Mount Justice

July 12, 04:17 EDT

We exited the tube, Robin practically bouncing ahead—all it took was "we've got a mission" to get him bright eyed and bushy tailed—standing in line next to Kid Flash. I was just a little proud, seeing my team up and ready despite it being so early. But they were only mostly upright, not necessarily awake. It was a start.

Next to KR stood Aqualad, arms crossed behind his back as he waited patiently. M'gann swayed at his side, still not looking entirely there as she yawned widely without covering her mouth. I took my place on the other side of Superboy, ignoring his pointed stare. I didn't quite stand next to them in their line, just a little to the side. Perhaps reminding myself to not become attached.

Before us, the hologram screen came alive, Batman's scowling face staring us each down in turn. He sized us up; Robin stood taller in my peripherals.

"There is no mission." He didn't sugar coat it. The look of disappointment is immediate, shoulder slumping and eyes hardening. "Instead you will undergo a strict training regimen to sure you six are capable of the responsibilities we will be placing on your shoulders. Those who fail will be removed from the team."

KR opened his mouth with the intention of shooting off some smart remark before Robin beat him to the punch. "Black Canary is in charge of our training. Where is she, then?"

I wasn't sure if Batman stared at Robin with indifference or pride. But then, it was impossible to take that indifference from Batman's visage. "Because the one you would benefit from is Nightingale." His eyes cut to me, from my dark hood to my hand resting on the pouch attached to my hip. "As I have previously stated, Red Nightingale has an extensive background in covert operations. She will train you, test your limits, and push you passed them. She will be the one to decide your fate within the team."

There was a long pause—where they in shock? I couldn't bring myself to look away from Batman's eyes, just barely making out his eyes through the cowl. The moments felt forever as I stared up at him, just a shred of worry piercing through me.

His eyes assured me, reminded me I could do this.

"Good luck."

The transmission ended abruptly, leaving an odd feeling in the room as each of my team looked between each other and then at me. I could just see their thoughts—I didn't need M'gann to sync us up.

"Must be bad for Batman to wish us luck."

I forced a smirk I didn't feel before popping open the pouch I'd let my hand rest against, withdrawing a small orange book before turning on my heel, flipping it open to the first page as I walked away and towards the exit of our base. "Follow me."

They must have been too tired, confused, or hungry as they followed me silently. It was almost eerie—I hadn't heard a single complaint yet. Not even a 'you lied to me' from Robin. We reached the outdoor training ground that reminded me of the one I had spent hours, days in. The only difference was that this one didn't have craters littering it and instead of three stumps embedded deeply into the ground.. There were six.

Resting atop each was a lunch box, the contents varying depending on whom it was meant for. There were five in all, leaving one stump bare.

"The rules are simple," I stated, pulling a small timer from that same pouch, setting it atop the bare stump. I quickly set it to go off at noon—eight hours from now. Should be enough. "Your objective—capture these bells." I pulled the last item from my pouch out, turning to them as I jingled them. I attached the four bells to my belt. "You have until noon. Those who fail to obtain one will be removed from the team."

I then pointedly looked down at the worn book, slowly beginning to read the... classy porn. At least it wouldn't get embarrassing for another… fifty pages? Somehow I doubted it would take that long.

"But you're one bell short!" Robin called, quickly catching onto the ploy in play.

I didn't look up, I didn't show favoritism as I stated in a monotone voice, "Yes. One of you will be deemed unfit to continue on this team."

There was a pause for a moment before I nodded. "If you are rea—"

I expected it. I knew someone would follow in Naruto's steps. And I had a feeling it would be Kid Flash. Robin knew better than to attack me head on.

Kid Flash launched himself forward—fast enough to blur his form. But he was sloppy. He hadn't started with his dominant leg, throwing him off just a bit. And there wasn't enough distance between us to right himself in time.

I leaped into the air, using Kid Flash's crazy hair as a stepping stool. Just the briefest touch of my weight upon his head knocked him off balance. I glanced back as he skidded and then fell head first into the ground.

I covered up my smirk, forcing a sigh. "Why is it that someone has to be a Naruto? Is history doomed to repeat itself?"

KR grumbles from the ground, pulling himself up.

"I'll say it now… If you don't come at me as if you're going to kill me… You will fail."

I cast my eyes from person to person, Superboy's jaw clenched as he stared. Keeping a blank look on my face I look back down at my book.

"Begin."

.

Mount Justice; Training Grounds

July 12, 10:42 EDT

I tilted my head as I looked over the rim of the little orange book, feeling a little otherworldly as I was aware of the wind blowing through my hair and what chaos I caused in Robin's mind.

While Aqualad and M'gann had realized the purpose of this exercise and were slowly trying to make the others realize that they could take me if they worked together… Well, boys were prideful. They wanted to believe they were strong. They could take on one girl.

But Robin really should have known better than to try to draw me out all on his lonesome, with his comrades on the other side of the training grounds.

Robin sunk to his knee, drenched in sweat. He wasn't resisting as much as I thought he would have—but then, I showed him the streets of Tokyo we once walked together, Naruto nowhere in sight in this version. We sung together in a karaoke bar, laughing and having a good time before the scene seemed to disrupt. I frowned. He was starting to push at the genjutsu. He didn't have chakra, but he did have willpower. And a good bit if he was allowed to gather it. The background dissolved in his mind, this time reappearing with the interior of Bruce's jet. The younger version of myself laid against him, shaking softly as she cried silently against him. He had covered them in blankets, and his fingers quickly threaded themselves into the young girl's hair.

