted, thrusting his petrified hand out.( "I can help!") Despite the language barrier, Aqualad could read him justfine. Quickly, he ran over and gripped the stone. With some effort, he ripped it off of Kakashi's skin.

Kakashi flexed his hand as feeling returned to it. "We're linked up; we can communicate." Aqualad informed him.

Kakashi seemed to easily catch the drift of telepathy, which amazed Aqualad. "Okay. Ishidate over here has more tricks up his sleeve than I am prepared to deal with. I may need help. But first, keep my genin safe."

"You're what?"

"The kids with me!" Kakashi clarified.

"Understood. Team, you heard him."

("Look out!") Kakashi shouted as he jumped in front of Aqualad and deflected a kunai aimed for him.

Miss Martian flew over to Superboy, still bound. Realizing it was all in his head, Miss Martian touched his forehead and concentrated. "I see it."

In a moment, Superboy came free, his limbs finally able to move. "Thanks." he said.

"Edan!"

Suddenly, Miss Martian was hit by a stream of fire. "Ahh!" She rolled across the grass; while no apparent external injuries were apparent, she was unconscious, and Superboy knew she could be in deep trouble if she didn't get help in time.

"M'gann!"

The attacking ninja thought he figured it out. ("They're vulnerable to fire!") He fired again, but Superboy shielded M'gann. His T-shirt and pants began to catch flame, but he remained unburned. As the fire cleared, Superboy gave him a death glare, and both knew how this was going to end. ("Well...that one was at least...") Superboy yelled in rage, and leaped towards him. He hit the ninja square in the sternum, and sent him flying into the forest.

More enemy rogues showed up, but none attacked. ("The boy's vulnerable to genjutsus!") One exclaimed. ("The green one's vulnerable to fire! Keep them away from one another!") Superboy went over to Miss Martian, but felt himself sinking in mud. He knew it was not real, but knowing and feeling were two different things. ("Quick! Finish her off!") one of the approaching ninja ordered. Before they could get them, Wolf suddenly pounced on one of them and mangled his shoulder. His comrades tried to kill him with their weapons, but Wolf's thick muscle prevented them from doing any real damage.

"Great job, Wolf!" Superboy yelled as he continued to struggle with his illusion. Even when Wolf was strangled by a chain, he yanked his head back and sent the wielder flying.

("I've got her!") one rogue who got away exclaimed as he leaped into the air and prepared to drop his katana down on her.

("Think again!") Just then, Sasuke's Windmill Shuriken flew by him. While he avoided it, Sasuke ran up behind him and took him down with a kick to the liver. Miss Martian finally recovered, as she looked to Sasuke. "Help your friend! I'll keep them off your back!" Miss Martian nodded and flew towards Superboy, while Sasuke held off the other attackers just as he said he would.

It seemed he had gotten his second wind, landing precise strikes on adults who should have been superior to him, but was caught off guard when a chain wrapped around his arm. ("Gotcha!")

Not for long it seemed; Sphere suddenly came back and squashed the person holding him, and proceeded to run over several other ninjas. ("Uh...thanks?") Sasuke was almost taken by surprise by another rogue ninja, but he threw him over and leaped up into the air to join him. Bringing a kick down on his mid-section, he yelled "Lion-Combo!" The ninja was out like a rock upon contact with the ground.

As Sasuke landed, he squinted his eyes...and revealed two sharingans, like his teacher Kakashi had. He stared menacingly at his attackers("Is he-?") one asked.

Suddenly, they were lifted in the air by nothing and flung away. That wasn't the end of their troubles though..."UWAHHHH!" Superboy was free of his genjutsu, and landed in the middle of the crowd. While he did not land a direct hit on anybody, the impact he made sent shock waves that knocked everyone off their feet. The others, remembering how invincible he was, ran away in fear.

("And what are you?") Sasuke asked in both fear and irritation. Superboy only gave him a glare.

"Kryptonian." Miss Martian answered, flying by Sasuke's side. "I don't expect you to understand that one either, so don't worry about it."

Artemis caught another ninja with a foam arrow, the chemical engulfing him as he couldn't figure out how to break free. Though her comrades seemed to have started with some difficulty, it seemed they were starting to pick up the slack. "Good." she said. "I used up too many arrows as it is."

("There she is! There's their archer!")

Artemis rolled her eyes in annoyance, being the third member of the team fluent in Japanese. "Why do they have to be just smart enough to look for the long range people!?" Quickly, she gathered her quiver and bow and made a break for it. Although she was agile across the treetops, she noticed her pursuers seemed to be able to make significantly greater strides.

("I have her!") One ninja dropped from the branches in an attempt to impale her with a tanto. Quickly, she blocked with her bow and kicked him off. The others threw shuriken, but Artemis leaped off the tree and fired an explosive arrow with the crossbow holstered on her leg. Some maintained their footing, others landed on the ground the wrong way.

Artemis felt something cut across her cheek as another ran towards her. Artemis tried to fire a punch arrow, but at that close a range he easily dodged. She tried to engage him in hand-to-hand combat, but he blocked every blow she could throw and landed a solid right across her cheek. "They're good; I'd say even better than the League of Shadows..." she thought, not liking the direction this fight was taking.

"Suiton! Suiryudan!"

Artemis turned around to see what seemed to be a dragon made up of water rush towards her. With no way to react in time, she could only go with the current. She only hoped it wouldn't smash her into a nearby tree...or worse. "Why does everyone keep trying to drown me!?" Artemis quickly fired a tether arrow as soon as she broke the surface of the water and pulled herself to safety; it was like trying to swim up rapids. Quickly, she coughed roughly in hopes of getting the water out of her system. "There better not be any more..." Suddenly, more ninjas appeared in front of her. "Shit; spoke too soon."

Quickly, she fired another arrow, but this one didn't land on any ninja, nor did it miss. It hit the ground, and spewed smoke to cover her escape. "Smoke bomb arrows!? That's a new one!" one exclaimed.

"Where'd she go!?" They never got a chance to find out, as many were suddenly clocked by Robin's birdarangs, followed by normal shuriken. They retaliated in response, throwing shuriken of their own in the opposite direction. If they hit something, they couldn't tell.

Suddenly, Sakura dropped on top of one and elbowed his head. Though it stunned him, she was far too small to do any real damage. Quickly, she shoved a smoke bomb in his face and ran. "That little c-"

He was cut off by a whack to the head, this one effectively knocking him out. "Watch the language!" Robin was now armed with his kali sticks, and wasted no time in attacking the others. While the ninja had well-trained reflexes, they were not used to such an exotic fighting style and underestimated the teen's agility, the boy wonder aiming for their legs and distracting them with smoke bombs. One, however, caught onto him and swiped his katana at the boy. Though he missed a killing blow, he managed to knock the sticks out of his hands, and sent him flying with a powerful kick. "Ugh..." Robin moaned, holding his sore stomach.

As the ninja raised his katana, Sakura suddenly came in from the side and kicked him in the head. Robin was able to use this distraction to sweep him off his feet, retrieve his sticks and smack him on both sides of the head. ("Thanks.") he said to Sakura.

Suddenly, a ninja popped out of the ground like a mole and got the pink-haired kunoichi in a choke hold. Robin quickly pulled out his taser and shot the ninja, filling him with several volts of electricity. In no time, he collapsed on the ground, letting Sakura go. As Robin ran to help her up, Sakura suddenly swatted a punch across his head. "Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing it. ("What was that for!?")

("For shocking me, you jerk!") Sakura shouted. ("That hurt!")

("You haven't been hit by a taser directly before, have you?") Robin asked sarcastically. ("I'm sure whatever you got was no worse than my experiences with static electricity.")

"I see you're making new friends already." Artemis stepped out of her hiding place, smirking at Robin. Sakura was slightly taken aback; the girl's appearance reminded her of Ino a little bit though older and slimmer. Suddenly, she brought her bow up and cocked an arrow back.

("Duck!") Robin suddenly pushed Sakura down as she released the arrow, the projectile striking an assailant in the shadows, yet somehow not impaling his face. ("Sorry.") Robin said, anticipating the kunoichi to act up again and put some distance between them.

Sakura just sighed and brushed the dust off her shirt. ("Listen, I appreciate what you've done for me. But I have to get back to-")

Artemis once again saved them as she launched another arrow, this one deflecting shuriken. Akeno had followed them into the forest, and was ready to begin her assault anew. ("It seems you two are less powerful than your other friends there. And that sorry excuse for a kunoichi isn't going to help you much either!" )

Though Sakura shook slightly in fear, her two new companions readied themselves for a fight. ("Careful.") she warned them. ("She's a genjutsu user.")

