Hey all! Though I was originally planned on releasing several chapters at a time, this one got done, and I figured I shouldn't keep you all waiting. Again, no promises on when chapters will be done, but I do my best to put some work into each of my stories regularly.
Also, have any of you seen the Boruto manga? It's…it's…I'm genuinely shocked. Not at the story (it's a rehash of the movie), but the artwork. I don't care how desperate for money WSJ is, there had to have been some kind of quality control in terms of picking an artist. And now, people are dropping it because Hinata's [normally well-hidden] curves are gone…
Ah well. I've stopped caring about canon long ago, just going back to see what crazy shenanigans they would pull next…come to think of it, both Marvel and DC have been doing that a lot too (Hydra Cap? Really?)
But enough on that! Let's pick up where our heroes left off!
Nov 2nd, UTC 13:00
Naruto and his friends looked about nervously in their seats. Now they were the ones trapped in a strange world, unsure if they would ever be able to go back. "I'm sorry." They turned to Miss Martian addressing them, keeping her eyes ahead of her as she steered the vehicle like a captain in her ship. "I know how frightening this must be. But trust me, we'll do everything in our power to help you get back home."
They nodded nervously, as Naruto looked outside the skies. "So…this is..."
"My bioship; it's how I came here to this planet. It's also been our main mode of transportation during missions."
"And where are you taking us?" Sasuke asked.
"Home." Miss Martian said. "Well, home for Connor and I. But it's really our headquarters, so to speak." Then, she said. "Here we are. Welcome to Mount Justice."
Team 7 looked to see what appeared to be a large mountain, possibly a dormant volcano, jutting out from the beach as a small town went about its business behind it. The sightseeing quickly came to an end as soon as the ship touched down on the hangar. "Oh man." Kid Flash moaned as he stretched. "It's good to be back." Quickly, he and the others unfastened their seatbelts.
Naruto fumbled with his, not familiar with the contraption, having nothing like it on his world. "Here." Sasuke walked over and unbuckled it for him. Of course he and Sakura were quick studies on the matter. He grumbled in jealousy as he tossed them aside.
Suddenly, as if it were made of living gel, the ship's floor parted to form an exit and stairs. "Ghh!" Naruto squirmed. "How does it do that?"
"It's biotechnology is linked to my psyche." Miss Martian said. "It obeys my commands, and its molecules have a flexible structure that changes easily."
"That doesn't make it any less creepy." Naruto shuddered.
He and his friends followed the rest of the team, as the being Sakura remembered as Red Tornado greeted them. "Hello, Team." He said. Though none of Naruto's friends understood the language, his artificial voice creeped them out. The fact that he was able to speak without a visible mouth made it worse. "It is good to see you are all alright."
"It is good to see you too, Tornado." Aqualad said.
"Your presence is required inside. The other leaguers are waiting for you all."
As they followed him, Sakura asked M'gann "Uh, can't you link HIM up?"
"No. He's a machine; sorry." Miss Martian replied. "Doesn't have any brainwaves for me to tap into."
("Do not be concerned; all of earth's languages are uploaded into my memory banks.") Red Tornado replied to Sakura. ("And you are speaking one of them.") Sasuke quirked his brow; this…thing, was all too disturbing to him. ("One of my friends may have a way for you to understand our language without the aid of an interpreter.") He continued as they went inside the cave. ("I'll ask him.")
When they stepped inside, Naruto looked around in awe. "THIS IS SO COOL!" The mountain inside had a cavity supported by many structures. In addition, it had a docking bay, a kitchen and the biggest TV any of them had seen.
"Not bad." Sasuke admitted. "Maybe Konoha should consider making something like this; more hidden than a village ever would be."
Inside, several members of the Justice League awaited them. "So…what's the deal with them here?" Naruto asked. "They're back, so isn't this end of story now?"
"I think it involves us as well." Sasuke answered. "Now, WE'RE the strangers here."
As they all gathered at the main dock, Red Tornado approached Zatara. "Zatara, Miss Martian has informed me the three strangers only speak Japanese. Though I and many others are fluent in the language, since it seems very possible they will be here for a long time, I think it would be very helpful for them if there was some way to teach them English."
Zatara rubbed his chin. "Well, I've never tried this spell before…it won't teach them, but it will help us understand one another. Please ask them to step forward."
("Step forward.") The android asked of them.
Nervously, Team 7 approached them. The oddly dressed man then raised his arms and waved his cane in the air. "Rehtom fo gnidnatsrednu, hctam ruo seugnot dna!"
An energy swirled around the teens, and then…seemingly nothing. "Wow, that was weird." Naruto said. He didn't notice the other leaguers widen their eyes upon hearing him speak English.
"It worked." Zatara said, to them apparently speaking their language.
They all looked up to him. "You…?"
"I have casted a spell that allows you to understand everyone around you, no matter the language, and them you. However, you will not be able to read letters you are not familiar with, and this is only temporary; by my guess, probably about a month. Hopefully we'll have found a way to send you home by then." He said.
The three were stunned by this at first, but Sakura quickly bowed. "Thank you very much!" She then thought of something else; Robin didn't come with them in the Bioship, instead going off with the dark man. "Why did Robin go with that man?"
"You mean Batman?" Superman volunteered. "He's Robin's mentor and guardian; I think he wanted to take him home personally." Superman decided to leave out the part on how Batman got when Robin gone missing; they didn't need to know just how scary he could be.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "WHAT!? BIRD BOY'S MENTOR IS A GUY THAT DRESSES UP AS A DEMON!?"
"Yeah, that's his motif." Kid Flash said. "Strike fear into everyone."
"Ha! He's doing a lousy job! He didn't scare me at all!" Naruto chuckled with false bravado, while everyone else looked at him questionably.
"Uh, Naruto?" Sakura asked. "You jumped into MY arms, remember?"
Naruto just froze and practically turned to stone at her public declaration. Even Sasuke couldn't resist snickering. After that, he asked a question of his own. "So, what happens now?"
"First we will interview the team, then you." Red Tornado answered. "…and then…"
"Uh, sorry Red." Green Arrow raised his hand. "I'm afraid Artemis will have to wait; her mother's been worried sick. I think it's best I take her home, show her she's okay. And I don't think she will want her in costume for a while now either."
"What!?" Artemis yelled. "But-"
"No buts." Aquaman replied sternly. "You have all been missing for a week, and those of you who have families need to return immediately, let them know you're safe! Hereby, you are all off duty until you have all your affairs in order!"
"Aw man." Kid Flash slumped.
"Not to mention you all have lots of homework you need to catch up on." Superman added.
Kid Flash glared at him. "I'd so say 'Don't make me hurt you' if that were even possible…"
"School's already started at this point…" Miss Martian raised her hand. "There's no point in us going back today. But we'll all return tomorrow."
Black Canary nodded. "Very well. Artemis, Kid Flash. You two will return home. Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian; I know the three of you have probably been through a lot, but we will have to ask you all some questions. After which, you may rest for the day." She then turned to the three strangers. "I understand this is all a little overwhelming for you, but after I'm done with them, we will be questioning you as well."
Stunned speechless, Team 7 only nodded.
Green Arrow and Flash coaxed their sidekicks away from the group. Team 7 watched as they approached the tubular openings in the wall. Then a light shone on them, and they were gone. "What happened to them!?" Sakura asked.
"Zeta Tubes." Red Tornado answered. "They are teleportation devices that allow us to travel large distances to specific locations in an instant."
"Awesome! I wanna try!" Naruto shouted.
"That will not be possible." Red Tornado said. "The Zeta Tubes are configured to OUR identities, and you and your friends are at this time are under quarantine."
"Quara what now?" the blonde ninja asked.
Superboy sighed. "Zatara! Do you have a spell that can help make people smarter too?"
GOTHAM CITY
"And then you all showed up." Robin said, as he reiterated what happened during their missing time to Batman, still flying the plane. "You don't believe me, do you?" Robin groaned.
"After all we've seen, what makes you think that?" Batman asked.
"Good point."
"It's a lot to take in and swallow, I'll grant you that. But I know you're telling the truth."
"So…what happens now? What do we do about Naruto and the others?"
"We will do our best to find a way to send them back home." Batman said. "But I fear it will take time. And we need to understand the mechanism Luthor is using to jumpstart this dimensional breach. Such a breach should require an enormous amount of energy; the risk for catastrophe would be huge!" He paused. "Also…as you said, that destination was no accident. Luthor and whomever else he is working with have found something on that world that interests them. And your new friends may be the key to that."
Robin nodded in agreement. "So, they're stuck with us."
"I'm afraid so." Finally, Wayne Manor came into view. "Hold on." He said as he flipped some switches. "I'm going the alternate route."
Normally, they would have flown straight through the waterfall in the Cliffside below the manor. But in the daytime, they needed to do something different to avoid detection. Batman flipped a few switches, changing the Batwing to aquatic mode as it dived down into the bay, becoming a submarine. The sub quickly swam towards an aquaduct in the cliff's wall, right under Wayne Manor. Batman then put the sub in neutral, as a platform below them was raised. Soon, they were back in the Batcave, Alfred waiting for them. As the cockpit opened, Robin jumped out. "Whew!" he whistled. "It's good to be back!"
"Master Dick!" Alfred quickly embraced the boy wonder. "It's so good to see you are alright!"
"Glad to be back, Alfred." He acknowledged.
"What on earth happened!?" the Englishman asked.
"It's a long story, Alfred." Batman answered for his ward. "And I think Robin's due for a long break."
"Indeed." Alfred agreed. "And the same can be said of you, Master Bruce."
Batman did a double-take. "Excuse me?"
"You've missed work again, so there's no point in going now. And since the sun is up, there is no need for you to patrol. I think a bath and 8 hours of sleep for a change are in order."
Batman was about to protest, but after all he had been through, not even he could resist the allure of a little R and R. It was sometimes amazing how Alfred went from butler to father figure when he pushed himself to extremes. "Fine." He groaned.
"Excellent." Alfred said. "I will make all the necessary phone calls for both of you when you resume your normal lives tomorrow. For now, it is quite a lovely day; why don't we just take it easy for a change?" The two discarded their costumes in exchange for robes and slippers as they ascended the stairs, leaving the cave behind.
Mount Justice
UTC 19:00
Team 7 simply waited nervously in the living room. Everything looked familiar with their world, but…different. They were all larger and more advanced than what they were used to. As such, none of them wanted to touch anything. Not even Naruto. Naruto looked behind the couch to see Red Tornado standing over them like a sentinel. Red Tornado's neck turned to meet his face in the eye, and Naruto instantly recoiled at hearing the mechanical movement. Not to mention how the being had no eyes or ears to speak of, yet could apparently see them just fine. "That can't be real!" he thought.
Finally, they heard the doors swish open from the office room as Aqualad, Superboy and Miss Martian stepped out. "Hey." Miss Martian said. "We're done."
"So what now?" Sasuke asked.
"Right now, Black Canary wants to interview the three of you. Separately." She answered.
"That's going to take a while." Sakura groaned.
