Chapter 5: Invitation to Atlantis

Crystal Palace Throne Room

The ever dependable and obedient attendant of the ancient King walked towards the enormous gates of the Throne Room in a calm stride. Every step taken with the utmost conviction and confidence one would expect from a man who had lived as long as time itself. A soft and heart-warming melody reverberated throughout the magnificent halls of the Crystal Palace and reached his ears as soon as he reached the gates, causing him to smile unexpectedly.

Guess, his master was in a good mood! While the ancient King was always in a good mood, there were some particular days when he would appear even more happy and full of joy. On that day, every single creature living in the celestial body would surround the Palace and listen to the melody, as if attracted to the soothing music like iron to magnet.

Even the otherworldly different Masters and Mistresses would huddle in the Throne Room and listen to their father play the flute, forgetting all their differences and issues.

The giant Gatekeepers to the throne room bowed to the tall attendant and opened the gates to the magnificent hall-like room as he walked in calmly. As expected, the majestic King, in his originally imposing and overwhelmingly powerful form, was seated upon his equally majestic throne, eyes closed in perfect harmony as he played a flute in the most soothing and hear-warming tunes he had ever heard.

He stood there in front of the crimson carpeted stairs of the pedestal and stared at his lord in awe. He was already a firm admirer of flutes and would always listen to one during his free hours of managing the palace. However, flute played by his master was something he wouldn't trade for entire cluster of realities.

Each small and insignificant tone coming out of the flute's opening seemed to have a different meaning and value when it was played by the ancient king. Emotions and sensations seemed to be flooding the entirety of the melody!

The heart-warming melody stopped, much to the secret disappointment of the inhabitants and Oken, as Naruto slowly opened his imposingly sharp blue eyes and spotted his loyal attendant kneeling in front of the pedestal with one hand on the ground and the other placed upon his heart "Oken, my boy, to what do I owe the surprise visit?"

The brown haired tall man raised his head "I must admit my sincere apologies for disturbing your peace, Sire, but I had some reports and messages to deliver"

With a soft puff of red mist, the flute vanished from Naruto's hands as he eyed his subordinate with a calm smiling expression on his ethereal face "No need for apologies, my boy, lets hear the report"

"Of course, your Majesty" Oken stated firmly and stood up "As ordered, I dropped off Doctor James, husband of Doctor Roquette, at his place of residence. Dr Serling was quite vocal about her bouts of gratitude"

"Excellent work, Oken" Naruto praised genuinely and smiled softly "Unifying a shattered family is the greatest achievement one can commit at this era of turmoil and instability"

Oken nodded softly "Thank you, Sire, furthermore I am here to report that Doctor Crane's punishment period has passed"

He had tortured the pathetic trash of a man both physically and mentally so severely that now he was nothing but a mere skeleton of bones with no flesh. He had been torturing the not-so-good doctor to the brink of death and then reviving him to repeat the process since his arrival here. The dungeons of the ancient King were not places you wanted to be in, ever!

Hellhounds let loose over his body to tear out his flesh with their menacing jaws, hell crows constantly pecking at his eyeballs and head while being forced to witness his worst nightmares in his already deranged mind!

The man had been practically begging him to end his miserable existence!

"Dispose of him" Naruto decreed evenly without a moment of hesitation. The man had been tortured enough for his crimes, he had no reason to prolong his sufferings.

"It shall be done, Sire" Oken replied stoically. While he still thought death was too much of a mercy on the deranged doctor- in his humble opinion, the man needed to be tortured for at least a few thousand years if not an eternity - but it seems his lord was feeling more merciful than usual.

Naruto smiled gracefully "Anything else?"

Realization struck Oken as he stood straight and nodded his head "Yes, Sire, I received a few messages from Mount Olympus"

"Did you now?" the King started with a small smile of delight as he observed his attendant. Messages from Olympus usually were the kind which would get on Oken's nerves for no reason at all.

Oken sighed at the twinkle in his lord's eyes, knowing what that meant "Lady Hera sent her genuine regards and expressed a rather profound desire to see you again after your slumber. Lady Athena wished to once again try her luck in chess which I honestly feel is entirely unnecessary and painfully obvious. She has no chance against you, your Majesty!"

Naruto bit back a chuckle when Oken finished the sentence with an indignant expression on his face. Riling up Oken was just so easy! Just because the black haired Olympian woman expressed a desire to play chess with him, it didn't necessarily mean that she was hoping to win, but Oken seemed to take the request entirely too personal.

"Oken, let us forget what the request insinuated and move on, shall we?" he asked with a calm lopsided smile on his face and rested his head on his clenched fist. Oken reluctantly nodded and looked away with a somewhat pouting look on his normally stoical face "Anything else"

"As far as I know, that's all, your Highness" he replied quickly and continued to look at the pillars of the hall-like room. He did not want to meet the gaze of his lord at the moment!

