Injustice: The Path to Hell.

Book 2: Darkness in the Light

Chapter I – Malestrom

"Normal Speech."

'Normal Thought.'

"Demon Speech."

'Demon Thought.'

Location/Time

Sunday 5th July, 08:15.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

East End.

Looking up at his old apartment complex, Naruto released a sigh. Turns out the owner had already sold his old and newly renovated room to someone else, effectively making him homeless. Which was just great, not only did he hardly remember anything since his disastrously short, one-sided fight against Slade to when he had been saved by the ragtag team of heroes, a villain and a mercenary.

But now he had nowhere to go.

He could have gone to Slade's safe house where he had spent most of his time training, though he had quickly decided against it upon realising he might run into Slade. Naruto was angry beyond belief and would like nothing more than to get revenge, but he also knew that as he was right now, he had no chance.

Whatever new powers he had, they seemed to feed off of his rage and anger, making him stronger, but in turn also making him lose control. Naruto doubted that Slade would be so easily beaten by someone driven purely by rage and power, if so the mercenary would have been defeated long ago.

No, it was safe to say that Naruto didn't really know what to do with himself.

Releasing a breath, Naruto turned on his heel and began walking down the street, adjusting the strap of his bag ever so slightly. While he had learned that most of his stuff had been collected by Jim – a relief for sure as it meant the pictures of his parents were safe and the money he had collected – his Black Hood uniform had still been stashed away. The fact that the renovation company didn't even find it was a testament to how lax they were.

But it was also something he was grateful for and after pulling up into a nearby alleyway, Naruto placed the bag down as he crouched down behind a dumpster. Unzipping it, he spent a few minutes just staring at the gloves gifted to him by the Talon that rested there innocently.

Reaching out, he felt the fabric, running one hand up the slightly dulled, chipped and rusted blades that made up the small claws. 'I really did have no clue what I was doing.' He chuckled ruefully, realising just how lacking he was. One of the first things that Slade had taught him when they began weapons training was how to properly care for ones weapons. To see that state of his clawed gloves was a stark reminder as to how much he had grown.

With a small frown, Naruto slowly began getting changed and once he finished, looked at himself in a nearby puddle. While the mask on his face obscured it, Naruto's frown deepened as he found himself staring at a complete stranger.

'This isn't me anymore.' He thought in understanding as he stared at himself a little longer. When he had looked at himself before, he had seen him fighting the best of the best. He thought he could take on the very world alone and come out the victor so long as he had the will to do so.

And look what had happened.

He had been beaten down left, right and centre by opponents far beyond his ability. He had the will to keep standing, but Deathstroke was right. Will alone would not cut it, he had needed skill and above all else, he had needed power. 'Well I have it now, but it has come at a price.' Not only did his power make him lose control every time he tapped into it, not that he had tried since he had been freed from Cadmus. But the price paid to gain such power was to feel like a complete stranger in a suit that had once made him feel like he could face every challenge that came his way.

Eventually, Naruto had enough and just removed the suit and got changed back into his old clothes. His plan to take up the mantle of Black Hood for a short time till he knew what he wanted to do with himself was thoroughly ruined.

Here he was, just walking down the street of Gotham with no idea what to do with himself. He couldn't take up the mantle of Black Hood again, just been in the suit felt like he was trying to be someone, no, something that he was not. And being a mercenary, while still a viable option would require contacts, contacts that he didn't have. Slade was meant to help him build up a network of contacts, build up his name as Marauder through a few jobs where they worked together.

'And look how that turned out.' He thought sardonically.

"Hey, let me go, asshole!" A childlike voice cried out and he turned to see that across the road a group of young thugs, no older than himself he quickly realised to his shock – he felt much older than he actually looked – and they were all currently ganging up on a young child. A child that looked very familiar to him.

"Oh yea, what you gonna do about it." One of them taunted as he pushed the kid to the thug positioned behind the child, who in turn pushed him to the ground. "That's right, nothing." It's when the kick landed did Naruto find that he had already moved across the street, ignoring the car horns sent his way and instead just moved forwards to deck one guy across the cheek.

Naruto unfortunately had forgotten to factor in his own enhanced strength that had been enhanced even further. As a result, the punch cleanly knocked the thug to the ground, a number of teeth clattering along the floor as he landed in an unconscious heap.

The suddenness of this shocked the group of thugs, no more than five of them including the unconscious one at his feet – who looked to Naruto in shock. So did the young child and it was the look happiness, gratefulness and shock that reminded Naruto as to who exactly the child was.

Even so, he put the little reunion on hold and looked at the thugs with one borrowed raised in questioning. "Well, care to push me around?" He asked calmly, raising one foot and flipping the unconscious guy at his feet onto his back, allowing them to plainly see just how much damage Naruto had done with one punch. The jaw was clearly dislocated, blood dribbling down and a number of teeth missing. "Or are you going to run away?"

There was a few moments of silence before the guys decided to turn tail and run, completely abandoning their unconscious friend. "Yea, you better run, dickheads!" Jason angrily shouted at their backs, laughing happily at the same time.

Once they turned a corner, Jason turned back to Naruto with a smile on his face. Only to quickly hold his forehead in pain once Naruto's flicked him.

