I'm just chugging along with these updates, aren't I? Well, the bad news is that this is the last of the ready chapters. The rest will be done when they get done. If you felt I was only tredding familiar ground with DC characters in Naruto, hopefully this will change things up quite a bit. Enjoy!

Smallville

Nov 1st

UTC 10:00

"Oh, Clark." Martha Kent said over the phone as she looked at an old photo of her, her husband and her adoptive son, taken after a fishing trip. "It's understandable why you felt the way you did. And though I think there were some things you could have done better, you weren't wrong to feel that way."

"It's not just him, Ma." Her son said on the other line. "It's the rest of the sidekicks as well. They're gone, and I feel that if I went with them, the outcome would have been different."

"Clark." His mother said. "I know it hurts you to think otherwise. But you can't be everywhere at once. You can't fix all the problems in the world. And I know you had something else important to take care of at the time."

She knew, though, that this was of little comfort to her son. The only thing more amazing than his powers was his heart; she and her husband had worked hard to raise their son as a fine man, but she always believed she and John simply guided him along a path he already wanted. "I know Batman is working hard to find them. And if that one boy is anything like you…I know he'll survive."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. "…Thanks for listening, Ma. I'll see you and Pa soon. Love you."

"You take care of yourself, sweetie." She said. "And it's getting cold out there; dress warm."

"Mom…" Clark groaned on the other line. "…I'm Superman!"

Martha chuckled. "We'll be seeing you Thanksgiving, okay? Bye."

"Bye mom." Superman turned his cellphone off, and tucked it into his costume. He sighed as he observed the cumulus clouds and the landscape several miles below as he simply floated in place. He couldn't completely turn his super-senses off, but when he minimized them, he could appreciate the landscape as much as an ordinary person could.

But unfortunately, not even the view could help him take his mind off the sidekicks. Or more specifically, one sidekick in name only. He remembered something Batman told him when they got together one night. "Trust me, Clark…this boy needs his father."

And what did he do? He stormed out. "I'm not his father…but I could have been SOMETHING to him…" he thought sadly. It frustrated him to no end how the populace viewed him as a god who could do no wrong. He tried his best, but even he knew he was just as flawed as the rest of them.

His musings were interrupted when he heard a fire break out in one of the buildings below. And he could hear people inside calling for help. Superman wasted no more time and flew down to save the day, putting his troubles behind him for the sake of others.

ATLANTIS

Under the sea, two atlanteans trained diligently in their mystic arts. Garth, black of hair and dressed in blue, had created a spiraling helix, much like a strand of DNA. His girlfriend Tula created a school of sea horses. Garth could only stare in wonder as they circled her, somehow highlighting her short red hair and freckles. "Very well done." Queen Mera commended her pupils.

The two briefly stared as the water made her long red hair and green dress flow. "Thank you." The two bowed in appreciation.

"So…" Tula began. "How is the baby?"

Ever since announcing her pregnancy, the Queen had begun to show. She smiled as she rubbed her belly. "The child is growing strong." She said.

"My queen." Another said. King Orin, otherwise known on the surface as Aquaman, swam to his wife, giving her chaste kiss. "Do not stress yourself."

"Oh, hush you. Like you're one to talk." She jabbed back. It was amazing how he was able to divide his time between being ruler of Atlantis and a member of the Justice League, and somehow still make time for his wife.

Aquaman chuckled before turning to the two youngsters. "Garth. Tula. Good to see you again. I see my wife is making sure you keep up with your studies."

The two bowed again. "Sire." Garth said. "If I may, please tell Kaldur we said hello and to visit soon."

Aquaman smiled, while his wife looked at him with concern. "Kaludron is quite busy. But I'll make sure to give him a break soon enough."

The two waved goodbye as they swam away, the two royals watching sadly. "Orin, don't you think you should tell them the truth?"

Aquaman sighed. "No. I don't want them to worry when they are powerless to do anything." He looked at the bottom sadly. "Not until I'm certain of his fate."

CENTRAL CITY

"No, nothing yet." Iris said as she spent a good hour on the phone with her sister in-law. She couldn't blame her or her husband for how frantic they were. Any parent would feel the same had their only child went missing. Add to that how imagination would make things worse when they knew their son was a super hero in training. "Look, I know Barry's doing everything he can to find him. And not just him." Iris stayed silent as she continued listening to her Mary's fears.

Finally, it seemed she talked herself out and needed some time to herself. "Okay." Iris said. "I understand. Just remember I'm here for you and Rudy if you ever need me. Okay, bye." She hung up, bringing her hand to her head from sheer exhaustion. She was tempted to tell her to have faith. "Then again, if the world's greatest detective is stumped, that's probably a bad omen."

Suddenly, she felt a sudden gust of wind. She turned around to see none other than the Flash in her apartment. Most women would have been surprised and said anything between "Get Out!" and fangirling. Being married to him, this became accepted as a normal occurrence. "Hey." The Flash said, pulling back his mask to reveal the blond-haired forensic scientist Barry Allen. He walked over and kissed her. "Got here as soon as I could."

"I know." Iris hugged him back. "Mary is frantic. I'm doing what I can to comfort her, but they needs Wally! Barry…is there absolutely nothing you can do to help?"

"I've chipped in with the league whatever I can. But not even Batman seems to have a clue…that's really bad." Barry popped up a holographic picture on his wrist watch of him and Wally West in their hero outfits. They both waved to the camera, to commemorate the beginning of their partnership. "Wally…" he sighed. "…where the heck are you?"

NEW YORK CITY

Giovanni Zatara, one of the greatest magicians/sorcerers to ever live, sighed as he finished looking into his crystal ball. "Nothing." He sighed in frustration. All the other heroes asked him to use all his abilities to find the team, all to no avail. He tried clairvoyance, tarots, tracking spells…all only lead to where they had disappeared from, but not to where they went. "Batman is not going to be happy about this." He thought.

"Dad." He heard a young girl from the door say. "I'm going out with my friends, okay?"

He turned to his daughter, Zatana. She was beginning to look so much like her mother; long black hair, green eyes. And while she was only 14, she was starting to grow up. That meant he would have to scare away any potential boyfriends soon. No, he corrected himself. Not SOON. "Just be sure you're home by curfew, darling." He sighed as he looked through his spells. He hadn't told her about the team's predicament; he knew she bonded with them during that incident, and didn't want to worry her.

"Dad!"

"No arguments, lady!" he chastised her. Realizing his tone of voice, he sighed, and got up. "Just…just stay safe, alright, caro mio?" he emphasized with a hug.

Zatana, unaware of her superfriends' predicament, rolled her eyes. "Dad, you taught me magic, remember?"

"Of course." He said, as he suddenly smiled and kissed her forehead. "You have a good night, okay? I have some things to do…maybe later, we'll visit the team again, okay?"

Zatana smiled; she didn't think her dad would allow her to go anywhere near the team after the stunt she pulled with them those weeks ago. She was just relieved that he didn't LITERALLY ground her for life. "I'll see you later, okay, dad?"

Zatara nodded as she watched his daughter go do the things a normal teenage girl would be expected to do. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you, darling." He thought as he went back to his seat. He massaged his head as he lamented on what the leaguers who had sidekicks must be going through. "Let's see if there's another way…"

GOTHAM CITY

For 30 years, Alfred Pennyworth had faithfully served the Wayne Family, which currently was down to one. And his master was currently in a state of disarray, something Alfred had to handle carefully. Ever since the night his parents died, he was broken inside. Though Alfred personally disapproved of the path he chose, even he had to recognize the good he did over the years and thus supported him, despite his reluctance. And now, he was on the verge of suffering a terrible loss yet again.

