AN: Yeah, I know. So many stories, so little time. I'm experimenting. Seeing what sticks. Sue me. I dare you.

Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Naruto. I think I've said both enough that the point came across.

Senkō

1: Out of the Forest, Into the Force

Jay Garrick wasn't a patient man by any means. He was the first to take up the moniker of Flash, after all. The first Flash...a hero long forgotten, even among some of the new generation. He was fine with that. He did his time back in the forties, stopping criminals like The Monocle and fighting off monstrous mutations on Mars known as Spider-Men.

Sure, occasionally he'd come out to help the young'uns, but those calls were few and far in between. He might have been sixty physically, but he was still an old man technically. Even Jay wasn't sure how long his joints would be able to hold out. Hence why he got to live without much requests from the new Justice Society –Er, Justice League.

So imagine his surprise when Barry Allen, the current Flash, and Max Mercury, the man believed to be the first speedster, arrived on his doorstep.

"Max? Barry? Come in, I'll make some coffee." Jay said kindly.

"Not a social call, Jay." Barry said. He sounded serious. Then again, Barry always sounded serious. He needed to relax a bit.

"It's the Force, Jay." Max said. The old Native American looked like a schoolboy. His experience with the Speed Force drove him to obsess over the near sentient energy. It sent him travelling through time until he arrived in the time between Jay hanging his helmet up and Barry donning the scarlet suit. Max knew everything there was to know about the Speed Force. "It's calling to us."

Personally, Jay didn't like the Speed Force. It bothered him, knowing that something other than the good Lord was watching over him. He accepted it, but that was begrudgingly.

"And? What's it saying, Max?" Jay asked. They wouldn't have come if it weren't important, after all.

"Listen." Max said. He was urging the older man to listen, practically pleading. Jay humored him, closing his eyes and listening. Then he heard it. It was faint, but he heard it and damned if Jay didn't almost have a speed stroke from it.

Help me!

Jay's eyes snapped open and he looked at the two men before him. "I don't understand, what does this mean?"

"We need your help." Barry said. "Someone's trapped in the Speed Force."

"So how to we get them out?" Jay asked as he ran next to Barry, both of them suited up. Max was on Barry's back, his body not graced with the same slowed aging like Jay's meant that the poor speedster was now reduced to hitching rides.

"Max has a theory on that." Barry said. "He's got a machine. A treadmill he's been working on. Only problem is, it's experimental. And I haven't got enough speed to power it alone."

"And you're not risking the Kid. Good. I'd have killed you myself if you went to him." Jay said. The Kid was Jay's nickname for Kid Flash, also known as Wally West, Barry's nephew and number one fan. After an attempt to replicate the Barry's accident, Wally had succeeded and got his own, albeit diluted, powers. He was surprised to find out that his uncle was his hero. He was not surprised to be grounded for putting himself in the hospital.

"Iris would've beaten you to it." Barry said humorously. Jay laughed in agreement to that. Iris West Allen, Barry's wife, was very against Wally becoming Kid Flash in the first place. Poor dear now had two boys to worry about, unlike his wife Joan.

"Left here." Max said, directing the speedsters. Within minutes they came across an old warehouse that looked like it had been around since Keystone was founded. Max dropped down from Barry's back, walking to the warehouse and opening the door with a key. "Come on. We haven't much time. The call is faint."

Max led them over to a tarp-covered object and pulled the tarp off, revealing the large treadmill with a control console on the side.

"I used this once to get a lock on the Black Flash when he took Iris." Barry said as he went to the console. "If I can get the right frequency I can lock onto the abnormality in the Speed Force."

"How long will that take?" Jay asked.

"Not long. Max, you have the formula?" Barry asked. The old speedster gently pushed the forensic scientist out of his way.

"I'll handle it, you two need to be ready to run." Max said. His fingers blurred across the machine for about two minutes before he stopped. "Okay, that should do it."

"Ready, old man?" Barry asked good-naturedly.

"I'll show you old, Allen." Jay said with a smile. The two Flashes started at a relatively normal pace before they went faster. Their legs blurred, and yet they continued to speed up. The windows, what remained in the warehouse, shattered when they reached Mach One.

"Just a bit faster!" Max called over the sound of the machine.

Jay felt the barest hint of exhaustion settling in. He brushed it aside, narrowing his eyes in determination and pumping his arms faster to compensate. He glanced at Barry, the scarlet speedster not showing a hint of fatigue. It made Jay wonder just how fast Barry was.