"Are you certain, Oken?" Naruto questioned with a soft chuckle as he watched his attendant try to ignore his question and stand firm on his words.

Seeing as he was not able to satisfy the king with those words alone, Oken rubbed the edges of his temple to control his growing temper and to hide the slight tinge of redness on his cheeks, sighing in irritation as he tried to find appropriate words to deliver the next message. He would have stood firm on his decision but those three words carried a certain weight that he simply could not ignore, even though they were uttered in open amusement.

"Are you feeling alright, my boy, you look somewhat disconcerted?" Naruto asked in open amusement as he gazed at his increasingly fuming attendant.

"I am fine, Sire" Oken replied with a frown on his face and continued to rub his forehead before looking at his softly smiling lord. He had feeling the ancient father knew all about the report, considering very few things escaped his attention even when he wasn't watching, but seemed to be pressuring the issue. Judging from the wide smile on his face, the king was obviously enjoying his misfortune.

"Splendid" Naruto announced with a close-eyed smile "Proceed with the report"

Oken looked on with an almost constipated look on his face, desperately trying to both avoid the topic and not offend his master. In the end, he sighed and decided to just proceed, considering his king wouldn't just let him until and unless he delivered the full report.

"That… shameless and utterly vulgar excuse of a woman requested to see you … and" Oken started with a heavy frown on his face, one hand rubbing his temple and the other clenched into a tight fist.

"I am not sure who you are referring to, my boy, could you be more specific in your report?" Naruto asked with a calm look on his face, an undemanding smile dancing on his lips as he watched his subordinate squirm under his gaze "I am sure this 'shameless and utterly vulgar woman', according to your standards, must have a birth name"

"Yes Sire" Oken admitted with a heavy frown on his face "Aphrodite requested to see you again and …"

Naruto smiled broadly when Oken palmed his face in anger and embarrassment "And..?"

"Honestly Sire, I will never understand how you even tolerate that shameless woman!" Oken stated with a scowl on his face as he tried to change the subject away from announcing the message. How dare she even suggest that his lord should …! The mere consideration of that request was enough to make his blood boil!

"The report, my boy?" Naruto announced with a composed smile on his face.

"Sire, please…" Oken pleaded with a desperate look on his normally stoic face.

"Must I repeat myself?"

Oken gritted his teeth in anger and decided to dig right in, he would deal with her later for making him deliver something like this to his lord "She requested to see you again and… to r-rock your w-world!"

Naruto couldn't contain the laughter that erupted from his mouth as he heard the words as well as saw the expression on Oken's face. Melodious laughter filled the magnificent hall-like throne room as Oken tried to get his temper under control. A slight tinge of redness graced his cheeks as the soft laughter from his lord reached even new heights, causing him to palm his face in anger and embarrassment.

He would kill that disrespectful woman for even suggesting something like that! The nerve of a lowly Olympian as such as her to request something like THAT from his lord!

After a few moments of laughter, Naruto controlled his laughter and looked at his fuming subordinate with an amused smile on his face. Aphrodite alone had the honour or power to annoy Oken so much that he would even consider blasting an entire planet of innocent people if it meant killing the bubbly Olympian inside it.

It was not that the bubbly and incredibly flirty woman was teasing Oken himself, but the brown haired attendant couldn't tolerate her because she was flirting with him. Oken was of the belief that a lowly and shameless woman like Aphrodite did not deserve his affection, which was quite amusing to see. Oken couldn't even stand being in a room with the flirty woman for a few seconds, which begged the question of how she had even gotten him to deliver her message.

Oken silently gritted his teeth in anger as the ancient King gazed at him with his sharp pools of blue diamonds. He would've taken every precaution to get rid of the message had someone else been assigned to deliver it, but the Olympian Queen had requested that he deliver it which meant that he could not alter it in any way since that would be the ultimate dishonour to his duty.

The brown haired attendant was practically impassive to any woman's advances on his lord, finding no reason to interfere with the love life of his king, but he could absolutely not tolerate a woman like Aphrodite! He had no reason to interfere in what kind of company his lord preferred, his duty was to protect and serve his king, but that bubbly blond woman seemed to just get on his nerves.

The reason were quite clear to him. Every Olympian, Norse or Romanian beings respected and feared his lord beyond belief. The Greeks were closer to him than any other Pantheon, thus while they respected him beyond anyone else, they still had a somewhat causal relation with him. Lady Hera, much to his chagrin, like many other female Olympian had a somewhat causal and intimate relationship with his lord, going so far as to leave the safety of her temple on Mount Olympus and visit his palace.

