Chapter 6: New Interests and New Players

Gotham Square Garden

"This is Cat Grant, reporting live from Gotham Square Garden where significantly distinguished political figures and ambassadors, along with their respective bodyguards are gathering at the Grand Hall of Gotham City for a Magical Show held by Zatanna Zatara" a blonde woman of average height announced with a pleasant smile on her face as she stood in front of the wide reception area of the Grand Hall.

The driveway to the Grand Hall was decorated with a large crimson carpet leading up to the front gate of the hall. Agents dressed in black suits were stoically standing in two rows along the path up to the gate, keeping the civilians from breaching the ropes placed between them.

Camera crews and reporters were gathered around the driveway of the Grand Hall, waiting for the political figures to arrive in their respective mode of transportation. Police guards and highly trained agents were littered around the premises of the hall for maximum security. Every precaution was taken into consideration to avoid any potential assassination attempt.

"And here comes the Mayor of Gotham City along with his wife"

A black Limo encompassed between several GCPD cars, arrived at the driveway and stopped, catching the attention of the news reporters as cameras flashed randomly. Several police officers stepped out of their cars and surrounded the limo as an usher opened the door to said Limo and a middle aged brown haired man, dressed in an expensive black suit stepped out followed by a similarly older woman.

Applauses, cheers and random flashes of cameras greeted the Mayor and his wife as they walked through the carpeted path towards the Grand Hall, waving softly to the cheering populace with pleased smiles on their faces.

Several other dignitaries ranging from the Gotham Police Department Chief, Jim Gordon up to General Tseng of South Rhelasia, arrived in their own respective mode of transportation as the usher escorted them to the Main Hall in the midst of booming applauses.

Princess Diana of Paradise Island arrived in a Limo shortly after Prime Minister Tseng. Stepping out of the limo, she was greeted with booming applauses and cheers. The Amazon Princess, according to her tradition, was dressed in a long white tunic hugging her divine curves, an equally long white cap with golden linings, her usual golden tiara adorned atop her forehead, silver bracelets and golden laced sandals.

Putting up an angelic smile on her beautiful face, the Ambassador of Paradise Island glided towards the main gate of the hall, all the while calmly waving to enthusiastic fans and civilians.

And that's when the main attraction of the night show appeared in all his regal glory!

"Ladies and Gentlemen! We have received a tip that the celebrated and noble Destiny is due to arrive here in about two minutes. As you can clearly see, the civilians are barely able to keep their excitement contained!" Cat Grant announced with a wide smile on her face as she pointed towards the direction of the excited crowd "To be fair, they are not the only ones anticipating his arrival!"

Hearing a commotion behind her, the blonde reporter turned towards the source of the sound with a grin. Arriving at the driveway was a sleek blood-red Lexus LF-LC as cameras welcomed its arrival with blinding flashes. The usher unexpectedly dashed towards the car, almost tripping himself due to his haste to open the door.

A collective gasp went through the gathered crowd of civilians and agents alike as a completely changed Naruto set his feet out of the car. Booming rounds of applauses, blinding flashes of cameras and deafening cheers of the excited civilians reverberated throughout the central park as Naruto stepped out of the crimson car.

As soon as his whole body emerged from the vehicle, everything stopped!

The famous Destiny was dressed in a long crimson coat reaching past his knees, black hakama, a dark red kimono style shirt with a few buttons undone, a blue sash wrapped around his waist and black socks hidden by white straw sandals.

Long tresses of crimson hair reaching to the middle of his spine waved and swayed in a soft wind like the calm waves of a sea, two delicately thin bangs fell down right in front of his blue shinning diamond-like eyes. A soft and delicate smile danced on his lips, giving his otherworldly regal and handsome face a new light and aura.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! It's safe to assume that he melted a few thousand hearts with that smile alone!" Cat Grant voiced out in a dazed tone as she tried to turn her gaze away from Naruto's smiling face and focus on reporting "Because … I am hundred percent sure he just melted mine!"

The scene was actually quite amusing. Not even crickets were making sounds! Everything was quite! No murmurs! No whispers! No cheers or flashes of cameras! Everything stopped moving as soon as the famous Hero stepped out of the car! And honestly, she couldn't blame them!

He looked like something out of a fantasy! Something out of every women's … wet dream, for lack of a better explanation! His piercingly narrow eyes shone like pure diamonds in the darkness of the night as they delicately moved over the crowd!

His thin lips were regally stretched into a soft and heart-melting smile! Just seeing that smile sent pleasurable tingles down her body and she was sure she was not the only one on the receiving end of these … sensations!

Perfectly proportioned cheeks bones. Pronounced eyelashes hiding a pair of blue diamonds. Narrow and short eyebrows. Everything about him screamed perfect!

His crimson coat softly fluttered in the wind as he regally glided towards the main gate of the hall, piercing blue eyes squinted due to clear amusement, a soft smile danced on his lips as he skimmed his eyes over the crowd "I hope I am not late"

As if a switch was turned on, everything burst forth into life. Thunderous clapping and applauses greeted his softly spoken words of amusement! Blinding flashes of cameras rained down upon his form! Questions after questions were fired at him from all sides by curious bystanders and reporters!

The security guards and other agents stationed at the front of the driveway snapped into attention and stood as straight as frozen pillars!

Naruto glided through the cheers, the booming clapping and the flashes of cameras towards the hall with a delicate smile on his face. The previously stupefied usher snapped into action and hastily tried to catch up to the charismatic Hero.

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Inside the Concert Hall

The inside of the concert hall was divided into four sections on the main floor, the first being devoted to the honored guest while the rest of the three were designated for other civilians. The atmosphere of the hall could be described as peaceful and still, without being uncomfortable.

