The battle was far from one-sided; it was a monumental clash between two equally powerful forces, each refusing to back down. Despite the overwhelming power Naruto had at his disposal, the heroes and their allies were holding their ground, fighting with everything they had left. Blood was spilled, bones were broken, and powers clashed in a whirlwind of destruction, as if the very universe itself were being torn apart.
Naruto stood in the heart of the storm, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. Each blow he struck was fueled by rage, a desire to make them understand what they had done. But even with all his power, the heroes weren't backing down. They were pushing him to his limits.
Kara was the first to break through, her fists cracking with the energy of a star as she collided with Naruto. She had absorbed everything she could from the cloak and from Kurama's chakra, pushing her to new heights. Her punches were fast, relentless, but Naruto managed to block most of them with a shield of chakra, his face grim as each hit made him feel the weight of the fight.
"You're still not enough, Kara," Naruto growled, his voice rough as he swung a fist toward her. But she was faster, darting to the side with a quick sidestep, and landed a blow to his chest.
Naruto staggered back, feeling the force of Kara's punch reverberate through his body. For the first time in this battle, a crack appeared in his shield. His chest burned, the solar energy Kara infused into her attacks taking a toll. Kara smiled for a brief moment, her heart lifting as she saw that she could still hurt him.
But Superboy was on him the next instant, launching a series of punches that threatened to crack Naruto's skull. Naruto, caught off guard by the young hero's fury, blocked the first few attacks, but then took a devastating hit to the side that sent him crashing into the ground, skidding across the battlefield.
"You're not the only one who's grown stronger," Superboy shouted, standing over him, ready to deliver another blow.
Naruto snarled, his hand glowing with energy as he launched himself back to his feet. In one fluid motion, he struck Superboy hard, knocking the wind out of him. The Kryptonian's body crumpled as Naruto raised his hand, preparing for another strike—but this time Donna Troy was there.
With a roar, Donna swung her Titan's hammer at Naruto, the force of the blow creating a shockwave that could be felt across the dimension. But Naruto was too quick, dodging just in time. The hammer missed by mere inches, crashing into the ground with enough force to send debris flying in every direction.
"Is this all you've got?" Naruto taunted, his grin wicked as he unleashed a series of chakra blasts, pushing Donna back. The force of the blasts sent her flying, her body skidding across the cracked landscape.
But Diana wasn't far behind. With the power of the immortals coursing through her, she had drawn on the power granted to her by Hercules's golden blood, which had augmented her strength and durability. Diana's sword, glowing with divine light, clashed against Naruto's own, the two forces locked in a struggle of titanic proportions.
"You think you can challenge me with mere brute force?" Naruto's voice was harsh, but his face showed a flash of respect for the Amazon princess's determination.
For a moment, the two were locked in a stalemate, their powers surging and clashing, neither willing to yield. But as Diana pushed forward, Naruto released a burst of chakra, shattering her sword and sending her tumbling backward. His eyes burned with disdain, but also something else—a recognition of their strength.
"You're still so weak compared to me," he said coldly, but his breath was ragged. It was becoming harder to maintain control. The fight was taking a toll on him too.
Superman was the next to charge, his body crackling with solar energy, the full power of the sun in his fists. But even as he closed the distance, Naruto's aura flared. He raised his hand, and with a single movement, he unleashed a massive shockwave, knocking Superman to the ground with enough force to make the earth tremble.
However, Naruto was not unscathed. Superman's punches had made their mark, leaving Naruto's chest scorched and his energy reserves slightly drained. The green glow of the Lanterns had been a persistent thorn in his side, distracting him at every turn, and now, Superman was pushing him further than expected.
Kara didn't stop. As soon as Naruto had turned to Superman, she was back on him, delivering a powerful kick that sent Naruto stumbling back. Her power was now amplified, and each hit sent waves of energy crashing into his defenses.
The Green Lanterns, Flash, Impulse, and Yellow Flash Join the Fight
The Green Lanterns—Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and others—had been supporting the heroes with their energy constructs, but now they formed a massive energy net, attempting to bind Naruto. The net shimmered with willpower as it tightened around him, but Naruto simply grinned, his chakra bursting out from within. The net shattered, and the Green Lanterns were sent sprawling by the force of his release.
"You really think you can hold me with mere light?" Naruto mocked, his voice thick with sarcasm. "You're as foolish as they come."
But they weren't done. Flash, Impulse, and Yellow Flash zipped into the battlefield, weaving in and out of Naruto's attacks at blinding speeds. Their plan was to trap him in the Speed Force, and with the combined efforts of all three speedsters, they created a swirling vortex of speed around him. The air around Naruto seemed to distort, and for a moment, it seemed like the Speed Force would pull him in.
But Naruto wasn't finished yet.
With a grin that sent chills through the heroes, he surged forward, breaking through the vortex and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Yellow Flash was thrown to the side, unable to react fast enough, while Impulse and Barry were blasted backward by the sheer force of Naruto's speed.
