Author's note: Hey! It's been a while. I'm back with a new chapter. It's been difficult to write chapters long as this. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to their respective owners. I only own original characters.
Chapter 37: Goku's Decision
In an apartment complex, Konoha, Northern Konoha
After some of his teammates were brought back, Goku had spoken to them about their visit to the streets of Konoha. But first things first: he wanted to know if anyone they had encountered seemed hostile and threatening. But he was given a shocking surprise once he was told by Toriko and Gon that even though they revealed their true names to some rebels, they didn't become suspicious about anything. Goku welcomed this, but the emperor wouldn't waste time thinking about the reasons.
"It was a married couple I spoke to. They sure seemed very nice to be honest" Gon remarked while speaking with Goku about his story. The emperor was interested about what Gon told him about.
"You gotta meet them, Goku! They don't look like mean people at all!" the young hunter continued.
The Sayian was even more intrigued about what Toriko had to say, especially since it involved socializing.
"Those guys I met were playing basketball in an alley. I told them my name and they surprisingly accepted me. Heck, I even enjoyed playing basketball with them! We should try that sometime" Toriko told Goku who listened closely.
But all was not acceptable for Goku. He was namely more concerned about Luffy and Natsu's story, which technically made every member of Team Z irritated at them. The dirty looks forced out chuckles from the pirate. Natsu meanwhile tried to defend himself from scolding from their teammates.
"Idiots, what were you thinking!?" Yoh asked them angrily, only to be hit back by Natsu.
"Hey! I wasn't the one telling that girl where we came from! And besides it was Luffy who spoke to her!" Natsu claimed only for Conan to rebut his claims.
"What difference does that make, Natsu? You were also conversing with her" the young detective stated calmly, much to Natsu's annoyance.
"I'm just glad that both you and Luffy are safe. I couldn't stand loosing good friends like you" Maka surprisingly said with a hint of sweetness in her voice. Since their days at Yukikaze, she had begun to tolerate her two idiotic friends more than ever. Soul noticed this and decided to tease her.
"Well what do you know, looks like someone's in love with the two dumbasses in our group" Soul said teasingly while leaning against Maka, much to her annoyance.
"Shut up! You don't have the right to speak about my relationships!" the meister said coldly.
"Why? Because those two are the only ones who fail to realize how flat your chest is?" Soul asked his partner mockingly, making Maka twitching with anger.
Luffy, who had been poking his nose, didn't know what this argument was about, so he decided to speak up.
"Uhh…what's all this fuzz about?" Luffy asked his teammates and they fell on the floor, unable to accept how stupid he really was. Bobobo and Natsu meanwhile stared at the pirate with confused and wondering looks.
Moka decided to have a private chat with the emperor. She had explained a few interesting things to Goku after she had dragged Luffy and Natsu back to their hideout. He was very concerned about what she had witnessed.
"You saw some members of a so-called "Hakusho-movment" marching towards a rally? And those participating in the rally were supporters of Light Yagami?" he asked the vampire. She nodded.
"Yes. This rally accused the half-anime characters of being responsible for the death of this Yagami. I don't know who he was but he sure seemed like an important person here" Moka stated with concern.
Goku thought about that name. It rang a bell. Light Yagami was the chairman of a well-renowned council of rebels operating here in Konoha. That council was the de facto driving force of the rebellion against him. But the big question was: who murdered him? And who was to succeed him as chairman? He doubted that an imperial had committed such foolish act. Those thoughts kept floating inside his head, but Goku decided to speak with Conan about this. He had in secrecy placed the young detective in charge of gathering information around the streets of Konoha. Prior to doing so, he had heard rumors of something troubling taking place inside the Hokage Monument. Now he needed a confirmation about those speculations.
"So what did you find, Conan?" Goku asked.
