Kunoichi: Reinstated

Washington, D.C.

July 4th 14:00 EDT

“See! What’d I tell you!” Kid Flash huffed as he and Flash came to halt in front of the others. “Last ones here!”

“Next to last. Kunoichi’s not here yet.” Robin told him.

“She’s actually coming?” Kid Flash asked in shock.

“We haven’t heard from her.” Batman placed a hand on Robin’s shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze.

“She’s going to come!” Robin insisted. “I’m not going in without her.”

“Then you’ll be waiting for a long time.” Speedy said. “If you haven’t heard from her by now, chances are she’s not joining.”

“But…today’s the day!” Robin shouted. How could he get them to understand? Sakura loved Kunoichi. She loved being in Gotham. She had to come! She just had to.

“Robin.” Robin looked up at Batman hesitantly. He couldn’t be thinking it too, could he? The caped crusader gave him a small smile and pointed to a tree in the distance. Robin turned to look, his eyes widening under his mask.

“Kunoichi!” His smile threatened to split his face in two.

Kunoichi smiled nervously as she approached them. Tsunade stood behind her, a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry we’re late. Got a little distracted trying to find something fitting.” Tsunade said. She pulled Kunoichi close, rubbing her arm. Robin launched himself at Kunoichi, hugging her closely.

“I almost thought you weren’t coming.” He whispered.

“Like I would let you do this without me.” Kunoichi rolled her eyes as he pulled back. She punched his arm playfully. “I got busy preparing to leave.”

“Ow!” Robin hissed, rubbing his arm. “You’re stronger.”

“Of course!”

Tsunade smiled proudly. “Taught her everything she knows.” She turned Kunoichi around. “Give ‘em hell.”

“Yes mi’lady.” Kunoichi bowed to Tsunade as her Hokage began to leave.

“Oh yeah.” Tsunade hummed and turned back towards the group. “Batman, I expect reports on my protegee once a week. Konoha’s giving you one of our strongest, don’t waste her talents.” With that she took her leave.

“I knew you’d make it!” Robin laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“I sure didn’t.” Kid Flash groaned as Robin swung his foot to kick his shin. “Ow! What the f..freak!” He caught himself as he glanced up at their mentors.

“You’ll heal.” Speedy said with a smirk.

“Now, is everyone ready?” Green Arrow asked. Kunoichi frowned as she turned towards the swarm of reporters.

“In front of all those cameras and reporters?” Kunoichi grimaced and tried to curl into Robin’s side. She hated reporters. They liked to dig and dig and burrow into tunnels that they had no business being in. They were loud and had no respect. They had shoved their mics into her face more than once demanded questions. To both Kunoichi and Sakura. She didn’t know how Bruce and Dick did it.

“It is a momentous occasion,” Aqualad remarked.

“There’ll by barriers to keep them away.” Batman assured her.

“You scared of a couple cameras?” Speedy asked with a smirk.

“No.” Kunoichi bit back. “They just go against what I stand for and do. And they’re so loud.”

“They can be a bit loud, yes.” Aqualad agreed.

“You’re just here to be neutral, aren’t you?” Speedy muttered. Aqualad gave him a small smirk in response. “I hate all of you.”

“Alright! I think it’s about time to go, don’t you?” Green Arrow said nervously.

“Oh, I think it’s past time.” Speedy said.

Kunoichi tried to ignore the bright, popping, flashes of the cameras. And the shouting of the reporters that came with it. None of the Leaguers stopped to answer any questions as they tried to usher the children inside. Kunoichi could hear them getting desperate, wanting an answer about something, anything. Some were even question her. Who was she? Where did she come from? Which leaguer was she with? Kunoichi kept her head down, trying to block it out. She felt a large hand on her back as Batman tried to silently comfort her, in his own way. It made her smile.

“Oh man! This is so exciting! When was the last time we were all together?” Kid Flash gushed. “And for something like this?”

“Calm down dude.” Robin snickered. “It’s just another building.”

“Sorry.” Kid Flash gave them a nervous smile. “This is my first time at the Hall. Guess it’s a little overwhelming.”

Robin groaned. “You’re overwhelmed. Freeze was underwhelmed. Can’t anyone ever just be whelmed?”

Kunoichi frowned. “Isn’t that when something’s submerged in water?”

“Wait...really?” Robin looked at her in shock. Kunoichi shrugged and looked up at Batman. Robin followed her lead.

“It means ‘to submerge’.” Batman told them.

“But you submerge something in water.” Kunoichi frowned. “Well, I guess you could submerge something in mud or lava. But still, a type of liquid!”

“Don’t even try Blossom.” Robin sighed. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “English is way too confusing to make sense of. So not whelming.” They both came to a stop as they finally passed the press and entered the building. Giant gold colored statues of the League stood in front of them, showcasing the heroes in all their glory. Kunoichi could feel her jaw drop at the splendor. Sure, the Hokage Mountain was amazing, but there wasn’t near as much detail on their faces as there was on these statues. It was…

“Overwhelming, right?” Kid Flash asked with a smirk. Kunoichi snapped her mouth shut. Her and Robin both turned to each other with looks of contempt. They both swung their fists out to hit Kid Flash but he sped away, laughing as he did so.