"Got it!" Max said, hitting a button on the console. A portal in front of the two Flashes crackled open, lightning shooting out from the rim of it. Colors, mostly reds and yellows, filled the portal. Then there was an orange blur. It was getting closer.

"Barry!" Jay said once he made out the humanoid figure with a black shirt and orange pants. Barry nodded and jumped off, his hand reaching out and grabbing the back of the human's shirt. The Flash turned around and raced against the pull of the Speed Force, now showing exhaustion while he simultaneously ran a divot into the ground.

Barry finally started to pull the figure out, grunting under the strain. Jay hopped off and raced over to Barry's side, grabbing the shirt and pulling the human out of the Speed Force. When they started to pull his feet out, Max hit the emergency off switch. The portal started to close and shut only after Barry and Jay managed to pull out the form of a teenage boy.

"You got him!" Max said, coming over to the two panting men's side and helping them back to their feet. The three speedsters looked down at the unconscious newcomer with concern.

"What do we do now?" Barry asked.

"We find out how long he was in the Force." Max said.

"The poor boy can't be older than the Kid." Jay said, crouching down and picking the young man up. "Let's get him to a bed and get some food ready."

"Joan cooking?" Barry asked.

"For the three of us? Joan might be amazing in the kitchen, but she ain't a miracle worker." Jay said with a chuckle. "No sir. Might want to go to one of those S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Right. Max?" Barry looked to the older man.

"I'll take a cab." Max said, waving Barry off. "I need to get some notes for them to compare to and I'll have to make my own notes when I get there."

"Not a bad idea." Barry said. He looked to Jay. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way." Jay said.

"Idiot! That seal isn't even close to being right!"

"How was I supposed to know? You left me to chase after that lady!"

"Yeah, well I didn't exactly expect you to do something like this!"

"You told me to practice! What do I do?"

"We have to get out of the area! C'mon-!"

Then there was light...and he was running.

He was running for so long. All his problems were behind him. He couldn't think of anything other than how wonderful it was to run. Then something appeared behind him, black and ghoulish with a red lightning bolt on the chest...Claws that impaled his stomach and took something from him.

Blue eyes snapped open and he shot up from his bed, two hands grabbing either of his shoulders and pushing him back down.

"Easy, son." A gentle and kind elderly voice said. He looked to his left and his eyes landed on a guy around the Pervy Sage's age. He was dressed oddly; wearing a red shirt with a lightning bolt on it, blue slacks and a helmet with wings on it. The man smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "You're safe now."

"Wh-what? Where...Who are you? Where am I? Why does my mouth feel weird?" He asked. A moment passed and he wrapped his arms around his stomach. "Ohh...and why am I so hungry?"

"All in good time. In the meantime, here, have some food." The old guy said, offering a plate with a strange looking meal on it. He didn't even care what it looked like; he just snatched it from the old guy and devoured it like a savage. Another plate was set in front of him and he continued to eat, making the old guy laugh.

"He certainly eats like we do." An amused voice said from the side. He looked over at the speaker, finding a man in a red outfit with a yellow lightning bolt on the chest in the center of a white circle. A red cowl that looked like it was connected to the suit hid the man's face. The man in red smiled at him. "Hey there. Name's Flash."

"Weird name." He said with a full mouth. He strained to swallow before sighing in relief when he succeeded. He gave the man a red a bright smile. "I'm Naruto!"

"Nice to meet you, Naruto." The old man said, taking one of the strange foods from the plate and eating it at a sedate pace. When he finished be pounded a fist against his chest and burped. "Excuse me. Name's Jay Garrick."

Naruto looked between the two. "You're that guy's dad?"

"Ha! Nope, he might as well be though." The man in red, the Flash, said. "Jay here helped me figure out a lot when I was starting out."

"As a clown?" Naruto asked. He grabbed another of the strange meat in long bun things and shoveled it into his mouth.

Flash frowned while Jay burst into laughter. The masked man gave a pout to his elder. "Real funny, Garrick. You wore the colors before me!"

"Yes, but mine was a jersey from my college and a spare pair of slacks." Jay said, his laughter dancing in his eyes. He looked at Naruto with amusement. The smile on his face dimmed down. "Kid, we need to talk about something serious."

"Like what?" Naruto asked, biting into another one of those meat things. "Mm, this is almost as good as Ramen. What's it called?"