"Ow, what was that for?!" He exclaimed, rubbing the red mark that was forming, it would probably form a bruise, but Naruto didn't care. The only reason idiots like that would openly hit a child, even in the East End was if said child had stolen from them. East End might be bad, but harming children was a quick and easy way to not only draw the ire of a lot of other criminals – the number who had a soft spot for kids was surprising, though mostly because they wanted to manipulate kids into working for them later on – but also the police as well.

Which meant that Jason was a thief and Naruto was not about to let that slide. Grabbing Jason by the scruff of his dirty shirt, Naruto picked him easily off the ground and carried the struggling child down the street. His actions drew a few amused and/or concerned gazes, but no one got involved.

"Naruto, put me down!" Jason struggled and Naruto did exactly what he asked, though not how Jason had expected as he landed in his backside with a gasp. "What was that for, asshole?!"

"Since when have you started swearing so much?" Naruto asked, but Jason didn't answer, just crossing his arms over his chest in a huff. Seeing this, Naruto just shrugged his shoulders knowing full well that Jason would follow him, and the young child did just that, quickly scrambling to his feet as he rushed to catch up to Naruto.

"Hey, wait up!" He cried, his little legs moving to catch up with Naruto who just continued to walk down the street with both hands in his pocket. Once he did catch up, Jason just walked in silence beside him, his eyes occasionally flickering towards Naruto as if going to ask a question, only to doubt himself at the last minute and change his mind.

Eventually, Naruto decided to address the main problem.

"So, mind telling me why you're not in a orphanage or at a foster carers?" His voice was calm as his gaze never strayed from the path in front of him as Jason looked up at him in confusion before he erupted out into a big smile.

"I ran away!" He exclaimed like it was something to be proud of and Naruto looked down at him with a frown on his face.

Jason saw this and his smile changed to a confused frown. "Is that something to be proud of?" Naruto asked.

"Well, you did it." Jason answered as if that would end Naruto's question, but Naruto's frown only deepened, something Jason saw.

"I was eleven, not seven and I didn't save your life so that you could throw it away when you try to be me." Was it harsh? Possibly, but Naruto understood Jason, they were similar in more way than one. The only way to get through to him would be to speak plainly, it may be harsh, but it would save Jason in the future.

"But, but you're…Black Hood." He whispered the last part as he looked around at people suspiciously.

Naruto almost shook his head in exasperation. "And?" This stumped Jason who just looked at him in shock. "Do you know how many times I've nearly died. It may seem like I can do anything, but I really can't. Why would I want you to become like me?"

"You could train me!"

This made Naruto chuckle lowly. "Train you?" Jason nodded his head. "I'm not going to train you for three, very simple reasons. First, there are individuals out there still beyond my ability to deal with. How am I going to train you to beat them when I can't do it myself?" Jason had no answer which Naruto had both expected and was glad for. "Second, I saved your life. You feel indebted to me don't you?"

Jason hesitantly nodded his head, eyes dropping to the ground at the reminder of that night.

"You want to repay me? Then do it by living a normal life because trust me, you'll thank me." Jason still didn't look up and Naruto felt bad, he really did. But at the end of the day, he was doing this for Jason's safety. "And third, do you think you're parents would want you to live a life like mine? Constantly putting yourself in danger and risking your life?"

There was silence as they continued to walk down the street.

"They're dead." Jason eventually muttered quietly and Naruto looked at the child questioningly. "They're dead! What would they care about how I live my life?!" He shouted angrily, tears in his eyes before turning tail and running away.

Naruto just stood there in shock for a few moments as a few by passers looked at him in a mixture of curiosity and accusation. Not even sparing them a glance, Naruto rushed after Jason with a curse.

Wednesday 5th July, 08:40.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

Gotham Police Station.

Filling out the rest of the paperwork, Naruto handed over the forms to the police officer behind the desk and looked back to Jason who was moodily sat on one of the benches. Arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face as he glared angrily at the ground.

It had taken him only a few minutes to actually find Jason who while being sneaky, was still only a child and Naruto easily caught him. After that, walking to the police station was the longest task simply due to how difficult Jason was. He struggled and fought against Naruto every step of the way until they eventually reached the police station.

At which point, all fight just seemed to leave him.

"Is Jim Gordon here?" Naruto asked after turning away from Jason.

The police officer behind the reception looked at Naruto suspiciously, but before she could answer, someone else intervened. "Well, I'll be damned, if it isn't Naruto himself. Come to see, Jim?" One, Harvey Bulloch exclaimed as he strolled up towards him. "Jesus, look at your. I remember when you were just a little brat causing Gordon to grow a few extra grey hairs."

Naruto just smiled. "And I remember you being a cause for just as many." It was a running joke between the two as while Naruto had driven Harvey up the walls as a kid, constantly running away from orphanages and causing Jim to find him, which in turn included Harvey. The two had eventually buried the hatchet soon after Naruto turned fifteen.

"Hah." Harvey barked out a laugh before taking a look at the forms the police officer was still filling, only managing to catch a name. "Jason Todd, huh?" He questioned, looking to see the kid in question and then turned to Naruto with a smile. "Kids almost as bad as you were, karmas a bitch ain't it?"