“Come back here KF!” Robin said with a laugh.

“But if I do that, you and pinky will hit me!”

“Stop calling me that!” Kunoichi shouted. She stomped her foot in anger. Small cracks spider-webbed out from under her, cracking the marble flooring. “Oops.”

“Impressive.” Speedy muttered.

“Lady Tsunade was not kidding about your training.” Robin said. Kid Flash ran back to them, whistling when he saw the crack.

“It is an honor to finally see you all here.” The three crowded around the crack, as if that would hide it from Martian Manhunter. They put on large smiles, trying to look the part of total innocence. Judging by the Martian’s quick look to the floor, they did a very poor job. “Please, follow us for your official tour.”

“Smooth you three, very smooth.” Speedy snorted. The three glared at him before following Martian Manhunter.

“Thanks to your new clearance you have now been given access to everything in this building that your mentors have access to. Which would include, our library.” The door slid open, revealing an impressive library. Shelves were stocked with thousands of books reaching up towards the viewing gallery. There were a few tourists already looking down at them. “Please, make yourselves at home.” Robin and Kid Flash jumped into plush chairs, high-fiving each other. Speedy and Aqualad joined them, standing close by. Kunoichi held out a hand and let her fingers ripple against the bindings as she walked towards them

“You gonna sit, Blossom?” Robin asked. Kunoichi hummed lightly, watching her fingers.

“I think we lost her.” Aqualad said with a small smile.

“Not surprised.” Robin leaned over the back of his chair, watching her. “Come on Blossom, you can ogle later. Full access, remember?”

“You know, people are gonna start thinking that’s my name if you keep calling me that.” Kunoichi said with a small smile. She took a book out, looking the title over. With a small shrug she placed the book back, walking over to the teens. She smiled down at Robin, flopping in his lap. Robin grunted as she laid across him.

“Yeah, and they’re gonna get more ideas if you do this in front of cameras.” He smirked and gestured to the tourists eagerly snapping pics. Kunoichi smiled up at them, giving them a small wave.

“You know, I always thought you two were kinda cute.” Kid Flash teased.

“Was this before, or after you hit on her?” Robin muttered. “Took one look and you were in love.”

“Speed is not always a good thing, you know.” Speedy laughed. Kid Flash’s face turned bright red.

Batman cleared his throat, grabbing their attention. “The senior members are going to be having a debrief over the attacks today. Stay here and familiarize yourselves with the Hall. We won’t be long.”

“What? That’s it?” Speedy demanded. “I thought you were giving us access inside.”

“These things must be taken delicately,” Aquaman said firmly. “This is the first of several steps to intergrate you five into the League.”

“Really? Cause I feel like a freaking fish right now!” He gestured up towards the window angrily.

“Roy, you need to be a little patient. Like he said, this ts the first of several steps.” Green Arrow said.

“Patience? What I need is respect!” Speedy growled. He turned to the others. “Aren’t you guys tired of them treating us like we’re...sidekicks!? They’re treating us like we’re nothing but kids!”

“Roy...we are kids.” Kunoichi said seriously.

“Are you kidding me right now?” Speedy huffed. “Today was supposed to be the day! But they’re still treating us like this.”

“Like we’re newbies who don’t know how to work with the league as a whole?” Kunoichi couldn’t understand where his frustration was coming from. This was the system that was employed in the villages. You needed to work your way up to Jonin, gaining more and more privileges as you did so.

“Like we don’t deserve to know the truth!” Speedy shouted. Silence fell over the library as everyone stared at Speedy in shock. “You really didn’t know, did you?”

“Knew what?” Kid Flash asked.

“This! The Hall! It’s a fake!” Speedy shouted. “The real HQ is a satellite called the Watchtower! It orbits Earth! This is just to placate the tourists!” The teens looked at him in shock. Almost as one they turned towards their mentors, silently demanding answers.

“Oliver.” Batman growled at Green Arrow. The archer winced.

“I know, I know. I just, I thought we could make an exception. I mean, they were gonna find out soon.” At Batman’s continuous glare he shrank back, muttering a quiet, “or not...”

“Look, son, you are not helping your case,” Aquaman said. He reached out for Speedy, only to have his hand slapped away. Aqualad tensed at the action, ready to leap forward to defend his king.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m your son!” Speedy hissed. “I’m not even his! I thought I was his partner, but I guess I’m not even that!” He took his hat off and shoved it into Green Arrow’s chest. “Find yourself a new sidekick. I’m done.” With that, he stormed out.

“Did Roy just quit?” Robin asked in disbelief. Anything else was cut off as the monitor sprang to life.

“Superman to Justice League! There’s been an explosion at Project Cadmus. The building is currently on fire.”