The hall was dimly lit, decorations littered the entirety of the concert, especially the stage. Several dignitaries and ambassadors were seated in the front row of the hall. Hidden agents and police guards were stationed around the dark corners of the hall to provide security but stay out of sight.

Silent murmurs and gasps went through the civilians and dignitaries alike as the usher escorted Naruto to his seat at the front of the stage. Considering his imposing height, muscular body stature, charismatic visage and overwhelming weight of presence, every set of eyes were drawn to him as soon as he entered the gate.

Since his seat was right in the middle of the row, he had to walk through the front of the stage to his seat which was next to Wonderwoman. Gliding through the row of seats, the present dignitaries were oddly feeling compelled to stand up and greet the otherworldly charismatic man.

Naruto calmly handled the pleasantries with a soft smile on his face as he walked to his seat.

"You sure know how to make an entrance" Diana commented in a teasing smile as Naruto calmly came up to his seat and sat down with a soft chuckle.

The regal aura emitting off of him just seemed to compel others to respect him. He hadn't even asked them to stand up and greet him, let alone offer their compliments, yet the ambassadors, dignitaries and other political figures stood up as soon as they saw him.

It was the kind of effect he seemed to have over others!

"I aim to impress, your Highness" Naruto replied with a soft chuckle.

Diana smiled back "Well, your impression would soon result in you being neck deep in proposals of courtship and … marital commitments"

The ancient King gave her a sideway glance "It may be a product of my imagination but I seem to notice a semblance of experience in your words, Diana"

Wonderwoman laughed sheepishly. Guess, she was caught red handed! He was right nonetheless. The number of courtship proposals and requests of marriage sent to her Embassy daily could be counted in hundreds! Honestly, she had bought a shredder just for that otherwise the requests would have kept piling up!

"You know, I noticed something very peculiar about you" she commented offhandedly, hoping to change the subject lest she find herself in a battle of logic and reasons with the redhead. He seemed to have an answer prepared for every kind of question beforehand!

"Oh" the redheaded King voiced out in amusement "Did you now?"

She gave him a pointed look "You seem to have a very strange habit of diverting attention from yourself with well-placed questions or subtle humor"

Naruto smiled delicately "Like what you are trying to accomplish now?"

Feeling a tinge of embarrassment at being caught in her own game, the black haired Heroine looked away with a sheepish smile on her face. Great Hera, he even turned that question back on her like it was nothing!

This habit of his almost resembled Superman's own manner of conversation, except she could catch him should the need arise … or she could punch him when he crossed a line. She had to admit that was her favorite part in their conversation and the fact that he seemed to hate that part was a plus!

He was the only man _ beside Destiny of course _ who could take her teasing punch and not break down.

"Not keen on expressing your thoughts, are you?"

"You really make it difficult for people to have a normal conversation with you" she replied with a mock scowl. She couldn't exactly punch him like she would've punched Superman had he used this kind of teasing tone with her!

Another thing she couldn't comment on was the fact that he seemed to address her with formal terms like 'Princess', 'your Highness or your Majesty'. She hated being called as such but coming out of his mouth seemed to have an entirely new meaning and purpose.

She couldn't remember the number of times she had punched Superman in the arm for calling her Princess! Coming from Superman's mouth seemed to be for the sole of annoying her, which the Hero took sick pleasure from! She just hated it when he would open his mouth and utter that one word she loathed hearing from his mouth!

Naruto simply smiled delicately and looked towards the stage just as a spotlight fell on the front, signifying the start of the show.

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An hour later, Garden

The full moon shining brightly in the vast reaches of the star-littered sky illuminated the garden connected to the Main Hall where the Magic Show had taken place. Soft winds dashed past the lush blades of grass, skimmed through the delicate flower plants and shrugged off the possessive grip of the large green trees to escape into the free environment.

Long crimson coat softly blew, silky strands of delicate red hair waved hypnotically in the alluring winds dashing through the garden as the ancient King calmly glided across the delicate blades of grass with a soft smile on his ethereally glowing face.

The delicate blades of grass shivered and trembled under his sandaled feet, desperately reaching out for his feet to delay further walking. The pinkish white and dark reddish roses seemed to enhance their beauty in order to gain the attention of the powerful entity.

Large greens trees seemed to constantly shiver and tremble, actively shaking its leaves to provide a musical sensation to entrance and welcome the redheaded King. Birds calmly resting in the burrows of the tress stirred awake as if compelled to witness the arrival of the one entity that seemed to understand them.

Owls blinked, intellect and curiosity brimming in their round eyes as they gazed at the ancient King, calmly releasing hoots of interest and contentment.

Naruto poured out a considerable amount of his soothing and ethereally glowing silver energy into the environment to reward the hospitable birds and openhearted plants for welcoming his arrival with substantial exhilaration and appreciation.

Flowers flourished and blossomed with a sense of pride as they found themselves on the receiving end of the ethereal energy. Trees increased their relentless shivering and trembling to indicate their happiness. The lush green blades of grass rose their heads in pride and delight, feeling a sense of rejuvenation and rebirth.

The ancient King calmly glided through the wonderfully dense garden towards the large pond where a small hut like structure with no windows and doors was erected. The modest and striking hut created in a Chinese design was surrounded by water on all sides, a stunningly fashioned wooden bridge linking it to the parcel.

The mere design of the shed screamed humbleness and peace! The pond was created in a way that it resembled a natural stream. Beautifully polished stones surrounded the crystal blue water from all sides, reflecting the twinkle of the stars. Wild daffodils littered the sides of the pond, peacefully waving and shivering in the soft breeze.

