Chapter 71

Coming face to face with the reality of his emotions and accepting his love for the women in his life, Naruto made a decision—once this crisis was over, he would take control of his own future. But first, he had to handle the present.

The enemy was powerful, cunning, and had evaded them for too long. Naruto had learned from his past experiences—acting alone had its moments, but overwhelming an opponent with sheer numbers was often the best strategy. And this time, he wouldn't let the enemy slip away.

As the Justice League gathered above the Earth, Naruto stood at the center of a formidable force. Superman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern, Raven, Kara, Aquaman (both past and present), Wonder Woman, Donna Troy, and Shazam—all of them hovered in orbit, awaiting his lead.

Naruto locked onto Beijing, his golden eyes narrowing with focus. Taking a deep breath, he spread his chakra, a technique he had been refining for this very moment. He had tested it before on smaller targets, but now, he would attempt something on an unprecedented scale.

If he failed, the enemy could slip through their fingers again. The future version of himself had given no other option—this was their only shot.

It was a lot of pressure.

Naruto, however, took it in stride. Super easy, barely an inconvenience.

With his chakra carefully divided into countless microscopic fragments, he spread it across the entire city, attaching it to every human. His essence flowed through them, their minds momentarily linked to him, granting him their perspective. Millions of eyes became his.

To ensure efficiency, Raven used her magic to link Superman and Kara's minds with his, allowing them to process the flood of information without overwhelming Naruto.

For several minutes, they remained still—observing, scanning, searching.

Then, Naruto's eyes widened with relief.

"I found him," he muttered, a triumphant smile creeping onto his lips.

Through the countless perspectives he was viewing, he noticed the anomaly—someone who had no chakra at all. In a city filled with millions now linked to his energy, this one figure stood out like a beacon.

Superman clenched his fists. "Get him away from the city."

Naruto nodded, his mind already forming a plan. "Raven, lock onto him."

With a flick of her wrist, Raven's magic intertwined with Naruto's chakra, homing in on their target.

Then, in the blink of an eye, they were there—standing before the elusive monster known as Crucifier.

The moment their eyes met, Naruto moved.

With a burst of speed, he tackled Crucifier with enough force to send shockwaves through the street. But before any collateral damage could occur, a dark portal opened beneath them—Raven's doing.

They fell through, and in the next instant, they landed with a thunderous impact on the surface of the moon.

Waiting for them, the Justice League stood ready.

Naruto rose to his feet, a grin forming as he cracked his knuckles. "Round two, bastard."

Naruto's golden eyes narrowed as he stared at the man who had been orchestrating everything from the shadows. His voice was calm, yet laced with the weight of his fury.

"I hope you know what kind of position you're in," he muttered.

Crucifier, the mastermind behind the vampire uprising, felt a rare emotion creeping in—shock. Everything had been going according to his plan. The pieces had moved exactly as he had intended. So how had things turned out like this?

Now wasn't the time for questions. He had to focus—one wrong move, and he was finished.

Regaining his composure, he met Naruto's gaze. "I understand my position... but do you?"

Dark energy surged from his body, tendrils of abyssal power shooting toward Naruto. Yet before they could touch him, Naruto's form flickered—his body vanishing in a flash of golden light. In an instant, he reappeared beside Raven, his instincts guiding him to safety.

At the same time, reinforcements arrived. The Great Ten materialized onto the battlefield, accompanied by Black Canary, Robin, and Batman.

The sight of Batman, in particular, sent a wave of shock through Crucifier's forces. The Dark Knight was supposed to be working with the government—how had he been captured so quickly?

Superman took a step forward, his presence towering over the battlefield. With Batman compromised, he was now the de facto leader of the League. His voice was firm, unwavering.

"What is your intention?"

Crucifier smiled, his sharp canines glinting under the moonlight. "I want a world for my kind. Quite a simple request, isn't it, gentlemen?"

Even as he spoke, his mind raced. He attempted to reach out, trying to contact Enchantress for a way out. But the moment he extended his power, he realized something was wrong—his connection was severed. This battlefield was isolated.

Naruto scoffed, his arms crossing over his chest. "Your kind already has a world. You just want to rule over everyone else."

Crucifier's lips curled into an amused smirk, but before he could retort—

"Take him down," Superman commanded.

Crucifier raised a hand. "Wait! Do you not care for the lives of the people? I can kill them with a thought." His tone was dangerous, a veiled threat meant to halt their assault.

