110Hi. I know it's been a long time.
Last year, Word was acting up on my Pad. So of course, I got in touch with tech-support, which led him to telling me to delete the file because everything would be backed up…
Suffice to say, they weren't. The underpaid Indian dude is lucky I didn't have the ability to conjure portals…
Anyway, I had to restart from where I left off.
Unfortunately, that was not the only reason I was so late with all of this. Life just happens.
Even so, I hope you all will enjoy this next chapter.
Ocean Master was known amongst the League to be especially ruthless and conniving. Strong as Aquaman, he was also a schemer and a cheat, using every technology he could to gain an edge. Though that was to be expected, it was still impossible to expect the unexpected.
"What do you want with Happy Harbor?" Aqualad said.
"I could care less about this piece of land." Ocean Master answered. "My only objective for now was to lure all of you here." Ocean Master's trident crackled with electricity. "I heard you were especially instrumental in preventing Black Manta from stealing the beast."
Aqualad's eyes widened, before narrowing again. "You're the one who hired Black Manta!"
"Well, one of several." Ocean Master sneered. "I mainly recommended him. In spite of your interference, we obtained all that we needed from that debacle." He pointed his trident at them. "What happens to you all is irrelevant…but now that I'm here, I will see to your end personally."
He charged, until the boy in orange got in his way. He swung his leg as to kick…and Ocean Master batted him away with his trident. "Ah, the orange one." He sneered. "I heard a lot about you, and your friend." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I was instructed to kill neither one of you. But, the Light is quite flexible in their orders. Perhaps some broken limbs will suffice for now."
Superboy roared as he charged. Though Ocean Master blocked, the punch still forced him off the roof. He fell into the water…only to jump out a moment later, graceful as a dolphin. "Ah, Project Kr." He said. "Such a waste of potential."
"You have no idea." Superboy said, cracking his knuckles.
"Tell me…how are those shields working out for you?"
Deidara's other hand suddenly reached down into his pocket, and manufactured a hummingbird bomb. Superman was still confident, but on guard as he tensed up. However, instead of throwing the bomb at him, Deidara tossed it hard to the side. Superman noticed a child in its path, right in the line of fire. What happened next was entirely predictable, as Superman flew right in to shield the child. He gathered him up and hugged him tight as he protected him from the flames. The explosion only lasted a second, but that was all Deidara needed.
He had finished molding the Kryptonite into a bomb, and before the smoke dissipated, let it fly. Just as Superman turned around, the bomb blew up in his face. The force was enough to throw him into the adjacent building. Thank goodness the kid got out of the way was his only thought as he felt pain like never before. Deidara jumped down to street level to observe his handiwork. He saw Superman's hand grab the edge of the hole, and he stepped out…but just barely. He was struggling to stand, and couldn't even hold his head up high.
"Wow." Deidara thought. He didn't know what to expect, but after what he saw of him in his prime, he didn't expect that strange mineral to take the fight right out of him. "That REALLY did him in." Before Superman could so much as put his hands up, Deidara ran forward and punched him in the face, sending him stumbling back in. Deidara was not a taijutsu man, and Superman's skin was still hard as a rock; Deidara could feel his fingers swell. But he saw Superman bleed. Deidara smiled. "That wasn't fair you know." Deidara kicked him across the face, causing him to wince and roll over. "Being invincible and what not. But now…now I may have something to work with."
Deidara's tongues got to work molding the clay. Superman, though in unbearable pain, grabbed the floorboards and began to crawl away. Deidara tossed his improvised bombs, Superman vainly trying to bring up a shield he tore off from the planks, and the explosion rocked the entire building.
Deidara dropped his arms to inspect his work as the smoke cleared. All that was left was a hole in the floor. "I didn't make them THAT deadly." Deidara peered down the hole, noticing a small torn piece of red fabric. Deidara snarled. "You all act so tough until the tables turn." Deidara leaped down inside to the basement.
Kakuzu had his mask monster cease its attack. The Amazon was revealed to be singed, but otherwise fine. Her bracelets glowed red hot; it should have been unbearable to wear them. Yet without hesitation, she punched the creature away with a mighty blow, sending it sky high. Kakuzu took his eye off for a moment to watch his summon rocket into the sky, and when he turned his gaze back, Wonder Woman was upon him. He tried to retreat, but Wonder Woman caught him square in the chest. So great was the punch, it caved it in and caused him to cough up blood. He too was sent flying, crashing into several cars and back onto the street. He lay limply on the road.
"Diana!" The professor came running to her. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine." Wonder Woman answered as she looked at the still form of Kakuzu with apprehension.
Without asking, the professor caught on. "Diana, I'm sure you had no choice-"
"No. There is always a choice." Wonder Woman sighed. "I was afraid; I lost control."
"So…what now?"
"I have to face the League. And hope for their forgiveness-" Her eyes widened when the tendrils rushed out to them. "Look out!" Wonder Woman pushed her friend out of the way and blocked them with her bracelets.
She couldn't get them all; several scratched her shoulders. One caught her face, snapping her head back. Another pierced her leg clean through, bringing her down to one knee. "Ohhh…" Kakuzu's tendrils supported him in the air as he righted himself. It was clear he was in excruciating pain, with his face mask ripped and his aged jaw covered in his own blood. "It has been a while since someone destroyed one of my hearts." He sneered.
Wonder Woman's eyes widened in horror. The masks on Kakuzu's shoulders opened as they shot wind and fire. Wonder woman rolled out of the way in spite of her wounded leg. "I need to know what is happening!" Kakuzu lunged, his tendrils dancing like angry shadows, but Wonder Woman managed to dodge again. Before he could begin his second attack, she suddenly unleashed her lasso and wrapped him up.
Kakuzu resisted…and felt like his body was on fire. "What…is this?!"
"How are you still alive?!" Wonder Woman shouted, pulling on the rope. Kakuzu tried to resist again, but fell to one knee. "The Lasso of Truth compels you!"