("Genjutsu...") Robin muttered. ("You mean...illusions?")

("Yes. That's what bound your friend, the muscular one.")

("I see.")

("But you can recognize it, right?") Artemis asked. ("Then we have a chance.")

Sakura hesitantly pulled out kunai as she prepared for battle, hoping these two would be enough to turn the tide. ("You act like you've done this before.")

("Fighting off two super-powered androids will do that to you.") Artemis said.

Sakura only looked at her funny. "An...droidsu?" What in the world was that!?

"Ahhh!" Aqualad was finally knocked over by a kick from Ishidate. Though Aqualad was stronger, the ninja clearly had far better combat experience and techniques. Not to mention his own unique abilities gave Aqualad a good run for his money.

("I had trouble getting started, but now I've a good grasp of your powers.") Ishidate said. Suddenly, he plunged his hand into the earth, and picked up a great piece of dirt. "Doton! Araishi Kouhyou no Jutsu! (Stone Hailstorm)" Stones flew towards Aqualad at blinding speeds, fast enough for him to be unable to block. Had it not been for his Atlantean physiology, he would have bled to death. Even with that in mind, it hurt pretty bad. ("I don't know what kind of Kekkei Genkai you have that makes you so tough...but judging by those gills, I'd say you don't like fire much.") He made a sign for the Tiger, indicating a fire jutsu (not that Aqualad would know that).

Before he could launch an attack, Kakashi suddenly leaped out of the ground, uppercutting the ninja. As he hit the ground, Kakashi prepared an attack of his own as he smacked his palms against the ground. "Doton. Ryuusha no Jutsu! (Quicksand)" The ground around Ishidate immediately softened, as the ninja sunk waist deep into the ground. "Help your friends! I got this!" Kakashi assured him telepathically.

Aqualad seemed reluctant to leave, but as he looked behind him, he could see his friends were indeed struggling. "We'll come back for you! I promise!" Aqualad sheathed his bearers and ran towards them.

Ishidate created a pillar to free himself from his trap. ("You think you can defeat me as you are now?")

Kakashi smirked. ("Only one way to find out...but if I can't I've a feeling I won't be alone.)

("I'm going in!") Naruto shouted as he created more bushins.

"Kid, wait!" Kid Flash made a grab for him, but the one he did grab vanished in a puff of smoke while the others leaped back into the field. "Whoa."

Naruto engaged Tetsumaru once more, this time more wary of his Kabano. But the brute did have other tricks up his sleeve as he made more signs. "Doton! Kyouruu Sekitsui (Dinosaur Spine) no Jutsu!" Tetsumaru slammed his Kabano onto the ground, where stalagmites emerged at alarming speeds. The bushins were impaled one by one, the real Naruto about to meet his end soon.

Suddenly, Kid Flash ran past and picked him up. "You really don't think much before you act, do you?" Kid Flash sarcastically commented. He ran towards Tetsumaru, and rammed right into him. The behemoth flew back, rolling across the ground. "Ow!" Kid Flash groaned, falling to his knees and gripping his shoulder. ("That felt like running into Superboy!") Tetsumaru got up, apparently unhurt but annoyed, nonetheless. He roared, swinging his weapon.

"Oi." Naruto groaned. "Brute force is not going to work."

Kid Flash, thinking along the same lines, contacted the team's strongest members. "Superboy! Aqualad! We've got a powerhouse here! You're both needed right here!"

"Help M'gann!" Superboy said as he leaped in front of Wally West. Aqualad ran up to join them a second later.

("How strong?") Aqualad asked.

"Pretty damn strong." Kid Flash replied. "But shouldn't be a problem for you." The speedster ran off, while Superboy and Aqualad squared up against him.

Tetsumaru smirked, and set his kabano down. Cracking his knuckles, he suddenly charged at them. He cocked his fist back...while Superboy and Aqualad leaped into the air and hit him square in the face. He flew, landing in a tree and falling back down to the ground. He wiped the blood from his nose, looking at his attackers. He yelled a barbarian like scream.

"He's tough." Superboy confirmed. "I'm not sure he's even human."

"No matter what he is, we'll overcome him." Aqualad said, drawing two water hammers.

("I'm going to fight too.") Naruto suddenly announced as he struggled back to his feet, though only Superboy could understand him.

("You better stay back, kid. If he can take a punch from me, he's definitely trouble.") Superboy warned him.

( "I know that.") Naruto replied. ("But I'll never forgive myself if I just sit back and let others do the fighting for me.")

Superboy told Aqualad "He wants to fight."

"As long he sticks with us, I've no qualms."

Gekishou once more sprouted arms, this time arming each with a sword. ("Let's see how you survive this, freak!") Miss Martian hovered precariously around him as she avoided his slashes. She tried using her telekinesis to blow them out of his hands, but he held firm. ("I don't think so!") Gekishou countered with a flip kick, and prepared to skewer the alien. However, steel wires bound his attacking weapon. Sasuke pulled; still, Gekishou did not relent. In fact, it seemed he was prepared to pull Sasuke towards him! Fortunately, that was all Miss Martian needed to telekinetically lift a rock and hurl it into her attacker's face. Gekishou rolled across the grass, spitting out dirt as he screamed in fury. ("I'll make you pay for that, you green bitch!")

He ran towards her, but not before Sasuke intercepted him with a rear kick. Sasuke slashed at him with a kunai, but Gekishou rolled away. ("I don't care what you are, Uchiha or otherwise! Neither of you will defeat me here!") Gekishou then threw a black egg at Sasuke. Though the genin reacted in time to block it and save his eyes, that distraction was long enough for the missing nin to get away and attack Miss Martian again. Miss Martian hovered backwards as she tried to put distance between them, but Gekishou was too fast for her. Though she was not a particularly notable hand-to-hand combatant, she was able to hold him off with a few blocks. Gekishou jumped back as he flapped them in the air, trying to rid himself of the pain. "She's a lot stronger than she looks!"

He threw down a smoke bomb, seemingly vanishing from sight in an instant. "I know you're behind me." Miss Martian said as she lifted him off the ground, restraining his limbs.

("I should have known you'd have other tricks up your sleeve...then again, so do I!") He spat little scraps of paper in her face, which broke Miss Martian's concentration and released him. Not wasting a second, he quickly tossed an explosive tag in the mix, which immediately caused fireworks to go off all around her. Miss Martian fell face first into the dirt, completely vulnerable.

("I better get rid of you now...") Gekishou hissed as he drew a kunai...which was immediately pulled out of his hand by what seemed to be a very strong wind.

Kid Flash looked at the kunai carefully, and shrugged his shoulders. "Eh. Not as cool as Cheshire's sai, but it'll do." Kid Flash ran over to get Miss Martian out of danger and joined Sasuke. "Hey, wake up!" Kid Flash nudged her.

Miss Martian quickly regained consciousness and hovered, re-establishing their psychic link. "Careful." she warned him. "This one's tricky."

"So I figured." Kid Flash agreed. "But then again, so are we." The two began running towards him, and Sasuke, catching the drift, took after them.

Once they got close to him, they dispersed. Gekishou stayed sharp, ready for anything. Suddenly, Kid Flash zoomed by, trying to elbow him. Gekishou, predicting it ahead of time rolled away with expert timing. With each dodge, he placed a tag on the ground. ("Just one more...") Kid Flash was about to run by again; he would trigger a devastating explosion when he did. Even at the speed he was traveling, he was liable to lose both legs. It was already astounding the boy in gold could travel so fast; surely he couldn't go any faster, right? ("Yes!") Gekishou brought his fingers together.

Suddenly, Kid Flash accelerated, clearing the tags before they could explode. Several explosions rocked the immediate area, Gekishou being blown up into the air. By jumping at the exact moment the explosives went off, he was able to save all of his limbs. Unfortunately, the air was also where Sasuke awaited him ("Lion-combo!") He brought his heel down, bringing Gekishou back to earth.

"Ohhh..." Gekishou creaked his back as he prepared for another round. Sasuke suddenly leaped out of the grass, using as much taijutsu as he had to overwhelm his opponent. ("Don't get too cocky, boy!") Gekishou caught the boy's arms with his upper ones, and began to beat him with his lower ones. Though it hurt, Sasuke endured it and managed to kick off from him. Gekishou threw a hidden dagger at him, but Sasuke pulled a substitution and the weapon bounced off a rock. ("Damn!") Suddenly, he was lifted up into the air, where Miss Martian intercepted him in a choke hold. Though her technique wasn't great, her superior strength made up for it. Kid Flash once more appeared, and brought his fist into him with 10 times the frequency of a Wing Chung master.