But the truth was—he would never actually do it. His principles forbade him from killing his loyal followers, his "children."

Superman didn't hesitate. His voice was like steel. "Kill even one of them, and you'll regret it."

Then, without another word, he launched forward, fists glowing with solar energy.

Before he could reach Crucifier, another figure intercepted him—Kang, one of Crucifier's most powerful enforcers. The two clashed with a thunderous shockwave, sending ripples through the moon's surface.

Crucifier realized in that moment—this was it. The heroes would never leave him alone again.

He had to survive.

Raising both hands, he channeled his dark magic, creating a swirling portal. His connection to his servants activated, and suddenly, a rift tore open behind him.

A tsunami of vampires spilled out, pouring onto the battlefield like a flood.

Thousands. Tens of thousands.

They covered the surface of the moon in a writhing mass of bodies. Individually, they were weak, but with their master present, they were nearly impossible to put down. Even unconscious, they would rise again.

The battlefield had truly begun.

Crucifier stood surrounded, his once-imposing presence now shadowed by the combined might of Raven, Kara, and Naruto. Yet, despite his situation, he remained unfazed, a smirk curling at the edge of his lips.

"You really can't stop me unless you've decided to kill me," he said, his voice laced with arrogance. "But that would mean a whole lot of death since all my servants will follow me in death. Are you willing to bear that weight?"

Naruto's fists clenched, his entire body thrumming with restrained fury. Kara's eyes burned with quiet rage, while Raven's magic pulsed dangerously at her fingertips.

"Do you feel nothing for what you've done?" Kara asked, her voice filled with disgust. "The millions of lives you've stolen—do they mean nothing to you?"

Crucifier sighed, as if tired of the conversation. "Honestly? No. Humans are just meals in my eyes. It's no different than—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Naruto's fist smashed into his face, sending him hurtling across the moon's surface. His body crashed into the ground with enough force to carve deep craters into the barren landscape.

Naruto stood still, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. His golden eyes burned with righteous fury.

"I hate you so much," he muttered, his voice trembling with emotion. "The deaths you've caused mean nothing to you, but they meant everything to the people down there. How much pain have you inflicted? Can you not even think about how your actions affect others? Are you just a mindless monster?"

His words were not just his own. They carried the weight of everyone who had suffered because of Crucifier's reign of terror. Behind him, the Justice League and their allies fought, their fury manifesting in every blow they struck against the seemingly endless wave of vampires. Despite their anger, they held back, refusing to take lives even in their rage.

Naruto strode toward Crucifier's broken form, grabbing him by the hair and lifting his battered face to meet his gaze.

"I asked you a question. Answer me," Naruto demanded.

Crucifier chuckled, blood dripping from his lips. "Obviously, I'm no monster. But apologies—I feel nothing for my meals. It's our nature. Do you feel sorry for the chicken you eat? Or anything else you consume? It's hypocritical to expect me to feel guilt for feeding. I literally cannot live without drinking blood."

"You didn't have to kill them," Naruto shot back.

"Do you like leaving your food half-eaten for days?" Crucifier countered mockingly.

Naruto's knee crashed into his face, shattering the vampire's nose with a sickening crack.

"Our food doesn't have intelligence," Naruto growled. "They don't have emotions, families, or dreams. You and I—we're similar in a lot of ways, but you don't mind killing innocent people. Why? Because you took the easy way out. Blaming your nature is just an excuse. In this age, you could have found a solution, but you enjoyed the slaughter too much to even consider it."

Crucifier snarled, his fangs bared. "Shut up! Your nonsense is rotting my ears! You have no idea what we've been through. Do you think I had time to find alternatives? Do you think I had the luxury of free time? I was always under attack! Your kind always had the advantage, but I was a better player—that's why we're here now. And you can't do a damn thing about it. They're mine now."

Naruto's fingers twitched, his breath coming out in sharp, uneven gasps. His frustration boiled over, and he let out a roar that echoed across the battlefield.

Then he struck.

His fists pounded into Crucifier's body over and over again. Each punch carried his rage, his grief, his helplessness. He wanted Crucifier to understand—wanted him to feel the pain he had inflicted on countless lives.

But no matter how much damage he took, Crucifier never begged. Never wavered.

Even broken and bleeding, he refused to show weakness.

The realization sank in like a stone in Naruto's chest. No matter what they did, they couldn't undo what had been done. The lives lost would never return. The pain would never truly fade.