Kakuzu chose to remain silent, yet it seemed like some other force compelled his jaw and voice to move. "I have spent over a century hunting down powerful ninja to steal their hearts, and make them mine!" Kakuzu blinked as he felt the lasso relinquish some control. "My gods, is THIS what it is like to be one of Sasori's puppets?!"
"In other words, you fear death." Wonder Woman concluded. With a tug, she swung him over her shoulders and smashed him into an unfortunate car roof. "I understand your fear of death. But death comes for us all one day. Your exercise in immortality is a sign of your weakness."
"Don't you dare judge me, hypocrite!" Kakuzu hissed. "I've read about you, Amazon! Your kind enjoys immortality and eternal youth! It's easy for you to judge others when you have all the gifts!"
"Long-lived, yes. We are. But immortal, we are not." Wonder Woman corrected him. "Outside forces can take us just like everyone. And even so, it is not truly immortality if you have to take lives to extend your own."
"Heh. Don't let Hidan hear you say that."
"Enough! What's your goal, here on this world?"
Kakuzu felt the magic work its wonders. He had to answer! But…perhaps he could use that to his advantage? "Short term? Setting you up."
Wonder Woman turned around to see the mask monster sneak up behind her, and back hand her into the road. The rope slackened, and Kakuzu creaked his neck in relief. "Well, I'd rather not go through that again." He watched as Wonder Woman fought off his monsters with such ferocity superior to even in his home world. "Such power. Your heart must be exquisite." The stitches across his chest seemed to pulsate in anticipation. "I must have it!" He ran to join the battle.
Civilians were walking around, checking out their smart phones and just going about their day. Then, a red blur ran past them. "Hey! It's the Flash!" Everyone rushed to snap a photo of him as he began to slow down.
Flash was known as being one of the most social of the Justice League, always willing to do the usual celebrity things the other heroes often shied away from. However, he didn't do that today. He reached a public trash can…and proceeded to hurl. The citizens were disappointed at best, and most everyone else fled in disgust.
Flash rose up, taking a deep breath. Most poisons he was able to metabolize after a good run. This one, however, had to be ejected. At least he was out of danger now. "Best not to get hit by him again." Flash wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and took off the way he came.
"That was a waste of time." Sasori sighed internally. He was about to walk off, but heard a whistling sound approaching him. "That can-" He didn't get a chance to finish, as something fast hit his "face". Sasori spun from the force, and Flash stopped to face him. "Impossible!" Sasori exclaimed. "You shouldn't be alive! My poison-"
"Is the same as every other." Flash finished for him. He was sweating under his uniform, and the skin on his chin looked pale. "In theory, all poisons cam be metabolized safely out of the body. The internal systems just need to be fast enough to act."
Sasori stared at him hard. "I wouldn't use the word 'safely'" Sasori replied. "You must have puked up a storm to expel that."
Flash held up his finger as if to make a statement, but lowered it. Wasn't really prudent to brag about that, he realized. "Okay, I'm not 100 percent. But I'm more than enough for you!"
Sasori's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that." His mouth opened, and shot out more needles.
Flash dodged them easily. He raced towards Sasori, who shot his tail forward. He stepped out just out of its reach and stepped ON IT as it impaled the ground. He raced above him, vibrating his arms at a different frequency. He reached in, bypassing the hide, and pulled back. "Afraid of getting stung again?" Sasori swiped his tail again, which Flash still dodged. "Not that I blame you!" He reached in only to pull out again. And he repeated the actions again. "Well, are you going to attack, or not?!"
"Hmm…not." Flash ducked under another swipe. "Actually, I'm getting you ready to be attacked."
Sasori made a sudden turn as he struck again. "What are you babbling ab-" Suddenly, he felt several parts jiggle loose. "No-!" He tried to shoot his needles, but the gears only shot them at half-speed, one tube losing its air pressure completely. Flash didn't even make a move to dodge, the needles falling flat a foot away from him. "What did you do to me?!"
"Nothing much." He said. "Just vibrated everything in your exoskeleton-thing loose."
"Impossible! I perform my own maintenance. My suit is tamper-proof!"
"Uh-uh." Flash waved his finger. "Nothing is ANYTHING-proof. Resistant, yes. But I bet you never had to prepare for vibrations at the molecular level. Until now."
Sasori's eyes narrowed, and he lunged. The tail went to impale Flash's head…and it stopped dead, a hair's breath away from him. The man didn't even flinch. Suddenly, the metallic tail dropped. "Well, that part's over. Are you going to come out, or are we going to do this the hard way?" Sasori said nothing, even the eyes on the suit's face seemingly went dead. "Hard way it is." Flash ran around him, hitting and tearing at the exoskeleton in different places. "How much you wanna bet there's a tiny alien inside?" Flash asked himself sarcastically.
Finally, the outer shell was taken apart. Flash jumped away as he let the occupant stand up. Well, as far as he could tell, it was indeed a person. He wore a black cloak with red clouds, his skin was pale (he probably never stepped outside in the sun), and he had a mop of red hair. He rose his head, and Flash looked surprised. He knew his female high school alumni back in the day would have swooned over a face like that. "Well, that is unexpected." He muttered. "So, did I destroy your only weapon? Or are we still doing this?"
Sasori smirked, before putting his fists out. "I am beaten. You are truly a man of valor." He kneeled and said "I submit myself to your authorities."
Flash hesitated, then rushed right into him. The Akatsuki didn't even flinch. "Okay. I don't have any cuffs on me; utility belts are more Batman's thing. But I guess I can just hold onto you until I get you into a cell."
He reached for his wrists, and Sasori's eyes rolled up as a devious smirk appeared. Suddenly, blades shot out of his wrists, fast enough to sever a man's arms clean. Thankfully, Flash was faster still. He jumped back a bit, and the two stared at each other. Sasori looked at his hidden arm blades, and smirked. "Sorry. Butter…wrists?" The blades folded back into the arms. "Fingers wasn't appropriate." He smirked. "But, you were fast enough to dodge."
"Even with my speed, if I was as dumb as you were hoping, you would have got me."
