IMPERIALS – NARUTO RELEASED
North Okarin
After half a minute Hinata feels comfortable that she can stand unaided. She looks back to Boruto and Himawari before approaching them once again. She lays a hand on each of their shoulders in turn, donating some of her energy to them, helping them to stand. Once all three family members are happy that they have won they look at each other and nod. Hinata then looks over to Shao Chin, making sure he is OK. He gestures to her that he is OK and that she should proceed. The three descendants of Akashi approach their fallen enemy in victory, a sign of their supremacy on this day.
Ashen begins to speak. "You know princess, I did not come to power the same way you did. I was not born lucky or into a wealthy family, I was just strong. I was a bit like Akashi in that sense. He was a hero, fighting for what he knew to be right, but I was only a soldier, fighting for a cause chosen by somebody else. I was told that if I failed it would all be over for my realm, and when I arrived on the battlefield and saw my people dying I believed it. Was it so wrong of me to fight for the people of the Dark Dimension?"
"You were the strongest, if you had joined my father in advocating for peace you could have ended the war together. The union of our two great empires could have changed so much for the better."
"Maybe, maybe I was wrong."
"It's not too late for that peace," Boruto says. "Ashen, you are the last survivor from the Dark Dimension, an empire of one person but an empire, nonetheless. Correct the mistakes of your past and make a new choice. Don't be a soldier this time, choosing what is best for your people. Be a leader, be an empress, make a choice on what you believe is right. Help us to free Homeworld, join the rebellion against Furst Jonas."
"I fought Furst you know, both in the past and in the present. Back then he was only a class 8 warrior and defeating him was not too difficult. However, it was clear that he was a prodigy. We did not know why he refused to learn a divine ability, but many of my generals thought he was the most talented warrior alive. Now that I have faced him as a class 10 warrior it is clear that they were not exaggerating. He is a monster, defeating him is a fantasy. We are doomed to fail if we try fighting against him."
"It's because the choice is hard to make that it is a measure of your qualities as empress," Himawari says. "Helion-sensei, many people in this world will resent you. The rebellion is full of people who fought against you before, people who will hold a grudge. However, through hard work and determination you can change the way people see you. That is what my father did. I believe that you can do that as well."
Ashen pauses for a moment.
"Will you help me to protect the Little Diamond?"
"What is the Little Diamond?" Hinata asks.
"It was… he was… he was a traitor to Homeworld during the last war."
"A traitor during the last war? Who was he?"
"I don't want to trust you with any information I do not have to Princess Endou. You know of the Little Diamond's flaws now; will you still vow to help me protect him? Will you grant him and I complete pardons for the mistakes we made during the last conflict. In return I promise you that I will fight to put you on the throne of Homeworld, where you belong."
"Can you promise that you and he will not cause any problems for Homeworld in the future? Will you protect the interests of this world's people?"
"I promise that I would act in Homeworld's best interests, and I would do my best to make sure that he does as well. I will try to accomplish what you claim this Naruto did, I will work hard and earn the respect of this world's people. In time I hope that they will come to trust me as a protector of this realm, rather than the enemy who once invaded. Lastly, if she is still willing to be my student, I would continue in my capacity as the teacher of Uzumaki Himawari."
"I would be grateful, Helion-sensei."
Hinata kneels before Ashen, offering a hand to her. Ashen takes Hinata's hand and the Endou-Hyuuga helps the empress to her feet. They stand before one another and shake hands, a sign of respect from Homeworld. Ashen then steps back and clasps her hands together, reaches her arms out in front of her and bows her head to Hinata, requesting formally that Hinata accepts the Dark Dimension as a partner of Homeworld. It is an offer that Hinata graciously accepts. She has accomplished what her father always wanted, peace between Homeworld and the Dark Dimension at long last.
"Now, we need to save Ewoa," Hinata says.
"There is no time, and we don't have the energy to spare," Ashen says.
"I know. That is why you must release Naruto immediately. He can save Dunstone from his other-self."
"I don't think that he can," Ashen admits solemnly, pulling the device from her pocket. "This device was designed to lock onto Akashi's energy, onto 'life' energy. If I understand it correctly, it will have worked not only on Naruto's energy, but on Akashi's as well. If your father is dead it is possible that Naruto's counter-aspect has slowly been absorbing the remnants of his energy. He may already be the most powerful class 9 warrior there has ever been, stronger than even me and your father."
"It doesn't matter. I still believe in Naruto."
Ashen smiles. "You really are his daughter, hopelessly sentimental. Very well, I hope you are right."