The proud father of nine children glided through the erect soldier-like lines of daffodils, walked past the shining surface of the water and calmly stood upon the middle of the stunningly wooden bridge to gaze upon the vast and infinite reaches of space.

Piercingly narrow sapphire diamond like-eyes mirrored the playful and mischievous glittering of the stars with equal vigor. Soft ethereal visage and regal features of the ancient entity glowed mysteriously amidst the silver radiance of the moon. A heartwarming and delicate smile danced teasingly upon a pair of soft thin lips.

Some may associate watching the star-littered sky with concealed loneliness and hidden pain. Some may refer to those who gaze at the night sky with melancholic expressions as disastrous and unsuccessful pursuers of love and some may simply refer to it as finding peace of the mind.

However, all those references, ideas, concepts, beliefs and theories of star-gazing were wrong in his case.

He was not gazing at the vast shroud of stars because of some misplaced and misdirected sentiments of being disregarded or because his heart was filled with uncertainties and illogical reservations for the future. He was not watching the playful winks of the stars because there was no one to love him or because the one he loved did not return the feeling.

He felt amusement!

Simply watching and exploring a few light years of the vast space seemed to give the mortals of several realms and planets a deep sense of pride and accomplishment. Conquering a few primitive planets seemed to erode their senses of judgment and awareness, prompting them to believe their selves as the superior beings.

The vast reaches of space, large number of planets, entire cluster of galaxies yet to be seen by the eyes of the mortals were but a mere drop in the entirety of a particular reality! A reality was no mere name with no real meaning behind it. It was but a fact of the true vastness of existence.

A reality included infinite clusters of galaxies, spaces, dimensions and realms. Some were conceived in pairs, some even created in groups! Some were astoundingly peaceful and brimming with life, some were but barren wastelands of infinite sand dunes and scorching winds!

He couldn't help but wonder what the mortals would feel when faced with this particular truth! Would their sense of accomplishment take a hit? Would their sense of power and superiority crumble to pieces or increase their greed for more resources and power?

It was disappointingly unproblematic to predict when one faced a mortal.

Coming back to the issue at hand, the magic show had proceeded with much more unexpected vigor and excitement than he had anticipated. Even seeing the old-fashioned trick of pulling out a rabbit from a hat had received thunderous applauses.

The main attraction of the show, Zatanna Zatara demonstrated her skills in a way that it left him smiling at her confidence and creativeness. Certainly, her mood of dress had something to do with her popularity besides her power.

Dressed in a white corset tightly hugging her considerable bust and slender midriff, black coat with tails, fishnet stockings teasingly hiding her thick thighs, black high heel boots and a top hat certainly was pleasing on the eyes.

In the end, despite Zatanna's unexpectedly powerful way of performance, her mood of dress and ministrations upon the stage had received much more cheers and standing ovations.

He supposed it was but another strange product of human intellect and way of thinking. There was no doubt in his mind that had another individual, particularly an elderly male, performed the trick, no one would have even bothered to see it to the end, let alone stand up to shower the man with cheers and applauses of encouragement.

However, setting everything aside, he had to admit she had made his visit worthwhile like she had promised. Her confidence upon the stage, flirty and throaty way of speaking and forwardness earned her marks from him.

Even Diana had been surprised by her straightforwardness when Zatanna had send him playful winks during the show.

In the end, a private party was held to honor the gathered dignitaries and promote charity for war-torn countries. Several dignitaries and political figures were hasty to approach him and introduce themselves.

The docile and gentle Prime Minister Tseng had expressed a desire for him to act as a negotiator during the peace talks between South and North Rhelasia. Despite his schedule stretched quite thin, he had agreed since the man had shown that he was truly moving towards a peaceful conclusion of the endless wars between the two countries.

The Peace Conference would take place tomorrow night in Taipei.

A particularly peculiar individual by the name of Jim Corrigan, a middle aged gentleman working as a secret agent for the United States caught his attention. He of course knew who or rather what the man truly was, but the interaction had, nonetheless, proven quite entertaining, especially with Jim trying to appear normal.

He had sent Oken several days ago to inform the cosmic entity known as Specter to appear in his Throne Room for a 'private' conversation. Amusingly enough, said entity had declined his offer, quite rudely in fact. Oken had not been happy about that decision.

The Specter used to eradicate those who committed heinous crimes with no hopes of redemption, however with the passage of time, everything about him changed. He no longer sought justice … no longer put much effort to his job.

Now he only lived for the sole purpose of manipulating powerful beings and watching them destroy themselves. Everything about him was corrupted and vile.

Oken had of course suggested the immediate erasure of the insolent entity but he saw no reason to take out a 'King' too early in the game. Despite being countless millenniums old, Oken was still an impatient child with a warrior-like mindset who could not understand the true way of ruling.

It was no fun to sacrifice your Pawns and Knights in order to surround and destroy the rival King. The game could only be fun when you simply sit back and watch as your rival sacrifice his entire array of Pawns and Knights in order to futilely take out your King.

Eliminating the cosmic entity now would simply be too soon. It was much more entertaining to see him try and fail to manipulate him for his own gain and amusement. The amusing part was that the cosmic entity didn't know his true identity as the master of the messenger who had been sent towards him.

Coming back to the topic, Jim had offered his regards and a weakly-veiled attempt at coaxing him to join his side without revealing his true colors. The man had requested his assistance in some of the cases and leads he was following, however the actual purpose of the leads and cases was as clear as the shining surface of a lake.

He had of course agreed with an amused smile while the disguised Specter had walked off with his eyes briefly flashing a deep green.