"Standard procedure." Aqualad replied. "It will help us understand why our enemies are interested in your world, and we will need this for our records."
Superboy then stretched, and yawned. "Well, considering the hell me and M'gann are going to go through tomorrow with school, I think I'm going to hit the sack."
"Yeah." M'gann yawned. "Feel free to watch TV or listen to the radio; we're just going to have a little nap."
As the two headed off to their rooms. Aqualad addressed them. "I know this must be intimidating; believe me, we've been there during our time on your world. But we will do our best to fi this." Aqualad sighed. "Listen, I'm going back home for the day; it's been a while since I've been in Atlantis. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya." Sakura meekly offered back. Aqualad walked up to the Zeta Tube, and disappeared.
"Okay then." Black Canary stepped out the door. "I know you're impatient to get back home, but we have a few questions for you all first. Hopefully, what you tell us may lead us to finding a way to send you back." The three teens only nodded. "Okay. Now, who wants to be first?"
"Ooh, oh! I'll go!" Naruto waved his hand.
Noticing how his face flushed at seeing the woman, Sakura could only face-palm herself. "This is going to be a disaster!"
"So…I'm going to be in a movie?" Naruto asked as he got settled in the chair.
"Not exactly." Black Canary said as she finished adjusting the camera. "We're just recording this on video. It's possible we'll be involved with your home again, and a testimony would be great for future reference. Now, I want you to tell me your name, where you come from, and how you got here."
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" he suddenly shouted as he stood on the soft chair, placing his hands on his hips like he was some great hero. "I'm from Konoha, and hope to become Hokage one day…"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"…and we have a bunch of cool people with us, like Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei…" he went on.
"Uh, Naruto, none of this is really helping…"
"And I can do some real cool techniques, like Kage Bushin, Rasengan, and ooh! And I can summon toads to!"
Naruto went on about his versions of events, including that he just followed his teammates into the portal. "We were doing fine, but then you showed up, and that's the end of it!" he nodded, clearly satisfied with the story he told.
Black Canary only looked at him with a shocked expression, before finally turning off the camera. "Well, that was…informative. You may go and relax now; I want to talk to one of your other friends now."
"Cool! Of course, my version of the story will be the best!" Naruto proclaimed with a big smile on his face as he walked outside, convinced of his own personal testimony of events.
Black Canary just stared blankly into nothing. "What the hell did I just listen too?"
"NARUTO, YOU BAKA!" Sakura suddenly slugged Naruto across the face, sending him tumbling into a chair. "She wanted to know about OUR WORLD, NOT YOU!" she shouted.
"S-sorry, Sakura-chan! I thought-"
"You thought what!?" she yelled. "That showing off how awesome you think you are would impress them? That they wanted to know everything about your personal life!? They want to know what we're doing here and how we got involved!"
Naruto was about to retort when he saw Sakura look away. She trembled ever so slightly, and Naruto realized he made her cry! "S-Sakura-chan! I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking!"
"Yes, you were! Thinking about how you could convince them to take you in while you didn't think about how WE might want to go back home!" Naruto tried to say something back, but couldn't. "I'm sorry the village wasn't the nicest place to you, Naruto! But I have a family to come back to! Did you ever think about that!?" Before any more could be said, Sakura stormed off.
Naruto looked down on the floor, and sighed. "Maybe Ero-senin does have a point about me being stupid."
It was Sasuke's turn next. Unlike Naruto, he told his story clearly and concisely, much to Dinah's relief. However, she noted how…angry, he sounded throughout the entire interview. "And then, when we entered the lair, I saw Itachi there. He went into the portal…and I followed in after him."
"Why did you do that?" Black Canary asked.
Sasuke said nothing for a moment, before clenching his palms together. "To kill him." He whispered.
Black Canary briefly widened her eyes. "This one…could be a problem…"
Sakura had gave Black Canary a similar account, the difference being that she followed Sasuke into the portal. "Thank you." Black Canary said as she turned the camera off.
"So, this will help?" Sakura asked meekly.
"Hopefully." Canary said. "We need to know who we're dealing with, see if we can dig up some clues." Black Canary looked at Sakura, and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Also, I understand that this must be a very traumatic experience for you." Sakura nodded nervously.
"I know you must feel all alone right now. I work as a counselor for the Team, and I can be one for you as well. If you ever need someone to talk to, when you're ready, I'll be here." Sakura looked at her, slowly smiling. She got up, and bowed, helping herself out the room.
As she exited, she noticed Naruto was chatting up a storm with one of the League members. "You're ninjas!?" the man cried out. "That's so cool!" Seeing his red costume and white cape, she recognized him as Captain Marvel.
"Yeah! We know all sorts of cool tricks, like Kage Bushin, Substitution, even elemental attacks!" Naruto proclaimed proudly. "Watch!" Naruto did his signature technique, forming two other copies of himself.
"Wow! Bravo!" Captain Marvel clapped.
"Also, watch this!" Naruto held out his hand as another clone got to work on the Rasengan. Naruto proudly held up the sphere to him.
"Neat!" Captain Marvel kneeled down. He inspected the sphere as if Naruto was holding up a snow globe to him. "What does it…" He edged his finger towards the sphere, and yelped at the contact. "Ow!" he shook his finger.
"Marvel, are you okay!?" Black Canary asked, having witnessed the whole thing.
"Y-yeah." He winced, blowing on it. "I'm fine." Looking at the girl, he held out his hand. "Hi! I'm…"
"Captain Marvel." Sakura replied. "Robin told me about you. Along with the other members of the league."
"Ah! Gotcha!" he said. "I was just asking what your friends can do! The guy in dark wasn't too interested in talking, but your boyfriend here has some cool skills…
"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Sakura yelled as her face turned red. Naruto could only give off a depressed look at her declaration.
"SORRY! SORRY!" Marvel shouted, waving it off. "He just kinda seemed like your type…" Marvel muttered. "So, what can you do?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.
Now, Sakura looked depressed. "It seems she's the third wheel of the team." Black Canary deduced. "Marvel! I think Hawkman requested some help with monitoring duties at the…headquarters. Why don't you go give him a hand?"
"What?" Marvel, asked, caught off guard by the request. "Oh…uh…okay." He flew to the Zeta Tubes. "Captain Marvel. A-05. Access, granted." With that, he was gone.
"Sorry about that." Canary assured Sakura. "Marvel means well, and he is actually quite knowledgeable. He's just…immature."
Sakura smiled slightly, nodding. "Reminds me of someone else I know…"
UTC 21:00
"WHAT!?" Naruto shouted. "YOU WANT OUR BLOOD!?"
"A sample." Red Tornado clarified. "We need to find out just HOW you differ from the other humans, although on the surface you appear to be the same species. A sample of your DNA is paramount."
Naruto just stared at him, and finally shook his head no. "Uh-uh! No way!"
"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted. "You botched your interview! For all of our sakes, DON'T CHICKEN OUT ON THIS!"
Naruto could see Sakura give him her angry look, causing him to gulp. "I do believe even in our world when a female gives the male a certain look, it is customary to comply…regardless of logic." Red Tornado observed.
Naruto looked at Red, back at Sasuke and Sakura…and slumped. "Okay."
"Please, have a seat." The android motioned to the medical table. Naruto did so. "Hold out your index finger, please."
"Uh, you're not going to cut it off, are you?"
"No. I will simply prick a drop of blood through a needle in my finger."
Naruto nervously held it out. Red Tornado had their fingers touch…and a scream could be heard throughout the cave. "Ahhh…!" Naruto whined as he rolled on the floor, holding his finger and blowing on it.
"Big baby." Sasuke groaned.
UTC 22:00
From there on, Team 7 was left to their own devices. Red Tornado had flown up into his room, promising them he would be there should they ever need his help. Not knowing what else to do, Team 7 observed what seemed to be the radio. It was much smaller than the ones at home, and it didn't have an antenna; they weren't even sure if it would really work. "Uh…want to listen to music?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know; what do you think they listen to?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke sighed. "If you want to do it, just pick something."
Naruto turned it on, and what they got was not even remotely what they expected. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, SH-"
"THIS IS AWFUL!" Sakura screamed, covering her ears. "CHANGE IT!"
"Uh, right!" Naruto hit the dial again onto another random channel.
"It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes…"
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Sakura yelled.
"I am, getting so hot, I'm going to take my clothes off…"
"THEY'RE ALLOWED TO PLAY THIS ON THE RADIO!? WHAT KIND OF SICK WORLD IS THIS!?" Sakura screamed.
"Uh, I'll change it again!" Naruto said. Unfortunately, things weren't getting any better for them.
"LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR, LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR, YAAHHHHHH!"
"Oh, I give up!" Sasuke shouted as he shut the thing off. "Let's watch some tv instead."
Naruto and Sakura shrugged their shoulders. As Naruto simply plopped himself on the green sofa, Sasuke relaxed into his seat. Sakura placed herself to the right of Sasuke, much to Naruto's annoyance. Sighing, he turned the tv on.
The first show showed a bunch of people wearing outrageous clothing and disgustingly fake tans. It started off pretty boring at first but at some point most of the cast members were caught up in a screaming match over nothing. "Ugh. These guys are such drama queens." Sakura moaned.
"Agreed." Naruto flipped channels again, this time on an anime. It was…strange, which said a lot. It seemed to be the opening, which apparently involved a talking sponge, and the theme song grated on their ears. While Sasuke and Sakura just cringed at it, Naruto seemed to be genuinely enjoying it. Indeed, the characters were just annoyingly loud and the plot was all over the place. The Starfish character was impossibly stupid, and somehow they had a squirrel underwater too. While Sasuke and Sakura could only stare at it deadpan, Naruto was laughing hard, kicking his legs. Reality flew completely out the window when they lit a campfire, UNDERWATER.
"This is so stupid." Sasuke moaned, tilting his head back.
"Come on, teme! This is hilarious!" Naruto insisted.
"This is as stupid as you defying physics and FLYING TO THE MOON!" Sakura shouted. "Just change it." She groaned.
"Fine." Naruto moaned. He switched it again, and what they saw made everyone's eyes widen as large as dinner plates.
"You have offended my family…and you have offended the Shaolin Temple."
"N-Naruto!?" Sakura stuttered, pointing at the screen. "I-i-is that Lee-kun?"
Indeed, it looked like their friend, Rock Lee, though the person in question was at least 30, and ripped. "If Bushybrows was on steroids, I suppose!" Naruto shouted.
"Ah, Bruce Lee."
They turned to see Superboy looking over the couch behind him. "You know him!?" Naruto shouted.
"No, not personally. But he was a revolutionary martial artist and actor of his time." Superboy managed to tear them away from the TV. "Listen, I'm taking Wolf out for a run. After that, how 'bout I grab some pizza when I come back?"
"Pizza?" Naruto asked. "Is that like ramen?"
Superboy smirked. "Not quite."
UTC 23:30
Later, Team 7 was brought a most unusual dish at the dining room table. It seemed to be a flat bread covered in a gooey substance, littered with pieces of meat. It smelled delicious though. "Here." Superboy tore off entire sections, the pie having been finely cut before, and handed them some.
