A small click echoed in the emptiness of the cavern as a knight touched down on its allotted destination. The other player, from his position on the other side of the table, studied the move and hmmmed thoughtfully.

"Most people wouldn't spend their last day in a new world like this," commented his opponent.

"Most people didn't have my experience of this world," answered the other dryly. "You think I want to spend my first free weeks in MONTHS running around trying to see every new thing in this place? Far too troublesome. As far as I'm concerned, all worlds are the same and I've seen enough of this one." Apparently coming to a decision, he stretched forward a languid hand and moved a bishop across the board.

"Your companions would seem to disagree with that statement." His opponent was clearly lit in the harsh light shining brilliantly down on the two of them, light that made the rest of the cavern obscure save for a few blinking monitors. "They've all been VERY busy this last week."

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "That's because they didn't have my experience. They dealt with all the trappings—clothes, weapons, combat protocols, society. THAT stuff is different enough, sure. But I was stuck in a room and didn't have to deal with any of that. I just had to deal with how this world thought. And it's the exact same."

"So more accurately, you would say that people are all the same." Another click as a pawn inched forward.

"Well, no." Shikamaru paused to consider the caped figure at the other end. "I mean, simply playing you is worlds different from playing Luthor. Have to say, you're kind of throwing me off my game here. After months of playing the exact same man, it's a little disorienting to play someone who DOESN'T spam his pawns."

"You seem to favor knights," observed Batman.

Shikamaru snorted as he steepled his fingers in thought. "As do you."

Acquiescing with a nod, Batman commented: "A little-used piece that strikes from the shadows in an unconventional direction. Incredibly effective, in its own way. Yet," his eyes hardened slightly at the admission, "limited. A one-trick piece, incapable of affecting a victory without the aid of others."

"I thought they said you were the quiet one," muttered Shikamaru, eyes closed in thought.

Something akin to a smile twitched the edges of Batman's mouth. "You were supposed to be the one who successfully annoyed Luthor into exposing his plan."

"I was." Shikamaru opened his eyes a little too quickly and made a somewhat abrupt move.

Batman studied the board a moment before grunting in interest.

"A single trick can make all the difference in the world, if the opponent doesn't see it coming," commented Shikamaru, stretching back lazily and yawning.

"Granted. But re-using the same trick makes it more visible." Batman seemed to be studying the new layout deeply. "A good player needs to have more than one weapon. He needs to be versatile."

Shikamaru, still leaning back, shrugged. "If you say so. But me, I've only ever had one real weapon, and I've always found it pretty effective."

Again, there was the twitch of a smile. "The mind is an amazingly versatile weapon, Mr. Nara. But even it is part of a body."

"Well, okay." Shikamaru waved off the moral. "Not what I meant in any case. You'd be amazed how many people simply don't see the Kage Mane no Jutsu coming."

"Really." Batman tapped over one of Shikamaru's knights and moved his rook into its place. Click.

"Yeah, really. For instance..." Shikamaru's hands came together, "...have you noticed that we're playing in a dark cave with HUNDREDS of shadows for me to use?"

Batman did not so much as blink. "Yes. Have you noticed that you're sitting in a chair that can be electrified on voice command?"

There was a short pause.

With a shrug, Shikamaru withdrew his hands. "Good thing there's no need to put it to the test."

"Yes," nodded Batman. "Good thing."

------------

"It's a good thing I remembered to bring extra salsa," laughed Hawkgirl as she came back to the couch. "Otherwise we would have been scraping the bottom of the bowl long ago." She proffered the bag at Sakura. "Want some?"

Sakura glanced sideways at the chips. "I really shouldn't..."

"Oh, c'mon, girl! It's your last party on earth, live it up a little!"

"Oh, all right." Grabbing a handful of the chips, Sakura picked out one and slid it into her mouth. "We doo h've choops in K'nouha, yoo know."

"Sure, but not this brand." Hawkgirl passed the bag over to Ino, who simply shook her head. "Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that you're eating them with us."

"It is both wonderful and solemn that we partake of the chips and salsa upon our last day together!" Snagging the bag in mid-air, Starfire floated over to Raven, who merely gave her a surly look, before moving on to Hinata.

Hinata accepted the bag with a jerky little bow. "Thank you, Starfire-san."

"Don't forget the soda, Oreos, and milkshakes," grinned Hawkgirl, giving the Tamaranian a quick thumbs-up. "All important female bonding stuff."

"So what happens when you all return?" Wonder Woman's head rose from her milkshake. "How will things have changed?"

Sakura shrugged. "According to Kakashi, the war's still going on, so I guess we'll go back to fighting." Grinning with a sudden villainy, she turned to Tenten. "They're gonna LOVE you, girl."

"Heh." Tenten stretched out her cyborg arm in front of her, studying the hairline cracks that showed where the casing split apart. "Can't wait to try it out on those Zetsu things."

"You do realize that thing's not going to be working for more than a year or so," pointed out Huntress, from her chair on the left of the group. "From what I've heard, Cyborg's a good mechanic, but even so, you simply won't have the means to keep that thing maintained."

Tenten shrugged. "It'll be fun while it lasts, at least. After it breaks down I'll get a Suna puppeteer to make me a new arm. Won't be as cool, but eh." For a moment, she seemed to be considering something but she shook it off. "Not as though I could make a new one or anything, right?"

"Yeah, right." Sakura laughed. Sighing, she stared around the room. "Lot of things about this place I'm gonna miss."

"But friend Sakura, you could return! For the vacation of summer, and Glorthog day, and..."

"Not from the sounds of what John tells me." Hawkgirl shook her head. Stretching back, she glanced at Diana. "Isn't that right?"

Wonder Woman reluctantly nodded. "It was a joint decision. I suppose if your Hokage wanted to send someone here, there'd be no way to stop him, but he seems as determined to cut off access as we are."

"But why?" protested Ino.

Diana sighed. "It's... complicated."

"Politics." Sakura raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

"It's the way things should be," said Hinata quietly. "Spectre said that the convergence wasn't supposed to happen, that if it continued it might cause a.... collision of sorts."

"Well, let's not sit around discussing THAT, for God's sake." Hawkgirl rolled her eyes. "We're here to party up one last time, not mope around talking about boring officials in towers. Toss that bag of chips back here!"

Huntress, not in her skimpy costume but a loose-fitting t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, tossed the bag and turned to Ino. "So, by the way, how'd your talk with J'onn go? What'd he say?"

