Chapter 4: Interactions and Actions

San Francisco, California

Blending in amongst the common inhabitants of a society was the same as hiding in plain sight. To be hiding yet still not hiding entirely, to be hidden yet not invisible, to be seen yet not recognized was nothing short of absurd.

The concept of such an action was amusing to the ever calm and composed King as he walked among the brightly lit streets of San Francisco with his ever loyal and stoic subordinate, Oken.

Wearing casual clothes, a well ironed crimson shirt, black pants, a long reddish black coat stretching down to his knees perfectly hiding his chiseled physique, and his silky red hair let loose over his back like a crimson waterfall, Naruto strode down the bustling streets of the famous city, smiling and calmly inclining his head to passing couples who would wave back with wide smiles on their faces, never even suspecting that they had just seen the famous and legendary Destiny.

In these two and a half months, he had garnered quite the fierce reputation among the villains and Heroes as well as the people of Earth for being a man of principle and dignity. The love the people seemed to shower upon the Heroes was taken to a new level with him. His every move, every word seemed to be recorded and shown on every channel of national and social media as signs of his unnatural and otherworldly grace and wisdom.

When he was in uniform, cameras would follow his every move and yet now, dressed in clothes similar to them, he was walking among them yet no one seemed to notice. No wonder Superman was able to hide so effectively. Though he had to admit, the citizens were quite friendly and welcoming.

He had taken similar trips and tours around the world, visiting famous and nameless cities alike simply to observe and mingle among the people to better understand their temperaments and ways of life. Being a tree by origin, he had simply observed the people from one position for several millennia before constructing a humanoid form for himself to walk amongst them and see what drove them towards the blood filled clutches of wars.

It seems their drive and attraction towards the dark professions of life were nothing but a natural greed for resources and superiority, to make themselves better, more powerful and more reliable than the rest of their kind. Despite all their blunders and mistakes, the King couldn't help but be fascinated by their resolve to survive.

Their life span was short, so short that it seemed to end with the blink of an eye, yet they seemed to find the courage to achieve so much in such a short time. Coming up with interesting ideas of making their short lives better and more comfortable was noteworthy and admirable.

During his trips, he had seen several kinds and variations of the human species, some arrogant and foolish with far too much hate and malice brewing in their essences, some calm and composed with lights of simplicity overflowing from their cores and some neutral to all life-forms.

One species, one shape and structure of the body, yet so different in their temperaments, customs, beliefs and ways of life, how interesting!

All their mistakes and violent tendencies aside, he was willing to announce that they had some rather interesting and noble qualities worthy of being admired.

Oken walked beside his curious King with a stoic and no-nonsense expression on his face, garbed in a simple red T-shirt showing off his rippled arms and black jeans with brown cowboy boots as he pinned the surrounding with his piercingly sharp eyes as if daring anyone to attack them.

The ever loyal and stoic attendant was severely opposed to the idea of his King walking among the humans who seemed to have no idea who they were waving and smiling nonchalantly at. He had nothing against humans or any other life-forms, in fact he admired them for their resolve and determination as well as their brilliance to have attracted the attention of his lord, but his first and utmost priority was the protection of the King.

Walking among them put a major hindrance in his fulfillment of that particular priority since he trusted no one with the security of the King except his children and a few particular individuals.

"Lose the glare, my boy, you are intimidating the children" Naruto announced with a teasing smile and glanced at his subordinate from his peripheral vision.

The tall brown haired man sighed and lessened the force of his glare followed by a small bow, knowing the ancient King was just joking with him since there were no kids present but still kept his guarded stance "Apologies, Sire. I still am riddled why you refused my offer of using a transportation contraption to depart for our intended destination"

Naruto inclined his head with a soft smile and kept his calm stride through the streets, simply enjoying the sights "I appreciate your kind offer, Oken, but walking among the humans offers us an understanding and perception of their temperaments that cannot be obtained if we were to use said contraption. We here to understand and blend in among the common populace, not distant ourselves"

Jokingly saluting to a passing police officer with a teasing smile on his face which the said officer returned with a wide grin, Naruto and Oken walked up to a relatively large house located in an isolated part of the city and stood in the front yard.

While it was dark and only illuminated by the light provided from the moon, the house was still quite beautiful and had a comforting feel to it.

Without waiting for an order or sign, Oken marched up to the front door and pressed the button before backing away to stand beside Naruto. They didn't have to wait much longer as sounds of soft tapping of shoes hitting the marble floor reached their ears and the front door was opened by a man mostly in his late forties, the butler of the house or rather mansion.

"Good evening gentlemen, may I help you" As soon as he saw them, his eyes widened in realization and the expression of his face changed from bored to pleased "Ah Master Naruto, I presume?"

Naruto inclined his head with a soft smile on his face "Good evening, yes, you are correct"

"Pardon my disrespect, Master Naruto and…" the butler started with a pleased smile on his face but trialed off when he saw Oken.

"Oken" the brown haired man announced in his usual blank tone but gave the man a respectable nod seeing as he was being respectful to his King.

"Right, Master Oken. I have to say it's a pleasure to meet you in person Master Naruto, my name is Jonathan. Master Zatara has given me expressed orders to escort you to the living room. Now, if you would please follow me" the butler stated in a calm but pleasant tone before bowing slightly.

"Of course, Mr. Jonathan, lead the way" Naruto replied with a warm smile as he and Oken followed the butler inside. The interior of the mansion was what you would expect from something so beautiful from the outside, meaning it was as beautiful as the outside.

The walls were painted a warm light brown color with welcoming pictures of wildlife, various kinds of decorative pots and flowers were placed alongside the walls while the floor was decorated with red carpets.