"They're called hotdogs." Flash said, amused. He sat on the end of the bed and grabbed one. Taking a bite, Flash looked at the kid and continued. "What's the last thing you remember before you woke up?"

Naruto paused in mid bite and chewed, trying to remember. He felt a throb of pain and groaned. "I...I can barely remember. I remember training...a guy called...Pervy Sage..."

"...Pervy Sage?" Flash asked.

"They'll let anyone teach kids these days." Jay said, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Everything else...it's a blur." Naruto said, frowning. He looked at the plate that had been set before him. Most of the hotdogs that were on it were gone, only three left. He looked at the one in his hand. "How many have I eaten?"

"Thirty-eight and a half." Jay said. "A fair amount considering-Good God, kid!"

Jay was taken aback as Naruto finished the hotdog in his hand and then devoured the last three. He looked at his plate longingly and then at Jay. "Got any more?"

Flash burst into laughter at the innocent question. He surprised Naruto by reappearing at his side and patting him on the head. "He's got the stomach of a natural speedster!"

"Get off me!" Naruto said, swinging at Flash. His simple swing happened in the blink of an eye. Naruto gaped and swung his arm back, it moved faster than he had thought it would, but it didn't hurt. "What the...?"

"Super speed." Flash said. He looked at Jay and the older man nodded. Flash nodded back, rushing around the room, up the walls and dismantling the cameras. When he was finished, Flash ran down to the door and stepped out, said something to the guards posted outside, and then rushed back in, the door hissing shut behind him. Flash gave Jay the thumbs up and Jay nodded again.

Jay looked to Naruto and put a hand on his shoulder. "Son, a few hours ago, Flash and I pulled you out of something called the Speed Force, a sentient force that gives the power to all speedsters, which is what Flash and I are."

"I...I don't understand. What's happened to me? Why can't I remember everything?" Naruto asked. He grabbed his head. "All I know is that my name is Naruto. I'm fifteen years old...I was born in October. October...tenth."

"You need to relax, son." Jay said gently. "We pulled you out of the Speed Force. You're one of us now, too."

"Which, by the way, is really cool." Flash said with a smile. Naruto gave him a wary look and Flash chuckled. "Right, almost forgot."

He reached up and pulled the cowl off his head, revealing a man with blue eyes like his own and similar, if not lighter, blond hair. Another grin was given to him and Flash offered his hand to the boy. "Barry Allen, the man behind the mask."

"...You've got two names?" Naruto asked. He slowly lifted his hand and Flash (or is it Barry?) took it, giving him a shake that blurred his hand.

"Flash is the name I use when I don't want the people close to me to get hurt." Barry explained. He let go of Naruto's hand and smiled gently. "You've got a gift, Naruto. You can use it to help others."

"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Barry." Jay said. "Naruto has his own choices to make."

"Yeah, but he's a good person." Barry said, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling. "I can tell."

"And?" Jay asked.

Barry chuckled. "See through me like a glass, huh? Well, I figure Wally could use someone his age to work with. Heck, I know I would've appreciated it, but you could only do so much, Jay."

"You've got a point there." Jay said with a nod of agreement. He looked to Naruto and arched a brow. "What do you say kid? Want to blow this joint?"

"Yeah...I'll do it." Naruto said. He gave the men a sad smile. "I've got nowhere else to go."

"That's not true." Jay said, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Every speedster is welcome in the Garrick home."

"Well isn't he just the handsomest young man?" Joan Garrick had said when Naruto first arrived that month ago. She had complained about his shaggy hair and insisted on cutting it down short, which went along well with the blond's lean build. Joan had also lent him some make up to cover the faint scars he had on either cheek. After two days of practicing his powers with Jay, Naruto stopped bothering with it since it just kept peeling off in the wind.

It was March now, and Naruto, now known as the recently discovered great-nephew of Jay Garrick, Nathaniel Jason Garrick. He was enrolled in Keystone High, but currently he was in the twin city, Central City, with his new friend...Wally West. The redheaded speedster was at first offended that there was a new kid his age with the same powers, but then he let it go and got to know Naruto. He thought that the blond was naïve and kind of stupid, so Wally took it upon himself to teach his friend how to fix it. He decided to take him to the Central City Mall.

"Smell the urban jungle, my friend! For it is fierce and yet crawling with beautiful creatures." Wally said, turning and ogling a brunette as she walked by.