"True, but even karma hasn't got shit on your last girlfriend." This made a few of the nearby police officers stifle smiles and chuckles of amusement as Naruto smirked cockily.

"Very funny." Harvey grumbled in good humour. "Jim's in his office, do you still want me to hold your hand?"

"Think I can managed but if it'll make you feel better then by all means, I'll hold your hand. Don't worry, the police may look all big and scary, but I promise they won't bite. She might though." Here Naruto winked jokingly at the police woman who had finished filling his forms, only to receive an unimpressed look in return.

Shaking his head, Harvey just chuckled and flipped Naruto the bird. Naruto responded in kind as he walked by Harvey, heading towards Jim's office.

Knocking on the door, Naruto waited till he received a, "Come in," before doing just that.

Pushing open the door, Naruto looked inside to see Jim sat behind his desk, so engrossed in his work that he didn't even look up. "Hey, Jim." He greeted and instantly Jim's head shot up before he smiled happily.

Laughing, Jim got to his feet and embraced Naruto who returned it, conscious though to keep his own strength in check. "Naruto, how are you?" He asked with a smile, taking a step back to look at Naruto. He looked fine physically and Jim could tell he had been working out due to the way he filled out his clothes, a simple pair of jeans and hoodie, with a t-shirt on underneath.

"I'm good, you?" Jim just waved it off, ushering Naruto to a seat while taking his own once more.

"How long have you been back in Gotham?"

"Just a couple of hours. Ran into Jason Todd and brought him back here, thought I could come see you as well while I was at it." Jim just nodded his head with a smile.

"So what have you been up to recently, you left in a hurry soon after…" Jim trailed off as his smile turned into a frown.

"Don't worry, I was out when it happened. I was getting some extra clothes to wear on my travels and when I found out that it was my apartment, I just decided to leave there and then. I didn't really fancy staying in Gotham much longer after I found out what happened." A straight up lie, but Naruto wasn't going to tell him that he was abducted by the government, implanted with a bomb in his neck and involved in the Arkham incident over year and a half ago. 'Yea, that would go over perfectly.'

"You know you can't just do that, Naruto." Jim said and Naruto nodded his head sadly.

"I know, I just," outwardly, Naruto projected an image of sadness, but inwardly he felt sick. "I just didn't feel safe." Lying to Jim was never easy and always made him feel like a piece of shit, but Naruto's was equally scared of revealing that he was, or used to be Black Hood. If Jim thought of Black Hood in a similar way to how Barbara had before knowing the truth, then Naruto's didn't want to go through that again.

"Alright." Despite that, Naruto could just tell that Jim wasn't full convinced. "So, tell me where have you gone?"

Smiling, Naruto answered with half-truths, there weren't certainly easier because it wasn't a complete lie. "I went to, France, Egypt, Turkey, Norway…" Naruto listed off a few more countries and each one was the truth. While Slade had taken less missions so that he could focus on training him and Rose up to his minimum standards, that didn't mean he stopped taking missions altogether.

No, when Slade had a mission in a different country, he would take him and Rose along with him. Considering that Slade had a safe house in not only every country, but also in every state and major city, that made it simple. So while Slade was out on the mission, Naruto and Rose would be given certain training tasks to complete, while Wintergreen would watch on to make sure they completed them.

"Sounds like you had a lot of fun travelling." Jim pointed out and now that he thought back on it, he was strangely surprised to see that he did. While training had been difficult, he had enjoyed it, not every moment mind you, but he had enjoyed himself more than he had realised.

"Yea, I did." He replied, still shocked at this discovery.

Seeing that Naruto was reeling from an unknown – to him anyway – discovery, Jim allowed himself to study Naruto closer. He had grown a lot, not just physically, but mentally. Naruto had always been childish, it was part of who he was. Even when Minato died, Naruto hadn't been overly effected. This wasn't because Naruto didn't love Minato, but because Kushina worked hard to keep Naruto's life normal.

It was this that eventually caused Kushina to die from exhaustion.

All the while Jim could do nothing but watch as Kushina, once a vibrant full of energy and life, slowly grew gradually more and more exhausted. The abundance of life draining away from her till she just couldn't continue on.

It had pained him greatly, unable to do anything as she constantly rebuffed his offers of help. Stubbornly believing that she could care for Naruto on her own, or that was what he had thought, until he learned about the debt she and Minato had owed the crime lord, Black Mask. Not only had she been protecting Naruto, but also him and Barbara.

Yet as painful as all that was, it was nothing compared to once again being unable to do anything except watch as Naruto's entire world came crumbling down to the ground. The bubble Kushina had built around him after Minato's death popped and with it, Naruto shattered.

And Jim had been unable to do anything.

However, for the first time, he was starting to see parts of the old Naruto once more. The parts of Naruto that only appeared when he was with Barbara. It was as if Naruto after all this time was starting to heal, not fully there was still a long way to go, but Jim was starting to see the image of who the man Naruto would become.

It was a great relief to him because the image of who Naruto would eventually become before was once a terrifying thing to see. An image of a boy beaten down by the world and becoming every bit as monstrous as those around him.