Athena had the same relation with his lord, except she seemed determined to beat his king in a chess or any other strategic game. While she seemed to think she was being discreet in her pursuit, Oken knew the woman desired his master's affection like the rest of them and only used chess game as an excuse to get close to him. He may be stoic and overprotective when it came to the security of the King, but he was not dumb or dense any way or form.

The same went for the rest of the Olympians, Hermes and Apollo feared his lord so much that they would bow quickly, utter a stuttering greeting and disappear into the safety of their temples without making a noise. Poseidon would bow respectfully and only answer when his lord would ask something, even though the kind King would insist on them being casual.

Aphrodite, on the other hand was the second woman in the history of the multiple worlds and realities who seemed oblivious to the power and might of his lord. Any man or woman, overwhelmingly strong or pathetically weak had feared and respected his lord without even knowing why. Yet that… cheeky woman seemed oblivious to the terrifying might of the King, just like a second someone.

In his opinion, the blonde woman was perhaps too lost in her overwhelming lust for the King to notice his power. That alone was disrespectful!

While the rest of the Olympians had bowed and greeted the redhead king respectfully when they had visited Olympus, she had walked straight up to his face and kissed him right on the lips! He had been ready to blast the whole mountain to pieces at the act of disrespect but the King had restrained him by a simple calm look.

He would never be able to figure out why his lord seemed to tolerate her and her rudeness! Practically draping herself on the King on the first day or rather the first second of their meeting!? He would have stopped her had he known what her objective had been! The vulgar woman had refused to even untangle her arms from around the King's neck!

Her giggles, her flirty smile and smirks, her seductive stride and manners irritated him. Nobody, except his children and a few certain individuals, had the right to act so casually with his King, especially that woman!

"Do not mind her words, my boy, I find her straightforward proposals and requests quite the rejuvenating change from the norm" Naruto started with a melodious chuckle "Was there anything else?"

Oken composed himself with a frown and extended his hand, a dim light announced the presence of a pink orb in his hand as it floated to the seated King. He had no idea what the orb contained—even though he had the power to see its content, he didn't want to offend his lord—but he knew it would be nothing good since it was a gift from THAT woman. Anything coming from her was bad news!

The pink orb reached the front of the throne and rested on the calmly extended hand of the ancient King before decapitating into a large pink mist-like screen. Oken lowered his eyes when he saw the pictures that were revealed on the mist screen with a slight tinge of redness on his cheeks, whether from embarrassment or anger, that was highly debatable.

Why that good for nothing, shameless, crude and vulgar excuse of a woman! How dare she sent something like THAT to his king! If he thought she was shameless before, well now he was sure that there was no one more shameless than her, and that was saying some considering he had visited several realities!

Naruto rested his head on his clenched fist and gazed at the… interestingly provocative illustrations shimmering through the light pink mist with a soft teasing smile on his face. Some much more … revealing than the others and some on the border of outright indecent, at least in Oken's eyes. Well, one was thing certain beyond anything else, she was bold!

There was a certain bounce in her personality that made her quite unique in his eyes. She was amusing, straightforward and seemed to be the second person who appeared unaffected by his aura of power. It was quite interesting to not be respected every second of a minute without any particular reason at all.

Judging from the way Oken was trembling, he seemed to be quite angry. Honestly, that boy was too serious when it came to certain matters. If Oken thought Aphrodite sending him pictures was wrong, he had a feeling the boy would go on a mindless rampage if he found out that the two of them already had quite a few … passionate encounters.

He was no stranger to intimacy, being as old as time itself ensured that particular aspect. While he hadn't indulge himself in carnal pleasure too much, finding them quite indecent and insensitive to share something that private with someone and then leave them without even thinking about the consequences, he still had a few intimate relationships. Though, in all his countless eons of existence, he never had relationships with mortals.

Oken gritted his teeth in anger and with one last bow excused himself to personally go to Mount Olympus and deal with that shameless Olympian. He had no business in what kind relationships his lord had with others, but he would not tolerate such disrespect as long as he was alive!

"Oken, I hope you are not thinking of performing something extreme, like personally going to Mount Olympus and confronting a certain Olympian?" Naruto inquired in a calm tone, one delicate eyebrow raised in concealed amusement as the brown haired attendant stopped in his tracks and bowed quickly.

"Si-sire! I don't understand how you even stand that woman?!" Oken exclaimed firmly "She lacks the proper decency and manners!"

Naruto simply looked on with a soft smile on his face as Oken let out his frustration, pacing around the front of the pedestal and continuously smashing his fists together, creating shockwaves from that simple gesture alone. He knew Oken detested all those who didn't show him respect but he hadn't expected the boy to detest the bubbly blonde Olympian so much.

