Wade Eiling stood amongst the corpses of the men he once commanded, eyes as devoid of light as the deepest of caves. One could work themselves around to see these souls as victims. Of Eiling's hubris? Of beings with abilities they couldn't fathom, nor hope to compete with. Or maybe of their own natures as they followed the rogue general off a cliff. Eiling, however, saw failures.
He was not the kind of leader who valued his subordinates beyond their utility and dead men had little to no use. For someone like Eiling, a man who believed himself to be constantly hampered by the incompetencies or smallmindedness of others this was just more proof he had to do everything himself. It was also what he needed to justify inhaling the gas that was contained in the inhaler he'd removed from his jacket pocket.
The rise of "bang babies" found in Dakota City gave Eiling the belief that the gas would be the key to leveling the playing field against the metahumans and obstinate superheroes that refused to bend to his will. The Cadmus scientists he'd managed to ferry away with him had analyzed the gas and created a cocktail that was meant to enhance his strength and speed.
He felt the effects as soon as the elixir hit his lungs, vitality returning to him returning him to his youthful peak and then surpassing it. Eiling was in a near state of euphoria, the power was unimaginable and where he once would have had to look up to Lex's freak bastard, he now towered over the boy. The other physical alterations would be worth it, there was always a debt incurred for power and looking like a monster was one he'd embrace without complaint.
Throughout his transformation he made it a point to not lose sight of the boy. He watched him pull metal from the discarded bullets and guns, breaking it to sand before reforming it into a curved blade roughly forty-five centimeters or a foot and a half long. The boy then placed the blade, handle side, down into the ground before pulling it back and revealing a wooden grip. Eiling dismissed the demonstration of power not remotely scared of a sword. He was beyond those concerns.
With more speed than he could comfortably control, Eiling charged at Naruto and delivered a blistering straight left. He was speechless when the boy stopped the punch with the sole of a single foot and effortlessly stomped it down on the ground. Preparing his follow up Eiling was stalled by the boy vanishing from sight.
Things became deathly quiet for what seemed like an unnaturally long time. Maybe his senses simply failed him for a moment as when they returned Eiling saw his arm on the ground. He felt the blood gush from his shoulder, only feeling the pain as a final sensation. It was immense. His howls rivaled the greatest of beasts as agony wracked his body and his mind was slow to accept the plain evidence.
"So weak," he heard the boy's voice from beside him. He attempted a back fist, his giant hands large enough to palm manhole covers. The strike was batted away with the back of the sword the boy was holding in a reverse grip. Eiling lost his right leg at the knee. The destabilization to his base caused Eiling to drop to the ground.
The short sword had pierced his shoulder straight through, embedding itself into the earth before Eiling could consider getting up. His chest now carried the weight of Lex's son, his lavender eyes staring directly into Eiling's own. "Was it worth it?" the boy asked. Rapidly coming to terms with the surety of his death he could provide no answer.
"You really don't know how large your fuck up could have been. I decided only Cadmus was at fault for nearly killing Pam. I chose to conclude you and Waller were both rogue agents. What if I had decided otherwise?" he asked and allowed that last question to sink in. "Do you think her death being any kind of unofficial or off-the-books operation would have stopped me? That I would have just thrown my hands up and said, "oh, well,"?" He chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair, pushing the spiky locks back. Once their eyes met again the Uzumaki's contained an intensity, near madness, that hadn't been there before.
"Be forever grateful I chose to stop at Waller and you and go to the afterlife knowing you could have brought the end of this nation because you wanted to touch what was mine." As quickly as his eyes had changed they reverted back to their initial boyishness. Uzumaki got off him and straightened out his suit. Eiling's tongue was doing an exemplary impression of lead. The blood loss was taking its toll and his vision was going dark. The once proud multi-star general died amongst the last of his men with nothing but a tarnished legacy to show.
Shayera grimaced at the unwelcoming ringing coming from her, JL provided, cell. It was Batman. It was always Batman. That annoyed her. "You going to ignore that?" John asked from beside her, his voice softer than the gruffness that generally embodies it.
She pressed the option to do just that and placed it back on the nightstand, taking a gamble it wasn't a global threat he was calling about. She might honestly prefer that than what the League had seemingly devolved into. "He'll be fine, whatever it is," she explained as she lied back down.
"I'm sure he will but he may not be so understanding of us blowing off our responsibilities to hmm, enjoy a little respite."
"You Earthlings are so weird about sex, John. That's what we did."