"Can't blame me for trying." Sasori smirked. "But, it seems trickery alone won't work. So, shall we just lay all cards on the table?" Blades popped pit of his shoulders, his stomach opened to reveal a metallic cord, and his palms showed tubes.
Flash could only gawk. "Oh shi-" Sasori fired flame directly from his hands…
"Hah!" Hidan brought down his scythe, Green Arrow flipping away. He fired an arrow, which Hidan on instinct caught with one hand. It didn't matter though, as the tip spewed a green mist into his face. At first, the Akatsuki dismissed it, but then his eyes began to water. So much that it became painful. "Mace arrow." GA said.
He leaped onto Hidan, laying him on his back, wasting no time punching him across the face. Hidan got to work throwing him off, but the emerald archer just flipped onto the villain's back and pressed his bow onto his neck. "Come on, fall!" Hidan responded with a sharp elbow into the hero's ribs, a standard self-defense technique in many martial arts. Arrow gasped as the breath left him; he had to act quick. Twisting, he faced the Akatsuki and punched him in the face again. Though his nose bled, Hidan didn't seem to react to the pain. He sneered, and Green Arrow noticed the scythe come up, the Akatsuki opting for a reverse-swing. GA jumped back, breaking his bow string. The two stared each other, Green Arrow panting hard. Hidan just grinned.
Green Arrow's eyes widened, as he felt his face. He felt the wetness of blood on his cheek. "Gotcha." Hidan licked the blood off his scythe. "I heard you so-called 'super-heroes' were some of the greatest warriors here; I must say, at least with you, I'm disappointed." He ran his scythe on a circle as his body transformed to its black form. He raised his scythe, the tip pointed right for his heart. "I heard about your god here. Say your prayers…for whatever good it will do you!"
He was about ready to do the deed, but Green Arrow quickly jammed a taser arrow into his body. "AHHHH!" Both screamed in pain they felt the electricity surge through both of them. Hidan turned back to his normal appearance, falling to his knees. Looking up, he saw Green Arrow panting. "You-!" He rose, grabbing his scythe to attack. He aimed for his shoulder, not wanting to end him immediately, but Arrow blocked with his bow and kicked him away. Hidan stumbled, as he glared at the archer.
It took a moment of staring for Green Arrow to realize the truth. "Once you get hurt, the link is broken." Green Arrow said.
Hidan smirked. "Indeed. But, don't get cocky; I never considered it much of a secret. All I need to do is get some more blood…"
Suddenly, he rushed, faster than Arrow anticipated. Hidan thrust his scythe forward, but in spite of his surprise, the archer cartwheeled away, firing a flash arrow. Hidan moved to deflect it, but upon impact, it exploded in a flash of light. Hidan was stunned while his eyes adjusted. Once he regained his sight, he noticed the precinct was cleared. Well, he couldn't fault men for choosing not to be fools.
Giving his weapon a twirl, Hidan simply strolled forward.
Green Arrow planted himself against the wall. He held one arrow, his bow restringed and pulled halfway. Making a quick count on his quiver, he saw he had ten arrows left. He had been in bad situations before, but he never met an enemy who could kill you with a drop of your own blood. In theory he had the advantage, being a range fighter against Hidan's melee, but his speed and strength made up for it. And they were in close quarters.
Now he truly had to make every shot count.
"Ha!" Black Canary caught Konan by surprise with a flying spinning kick, hitting her right in the temple. She couldn't help but skid across the road.
In theory, Black Canary's main power was her scream. Everything else about her was human, which meant even less than on Konan's planet. And yet it was her combat prowess that was proving most formidable. Black Canary ran forward, but found herself bound. Her arms were held back by origami chains, two paper clones holding her down. She tried to push forward, but the paper around her wrists sharpened, cutting into her skin. Konan finally got up and produced a paper knife, charging for her. Black Canary fired off another scream, and Konan quickly plugged her ears with paper; it didn't block it out completely, but at least it didn't feel like her head was being split wide open with someone's bare hands. She fired off paper daggers, but Black Canary rolled backwards, throwing the clones off balance and kicking them in the faces. She kiyupped back up as Konan moved in and blocked.
"So…" Dinah began. "Is this the part where we try to figure out each other's motivations and try to convince the other to join them?"
Konan's face remained unchanged. "We could." She said. "But I think we would be wasting each other's time." Konan spun. She managed to slice Canary's arm, but she knocked the Akatsuki away with a push kick. Konan glared, and said "Tell me, is the Justice League's goal peace?"
"As much as the nations want it." Canary answered honestly as she could.
"Then your mission has failed before it even began." Konan responded. "I had a crash course on your world. We're not so different. People murder, betray, and extort each other. You look for the good in everyone and try to elevate them. But neither of our people want to be-"
"Okay, enough!" Dinah held up her hand. "People with less power then you have said the same thing!"
"The difference was…we once tried to be like you." Black Canary froze at that. "And our supporters sold us out to our nemesis. My best friend, crippled. And the man I loved…"
"I've heard variations of that story too." Black Canary interrupted, although she was reluctant to interrupt.
Konan's usually emotionless face began to scowl. "And yet you hold on to those ideals."
"Until the day I die."
"Then I hope you die before witnessing your friends return to nothing."
Canary saw scraps of paper begin to flutter down. They seemed harmless, but after seeing everything this woman could do, she expected the worst. She fired off another scream, and they exploded in her face, sending her back. Dinah's head rung, trying to focus as she looked at what seemed to be 3 Konans. She tried getting up, but felt something weighing her down. Her vision snapped back into focus, and saw herself covered in paper from the neck down. And it seemed to be pushing her down. "This is where your part of heroism will lead you all." Konan declared. "This is only a taste of what my friend suffered through."
Aquaman and Kisame crashed through another wall, their weapons locked. "Not bad." Kisame huffed. "Not bad at all!" They both rolled away to give each other space and stand again. "I just may have to go all out!"
"No wonder." Aquaman rolled his neck, massaging his shoulder.
"What?"
"I just knew you were holding back."