"It's a big heist going on here, Goku! This Hakusho-movement Moka spoke of is planning to rat out Yagami's killer. His name was if I recall it: Sosuke Aizen. But they plan on doing so without causing mayhem around Konoha" Conan explained, much to Goku's surprise. The murderer of the infamous Yagami was a realistic anime. This was unexpected from Goku's standards.
"Have you any suggestions where this "Sosuke Aizen" could be hiding?" the emperor asked.
"It was hard to find knowledge about that. But I did hear rumours of Hakusho-movement members skulking around the Hokage Monument. They plan on capturing him there, while destroying his business around Konoha" Conan said.
Goku closed his eyes for a brief moment. He then opened them and began thinking while speaking. This was indeed troubling. Sure he knew that Aizen and the Hakusho-movement weren't allies, but there was something dark about Konoha. He saw Conan grabbing a nearby newspaper he had been given by Otohime.
"And from what this newspaper says here, the Council of Yuu has been officially disbanded. The rule now belongs to Yagami's closest associates. But for some reason, I doubt the remaining councilmen are dead" Conan states his opinion.
"Then where are they?" Goku asked.
"I can't say I have a concrete reason, but I think….they might have been separated from each other, somehow" Conan answered, much to Goku's satisfaction.
"I see. Now let's gather everyone in the living room, I have an important announcement to make" Goku said, much to Conan's surprise.
"Wait…you mean for the…you know" Conan tried to say it, but he was cut off by his emperor.
"Yes it is as you think. Now that we have established ourselves here in Konoha….it is time for us to start phase two!"
"As you wish, Goku" Conan replied with formality in his voice. It was now time for Team Z to begin what they came for…..to put an end to this rebellion.
Inside Urahara's candy shop, Konoha
Urahara and his closest associates were now coordinating the Hakusho-movement's operations around Konoha. Him, Tessai, Ururu and Jinta sat around with technical devices. Somehow, Urahara knew that a big event was on the horizon and it was not the show which was currently running at the Hokage's building. It was something involving blood and violence. Currently, he and his associates were joined by some of Naruto's closest friends, including Sakura, Hinata, Sai and Shino.
"Excuse me guys, but how's Kiba? I haven't spoken with him since the day he was hospitalized" Sai asked Hinata and Shino.
"Oh he's fine…I think he has gotten over the row with Shino during our visit to him" Hinata answered. Shino sighed deeply at this.
"Yes, we have been cool for a while…I guess" Shino added. Sai nodded his head, knowing he got what he asked for.
Sakura and Hinata had in the last days been stressed about Naruto's yet unconfirmed whereabouts. True Captain Armstrong had reported that they were still alive, but he couldn't conclude where specific they had ended up at.
"Urahara, has there been any word from Naruto and the others yet?" Sakura asked him.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you Sakura, but I haven't got any information since the day Captain Armstrong revealed details about their survival. All we can do is to have great faith in them, while we will confront the problems here" Urahara stated seriously.
Sakura briefly lowered her head, but after a brief touch of comfort by Hinata, she sucked it up and nodded at the intelligent Soul Reaper. Hinata also did the same thing.
"Right, I understand!" Sakura said lowly. "We don't have time to worry. We must move on and clean up these problems here! Because that's what Naruto and the others would've wanted us to do!" she added, making Urahara chuckle in amusement.
"Wise words" he commented Sakura's determination.
"As long as we have people like you, we will never give up fighting" Sai remarked.
"We have to do this, for Naruto and all the others!" Hinata said.
All of a sudden his computer started to make sounds and Urahara immediately responded to see who it was. Someone was trying to contact him.
"Who is it, boss?" Jinta asked him.
"Is it Sasuke and Uryu?" Shino asked.
"No it's not the Happy Hamsters that's calling us right now" Urahara answered. "It's the Shadowy Spiders" he added.
"Kakashi-sensei" Sakura thought, knowing that her teacher was a member of that group.
"Isn't Yoruichi a member of that group, boss?" Ururu asked. The blonde-haired man nodded.
