Uzumaki Island
The distant and isolated island dedicated to the prehistoric but young redhead and his partners was considerably quieter and deserted this particular afternoon. The suit-clad former Shinobi blissfully leaned against the trunk of a giant tree which was visible from faraway as the most attention-grabbing feature of the island, along with his long-time partner, Kurama.
Harley and Poison Ivy had decided to visit the cities of their previous lives once again and mingle among the common populace without worries of being hunted down by the police. After what went down with Ivy, they deserved this little get-together more than anyone else.
He had a feeling that seeing Harley unharmed and not obsessed over Joker was not the only thing Ivy was happy about. He did not need to be a telepath to know what those naughty little vixens were up to in their get-away trip.
They were mostly likely locking lips and other things here and there to make up for lost time. The Charm Crystals he gave them should be more than enough to cover their identities and … more should they decide to get nasty in public.
You should expect anything when Harley is involved; he had learned that very soon.
The most surprising of all was the friendship between Volcana and Killer Frost. To be honest, he had been making plans to do damage control should a scuffle break out between the opposing beings, but much to his immense surprise and arousal; they had taken to experimenting several concepts behind closed doors.
Yeah, they were getting along nicely. Who knew blazing inferno could cooperate with freezing coldness without a hitch? He sure as hell hadn't, that was for sure.
Following Harley and Pamela's example, the two opposite beings had decided to take a trip of their own into the unknown wonders. He had been more than happy to provide them with as much money as they had requested, maybe even more.
All four of them deserved to live lives of absolute luxury due to what they had gone through during their strayed paths. It's not because they were his partners that he was helping them, but rather because they were former criminals that had been misunderstood, misjudged and led astray by manipulative bastards for their own sick ambitions.
Hopefully, the four of them would not be the last to receive his help. He had plans to help as many as he could help and he intended to stand true to those plans. He of all people knew of the appeal of second chances.
Flashback
It was early in the morning and the group of former supervillains along with their redheaded partner was seated at the table in the large dining room. Volcana suggested cooking for them but since Naruto had some issues with having his possessions burned to a crisp, he gently persuaded the orange-haired woman from doing as such.
While he loved to have his strange guests indulge as much as they wanted, having his kitchen burned to the ground was not in the list of said indulgences. He made a mental note to teach the fire user as well as the others some basic cooking recipes for the future.
He could understand their need to please him by doing basic things such as cooking; he still wanted them to enjoy their stay as much as possible. And if cooking for them made such a thing possible, then it would be his pleasure.
"Me and Red are going to Gotham" Harley declared enthusiastically, unintentionally wobbling her plump funbags as she draped an arm over her redhead friend's shoulder. Her enthusiasm will always be contagious.
Not sure what brought the strange announcement in the first place, Naruto mere smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded, placing several plates of cooked omelets and bacons strips as he took his seat between Louise and Harley. "Okay…"
"You are not gonna ask us why we are going or what we will be doing there?" Pamela questioned in an even tone, a hint of suspicion still lingering in her tone.
The redheaded Leaguer could certainly understand her suspicion. After all, it has only been a few days since her arrival at the island and despite seeing how he was genuinely trying to make their lives better; she was somewhat reserved and aloof.
When you've had close people try to manipulate you for years and act as though they are your friends, you tend to avoid any such characters in future in fear of being used again.
All four of the gathered supervillains had experienced that.
It would have been laughable if he had actually expected the redhead villainess to instantly warm up to him on her first day on the island. Reality and fantasy had clear cut difference, her reaction to any signs of gentleness and nonchalance was one of those differences.
But…
He was nothing if not patient and clever. He had all the time, resources and patience to make her believe that he was indeed trying to help her. Volcana had been the same way during her first few months.
In fact the most stubborn of the four had been Volcana. She had avoided, argued and fought with him over the most simplest of thing for the first 3 months before eventually realizing that he was genuine in his desire to help her.
The only exception to this fact was Louise. The ice cold villainess truly didn't care what he'd done, did and was doing as long as she received the warmth of his presence. And no this is not how she had said it.