"I'm aware, I was there," he responded in humor. Neither really knew what this meant, Shayera's deception was still a sore subject, even if Jon understood following orders, but after the Justice Lords fiasco they found themselves drifting toward each other. Was it just comfort? A needed release? Neither wanted to broach the subject afraid it may lead down a path of no-return.
The phone began to buzz again, not a call but a series of texts. Shayera huffed in annoyance. Batman was persistent. Sometimes too persistent. She reached for her phone to look at the messages and was underwhelmed.
"Lex Luthor is alive and in Gotham." She put the phone back down, after turning it on silent. She looked over at Jon who seemed flummoxed at her muted response at the resurrection of one of their more fearsome enemies. "You'd make a terrible spy," she stated.
"Lex is back or was he ever really gone?" John asked.
"Don't know, don't care."
"And that's what has me confused, this is Lex Luthor. Was his death a ruse? Was Naruto in on it or is Lex planning to make a move on his son?"
"Those are all good questions and I have no care in how or when they get answered. If Lex does something we'll stop him but I'm done obsessing over that boy. Let Batman do it, he seems to have it covered for all of us."
"Oh," she heard John respond. The subdued answer puzzled her, something that must have been obvious by her expression. "Sorry, just a little surprised. I thought you'd want to take the kid down more than any of us excluding Batman."
"Part of me does. I know they were wrong, I won't make excuses but knowing he slaughtered my people isn't easy to accept. But he also healed me when he had no reason to and saved countless lives. I'm ambivalent. None of that requires the amount of time we invest in talking about him. Besides, I can think of a hundred things I'd rather do."
"Oh?" he asked.
"Like go for a fly or walk in a park."
"New ax throwing place opened up. Blunt weapons and craft beers," John suggested.
"Now, you're getting it."
While the couple was making tentative plans for their day, all thoughts of the super criminal and his progeny tucked away, another couple was not so lucky. Sequestered in a conference room, the hero of Metropolis and the ace reporter of The Daily Planet digest the information recently provided by Bruce.
"I know you have a soft spot for the kid but could this have been an act this entire time?" Lois asked. Clark couldn't blame her, being suspicious made her an excellent reporter. Not dismissing any explanation until the facts took shape.
"No," he responded. "I know this isn't proof but I saw what he did to Cadmus. I'm not saying Naruto isn't capable of deception or a well-executed scheme but he wouldn't allow someone he cares about to think they were in jeopardy. And he'd never trust Lex with Poison Ivy." It helped Clark sleep better knowing that protective instinct extended to Kara; especially as some unknown party was after her. She could handle herself but even the invulnerable needed someone to watch their backs.
"Ok, Smallville, could Lex be back for revenge? To teach his usurper son the old man still has it?"
"I think that's even less likely than them having been working together," Clark answered.
"Why? Lex isn't shy about punching above his weight class-"
"Lex only tries me in the ways he does because he doesn't fear me. He knows I won't kill him. Despite his numerous plots, he's just a normal man and I'll hold back. Naruto won't, not for several years now."
"Oh, this is about what happened in the DRC?" Clark nodded. That was during a period he hadn't been sure Naruto wasn't working for his father but that day put it to bed. He remembered seeing the boy, eyes white in rage with his red spikes waving menacingly. If he hadn't stepped in he knew Naruto would have killed Lex that day. It was also the day Clark met Kurama and learned, quite painfully, what a chakra cloak could do to him. It still amazes him that Naruto feels he lost that fight.
"I know it's Lex and he's always a threat but you seem different. What don't I know?" Lois asked.
"It isn't so much Lex.. Batman has been ramping up, he wants to expand the League and it's primarily to counteract Naruto. I can't seem to convince him Naruto isn't a threat and he won't stop until he finds a way to neutralize him. Problem is, Lex didn't raise a fool."
"Batboy has met his match and doesn't like it."
"Not at all," Clark responded, deciding to ignore the derisive nickname. Lois had her own issues with Batman; mostly she didn't like that he carried around a shard of Kryptonite "just in case" and felt justified in doing so. "The good part is, more than anything, Naruto just finds him annoying. I hope that never changes or else the center won't hold."
Lex didn't seem smug. It was odd as Lex Luthor always had an air of smugness about him, as if he alone was forever in control no matter the situation and all around him were just simpletons basking in his glory. Not now, however. It was, to put a name to it, odd. Almost disconcerting in its uncomfortableness. Ivy was used to seeing Lex, for what little time she was forced to endure his company, as a preening narcissist. Now? He looked impatient… no, eager. He was looking forward to this.