"That's right! Now let's see what they have found there. And I'm sure as hell that it is more than Aizen" Urahara said and answered the call, which made him in directly contact with Yoruichi.
Inside the Hokage Monument
Huey and Kakashi were trying to overcome the strength of Nnoitra, who had only a few minutes ago been empowered by twisted energy. The Arrancar kept firing dark Ceros from his tongue. Fortunately they missed their targets, but they created large explosions in the process. This was indeed challenging.
But the more chilling affect was the fact that Huey and Kakashi could hear the voice of a forgotten evil calling to them.
"YOU ARE ALL WEAK. THERE IS ONLY DESPAIR LEFT TO FEEL" it said while chuckling lightly.
"That power….it feels almost as if….it calls to us!" Huey exclaimed shockingly.
"Yeah I know….that's why we must never approach something related to the Seven Deadly Ancients! Only a fool or a madman would do something like that!" Kakashi said while eyeing the Arrancar.
Aizen merely stood floating above the lake. He smirked at how they were struggling against his minion. But soon that smirk turned into an insane laughter.
"Fools, all of you, there is no hope in ruining my quest for vengeance! With Komada himself by my side…I shall be invincible!" Aizen declared while taunting his enemies. Huey was trying to figure out how to deal with this and ignored the fallen Soul Reaper's threats.
"I hate to be clueless, Kakashi…but who was this Komada of the Nightmares?" Huey wanted to know more.
"This isn't really the time for history lessons, Huey. But since we are here, I think it's only reasonable for you to know the stories" Kakashi said while eyeing the young boy.
"Stories?" Huey asked with widened eyes.
"Yes, before our world was even named….there were…."native" inhabitants who ruled Fictiontopia with chaos and agony. They were the Seven Deadly Ancients. Komada was among them. Eons ago, Nipponichi was his realm. But one day, a race of powerful beings approached the world and waged a war upon the Ancients. This primordial battle resulted in the Ancient being banished to the deepest reaches of the world and to never see daylight ever again. Komada was also banished" Kakashi explained, much to Huey's interest.
"My teacher back at Woodcrest told me this when I was little. But I had almost forgotten it until now" Huey said.
"You don't say. These are ancient stories that were almost forgotten. Not since the civil war began have Nipponichans ever looked into them. But there is one thing that's been bugging me, Urahara and other like-minded fellows lately. And it's only ONE thing" Kakashi said grimly.
Huey paid close attention to what the Shinobi was about to say.
"How….how on earth did Komada manage to gain his influence on the surface? For some reason…I don't think Aizen is the one who aims to use Komada's power. No…it must be…" Kakashi said shocked.
"Are you saying that Aizen is not the one pulling the strings here? But he has Komada's heart in that lake over there!" Huey pointed out, but Kakashi scoffed him.
"Kakashi, Huey!" the voice of Yoruichi could be heard behind them. The purple-haired woman used her Shunpo and immediately stood by their location.
"What were you doing, Yoruichi?" Huey asked.
"I just spoke with Kisuke. And I've explained what we've discovered so far, but he said something very important which I'm about to say here in front of you!" she said.
"Then what should we do about this?" Kakashi asked.
"Aizen…we must stop him! It doesn't matter if we kill him or not! We must destroy his lackeys and him before HE makes his move!" Yoruichi explained seriously.
"You mean…the Dark One?" Huey asked.
"Yes! The Dark One is already on the move now that Aizen's in possession of the heart. How did we fail to realize this?" Yoruichi said lowly making Kakashi snap.
"What? You mean…" Kakashi said.
"That's right! All this time, Aizen was merely a brick in a bigger game. You see the Dark One plans on reviving Komada's full power, including his heart. But that would require a large power source to satisfy it. Aizen possess that power source!" Yoruchi explained while briefly eyeing the fallen Soul Reaper.