In the end, the overly diplomatic environment of the hall soon lost its novelty and he had walked outside to feel some semblance of peace.

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An Hour Later

"Why hello there, handsome" a silky voice overflowing with suggestive intentions purred next to him.

The ancient King tore his piercing gaze away from the star-littered sky and turned to his left with a soft smile on his face.

Standing at the start of the wooden bridge and currently sauntering towards him was a relatively tall reddish-brown haired woman with two goblets of rosy wine in her hands. The green-eyed woman was dressed in a provocative and revealing long reddish-black dress with a slit reaching up to the middle of her left thigh.

Everything about her, from the unrestricted view of her considerable cleavage, the occasional exposure of her long legs and the sway of her hips, screamed seduction and temptation. Her rosy lips were stretched into a tempting smile. Her green eyes, one halfway hidden by her brown locks, were filled with unrestrained want and desire.

"A compliment right from the start? How generous of you" Naruto commented lightly, a soft smile danced on his lips.

The brown haired woman's smile widened even more as she approached him and offered one of the goblet "I don't just offer compliments if the receiver is not worthy"

"Oh?" Naruto raised an amused eyebrow and gratefully took the wine glass "So am I supposed to consider myself worthy of being complimented by a woman of your grace and beauty?"

"I thought I was the one giving compliments here" she replied with a tempting smirk, stepping right into his personal space before leaning on the edge of the wooden bridge "The name is Samantha, Samantha Grey"

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Grey" Naruto stated with a soft smile and took a calm sip from the goblet, fully aware of the woman's piercing and predatory gaze upon his face, particularly his lips.

She waved off her hand with a mock glare and boldly rubbed one of her delicate hands over his torso "None of that formal terms, you can simply call me Samantha"

Naruto raised an eyebrow of interest and amusement at the woman's bold and straightforward action. Of course, he could see that she was affected by his natural pressure of presence but she seemed skilled enough to hide it admirably.

One thing was for sure, she had no qualms about being blunt with her desires.

"Well then, Samantha, you may call me Naruto"

"Naruto hmmm … if I understand correctly and if my knowledge of other languages is correct, then your name means fishcake?" she asked with a suggestive smirk, all the while temptingly rubbing her hand over his wide muscular torso "It has another meaning as well, but I rather like your name representing a kind of food … considering one can just gobble … you … up"

Desire, temptation and suggestive hints! Her hand was wandering all over his body as if measuring every inch of flesh, though they were teasingly staying clear of the 'danger zone'. How fascinatingly forward woman this was!

Naruto let out a melodious chuckle "My my, you are quite straightforward"

Samantha smirked widely, obviously pleased with his response "I like to make an impression"

"And just what kind of impression are you trying to make?" the ancient King asked with a soft smile.

The brown haired woman raised the wine glass to her mouth and took a long sip before lightly licking her full pouty lips, all the while making sure to gaze right into his piercing eyes with a tempting smirk "A handsome man like you receive these kinds of … impressions every day, so I am positively sure you understand what I want"

"Nevertheless, enlighten me" Naruto challenged with a delicate smile as he raised the goblet to take a sip. Judging from the surprised expression on Samantha's face, he guessed she was not used to being denied or rejected in such a way.

Granted, he did not reject her, but merely challenged her. Now it was time to see whether she was truly set on getting what she wanted.

Samantha got over her surprise and smirked widely before placing the goblet on the edge of the wooden bridge. As soon as Naruto lowered the wine glass from his lips, she wrapped her slender arms around his neck and smashed her lips with his own.

Probing her tongue into his mouth, the brown haired smirked into the kiss when Naruto gave her free access into his orifice. Full pouty lips sucked, licked and bite his soft and thin ones as if they were food ready to be eaten. Her delicate hands waved through his silky red hair as she deepened the kiss.

After a few moments, the brown haired woman separated from him with a wide smirk while Naruto merely smile a lopsided smile of amusement and interest "I hope that was … enlightening enough for you"

"I suppose your way of enlightenment was much more … compelling than the normal way" Naruto agreed with a delicate smile.

He had to give her credit for not backing down from the challenge.

Simply judging from her appearance alone, he knew she was the kind of woman who always got what she wanted through her beauty alone. By challenging her to clarify her motives, he not only challenged her ideals but her confidence and self-assurance.

However, by taking the initiative and not letting his rejection get to her, she proved that she was more than just a creature of beauty and temptation.

Samantha's lips stretched into an amused and pleased grin before she reached to take out a card from the cleavage of her dress, making sure to give him a nice view.

Taking out the card, she presented it to the ancient King with a seductive smirk "Take this, it has my number written on the backside. Call me when you need a firsthand demonstration of real … enlightenment"

Naruto took the card with an amused chuckle "How bold of you"

"I try" she retorted with a wide smirk and once again delivered a heated kiss to his lips before walking away with a tantalizing sway to her hips "I'll be seeing you again very soon … beloved"

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Inside the Hall

Naruto walked back just in time to witness a frustrated Diana politely refusing dance offers. Dignitaries ranging from young and middle aged asked one after the other, only to be politely refused. She did strike quite an angelic figure in that tunic.

Putting a teasing smile on his face, Naruto changed his destination and glided towards her general location. Seeing him approaching the esteemed Princess, those who had been waiting to ask for a dance politely excused themselves and walked away, causing the wary Heroine to sigh in relief.

"Thank you" she said in a grateful smile and released a sheepish sigh "I thought they would never get the hint"

"I have to admit they are not to blame for asking" Naruto announced with a soft smile.

Diana raised a delicate eyebrow "Meaning?"

The ancient King chuckled softly "Probing for an explanation?"