"Oh, that." Sighing, Ino slumped back into the couch and brushed the hair back from her eyes. "He doesn't know, basically. He's never seen a case like mine, so he's got no way of knowing how my kids would turn out. Though he did say I could probably jump start it by trying to read their minds like he did to me, but that would risk a vortex and..." She rubbed her face in her hands. "...it's a mess."

Raven gave a sudden snort. "Sounds like it."

"We'll worry about it when it happens." Sakura comforted her friend. "I might be able to help some... Terrific-sensei taught me some interesting things about brain structure, there's a chance I could put it to use..."

Wonder Woman shook her head. "Even Terrific doesn't understand J'onn's mind."

"And in any case I don't think my family would take kindly to you looking into our bloodline." Smiling ruefully as she watched her friend's face fall, Ino reached over and punched Sakura's shoulder. "Oh, cheer up. I'm sure there will be plenty of other ninja brains for you to cut up."

"Ha, ha." Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino. "I suppose I shouldn't worry. In all likelihood you'll never have children."

"Oh what-EVER! I'll be teaching those kids to walk while you're still on your first date, billboard brow!"

"As if, pig!"

Wonder Woman gave a fond little shake of her head and stood up. "Much as I hate to miss this, I have to get going. I have an appointment to get to."

"U-um... I do too, actually," said Hinata, glancing at the clock. She started to collect together her plate and cup, brushing the crumbs from her sweater onto her plate.

"What, already? What time is it?" Sakura also consulted the clock. "Oh, drat. I wanted to take one last look around that space station before Neji and Lee get back."

"I'll come with you," volunteered Tenten eagerly, fumbling for her knapsack.

"Guess the party's over then." Hawkgirl sighed as the whole group of females began to rise. "Oh well, fun while it lasted."

"You'll come to see us off, won't you?"

"Can't." Hawkgirl smiled sadly. "Someone needs to run patrols around here."

"I won't be there either," admitted Huntress, rising somewhat heavily to her feet. "Q has some tests he wants to run and... well, some other stuff."

"Oh, then this is the last time we'll see you!" Ino's face crumpled and she gave Hawkgirl a hug. "Well, goodbye now, I guess."

"Yeah, goodbye." "Farewell, Shayera-san, Huntress-san." "Thanks for everything." Hugs were exchanged all around the room, some more awkward than others.

"Heh," said Hawkgirl, pulling free from Sakura's embrace, a quiet smile on her face. "It's going to be a lot quieter around here without you guys, you know?"

Sakura smiled back. "I think that's kinda the point."

"Smart kid." Shayera ruffled Sakura's pink hair. "Here, you better take the teleporters, they're the quickest way up to the space station. You too, Tenten? Man, what's in that backpack of yours?"

"Got enough scrolls there?" Sakura threw her fellow rookie an amused look.

"It's Gai-sensei's pack," said Tenten, by way of explanation. "He used them to store provisions. Can we get going now?"

"Of course." Hawkgirl touched her earpiece and the three dissolved into blue light.

----------------

Click.

"Are you two still at that?" Neither man moved at the sudden, startling voice and its accompanying echoes. Nor did they so much as shift their gaze from the board as Wonder Woman's Olympian form strode into the light. Snorting at the sight of them, she crossed her arms and sighed. "Honestly. I would have thought you'd be tired of that by now, Shikamaru, after playing nothing else for months on end."

Shikamaru shrugged without looking up. "Same game, new opponent. Do you ever get tired of fighting?" Moving a pawn forward a space, he asked, "So the girls have all broken up, have they?"

"Pretty much. Sakura and Tenten have gone up for one last tour of the Watchtower. I think that's where most of the boys went too, you ninjas in general seemed pretty fascinated with that place."

"Space travel isn't done much where we come from." Shikamaru admitted. "Our closest approach to astronomy is a plan to turn the moon into a giant eyeball."

Caught in the act of raising his bishop, Batman arched an eyebrow at Shikamaru. "Stranger things have happened."

"Oh I know. Particularly in my world. I'm just saying, space here is a little different from space there. Even I have to admit, it WAS pretty cool to look down on Earth like that." A shade passed over his face momentarily. "I wonder what Konoha and the Elemental Nations would look like from up there."

Wonder Woman smiled understandingly. "I remember my first time seeing it, after I had left Themscyira. It took me back, seeing you kids walk around there. I'm not surprised they wanted to go through it again." A slight furrow appeared on her brow. "In fact, I'm more surprised Ino and Hinata didn't go. I could've sworn they enjoyed it as much as they others."

"Facing mortality, whether your own or the world in general, has a tendency to encourage the mating instinct," murmured Batman, deliberating over his move. Click.

"What was that?" Wonder Woman's sharpened eyes indicated that she had heard him very well indeed.

"An unrelated point." Sitting back from the board, Batman gestured at the looming monitor behind him, glowing faintly in the darkness. "Check for yourself if you want to know where they are."

"Bruce, honestly. You're STILL tracking them? After all this time? Haven't they proven you can trust..." Wonder Woman broke off as she realized who she was talking to. "Don't you think they'll notice?"

"If they're smart, they'd assume it by this point." Batman grunted.

"I know I would," agreed Shikamaru, still studying the board. "In fact, I'd feel insulted if I wasn't considered dangerous enough to watch."

"What could they possibly get up to in the last hour or so before they leave?"

"You'd be surprised."

-----------

"I guess it's... kinda weird to do this here." Naruto laughed nervously. "I mean, I really might as well have just waited until we were back in Konoha and asked you THEN. But..." he shrugged. "...I did want to visit this place one last time, and it sorta seemed... right somehow. I mean, since we went here before." Swallowing, he glanced at his table companion. "Is it okay? I mean I know it's just the Noodle Nexus, not anyplace fancy, but..." his voice trailed off, "...well..."

Hinata tried to smile through her stark fear. "I-i-i-i-it's f-f-f-fine, Na-na-naruto-kun."

"Really? Well, okay, if you're sure..." With a cough, Naruto glanced around the cafeteria. "Anyway. I... um... So... how are... things, you know?"

Hinata's eyes darted around in thought. "Th-things. Things? Oh, things. Th-things are f-fine. Just fine. They're all doing fine. I'm fine, thanks. I..." Her thoughts slowed down and she got a grip on them. "I'm... doing well. I... ah... I said goodbye to... to Lois-san earlier this m-morning." The comfort of this safe subject calmed her. "She's going to be there when w-we leave, of course but she w-won't be able to do anything. She's going to be reporting."