"You think you can outrun me?" Naruto sneered, as the speedsters struggled to get back on their feet. "This is my world now, my time. You're nothing but ants beneath my feet."
But Naruto, despite his superiority, was far from invincible. The continuous barrage of attacks from the heroes had taken its toll. His chakra reserves were running low, and every punch from the Titans, every blast from the Lanterns, and every move from the speedsters left him feeling weaker than he had before.
His body was battered. His mind was exhausted. Despite his overwhelming power, he was being forced into a position where he couldn't maintain his dominance forever.
"You're… stronger than I expected," Naruto said,catching his breath. "But you're still not enough to stop me."
The battle raged on across the mystic dimension, a war of strength, will, and power that shook the very fabric of the universe. Naruto, in his immortal-like form, clashed with the combined forces of Earth's mightiest heroes. His every movement was a storm, a surge of raw power, but something unexpected was about to shift within him—a change that would alter the course of the battle.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, the scene was quieter, but equally charged with a sense of inevitability. In a dark, quiet room far away from the chaos, Xanadu appeared, stepping through a portal that shimmered with celestial light. Her eyes, filled with an otherworldly understanding, locked onto Menma. Menma was seated at a small table, quietly staring at the glass in front of him. He was enjoying a moment of peace, a rare moment where time seemed to stand still.
Beside him, an ethereal figure sat — Death herself. Her form radiated the calmness of the afterlife, yet there was an undeniable melancholy in her presence. She looked at Menma with compassion, her clear blue eyes steady and full of affection. Menma, despite the surreal nature of their relationship, found solace in her gaze.
Xanadu's voice broke the stillness. "They will lose the battle." Her words were short, almost curt, but laden with the weight of finality. She turned, not waiting for a response, and stepped away, disappearing into the shadows without even a glance back.
Menma's body trembled as the words sank in. He didn't know what Xanadu meant by "they," but the implications were clear — the heroes were about to fail. The heroes, the people he once fought alongside, were about to face destruction.
Death gently reached out and placed her hand over his, her touch warm against his cool skin. She leaned closer, her presence soothing as always. "Don't take it to heart," she whispered softly, her voice like the calm breeze before a storm. "You are not him. Free yourself from those worries."
Menma's heart tightened, and for a brief moment, the shadows of his past—the weight of his decisions and actions—began to haunt him. He smiled, albeit a bitter smile, and looked into Death's eyes. They were beautiful, deep blue and filled with understanding.
"Haha," he chuckled softly, the sound laced with sadness. "If I showed such selfishness, I wouldn't be me."
He tried to laugh it off, but his chest felt heavy, as if the pressure of his emotions was about to break him. Slowly, he stood up, determined to leave this place. Yet, before he could take another step, Death's hand caught his.
"Don't do it," she pleaded softly, her fingers tightening around his.
His expression softened, but his resolve hardened. "Death, I'm sorry." His voice was steady, though his heart was anything but. "I'm sorry that I can't be with you anymore. It was the happiest time of my life. You made everything so special." His gaze softened as he took her hand, his touch tender. "But... this world needs him more than it needs me. I can't let my real body get possessed by something else."
His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of finality. He stepped forward, embracing her tightly, his arms holding her in a final moment of warmth. And then, as if everything he had felt in that moment boiled to the surface, he kissed her—a kiss of love, of farewell.
But Menma's decision was made. As their lips parted, Menma moved swiftly. With an almost mechanical motion, he drove a knife into his chest, piercing his own heart. The act was swift, but its finality was undeniable.
Death let out a sharp, strangled gasp, her fingers trembling as she reached for his fallen form. She cradled his body in her arms, tears trailing down her cheeks. She lived for moments like this, to witness the emotions of the living, to learn from them, but this... this pain was something that ripped through her soul. It was a pain that even she, the embodiment of death itself, could not escape.
"I didn't want this," Death whispered as she let the weight of his body rest in her arms. Her tears fell freely, a rare moment of vulnerability for one who was supposed to guide souls beyond the veil. "I didn't want you to leave. You... you were my happiness."
As Menma's body began to disintegrate, turning into nothing but dust, she whispered one last thing to him in the wind. "You will always be remembered, even if you didn't think so."
And with that, she released his body into the ether, his physical form dissolving, leaving only a trace of memory in the world.
Back in the mystic battlefield, Naruto paused. His body, still locked in combat with the combined might of the heroes, suddenly trembled, his breath catching. His fists faltered, momentarily losing their impact, as memories began to flood his mind—Menma's memories.
They weren't his own, but they surged through him as if they had always been there. His mind was flooded with images of Menma's life, his regrets, his battles, his love for Death, and his final, selfless act. It all came rushing in like a wave, and Naruto faltered. For a brief moment, the fake memories that had controlled him began to unravel. The false history that had defined him began to fade, replaced by the raw truth of who he once was, who he still was.
The pain of Menma's final moments was overwhelming, ripping through him, forcing him to his knees. He could feel Menma's suicide, the guilt, the grief. It was a piercing agony that Naruto had never experienced before.