"Oken, calm down, I am sure Aphrodite did it for the exclusive intention of displeasing you, not that you, my boy, give her any less reasons to not do so" Naruto replied with a soft smile

"Apologies, Sire, I have no right to intrude upon your personal life but the way she behaves in front of you just irritates me" the brown haired attendant admitted with a frown on his face and looked away, crossing his hands over his broad chest.

Naruto stood up from the throne to his full imposing height and calmly walked down the carpeted stairs with a soft smile on his face. His tall overwhelmingly imposing height seemed ever more terrifying from his position upon the pedestal, his magnificently muscular arms and body illuminated by the dim crimson hue of the red gem hanging from the ceiling looked even more divine, his sharps pools of blue shinning like diamonds in his eye socket, his long redhead flowed down his red fur cap like a crimson waterfall while his horns stood upon his head majestically.

His long crimson fur cap and hair trailed behind him upon the carpet as he walked down the pedestal and stood in front of a somewhat fuming Oken before placing his hand upon the brown haired attendant's head like a father would his child "Oken, I may have said it before many times but it seems I will have to say it again. Do not let your emotions blind your sense of judgement, always be optimistic and try to see the good in a situation before you jump to conclusions"

"Understood, your Highness"

Moments like these were when Oken felt like another one of his lord's children, despite being countless eons older than even the nine siblings. Placing his hand on his head, it made him feel like a child being lectured by his father. He had no choice but to comply, even though he wondered what good was there in a situation like this.

"Excellent, I have some matters to attend to, be sure to keep an eye on the inhabitants" the redhead king voiced out a soft smile on his face and vanished from the throne room while his remaining words reverberated "Oh and inform a certain individual by the name of Spectre that I would be expecting him in the Throne Room tomorrow morning"

"As you command, Sire!"

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Mount Justice

"Is there a reason why you seem so down, Kaldur?"

A heavily frowning Aqualad stood up from the chair he was sitting on and faced the source of the voice, knowing exactly who to expect considering there was only one man whose presence had the weight of a meteor and whose voice alone was enough to make you go stiff like a rod from sheer fear or respect alone.

There was no one in the cave at the moment, Batman had left after lecturing him about getting his head in the game, the rest of the team was either showering or getting some rest from the aftermath of their disastrous mission. Their mission had been to capture the villainous Clayface, but somehow the villain had gotten information about their arrival and had prepared quite well.

Even though, the villain had prepared well, they could've beaten had he not spaced out several times during the battle. In the end, Batman was forced to intervene and thus save them from being killed, thus the lecture. Not that their last mission had gone any better either.

They had infiltrated an unknown and previously invisible tower, had almost gotten themselves roasted alive by a trap set by said tower, sent to another pocket dimension composed entirely of icy mountains, battled with Abra Kadabra and almost got themselves killed by a wrath-filled Lord of Chaos, not to mention Wally had almost been forced to permanently hand over his body to a Lord of Order in order to fight said Lord of Chaos.

And to think they weren't even in the Justice League yet!

Forcing a small smile, Aqualad inclined his head to the approaching man in greeting "No, nothing wrong, I have just a few things on my mind"

Naruto approached the down Atlantian and stood in front of him with a soft smile on his face "Personal problems?"

Despite his troubled state of mind and tired body, Kaldur chuckled unexpectedly and shook his head in amazement. He should have known the man would not be fooled, considering his uncomfortable knack for being 100% correct about his assumption.

Sighing tiredly, the home-sick Atlantian sat down on the chair and rubbed the edges of his temple with a heavy frown on his face "Am I really making a difference by being here?"

He was feeling both home-sick and something else. He was confused, insecure and a whole lot of other things. Was he really cut out to be a leader of the team? Was he even capable of leading a team? What if he hurt them by making a mistake or worse led them to their deaths by giving the wrong order!? What would his King think of him then? What would the Justice League think of him and more importantly, what would Destiny think of him?

What would … Tula think of him?

Naruto smiled a close-eyed smile and placed his hand on the depressed boy's shoulder "Of course you are, there is a reason why you were chosen to be Orin's protégé instead of young Garth"

Kaldur's eyes widened in shock "How did you know about that as well as Garth?"

"Trust me, child, I know" Naruto replied with a soft smile on his face.

Kaldur sighed in resignation, knowing he wasn't going to get an honest or full answer even if he tried multiple times. This man was even mysterious and enigmatic than the Dark Knight himself, and that was saying something "Batman told me to make a decision, either stay here permanently or go home"

"And your choice?"

He stood up with a frown on his dark-skinned face. The decision was and had already been made. He just needed someone to confirm his decision and support him, which hopefully Naruto would be willing to do "I would like to take a few days leave to properly decide. That reminds me, would you like to come with me to Atlantis?"