"Kinda weird how you guys hit it off so well," mused Naruto. He too seemed much more comfortable with the neutral topic. "I mean, she's kinda loud and abrasive and you're..." the move into dangerous territory flustered him and he stumbled for the right words, "...well, that is... I mean... I just didn't that that you would... you're just... not."

"We have more in common than you might think, Naruto-kun," answered Hinata quietly. "And L-lois-san is a g-good person. She helps people understand Superman, not just as a big p-powerful hero, b-but as a real p-person." There was a somewhat abstracted look on her face. "She keeps people fr-from being afraid of him."

"Heh. I could almost use someone like that." Naruto completely missed the startled look Hinata threw him, he was thinking too hard. "I... guess you're right. I never really knew her very well, but Superman seemed to like her a lot, so I guess she must be okay."

A smile curved Hinata's mouth. "You and Superman-san are a great deal alike also."

"I hope so," murmured Naruto, leaning back. "I hope so. Superman... Hinata, he's like everything I've ever wanted to be! He practically IS strong enough and fast enough to save everyone, and he DOES it, without asking for money or help or even acknowledgment! He even has a secret identity... He doesn't even WANT to be acknowledged, Hinata, did you know that? He says he's always embarrassed by all the media attention, and that he practically adopted the whole Superman thing just so people wouldn't bug him all the time. I mean me... I want to be Hokage so people will realize how great I am, but Superman... he doesn't even care."

"But neither do you, Naruto." Hinata giggled a little at Naruto's startled expression. "Well, at least, not really. Maybe you used to, but Naruto..." she shook her head at him, "...lately, all you've really fought for is to keep us safe. To protect your friends. You've never really asked for acknowledgement for that. You didn't even tell Sakura that you defeated Gaara."

"Wha—" Naruto stared at her. "How'd you know that?"

Hinata shrugged, looking away. "Everyone knows it. Sakura told us about it while you were away training with Jiraiya. She said that... that Sasuke told her."

Naruto said nothing. Hinata toyed anxiously with her spoon for a while and then looked away, unwilling to break the silence.

With a sudden cough, Naruto turned to study the cafeteria. "Where the heck's our food, anyway? Service here is so slow..." He turned back, sighed, and looked up at her. "So. What's the first thing you're going to do when you go back to Konoha?"

"I-I don't kn-kn-know." The question visibly upset Hinata, and she reached for something hanging around her neck. "I... I suppose I'll have to report in to the clan and see how things have changed... they may have installed Hanabi in my absence... perhaps I will get some training in..." She swallowed. "B-b-b-beyond th-th-that... I h-h-haven't really th-thought about it."

Naruto's glance betrayed veiled concern, but he masked it with a cheerful laugh. "I'm going to go to Ichiraku Ramen, first! The old man will never believe all this! And Granny Tsunade... oh, man, I can't wait to see the expression on her face. And then..." His face grew suddenly serious. "...well, then I guess there'll be the war, same as always."

"Yeah." Hinata nodded.

For a moment they sat, both silent, heads bowed in contemplation. Finally Naruto sighed and sat up a little. "Once the war's over, though..." he muttered. "I'm gonna be Hokage."

"Of course you will, Naruto!" Hinata's eyes shone with joy and admiration. Not that Naruto's goal took much believing anymore. His battle with Pain had earned him the whole village's respect and love, and Hinata personally felt that as soon as Kakashi stepped down, the blonde genin would rise to replace him. But it still thrilled her to hear him say it.

"And after..." A strange new gleam came into Naruto's eye. "After... I've got some ideas now. Hinata, there's so much I could DO as Hokage! I used to just want to BE Hokage, just because it meant people would have to acknowledge me, but now..." He shook his head.

"Why? What would you do? Make a ninja Justice League?" Hinata giggled and then momentarily turned scarlet at the thought of Naruto in spandex.

"No," said Naruto, annoyed, amused, and oblivious. "No, that wouldn't work even if I WANTED to try it. We don't have super-criminals or anything like that, and what would be the point of making a tower to keep them all in? Plus... the League is really kind of nuts on some things." He chuckled. "Nah. The League's fun and all, but there's no WAY it would fly in Konoha. But there are... some ideas I'd like to carry over." For a moment he sat, lost in thought, and then shrugged. "But I'd want to run them past Shikamaru in any case, and there's no telling how much the elders would actually let me get away with."

Hinata giggled again, and Naruto looked at her oddly. "You know, I don't think I've ever really heard you laugh before. Certainly not three times all together."

Hinata's smile slowly faded to a look of confusion. "Y-you... haven't?"

"No." Naruto shook his head. "And... now that I think about it... you haven't really been stuttering so much lately either."

Hinata's face grew quietly grave as she thought about this. Then she shrugged. "I guess... I learned a few things from Lois-san. And well..." her quick glance away didn't quite hide the blush rising to her cheeks, "I-I'm... f-feeling really... h-happy right now."

"Happy. Right." For some reason Naruto's face grew somber at this admission and he looked down for a moment. Then, glancing up, he responded, "Okay, look. I've been meaning to talk to you about this for a while, and if I put it off any longer it's going to be ridiculous." He swallowed and took a deep breath. "That... fight with Pain. When you told me you loved me."

Hinata's blood-red face drained to bone-white, and she stared furiously at the table. "Y-y-y-y-yes..."

"I told you that was stupid, right? And amazing?" At Hinata's mute nod, he continued: "But it's also... kinda difficult."

For a moment he said nothing further, and Hinata anxiously studied his reflection in the polished table. He chewed furiously on his lip, started to say something several times and stopped just as often, ran his fingers through his hair, and finally let out a huff of frustration.

"Okay." He said at last. "Here's the thing. You said you love me. No one's ever really said that to me before, and I... I really didn't know how to take it. Especially because..." Here he stopped again, looked away, and looked back, "I... I don't know if I love you."

Hinata looked up, her expression stone-blank, but Naruto hastened to explain. "I don't know yet, because I don't really know you. I wish I could say I always really loved you all those years and just never realized it..." Naruto paused in mid-sentence and shook his head. "Well, no, I DON'T wish that, because if that was true I'd either be an incredibly insensitive moron or a horribly cowardly boyfriend." Smiling in a half-hearted attempt to break the tension. "Anyway, the truth is, I always thought of you as a friend, as someone I really liked and respected but somehow I never... thought of you... like that." He bent his said. "And... I'm sorry for that. Here all these years I've been complaining about people not acknowledging me, and it turns out there was someone I was ignoring the whole time."