Kisame growled. "Don't mock me, fish-man!" Kisame shouted. "There's no way you're strong enough to beat me! Don't tell me, you were secretly using 'one percent' of your true power?"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Aquaman replied. "But it is true: I've barely begun." Kisame shouted in rage, throwing down his shark-skin sword. The blade clashed with the trident at full-force. It didn't break, but that was okay. Kisame didn't expect it to. But Aquaman himself didn't even budge. "Truthfully, on a good day, I'm almost at Superman's level."
Kisame's eyes widened. "You're…you're joking." Without warning, Aquaman grabbed his collar and lifted him with no visible effort. Quickly, he threw him like a baseball through a wall and back outside on the rig. "Ooohhh…." Kisame couldn't recall the last time he was hurt this badly. As Aquaman walked outside, Kisame forced himself to rise. "Suiton! Suiryudan!"
A water dragon made its way through the grated floor and hit Aquaman dead on. Though he was thrown off-balance, he was unaffected. In fact, he smiled. "Thank you. I needed that." Kisame growled, and hurled kunai at the undersea king. They all bounced off Aquaman harmlessly. He only smirked. "Care to try again?"
Kisame screamed in rage, and once again engaged Aquaman with Sadehama. Their weapons clashed and parried against one another, generating sparks. "Maybe I can't beat you physically, but I have other methods!"
Aquaman's eyes widened, as he suddenly felt himself grow weak. "What…" His knees buckled, and he shook as he struggled to stand.
"People of your earth may not use it the way we do, but you still have chakra!" The spines on his sword undulated like waves, as the mouth at the tip opened up. "And Sadehama just had a GREAT meal!" Aquaman lunged at him, thrusting his trident. Kisame barely parried it, but it allowed him a chance to punch the King of the Seas across the face and send him across the platform. "Ahhh!" Kisame hissed as he felt his hand swell. Even weakened, the guy was hard as a rock! "I have to finish him fast!"
Kisame could not use his standard ninjutsu; water just seemed to make him stronger. So Kisame straddled him and began to punch him across the face. It felt like his knuckles would crack at any minute. Even so, Aquaman grabbed his wrist, just barely stopping his hand. The two growled and stared at one another, but Aquaman suddenly head-butted Kisame hard enough to smash his nose. Kisame couldn't help himself, letting go of his weapon and holding his face as it bled down. "AHHHH!" Aquaman found his second wind, and tackled the shark-man. He punched a hole through the grated floor, sending them both plummeting into the ocean below.
Just like fish, the two swam away from each other at speeds not even the best of olympic swimmers could hope to match. Kisame thought back to the debriefing…
"…I feel rather insulted." Kisame said upon hearing his assignment, bearing his fangs. Lex Luthor was unmoved by his complaints. In fact, he seemed amused. "I have looked into your Justice League on my own time, and there are individuals I find much more appealing to battle."
"You're a ninja, Hoshigake-san." Luthor reminded him. "This is not a club activity; this is a job. A mission, as they call it in your line of work. I thought a ninja was a person who endures."
"You're only pairing me up with Aquaman because we're both like fish!"
Luthor smirked, trying to suppress a laugh. "Well, that's certainly true." Luthor rose from his chair, and walked towards a door. "I promise you, Hoshigake, you are the best opponent for Aquaman. It is hard to get him onto land without the rest of the League, and you're the only one who could potentially stand up to him on his home-field. Still…" He opened the drawer and pulled out small metal spheres. "This biggest mistake everyone makes dealing with him is underestimating him." Kisame reluctantly held out his hand, as the billionaire placed them in his palm. "Once you realize the truth of his power, use these. But make sure you get him out of water."
Kisame growled. "Let's make certain there is absolutely nothing else I can do first!" Like a torpedo, Kisame launched himself. Aquaman did the same, both spearing their weapons forward. They collided, hard enough to create an underwater shockwave. Even so, Kisame felt himself pushed back while Aquaman had the upper hand. Kisame spun his sword while the King of Atlantis did the same with his trident. Kisame managed to get a nick across Aquaman's face, but it was shallow; anyone else would have lost their head. At the same time Aquaman's trident slashed the Akatsuki's arm. "AGH!" Kisame clamped the wound down, swimming back. It was serious; he was lucky he didn't cut any deeper, or else he would have lost his arm!
It was time for Kisame to admit that he could not beat Aquaman in a fair fight. He had to get out of the water and use THOSE. Kisame jettisoned back to the surface, Aquaman following after him.
Kisame jumped back onto the platform, Aquaman not far behind. "Shit! I guess I'll have to use those after all!"
Kisame quickly turned to face him, but Aquaman was not giving him a chance to act, running his trident right through Kisame's leg. Kisame gasped as he kneeled, the strength seemingly leaving him. He gripped the wound as he tried to stop the bleeding. "I missed your femoral artery, but you'll never fight again." The King said solemnly.
Kisame's shocked face suddenly began to sneer. "I doubt that." His body suddenly turned into water, and fell through the grates.
Aquaman recoiled with his trident in shock. "This must be one of those clones we were told about!" Aquaman looked around, trying to find him. Where did he miss the switch?! He walked, slowly, exploring the rig in search of him as he pointed his weapon in preparation.
Once on the solid steel floor, he walked by a puddle, and the light suddenly contorted to show Kisame's sneering face. He slowly emerged, as if from magic. He had to suppress a chuckle, as he fiddled with the bombs like they were therapy spheres.
Even with his tech under his visor, Batman couldn't help but notice how the world around him was distorted. This must be internal, he thought.
"Why do you bother, Bruce?"
The voice gave him pause. He turned, and came face to face with a man a few years older than him. The resemblance between the two was uncanny (when Batman was out of costume, obviously), the only difference was that the stranger had a mustache. "Dad?"
"You're a disgrace, Bruce." The apparent Thomas Wayne said. He reached forward for Batman's neck, pushing him back against a book case. "I leave you with all the money I had, and what do you do with it? Dress up like it's halloween every night, beating up mental patients. What have you done for Gotham? What would your mother think if she saw you?" Batman grunted as he tries to push the man off. His father was a large and healthy man until the end, but he was no fighter! How could he pin him down so?