Sasuke was the first to try it. After a hesitant chew, he chewed more rapidly. Then he took another bite, and quickly another. Naruto and Sakura followed suit; it was delicious! "Hmm, it's good!" Naruto shouted as he grabbed another slice, tearing into it. This food seemed perfect for Naruto's poor table manners, Sakura noted.
"Hey Connor." M'gann floated in.
"Nice to see you too, sleepy-head." Connor replied. "Brought some pizza."
"Thanks." M'gann said as she pulled up a chair for her without using any limbs and seated herself, floating the chair in. It still freaked out the genin to see such a thing. "Hey. Sorry we haven't been here for you. We've been exhausted." She apologized.
"It's okay." Sakura said. "You've been through a lot too."
"It's been a rollercoaster ride." Connor agreed as he handed M'gann another slice, which she also took hold of telekinetically. "And we're going to be super busy with school during the week, with everything we missed."
"And we missed the Halloween party too. Damn! I was so looking forward to that!" Miss Martian told Superboy telepathically.
"I thought you were already approved for this line of work." Sasuke said as relished his slice. "You're still in an academy?"
"Super heroism doesn't require a specific education." M'gann replied. "But it is expected of all youth in this world to attend some form of formal education in order to find employment opportunities of all kinds. History, math, science, literature…it becomes harsher and more specialized as we get older and are allowed to advance."
"Officially, we're in our sophomore year in high school." Superboy added.
"So, every one of you has to go in addition to protecting people." Sasuke deduced.
"Except for Aqualad, yeah, pretty much." Superboy replied, finishing his slice. "It generally hasn't been a problem for me, though. The genomorphs that helped grow me filled me with all knowledge a person of my physical age is expected to know."
"The math and science part isn't a problem for me." Miss Martian added. "We learned that stuff in the Martian equivalent of kindergarten. But the history and literature part of this planet is something I still need to stay on my toes for."
"You could read everyone's mind if you're stuck." Superboy joked.
Sakura raised her eyebrows, realizing Superboy had actually been smiling at her throughout the entire conversation. "Could they…?" Sakura silenced her thoughts, paranoid that Miss Martian was reading her mind at that moment.
"Tried that once. I picked Marvin. Marvin! Even I knew he was three whole centuries off on the date of the Emancipation Proclamation!" she exclaimed.
Soon, they finished the pizza. "Wow." Naruto moaned happily, rubbing his belly. "That sure hit the spot."
"Thank you very much!" Sakura bowed, holding her hands together in prayer to them.
"No problem. Figured a good meal could help soothe a traumatic experience." Superboy replied as he pulled out of his seat. "Listen, M'gann and I talked about this, and we have two spare rooms. You can sleep in them."
"But there's only two. Which means two of us will have to share." Naruto's face lit up, and he smiled widely at Sakura. "Which means-!"
"NO WAY, YOU PERV!" Sakura yelled, drop-kicking him.
"While we don't encourage that sort of thing here…" Superboy interrupted. "…you did have that coming, Naruto."
Naruto heard none of this, his eyes practically spiraling from the blow. "You could be as strong as Ba-chan someday…" he moaned.
"Naruto and Sasuke will share one room." Miss Martian said. "Sorry, Sakura. Looks like you'll be on your own. But if you feel the need, you can room up with me…"
Sakura nodded. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine…"
"Okay then." Superboy stretched, standing up. "We'll show you to the rooms."
The room had a single bed with white sheets, and a desk with a lamp. The walls were outlined with rough stone from the mountain, the rooms clearly carved from inside the mountain. A sleeping bag and pillow was splayed on the floor. "I call the bed." Sasuke said.
"Hey, wait!" Naruto shouted. "I get the bed!"
"Why?"
"I like the bed!" Naruto yelled.
"Well that makes two of us!" Sasuke yelled. He breathed, and stared him dead in the eye. "There's only one way to settle this…"
Naruto nodded, as they prepared to face off…in Rock Paper Scissors. They held out their fists, and bobbed them up, chanting the lines. "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!" Both landed with paper.
"Stop copying me, you cheater!" Naruto yelled.
"Cheater!?" Sasuke yelled.
"You're the one with the sharingan!" Naruto accused.
"Look at my eyes, dobe! Do I have my sharingan on!?"
"Oh, shut it, teme!" Naruto yelled. "Let's go again!"
"Bring it!"
The game went on, and Sakura could hear it through the wall in her room. She stuffed the pillow between her ears, growling. "Maybe I should take up M'gann's offer…"
UTC 0:00
NANDA PARBAT, PAKISTAN
Orochimaru nervously looked about inside the machine. The concept was sound, but he still couldn't believe that they could make a contraption like this fly, using combustion and centrifugal force to get into the air. "Your first time flying?" Ra's asked as he sipped his tea.
"Yes." Orochimaru said. "This method is safe?"
"So long as a missile does not hit us or a bird does not get caught in the engines, we should be fine." He said. "Normally, I would ask you to discuss the contents of your research first, but since time is of the essence for you, I will give you the gift of the Lazarus Pit as a measure of good faith that you will live up to your end of the bargain."
"Your world has already piqued my curiosity; if it allows me to learn more about it, I will happily help with research." Orochimaru agreed.
"And I hope you know I will do all I can to ensure my master's safety." Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses. "By any means necessary. He is already in danger by allying with Itachi."
"We are aware of your…issues, with this Itachi. Savage has saw to it that the two of you will not be in contact during your tenure here." Ra's assured them.
"Master! We are home!" the muscular pilot said.
"Excellent, Ubu."
The helicopter touched down, and the doors opened. Kabuto helped his master stand, but from there he walked on his own in order to not appear weak. Orochimaru followed them into the cave, where several ninjas with equipment he had never seen stood as sentries, their ninjatos held up in front of them. "Not bad." He thought.
Finally, they came to a room with nothing but a metal seal on the floor. A woman dressed in black leather and an old man in red robes awaited them. Ra's nodded, and Ubu stepped forward. Twisting the seal, he lifted the lid to reveal a glowing green liquid that illuminated the cavern. Orochimaru stepped forward, taking in the sight. "This is the Lazarus Pit." Ra's explained. "It has a special enzyme, Dionysium. It regenerates living tissue and reverses aging."
"I see." Orochimaru said. "And you promise it works?"
"It's what has kept me alive for 700 years." Ra's said.
Orochimaru's eyes widened, and he quickly turned to Kabuto. "When you have a chance, obtain a sample. This may come in handy." he whispered. Kabuto nodded discreetly. Staring back into it, he asked "So, I drink it?"
"No. You bathe in it."
"Ah." Kabuto helped Orochimaru disrobe, and he helped himself in. It stung, yet Orochimaru couldn't help but feel invigorated. Slowly, feeling returned to his arms. "It's working…"
"He will require a day." Ra's said as Ubu closed the hatch over him. Walking past Kabuto, he said "There are also side effects after a session in the pit. Whatever happens after we release him…be careful." He sneered as he walked past. Kabuto turned to narrow his eyes at him.
Nov 3rd UTC 13:30
Gotham City
Dick fastened the tie of his school uniform and made sure his hair was combed perfectly; a very slight adjustment can go a long way in hiding one's identity as a superhero. Superman himself was proof of that concept. As he exited the manor, Alfred opened the door for him. "Do try to have a wonderful day at school, Master Dick."
Dick nodded, but then noticed Alfred stood in place; usually, he drove him to school. "Uh, Alfred? Aren't you driving?"
"Dick!" Bruce called from one of his many sports cars, in this case a Porsche, honking the horn. "Get in!"
Dick's eyes widened as he looked back at Alfred. "Master Bruce was most insistent that he drive you to school today." He said.
Dick nodded, and waved bye as he helped himself into the passenger seat. He couldn't help but notice that Bruce was shaved AND rested. Even though he only saw a slight change, he could detect an aura of happiness within him. As he took off, Dick sighed. "You know, I was actually hoping to have a few more days off."
"Fine. You're off the team and off duty then. No TV or games either." Bruce said as he drove off the manor grounds.
"I'm kidding, kidding! Jesh! Don't let the Joker ruin any sense of humor you may have left!" Dick decided to stop dancing around the subject, and asked what was really on his mind. "So, what's happening with them?"
"I haven't had a chance to review what data we have recorded just yet." Bruce said. "Black Canary should have interviewed them by now. I also asked Red Tornado for a blood sample from each of them. And they are scheduled for an appointment at S.T.A.R. Labs this morning for a full body scan. We need to see how different they are from us."
Dick thought carefully about what he was going to say next. "You know, I was thinking…if they're going to be here for a while, we could probably have them on as…members of the team." Bruce stared at him through his peripherals. "You know, as temporaries! They could help a lot!" he insisted.
"Dick." Bruce said. "They're ninja. They're trained to kill."
"But that does NOT make them killers!" Dick said. "They don't live in a cave like Ra's Al Ghul does! They live in a town, they have families! They spend their free time like we do!"
Bruce just eyed him for a moment. "The one with the pink hair. Right?"
Robin nearly gawked. "Oh, like you have a right to judge me! Tell me: when was the last time you actually CAUGHT Selina?" Bruce said nothing as he continued to stare ahead. "Or actually managed to THROW a batarang at Talia?"
"Enough!" Bruce snapped. The billionaire took a deep breath. "…I'll review the data and think about it." He then slowed down as he stopped in front of Gotham Academy. "Get to class. You're going to have a lot of work to catch up on when you get back." Dick nodded, and walked into the school.
Artemis yawned. Even with the TLC her mother gave her yesterday, she still felt exhausted from the whole dimensional barrier ordeal. "Hey Artemis."
The school's valedictorian, Bette Kane, approached her. "Hey Bette. What's up?" she lazily waved.
"I should ask what's up with you! That must have been some nasty flu you caught!"
Artemis took a moment to answer. "Yeah. Flu."
"That wasn't it?"
Artemis looked back at her and gave her a cocky smile. "No. Actually I fell through a well where I wound up in Feudal Japan where I fought demons along with a half-demon, monk and slayer. My mom's got my next illness's covered for when I go back to hunt for jewels." The two shared a brief moment of silence before breaking out laughter. From there, they walked to class together, getting in what conversation they could.
Little did they know, a red-headed girl overheard the conversation. A friend of hers was also sick for the exact same time as Artemis. "Hey Babs." She turned to see that friend in question, Dick, greet her. "Long time no see."
"Yeah…" She eyed him suspiciously, folding her arms.
"What?"
"You and Artemis were out sick for a whole week." She stated.
"Really? Wow, she caught what was going around too, huh?" Dick asked, hoping that would suffice.
"You two were sick AT THE EXACT SAME TIME, STAYED SICK FOR THE EXACT SAME LENGTH, AND CAME BACK ON THE EXACT SAME DAY." She emphasized, staring him down as she placed her fists on her hips. "Dick, are you hiding something from me?"
Dick began to sweat a little bit. "I…uh…" Suddenly, the bell rang. "Sorry, gotta go!" he waved as he ran off to his first class.