"I-It's o-oka-ay, Naruto-kun," Hinata managed to choke out.

"No," said Naruto, shaking his head. "No, it's not okay. I should have noticed, that's what I'm supposed to do. And if I tried to pretend like I actually did, all those years..." His face hardened and he looked away suddenly.

After a few moment's intense staring, he turned back to her. "Anyway." He swallowed. "I know you love me. And I don't know if I love you yet. But..." he shrugged and smiled again. "I'd like to give it a try. I want to get to know you better, Hinata, before I give you an answer."

There was a short silence.

"When we get back to Konoha...." Naruto studied her face anxiously, "...you wanna go out? Like to Ichiraku's or something? I know this is kinda a date already, but somehow... I always thought of Ichiraku's as the first place I'd take my... girlfriend out to."

A tiny smile quivered around Hinata's lips. "I'd l-like that, Naruto-kun."

------------

"Your friend Naruto seems to have gotten brighter since his arrival here."

Shikamaru gave a fond little snort. "I certainly hope so."

"He's had plenty of teachers," observed Wonder Woman, leaning on the edge of the computer panel and watching the two. "Robin, Superman... even you, Bruce, to some extent."

"Actually, it's probably the first chance he's had to talk to people who think more or less along his own lines." Reaching out, Shikamaru picked up his king and moved him over one space. "Back in Konoha, all his stuff about not killing and a future without war is pretty much dismissed out of hand. This place probably gave him some more practical ideas on what that would look like."

"If that's the case, hopefully it'll warn him not to expect too much." Wonder Woman's face looked a little sad. "Even a future without war is no paradise."

"Metaphysics," said Shikamaru with a wave. "I just said it would give him a chance. Actually, given my experience under Luthor, I'd say your world has plenty of war... it's just the battle lines aren't as clear."

Wonder Woman smiled. "That's one way of putting it, I suppose."

"The battle seems to have cleared your friend's mind, at any rate," murmured Batman without looking up from the board.

"Life's lessons are best learned on the battlefield." Wonder Woman looked rather smugly proud. "It is the warrior's school."

But Shikamaru was studying Batman's expression. "You don't think it's got anything to do with any of that, I'll bet." Batman gave no reaction, but Shikamaru pressed on. "You think it's got something to do with Luthor, don't you?"

Again, Batman made no response, but his head gave just the smallest inclination.

"Oh Bruce." Wonder Woman rose in weary annoyance. "How can you honestly think that? After what Hinata told everyone? Luthor's gone, she was very clear on that."

"Actually, that was about the only part of the matter that she WAS clear on," shrugged Shikamaru. "Where he's gone, what happened to him, and how she knows that... she didn't exactly explain that satisfactorily. Though, for what it's worth, I've never known Hinata to lie to her friends, certainly not about something like this. If she thought Luthor was still in Naruto's head, she'd let us know."

Batman gave a bit of a shrug. "I'm not doubting her earnestness," said he, jumping a knight over several of Shikamaru's pawns. Click. "Her judgment, maybe."

"Bruce!" Wonder Woman exploded.

"No, it's okay," chuckled Shikamaru. "I take it you mean in this particular case, not in general. You think she might have misread the situation."

"Her confusion speaks against her. She's not certain of what she says, and she offers no way of MAKING certain."

Wonder Woman glared at him. "You're just brooding because you hate having to take the poor girl's word for it."

"I don't have to take her word for it. I'm not." At Wonder Woman's continued frown, he inclined his head in resignation and admitted, "Still, Luthor would be hard-pressed to imitate Naruto's brand of stupidity. Particularly as he didn't know the boy for very long."

"To say nothing of his wanting to use that power," added Shikamaru. His queen skipped sideways and destroyed Batman's rook. "The guy had—or has—a god complex the size of the moon. No way he'd be able to restrain himself this long. No, I gotta go with Hinata. Luthor's gone."

"Possibly." Batman bent over the board again.

Wonder Woman gave a sigh of exasperation. "Bruce, you never think ANYONE is gone."

"They never are."

---------

"It's odd, you know?" Terrific mused, staring out the coffeeshop window. "None of us ever die. I mean, ever really die. None of the villains ever do, either. Superman got vaporized once, Batman was reportedly dead in Gotham once, and another time 'died' in the alien invasion. Brainiac has been destroyed several times, and Darkseid once or twice..." He shook his head. "But they always come back. Always. Batman could take a direct hit from Darkseid's Omega Beam and he'd still come back. In a way, I wouldn't be surprised if Bizarro and Dr. Light got up off their slabs tomorrow and got right back to causing mayhem."

"This troubles you," said the man across the table. It was a statement of fact, not a question.

"Of course it 'troubles' me!" snapped Terrific. "Why should we be the only ones who get to cheat death? Why is it only the civilians and the soldiers and the... the 'normal' people who really die? People like..." He cut himself off.

"Perhaps," observed his companion, "it is because less life is required of them."

Terrific glanced sharply at him but made no immediate reply, instead opting to sip at his cup. "I don't even know what I'm doing here." He muttered, at length.

"Death is not nearly as permanent or as disastrous as people seem to think, Michael Holt."

"Tell that to my wife."

The other seemed about to say something, but checked himself and merely observed, "Even when a person's soul has departed from this earth, they can still be said to live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew them. Your wife and child, for instance, are still very alive in you. And the example of Terry Sloane, the first Mr. Terrific, lives again in your incarnation."

Terrific shook his head. "But they don't really live. The versions of my wife that live in my head... they're nothing but phantasies, far more predictable and unsatisfying than the real thing. Even the way my mental version disagrees with me is hollow, she's far too easy to defeat. She's just a poor imitation..." His mouth twitched in a sudden appreciation of irony, "...just as I'm a poor imitation of Sloane."

"Perhaps. But their influence definitely remains here."

"But what people DO with that influence is up to them. I nearly killed myself because of the 'influence' from my wife's death. How do any of us know that when we leave the League, we won't leave it to a bunch of harebrained youngsters who'll just through it all away." Terrific sighed. "Like they say, 'And behold, I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, for I must leave them to the one who comes after me? And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish?' "

The eyebrow of the other arched upwards. "You know Ecclesiastes well."

"I know the Bible as well as the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita," grumbled Terrific, raising his mug to his lips. "I could teach a course on Ecclesiastes. And it makes an unfortunate amount of sense."

"It was written by one of the wisest men of all time. Of course it makes sense."