The King had been talking continuously about Destiny and thus had made the entire population of Atlantis curious about his personality. The Queen was specifically interested in the man that had even left her husband speechless, considering he was a King. This invitation would provide them with the opportunity to know the redhead a little better and see what the King meant by him being otherworldly.

"I am honoured to be invited but I do not wish to intrude upon something which obviously holds sentimental value for you" Naruto replied with a soft smile.

"Actually the Queen personally asked my King to one day invite you for a royal feast, I thought I would take the honour of being the one to inform you of this invitation" Kaldur smiled widely "Her Highness, specifically is interested in meeting you personally which I must say is quite the accomplishment"

Naruto chuckled softly "I see, it would be quite rude of me to refuse such a profound invitation"

Kaldur nodded with a large grin "I will be awaiting your arrival near the gates of Atlantis"

Naruto smiled softly and flew away to his personal chamber in the cave, leaving behind a smiling Kaldur. A few moments of silent contemplation, the dark-skinned Atlantian's eyes widened when realization struck him. How could he be so stupid!?

Destiny, despite a man with incredible power and strength, was still a surface dweller and thus could not breathe under water, let alone eat! The issue of taking oxygen could be solved by presenting him with breathing mask, but what about eating food! They had invited the man for a feast, not meaningless conversation!

While he cursed himself for his stupidity, he couldn't help but wonder if his King and Queen had even thought of this thoroughly! They couldn't just invite a surface dweller for a feast without even thinking first! If they did, then instead of the guest being escorted out with a smile, they would be delivering his/her body to their family since he/ she would be dead!

What was his King and Queen even thinking!?

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City of Atlantis

Deep within the sunken city of mysticism and sorcery and within the walls of the lost civilization, Aquaman or better known as King Orin of Atlantis - a blond man with a moustache and beard dressed in a skin tight yellow shirt, green pants with attached pins at the back of his legs and a golden belt with an inverted V engraved on it – stood in front of his palace with his Queen, awaiting the much desired presence of their guest.

Next to his right hand stood a youthful looking redheaded woman dressed in a provocative halter neck top exposing her midriff, a matching pareo fastened around her waist by a golden ring, a crow-like tiara and a harlequin translucent veil underneath her pareo and around her shoulders strapped to her collar.

All around the front yard of the palace stood the common populace of Atlantis. Men, women, young, old and even children were gathered at the front yard of the palace and eagerly awaiting the legendary man known as Destiny. Children were practically jumping on their spots, not able to keep their impatience or eagerness in control as they chatted amongst themselves, narrating exaggerated stories of Naruto's bravery and courage.

He hadn't seen this much excitement and anticipation since they day he became a King!

Security guards could be seen patrolling the parameters of the palace as well as the surrounding areas for any threats or possible attacks, alertly taking rounds after rounds with their weapons clutched tightly in their hands. The King had ordered them to not even let a tiny sea horse near the palace let alone an intruder!

Aqualad had already sent a message of their arrival and the two along with the whole population of Atlantis had been waiting for them to appear. Honestly, Orin hadn't exactly been expecting Naruto to accept his invitation and had already told Mera to not get her hopes up too high considering the man's busy schedule, but had been surprised when the messenger had arrived with the news.

Even though the League had no idea who he was or what he was doing off duty, they still knew the man was busy since he seemed to always be off the Watchtower most of the time, only appearing when the situation would call for it. Nobody from Superman to Red Tornado knew about his identity or his occupation, not even Batman which seemed to annoy him even more, but every one single one of them respected the redhead too much to ask him about the issue.

For him to accept the invitation, it must mean he was feeling obligated to accept since he had never seen the redhead reject anything from any member of the League. Either that, or the man had finally enough time to come to his palace and sate the unquenchable curiosity of his people which admittedly had been spurned by him.

While he hadn't exaggerated any of the stories he had told them, it still had seemed like a legend to the people of Atlantis. A man powerful enough to combat and destroy a robot who even Superman and Wonderwoman along with right Leaguers had trouble fighting with and still come out unscathed! Defeat the villainous sorcerer Wotan without even being fazed by his mystic arts! Such feats while not particularly ordinary but still a common occurrences in their routine had seemed like legend to his people.

The redhead had an unnatural amount of charisma and weight of presence, so much that even he, a King in his own right, had been left speechless when Naruto had first introduced himself to the League. His aura carried warmth and comfort like a torch in the midst of darkness, his smile always seemed to be filled with amusement and joy without any reason at all, his reasons and logic were of the optimistic kind, never resorting to violence right of the bat.

A large sentinel dressed in a blue Atlantian uniform swam towards them and bowed in servitude "Your Highnesses, your guest has arrived"

Aquaman smiled widely and gripped his wife's hand "Excellent, show him in"

The soldier bowed and swam away to deliver the order. A few minutes later, the ever imposing figure of the tall redhead appeared after a battalion of Atlantian soldiers following after him to provide security. He had ordered the battalion to guard the redhead at all costs, even though he knew the man could take care himself against any threat directed at his person.

