Caterpillar

Funeral

"They sure did a number on the city," Naruto muttered from the rooftop of a skyscraper as he looked at the city below.

It was two days after Doctor Fate's call that he and Wonder Woman had returned to Earth. Now, they were in Metropolis City.

"I've watched the news reports. Everyone is mourning the death of Superman but nobody is saying anything about the several other hundred people that must've died, caught in the crossfire."

His words were not without reason. Numerous parts of the city were in ruins, proof of the vicious battle between the Kryptonian and his enemy. Many people had not been able to run away from their path. Naruto also noticed the holes that had been blasted through buildings, holes that were roughly the size of a body - no doubt left from how they punched each other through the walls.

The princess was silent, just standing next to Naruto and watching the convoy of people filling the avenue below. It was a funeral procession.

Six people wearing superhero costumes were carrying a black coffin in their hands. They were John Stewart, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Doctor Fate, Captain Atom, and Shazam. The tall, muscular, and manly-looking Shazam was shedding tears unreservedly as he walked. Though the public did not know it, he was in fact, just a little boy. Superman had been his role model and his hero.

Behind the six heroes carrying the coffin, there were thousands of people walking in silence. Only sobs and sniffs could be heard once in a while.

"Don't you want to join the procession?" he asked.

The princess shook her head. "It's best I don't show my face to anyone, I'm a wanted criminal. Also remember that only a few days before I left the Earth, the entire world watched as Superman and I fought against each other in a life and death battle. I had run my sword through his body. Imagine if I showed up at his funeral..."

A bit over a year had passed since she had left the Earth. Although she had been angry and hurt at the Justice League's actions towards her, time was the best medicine.

"You know, I don't care about what happened with the Justice League. I have a different life now, away from Earth, with you. But I never wished for anyone to die. And despite my conflict with Superman, I never wished for his death either. The fact that he died is a big loss for this planet." she said.

"You think so?"

"He was more than just a hero," Diana explained. "He was one of the strongest. He was also known for his kindness and selflessness. For many people, he was a symbol of hope. I admired him too in the past. He was among the first to show me that not all men were evil as I had been taught to believe on Themyscira."

When Naruto jumped off from the building, towards the ground, she followed him.

"Where are you going?"

"If you don't want to attract anyone's attention, it's better to blend in with the rest of the people instead of flying above their head, don't you think so?" he said.

A puff of smoke covered him for a moment as he Henged himself to look like a middle-aged man of average height, with brown hair and an ordinary black suit.

Wonder Woman followed his example and made three hand seals - Dog, Boar, Ram. A puff of smoke obscured her body too for a second as she transformed herself into an average-looking middle-aged woman with short brown hair and a modest, long black dress.

"I'll never get over how convenient this technique of yours is," she said while the two of them joined the funeral procession with the rest of the people.

"It's your technique too now. I'm just glad you were able to learn it. At first, I thought we'd have to struggle a lot because you weren't from my homeworld. I didn't even know if you had a proper chakra network until we started."