"Where do you plan to stay?" Jim eventually asked.

"To be honest, I was just planning to go to a motel." Naruto shrugged, he hadn't really thought of where he was going to stay now that he was technically homeless. Which was probably not a smart idea, but Jason's predicament had taken precedence at the moment.

Jim shook his head. "No, I have a spare room and you are more than welcome to stay. It would mean a great deal to me and Barbara, she's missed you more than me." Naruto remained silent, he certainly didn't feel the the same anger towards her as he once did, now things were just awkward with neither of them knowing what to do from this point on. "It's the least I can do to make up for not being able to help you when you needed it most."

"You know I've never blamed you, right?" Jim nodded his head at Naruto's question. "You know as well as I do that no matter how much you tried, Black Mask would have never let you do more than you did. If you tried to push for even more, you and Barbara would have both been at risk. If that happened, I would never have forgiven you."

"I know." Jim responded. "But it doesn't change that as your godfather, I should have been there for you more. And now that I can, you don't seem to want it."

"It's not that I down want it." Naruto interrupted. "It's just that I no longer need it. I've practically raised myself since mum died." Jim winced at the reminder of how little he had been able to do and Naruto realised he should have probably phrased that better. "You've done everything you could with what little room Black Mask allowed you, that alone was more than enough for me. But just because I don't need it, doesn't mean that I wouldn't like your help every now and then."

The smile on Naruto's face told Jim all he needed to know. "Takeaway suit you?"

"Have you actually managed to learn to cook a proper meal in the time I've been away?" He asked cheekily and Jim smiled. "Yea, it'll do fine. I'll head over there in a bit, got somethings of my own to do first."

Wednesday 5th July, 10:00.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

Gotham Heights.

Bruce Wayne had known instantly that his experience at the hands of Cadmus has changed Naruto. Whether that was for the better or for the worse still remained to be seen. However, Naruto had undergone a number of changes, and not just physically. The most obvious change was in the way in which he carried himself.

There had always been an aura of confidence and when he made his appearance as Marauder, there had been a calm confidence to him. It was a noticeable difference that only those who understood what it represented could pick up on.

Whereas a person who was confident appeared dangerous, but could actually be entirely inadequate, someone who exuded calm confidence was the true danger. It was a confidence earned through facing hardships and rising above them, something Naruto had lacked before his time training under Deathstroke.

Even now, he still walked with the same calm confidence as always. A slight swagger to his steps that was entirely natural as he slowly walked down the streets of Gotham without a care in the world.

As if nothing could harm him.

And from what Bruce had heard of his powers, not only had the original serum given to him by Slade being enhanced further, but his new powers were incredibly dangerous. Not only to his opponents, but to Naruto himself and everyone around him.

With the ability to grow stronger and stronger in response to his rage. That alone would make him a force to be reckoned with. Yet it came with a very severe downside, the rage he felt made him similar to that of a rabid animal, a berserker that could not differentiate between friend or foe. While the power was certainly powerful, it seemed to have some severe downsides that could prove to be fatal.

It was one reason why Bruce had taken to keeping an eye on Naruto.

But it was not the main reason.

No, the recent incident at Cadmus had driven Batgirl, Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Superman's clone, who had chosen the code name Superboy to form a new team. This included a last minute entry, Martian Manhunter niece, M'gann M'orzz or Megan Morse as she insisted on being called.

This was all done with the League's blessing of course, but it was a team that lacked some very simple knowledge of the world, knowledge that Naruto had. However, it would also serve as a way to help develop and grow their powers and skills for the day in which they would be ready to join the Justice League.

A place that would allow Naruto to gain some measure of control over his powers.

It's hard to believe that a year ago, he was only a low threat.' But with his powers and their upper limits unknown, it was possible that if driven to a certain point of rage he could surpass even Superman. And if his ability to actually damage Superboy was anything to go by, that would make him one of the the most dangerous person on this planet.

And the most wanted.

With his powers and skill, it meant there was very few things in Gotham who could actually hurt him.

But out of all that, the change in Naruto that stood out most to him, was that he seemed to be both lost, yet strangely almost at peace. There was still things troubling the young man, yet everything about the way he viewed the world around him and interacted with it, changed.

It was a mystery that Bruce intended to solve.

"How long do you intend to follow me for?" Naruto called out as he pulled into an alleyway, deep enough that his voice would be ignored by the people walking by on the street, all assuming he was talking to someone else. Bruce knew however, that he was talking to him.

Jumping down, Batman stuck to the shadows as to keep out of sight, Naruto just turned to stare right at him.

"Well?"

Not one to waste time with idle chatter, Bruce cut straight to the chase. "I have an offer."

"Pass." Naruto answered quickly, when Batman went to talk, Naruto continued. "If it's about that little team you put together with your sidekicks and others, then I'm not interested."

"Then what are you interested in?" This left Naruto quiet, unable to answer as he had no clue as to what he wanted to do. Bruce had seen his internal battle when he put on the Black Hood costume, so he knew appealing to that part of Naruto would not work, so instead went a different route. "I'm willing to pay."

"Pay me?" Naruto's snorted in amusement.