"Pervert." Naruto said, giving the redhead a light punch on the arm.

"Don't lie, you took a peek, too." Wally said, grinning.

"No, I didn't." Naruto said, looking away.

"I saw the speed peek." Wally said, nudging the blond in the arm. "Best perk in my opinion."

"Whatever, Wally." Naruto said, his head shaking in amusement. The blond stole a glance at himself in the window of a clothing shop, looking over his new clothes since Wally had taken him out. Before he would wear Jay's old clothes, or 'old people' clothes as Wally called them, but now he was decked out in 'cool duds', again, Wally's words. A red Flash shirt – which was practically unavoidable in Central or Keystone – and baggy jeans, as well as some special shoes that S.T.A.R. Labs had created for him after they got Max's notes. Max had even made him a full background, keeping him off the government's radar.

He just wished that the outfit had some orange for some reason.

"Check it out, honeys at three o'clock." Wally said, grinning as he waved at a pair of girls. Naruto followed his gaze and smiled a bit timidly at the girls, giving them a smaller wave. The girls giggled, huddled together and sped walk past them, giving them another glance over their shoulders. Wally rested his arms behind his head. "Yeah, stick with me kid and I'll show you how to get one of those soon."

"Aren't I a month older than you?" Naruto asked, arching a brow.

"Semantics." Wally said, waving it off. "Besides, when it comes to Central City's Mall, I'm a veteran."

"Sure you are." Naruto said, rolling his eyes. He slid his hands into his pockets as they walked through the mall, Wally pointing out the 'hotties' to him, stopping at every snack bar and buying two of the best product.

It was when they stopped at a coffee stand with a radio playing did something interesting happen.

"The Trickster is holed up in Central Bank, but Flash is in Keystone stopping Gorilla Grodd." The newscaster said. "It's a horrible scene, several police cars being melted by Trickster's snot gun and people being kept at bay by the police. Flash, if you can somehow hear this, hurry!"

"Well, duty calls, 'Nate'." Wally said, running at a civilian pace to the nearest janitor closet. Naruto crossed his arms, looking miffed. He hadn't a 'costume' of his own to wear otherwise he'd go, too. A yellow blur rushed out of the closet to the doors and Naruto used Gibber-rush, a form of speed talk that Jay had taught him, to give the banana suited hero a message.

"Kick some ass for me."

The whiskered blond frowned, almost pouting, as he was left in the mall of on his own. He listened to the newscast and sipped his coffee, finishing it rather quickly and tossing it before he burst into a run. He ran to the sporting goods store on the right, running in and grabbing a red ski mask that covered everything but his eyes. He grabbed a pair of yellow glasses after that and ran out, dropping a fifty on the counter as well as the tags of the items he bought.

Like hell he was sitting out like some boob, it was time he got some action.

Naruto skid to a stop outside of the bank just in time to see Kid Flash fly out from the bank, trapped by two giant jacks of varying colors. Naruto arched a brow behind his glasses, chuckling as he sped over to Kid Flash and flicking the jacks pinning him down.

"So...Having fun?" he asked.

"Who are-Naruto!" Kid Flash said, loudly. He looked around and glared at the masked teen. "What are you doing here?!"

"Helping you. Duh." Naruto said.

"I'm fine on my own, thanks." Kid Flash said, huffing.

"Really?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing while he smirked behind his mask.

"You just watch," Kid Flash said, "I'll be out of here in a second."

Naruto crossed his arms and watched Kid Flash try to vibrate himself through the jacks, stopping when his nose started to bleed with a groan. Naruto shook his head and grabbed the jacks, vibrating his the molecules in his arms and in the metal oversized toys until Kid Flash fell through the entrapment with a surprised cry. Naruto stopped and crossed his arms again.

"You had it, huh?" he asked.

"Shut up! Not all of us got our powers from the Speed Force, you know." Kid Flash said.

"Consider yourself lucky." Naruto said, frowning behind his mask. He lost his memories in trade for his powers. If Naruto had to choose, he'd choose his memories every day. Shaking those thoughts off, Naruto turned back to the bank. "So how do we do this?"

"We've just got to immobilize him." Kid Flash said. "Get James out of the costume and he's just another guy off his meds."

"Only with acid guns, supersized jacks and explosive teddy bears." Naruto said, giving Kid Flash a grin beneath his mask.

"...I hate face masks, I can't tell what you're doing." Kid Flash said with a pout.