"I suppose your failure is mine." An english-accented voice chimed in.
"Alfred?"
Batman sensed the right side of his face morph into his butler. "I could have had it all, Bruce. I could have had it all if you just died with them. But you didn't, and I tried to be the father you needed. What do I get in return? I clean up your messes, fix every mistake you ever make, and stand by and watch you remain the spoiled brat you always were!"
"No, I-" He then felt his stomach morph. It formed the face of his ward, Dick Grayson. "No…"
"You wanted to help me? How? Dragging me into your life? Taking me away from the world I knew? You never wanted someone to protect, nor a pupil…"
"No…"
"…nor a son." Batman said nothing to that, the simple words cutting deep. "You just decided you just wanted a goon of your own to do your dirty work!"
Itachi observed from the shadows. He heard the Batman exclaim Dad. He also heard another name, but at this point in time could not make any significant association. Itachi gripped his kunai. "It is a shame. He was a worthy opponent…" He took a silent step from out of the shadows, preparing to end the deed. "And a righteous soul."
He charged, aiming to stab him in the heart as soon as he positioned him. Even with body armor, Itachi was strong enough to break through it in one stab. He wrapped his arm around Batman's neck, bringing the kunai up. "It's over." He thrust…and Batman suddenly blocked with his arm. "Impossible!" Grabbing hold of Itachi's arm, Batman forced himself to stand straight and pull Itachi's arm off of him. Once he gained proper leverage, the Batman head-butted him with the back of his cowl. The ears went right into Itachi's eyes, and though he closed them, the pain was already unbearable and the normally in control Itachi was completely discombobulated. Batman followed through with an elbow to his gut, and grabbed the weapon hand. Using his momentum and leverage, he threw Itachi over him, the Akatsuki landing on a glass case and shattering it.
Itachi's normally emotionless face changed to surprise. "You broke the genjutsu!" He noticed Batman's lip bleeding; he must have bit it to break out of it.
Batman walked towards him calmly. "I admit, you almost had me. But you don't think I've been through this before?" Batman charged with a punch. Itachi blocked and tried to counter, but the hero's arm moved with him and intercepted his other hand. "Here's a tip: if you're going to put someone through horrible illusions, try to do better than Scarecrow!" Batman did a surprise spin and suddenly elbowed Itachi in the temple. The Uchiha slid across the floor, laying motionless. Even so, Batman did not attack, instead putting his guard up and waited. These ninjas were a tricky bunch.
After half a minute, Itachi finally rose on unsteady feet. He was even bleeding from where Batman hit him, and panted. Batman could see from the look in his eyes, this man had not been hurt like this in a long time. "I underestimated you." Itachi panted. His face appeared both exhilarated and frustrated at the same time. "It's a mistake I have not made in a long time; you should feel proud."
"Only when you're in jail." Batman cautiously approached him. "And when we're able, send you back to your village to pay for your crimes. Your brother told us everything."
"Only what he knows. And I'd wager he didn't tell you everything, including WHY I exterminated my clan."
"Nothing justifies murder."
"Witness my power…and then give me your answer. If you can!" Itachi's eyes changed, the sharingan morphed into an almost star-like shape.
"I've defeated you with less help before!" Aqualad shouted. He brought water blades up to counter the Ocean Master's trident.
"There is one detail that's different, half-breed. I wasn't ready for you then!" He then threw Aqualad off as debris came hurling at him, courtesy of Miss Martian. He parried them and pointed his trident at her, the points separating and allowing the center to open up. And to everyone's surprise, shot a stream of flame. M'gann flew away but the flames still grazed her, causing her to fall. And predictably Superboy tackled him hard enough to throw them both off the roof.
"They're in the water!" Naruto shouted as he roundhouse kicked an Atlantean criminal in the head.
Aqualad parried the daggers of some others. "Not good; even with his strength Superboy is at a disadvantage under the water!" He elbowed one to run and make a dive for the water, but one of the soldiers hit him with a harpoon gun. "Ngh!" Aqualad managed to move to the side just enough to avoid being stabbed anywhere vital, but it went clean though his arm!
"Hang on, Kaldur!" From one of the taller trees, Artemis fired an explosive arrow at the offensive soldier. He fell down, giving Aqualad a brief reprieve.
Sasuke, figuring these soldiers did not like fire, began his signature jutsu. "Goukakyu no Jutsu!" The fireball landed, but though the soldier stumbled, he seemed otherwise unhurt. "It must be the armor!"
The soldier took aim, but didn't notice Naruto behind him…
Superboy pushed Ocean Master down, and punched him across the face. The Atlantean armor was incredibly durable; it could withstand his blows with no visible damage, allowing Ocean Master to remain conscious. He could the hit the clone back pretty hard, but it was not efficient against the boy.
But he came prepared for that.
Reaching behind his cape, Ocean Master pulled out some some odd circle, and slammed it on Superboy's body. The electric shock caused him to scream, which underwater came out as an extended gurgle. Ocean Master wasted no time in swimming behind him and pulling his trident in under Superboy's neck. The shaft couldn't move into his neck far, but even Kryptonians needed to breathe, and he was now taking in water.
He struggled valiantly, but Ocean Master sneered at his struggling…
"One Thousand Years of Death!" Naruto only had a birdarang on him, but even so he used it as a kunai and jammed it into the soldier's rear. And turned on the taser as an added bonus. "AGH!"
Sasuke turned just in time to throw another's line of fire by kicking the rifle out of the way. The Atlantean made a move to swing a hook at him, but Sasuke ducked and sent him flying in the air with a vertical kick. Sasuke didn't stop there as he used a technique of his own creation that he hadn't used in a long time. His body spun, as his heel came down on the opponent. "Lion Combo!" His heel brought him down hard enough to crash through the roof.
"Way to go Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called. She almost didn't notice the Atlantean soldier get the drop on her and try to stab her through the skull. Though wounded, Aqualad intervened and blocked the dagger. Sakura followed through with an exploding birdarang to his face, giving Aqualad enough space to pull back and punch, knocking him out.