"You are mature and grown women, I don't need to ask such a question" Naruto responded sincerely, an easygoing smile on his face. "Plus you are not confined to this island, you can leave anytime you want and lead a life of your choosing. I will be with you every step of the way, regardless of your choices"
The plant-using villainess looked away with a flushed cheek frown, not able to look the redhead in the eyes for long. The sheer genuineness and gentleness of his gaze was distracting and she had no intention of letting down her guard just because he said those things.
But he sounded so … kind and benevolent. A dormant part in the deep recesses of her mind was plagued by guilt that she had to act so conceited towards a person who truly wanted to help her.
"Aww you sound so cool!" As always, Harley had to ruin the moment with her giggling and comment as she rubbed her cheeks against the redhead's, cooing like an overexcited child.
"Screw that, I ain't leaving this island" Volcana Aka Claire Selton stated dispassionately, taking a bite out of her food. "Fresh air, great weather, paradise island and plenty of hunky dick, what more could a girl want?"
"Language Claire!"
"She is right, you know. We've always wanted to be free and this is more than we could've ever wanted" Louise agreed sympathetically, meaningfully giving her fellow villainess an impassive stare before a naughty smirk graced her puffy lips. "Frankly the only reason you are acting so bitchy is 'cause you haven't gotten a piece of that stud meat"
"Not you too!"
"Hey don't antagonize my red!" the bubbly blonde sneered, a pout on her beautiful face as she hugged her frowning friend to her plump breasts.
Killer Frost gave the blonde woman a blank stare. "Do you want to leave this island for good and live in the outside world?"
The former villainess hummed in thought, twin pigtails moving from side to side as she lolled her head in her own unique style. "Nah, I like Foxy. He makes my tummy feel funny"
Basically that was Harley's way of saying that she liked Naruto and wouldn't leave him, even if she was given the chance.
"One dose of his fat dick and he can make any woman's tummy feel funny" the Pyrokinetic villainess giggled humorously, darting the annoyed redhead a lusty wink before she turned to her counterpart. "Ain't that right, Love?"
"Right you are, babe" Killer Frost agreed immediately. "What Pamela needs is a healthy helping of Naruto's meat and she'd be hooked for life, I know I am"
Pamela opened her mouth to yell at the two former villainesses to keep their opinion to themselves, but Naruto beat her to it. "Alright girls, that's enough. Whatever she feels is right, she can do. We will be supportive of her choices"
"Thank you" Poison Ivy murmured appreciatively. She knew she was wrong at what she did but being constantly reminded of her wrong doings was not helping matters along.
The redhead smiled softly, nodding at his crimson haired guest. "You and Harley can go anytime you want. I've already set up bank accounts for all of you incase this day came, along with a Charm Crystal to conceal your identities. You may have stopped your ways but the world is not yet ready to accept you as you are"
"Looking out for his pussies, how sweet" the blue haired ice user deadpanned haughtily, veiling a smirk behind her glass of orange juice. As always, Volcana was quick to give her counterpart an amused look, followed by an approving wink.
The powerful Justice League member shot her an exasperated glare. "Not helping!"
"You know, babe, it is a good idea" Volcana began in a contemplating tone as she turned to her blue haired friend. "You and I can also take a trip to let loose a little"
"I am not really the partying type" the Ice user countered curtly, shrugging her shoulders in indifference. "As long as I get some hot dick to keep me warm and cozy, I don't mind where I am"
"Didn't you just say that you'll never leave the island?" Naruto asked in a blank tone, a massive sweatdrop sliding down his face. One because the orange haired villainess forgot her words so soon and two because Killer Frost blatantly stated that she was staying for the rutting.
Now that was certainly a boost to his confidence!
"We are just gonna take a few days out, babe, do some sightseeing, enjoy ourselves and catch up" the busty woman explained in a placating tone, a sheepish grin on her face. "Besides, we're gonna look up some information about our families"
"I froze my parents into chunks of ice and shattered them to pieces" Louise inserted, inwardly smirking at her friend's frustrated glare. "I don't think I need any information about that"
"Back me up on this, girl" Claire hissed quietly. "Do you wanna meet my mom or not?"