Did he actually love Naruto as a son? That would be a shock as she didn't think Lex could love anyone but himself and yet he tapped at the table impatiently waiting for Naruto's return. Though, she couldn't blame him as the generous sized dining area, an English elm table that could seat twelve comfortably, was dotted with their makeshift party.
Harley was to her left, holding her hand under the table while her revolver laid on the tabletop, pointed directly at the person across from them, Rose. Rose, too, had her gun resting atop the table, it just coincidentally pointing toward Ivy herself. She knew the assassin saw Naruto as a brother but the overprotectiveness was a little much.
Slade, aka Deathstroke, was talking shop to the silver-haired man that was with Naruto. If seeing Lex anxious was mind blowing, seeing Deathstroke having a normal-ish conversation with another human being threatened to swallow her reality whole.
Or, she wished it was that monumental. In truth, all of this was barely novel, none more than a mere distraction. Lex knew what he was doing, flippant in his reveal. This was to be their home, one built specifically with their future in mind. While she was laboring under the assumption he didn't accept her he was preparing to make a lifelong commitment.
Ivy remembered the hitch in Naruto's voice when he said he was going to eventually tell her the truth. The proposal had likely been the time. A new house and all his secrets as he requested her hand in marriage.
She couldn't fully put a word to how she felt. Bad seemed too minimal. Not only for how she ended things but that she still cared, that a part of her wanted to be able to go back. But how could she do that to Harley? Her new love, someone who shared her lifestyle and an extensive history with? Ivy felt pulled in two, inadequate for her former and current lovers. An emotional dilettante who risked her future for the past.
The internal deliberations ended when she felt a buzzing on her skin. Nothing drastic, simply a low level hum that she experienced when Naruto returned to her. So used to the experience she never realized how that was the only way she knew he was back, only just now focusing on the absence of sound in his entrance.
He looked unharmed. Despite the stories Harley shared it wasn't easy to accept he was so formidable and capable of protecting himself. She'd often prepared herself to do that if an enemy had targeted him to get to her but all that planning had been for naught. She wasn't sure she'd ever fully believe it. After a few hushed words with the masked silverette, and the man subsequently disappearing, Naruto took the empty seat beside her.
"You're moving sloppy."
"I'm drawing the exact amount of attention I want, son. You're too enamored with the shadows."
"No, I just work clean. Why not throw a parade if you were going to get caught by every security camera in existence?"
"This obsession with working clean robs you of any style or panache. Have some pride, sign your work!"
Ivy could only describe Naruto's expression as broken, as if those words simply didn't compute to his mind.
"Sign my work? You know the point of crime is to get away with it, right? I'm not the crazy one here am… room full of supervillains, of course I'm going to sound crazy."
"Hey, I get away with all my crimes, thank you very much," Harley piped up.
"Everyone knows you've done it, they just can't capture you, that's decidedly different."
"No, the strumpet is right, son."
"Hey!" Ivy reacted, not here for Lex's insults. He summarily ignored her.
"You got my attention, old man, what do you want?"
"What I want is an endless list. Everything at all times. Absolute control. But my return isn't about me, it's about you. I think I'm partially to blame, I overindulged you as a child."
"You sent me to a warzone."
"To further your skills, yes. See, I spoiled you."
"Are you having fun? Because I'm not. Get on with it Lex before I lose my patience."
Ivy watched Lex extend his fist across the table, confused as to why he'd be looking for dap at this moment. "You want the truth then take a look for yourself," he offered, his voice lacking the usual taunting smugness. Naruto mimicked the gesture and both went deadly still.
"What's happening?"
"It's Naruto's ninshu, he can connect with someone's heart and see their memories," the black-haired man explained. Everyone being used to meta abilities, no one batted an eye. That was pretty mild, all things considered. Still, Ivy wondered if it required the cooperation of others or if he could do it forcefully.
Naruto popping up, face contorted as if he didn't know how to feel but what chilled Ivy's heart was the absence of his lavender eyes, truly the most beautiful pair of eyes she'd ever seen. Instead, they were red and slitted, burning and pained.
"If-if this is somehow a lie Lex, if this is a game," he shook his head as he wiped away a single tear, the rest of the threat going unspoken.
"First, I'm not sure if that ability of yours can be tricked but even if it could, I wouldn't lie about this, not this, son."
"Obito, can you take Talia and the little one to Wayne Manor?" The trio were gone before anyone could raise any objections. "I need to think."