Still, through it all, Gekishou remained conscious. ("Enough!") He brought his hands together in the sign of the dragon, a wind jutsu. "Futon! Fusha Taifuu (Windmill Typhoon) no Jutsu!" Suddenly, blades of wind swirled around him. Though Kid Flash dodged a fatal blow, it still cut deep into his kevlar uniform. "Ouch!" he yelped as he noticed his side begin to bleed. Miss Martian was forced to release him as well, but thankfully managed to regenerate her wound. Too bad the cyclone around Gekishou was mobile as long as he moved, which he did. He now had Miss Martian on the run as she tried to shake him off.

Sasuke observed it all as Kid Flash came to his side. "What's going on!? Isn't that just...wind!?"

"Yeah. Wind that's been concentrated to slice anything short of an atom and spun at incredible speeds."

"I thought wind was just supposed to knock you over!"

"Enough!" Sasuke chided him. "Wind will make fire stronger; if I can hit him, he'll be toast." He tossed over wires weighted with kunai to Kid Flash. "Bind him as fast as you can."

Kid Flash nodded, and took off. Kid Flash ran towards Gekishou's side, throwing the wire overhead. Quickly, before any of the wind blades could cut him, he sped over to the other side and buried the kunai into the earth. He repeated the process at least three times as he cleared the way. Suddenly, the cutting cyclone Gekishou was in the middle of stopped moving, though it was quickly cutting its way through the wires. "Miss M, get away!" Kid Flash warned her. Miss Martian did so, already seeing in her mind what Sasuke was planning.

"Katon! Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke launched a fireball...which then exploded like something out of a Michael Bay Film on contact with the chakra-enhanced wind.

"AHHH!" The wind around Gekishou finally stopped spinning as he flew into the air, then fell back to the ground as gravity took hold, smoking like a burnt piece of meat.

Quickly, Kid Flash ran over to him, looking worried. Taking a stick he found, he poked Gekishou. When the ninja moaned. Kid Flash let out a sigh of relief. "Oh good. He's still alive."

Artemis released a punch arrow, aiming for Akeno's skull. However the kunoichi blocked with a kodachi and was upon her in an instant. Sakura did a jump kick to move her away, but it did little good to damage her. "Is this the best you little brats can manage!?"

Suddenly, bolas flew over to her, ensnaring her arms. Robin leaped out of the shadows and clocked her with a punch impressive for one of his stature. However, though she bled, Akeno had suffered far worse through her training. She smirked, and cut herself free. Robin tried to nail her with a birdarang, but Akeno seemingly vanished in a flurry of cherry blossoms. "What the-!?" Suddenly, the blossoms surrounded him, the colors in his vision becoming inverted. He also noticed that Artemis and the pink girl were out of sight. "This must be an illusion..." Robin yelped as he fell to his knees in pain, gripping his bleeding arm. "...I hope that was too." Robin tried to get away, but he kept sensing at the last minute someone trying to slice him. "She knows where I am, and where I'll go...the question is, where are the others!?"

"Kai!"

The scenery returned to normal, Robin noticing Sakura was now touching his shoulder in a peculiar fashion. "You broke me out of it." he said in realization

"Look out!" Sakura grabbed Robin and pushed him to the ground as Akeno attacked with her kodachi.

Artemis, however, fired another punch arrow, throwing the kunoichi into a tree. Akeno growled. "Brats, all of you-!" She lunged at Artemis, who blocked with her bow and jumped out of the way. Artemis countered with a few other arrows, which Akeno deflected and threw her own kunai with explosive tag.

"Oh no you don't!" Sakura screamed as she flung her own kunai to knock it off course. The object exploded in Akeno's face, sending her back and infuriating her further.

"YOU! I'LL DEFINATELY TAKE YOUR HEAD FIRST!" Akeno blindly charged, and Robin intercepted with his kali sticks.

"Temper temper!" He whacked Akeno in the knee, clearly causing her pain, but the kunoichi countered with her own knee to Robin's head and sent him sprawling to the ground.

Artemis tried attacking with a high kick, but Akeno caught it easily and swept her off her feet. She took her weapon, preparing to finish her, but Sakura stepped in front and cross-blocked her. Though it took everything she got, she still managed to halt Akeno's blade a mere hair from her own head. "You-!" Quickly, Artemis fired her crossbow into Akeno's ankle, causing her to jump back and howl in pain. "You brats! HOW DARE YOU!?" She pulled the arrow out in rage, and made handsigns. "Itabaren (Painful Rose Garden) no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, thorns sprouted from the ground and wrapped themselves around the three individuals. All screamed as thorns dug into their skin tight enough to draw blood. "Ugghh! Please tell me this is another illusion too!" Robin exclaimed.

"It is." Sakura said. "But I can't break free!"

Akeno twirled her blade as she managed to calm herself down. "You're smart not to resist. Even though the wounds aren't real, the pain is. If you struggle enough, your brain will perceive you loosing enough blood to die, and once your brain thinks its dead, you really will be." She then looked to Sakura. "But I don't have time for that. I have to kill you all before any more of your friends interfere...and I think I'll start with you!" she yelled pointing her blade at Sakura.

Artemis tried to aim her bow, but she couldn't point it directly at Akeno. Just as Akeno said, she could feel the "thorns" digging in as she struggled. "Ahhh..." The only place she could point the bow freely was up, and her other hand was bound in such a way to never reach it. She couldn't reach her quiver, unless she was willing to bite down on the tip of an arrow..."Wait!" Artemis looked at the one arrow she could reach, and her hopes escalated. "We may still have a chance!" Quickly, Artemis picked it with her teeth, then put the bow-string up to her mouth, using it to pull. It put great strain on her, and Artemis had a feeling she would need dentures after this, but that was a small price to pay if it meant saving their lives.

"You! What do you think you're doing!?" Akeno angrily demanded, taking her attention off of Sakura. Artemis released the arrow, which then exploded into a ball of light brighter than the sun. The pain to her eyes was enough to force Akeno to release her genjutsu.

Quickly, Robin ran over to Sakura and grabbed her arm. Firing his grappling gun into the trees, he lifted Sakura with him towards Akeno. Sakura kicked her up, while Robin released his grapple and elbowed her across the head. As Akeno struggled to stand, both worked in sync to send her flying with two roundhouse kicks to her mid-section. With the kunoichi's back against a tree, Artemis fired another arrow next to her head, embedding itself in the bark. A green gas spewed forward, causing Akeno to moan and fall face first. Robin quickly ran over to cuff her. "One down..."

Superboy attempted to grapple Tetsumaru, the later realizing the former was much stronger than him. Quickly, he used a judo like throw to send him flying across the dirt. Though Superboy yelped in surprise, he got up like it was nothing. Aqualad leaped from Tetsumaru's side and surprised him with a round kick to the face; it surprised Tetsumaru more that he actually bled from that attack. Aqualad made two hammers with his waterbearers and attacked, Tetsumaru defending with his Kabano. With surprising speed, Tetsumaru spun around him and swung his Kabano behind Aqualad. The Atlantean, anticipating such a maneuver, blocked but the force was enough to burst the water and send him flying. Still, he remained conscious. Tetsumaru broke out in a sweat; he never met anyone before who could take this much punishment from him. ("What...what are they?")

Suddenly, Naruto burst from underground, uppercutting the behemoth like he did Neji during his chunin exam. Though Tetsumaru stumbled, the giant ninja stood firm. ("You little brat!") Tetsumaru smashed him with an overhead fist. Though Naruto remained standing, he was on the brink of passing out. Quickly, Tetsumaru grabbed his head and squeezed. ("I practiced squeezing balls of marble to obtain my strength. I wonder how long your skull will last?")

("I'm not giving you a chance to find out!") Superboy descended upon Tetsumaru once more, and with a powerful punch, sent him rolling dozens of meters into the forest.

Tetsumaru struggled to rise, and coughed up blood, realizing how outmatched he was physically. "I can't let him touch me!" Superboy was upon him again, and Tetsumaru found himself on the defensive using soft-blocks, a position and style he never imagined finding himself in. Still, Superboy caught him with a round kick to the leg, and Tetsumaru cried out as he felt his bone fracture. Tetsumaru quickly acted with ninjutsu. "Doton! RokuchChuuseki(Six Pillars) no Jutsu!" Superboy suddenly found himself surrounded by 6 pillars of stone, taller than the pieces at Stonehenge. As if by magic, they suddenly closed themselves in on him; Superboy only had just enough strength to hold them back for a moment. However, through some unknown force, they finally closed in on him.