Though he noted with a small amused smirk that the soldiers were clearly excited to guard the legendary man, if their barely concealed grins were any indication.

Murmurs and silent cheers, clapping as well as shouts of joy erupted from the waiting audiences as Naruto elegantly swam towards their general location with a delicate smile on his ethereal face. Children swam above their elders to take a good look, the elders merely looked on with soft smiles on their faces to finally see the redhead who had become legendary in just two short months while the women felt slight tinges of unexplainable heat travel towards their faces.

Aquaman's eyes widened in shock when he noted a particular detail he had failed to take into account when he had asked Kaldur to invite Naruto. The issue of breathing under water! How could he have been so stupid! He had missed a detail that important in his haste to invite the legendary man. He didn't know whether to slap himself or bang his head against a wall for being so stupid!

However, while he admitted his stupidity, his shock was actually due to Naruto's apparent lack of discomfort in breathing under water! He was a surface dweller, he shouldn't have the necessary body organs to breathe under water! Yet, there he was, swimming towards them without an ounce of discomfort or any signs showing that he was holding his breathe.

This was another secret he learned, apparently Naruto could breathe under water!

Queen Mera eyed the man with a certain scrutinizing glint in her emerald eyes, now perfectly understanding why her husband had admitted to being rendered speechless in front of this man. He wasn't even near them, yet she could feel the weight of his overwhelmingly imposing presence here.

While oozing off an aura of benevolence, gentleness and unparalleled feelings of comfort, an unworldly pressure seem to linger around him, like a faithful dog guarding his master. The pressure while still quite large and somewhat unnerving, was still manageable, that is until he came near them.

His outer appearance was one of unequalled kindness and generosity, one always facing his problems with a calm smile on his face. His entire body seemed to have an unnatural glow around it, like a dim light in the midst of total darkness. His face seemed to be simply made from pure light, as if carved out of a marble yet infused with lightening to enhance its beauty even further.

His narrow yet kind blue eyes seemed to invite you, to bring you closer, to give you confidence and comfort in the most tragic of circumstances. His smile was of ethereal nature, soft yet at the same time full of genuine mirth and happiness. It was as if nothing would bring down his state of happiness and joy.

His tall height and body form, evident from within the skin tight red uniform, was a work of art itself. Even she, a happily married woman and soon-to-be mother of a child, was willing to admit that he looked the physical embodiment of perfection. Every twitch, every insignificant movement caused his stone-like muscles to glow and ripple like the calm waves of a sea. His attire seemed to enhance its magnificence even further. If he were to judge him solely on his looks alone, she would say he was a King himself.

Oh how little she knew!

Naruto swam through the water towards the standing couple, calmly waving to energetic adults and children who were eagerly raising their hands in greeting. A contemplating Kaldur swam away from him as he tried to get his mind around the things that had happened in the course of a day. He would have loved to meet his King and Queen after two months of absence but at the moment, he felt like finding some place quiet to think.

First of all, he found out that Naruto had no trouble breathing under water, according to the redhead, he didn't need oxygen to survive which was shocking to say the least!

Secondly, he found out that his entire reason for coming to Atlantis had moved on without him. Tula and Garth were now officially an item. While it broke his heart, he respected their decision and vowed to not become an obstacle in their path.

Two young children, around the age of 5 or 6 and twins from the looks of them, stopped in front of his path and looked at him with wide eyes, adoration and love shinning in their expressive eyes as they held notepads and writing instrument in front of him with their small hands.

Naruto stopped his swimming and touched the ground before kneeling down to the eye level of the children while the King and Queen as well as the rest of the audience watched with smiles on their faces. Seeing their adorable expressions, wide eyes brimming with curiosity and childish wonder reminded him of the days his children had been like them.

The now gigantic Tailed Beasts used to be small pieces of his power able to fit in his palm. They used to look at him with the same adoration these children were showering upon him, they used to huddle around his sitting form and look at him with wide eyes. They used to do anything to get his attention, going as far as hurting themselves so that he would heal them and rub their heads in affection. All nine of the siblings used to sleep in his lap with him looking down at their forms with affection and wake up to find him still the same as they had seen him before drifting off.

Now, all of them were big and strong enough to care of themselves, no longer needing his affection nor his protection. Seeing them grow up over the years made him truly feel like an old man watching his children grow up and only wait for death to claim him.

Now these children were looking at him with those same wide eyes he had seen on his sons and daughters.