But they could stop it from happening again.

Naruto exhaled sharply and stepped back. His voice, when he spoke, was calm but firm.

"We have a replacement for human blood," he stated. "A solution that will let you survive without hunting or killing. But I want your promise, here and now, that you will end this expansion. That you will stop preying on any intelligent being for blood."

Crucifier remained silent for a long moment, his crimson eyes searching Naruto's face for any sign of deception. "And if I refuse?"

"We will banish you all," Naruto replied coldly.

The weight of those words settled heavily over the battlefield. Crucifier's expression twisted in frustration, but he knew—this was the end. There was no way out.

'At least we have built something in this bright world,' he thought bitterly.

"I accept," he finally said.

The moment the words left his lips, a powerful spell activated. Ancient symbols glowed in the air around him, binding him to his promise.

Raven lowered her hands, the faint purple light fading from her fingertips. "The spell ensures you can never break your word," she confirmed.

Crucifier closed his eyes. It was over.

Naruto let out a long breath. This wasn't the victory he had wanted, but it was the best they could hope for.

For now, at least, the bloodshed had ended.

Crucifier rose slowly, the wind stirring his tattered cloak as he dusted himself off, his movements eerily calm despite his battered state. His glowing red eyes met Naruto's unwavering golden gaze.

"So… what now?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "What are you going to do with me?"

Naruto's lips pressed into a thin line. "You and your people will live here."

Crucifier blinked. "You're not going to imprison me?"

Naruto's fists clenched at his sides. "I'd love nothing more than to lock your dark soul in the worst of places, but we already know what happens if the master is removed from the equation. Your servants would break down—mentally, emotionally. They'd go insane without that connection."

That was the only reason he was being given this mercy.

Crucifier smiled slightly. He doesn't know I can sever the connection without killing them. But he had no intention of revealing that. This arrangement suited him just fine.

With a mere thought, all of his servants ceased fighting, the battlefield falling into an eerie silence as they awaited his command.

"I promise to keep my part of the deal," Crucifier said, his tone perfectly composed. Then, as if he hadn't just been inches from annihilation, he added, "But if you wouldn't mind, we will need a proper living place."

A ripple of anger spread through the gathered heroes.

Even now, even after all the destruction he had caused, the way he spoke—the sheer audacity of it—solidified their hatred for him.

Naruto's glare deepened, but he forced himself to stay calm. "We will build something," he said coldly. "But make no mistake. You are under watch. Step out of line, and there won't be another conversation."

Crucifier smirked, giving a mocking bow. "As you wish."

The battle had ended, but the tension in the air remained.

Even in defeat, Crucifier still found ways to push the wrong buttons.

Talking with Crucifier was an ordeal—every second spent in his presence tested their patience. It took everything in them to resist the temptation of simply ending him.

But Naruto and the others managed to navigate the situation, reaching an agreement that ensured the safety of the innocent. They couldn't punish the normal citizens turned vampires for something out of their control.

Crucifier would rule over them, maintaining order and ensuring they lived decent lives. In return, the heroes would aid in constructing a city for them, along with facilities designed to provide artificial nourishment.

Veritas had confirmed it was possible; she was in the final stages of developing a synthetic substitute for human blood.

The city would exist above Naruto's, separated by a powerful magical barrier preventing the vampires from leaving.

The vampires weren't happy.

To many, this felt like exile—an undeserved punishment for something beyond their control. Some understood the necessity of it, but others raged against it. Their old lives were gone.

The world wasn't accepting of them.

Their disappearances alone had caused turmoil across nations, as many of them had held influential positions. And now, with the truth about their transformation exposed, governments were demanding their execution.

It was a disaster with no clear winners.

From a distance, Naruto watched everything unfold, feeling utterly exhausted.

Anger was easy.

Giving in to it would have been the simplest option. But he couldn't—wouldn't.

Beside him, Kara stood in quiet support. "Sometimes... isn't it better to let it go?"

Naruto exhaled heavily. "Anger… it's a paralyzing emotion. People think it's powerful, that it ignites passion. But it doesn't. It's helplessness—an absence of control."

His fingers curled into fists before relaxing. "And I need all of my skills. All of my control. All of my power. Anger doesn't give me any of that. I have no use for it whatsoever."

Kara watched him carefully, then gently took his hand. "Good," she said softly. "I was worried you might lose sight of what's right after everything you've been through."

He squeezed her hand in return, taking comfort in her warmth.

