Chereads / Naruto: Dawn of justice(Naruto + Justice League Fanfic) / Chapter 12 - Chapter 12 - The Arkham Massacre

Chapter 12 - Chapter 12 - The Arkham Massacre

"Hello" - normal talk

'Hello' - thoughts

"Hello" - Kyuubi talking

"Dude, are you even aware what are you asking of me? Do you want the FBI to haul my ass in jail?" A fat man with curly shoulder length hair and greasy hands shouted at someone, despite that person's intimidating appearance. He was aware of his own value. He knew that nearly nobody would want to harm him, that's how appreciated his skills were.

"Cut the chase and tell me how much money do you want." the other person said. It was a black-clad man whose head was also covered by a balaclava. His two red-tinted blue eyes were the only thing that could be seen from his real appearance.

"Well, you see, considering the risks and the probability of-"

A weird popping noise was heard and the fatty stopped and distractedly looked at the masked man. But then, under his disbelieving eyes, the man's shoulder was looking as if it dislocated by itself. A milky white end of a bone protruded from it.

The fatty stepped back in panic when the man's right hand went to his left shoulder and gripped on the bone protrusion. Slowly, as the man pulled it, a 2 feet long white bone in the shape of a sword appeared.

"I wanted to make our little transaction in a civilized fashion. But unlike you, I'm a very busy man. You know, places to burn, people to kill and all that. Please excuse my lack of patience in listening to the crap coming out of your mouth."

The fatty's small eyes widened to the point where one would think they would pop out of his skull. The fat all over his body was jiggling at how hard he was shaking in fear.

"Now... tell me, how much do you want ?"

But the fatty was too terrified to demand any money from him.

"I-I'll do it for free!"

The masked man shook his head.

"No need for that. Hacking into all the TV channels in USA can't possibly be an easy thing. How does $100,000 sound for you?"

Scene break

"What's this?"

"I think someone just got tired of his job and decided to play a prank before getting fired."

"Shit! They were just about to score! I swear to god I'm going sue those bastards!"

These and other similar things everyone in Gotham began to shout on the day of 10th of October. But the phenomenon was not restricted only to Gotham. The very same thing was happening across all of United States of America.

It was noon when the programs transmitted by all the television channels were cut off. Even the huge screens in the large cities like Gotham, New York or Los Angeles stopped showing the usual commercials. For a second, all the screens turned black.

But then, a series of photos began to be transmitted.

A red haired 7 year old girl with what looked like a two pairs of whiskers was glaring at an uproariously laughing younger boy beside her with her big and innocent blue eyes. There was a smudge of ice-cream on the tip of her nose, ice-cream that was obviously from the blond boy's hands.

The image changed to show the red-haired whiskered girl now looking about 14 years old trying to kiss on the cheek the a very reluctant-looking boy. It was the same blonde boy from the the previous photo. He was similarly older and 3 pair of whiskers adorned his cheeks as well.

Once again the image changed and the previously 14 years old girl was now 18 year old breathtaking beauty. She was dressed in a very elegant black siren dress and her crimson red hair was styled glamorously in a waterfall braid. In the picture, she was hugging from behind a 16 year old blond teenager and her angelic face was resting above his shoulder. Although the boy's casual and ordinary clothes made a stark contrast with the girl's appearance, they made a heart warming image.

While the screens all over the country displayed these 3 pictures, only a few seconds passed. Then, something else began to be transmitted.

The same blond boy with whisker marks on his cheeks that appeared in the previous photos was now filming himself live. But now he looked older - around 18 - and more mature. His expression was cold and his entire demeanour screamed danger. There was an air of hostility around him that even the most oblivious person would notice from the first glance.

"Yo, everyone."

"You must be wondering what's the deal with me showing you all those photos..."

He paused.

"That girl was my sister. We were orphans and she was the last remaining family I had. That, only until-"

The scene changed and a footage of two yachts exploding was shown.

"-someone decided to kill her along with another few hundred people. And now, that someone is living comfortably in Arkham, thanks to the great Dark Knight, Batman!"