The wizened man turned around and gave the redhead King a warm smile "Jonathan would do, Master Naruto"

"I don't see what the problem is, Mr. Jonathan, you give respect and get respect" Naruto replied with a calm smile.

Simply looking at his face, Naruto knew the man was content with simply serving the Zatara family. He was walking without a care in the world as if serving someone else didn't bother him at all. He seemed proud of his profession and said pride was evident in his words as well as his eyes.

The butler shook his head in slight amusement and continued his peaceful walk to the living room, all the while giving the calm redhead a curious gaze.

He had seen many things in his life, but the aura this man was exuding was something he had never ever felt. He had seen many of the League members in person since they were Master Zatara's comrades and had to admit all of them had unique qualities which made them what they were.

He had met the likes of Superman and Wonderwoman in person, even the intimidating Batman. Superman possessed a charisma and force of will he had seen in few individuals, Wonderwoman had grace and presence yet to be outmatched while Batman was a man who despite being a human had achieved much.

However, with all their qualities and traits, not even one of them could come close to what this man possessed. His presence simply demanded respect. Steps taken with the utmost confidence and self-assurance one would expect from a King, eyes filled to the brim with unparalleled wisdom and sharpness, yet still ooze off an aura of kindness, captivated him.

Letting a smile filled with awe and interest brew in his eyes, he gave the tall redhead a look over his shoulder "It seems the stories about you are true, Master Naruto, you truly are a man of dignity and honor"

Naruto smiled at the compliment and observed the surrounding while they walked towards the Living Room. After a few moments of walking in peaceful silence, they arrived at a spacious room with comfortable looking furniture, carpeted floor, a beautiful fireplace with a wall clock hanging above it.

The butler gestured to the sofas with a light bow and gave them a warm smile of hospitality "Make yourselves at home. I shall be back shortly with Master Zatara. May I ask what you would prefer for refreshment?"

Naruto calmly walked towards a large sofa and sat down, turning towards Jonathan with a soft smile on his face as Oken stood beside the sofa much to the butler's surprise "Some green tea, if it's no bother"

"A glass of water would do" Oken stated with a blank tone.

Jonathan smiled pleasantly and nodded before walking out towards the Kitchen.

Naruto gave his attendant a calm look "Oken, sit down"

"But, Sire…"

"Must I repeat myself?" the redhead asked with a soft smile and leaned in the comfortable sofa.

Oken sighed and sat in a chair next to the sofa, his eyes moving over each and every suspicious object in the room while Naruto gazed at him in amusement "Oken my boy, I assure you I can take care of myself should the furniture decide to attack"

Despite his tense and guarded stance, Oken couldn't help but smile in amusement when he heard the humor in the redhead King's voice and relaxed considerably.

He could never understand why the King always seemed so optimistic and positive about every situation. Perhaps that was what made the King so admired and loved by everyone.

The wizened butler walked inside the kitchen with a tray in his hands and placed the tray on the table with a smile. Picking the glass of water, he placed it in front of Oken who gave him a small nod of gratitude before taking pouring a cup of green tea for Naruto

"I took the liberty of bringing some sweeteners since I didn't know the type of tea you preferred, Master Naruto, I hope it's alright?"

Naruto took the cup with a grateful smile and ignored Oken's suspicious glance at the cup as well as the subtle use of power to erase anything hazardous from the tea "That's quite alright, thank you"

"Oh and Master Zatara should be with you in a few minutes. Before I go, is there is anything else that you require?" Jonathan asked with a smile and stood straight in attention.

"I was hoping to ask a few questions from you, but if you are occupied, I suppose my questions will have to wait until you are free" Naruto started with a calm tone while Oken stood up abruptly to put a single cube of the artificial sweetener in Naruto's cup before stirring the tea with a spoon.

Done with his job, Oken placed the cup in front of the redhead and moved back to his chair while the old butler looked on with a confused look on his face.

Snapping out of his confused state of mind, Jonathan shifted for a few moments, not sure what to do before deciding that entertaining the guests was a good choice of action "Actually my chores could wait for a few minutes, Master Naruto, you can ask me anything you wish"

"Splendid!" Naruto smiled pleasantly and gestured to a chair in front of him "Why don't you take a seat so that we may drink this tea together"

Jonathan couldn't keep the widening of his eyes under control when he heard the request. He was a butler for goodness sake! He couldn't just sit down with his Master's guest and drink tea! He was stuck between two options, comply with his wishes and possibly risk the famous Magician's wrath or deny the request and risk disappointing someone who he really didn't want to disappoint.

In the end he decided that risking his Master's wrath was better than risking the redhead's disappointment. Taking a deep breath and the old butler sat down in chair in front of the mysterious man and waited for the questions that were sure to come.

However, what he didn't expect was for the regal man to stand up, pour him a cup of tea and place it in front of him along with the container of the sweeteners before he had the time to stop him.

Wasn't that supposed to be his job!

"W-what?" he stuttered in disbelief, staring in shock at the cup before him as well as the person who placed said cup in front of him. He couldn't believe that a man who had become so legendary among the Leaguers due to his vast power could be so humble and so simple.

Naruto took a dignified sip from the cup of tea and sighed softly, ignoring the man's stupefied expression as he enjoyed the sensation of the relaxing liquid wash down his throat "You ought to share with me the secret of concocting something as unassuming as green tea into something so divine, Mr. Jonathan"

The wizened butler despite his indignant state couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips and bowed slightly, knowing the man was just saying such words to build up his confidence.

