Hello everyone! Hope everyone in the US had a great holiday!

It's here: Justice League vs Akatsuki! But what role will the Team play?

Well, there's two ways for you to find out: I can either tell you…or you can keep reading!

December 1st

UTC 21:30

Happy Harbor, RI

Naruto and Robin sparred in the digital circle the Team regularly practiced. As things with Zatanna had calmed down, a sense of normality returned to the cave. Artemis, Superboy, Aqualad and M'Gann observed the match, Sakura also there with them. Naruto ducked as Robin threw a roundhouse kick, and proceeded to tackle him. As their previous medical inspection indicated, Naruto and his friends were stronger than the humans of this world. Naruto in particular though, was severely lacking in technique, evidenced by Robin using his momentum to throw him over. Good news was he was getting better, as he landed on his feet then rushed the boy wonder, grabbing his uniform and throwing him with a judo technique he had learned. Robin went with it and landed perfectly on his feet though. Robin then went in for some punches, managing to get a good one in on Naruto, but the blonde countered with a push kick.

As they continued their session, Artemis commented "He's getting better."

"Yeah." Connor agreed. "I remember when his plans of attack were 'charge in and hope for the best'."

"Don't be so harsh on Naruto, Con." M'Gann said, smirking. "You were very much the same."

Surprisingly, Connor chuckled. "True." He smiled. Naruto was pushed back by a palm strike by Robin, but remained standing. "But he can't afford to be like me when he doesn't have invulnerability."

"Don't any of you underestimate him." Sakura chirped. "Naruto can be an idiot, but he always makes it a point to learn and get better with each mission."

Naruto blocked a few punches by Robin, and suddenly backflipped, trying to catch him in the chin. Robin jumped back to avoid it. "Very true." Artemis nodded with satisfaction.

Suddenly, Robin went in close and pulled a Ba Gua move as he checked Naruto on the side, sweeping his leg under Naruto's and knocking his head over with his arm, disrupting his center of gravity. However, before gravity took hold, Naruto twisted and punched Robin right in the liver. "Ngh!" Naruto fell to the floor as Robin was knocked back and did the same.

"Fail." The computer said in double speak. The match was a draw.

"Sorry!" Naruto said, walking to help Robin up. "Got carried away."

"Don't apologize." Robin grunted despite his smile, rubbing his side. "That was a great counter. You're definitely improving."

Naruto chuckled, rubbing his head. He then looked to the audience. "Where's Sasuke?"

Sakura suddenly looked sad. "Doing his own thing." Aqualad intervened on her behalf. "I don't think he's ready for light sparring." Aqualad then sighed. "STILL not ready." He emphasized.

Naruto sighed. He remembered their first session with Black Canary. While Sasuke's negativity had driven him crazy before, it was really starting to spiral out of control now. Part of it was because this whole emo phase was grating on his nerve. But it was also genuine concern; ever since Itachi, Naruto sympathized with Sasuke's loneliness. And it hurt to know Sasuke didn't seem to want their emotional support. And though he would never admit it, he felt bad for Sakura in this regard too. She just wanted to help and support him anyway she could, and yet he kept pushing her away.

"Well, I'm good." Robin raised his hand. Stepping forward, he clasped Naruto's hand in a shake. "Thanks for that. It was a fun match."

"Yeah, I think I learned a lot from you too." Naruto returned the compliment.

Robin rolled his neck. "Well, I'm heading back to the Batcave. See you all later this week."

As he disappeared into the Zeta tube, the group dispersed. "Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto nudged her. "I think we should check on Sasuke."

"Hm." Sakura brightened up slightly, but not as much as she used to.

Sasuke just finished up his last bench press, about 115 kg. According to the others, on this world that was extraordinary for someone his age. He rose, wiping the sweat off his face. Was it really enough? Would any amount of training truly be enough? "You can acquire the same Magenkyo Sharingan as me, if it is vengeance you seek. There is, however, a requirement." He remembered Itachi telling him. "The only way to obtain it…"

"Hey, teme!" Naruto shouted beyond the glass. "You done?"

As Naruto waved incessantly Sasuke thought back to the last thing Itachi told him. "…is to kill your dearest friend."

Sasuke blinked, pushing that suggestion to the back of his mind. The fact he even thought it turned his stomach. Sasuke groaned, grabbing his water bottle. "It's an open gym." He sighed, waving them in.

"You missed the match." Sakura said. "Naruto did very well!"

"Sure. Whatever." Sasuke said.

"You've been very aloof, ya know?" Naruto said. "There's so much to do here…"

"Sounds like you've got a second home then." Sasuke said.

