Chapter 15 - Riots

'Oi, Kurama?'

'What do you want?'

'You never told me...'

'What?'

'...How come you have been reincarnated into this world as well?'

'You've never asked.'

Naruto's forehead creased.

'I'm asking you now.'

The fox sniffed condescendingly.

'I don't feel like telling you.'

Naruto felt his eyelid twitching.

'Do you want me to come over? I'll kick your furry ass to your mother Juubi and back! I swear I'll slap you like the little bitch you are!'

'Tough words coming from a pipsqueak who can't even use chakra anymore.'

'Why you...!'

One week passed since Naruto finally enacted his revenge on the killer of his sister. One week since he was caught by the Justice League and thrown into the room with the tightest security in the Watchtower. One week since Naruto lost his ability to use chakra.

'Don't let me get my hands on you, Shazam!'

He was seething.

'It was because of that bastard that I was captured and now I'm rotting in a cell. It was because of him that I can't use chakra anymore!'

'Wash your neck, fucker. The day when my bone sword will slit your throat is closer than you think.'

Naruto clenched his fists. His teeth made grating noises.

From inside Naruto's body, Kyuubi was observing his host silently. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he rather liked this new Naruto...Smart, cunning, decisive, powerful and cruel...This Naruto was everything that Kyuubi would have wanted the past Naruto to be - in Kyuubi's words, 'not a happy-go-lucky idiot'. If it weren't for him continuously saving that 'dumbass' Naruto's hide every time, they would have both died many more times than he could count. The current Naruto, however, was different. The current Naruto was like the Dark Naruto from the past life, only not as twisted and more intelligent.

Kyuubi thought to himself:

'Having someone like him calling me partner would not be something unpleasant.'

He found Naruto worthy of being his equal.

'No.' the fox shook his massive head. 'As of now it is I who is not worthy of being his partner.'

That was because Naruto wasn't truly crippled. It was just that Shazam's black lightning strike had clogged Naruto's meridians, making the chakra unable to properly circulate through his body.

Indeed, normally, that would mean that someone is crippled. But Naruto's case was special. He had a chakra heart. With it, he could control the flow of chakra inside his body to his will.

'Naruto.'

'What do you want, dipshit?'

Kyuubi felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing in anger. Maybe he didn't like this Naruto that much after all.

'As foul-mouthed as always.'

'Since when did that start bothering you? Anyway, what the heck you want now?'

As to prolong the dramatic effect his words would have on Naruto, Kyuubi waited for a few seconds before speaking, raising Naruto's impatience.

'There is a way for you to become able to use chakra again.'

If gratitude and an ecstatic mood was what Kurama had been expecting to see at Naruto...that's exactly what did Not happen:

'You shitty bastard! You've waited for an entire fucking week to finally tell me? You greedy pig! You've waited for so long just so you could hog the entirety of my chakra all for yourself, didn't you?'

'Gaaah! You annoy me so much! Just wait till you get a real body, I swear to kami I'll rip you a new asshole!' shouted Naruto at the top of his lungs, panting at the end of his screamed rant.

Kyuubi didn't retort. Despite the heavy usage of profanities, Naruto was fully right in what he said. So he let it pass, not shooting back any snide remarks in return.

'As you were already suspecting it, Shazam's lightning messed up your chakra pathways. But they aren't broken. They're just clogged up. If you were to focus your chakra heart on using the chakra to dig in just like the water of a river digs its way into the rock bed, I reckon you'll clean them all in less than a week.'

When Naruto kept silent as he assimilated the new information, Kyuubi spoke again.

'However, Naruto...'

'Yeah?'

'Do not forget that we have made a deal. Do not go back on your words now that the crisis has passed.'

Naruro grumbled something intelligible but then he said.

'Don't worry. If there is something in which I am similar with my past self is that I am not liar.'

A comfortable silence instilled between the two of them.

'Oy, Kyuubi.'

'What?'

'I was really serious. How come you reincarnated into this world? ...no, how come there are more of us here?'

'My grandfather, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had been the 3rd Hokage in my past life. Mother and father also look just like they did in the past. Also, those two creeps that challenged the dojo a year ago were none other than Maito Guy and Rock Lee.'

'How come we appeared in this world?'

Kyuubi pondered on Naruto's words deeply.

'The Sage of the Six Paths spoke of the cycle of reincarnation...you, for example, were his son's, Ashura's reincarnation in the Elemental Nations.'

'My guess is that the number of souls is not as big as the number of humans that had lived and died since the beginning of time until now. The souls of the people that die are purified and after they drink Meng Po's Five Flavoured Tea of Forgetfulness they are reincarnated into the living world again.' (1)

'Can souls drink tea? What the heck?'

'How the hell should I know?' Kyuubi bristled 'The old man said that after drinking that tea, the souls will permanently forget all of their past memories. Just like wiping a blackboard.'

Kyuubi growled. Even he thought that wiping out one's identity just like that...that was above any other acts of cruelty.

'Then...how come I remember everything? Also, what you said doesn't explain your reincarnation inside my body.'

Kyuubi seemed to hesitate while speaking the next words:

'Actually, when I 'woke up', I found myself inside a toddler Mito Uzumaki...your grandmother.'

