Connecting the Dots--A Naruto/DCAU crossover

Finalization

Finalization

"Have to say, I'm surprised at you." Shikamaru remarked.

The enormous dark man that had been Luthor five seconds ago turned to regard him. "Why, foolish mortal?"

"Just the way you're going about this." A simple gesture indicated the scene directly below their invisible, floating box. The floor seethed with sixteen ninjas and some hundred heroes, battling more or less across the room, though various screens showed a number of fights that had crashed out into the streets or other areas of the MetroTower. Though he couldn't pretend to know the powers of all the different metas present (though he was fast cataloging them), Shikamaru felt this might have been an uneven match, if Naruto hadn't spawned about ten thousand clones into existence. They didn't do much besides throw around Rasengans, but they were EVERYWHERE, and the heroes were pretty badly disoriented by the whole... Naruto-ness of the room.

Of course, something about those red and yellow streaks shooting through everything seemed to be helping too. Shikamaru had no idea what they were, but they seemed to be keeping the metas completely off balance. Hopefully they would keep it up.

The man's stone grey face was still staring at him for an explanation. Shikamaru decided to go for it. "If I was a god, I wouldn't even be pretending to lead my forces into battle like that," said he, pointing at a clone of his captor in the thick of the fight, nonchalantly punching clones away. "Any big brute with more muscles than brains could do that. SUPERMAN could do that, if it came down to it." Shikamaru noted the faint stiffening of his enemy and smiled inwardly. "Seems awfully stupid. Last I heard, gods don't fight their own battles, they get pitiful mortals to fight them out for them."

"That is just and proper," nodded the other.

"Don't know about that, but it's what gods do. Well, all gods except you, apparently."

The man's glowing eyes regarded Shikamaru for a moment. "Your duplicity is so unbounded, mortal, that I cannot discern whether you seek to manipulate me into removing my avatar, or, by reverse psychology, into removing my pawns."

"So much for unbounded wisdom," yawned Shikamaru

"The human mind is a mystery even to gods. Your mind in particular. However, I think I shall outmatch you this time, mortal." A small curve twisted the edge of the creature's mouth. "Rather than removing my avatar OR my pawns, I shall retain both. I have underestimated you and your friends too often for me to make the same mistake again."

"Promises, promises. Well, knock yourself out, I guess." Shrugging, Shikamaru leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. "You wanna play chess? You might find this battle thing interesting, but its sorta dull to me."

"A worthy attempt, Mr. Nara, but no." Just a trace of Luthor's amusement filtered into the monster's deep bass. "I may have two bodies, but I have only one focus, and I should prefer to spend it on the real battle."

"Suit yourself." Another yawn hid Shikamaru's growing dismay. Truthfully, he hadn't expected to live beyond the prison breakout, and had more or less resigned himself to being an early casualty of Luthor's rage. But having lived thus far, his mind was busily working on ways to KEEP living as long as possible, or at least to keep as many of his friends living as could be arranged.

Unfortunately, none of his usual tricks seemed to be working. Shikamaru was unsure how to handle this bigger, darker Luthor—or Darkseid, if he'd heard that right—and there weren't many other ways of affecting the battle from this floating box, what with him being magically bound to the chair and all. It looked as though he'd be doomed to remain a spectator in this battle, helpless to aid or hinder his friends.