Alfred did everything in his power to help out in this situation, one of which was clearing his master's schedule, which was why he was currently on the phone with one of the board members of his company. "I'm sorry. Master Wayne is still under the weather. Dreadful fever. He and Master Dick are under the best of care, I assure you. Yes sir. I will inform you when Master Wayne recovers. Good bye, Mr. Daggett."

Alfred hung up the phone, sighing. It had been more than a week since Dick and the rest of the team went missing. Everyone would expect a child's guardian to be frantic in this situation. When that person in question was Batman as well, that just made things even more complicated. Alfred grabbed a silver tray and carried it over to the study. Pressing a few specific keys on the piano, he activated a mechanism that pushed the bookshelves aside, revealing a door. That was not all; Alfred then pressed in the code, and put his eye up to the scanner. Finally, the door allowed him entry. He took the elevator down into the caves below the manor, the sounds of bats ringing in his ears. God, it took him forever to get used to that. Finally, he exited the lift and descended down the stairs. Approaching a computer the size of a theatre screen and stepping onto clean concrete, he approached his master, setting the tray down and revealing the roast beef.

Bruce Wayne was a mess; he hadn't bothered shaving since Robin went missing, his chin showing a rather strong 5'o clock shadow. Alfred wasn't sure if Bruce even got out of his bat suit since Robin and the others failed to report back in. And he was leaning down towards the board, hunched over in defeat it seemed. "Any luck, sir?"

"No." Bruce sighed as he leaned back into his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I've followed every lead I could. The site I sent them to was cleared out; there were no witnesses, and the one employee I did find didn't know anything useful. Luthor made sure to keep all the vital information close to the vest. And now…I've got no leads."

"And Mr. Jones?" Alfred asked. "Were his psychic powers of any help?"

"Nothing." He sighed. "It was as if they just vanished." He suddenly, slammed his fist on the board. "It's all my fault, Alfred! I should have seen through this smoke screen. I should have never allowed the sidekicks to form their own team! I should have never put Dick in this situation…"

"Now stop yourself right there!" Alfred scolded him, gripping his shoulders so he looked him in the eye. "Master Bruce, as you know, I haven't always approved of your choices. And in the beginning, I have been against you taking Master Dick under your wing. But I have seen the good man you are helping him become. I understand why you've decided to train him. In your tenure as the Batman, creating Robin was the best decision you've ever made. And despite how you've tried otherwise, he's become a lot like you. He's not easy to kill…and he won't give up. Not until he's found his way back home."

Slowly, Bruce raised his head towards the computer. Narrowing his eyes, he pulled his cowl back down and rose. "There may be other clues I've missed…" he said as he typed away at the Bat Computer, getting his second wind to investigate…

STAR CITY

Dinah Lance was a beauty to behold, with long blond hair, luscious lips and a body many women could only dream of. She was also the Black Canary, one of the Justice Leagues best fighters, and her canary cry further pushed her into the league's upper tier. At the moment though, League business did not concern her. She was currently riding her motorcycle in Star City, and finally stopped in a rather nice urban neighborhood.

She parked across from a red townhouse, not unlike the ones found in San Francisco. With the whole sidekick crisis going on, she figured she could at least console the one hero she was closest too. Walking up the stairs, she rang the door-bell and spoke into the intercom. "Ollie, it's me. Can I come in?"

After a moment, Oliver Queen responded. "Come on in, it's open. I'm down in the basement."

The lock clicked open, and Dinah helped herself in. Going downstairs as she was instructed, she found the emerald archer doing his favorite exercise, the Salmon Ladder, where he pushed the bar further up the ladder with each chin-up he did. "Wicked Town" was playing on his mp3 player on the desk as he exercised. "Bad day?" she asked as she turned it down. It was a stupid question; she imagined everyone in the league who had a sidekick was having a bad WEEK.

"I spoke to Mrs. Crock about Artemis." Oliver said, moving the bar up one more level. "I did my best to assure her I and the rest of the League are doing our best to find them."

"And how did that go?" Finally reaching the top, Oliver dropped down, and turned around, showing her his black eye. "Ouch!" Dinah exclaimed in shock.

"She may not be able to walk anymore, but Huntress makes sure her arms work as good as they ever did apparently." He said. He walked past her, and slumped into an office chair. "I tried my best to investigate; Batman told me everything he knew. But I couldn't get any further than he did." He sighed in disgust. "Dinah…Artemis and I haven't even been partners for four months, but she already feels like family. I've already had to deal with one sidekick missing!"

"Ollie, you found Speedy." Dinah reminded him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"By luck." Ollie said. "I don't know if I can count on lightning to strike twice. And if I can't find her…I don't know how I can live with myself! Roy was an orphan, but Artemis still has her mother! I can't just let her go when she has someone to return to!"

Dinah kneeled down to Oliver's level. "Oliver, I know this looks bad. But we can't give up; not until we have one hundred percent conformation about their fates. And unlike Roy, Artemis is not alone; if she's alive, she has friends to help her. Besides, whatever happened to her happened to Superboy. I can't think of anything that could kill him."

She wrapped her hands around the back of his head, and pulled him into a melancholy kiss. Quickly, the kiss became more heated as she ran her hands under his shirt. Needless to say, clothes were about to be thrown down on the floor had it not been for the doorbell ringing again. "Damn!" Oliver said as he reluctantly pushed Dinah.

"Oliver." A young man's voice said from the intercom. "It's me. We need to talk."

Knowing this was serious business, Oliver jogged up the stairs and after making sure Dinah closed the basement door securely, he opened the door. The man in question was Roy Harper, a red-head who was the Green Arrow's first sidekick under the name Speedy. However, they had a falling out earlier in the year that led Roy to split from him and become his own superhero, the Red Arrow. "Hey." Oliver said. "Come in."

Roy helped himself in as he lowered his red hoodie. "Dinah." He acknowledged.

As Oliver walked over to the fridge, he poured the three of them some orange juice. "So...how's the solo act treating you?"

"Okay, I guess." Roy said as he had a sip. "I heard about the others going missing."

Oliver turned away. "Roy…I'm sorry. I know how close you were to them. Believe me when I say we're doing everything we can."

"I'm sure." Roy said bluntly. "In fact, that's why I'm here. Oliver…I got a lead."

The other two heroes only stared at him in shock. Setting his glass down, Oliver gave him a stern look. "Let's hear it."

It was quite a day in Konoha. At sunset, Tsunade immediately commenced the inauguration as the village's fifth and first female Hokage. The team took some pride, as they felt they had contributed to an important part of this world's history. And her first order of business was to heal Sasuke's arm. She placed her hand on his arm, her green chakra getting to work. Within minutes, Sasuke flexed his arm. Satisfied with that, he threw a straight punch into the air. When he felt no pain, he nodded in approval, but did not verbally thank her. "Tch. You're even more of a brat than Uzumaki." was her only response. Sakura looked on at Tsunade's demeanor. She could not describe it, but she felt…drawn to her. "Kakashi. Bring your team and these young men and women to the…sorry, MY, office. We've much to discuss."

Eventually, they were assembled into the Hokage's office. Tsunade seemed to fit right in; it seemed Jiraiya made the right decision in choosing her. "It is my understanding that these strangers are from another world. After seeing some of their amazing abilities, I don't find that hard to believe." She said, staring at Superboy and Kid Flash in particular. She then turned to Jiraiya. "And you agreed to help them after strapping me to this seat, if I'm not mistaken."

"Not the exact words we agreed on, but basically, yeah." He agreed. "I'm not sure how to find what they're looking for, though." He said, scratching his mane.