"Are you telling me that….the Hogyoku can restore Komada's heart!?" Kakashi asked shocked. Yoruichi nodded.
"Then we must stop him! But first, we have to deal with that Arrancar over there!" Kakashi suggested and his teammates agreed.
Aizen was getting tired of them whispering about and commanded his minion.
"Nnoitra! Stop standing there like an imbecile! Destroy these intruders!" he commanded the Arrancar.
But Nnoitra was actually struggling to hold himself. The Arrancar was screaming loud in pain and agony. Apparently, Komada's power was too strong for Nnoitra's body. But still he obeyed and began charging at the trio with maddened rage.
"THE ETERNAL SUFFERING IS DESCENDING UPON US!" he shouted in a rage. The trio prepared their fighting stances.
"Here he comes!" Huey said cautiously.
Back at Team Z's hideout
Goku had now gathered all his friends in the living room to discuss the next phase of this mission. They had all been looking forward to know about it, but at the same time, they also didn't look forward to it. It was because of a simple reason: it involved war. Goku stood in front of his teammates in the living room. Hey sighed deeply before speaking.
"My friends…now that we have established ourselves in Konoha undiscovered….it is time to think about…. phase two of this mission" he declared, much to his friends' caution.
"And what will that be, Goku?" Natsu asked surprised.
"Does it involve…..you know, fighting?" Maka asked. The emperor nodded slowly in reply.
"I'm afraid so, Maka. Because after studying the recent events occurring here in the north….I've made up my decision!" he said grimly. "With all this chaos occurring around Konoha….it's time to strike by force!" he added with a stronger voice.
His comrades were really surprised by what his next motive was, while it also sounded…insane. But they eventually understood why this had to happen.
"But Goku, how are we gonna take complete control over Konoha? I mean, we're not enough men to participate in this battle and…" Yoh was suddenly cut off by Goku's voice.
"There's no need to worry! I have already contacted Vegeta and the others. Right now, they are on their way here!" Goku said with a smirk.
"Whoa! You mean…they plan on arrive her by that airship of yours!?" Luffy asked gleefully. Goku nodded at the pirate's question. "Awesome! I bet some of our friends are on-board as well! My crew are up for an adventure! Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky and Brook won't miss this!" Luffy exclaimed gleefully.
"Now we're talking! My guild mates back at Fairy Tail will be valuable assets to us, don't sweat it! Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Gajeel, Elfman, Mirajane and even Laxus himself!
"Killua, Leorio and Kurapika will also be accompanying them. I can't wait to see this!" Gon said excited.
"Hah! Wait till you pirates, hunters and wizards witness the strength of the Four Heavenly Kings! We gourmet hunters are more than just collectors, you know. And I'm sure Komatsu and Rin are tagging along, considering how helpful they are when it comes to healing" Toriko stated cockily while crossing his arms.
"Don't be such goofs, you fools! Cause my power is ten time overpowered when Don Patch and Jelly Jiggler fights beside me! And don't forget about Beauty and Gassy! My gang's cool, as long as its leader is Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo!" Boboo shouted with pride will doing his so-called victory pose.
"Aw man, Anna is probably coming here to beat my ass for not being home sooner. What a pain!" Yoh wined as he thought about his constantly strict girlfriend.
"Is every one of our friends coming here to Konoha, including yours?" Maka asked her leader who nodded in return.
"Yes! This battle is likely to become a siege….so we will put everything we got to defeat those rebels. But there has been something troubling me lately" Goku said lowly.
"What is it?" Moka asked him.
"Yesterday….I was having a nightmare…it was terrible!" Goku told every one of his friends who listened closely.
"How was that? Did you see something?" Maka asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
"Yes. In that nightmare….the whole of Konoha was in flames….but at the Hokage Monument….something sinister and forgotten emerged from it. Its shape was that of a normal Human-being. I still couldn't see what it truly was" the emperor explained his nightmare. His comrades were worried about him. Was everything that he told them going to happen in real life? This was indeed troubling.