The boy's voice suddenly went up and he shouted:

"Come on everyone! Come on, come on! A round of cheers for Batman! Long live the Justice League! Also, long live our retarded government!"

"I mean it is perfectly normal to give a mass murderer the best living conditions, isn't it? Indeed, how could they possibly offer a mass-murderer like the Joker a death penalty? Nooo, he needs to murder another few hundred people before- Oooh wait! Regardless of how many innocent people he'll murder, for our great government, 300 ants dead or 3000...it's all the same."

The boy's fake happiness suddenly disappeared.

"Why am I making this video?"

"You see, while the Joker will never be punished for his sins, a minor character like me will surely be sentenced to death for what I am about to do...So, before I'm going to be sentenced to death, I want the whole word to see it! To see me doing what the Law should have been doing. What the so-called Justice League should be doing with those that the government deems above the law."

The image shook for a few moments as the boy put and adjusted the camera in its support. Then, he turned on the light.

At the sight they were shown on the screens, collective gasps of horror were heard all across the country.

It was a cell. And there, straight in front of the camera, a figure was nailed in the wall from his two hands with two bone daggers as though he was crucified.

"You think that you broke me? You think that this is actually affecting me? Huehue. Haha. Ha ha!"

A crazy laughter came from the figure nailed into the wall. It was none other than the Joker.

With the back turned at the camera and still staring at the Joker, the boy began to speak.

"Now let's think about it. If the government were to kill all the mass murderers, if the Justice League actually dealt with all the criminal metahumans that rape and kill innocents...if they did all that, would we still have them breaking out of prison and committing atrocities again?"

The boy stopped speaking. Terrible screams began to be heard.

Scene break - 2 hours before

"Naruto, you know there is no turning back if you do that."

"I know."

Naruto continued his walk in silence until Kyuubi broke it again:

"I've never expected of you to come up with something like this. Appealing to the masses and trying to manipulate them in order to ensure your survival in the aftermath... even the you from this second life of yours was not that devious before."

Naruto sought to achieve 2 things by making the Joker's death public. First of all, to incite the people and make them sympathize with him. In the best scenario for Naruto, people might even start a rebellion. However, he knew that it was a very small chance for that to happen.

The second thing Naruto wanted was to let the government become aware of the fact that he's metahuman - that was for the case where if the government won't care about the population's reaction at sentencing him to death. Because if the government knew that he was a metahuman, there were 100% chances for him to be spared. The metahumans, regardless of how vile they were, were seen as an important asset for the government.

"What importance does it have what methods I use as long as I manage to survive?" Naruto asked impassively.

"That's one dangerous way of thinking. The end does not always justify the means. You don't want to become someone like Madara...do you?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks.

"Is the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox actually warning me of something like this?" He laughed. "You've changed too, Kurama."

Naruto began to walk again.

"Right...and wrong. Justice...and crime."

"What is the difference between those, Kurama? Do you remember Nagato's speech? When he destroyed Konoha?

"We both want the same thing. We both want the peace Jiraiya spoke of. You and I are no different. We're both working for our own justice. The justice I have meted out against Konoha, is exactly the same as what you're trying to mete out against me. Everyone feels the pain of loss the same. We both know that pain. You are working for your justice, and I for mine. We are just ordinary people driven to revenge in the name of justice."

"Back then I was too stupid to understand these words. No, I didn't want to. I kept spouting that old pervert's idealistic bullshit. But in this life I have experienced pain... True pain... And now I understand Nagato."

Naruto clenched his hand into a fist.

"So what if I become like Madara? Why does it even matter? Power makes justice."

"I've been a "good guy" and a hero in my past life, since birth. Where did that get me? Scorned and hated for more than a decade by the people that should have kissed my ass in gratitude for the rest of their lives. Being an orphan, with a demon in my gut and hunted by a terrorist organization for years. Then fighting and dying in a hopeless war against a god...Fuck that."

"This time I'm only taking care of myself. This time only I matter. The rest of the world may very well burn. Becoming a second Madara? I don't care."