Terrific sighed as he set down his mug. "I don't know. These ninjas... they have some 'Will of Fire' they believe in, some inherent optimism that the NEXT generation will solve the problems they can't. Humanism, some would call it, I think of it as 'passing the buck.' I know too many statistics to believe that. Crime statistics, suicide statistics, environmental statistics. I'm too deeply rooted in things like entropy to believe in true progress."

"Like evolution?" Ignoring Terrific's dark look, the other continued. "Tell me, Mr. Holt, if you truly believe all this, why do you still fight on the side of the law?"

Terrific shrugged. "Force of Habit. Nostalgia. Moral cowardice, perhaps."

"Perhaps. Might it also have something to do with what your wife would want? With the kind of man she would want you to be?"

For a long moment, Terrific's burning gaze searched his companion's face, seeking for mockery, cynicism, or even smug self-content. But the other's face remained calm and impartial, and finally Terrific gave it up and shrugged. "Perhaps." He muttered.

"Mmm. Mr. Holt, you may not think it, but I too have a friend who is lost to me."

"What, to you?" Terrific's eyes glinted in dark amusement over the rim of his cup. "Can't you just visit him?"

"No. He has refused to see me, he says it is to make the pain of loss more real to me." A look of annoyance momentarily crossed the stone-hard face. "But I can safely say that his influence still works on me, and upon many others."

"Oh?"

"Indeed. Among other things, his influence is what drew me to seek you out." The glimmer of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "He always said I needed more friends."

Terrific shook his head. "You're a sad and delusional man, and I'm more delusional yet for meeting with you like this."

"Perhaps."

"Aggh..." Terrific stood to his feet and struggled into his jacket. "Look, you've been an interesting man to talk to, but I really need to stop feeding my phantasies like this. I won't be coming here again, so this is goodbye, Mr. Corrigan."

"Goodbye, Michael Holt," returned the Spectre, without looking up from the table. "On the off chance you stop in here again, though, you will be always free to sit at this table and speak with me." He glanced up. "Is that a deal?"

"No," growled Mr. Terrific, and left.

-------------------

"No, some deal was definitely made." Shikamaru nodded. "But what... that's the question."

Wonder Woman shook her head. "Shikamaru, you're just not used to this world. People come back here all the time. It's part of the job."

"But Hinata's from MY world, and people from my world die, because that's part of THEIR job. Generally stay dead too, though we have jutsus to change that." Shikamaru's face hardened momentarily before clearing. "And Hinata's not acting brainwashed enough to be one of those."

"She does seem a little... abstracted, though." A pawn advanced forward another step. Click.

"Well yeah. I imagine nearly dying would do that to a person." Shikamaru scoffed. Studying the new outlay of the board, he drummed his fingers restlessly against the table's edge. "No, she made a deal. If only we knew with whom."

"That's not a major mystery, surely." Wonder Woman glanced at Batman. "Her angel friend, the Spectre."

Batman nodded in agreement. "He certainly would have the power, and he's the supernatural force most closely related to the incident. The Kyuubi might be involved too, I suppose..."

"Kyuubi wouldn't care three straws about Hinata dying," responded Shikamaru, shaking his head. "No, you're probably right, I just don't know much about these 'angel' things you guys keep talking about and frankly..." he passed a hand over his forehead and glanced disbelievingly at Batman, "...I'm really weirded out at the thought of Hinata playing around with cosmic forces. It's just... not what I would have expected."

An understanding grunt escaped Batman. "Your comrades have done a lot here that I imagine you wouldn't have expected. She did an awful lot while you were locked up."

"So I keep hearing. But she hasn't done anything since the battle." Shikamaru shrugged. "Perhaps that 'soul-banishing' thing she did stripped her of her powers."

Cautiously, Batman half-shook his head. "Just because you stop doing something doesn't mean you've lost the ABILITY to do it. It just means you've gotten better at hiding it."

"COULD mean." Shikamaru corrected.

"Assuming the poor girl DID make a deal, and assuming it WAS with the angel, what makes you think it's dangerous?" At Batman's questioning glance, Wonder Woman rolled her eyes. "Bruce, I've been working with you for long enough. You wouldn't be you if you didn't think it was somehow dangerous."

Batman snorted but did not bother to refute the Amazon's accusation. "I'm uncomfortable with life debts. They imply an outside loyalty, which makes the teammate in question unpredictable."

"It's an unknown," nodded Shikamaru understandingly. "And you dislike unknowns, particularly when you're unsure of the recipient's judgment."

A strange smile spread over Wonder Woman's face. "I think I can speak for her loyalty, at least to some of your friends, Shikamaru."

"Yeah." Shikamaru answered with a knowing smirk. "At least I don't have to worry about that."

"Supernatural ties have a way of overruling even the closest ties of the victim," warned Batman. He was not smiling. "I would keep an eye on her, Mr. Nara. After a few hours, she won't be any threat to my world, but you will have to remember the possibility for the rest of her life... perhaps even after."

"Could be." Shikamaru shrugged, finally making his move. His queen traveled across the board and demolished an apparently insignificant pawn. "But as you say, that's my problem."

"Just make sure it REMAINS yours." Batman glared.

-------------------

"Not to put too fine a point on it, Mr. Hokage, but all things considered, our world has enough problems of our own, and we don't want to add yours to the equation." Amanda Waller gazed stonily at the grey-haired ninja. "The United Nations have declared an isolationist policy in regards to your dimension, and asks that all future dealings be through the Justice League."

"Saaaah..." Kakashi nodded. With his half-lidded eyes, his askew headband, and his orange book of porn sitting on the table, he did not particularly look dignified, but he couldn't find it in him to care. He was sitting at a table with Gai and a man wearing red underwear outside blue spandex. In comparison, he felt he looked wonderfully professional.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." He responded easily. "This whole affair was a mistake from the start, and to be frank, further connection would destabilize the ninja world." A gesture indicated the cityscape just outside the window. "Motorized vehicles? Flying metal kites? These... guns that I see all over the place?" Kakashi shook his head. "No. It would send the entire ninja economy crashing down, in the midst of a war, no less. If it would help us out in the current war, that might be one thing, but the current war is a battle utterly of chakra, seals, and jutsus. Your developments would not provide any immediate aid, and they would create an immediate disaster, which would be fatal at this juncture."

"In any case, I really wouldn't want to try a repeat teleportation, what with the stress it puts on my Sharingan." At this juncture he touched the headband and winced; despite the best efforts of medics from two dimensions, the eye still ached amazingly. "In all honesty, I'm not sure it'll be able to take more than the one we need to get home. And since I'm the only one in the Ninja Alliance who has one of these, I think I can safely guarantee that your neutrality will be honored."