The Robin before me looked in pain, remembering the trip from Japan, when I had discovered Naruto and I were fiction in this world. Ultimately deciding we were not real. Two dimensional in a real world. I had been so wrapped up in my own pain that I'd never noticed how I'd hurt Robin in my grief. The younger versions of ourselves shook together and I spied tears slipping out of young Dick's eyes. They were squeezed shut, nose pressed to my younger self's hair.

I took a deep breath—and then the genjutsu shattered. My eyes blinked as a sudden realization dawned on me as a clone poofed out of existence.

M'gann and Aqualad had recruited Kid Flash. It would soon be three against one. Better odds, to be sure.

Robin blinked up at me, mouth opened in pain. "..Sakura," he breathed. He pulled himself up tiredly onto his feet, arms slowly opening as if he wanted to take me into them.

I took a deep breath, allowing my body to flicker to come behind him in only a moment. "I am your enemy, Robin." I hooked a foot between his, easily tripping him as I shoved at his back. He fell into a pit I had prepared and expertly covered, deep enough to give him issues in getting out.

I needed to remind myself that, as well. He was my enemy.

"Don't forget that."

I quickly put distance between us, ignoring his yells as I landed in a tree and quickly bounced from tree to tree. Robin would draw the little group that had allied to his location. He would no doubt join. All were accounted for… But Superboy.

I looked about as I traveled, pausing every now and then for only a moment. I bit my lip in thought before my eyes caught a flash of black from the corner. And then I was suddenly barreled into, arms of steel around my middle creating a cage I couldn't instantly break out of. He slammed into the ground, creating a crater beneath him, carefully keeping me from falling.

He grinned down in a boyish manner. It was sudden, robbing me of breath as a hand squeezed my heart tightly. He reminded me of another that was identical and yet not. In my inability to speak, he reached down to pull a bell from my belt. He held it up, ringing it as he continued to hold me flush against him.

Smoke spewed from the bell.

Smoke erupted from me.

I didn't see his shocked face before my eyes opened, feeling almost cold without strong arms around me.

I took a deep breath, shaking my head just a little. Another clone was down. The awareness of it came over me, as if I was remembering past actions. I pushed a flinch down as I thought of what I did to Robin. But I couldn't go easy on him. Even though I wanted to. There was a reason for all this. It was to strength the bonds of the team, to facilitate a friendship that would get them out of most problems.

To show them they can be fine without me.

I let out a soft sigh. Superboy got too close. I pulled myself from my hiding place. Time to go.

I took a deep breath as each of my clones disappeared, leaving only me. It would be a few moments before they arrived. 'Sides, I was getting a little tired from all my clones. Time to end this.

.

They had me surrounded. I could hear them through M'gann's mindlink, my foolish teammate forgetting that she needed to exclude me. I had used it as an excerise of meditation- listening in on their conversation but keeping my mind as blank as possible and not reaching out to any of them through the link.

It had been extremely hard.

"Robin, you will distract Nightingale. M'gann and I will flank. While she is distracted, KR, you will take the bells."

They said their affirmatives, and took off towards me. I finally decided it was time they knew I'd been listening in all this time.

"Hmmm... I wonder how that will work for you," I thought hard. I could practically feel them flinch, Robin now in view halting before me.

"You did the mind meld thing with her in here!?" Kaldur, normally calm, was decidedly less so.

"I-I thought-!"

"Obviously not!" Robin yelled in his mind, eyes widening when I suddenly appeared from before his eyes.

"Never let your enemy get behind you," I whispered quietly into his ear, doing my best not to be thrown off as I'm violently shoved from the mindlink. I kick Robin, easily propelling his body into a nearby river and then throwing myself into the air and backflipping before landing in the middle of the clearing.

"Next!" I called, flipping a page of my book. Why was it that I'd never read this? Jiriya was.. Goodness. I regret not reading when I was.. a character in a story.

The momentary sadness crept up, blinding me momentarily to Kaldur's water weapons until the last possible second. I dodged, glancing up from my book for only a moment.

"This is a training exercise," he stated as his eyes narrowed on my book. "Why do you chose now to read?"

"Why? To find out what happens next, of course." I remembered Kakashi's words fondly, repeating them. "Don't let it bother you, with your weak attacks, it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or.. whatever."

I knew I got to them with that, knew that all of them heard what I said through the mindlink. Kaldur's face became enraged, no more pulling his punches as he attacked me. I blocked and dodged each one, however and was soon fending off Robin's attacks as well. He'd finally pulled himself from the water.

It was becoming more difficult now, pulling off the cockiness when they were putting me through my paces. Thank heavens I had stretched. I wondered if this was how Kakashi felt when Naruto and I took him on when we were fifth teen when we fought in unison.

And then Superboy dropped from the sky.

.

Robin held the three bells in his hand, looking up at his teammates. He didn't know how to divide them between them. All of them had come together in the end, fighting in a team. Superboy's surprise entry as he came to their aid was the reason they had one in the end.

I slowly put my orange book in my belt, threading my fingers behind me. "You wonder who could possibly be taken off the team now since you all had to come together to beat me."

And I was a bit worse for wear. They'd gotten a few very good hits in. I could feel my face start to swell and had quickly henged myself to look normal. I couldn't have anyone worry about hurting my feelings.

"There aren't enough bells," Robin glared. He was annoyed because he'd told me this before. The system was flawed but then it always is.

"Yes," I agreed, a small smile coming to my face. My busted lip hurt. "This test was to see if you could see through desception. Those that break the rules are scum.. True. But, those that abandon their friends.. are worst than scum. You thought for yourselves, worked together. You won. That is what a team does." I gave them a kind look, nodding. "You all pass. Congratulations."