"You left Black Hood behind to become the mercenary, Marauder. I'm wanting to hire your services." Bruce stated bluntly and Naruto blinked in surprise. "You are without a home, there will rooming and free groceries provided at the base as well as a top of the line gym and training facilities. On top of that, I'm willing to pay you for each mission I assign to the team."

"Why?" Naruto asked after a few moments of silence. "Why do you want me on this team so badly?"

It was Bruce who was silent this time, but when he answered it was swift and straight to the point.

"Because I want you to lead it."

"What? Why?"

"Because you are the only one who's actually cut out for it. Robin is too young. Kid Flash too childish. Miss Martian too naïve. And the clone is too much of a flight risk. As for Batgirl and Aqualad they are the most cut out for leadership, but they are not ready. Aqualads loyalty is first and foremost, to Atlantis. If a decision came down to the surface or Atlantis, he would always choose Atlantis. As for Batgirl, she lacks authority. She has the tactical ability, but lacks that charisma needed to be a leader and inspire people."

"And me? What do I have that makes me so cut out to lead this little team?" Naruto questioned.

"You understand that while this world is black and white with bits of grey much like Robin and Batgirl, you also understand that there is more than one shade of grey. You naturally draw people to you, unknowingly, but you have a natural ability to inspire people and the authority to lead. Your skills speak for themselves and you are mature enough to make the tough decisions instead of the easy ones. Need I go on?" Bruce deadpanned and Naruto actually felt himself gaping.

'Is what he says true?' He wondered and the more he thought on it, he realised that Batman was right. He had been raised amongst criminals and admittedly, knew them every bit as well as Robin and Batgirl, probably better. He had managed to make a sort of friendship with Robin, though whether to classify it as a friendship was still unknown and then there was Killer Frost and Rose.

"Alright, you made your point." Naruto grunted. "Give me time to consider your offer." Quickly, he caught a communication device thrown at him by Batman.

"Contact me when you have your answer. If I don't hear from you within two weeks, I'll assume you have refused the offer." Giving a short nod in reply, Naruto's watched Batman disappear and with a sigh, left the alley.

Wednesday 9th July, 12:00.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

Gotham Heights

Barbara didn't really know what to think about the last few days. She had formed an alliance with known criminal Killer Frost and also the rising mercenary, Ravager. All with the intent to free Naruto who she learned had a relationship of some kind with them all. For her, it was obvious from the nature of their relationship, they had being friends since they were young but there was also something more beneath the surface.

For Ravager, it seemed to be a one-sided crush, though it was obvious that Naruto cared for her. He had displayed concern for her once the building had collapsed, wondering if Ravager had been trapped amongst the rubble. It was only when CCTV had shown Ravager leaving the scene did he relax and by that point, she was long gone.

Then there was Killer Frost, who Naruto had apparently slept with. That was it, that was all she had been able to learn of her relationship with Naruto. While she was certainly pleased that it was only physical attraction, instead of emotional.

Barbara would admit to being jealous of both of them.

Not that she let that interfere with the mission. She'd already being petty once and she certainly wasn't going to be that way again, not when she learned just what Cadmus were planning to do to Naruto. They had plans in place to turn him into a living weapon, a mindless drone much like Superboy was meant to be.

She had nearly lost her best friend and Barbara wasn't going to push him away because of him sleeping with Killer Frost. They hadn't been dating and they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms when it happened.

'I really need to stop thinking about that.' Barbara told herself internally. Even though it had been four days since they had rescued Naruto and Superboy from Cadmus, the thought of what could have happened to Naruto was still plain in her mind. As was the guilt, she knew that it was irrational to feel guilty for something that she had no control over, but she couldn't help but feel that if she had just tried a little harder everything could have been avoided.

The doorbell ringing stopped Barbara from going down that route of thinking any further as she headed to the door. Opening it up with a polite smile on her face, she went to greet the person at the door only to look in shock as Naruto stood there awkwardly.

After a few moments, Naruto's lips twitched up into a smile. "Hey, Barbara." He greeted awkwardly and Barbara shook her head quickly.

"Hi." She greeted equally as awkwardly. "Erm, what are you doing here."

"Ah, Jim didn't tell you?" He asked, but before Barbara could answer his question, he continued. "Well, 'cos I'm technically homeless now, he offered me the spare room until I get myself a new place to stay."

"Really!" The way she said was so desperate that it made Barbara blush brightly.

"Yea." He replied quietly with a small smile on his face. "Can I come in?"

Blushing even deeper, Barbara stepped to one side, opening the door even further to allow Naruto to get in. He did so, looking at the interior for the first time in a long time, it filled him with a sense of nostalgia. "Right, erm the guest room is just upstairs on your right." She explained, closing the door behind him.

"Barbara, unless you moved houses since I was last here, I still know where to go." He teased lightly and despite the embarrassment she felt, Barbara just nodded her head with a smile.

"Sorry." She apologised and Naruto's just shook his head to let her know it didn't mean anything before heading upstairs. Barbara watched him go, completely aware of her heart beating out of her chest. "Oh, I forgot." Despite her words, Naruto had already disappeared upstairs, so instead, Barbara settled for surprising him.

Wednesday 9th July, 12:05.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

Gotham Heights.