"Are you suggesting we should avoid civilian casualties?" Toriko asked suddenly with a lower voice. Goku eyed him.
"I wish we could've done that, Toriko. But it's impossible. Most of this city's inhabitants are vicious fighters who will attack me the moment they realize who I am. I am also certain that those councilmen have many allies and friends who will raise against us once our allies arrive. And let us not forget about this "Sosuke Aizen" and his scheming inside the Hokage Monument. We must act" Goku answered Toriko's question while explaining a few details.
Team Z was now beginning to think about their current plans. The emperor's comrades knew that their leader spoke the truth. They had to do this, not only for the sake of ending this civil war, but to unite the people as well against this Dark One. But there was something they would like to know more.
"Hey Goku, if we and that council have a common enemy in this Dark One, should we join forces then?" Gon suddenly asked. His teammates turned their faces at him, as did his leader. Goku closed his eyes for a minute. He remembered what Sylvania had said to him during his time in Kamiedo. It was about an emperor leading his people, rebels and imperials alike.
"Perhaps….but negotiations would be difficult" Goku came up with an answer as soon as he could. Gon smiled in return.
But Goku was now thinking about the leader of this fighting force he had summoned. He sighed deeply in irritation.
"Why did it have to be you, of all my loyal followers" Goku grumbled while thinking about him.
Up in the skies, the airship called "Dragon's Fist"
This large airship was currently heading towards Konoha in fast speed. The crew inside it was simple. All of Team Z's friends, allies and families were preparing for battle. They had all answered Goku's call to begin an assault on Konoha, knowing that almost every inhabitant of that place were vicious fighters. The one leading this large army of fighter was none other than Goku's personal rival: Vegeta. He was often considered the second-most powerful man in Nipponichi after the emperor himself. But he didn't lead alone. Other members of the Imperial Guard like Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha were also coordinating the efforts of this fighting force. Even the emperor's sons had joined, hoping to reunite with their father.
"This is gonna be fun!" Roronoa Zoro exclaimed with a smirk. But Chopper and Usopp was freaking out.
"How on earth can you be so calm about this?" Usopp angrily asked while grabbing Zoro's collar, much to the swordsman's irritation.
"Yeah, we're walking straight into a death trap!" Chopper added while climbing on Usopp. Zoro sighed.
"Then why did you cocky pussies join us in the first place!" the angry voice of the gourmet hunter Zebra could be heard behind Usopp and Chopper. They both turned around to see his imposing figure. He glared at them with irritation. "People who can't even fight are on-board this airship as well, just look at Komatsu" he added while a small cook approached beside the much taller man.
"I joined so I could get to see Toriko. I'm certain he needs my help, even though I'm not much of a fighter" Komatsu said. "And I'm sure your captain needs your help as well!" he added while eyeing Usopp and Chopper.
"This little man here is right! We must support Team Z!" a cranky voice suddenly called. It was the voice belonging to the sun-like figure called Don Patch. He was accompanied by Jelly Jiggler, the jelly-like man. They were close friends of Bobobo.
"We must not fall or we will fail our ancestors!" Jiggler said.
"But what if we don't succeed? That would be pretty embarrassing if you ask me" a young boy with silver hair called Killua asked Jiggler followed by his comrade Leorio, who was dressed like a businessman.
"And how do you have an ancestor? I mean…you're just…jelly" Leorio asked while studying Jiggler's appearance.
"Remember an important lesson from us imperials, suckers! Don't judge a person by its appearance! That is just ridiculous!" Patch suddenly intervened in the conversation.
"Even though this creature's appearance is ridiculous, I must agree with him" a woman named Erza Scarlet appeared. She was a member of the infamous wizard guild: Fairy Tail.
"I already consider them as friends consider how valuable they can be" a white-haired woman named Mirajane Strauss remarked.
