Chapter 2

"They will survive with better chances now that you are dead and I am gone from that world."

Naruto froze. His mind struggled to process the words.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember what Nagato told you?"

Naruto's breath hitched as the memory resurfaced.

"Awakening the Juubi by consuming the tailed beasts..."

"Yes," Kurama confirmed, his voice calm yet firm. "So our death had one good result for you. I saw no hope in your people stopping the beast's revival."

A cold weight settled in Naruto's chest.

"Why are you being so nice suddenly?"

A low chuckle rumbled through his mind.

"You are the only connection I have left to our world. And at the moment of death, I realized something... you are connected to my father."

"Father?" Naruto's brow furrowed.

"The Sage of Six Paths. He is our father, and we were meant to be guardians of the world. But humans turned on us."

Naruto clenched his fists. Even now, Kurama's voice carried bitterness, yet there was something else—acceptance.

"Thanks for not abandoning me."

For once, the fox didn't have a snarky response.

A firm grip on his shoulders pulled Naruto from his thoughts.

"Naruto, relax," Kara said, shaking him lightly. "I know this sounds bad, but we can find a way back. We just need to look."

"Certainly," Zatanna added. "There's no need to lose hope. I'll do my best to help you. But for now, please accept this gift of the tongue."

She stepped forward and tapped her gloved fingers against his forehead. A soft glow spread from the contact.

In an instant, Naruto's mind buzzed—a shift in understanding.

The unfamiliar words around him suddenly made sense.

"Whoa..." Naruto muttered, then blinked in surprise. "Hey! I can understand you guys now!"

Kara grinned. "Neat trick, right?"

"Yeah, this is awesome!" Naruto grinned, feeling a bit of the tension ease.

Zatanna smiled but quickly returned to the topic at hand. "Now, about getting you home…" Her expression turned serious. "We can still send you back, but it'll take time and effort. However, we need to be careful."

"Because of these 'immortals' you mentioned?" Naruto asked, his expression darkening.

"Exactly. If the Olympians are involved, we're dealing with immortals who love to play with people's fates. And trust me, that never ends well."

Kara groaned. "Yeah, they're always a pain. Half the time, they think they're above consequences."

"But," Zatanna continued, "there's also the possibility that you ended up here due to natural causes. Strange things happen in this world, and dimensional shifts aren't unheard of. If that's the case, finding a way back will be easier."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. "I'll keep some of your blood and chakra for my research. It'll help with the search."

Naruto hesitated for a moment but then nodded. "Alright. Thank you. I owe you for this."

Zatanna gave a small smile. "Don't worry about it. But since you're stuck here for now, you'll need a place to stay."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… about that. You think you can hire me or something? I'm not gonna sit around and do nothing."

Zatanna tilted her head, amused. "That could be interesting. But I think there's a better place for someone like you."

Before Naruto could ask, she pinched his cheeks.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?" Naruto pouted, rubbing his face.

"You just looked too sad," she teased. But in truth, she had already looked into his soul. She had seen his pain, his loss, and most importantly—his unyielding spirit.

Clark stepped forward. "Since you have nowhere to go, I have a suggestion."

Naruto glanced at him, curious.

"There's a team of young heroes under our guidance. You could stay with them, train with them, and get to know them while we figure out a way home for you."

Naruto's expression hardened. "I can't just mooch off people. If I join, I'm going to help with this hero business."

Kara smirked. "Oh? You sure? It can get pretty crazy."

"He's a Shinobi," Zatanna interjected.

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Right. That means...?"

Zatanna folded her arms. "Shinobi means ninja. But more than that—it means assassin."

The room went silent.

Zatanna's sharp eyes met Naruto's. "Naruto… have you ever killed anyone?"

The air grew heavy.

Naruto's jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists.

And after a long pause—he answered.

Naruto stood firm, his blue eyes steady as he looked at Clark and Zatanna. His words carried a weight that came from experience, from loss, and from the path he had chosen long ago.

"I believe that people should be given a chance to change, and that killing will only make the world a worse place," he said seriously. "So I don't kill. If you're going to ask me to, then we'll have to part ways."