The ice cold former villainess sighed softly, mulling over the possibilities of the offer. On one hand, she wanted to stay as close to the redhead as possible so that he can keep her warm and relaxed. His warmth and passion was sort of addicting.
On the other hand, Volcana had made a very … tempting proposition, one she was severely tempted to see through. Apparently, the orange haired woman's mother was interested in individuals of her own gender, perhaps too interested, and Volcana wanted her to meet her mother for some fun.
"I'd say you are more interested to 'meet' her than me but whatever" she retorted cynically, turning to her confused lover as he observed their whispering with a raised eyebrow. "A trip does sound pretty nice"
The redheaded Dimension Hopper sighed in resignation, rubbing the edges of his temple in defeat. "Fine, I will have Grayfia make arrangements for your trip"
"Sweet!" the orange haired Pyrokinetic cried enthusiastically, a mischievous smirk dancing on her pouty lips. "Do you mind if Grayfia …"
"No"
"But…"
"No"
"You didn't even let me finish!" the volatile beauty whined with a pout.
Naruto merely gave her a deadpan look, not reacting to her outburst. "You are not dragging Grayfia into your family threesome and that is final"
Her eyes widened in surprise as Harley released an accusing sneer at her. "How did you…"
"Super hearing, sweetheart, SUPER hearing" he replied in a smug tone, smirking in his usual foxy way. Did she really think that just because they whispered amongst themselves that he wouldn't find out? How naïve. "You can whisper on the other side of the world and I can still hear it loud and clear"
"I hate you!" That was supposed to be her dirty, dark secret that only Louise knew about. Now everyone on the island knew and to make thing worse, Harley knew about it. That basically amounted to the entire world knowing her dirty, secret plan!
"Love you too, babe"
"You were gonna have a threesome? Without me!?" Harley accused hurtfully, an accusing frown flashing on her visage as she glared at the two opposing villainesses. "I thought we were friends!"
The voluptuous Pyrokinetic groaned miserably as she palmed her face in resignation, barely able to listen to Harley accuse her of 'treason' for not informing her of the family threesome. To make things worse, she could hear Naruto chuckling softly in the background, obviously enjoying her misery.
She was gonna get him for this!
Flashback End
Without the four beauties around to spend some time with, Naruto was left to enjoy the serenity of his personal island, gazing into the blue unknown with a faraway look on his normally mischievous visage.
"You know, this world is disturbingly similar to our own" he commented distractedly, gaining the attention of his casually dozing friend.
The giant nine tailed fox, lying under the shade of the massive tree in his original hulking form, opened one massive red eye and observed his former jailer with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Kurama, light and darkness must be in perfect harmony and balance with each other to not cause any unchangeable consequences. If there is light, darkness soon follows to keep it in check" Naruto described elusively. "Our world was too heavy on the side of darkness and depravity, just like this one"
"Our world destroyed itself before we realized that fact" Kurama included. "Do you think the same will happen in this one as well?"
"At this rate, definitely" the redhead replied firmly as he sighed tiredly. "The way things are going, I am beginning to see the signs of history trying to repeat itself. Ours was too corrupt and shady, killing was the norm regardless of their affiliations as long as the right price was offered. Only a minor catalyst was needed to irrevocably shift the balance of power and bring about apocalypse"
The giant chakra beast instantly understood what or rather who the 'minor catalyst' was. "Madara Uchiha"
"Yeah, Madara thoughtful of himself as a savior and the pioneer of a new world, not even realizing that he was merely a pawn in a much larger game. We, the Allied Forces, were too drowned in our own self-righteousness to realize that we were woven from the same cloth as the enemy we were so desperately trying to eliminate. The same is happening here."
Madara was indeed pure evil but were the Allied Forces really all that pure to brand him as evil? The Allied Forces were never really truly all that pure to begin with. Each and every single Shinobi, with the exception of a rare few, had committed crimes in the name of justice. Assassination, sabotage, espionage, blackmailing and other offensive crimes were highlights of any respectable Shinobi's career.
That was the exact reason why the line between light and darkness was blurred. Each and every single individual insistently believed that they were fighting for a just cause, from both sides.
"Served them right for trying to use us" Kurama growled softly.