Batman narrowed his eyes. “I’ve always had my suspicions about Cadmus, this could be a good opportunity to-”

“Zatara to Justice League!” The image on the monitor split in two as Zatara appeared as well. “The sorcerer Warten has acquired the Amulet of Atten and is currently trying to use it to block out the sun!”

“Superman?”

Superman sighed. “The fire department has it under control. Should be out out in the next twenty minutes or so.”

“Cadmus can wait then.” Batman sent out a message to all the Leaguers. He turned towards the teens. “Stay put. We’ll be back soon.”

“Wait, we can’t come?” Kid Flash asked in shock.

“Why not?” Robin demanded.

“This is a League mission, you’re not sufficiently trained to handle it.” Aquaman said.

“Since when?” Kid Flash demanded. He gestured wildly to the flashy costumes they all wore. “The only one that I’d buy not being trained for this is Kunoichi! But she was raised in a freaking ninja village!” He ignored the heated look Kunoichi sent him.

“He means you’re not trained for this team.” Flash told him. “Don’t worry kiddo, there’ll be other missions. You’ll get your time.”

“For now, stay. Put.” Batman sent a heated glare at Robin and Kunoichi. Without another word the Leaguers left in the Zeta-tube.

“I can’t believe this!” Kid Flash growled, throwing his arms out in anger. “When we’re ready? How are we ever gonna be ready when they keep treating up like this!”

Kunoichi still wasn’t following. “Wait, so we’re mad at the League for hiding secrets?”

“Different country, Blossom.” Robin said with a sigh.

“Different customs, I know!” Kunoichi moved, sliding herself between Robin’s legs. She twisted around, looking at him. “Is it really that surprising though?” She looked at Aqualad and Kid Flash.

“They’re supposed to trust us, Blossom.” Robin told her.

“I thought my king trusted me.” Aqualad turned away from them, trying to absorb everything.

“Turns out they didn’t trust any of us!” Kid Flash grumbled.

“Ollie trusted Roy.” At that they looked at Robin. “Bats trusted me enough to ask Kunoichi to join, but he never once told me about the Watchtower. We’re family. How could he…?”

Kunoichi gently grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her. “Batman built his life on secrets, Birdie. As have I. The less people that know about the Watchtower, the better. If one of us were to be compromised that could put the entire league in danger.”

“So now he doesn’t trust us to take care of ourselves?” Robin narrowed his eyes.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Robin huffed and jerked his head out of her hands. He crossed his arms, glaring off to the side. Kunoichi slid out of the seat, standing up. “You’re wishing you left with Speedy, aren’t you?”

“If they can’t trust us with the basics, then why did we stay?” Robin asked her. “Batman gave you guys hell for keeping secrets from us. And here he is, doing the same.”

Kunoichi shrunk in on herself. “Our secrets aren’t the same.” She leaned against the table. She could feel her head pounding. She was itching, screaming to get out and put them in their place. There was nothing wrong with a few secrets here and there. She should know!

“What is….Project Cadmus?” Aqualad finally asked.

“If I remember my myths right, Cadmus was a prince who slew a dragon.” Kunoichi said. Her eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to remember the story. “He took the teeth and planted them in the ground. From the teeth grew an army of men. The men began to fight to the death until only five of them remained. Cadmus chose those five men and formed the city of Thebes with them.”

“That’s definitely not the Cadmus we’re looking for.” Robin pushed himself out of his chair. He walked over to the computer, typing away.

Access Denied

“This computer obviously doesn’t know who it’s talking too.” Robin smirked and began typing at a faster pace. Screens popped up on the monitor, disappearing just as quickly.

“I knew you were good at hacking, but this is insane,” Kid Flash muttered.

Kunoichi tilted her head. “Wait…is this…?”

“The same system as the Batcave?” Robin finished with a smirk. “Yep.”

Access Granted

“Or course it is.” Robin smirked. “Let’s see…Here we are! Project Cadmus is a genetics lab located in DC.” He frowned as he scrolled through the file on Cadmus. The file was blank. “That can’t be it. there’s gotta be more to it if B is suspicious.”

“The fact that we know so little is suspicious.” Kunoichi said pointedly. “Maybe we should look into it.”

“Wait, is Blossom actually suggesting we go rogue?” Robin teased her.

“It would be poetic justice,” Aqualad said.

“I mean, they’re all about that!” Kid Flash smirked.

Aqualad sighed. “But they have instructed us to stay put.”

“Yeah, for the thing with the sun,” Kunoichi pointed out. “They didn’t say anything about Cadmus.”

“Please tell me we’re doing this?” Kid Flash asked. A wide smile was on his face.

“We’re in if you are.” Robin and Kunoichi turned towards Aqualad. Kid Flash was vibrating in place.

“Just like that? We’re a team with a mission?” Aqualad asked them.

“We didn’t come for some kind of play-date.” Robin said. Kunoichi and Kid Flash were nodding eagerly.

Aqualad was silent as he thought it over. He sighed and turned towards the monitor. “Robin, what’s the address of Project Cadmus?”