Ashen activates the device once again, beginning the process of freeing Uzumaki Naruto.
The Void
"It seems that you are going back now," Kasumi says. "If you survive the war it will be some time before we meet again but know that I will be waiting. Now listen to me carefully, there is one last thing that I must tell you before you depart Naruto."
"What is it?"
"When you return you will not be the only progenitor in Homeworld. I am the progenitor for the humans of Homeworld. You are the progenitor the pocket-worlders created by Furst Jonas. There is also the combination of our two peoples, descendants of both Homeworld and the pocket-worlds. The first one of them to discover divine energy is the other progenitor.
"That progenitor is your son, Uzumaki Boruto. Farewell Naruto."
North-West Ewoa
Naruto, now an old man, drops to the ground having finally escaped from the void. He lifts his hand to his head and uses class 9 'wind' energy to create a series of tiny blades to cut his uncomfortably long hair. Although it is grey after he is done he does look a bit more like the Uzumaki Naruto of old. He looks around at those who were waiting for him, he wishes he had time to exchange words with them. Now is not the time for words though, now is the time for action.
Naruto uses a small amount of 'life' energy, moving it with Energy Projection, to stabilise Hannah's condition. He wastes no more than that, knowing that he will likely need it for the fight to come.
Minato is still stunned by Naruto's use of 'wind' energy, he never used that in the past.
"Which way?" Naruto asks.
Jun slowly points south-east. "He is that—"
Before Jun can finish his sentence Naruto has power-transferred to both legs and has launched himself in a south-easterly direction. Minato moves thinking that he should help his son with teleportation, but Naruto's movements are so quick that it is practically the same as his teleportation rate. Everyone left behind watches in awe as Naruto moves faster than he ever has before. They believed that Naruto was stuck in the void ageing and becoming weaker, but what they have just seen disproves that completely. Naruto is as strong as he has ever been.
Tamade, Gavaria
Sarada and Clyde stand ready at the gate to the city of Tamade. Sarada announces that their enemy is approaching and she is right. In the near distance General Odion is moving towards them at speed. He is their next great obstacle. First they take him down, then they take the royal palace in Otoriko. Once that is done Gavaria will be in rebel hands.
Sarada and Clyde both activate their golden cloaks, 'creation' and 'darkness' respectively.
Odion spots his two opponents. Assuming that Tamade has already fallen into their hands he leaps into the air and uses his Hover divine ability to slowly descend on them from above. As he gets closer he stops using Hover and dives towards them. He activates his golden 'time' cloak just as he gets close to the two of them he momentarily pauses time, appearing just before Sarada. He strikes at her three times in quick succession before she can act. He then kicks her in the abdomen and knocks her back into the building behind.
Having knocked Sarada out of the way Odion turns his attention to the treacherous Head General Clyde. He doesn't need to use his time-based powers, nor his divine ability to defeat such an opponent. He walks confidently towards Clyde, anticipating each of his opponent's attacks and dodging them with perfect timing. Three times Odion retaliates with his own more powerful attack, stunning Clyde. When he attempts the fourth strike Clyde uses the divine ability he inherited from Lara to teleport behind Odion, he then kicks him forward into the city gate.
It is a minor blow as far as the general is concerned. After turning around Swen's second-in-command throws a golden 'time' knife towards Clyde. The Military Head General moves to dodge the flying knife, but it stops mid-air. This halt in motion is an effect of Odion's golden 'time' energy when its motion resumes the speed and power have more than doubled. Clyde activates his concentrated defence to counter it, but even then he is knocked painfully from his feet and to the ground. Clyde receives a message loud and clear from his brief exchange, as a class 7 he is no match for General Odion.
However, Sarada is not a class 7, she is a class 8, just like the general. She rushes forward and uses golden 'creation' to generate a pair of pure diamond swords. She strikes at Odion repeatedly with these swords unsurprised that he is able to dodge the first few. Odion's 'time' powers allow him to move in ways others cannot, but that was all within the 9th Hokage's expectations. After a few seconds of this sword-waving she connects with her target forcing him back the first step. Odion knows that he is now on the back foot and he attacks out of concern, aiming a punch for Sarada's head. Sarada uses her gravity-manipulating powers to push the incoming attack away from her, slowing it just enough for her to dodge it. She then releases one of her diamond swords and uses her Solar Punch to knock Odion back and out of the city.