Barbara Gordon only growled in irritation. "Someday, Dick…I'm going to find out exactly WHAT you have been hiding from me…"
UTC 14:00
MOUNT JUSTICE, HAPPY HARBOR, RI
Red Tornado typed in a few commands on the keypad in front of the Zeta Tubes. "Uh…" Naruto groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Why so early?"
"Naruto…" Sakura said, trying not to sound too tired either, only gently massaging her face. "…it's only 9 in the morning." Truthfully, though, she wanted to sleep in as well. Just being in a different world was an exhausting ordeal.
Sasuke, of course, showed no signs of fatigue. "What are you doing?" he asked the android.
"The Zeta Tubes are programmed to allow only members of the League, the Team, and Allies to use them. I am modifying the security to grant you passage with a proper escort."
"Where are we going?"
"Someplace to study your bodies; we do not have the proper equipment here." Red Tornado turned to see Naruto's legs shaking…and Sakura turning away from him, arms over her chest. "We will not be dissecting you." He assured Naruto. "There would be no point in trying to send you back otherwise." He then turned to Sakura. "You also have nothing to worry about. Sexual misconduct is a serious offense in our world with both massive legal and social ramifications, especially when it comes to girls your age."
Sakura slowly relaxed, though still disturbed. "Hearing that coming from you only makes it more creepy."
"Come then. Look into this hole, each of you." He beckoned.
Sasuke stepped forward, looking inside with his one eye as a green light shone on it. "Accepted, Sasuke Uchiha. Designation D-03."
Sasuke jumped back. "You're doing?"
"No. The mainframe computer is another AI. One the league and I are in complete control of." Naruto and Sakura reluctantly repeated the process. "With that done, we will be going to one of the most renowned Research and Development companies, and valued ally of the Justice League." As Red Tornado stepped in front of a tube, the others followed suit. "We are ready to depart." They entered, and the tube opened up, a bright light enveloping them…
S.T.A.R. Labs
TAOS, NEW MEXICO
When the light faded, Naruto and his friends realized they were no longer in the cave. "Whoa! This is so cool!" Naruto exclaimed.
Whereas the cave was a hollowed earthen structure, this was a building of white marble and stainless steel. "Where are we?" Sakura asked, also in awe.
"Welcome to S.T.A.R. Labs. The League often collaborates with them to investigate many things out of the ordinary, and to build much of our equipment. More importantly, they helped us create our Zeta tubes, allowing the league to be anywhere on the globe when needed." The android explained.
"Red Tornado?" A middle-aged man approached them. "Are these the children you have told us about?"
"They are."
"Yes." He clapped his hands, and looked at Team 7. "Hello. My name is Dr. Dorado. The Justice League has informed me about your….situation."
"So, you're going to open up another 'portal'?" Sasuke asked, clearly irritated.
"That would be Step 2…if we're lucky. For now, we will be scanning your bodies for residual energies, as well as to compare your anatomy to ours."
"Oh." Naruto said. "Uh…how are you going to do that?"
UTC 14:30
WAYNE ENTERPRISES, CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
GOTHAM CITY
Lucius Fox, Head of R & D of Wayne Enterprises, typed away at his office computer. When he heard the doors swish open, he looked up, relieved at the sight before him. "Mr. Wayne! What a pleasant surprise! I heard both you and Dick are feeling much better!"
"Indeed." Bruce agreed as he walked towards him, carrying his briefcase. Of course, Fox knew about Bruce's double life. Still didn't mean he needed to know EVERYTHING. "Sorry I haven't been in the office; thanks for filling in for me…"
"Well, a man of your schedule and adventures can be excused." He said as he got some leftover paperwork ready for him.
"If you don't mind, Fox, I'd like to ask you a question. A rather…strange question."
Mr. Fox snickered. "Mr. Wayne, we live in a world of Men of Steel, Martians, Space Cops and men who can break the sound barrier on foot. I'd imagine no question would be too strange for me."
Bruce sighed. "Okay then." He breathed deep, and let it out. "Are you aware of any theories of alternate universes?"
Fox thought about it. "We're talking about dimensions beyond the 3rd? With different laws of physics?"
"…more like another universe seemingly populated by humans but with a completely different geography and history then ours. Different abilities too."
Fox tapped his fingers on the desk. "My, that is quite a question." He muttered. "Well, String Theory has brought up several possibilities, but as of yet no one has quite cracked the answer to that question. Seems like a job for S.T.A.R. Labs."
"Just thought on checking with you." He said as he took the paperwork. "I'll see you at the board meeting later today."
UTC 15:00
S.T.A.R. Labs
Taos, New Mexico
Sakura stepped out of the room, clad in only a hospital gown, nervously keeping the hems down as far down as possible. "Was it really necessary for me to take off my panties!?"
"Trust me, I know it's embarrassing." A female doctor assured her. "Don't worry; your friends are in another room. The gown is to keep things as sterile as possible and to prevent interference with the scan."
As she guided Sakura to the tubular device, Sakura asked "Uh…exactly what are you looking for?"
"Well, first we will be putting you under an x-ray; one for your muscular system and another for your skeletal system. We will also be scanning your body for radiation."
"Radiation?"
"Um…that will take you a while to explain. I assure you it's safe. Please, step in, and don't move." Sakura did so as the machine took her in. Green lights began running across her body…
UTC 18:30
HAPPY HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL, RI
"Good to have you back, Meg." Karen said as they stepped into the locker room to change from cheer practice.
Though Miss Martian only created the illusion of having clothes, she was able to make it look like she was able to take them off too. "Glad to be back. That flu was nasty." M'gann said, having practiced her and Connor's cover story. "I'm only sorry I missed the Halloween party."
"Oh? No one told you?" Wendy, a girl with short black hair asked.
"Told me what?"
Karen sighed. "Some idiot kids snuck in late at night to smoke some pot in the auditorium!"
"WHAT!?" M'gann was led to believe that most kids would try to AVOID school to do drugs.
"Guess their parents were onto them and needed to find another place." Wendy shrugged. "Anyway, they got so stoned they passed out, and their joints managed to catch fire on some of the school matts! The damage wasn't serious, but the school has been working to repair it the entire week!"
M'gann tried to take this in. "…so…"
"…the Halloween party has been delayed! It should be happening this Friday!" Karen finished for her.
"And those punks who ruined it in the first place aren't invited either!" Wendy declared.
M'gann jumped and had the biggest smile on her. "Who-hoo!" she shouted, jumping up. "I'm going to go tell Connor!"
As she ran down, Karen grabbed hold of her shoulder. "Uh-uh! Not like that you're not...though I'd imagine he would like that!"
"As well as all the boys." Wendy said, her eyes screaming envy.
M'gann looked down, seeing that she had "stripped" down to her underwear. "Hello, Megan!" she shouted, smacking her head.
UTC 21:30
MOUNT JUSTICE
Hours later, Team 7 was returned to the cave, their examinations having been completed. Red Tornado told them there were microwavable dinners in the fridge if they needed to eat, and retreated to his room above.
Suddenly, Wolf perked up and howled. "Hey boy!" a familiar voice called. The mutated wolf ran up and rubbed against the two teenage aliens as Connor and M'gann returned.
"You're back!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah." Superboy said as he just sighed, clearly depressed. "Man, this is going to be a drag."
"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.
"Homework." M'gann answered. "Missed nearly a whole week's worth of it, and we've got to catch up."
"We're going to be in the library. Let us know if you need anything." Superboy said as they walked away.
Naruto and Sakura sighed. Great, now there was no one else to interact with…
UTC 22:00
Poseidonis, Atlantis
Aqualad stole the coral ball from Garth, tossing it around his person as his friend tried to steal it back. "Your superhero job give you these kind of mad skills!?" Garth yelled frustrated as he failed to retrieve the ball.
"Well, not yet." Kaldur answered, not losing his grip. "If I'm ever handling precious cargo from the League of Shadows, I'll remember this!" Aqualad turned and threw it through the loop. "Hah!" Aqualad raised his arms in triumph, a rare moment from the one who was considered the most humble and mature of the team, while Garth just crossed his arms and looked away in denial.
"Aw. Kaldur'ahm hurting your feelings?" The two turned to see Tula swim towards them.
She embraced Garth, the Atlantean's frown turning upside down fast. "Hey you." He said, kissing her forehead.
Tula pulled away slightly to address Kaldur. It had gotten awkward between the two of them when Kaldur confessed his feelings for her, only for her to reveal she was in a relationship with Garth. But they agreed they wanted to remain friends. "Hey." She said.
"Hey."
"It's good to see you again. You seem very busy up in the surface." She quickly said.
"Yeah." Kaldur sighed, giving a genuine smile. "It just got busier."
"How so?" Garth asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Kaldur sighed. "We could spend more time together if you joined; we're looking for new members all the time, and it's be nice to have a few fellow water breathers on board."
Garth and Tula were taken aback by that. "Well…it…it sounds nice…" Tula stumbled.
"I'm kidding." Kaldur chuckled, holding up his hand. "But…since we can't spend time together like we used to, it would be nice if the two of you could join me. There is so much to show you!" he said excitedly. He heard stories about the surface world as a boy, and it was the reason he became Aqualad's sidekick in the first place.
Tula waved him off. "We'll make note of that."
"Wanna go to the theater?" Garth asked, hoping to lighten things up.
"Thanks, but I think I've had enough of a break. I must return to the surface world." Kaldur said.
"Someone needs rescuing?" Tula teased him.
Kaldur remained silent for a moment. "…you could say that." Kicking his legs, he waved. "I'll see you both again soon! Take care!" The other two waved as Kaldur made his way towards the Zeta Tube…
UTC 22:30
Mount Justice
Aqualad. B02. Access, Granted."
Aqualad emerged out of the Zeta Tube, looking around to see Team 7 in front of the TV again. Either they were enjoying it so much, or they were just dumbfounded at reruns of Ren and Stimpy. Probably the later, judging by the faint reflection on the screen. Leaning over the couch, Aqualad said "Yeah, the Happy Happy Joy Joy song freaked me out too."
Everyone turned to see him. "Kaldur-san!" Sakura said.
"Hey." Kaldur replied, switching off the TV. "How was the day?"
"Terrible!" Naruto shouted. "Red hardly talks to us, and when he does, it just sounds wrong! He took us to this place where they ran all sorts of tests on us, forcing us to wear these strange clothes…"
"Sorry. It was probably necessary." Aqualad assured him.
"And ever since they got home, M'gann and Superboy just shut themselves in the library!" the blonde continued.
"Probably catching up on their homework." Kaldur nodded.
"M'gann did say something about a 'Halloween Party' though…" Sakura mentioned.
"Really? That particular holiday has passed." Kaldur shrugged. "Anyway, I understand that you're scared. And you're bored. Listen, I just needed that one day back home. Now, I'll be here."
"So, what now?" Naruto asked.
Kaldur thought for a moment. "Well…I'll have to ask permission from Red Tornado. But…how about I take you on a little tour of the town? Nothing major, just a chance to get out of the cave."