"Yeah I guess" Naruto conceded gently, not in the mood to refute his friend because he was right. "We deserved that fate to some degree. The War was just an excuse to right our wrongs, but I had a feeling that things would've gone south once again if we had survived. I mean can you honestly expect the Raikage to fight for anything beside the interest of his village?"
"Not a chance in hell"
"Harsh but accurate. Onoki would have more than likely followed suit in order to counter the Raikage's influence. The other villages would have had no choice but to expand their military might in order to maintain their titles, thus once again dragging the situation towards inevitable war"
"Not that I mind but what brought this on in the first place?" the giant crimson fox asked matter-of-factly.
"The first sign of any declining system is the eradication of the middle ground between them. The second sign is when light becomes self-righteous and darkness moves about unchecked" the redhead stated in a nostalgic tone. "Both signs are becoming visible in this so-called 'Multiverse'"
"How so?"
"How would you see someone who has invaded your home and refuses to neither leave nor consent to the regulation of your abode?"
"An enemy"
"Exactly, I am that enemy. I came here uninvited, threatened Darksied, killed off several criminals, momentarily disintegrated Spectre into specks of energy and basically told The Presence to fuck off" the tall redhead explained causally as he turned to his partner. "Yet, no response has been shown yet"
"Maybe they are just crafting a plan to take you down?" Kurama suggested blankly before shaking his head when he realized how wrong that sounded. "Yeah, I guess you are right. These guys are too self-absorbed and uptight to do anything unless their positions of power are threatened"
From how they were acting, it was obvious the so called 'protectors of light' were only concerned with their positions. They wouldn't react harshly as long as their dominant positions are not threatened regardless of how much chaos is wreaked.
"Yes, which is why I need to do something to shake the foundations of their ideals and force them to make a move. I don't care which side shifts first, either way I am creating ripples of madness in this sad, miserable reality" Naruto declared determinedly.
Several months and he had yet to see a reaction from the cosmic beings in response to Specter's unceremonious expulsion from the island. Not even those following darkness had approached him, either from fear or indifference.
And he was getting bored.
"I don't like that look on your face" the crimson chakra beast muttered blankly when he saw his former jailer grin like he had just hit the mother of all jackpots. "I don't like it when you have that look. It usually attracts trouble towards your sorry ass"
"Watch it furball!"
"I am not going to like it, am I?" Kurama asked in a deadpan tone.
Paradox merely grinned at him. "That depends"
"Oh great"
Space Sector 666, Ryut
Ryut, an isolated planet located at the distant edges of the universe and home to one of the most notorious ruling forces of the cosmos. The unassuming, pitch-black sphere of organic substance was home to the Black Lanterns, a force composed of all previously dead and recently reanimated beings by a force unknown even to the users of the rings themselves.
They only knew that their leader was powerful, ruthless and utterly despicable, the kind of qualities that appealed to their twisted sense of understanding.
Unlike other planets where other life forms roamed the surface even if inhabited by powerful beings, Ryut was different. No one beside the dark-clothed zombies inhabited the landscapes, eternally descending it down a depressing and gloomy path.
Only a few selected structures on the surface of the dark planet were worthy of anyone's attention, mostly used as housing chambers for the leaders of Corps. Other than that, nothing but rocks, edgy mountain pathways and endless nothingness greeted any daring traveler.
BOOOOMMMM
The very foundation of the planet shook out of control as an enormous explosion rocked its core, shockwaves of energy bursting forth from the point of impact and spreading outwards in incredible speeds.
Quite a few of the Black Lanterns residing near the area soon found themselves blown to pieces from the unknown attack as it spread outwards, till the blinding light of the swiftly moving energy wave could be seen from space itself.
The intensity of the crimson light illuminating the dark planet raised Black Hand from his slumber as he sprinted to the windows of his castle and observed the brilliant sight beyond the horizon. He had never seen anything quite like this before.
'What is that energy?' the notorious commander thought hastily as he beheld the spectacle. The energy source was unknown and alien to his sensors. The damage was unparalleled. And yet he had no idea what or rather who was attacking them.
The light soon died down and finally the exploded dust finally settled down to reveal a sight he would never forget.