There was no hesitation in his voice. This was a decision he had made the day Jiraiya died. Before that, he had been a reckless fighter, attacking his enemies with full force, believing that their deaths were inevitable. But he hadn't understood the pain of loss back then—not truly.

He had only ever killed once, and even that was not by choice. It had been Itachi who had used him as a vessel to end a life. After that, his second near-kills had been Deidara and Kakuzu, but both had been taken from him before he could deliver the final blow.

It wasn't until Jiraiya's death that Naruto had begun to understand his master's teachings. He had always heard Jiraiya's words but never truly listened, never grasped the deeper meaning behind them. After his mentor was gone, Naruto had read his books, studied his philosophy, and come to a realization—one that shaped his future.

The world was a cruel, terrible place. But it was also beautiful. And it was the responsibility of those who lived in it to protect that beauty.

Most people didn't care. Others actively spread pain and chaos. And then there were the few—the ones who fought to make things better, even if the odds were against them. Naruto wanted to be one of those few.

Losing Jiraiya had hurt in a way he never wanted to feel again. The despair, the emptiness, the pain—it was unbearable. And if he hated it so much, why would he inflict it on others? If he killed, he would only be spreading that same suffering to someone else.

Understanding this, Naruto had sworn never to take a life. He believed that people could change, that punishment and reform were the path to a better world. He wasn't naïve—he knew that some people would never change. But if he became the kind of leader others looked up to, then his example would matter.

If he killed in the name of justice, what would stop others from doing the same? Everyone had their own definition of justice, their own version of the truth. If he justified violence, the cycle would never end.

Walking this path would be difficult, but he was prepared to endure it. That was what it meant to be a shinobi—to endure pain, hardship, and sacrifice for the sake of others.

Zatanna watched him, a small smile playing at her lips. "You are officially the weirdest ninja I've ever met," she said. "Most of them don't hesitate to kill."

Clark nodded in agreement. "You don't have to worry," he said. "We have a no-kill rule. We help the authorities imprison criminals—or, in some cases, we handle imprisoning them ourselves."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "You imprison them yourselves?"

Superman sighed. "Governments have a bad habit of letting dangerous criminals walk free when it suits them. Sometimes, we have to make sure they don't get that chance."

Naruto could understand that. He wasn't unfamiliar with corrupt leaders and broken systems.

"Now," Zatanna said, shifting the conversation forward, "show us what you can do. We need to understand where you stand."

Naruto nodded, unfazed by the request. He had no problem demonstrating his skills. Right now, he needed these people to help him find a way home—this was a sign of trust.

But then a thought crossed his mind, and he looked at Superman with a curious expression.

"I don't mind," he said. "But before that, can I see how strong you are? I'm very curious, and it'll help me understand this world better."

Clark Kent folded his arms and looked at Zatanna with a small nod. "Show him."

Superman's feats were no secret. He didn't mind Naruto seeing them firsthand. In fact, he was curious to see how the young shinobi would react to the absurdity of his abilities. Zatanna waved her wand, and a large, glowing screen appeared before them, floating in the air like an enchanted mirror.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he focused on the images appearing before him.

First, he saw Superman lifting an unfathomable weight—the Earth itself. For five days, Clark had held the planet's mass upon his shoulders, an act that should have been impossible for any living being. Yet, there he stood, unwavering, as if such a feat was no more than routine.

The next image shifted, and Naruto saw Superman traveling across the universe in mere moments, his speed transcending comprehension. Planets, stars, galaxies—they all blurred into indistinct streaks as Clark soared across the cosmos like a immortal of the skies.

Then came another feat. Superman delivering a single punch that sent his opponent from Earth's surface to the moon in an instant. The sheer force of the strike was enough to shatter mountains, sending shockwaves across space.

Naruto's brow furrowed, but he continued watching. The next clip showed Superman being dragged into a black hole—one of the deadliest phenomena in the universe. By all logic, nothing could escape its pull. Yet Clark had endured, emerging from the abyss as if it were nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

More battles followed. Superman facing Darkseid, a tyrant feared across the cosmos. Then Doomsday, a monster whose mere existence meant destruction. Then Hercules, the legendary demiimmortal of Olympus. Each battle was a clash of titans, shaking the very fabric of reality.

