The Eyes of God

Prologue

The thing about pain is that everyone experiances it. Once a person or group of people have felt pain, they must learn to cope with it, and move past it.

But...What happens when everyone in the world has learned to move past pain? Pain finds another world to educate. Now, another world will know Pain.

Pain to the worlds.

Ch. 1

Iceberg Lounge, Gotham City, Midnight

"...I don't understand...resurecting those people should have killed me...yet I am alive." Pain mumbled, confused.

"Perhaps...perhaps I really am God? No. I felt the life leaving my body. It must be a second chance." Pain mused, unsure of what had happened to him. "I'm not just manipulating Yahiko's corpse as my Deva Path...I'm actually in his body, alive." Before the resurrected shinobi could inspect his situation any further, an explosion shook the building that he was standing on.

It was at that point that Pain looked at the city he was in. The buildings were in a strange style and the towers reached higher than even his seat of power in Amegakure. It was truly a site to behold, and it was on fire. Locating the source of the flames, he saw a person in a metal suit with wings shooting fire from a device in his hands.

"One does not have the right to bring pain to others without first experiancing it themselves. Only those who have felt true pain can do so!" Pain said as he used his Rinnegan to fly over to the arsonist.

"Yahahaha! Firefly's out of Arkham, ad he's having a bonfire to celebrate!" The arsonist shouted as he continued to set fire to the surrounding buildings. All was good in his disturbed mind until he was suddenly jerked in a random direction.

"Universal Pull!" Pain said as he thrust his hand at the arsonist who suddenly shot into his grasp. Taking advantage of the arsonist's confusion, Pain promptly crushed the flame producing device in his hand before ripping the wings from the man's suit. Leaving him to fall two stories to the ground, the ripple-eyed shinobi rolled through hand-seals before spitting out a torrent of water to quench the flames.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!" He said as the water extinguished the fires that had been set. Once that was done, Pain floated down to the ground, landing in front of still-stunned arsonist. "Now then, I shall educate you in the ways of Pain." The shinobi said as he walked forward and yanked the arsonist into the air by his collar before impaling him with a metallic black rod that seemed to appear from nowhere.

The wound was through his shoulder, and therefore nonlethal. Pain promptly slammed the man into the ground and proceeded to nail him to the concrete sidewalk with more rods that shot out of the sleeves of his Akatsuki cloak. The man screamed in agony as the rods pierced his body like spears, the sound echoing throughout the rather silent neighborhood.

"This is only the beginning. If you attempt to inflict further pain upon those who do not deserve it, your lessons will become far more difficult. Do you understand?" Pain monologued as he felt a presence quickly approach him.

"YES! I UNDERSTAND! No more, please! I'm begging you!" The man cried as he tried not to move. It would only hurt worse if he did. It was at that point that Pain heard a strange growling noise that seemed to be mechanical in nature. As he turned around, he saw two vehicles with two wheels each, one in front of the other, screech to a halt. Two people stepped on to the deserted street, one in a black and grey costume with a cape and cowl with pointed ears, much like a bat.

The other wore a black cape that was yellow on the inside, and black short-sleeved shirt with an 'R' over his left pectoral and a yellow utility belt with black pants and gloves. The two seemed to be partners with the way they approched him, walking together like a team rather than two seperate people. Pain caused the rods to crumble to dust that scattered in the wind as he turned to face them.

"May I ask what you were doing to Firefly?" The bat-themed person growled, clearly unhappy despite his stony visage.

"Are you referring to the insect on the ground?" Pain asked.

"Yes, what were you doing to him?"

"I stopped his rampage and gave him a small lesson in Pain." Pain replied casually. The oddly-dressed pair seemed rather displeased with his answer.

"A 'small lesson'? There were at least five spears stuck in his body!" The other one yelled. Upon closer inspection, Pain realized that it was a young male, probably eleven or twelve. The one in black was also male, but seemingly in his mid-twenties to early-thirties.

"Your point? I could have done things that would make seasoned warriors scream in agony as they begged for death. This warning is merely drop of discomfort in a lake of agony compared to what I have experianced." Pain replied, causing the boy to slip into a fighting stance as an angry look spread across his face.