"If I'll have to step on a mountain of corpses to have my way, then so be it."

As he talked, Naruto got closer and closer to his destination. And the closer he got, the more his bloodlust soared. Unknowingly, the blue in his eyes completely disappeared, crimson red slits taking its place. There being no seal to confine Kyuubi, Naruto and Kyuubi's chakra often mixed and synchronized with each other.

Finally he was there: Arkham Asylum. A bloodthirsty smile crept on Naruto's face.

Guards, doctors, prisoners, janitors...he was going to murder them all. Because to a certain degree they were all guilty of Joker's breaking out of prison last year. Some of them actively participated in aiding the psychopath to escape, while others kept the signs of that happening to themselves in order to not lose their jobs.

Naruto's wrists popped and the ulna bones from his foreams pierced through his palms. Two larger than average bone daggers appeared in his hands.

"Who are you! Don't move!" the two gatekeepers yelled with their semi-automatic guns pointed at Naruto's skull.

One of the guards pressed the trigger.

*bang*

Naruto's slit red eyes dilated to the point that they become a full circle. Time seemed to slow down.

*clang*

The two pieces of a bullet cut through the middle fell on the asphalt. The guard that shot at him was petrified.

A growl came from Naruto's throat.

"KILL!"

The sound of a sharp object cutting through flesh was heard. The man collapsed with both of his hands gripping at the his slit throat.

The smell of blood and the adrenaline coursing through his veins was driving Naruto crazy. If it weren't for his chakra heart circulating his chakra through his meridians he would have already let the malice in Kyuubi's chakra take control of his actions and go berserk.

When the other gatekeeper saw what happened, the hair all over his body rose.

"P-Please, d-don't!" he stuttered, backing away in terror. He was just a gatekeeper, he had never seen someone being killed in front of his very eyes.

But Naruto was as if he hadn't even heard the man's pleas. He aimed at the guard's forehead with his index finger. Faster than a bullet, a bone projectile shot from his finger. It passed through the man's skull efortlessly and proceeded to pierce the nearby buildings as though they were made of paper.

One after another, with the efficiency of a ROOT shinobi from his past life, in little over an hour Naruto mercilessly killed anyone appearing in front of his eyes. No-one was spared. Prisoners, doctors, guards, the director. Everyone. And through it all not one drop of blood landed on him.

There was only one place in the entire prison that was left untouched. He specifically kept it for the end.

Naruto calmed down his breathing and his expression reverted to normal. He took out a phone from pocket and dialled a number.

"Hello?"

"Is everything ready?"

The man at the other end of the line recognized Naruto's voice and he immediately became nervous if his voice was anything to go by.

"Y-Yes."

"Good. You can start."

Scene break

An inhuman roar was heard from the screen. The traffic was blocked not just in Gotham but in all the great cities of United States. People were all out of their cars, looking at the huge screens on the sky-scrapers in disbelief.

They saw the young man grabbing the Joker from his clothes and yanking him from the bone daggers that were pinning him into the wall of the cell. Gaping holes were left in the Joker's hands where the daggers had been as the weapons remained pinned into the wall.

The madman fell on the floor, his body convulsing uncontrollably because of the pain.

Then, everyone heard Naruto starting to speak.

"You know, I've had more than a year to research and think of methods to torture you to death. Some of them were very interesting. Take this one for example: the man would be put on the floor and tied up tightly. Then, a metallic box full of rats would be placed on his stomach... a metallic box which doesn't have a wall in the place where it touched the stomach. After that, the box would be heated up. In their desperation to get away from the heat, the rats would try to escape... but where to? The box is made of metal...however, only 3 sides are. So, the man's stomach would be their only way out."

"Imagine the rats digging through your body, carving through your organs. Imagine them eating your flesh for hours, suffering in that torment."

But then Naruto sighed in saddness:

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to do something like that... and the bad part is that most of the more interesting methods take a long time as well. I don't have that much time. Only roughly 20 minutes before your secret lover Batman appears."