"Phew!" Tetsumaru breathed a sigh of relief. He grunted in pain when he realized his leg was still broken. Quickly, he molded stone from the earth, and placed a stone cast over his leg. It hurt like hell, but at least it set the bones in their proper place.

As he prepared to leave, something like a whip cracked his face. "Let him go!" Aqualad, waterbearers drawn, prepared to attack him. Transforming them into swords, he slashed at the ninja, and managed to get a deep gash into his side. Tetsumaru quickly smashed Aqualad's ears, disorienting him. Before he could recover, Tetsumaru got perfect leverage on him and began to squeeze him in a clench, one that couldn't be broken out of by strength alone. Aqualad, however, did not intend to escape that way. Quickly, he jammed his fingers into his captor's armpits, and charged up the bio-electricity inside of him, giving him a good jolt.

Tetsumaru let go and fell back in shock, stumbling. He suddenly began to fall over completely, as one of Naruto's bushins lay on all fours to trip him up. The real Naruto ran up with a kunai before he hit the ground, aimed for a very special place. Jamming the sharp object up the giant's rear end, he yelled ("One Thousand Years of Death!") The kunai exploded, sending Tetsumaru screaming and hurtling in the air.

Aqualad just stared at him in shock. "Okay...I don't want to know what goes on inside that head of yours..."

"Ah!" Naruto yelled as he heard Aqualad's voice in his head, clamping down on his temples. ("There it is again! What the heck is going on!?")

Aqualad just rolled his eyes in disbelief. ("Apparently, telepathy is beyond the grasp of some people...") he said in his Atlantean tongue.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Tetsumaru came bursting through the forest, this time atop a giant boar the size of an elephant. Aqualad and Naruto prepared to defend themselves, though they weren't sure how much good they could do against something like that.

Suddenly, Superboy burst from his stone prison, ramming into the beast's leg. The boar screamed in pain as it toppled onto Superboy, who caught and supported the beast while Tetsumaru fell off with the grace of a hippo in mid air.

Before he had a chance to recover, Naruto summoned more bushins, some of which quickly transformed together into a long chain. Others spread out to his four corners as they dropped the chain all around him, and pulled, binding him. Though Tetsumaru struggled, in his wounded state he couldn't summon all of his strength.

Aqualad quickly ran up behind him, and got him into a sleeper hold, ending the fight within seconds. Once he lost consciousness, the boar disappeared, much to the astonishment of Superboy and Aqualad. "We can ponder about that later." Aqualad said. "One more enemy remains. We must defeat him!"

Though Naruto did not understand the spoken language, he just knew Aqualad was planning to help Kakashi. And that was something he was game for. As the others ran back to the battlefield, Naruto shouted ("Hang in there, Kakashi-sensei! Help is on the way!")

Kakashi and Ishidate stared at each other, panting heavily. Both sported torn clothes, bruises and scratches. The two were evenly matched during much of their fight, but now it seemed Kakashi would come out the victor, as Ishidate was on his knee. ("It's over, Ishidate. You were a worthy opponent...") Kakashi made three signs, forming his famous Raikiri: energy in the palm of his hand in the form of electricity. Kakashi charged, preparing to impale Ishidate. However, he suddenly stopped as it felt like his insides would explode. His technique faded as he fell down on his knees in pain.

Ishidate smiled, and laughed. ("Like it, Kakashi? During our scuffle, I scratched you with this.") Ishidate held up his hand, showing a ring with sharp edges. ("It's coated in a special poison. It activates upon activating a ninjutsu of your nature affinity. I was beginning to worry that you would never use such a technique.") He pulled a glove on that began to glow red veins, all leading to a yellow, gleaming eye in the center. ("This glove allows me to use an enhanced version of my petrifying jutsu. Rather than simply surround you with stone, it alters your molecular structure entirely and turns you into a fossil. And it is most certainly fatal.") He charged, but a birdarang flew in his face and exploded. Robin stood with both the Team and the 3 genin by his side. Ishidate growled in frustration. He wanted to say something discouraging...but they had somehow beaten all of his henchmen, and he was not in the best position to fight such a massive group of warriors.

"He's good." Aqualad said. "But now he's exhausted. Take him down!" he commanded.

The teens charged, trying all manner of attacking him physically. Though he dodged most of the blows, he wasn't fast enough to counter attack; he was on the complete defensive. Sphere suddenly ran into him from behind, making him stumble. Wolf then clamped his jaws around his wrist, his bite more powerful than any Ishidate had ever felt. Quickly, he stabbed the wolf in the shoulder with a hidden dagger. Though it didn't pierce his hide, it caused him enough pain to let go and temporarily escape with a smoke bomb. "He's running to the left!" Superboy called, his senses easily able to see through the smoke screen.

Kid Flash ran towards him, trying to collide with him. However, Ishidate reacted in time to flip upward and kick down on Kid Flash's cast arm. "OWWW!" Ishidate quickly followed up with a roundhouse kick to his head. Once he was unconscious, Ishidate readied his glove, hoping to turn an important organ into stone, but Aqualad used a water whip to yank his arm back before he had a chance. Ishidate winced as he felt his shoulder nearly dislocate. Aqualad quickly ran a current of bio electricity, bringing the ninja down in pain.

Ishidate made his signs with his free hand, and yelled "Doton! Deidoryudan(Mud Dragon Missile) no Jutsu!" Indeed, a projectile of mud, shaped like a dragon, rushed towards him and struck him down; the damage would have been much worse had he been an ordinary human.

Naruto quickly engaged him, managing to break his nose with a surprisingly powerful punch. However, Ishidate used some kind of jutsu to raise spikes from the earth. Sakura quickly tackled Naruto before he became genin kabob. That distraction out of the way, Ishidate fired another mud missile at Aqualad before he could regain his senses, but Sasuke ran in front of him, breaking up the attack with his Chidori, a lesser form of Kakashi's Raikiri. He ran through it, disintegrating the earthen materials and almost reaching him but was kicked away at the last moment. However, Sasuke wrapped his wires around the offending criminal, binding him. "Now!"

Artemis fired her arrows, the punch arrows bruising his face. He jumped and rolled in the air, dragging Sasuke towards him. Quickly, as the tension in the wires lessened, he grabbed him and held the Uchiha in front of him. ("If you care about these kids, I'd imagine you wouldn't want to hurt your friend here!") Suddenly, Sasuke's head turned 180 degrees, staring right back at him like an owl, with an unusually cocky and mischievous grin. "Ahh!" Ishidate let him go instinctively, startled. ("Wha-what are you!?")

Sasuke suddenly grew in height and turned green in color as "he" transformed into Miss Martian. "We made the switch while you weren't looking." Miss Martian explained. She then used her powers to push him away, while the real Sasuke rode atop Wolf, throwing shuriken which Ishidate dodged by the skin of his teeth.

("You wretched brats!") Ishidate procured a katana, and threw it at Sasuke. However, Sphere rolled in and blocked it altogether. Robin came running at him, attacking with all sorts of kicks , but Ishidate grabbed his head and slammed him down on the ground.

He pulled his arm back, preparing to petrify him, but saw his hand was exposed. ("Looking for this?") Robin chocked out, holding the glove. Wolf ran by and snatched it in his jaws before Ishidate could retrieve it. Robin threw down a flash bomb with his other hand, blinding him. Once he was able to open his eyes, Sakura threw several kunai around him, each followed by scraps of paper. Preparations complete, she threw her explosive kunai. They all ignited, catching him in an explosion. He jumped away from the smoke, escaping the epicenter and any potential debilitating damage.

Suddenly, both Aqualad and Superboy double-teamed him; though he blocked their first punches, they struck his nerves with pain he never knew before as he cried out. Aqualad quickly grabbed him, electrocuting him. Superboy then took his turn, grabbing hold of his collar and leaping 30 feet into the air with him, slamming him back down to the ground.

Before he had a chance to land, Naruto and his army kage bushin leaped into the air. ("Time to finish this!") they all yelled. ("Uzumaki Two Thousand Punches Barrage!") All hit him simultaneously, and soon after, fell to the ground unconscious.

Ishidate had fought and overcome many things, but facing the copy ninja had greatly weakened him, and it was enough for his genins and these strangers to eventually overcome him.

As the team left to restrain the attacking ninja the best they could, Team 7 scrambled to help their sensei. Quickly, Kakashi instructed Sakura on what to do.

