Chapter 14 - Conflicts. Batman's decision

"You went too far this time, Shazam! Calling down the lightning to strike him?! Were you trying to kill him?" someone yelled in outrage. It was Superman.

"I don't want to hear that from you, Superman! Using your heat vision against him? Perhaps you're the one that was trying to kill him!" Shazam shot back sullenly and glared at Superman with the eye that was not covered by bandages.

Naruto's bone projectile that had nearly hit Shazam in the eye made half of his face become inflated. Moreover, the back of his head had a raw wound on it from the two kyuubified Rasengans that exploded into it. He felt miserable.

"My heat vision didn't hit him, I knew he would dodge!"

"Sure you did. Can you perhaps read the future?"

"Will you two cut it out? I really need to concentrate here." Doctor Fate said seriously, interrupting their argument.

A purple glow surrounded Doctor Fate's hands as he touched the dagger cuts on Superman's paralysed arms. As his hands distanced from Superman's forearms, crimson-red wisps of energy were pulled from the flesh. But when the purple glow surrounding Doctor Fate's hand touched the red energy, it was instantly corroded. The red energy was about to attack his hands next when Doctor Fate let out a low shout and jumped back instantly as a magical barrier appeared in front of him.

"This demonic energy is nothing like I have ever seen before!" Doctor Fate mumbled to himself and he let out a breath of relief when he saw the red energy stop attacking his shield and return into Superman's arms. "It's as if it is sentient!"

"Demonic energy? Just what is that kid?" Green Lantern said in frustration.

At that moment, Batman happened to enter the room.

"I wouldn't bother trying to extract that energy if I were you. It's not possible."

"And what do you suggest, Batman? Leave Superman with this arms paralyzed for life?" Green Lantern asked in irritation. "In fact, where were you when we all tried to catch that kid?"

Everyone looked at Batman in a accusatory manner. The Flash who was wrapped in bandages from head to toes and Shazam who was nearly as badly hurt as him were glaring.

Batman, however, was unperturbed.

"I was in my batcave, staying out of this, like I had been told."

"I really want to meet that guy Batman actually listens to!" Superman said starting to raise his voice. He was more than a little angry.

"You have already met him. He's the one that paralyzed your arms."

A commotion started. Hawkgirl who until then had stood silent, stepped forward, her mace cackling with electricity.

"You better start explaining yourself, Batman. As much as we all respect you, nothing would save you if you betrayed us."

The tension in the room was rising with each passing moment. Even the rest of members that were not active in the discussion and were standing on the side spectating, started to get nervous. The Justice League had rarely ever encountered such a troublesome situation. It wasn't the first time though. However, the last time they started fighting against each other had been when they had got their asses handed to them by the metahumans Lex Luthor pitted against them - the so called Injustice League...it hadn't been because of a sole person, and certainly not because of a barely 18 year old one at that.

This time it was different: this time Superman, Captain Marvel and Flash were heavily injured. Especially Superman, since there seemed to be no cure for what happened to him. And they were three of the strongest members of the League.

Through it all, Batman's demeanour remained as calm as ever. Under everyone's angry stares, he actually began to strip. The previously angry stares transformed into blank looks.

Leaving his mask and pants on, Batman only took off his black cloak and the reinforced kelvar suit protecting his torso. When his muscular chest and perfect abs came into view, a red hue coloured most of the female members' faces. But Batman turned around and his hand hand pointed at his back, tracing the lower part of his spine. There was a red scar, almost as large as half of his palm. It looked as though it was inflamed.

"Half a year ago, a new mercenary of exceptional skill and questionable allegiance popped up in Gotham seemingly out of nowhere. Although I didn't find any real evidence, various things led to me to suspect that a certain individual was that mercenary."

Batman made a slight pause. What happened back then was not something he was proud of.

"He actually managed to provoke me into attacking him... and I lost...just like the three of you lost against him today."

"Don't tell me...!" Superman said with his eyes widened when he connected Batman's loss and the inflamed scar with his own paralyzed arms.

"The same energy that paralyzed Superman's arms is lurking inside of my body, just half an inch away from my spinal cord. Uzumaki warned me: unless I want that energy to attack my spinal cord and render me a vegetable for life, I have to not cross his path in the future...Although there was the possibility for his words to have been just a bluff, I didn't want to take a meaningless risk, it's not like I'm the only person on the planet capable of apprehending him. Seeing how that red energy seems to have its own sentience, I can only say that I'm glad I had not brushed his threat aside."

There was a deathly silence in the room when Batman stopped talking. After he put back his suit on, Batman said:

"I wouldn't worry about being killed though. Uzumaki is not evil. Nor is he crazy."

"Are you even serious?" Superman shouted. "My arms are paralyzed, Flash was burned from head to toes and Shazam nearly had his head blown apart! Not to mention, over 100 people were murdered in Arkham. How is he not evil?!"