"What? No, that's not it!" Truth be told, it really began to feel that way for Naruto. Like Konoha, he was going on missions and made something of a family with the Team. "I…we were just worried about you."

"I'm fine." Sasuke insisted.

"No, Sasuke. You're not." Sakura looked at him sadly. "Something's getting to you." Sasuke seemed to stop. "It's not that we're worlds away from home. It's not that the team is as strong, if not more so, than you." Sasuke took a deep breath, and threw his bottle on the floor so hard it made both of his teammates jump. As he got up to leave, Sakura said "It's Itachi, isn't it?"

Sasuke suddenly grabbed her arm and stared daggers at her. "You stay out of my business!"

"Ah!"

Naruto, before he even knew what was happening, he stood in between them. Naruto stared Sasuke down, who did the same in return. "Sakura…give us a moment."

Sakura blinked. "But, Naruto…"

"It's okay. We'll be fine." Naruto smiled, trying to assure her.

Sakura could only sigh. "O…Okay…" Sakura walked out, leaving them alone.

Once it seemed she was put of earshot, Naruto turned back to Sasuke. "What's really going on?"

Sasuke sighed, wiping his hair back. "It's just as I said. All that matters is my mission…"

"First off, you're wrong. We also matter." Naruto said firmly, crossing his arms. "We both want to help you, but for now no one's able to do anything about it. So relax a little bit."

"I can't do that, Naruto." Sasuke growled. "You never had anyone. You don't know what it's like to lose someone." Naruto felt like he took a punch to the gut with that statement. "And right now, everyone here, even you, is a distraction from my mission."

"Oh, so if something happened to either of us, it's not a big deal to you?!" Sasuke blinked, looking as if to retort, but couldn't find any.

As Sasuke turned to walk away, Naruto did something he feared he would regret, but did so for her sake. "Would it at least kill you to be nicer to Sakura?"

Sasuke sighed. "I've no time for dat-"

"I'm not saying you HAVE to be her boyfriend." Naruto stopped him. "I'll be honest, I don't want the two of you together…" he thought. "I'm just saying Sakura-chan cares about you; you should be thankful to have someone like that in your life." He said instead. "Believe me, that's one thing I'm lacking in my life…" "You don't have to be so cruel to her." He finished out loud.

Sasuke sighed. "Whatever. I'm out." Sasuke waved as he stepped out of the gym.

Sakura leaned against the wall, sighing. She tried her best to hold her tears in, but one managed to escaped. "Sasuke…all I want is for you to be happy…" Sakura ran her hand down her arm, and winced. Looking down, she noticed the small bruise that began to form. "Was that…no, it couldn't be!" She denied it inside, but she couldn't deny the truth. "It was an accident," she told herself. "He didn't mean to squeeze so hard…"

As she walked, she thought back to that day on the bench. He actually smiled. "You have a wide and charming forehead." He said out of the blue. "It makes me want to kiss it." Sasuke seemed like a different person now.

She then heard Naruto approach her. Quickly, she covered her bruise up. "Naruto…"

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto said. "I don't know why he's being such a teme. More than usual."

Sakura wanted to talk back to him, but she couldn't think of a reason why. "But I think he'll snap out of it. Eventually."

Sakura gave a small smile. "Thanks, Naruto."

Location Unknown

Somewhere, under the sea, an Atlantean in purple armor looked at a screen. "My troops are ready." He said.

"Does your brother suspect anything?" The screen showed a white silhouette against a digital background; standard procedure for all members of the light.

"If he did, I would have never gotten this far in the preparation." The Atlantean replied. "And the Akatsuki?"

"They're ready to face the Justice League; I don't expect they will win, but they will provide enough of a distraction to let us do what needs to be done."

"And the young heroes?"

"Do not take this as an insult, but I was hoping you would deal with them."

"They have proven to be more than a thorn in our sides, more than once." The Atlantean said in agreement. "I will be honored to take their heads. Especially Aqualad."

"Personal?"

"That's part of it. But I cannot stand the thought of TWO half-breeds disturbing the purity of Atlantis." He seethed. "Oh, and whoever faces Orin, please order he is not to be killed." He smacked the end of his trident on the ocean floor. "I wish to finish him myself."

He then dawned a star-shaped visor, with red eye holes. "Ocean Master will be happy to serve as your distraction…and will be so much more."

Vandal Savage shut off the monitor on his end. He was about to enact a risky plan. The Akatsuki, as well as the rest of their world's inhabitants, were a wild card he was not prepared for. But they could still be used.

And Savage got to where he was by using people to their fullest potential.