Each and every word that came out of his mouth seemed to be simply uttered for the sole purpose of either entertaining or complimenting others. Such pureness and kindness simply didn't exist in this world anymore or rather it was strange and rare to see such pureness anymore.

"Your kindness knows no bounds, Master Naruto. Truly the praises showered upon you are not simply the product of your power but due to the content of your character" the old man whispered in a grateful tone, a soft smile on his face.

For once in his life, he decided that he would risk anything to know the true extent of this man's personality. Being fired from his job for being so careless in front of his Master's guests was a price he was willing to pay.

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An Hour Later

"Father, I am home!" a loud but clearly feminine voice came from the front door.

"Jonathan, do you mind bringing Zatanna to the Dining Room and in forming the chiefs to bring out the meal?" Giovanna Zatara asked in his British accent.

Jonathan bowed slightly and walked out of the dining room to usher the new comer.

After greeting Giovanni Zatara in the Living Room, the butler had ushered them to the Dining Room since dinner was almost ready. Much to the butler's astonishment and surprise, Zatara had actually praised him for being so considerate with his guests, especially towards the redhead.

He had the distinct feelings that should he have not complied with the regal man's request, he may have been fired from his job.

He didn't know why the famous magician was being so careful and so welcoming towards the redhead and frankly he was not particularly eager to find out considering the fact that his job may be caught in the crossfire.

A few minutes later, the old butler walked in with a young beautiful black haired teen, dressed in a white corset, black leather jacket, fishnet stocking and high heel boots. The young girl opened her mouth to say something but froze when she saw that her father apparently had guests.

Zatanna Zatara was admittedly a very straightforward and very blunt teenager who didn't care what her words did to other as long as they were true. She was also the kind of teenager who was quite clear about she wanted and how she wanted it. There were few things that she had desired and yet not gotten, though there were reason for those failures.

However, there was one thing or rather one person she had desired to meet since his appearance and yet had not received the pleasure of that desire. That individual was Naruto Uzumaki, the legendary Hero known to the world as Destiny.

Regal, unbelievably strong, mysterious, kind, confident and above all a very understanding person. In just about two months of his appearance, his popularity scale had skyrocketed like no other. Children seemed to be trying to imitate him, men strove to be like him and women seemed to provide him with a place in their hearts.

There was just something about him that pulled her towards him, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it no matter how much she tried. May be it was his phenomenal strength, maybe it was his ethereally handsome face or maybe it was his comforting smile? Whatever it was, she couldn't stop the force of that pull.

It didn't exactly help that her father seemed to talk about him all the time, praising him to be the perfect upholder of peace and honor, showering the very earth he walked on with verbal flower petals. He seemed to believe the legendary Hero was the refreshing personality this hate-filled world needed and frankly she agreed with him wholeheartedly.

Steeling her features, she put on a polite smile and walked into the room in a calm and confident stride "Dad, you never mentioned anything about having guests"

Turning to the softly smiling redhead, her confident and calmness suddenly left her body and she felt like she was frozen or rather paralyzed by an unknown force. Seeing him on TV saving people from natural disasters or villains was one thing, however seeing him and his comforting smile up-close was something entirely different.

Her father had said that most of the Leaguers had been tongue-tied when they had seen him for the first time and now she understood why. I mean, the man's simple presence was taxing! His face seemed to practically glow even in the sufficiently lit room. His long hair looked like a crimson waterfall upon his back, while the two thin bangs on either side of his face seemed to enhance his beauty even more.

The famous magician known as Giovanni Zatara smiled knowingly and gestured for his tongue-tied child to take a seat next to him before turning to Naruto and Oken "Allow me to introduce my daughter, Zatanna Zatara. Zatanna, I presume you know who Naruto is? The gentleman sitting next to him is Oken, his bodyguard"

"N-nice to meet you, Naruto" she started with a stutter, cursing under her breathe for showing such weakness. Get a hold of yourself! He is just one man, granted a powerful and an ethereally handsome one, but a man nonetheless.

Hearing her stuttering greeting, the normally peaceful magician couldn't help but want to add something to the mix "She is the one who had been sending you those tickets to her shows"

Despite her flustered state, she directed a discreet glare at her father for his blunt admission of her deeds "D-dad!"

Naruto smiled softly "A pleasure to meet you, Zatanna. I must confess I felt oddly disappointed to miss your wonderful shows, considering the trouble you must have gone through to get them, but some matters could not have been helped"

"It's okay, but …"She smiled at his polite response and waved off his apology, gradually getting over her flustered state and getting back into her flirty and teasing personality. It was only a matter of getting used to his presence and trying to endure the pressure lurking around his body, but once you got over that, he was the same as the rest of them, but with a few interesting qualities.

"But?" the redhead asked with a raised eyebrow of amusement.

"You'll have to promise to come to my next show" she finished with a wide smile and leaned forward.

It was time to see if he was truly different than the rest of the male specie and if her father's praises and the media's adoration of his character were true or simple fabricated lies. While she wasn't an egotistical person, she still had a healthy ego when it came to her physical beauty. By leaning forward, she was giving him _ and that stone faced Oken as well, unfortunately _ quite the show.

Zatara gave her a disapproving look, knowing exactly what she was trying to do "Zatanna…"

Naruto chuckled at the teenager's attempt to get a reaction from him and interlaced his fingers on the table as he leaned forward, all the while looking straight into her eyes " My my, you are quite straightforward"

Seeing his narrow pools of blue drill into her own, the normally flirty and mischievous Zatanna couldn't help the slight reddening of her cheeks from the sheer intensity of the gaze. It was as if she was gazing into a mirror and seeing her own reflection with clarity.

It was then she realized that he was not some kid she could fluster with a coy smile or a wink, he was a man with experience.