Waller gave a curt nod of gratitude. "Thank you. And as for its, ah, weaponized use?"

"Kamui will be a forbidden jutsu in the Alliance, not to be used even in war. However, fair warning: there is another, an international terrorist, who I suspect has the same ability I do. And if Uchiha Sasuke escapes you and returns to Konoha, he may also gain my power. Neither may be so... respectful of your neutrality."

"Understood." Waller glanced at Superman. "May the UN rely on the League to treat any visitors here as interdimensional criminals?"

Superman looked at Kakashi, who nodded. "Very well."

"As to Uchiha Sasuke, once he is recovered, we shall teleport him back to you using the Sharingan projector designed by Terrific."

"That may enable Madarra to reclaim him." Kakashi warned. "Could I request that you kill him first and then teleport his body to us?"

"No," cut in Superman before Waller could reply.

Kakashi shrugged. "Naruto would never forgive me anyway, I guess. Try to at least incapacitate him, though—make him less dangerous. However, one thing I must insist on..." his eyes lost their lazy, half-lidded expression and grew suddenly hard, "...is the destruction of the Sharingan projector, once you have returned Sasuke to Konoha."

"Naturally." Superman nodded. "We only made it to send your ninjas home, your arrival takes care of that, so after we recover it and Sasuke, we'll destroy it. It's not much use to us, anyway, it can only be powered by chakra."

"And I must also insist on the destruction of all records of the ninjas during their time here—interviews, video footage, and medical history. Particularly the medical history, especially in regards to the Sharingan." Seeing the belligerent expression on Waller's face, Kakashi pressed his case. "Our ninja techniques are all military secrets, secrets that have been endangered during their stay here."

"Secrets that we cannot use, nor transmit to others," snorted Waller. "Your request is impossible in any case, none of the interviews and video footage obtained by the media can be rightfully seized, we'd have a civil liberties heyday on our hands. As for medical records, your ninjas must have left DNA all over the continental US." Holding up a hand to forestall Kakashi's outburst, she continued, "If it comes to destroying records, I must ALSO insist that you relinquish the suit Rock Lee obtained from Batman, the chakra enhancement kit developed by Haruno Sakura, and..." there was a little glint in her eye, "...the arm Yukari Tenten received from Cyborg."

Kakashi froze. The one was negligible, the second reproducible, but the third... there were enormous capabilities in that arm, none of which had the earlier drawbacks. Not to mention what Tenten might do to him if he TRIED taking it away...

"In terms of information, perhaps I also should request that you wipe their minds of the training they received in their stay," remarked Waller, somewhat sarcastically, as she saw Kakashi struggle with the decision.

"Oh, very well." Kakashi relented, his eyes losing their hardness. "Still, I would advise you to keep the medical records strictly classified. They could be dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Everything in the Metro Tower is classified," Superman assured him. "The majority of their care was here, and what little wasn't I can have Question track down and destroy. You have nothing to worry about."

With a noncommittal shrug, Kakashi stood to his feet. "Well, I guess that takes care of everything. Unless you have other matters...?" Waller shook her head. "Saahh, good. I suppose I should get ready to go, then."

"First, if you please..." Waller gestured for Kakashi to sit down again as the computer beside her chattered into life, printing out a few quick pages which she took and handed to Kakashi, who received them with a somewhat confused glance.

After a few moments perusal, he looked back up. "You have a treaty drawn up within seconds of our agreement?"

Waller shrugged. "The wonders of court recorders, Mr. Hokage. And telewriters, and lawyers-by-proxy..." Shaking her head, she gestured at the papers again. "Are the terms agreeable?"

"I believe so..." Kakashi scanned the pages again. "Agreeable, and surprisingly brief. Are all legal documents in this world so nice and simple? Because if you could spare a few secretaries..."

Waller's line of a mouth twitched. "The briefness of this document is an indication of how quickly it was drawn up and how simple the terms are. It does not indicate the state of paperwork here in general. Fortunately for both of us, infractions are as impractical as they are unlikely."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. Picking up a pen, he twirled it around his finger absentmindedly before dashing off a signature on the dotted line. Superman signed it also, and passed it to Waller, who wrote out her name in curt, neat letters. "I believe that is all, then," said she, and started to rise, when Kakashi stopped her with his hand.

"In my world we always sign our documents with a bloody fingerprint." He informed her. "Otherwise it isn't considered legally binding."

Waller looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and then, without pausing, drew a penknife and slit her thumb as if it were the most natural thing in the world. With Superman and Kakashi watching in silence, she pressed down her bloody thumb next to her signature and then glanced up.

There was a short silence.

"Um... that was a joke," managed Kakashi.

Waller could give out—and had given out—some lethal glares, but as a diplomat she knew better than to unleash one on Kakashi. Yet the mere coldness of her carefully blank face bored into Kakashi until, shrugging, he pulled out a kunai and sliced his own thumb.

"There," said Waller, as Kakashi pressed his thumb to the paper. "Now that everything has been settled, I think our business is concluded. Thank you for your time, Mr. Hokage."

As they left the room and went down the hall, Gai tapped Kakashi on the shoulder. "Kakashi-sama." He whispered. "Have you seen the storage scrolls I packed?"

Kakashi rolled his one visible eye. "I seem to recall seeing twenty-three such things heaped up in the corner of our room, yes."

"That is what troubles me." Gai leaned in closer, and in a thunderous whisper, confided, "There were thirty-seven of them yesterday."

--------------

"Did you know your friend Tenten was in the League armory this morning?" commented Batman, moving his bishop across the board. "She'd removed several of my tracers, but apparently she forgot the ones in the food."

Shikamaru nodded understandingly. "That's where they stored some of the more dangerous weaponry they recovered from Luthor, correct?"

"Superman didn't trust the government with it," grunted Batman. "Still, most of them were too large for a single human to use, and they were ALL too big for her to carry out... I really wonder what she could have been doing for the five hours she was there."

"Do you, now." Shikamaru's gaze did not waver from the board.

"Mm."

"Do you also wonder what she must have been doing in the Wayne Enterprises weaponry department yesterday? And in the STAR labs armory the day before that?" At Batman's appraising look, Shikamaru snorted. "Oh, c'mon. You and Shino aren't the ONLY ones who can trace people, you realize. I can observe and make deductions."

"So I see."

"Are you saying..." began Wonder Woman, a look of horror on her face.