"Robin, stand down." The bat-themed man commanded.

"Are you the law enforcement of this city?" Pain asked. His question earned him a confused look from Robin.

"Not quite, we're people that do what we can to contain the criminal element in this city. We're technically vigilantes, but the law enforcement tolerate us because we stay within the law in how we handle criminals. There's also the fact that we can handle things they can't." The black-clad man explained.

"I see...may I ask your name?" Pain asked. The man in black hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I'm Batman, who are you?" Batman replied, his face and tone perfectly composed.

"You may call me Pain. I reserve my true name for those that I consider friends." The shinobi answered. "Excuse me, I must make sure this...Firefly is stable." Pain said as he knelt down next to the arsonist, his hands glowing a light shade of green as he mended the wounds that could lead to him bleeding out. Once he was done, he stood up and turned to see Batman and Robin looking at him curiously.

"He will be fine, he just needs his wounds cleaned and he should be perfectly healthy." Pain said. Robin was about to speak, but Batman interrupted him.

"What did you just do?" The caped crusader growled. Pain was slightly offended at the tone, but did not visibly react.

"I merely ran a diagnostic and healed any life-threatening injuries. The only problem was that he was losing blood, but he is perfectly stable now. I must be going, I have information to gather." Pain said as he floated into the air, only to be snared by a cable that was very similar to ninja wire.

"I never said you could leave, Pain." Batman said, clearly intent on interrogating the shinobi. Pain merely glared at the dark-dressed man before he sliced through the cable with dark spikes that appeared from his cloak before they receded.

"You act as if you could stop me, Batman." Pain said, leveling his Rinnegan-enhanced glare at the two. Robin shifted a bit at the strange eyes, but Batman didn't so much as blink.

"It seems we're in disagreement on the issue. Let's settle it." Batman said before throwing bat-shaped shuriken at Pain, only for them to bounce off of his skin. Not even a scratch.

Not one to be deterred, Batman quickly leaped at the floating shinobi, only to be sent hurtling back by an unseen force.

"Almighty Push!" Pain said as he thrust his palm in Batman's direction, sending him flying into a building. Robin drew his collapsable bo staff and leapt at Pain, only to be kicked into his partner. "You seem to be good people, so I will forgive your transgressions against me this time. But if you cross me again, you will learn a lesson in Pain just as Firefly has." Pain said as he flew off to god-knows-where.

The Watchtower, 8 days later

"You say this Pain character stopped Firefly's flame-fest and stabs him with spears to 'teach him a lesson', then makes sure he'll survive before trying to fly off, at which point you two engage him and lose, but then he spares you when you're at his mercy before he just up and leaves?" Superman summarized, getting a nod from Batman, who had just recounted his meeting with Pain.

"That's correct. He is capable of flight, telekinesis, has skin like steel, and is skilled in hand to hand combat. He may also be able to create and control water, since the area we found him in was soaking wet and no water sources had been disturbed.

"From what I've heard, he seems to be a good person, if a bit extreme." The Martian Manhunter said thoughtfully, his face not showing any emotion as he spoke.

"You said he made a gesture when he sent you flying, is it possible he manipulated air currents rather than using telekinesis?" Superman asked.

"There was no wind, it was pure force. Also, he seemed to be capable of creating and manipulating a strange black metal, the same thing his spears were made of." Batman replied.

"Is it possible he's an alien?" Flash asked, unsure.

"I've cross-referenced his abilities with all known species that can pass for human in my ring's database, I've got nothing." Green Lantern John Stuart replied uneasily.

Suddenly, a voice echoed out from within the room as a hazy and distorted figure appeared behind Batman.

"Greetings Justice League, I am Pain. I have gathered much information on this new world, both in general subjects and on its political stability as well as knowledge about all of you." Pain said, his voice distorted, as if he was a radio suffering from interference.

"I have come to the conclusion that the world is in danger of destroying itself, much like my homeland was. In order to prevent this, I have come to you in the hopes of forging an alliance. I intend to establish a an organization that will spread peace throughout the world and end all suffering. When I attempted to do this in my homeland, I was misguided and believed that in order to create peace, I needed to bring pain to the world." Pain continued as he explained his goals.