"Heck yeah!" Naruto shouted. "I was getting stir-crazy in here!" he exclaimed.
Kaldur chuckled. "I get it. Since you seem quite bored, how 'bout we play a game?"
"What kind of game?" Sakura asked.
"Well, unless seeing Ren beat himself with a hammer on tv is your thing, follow me." The trio followed him to the center of the room. "We normally use this for important things, but it's nice to have for recreation as well."
Suddenly, several images suspended in the air appeared in front of them. "Whoa! What kind of magic is this!?" Naruto yelled.
"Are these…holograms!?" Sakura asked.
"Yes!" Aqualad exclaimed. "You learned of these from Robin, didn't you? Well, to the rest of you, these holograms are projections of light. However, this computer measures and monitors body movement, allowing us to interact with them. Like so…" He pressed a few keys, and the images changed completely. A horizontal board faced them, as well as a flat circle and odd objects. "This is called skeet. You simply use the bars to push the disk to my side. If it falls into my goal, you win a point. Want to give it a try, Naruto?"
Naruto gulped. "Uh…alright."
Aqualad walked to the other side. "Just grab it, like so." Aqualad took hold of one of the bars, showing it was following his movement. "Whatever you do, don't let go."
Naruto nervously reached for his. "Hey! I can't feel a thing!"
"Try moving it."
Naruto moved slightly, and the bar moved with his hand. "Wow…"
"The disc is in your court, Naruto. Why don't you begin?"
Naruto "hit" the disk, and it was propelled at Aqualad at incredible speed. "Whoa!" However, Aqualad smacked it back, and the disk moved even faster towards Naruto. "What the-!?"
The disk disappeared, and the scoreboard above gave a point to Aqualad. "Don't take your eyes of the disk." Aqualad smirked.
Naruto growled, ready for whatever else Aqualad threw at him (or so he thought…)
UTC 0:00
Nov 4th
NANDA PARBAT
Ra's al Ghul and Kabuto quickly descended the steps. Ra's in particular was in a hurry to get the sanin out of the pit. "Is there a problem if Orochimaru-sama stays in for too long?" Kabuto asked.
"Remind me to introduce you to a gentleman named Matt Hagen."
"Who?"
"He courted my daughter." He growled. "Thankfully, when she discovered for herself that he was not worthy of her love, she threw him into the pit and locked him away for days."
"What happened then?"
"Let's just say he's no longer a man." They finally came to the pit, Ra's men awaiting his orders. "Ubu." He commanded.
The giant of a man walked forward, and unsealed the hatch. At first, nothing came up. Suddenly, Orochimaru leaped out, and like a real snake, crawled across his belly at lightning speed and swallowed one of the guards whole, the man's body destroyed the instant he was inside. The other shadows prepared to attack him, but Ra's held them back. Like a predatory animal, Orochimaru eyed him, and lunged for him as well. Quickly, Ra's unleashed a spray of mace against his face. Even Orochimaru could do nothing but recoil at the pain of it, crouching down and clawing at his eyes. Finally, he seemed to calm down, breathing deeply as he tried to get his bearings straight.
"Apologies, Orochimaru." Ra's said, holstering the can. "But I cannot afford to let you eat all my men. The pit will sometimes induce a psychotic episode; I should have better prepared for this."
Orochimaru finally stood. "Sorry for the trouble." He smiled. He then looked at his arms. Though the ninjutsu he once possessed was gone, he could feel his arms had returned to full strength. "Thank you for the pit. It was…therapeutic."
"I hope I never have to share it with you again." Ra's said distastefully. "Now, I believe it's time you got to work."
Orochimaru nodded, as Kabuto provided him with his clothes. Quickly, where they weren't looking, Orochimaru spat some of the green substance into a vial Kabuto had brought with him. The medi-nin quickly stashed it away.
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
Itachi carefully typed away at the computer; he and his comrades were being given a crash-course in the world's technology. He was doing quite well, though he suspected their benefactors were not showing them everything. He was confident he could learn so much more on his own, if needed. Too bad he could not say the same of the others, mainly Deidara and Kisame, whose screams could be heard down the hall. Technology was not their friend, to say the least.
"Excellent. I see Madara's praise of you is well-founded." Itachi spun in his chair to see a bald man in a suit behind him. "Sorry for startling you; I over saw the research for the Zoom Tubes. I worked with your master extensively on them. Lex Luthor." He bowed.
Itachi slowly nodded. "I must admit, I'm surprised to see you of all people here. I've read your biography on Wikipedia Japan…"
"Don't believe everything you hear, son." Lex smirked. "The Light needs a public liaison, like myself and Queen Bee. While the Queen cannot hide the reputation she has made for herself, only my worst enemies know who I really am…and I work hard to ensure they cannot prove it."
"Reminds of a certain someone I know." Itachi sighed. "…is there something I can help you with? I'm afraid there's so much more I need to learn; my English still needs work…"
"It just interests me." Lex Luthor said, looking through some files he carried with him. "Your master has shared some interesting things with us about you. Like killing your best friend, just to gain more power…" Itachi narrowed his eyes. "And then your entire family to test that power. It interests me."
"You're not an Uchiha, if you're seeking the Magenkyo." Itachi replied. "One outside of the clan has one, but he cannot use it to its full potential."
"What interests me is the cause and effect of your powers." Luthor said, slamming the files down on the desk. "To get these upgraded eyes of yours, you have to kill a good friend." He said, pacing. "So, my theory is, the mutation is triggered by guilt." He said, holding up his finger. "I'd imagine you would have stopped there. But you went onto kill the rest of your clan."
"I needed to test it out." Itachi replied, betraying no emotion.
"On your family?" Luthor smirked, not believing his answer. "Even if I believed that…the fact is you let your little brother live. What was so special about him that you decided to spare him? A worthy opponent?" Lex came closer, leaning dangerously close to him. Itachi did not flinch. "Don't play me the fool. You and I both know there are at least two individuals from your world more powerful than you…"
"I believe peering into my private life was not part of the deal." Itachi warned him, flashing his Magenkyo. "Do you prefer to be burned alive? Or driven mad?"
Lex stood straight, holding up his hands, but never losing his smirk. "Just wanted to tell you it's time to break for lunch."
"SCREW THIS PIECE OF TRASH!" Kisame suddenly yelled down the hall. The smashing of equipment followed.
Luthor sighed. "I'm going to have to send the bill to Savage."
"Kisame was never known for his smarts." Itachi nodded as he got up from his seat.
Walking down the hall, he made it to the cafeteria, where several mercenaries had congregated, still in their tactical gear. Itachi looked at the rifles slung over the shoulders. He read about them. While he admitted they were fascinating and without question effective weapons…they rubbed him the wrong way. To him, it made them less than the warriors they claimed to be, even though he was sure they knew other forms of close combat. He said nothing as he picked up his tray and got in line. He didn't know what most of the food was, but settled for what seemed to be long noodles and some chicken. As he walked over to a table, he was content to eat alone in piece.
"Adapting good enough?"
Itachi looked up from his plate to see a lady in green and wild hair like a mane sit across from him. "You're the woman with the cat-mask." Itachi deduced.
"Sharp eyes. And call me Cheshire." Itachi said nothing. "Not much of a conversationalist, are you?"
"I am on a mission."
"You're not much fun, either." Cheshire sighed, taking a bite of rice.
"I noticed you separated from the Sportsmaster while we observed the fight the other night. May I ask why?" Now Cheshire fell silent. "It seems we both have things we don't want to discuss." Itachi said.
Cheshire narrowed her eyes. "For being the silent type, you sure do know how to burn people."
"Kisame has said the same thing before." Itachi agreed.
They stayed silent for a moment. "So…I hear you have these special eyes?" she asked.
"The Sharingan."
"Uh-huh. What can it do?"
"I believe you have the testimony of our abilities on video."
"Some of them." Cheshire said as she swallowed some pork. "I doubt you revealed ALL of them. Especially you."
Itachi stopped, slowly setting his chopsticks down. "You heard the more harmless aspects of my abilities." He narrowed his eyes dangerously at her. "Believe me, you have no idea what else I can do."
"I'm sure." Cheshire smirked. "But you wouldn't do that. Not here. You're far too loyal to your cause to assault an ally over a petty chat and endanger your alliance."
"And they will take revenge for you?" Itachi shot back. "…one of many assassins in their employ?"
"Daddy dearest would." Cheshire sighed, dropping her smile and rolling her eyes. "…but not for the reason you would think."
Itachi thought for a moment. "Sportsmaster."
"Bingo." She said, stuffing a broccoli in her mouth. "You grew up with cold-blooded assassins, didn't you?"
Itachi hesitated. "It's…complicated."
"Fine." Cheshire sighed. Finished with her meal, she picked up her tray and began to walk away. "Until next time." She winked.
Itachi only went back to his meal, before he realized something. "I was actually SOCIALIZING with somebody…"
MOUNT JUSTICE
UTC 16:00
"TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, HEROES IN A HALF-SHELL! TURTLE POWER!"
Team 7 looked at the screen dumbfounded at the anime they stumbled upon. "This is what they think of when putting ninjas on TV?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.
"This place is too strange." Sakura agreed.
"Uh, is this popular?" Naruto asked.
"Insanely. Wally is a huge fan of this show, but I personally never got the appeal." Aqualad approached them, eating an apple and dressed in black pants and a windbreaker. "So, want to watch TV, or would you like to go out?" Sakura turned it off as they sat up from the couch, lined up in front of him like a teacher taking his students on a trip. "Okay. Hold out your wrists." The three did so, as Aqualad attached bracelets on them.
"Is this some sort of friendship thing?" Sasuke groaned as he looked at his blue bracelet.
"Well, you can certainly think of it that way if you wish." Aqualad chuckled. "These are tracking devices. I trust none of you will run away from me, but Red Tornado strictly ordered you to have these if you're to leave the cave. Not only is this for our personal security…but while you're lost on our world, you're all our responsibility." Sakura nodded in agreement and appreciation.
"So, what are we doing!?" Naruto asked excitedly. As much as he wanted to get back home, he wanted to see what this world had to offer.
Aqualad thought about that. "Well, considering you'll likely be here for a while…I think a change of clothes is in order…"
"YES!" Sakura shouted as she jumped excitedly.
UTC 16:30
It was odd that not too long ago, these three kids took Aqualad and his friends to get new clothes. Now, the opposite was happening. The three had picked quite a few clothes, and once they were in agreement, they all changed out of them to wear one set of their new ones.
Naruto went ahead and chose black jeans with an orange t-shirt, sporting one of the sports teams in the country, along with white sneakers. Sakura went ahead with a pink tank top and denim, wearing light heels. Sasuke went ahead and got blue jeans, black sneakers and a white t-shirt.
"Okay then." Aqualad said as the exited the store with them. "You three hungry?"
UTC 17:00
Team 7 munched away with joy as Aqualad took them to the local Burger King. Even Sakura, who seemed to be the most well-mannered and concerned with her diet, was stuffing her mouth with fries like it would be her last meal on earth. "Mm, delicious!" Naruto exclaimed with a bite of his whopper.