Kakashi then interrupted. "My colleague, Might Guy, had a run-in with another visitor from their world. They confirmed it. From what Guy told me, he was quite formidable. And yet he didn't stick around. If he was in the same situation as these young ones, he would have accosted us into finding it for him. Therefore, he most likely came here voluntarily. The good news is a means to send them back to their home does exist. The bad news is that some of their own people who are…problematic, in their world…have access to us."

"Yes." Tsunade agreed. "Though my understanding is…limited, sending these individuals back home is within our best interests. If nothing else, we may prevent a possible invasion."

Just then, a small toad appeared on Jiraiya's shoulder. "Hey." He said. "You got something?"

"I've found Orochimaru's hideout!" the toad said. "And he's collaborating with a couple of people." Even after all they had seen, the team STILL had trouble swallowing talking animals.

"Who?" Jiraiya asked.

"A man with an orange, spiral mask." The toad answered. "The masked one wears the cloak of the Akatsuki, and I think the others will be joining him." The toad explained. "The other guy I've never heard of before. But he calls himself Ra's Al Ghul…"

"Ra's!?" Robin yelled. "Ra's is here!?"

"What's a Ra's?" Naruto asked in obvious confusion.

"Ra's Al Ghul is a master of a clan of assassins in my world!" Robin explained. "And if he's here, that could only mean bad news for us…and possibly you!"

"Orenji, what is this man planning?" Jiraiya asked.

"He offered an invitation for him to join this group called…The Light." He replied.

Orochimaru had listened to the man named Ra's Al Ghul, and his proposal; it certainly sounded tempting. "So…this Lazarus Pit as you call it…can restore my arms?"

"Their physical capabilities, yes." Ra's said. "Though, from what I understand, the spell that rendered you like this was spiritual in nature. I cannot promise you'll get whatever other abilities you had lost that day, but it is better to have functioning arms, wouldn't you agree?"

Orochimaru hissed, looking at his purple arms. "What's the catch?"

Ra's looked around the dimly-lit room, inspecting the various jars and medicines as Sportsmaster and Chesire stood guard. "My world is in many ways similar to yours. It's fascinating alone you share at least one language with ours. But your former master here has also told me of the…equally fascinating abilities your people can do. Least of all, you. I have worked centuries to better my world, but such gifted individuals have more often than not stood in my way. With your help, we can rid my world of our…heroes. And, perhaps, those who stand in your way as well."

Orochimaru grinned. "Hn. I could care less about what goes on in your world. But…this Lazarus does intrigue me. I'll offer what help I can if it means getting these arms to work again, provided I'm allowed to work on my own projects in piece."

Ra's eyed him carefully. "Yes. Your research would also be very useful to the Light."

"Then, we have an agreement. When do we leave?" the snake-man asked eagerly.

"Soon." Madara stepped forward. "I needed to call in the other members. We leave tonight. And, if you behave this time around, there may be a place for you." He then handed Orochimaru's dried hand with the Akatsuki ring.

Tsunade watched as Team Kakashi got ready. Night had fallen, and they agreed if they were going to pull this off, under the cover of night would be the best time. She also couldn't help but be fascinated by the kids' change in gear. One of them even turned green; all things considered, she decided not to question it. They were definitely not trained in the same way they were, but she was confident they could handle themselves. "Jiraiya, do you have the location?"

The sage pulled out a map, running his finger on it before he tapped at a certain place. "Here. Around Lake Saitou. Be careful; Orenji has confirmed the other members will be joining them, and Orochimaru still has many henchmen of his own."

"Very well." Tsunade turned back to those awaiting her orders. "Team Kakashi, your mission is to destroy this partnership. Though this is technically an S class mission, our mutual friends will need your help in getting their respective enemies out of our land. Your genin are most familiar with them and their abilities, and will be able to help out in that regard better than any other shinobi available. Besides, from what I understand about Sasuke and seen from Naruto, they could very well be a great asset in this mission." Sakura was a little bit down at not being mentioned.

"Hokage-sama." Robin stepped forward. "You realize that our priority is to return home. Though for us it feels very much like abandoning our comrades, we may never get another chance like this. If things get hot, we may not be able to help."

"I understand." Tsunade responded. "But rest assured, these 4 can handle themselves. Their goal is not to wipe out the enemy; once they have ensured the prevention of further dimensional intrusions, their priority will be to get out. You bring your enemies with you to the other side, and we shall contain our own problems, as well as destroy whatever mechanism they are using to cross worlds. Are there any further questions?"

"No." Robin responded. "We're ready whenever they are."

Kakashi turned to his genin. "Okay. We've already been through a lot, but this may be unlike anything you ever faced."

"Oh, come on!" Naruto groaned, stretching his arms behind him. "I've already beaten Kabuto! And Orochimaru's not a problem, not without any arms anyway!"

"BAKA!" Sakura screamed as she punched him across the head. "You weren't there when he first appeared in front of us in the Forest of Death!"

"Indeed." Kakashi agreed. "Even at a tenth of his strength, Orochimaru is more than a match for either of us. Which is why we only fight to delay, not to defeat. As soon as Robin and the others get back home, so do we. I absolutely forbid any of you to die. Is that understood?" The three nodded. Kakashi then turned back to the others. "We're ready."

"I've a feeling our enemies will not waste time to gather their allies." Aqualad said to all present. "Therefore, we cannot afford to waste time ourselves. Superboy!" he yelled. "Is Sphere ready to go!?"

"Yes." Superboy said, attaching wooden carts all over sphere to carry more than her usual load. "You think you can handle this, girl?" The robot only made her chirping noises, which everyone learned indicated a positive response. "Atta girl." He said, petting her.

TAMPA BAY

UTC 23:00

Ninjas patrolled the lab as a scientist down below got to work at the large computer. They were part of the League of Shadows, and were hired by Vandal Savage, one of the League's most enigmatic foes. It seemed it would be all routine. Suddenly two blunt arrows stuck on two ninjas, electrocuting them.

"What the-!" another shouted, pointing his sword. He then fell to his knees when a loud noise suddenly erupted in his ears, nearly scrambling his brain it felt like. The mercenaries and ninjas prepared for battle, when suddenly Green and Red Arrow ran into them through their zip lines. Others pointed their guns, but Black Canary leaped into the air and kicked them both in the back of their heads. The three fought them off, Black Canary using her martial arts skills along with the two arrows, using their bows as melee weapons.

"Hey!" Red Arrow shouted as he punched one who got brave enough to get close to him. "We've got a runner!" he warned his teammates as he fired off a blunt arrow at another assailant behind him without looking.

Green Arrow smacked another with his bow as he saw the scientist run off. "Not for long!" Green Arrow pulled back a normal arrow and fired. As the scientist tried to hit the switch for the emergency exit, an arrow impaled his hand and stuck him to the wall. "AHH!" Before he could move his other hand, that to was pinned to the wall by another arrow. "AH!"

"Oh, get over it." Red Arrow sighed as both he and Green Arrow holstered their weapons. Another ninja tried to attack one of them from behind, but both back knuckled him, causing him to fall over into la-la land.

With everyone taking a nap or in agonizing pain, they walked over to him. Green Arrow gripped his shoulders as he pulled the arrows out, eliciting even more screams. "Oh grow up." Green Arrow sighed. Throwing him to the ground, the archer shouted "What are you doing here!?"

"I, I…I was just doing my job!" the scientist feebly explained. "I was just running some technical work for Hunt Technical…"

"Oh, shut it, Jason Iron!" Black Canary shouted as she stomped him on the floor. "We know all about you! You helped several terrorist organizations develop chemical weapons in exchange for cash, and were fired from your previous position and barred from all universities upon being discovered! So don't try to play yourself off as just some average professor!"

