19 Chapter 19: Strange Situations and Doubts

Connor throws several jabs. Canary redirects them all with ease. He throws a right hook, but she ducks under it and performs a legs weep that knocks him flat on his back. A smirk appears on the woman's face. "Not bad, you are getting better." Canary offers her hand. Taking her hand, he allows her to help him stand up. With a firm grip she pulls him close and wraps her arms around his neck. "I think your effort deserves a reward," Canary smiles seductively. She pulls him into a passionate kiss. Connor wraps his arms around her waist just above her nicely shaped butt.

"Is this common in the training room?"

"No, this must be a special training simulation."

Connor and Canary break apart. The two turn around to see Naruto and Raven staring at them. There is a hint of amusement in Naruto's eyes. "It is not what you think!" splutters Canary. Connor gains a red hue to his cheeks. He turns away refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "We just got a bit carried away."

Naruto raises an eyebrow. Connor whispers to Canary. Blushing, Canary transform back into a green skinned Martian girl. "Naruto…"

"There is no reason to feel embarrassed. I have no issue with you two making out. But if you don't mind, I would like to train with Raven a bit," interrupts Naruto with a small smile.

Megan smiles gratefully. Flying over to the ninja, she gives him a hug. "Thanks, we will let you two have the room. I need to get started on making lunch." Connor gives a small nod before leaving with his girlfriend.

Raven looks questioningly at Naruto. "Is it common to change one's appearance to satisfy the desires of one's partner?"

"Not sure," Naruto begins to type on the holographic keyboard. He is setting up the training simulation that he wishes to run with Raven. "I have seen many different types of intimate acts. Dressing up as another seems to be a popular one."

"Interesting."

One final tap of the button causes the room to transform. Light bends to create a virtual city that is an exact replica of Metropolis. "You have five minutes to hide. The goal of this training simulation will be to avoid being caught by me for ten minutes. Ready?" Raven nods. "Go," orders Naruto. He watches as she flies off into the distance.

Batcave

Bruce leans back in his chair. A frown forms on his face. It has been over a month since the Riddler escaped from Belle Reve. There have been no signs of the villain. Riddler is the type of person that enjoys flaunting his genius. The villain will even come up with overly elaborate plans to show his superiority. So why wasn't the Riddler flaunting his escape of Belle Reve? No one has ever escaped from the maximum security prison. It is unlike the Riddler to keep such an accomplishment on the down low.

'What are you to Nigma?'

This question is plaguing the Dark Knight. A beeping sound interrupts his thoughts. He presses a button to bring up images from Mount Justice. Bruce raises an eyebrow at the footage. For a second he cracks a smile knowing that this is going to be fun a fun conversation. He can already picture her reaction.

Star City

"I told you it would be a good movie."

"Good is taking it a bit far."

"Oh come on, admit that you liked it."

"It was entertaining."

Oliver shakes his head. He can never seem to win with this woman. Dinah smiles playfully. She truly enjoys messing with him. It was a good movie, but she is not about to admit that he is right. That would ruin all her fun. "Where did you plan on taking me for dinner?" asks Dinah.

"I…" A beeping sound causes each of them to pause.

Dinah lifts a hand to her ear. "Yes?"

"I need you to report to the cave as soon as possible. Batman Out."

A grumble escapes Oliver, "I swear that man takes joy in ruining my fun."

"We better head back to the cave. I hope the team is alright."

Mount Justice

Raven is on her knees panting heavily. Sweat drips down her face. Her hood that usually shadows her face is gone, lost during the training. The rest of her outfit is in bad condition.

Naruto stares at Batman with an upset expression. "Our training was not over."

"There is an issue that happened earlier that needs to be addressed." Batman glances over at Raven. His eyes travel back over to the ninja. "Take a break. It will not take long to resolve the matter."

Raven is not one to show emotion, but at the hearing the word break her body visibly relaxes. She releases a sigh of relief. The training was the toughest thing she ever had to endure. Naruto is an absolute monster. Not even when she first started to learn to use magic did she ever go through such hardship. He pushed her magically, physically, and mentally to her limits. And he did it without breaking a sweat.

Naruto glances at Batman, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter. This is an argument that he is not going to win. Besides, the cave does belong to the Justice League. He gives a nod. "I understand." Without another word the ninja leaves in the direction of the kitchen. Raven stands up tiredly and follows him.

On the way out of the room, Naruto catches the sound of the new arrivals. "Recognized 13, Black Canary."

"Recognized 08, Green Arrow."

Naruto decides not to pry any further. Justice League business is not his to pry into.

Mount Justice

"If you were tired you should have said something."