Standing in the middle of the vast battleground was a colossal crimson creature with nine tails swishing behind its form in a hypnotic manner and a wide, bloodthirsty grin on its vulpine visage. Standing atop the head of majestic creature was a single robe-clad redhead humanoid, though he could not clearly see his form from this distance.
"Bring them down now!" he ordered angrily, the black ring on his finger flashing a menacing dark from the intensity of his emotions.
AAA
"Now that is what I call a dramatic entrance" Naruto exclaimed smugly, standing cross-armed atop the head of his former prisoner with a wide foxy grin on his face. Kurama's half form was indeed huge but it didn't compare to the full and complete form of the crimson fox.
Colossal did not even begin to describe how monstrously towering he was.
"You are not the one who had to endure getting his ass on fire from plummeting to the planet!" Kurama retorted angrily as he tried to glare at his rider.
"Just look on the bright side"
"You try looking on the bright side when your ass is on fire!"
"This place is so depressing"
"Stop ignoring me!"
"Oh hush you big baby, we have company" Naruto admonished lightly as he looked down from his towering position so see that they were surrounded by an entire group of Black Lanterns.
Menacing visages, black energy and clothing, vile energy of an unknown origin wafting off their forms and a dark ring on their fingers? Yup, these were the so called harbingers of death and destruction.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Are we gonna keep staring at each other all day or what?" Kurama asked impatiently, unable to take the pin-drop silence of the battlefield.
"They are giving us the stink-eye" the redhead noted absently, prompting a massive sweatdrop out of foxy partner.
"We attacked their home planet genius, they are supposed to give us the stink eye!" the fox roared indignantly. "Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?"
"I was just kidding, sheesh!" the redheaded Leaguer grumbled, crimson Rinne-Sharingan eyes focused on any and all movements from the enemy. "So how do you want to do this?"
"As long as there is destruction and lots of cursing, I am up for it!"
"Cursing? Seriously? What are you, a hormonal teenager?"
"Shut up!"
"Alright furball, let us turn this miserable planet into our playground of destruction and pandemonium!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, flaring up his bloodlust for the first time in ages as Kurama grinned menacingly.
"I like that plan!"
The surrounding Black Lanterns shivered in fear as a giant purple orb of condensed energy started forming before the maw of the majestic creature, getting bigger and bigger with each passing second until it resembled a moon.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
Shield after pitch-black shield materialized around the shocked Lanterns as their instincts to survive the destructive orb kicked in. Alas, the Tailed Beast Bomb was not something that could be stopped by mere energy shield; many had realized that too late.
The black shield cracked like fragile glass under the force of the energy and those within were instantly reduced to ashes from the intensity as it swept across the landscape before exploding in a fiery inferno.
Among the 20 or so Lanterns, only 5 had been strong enough to escape the blast radius and protect themselves to the best of their abilities.
However, nothing escaped Naruto's strange eyes as he instantly picked up on their movements and grinned savagely. A flash of light, followed by imperceptible shimmering of the air itself and Naruto was standing between the 5 person group with his hands outstretched outwards.
Almighty Push!
An invisible force slammed into the disoriented Lanterns and sent flying in all directions from the redhead, groaning in agony.
A bloodthirsty grin visible on his visage, Naruto jumped into the air in the span of a mere second, gathering dark crimson energy in the palm of his outstretched hands.
Spears of Judgment!
A hypnotizing shower of flaming energy spheres rushed through the palm of the redhead's hands and showered upon the flying death-bringers in a haze of blood, skewering, stabbing and impaling them through random organs.
"This rush and intensity of battle is bringing back memories!" the former Shinobi roared unrestrainedly, laughing in an almost unbalanced state as he looked around the destruction he caused, crimson eyes flashing a deep demonic red. "I've dearly missed this bloodlust!"
"It has only just begun, Naruto" the colossal fox joined in with a menacing grin of his own, vile chakra wafting off his majestic form in waves. "We have an entire planet of opponents to destroy, let's not get too excited and end this before we are somewhat satisfied"
"Agreed, it's no fun if the battle is over too quickly" the Dimension Hopper agreed excitedly as he jumped back on top of the nine tailed beast's head. "Onward Kurama, let us add a shade of crimson to the darkness of this wretched planet!"