Smiling softly, Naruto placed his hands on either of their heads and softly ruffled them before taking their notepads which seemed particularly immune to water effects. The twins, a girl and a boy, looked down in embarrassment as Naruto handed them the signed notepads and once again ruffled their hairs with a soft fatherly smile before swimming away.

The King and Queen smiled in fondness and awe as they saw Naruto deal with the children in such a delicate way. Orin squeezed his wife's hand in comfort when she stiffened as Naruto swam near to them and hovered in front of them with a soft smile on his face, the guards backed away and formed a circle around Naruto.

"Salutations, your Highnesses" Naruto greeted with delicate smile and inclined his head in greeting "I must say I consider it quite an honour to be invited to the magnificent city of Atlantis, not to mention receive such a warm welcome"

"Welcome Destiny, it was kind of you to accept our invitation" Aquaman stepped forward and extended his hand with a welcoming smile as Naruto took his hand and shook it with a grateful smile. He stepped back and took his wife's hand "Allow me to introduce my wife, Queen Mera"

Naruto turned to the redheaded queen and smiled softly "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Highness"

Queen Mera smiled back softly, hiding away the nervousness she felt from being subjected to the redhead's overwhelming pressure "No need to be so formal, Destiny, my husband has been talking nonstop about your accomplishment. Seeing in you in person, I must say they don't appear as far-fetched as before"

She loved her watery home more than anything and never thought she would love it even more than she already did. Yet here she was, being thankful for the water surrounding them since it hid away the sweat she would have released had she been on surface. Honestly she had laughed at her husband's misfortune for being rendered speechless in front of a man and always received the same response of 'You will see what I mean when you meet him'.

Now she saw what exactly he meant by those words. He wasn't even emitting any feelings or sensation of violence, yet she felt as though a wrong word spoken or a wrong action taken would get her killed! It felt as though an entire horde of whales were jumping upon her shoulders to drown her even more than she already was! One thing was for certain, he was no mere surface dweller nor an alien like that Superman, he was something much more!

Seeing as the introductions were over, the blond King of Atlantis smiled and gestured for the door to the Palace "Why don't we continue our conversation inside?"

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Science Centre, Same time

"Neptune's beard! I can't believe we are the unlucky soldiers who are missing the opportunity of seeing the legendary Destiny, I mean that's totally unfair!" an Atlantian soldier standing near the Science Centre whined childishly and looked at his comrade who was predictably enough pouting "We have been meaning to see him for two and a half months, yet the locals get to see him while we stand here doing nothing! On top of that, we weren't even selected to guard him!"

"I know that, I am just as miffed as you!" he snapped loudly and sat down on a nearby rock "But nevertheless, the King and Queen ordered us to guard the Science Centre and that's exactly what we are gonna do"

The first guard laughed mockingly "Relax, nothing is gonna happen. I mean what dumbass is gonna attack knowing that THE Destiny is here in Atlantis"

The other guard sighed in resignation. Even though he knew his partner was correct - he had heard that some villains would even surrender when they would see the redhead Hero floating in the sky in front of them – but there was always the possibility of an attack, especially with the discovery of the new strange creature a few days ago "Apparently the insanely ambitious one"

"Aww com.. agh!"

The sitting guard alertly looked at his partner when he heard a scream, only for his eyes to widen in shock and alarm when he saw said comrade unconsciously floating in the water. Before he could grip his weapon and look around for the bold attacker, a cable connected with the back of his head followed by a several volts of electricity, causing him to scream in pain and drop unconscious.

Several black armoured soldiers stepped out of the shadows into the light and inspected the fallen the soldiers before the apparent leader reached for his com "Sector one, secured!"

"Good work Alpha!" a deep voice announced from the other side of the com "Be ready to deploy with my signal. Guards are very few in sight around the Science Centre today, but still don't let your guard down!"

"Yes sir!"

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Royal Palace

"My Queen, explosions in Sector 1, 2 and 4!"

Naruto lowered the glass of wine – the Atlantian apparently, had ways to even drink under water—and gazed at the kneeling man with a calm look on his face. The feast had progressed very well, conversation here and there before the younger brother of the King appeared and announced the discovery of a new creature they had found at the depths of the ocean.

After being accustomed to his presence, the King and Queen had opened up immediately without him even trying anything. Kaldur had joined them during the middle of the feast along with his two childhood friend and crush, Garth and Tula respectively. Aquaman had been called for a mission on Tokyo Bay, he had offered his help but Aquaman Superman, who had called him, insisted he stay here and enjoy the feast.

Queen Mera stood up from her chair swiftly, before she could say anything an enormous explosion rocked the palace. Kaldur and Tula swiftly swam towards the leaning Queen while Garth and Prince Orm stood in front of her protectively "What on earth …!?"