Just then Ocean Master jumped out of the water. Seeing his henchmen fallen, he addressed the teams. "It seems I underestimated the rest of you." He said.
"Where's Superboy?!" Miss Martian shouted.
"The second-rate Kryptonian?" Ocean Master sneered. "Where I left him. Unless one of you comes to get him, I don't see him getting out anytime soon."
There was no room for the Teams to stare agape; Miss Martian already began to react appropriately. "You-!" Her telekinesis took effect, as a tree from the other side began to fly at him. But at the same time the villain threw a thermite grenade faster than she could counter, burning her. The house rocked from the impact and threw Ocean Master across the roof, but he impaled the tip of his trident into the sheet, helping him back to his feet.
"You bastard!" Naruto attacked Ocean Master, punching him across the chin. And nearly felt his hand break.
"Futile!" He grabbed the orange one by the collar and threw him back.
However, Aqualad raised an eyebrow at the brief exchange. Atlanteans were a lot stronger than humans, but most could still be knocked about by them if they let their guard down. Regardless, Aqualad drew water. He then looked to Sakura, eyeing between the villain and the water. Giving her a glance, he nodded. He charged, and Sakura used the distraction to dive into the water. Ocean Master parried with his trident, and another by Sasuke. He deflected arrows from Artemis. Kid Flash briefly spun around him with many punches, but knocked him away. "Ezeerf!" Water landed on him, and immediately froze into ice. He then broke out, and fired the lasers at Zatanna.
Sakura was not a particularly exceptional swimmer, but she could make do. She never had to dive this deep though. It didn't help that debris littered the water and the silt obscured her vision. Even so, she managed to find Connor's body floating about. She swam harder towards him. She grabbed him and tried to pull him up, but nearly lost her breath at the shock of his weight. No, him being heavy wasn't the problem; Sakura wasn't sure she could even pull someone of Naruto's size out. She kicked harder, vainly struggling to pull him out. She saw his face, seemingly lifeless. She then thought to M'Gann, how close they were. If she failed, M'gann would be devastated. "For her sake, I've got to save him!"
She finally let one of her arms go, and used it to push herself up with her kicks. Though progress was slow, she was getting him to the surface!
Deidara eyed the basement, searching for Superman. He treaded carefully; even though he had essentially de-powered him, he was warned the poisoning would only be temporary. One thing he had going for him in this situation was that they were in a dark basement; any sunlight coming in to power him would be minimal. Though he was told this hero was not known for stealth, Deidara still watched the corners and got a small clay bomb ready, just in case. He heard a step, and reacted appropriately. He tossed the bomb, causing a small explosion. He saw some wood pillars disintegrate, but nothing more. Luckily he didn't wind up making the whole basement collapse. Deidara nearly swore under his breath.
"AHH!" He turned too late as Superman charged him, hitting him over the head with a wood plank. Deidara stumbled, but Superman collapsed on the floor. He found enough strength to move, but it still drained him in his current state. His surprise attack caused the blonde Akatsuki to bleed from the head, but failed to knock him out. Deidara in his anger dropped his usual motif and got physical, grabbing Superman by the neck and lifting him off the floor as he choked him. Superman countered with a straight cross that would have been on par with most professional boxers, but after that he wasn't sure he could muster another.
Deidara's face was quite thoroughly ruined, now sporting a broken nose and black eye on his left, but he was no push-over to those on his level. "Not feeling the power, are we?" Deidara sneered, squeezing tighter. "I must admit, at your peak, you are fascinating. Invincibility, flight. Super strength, perhaps greater than the legendary Tsunade. It is such a thing of beauty." He inched his face closer, careful not to choke the Man of Steel to death but causing as much pain as possible. "And yet it flies in the face of art! Such omnipotency…it is disgusting!"
Finally he threw Superman against the gas tank, hard enough to disconnect the pipe and dent the canister, the hiss of escaping gas filling their ears. "You gave me quite a rush earlier, but now I'm bored. I think it's time we put an end to this…." His tongues got to work, molding a new clay bomb…
"If it's these extra hearts that give you life, let me remind you how fragile life can really be!" Wonder Woman charged, ramming her fists into Kakuzu much in the same manner as Superman would.
Kakuzu nearly passed out from the force, but he had installed pockets of epinephrine in his system if he was ever hit with enough force to knock him out. "NNNHHH!" Kakuzu's tendrils immediately wrapped all over Wonder Woman while others stabilized him. "You wretch! You should know by now, direct attacks will not work!" The tendrils slammed Wonder Woman onto the street before lifting her up again. "I have worked hard to earn my immortality. Yours on the other hand was given to you. Your birth alone is not a reason for immortality!"
More tendrils shot forward with the intention of ripping out Diana's heart. However, the Amazon was not finished, her arms ripping out of their bonds and grabbing the heart-snatchers. "You're right. My birth alone does not justify my long life. It was a gift from Zeus, answering my mother's prayers." She pushed them down further, even as the others wrapped around her tighter. "Tell me; why do you wish to be immortal?" Kakuzu's eyes widened, surprised by the question. "You're afraid, aren't you?" Wonder Woman asked. "You claim to have earned your extended life through your efforts, yet you have done nothing to share that knowledge with others. You haven't even used your long life to help others, have you?"
"Shut up!" Another tendrils snuck in behind to tighten its grip around Wonder Woman's neck further. "You know nothing!"
"I think I figured out some things about you. The world you come from…it's dangerous, isn't it?" She grunted. "You must have lost people close to you, you feared your own death and dedicated the rest of your life to surviving. But you never truly lived."
"And you are different from me?"
"Yes. Upon discovering Man's World, I fought alongside the better men to bring peace. I once lost faith, but I have found faith again with the new generation. I've done more than stop petty criminals; I have inspired others, shaped this world's march towards true equality. I can see by the look in your eyes, you've only ever served yourself!"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. "Well, I've been me for this long. No point in turning back mow." Wonder Woman caught one of the mask creatures rushing her from the side, lifting its arms to slam her. Another breathed fire on her, and soon the others surrounded her…
Sasori's hands opened up to reveal tubes. He aimed at Flash, sending flames towards him. Predictably, Flash dodged those with ease. He didn't move far, doubling back to run into him. Sasori swung his arm to where Flash was going to be, the elbow opening up to unfold his arm and reveal long blades. Flash slid on his knees as the blades just nicked his cowl. Flash stumbled back up and stabilized himself with his hand. "You are inhumanely fast." Sasori commented. "I think you could have beaten even the Yellow Flash at his game."