Naruto was speechless. His jaw hung open as the last images faded, leaving only silence in the air. He had heard stories about the Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of chakra, the immortal-like being who shaped the ninja world. But compared to what he had just witnessed, even the Sage's feats seemed like child's play.

His mind reeled, struggling to process what he had seen. And what made it worse—what made it truly unfair—was that Clark didn't achieve this through relentless training or decades of honing his skills. No, his power came from simply existing beneath the rays of the yellow sun.

How unfair.

But then an idea struck him.

Superman drew power from the sun, constantly absorbing its energy and using it to grow stronger. In that sense, Naruto wasn't too different. He absorbed natural energy—Sage Energy—from the world around him. The earth, the moon, the stars... Could he apply the same principle? Could he take his Sage Mode even further, tapping into energy beyond Earth's confines?

Naruto grinned, shaking his head at the sheer insanity of what he had just witnessed. He turned to Clark and raised his fist. "You are the strongest person I have ever seen. You're cool in my books."

Clark chuckled, genuinely pleased. Most people, upon realizing the vast difference in power, would respond with fear or awe. Naruto, on the other hand, was simply excited.

"Thanks," Clark replied with a smile, bumping fists with him. "You're in my good books as well."

Zatanna rolled her eyes. "Alright, no more bromance in here. We've got work to do."

She waved her hand again, and a swirling portal materialized in front of them. "Step through. This will take us to a proper testing ground."

Naruto, Clark, Kara, and Zatanna walked through, emerging onto a vast wasteland, stretching as far as the eye could see. It was barren, desolate, and reinforced to withstand extreme levels of destruction.

"Naruto, go wild," Kara said, giving him a playful push forward. "Destroy whatever you want."

Naruto blinked, looking at Clark and then Kara for confirmation. "Are you sure?"

Zatanna smirked. "Go for it. Just, uh... let us know if you plan on busting the planet."

Naruto snorted. "Funny."

With that, he dashed forward, his speed skyrocketing instantly. Without even using Sage Mode, he hit Mach 100, his body enhanced by chakra. He reached a massive mountain in seconds, reared back his fist, and let loose a devastating punch. The impact shattered the peak into fragments, sending tremors through the ground.

Not stopping there, Naruto leaped high into the air and pulled out several kunai, each enhanced with wind chakra. He threw them, and they shot across the battlefield like miniature missiles, slicing through solid rock with terrifying ease.

Then, forming a hand seal, he summoned a shadow clone beside him. Together, they formed a massive Rasengan, the size of a two-story house. Naruto dove toward another mountain, slamming the swirling sphere into its core. The resulting explosion carved through the stone like it was nothing, reducing the once-mighty structure to rubble.

Clark observed Naruto's movements with a sharp eye, impressed by the sheer speed and power the young shinobi displayed. His strikes carried immense force, and his agility was remarkable. However, while Naruto's abilities were undoubtedly impressive, they were not at a level that could threaten him. Among the League's ranks, only a handful of members would struggle against him, and even then, it would depend on the circumstances. Clark had long since grown accustomed to defying the impossible, often performing feats that broke conventional logic, and Naruto's attacks, while devastating in their own right, were not beyond what he had faced before.

His natural electromagnetic aura, an invisible field that extended around his body, passively weakened most physical and energy-based attacks, dissipating their force before they could reach him. Naruto's blows, enhanced by chakra, were formidable, but they too would be significantly reduced in effectiveness against him. However, Clark knew his aura was not absolute. There were exceptions—magic and spiritual energy could bypass his defenses entirely, striking him as though he were any other being.

Despite this, even without his aura's protection, Clark's body was a fortress in itself. He had faced numerous magic users before, from sorcerers to divine beings, and while their abilities could harm him, few could truly defeat him in a direct confrontation. The only ones capable of challenging him were beings on the level of Shazam—someone empowered by the immortals themselves—or other entities of similar mystical magnitude. Under normal circumstances, lesser magic wielders could hurt him, but it would take an enormous amount of force to break past his natural resilience. Only when he was weakened did those threats become more concerning.