Oken smirked discreetly at the show. A teenager trying to get a reaction from his Lord?! He had seen his King render old and experienced individuals of both genders, speechless by simply looking at them. She was countless millennium too young to get a raise from the ancient King!

Seeing her back down with her cheeks practically resembling a ripe tomato, Naruto let a close-eyed smile grace his features "I have seen your shows on TV, Zatanna, they are quite pleasing on the eyes. Standing there on the stage, I find that I cannot blame your fans for being mesmerized by your confidence and skill. In all honesty, I can't help but wonder what the experience from seeing you perform up-close would be like"

"Thank you, so…" she probed with an embarrassed smile. Compliments from him of all people! Well, that was certainly a big boost to her confidence!

"I suppose making a few adjustments to my schedule would be of no consequence… provided you are willing to make it worth my while" Naruto voiced out with a calm smile.

"You will just have to wait and see, won't you?" she countered with a smirk of her own. He was turning out even more interesting than the Media had turned him out to be! She was going to enjoy this night for sure!

Giovanni 'John' Zatara was feeling rather left out between the two. He knew his daughter would somehow try and temp the ever calm and regal man, and knowing Naruto, he would try to move things along for simple amusement. It seems his theories were right.

Jonathan chose that moment to enter the room and announce that dinner was ready.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few Hours Later,

A few of the mansion servants collected the many empty dishes from the dining table while Jonathan stood next to the famous magician known as Zatara as he and a surprisingly quiet and distant Zatanna sat on a sofa. Naruto and Oken had left a few minutes ago after graciously thanking them for inviting the duo for dinner and Zatanna had been quite ever since.

"Something wrong, daughter?" he asked in concern.

She shook her head in negative "No, nothing wrong, just thinking"

Seeing as she was not going to say anything in front of the others, Giovanni gestured for Jonathan and the other servants to leave the room. The butler instantly understood the situation and nodded in consent before walking out of the room followed by the other servants.

"Now, tell me what is bothering you?"

Zatanna smiled softly and stared out of the window with a distant look on her face "Not what, but who"

"Naruto?"

"Yes" she replied with a satisfied smile "He was actually even more amazing than the stories that are told about him. I mean simply looking into his eyes made me lose the power of speech and that is saying something"

Even Superman had not put that much pressure on her by simply looking at her, yet Naruto had done it.

It may sound odd to hear a daughter say something so obvious to her father, but that was the extent of her bond with her father. Being the only daughter of a widowed man, they had established a bond that few others could brag about. There were no secrets between them.

Zatara smiled knowingly "I understand how you feel, daughter, even I was tongue-tied when I first saw him. Even Superman admitted to being intimidated by him at first and he is invulnerable"

She chuckled softly and crossed her legs under her before leaning back with a satisfied smile "Hey dad"

"Yes, daughter?"

"How do I join the League?"

For the first in his life, Giovanni 'John' Zatara almost slipped from the comfortable couch in surprise when he heard the question

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mount Justice

The young team as well as some of the members of the League stopped the conversation amongst themselves when the familiar pressure of the tall redhead appeared in the cave. Naruto confidently walked into the cave with a serene smile on his face, his large cap trailed behind him like a crimson waterfall while the team looked on with bated breathes.

No matter how many times they saw it, his confident stride, tall and imposing body, suffocating but still warm presence and his ever present calm smile still awed them.

"Greetings and good evening team" Naruto announced with a calm smile.

The team consisting of the young sidekicks smiled back in return and turned back towards Batman who had a frown on his face. Tornado nodded in his head in greeting while Green Arrow waved casually with his hand. The redhead noticed two new individuals, a male and a female to be exact.

The male, a ginger haired boy, dressed in an outfit that was a mixture of black and red with a red bow in his hand was standing in front of a large screen showing several pictures of locations and individuals. He seemed to be quite wary of him, if the slight shivering of his hands were any indication.

The other new comer, a blonde female dressed in a revealing green outfit with a similar bow in her hands, albeit green in color was standing next to GA with wide eyes and reddened cheeks. She seemed to have some strange fascination with the color green since almost everything about her was colored green.

She was affected by his presence as well it seemed, if the way she seemed to be staring at him was any indication of that fact, though the effect on her was apparently different than the others.

Naruto walked forward with a calm smile on his face and stood in front of Speedy who stepped back a little and clenched the bow in his hand "No need to be so defensive, Speedy or should I say Red Arrow"

Red Arrow relaxed a little but still kept his bow at the ready "You know about me?"

"Indeed, Green Arrow has been talking quite highly of your skills"

Roy of course knew who this man was, I mean who didn't? But it didn't exactly made it easy to be not on the defensive when standing in front of him. Simply looking into his eyes made him feel like he was naked!

"That's quite shocking to hear" he countered with a frown and relaxed as Naruto turned his gaze away from him and focused it on the female blonde. He had nothing against the famous Hero, but he just made him uncomfortable.

"You must be Artemis, Green Arrow's new protégé? Am I correct?" Naruto asked with a calm smile.

Artemis nodded unsurely, unable to find her voice 'Wow! This is Destiny!? How do these females control themselves in front of him?'

Wally chose that moment to enter the cave in his own unique way … by running and tripping himself all the way to the training mate of the cave. Judging from the way his mouth was half open and in the process of opening even wider, he must have been trying to say something before he tripped.

Though, the amusing thing about him was his lack of uniform and a 'few' accessories in his hands.

"Quite the interesting style of entry, Kid Flash" Naruto announced with a teasing smile.