Batman raised a hand to silence her. "She could hardly carry out very much on her own, and anyway she'll be leaving in full view of the League, including Superman with his x-ray vision. It's not as though she could actually take any of it back. I imagine she simply wanted a chance to study it all."

"That must be it," nodded Shikamaru blandly, taking Batman's bishop with his knight. "On an unrelated note, where did you get those crates of soldier pills, medical supplies, and Konoha army rations that I passed on my way in here?"

"A few curiosities. Mementoes of your stay here. There aren't nearly as many as it looks."

"See now, I AM actually curious what you're going to do with those." Shikamaru stared at Batman, who was once again studying the board. "But I know better than to ask, so answer another question for me. At school they're always gabbing about 'the balance of power' and all that. Aren't you worried about the effects that might have on the Alliance?"

"Aren't you?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Tenten's on my side."

"And now she's on mine too."

-----------------

Enormous metal doors slid back with all the ease and silence of a supermarket, revealing the glittering starry expanse beyond. Three green, glowing figures floated through the gap, shooting over the hangar bay with its orderly rows of javelins and bustling attendants. On an overhanging balcony at the far end, they landed, and slowly the glow diminished.

Neji felt the edge of his robe, as if he expected it to be changed somehow. "Thank you. That was a most... remarkable experience."

"YOSH!" Lee sprang to attention. "Indeed, our journey together was full of youthful adventure and exhilarating passion! Oh, the sights seen! Oh, the people met! Glad am I, o Jon Stewart, Green Lantern of Sector 2814, for you to have shared these things with I, Rock Lee, the Beast of the Leaf Village!"

Green Lantern smiled. "Hey, it'd be a shame if you guys had to leave here without seeing Oa, at least once." Beckoning them through a door, he and the two ninjas passed into a long hallway, its right wall transparent to the earth. "And you DID hold the ring, Lee, for however short a time, so I felt you ought to get a chance to see what that all meant."

"A great deal, apparently," mused Neji. "All those... creatures assembled there. All of them come from separate worlds, separate planets?"

"Worlds, planets, asteroids, planes of reality... There's a whole universe out there, Neji. Each world is as different as yours is from ours—many more so. The Green Lanterns haven't explored all of it, but what they have, they protect and preserve as well as they can."

Neji shook his head. "Truly incredible. I had... No one in Konoha, would have had any idea."

"No one on Earth did either, for quite a long time." Stopping, Stewart gestured at the glass wall and all three turned to regard the glittering orb below. "Even after they finally decided the world was round, even once they got used to the idea that the Earth orbited the sun, even for many years after that, no one seriously believed that the universe could contain another planet with life. The odds were incredibly against it—astronomical." Green Lantern's lips twitched at his own joke.

"And yet it is the case." Neji commented.

"Exactly," nodded Stewart. "The odds are trumped once again. Even here in the League, we have Superman, J'onn, Shayera..." The blush that momentarily suffused his features went unnoticed by Lee but not Neji. "...and then that Starfire girl that they have in the Titans."

"It is curious that they all resemble humans so closely." Neji observed. "One would expect more anatomical deviance, such as we saw on Oa."

Stewart frowned. "Yeah, that IS odd. Humanoid forms are surprisingly common, even on Oa. There's a few theories as to why, but..." He shrugged. "One of those eternal mysteries, I suspect, lost as so much in the universe is."

"Well." Neji gave a deep bow. "I thank you for this truly eye-opening glimpse you have given us of the universe, however small a part you say it was. So many sights..." He shook his head. "...I will never forget them."

A quiet smile curved the lips of Green Lantern, and he shook Neji's hand. "I hope not." He replied softly. Turning to Lee, he asked, with an odd joviality, "So, do you get a better sense now of what that ring can do?"

"Indeed, Stewart-san," nodded Lee gravely. "The task of Green Lantern appears to be one of great responsibility and passion. I am honored to have fought with a warrior such as yourself." He also bowed.

"Er... thank you." Somewhat awkwardly, Jon bowed back, to Neji's completely non-evident amusement. Standing, Jon continued, "You're pretty good yourself, you know. I don't just mean the footwork," he added, seeing Lee's face, "I meant more the ring." He took a step forward. "Lee, I have to tell you... the Guardians at Oa.... They said they'd never seen anything like what you did to that ring. It's absolutely phenomenal, the level of power you generated, especially considering you just picked up the thing. With a little training in how to use it..." Jon shook his head. "...Lee, you could be one of the greatest Green Lanterns in the universe."

Lee stared into Jon's face intently, but made no sign. Though Neji looked troubled, he said nothing.

"You wouldn't have to leave Konoha," continued Jon. "Much as I'd like to have you in this universe, I'm willing to be there's some kind of Green Lantern Corps in your dimension also. And even if there wasn't..." He shrugged. "Guardians of separate dimensions aren't unheard of. I think you'd have the power to handle a good chunk of your own universe."

Pulling his own ring from his hand, Jon dropped it into Lee's hand. "It's a great power, and an even greater duty. An enormous burden. But I think you'd be equal to it." He indicated the ring. "If you want, just take that and the Lantern battery with you back to Konoha. The Guardians will understand and I..." A smile touched his lips. "I'd like to think of it being used by someone like you."

Lee's gaze went from Jon's face to the ring. Studying it for a moment, he rolled it around his hand, picked it up, and slid it on his finger. For a few, long instants he stared at it there, his massive eyebrows knitted in a unusually intense expression, watching the green glow it emitted.

Finally, with a slow, slightly regretful shake of the head, he took it back off and handed it back. "You do me great honor, Stewart-san," responded he quietly, with another bow. "But..." He shrugged, "...it just makes things too EASY."

------------

A sharp beeping noise at the monitor made Batman glance up. "There's the signal." He replied. "The others must be ready now. Time to finish this up." Picking up his sole remaining knight, he jumped over Shikamaru's bishop and set it down. "Checkmate."

"What?" Shikamaru half-stood. Glancing from Batman's half-smirking face to the game, he studied the board carefully. "...not there, not there..." He shook his head. "You're right."

"A good game, Mr. Nara."

"You know, I didn't see that at all."

"Well," Batman inclined his head. "That's sort of the point."

Shikamaru nodded assent. "Just one problem with that move, though." At Batman's question look, he explained, "You can't make it."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Shikamaru indicated his own knight, comfortably placed between Batman's rook and sole remaining pawn. "You'd already lost."