"You should listen to my girl." Green Arrow interrupted as he placed his boot on the man's sternum. "We're either going to do this the easy way…" He then pulled back his bowstring, a very sharp arrow loaded and ready to fly. "…or the hard way. Your call."

"Savage hired me!" Iron confessed. "He was using this technology to breach dimensions! They're planning on running another breach!"

"When!?" Red Arrow yelled, pulling back his own bowstring.

"In one hour! Off the Nova Scotia Coast!"

Green Arrow kicked his head, knocking him out. Running to the computer, he found the circle right where he said it would be. GA then pulled out a cellphone, exclusive to members of the Justice League in order to avoid being traced or hacked. "Batman, Savage is apparently fooling with dimensional travel! That must explain why we haven't been able to find them anywhere! I don't have any hard evidence to link Luthor, and I don't know if we'll find the Team, but here's the coordinates!"

"Good work, Green Arrow!" Bruce said into his ear piece as he descended the steps, clad in his bat suit with only the cowl off. "Send me the coordinates now! Many of our super-powered allies are currently occupied with other crises; no doubt the work of those behind this mess!"

He found Alfred prepping the Batwing, Batman's personal plane, running a final diagnostic. "I'm heading out! Send a message to all leaguers to meet me there as soon as possible!"

"Roger." Green Arrow said on the other end as Batman pulled on his cowl. "There's a Zeta Tube not far from the site; it's on your way! Skyhook us there and we'll join you!"

"Batman out!" the Dark Knight said as he helped himself into the cockpit.

Batman began to calibrate the radar and piloting mechanisms inside as the turn wheel pointed the plane towards a waterfall. "The final check is complete, sir!" Alfred notified him as the cockpit was fastened. "You are now clear for takeoff!"

"Thanks, Alfred!" He revved the engine, and flames spewed from the back of the plane.

"Good luck, sir! Bring back Master Dick!"

Batman nodded, and pressed the accelerator. The Batwing took off, flying through the waterfall and into the night.

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he looked down the cavern towards Orochimaru's hideout. "Don't tell me you're afraid?" Kisame teased him.

"Orochimaru left because of me, remember?" Itachi shot back.

"It's been a while since we have been together in person, hasn't it?"

Itachi turned to see two other Akatsuki in the same cloaks as them. One looked like a large hunchback, his hair in cornrows and covered his face with a scarf. The other was relatively normal; he had long blonde hair in a ponytail, a yellow bang covering his left eye. That was where the normal part of him stopped; if one looked closely, they would also notice the mouths, complete with teeth and tongues, in the palm of his hands. "Deidara. Sasori." Itachi acknowledged. "I assume the others will be joining us soon?"

"We're already here." Two more showed up. One was mostly covered in black except for his yellow eyes, and his skin seemed dark and wrinkly. The other had slicked back white-hair and wore a necklace with claws. He also carried a large, three-bladed scythe.

"Kakazu. Hidan. Good to see you freaks again." Kisame teased them.

"Shut your mouth, fish-face!" Hidan yelled. "I'm the only normal one here!"

"Relatively." Itachi thought silently.

Everyone looked up to see what seemed to be an angel descend. Once the moon light shone on her person, it was revealed to be a woman with short blue hair, a paper origami nested in it. She also had multiple piercings on her face. "Konan." Itachi said. Looking around, he then asked "Where's Pein-sama?"

"Pein felt it would be best to stay behind for now; if something goes wrong, he will be sufficient to rebuild Akatsuki from the scratch. " She answered. Itachi nodded in understanding.

Just then, the ground in front of them contracted, revealing a staircase that must have went 4 meters deep. Sportsmaster stepped out, looking at the group with his crossbow at the ready. "I assume you're the guys the snake called for?"

They all stared at him silently. "Our master called us here." Itachi answered. "It is only by his grace Orochimaru is allowed to keep his head…for now." Taking that as an affirmative, he motioned for them to follow him.

Down below in the tunnels, they passed several sound ninja down the halls. They also encountered several young genin with the signature sound ropes tied around their bodies. Itachi heard these four helped Orochimaru kill the Sandaime, though it was his understanding they kept all the other ninja away through non-combative means. "Thank you for coming." The group turned to see Kabuto, his glasses illuminated by the candles. "I know that we are not on the best of terms right now, but Orochimaru is offering you an opportunity; it will help in your overall mission in the long run. In exchange, Orochimaru will provide his aid when requested, and expects to not be hunted down."

Itachi dangerously approached him. "You understand if I am rather skeptical about this?"

"I completely understand." Kabuto said, pushing his glasses up. "But your superior has already given his order. If you disobey it, I wager you will have to answer to him." Itachi did nothing but narrow his eyes.

"So, this is the famed 'Akatsuki' I have heard so much about." Ra's Al Ghul came into view, and bowed. "My name is Ra's Al Ghul. I represent a man named Vandal Savage, and he has heard quite a lot about you."

"Get to the point." Itachi threatened him.

"Itachi…enough." Konan said, holding out her arm. "Why has M…Pein-sama, chosen to ally with you?"

"You may find this hard to believe…but I am from another world." Ra's began to explain. "And my partner has found common ground with your master. Your world has fascinating elements we have never quantified before. Elements that can help us. And we have technology and other elements to help you with yours. I understand this is a lot to take in, but I ask that you trust me." He smiled, extending his hand. "We want the same thing for both our worlds…"

Konan and Itachi looked to each other. "If Pein-sama agreed to this, it is not for us to question." Konan answered. "What do you need?"

"Just you." Orochimaru appeared, being helped by Chesire. Itachi could tell even under the mask, she was disgusted by him. "It's nice to see you too, Konan my dear. But I'm afraid we will have to cut the pleasantries a bit short. You see, they're going to help out with my current body so long as I bring as much man power from this place as I can. They'll give you weapons in exchange; I've seen one of them for myself. Fascinating device…and I believe they were only allowing me to scratch the surface, am I right?" he addressed the master assassin.

"Quite correct." He confirmed.

"And if heard right…I feel they have access to something Pein-sama will desperately want…" Orochimaru chuckled.

Meanwhile, the two teams scanned the forest floor below from the trees. At this time, it would be difficult for anyone to spot them. Unfortunately, it worked the other way around for many of them too. "How are we supposed to find someone at this time!?" Naruto hissed as he squinted his eyes to find anyone he could.

"Night vision." Robin whispered back.

"You can do that!? You said you don't have powers!"

"I've got tools. Besides, Superboy has even better vision than these things." He said as he used his night vision binoculars to scan the area, his vision now a bright shade of green. Finally, he found someone familiar: Sportsmaster! He watched as he descended a flight of stairs into the ground. "SB! Got anything down there!?"

Superboy switched to his infrared vision; it was not as efficient as Superman's X-ray vision, but he was still able to tell a few things. There was a massive amount of heat coming from underground, which probably meant a lot of individuals. Then, a swirling energy appeared. It was very faint, still cooler than the average human body. Superboy switched to ultraviolet. The heat signatures disappeared from his view, but the energy did not. "Guys…I think they've activated a boom tube underground!"

"Then let us make haste!" Aqualad commanded, unsheathing his water bearers as everyone charged from their hiding places.

"Right this way, please." Ra's instructed all, motioning with his arms like a gentleman would. Orochimaru was helped up by Kabuto, while the sound four surrounded him.

The Akatsuki and several sound ninjas were behind him as well. "So…this the one?" Kisame dragged a large steel box with barred windows; it seemed to be a portable prison cell.

"Who is this?" Ra's asked.

"An experiment of mine." Orochimaru explained. "He's rather difficult to contain…but I don't want to leave him behind; he may come in handy"

Ra's sighed. "Very well. Let's…"

Suddenly, an explosion erupted from the ceiling, as Team 7 and the sidekicks fell into the labrynth. "Oh, for the love of-! Sir!" Sportsmaster said. "Think it's best we get a move on!"