"Is this the one?" Sakura asked as she held up a vial that came from one of his scrolls.

"Yeah." he wheezed. "I'm familiar with the poison he used on me. I kept the antidote with me for just such an occasion." Kakashi was sweating profusely and breathing rapidly now. "Hurry. I don't have much time." Sakura quickly supported his head...and suddenly Kakashi grabbed it from her, and turned around out of her view as he gulped it down.

"HEY!" Sakura yelled. She was a bit disappointed that she didn't get to see Kakashi's face. Quickly forgetting about it, Sakura helped eased his once-again masked face down on the ground comfortably.

Meanwhile, the team was tending to their own wounds, though none as severe as Kakashi. Namely that of a certain speedster. And Artemis was playing the reluctant nurse. "Ow!" Wally protested as Artemis fidgeted with his bandage.

"Quiet!" Artemis scolded him as she tightened the bandages. "You were supposed to do rescue only."

"Heat of the moment I guess." Kid Flash replied sheepishly.

Artemis' face softened slightly. "It's okay. I'm just glad you're alright." Kid was momentarily stunned by her gentleness.

"If anything, I owe you an apology, Kid." Aqualad interrupted as he watched the two. "If I had not been so caught up in the battle, I would have been more observant and ordered you to stay on the sidelines"

Kid Flash only smiled and said "Aw, don't worry about that Kaldur. You know I would have anyway; hero's duty and all that."

"That's not exactly an admirable trait, Kid." Aqualad sighed.

"It's called stupidity." Artemis said as she finished up. "There. It doesn't look like anything's broken any worse than before." she said in an unusually calm tone towards him. She then gave him her usual glare. "But go try breaking another bone, I'm going to make you stay in a wheel chair until you actually heal, one way or another." Kid Flash had a feeling he didn't want to know what she had in mind to make that possible.

"Now that we've verified we're okay..." Robin said. "...I guess we need some explanations and offer some of our own as well."

The team turned to look at Team 7, who were staring right back at them. Naruto and his friends couldn't get over how colorful each one was. Not only did they each look and dress differently, their abilities and fighting styles seemed completely different as well. The strangest of them all to them was the green girl. Aside from her skin color, she was able to fly without any apparent force and could change her form at will. That made them wonder if what they saw before them was her true form. The dark-skinned one was also something of an oddity. At a glance, he looked normal. But upon seeing his webbed digits and gills, they could see he was not human as well. The tall muscular (and cute, in Sakura's opinion) one seemed normal enough, but having seen his inexplicable power and invulnerability, they knew there was something more to him. They observed the yellow one's incredible speed at quick bursts. The last two seemed to be normal human beings. However, Sakura saw first hand how they had several tricks and tools to make up for their otherwise average abilities. The boy with the mask and the cape was the youngest, about their age it seemed. Yet the way he moved compared to the others suggested he had more experience than his older peers.

The others regarded Team 7 with curiosity as well. Though they all looked Asian, the blonde boy and the girl were so colorful that it implied mixed heritage (or alien, if pink was her natural color). All seemed to have exceptional athleticism and durability. The two boys intrigued them, though with their extraordinary abilities.

Robin put his hand behind his head. "So...I guess I have to play interpreter?" he asked his friends.

"I guess..." Kid Flash consented. "...though it may not be the most practical. A conversation without a middle man would be helpful"

"I've got an idea." Miss Martian said. She concentrated, her eyes glowing green.

Team 7 winced as the sensation passed over them. It wasn't painful, just...strange. "Oh...that was weird..." Naruto said.

"Hey..." Robin said. "You just spoke English!

"Enguruish!?" Naruto questioned, pronouncing it like a Japanese never exposed to the western languages. "Never heard of it! And no, I'm not speaking it! You weirdos are finally talking normal!"

"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura smacked him upside the head, and pinched his ear while the others looked on.

Sakura's attitude towards her teammate caught the attention of Kid Flash in particular. "Artemis 2.0. Perfect. Like I needed to deal with 2 of them!"

"Sorry for my friend's rude behavior." Sakura bowed apologetically. "But he's right. It's not that we're speaking your language, you're speaking ours."

"No." M'gann replied. "We're not. I linked us. We're speaking English, you're speaking Japanese..."

"What kind of a name is that for a language!?" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura smacked him upside the head again in response. "Ow..." the blonde ninja whined, holding his head.

"...well, it sounds similar to another language native to our world anyway." Miss Martian explained before she continued. "Anyway, we're both speaking our native language, and each of us is hearing our language from the other party, so long as we're linked up mentally." The three ninjas (or two of them...the dark one didn't seem to particularly care) slowly nodded in acceptance.

"Okay..." Superboy interrupted. "...which one of us should go first?" The rest of the team thought for a moment.

"We should probably go." Aqualad said. "After all, we are visitors in this world."

Now that got the kids' attention. "Aliens?" Naruto thought.

Sakura was thinking the same thing. "That would explain how they can do the things they do."

"You may call me Aqualad." The dark one said, extending his hand. The ninjas just stared at his hand, not getting near. Aqualad looked down at it; either they didn't understand the gesture of a handshake, or they were put off by his webbed hand. Probably a bit of both.

"Japanese culture typically involves little to no physical contact, especially between strangers." Robin informed Aqualad. "Bow. That's more their thing."

Aqualad did so. "Aqualad?" Sasuke questioned. "Interesting. Your abilities seem to justify that. But...that's not your real name, is it?"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, shocked by his behavior. "You're being rude!"

"And they're being rude by not telling us their real names!" was Sasuke's only reply. "If you want us to trust you, drop the code names and tell us your real names!"

"I'm sorry." Aqualad replied. "I do not blame you for your suspicions. Many of us have 'code names' to protect our true identities while we're on duty. I can't give you their real names without their permission. But, if it would appease you, I can give you mine. My real name is Kalduron." Sasuke nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm Artemis." the archer exclaimed.

The one in yellow stated his name as well. "Kid Flash."

The green one, sensing the tension diminishing, flew over to them. "On missions I go by the name Miss Martian. But my real name is M'gann Morzz." She then directed their attention to her "extended" family. "This is Superboy, Wolf and Sphere..."

Naruto and Sakura looked at her confusedly upon hearing the names of the two non-sapien members. "Wow. Really creative names they've got there." Naruto groaned, to which wolf gave him a slight snarl in response. Sakura would have given him another whack, but she was thinking along the same lines. Even Sasuke had to agree with them, though he would never admit it.

Miss Martian continued. "And this is..."

"Robin!" The caped kid exclaimed as he ran in front of them, waving his hand. It seemed he was trying to get the girl's attention in particular. Realizing how suspicious that may have looked, he reiterated "Uh...I mean, I'M Robin."

Both Sakura and Naruto's eyebrows quirked. Sakura was irritated that another boy other than Sasuke tried to get her attention, and Naruto did not like the idea of more competition in general. "I thought you were into Zatana." Artemis questioned the boy wonder telepathically.

"Dog." Wally commented along the same line.

Robin chuckled, stroking the back of his head like his hand was caught in the cookie jar, thankful that the new link with the strangers was verbal and not psychic.

"Well, now that you've given us some kind of names, I guess we should introduce ourselves." the girl said. "I'm Sakura Haruno." Robin and the others fluent in Japanese guessed that M'gann's link reversed the order in which they said their names, so that they spoke like westerners. Using her arms, she directed their attention to her two teammates. "This is Sasuke Uchiha, and this..."

"I am Naruto Uzumaki!" The blonde one proudly announced as he pumped his arms into the air. "Konoha's #1 ninja! And you'll find that out for sure once I become Hokage!"

The team only gave him a blank stare while Sakura only looked at him mortified. "You idiot!" she yelled. "Must you shout out that stupid dream of yours to everybody we come into contact with!?"

"Hey." Naruto said softly, trying to calm her down. "I only say it because it's true."

"Okay..." Robin said. "Don't really know what that is, but thanks for letting us know."

Artemis only looked on. "Wow. I think I have to take back some of the things I've said about you being annoying." she said to the yellow speedster.

Kid Flash only gave her a sour look. "Some?"

Sakura sighed. "Okay, now that we've got that out of the way...the man behind us is Kakashi Hatake, our jonin instructor."

Robin's eyes seemed to quirk in annoyance. "What?" Naruto asked.

"It's nothing. Just had several other bad experiences with another guy named Scarecrow."

"What hap-"

"I HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE." Robin answered, no desire to go any further than that.

