The night was briefly illuminated when a lightning bolt struck the sky in the middle of the encounter between the villains and the pro heroes. Although blinded by the lightning, the latter were able to see the newcomer, who was none other than Uzumaki Naruto, or at least that's what it seemed, given the strange, bubbling red aura surrounding him.
This seething mass seemed to have a life of its own, forming a pair of ears above the teenager's head and three long tails that swung menacingly from side to side. The students and pro heroes noticed that the shinobi's hair looked spikier, the thin markings on his cheeks had become darker and deeper, and finally, several of those present felt intimidated by those red, slanted eyes, like those of a wild beast.
"Look who came to the party." Smiling, Hidan forgot about the dark-haired teenager and focused on the newcomer, who was standing on Number XXV, whose suit was partially torn, as was her mask, which had lost its right side, revealing several dark strands of hair and pale skin.
"Naruto-kun…" Yaoyorozu whispered, confused. On one hand, she felt relieved by the Uzumaki's arrival, but on the other, she was uneasy and intimidated by his current appearance. What was happening to him? This wasn't part of his Quirk; it was something else, something darker.
"..." Naruto slowly sighed, letting out a breath that looked like steam. Standing up, he began to walk in the direction of Kakuzu, all while the red, bubbling aura that surrounded him gradually disappeared until it was completely gone. Still, he was injured, implying that his battle against XXV had been tough.
Squinting, Kakuzu blocked a punch aimed straight at his face, but the force of the blow sent him reeling back several meters. Curious, he stood up to find Mt. Lady now in the Uzumaki's arms. But what seemed like an eternity to them was only a fleeting moment, as the blond boy vanished, struck the masked villain, and reappeared with Mt. Lady in his hands.
Carefully, Naruto lowered Yu and laid her down next to Mirko. He ignored everything around him as he extended his right hand and placed it on the chest of the giant pro hero, who was knocked out. Before the incredulous gaze of many, the blonde's wounds slowly disappeared. Once most of Mt. Lady's wounds were healed, the blond stood up and walked toward Mirko.
"You brat... you're late," growled the white-haired woman, who, even with her blurred vision, could make out the ninja brat. Bleeding on the ground, the rabbit woman felt weaker and weaker, closer to death's door.
"You did well," Naruto said, kneeling beside Mirko. Ignoring Momo, he placed his right hand on the heroine's head, repeating the same procedure as with Mt. Lady.
"I don't understand, what is that?" The black-haired woman's mind couldn't grasp what was happening. Right now, she was seeing a red aura, imperceptible to the naked eye, emanating from the shinobi's hand and enveloping the rabbit woman. This aura was causing her wounds to slowly close.
"Ahg!" Mirko's cries of pain were immediate, as the white-haired woman felt as if hot coals had been placed under her skin. Unbeknownst to her, the wounds on her stomach and legs were closing, stopping the bleeding and healing her, but only partially, as she was still very weak from blood loss.
"Hmm? Is this really Uzumaki Naruto?" All attention fell on Hidan, who was smirking at the whisker-marked teenager, leaning his scythe against the ground. He watched as Uzumaki carefully examined Mirko, his expression serious and concerned about her condition. "Hey! Aren't you going to greet your old friends?" he asked maliciously, curiously watching the blond brat's reaction.
"Friends? Naruto... do you know them?" The girl's question fell on deaf ears as the shinobi simply stood up to face the two villains in black cloaks with red clouds. "You... Who are you? What do you want?" Momo just wanted answers that would clear her troubled mind, even if those answers might be something she didn't want to hear.
Unfortunately, Kakuzu simply walked over to stand beside his partner and kept his gaze fixed on the serious Uzumaki. "We... we are Akatsuki," he introduced himself in his dark, dry voice. "We are an organization made up of the most dangerous shinobi in the world, who severed all ties with their home villages to become part of this group, which has an objective that is not important to mention now..." With a flat expression, the masked man pointed to himself. "We serve the highest bidder to gain resources. It doesn't matter what the job is: kidnapping a spoiled high-society girl, killing a Daimyō, wiping out one of the sides in a war, destroying a village and reducing it to ashes. It doesn't matter who we have to exterminate; we always fulfill our duty..."
"…" It must be said that the students and pro heroes were horrified. Kidnapping? Murder? Terrorism? Genocide? Who were these monsters? And what kind of group did they belong to? And perhaps most importantly, why were they looking for Uzumaki Naruto?