Batman was getting fed up with everyone's attitude. He raises his voice.

"Tell me, Superman, what would you do in his place?"

"What does that have to do with-" Superman tried to say, but Batman cut him off. He was now outright shouting.

"Tell me what would you have done if Supergirl here" and he pointed towards the blonde girl at Superman's right "had been murdered by someone?"

"Are you telling me that you would calmly apprehend her killer and hand him over to the authorities?"

A conflicting light shone in Superman's eyes. He stood silent.

One of the members that had not participated at the discussion until then and watched from the side lines, Green Arrow, said:

"That doesn't change the fact that the kid caused a mass-murder."

"I never said that." Batman bit back. "The interesting thing is, however, that none of the ones Uzumuaki killed in Arkham has been innocent in his eyes...after all, the Joker didn't escape out of Arkham for so many times by blowing it away, but with the help of the corrupted staff and of those who by not doing anything against it, silently let it happen."

Meanwhile, everyone was looking weirdly at Batman. They didn't understand his stance. Why was he defending a criminal's actions? They all felt apprehensive.

"What you need to understand is that he doesn't want any superheroes' death."

"From what he said when he broadcasted himself, I think the guy hates us more than a little." Flash couldn't help saying.

"Did any of you actually die? After he paralyzed Superman, why didn't he finish him off? Why didn't he kill Shazam after rendering him defenceless? Why didn't he kill me half an year ago when he stabbed a dagger in my spine?"

Flash didn't have anything to say back to that. Even Green Lantern who was very incensed at Naruto, couldn't deny Batman's words.

"Uzumaki hates superheroes, but not to the point of wanting to kill them. He hates them because he thinks that their activities are like a child's play."

A look of anger flashed on some faces.

"We risk our lives out there every day trying to keep people safe and that's what they think about us? That we're playing around?" a blonde-haired woman said in hurt voice. It was Black Canary.

But Green Arrow who stood at her side understood why some people thought like that, so he answered her, unknowingly saying the very words Batman was having on his mind:

"Imagine yourself being an ordinary, defenceless woman. And then, you see psycopaths and metahumans wreaking havoc everywhere. Sure, the Justice League is doing its best to capture them and throw them in jail... but as an ordinary human, how do you see the situation when the bad guys break out of prison and start killing again? Honestly, even to me it looks like a play of Tom & Jerry."

"Oliver!" Black Canary yelled. She was so scandalized by Green Arrows' words that she unknowingly shouted his real name.

"What are you trying to say with that? That we should start killing everyone like we please?" Supergirl yelled at him angrily.

Most of the gathered heroes began to glare at Green Arrow who raised his hands up as if to placate things:

"Hey, don't give me that look, I just told you how ordinary people see things. No need to go ballistic on me... But, does it not make you wonder? What supervillain that we had apprehended until now had stood in prison for more than a few months before breaking out of it? How many innocent lives would have been saved if not for that?"

While they were all mulling over Green Arrow words, Batman's voice broke them out of their thoughts:

"I'm withdrawing from the Justice League. It is for an indefinite period of time."

The members of the League were stunned speechless for a moment but then a chorus of cries was heard:

"WHAT?!"

"I... I need some time for myself." Batman said quietly and he headed towards the door.

"What about the boy?" Martian Manhunter asked. Through it all, he had been the most calm person in the room, choosing to not take part in the heated discussion.

"Do as you see fit. He's Justice League's responsibility, not mine." Batman answered before leaving the room.

Scene break

Naruto woke up and he yawned. By habit, he tried to cover his mouth with his hand...but he couldn't. That made him aware of his situation: he was confined to what looked like a metallic wall and titanium parts were holding his arms and legs tightly strapped to the wall.

Suddenly, the memories of what happened came at the front of his mind. He cursed:

"That bastard!"

He had thought that Shazam had been knocked out for good but he had been wrong, the superhero had only been dazed. And that had cost him being struck by a black bolt of lightning. After he fell unconscious, the Justice League captured him.

Naruto grunted as he exerted his full strength. A creak was heard but that was all. In his current state Naruto couldn't use even half of his force. His body was exhausted, his chakra was exhausted too and he was terribly hungry.

Naruto then focused on using the bones in his forearms to grow and cut through the titanium cuffs but nothing happened this time either. Using his version of Dead Bone Pulse kekkei genkai required a hefty amount of chakra, something that Naruto didn't have at the moment. Moreover, for some reason, his chakra pathways all felt numb.

Seeing that any struggle was futile, Naruto didn't waste his energy any more by trying to free himself.

However, apparently, his cell was being monitored seeing as a few moments after he woke up, the sounds made by someone's steps came from behind the metallic door of the cell. Naruto became tense.