Kid Flash groaned in embarrassment and stood up with a sheepish look on his face, looking as though he was ready to apologize before he noticed something or rather someone who seemed to be staring a hole through Naruto's muscular back with a massive blush on her cheeks.

"Who is she?" he asked in confusion.

"I am Green Arrow's niece, Artemis" she replied with a smirk as she tried to regain her composure and control her ...ahem... excitement after personally meeting the great and famous Destiny. If she got to meet him like this all the time, then she would gladly join the team!

"Kid Flash, never heard of you" he countered with a smirk.

Seeing as his work was done, Red Arrow moved towards the Zeta Beam teleporters and beamed away without saying a word. Batman explained the parameters of the mission delivered to them by RA, about a robotic genius doctor who had been abducted by the League of Shadows and coerced into creating virus like nano-robots able to eat and store raw data from computers and deliver the stolen Intel to the Shadows.

The mission was to protect the doctor while she creates another virus, an anti-virus if you will, to destroy the nano-robots known as the Fog.

Seeing as the mission briefing was over, Naruto stepped forward with a delicate smile "I will handle this mission, though I will require one of you to be on standby should the need arise"

Batman narrowed his eyes in suspicion "Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you want to take a mission that is supposed to be handled by the team?" he asked with his eyes narrowed behind his cowl and hands crossed over his chest.

The team could sense the tenseness in the room, even the normally impassive and emotionless Tornado felt oddly uncomfortable to be in the cave.

Naruto turned around with a soft but calm smile on his face "Is there a specific reason behind your question, Batman"

The Dark Knight could've sworn the pressure in the room intensified a little with the utterance of the question, but he composed himself and calmly shook his head "No"

"Splendid" Destiny replied with a smile "Robin will stay back should I require assistance. Miss Martian, reconfigure the Bio-ship so that Robin can navigate it when I call"

"Yes sir!" Robin exclaimed with a wide grin. Working with Destiny on a two man team was like a dream come true!

"Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis, you four will handle a new mission if you are willing to take it" he announced with a calm smile an ignored Batman's sour expression.

The team nodded eagerly and stood in attention "We are!"

"YES" Artemis blurted out before slapping her mouth in embarrassment "I m-mean yes"

'Great, my first meeting with that gorgeous hunk and I made a fool of myself!' the blonde archer lamented in depression. It didn't help that her so called 'uncle' was giving her teasing looks!

"Outstanding" the redhead turned to a motionless Red Tornado "Kindly explain the parameters of the mission to them and give them the key to the Tower of Fate"

"As you wish" he replied impassively.

Naruto nodded in satisfaction and beamed away through the Zeta Beam, leaving behind a frowning Batman and an eager team.

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Happy Harbor, Night Time.

Doctor Serling Roquette, a blonde woman in her early thirties, a brilliant scientist, a renowned Nano-robotic genius, proud mother of one son, but at the moment a speechless woman staring at the legendary imposing figure of the League recent and notoriously famous Hero, Destiny.

Sure, when she had been rescued by that Red Arrow guy, she knew they would provide her with the security necessary for her to properly get the job done, but she hadn't been exactly expecting HIM to come down here and protect her.

To be honest, she had been expecting teenagers similar to the one who had rescued her from the ruthless clutches of the League Of Shadows on Infinity Island and had mentally prepared herself to be annoyed to death, but what or rather who she was staring at the moment was completely and utterly unexpected.

It was one thing seeing him fighting and dispatching Villains with ease on TV, but seeing him and standing in front of him in person was way out of this world.

She had seen a lot of influential individuals who could render people speechless by simply glaring at them like Batman and some who could tongue-tie the mass by simply being there like Superman while some who could captivate the attention of the people by her otherworldly beauty alone like Wonderwoman.

However, this individual standing before her was the only person she knew who could render your entire being paralyzed by simply smiling down at you. And by smiling down at you, she literally meant it, since his height was something even Superman could not brag about.

His imposing height and intimidating body mass screamed nothing but power and might, yet the smile on his face was bright enough to put the light of the moon to shame.

His presence said one thing, not said but practically screamed it, yet his smile and aura said another. He was there and yet not entirely there, his presence was everywhere in the small computer lab, yet nowhere at all, it was as if the being standing before her was nothing but an illusion but one with the presence of a physical being! It was all so confusing.

Naruto inclined his head with a soft smile and calmly extended his hand towards the wary doctor "Dr. Serling, it's quite a pleasure to meet you, I must say"

Steeling her features, she smiled nervously and shook Naruto's hand with shaky hands "Nice to meet you, Destiny, my son is a fan of your… heroism"

A delicate red eyebrow rose in amusement "Ah, you must be taking about young Scott Roquette?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. He knew about her son!? "You know…"

Seeing as he had surprised the woman enough for a day, Naruto gestured for her to take a seat and gracefully sat down himself on another chair near the table "Indeed, young Scott has quite the interesting mind for someone so young, I imagine your genes has something to do with those particular talents of his?"

Cheeks reddened in embarrassment as the female doctor turned around and nervously started her work on the Anti-virus. She knew what the man was implying. Her son, only an eight year old at the moment, yet able to understand the most sophisticated components of her research, was her pride and joy.

What kind of a mother wouldn't be proud of her son when he was as brilliant as hers?

She had tested her son's intelligence on many occasions, asking random questions about unrelated topics out of the blue, providing him with broken and shattered parts of her own robotic research and asking him to repair it for her in return for a treat.

The results of all those tests and theories about his intelligence were the source of her pride and joy, her motivation to move further and further in her career in order to provide her son with an idol, an obstacle he should overcome.