"It's a very bad habit of yours to leave people wondering, you know" she retorted with a mock glare. There was just something visibly clear about his compliments. Every compliment she had ever received from anyone has always been due to her beauty and their clear or hidden lust.

Even her own teammates had made it clear that they thought she was beautiful and wouldn't mind dating her should she comply. Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow and Green Lantern had practically admitted it under her Lasso of Truth.

Even Superman, for all his mild-manners and Boy Scout antics, had given her hints. The only thing different about his hints was that he thought that she was beautiful but he was not going to make a fool of himself to try and get on her good side. Perhaps that was what made her respect and befriend him.

However, Naruto's compliment seemed entirely based on genuine happiness and amusement, not lust or suggestive intentions. His eyes, his posture, his smile and his words clearly indicated that he only complimented her to raise her spirits, not because he thought she was beautiful in a carnal way and was hoping for a chance of courtship.

His compliments were filled with something she couldn't put her fingers on no matter how much she tried.

"Joking aside, you seem to be in a hurry to leave the Hall" Naruto commented lightly, causing the black haired heroine to tense unexpectedly "Any particular reason?"

Diana absently played with a lock of black hair and looked away with an embarrassed smile "I promised Kal… I mean Superman … that I would see him in his home town, Smallville, after the party. As you know, Ice Cream is my favorite food, he sort of promised to serve me a homemade Ice Cream … which is in Smallville"

Naruto's blue eyes twinkled in amusement "And?"

Hearing the amusement in his tone, the black haired Princess turned her gaze towards him and gave him a pointed look "You are enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Perish the thought, your Majesty, I was merely curious" the redhead replied with a soft smile.

Diana flashed him a skeptical look "So be it, but can you kindly give Zatanna my regards for the wonderful show and tell her that I couldn't tarry for long due to some urgent work?"

"Delivering your regards will be of no consequence, Diana, but I don't believe Miss Zatara would accept going on a date as an appropriate excuse" Naruto commented lightly, a soft and delicate smile danced on his lips.

"It's not a date!" the black haired heroine blurted out with a alarmed expression on her face before she composed herself and coughed into her hand "Kal … I mean Superman and I do this friendly outings every Friday night, so it most certainly is not a date!"

She and Clark always went to different places together on Friday nights. It was their custom. Going to the carnivals held in Smallville dressed in normal clothes. Buying insignificant stuff like teddy bears from stands like normal people.

Clark would sometimes take her to a local ice cream stand where an elderly couple served the best Ice cream. After eating the ice cream, they would take relaxing stroll through the fields and then sit on the roof of the Kent's house till dawn, simply talking like friends.

Doing those things surely didn't mean that they were dating, right? Right?

Yeah… of course it didn't. They were just good friends… best friends so it was ok for them to do these thing together… right?

"No need to be so defensive, Diana, I was only trying to lighten the mood" Naruto announced with a soft reassuring smile "Go and I'll make sure to deliver your … message to Zatanna"

"Thank you" Diana smiled gratefully and gave him a quick hug, desperately trying to conceal her wide smile as she swiftly waved through the mingling people towards the exit. Taking out her phone, she sent a message to her driver and existed the door with an extra spring in her steps.

"Well hello there, handsome, mind if I ask for a dance?"

Naruto smiled delicately and turned around to the source of the flirty voice, only to come face to face with a smiling Zatanna.

She was dressed in a short black dress reaching down to the middle of her thick thighs, black high heels and a golden choker wrapped around her neck. Her wavy black locks were let loose over back and shoulders, a few strands hanging in front of her mischievous blue eyes. Admittedly, she looked quite beautiful.

"Greetings Zatanna, I must say you look quite lovely tonight" Naruto commented with a soft smile.

Zatanna smiled widely "Why thank you, you look quite handsome yourself. I am surprised no one has asked you for a dance"

Compliments was what she was looking for! Especially when it came from his lips!

She hadn't gotten any chance of even speaking with him for a few seconds let alone a few minutes because… well she was the hostess and had to entertain her guests. She had to admit seeing him being surrounded by beautiful women during the entirety of the show as well as half of the party made her a little jealous!

She had organized the entire show in a way that would at least impress the mysterious redhead and in turn deliver her promise of making it worth his while. Usually, her shows were sponsored by high profile companies seeking even more publicity, however this show was different.

The expenses, the hiring of numerous security guards as well as renting the Grand Hall was from her own pocket, so to speak. She may not be a billionaire like Bruce Wayne, but her shows generated enough cash for her to be called one.

However, the point of the matter remained the same. She had done this show in order to well… impress the famous Destiny and show him that she was more than just a pretty face and a voluptuous body.

After all first impressions are the last impressions!

The ancient King's blue diamond-like eyes twinkled "You could say, I was waiting for the right lady to dance with"

"I will accept the compliment even though I know you just entered the hall so no one had the chance to ask" she smirked and extended her delicate hand "May I?"

"It will be my pleasure"

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Next Day, Night Time, Taipei,

The peace conference held in Taipei was going on in full swing. Both General Singh Manh Li and Prime Minister Tseng of North and South Rhelasia had arrived and were seated. Security was tight around the premises of the gathering hall. Camera crews and reporters were gathered inside and outside the hall to report the historic event.

Seated between the two leaders was Naruto in his Destiny costume, a pleasant smile on his ethereal face.

The amusing part in the whole ordeal was that Lex Luthor, accompanied by his assistant Mercy, had actually been requested by General Singh to act as an arbitrator while he was requested by Prime Minister Tseng.

An assassination attempt had taken place on Lex, however he stopped the assassin _ who turned out to be Cheshire _ before she could complete her objective.