"Not my fault I don't have a costume. Ba-Flash has been telling me I'm not ready yet." Naruto said, frowning.

"Yeah, well, I'm so helping you make your costume." Kid Flash said. There was an explosion and the two speedsters looked back at the bank. "Well, after this anyway. I've got a plan. We'll rush him and spin him around until he's too dizzy to see straight. Then we strip him and take him back to the hospital."

"Good call." Naruto said, giving Kid Flash a nod. He cracked his neck and knuckles. "Let's do this."

The two speedsters ran back into the bank, speeding around Trickster as the harlequin dressed man took aim with his snot gun. Kid Flash grabbed one arm and Naruto grabbed the other, holding him as they ran. Kid Flash gave the order to let go and they did, causing Trickster to spin around like a multicolored tornado until he fell down with a groan on his stomach.

"Mommy...I don't want to play anymore..." Trickster said before passing out.

"Mommy?" Naruto asked.

"James is an okay guy on his meds. He needs help, so the faster we get him back to the hospital, the better." Kid Flash said. Naruto nodded and helped Kid Flash take the childish man's costume off, leaving him in a white t-shirt, plain boxers and socks. Kid Flash hoisted James Jesse onto his shoulders with a grunt before giving Naruto a glower. "Why am I taking him back, again? You're going to be left with the reporters, that's my job!"

"You know where his room is and what hospital he goes to." Naruto said with a shrug. He peeled the upper part of the red mask off his head and ran a hand through his matted short golden hair. "Great, now Grandma Joan's going to give me a hard time over this."

"Make sure you tell the world that I came up with the plan." Kid Flash said before he zipped off. Naruto shook his head and walked out of the bank, the police raising their weapons at him. He raised his hands.

"Whoa! I'm with Kid Flash, easy guys!" Naruto said. The cops narrowed their eyes for a moment before they lowered their weapons. Naruto sighed in relief. "Whew, that would've been a pain to explain to my grandma. The bank is secure. Kid Flash took Trickster back to the hospital."

"We need to have him get arrested first...Ah, who am I kidding, he would've wound up there anyway." A policeman said. He holstered his weapon and offered Naruto his hand. "Got a name, kid?"

"Uhh...not yet." Naruto said sheepishly, taking the officer's hand. "You?"

"Sgt. John Park." The man, John, said. He reclaimed his hand after Naruto shook it and rubbed his neck. "I've only been here a month and I'm not used to any of this. Chicago didn't have this problem."

"Yeah, not a lot of cities do." Naruto said with a chuckle.

Sgt. Park gave Naruto an odd look. "You sound kind of young. How old are you?"

"Uhh...Oh, look! It's the local news team. It was nice meeting you, Sgt. Park. Hope we work together on something soon!" Naruto said before he sped off to the news team with a familiar face among them. Naruto smiled under his mask at the reporter on site, Barry's wife Iris. The brunette knockout of a reporter was standing behind the barricade with a microphone in front of her mouth.

"Iris West Allen for the Central News at Central Bank. Only ten minutes ago, the notorious Trickster chose the Central Bank as his play area." Iris said into the camera. "Thanks to Kid Flash and a new speedster, Trickster is back where he belongs. Hopefully I'll be able to get a good scoop."

"Ask and ye shall receive!" Naruto said, appearing at her side. He turned and waved with beaming eyes at the camera. "Hi grandma! Hey gramps!"

"Well, I've had my share of Kid Flash hogging the camera, but who are you?" Iris asked, looking amused at Naruto's antics. Naruto looked at her and shrugged.

"Don't have a name yet." He said and pulled at his shirt. "To be honest, I just grabbed this stuff and ran when I heard Kid Flash needed some help."

"Well aren't you the citizen of the year?" Iris asked, still smiling. "Tell me, what's it like being a speedster?"

"We're always moving." Naruto said with a chuckle. His stomach rumbled loudly and he groaned. "And unfortunately, always hungry. I'm going back home to get some food. Nice meeting you Mrs. West, er, Allen...You know what I mean. Bye!"

Naruto zipped off, leaving Iris to shield her eyes and shake her head. "There you have it folks, another under the Flash's tutelage. Just goes to show you that not only do we live in the Twin Cities, but we also live in the Cities of Speed."

AN: So yeah...here's my project since I ended Kitsune: Son of Catwoman.

Tell me what you thought!