She would've been much happier, had his father lived long enough to see the accomplishment of their son. He had disappeared before Scott had been born and never returned, thus she had no evidence to prove his continued existence.

She knew deep down that he was dead and had moved on, but that didn't exactly made the pain of her loneliness any less endurable or any less … painful.

"N-no, actually his talents come from his deceased father" she replied with a prideful but nervous smile "But how do you know so much about him anyway?"

Naruto smiled mysteriously "I have my ways"

Despite his curt and mysterious response, she couldn't help but smile a genuine smile along with him. His smile was contagious, apparently. When he smiled, you had no choice but to smile with him.

The duo descended into a comfortable silence with only the rapid tapping of the keyboard buttons reverberating throughout the small computer lab, one taking solace in the fact she would be protected despite coming up with this Anti-virus to destroy her own creation and the other simply content to let things move on in peace without saying anything.

"I must confess this creation of yours was and still is a work or art and genius, despite it falling into the wrong hands" Naruto praised genuinely "The mere creation of this fog hints at the true level of your intellect, Dr. Roquette, from what I am seeing, it is something to be admired and acknowledged"

Yes, it had been the Villains who had coerced her into creating such a thing, but the fact that she had been the creator remained the same.

It required a broad mind and genius level intellect to be able to come up with such a handy creation. He recognized talent when he saw one, thus he knew she would reach heights inconceivable to others of her kind. If her son did not fall into the clutches of the dark side, he would even surpass her.

As to how he knew about the young genius, he had researched extensively into the doctor's family background and knew about more them than even she knew.

Yes, the father of the young boy and her husband had been killed by a thug and his body thrown into river near Central City, where the man had been going for a business trip.

He had of course, ordered Oken to bring the aforementioned thug to justice and had him killed in the same way he had killed the boy's father, before throwing his body in the same river. Such crimes, while common in a few cities throughout the world, were still unforgivable.

The blonde scientist's eyebrows rose in surprise and relief, surprised because he had complimented her on her work with his blunt and genuine honesty, relieved that he knew it was but a product of science created for the benefit of humanity, not to be mistaken with a weapon

"Thank you. It's good to know that at least some people appreciate what we scientist do even after going through both political and public criticism"

"Unfortunately, uneducated and short-minded individuals tend to disregard the hardships of others and only search for the insignificant flaws an object or individual may have" Naruto announced calmly and placed his head on his clenched fist.

The good doctor couldn't help but smile in genuine understanding and fondness as she heard his incredibly astute and precise response. Broad-minded, kind, understanding and grateful, this was exactly the kind of individuals scientist needed to overcome the hardship brought before them due to political and social oppression.

Smiling one last time, she entered the last necessary tweaks to the program and turned to Naruto "It's done"

"Splendid" he smiled softly and raised his hand to his earpiece "I'll inform my assistant to deal with it"

"Destiny to Robin, Dr. Serling has programmed the Anti-virus which should disable the Fog. Prepare the Bio-ship and be ready to depart any moment. I shall send the Anti-virus directly into your system in a few moments"

"Robin to Destiny, I am here and ready to move!"

Taking a deep breath and taking into account the potential consequences of her action, she pressed the Enter button to search for the Fog, knowing that if Destiny couldn't protect her then no one would be able to protect her should the League of Shadows try to abduct her again.

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Philadelphia Airport

Aboard an aircraft in the International Airport of Philadelphia, Professor Ojo lowered the glass of the juice he was drinking when he heard the telltale signs of someone trying to trace the data of his computer. Frowning in annoyance, he opened his laptop and turned it on, only for his frown to turn into a grin as he saw something that could benefit them.

The one-eyed not-so-good professor pressed another button as an image of an elderly white haired man appeared in the side of the screen. The man seemed to have been In the middle of something since his eyes were narrowed quite dangerously as he gazed at the professor with a frown on his face.

"What is it?"

"Sorry to interrupt you, but Roquette has resurfaced to track us" Professor Ojo replied calmly.

The white haired man grinned uncharacteristically and raised an eyebrow in anticipation, all traces of annoyance vanished as soon as he heard the news "Her location?"

"Happy Harbor"

"Excellent!"

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Happy Harbor

The first attempt unfortunately failed as the villainous professor got away with the stolen data from Star Labs without leaving a trace of his presence. After that unsuccessful attempt to destroy the Fog, a dejected Robin called back and asked for the next location of the Fog. He could certainly understand the boy's state of dejection but it was entirely irrelevant.

The boy apparently thought that he would be disappointed should he fail. He had tried lifting Robin's confidence by saying that he was not disappointed at all, in fact he expected that to happen since the location was too far for him to reach in that limited amount of time.

The confession of that particular claim seemed to have lifted the boy's spirit if his current enthusiastic report was any indication.

Apparently, the Fog's next target was Wayne Enterprises.

"Try to avoid getting into any confrontation with Professor Ojo. No doubt, he would try to become an obstacle in your path but do not indulge him, simply complete your objective. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

The redheaded King lowered his hand from the small earpiece and turned to the calmly seated doctor who seemed to be staring at him. He smiled knowingly when she saw herself getting caught staring and looked away with slightly reddened cheeks.

Getting the redness of her cheeks under control, Serling eyed the man from behind her glasses with a confused and comfortable look on her face "Now that I think about it, you are a lot different from the rest of the League. While I don't want to appear ungrateful or anything, but most of them avoid getting mixed in with the common populace yet you seem to have no problem with that. I have seen you stay behind and interact with kids, teenagers and even elders without worrying about any criticism from your comrades"

Naruto simply smiled that calm and serene smile of his "So I am to act different simply because I happen to be blessed with powers beyond anyone's comprehension?"