"I now realize that spreading pain only leads to more bloodshed. I ask of you, join me and together we can abolish the corrupt governments and ensure prosperity for all. What is your answer?" Pain concluded, remaining silent as he allowed them to decide. He didn't have to wait long.

"No." The majority of the league said, only Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman remained silent. This did not go unnoticed.

"J'onn, Diana, you're not actually considering this, are you?" Batman asked.

"He does have a point." J'onn admitted. "The people of Earth are constantly arguing and fighting with one another, wasting resources and causing suffering to place themselves on top."

"If he really wants to establish a unified government to ensure peace, can he really be that bad?" Diana asked.

"I see that you understand my intentions. Understand that I do not intend to conquer the world for my goal or cause unrest and anarchy to make people accept my regime. I plan to do this slowly. I will become the leader of an area, legally, and ensure that the people prosper. I will prove that my methods work to establish peace and eradicate suffering, and others will look to me as a leader. People will want to follow me, and in time my goals will be realized. It's simply a matter of politics." Pain explained casually as the league listened to every word.

"Who are you trying to fool? We know that it won't stay that way for long." Batman replied.

"You are free to believe whatever you wish. Humans are flawed creatures Batman, but they will soon be guided by me, by God, into a better tomorrow." Pain said, his form flickering out of existance.

"I see what you were afraid of Batman, he's insane." Superman declared after a moment of uncomfortable silence had passed.

"What's so insane about him? That he wants world peace? Aren't we working for the same thing?" Wonder Woman asked. "All I heard was that he's taking a hands-on approach rather than coaxing it along."

"Diana, didn't you hear him? He thinks he's God!" Green Lantern protested.

"We have encountered gods before, though they all seem to be antisocial and would rather rule the world than bring peace to it." J'onn remarked. "If any of you are interested, he was broadcasting from somewhere in eastern Africa, possibly Somalia."

"How do you know that?" Flash asked.

"The method he used to speak to us was created out of thought waves taken form, a type of astral projection, and I was able to trace them back to the area they originated from." The martian explained.

"I say we go to Somalia and confront him, all in favor?" Superman asked, recieving raised hands from everyone, although some simply wished to meet him in person.

"Alright, we're going to Somalia and we're going to talk to Pain." Superman declared as he stood up and walked to the hanger bay.

Somalia, Africa, 1 hour later

"Pain! Pain! Pain! Pain!" A large crowd of Somalian people cheered as the god-like shinobi stood on a makeshift pedastal of crates and driftwood, a large group of restrained men in front of him. The cloaked man raised his hand in the air, silencing the crowd.

"I am happy I could be of assistance, this is only one of the things I plan to do to bring peace to the world. In time, I plan to eradicate things like crime and piracy entirely, once my political regime is put into effect." Pain said, recieving more cheers and praise at the news that they would not suffer at the hands of criminals for much longer.

In the distance, the Justice League watched as the self-proclaimed God soaked up the people's adoration. He even had a smile on his face.

"We can't attack him in front of the people who see him as a hero, it wouldn't look good and could cause problems." Batman observed as he looked through his binoculars.

"I thought we were here to speak to him, not attack him." Wonder Woman said, glaring at the caped crusader. Before anyone could speak up, a familiar voice was heard.

"If you'd like to speak to me, I'm willing to listen." Pain said, startling the League. Superman was going to ask him a question, but it was answered before he could. "If you're wondering how I snuck up on you, it's because I was trained as a shinobi. If it's about when I moved, I can make more of myself." The shinobi continued.

"We came here to tell you that if you intend to conquer the world, we will not hesitate stop you." Batman said, not the least bit nervous that someone managed to sneak up on him. Him!

"I do not intend to conquer the world, I intend to willingly unify it under my rule. It may take time, it will take time, but that is a small price to pay for peace." Pain replied.

"Does anyone else think that Bats just doesn't like this guy?" Flash asked. "I mean, he brought down a group of pirates, saving a coastal village in Somalia in the process, he stopped Firefly from burning down Gotham, he wants to win the world over instead of conquering it, and he's gunning for world peace! I'm not really seeing any signs of a bad guy other than him just looking scary!" Flash said, earning a glare from the caped crusader.