"Still, I promise to no disappoint you." Naruto laughed darkly. He went to the wall and pulled one of his bone daggers.

But the Joker was unimpressed.

"You think this scares me? There's nothing you can possibly do to me. You can't make me fear you. You can't do anything."

"Let's see...you're here for revenge, right?" the Joker continued and licked the corner of his lips where his scars started. "Whom did I kill this time?"

"Was it you parents? You sister? ...or maybe your lover? Huehue! Hahaha!"

Naruto's rage soared and he stomped on the Joker's left leg. He smashed into a bloody paste.

"AAARGH!" the Joker screamed in agony. His pain was real. But at some point that scream of agony turned into laughter. An obnoxious and mocking laugher.

Naruto was already incensed to the point where he was seeing red. He grabbed the Joker from his slimy hair. He was going to slam it into the wall and turn it into a mess of gore.

"Naruto! Don't do it!"

Naruto stopped with the Joker dangling from his hand in mid-air.

"Don't you see it? He's trying to manipulate you into killing him swiftly. He's using your rage against you. You want to offer him a quick death? You want him to escape that easily? Make him beg for death. Male him desperately wish for death!" Kyuubi said, his demonic voice dripping with a malicious glee.

It was in that moment that Naruto seemed to have woken up from a lethargy. The red haze clouding his vision disappeared and his now blue eyes looked at the Joker.

"You're good...you almost made me kill you. I almost fell for it."

At Naruto's words a unreadable expression flashed on the Joker's face and a unknown emotion flickered in his eyes.

Naruto threw the clown to the ground. His hands went in a cross-like seal and two shadow clones popped into existence at his sides.

Naruto turned and spoke to the camera.

"I'm not some sort of dark hero delivering true justice on the evil or some other bullshit. There's nothing poetic and dramatic about this. It's just plain, old-fashioned revenge. For my little sister."

Then, Naruto paid no attention to the camera anymore. His two clones grabbed the Joker roughly from his arms and lifted him up.

"Lingchi... Death by one thousand cuts... Slow slicing... what I'm going to do has several different names."

Naruto's took his bone dagger and slowly, ever so slowly "drew" a diagonal line on his back. The Joker screamed in agony and trashed desperately, but the clones' hold was like a vice. They were immovable.

"So it was your sister, eh? I wish I saw the expression of terror on her face when she died!" the Joker screamed insinuatingly. But then he screamed in pain when the knife opened up his stomach.

"Was she a beauty? Too bad I didn't get to fuck her like a whore before killing her...Oh wait, maybe I did? How did she look like? I want to remember how did she taste like."

Naruto was livid. He knew that he had to remain calm because getting enraged was exactly what the Joker wanted. But he simply he couldn't keep his cool.

But before being able to do anything, it was actually one of the shadow clones that couldn't take it anymore. It let go of the Joker and went to the wall and grabbed the remaining bone dagger.

The clone closed in on the Joker with the dagger. A disturbing grin twisted its face. It grabbed the Joker from the jaw and the stabbed the bone dagger into his mouth. It stabbed trough his lips and teeth and cut his tongue through the middle.

A blood curdling scream muffled by the blood he was gurgling came from the Joker. His previously still defiant demeanour vanished and only pure terror could be seen on his face.

"There you go boss. You can continue now." the clone said.

Naruto looked at the clone, distracted. Seeing his clone smilingly stab the Joker's mouth and cutting his tongue disturbed him greatly. He just realized how cruel he had actually become...because the clone was more or less identical with him.

"It was for Misaki-chan." the clone said.

Those words steeled Naruto's wavering resolve.

'So what if I became so cruel? So what if I'm no different than a demon? At least this time I'll be called one for a valid reason.'

Naruto's bone dagger slashed.

Again.

Again.

And again.

He lost track of time. Hundreds of cuts marred the now unrecognizable body of the Joker. Naruto's feet were wet. Wet from the pool of blood that continued to flow from the nearly dead Joker.

*clang*

All of a sudden, the metallic door of the cell was torn apart from its hinges. A blue and red clad muscular figure appeared.