Humorously enough, Lex Luthor walked off to the hall playing the part of being a victim of unsuccessful assassination when he had hired the assassin himself. The man was but a wolf hiding behind a sheep's coat.

Despite not showing it, Luthor had been surprised to see him, shocked even. His expression had clearly shown the course of his mood. His smile had become forced and strained.

Now, seated between General Singh and Naruto was Lex Luthor with a forced and fake pleasant smile on his face while Naruto simply smiled in amusement. His very presence was making the bald man wary and on guard. His muscles were tense, hands clenched under the table, feet frantically albeit discreetly stomping the marble floor.

After the assassination attempt, the bald businessman had suggested the preparation of green tea to remind the leaders their shared customs and tradition, which was actually meant more for his frantic and wary nerves than actual interest in their traditions.

"Is there a particular reason why you appear so apprehensive, Mr. Luthor?" Naruto asked with a calm smile.

The bald businessman smiled uneasily and waved off his hand, giving him a sideway glance of defense "Nothing of the sort, Mr. Uzumaki"

Naruto simply smiled mysteriously. How fascinating! He was trying to conceal his real motives behind attending the conference. Judging from the thoughts swirling around his head and his constant glances towards his watch, the man was obviously waiting for the bomb hidden under a tea cart to be delivered to the room.

A beautiful lady of Chinese origin calmly pushed a tea cart through the hall towards the table with a pleasant smile on her face. As soon as she reached within a few feet from the table, she pressed a button and violently pushed the cart towards the table.

Seeing the apparent signal and inevitable explosion, Luthor gave his assistant a discreet signal. Before Mercy could roll up her sleeve to use her hidden gun on the cart to divert its path, Naruto stood up with a calm smile on his face and zipped forward before anyone had the time to blink.

The ancient King tore out the bomb implanted within the tea cart and kept it contained within the palms of his hands. The bomb exploded a few seconds later, however, instead of destroying the hall with it, it only released a faint sound of explosion within Naruto's hands.

Seeing as the formidable Destiny was present, Cheshire cut her losses and escaped within the confusion. Fulfilling a contract was all well and good but there was no way she was going to risk her life fighting that calm but dangerous beast.

Cameras flashed around the hall to capture the astounding scene of Destiny containing a large bomb in his hands and saving both leaders of Rhelasia as well as Lex Luthor from being blown to smithereens.

Tseng and Singh Manh Li uncovered their eyes and saw, much to their surprise and relief, Destiny containing the bomb within his hands. As soon as the dangerous part was over, the two leaders forgot about their differences and ran towards the calm Naruto.

"That was an astonishing display, Mr. Destiny!" Prime Minister Tseng exclaimed with a wide smile on his face.

"Indeed, we owe you our lives!" General Singh stated in equally surprised and grateful tone.

"It was of no consequence, gentlemen. Shall we proceed with the conference?" Naruto announced with a soft smile. The two leaders gave each other understanding nods and walked off with the famous Hero towards the table where a fuming Lex was calmly sitting.

Now seated on the chairs behind the table, Naruto calmly took a sip from a newly served tea and turned to the two leaders who were awfully quiet

"Gentlemen, regardless of your differentiations, whether subjective or collective, you have much in common, starting from the very nature of your name. Why divide a country which used to be one? Why instigate conflicts amongst yourselves while others benefit from your losses? Soldiers die on the battlefield defending their home land, yet at the same time they are eradicating their own brethren on the opposite side. Is it not better to forget your differences, your meaningless contests of strength, your individuality and join hands for the betterment of your future?"

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The bald and manipulative businessman watched with a barely concealed expressions of anger and disbelief as the two leaders signed a treaty of peaceful coexistence by simply hearing a few words from Destiny.

Everything went down the drain!

When the unexpectedly powerful hero had appeared out of nowhere, the Light knew that he would be trouble. They had searched high and low to find out his initial history such as previous life style, his friends, family, home, the cause of his powers awakening and the source of said power.

However, they had found out … nothing! Nothing at all!

According to the data of the Japanese and Chinese government, a name such as Naruto simply didn't exist!

While the rest of the Justice League knew his true colors and motives, they also showed their intentions towards him in their actions. The only thing stopping them from putting him in jail was the lack of proofs and evidences to support their claims.

However, Destiny did not show contempt, anger, hate or even irritation. Quite the contrary, he showed open amusement and interest. That alone was dangerous. Knowing that your enemies hates your guts points out the only logical solution to vent their anger … your death … and thus make it easier for you to predict their moves.

But,

An enemy who you have no idea what he is thinking when he sees you … what he is planning when you see his smile … and what his actual thoughts are when he approaches you and shakes your hand without even indicating the nature of your hostile relationship … was far more dangerous and threatening!

Destiny was that sort of enemy!

They knew that if they had trouble in actually planning contingencies against Superman and Wonderwoman, then it would prove outright impossible to stop Destiny since he was far, far stronger than both of them combined!

His strict and decisive actions against the Light's agents further increased their worries. They had tried coaxing Wotan into capturing the famous hero by providing him the artifact to blot out the sun, hoping that he would have the same weakness as Superman, only to find Wotan defeated and captured!

They had ordered Professor Ivo to create an adaptive Android and let it loose over Central City in hopes of Destiny appearing to assist the rest of the League. The actual purpose of the Android attack had been to collect battle Data and genetic samples from the famous Destiny in hopes of creating a clone similar to Superboy.

That attempt had also been crushed and eliminated. The Android hadn't even processed the man's initial arrival data before it had met Naruto's devastating punches.

Seeing the failures of so many attempts at getting genetic samples from Naruto in the form of blood or even a few strands of hair, they had resorted to a higher level of mysticism. The Helmet of Fate!