Ryut, Capital
Unlike his followers, Black Hand was not too drowned in the power of his ring to be devoid of any emotions at all. He understood the situation perfectly. Someone was attacking them not out of the goodness of their heart but rather to prove a point.
His eyes could clearly see the destruction from his tower. The orbs of destructions making craters, showers of red energy spears impaling his soldiers, a dragon-like beast made of lightening bursting out of the dark clouds and electrocuting Black Lanterns to ashes.
Whoever these two were, they were no mere warriors. No known specie matched their description, aside from the humans of Earth and several other planets. But their powers were too destruction and too potent to be of human origin.
The destruction and bloodshed was nearing to his palace, slowly but surely making its way towards him. From the randomness of their attacks, it was obvious they had no idea of the planet's central headquarters and were merely destroying everything in their path.
With the way they were moving and destroying, it wouldn't be long before these monsters stood before him. The thought made a wave of shivers run down his spine. If an entire planet of Black Lanterns could not stop him, then his ambitions were over.
Granted not all Black Lanterns were present at the moment, some were off world on missions and some were busy gathering info to find the right moment to initiate their plan. But still the idea of a single man with his foxy familiar destroying an army of Black Lanterns that the other Corps combined had trouble with was simply terrifying.
Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
Wind Style: Crimson Typhoon
The terrifying but majestic sight of two elements augmenting the forces of one another to an otherworldly degree was breathe-taking. Black Hand simply watched the scene with a foreboding sense of anxiety and utter fear as the hordes of his loyal undead soldiers were swallowed by the demonic cyclone of fiery inferno.
That attacked spelled the end of his last line of defense. He realized that. THEY realized that as their forms emerged out of the carnage that had been caused by their attacks, chilling grins flashing on their shadowed features and suffocating waves of energy blasting from the colossal form of the fox.
"You must be the boss?"
Omake
The redheaded Leaguer blinked in confusion. "Nekron?"
Black Hand took his confusion as a sign of fear and smirked. "The creator of the Black Power Rings, Lord of the Undead and ruler of the Realm of Darkness! You will die by his hands and be resurrected as his pawn!"
The Darkness grows as all light dies
We crave your hearts and your demise
By my black hand… the dead shall rise!
Before anything could happen, a black portal appeared in the center of the room and a dark figure rose out of it in his creepy glory. "It is I, Nekron, Lord of the Undead and ruler of the Realm of the Undead!"
"What the hell, man? You are too early" Naruto shouted indignantly as he pointed at the confused entity, William Derek nodded in confirmation. "I haven't even snapped Black Hand's neck yet!"
The previously nodding former human snapped his head towards the redhead with a shocked and enraged look on his face. "Yeah… wait! You were going to snap my neck? What I have done to you anyway, you jerk!"
Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Oops, you weren't supposed to hear that"
"Well I did and there is no in hell that I am moving along with this …"
SNAP!
"Damn" the redhead muttered sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head and looked at the dead Black Lantern. "Sorry man, I didn't mean to snap your head before the actual time"
"So I can go and come back later?" Nekron asked in confusion, feeling out of place.
"Nah, you can stay now since we are past the neck-snapping fiasco…"
"I am still alive, you jerk!"
"Okay…" Naruto trailed on, a sweatdrop sliding down his head.
BAM!
"Now that he is dead, we can move o…"
"That hurts, you little brat!" the very much alive Black Hand groaned from the ground, catching the attention of the two beings.
"Excuse me, Nekron" Naruto stated apologetically, producing a gun from thin air as he moved towards the groaning scientist.
BAM!
BAM!
"Phew, now where were we?" the redhead asked offhandedly, only for a tic mark to pulse on his forehead when William Derek groaned again. "Are you dead yet?"
"Almost … just a teensy weensy bit more …. And just a bit more …"
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
"You gotta be dead after that, right?" Naruto asked pointedly, to deflate when the former human moaned in pain and shook his head.
"Nope, still alive"
"You guys do whatever … it is you are doing and I will wait for my turn" Nekron stated unsurely, a massive sweatdrop sliding down his face as he viewed the bizarre spectacle.