"Yellow Flash?" Flash asked. "You got one of those too!?"
"I'm talking here!" His stomach opened up and shot a cord out. Flash jumped to the side, he wasn't ready for that! While his rogues were always difficult the first time around, their gimmicks were rather easy to understand. This guy was completely unpredictable! Flash hadn't felt this afraid for a long time; not since he was a normal man. "What's wrong?" Sasori teased him, giving a smug smile as he pulled the cable back into him. "Where was that confidence I saw earlier? Come on, make your move."
This was definitely a trap. While he could dodge most everything he could throw, one miscalculation and he could be eviscerated. His experience with the shell earlier showed just trying to attack him could prove his undoing, and he wasn't sure if he could metabolize the poison out again. And for the first time in a long time, Flash simply froze. They stared at one another for a good minute. Sasori remained impassive, but Flash had a feeling neither were like samurai, willing to hold their position for an eternity if need be. Someone was going to make the other move, and Flash was afraid it was going to be Sasori.
Sasori eyed a mother and her children hiding behind one of the cars. "No." Flash mouthed.
"Oh yes." Sasori sneered. He shot his hand to the right, which opened up and shot a large curved shuriken towards them. Flash calculated even if they hid behind the car, its torque and rotational speed would cut through it like butter.
The choice had been made for him.
Flash ran to intercept it, catching the center between his hands. He slid across the street, before skidding to a stop. Throwing the blade into the sky, he checked his hands. Even with his nano-second timing, it cut through the material and made him bleed. "Oh…" Flash felt like his body was shaking, but not from his usual vibration techniques. The color in his vision gave a purple hue, and Flash felt his muscles lock up in pain.
Sasori walked over him, like a doctor inspecting a mouse. "I'll say this; normal people would have died from that poison almost instantly." His shoulders opened up to reveal bladed wings. "I'll have to remedy that."
Hidan focused out all the white noise around him and tried to pick out aberrations as he marched down the offices. His practice made him a skilled hunter, and heightened his senses. To his eight, he heard a fast heartbeat.
Behind the wall.
Hidan swung his scythe, destroying the plaster. Green Arrow rolled away before rising on one knee to block. It made him wide open to a kick, causing him to fall on his back. Arrow had no time to draw the string, so he threw a smoke arrow into the sprinkler above. The smoke triggered the alarms, dousing the office with water. It gave him a split second to roll out of the way and put some distance between him and Hidan. He could draw now, shooting out a punch arrow. The blunt tip hit Hidan in the face and caused him to spin in delirium.
Even so, he had enough self-awareness to use the momentum to grab his weapon by the cord and throw it at Green Arrow. The weapon was so large, Oliver did not anticipate he would be use it that way! The blades sliced across his shoulder; he was lucky they didn't go deep and shred his tendons! But the severity of the wound didn't matter; what did was that Hidan had what he needed now.
Hidan didn't waste his time, immediately licking the blade. His skin changed to its Dia La Muerte look, and he raised the point…
Konan dove bomb towards the blonde super heroine, Black Canary blocking with her forearms as she was pushed back. "I must say, I find your alter ego misleading. I figured a bird would at least fly." Konan tried to sneak past her guard, but BC parried her hands and unleashed a Wing-Chun chain punch to her face. Konan fell back and shot paper knives.
Canary dodged most of them but one got her shoulder. Quickly she pulled it out and charged with a flying kick. The blue-haired woman immediately disintegrated into paper upon contact. Black Canary looked around her furiously, failing to notice the paper fly behind her and reform into Konan. Dinah turned just in time to intercept her stabbing hand to try and hit her with a back knuckle, which Konan blocked. "I have to admit, you're an interesting character." The Canary said. "But I've got somewhere to be." She took a deep breath, and Konan saw her cue.
Right before the sonic scream could come out, Konan plastered paper across her mouth. A large burst of sound managed to escape and gave Konan a sharp headache, but Konan was still able to fight back and slap more paper on her mouth. Black Canary reached for the paper, but Konan kicked her onto the asphalt. Before the heroine could do more, several sheets of paper pinned her wrists.
Konan walked over her, staring impassively. Her sleeve then produced a long and thin paper sword as she pointed it to Dinah's neck.
Aquaman turned as Kisame lunged at him. Though he noticed Kisame held his arm back, Orin thought nothing of it; shuriken would not be able to pierce him. He realized too late the projectiles were of a different nature.
They hit him dead on, and soon Aquaman was covered in magnesium flame. Even Kisame had to shield himself from the heat with Sadehama. It seemed it lasted no longer than an instant by the times the flame went out, the damage was immense. Aquaman was smoldering, covered in burns all over, his armor torn. All things considered, he looked a lot better than most people who got burned alive, but it was clear that most of the fight was taken out of him.
Kisame grinned, dragging Sadehama across the floor. Once he came up close to the Sea King, he raised his sword and brought it down on Aquaman. The Atlantean blocked with his trident at the last second, but failed to rise off his knee, the two struggling. A vast improvement for Kisame. "Though I do not consider myself a most honorable man-"
"Indeed." Aquaman interrupted.
"-I still feel I owe you an apology; fire is generally not my forte. But I'm under assignment to win by any means necessary!" Kisame slipped his sword across Aquaman's face, cutting his cheek. Aquaman stumbled back down onto the railing, bringing up his trident, but Kisame knocked it away, the weapon flying into the beams where it stuck.