"All this..." But others had different thoughts. With trembling shoulders and a look that reflected only hatred, Momo looked at the two Akatsuki members. "Is this just a job?" she asked painfully, having to look at the bodies of Tiger and Vlad King, in addition to the other injured heroines who had almost been killed. "Is all this just a job?!" Her cries of pain only made a dark smile form on Hidan's lips.
"The deaths are just a bonus for this good work," the silver-haired man shrugged, lifting his scythe and placing it on his shoulder. "But as my stingy partner said, today we're here for someone, for our old friend Uzumaki Naruto..."
"What-?" Mina Ashido couldn't hold her breath, just like her other classmates, who were equally surprised.
"That's not true..." The most stunned by this revelation was Momo, who stood up furiously and looked at the two impassive villains. "Naruto would never be part of something like that! You're lying!" she shouted almost desperately, but defending the blond shinobi only earned her a mocking smile from Hidan.
"Oh really? And why?" he asked with amusement, looking at the brat who stood behind the motionless Uzumaki.
"Because he's my friend! He's a friend to many people here! He's a good person who has saved many lives! Including mine, and now he's on his way to becoming a great hero. That's why I know what you're saying... isn't true."
"Ha... ha," Hidan said, his eyes darkening. He began to tremble and, letting out a few soft chuckles, looked up. "Hahahahahaha!" The burst of Hidan's almost psychopathic laughter made many tense up and sent a chill down their spines. After a few seconds, the silver-haired man finally stopped laughing. "Kid, I didn't know you were a comedian! That was funny! Don't you think so, Uzumaki?" With a malicious smile, the follower of Jashin looked at the children's expressions, all filled with doubt and fear. It was amusing to see them. "Did you never tell them about yourself, Uzumaki?"
"That's enough..." With a dark look and a deep voice, Naruto stared at the two villains, who were not intimidated in the slightest by the teenager's threatening tone.
"Oh, come on! Don't be shy. Hey, girl," calling out to Momo, Hidan leaned on his scythe and stood upright. "What makes you think this guy is a good person? If you only knew everything he's done in his life. Do you want me to tell you how he left home and distanced himself from his family? Do you want me to tell you how many lives this bastard ruined?... Do you want to know how filthy his soul is?" Shaking his head, he shrugged and slung his scythe over his shoulder. "A person like him is beyond redemption. He's just like us! What would you call him? A monster!" With that last shout, a tense silence fell.
"Naruto... say something," she cried, her voice breaking as the black-haired Yaoyorozu looked hopefully at the shinobi, who had remained silent. "Please say something..." she pleaded, unwilling to endure this agonizing silence any longer. She wanted to hear him admit that everything the villain had said was a lie. "Say something, damn it, Naruto! Tell me it's not true!" she shouted, approaching the blond and grabbing his right arm tightly.
"..." With a pained look, Mirko watched everything. Lowering her gaze, she could only remain silent.
"..." People like Kirishima, Mina, and the other teenagers were also waiting for an answer, one that would tell them that the boy who had saved them several times, who had risked his life for them, was the person they thought they knew.
"..." Mandalay, with a somber expression, simply watched the situation, with a red glow blinking on her cat-eared helmet.
With slow, gentle breathing, Naruto could feel Momo's trembling hands around his arm. Looking into her eyes, he could see the tears falling from her dark eyes, staining her beautiful face. "You can't escape the past... can you?" he asked softly, looking sadly at the girl's pained expression. Opening her eyes in disbelief, she released her grip.
For many, it was just a blink of an eye, but before they knew what had happened, Magne was punched in the stomach and sent flying into the woods. Spinner wasn't unscathed either, as a fist slammed into his face, sending him crashing to the ground like a punching bag.
"..." Pixie-bob's lifeless body, hanging from Naruto's arms, was gently carried and placed next to Mt. Lady.
As he straightened up, Naruto gave one last look at his teammates and the pro heroes, smiling resignedly. He focused his attention on a tense Momo, who, since hearing the shinobi's words, had only remained standing there, crying silently. "I'm sorry..." With that apologetic whisper, the blond turned his back on Yaoyorozu to face both members of Akatsuki.
"Naruto!" Momo was blinded, just like everyone else, by a flash of light caused by an electrical explosion. As the brightness faded and they regained their sight, they saw that Naruto and the two villains in black cloaks with red clouds had disappeared, leaving only a trail of destruction that led deeper into the forest.
[ Please check out the other work "DC: Hokage In The Justice League" as well and leave a review behind. ]