"That's him!" Robin shouted, pointing to Ra's.

"Keep them at bay!" Ra's ordered the sound ninja. They all attacked, ganging up on them.

While Naruto and his friends would have a hard time with this bunch, Kakashi was there to back them up, kicking away each one who got too close to them. "Hurry!" he called to the others. "You can still make it back home! GO, while you have the chance!"

Thanks to the team's special abilities, they were able to hold their own against the ninja. "Be careful! And when you get the chance, retreat!" Aqualad ordered them as he swung another ninja away with a water-hammer. Another tried to sneak up behind him, but Wolf grabbed hold of his shoulder and tossed him away.

As their enemies jumped through the portal, Sasuke managed to catch one off guard with a fireball, giving him enough breathing room to see the man he hated the most. Itachi briefly stared back, before he followed his comrades to the other side. Quickly, the Team followed in. While his teammates were holding the sound ninja off, Sasuke sprinted for the portal.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted. "Where are you going!?" She began to run after him.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "Where the heck is everyone going!?" he shouted as he ran after them.

"Naruto! Sakura! Sasuke! Get back here!" Kakashi shouted as he finished off the last of Orochimaru's cannon fodder. As Naruto disappeared into the tear in space, Kakashi raced forward. Suddenly, the portal closed, and Kakashi fell on the floor. "No…" he realized in horror as he realized his team, the kids under his protection, where lost beyond his reach. A single tear dropped from his exposed eye as he hands began to clench. "DAMN!" he shouted as he smashed the floor.

NOVA SCOTIA

Nov 2nd

UTC 0:00

On the beach, what seemed to be a lone boy and his cat stood, as if waiting for someone. It was early, the faintest tints of orange rising from the east However, upon closer inspection, this was no ordinary child. His skin was pale, and despite the location, was dressed in what seemed to be a tuxedo. It only got stranger from there; his fingers were long, with demonic nails. His smooth black hair also sported two horns, solidifying he was the incarnation of all that was unholy. If anyone was hoping the cat in his arms was normal, they would be very disappointed, as the cat's eyes were blood red, and the more predatory features of his kind were exaggerated. This was Klarion the Witch Boy, with his medium and mortal anchor Teekl. He was told to wait here for a mutual acquaintance.

Finally, the Boom Tube appeared in front of him. "About time." He huffed, stroking his cat. Ra's Al Ghul stepped forward, the guests from the ninja world following shortly behind them. "Is this everyone?" Klarion asked.

"A bit more than expected." Ra's said. "And I believe we have other guests due to arrive here in a moment."

Soon, the Team stepped out, ready for a fight. Kid Flash in particular did a double take. "Wait…is that Klarion? With Ra's?"

While the others prepared to fight, Ra's addressed them. "Apologies. We had to move you out of the way to continue with our experiments. Now that you have returned home by our hand, I offer you the chance to stand down, and we will let you walk away unharmed."

Before a reply could be made, three more individuals jumped through the portal. Robin's eyes bulged under his mask as he saw Team 7 join them. ("You idiots!") He yelled. ("What do you think you're doing here!? Hurry back in, before-")

Unfortunately, the Boom Tube had finally ceased. ("It's gone!") Sakura yelled.

("Damn it, teme!") Naruto shouted at Sasuke. ("Look what you've gone and made us do!")

("None of that matters!") Sasuke yelled, his attention solely on Itachi. ("What matters is not letting him get away again!")

"Don't do it!" Miss Martian warned him from above. "You couldn't beat him then, and I doubt you can beat him now!"

Before an argument could ensue, Orochimaru walked up to Ra's. ("I suggest we kill them all. But not the Uchiha boy; I need him.")

Itachi, eyeing Orochimaru, walked to Ra's other side. ("I also recommend you do not kill the blonde boy; the Akatsuki will have use of him…when we are ready.")

Ra's nodded. ("Since you two seem to have an idea of whom you want alive, I will let your men handle it, Orochimaru. Please feel free to kill whomever else you please. And don't feel bad if Superboy is left alive; we will deal with him in time.")

"Well, isn't this neat?" Klarion asked, twiddling his fingers.

"The men in the black robes would like to learn about the young heroes, Klarion." Ra's told his demonic comrade. "Let's show them just what they will be dealing with." He turned to everyone. ("Shall we pit your soldiers against them?")

("Works for me.") Orochimaru smirked. ("I've had a bad experience with the two of them; I'd very much like to see what the rest are capable of.") Dropping his smile, he shouted ("Sound Four!") They stepped forward. ("Sasuke-kun and the Jinchuriki are to live for now! Kill the rest!") They nodded, and looked towards their targets.

("What are we waiting for!?") Sasuke shouted as he and Superboy charged. Sasuke attacked with a fireball while Superboy jumped up to smash them…and both attacks were met with resistance when a red force field appeared.

"Uh-ah." Klarion waved his finger. "We'll let you know when we're ready."

"I can fight alongside them, master." Chesire volunteered.

"That won't be necessary." Ra's said, holding up his hand. "Besides, we are experienced with these children. They are not; they will need to learn." Chesire glared under her mask, but bowed respectfully before moving back to her place.

("Uh…Orochimaru?") Kisame asked, tugging on the chain of the metal box. ("The guy in here says he wants to fight too.")

("Another time, perhaps.") Orochimaru said. ("I've made my choice.") He said, as he observed the entire team trying to break down the force field. ("Show me what these young…'heroes' can do.")

"As you wish." Klarion agreed. With a snap of his fingers, a red circle appeared above them and descended. Only the nameless sound ninja and the sound four remained, the bubble that protected them now gone. One was a rather fat teen with a Mohawk, Jirobo. Another was a tan boy with a short pony tail and tan skin. He also sported four arms, Kidomaru. Another was a girl with red hair and a bandana carrying a flute, Tauya. Finally, there was a boy with pale skin and hair and black lips, as well as what seemed to be a giant growth under the back of his clothes, Sakon. ("So…") he said. ("Orochimaru-sama wants us to play? Fine; let us play!")

("Uh…is this a good thing or a bad thing?") Naruto asked, taking notice of how the big bads had simply disappeared. The genin got no answer as the enemy charged, the Team leading the counter-attack.

Sakura leaped to try to kick one sound ninja, but the seasoned adult grabbed her ankle and tossed her onto the sand. "Uhh-!"

The ninja pulled out a kunai to finish her, but an explosive arrow landed near his feet, throwing him off. Artemis ran over to help Sakura up on her feet. ("Hold on! I've only got five arrows left!")

"Be careful!" Aqualad warned her as he engaged Sakon. He swung water swords at him, which he expertly dodged. He twisted and landed a few powerful kicks on him. Not powerful enough, though; Aqualad endured them, and punched back, sending him sprawling onto the beach. The Atlantean rushed to finish him off, but the other sound ninja jumped him and held him down.

Meanwhile, Jirobo began to brawl with Superboy. And of course, his first blow wound up hurting him instead of Superboy, as the Kryptonian uppercuted him high into the air, seemingly knocking the poor kid out. Superboy then covered his ears as a piercing sound drilled into his brain. Tauya behind him began playing her flute, which doubled as a weapon. Robin used a Birdarang to knock it out of her hand, and wacked her across the face with a kali stick. As she fell, Jirobo recovered and tackled him in a bear hug. Robin tried using his self-defense techniques to break out of the hold, but his strength outclassed Robin's by a large margin.