Sighing, Naruto dropped the bag holding his Black Hood uniform and kicked it underneath the bed before sitting down on the single bed. The room itself was pretty spartan, which was to be expected. No one really used it and the only reason it hadn't been turned into an office or storage place was simply because Jim wanted to make this Naruto's room.

Even when Naruto had gotten older and less willing to accept help, more than content to live on his own, Jim had always held onto that hope that as soon as Black Mask was finished, Naruto would come live with him.

Sadly this room hadn't seen much use, only when Naruto occasionally came to sleepover. As a result, it hadn't seen much in the way of decoration besides the basic necessities. Still it certainly felt like home, something Naruto hadn't really experienced when living at the many safe houses of Slade Wilson. Each of them had been bigger and certainly more extravagant but none had the homey feeling that Naruto hadn't realised he had missed.

"Naruto, can I come in?" Barbara asked, knocking on the door as she did so.

"Yea, sure." He replied and the door opened with Barbara stepping in holding a cardboard box. "What's this?" He asked, moving forward to take the box and took a look inside. His eyes widened as he rushed to put it down on the bed and slowly picked up the picture frame of him, Kushina and Minato on his seventh birthday.

It was the last picture of them together before Minato was killed in a 'tragic accident.'

"Dad, managed to get hold of your stuff after it was shot up, brought it all here. There's a few more in the garage with all your clothes in." She paused taking in the smile on Naruto's face as he looked at the picture of his parents. "But I thought you might appreciate this one more."

Turning to her, Naruto pulled her into a hug, something Barbara returned happily. "I do, thank you." His breath hitched slightly as the emotions hit him and Barbara just tightened her hug as a sign of support.

"Don't mention it." She whispered back and as they broke apart, Barbara sat down on the other side of the box as she looked at a few of the photos including herself and the two sat in silence for a time, just looking at the pictures and reminiscing on memories.

But like always, neither liked the silence between them to last too long. Whether it be arguing or simply talking, both had to say something eventually. "You know, Batman offered me a place on that team of yours. You know the one with all the sidekicks on it." Barbara perked up, turning her gaze away from, the picture of five year old her and Naruto dressed as foxes, big smiles on both their faces.

"He did?" Despite being confused, she should have suspected that Bruce would try something like this. "What did you say?"

"I said I'd think about it." Naruto's answered with a shrug. "Ever since Cadmus, I've not really known what to do with myself."

"Naruto." Barbara spoke up getting Naruto turn his attention to her. "That's to be expected, you were experimented on for over half a year, not knowing what to do with your life is kind of normal. I wouldn't know myself, but I know from experience that traumatic events change people..

Naruto nodded his head. "Yea I know, it's just, I've being feeling like this for a while. Before Cadmus, before Arkham, even before the Court of Owls. You know I was actually planning to stop being Black Hood after Black Mask." She didn't know that and Barbara watched as Naruto shook his head with a low chuckle. "Yea, planned to give up. I was free from Black Mask and could finally live my life. But then, well you know what happened next."

Barbara did know and not for the first time, Barbara felt real anger at Bruce. Naruto was going to give it up, live his life as Naruto and not as Black Hood and all this could have been avoided if Bruce hadn't convinced Naruto to help them that night.

"But you know, in a way I'm glad I got taken to Cadmus and everything that happened." Barbara looked at him in shock, unable to comprehend what he was saying. "It helped me realise that I haven't really being living my life the way I want to. After my mum died I was living the way Black Mask wanted me too. I even became Black Mask because I was scared and to be honest, everything I've done up until now has all been because I've been scared."

"But now?" She asked, almost nervous to hear his answer.

"I feel at peace." He answered with a smile on his face. "Unlike my dad, I never really got over my mums death and I've been terrified of Black Mask since he first visited me and mum soon after my dads death. Everything I've done since then has been because I'm scared. Scared of dying, scared of not being in control of my own life, scared of losing people I cared about. Scared of losing you."

There was a short pause as Barbara digested what he had said and she felt her cheeks heat up.

Then he continued. "I don't really remember much about what happened at Cadmus, hell I don't even know what happened between being taken there and waking up right at the end. But I do remember just floating in this endless void of darkness. There was nothing there and it was fucking terrifying I'll tell you that much." He snorted in amusement as if he told a funny joke that only he understood. "But then I heard her voice."

"Who's?" Barbara asked.

"My mums. And I didn't just here her, I saw her as well. I don't know how or why, but I was reliving my memories again and I won't lie to you, I hated every moment of it." His breath hitched once more as he thought back to it all. "It was torturous, seeing her, hearing her. Yet not able to touch her, talk to her and tell her how much I miss her."

Despite her eyes becoming slightly glassy due to the tears, Barbara could clearly see that he too had tears gathering in the corner of his eyes. However, he was also smiling sadly as if he was happy and sad at the same time.

"I felt something inside of me snap at that moment." Naruto continued. "Memory after memory went by and I paid them no attention just raging. But looking back on it now, I guess you could say I had an epiphany of sorts."

This time, she giggled lightly his moment of levity catching her off guard and breaking the sad atmosphere that had been forming.