Naruto's eyes flared open, glowing with an intensity that was different from before. The shockwave of his emotions rippled outward, knocking back the heroes who were closing in on him. His voice, though still calm, carried the weight of Menma's final words.
"Stop," Naruto commanded coldly, his voice reverberating with authority. "Capture Shuten."
The air around him shimmered with power as he released another shockwave—one that pushed the heroes back once more. They were momentarily stunned, struggling to regain their footing. But they could all feel it, a change had come over Naruto.
His demeanor had shifted. The cruel indifference was gone, replaced by a cold, calculated determination. And as they looked into his eyes, they could see the flicker of recognition—the man they had once known, the one they had once fought beside, had returned.
The battle had shifted in an instant. With a combination of raw power and cunning, Naruto and his allies swiftly turned the tide. Shuten, who had been at Naruto's side, was captured with little resistance. Her mind, still clouded by the false memories planted by Nyx, left her vulnerable in her current state. Despite their efforts to reason with her, Naruto, Raven, and Zatanna found no way to break through the layers of deceit that held her. The false memories she clung to were the only thing she knew, the only reality she had.
No matter how hard they tried, Shuten remained steadfast in her belief of the world that Nyx had crafted for her. Nyx, as it turned out, was not the one controlling her in this moment. The power that kept her bound was something deeper—her own inner belief in the memories she had, memories that had become her identity. And so, in the end, there was no choice but to seal her away, locking her within a prison until a solution could be found.
But while they could contain her, Naruto couldn't contain the turmoil that churned within him. His soul felt torn, disturbed, disillusioned. Menma's death—his own clone's tragic sacrifice—had ripped him open in ways he hadn't expected. For a brief moment, he had been forced to confront the darkest depths of his own being. His past sins, his fractured existence, and the knowledge that he had betrayed the very people he loved hung over him like a cloud he couldn't escape.
The weight of everything he had done—the broken friendships, the lovers he had harmed, the blood on his hands—gnawed at his very core. The act of cutting down his friends, of turning against his allies, and worse yet, the unspeakable bond he had formed with Shuten, his own daughter, was a nightmare he couldn't escape.
Even though he had freed himself from Nyx's control, the damage had already been done. His very being was tainted. The rage that simmered beneath the surface was fierce, unstoppable. His mind was clouded with the thought of one singular goal: Nyx had to pay. She was the one responsible for all this pain, all this suffering. She had manipulated him, twisted him, and shattered his very sense of self.
Naruto didn't voice it, but his inner turmoil was boiling over. His expression was a mask of cold determination, but his fists clenched in anger, his body trembling with the force of his emotions. Nyx, no matter her reasons, had to be held accountable for everything she had done. He had to make her understand the depth of her transgressions. She had crossed a line, and he would not let her go unpunished.
But even as Naruto's mind raged with thoughts of retribution, his allies—Kara, Superman, Raven, Zatanna, and the others—could see the turmoil in his eyes. They could feel the raw fury emanating from him. He had always been their leader, their hero, but now he was something different—a man on the edge of losing himself entirely.
Kara was the first to approach him. Her soft but strong hands reached out to steady him, to calm the storm inside of him. "Naruto," she said gently, her voice full of empathy, "We know how much this hurts. But this isn't the way. You've been through so much already."
Superman stepped forward, his expression grave but understanding. "We'll help you. We'll go with you. You don't have to face this alone."
And the rest of the heroes, the ones who had once fought against him, now stood by his side. They were ready. They had seen the cost of his rage, the toll it had taken on him, but they were still determined to help him find a way forward.
Kara's grip tightened around his arm, a silent promise. "Whatever you need, we'll follow. We'll fight for you."
Naruto's gaze flickered to her, his hardened eyes softening for a brief moment. There was still love in him, still a flicker of the man he once was. And as he looked at his friends, his family, he realized that they, too, were suffering. They had all been torn apart by Nyx's manipulation. They were all in this together.
A breath escaped his lips, a long exhale as if releasing the weight of a lifetime. "We will make her pay," he said, his voice low but resolute. "But we will do this together. I won't make the same mistake again. You all have suffered enough because of me. I won't let it continue."
The heroes nodded in agreement, a quiet determination in their eyes. They were all ready to do what it took. Nyx had caused enough damage, and now it was time to take the fight to her. It was no longer just about saving Naruto or even Shuten—it was about reclaiming their freedom, their lives, and ensuring that no one else had to suffer under the twisted grip of Nyx's power.
The decision was made. The counterattack would begin.
As Naruto turned toward the horizon, ready to face the one who had nearly destroyed him and everything he cared about, his mind cleared. His rage still simmered, but it no longer controlled him. With the strength of his allies, the love of his friends and lovers, and the weight of the truth that he had recovered, Naruto knew that the time for reckoning had come.
This time, he would not fall. This time, he would be the one to bring Nyx down.
The world was about to change.