To Clark, magic was like fire to a normal person—it could burn, it could wound, but it did not mean he was defenseless. His body, refined through years of exposure to countless forces, could still endure an impressive amount of punishment, even from magical assaults.

Beyond raw power, Clark also analyzed Naruto's fighting technique. His close-quarters combat skills were highly refined. Every movement was precise, his strikes optimized for efficiency, and his footwork displayed the practiced instincts of a warrior accustomed to high-speed engagements. Clark could see the discipline in Naruto's stance, the strategic intelligence in how he adapted his attacks. This was no reckless brawler—Naruto was a trained combatant, honed by years of battle experience.

Naruto landed back on the ground, breathing steadily. He glanced at Clark. "That good enough?"

Clark nodded, offering a smile. "That was good. Thank you for the demonstration."

Naruto returned the smile, but deep inside, a thought nagged at him. For the first time in a long while, his own strength felt... insignificant. Compared to what he had seen from Clark, this was nothing.

'We might need to work together if there are more like him,' Naruto thought.

A voice rumbled in his mind, deep and confident.

'You can become that strong, Naruto.'

'Can you really make me that strong, Kurama?'

The Nine-Tails chuckled. 'No. But I can make you a lot stronger than you are now. And trust me, boy—your attacks will make him bleed.'

Naruto's grin returned. 'You better not be lying.'

Kurama's voice was filled with amusement. 'Trust me, you haven't even seen a fraction of my power yet.'

Naruto turned to Zatanna, his mind buzzing with possibilities. Seeing Superman's power had been a humbling experience, but rather than despairing, he saw it as a challenge—something to strive for. He needed to improve, and the first step was expanding his abilities.

"Zatanna, is there a way for me to learn more skills?" he asked, crossing his arms. "You've seen my list—it's pretty limited. I think I should at least learn teleportation. It could be useful for escaping bad situations."

Zatanna raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into an amused smile. "It's not impossible, given your potential."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

She chuckled, shaking her head slightly at his enthusiasm. "Yes, but... magic isn't just about waving your hands and making things happen. To learn teleportation, you'll have to study some complex subjects—arcane theory, spatial manipulation, and advanced sigils. How are your academics?"

Naruto instantly deflated. "Shit!"

Zatanna sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her hip. "Well then, that'll take you a few years."

Naruto groaned, rubbing his temples. Why did magic have to be so complicated? It wasn't fair! If only learning new abilities was as easy as swinging his fists. He cursed his fate—why did he have to be so terrible at studying? And why did magic have to require so much of it?

He briefly considered using shadow clones to speed up the process, but he quickly discarded the thought. Using clones for simple training was one thing, but for something as intricate as magic? That was dangerous. The sheer amount of information involved in arcane theory and spatial calculations could cause severe brain overload. If too much knowledge flooded his mind at once, it could cause memory fragmentation or even brain damage. The human mind wasn't meant to process such immense volumes of data in an instant.

Not to mention... even if he could use clones, they'd inherit his worst trait—his laziness when it came to studying. There was no way they wouldn't slack off the moment they got bored.

Feeling a comforting hand on his back, Naruto turned to see Kara smiling at him. "You've got plenty of time to learn, so don't rush it and hurt yourself," she advised, giving him a reassuring pat.

Naruto sighed. That wasn't exactly the answer he wanted to hear, but she wasn't wrong. Kara, despite being incredibly strong, was still growing, still learning. If she could take her time to improve, then maybe he could too.

She grinned at him. "Besides, I gotta admit, your attacks had some real power behind them. I actually felt that punch a little."

Naruto blinked. "Wait… seriously?"

Kara nodded. "Yeah. Not as much as Superman would, but you've got a good amount of oomph. Keep training, and who knows?"

That made Naruto feel a little better. At least he wasn't completely out of his league.

Zatanna clapped her hands together, drawing their attention. "She's right, and on that note, it's time for you three to get some rest. I'll send you on your way now."

With a flick of her wrist, a swirling portal opened beneath them, and before Naruto could even protest, they were teleported straight to the Young Justice base.