Dec 4th

UTC 17:00

Location Unknown

Itachi walked down the halls briskly; they were finally being summoned for a meeting. "This cannot be good…"

"You seem anxious." He turned to see the woman known as Cheshire walking by his side.

"Savage-san has kept us under his thumb for a while. If he wants all of us out, it must be an especially dangerous mission." Itachi replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Well, if he had no use for you, none of you would be here." Seeing that he did not respond, she lightly tapped his arm. "Don't worry. The Justice League…super heroes as a general rule…do not kill. You'll have an edge over them."

"And yet none of you have succeeded in killing any of them despite this supposed advantage." Itachi said. "That speaks volumes about their strength."

Cheshire said nothing in response.

Soon, they arrived in an auditorium. Itachi saw his usual comrades around, also curious about why he called the meeting. Vandal Savage then took center stage. "I am sure you have all been eager to get out in the world and put your strengths to use." The immortal smiled. "I am happy to tell you…the time is now." A slide showing the Justice League appeared behind him. "You will kill the Justice League."

The various members whispered amongst themselves, but Savage continued with his presentation. "As you know, these 'heroes' posses powers on par with yours. Perhaps more so." He took the moment to look at their faces. Some, like Itachi and Konan, were stoic. The others were quite eager to act out. "After taking note of your abilities based on what you have all displayed, we have decided which of you will be facing off against which members, and we will arm you all accordingly."

The Atlantic

Ocean Master inspected the volcano-like apparatus set up on the ocean floor. A mixture of his and the surface's science, it was designed to control the tides and the tectonic plates. A part of him was miffed…No, furious. The Light was planning to destroy the Justice League, and he was reduced to being the distraction for the Team. Still, that human, Luthor reminded him The Light did not seek glory; all that mattered was control. Given how often the Team interfered with their plans, it WAS prudent that someone keep them occupied. In a weird way, this was also the highest honor. "That Luthor…he certainly DOES has a silver tongue."

Staring down at the cylinder in the middle of the platform, he raised his Trident, the Trident of Neptune. Made with a combination of sorcery and technology, it gave him command of the seas themselves. With this device, the power would be amplified. He then plunged the blunt into the cylinder, and the machinery came alive as the water began to churn. "If nothing else, I can exact my revenge on Aqualad; I would have had Orin if it not been for him." He smiled underneath his mask. "And, should this 'Akatsuki' fail for any reason, I will not."

Mount Justice

Happy Harbor, RI

The Blue Ninja formed a blade of ice and slashed at the yellow ninja. Both were near their limit, but suddenly the yellow one threw a rope dart right into the face of the blue one. He began to stagger, and a voice shouted "FINISH HIM!" The yellow one pulled his face back, revealing a flaming skull for a head. He walked up to his opponent, peeled his opponent's mask back, and spewed flames right into his mouth. "FATALITY!"

"Aw yeah!" Wally shouted as he threw his controller up. "The Wal-man scores again!"

"Aw man!" Naruto groaned. "Best two out of three!"

"Uh, we already fought two rounds." Wally reminded him. "I won both of them."

"I mean out of three fights!" Naruto clarified. "Different characters!"

"You're on!"

As they went beck to the character select screen, they looked over their shoulders to see Artemis and Sakura staring at them. "Oh, hey ladies." Wally waved. "Wanna go a few rounds?"

"Are we even allowed to have Mortal Kombat in the cave?" Artemis asked.

"Surprised you know what this even is."

"Wally…" Artemis cocked her eyebrow.

"Technically, no." Wally answered honestly. "But you really think they're going to raise a stink about it? After what we go through every week?"

Surprisingly, Artemis' face softened and she chuckled. "No, guess not." She then eyed Sakura looking at the screen, staring harder. "Well, enjoy your toys." She waved dismissively.

"Uh, yeah." Sakura waved. "See ya."

As they walked down the halls, Sakura began to talk. "So, will we train some mo-"

"Sakura, you should go play with them."

Sakura blinked. "But I-"

"Sakura." Artemis interrupted her. "I know you wanted to play. I could tell by the way you were looking at the screen." Seeing she was not convinced, Artemis softened up a bit. "I know you feel you have to feel all grown up. But you're still 13; you don't have to be such a stiff if that's not you. You have years ahead of you to have a childhood." Artemis smiled as she looked back to the rec room. "To be honest, Wally's not an anomaly. Plenty of people older than us are into those sorts of things. So go. Be yourself. I'm not judging you." She leaned into Sakura's ear and whispered "And don't look to me as the standard for womanly behavior; I just like to give Wally a hard time in general."

Sakura looked to the boys, and back to Artemis. She began to smile. "You're right. Thank you, Artemis!" Sakura bowed, and ran back to the rec room.