"Be that as it may, he still used an obscene amount of excessive force against a defeated villain. There were five spears in his body before they crumbled to dust." Batman said, glaring at Pain.

"He was a maniac, burning buildings and people for no reason other than to set things ablaze. People like him only respond to force. I want you to visit him in prison, and tell him that if he attempts to do that again that you will not interrupt his next lesson in Pain." Pain replied. "If you mention me, I'm certain he will wimper in fear and do anything to avoid me."

"I see why you were worried Batman, he's an extremist." Superman said quietly.

"As I have said before, we work to achieve the same goal, but we use different methods. It is for this reason that I ask you to join me, even if you do not wish to take orders from me, simply having your support would be beneficial to my goals." Pain requested. Before the heroes even had a chance to talk it over, Batman gave his answer.

"No. I refuse to help you place the world under your control. I won't put an obvious tyrant in a position of power just because he claimes to want peace!" Batman growled angrily, shocking the League at his angry refusal.

"We'll leave you be for now, but we won't hesitate to stop you if you present a threat to the world." Superman said firmly, giving the shinobi a stern look.

"I suppose it was to much to hope you would join me." Pain sighed. "But I can't help but wonder...could you really stop me?" He asked before suddenly shooting a black stake from his sleeve that stabbed Superman in the right pectoral, startling the others.

"AARGH!" Superman screamed as he fell to his knees, unable to control his body. Suddenly, he stood up and smashed Flash into the ground and singed Manhunter with his heatvision. Two heroes were incapactitated and the most powerful one had just gone rogue.

"I thought as much," Pain said before the black rod disintegrated and the kryptonian leapt off of the unconcious speedster, looking shocked at what he had done. "My recievers can pierce kryptonian flesh, and I can use them to control your most powerful ally like a puppet. With Superman out of the way I'm certain I could handle you all, but with him on my side?" Pain left the thought unfinished.

"You just made a big mistake!" The Green Lantern yelled as he flew at the shinobi with his arm cocked back for a punch. He was suddenly struck in the stomach before five other Pains rushed him, taking turns batting him around before a sixth iron-like duplicate threw him into the air, only to meet the other five in the air as the slammed him into the ground with black rods that were used as staffs.

All but one of the Pains disappeared in plumes of smoke as the original leapt back, still holding the staff. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed a thoroughly beaten and battered Green Lantern. Before the heroes could get over their shock, Pain pressed the attack, swinging his staff at Batman, who managed to block only to recieved a fractured forearm and a heavy blow to the head for his troubles, rendering him unconcious.

Wonder Woman and a fully healed Superman leapt into action after seeing their friends and teammates fall, only to be attacked by a pack of red dog-like creatures that appeared when Pain touched the ground. The creatures weren't very quick, but they were strong, durable, and able to harm Superman with their claws.

Every time they brought one down, it got back up moments later. This cycle continued for almost five minutes until Superman severed one of the animals' spines, paralyzing it. After a few moments, all the creatures were incapacitated in this way and they disappeared in plumes of smoke.

The two heroes were tired and wounded, especially Superman who took more hits than his teammate due to his lack of dodging skills. They both glared at Pain, obviously wary of his next move. Without warning, Superman suddenly rushed Pain, driving a fist into his stomach, only for the shinobi to disappear in a plume of smoke before he recieved punch to the left side of his face.

"Argh!" Superman grunted as he crashed into the ground.

"Interesting...it seems that you can feel Pain like everyone else. Even without using my chakra receivers to pierce your skin I can harm you." Pain observed. "All I did was punch him, and that shouldn't have hurt unless I used my Asura path. The only difference between my punch and a regular person's is...chakra!" Pain thought, smirking at this revelation.

Snapping out of her shock, Wonder Woman flew into battle, trapping Pain with her lasso. She yanked on the rope, but Pain wouldn't budge. She tried again, harder, and Pain came towards her, a chunk of the Earth attached to his feet.

Using his shinobi skills, Pain twisted in the air so that the slab of stone and dirt on his feet would crash into the Amazon. He was positioned correctly, he was moving quickly, his plan would work. At least, it would have if she hadn't just punched the slab, shattering it, and grabbed him by the neck, choking him. Pain only smirked.