Aqualad chuckled, taking a bite of his burger. "I'm glad you approve."
"I could eat this every day!" Naruto announced, rubbing his stomach.
Aqualad chuckled nervously. "Okay…remind me to show you Super-Size me in the near future…"
UTC 18:00
Aqualad then showed them down the street. They couldn't help but notice how the streets, instead of simple dirt, were made of concrete. As Naruto was about to cross the street, Aqualad held him back. "Wait!" A strange machine, almost like a carriage but without horses, zoomed by at a moderately high speed.
"What was that?" Sakura asked.
"A car; people use them to get around." Aqualad answered. "And you've got to be careful crossing the streets here. Getting hit by those will hurt you really bad." When the crosswalk turned green, he motioned them to follow.
"How can that thing move?" she asked.
Aqualad smiled. "Perhaps I'll fill you in when we get back. If cars amaze you, wait until you see planes."
Sasuke looked around. "I must say, this is not too different from home."
"We were more amazed that you had as more similarities with our home than you did differences." Aqualad said. "But remind me to show you either Metropolis or Gotham online. Maybe even Central and Star City. I bet you don't have skyscrapers where you're from."
As the three wondered what he was talking about, they stumbled upon a building where several young people were congregated. "Is that an academy?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. In fact, this is where Connor and M'gann go to school. " Aqualad replied. Looking at his watch, he added "If I remember their schedule correctly, M'gann is probably in cheer practice right now. I'd imagine Connor is watching her."
When he wasn't looking, the three scaled a tree nearby. Looking around, Naruto found M'gann in her human form. Unlike her homely getup, she was in a rather skimpy outfit that consisted of a white t-shirt top, blue skirt, and was waving fury things in her hands while jumping up and down. To Sakura, it was the most ridiculous thing she ever saw. "Uh, what are they doing?"
Sakura noticed that Naruto was just staring, slowly forming a big grin on his face. Sakura gave him a disapproving look, and smacked him across the head. "OW!"
"We should probably go!" Aqualad called to them. "Strangers are not allowed on school property usually, and it will be suspicious if someone catches you up there!"
Reluctantly, they touched back down on the ground. "The tour's fine." Sasuke said. "But except for a few technological wonders, nothing special."
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed.
"It's alright." Aqualad said, holding up his hand. "Happy Harbor is quite a small town. I'd have brought you elsewhere, but I don't have permission to take you anywhere else. It's a miracle they let you outside at all." Aqualad rubbed his chin. "Although…do you have movies back in your world?"
"Of course!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Yeah. I really like the Princess Fuun films." Naruto agreed.
Aqualad smiled. "There's a theatre that likes to show old movies. One of my favorites is playing later tonight. Wanna come along?"
UTC 02:30
Naruto and Sakura looked on in amazement at what they saw on the screen. If they were to describe to their friends what they were watching, they wouldn't know where to begin.
It had people, but it also many other creatures: a metal-man that reminded them of a sillier Red Tornado, along with what seemed to be a living can on wheels. The gold one was funny though annoying at times. The can was rather cute, making nothing more than beeps. Somehow, the two understood one another, the gold one often conveying what the can said to others. Another seemed to be a hairy ape armed with a crossbow. Somehow his human friend was able to understand him perfectly, despite sounding like nothing but a howling yak. They saw even more strange vehicles, many of which could apparently fly into the heavens and into other worlds, similar to M'gann's ship. Most of the characters seemed to use strange weapons that fired projectiles of light (though the men in white couldn't hit worth a damn). Another, however, wielded a sword of light and had other special powers. He was clearly the protagonist of the story.
But what got their attention the most was the apparent villain, a dark samurai. His voice was haunting, and he practically stole the show whenever he showed up. When the duel between him and the hero began, the two genin were ready for an epic throw down. However, their hearts sunk when the protagonist's hand, and his weapon, were severed.
Seeing he was cornered, he backed away to the edge of the bridge. "With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy!" the samurai yelled.
"I'll never join you!" he shouted back. Sakura munched on her popcorn nervously, while Naruto gripped the seat tighter.
"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side!" the samurai shouted back. Obi-wan never told you what happened to your father…?"
"He told me enough! He told me you killed him!"
"No…I, am your father!"
Their jaws dropped at the declaration as the hero broke down. "No…no…it's not true…THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" While Naruto and Sakura were at the edge of their seats, Sasuke looked on, looking pretty bored.
GOTHAM CITY
UTC 03:00
Dick leaned in his chair and slammed his pencil on his desk, groaning. "Oh man…." Had Dick been an ordinary teenager, catching up on this much homework may have been impossible! Stroking his hair, he observed his clock, reading 9'o clock.
Sighing, he got out of his chair, and trotted down the stairs. "Hey Alfred." He called, seeing the butler cleaning the glassware in the sink.
"Hello, Master Dick." He said, not turning away from his current task. "I take it you finished all your homework?"
"Yeah." He said. "Is Bruce still home?"
"As a matter a fact, he is." Alfred said. "He's ready to go on patrol anytime, though. You're still off-duty, but perhaps you can catch him before he leaves."
"Thanks." Dick walked towards the clock, taking the elevator down into the Bat Cave.
Walking down the steps, he saw Bruce dressed as Batman, only the cowl off. He was staring at the computer intently. "Working on a case?"
"You can say that." He motioned him over, and Robin saw he was reviewing the video interviews of the ninjas from Black Canary. The one currently playing was Naruto's…it went about as well as one would have expected.
Dick had to chuckle at the note Bruce typed: Possible ADHD. "Sounds about right."
"I want you to see this." Bruce said as he played Sasuke's interview.
"…why did you do that?"
"…to kill him…"
Robin gulped. "I kind of sensed he wanted some sort of revenge…"
"I'm not jumping to conclusions yet." Bruce clarified. "What happens on their world is their business, but I need him to be monitored."
"Yeah." Robin reluctantly agreed.
"Never underestimate the need for vengeance." Bruce reminded him. He himself didn't know where he would be today had he not had Alfred, or met the right people when training. Though he didn't want to admit it, Bruce felt the Justice League also stopped him from going too far down into the dark. Typing in a few keys, he brought up a few more windows. "Look at these."
Dick brought his attention to the new windows. "This the data from S.T.A.R. Labs?"
"Yes. It's rather…interesting." Bruce nodded. "This reminds me of meridian energy patterns."
"I thought those weren't real."
"Just unproven. But based on what you told me of their abilities, this makes sense." Bruce said.
HAPPY HARBOR, RI
"That was the best movie ever!" Naruto exclaimed as Aqualad let them back into the cave.
"It was good." Sakura agreed. "But I feel as though we missed something…"
"It was the second part of a trilogy." Aqualad let them know. "Remind me to show you the beginning, maybe tomorrow. Whatever you do though, don't watch the prequels. Trust me, you will wish you never heard of Jar Jar Binks."
"Who?" Naruto asked.
"Exactly."
"Hey Kaldur!" M'gann called from the kitchen.
The three observed her cooking some kind of grain in the pot, while she multitasked with her telekinesis, chopping up various vegetables and spices, even working the oven with nothing but her mind. "Wow!" Sakura exclaimed. "You can cook too!?"
"Yeah. It's been a personal hobby of mine ever since I got here." The Martian called back, not taking her eyes off anything. "Though I must admit, my first few attempts were pretty terrible."
The ninja turned to see Superboy watching the TV…except that all that was on was static. "Uh, Connor-kun?" Sakura asked. "Don't you want to change the channel?"
"No."
Soon enough, dinner was served, consisting of chicken and pasta. "Hm!" Naruto exclaimed. "It's not ramen, but it will do!"
"Glad you enjoy it." Miss Martian said. "So, I hear Aqualad was allowed to bring you outside?"
"Yes." Aqualad said. "I think it's safe to say they enjoyed themselves." Aqualad looked to Sasuke, quietly eating his own food. "As much as some could, anyway…"
M'gann nodded, oddly excited. "So, listen. I was worried our school already had the Halloween Party, but it turns out it was delayed! It's happening tomorrow!"
"Ah, sounds like you lucked out." Aqualad said.
"I was thinking…we could invite you three over!" M'gann continued.
"Halloween?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"Halloween started out as a pagan holiday practiced in Europe to pay respect to the dead." Superboy began. "One of the customs involved dressing up as skeletons, to pay homage to the dead. As it made it's way into America, people took liberties and made it into a commercial holiday, participants dressing up as any horrific creature they could think up. Eventually, this tradition was expanded further to where people could dress up as anything, or anyone. A common activity on Halloween for children was to dress up and go to houses in the neighborhood, asking for candy. Trick or treating, it's called."
The three only stared at him as he went full encyclopedia on them. "Uh…wow." Naruto said.
"So…it's…cosplaying?" Sakura asked.
"In a manner of speaking, yes. I don't get it either." Superboy said (apparently having heard that term too) as he took another bite of his meal. "Sounds pretty…"
"It's going to be fun!" M'gann said, smiling at Superboy. Superboy's neutral expression eventually became a forced smile. "Anyway, I thought I'd invite you three over!" M'gann exclaimed excitedly. "I know it's probably still intimidating here, but I think nothing like a good amount of fun to ease the tension, right?"
Naruto and Sakura only nodded slightly, dumbfounded, while Sasuke sighed.
NEW YORK CITY, NY
Nov 5th
UTC 13:00
"Morning, Daddy." Zatanna said as she poured milk into her honey nut cheerios. Her father was occupied with the newspaper; she had a feeling it was the front page that caught his attention.
"MASSACRE AT THE MUSEUM" the headline read. "Attack believed to be linked to missing artifact." The subtitle continued.
"League business?" she asked.
"Perhaps." Giovanni replied, setting the newspaper down to sip his coffee. "I need to do some investigating on my own. Hopefully, it's nothing the police can't handle." He said as he took a bite of toast. While many members of the league would take it upon themselves to handle normal criminals, others like Zatara generally stayed out of such affairs to focus on other forces the police would not be able to handle.
"Listen, Dad." Zatanna continued. "M'gann says her school is having a late Halloween Party tonight. I know it's at the last minute, but she invited me over."
Giovanni gave her daughter the look. He was still pretty mad how she snuck out with the team on an unapproved mission. Still, he had to admit that she worked pretty well with them, and having had to keep magic a secret from her friends, it was good for her to meet other super-powered teens. Besides, it was just a party with ordinary kids; what could go wrong? "Sure." He sighed, giving in. " Just let me know what time you will be leaving, and if you're staying out longer than 10:30, call me." He took a brief glance at the clock. "Now hurry along!" he said, waving his newspaper. "Let's keep that perfect attendance you have going!"
Zatanna picked up her school bag as she gave her dad a quick peck, before running out the door.