Raven remains silent. Naruto stares at her awaiting an answer. "I apologize, but I did not wish to end the training that you had worked to set up."

Naruto surprises Raven by giving a light shove that knocks her butt first onto the couch. "Sit down and relax. I am going to see if Connor wants to train for a bit." Raven blinks. She watches as he walks off. That is not the response that she expected.

The ninja walks down the hallway that leads to Connor's room. He takes a sniff of the air and realizes in a second that Connor is not in his room. Megan is in her room though. Perhaps she might want to train. He never liked the way things ended with Psimon in Biayla. Next time he fought a psychic he wanted to have a fighting chance and not rely on others.

Those plans are derailed when the sound of heavy footsteps interrupts his thought. He turns around to see Canary marching down the hallway in anger. She is not in her usual outfit. Instead she is in a casual outfit. A black jacket over a white top that shows a nice amount of cleavage, skinny blue jeans, and a pair of black high heels. All in all, she looks downright sexy.

"You seem upset," Naruto states the obvious.

"I am not in the mood," glares Canary. She is about to pass him, but pauses. The woman turns to face him with a stern expression. "How could you be so nonchalant?" Naruto stares at her with a confused look. "Do not play dumb with me. I know you saw Megan pretending to be me when she decided to have a make-out session with Superboy."

"I did."

Canary narrows her eyes. "You didn't think that was wrong?"

Naruto tilts his head. "Why do you think it is wrong?"

"Changing into other people and doing things with their bodies is highly inappropriate. How would you feel if I had the power to change into you and made you do things that you didn't like?"

"Transformation!" In a cloud of smoke, Naruto transforms in Canary. "I was raised among ninja that had the power to transform into others. This is one of the weakest and most common jutsu." Naruto reverts back to normal in another cloud of smoke. "I assure you that I have used it many times."

"That doesn't make it right. And you didn't answer my question."

"Megan could change into me right now and make out with Connor in public. I wouldn't care at all. I would find it a bit strange, but I could care less," shrugs Naruto. "People dress up as members of the Justice League all the time. There is a whole holiday dedicated to dressing up."

Canary rubs her temples. "First of all, you should care when people do things in your image. It could reflect badly on you depending on their actions. Second, a holiday and people dressing up as us are different matters. They are honoring us…"

"You really believe all of them are dressing up as you to honor you?" Naruto raises an eyebrow. "I am sure I can find multiple sites on the internet that suggest otherwise."

A silence develops between them. Canary is starting to lose her anger. Her more rational mind is starting to overtake the initial anger. Naruto does make a valid point. Not everyone on the planet that dresses in her image is doing it as a sign of respect. She has seen her fair share of acts of everyday people dressed as various heroes and villains that make her shiver in disgust.

Naruto scratches the back of his head. "I think you are taking it to personally, sempai. Megan was having a little fun. She wasn't trying to disrespect you."

"Be that as it may, I do not like having to explain to my teammates and friends that it was not me on that video kissing a minor," retorts Canary.

"Then it is a matter of privacy," clarifies Naruto. "Explain to Megan that if she is going to participate in such acts in the future that it is needs to be done in private not in plain view where it puts your reputation in question."

Canary frowns, "you want me to tell her that she can keep using my body or the bodies of others to have fun as long as it is done in private."

"The Justice League exists to protect the rights of everyone on the planet. It is not an organization that plays jury and executioner. That is the speech you fed to me. Megan has the right to do as she pleases in private with whomever she desires."

A sign escapes the woman. Naruto gave her the exact same argument as J'onn. Of course J'onn had tried to justify it with differences in cultures. The little brat had managed to take a more logical stand point even drawing examples from others and the internet. "Fine," concedes Canary. "But I am still mad."

"I never got a chance to finish my training with Raven. Want to spar for a bit?"

Canary smirks, "give me a moment to speak with Megan. I'll meet you in the training area."

Japan

Deathstroke kicks open a door already expecting to find the room empty. The assassin enters into the empty bedroom trying to find any sign that will lead him to find the one that he is after. He speaks in a condescending matter to the other person in the room. "Your tracking skills are not as impressive as I was led to believe."

A hissing sound comes from behind. "Says the one that came to me for help." Deathstroke barely avoids a swipe of the tail. He narrows his one good eye upon the snake woman. "Do not forget that I am the one that will take the child's head. If you lay a finger on him I will show you how deadly my fangs are," hisses Copperhead.

"We will settle our business later," promises Deathstroke.

"Bet on it," Copperhead takes a moment to sniff around the room. "There is no scent here to track. He hasn't lived here in weeks."