Kyuubi had anticipated Naruto's bursting with questions about his family, so, before he could start, he cut him off:

'Don't ask me anything about your parents... you are not ready to hear the truth about their deaths.'

Naruto's anger flared. The Fox seemed to have known what happened to his parents the whole time, yet even now he was refusing to tell him. How could Naruto not be angered?

'I'm cannot tell you because you're still an idiot!'

'What did you say?!'

Kyuubi felt the urge to smack someone.

'Suppose I told you who was the one that killed them. What would be your next step? You'd start training like a madman and then go and try to kill him in rage. Then, what would happen. You'd get killed! That's what would happen!'

'Oh please. I fought against the Justice League all by myself. And I'm still alive and kicking.'

'Really? You won mostly because they underestimated you and thanks to the element of surprise. But now that the novelty of your abilities has passed, you stand no chance against them anymore. Not to mention, that none of them had fought against you with intention to kill.'

'Furthermore...the one you'll be facing is much stronger than the Justice League.'

Kyuubi's last sentence sobered Naruto.

'Trust me on this Naruto. For now, let the waters settle down. Stay low and become powerful. Let us both become truly powerful. Nothing good would come out from rushing through everything.'

Scene break

While Naruto was confined in the Watchtower under the Justice League's close watch, a movement appeared within the ranks of the ordinary people.

When at two days after the Joker's death no news were heard about Naruto, the people became restless. And, in the 3rd day from the Arkham Massacre, it was one spark that ignited a roaring inferno: G. Gordon Godfrey's TV talk show.

Some may say that Uzumaki Naruto is a monster for killing the Joker.

But I say: Good Riddance!

Yes, you heard me right, people! Good Riddance! For me, Uzumaki Naruto is the real hero, not Superman or say, Green Lantern. Because Uzumaki Naruto had had the balls – excuse my language - to actually do what the Justice League should have done!

The question that remains, however, is:

WHERE IS UZUMAKI NARUTO?

Uzumaki Naruto is the only one that had the courage to rid us of a mass-murdering psychopath. And now, the Justice League captured him! God know what they are doing to him right now!

Do not remain indifferent people! When a real hero finally appeared, the so-called Justice League immediately captured him!

...Do you want Uzumaki's life to end just like that? Let us all take a stand against this injustice! Let us all go out in the streets and scream for our hero to be freed!

It was a bombastic speech, filled with a clearly biased propaganda against the Justice League. No rational man would have taken it seriously. But a wise man once said 'Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups'.

G. Gordon Godfrey's speech was the spark that ignited the fire. Following his words, all the resentment of the common people against the metahumans exploded like a volcano. Large numbers of people came out in the streets shouting for Uzumaki Naruto to be freed. They wamted the Justice League to be disbanded. Other wanted the government to be changed. It was pandemonium.

But next to none of them realized that the one they were worshipping and the one they were asking to be freed was a metahuman as well and that besides killing the Joker, he had also killed over a hundred people in Arkham Asylum... and that was because Gordon Godfrey offered them a somewhat justified target for them to release their frustration and the people didn't think twice before doing it. All their pent-up anger born from realizing that they were like sheep for slaugheter in front of the supervillains was expelled in that moment.

The first day of protests happened at 3 days from the Arkham Massacre. 40 000 people came out in the streets, most of them being from Gotham, Metropolis and New York.

2nd day of protests (the 4th after the Arkham Massacre): over 100 000 people from all over the United States came out in the streets shouting and protesting for Uzumaki's release.

3rd day of protests (the 5th after the Arkham Massacre): 50 000 people had already come out even before the noon, freezing the traffic in all the great cities all over the United States. That made the police forces intervene and they forcefully suppressed the protesters.

4th day of protests (6th day after the Arkham Massacre): the police suppressing the protesters the previous day by using violence has caused an uproar in the ranks of the ordinary people. The previously relatively peaceful protests transformed into full blown riots. Compared to the mere 50 000 protesters the previous day, this time, over 600 000 people joined the riot. And they were no longer peaceful. They burned the cars of the police forces they encountered and they violently clashed with the police forces that were armed with riot shields, paralyzing sprays and rubber batons. The broke the windows of the political parties' headquarters and set their buildings on fire.

Nobody went home that night, they all continued to protest in the streets. When the morning came, in the 5th day of protests (the 7th after the Arkham Massacre) hell broke loose. The previous number of 600 000 rioters increased to 3 millions just by noon. And it was still rising. The traffic all over the United States was frozen, and the centres of the great cities began to look like warzones with the armed forces of the police on one side and the army of protesters on the other side. In that situation, the military was dispatched as well. It was one of the greatest street protest in the history of the United States.

Despite all of his advisors telling him that it would be too dangerous, the president came out in the streets of Washington. He was heavily guarded by armed special forces, but he knew - everyone knew - that in front of a few tens of thousands of enraged people, a few armed soldiers meant nothing. The president could be easily killed if the people were desire his death.

But seeing the president coming out in front of them, made the people temporarily stop their yelling. For a moment, despite there being over 40 000 protesters in front of the White House, you could even hear the sound of their breathing - this is how heavy the silence that instilled was. The people were all waiting to see what the president would say.