Artemis brushed her hair and walked off. "Enjoy, Sakura. You'll be thankful to have times like these at all."

"Yes!" Naruto shook his controller. His character, who had four arms, grabbed another guy's limbs and ripped all four off into a gory mess.

"Seems you're getting it." Wally noted, not sore for his loss at all.

"Hey, Naruto." Sakura came up. "When is your turn over?"

Naruto blinked in surprise, but smiled nonetheless. "Ah, well, hopefully after the next round…"

UTC 17:30

Deidara eyed the green powder before him. "So…this is the only thing that can kill the Superman?"

"That, and a red son." Luthor said as he stood to the ninja's right. "Sadly, this is the easier of the two options, and kryptonite is still hard to come by. We've only secured ten pounds; please use this widely."

Deidara smiled. "This just may prove to be a bang." He pulled out some clay, and got to work merging it with his clay.

Itachi looked on from the hall as his nakama were each briefed on their opponents. There were more League members than them, but they were told they had the best chance of weakening the League at least. "So, Itachi, who do you got?" Kisame came up behind him, scrolling through a smart phone the Light had given each of them.

"I've got the Batman." Itachi confirmed.

"Hm. Seems you've got the weakest of this 'Justice League'." The shark-man said.

Itachi didn't even turn to face him. "Based on what I was told, he's the weakest in terms of raw power. But you should know power alone is nothing without the proper mind to wield it." Itachi stayed silent for a moment as curiosity got to him. "Who are you going up against?"

"Hah!" Kisame laughed, showing the image on his phone. "I'm going up against the Aquaman!"

Itachi turned to look at the image. It seemed to be one of those internet jokes, "memes" he believed they were called. It showed a cartoonish version of the hero tied up, hanging over a pot of boiling oil. It seemed the one called Wonder Woman was tied up with him as well, looking rather done with the whole situation. He hadn't quite mastered reading english, but if he had to guess, Aquaman was saying "My ability to talk to fish is not working!"

"I almost feel insulted!" Kisame bellowed.

"I don't think you should believe everything you read on this internet." Itachi warned him. "Besides, he wouldn't be part of this league if he didn't have something to bring to the table."

"Still, it shouldn't be a problem."Kisame argued back. "We've both an affinity for water, and I've Sadehama." Taking a moment to tap his sword, he exclaimed "I've got this!"

"Prey for your sake you do." Itachi said as he walked off.

He walked down the hall to the training room, looking for someone in particular. He found her, the woman with the cat mask in green: Cheshire. Several shadows attacked her with swords, but she parried them with her own perfectly. She kicked one away, jumped over one and pushed him to the ground. With a sharp twist, she threw a dagger that caught another of the shadows and pinned him to the wall. Before he could free himself, she ran up and punched him across the face, knocking him out. It seemed one got the drop on her though; a ninja charged with a spear and thrust it. However, Cheshire twisted as she raised her leg, pushing her foot on the weapon and pulling it back, dragging the weapon and its wielder with her. Once the ninja was in range, she kneed him in the face, and he fell like a sack of potatoes.

"Impressive taijutsu." Itachi noted.

Cheshire turned to him, staring for a moment. She then took off her mask, revealing her face. "Perhaps you would like me to teach you." She smirked.

"You already have." She made note of the red eyes with the tomoe. Itachi blinked, and his eyes returned to their natural black color. "May I speak with you? Alone?"

Cheshire smirked, and clapped her hands. More shadows emerged as they collected their fallen comrades. As they disappeared into the dark, Itachi approached Cheshire. "Savage is sending us to fight the Justice League directly."

"Well, you all need to pull your weight eventually." She said. "Who are you going after?"

"The Batman." Itachi said. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Only what the Light already knows." Cheshire shrugged. "Master Martial Artist, possesses technology. As far as we can tell, he's a normal man."

"In both my world and this one, 'normal' can be dangerous if you let your guard down."

"True." Cheshire agreed. "I haven't fought him, but my father has; he was defeated by a hair. When I prodded him about the fight, he said technically speaking, Batman was weaker, even accounting for the gadgets. But his will was almost inhuman."

"How so?"

"Every time Sportsmaster pushed an advantage, Batman figured out a way to turn it around and use any disadvantage as an advantage . Every time he was knocked down, Batman would find it in him to rise again. I don't fully understand it either, but it seems whenever he is pushed, he simply powers through adversity and finds another way."

Itachi nodded; that was the closest he would ever give as a thanks. As he exited, he couldn't help but smile. It was barely perceptible, but it was there. "This man may prove…interesting."

Sorry to cut this off here! I hope the build-up is enough for you!