Naruto placed the glass of wine on the large table and calmly swam towards the gates of the palace without staying anything. The explosion had been too close to the palace to be a simple misdirected shot, meaning the intruders were in the front yard. Judging from the life forces, there were a total of 30 soldiers currently firing at the entrance of the palace.

The Queen, seeing his action, gestured to her subjects and brother-in-law to follow the enigmatic redhead before following closely behind herself. She had heard stories about him but now she would personally see him in action and decide whether his combat prowess matched the rumours. His presence and aura had been proven correct, but now she was eager to see him in battle.

Much to her disappointment, they arrived at the entrance of the palace and only saw unconscious black armoured soldiers with Naruto calmly floating in front of the gates, not an ounce of disturbance on his ethereal features.

"What happened?" Kaldur asked as he swam towards the calm redhead.

"Black Manta's soldiers" Naruto replied calmly and turned to the dark-skinned Atlantian "There is no need to worry, I shall deal with them. Kaldur, watch over the Queen"

Queen Mera stepped forward and crossed her hands over her chest "I do not require protection"

Kaldur reached for his weapons and gripped them in his hands before turning to the redhead queen "Destiny is right, my Queen, I cannot let anything happen to you, especially when the heir to the throne is at risk as well"

Prince Orm nodded "Indeed, I shall stay here as well"

The stubborn Queen looked away with a frown on her face while Naruto smiled softly, oddly being reminded of his own mortal incarnation's mother, before turning to Tula and Garth "Protect the civilians at any cost, young ones"

Even though they knew they shouldn't take orders from someone who was obviously an outsider but something within the soft tone practically compelled them to comply "Yes sir!"

Naruto nodded softly and zipped towards the Science Centre with incredible speed, leaving behind an amazed Queen and Prince.

Queen Mera turned to Kaldur with a shocked look on her face "Is he always this fast?"

The dark-skinned Atlantian smirked "You should see him on the surface, my Queen, divine beings pale in comparison when he battles"

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Naruto arrived at the Science Centre just in time to witness Black Manta securing the frozen creature with a cable connected to a Submarine. Ignoring the many electrical and plasma blasts to his chest and back, Naruto flew towards the still busy Black Manta and floated behind him with a somewhat amused smile on his face.

Oddly enough, the man was either too busy with tying up the frozen creature with the cable to notice him or was purposely playing ignorant. Judging from his tense muscles underneath the black armour and the slow gathering of energy in his black helmet, the man was very much aware and affected by his presence.

It would have been disappointing had he not noticed him.

Suddenly turning around, Black Manta fired an incredible amount of energy from his helmet, not giving the redhead time to even think, not alone dodge. Imagine his surprise when he came face to face with the legendary Destiny of the League as he swatted away the energy blast with a smile on his face. He had heard stories and seen the man in action in several clips in the Light Database, thus he knew this one was not someone you could fool or even underestimate.

His power and physical strength even dwarfed Superman's!

Taking a cautious jump backwards, he discreetly signalled for his soldier in the Manta Ray ship to pull the creature up and tried to ignore the feeling of irritation and shock as he watched the redhead float in front of him with a smile on his face, not even affected by the relentless energy blasts being fired at him from several directions.

Gathering up his own energy - he knew the only way to survive this encounter was to buy enough time for his soldier to pull the creature up and escape—he fired a continuous stream of energy blast at the still redhead. He had seen him shrug off monstrous attacks without batting an eye and thus he knew that victory was impossible.

Luckily for him, he was not here to defeat the redhead but to get the creature.

Naruto extended both his hands outwards like an soaring eagle and spun in incredible speed, causing an enormous water tornado which seemed to increase in size and intensity the more he spun. Boulders, smashed building parts and scientific equipment as well as the soldiers became the unwilling victim of the enormous tornado as it swallowed them without much effort.

Naruto stopped his spinning and gazed at the cable connected to the creature, releasing a searing beam of destructive energy beams from his sharp blue eyes as the frozen sea creature was freed from the severed cable before being utterly incinerated by the optical beams of destruction.

"NOO!" Black Manta shouted in outrage as he witnessed his prize being reduced to ashes right in front of his eyes. This could not be! What would he report to the Light? Failure of a mission was unacceptable! Gazing at the still smiling redhead, he unleashed an enormous amount of red energy which connected with said redhead's chest, creating an explosion.

Among the rubble he spotted something which would at least help them when the time came, but for now his mission was half over. He was not foolish enough to think starting a fight with the redhead and hoping to survive would be a great idea.

The smoke and debris subsided enough to reveal a smiling Naruto standing in the middle of the hall with a raised eyebrow, with his hands crossed behind his back. Killing Black Manta now would have proven disappointing, since he wished to see what his masters would do when they heard his report. Taking out pawns from a chess board this early in the game would be no fun, he had all the time and patience to wait for their move.

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