"Hold on." Miss Martian used her telekinesis to pry the fat ninja off of Robin, and send him flying across the beach. Before a thanks could be uttered, she was suddenly assaulted by kunai from the other sound ninja. She stopped them in midair, but they each exploded in her face, stunning her. They prepared another volley, intent on burning her alive. However, none got a chance as an arrow landed between them and exploded, knocking them off their feet. Artemis followed with a punch arrow to another, and tied another in bolas.

"Only one arrow left…gotta make it count!" She focused on her peripherals to see Aqualad knocked down by Sakon. She drew her bow, fired…and the arrow was caught by what seemed to be another individual, stuck on the others back under his clothes. "A Siamese twin!?"

("Looks like we're being ganged up on, Sakon.") The twin said.

("Let's remedy that, Ukon!") The twins turned so that the dominant one threw a kunai at her, cutting her across the shoulder.

Wolf bounced upon the twins; they were helpless before his vicious attacks. They were immediately aided by several sound nin, who ensnared wolf in chains. Wolf ceased his attack to throw them off; most of them lost their footing, and he turned his attention on them. One, however, through a pepper bomb in the wolf's eyes. Wolf hacked, pawing his face to wash the irritation out. That was all they needed to bind his paws and tip him over. Another blast threw them off, Sphere defending her adopted sibling from above. She rammed into several others, their weapons unable to pierce her metallic hide. However, one made the hand signs his world was known for. "Raiton: Hibana no Jutsu!" Sphere's circuits suddenly shorted out, and she tipped over. She would recover, but it would take time.

Kid Flash zoomed past the sound ninja, knocking them down one by one; his speed was proving to be a huge asset at this moment. Suddenly, the earth around him rose, and closed in on him. "What the-!?" Not even Kid Flash could react in time to escape, Jirobo having trapped him in a dome he created.

He smirked, but then turned to see Naruto charge at him. He punched him, and Naruto seemingly vanished in a puff of smoke, only to be confronted by Naruto again, holding a blue orb in his hand. "Rasengan!" Naruto hit him square in the stomach, causing him to scream in pain and fly into the dome he created.

Sasuke quickly jumped up, and punched through it with his Chidori. Quickly, he helped Kid Flash up and out. "Thanks." He said. Suddenly, they were covered in a web. "Hey!" KF shouted. "We have one Spider-Man rip-off already!" he shouted. Kidomaru spat out gold blades and tossed them, intent on severing their limbs.

Kunai from Sakura intercepted them, knocking them into the sand. The spider-kid chased after her, causing her to run the opposite direction. She threw down several smoke bombs, blinding his path. As he ran into the smoke, he ran into what felt like a brick wall. Superboy stood in front of him, and tossed him like a ragdoll on a rocket over his shoulder. Foot soldiers dog-piled him like Aqualad, but just like before, he shook them off.

Jirobo tried to charge from behind, but Sasuke intercepted him, kicking him in the head. Before the big kid could recover, Sasuke wrapped wires around his legs, and pulled him onto his back. "Katon! Ryuka no Jutsu!" Fire traveled along the wires, threatening to burn Jirobo alive. However, Tauya intercepted the flames and cut the wires with one of her own kunai.

As Tauya rolled to safety, she was joined by her other comrades. The genin surprised them, but at least they were opponents they were more or less trained for. The others who weren't ninja…they were a different story. ("These freaks…we're not going to beat them! Not as we are now!")

("Well, let's take it up a notch, shall we?") Sakon asked. The four (five, really) closed their eyes as black markings began to form across their bodies…

"Ooh…" Orochimaru cooed as he and the rest watched from afar on a plateu. "Now it's getting interesting; I never thought they would face such formidable foes so soon…"

Cheshire watched through her binoculars as she witnessed the change. Artemis barely held her own against their base forms; she couldn't imagine how the archer would fare once the Sound Four transformed, especially unarmed. While the rest fixed their gaze on the battle, Cheshire looked over to Sportsmaster, who was also calmly watching. Quietly, she sneaked away.

Little did she know, Sportsmaster looked her way for a brief second before turning his attention back to the battle.

Both teams could only stare in shock at the sight before them. The Sound Four had transformed into what appeared to be monsters. Jirobo's skin turned orange as Klingon-like protrusions decorated his skull, and his Mohawk had transformed into a mane of purple hair. Kidomaru's skull became more angular as he sported a mouth of fangs, horns, and a third eye in the center of his forehead. Sakon and Ukon had separated, looking much like the Japanese Oni of myth with wild white manes and their albino skin turning into a stone-like brown. Tauya's skin turned crimson and her eyes black as she sprouted two devil-horns on her skull. While none understood the exact mechanism for their transformation, they knew they were in deep trouble now. "Crap." Was all Kid Flash muttered.

Jirobo charged for Superboy, and managed to knock him over. Before the Boy of Steel could counter-attack, Jirobo assaulted him with more punches, and to his surprise, they all hurt. Wolf came to his defense, leaping on his back and tearing off a piece of flesh from his arm. Though he cried in pain, he grabbed the canine and hit him square in the jaw. Before he could land another, Sphere tackled him. Though he managed to catch her and by going with the torque, throw her into the forest, Superboy got up and landed a devastating kick on him. Even though it hurt a lot, Jirobo managed to rise and follow with a jump kick to the Kryptonian's head.

Miss Martian and Sasuke ran to engage Sakon and Ukon. Sasuke tried launching a fireball, but Sakon seemingly phased into the sand. When the flames cleared, his fist landed in Sasuke's gut, causing him to fall over. He rose from the sand and brought his foot down, but Sasuke managed to roll away and counter with a foot sweep. As those two fought it out, Miss Martian tried charging at Ukon, but he suddenly phased himself into Miss Martian's body. Suddenly, his head appeared to the side of Miss Martian's head, like a zit from hell. "AIIEE!" she screamed.

"Yes, what will you do now…when I control your body?" Of their own volition, Miss Martian's hands grabbed her neck, and began to squeeze.

Suddenly, Ukon heard her voice inside his head. "Let's see how you do when I change my entire body!" Suddenly, more limbs began to appear all over Miss Martian's body, and she sprouted a lizard-like tail too. The cellular change was too much for Ukon to take. He ejected from her body, panting profusely as he touched down.

("Well…you might actually be a challenge.") he admitted.

Aqualad charged at Kidomaru, but was thrown off when he suddenly summoned a giant spider in his path, the arachnid swatting him away like he was a fly. As Aqualad laid on his back, the spider brought it's fangs down. Aqualad grabbed hold of them as he moved his head out of the way, holding the spider at bay. ("Mmm…stronger than you look.") Kidomaru commented. He caught some sharp shuriken with his two right hands, thrown by Sakura. "You should stay out of this, weakling." He weaved his golden silk to fasten a bow and arrow, which he pulled and released. It seemed like it would hit Sakura did on, but another arrow from Artemis's crossbow deflected it just enough to only cut a few strands of her hair. Though Kidomaru was annoyed by her interference, he was quite curious, seeing her empty quiver and bow. ("Hn…a shame I have to kill you now.") Kidomaru proclaimed, aiming his bow at her. ("I'd have very much liked for us to have a contest.") He was again knocked off his mark when a shot of water hit him square in the face. ("Damn fish-man!") He shouted as he saw Aqualad extend a water bearer at him while he held the spider's fangs with one hand. ("I'll kill you myself!") the ninja yelled as he weaved more golden silk boomerangs.

Meanwhile, Robin and Naruto engaged Tauya. Naruto attacked with a kunai, which she expertly blocked with her flute and kicked him away with ease. Robin attacked with both his kali sticks, but she managed to block both of them with just her one flute, and swiped him across the cheek. "Ow!" Robin held his hand to his new cut. Naruto tried a sneak attack with a rasengan, and it looked like he was about to hit his mark. However, Tauya seemingly vanished as if she was made of thin air. ("Wha-!?") Naruto kissed the sand and rolled across.