"No, that's not what I meant"

"I see no harm in entertaining a few children when all they wish is to interact with a famous Hero, even though I do not consider myself that" he finished with a smile.

The doctor shook her head and smiled softly "Like I said, different"

Naruto stood up as soon as he heard the soft closing sound of the front door, alerting the smiling doctor to his sudden action as she stood up as well. Judging from the heartbeats and presences, there were three of them and quite skilled in the art of stealth if their careful movements were any indication.

"Is something the matter?" Serling asked nervously and looked around the dark computer lab with clear fear in her eyes.

Sure, she knew that assassins would be sent after her in order to prevent her from creating the Anti-virus to the Fog, but that fact didn't lessen the fear she was feeling.

"Not entirely" Naruto smiled comfortingly and placed his hand on her shoulder "Stay here, I shall be back in a few minutes. Do not worry, not a hair on your body shall be harmed as long as I am here"

Despite her fear-induced state, the genius doctor smiled in return and nodded nervously. Naruto nodded in satisfaction and walked out of the lab before zipping down to the front door where the three were just about to climb the stairs.

The redheaded King appeared in the hallway and leaned on the wall with a soft smile on his face "You should know the school is closed at the moment, kindly return later and do remember to be in proper uniform as I am sure the outfits you are wearing now are not appropriate"

Cheshire, Black Spider and Hook snapped into attention when a sudden voice announced unexpectedly from the hallway. The three lowered into their fighting stances and cautiously walked up the stairs to the large hallway where a tall figure seemed to be leaning against the wall and in no hurry to engage them in a fight.

Cautiously moving forward, Cheshire's eyes widened in surprise and delight when she saw the tall and imposing figure of Destiny leaning on the wall with his eyes closed.

She would've preferred meeting him under pleasant circumstances, but a contract was a contract no matter how much she would later curse herself for missing the opportunity. She was not like the rest of the female and male humans who seemed to adore him because of his looks and power, she simply wanted to meet him to see if she could get a reaction from him.

He was the perfect example of a human who was … well perfect and it was her greatest pleasure to fluster a man that could not be flustered. However, all those facts aside, she knew without a shred of doubt that neither she nor the two beside her would ever be able to beat this guy, he was far beyond their level of skill and power.

However, no one said anything about not messing a little bit with him now, did they?

"Why? I could certainly understand you wanting these two changing their looks, but I thought you would be at least happy with the way I am" she announced with a purr and discreetly held her throwing stars soaked in poison in her hands.

Naruto remained the way he was and simply smiled softly "I had heard you were quite straightforward with your words, but I must admit hearing them first hand is quite the delightful experience"

Cheshire frowned slightly behind her mask and signaled for her partners to get ready. That response wasn't exactly the one she had been hoping for! Well, this may prove even more challenging than she had originally thought.

Even though he was standing there completely unguarded and wide open, she knew for a fact that he could defend himself without even trying to. Hell, she had seen videos of him pulling entire chunks of buildings and throwing them at his opponent without even breaking a sweat.

She had seen him disable the likes of Grundy and Blockbuster _ who had unexpectedly escaped prison after being captured _ without even appearing as though he was trying. So yeah, one could say she was quite nervous when it came to actually fighting with him and for good reasons.

Seeing as she was not going to attack anytime soon, Black Spider released a barrage of red spider webs at the calmly leaning man and jumped away so Hook could smash him with his… well, giant hook. Cheshire silently cursed the stupidity of her partners and moved to take at least advantage of the opportunity even though she knew it was going to fail.

The spider web wrapped the redhead's torso and legs in an instant, restricting his movement as Hook sent his giant weapon flying towards his still form followed by Cheshire throwing a barrage of poisonous shurikens.

Their eyes widened in surprise when both the hook and the shurikens clang to the ground without putting a scratch on Naruto, who was gazing at them with a twinkle in his eyes.

Black Spider knew his webs weren't strong enough to hold Superman, let alone this guy, but come on! It was insulting to see them ripped to shreds with a simple twitch of a finger and leg

"This guy is no joke, no wonder that Grundy guy screams two octaves higher than an elementary school girl when he hears his name"

Cheshire gave her partner a dry look "If you knew that, then why did you attack him in the first place?"

Black Spider shrugged nonchalantly "Needed to make sure"

Jade shook her head in resignation. Normally, she would've threatened them half way to death, but at the moment she was surprised to find herself in no mood to switch to her flirty but dangerous personality.

That personality was reserved for people who were controlled by their hormones, meaning teenagers and some grown up men, this guy however was neither of them.

It was frustrating and interesting at the same time.

In all honesty, she was grateful that he seemed to wait for their attacks and not retaliate in the slightest. For now, she could take advantage of that fact and maybe fulfil her part of the contract.

Discreetly signaling for her two idiotic partners, sighing in relief when they nodded and attacked the still leaning man, she waited for their attack before bolting towards the computer lab.

However, her attempt at deceiving Naruto failed as she collided with an unbelievably hard and resilient object and was sent flying back to her previous position. She groaned in slight pain from colliding with whatever it was and tried to get up as her partners arrived and stood beside her.

Shaking the cobwebs from her eyes, Jade stood with shaky legs and saw, much to her surprise, that the hard object she had collided with had been Destiny who seemed to be gazing at her those damn sharp and unnerving blue eyes of his.

Guess, deceiving him would be scratched off the bucket list.

"Robin to Destiny, the Fog has been successfully destroyed!"

"Excellent work, Robin, return to Cave and await my arrival"

"Well do, Robin out!"

