Chapter 6

Nightwing and Batgirl had no time to react.

The moment a single leaf drifted past them, their fates were sealed.

POOF!

A golden blur replaced the falling leaf, and before either of them could process what had happened, they were both struck down instantly.

Batgirl felt a sharp impact to the back of her neck, her vision blurring as she crumpled to the ground unconscious. Nightwing, trained to resist such attacks, spun mid-air to counter—only to find a chakra-infused fist already waiting for him.

CRACK!

He flew backward, crashing into a tree with a force that knocked the wind out of his lungs. But before he could even roll to his feet—

BOOM!

A follow-up strike sent him spiraling into the dirt, ending the fight before it could even begin.

Clone One and Clone Two barely spared them a glance.

"With the weak humans out of the way, let's get serious."

Their gazes shifted toward the two strongest members remaining—

Superboy and Wonder Girl.

A shockwave rippled through the air as the clones attacked, their fists colliding with their superpowered opponents at the exact same time.

BOOM!

The resulting explosion sent debris flying, scattering the surrounding jungle.

Superboy grinned through the impact, barely fazed. "You hit like a girl."

Clone One's golden eyes narrowed. "Really? Then let's increase the heat. I wasn't sure you could handle it."

Connor barely had time to regret his words before the next blow came.

CRACK!

A devastating kick struck him square in the chest, launching him across the battlefield. The air left his lungs as he struggled to stop himself mid-air, his arms tingling from the sheer force of the attack.

But before he could steady himself—

"Your reactions are too slow."

Naruto's voice whispered behind him.

THWACK!

A glowing golden fist slammed into Connor's back, sending him hurtling toward the ground. At the last second, he twisted his body and activated his tactile telekinesis, releasing a powerful shockwave that deflected some of the impact.

Connor smirked as he caught his balance.

"Got you."

His eyes glowed red, and he unleashed a heat vision blast straight at Naruto.

But the attack did nothing.

Naruto barely flinched as the beam struck his body, absorbing the heat without a scratch.

The sight made Connor's confidence waver. That attack should have at least burned him.

"Not bad." Naruto muttered, almost sounding bored.

He vanished in a blur, reappearing above Connor with a small Rasengan in hand.

The swirling sphere of chakra slammed into Connor's spine before he could react, sending him flying straight into the ocean.

Superboy roared, breaking through the water's surface with a powerful burst of energy. His heat vision flared again, carving a path toward Naruto—

Only to hit empty air.

Connor's enhanced vision darted around, searching for his opponent—

"Your fighting skills are still lacking."

The words came from behind.

Connor spun around, but it was too late.

A massive Rasengan, the size of his entire body, had already formed.

"And your flight is really annoying, so let's end this."

Before Connor could react, the swirling mass of energy engulfed him completely, slamming him into the ocean floor with a detonating explosion.

The water churned violently, sending massive waves crashing into the shoreline as the sheer force of the attack carved a crater into the seabed.

When the dust settled—

Superboy was out cold.

Naruto floated above the battlefield, arms crossed, his golden chakra cloak flickering in the air.

He clicked his tongue in mild disappointment.

'I had to hold back too much. I didn't even get to use my full skillset…'

His eyes drifted toward the unconscious Connor, sinking slowly into the depths.

'Power-wise, he's definitely strong. Without Kurama, this fight would have been hard. But his skills…'

Naruto exhaled.

'I'll have to challenge Superman next. Maybe he'll be more interesting.' Naruto thought as Connor had not truly shown his full power. The outcome would have and could have have changed if Connor had absorbed more solar energy. He had underestimated his foe and paid the price.

While Clone 1 battled Superboy, Clone 2 had his hands full with Wonder Girl.

Unlike Connor, Cassandra Sandsmark was an expert in close combat—trained by the Amazons, blessed by the gods, and far more refined in skill.

But it didn't matter.

Because Naruto didn't fight fair.

Cass threw the first punch, striking with divine precision. Naruto saw it coming.

He tilted his head just enough to make the attack barely miss, then countered with a punch of his own.

Cassandra twisted her body, dodging—

CRACK!

Her body still flew back, crashing through several trees before she stopped herself mid-air.

"What the hell?" she thought, gripping her face in confusion. I dodged that… but I still got hit.

She launched herself back into the fight, shifting to grappling techniques to restrain him. But every time she closed in, Naruto slipped away like water.

Then he attacked.

A chakra-enhanced kick soared toward her skull—Cass raised her arms to block—

Only to get punched in the face above the leg.

Then—

Another limb—a glowing chakra arm—swept her feet out from under her, slamming her into the dirt.

"This has to be the worst battle ever."

She gritted her teeth in frustration. This wasn't normal combat—this was something else entirely. His attacks came from every direction, his body seemed to multiply, and dodging felt pointless.

"Can't you fight properly?!" she snapped, her patience breaking.

"Properly?" Naruto tilted his head, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement. "We fight to win. There's no 'honor' in limiting your imagination."

Cass's lasso snapped forward, this time charged with Zeus's lightning.

The crackle of divine power in the air made Naruto pause for the first time.

His danger sense flared.

His smile widened.

"Now this… this is interesting."

The lasso wasn't just gifted by Ares—it was blessed by Zeus himself. Her frustration and rage had amplified its divine energy, making it even more dangerous.

Naruto had to admit—this was the first real threat she had posed.