As both got up to look for her, they felt their arms fly up as if they were on marionette strings. "Hey!" Robin shouted. As the flute's tune began to continue, they felt their arms melt. Both screamed as they felt the worst pain they had ever experienced.

Before the torture could continue, Superboy rammed into her, sending her flying. Both Robin and Naruto collapsed and panted in relief. Suddenly, Superboy was tackled again by Jirobo, although he managed to throw him over his shoulder and far away this time around. However, the other sound ninja bound him in chains. It normally wouldn't have been enough, but Jirobo had actually managed to tax Superboy physically; he couldn't react in time to break the chains. Before he had a chance to do so, another swept him off his feet as they binded him further. Placing seals around the chains, they enhanced their strength. Now Superboy could not gain the leverage he needed to break the chains, not in a reasonable amount of time. Wolf ran over to help him, but another ninja wrapped a chain around his snout, while another tied him up with bolos, leaving him helpless. Sphere bounded out of the forest, only to land in a puddle of quicksand they created.

Naruto ran over to help Superboy, but was quickly kicked down again by Tauya.

Robin threw the last of his birdarangs; though he knocked over a couple of the sound nin, they too restrained him.

Artemis used her own bow as a melee weapon against the other attackers, but all it was good for against these guys was blocking their blades. Eventually, one got behind her and put her in a choke hold, forcing her to drop her bow.

Aqualad managed to break free from Kidomaru's spider, but the cursed ninja cut his summon open, revealing dozens of "baby" spiders. The arachnids leaped across the Atlantean, covering him in their webbing. Though it tore off easily at first, the spiders kept cocooning him until it was eventually too much for even him to overcome.

Miss Martian managed to break chunks of stone from under the sand and fling them at Ukon, but he was one step ahead of her, summoning a gate that blocked them. Taking advantage of the distraction, Ukon leaped from behind his summon and merged into Miss Martian's body again. "That won't work!" Miss Martian transformed her body again, forcing him out.

("Oh, I was counting on it!") he cackled as he touched down. Miss Martian saw several kunai with explosive tags stuck to her person; he snuck them inside her! She was about to push them out, but they went off, knocking her out instantly as she fell into the sand.

"Hang on babe!" Kid Flash ran through the sound nin, earning several cuts from their weapons but still knocking them down like bowling pins. Just as he was about to reach her, Jirobo erupted from the sand and grabbed hold of him. "Ngghhh!" Kid Flash managed to pull him backwards running in reverse, but the fat kid held steady. Soon, he lifted him off the beach completely and slammed him back on; the sand may as well have been concrete with the force he hit it with.

("No!") Naruto shouted. He made several more clones to help them out, but each of them were taken out by a sound ninja before they could help any of his comrades. He too was restrained.

("Remember, don't kill him!") One of them yelled. Naruto kicked and struggled, but against these chunin, it was no use.

Sasuke continued getting pummeled by Sakon, who topped off his combo with a roundhouse kick to the head. "Nnnhh!" What should have been thoughts of saving his friends were instead filled with thoughts of jealousy and hate. "Itachi would have no problem taking these guys down!" As his rage grew, black splotches formed across his skin like mobile parasites. He had encountered Orochimaru before during his chunin exam. He bit him, nearly killing him. But instead, he lived, and whenever such negative emotions ran in his blood, he would gain great power that would physically manifest from the marking left on his neck that day. He stood as he felt a new-found strength course through his veins. ("Let's see you laugh now, ass-face!") He powered up his chidori, and charged.

("Ooh…you've been blessed with a curse mark too…") Sasuke was about to impale him, before the sound nin side-stepped him and grabbed his wrist. Sasuke screamed in pain as Sakon put pressure on his wrist, causing him to cease the chidori. As Sasuke was forced on one knee, Sakon continued ("…but don't you dare think for a second you're on the same level as me. Not yet, anyway…") As Sasuke continued to struggle in vain, Sakon leaned closer to his ear. ("Come with us. Orochimaru-sama will give you the power to take your revenge.") Sasuke's eyes seemed to go blank, as the offer was just too good to refuse.

"SHA!" Sakura managed to sneak up behind the sound nin, and stabbed him in the back causing him to release Sasuke.

"Rggh!" Sakon spun and backhanded the kunoichi, knocking her out.

("Sakura!") Naruto shouted.

Seeing how everyone was defeated, Tauya stepped into the center as the morning sun had finally emerged from the ocean. ("The two konoha boys live!") Tauya shouted. ("We should probably kill these strangers as well, but I hear it will take some time!")

("Well, let's get rid of this pink-haired bitch at least, shall we!?") Ukon suggested.

("No!") Naruto shouted. ("Don't you dare do it!")

("With pleasure!") As Jirobo pulled her up by the hair, Sakura struggled to get away, but Jirobo tossed her like a rag doll further inland. Jirobo then eyed the Cliffside jutting out towards the sea. ("Yeah…I'd say that would be a good way to go!") Running towards it, he dug his hands into the rock, and pulled a whole chunk of it that not even Superboy could have hoped to lift!

("Don't you dare-!") Suddenly, the ninja restraining Naruto were filled with a sudden sense of dread as some force parted the sand beneath them. As an orange aura surrounded Naruto, his nails grew to claws, his whiskers became broader, his hair spikier. But what really terrified them was how Naruto's irises became blood red while his pupils constricted to a cat-like shape. Finally, he opened his mouth, revealing a set of fangs. "RAHHHH!" The sound ninja were pushed away by that same force, as Naruto suddenly ran on all fours towards Sakura.

Superboy had also finally managed to break his chains, leaping away from his captors. However, there was no way he could stop the giant boulder from landing on its target. Naruto managed to reach her, but even at the speed he was running, there was no way to get her out of the way in time. Some part of him was still there, and embraced her tightly. Not caring who was with her in her last moment, she embraced Naruto back as they prepared for the end…

Orochimaru and the rest of Akatsuki observed the fight with mild amusement. The children did have interesting abilities…but thus far nothing concerned them too much. When Jirobo tossed the boulder, Itachi became worried when the Jinchuriki ran towards the girl. But all new to this world where stunned silent at what happened next, even the exiled Uchiha's eyes widened in disbelief.

("W-who is that!?") Orochimaru yelled, still unable to believe what he was seeing.

("Well…") Sportsmaster sighed, knowing the battle was now lost. ("…I can definitely say your men are screwed now.")

It took a moment for Naruto and Sakura to realize they were still alive. Slowly, they opened their eyes to look towards the sun, and their jaws dropped at an entirely different sight before them. Even Superboy was frozen in place as he gazed up. A man in blue with a red cape held the entire boulder with one hand, no apparent effort on his face. As if that weren't too much for them, the man was floating in the air while holding it, giving gravity the proverbial finger! With his cape bellowing in the wind and the sun behind him, he appeared almost god-like. ("W-who the heck is that!?") Naruto shouted.

Sakura then remembered what Superboy told them about his backstory, and what Robin showed her that day with his holograms. ("I…I think that's the Superman they were talking about!")

("What!?")

Superman slowly floated down, his grip on the boulder holding. Gently, he lay it down to the side, away from the kids. The other ninja were clearly afraid of what they were seeing. "I don't know what you're all up to or what this is about…but stand down!" The ninja responded by throwing more shuriken at him…and none did the slightest thing to hurt him. One even threw an explosive kunai at his face. Superboy flinched when that was done to him back in the ninja world…Superman didn't even blink.