"Almighty Push!" Pain wheezed out, thrusting his hand into the Amazon's stomach and sending her flying with blood streaming out of her mouth. Pain dropped to the ground, landing on his feet, and turned towards the biggest threat that had just stood back up. "Don't you understand? You cannot challenge the will of God! You cannot defeat me!" Pain said, buying time for his gravity abilities to recharge.

"I was never really a religious person." Superman quipped as he hovered in the air. "But I always thought God lived on a cloud, dictating everything that happens in the world without ever showing his face." He continued.

"You poor naive fool, who said that I showed you my true face?" Pain asked, smirking as he floated into the air, stopping once he was at eye-level with the kryptonian. His words got a look of surprise from the hero, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Your friends are all incapacitated, and you are still wounded from my pets' assault. Do you really think you can win? Wonder Woman was the only one of you that was able to touch me, and she had the element of surprise." Pain gloated as he prepared to use his newest technique.

"I know I can defeat you now that I've lured you into the air. I don't have to worry about collateral damage up here." Superman replied before he rushed at the shinobi. Pain was ready for this approach, it was an obvious choice, and brought his arms up to block...all six of them. The result was not what Pain anticipated. Instead of destroying four or five of his arms as he had expected, Superman's punch hit directly on one of the chakra recievers in his arms, piercing the alien's skin and apparently disrupting his powers, seeing as the punch suddenly lost most of the force behind it and only damaged one of his metal Asura arms.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Pain brought back his real right arm, having retracted his Asura arms, and focused on the repulsive force that his Rinnegan allowed him to manipulate.

Using the Asura path to harden his skin and produce a chakra jet in his elbow and focusing the Deva path's repulsive force into his fist, Pain was able to unleash his most devastating attack.

"God's Wrath!" Pain shouted as he plowed his fist into Superman's face, sending him flying towards the Red Sea, a sonic boom signifying that the force of the punch had made him break the sound barrier. Pain couldn't even see the punch itself, his eyes couldn't keep up with the movement, and he couldn't see Superman as he flew either. He only knew where he went because that was where he aimed his punch.

"It's even more effective than I had hoped." Pain muttered as he dropped down to the incapacitated heroes on the ground. He quickly created a shadow clone that gathered up the heroes while he searched for Superman. It didn't take long, as there was a crater in the coast along the Red Sea. "Aim a bit higher next time." He noted. He gathered up the unconcious alien and flew back towards the others.

Once all six of the heroes were placed next to each other on the ground, Pain made a single hand-seal and a large, monstrous head appeared from the ground, surrounded by a ring of purple flames. The giant head shot out several tongues that wrapped around the heroes before pulling them all into its mouth. It seemed to chew them for a moment before spitting them back out, their wounds fully healed, stirring as they began to regain conciousness.

"You have experianced a glimpse of God's might. I could have killed each and every one of you, even Superman was at my mercy. I spared you because I am not without mercy, and you attacked me because I harmed your friends, for which I cannot fault you." Pain said, floating in the air as he spoke. "My plans will succeed, of that I assure you, but I will not tolerate any further transgressions against me." The shinobi said before flying off towards...somewhere in the north.

"Did he really defeat you?" Batman asked the kryptonian.

"...Yes...he did." Superman admitted, embarressed. "The worst part is...he didn't use any misdirection or tricks when he did it...he overpowered me." Superman said, not realizing the amount of strategy and dumb luck that Pain had used to corral him into that exact situation.

"This isn't good...we're going to need help, lots of it." Batman said.

AN: Pain is not really as strong or fast as Superman, that conclusion was based on the televised feats of Superman's strength and speed. Superman has no actual limits, so if he pulled out all the stops and didn't get hit with chakra recievers he would destroy Pain.

Pain is also much stronger than he was when he used his paths and his abilities put much less strain on his body since he isn't channeling them through the receivers. I am also making it so everyone has chakra, but they have no clue how to use it so Pain will be training shinobi.

Please review, tell me what's good, what's bad, what I should fix, and feel free to point out errors.