But it still wasn't enough.

He thrust his arm forward, and a massive clawed projection of chakra shot out, attempting to grab Cassandra—

SNAP!

She lashed out with the lasso, breaking the construct apart with one strike.

'So she really can harm me with that thing…' Naruto thought, filing the information away.

Before she could capitalize on her success, dozens of chakra arms erupted from the ground, forming a prison of massive clawed hands.

Cassandra's eyes widened as the walls closed in on her.

BOOM!

The hands crushed inward, slamming her between them.

Then, from above—

A glowing Rasengan the size of a boulder formed in an extra chakra arm.

With no time to escape, Cassandra braced herself—

SLAM!

The Rasengan ground against her body, forcing her deep into the dirt.

She barely withstood the attack, thanks to her natural resistance to magic. The explosion didn't affect her as much—but the grinding did.

Her entire body screamed in pain.

She lay there, coughing, as Clone 2 casually walked forward and picked up her lasso.

Clone 2 twirled the lasso in his hand, humming in thought.

"See anything interesting, Kurama?"

The great fox scoffed. "It's powerful, but I can't tell much else. It's divine in nature—not something I understand fully."

"I figured. Just thought I'd ask."

Kurama snorted. "The only thing I've learned is that we need a real weapon. Some enemies won't go down with chakra alone."

Clone 2 nodded, his gaze shifting to Nightwing's unconscious body.

"Yeah… kunai are starting to feel kinda useless."

He tossed the lasso aside.

The battlefield was silent, the dust settling as the fight came to its inevitable conclusion. Naruto stood at the center of the chaos, his clones vanishing in puffs of smoke as the original took their place. He barely looked winded, his form glowing with immense energy that caused cracks to spiderweb beneath his feet. The air around him felt heavy, thick with power, pressing down on the remnants of the Young Justice team. But before it could overwhelm them, Kurama tempered it, helping Naruto contain his overflowing chakra.

"I win," Naruto declared, his golden eyes gleaming as he gazed at the defeated team.

Nightwing, despite his exhaustion, managed to smirk. "You still don't have the fork."

"I do."

At that moment, Clone 5 reappeared, stepping forward with Miss Martian cradled in his arms, unconscious but otherwise unharmed. The revelation made Nightwing's smirk falter as realization dawned.

"This is why you didn't mind facing the whole team," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

Clone 2 grinned as the remaining clones dispersed. "Yes, because I always outnumber everyone."

In an instant, all the clones disappeared, and Naruto alone remained. His true form radiated an almost divine intensity, his chakra cloak flickering around him like a raging inferno. The sheer pressure from his presence was nearly unbearable, but he reined it in just in time, allowing his teammates to breathe freely once more.

Despite the battle lasting longer than two minutes, Naruto frowned slightly. He had only managed to absorb less than ten percent of the nature energy available.

'Even though the process is slow, this power is too potent, and I still don't know its full extent,' he thought, flexing his fingers as the residual energy coursed through him.

His bijuu mode, along with its stronger transformations, remained an enigma to him. He lacked conclusive evidence of just how powerful he had truly become.

Naruto turned toward the others, his expression softening. "I hope you guys aren't hurt. And... sorry for any insults exchanged during the battle."

Barbara, still catching her breath, eyed him warily. "Are you not going to come out of battle mode?"

Naruto shook his head. "This is my training, so I'll be staying like this for a while."

Nightwing wiped some dirt from his forehead, his usual composure returning. "You're very diligent, Naruto. I'm impressed that you didn't underestimate us. Most people would have tried to fight us one-on-one, but you overwhelmed us with sheer numbers instead."

Naruto shrugged. "Thanks. But are you guys really sure about this hero business? You're just normal people, and if I hadn't been careful, your bodies would have been torn apart just by the force of my movements."

Nightwing's expression darkened, but his resolve remained firm. "We know the dangers, Naruto. And thank you for your concern. But this is our choice. We fight because it's the right thing to do. We can't stand by, knowing crime is out there and that we could help, yet do nothing. If your friends were in danger, and the enemy was too strong, would you sit by and let them get hurt?"

Naruto's response was immediate. "Of course not."

Nightwing nodded. "That's exactly how we see the people around us. Whether we know them or not, heroes exist to bring hope to everyone."

Naruto exhaled slowly, nodding in understanding. "I get it. But still, you guys should arm yourselves better. You need something that can actually scratch me. Can't you get weapons on the same level as that?" He gestured toward Wonder Girl's lasso, which still crackled with residual divine energy.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Are you interested in it?"

Naruto twirled a kunai in his hand, examining it briefly before stabbing it into his palm. The moment it made contact, the metal shattered into fragments.

He frowned at the broken pieces. "Yes, I'm interested in something better. I need a weapon that can keep up with my current level. These things," he gestured to the remnants of the kunai, "are useless now. Even with chakra enhancement, they can't handle my speed or strength. If the base material isn't strong enough, no amount of reinforcement will help."

Nightwing nodded thoughtfully. "I see. We'll let the League know about your recommendations."

Before anything else could be said, a bright light enveloped them as they were teleported back to their base. Above the island, the hidden barrier finally dissipated, unnoticed by all except Nightwing.

As they materialized inside the base, the atmosphere suddenly changed. An unfamiliar presence filled the room.

Standing before them was an intruder, one eerily similar to Kid Flash.