"Don't take too long, we need to prepare," Lex said. Naruto didn't respond, simply walking out instead. Prepare? What could he have possibly shown Naruto to get him to respond like that? She smothered the impulse to run after him, that wasn't her role anymore. They didn't share the intimate details, the secrets but his bodyguard was too preoccupied with talking Rose down, the assassin fully prepared to blow Lex away. A tap on the shoulder stymied her deliberation.
"Go after him," Harley said before Ivy could even fully turn toward her. "Red is going to need a friend."
"You sure?" Ivy whispered to her lover.
Harley nodded and left the table. The click clack of her heels went unnoticed by all, even Slade was attempting to talk his daughter down. Once outside, though she couldn't explain it she could feel where he was. It hadn't occurred to her until after her return, she could always tell when he was near. It was a faint buzz under her skin, one she followed to her erstwhile partner. He sat beside a man-made lake staring blankly across the water.
Ivy slipped out of her heels and approached, the feel of the lush mix of clover, thyme and mint acting as replacements for traditional grass. It was a minor detail for most but showed how intently he listened to her about the downsides of traditional grass lawns. A little detail in a place dotted with them. She was grateful there were more pressing matters as to not get sucked into an emotional black hole.
"If you want to know what Lex showed me, I'll tell you as this could affect you as well."
"First, I want to know why you decided to live a life where you'd rarely use your abilities," she stated, sitting beside him on a wooden bench.
"I unlocked being an empathy by accident, it came with another ability I was training. But when I activated it, I could essentially feel every living thing on the planet."
"That must have been overwhelming."
"It should have been. But beyond feeling their emotions I could also sense the emotional spectrum. There was so much misery and hate. Jealousy, greed. Sure, there was love and even joy but it felt like pockets. Like, I could see people in a constant state of near suffocation, only having just enough oxygen to breathe. It wasn't a problem I could punch. It wasn't one I could fix on my own, not even I wanted a long term solution."
"So, at the age of sixteen you devised a plan to save us all from our misery?"
"No, at the age of sixteen I devised a plan to help people be in a position to save themselves and I've been working it ever since. Though, new information suggests I failed at it just as much as I would have in my original home."
"I guess I can't put it off anymore," Ivy said, ignoring the last part of Naruto's sentence, "what did Lex show you."
It was an instant, as before there was nothing on the water and then there were two teenagers. Both with blood-red hair. The boy, a medium build with kind, blue eyes and two whisker marks on each cheek. The girl, green eyes, a sleeve of animal tats that decorated her skin. Skin that wasn't quite green but had undertones. She, too, had a pair of whisker marks on each cheek and looked like a perfect mix…
"Who is that girl, Naruto?"
"According to Lex, our daughter from the future. Meet Artemis Is- Pam?" Naruto shouted. Ivy wished she could respond but a terrible pressure was building up within her and it pained her greatly. "Pam, baby, what's wrong?" he asked but she couldn't speak. The pressure was mounting and she felt herself losing both control and consciousness. He called again but darkness soon took her.
When conscious thought returned to her, it was to acknowledge a splitting headache. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only ache she felt. The realization she was naked, and in a bed that wasn't hers, confirmed it. The feel of the mattress and faint traces of cologne suggested she was in Naruto's penthouse but that was hardly a comfort. While she'd been seeing new sides to him, it was an unwelcome thought he'd take advantage of her. She scoffed at the euphemism but couldn't will the word to form in her mind. Ivy sat up, and instantly regretted it.
The room spun and in her disorientation she could have swore she saw a wolf cub. Breathing deeply, she waited until things felt settled, slowly opened her eyes once more and there was a wolf cub. With two tails. A two-tailed wolf cub?
" 'the fuck?" she thought aloud. The little cub responded by pointing a tail at the nightstand beside her, it contained a glass of water and two ibuprofen. She swallowed the pills and down the cool liquid, inexplicably feeling better within seconds. Ivy was thankful as she needed her full wits. Whatever they may have been or could have been, if he did what she feared he did she was going to have to kill him.
She felt him coming, and he surely knew as he entered the room. The little cub stalked over to him and Naruto leaned down to pet him. "Watch is over, go to Kara," he instructed. The wolf nodded in understanding, Ivy assumed, and left out the door, closing it behind him. Naruto selected to sit at the edge of the bed, back to her.
"I know what you think, or what you feared happened. It isn't, not exactly, but I am partially to blame and for my part in this, I'm sorry."
"You're speaking in circles, Naruto. What happened?"
"When Lex abducted you I assumed I'd gotten there in time, that he hadn't done anything to you but he implanted a suggestion deep within your subconscious, one that could only be triggered by my voice and one specific word.