Sakura, being the diplomat for her teammates in this situation, bowed for them. "It's nice to meet all of you. And thank you all again for saving us."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all as well." Aqualad said. "How long until your mentor recovers?"

Sakura shrugged. "Hard to say. Until tomorrow morning at least; he was poisoned and has been using an ability that drains him considerably, even at perfect health; the last time he used it he was bed ridden for 3 days."

"Well, that settles it then." Artemis announced "Looks like we're stuck with you until he gets better."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Naruto shouted. "We handled ourselves out there, and we can take care of ourselves just fine, thank you very much!"

"Indeed, you are all very capable individuals." Aqualad said, trying to calm him down. "We have seen that for ourselves. But we have also seen the threats here; we can't leave you here by yourselves." Aqualad emphasized.

"Don't take it personally." Robin said, smiling. "It's our job to do these kinds of things."

"Besides, all the dangers here are a threat to us." Miss Martian added. "Since we're new here, it would help if you three could show us around and look out for us."

"Okay. Deal." Sasuke aid. His other teammates were shocked he agreed so readily. "What?" he asked them. "Kakashi's out of commission, we're both worn down and for all we know, those scum we have taken down may have allies coming. We need to work together if we're going to survive the night."

"Sounds good to me." Kid Flash chimed in. Everyone noticed he was starting to hunch over, clutching his stomach.

"Uh, you okay there?" Naruto asked.

"Kid Flash, didn't you bring your snacks!?" Artemis asked.

"Well...actually, I thought my role in this mission would be pretty minimal. So, I didn't bother packing them."

The team hung their heads low in annoyance. "Got anything to eat?" Robin asked the three ninja.

Later that night, a sickening sound could be heard throughout the forest."Umph! Shirpp!"

Naruto looked on in horror as Kid Flash ate the last of his ramen cups. As usual, he packed a lot of ramen for his trip, and he didn't know whether seeing it gone in under 24 hours or seeing someone eat it all was more traumatic. "Uh, Naruto?" Sakura asked. "H-how many cups was that!?" she shouted in fright.

"I think about 50."

Kid Flash tossed the cup into the fire as he finished, just like all the rest. "Got anymore?"

Team 7 fell over in shock. "Here. Why don't you try this instead?" Sakura gave him what seemed to be round pill.

"Uh, what is this? And just how, pray tell, is this supposed to sate my appetite, assuming you're not slipping me a date drug?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's a food pill." Sasuke explained. "It has enough calories and nutrients to carry a person the entire day going all out without rest."

"Ah!" Kid Flash exclaimed. "Like a senzu bean!" Clearly Team 7 and some of Wally's own teammates did not know what he was talking about.

"Just shut up and take it!" Sasuke snapped. "Watching you eat sickens me!"

Artemis sighed. "Trust me when I say this isn't the worst you've seen. At home he eats enough deep-fried food and grease to put a normal man into a diabetic coma daily."

Sasuke and Naruto stared in horror at him, while Sakura scribbled something down. "Note to self: find out how to duplicate high risk life-style while still maintaining figure."

Kid Flash swallowed the pill, and noticed the change. "Wow...I AM feeling a lot better now. It's not food, but it will do. Got another?"

Sakura's jaw dropped. "J-just how many calories do you need?"

"Just one more, and I should be good. I swear." Sakura reached into her pouch and tossed him another. Kid Flash quickly swallowed it, as he gave a lazy grin and leaned back. "Oh yeah. That sure hit the spot."

"Is it safe to come out now?" Superboy's voice from the forest asked.

"Yes, Superboy. It seems our new friends here have managed to sate Kid." M'gann giggled.

"Really? Fascinating." Superboy stepped out carrying a huge rack of fish he caught from a river nearby, Wolf trailing behind him.

"Hey!" Kid Flash shouted. "How long have you been there with all that!?"

"Long enough. Sorry Kid; even if the rest of us were wiling to starve, I've still got to feed Wolf." He tossed his pet a fish, which Wolf gleefully devoured. "Hang on, boy. There's more coming."

Soon after, the barbeque got going. Both teams enjoyed their fire-cooked fish, and silently agreed to share stories. And it was Naruto who surprisingly started the conversation. "You guys said you were from another planet?"

"Yes, Naruto..."Aqualad replied, smiling. "Though not in your solar system. In fact..." Aqualad frowned at the thought of it. "...I fear we may not even be of the same universe." How else could he explain an alien planet that carried a language identical on earth?

"How is that possible? How did you get here?" Sakura asked.

"We were assigned to investigate energy spikes in a region of our world similar to yours." Aqualad said.

"Those spikes may have been related to similar ones we've encountered that served as gateways to other worlds." Superboy interrupted. "That's how I met Sphere." Superboy petted his mechanical pet affectionately.

"But weapons have been brought to our world from another." Aqualad continued.

"I get it! You were sent there t stop them from smuggling any more in!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes, more or less." Aqualad chuckled. "But the energy signatures were different; we investigated to find out why."

"And did you find out why?" Naruto asked.

"No." Robin answered. "But we did find one key difference. The ones we know of are called 'Boom Tubes', distortions in space and time that lead from one world to the next. This one though had a physical gateway, like they have in those pagoda castles. We tried to sabotage it, but we were found out."

Kid Flash then told his part of the story. "The gate opened and began to suck them in. I ran and tried to pull them out...but then this stranger showed up. He was covered in a cloak and I couldn't make out any other features on him. But he did have this eye."

Suddenly, Sasuke turned up to look at him. "An eye!?" His outburst surprised his own teammates. "What did it look like?"

Kid Flash looked at him funny. "Well...it was red. Not like pink eye, mind you. The iris itself was naturally red. And...and...ugh!"

"What?" Artemis asked.

"It's hard for me to describe." Kid Flash began. "But...it's almost as if he had 'mini-pupils'. All surrounding the main one."

Sasuke closed his eyes and concentrated. "Eyes like this?" Sasuke opened his eyes, revealing his Sharingan.

"Yes!" Kid Flash exclaimed, pointing at him. "Like that!"

"What!?" Aqualad exclaimed. "How is that possible!?"

"These eyes..." Sasuke explained, "...are called the Sharingan. And with the exception of Kakashi, it is exclusive to my clan. Did you catch anything else from this man?"

"There is one thing." Superboy said. "He mentioned he was part of some organization called 'Akatsuki'. Ring a bell?"

The three genin shook their heads no. "Never heard of them." Naruto sighed.

"Well, if what you say about those eyes are true, this is good news for us; it means we weren't sent here by accident." Robin stated. "Luthor KNEW where the portal would go. He's making the connection on purpose."

"Then we CAN get back; that is indeed good news." Aqualad agreed. "But we don't know where to look or how to go back."

"Don't worry!" Naruto exclaimed. "You helped us out, we'll gladly help you get back home!"

Everyone just looked at him funny. "Uh...Naruto?" Sakura asked. "Do you even know HOW to send them back home?"

Naruto hung his head low. "No..."

The fire was dying down. But the two teams were not ready to sleep just yet. There was so much they wanted to know about one another. "So..." Robin started. "Who wants to go the first round of 20 questions?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Naruto waved his hand. "I'll answer all your questions!"

"Oh kami." Sakura moaned. "We're not going to go anywhere with you. Besides..." Sakura stared at all of them. "I want to know about you! Why do you dress like you do? How did you obtain your abilities? And...and..."

Kid Flash sighed. "Tell you what: we'll flip a coin." He showed the genin the coin. "When choosing between two sides, we flip this coin in the air; it has two engravings, one on each side. We chose a side, and whichever one it lands on is the winner. Heads..." he showed them the head of George Washington. "...and Tails." He showed the eagle on the other side. "Your call."

"Tails!" Naruto shouted.

"Wait!" Sakura shouted back. "Heads! I want Heads!"

"Too late. Tails for you it is." Kid Flash flipped the coin...and it landed on Tails. "Okay. I guess this means you tell us a little about yourselves." Kid Flash said. "So...go."

Sakura and Naruto found themselves speechless. Artemis then looked at Sasuke. "Um...your friends seem to be having a little bit of trouble getting started here. Wanna help out?"

"Could care less, really."

Artemis sighed. "Nice guy, that one is." she whispered to Aqualad.

"Why don't we ask questions and you answer as best you can?" Aqualad suggested. "According to Robin, you are all ninjas; while I can see that for myself, I'm surprised they so readily let you out on the field at such a young age."

"Well, you have to pass the academy first." Sakura said. "All children of shinobi in our villages have to be educated on the basics of ninjutsu before they go on active duty. Once their academy teachers feel they have a grasp on the basic concepts, they pass." She then looked at Naruto. "Though I don't know how YOU passed. You were held back twice and you failed the time I graduated as well."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto moaned. "I told you, it was my kage bushin jutsu!"