Batman blinked. He looked at the knight. He looked at his king. He looked at Shikamaru's bishop, the same one he had just jumped over, and the remaining rook. And then, slowly, he shook his head, smiling. "Mr. Nara..." He held out his hand. "It is a pity you are leaving us."

"It kinda is, actually." Shikamaru shook the gloved hand. "That was a more interesting game than I've had for months. Luthor got old." Letting go, he heaved a sigh. "Still..."

"Still." Batman indicated the Batplane, sitting on the runway. "It is time for things to return to their old routine."

"Mm," nodded Shikamaru, as he and Batman moved to the Batplane.

"Hang on a second." Wonder Woman was in front of the monitor, studying the map of the ninjas' locations. "Bruce, what's this black mark here?"

Both men turned. "That's the tracer I hid on the Sharingan projector Terrific built," replied Batman.

Wonder Woman's brow wrinkled in confusion. "The one Sasuke stole?"

"According to our best guesses, yes."

"So... is Sasuke at this location on the map then?" The confused wrinkle was growing.

"Possibly."

Giving up, Wonder Woman simply snapped. "So shouldn't you call Clark and STORM the place and RECAPTURE him?"

Batman and Shikamaru offered each other a little smile.

"You probably don't need to hurry," suggested Shikamaru.

"He can't run it without Naruto's level of chakra," agreed Batman, with curious nonchalance. "I think it can wait until after the ninjas have left."

------------

"Well? Can you power it or not?"

Karin stood up from her study of the device and polished her glasses. "I think so. It has a very simple construction, with only very rudimentary chakra outlets, but no inherent chakra of its own. Shouldn't offer any conflictions with Juugo's body."

"Good." Sasuke's single glowing eyepiece focused on his overpowered berserker. "Understand what I need you to do, then?"

"I think so. Absorb the thing into one of my hands, aim it at us, and fire. The aiming may be a little tricky, but apart from that..." Juugo nodded. "...I can do it."

Suigetsu hopped off the crate he'd been sitting on. "Sweet. Let's give this thing a shot, then."

"One moment." Turning back to Karin, Sasuke asked, "If Juugo is still attached to the device when he uses it, will it teleport with us?"

Karin shook her head. "No. It's not included in the teleportation eyesight. It will just rip off Juugo's arm."

"Will that kill him?"

For the briefest instant, Team Taka shared a slightly bewildered look at Sasuke's question. "Surely that's unimportant, Sasuke-sama," offered Juugo. "We need to take this chance, there is no other way home."

Sasuke ignored him. "Answer the question." He ordered Karin.

"I—I don't think so," managed Karin. "Some loss of body mass, but that is the extent of the damage."

Sasuke gave a curt nod of approval. "Good. Thank you, Karin." Turning away from her astonished expression, he strode over to the wall and picked up a few semi-automatics that had been sitting there. "We should be on our way, then."

"Right." Karin picked up a bedraggled knapsack bursting with books and dragged it over.

"Boss, what're you going to do about your eye?" asked Suigetsu, jerking a thumb at the projector. "You just going to leave it here?"

A shrug came in answer. "That eye is as blind as the other." Sasuke tapped the side of his head meaningfully. "It is worse than useless to me, and less than that to the heroes." Moving over to his subordinates, he stuffed his guns into a sack and stood upright. "Once we return, I shall ask Madarra for my brother's eyes."

"So you can kill Naruto, huh boss?" snickered Suigestu.

Sasuke's expression was curiously pensive. "Perhaps." His face clearing, he gestured to Juugo. "Do it."

-------------

Ninjas, heroes, and government liasons stood assembled in the open room, an oddly awkward silence prevailing between them. Most of the ninjas looked perfectly stoic and resigned, while the heroes were muttering and shuffling around. Waller had a profoundly irritated expression on her face and kept glancing at her watch.

"Where IS that man?" She finally exploded. "He said he'd be down here fifteen minutes ago?"

Sighing, Sakura offered the woman a sympathetic shrug. "That's Kakashi-sama for you."

"I really wouldn't expect him for another half-an-hour," agreed Naruto, giving a shamefaced grin. "Sorry. He just doesn't..."

The door flew open and a whole roomful of heads swiveled Kakashi strode casually in, followed by a less-casual Gai and an even less casual-Flash. "Hi everybody." He waved. "Sorry I'm late, but there was this international disaster and I..."

"Kakashi-sama..." sighed Sakura, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is bad enough already. Don't make it worse."

Gai's eyes lit up at the sight of Tenten. "Ah! You have found my missing storage scrolls, Tenten-san!" Running over, he endeavored to take them back. "I am most indebted to you, youthful student!"

"Haha, don't mention it, sensei!" replied Tenten with a slightly uneasy joviality, pushing Gai back. "Um... you haven't... looked inside any of the other scrolls, have you?"

"If we can dispense with the chit-chat," snapped Waller, "I believe we have an interdimensional incident to close here!"

The declaration sobered everyone up, and Waller nodded appreciably. "Now, if you have any last words to offer, this would be the time."

There was a short silence. Then Superman walked over to Naruto and held out his hand. Naruto, after a moment's uncertainty, shook it.

The simple act touched off a host of others. Wonder Woman faced Sakura and placed her left hand over her heart in an Amazonian salute. Lee hugged Batman, Robin, Flash, and Green Lantern in five seconds before returning to his station to burst into tears. Neji gave Green Arrow a curt nod of appreciation and bowed to Static, who gave him a little wave in return. J'onn and Ino only locked glances, but what they actually said was impossible to tell. Kiba and Beast Boy locked arms and did a quick secret handshake.

Hinata did nothing, but her eyes sought out a reporter on the far side of the room. Slowly, she offered the tiniest smile.

The reporter grinned back and then, after a few seconds study of her, jerked her head at Naruto in question.

Hinata's face flamed momentarily and her head nodded, ever so slightly.

Lois' face split into one huge smile and she gave the girl a thumbs-up, accompanied by a wink.

All this time Naruto and Superman stood, shaking hands. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki," said the Kryptonian.

"You too," answered Naruto, with a quick swallow. "Great. Really... really great. Thanks for everything you taught me about... heroing. And stuff. I hope..." He swallowed again. "I hope I have a chance to use it."

Superman smiled. "I'm sure you will."

Then he let go and stepped back, the ninjas formed up in one large group, and Kakashi, facing the mirror that filled the entirety of the opposite wall, lifted his headband from his eye.

"I think this is going to hurt." He muttered, and then, "Kamui!"

A flash, a sudden strange warping of space like a great whirlpool, and the ninjas of Konoha were gone.