"Artemis," Ivy said in startled realization.
"It caused you to release a potent dose of your pheromones and from what I can piece together we teleported back here, you used your pheromones on Kara and… like I said, I'm sorry."
"This isn't your fault," she said. She wondered who those words comforted more, her or him. This was not an ideal situation but Lex Luthorian supervillainy she could deal with. "What I don't understand is what Lex's plan was. We both know I can't have children and I'd have monthly confirmation if I were back in business, as it were."
"Uh…, you should get with a doctor. With my healing abilities, your infertility wouldn't be much trouble and I'm guessing Lex accounted for that. Unfortunately, I don't have clear memories of last night so I can only speculate. Ivy," she didn't like him calling her that, "whatever else Lex showed me, whatever the future may have been, we are not prisoners to it. I'd never expect you to keep a child you never consented to having."
Ivy nodded, not trusting her voice. The image of that girl, her daughter, was enticing. "What all did you see? Why did they come to the past and only visit Lex?"
"Sometime in the near future, Darkseid will attack with the full might of his military."
"He killed you?" Ivy asked, voice cracking.
"No, somehow I got him in a stalemate and Bruce Wayne sent both of us to the Phantom Zone so after I take care of Lex, I'm slitting his throat."
"Why Bruce Wayne? What does that pompous, himbo have to do with anything?"
"He's fucking Batman."
"That seems obvious in hindsight… I bet Selena knew. Wait, not important. How does any of this make sense from Lex's perspective?"
"If he helped Slade-sensei takeover the League of Shadows then he's building an army. I'm guessing it doesn't stop there."
"You weren't prepared for Darkseid but still managed to match him, at least for a time. Lex wants to improve your odds."
"It doesn't matter what he was thinking, I'm sick of him and his games. I'll have someone get you back to Gotham, I just wanted to explain everything before I left."
"Wait," Ivy requested. "Don't kill Lex." She expected confusion but saw only a reluctant patience in his gaze. "You are likely the only person on the planet that Lex loves. But he's a bad man. It's never going to be straightforward. He was told his son was taken from him, from his grandchildren and he concocted a scheme to fix it. He pulled strings, lied and manipulated because he's a supervillain and that's what we do."
"He crossed several lines-"
"And if he hadn't? You would never go out of your way to insure those children were born even if the knowledge broke your heart. That's what had you distraught, right? That they'd never exist in this timeline? Lex knew that, too."
"He cannot get away with this."
"If Lex is what it takes for you to survive someone even Superman couldn't beat then that's that. Or resolve to stay out of it. Don't play hero."
"For someone ginning up to kill me you switched up fast."
"Supervillainy is one thing, being a garden variety predatory asshole is another. Besides, what of your girl-"
"Kara, her name is Kara."
"Yes, Kara. I doubt she'd be ok with you killing your daddy."
"Ew, don't call him that."
"Fine," Ivy said as she rolled her eyes, "papa. Wait, you're Japanese so wouldn't it be Otousan?"
"You're having too much fun with this," he pouted. Ivy tried to suppress it but laughter escaped causing Naruto to follow suit. It was freeing after the heaviness of the morning and while she wouldn't want him to kill Lex she had no qualms about paying the once titan of industry back. The phone ringing drew her eyes back to Naruto whose mood shifted on a dime as he answered.
"Where are you Lex?" an even tone couldn't mask the demand.
"Are you calm?" Lex asked in return.
"My asking was a courtesy."
"And I intend on accepting it but I need to know if you are calm."
"If I weren't would I still be on the phone?"
"Fair enough, I'll send my location just know I'm doing this for you." There was a beep that signaled the end of the call and Naruto tossed his phone on the bed.
"That seems to be the consensus," he muttered as he walked to his closet and activated some, previously invisible, symbol. A hidden section was revealed with an assortment of weapons and tactical wear. In a blink he was fully dressed, black pants, mesh shirt and a gray kevlar vest, He had arm guards and a sword across the small of his back.
The outfit made her wonder if this would have been his hero uniform, just another mystery on top of the others. "Hey, Naruto," she called out and instantly had his attention. "What would it have been?"
"What would what have been?"
"Your hero name."
"Oh," he chuckled, "hadn't thought about that in a while. Asura." He then disappeared leaving her alone with a lot to resolve.