"An epiphany, are you telling me you found religion?" She teased and Naruto just gave her a mock scowl. In response, Barbara just looked at him innocently only to shriek in fright as Naruto lunged for her, quickly jumping away.

"No, I did not find religion." Naruto replied dryly, sitting back down on the bed as Barbara did the same. "I just realised that everything that happened, between me and you." Both of them frowned at the reminder of how things had gone from bad to worse in their relationship. "That at the end of the day, I was scared that you not telling me was a sign that you were leaving me."

"You know that's not true." She exclaimed.

"I know, but I can't help but be afraid and I lashed out the only way I knew how. It was wrong and I'm sorry about that." He apologised with a sad smile on his face.

Barbara shook her head. "You don't need to apologise, I should have told you sooner."

"No, you shouldn't have. Both of us know that if we went back, we'd do the same because we were trying to save the other. You shouldn't apologise for that." Naruto explained and Barbara bit on her bottom lip, knowing that what Naruto said was the truth. If she could go back, she would do exactly what Naruto said. She wouldn't tell him about her being Batgirl because she would make sure that he would be free of Black Mask sooner.

She could keep her identity as Batgirl secret while allowing Naruto to live a new life, a better life. Barbara wouldn't apologise for that and neither would Naruto accept it. Because he wasn't going to apologise for doing the same thing.

"So…what do we do from here?" Barbara asked nervously. Hoping that Naruto would not push her away, yet knowing that could also be a possibility.

"We've done something shit. I guess," he looked to Barbara with a smile. "We could try and put it behind us?"

"Yea, I'd like that." Barbara agreed with a smile.

Saturday 18th July, 18:00.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

Gotham Heights.

Grunting, Naruto cracked his neck as he leaned against the wall besides an abandoned phone booth. Dressed in nothing more than his workout clothes, Naruto waited patiently as time ticked by slowly.

His time over the past few days had been…fun. Things between Naruto and Barbara had been awkward at first, even after their chat, but over the course of the next few days things seemed to ease off. Awkward conversations became more comfortable and common. Something that had made them both more than happy, even Jim had been pleased to see them both getting along.

However, while Naruto had nothing to do, both Jim and Barbara did.

Jim had work and Barbara was spending time over at the new teams location. Naruto didn't know it's exact location, only having learned that it was on Rhode Island. Where abouts he did not know as Barbara had been tight lipped, but Naruto had expected that. The location was a safe house that could put a group of young heroes lives at risk if revealed.

Yet while things had calmed down and left Naruto with plenty of alone time, he still hadn't managed to come to a decision on what he wanted to do with his life.

"You came?" Batman's gruff voice spoke as he stepped out from the shadows.

Naruto pushed off the wall. "Well, I haven't got a clue on what else to do with my life so I thought I might as well do this and get paid. Don't expect this to be a permanent thing though, I'm only doing this till I have an idea on what I want to actually do with my life." Batman gave a short nod to show that he understood and opened the sliding door to the phone booth. "Okay, now I'm confused?"

"Zeta-Beam technology, it's what the League uses to get to specific locations quickly."

"So teleportation basically?" Again, Bagman gave a short nod which told Naruto that while teleportation was the simplistic and basics of Zeta-Beam technology, it was not the whole truth. "Before we go, I want a new suit. Consider it my initial payment."

"A new suit?"

"Well I don't exactly have my Marauder one as for my Black Hood. Well, I think you already know why I don't want to wear that seen as though you were following me." Batman didn't deny this statement at all and instead just stared at Naruto. "Look, you can either provide me with the suit or I'm just gonna walk away. You said you wanted me to lead this team so help me out here."

Again there was silence.

"Very well." Batman responded shortly. "It will take me a few days to get one sorted out."

"That's fine. I didn't expect you to have one ready anyway." Naruto explained with a shrug before looking at the phone booth. "So how do we do this?"

"Input." A panel opened up and Batman then turned to Naruto. "Seen as though Black Hood is no longer who you are, choose a code name. You're designation number is, B07." Stepping to one side, Batman allowed Naruto to step into the booth.

"So I just say my designation number followed by a code name of my choosing?" Batman nodded his head and Naruto turned to the panel. "B07." The panel flashed and Naruto took a few moments to consider what he should choose to call himself. Like Batman said, Black Hood was not who Naruto was anymore, they were too different. As for Marauder, it just didn't feel right.

As he thought on what he could choose, his mind replayed a memory he saw when at Cadmus.

{Flashback Begin}

"Well, what do we have here?" Minato asked in bemusement as he walked into the living room to find toys strewn everywhere, cushions thrown around the room with Kushina laid out on the floor as Naruto sat on her stomach. "It looks like a storm struck."

"Dad!" Naruto cries out happily, rushing to hug Minato who kneeled down to pick him up off the the floor.

"Hey there, kiddo." Kissing Naruto's temple, Minato learned forward to kiss his wife, both taking amusement in hearing Naruto's sounds of disgust. "So, who do we have to blame for this mess?" He asked and without skipping a beat, Naruto pointed an accusatory finger at his mother.

"Mum did it!"

"I did not!" Kushina cried out in mock outrage, taking Naruto from Minato's hand and tickling him mercilessly. "Confess, you little traitor."