Deathstroke is not pleased with that answer. He has a personal score to settle with the child. But on another note, he has a client that is paying top dollar for the brat's capture. Not once has he ever failed to complete a contract. His eyes spot a glint of light. "Copperhead!" It is too late, the snake-woman steps on the wire.

An explosion causes several people outside to gasp in horror. People begin to gather around taking pictures and alerting the emergency services.

On the top floor, Deathstroke emerges from under a beam. 'I have to give it to the child. He is resourceful.' The assassin stands up with a small grunt. Deathstroke turns to see Cobra lying unconscious a short distance from him. 'The explosion was designed to take out the ceiling to trap intruders not kill.' Deathstroke walks over to Copperhead. Unfortunately, he couldn't leave behind any loose ends. Copperhead still had her uses. Picking her up, he makes his escape.

Mount Justice

"President Harjavti is the first elected president of Qurac." Batman pulls up an image of President Harjavti shaking hands with billionaire Bruce Wayne. "He is praised as a fair leader and a humanitarian."

Kid smirks nudging Robin. "Sure, any friend of Bruce Wayne." Robin ignores his best friend.

"A week ago, President Harjavti started to support the baseless claims from the ruler of the neighboring country of Biayla, Queen Bee, that in ancient times the two countries were one." A video appears on the female leader appears. The team listens.

"I laud President Harjavti on his decision to join our two countries. It is with great honor that I will take over as the true monarch of our country," smiles Queen Bee.

Superboy scowls, "not a fan."

Miss Martian steps forward. "Surely the people in Qurac are not happy with this development."

Batman pulls up footage of people protesting. "The people of Qurac are well aware of Queen Bee's tyrannical rule." New footage comes up of the Biayla army suppressing the citizens. "Unfortunately, the president has given permission for the Biayla army to enter its borders and maintain order."

"No doubt she is using her powers to enthrall the president," frowns Robin.

"It is true that she has the power to enthrall men and some women, but not over long distance. All our reports have shown that she has not entered Qurac during this time period. There is something else at work."

A beeping sound interrupts the conversation. All turn to see Naruto glancing down at his right arm. The ninja pulls up an image. It shows news footage in Japan. Naruto immediately recognizes the building. H closes the image. "I have a matter to handle. I am afraid that I will not be able to join this mission. Raven will have to take my spot," says the ninja.

Miss Martian looks at Naruto with a worried expression. "Is everything alright?"

Naruto glances at Miss Martian. "I will be fine." Batman allows Naruto to leave. He had planned on putting the ninja in charge of the mission, but this gave him the perfect opportunity to give Robin more of a leadership role. In a flash of light Naruto disappears from the cave.

Japan

Higurashi puts up the close sign on the door. He turns around and doesn't even flinch upon seeing an unwelcome guest. "Most people tend to use the door," says the blacksmith.

"One of my safe houses has been compromised," reports Naruto. "It is possible in time that the ones trying to find me might find you."

A dismissive wave comes from the old man. "If you are worried about whether I will talk…" Higurashi notices the lack of response from his words. The blacksmith gains a smirk of victory. "Or is it that cold blooded ninja is actually concerned about my safety?"

Naruto keeps a neutral expression. "This is not a joke."

Laughter erupts from the elder man. Higurashi walks past Naruto. He goes around the counter and reaches under it to pull out a snack. "Brat, I lived a good life. This past year is the most fun I had in a long time. If you think that the threat of death scares me, think again. So go on and get out of here. I have to finish the project that I am working on," states Higurashi.

The blacksmith heads to the back of the shop. Naruto stands there not saying a word. He is conflicted on the matter. All that time he spent as a missing ninja taught him that when being hunted it is time to leave. But he is the one that made the decision to not have a secret identity. The moment he chose not to have a secret identity that being hunted by his enemies is a huge possibility. A possibility that is now a reality. Truthfully, he is not concerned about his own safety. So far he had come across three enemies that had the power to fight on equal ground with him; Amazo, Wotan, and Black Adam. Amazo is destroyed with the parts in Justice League custody. Wotan is powerful, but Naruto is confident that the two of them are equals. Black Adam is the only opponent he faced that is above him in terms of strength and speed. None of those three would waste time in being discreet by hunting him down one safe house at a time. It is more likely that the League of Shadows is trying to track him. And an organization like that will do whatever possible to find him. Raven is strong enough to handle herself, but Higurashi is a civilian. The blacksmith has been a huge ally and a good friend. 'I don't want anything to happen to him,' thinks Naruto. For the first time, he is starting to regret not creating a secret identity.

A determined expression forms on his face. He will not let harm come to his friends. In a swirl of leafs he vanishes into thin air.