"Lex, your kid is here" Atomic Skull radio'd Naruto's arrival. It was faster than Lex had anticipated but he shouldn't have been too surprised, Naruto loved leaving those markers everywhere. He looked over to Naruto's watchers, both men deciding to come along after Lex gave them an explanation. Artemis had warned him about Kakashi's love of his Raikiri and how Obito would snap his neck without a moment's hesitation.
It made him glad his son had capable attendants sent along with him, that an all-powerful deity didn't send a defenseless baby with no backup. What he didn't enjoy was the knowledge they'd been silently observing him for years, looking for any signs he wasn't up to par. Knowing you are under the Sword of Damocles is one thing, being told you were and had been ignorant is another. Still, with them on his side he figured it would improve his chances of surviving this.
He walks into the large hall, a collection of the most vicious supervillains working all stare at him but his son barely pays them any notice; outwardly. He knows his boy, knows he's already sized up everyone in the room, has taken notice of where Kakashi and Obito are. He knows this because he raised him, took all that potential and supercharged it. Not his by blood but his crowning achievement all the same. And yet the work is incomplete.
He needed Naruto to see that. To see that even his current level of power could be eclipsed if he'd allow Lex to once again oversee his training.
"Is this really the person you'd have us follow? This boy?" Black Adam asked. Lex wanted to scowl, to tell the fool to shut up and know his place but Adam was a powerhouse, a useful pawn to throw at Darkseid.
"You letting underlings sass you now, Lex? I never thought I'd see the day." Bait. Oh, he was laying out that bait.
"Underling? You dare you wh-"
"Lex, tell your little man to stay quiet when bosses are speaking. This is day one stuff."
"Do you think Luthor being your father will protect you from me?" Black Adam asked as he levitated, lightning arcing across his body. The tension was growing exponentially, it was clear to all what was about to happen, to all but his son.
"Lex, you know how this is going to end."
"I do."
Possibly tired of being ignored or incapable of holding more than one thought in his head, Adam rushed Naruto with blistering speeds, cracking the sound barrier. He landed a powerful haymaker, one strong enough to shake the villain HQ. Lex knew. He suspected Kakashi and Obito did as well. When the "Naruto" Adam attacked dissolved into nothing and Adam was struck down by a big, blue ball drilling into his back, Lex wasn't even mildly surprised.
Besides, he knew the attack; the Odama Rasengan, his boy had called it.
"Kashi, Obi," Naruto called out, "my mom once told me about a famous medic from Konoha; Senju Tsunade. You guys remember her?"
"Yea, maybe the only woman more fearsome than your mother," Kakashi answered. His boy chuckled.
"Then that's saying something. Now, when my mom told me about her boosting her already freakish strength through pure chakra control I got curious. Took me several clones and four months to master it but as I did," he paused his speech to slip into an orthodox boxing stance, "I wondered why she never paired it with chakra nature change." Lex glanced at each named man, their expressions gave nothing away but he somehow knew this reveal wasn't minor.
As Adam returned to his feet, his soon wasted no time delivering a series of punches, each would have launched a weaker opponent but Adam didn't budge. He also didn't fight back, his face displaying pure agony. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room.
"Fire, novel, damaging but pretty localized," he explained. Naruto threw a jab, cross, hook combination to Adam's body and the man vomited up a river of blood. "Water radiates the pain of each blow, multiplying the damage even further." He then delivered a final blow to the body, this one did blow Adam back while also causing blood to gush from wounds that emerged from inside his body.
"Wind, though; it cuts you from the inside." Adam released a groan but Naruto ignored the man to finally, openly, survey the room. "Normally, if one of your pajama dipshits raised a hand to me I'd end you but I made some promises not to kill anyone today so Adam only gets a minor beating. For the rest of you, I don't know what Lex told you and frankly, I don't give a shit. You work for me, now. Anyone who has a problem with that can leave or try their luck like our dear Black Adam."
No one moved. A room full of the most remorseless killers in the world and they dare not rise up.
"Good, good. Now, some of you might think that trying me today or openly isn't the move so you'll wait for a later date. That's fine but do keep in mind, I promised not to kill anyone today. Tomorrow is a different story. With that unpleasantness out of the way, let's talk benefits packages."
While this was happening, Bruce Wayne was seething. Not because Talia had stolen his DNA, bore a son, and kept it secret while raising him as a killer. Not because Lex Luthor was alive and had taken over the League of Shadows. No, it was the state of his Batcave. What state was that? Everything was frozen over. It was a struggle to even get the auxiliary door open. He had no proof but he knew who did this.
"Naruto Uzumaki," he growled, brilliant mind at work on why the Luthor heir would do this now.