"Consider me using dirty tricks as proof you are the true King of the Sea!" As the sword came down for another slash, Aquaman caught it between his hands. But in his state, the spines cut through his hands, causing him to wince. He hated to admit it, but it seemed he had found his match…
Though he didn't show it, these new eyes had Batman worried. Sasuke did not talk much about his sharingan, but the bat had a feeling this variety was bad. Even under the armor of his cowl, Batman could feel the hair on his neck stand up.
He rolled away as he felt a sudden intense heat. He spotted the black flames beginning to converge around him, rolling away before they could touch him. Batman had the same aversion to fire as any man; he simply trained himself to work past it. Yet every instinct in his mind told him to ABSOLUTELY NOT TOUCH THEM. Quickly he fired his grappling gun onto the balcony of the 2nd floor and pulled himself swiftly away to safety.
Batman took a moment to remind himself of his surroundings; Itachi was nowhere in sight. That was not a good sign. "I'm impressed you got this far." His voice echoed in the room. "And you escaped Amaterasu. Very impressive." Batman swiftly turned his head in all directions, but could not pinpoint his location. "If I may be honest, I quite enjoyed myself. Of all the heroes, I was careful not to underestimate you. And even then, you met my generously high expectations."
"Funny. You failed to impress me."
"How so?"
"Your little brother didn't talk about you much." Batman elaborated. The room fell silent. Good. He had his attention then. "But just speaking with him I could see the thought of you made him tremble with rage. You murdered your own family, didn't you?"
It took a moment, but eventually Itachi spoke. "I don't see how that has anything to do with-"
"And yet you hold back on me, just enough." Batman interrupted. "Which means you're not a killer. Not a cold-blooded one, at least. Someone…or something forced you to be one."
Another moment of silence. "You think me a coward?"
"I can think of no better word for one who would kill his own family. And for power, at that." Batman walked as he tried to narrow Itachi's location down. "He didn't say that specifically, but it tracks. And, I figure the only reason Sasuke lived was because you let him. Either as an experiment…or for hopes of creating a worthy opponent."
"So, you will kill me in his place?"
"If you retreat to your own world, your fate is out of my hands." Batman said. "But if you choose to remain here, you will face justice on our terms."
"I'll take that as a no then." A kunai flew past Batman, embedding itself into the bookshelf. Batman saw the paper burning away and drew his cape over his body to shield himself from the small explosion that followed. Once it cleared, he stood up only to see Itachi right in front of him. He threw a left hook, only for his fist to move through him like paper mache as Itachi's body separated into crows. "Damn it!"
Batman pulled out a batarang, but Itachi sprung on him and pinned him to the wall. At the moment, Batman was helpless; Itachi's technique was on par with his own at least, and he was most certainly stronger. "Why do you do what you do? Fighting everyone, dressed like a bat?" Batman pushed back, but to no avail. "You must have suffered a great trauma. Much like I made Sasuke go through. But you have no idea who that person that hurt you was, do you? Or maybe he died a long time ago, before you could take your own revenge. To be honest, I think you are in an even worse spot than he is." Batman grunted, but otherwise said nothing. "I suppose this is the end of our conversation. And our fight."
Once again, his sharingan changed. He looked right through Batman's lens and into his eyes…
Batman found himself in Gotham, but something was wrong. The buildings were jet black, and the sky was red. He looked around, but nary a soul could be found. "Welcome to the Tsukiyomi." Itachi's voice echoed. Batman turned to punch Itachi behind him, only for him to vanish like smoke. "Here, I control everything. Space, time. Matter." Batman gasped as he felt a sword go through him. For a moment, he was worried he would die, but then it disappeared. They then found themselves atop a sky scrapper, his wound gone. "Let us see how much if takes to break you." Itachi said as he pushed Batman off.
The G-force was much higher than he was prepared for, and somehow, he still felt the impact. Instant death would have been preferable. The physical torture continued for quite some time, but Batman didn't break. "Impressive." Itachi noted at one point, observing Batman trying to rise from his knees. "My Tsukiyomi has broken men as strong as you, at least."
Batman only answered "I work through pain."
"So I see." Itachi conceded. "Then perhaps something more…psychological will have to do."
"Batman!" A young voice called. "Help me!"
Batman turned around, and his scowl dropped to horror. Robin, badly wounded, was pinned under flaming debris. He reached out to him with a bloodied arm. "Please…help me."
Batman told himself this was only an illusion. None of this was real. And yet…Batman couldn't help himself, running towards him, his instinct to protect his ward overpowering his rational mind. "Robin!" He shouted, grasping his hand…
And then Robin sneered, grasping the Batman with both of his hands. "Gotcha, Batsy." Batman screamed as 20 amps of electricity suddenly flowed though him. Robin rose, beginning to laugh, becoming deeper and more maniacal. And then the boy began to change, to morph. He grew in height to nearly match the Batman's, his nose grew, his skin grew pale, and his costume became a suit. But what got Batman the most was the hair.
Though the colors were distorted here, he recognized that green mop anywhere. "Joker."
"Not quite, Batsy."
Joker's whole head turned like an owl, revealing Itachi's in the back. "I only have the basic facts on your greatest foe." Suddenly, a hand reached out from Batman's body, grabbing his neck. "But I feel it is more than enough to break you." He said.
"As they say, the more the merrier!" Batman looked up to see Joker pull a lever, a cauldron leaning down over him as he was bathed in a fowl acid, leaving his costume intact but burning the skin underneath.
And from there, Batman went through the worst both Itachi and Joker had to offer.
No, worse. In the real world, both were only human. They would have to rest, get bored.
But here, there was no limit to what they could do, and they could go on as long and as often as they wanted…
"AAAUGGHH!" Batman yelled as he fell to his knees. Itachi looked on as he tried to regain his balance, only for him to fall over face first.
Itachi looked down at him stoically as he waited for a surprise attack. But it never came. "It's over."
Vandal Savage looked upon all the monitors and other feeds. Wonder Woman and Black Canary were struggling. Flash and Green Arrow could die at any moment. Superman was hiding. Aquaman was down.
And Batman was down too.
He smiled.
It seemed the Justice League was finally defeated.
Again, I apologize for taking so long. I am trying to be more consistent with my writing, and hopefully the next chapter will be coming soon.