They had send Klarion, the Witch Boy to acquire the good doctor's helmet so that they may be able to use its tremendous power in order to either capture or destroy the powerful redhead. However, the disappointment of that particular assignment outshined the rest of the discouraging failures!

Not only had Klarion failed to acquire the helmet, he had been forced to flee and now the helmet belonged to the Justice League.

And now, he destroyed their carefully planned scheme of making the two leaders dependent on the resources of the Light by solving their problems … problems which had been created by the Light in the first place!

They had planted suggestions in Red Arrow's mind to appear in order to stop the assassin and thus make him an angel in the eyes of the public. By appearing as though he had been a victim of false prejudice by the League, he would take the piercing and skeptical gazes of the public away from him and point them at the League.

They had planned for Sportsmaster to bail Cheshire from jail in Red Arrow's presence, thus compelling the Hero to pursue them into Ra's lair where they would acquire Intel from said clone, plant more suggestions into his mind and then release him.

By making it appear as though the assassin was sent by Ra's to get rid of Luthor, Red Arrow's programming would force him to ask for help from his fellow Sidekicks and thus make their job much easier to handle.

Cheshire would make another appearance along with Sportsmaster himself, making it easier for Luthor to seemingly save the two leaders' lives and compel them to sign a treaty, all the while owing their lives to him and by extension, the Light.

However, Tseng ruined everything by inviting Destiny to come here! Hiring Cheshire as an assassin was for naught! Planting suggestions in Red Arrow's mind was delayed! His image as an innocent Angel was postponed! Forcing the two leaders to owe the Light by saving their lives was useless now!

Everything happened the opposite of what they had planned!

Saving him from Cheshire's seemingly harmful attack, it further improved Destiny's image as an astonishingly efficient Hero instead of making him appear as an innocent and good-willed arbitrator who wished to unite two countries!

By saving the lives of the two leaders from Cheshire's second attempt, Destiny compelled the two leaders to forget their differences and sign for a peaceful unity of the two countries!

Never in the entire history of the Light's formation had anyone, god or mortal, ruined their plans so badly! Not even Darksied had manipulated them to this extent!

It was time to truly enlist the man as the number one enemy of the Light and work out contingencies to eliminate him permanently. He was a ticking bomb who was more trouble than worth, considering he was far intelligent and perceptive than anyone they had ever seen!

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Gotham City, Abandoned Town

"Sire, is there a particular reason why we are moving towards an abandoned town?" Oken asked curiously from the driver's seat. Sure, he could feel several life forces from within the abandoned town's center, but he couldn't figure out why the ancient King would be interested in them?

They were moving towards a remote district of Gotham City which had been abandoned several years ago due to severe floods. Everything was desolate and in shambles… in short not worth his King's attention.

Crimson Lexus LF-LC roared through the shaky roads of the abandoned town as it sped towards the center. Sitting in the back leathered seat to the side, the aforementioned redheaded King smiled softly "Interests and fascinations are good and all, my boy, but do try not to let them consume your being"

Hearing his vague and ambiguous words, Oken gave the redheaded ruler an amused look "Should I take that answer as a sign of your reluctance to tell me the truth, your Highness?"

Reaching for a wine glass placed in front of him in the container, Naruto chuckled softly and took a calm sip from the red wine "You are perceptive"

"I have learned from the best" Oken retorted with a smile.

The redhead returned the smile with a soft smile of his own "How generous of you"

The brown haired attendant smiled mysteriously and looked towards the road with a firm look on his face "Sire, may I ask why you seem … reluctant to tell me the real reason of our trip towards the destroyed town's center?"

Resting his head upon his clenched fist, Naruto gazed out of the black tinted window of the speeding car with a teasing smile "Why ruin the surprise?"

Knowing that he won't receive any answer, Oken nodded softly and sped through the town's streets before stopping near a large worn down building. Quickly getting out of the car, Oken opened the gate to the back seat and Naruto stepped out with a delicate smile.

"Does this surprise has something to do with those life forces I am sensing in the building, your Majesty?"

"Perhaps"

The redheaded King hovered a few inches above the ground before calmly floating towards the building with a soft undisturbed smile on his ethereal face. Oken keenly looked around the town with a frown on his sharp features before calmly following his hovering master.

He saw nothing of importance or interest in this town, in fact he couldn't even see the car he had parked just now.

Everything except the door of the large building was suddenly shrouded in pitch black blanket of darkness! The only thing visible among the depressing darkness was the worn down door of the building and the glowing and floating form of the ancient King.

The surprising part was that even he couldn't see past the darkness!

He had been hoping to at least read the sign on the construction he had seen when he had parked the car and figure out what exactly interested his King.

Though judging from the teasing smile on his master's face, he realized that the ancient King was the cause of the sudden black shroud and the apparent reason why he couldn't see past it "Now now, my boy, lets not ruin the surprise"

The brown haired attendant blinked in confusion before calmly resuming his walk until the duo reached the worn down gate of the large structure. The floating King turned to his curious attendant with a gentle smile "Oken, do you mind knocking the door?"

Getting the hidden meaning behind the word 'knock', the muscular attendant nodded firmly and punched the iron door so hard that not only was it blasted from its hinges but also sent sailing towards the opposite side of the strange building before blasting through the wall into the surrounding forest.

"Such a delicate and nonaggressive style of knocking" Naruto commented lightly, a delicate smile danced on his lips as he flew in with his hands crossed behind his back.

Oken smirked in amusement and followed his calm master into the building. The darkness surrounding them vanished and revealed a disgustingly worn down warehouse with a recently made large hole at the back. Small cages fit for medium sizes animals littered the entirety of the building.