The frustration, the helplessness—it was crushing. The sheer callousness of Crucifier, the knowledge that they couldn't fully bring him to justice, the weight of the millions lost… it all weighed on him.

Naruto was used to winning, to overcoming impossible odds. But this time, the villain walked away with barely any consequences.

This wasn't like the destruction of Konoha, where he'd been given a second chance to bring everyone back.

Here, the dead were truly gone.

And the murderer was now his neighbor.

It was sickening.

And yet… it was the best possible outcome.

"Sometimes making the right choice feels so unsatisfying," he muttered.

Kara gave him a reassuring squeeze. "You're not alone in this. No matter how difficult it gets, I'll always be here to help."

Naruto let out a small chuckle, despite himself. "I know."

A brief moment of silence passed between them before he refocused.

"Let's handle the cyborg."

Kara frowned. "Are we going alone?"

"Yes. I don't want others to see this."

Naruto's voice was calm, but Kara could sense the turmoil beneath his words. She could feel the negativity that clung to his chakra—something dark and heavy.

Clark and Diana were already handling the Eradicator hiding in the Fortress of Solitude, leaving them to deal with what was next.

As they took off, Raven watched them from afar, her hands still busy reinforcing the barrier.

She had noticed the problem the moment their mission had ended.

Naruto was absorbing the negative emotions of those around him.

And if he didn't learn to control that ability soon…

It would drive him insane.

Flying through the void at absurd speeds, Kara surged forward with unwavering determination. Her target was clear. There was no need for hesitation.

As the planet came into view, she instantly locked onto her target—the base below.

Bull rush.

Kara crashed through the structure like a meteor, her momentum carrying her straight into Zor-El.

The Kryptonian scientist barely had time to react before she smashed into him, sending him flying across the base.

There were no words exchanged.

No mercy to be given.

With raw power, Kara grabbed his body—and tore him in half.

Not wasting a second, she turned her focus toward the rest of the installation.

Her heat vision flared.

A beam of destructive energy erupted from her eyes, cutting through everything in its path.

Within moments, the entire planet was engulfed in fire and destruction.

And then—nothing.

The planet was no more.

Floating in the aftermath of their destruction, Naruto and Kara silently watched the debris drift away into space.

The sheer ease of it all… the power they wielded… it felt satisfying in a strange, childish way.

Like knocking over a house of cards.

"I never expected something like this in my life," Kara finally muttered, staring at the ruined void where the planet once stood.

"Same," Naruto admitted. "Feeling better now?"

"Yeah. At least we got rid of one enemy." Kara let out a breath. "Honestly, I feel so childish sometimes—wanting an enemy to fight, as if this path of ours is so simple."

Naruto drifted slightly away, his tone calm. "What's wrong with that? Not everything has to be complex. People will always crave something straightforward. The desire for a clear enemy, a clear fight… it's natural. Even you, me—we aren't above that instinct."

Kara turned to face him. "So, do you look at us that way? Do you think we desire something so simple, too?"

Naruto chuckled. "See? This is why you shouldn't leave me alone with my thoughts."

"I know. I said that," Kara smirked.

"Yes, you did."

"Let's go home. A good night's sleep will refresh us."

Naruto gave her a playful look. "Sleep together? Isn't that a bit too fast? We just confessed today."

Kara laughed. "Haha, perv. I never said that, so what exactly is going on inside that mind of yours?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

Kara tilted her head teasingly. "But what if I said yes?"

Naruto's smirk faded into something more serious. "We should wait. We're in this for the long haul. There's no need to rush."

Kara smiled warmly. "Just what I expected from you. And I don't mind—this relationship isn't based on lust. I'm just happy spending time with you."

She grinned. "But yeah, we are sleeping together. In the pure sense."

Naruto chuckled and pulled her closer by the waist, pressing his lips to hers in a deep kiss.

The lingering tension, the weight of responsibility—it all melted away in that moment.

As they floated, Naruto's mind suddenly shifted back to another issue.

Clark's problem.

Now that he was with Kara, the question of compatibility had been solved. Kara was far stronger than him physically, but she could suppress her power by giving away some of her stored energy.

That made things possible.

But Veritas…

Naruto's base form was now far too powerful. Even though Veritas was above human level, she wasn't close to what he had become.

She was the only one left in this dilemma.

Raven and Kara had no issue.

Naruto sighed.

"Let's see what she has to say. Maybe Raven has a spell for it."