HAPPY HARBOR, RI
UTC 22:00
Team 7's immersion into this new world continued. M'gann helped them discover YouTube, and unlike most people who would search for videos of kittens and attempt to pirate their favorite TV shows, they took it as an opportunity to view other parts of the world they were not allowed to explore due to the League's restrictions. Today, they were viewing a video on Robin's home village…if it could be called that. The buildings were massive, reaching higher than even the Hokage monument at home. "Amazing!" Naruto exclaimed. "That must be a great place to live!"
"If only you knew." M'gann cringed.
"Thanks to a generous grant from my company, Wayne Enterprises, Gotham is being returned to it's former glory." An obvious upper-classman said as he was helped into his limo. The three continued to stare in amazement at what they had to offer, highlighting the Night Clubs and the Opera House. "There's never been a better time to visit our great city." The same man from before said as a waitress handed him a glass of wine, before the commercial cut to an ariel view of the city, showing the plane flying into the bay.
"All your big…cities…are like this!?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. There's so many out there; I don't think we'd have time to go over them all." M'gann then saw Naruto scratch his chin in deep thought. "What is it, Naruto?"
"That rich guy…I've seen him somewhere before."
Sakura sighed. "I doubt it."
"No! I'm certain, I've SEEN him! I can't put my finger on it…"
"Robin. B-01. Access, granted."
The three turned to see the Zeta Tube light up, and Robin, wearing sunglasses and a gray hoodie, stepped out. "Robin!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Where have you been!?" Naruto said.
"Sorry, I've had homework to catch up on!" Robin exclaimed. He stopped to stare at them. "Holy shit. The legends are true: you're speaking English now! For realz this time!" The three sighed. "Anyway, how are you three holding up?"
"We're managing." Sakura answered. "Your world is fascinating…"
"Well, the feeling is mutual." He smirked. "I know this is probably something you're not in the mood for, but we discovered some fascinating things about your bodies from the reports in Star Labs." The three looked at him oddly. "NOT LIKE THAT." Robin clarified.
Typing away a few things on his tablet, he set it down on the floor so that the screen could project holograms. "I don't think I'll ever get used to these Hologramers." Naruto muttered.
A rough representation of their bodies were displayed, and while they were technically nude, their privates were seemingly erased. "On the surface, you appear as normal human beings. But as the saying goes, what matters most, is on the inside…" The skin was stripped away, leaving the musculoskeletal structure. "When we came to your world, I noticed that you were all quite hardy, and faster than normal humans. Your muscles, for your age, are just below a super-human level. Their tensile strength and connective tissue is stronger, and you have more actin and myosin, allowing for greater feats of strength. It seems you're born with the athletic skills I've trained for the past four years to acquire." The muscles were stripped away, showing the skeleton. "And strong muscles need strong bones. I've noticed you can take hard hits. Your bones are 100% denser than that of the average human, yet you still maintain enough soft tissue inside to avoid breaking them. After all we've seen, I wouldn't be surprised if you all can heal broken bones faster." Robin typed away at the holographic keyboard, as he erased all the major structures of their bodies. "BUT, that's not what's most interesting about you. Check this out."
Soon, only the outlines of their bodies remained, while other lines coiled around the inside of their bodies. "Those are our chakra coils!" Sakura exclaimed. "I read about them in the academy!"
"Ah. We had a similar line of thought. And for comparison…" Robin brought up another body, but this one was blank. "This one is the body of a man from our world. As you can see, he lacks these coils altogether."
"So…" Sasuke began. "…none of you have chakra?"
"Wouldn't know how to answer that, since chakra is technically one of many words for 'life force'…I think a more accurate term is that we here don't have access to it." Robin answered." These are very similar to patterns of energy from ancient Asian medical theories. Our theory is that they exist in both of us, but yours are much larger."
"And just HOW is this supposed to help us get back home?" Sasuke growled.
Robin sighed, turning off the tablet. "We're working on it. But whatever technology the League of Shadows and Lexcorp is using, it's brand new, even to S.T.A.R. labs. Luthor is smart enough to keep his more shady projects off the books, and we have nothing to go on. Unless Ra's Al Ghul suddenly gets in a charitable mood and shares it with us, you're not going anywhere soon. I'm sorry." Sasuke just stared at him, and walked away.
Quickly, Naruto jogged up to him. "You really are a jerk, you know that?" Naruto asked.
"Not my problem."
"Teme, they ARE trying to help us!" Naruto insisted. "This isn't the worst thing to happen to us. Ease up a little." Naruto closed his eyes and smiled, like he usually did. "At least we're among cool friends."
Sasuke snorted, and looked away. Sakura said nothing, just giving a longing look. "Sorry." Robin assured her. "We're trying. We're really trying."
"I know." Sakura sighed. Thinking to get her mind off their predicament, she asked "Anything else about us they discovered?"
Looking through the data, Robin said. "Well, they discovered pink is indeed your natural color."
There was a moment of silence between the two, before the first line of thought on how they did that crossed Sakura's mind. "WHAT!?" Sakura suddenly tackled Robin, pinning him to the floor and trying to wail on him.
"YOUR SCALP!" Robin shouted as he held her arms back. "THEY TOOK THE SAMPLE FROM YOUR SCALP!"
"Uh, what's the matter?" Naruto asked, not getting what the big deal was.
"Artemis. B-07. Access, granted."
Artemis, clad in her civilian outfit, entered the scene. "Well, Sakura. It looks like we found a reason for you to stay." She said, smirking.
Sakura stopped, and looked down at Robin. Robin only gave an embarrassed chuckle as Sakura jumped away from him. "It's not the worst position you could be in…" Robin said as he got up, dusting himself off. "…nor with the worst person either."
"Kid Flash. B-03. Access, granted."
Wally West materialized in front of the tube, happily munching on a full bucket of KFC smeared in hot sauce. "Hey." He said, his mouth still full. "How ya guys hangn' in there?"
"We're doing okay." Naruto answered.
"Good to know." Kid Flash said as he practically inhaled another wing.
"Uh…thanks for asking." Sakura said, forcing a smile. Inner Sakura suddenly screamed in her head, clutching her imaginary stomach. "Oh God! Just watching you eat makes me want to go Number 2!"
"Yeah…so…" Kid Flash suddenly zoomed over to M'gann, leaning on her shoulder. "So, babe? A late Halloween party?" he asked.
"Yeah. Thought we'd invite all of you…including our 'guests'!" M'gann smiled.
"Sounds like a plan! Of course, if it's too much trouble, it can be just you and me…" he smiled slyly, raising his eyebrows in a smooth manner.
"Trust me, Wally." M'gann said, politely pushing him off. "The more the merrier."
"You coming?" Superboy asked Robin as he wiped down the oil from working on his normal motorcycle; with Sphere it was unnecessary, but he liked to work on it just the same in the event he needed to act human.
"Hn…" Robin thought. "I don't think I will be. Batman wanted to conviene here to discuss some things. Sorry."
"B-08. Zatanna Zatara. Access, granted."
Naruto turned to the Zeta tubes, and his eyes widened at what he saw. A beautiful girl, not much older than him and his friends, walked down. She had silky black hair, green eyes like Sakura's, and nice lips. Currently dressed in a purple tank top and white capris, she knew how to be fashionable, and Naruto could tell that puberty was going to be very kind to this person. "Wow…she's…she's gorgeous…" Naruto slightly smiled and blushed. He liked Sakura BETTER…but every now and then, it was nice to check out the other fish in the sea…
"Zatanna!" M'gann floated over to her, hugging her. Zatanna did the same. "It's so good to see you again!"
"Good to see you too." Zatanna smiled. "I hear you had quite an adventure."
"It's not over yet." M'gann smiled. "So, you're here for the party?"
"As long as it's happening. Just make sure we don't have to deal with anything too crazy tonight." She smiled. "Please don't get me grounded again. I think Dad will really ground me for life if something goes wrong."
"It's just a school dance." M'gann assured her. "Nothing bad should happen."
Zatanna then turned to see the newcomers. "Hey." She said. "I hear you're not from around here."
"Hi." Sakura responded. "I'm Sakura Haruno. These are my teammates, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha." The two nodded, though Naruto in particular was a bit slow.
"I'm Zatanna. Zatanna Zatara." She said, bowing. "Sorry, I'm not used to this. Going by my dad's custom, we'd kiss."
"S-SERIOUSLY!?" Sakura stammered.
"On the cheek." Zatanna giggled. "I see that's still disturbing to you. Don't worry, I'm into guys." She waved her off. "Promise."
"Coulda fooled me." Naruto thought as he turned red from the thought of the two doing things Jiraiya would probably write about.
"Soo, Zatana? Can your magic change clothes?" Wally asked, still munching on his wings. "I mean, I guess it's cool if they come as it is, but let them in on the fun, you know?"
"Magic?" Naruto asked.
"Sure. I have to know what they're changing into…" Zatanna answered.
"That's a good point…" Kid Flash said as he rubbed his chin, inspecting them.
"I-it's okay, Wally!" Sakura stammered nervously, waving her hands. "I'm really not into cosplaying…"
"Oh, lighten up." Wally waved her off. "It's going to be fun…let's try something!" He looked at Naruto, and smiled.
"W-what are you going to do to me!?" Naruto stuttered.
Quickly, Wally pulled out his cellphone. "Hey, Zatanna…" he said as he brought up a picture on his phone and showed it to Zatanna. "…think you can make him look like this dude?"
She looked at the photo, and then at Naruto. She smiled slightly. "Yeah…I can see the resemblance." She cracked her fingers. "Okay. Let's give this a try."
"Uh…what are you going to do?" Naruto asked.
"Just giving you a new outfit." Zatanna smirked. "Egnahc mih otni eht nosrep ni eht erutcip!" she said. A swirling mist suddenly surrounded Naruto, and Sakura and Sasuke's jaws dropped. Naruto's clothes were replaced with what seemed to be a red karate gi and a black belt. He wore quite solid boots, wrist wraps, and his hair was smoothed out to stand up like fire.
"Super Saiyajin Naruto!?" Robin laughed. "It suits you!"
"Wha-?" Naruto looked down, seeing his clothes have changed. "AH!" He then felt his hair, and his eyes widened. "What the-!? What'd you do to me!?"
"Just changed your clothes." Zatanna said. "Though truthfully, I have no idea WHO you're supposed to be…"
"Seriously!?" Wally asked. "You don't watch Toonami!?"
"I don't watch TV." Zatanna replied.
Wally sighed in disbelief. "Well, okay…what about this girl?" he then showed Zatanna another picture. Zatanna sighed. "Fine. Skirt looks a bit short though; I'm going to make it a little bit longer."
"W-wait!" Sakura waved. Zatanna repeated the spell, and a mist surrounded Sakura. If Naruto's new outfit was surprising, Sakura's new outfit was downright ridiculous! Her hair was stylized with pig tails, jewels wrapping the hair. Stylized gloves and boots adorned her, as well as a gold tiara, but none if it shocked it her so much as the actual outfit. All she had was what seemed to be a white one-piece swimsuit, and a red skirt around her. "WHAT THE HELL!?" Sakura screamed.
Robin was now rolling over on the floor laughing. "HAHAHA! SAILOR CHIBI SAKURA! GENIUS!"