A few working tables were strewn across the far end of the facility, fully stocked with scalpels and other cutting tools. Disgustingly enough, several unattached human-looking body parts were carelessly placed on the tables. The counters were colored scarlet by dried and fresh blood.

An overpoweringly disgusting smell of blood and rotten organs filled the air.

The smirk of amusement he had before entering the warehouse was soon lost as he realized the true meaning of the trip. This was no doubt the hidden lair of one of Gotham's psychotic villains.

Up the stairs, a faint light was emitted from the window of a room.

Naruto calmly flew through the center of the hall-like room with a calm and undisturbed look on his face. With a soft twitch of his finger, the doors to the cages flew open from an unexpectedly powerful force.

Oken gritted his teeth in anger, subconsciously releasing an astounding torrent of energy from his giant and muscular form as the doors opened and small hands followed by tiny childish heads fearfully peaked out from the dark confines of the cages.

These were children! Innocent children who had no doubt been kidnapped from their homes and brought here for sick experiments! Judging from the body organs placed on the table, they were no doubt caged in order to be dissected later!

Kneeling near a cage, the kind King opened his arms for a kid as he raced forward and enveloped him in a tight fearful hug. Judging from the way he was hugging his King, the kidnapping must have taken place recently since the kids knew who Destiny was.

Seeing him not harming the first kid and realizing his identity, the rest of the children, boys and girls, sped through their cages and fearfully hugged the kneeling redhead, barely concealing their sobs and tears.

A subtle probe into their heads and precise removal of their past memories later, Naruto smiled softly and kindly ruffled the hair of the first child before teleporting them to the General Hospital of Gotham City.

They won't remember who had kidnapped them and who had rescued them, but they would retain their past cheerful and normal personalities. Seeing previously kidnapped children suddenly appear in Gotham Hospital would surely get the attention of the Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight would no doubt question the children about their whereabouts, their kidnapper, his location and more importantly their savior. He would be sure to leave a few dead trails for the famous detective to follow in order to keep him on his toes.

Seeing as the children were teleported and out of the way, Oken kneeled on the ground with a barely concealed expression of anger as he gazed at his still undisturbed and calm King.

The ancient father of nine children simply floated in the middle of the hall-like room, hands crossed behind his back and faced devoid of any disturbance or anger. His expression remained the same as always. According to his master, meaningless anger in the face of cruelty was simply unneeded and superfluous.

His piercing blue eyes still retained its amusement and twinkling nature. His lips were stretched into a calm smile, not the least bit surprised or shocked by the cruel actions of the villains responsible. He knew his master well. He had never ever seen the smile, the amused twinkle in his eyes and the calmness disappear from his lord's visage.

He had seen his King walk through endless fields of carnage without batting an eye!

In fact the only time he had seen his master lose his amused smile, if only slightly, had been almost 3 thousand millenniums ago and unfortunately, he had also seen the results!

"Sire, permission to drag the bloody bodies of the offenders from the chamber and drop them before your feet?"

"Permission granted"

No sooner had the words left Naruto's mouth when Oken zipped forward and the door as well as the front wall to the room upstairs was blasted to mere dust. Shouts of outrage and shock ensued shortly after, followed by screams of horror and pain.

Shockwaves originated from the room as the ceiling of the large factory collapsed. The room upstairs exploded into a brilliant shower of burning ambers and debris.

As the dust cleared away, a heavily frowning Oken walked down the stairs, carelessly and unsympathetically dragging three bodies with him by their feet, leaving three trails of blood on the floor as well as the stairs.

The brown haired attendant purposely gave sudden and unconcerned jerks to their feet as he strolled down the stairs, not caring if the heads of the villains would painfully hit the iron steps.

Blood poured out of their wounds as Oken dragged them down the stairs, through the large hall-like room and carelessly tossed them before his floating master's feet.

Naruto eyed his frowning subordinate with a calm smile on his face "No need to be so harsh on them, my boy, we do not want to make a bad impression on our guests"

The first man, known as Barton Mathis lying at his feet and bleeding from his head and hands, was deformed and mutilated. Half of his face had unmatched skin tone and color, meaning it had been cut off from someone else's face, particularly his cannibalistic father, Wesley.

This man's father used to be a cannibal who had been shot dead by Jim Gordon during one of his cannibalistic spree. Unfortunately, Barton had been with his father when he had been killed, thus causing the young impressionable boy to develop a vengeance against the Commissioner.

As they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Barton had soon developed a hunger for the human flesh and had resorted to villainy to satisfy his deprivation. Distinguishing between children, adults, young, old, men and women was unknown to him.

The second was the degenerate son of the notorious Toyman, Anton Schott who experimented on children and turned them to cyborgs while the third was known as Marcel Mannequin. Together, these three formed what was known as the Dollmaker's Family. Each of these three were involved in human organ trade, cannibalism and homicide.

"Take them to the dinning chamber and make sure to inform the chefs as well as the entertainers … to properly welcome their arrival" Naruto announced with a soft smile on his ethereal face before hovering out of the warehouse.

Oken nodded firmly and lightly clenched his fist, causing black chains to tightly wrap around the necks of the three villains as they were lifted from the ground. Pained groans and muffled screams escaped their lips as the black ominous chains were deeply embedded into the flesh, drawing more and more blood by the second.

The dinning chamber were the royal dungeons and the chefs were the hellhounds!

Giving their necks an extra squeeze, the brown haired attendant vanished out of sight along with the three villains just as the entire building was lifted from the face of the earth like a piece of weightless tissue paper and reduced to colorless ashes.

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