"That is very interesting, but I'd like to hear more about your 'education'." Aqualad interrupted.

"Sorry. Anyway, once we graduate, we are assigned a jonin instructor...an elite ninja...and he evaluates us for field duty. They determine whether we're ready, have to be sent back...or expelled from the program entirely. We nearly where when we demonstrated terrible teamwork together, but passed us once we decided to not stand idly by while Naruto was punished."

Aqualad's eyes widened in concern. "What..."

"We weren't supposed to eat the bentos Kakashi prepared for us until we caught the bells from him. Naruto tried to cheat his way out for a meal and got tied to the stump." Sakura explained.

"Oh."

"Anyway, once our jonin instructor approves, we become, genin, low ranking ninja. We usually do mundane chores and community service since we're still in training..."

"But we do get some cool jobs, like being body guards!" Naruto chimed in.

"THAT mission we were never supposed to have taken!" Sakura shouted. "Each mission is given a rank; genin usually get D and C ranked missions, but we were tricked into taking on an A rank mission! We wouldn't have survived without Kakashi-sensei by our side!"

"Yikes." Robin winced.

"Will you be promoted?" Aqualad asked.

"To chunin? That's essentially regular ninja, FYI" Sakura explained. "We took the chunin exam, but there were...complications. I don't think anyone who participated made it this year."

"After what I've seen you all go through today and how you handled yourselves, I'm sure you will do well in the future." Aqualad complemented them.

"I've got one, if you don't mind me asking, Kaldur." Miss Martian interrupted. "I'd like to know more about your world. Or just this location; up to you."

Sakura thought for a moment. "Well...I guess I could tell you a little bit, though most of my knowledge pertains mostly to this continent. The countries have only recently begun exploring the rest of the world I hear." She gathered her thoughts for a moment. "This continent is divided into many nations, although only 5 are the dominant super powers: Earth, Wind, Water, Lightning, and Fire, where we're currently in and where we're from."

"Wow." Robin quipped. "You do realize you've just ripped off 'Avatar the Last Airbender', right?" Clearly showing they did not understand what he was talking about, Robin shook his head. "Never mind; go on."

"Anyway, each of these nations contain powerful shinobi villages. Though many other countries have similar villages, only the 5 I mentioned have what is called 'The Kage System.' The village's leader is designated a Kage to the country's corresponding element. For example, we're in Fire Country, so our village leader would be the Hokage."

"Ohh, now I get it." Robin exclaimed. "That's what you were talking about earlier." he said, pointing to Naruto.

Naruto giggled and scratched his head. "Yeah, pretty much."

"And he would actually have a chance, if he paid any attention during his academy years!" Sakura suddenly scolded him, causing Naruto to hang his head down low. Sakura looked at him and sighed. "Although to be fair, he has improved a lot recently, and he is brave, and he can be clever when he wants to be." Naruto smiled a bit. "I really need to know how to differentiate from being critical and mean." Sakura reminded herself. Ever since Sasuke talked down to her for making fun of Naruto, she realized she was being as bad as the girls who bullied her, and made an effort to change the way she behaved around him. And truth was, she was glad to be on the same team as him. She began to see another side to him, and found herself growing stronger, if only a little bit, because of him.

"Well, I look forward to meeting your Hokage." Aqualad said. "I just hope he or she will be of some help getting us home."

Sakura and Naruto hung their heads low. "Well..." Naruto said. "...we've got a problem on that one. You see, the Third died."

"Killed in battle." Sakura emphasized. "Since he didn't have time to pick a successor, the village is desperately trying to hold it together."

"I apologize." Aqualad said. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"You couldn't have known." Sakura smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry if we're going off on a tangent here, but I have to ask." Superboy said. "If these shinobi villages reside in these countries, do they take orders from whoever runs the country?"

"Sometimes, and sometimes not." Sakura said. "Officially, our villages are independent of the countries we reside in, and if they want us to do a mission, they have to pay the village for their services. Other countries can hire us as well. The Hokage can turn them down, though I've never heard of any such instances."

Kid Flash raised his hand. "I noticed the two of you do amazing things. Duplication, fireballs, lightning...are you guys born with those abilities?"

"No, silly." Sakura giggled. "It's through training. We just manipulate our chakra to do those things, although Naruto and Sasuke-kun's ninjutsu are amazing compared to mine." Everyone noticed how Naruto lit up at having his ninjutsu being called amazing and how it was Sakura who said it.

"Chakra?" KF questioned.

"It's a form of internal energy." Robin clarified for him. "Although, it's usually an Indian term used for yoga and their native martial arts. I would have thought that ninjas would refer to their energy as 'ki'."

"Ki?" Sakura asked. "That's usually a part of samurai techniques."

"Oh." Robin responded. "Interesting."

"So, maybe we can learn it!?" Kid Flash asked excitedly.

"It will take years, especially if you don't even understand the concept of chakra." Sasuke said.

"Naw. Mine only took me a couple hours." Naruto insisted.

"Your stupid technique doesn't count, idiot."

"WHAT!?" Naruto yelled. "SAY IT TO MY FACE!"

Sakura did her best to push both boys away. "Honestly, you two act like children at times!"

"I don't think that will be necessary either way; we need to get back home as soon as possible." Aqualad reminded them.

"I'm sorry; I know you must have so many more questions, but I'm just dying to know about your world." Sakura asked with child-like curiosity unusual for her.

"Yeah, me too!" Naruto grinned.

"Okay. I suppose it's getting late. We'll try to answer as many as we can before retiring for the night." Aqualad agreed.

"How do YOU guys do the things you do!?" Naruto asked.

"Oh boy." Robin chuckled. "This is going to take a while." Robin cleared his throat. "Well, in Artemis's and my case, we weren't born with powers. Our mentors trained our physical and mental abilities. I have to admit, it can be frustrating being the normal people on the team, but we manage to help each other out and there have been times when having no powers came in handy."

"How did your mentors choose you?" Sakura asked.

Robin and Artemis looked to each other. On one hand, they were planning to go back home anyway, so there shouldn't have been harm in revealing their secret identities to them. But then they remembered they were in front of their teammates. "Next question." They both said.

"WHAT!?" Naruto yelled. "Come on! You said we could ask anything!"

"If Robin, Artemis, or any of my other teammates do not wish to share their personal information, they have a right to withhold it." Aqualad sternly told him.

Naruto sighed, reluctantly agreeing to his terms."Well, what about the names? How'd you come up with those?" the blonde asked.

"Personal." Robin said dead pan, frustrating Naruto to no end.

"That one I don't have a problem with." Artemis said. "You see, we have many cultures on our world with many different deities. In Greek mythology...sorry, you probably never heard of that place...has a goddess of the hunt who uses a bow. Artemis."

"Wow!" Sakura smiled. "It's perfect for you!"

"Thank you." Artemis chuckled. "Although I don't have any divine powers as Robin said, I just hope the real deal doesn't mind. Can't afford a lawyer for copyright infringement." Though the joke was lost on Team 7, Naruto and Sakura chuckled anyway.

"What about you?" Naruto said to Kid Flash. "Can you teach me how to do those super fast things?"

"Well, it's not something that's 'taught' as much as it is acquired. First, you'll need 100 ml of Sodium Nitrate, 300 ml of Sulfuric acid..." Sakura began scribbling down the list of chemicals, determined to duplicate this experiment and be able to eat her favorite junk foods without getting fat. "And then shock yourself with 30,000 volts of electricity." Kid Flash finished.

"Wait! WHAT!?" Sakura and Naruto yelled.

"Yeah. In hindsight, that could have wound up really bad for me. But my mentor took 10 times that amount and he turned out fine."

"And he's still a lot faster than you." Robin chuckled.

"In more ways than one I'd imagine." Artemis dryly commented.

"HEY! Come on!"

Sakura looked at the notes and sighed, crumbling her piece of paper and throwing it into the fire. "No. Not worth it." she told herself

"And as a side effect his metabolism is off the charts!" Robin continued to goad on him. "He may get to eat all of his favorite foods, but most people would go bankrupt feeding him!"

Kid Flash shrugged. "Yeah. Can't argue with that, I'm sorry to say."

"Okay okay. What about you?" Naruto asked, pointing to Aqualad.

"Well, I was born with some of my abilities, others I've had to learn. You see, I am of a different race than Robin, Artemis and Kid Flash. I'm an Atlantean. My kind has most of the same evolutionary traits of man, but with the key difference being we evolved to live under the sea."