Some ran to take one of their victims hostage…and two arrows exploded into nets, binding them. "I know you really don't need our help with these clowns, Superman…" Green Arrow and Red Arrow stood atop the Cliffside, taking aim. "…but after the week we've been through, we really need to blow off some steam!" Green Arrow exclaimed as he fired another.

One made a move to throw shuriken at the two archers, but the offender suddenly felt himself lifted off the ground. A silhouette formed behind him before taking full form, a being with green skin, red eyes, dark clothes and a blue cape, supposedly held there by a red x around his costume.

As the others surrounded Martian Manhunter, a red streak zoomed by and knocked them all down. It came to Kid Flash, knocking away the others. "Hey." The Flash said, helping the yellow speedster to his feet. "Welcome back."

"Thanks. Hope Mom and Dad haven't freaked out too much." Kid Flash commented, rubbing his head.

"I'm surprised they haven't tried to choke me in my sleep yet." Flash commented dryly. "I wouldn't blame them if they did."

Those closer to the beach then noticed Aquaman walking up the surf. One of them made a motion to stab him, and the kunai shattered like glass. As the ninja looked at his broken weapon in disbelief, Aquaman grabbed hold of him and tossed him far into the sea, enough to knock him out. Some nearby porpoises, under Aquaman's command, helped him stay on the surface to breathe. As the others steered clear of him, he ran over to free Aqualad of his bonds.

("Who the heck are these guys!?") Naruto exclaimed, still not believing what he was seeing.

("I…I think these people are the Justice League the others were telling us about!") Sakura answered in equal disbelief. Many of them showed the same abilities as the team, but…better. Stronger.

Suddenly, two other sound nin leaped from the bushes to ambush the two. Before they could even react, something flew down at them and tackled them. With but two punches, the ninja were out cold. All Naruto and Sakura could make out of the assailant was a black cloak. Then their so-called savior stood…and both genin screamed in fright. In some bizarre form of reverse-gender roles, Naruto leaped into SAKURA's arms! At first, the figure was covered in a silhouette that outlined his demonic horns, white eyes, and what seemed to be bat-like wings unfolding before them. As the sun rose higher and the light shone upon him, Batman's finer details could be seen. And it still did nothing to assuage their fears. ("Did Robin tell you about him!?") Naruto shouted.

("No! He doesn't even look like he belongs with the rest of these guys!") Sakura screamed.

Batman suddenly unleashed a Batarang, causing Naruto and Sakura to duck. However, he wasn't aiming at them; the object flew straight into Tauya instead, causing her to stumble away from Robin.

Jirobo suddenly tried to attack Superman with his bare fist; although he did succeed in knocking the man of steel over, he desperately tried to hold in a scream of pain as he felt his hand swell. He then saw Superman float back up, his punch only a minor inconvenience. "Stop it." He sternly warned him. Jirobo began to tremble, and fell over on his butt. He then scrambled away, hoping to get as far away from this monster as possible.

Kidomaru aimed his bow at Green Arrow, who managed to dodge it by a hair as it drilled through the sand. "Yikes! You've got great power, kid…" Green Arrow drew back his own bow. "…but no imagination." He fired, and the arrow exploded in a flash of light. Kidomaru screamed as he covered his third eye, though clearly he couldn't see out the others either. Green Arrow followed through with a punch arrow, knocking out the kid's fangs before Red Arrow finished with a foam arrow, trapping the spider-kid.

"I've a feeling Black Spider's not going to be happy about this." Red Arrow quipped.

"Eh, I'm sure he'll get over it in prison." Green Arrow said as he blocked a sword with his bow. Artemis gave her mentor some assistance and kicked him away.

Sakon tried to phase himself into Martian Manhunter, but was met with surprise when he jumped right through him, like he was a ghost, and kissed the sand instead. Before he could recover, Martian Manhunter grabbed him with his telekinesis and dragged him across the beach, smacking him against the Cliffside. Ukon tried the same with him, but the Martian's hand grew into a dragon-like shape as it grabbed hold of him. Spinning him around, he slammed him back into the sand.

Batman ran towards Tauya, his cape opening up like a pair of wings. Quickly, she played her flute. Batman stumbled; what he was experiencing was known only to him. However, he bit the corner of his lip hard enough to draw blood, and continued running. "What!? He broke through the genjutsu like it was nothing!" Before she knew it, Batman was upon her, and slammed a devastating reverse punch into her stomach. She went flying, and landed on her back, the wind knocked out of her.

Before any more fighting could continue, the sound nin looked above to see several other figures descend from the sky. Team 7 stared in awe of the people who touched down fearlessly to the beach. The sound four tried to get back up, but collapsed on their knees when their curse marks reached their limit, and reverted back to their normal forms.

Ra's Al Ghul sighed. "Call them back, Klarion. The outcome is clear, and we have further use of them. Take us to Savage." Klarion snapped his fingers, and those watching with him were gone.

Before the Justice League could attack further, red portals appeared behind every sound nin and swallowed them. "What happened!?" Black Canary yelled.

"Magic." Captain Marvel responded. "Only thing I can think of."

"Captain Marvel is correct." Giovanni volunteered as he inspected his surroundings. "I sense dark magic; no doubt Klarion's work."

As Artemis was about to say something to Green Arrow, a stray nin erupted from out of the sand, a katana in hand as he prepared to behead her. Before Green Arrow or Artemis could react, the ninja suddenly froze, and fell over face first, dropping his weapon. Both saw a dart imbedded in his neck. Quickly, Green Arrow felt for his pulse. "Dead."

Red Arrow ran over to the one place it could have been fired from, bowstring drawn and at the ready. Forcing himself through the bushes, he aimed at Cheshire, perched in the trees with a blowgun. Quickly, she disappeared from sight. Seeing no point in pursuing her, Red Arrow lowered his weapon. "He got away!" He yelled.

As he rejoined the rest of the Justice League, he saw Batman approach Robin. "Robin…" he nearly choked out, saving just enough face to sound neutral. Robin, however, could feel the relief from him. "…what happened?"

"It…it's a long story." He said, rubbing his arm. "Right now, all I can say is that Luthor was experimenting with some kind of interdimensional travel. We got sucked in, and survived on the other side. When we returned, we saw Ra's conspiring with some of the locals."

"And probably Luthor as well." Batman finished for him. It struck him as odd, as he believed that Ra's mission and Luthor's ambitions were in direct conflict. But they were definitely linked somehow.

"There's one more thing." Robin said. "We brought along some friends…or, to be more accurate, more like they stowed away on our trip home."

Team 7 suddenly became very intimidated when the colorful adults surrounded them, even Sasuke. ("This…this is something I never imagined…") Naruto said awestruck.

("Well, that makes two of us.") Sasuke agreed.

GOBI DESERT, MONGOLIA

UTC 01:00

The Akatuski mingled about the room, marveling at the interior architecture and technology surrounding them.

"Amazing." Deidara commented. "I wonder what kind of explosions these things would make?"

"If you're going to do something, do it away from us!" Kakuzu yelled.

"Hn. You need to be exposed to more art." Was all Deidara said back.

Itachi only looked about anxiously; he was completely out of his element here. He would have to study this world as close as possible; here, they had the advantage. And Itachi always made sure no one would have an advantage over him.

Suddenly, two doors swished open, revealing a large man dressed in a blue uniform and black boots. He had slick black hair, and sported three scars across his face. And they could see that he was not the least bit afraid of him. He walked forward to take a seat on a chair as if he were a king. "My name…is Vandal Savage. I welcome you…all of you…to the Light."

I hope you enjoyed these updates, because that's it for now. Now that the Team is back home, I still need to cover some familiar territory, albeit shuffled about since their timeline now does not match with the original series. You can expect some amusing attempts from Naruto and company to fit in when I return to this story. Until then, stay classy.

Hibana-Spark