"I LOOK RIDICULOUS! CHANGE ME BACK!" Sakura cried.
"Sorry!" Zatanna said. "Egnahc meht kcab!"
The mist swirled around the two again, and they were back to normal. "Phew." Sakura said.
Wally, however, saw none of this. Instead, he was thinking of what he could do with Sasuke. Getting an idea, he searched for images on his phone."Well, now for Mr. Personality here…"
Before he could finish, Sasuke suddenly rushed up to him, and grabbed his phone. Charging up his Chidori, he exploded it. While the speedster could only look on in horror, Sasuke simply said "DON'T. YOU. DARE." He warned him.
"Aw man!" Wally cried as he sunk to his knees as he gathered what was once his phone.
"Rest in peace Iphone. We knew ye well." Artemis sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. Turning her attention to the ninja, she said "Hey. Sorry we haven't been around. You adjusting okay?"
"We're doing fine!" Naruto smiled.
"Well, I'm in for the party. I know you're nervous about it, but I think it will do you all some good to relax a bit. For what it's worth, Connor doesn't seem to be fond of the idea either. But he's going anyway; come on. I've got more sensible costumes for you all."
"Actually…" Naruto began, scratching his cheek and smiling. "I kinda liked that last costume. It was cool."
"YES!" Wally yelled, throwing up his arms in the air.
"Why don't you just go as your…other selves?" Sakura asked.
"One, too lazy." Wally began. "Two, we could risk giving away our identities. Three, why would we mix work with pleasure?"
UTC 23:00
Aqualad wasn't planning to be on duty. But Batman called earlier, ordering a meeting with him and Robin. Since the Team was not allowed into the Watchtower, they would do it in the Cave. Red Tornado, and Red Arrow would also be present. He figured it was appropriate to suit up as if he was about to go off on a mission. As did Robin. "You don't have to come." Aqualad assured him. "You should have fun with the others."
"As tempting as it is, can't." Robin asked. "I have to be part of this. Especially if we're talking about them…and the you know what if it exists."
Aqualad nodded. "Okay then." There was definitely no need to tell Team 7 about THAT.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team was prepared for the party. "AWOOO, AWO AWO AWOOO!" Wally howled to the ceiling, dressed in an old 80s jersey, and glued a brown wig and beard onto his person, coloring his nose black. He then looked towards Wolf, lying on the floor. The mutated canine looked rather annoyed, as if it was trying it's darndest to ignore him. "What!? What kind of wolf are you!?" Wally chastised him, the poor beast rolling over in response.
"Wally, stop torturing him!" Superboy shouted as M'gann wrapped bandages around his person. Wally sighed, looking back to Team 7 in their respective costumes. Naruto was back in his Super Saiyajin costume, having approved of it. Sasuke had a blue mask that only showed his eyes, and a toy sword on his back. "Very mundane of you, Sasuke." Wally thought. He had a feeling he was still scowling under the mask. Sakura was dressed in a blue top with straps around her upper arms and Arabian balloon pants, complete with a tiara around her head. "Well, though you don't look the least bit Arabian, the Princess Jasmine get up looks nice on you." Wally complimented her. "…even though you're a bit…petite, for the role…" he thought, cautious that the pinkette may be psychic and would attack him.
"You really think so?" Sakura asked, tugging at her pants. "I kind of like it, though…" she blushed. Naruto had to agree; she really looked pretty in that.
"I'VE COME TO SUCK YOUR BLOOD!"
Naruto jumped, and turned around to see Artemis holding her arms up while she looked down on them with a predatory smile, fake fangs in her mouth. She dressed herself in a tuxedo, with a red cape whose lapels nearly came up to her ears. "What the heck are you supposed to be!?" he shouted.
"A vampire." When they gave her a blank look, she sighed. "An undead being that can come out only at night, and sucks the blood of other humans, turning them into other vampires." She explained.
"Uh…oh." Was all Naruto said.
"So, what do you think?" Zatanna came walking in, dressed in a red cloak and a hat that looked more like a giant cone.
"And you?" Sakura asked. "What are you supposed to be?"
"A witch." Zatanna replied. "I do magic, so it fits." She smiled, tipping her hat off to her.
"Done!" M'gann said as she tied the final bandage over Superboy's person. He was supposed to be a mummy, but Connor refused to cover his entire person with bandages. It looked unfinished, but everyone had a feeling the Kryptonian would go no further.
"So, what are you going as?" Wally asked. "My favorite Martian?"
"Not exactly." She smiled. She transformed, her casual clothes changing into a wedding dress and veil. Her green skin turned white, and her eyes were surrounded by what seemed to be black eye-liner. "RAWR!" she cried, throwing her arms up like a real corpse-bride.
"Whoa. Eat my brains anytime!" was all Wally said in awe.
"So, is everyone ready?" she asked as everyone gathered around.
"I'm ready!" All turned to see Captain Marvel, his face covered in white and black make up, giving his usual goofy grin.
"Uh…Captain?" Superboy asked, confused.
"Cool, Zombie Marvel!" Zatanna exclaimed.
"Was there supposed to be a Halloween Party with the Justice League?" M'gann asked. "Sorry! I guess our little debacle threw it off completely! Enjoy your party!"
"Alright! Let's…hey, what now?" Captain Marvel asked, genuinely confused. "I thought, when you said you were inviting the entire team…"
"Yes, the team, Zatanna, and our guests." M'gann smiled. "So please, enjoy the party! And tell Uncle J'ohnn I said hello! We'll be in touch soon!"
Captain Marvel grumbled, and flew to the Zeta Tube. "Captain Marvel. A-05. Access, Granted."
"I knew I should have saved my candy." He grumbled as he was teleported into the tube.
Turning back to the team, M'gann asked "Okay. For real this time: is everyone ready?"
"You better believe it!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fists, as the others groaned. Apparently, Zatara's spell wasn't 100% perfect; Naruto had a habit of saying some nonsense word that meant nothing, that kept being translated as "Believe it!" They didn't mind it much when they heard Naruto speak in Japanese. Under the spell causing him to speak English, it became nearly unbearable.
"I'll just take that as a yes." M'gann sighed.
"Well, it looks like all of you are ready for fun." All turned to see Aqualad and Robin approach them.
"You're not coming?" Naruto asked.
"I'm sorry. Now that we've settled back in, we need to get back to work and discuss a few things. One of them being getting you home." Aqualad answered. "You all have fun for tonight, okay?" he smiled. "It should help calm the nerves a little bit."
"Batman. A-02. Access, Granted. Red Arrow, B-06. Access, granted."
The red-haired archer stepped forward along with Batman, descending the steps. "Robin. Aqualad." Batman said. "We'll be convening in the counseling room."
"Yes." Aqualad saluted.
As they followed the two, Naruto looked at Batman walking by him. The Dark Knight turned to stare down at him…and Naruto looked away, a death curdling chill running up his spine. "Yeah. Let's go." He mumbled, quickly walking ahead of everyone else.
NEW YORK CITY ART MUSEUM
"Not A sword, Detective Daniels!" the curator cried. "THE Sword. Of Beowulf!" he explained "It's priceless! Legend says it provides great power to the pure of heart. There's even an old English incantation that's supposed to summon the power! 'Abbanan Afol Beowulf!'" The cops just looked at him like he was insane.
"Great…" the one called Daniels said as he put away his notepad. "Look, the NYPD will do it's best. But the thief is obviously long gone."
"Let's not rush to judgement." A teenage voice said from above. All looked up as they saw the person hanging on the edge of the ceiling. He seemed like a typical Goth kid; long, black hair. Pale skin. Dressed in an open white trench coat, dark biker gloves, and leather boots, it seemed he came out of a Hot Topic from hell. But his left eye caught their attention. It was covered in red stripes, almost like scars. "Mediocrity such as this is never far from Harm." He jumped down to the floor. The cops drew their weapons, but the young man was not the least bit frightened. "Still, Harm should be grateful. Harm did need the words." He then held out the sword, gripping the pommel. "Abbanan Afol Beowulf." The claw like sheath opened up, allowing him to pull the sword out of the scabbard. The sword itself glowed and hissed like it was a live wire of electricity. The cops prepared to fire, but Harm struck first, throwing a jolt of energy through the sword, knocking the cops out.
The curator stepped away in panic, Harm closing in on him. "How monumentally unsatisfying. Harm and the sword will require greater challenges."
"But…the legend…!" The curator cried in panic as he was backed into a corner. "Only the pure of heart should be able to summon that power!"
"The legend says the heart must be pure." The teen sneered sadistically as he pointed his sword at him. "It never said pure good." With that, he cut him down like he was a human watermelon.
Harm held the sword up to his face, giving a smile of approval. "Excellent. Harm and you shall become close friends." He smiled. He swiped it in the air, throwing off the blood before making his way outside. Eventually, the cops came to, took care of the body and alerted all units to be on the lookout for him.
"So…" Zatara said. "…that's what happened." The illusion faded, the magician finding himself back in the present time. He had used a spell to piece together what happened. "I better find him. Before he harms anyone else." With a tap of his cane, Giovanni disappeared from the Museum.
"Ahh!" A mugger cried as he was slashed, his body landing hard on the concrete. The one known as Harm stood over him as the blood pooled around his boots. The victim's friend tried to rush him with a knife, but Harm pointed his sword at the thug and blasted him into the wall, hard enough to knock him out.
Playing with his new toy was fun at first…but then it got boring. No one could challenge him. "Harm is not satisfied. Harm desires a worthy opponent!"
"Perhaps I can help." Harm turned to see an orange cat approach him. To his surprise, it came up to him and curled under his legs, purring. That surprised him; ever since getting the sword, the animals were terrified of him. That alone told Harm this was not a normal cat.
"I've been watching you." Klarion approached from the fog, completely unafraid of him. "I think you and I could become good friends." He smiled, offering his hand.
"Harm does not need friends!" Harm shouted back.
"Well, I suppose neither of us really 'need' friends." Klarion agreed. "But you and I have something in common." Seeing a homeless man waking up from his slumber in the corner, Klarion blasted him with red energy, setting him on fire. As the man ran and screamed, Klarion turned back the swordsman. "We love chaos."
Harm began to smile. "Okay. Harm is interested. What do you want from Harm?"
Klarion smiled. "You know about all the mass shootings going on in schools across this country? They're nice and all, but now every psycho is doing it. They used to be a good time of carnage, but now they're BORING. All bullets, no finesse. I was thinking, a little bit of magic and swordplay would spice things up a bit. Bring a little bit more variety in murder."
Harm smiled. "Okay. Just find Harm a worthy opponent after Harm fulfills his end of the bargain."
"Agreed." Klarion sneered. Klarion clapped his hands, and a red circle enveloped them, taking them somewhere else.
Little did they know, a figure in a white hood was watching them from afar.
And that's all! Hopefully, I'll be getting the next chapter up soon!
And yes, I used the Gotham BvS Super Bowl Commercial. As disappointed as I was with BvS, that bit of marketing was pretty awesome.