Vegeta stood in front of everyone and began a speech to inspire his followers. His comrades in the Imperial Guard stood beside him. The army watched him with discipline and all conversations were stopped. There was no sound or even whispering among the fighters.
"Brothers and sisters of Nipponichi, we stand now a distant meter away from the nest crawling with rebel-scumbags! The emperor has summoned us for a specific reason: we must put an end to this….rebellion. Even now, a tide of blood will wash over those trouble-makers as a punishment for their actions! They murdered our former emperors in cold blood! And then, they used that as an excuse for dismantling us! But we won't back down, not as long as patriots like ourselves stand equally to our emperor. So let us join ourselves brothers and sisters, as a vanguard of justice! Together, we are Yamanihon, the legion created by the sun at the foot of the mountain! We are unstoppable!" Vegeta was finished with his speech.
The whole legion was cheering for their leader's words. It was no doubt that they would succeed in launching an attack on Konoha. They would follow Vegeta to battle in honour of their friends and emperor.
The rooftops of Konoha
The spy working for Aizen had just received information that some had begun planting explosives at his buildings. Now she was on her way to stop these events from happening. But as she jumped from roof to roof, she could see an arrow made of blue coming towards her. The spy barley dodged it and fell on a roof. She could see that the arrow had left a few marks on her outfit much to her irritation.
"Sorry for interrupting you, lady! I hope my Heilig Pfiel didn't cause you any serious injuries" a voice suddenly called to her. She looked up and saw a young-man dressed in white heading towards her.
"You, you're that Quincy who's with…." She said in anger, but her adversary cut her off.
"I'm just not a Quincy, I'm Uryu Ishida. And I've been hired to apprehend a certain traitor among the Court Guards. That traitor would be you!" Uryu said smugly.
"Apprehend me? The nerve to talk to me in such ways! You were unwise to provoke me, Quincy!" she stated as she rose up on her feet and pointed Zanpakuto at Uryu. He didn't seem at least threatened and continued to eye her smugly.
The spy began charging at Uryu but as she was about to activate her Shikai, a flash of lighting suddenly appeared before her. It was soon clear to her that someone had been attacking her from sideways. She looked to the right and saw a black-haired ninja with a sword in his hand. It was Uryu's comrade: Sasuke Uchiha.
"You're acting quite careless for being a Soul Reaper, wouldn't you say?" he quizzed while turning around to face her.
The spy was irritated by this, but she gained her senses and remained cool.
"I see. You two must be members of the Hakusho-movement. Interesting" she said. Sasuke pointed his blade at her. "Don't think you can stop me, council-puppets! Lord Aizen's will shall be done!" she added coldly.
"Someone's in for a death wish I see. Good. I've been waiting for a good fight!" Sasuke remarked sarcastically. "Let's see if this "Aizen" really is a man worth dying for!" he added.
"I wouldn't necessarily be so overconfident, Sasuke. Sometimes you shouldn't underestimate your enemies" Uryu told his partner while adjusting his glasses.
"Hah! Even we have different views despite our similar personalities. I am kind of disappointed" Sasuke remarked, making Uryu twitch.
"We're not the same! So let see which one of us can defeat this spy" Uryu said and prepared his bow.
"Oh, I look forward to it, Uryu! I really do" Sasuke said in return and eyed the spy. Things was beginning to get ugly here.
To be continued….
Author's note: Before I comment, I would like to say that I've read the ending chapters of Naruto. It was very good and was something I didn't expect. And of course some of the couples in Fictiontopia are different than those in the original manga and also some of the characters. But planning on writing Trouble in the East began as far as the end of 2012. I was then thinking about what I should write. And then I decided to write a story about a world where all the fictional characters would live. And of course, I added politics to the plot. And now as for this chapter, it's been a while since I last wrote. I've been busy lately and struggled a lot. But I'm soon getting less stressed and are always up for writing.