Chuckling, Minato took another look round the room and shook his head in fond amusement. "Well, I do believe you've outdone yourself, dear." Minato said blandly and Kushina just looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, you think so." She muttered quietly a beautiful smile that sent chills up his spine, yet Minato kept the teasing smirk on his face. "Then you won't mind cleaning it up for me while I get this trouble maker ready." Shaking his head, realising he dug himself into this hole, Minato just bowed theatrically.

"Yes dear." He then looked to Naruto who was smiling happily. "Are you sure Jim's going to want this one wrecking his home too. You know what he and Barbara are like."

"I think it's adorable." Kushina replied fondly, placing Naruto on the floor and ushering him upstairs. "Now go on my little Maelstrom, upstairs you go. I've laid your clothes out on your bed."

{Flashback End}

'Maelstrom.' He recounted his mother's favourite nickname for him and with a sad smile at the memory of her, Naruto repeated it aloud. "Maelstrom."

A/N: So were finally here, Naruto is going to join the Team and his relationship with Barbara has been repaired, sort of. He's also taken on the new moniker, Maelstrom so hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will focus on 'Dropzone' as this chapter was based before and after 'Welcome to Happy Harbour.'

So, next chapter will have a lot of action to make up for the lack of it in this dialogue and character interaction heavy one. I tried to fit in a bit more but I was getting bored of writing purely dialogue. As a result, I ended it a little earlier, but you're not missing much.

Anyway, let's answer the questions:

LFeat: Thanks for that, really enjoy reading reviews like yours. And yes, I like that you picked up on all that, unlike some people who just jump to conclusions without properly reading everything. I

It's one of the reasons the world is like it is today, if only people could actually read properly and jump to conclusions. Anyway, I do like your idea, but it'd probably be something I'd have to do in another story or even a side story as I've already got the main arcs planned out and it'd mess with what I've got going. Nonetheless, it is very good possible route that I could have gone down and didn't think of.

Sultan Arsil Arslan: Right, thank you. While I've done a lot of research into the DC universe I haven't covered everything and little bits like that do escape my eye. But no, Naruto won't be getting them, but I'm planning to give the Clear/Blue to someone else and I'm probably going to give Red to someone else as well.

santiagovillamizarcv: I'm sorry, but Naruto is going to be joining the team, but like I hopefully made clear in this chapter, it's because Naruto is lost. He doesn't know what to do with himself and there's other factors that will be revealed later on. Batman's offered him a position on the team and is even paying Naruto to do it. As for a new team, there won't be one for a long while and I'm not planning to make Naruto the leader of the new hero team.

Qui- Gon-Jin: Thank you very much and yes, I'm aware I believe his username is Alexander443, he asked me for permission and I gave it and I'm happy to see it's getting a positive review over there. I myself am planning to transfer all these chapters over there tonight in English.

tamagat: That's the point, his powers have severe drawbacks but when he gets used to them, he gets some massive bonuses, people like to give Naruto huge boosts with no real drawbacks, but I think that makes a story dull and takes all the tension out of gaining power. Power comes with a price and the greater the power, the great the price.

OgFrosty: I did and if you're reading this then it worked.

uchihaNaruto247: Dint expect Brolly levels of jumps in power. Think more gradual and he will have limits. I won't explain in too much detail as it'll be explained alter, just that he won't be able to continuously grow stronger as he will eventually reach a limit.

howclay: No, that would be boring. In these earlier chapters of book 2, he will rely on a limited use of his powers, mostly not even using them at all. Stronger enemies though, will require him to tap into said powers, but even then he will never go to the point of berserk and will instead work in a team with his teammates.

Yes, his lot in life will get better, especially in this book. The next one is where things start to go downhill once again. And yes, yes he will. I plan for a passing of the torch that the comics never seem to be able to do and with it, a new generation of heroes will arrive and Naruto will not only be one of the main powerhouses, he will be galaxy and universal level eventually as well.

The theme of the second book will be more lighthearted with a few dark elements as it is a DC crossover after all. It will focus on Naruto exploring the path of a 'proper' hero while developing friendship and even relationships with certain characters. Overall, it's going to be much more lighthearted as after this, things are going to shit.

kakaroto22: It will be a harem eventually, but not for a long while. In this book Naruto will have a relationship with Barbara, but it will not turn into a harem. And sorry, I already have Zatanna paired with someone else.

Vizard890: It's actually the demonic aspect of him, which is also slightly magical hence, being able to harm Superboy.

Sir Naru: Naruto's transformations are keeping in line with what we saw in Canon. The fork we saw in the last two was the one we saw in the Wave Arc. 1-3 are the bubbling red chakra cloaks with tails that we saw at the end of Naruto and the beginning of Naruto Shippuden. Then 4-5 is like the one we saw against Orochimaru and Pain. 6 has the bone armour, 7 is the form shown in Chikara (think that's how you spell it), 8 is the form post training with Bee and 9 is the form shown throughout the majority of the Fourth Shinobi War against Madara and Juubito.

Anyway hope this cleared up any questions and if it didn't, please let me know. And one again, just as a warning I will be rarely updating maybe 3-4 times (buts it more likely that I won't at all unless things change in the coming months) until late March to early April time.