"You...you can breathe underwaterwater!?" Naruto asked, becoming more astonished with time.

"Yes." Aqualad smiled as he turned his neck to show off his gills. "In addition, we're gifted with heightened senses and durability to survive the depths of the sea; the pressure alone would kill a normal person. Our society is somewhat different too. While many of my race look similar, my ethnic group in particular is noted for having gills on the outside of our bodies. In addition, there are others who are more fish-like than human in appearance. Some of us are educated in Atlantean Sorcery; there we learn how to manipulate the water and use the bio-electricity within our bodies as a weapon."

"WOW!" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed with child-like glee.

"Yes. My tattoos here are a marking of my time at the conservatory, allowing me to channel my energy. My teacher was also my Queen." By now both Naruto and Sakura were stunned silent. "However, my King offered me a chance to become his protegee, and I accepted. I had to drop out of the academy, and as a result I didn't make it to the next level where my tattoos would become visible only when I'm using my sorcery. But I don't regret any of it." Aqualad smiled, though it softened slightly. "Well, maybe a little...

Sakura then turned to Superboy. It took her a good fifteen seconds to say the words. "I...I wouldn't mind learning about you, Superboy-kun."

Superboy could easily see in the dark how her cheeks flushed and hear her heartbeat accelerate. Miss Martian chuckled. "You're not bothered?" Superboy asked her telepathically.

"Why should I be? I've already got you. Besides, it's cute."

Superboy sighed. "You can call me Conner if you want. That's the name I go by when I'm not on duty."

Sakura nodded happily, while Naruto looked on annoyed. "Great; Sakura's taste in men sucks as usual."

"Anyway, it's a bit...complicated. I'm kind of from a different planet than everyone else in this group."

"WHAT!?"

"By kind of...okay. In our universe there existed a world called Krypton. It was home to an advanced race that looked identical to humans. However, their world was destroyed, killing everyone. All except one, whose parents put him in a space ship to escape the planet's destruction, coming to the planet everyone else in my group is from. The planet he was from had a red sun, but because our earth has a yellow sun, he could absorb the solar radiation and it gave him powers beyond imagining. It made him as strong as steel, granted him the power of flight, enhanced senses, even the ability to project energy from his eyes."

"WOW! THAT'S AWESOME!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Anyway, he became one of the greatest heroes of our world: Superman. However, some worried that eventually something would kill him, or worse, he would turn on our world. So, an organization specializing in genetics collected his DNA..." Superboy looked at them, realizing what he was stepping into. "Uh...you DO know what DNA is, right?"

Naruto stared at him for the longest time, trying to come up with an answer. "...no idea." he finally relented.

"It's the building blocks of life Naruto. It's found in every cell in your body, determining not only your humanity, but what you look like, what you're vulnerable too, and even determine predispositions to your talents." Sakura said.

"WOW! You're amazing, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Of course, this is what you get for not paying attention in class." she muttered.

Superboy decided now was as good a time as ever to continue. "Anyway, now that we got that out of the way...an organization called Cadmus collected Superman's DNA, and proceeded to clone him. The result...was me."

"WHAT!?" Sakura nearly screeched. "YOU WERE BORN JUST LIKE THAT!?"

"More or less; I just turned 7 months old."

Sakura's skin went pale as she felt her mind break. "I had the hots for a baby!?" she thought in horror. Naruto was equally stunned. Even Sasuke's stoic face broke character as he gave a look that could only be described as disturbed.

"Uh...okay." Naruto said, accepting it. "What about your Wolf?"

Wolf perked up upon hearing his name. "He was injected with a substance that increased his size, strength, and intelligence as well. Found him on a mission where he was used as an attack dog. We fought, and I guess we came to kind of like one another. When we were getting ready to leave, he followed us and made it known he wanted to come with. So I adopted him."

Naruto then turned to Miss Martian uncertain on just what to ask. "Uh..."

"I guess it's my turn." Miss Martian said, chuckling. "Like Superboy, I come from a different planet from the rest as well. However, instead of being from another solar system like Krypton once was, I'm from the planet right next door to theirs: Mars. My uncle works alongside my teammates' mentors, and one day I took my ship and came to visit him."

"So, your powers..." Sakura asked. "They're natural?"

"Yes. Everyone of my kind has the same psychic and shape-shifting abilities."

"Wow! I'd like to visit your planet!" Naruto said.

"Uh...yeah. I don't think that's a good idea. It's got less gravity, very little oxygen, freezing cold temperatures and the surface is pure desert. In fact, we live underground from the surface. We evolved to shape-shift in order to adapt to the harsh environment."

"And...your skin?"

Sakura smacked him over the head again. "Naruto! How dare you be so rude!"

"It's okay, Sakura. It's just a common trait among my people. Some are even white-skinned..." She looked towards the rest of her teammates except Aqualad. "More white than you. Like ivory." she clarified. "So, I came to Earth, and my uncle took care of me for the first few months until the team was formed, and I've been living with them since. And my powers are a result of my kind's evolution. Our brains allow us to move matter via will, and communicate mentally. We can even read minds."

"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed as he put his fingers to his temple. "Quick! Read my mind! I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10! Can you-"

"3 trillion. Liar." Miss Martian giggled. "And the only answer to your other question is 'none of your business'."

Everyone at first wondered what she meant...then it dawned on all of them. "I am so glad we told her not to read OUR minds without permission." Kid Flash thought.

Naruto, finding out he had been caught, panicked. "W-wait! I didn't ask you to blurt that...! I'm sorry! I didn't intend to actually ask that!"

"NARUTO, YOU BAKA!" Sakura yelled as clocked him with a hard right.

"Now now, Sakura, don't be so harsh on him." Miss Martian said. "It's natural for boys minds to wander that direction. Girls too, really."

"W-what!?" Sakura shouted. "I-I have no such th-"

"Then what was that dream you had the other night? You know, the one involving Sasuke, leather and cake?" she asked, giving her a mischievous smile.

Everyone was stunned silent while Sakura looked around her mortified. Even Naruto gave her a look that said "The Hell!?" She then turned to Sasuke. "Surely, he will understand!" Sasuke gave her a weird look that seemed to be a cross between vindication and horror, and scooted a couple of inches away from her. "AHH!" she screamed, clutching her head. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

"Okay, point made!" Miss Martian assured her. "Leaving your mind, now!" Though she felt nothing, the look on Miss Martian's face looked sincere. "Sorry. I usually don't enter minds without permission...unless they're bad guys...but I couldn't resist to show you."

"Don't take it personal." Superboy told them. "She means no harm with reading minds. That's just how her kind communicates and interacts normally. Let her know if she oversteps her boundaries."

After everyone calmed down from the mind freak out, Naruto asked a question. "Okay. I get how you're all different. But, what brings you all together? And why?"

"Well, in a way, we're not that different from you." Aqualad said. "In our world, we have heroes. Super heroes, as they are called, men and women with extraordinary skills who can accomplish things normal people can't. Our mentors and many more form a coalition called 'The Justice League'. Unlike you, who serve and protect their homes...although many of them do that as well...their goal is to protect the entire world, from threats both outside and within."

"Wow. And they're completely independent?" Sakura asked.

"To some extent. They need to work with the approval of a coalition of sovereign nations in order to operate without being attacked, but they do not exist to serve any one type of government, and will outright refuse to aid others if they feel they violate fundamental human rights. And unlike your village, most members aren't paid unless their hero persona is their public identity. Many have secret identities and other careers, and protect themselves with code names, like we do. Others simply take on code names to differentiate themselves from other members. And we are...or used to be...what they call 'sidekicks'."

" A certain archer would chew you out for that. And no, I'm not talking about Miss Personality here." Kid Flash joked, thumbing Artemis.

"Thank you." she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Anyway, the term 'sidekicks' is usually applied to junior super heroes who apprentice under another hero. We're currently training for our own independence and for the chance to fight alongside our mentors as equals." Aqualad explained.

"Your world sounds amazing." Sakura commented.

"I'm almost tempted to bring you all to our world just to show you." Robin said.

"But the problem would be getting you back. I wouldn't wish for anyone else to be stuck in the same boat as we are now." Aqualad said. "It's getting late; I think we should turn in now. Sphere will let us know if danger approaches." Both parties agreed, and turned in, getting what rest they could.

Hope this was a good enough meeting for the characters. Next Time: ONWARD! TO KONOHA!

Buto Senpou No Jutsu-Dancing Whirlwind Technique