The three eyed each other unsurely, wondering what to do next since the contract was now null and void. The parameters of the contract were to either assassinate the doctor before she could complete the Anti-virus or capture her so that she could be later used for creating similar robots.

"Well then, I assume you heard what my assistant reported?" Naruto asked with a soft smile

"Hard not to when you intentionally raised the volume" Jade countered with a smirk behind her mask "We will be on our way then, should we worry about you following us?"

She didn't know why, but she was oddly feeling relieved that the contract was no longer operational. Maybe it was the fact that she did not want to fight someone she knew she could not defeat or maybe it was the fact that she needed to get away as soon as possible from this man's suffocating presence.

"If I wanted you captured or injured, I assure you nothing would've stopped me from achieving that result" Naruto replied with a calm smile before walking away to the computer lab.

The three assassins looked on with perfect goldfish expressions on their faces as their supposed-to-be capturer walked away from them without even bothering to see if they were gone or not.

Black Spider voiced out the question which was currently dominating their psyche "Should we be insulted or relieved that he let us go?"

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"Oken"

The ever loyal attendant appeared in front of his lord and kneeled "Sire?"

"You know what to do?" Naruto asked calmly as he walked back to the computer lab, feeling the presence of the three assassins move away from the school grounds and out of the town in incredible speed.

"Affirmative!"

"Proceed"

"As you wish" Oken nodded and disappeared after the three assassins with heart-stopping speed.

Naruto closed his eyes and walked leisurely back to the computer lab where a fear stricken doctor was currently fidgeting in her seat and constantly looking around the lab with fear.

Sure, he may have let them without retaliating but he had never promised anything of the sort. Black Spider and Cheshire were mostly forgiven since they did not enjoy the contracts they were assigned to fulfil, but Hook was another matter.

When Robin reported the destruction of the Fog and his declaration of the failure of their contract, he saw relief and concealed joy in the eyes of the Black Spider and Cheshire despite them wearing face masks, but he also saw frustration and hunger for blood in Hook's eyes.

That unquenchable thirst for blood and conflict was not welcomed in the slightest.

The eyes were the window to a person's soul, displaying the inner thoughts, feelings and intentions of one individual like a book and he was the best reader and judge of one's character. No emotion, no discreet signal and no hidden intentions could deceive his eyes.

As soon as the doctor saw him, she stood up and walked up to him with a hopeful look in her eyes "Can I go home now?"

Naruto smiled softly "Of course, you can. Come with me"

She nodded eagerly and followed after the redhead King who calmly walked through the hallways of the school and out of the front gate to the streets outside.

A sleek black limousine was waiting for the duo as they approached the front gate, with Oken standing beside the car in the outfit of a chauffeur. Naruto bit back a smile of amusement when he saw the dry look on his attendant's face.

Doctor Serling Roquette turned towards Naruto in surprise "This is yours?"

"Yes, surprised?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She smiled "To be honest, yes, a little"

The redheaded King chuckled slightly and gestured to Oken "My chauffeur here will take you home safely, however, I have something I would like to share with you before you leave"

"Yes?" she probed curiously and with a hint impatience.

"I know you have been looking for your missing husband for the better part of four years and have given up hope of ever finding him" Naruto started with a calm tone, causing the female scientist to wince in pain "But fear not, for I shall use my resources to find him and safely return him to you and your son"

Her head snapped up to his face so fast Oken thought her neck broke. Her eyes widened in surprise, shock and hope. Finding her husband would be like a dream come true!

"Y-you c-can do that?" she asked in a shaky voice, eyes filled to the brim with hope and anticipation.

"Of course, if he is alive which I am sure he is, I will find him within three days and return him to you" Naruto replied with a soft smile and placed his hand on the trembling woman's shoulder "For now, I have provided you with an added security"

Gesturing to Oken with a soft nod, Oken inclined his head and opened the gate to the car as a large black menacing dog jumped out and stalked up to the redhead before rubbing his head against Naruto's leg affectionately. The doctor watched in nervous silence as the dog looked towards her for a few moments and then rubbed his head against her hand in affection.

"I have personally trained him, thus he should be more than enough to protect you and your son from any harm. In addition to that, I have taken the liberty of providing you with some … financial support which my driver will provide you with once you reach your home"

"I-I don't know w-what to say!" she started with a trembling voice, tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to get herself under control.

Not able to take it any longer, she encased the tall redhead in a bone-crushing hug and cried on her shoulder, muttering 'thank you' over and over again as Naruto gently wrapped his hands around her and rubbed her back softly.

A few minutes later, the scientist untangled her hands from the man's warm embrace and smiled a teary-eyed smile "T-thank you, thank for everything! You are a true Hero"

Naruto smiled in gratitude "No need for gratitude, my dear, I consider it a great honor to be able to help others in need. Should you need anything, simply call on me and I shall be there. For now, go home and rest, rest assured that I will find your husband"

She nodded gratefully and got in the limousine followed by the dog as Oken bowed to Naruto one last time and drove away to get the doctor to her home. Many Heroes may claim greatness and glory, but in her eyes there was no greater Hero than the brave and kind Destiny.

In just the course of a few hours, he had helped her more than anyone ever had or could. He had protected her from assassins, provided her with money to support herself and her son's expenses, a car to take her home, a dog to protect to her and her son and above all promised to find her husband within three DAYS!

If these were not the actions of a true Hero, then she didn't what were!

Naruto watched as the car drove away and floated up the ground with a soft smile on his face. He had already resurrected the murdered man and erased his memories of said resurrection before placing him in a hospital in Central City with carefully crafted records of his existence.

He would return the man to the family after the promised three days but for now, he needed to handle another problem in the form of a certain rebellious Lord of Chaos.

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