Odion feels that he is backed into a corner now, he never expected his opponent to be this strong. He rushes forward. Using golden 'time' he stops himself mid-run and then suddenly accelerates. He rushes forward and picks up the diamond sword that Sarada dropped. He stands in a counter-clockwise spinning motion, slamming the sword towards Sarada as he does so. To his own significant surprise he knocks Sarada into the air and she lands with a powerful impact. She tries to crawl her way forward but she appears to be defeated. Odion can hardly believe it, he thought that he was up against an opponent stronger than him, but Sarada suddenly lost.
Not one to complain about his good fortune Odion points the sword at the standing General Clyde.
"It's over for you Clyde, taking Tamade was not what I expected, I commend you on surprising me. However, your plan did not work. Compared to the Imperial Guard the military has always been weak. This is the final proof of that."
Odion swings the sword down towards Clyde.
Clyde slaps the sword from Odion's hand.
Odion cannot believe his bad luck. Before his eyes the intensity of Clyde's energy increases thanks to a breakthrough in understanding a manual. This represents a significant moment in the history of Homeworld's two great armies. This is the first time a general from the military has ever been on par with a general from the Imperial Guard. Clyde has finally become a class 8 warrior, the same class as his Imperial Guard counterparts.
Clyde teleports three times, striking Odion twice each time as he does so. The guardsman notices that each of the strikes are much more powerful than before. With six of them having landed on him without resistance he is feeling unsteady. He is powerless as the seventh and most powerful strike lands from directly in front of him knocking him to the ground. Now the general can't help but appreciate that Clyde's divine ability of Teleportation is very powerful.
Diamond bindings suddenly appear all over Odion's body and Clyde looks at the approaching Sarada.
"You recovered very quickly," Clyde notes.
"Yes."
"Some would say miraculously."
"Perhaps they would."
"You lost on purpose, didn't you?"
Sarada smiles. "I had a theory that if you were backed into a corner with no way out it would help you to understand the third and final part of your manual. If it hadn't worked I would have found a way to save you, but that is no longer a concern. Congratulations Clyde, who would have imagined that one day you would become a class 8 warrior?"
"I never thought this day would come," Clyde admits, "But for so many reasons. I was invading your world once upon a time and it seemed like it would be the same as every other pocket-world. After your predecessor died, you were my greatest opponent. Now look how things have changed. I once tried to destroy your world yet here you are teaching me lessons while helping me to reclaim my own.
"You are a remarkable Hokage, Uchiha Sarada."
They have defeated General Odion.
The Pocket-World
Mitsuki is with Hashirama and the others, stood in front of the portal back to Homeworld. Hashirama is urging people through in pairs and confirming that there is no enemy presence on the other side. He occasionally looks back at Tsunade and also at Mitsuki. Orochimaru's son is still looking at the pocket-world, wondering what might have been. They came here to find the body of Endou Akashi. While they made two breakthroughs in this realm he still believes there are things that could be done, things that he is missing. Eventually Hashirama calls him and he sighs, he cannot encourage them to stay here based on his intuition, not when Hashirama is a class 9 warrior who could make a big difference in the war.
They depart the pocket-world and return to Homeworld.
North Okarin
Hinata and Shao Chin depart in a rush. They must return to Ewoa as quickly as possible to see what will happen. She trusts Ashen to uphold her side of the deal and to remain with Boruto and Himawari. As long as the three of them are together there is only one person who could pose a realistic threat to them. So the princess and the hunter return to Ewoa, desperate for news about the fate of Dunstone as quickly as possible.
Near Dunstone, Ewoa
North Wing Leader Bai and South Wing Leader Shuren run up to Council Leader Yuhan who is on the edge of the city. He watches through binoculars as something approaches from afar. The terrifying sight is what he believes to be a crazed Uzumaki Naruto. He is approaching the city that Queen Sabine left behind in her cowardice. Now he hopes for the only good news that he could receive.
Unfortunately, Bai and Shuren have a dire report. The Imperial Guard have fled the city of Dunstone leaving it defenceless against the incoming threat. There are a few aristocrats who often visit the city and the members of the council but they only understand weak types of divine energy, they are not equipped to fight an opponent this strong. Yuhan curses the Imperial Guard for their treachery and vows that the council will remain and go down with the city they vowed to serve.
But then an old man appears, arriving at amazing speed. Yuhan and the others have no idea who he is, but upon close inspection they notice that he looks like an older version of the attacker. Doubt begins to creep into their hearts as they realise that perhaps Jun was right. Maybe this is an imposter who is attacking them, maybe the man who has come to their defence is the real Uzumaki Naruto.
"You look old," Mada says.
"I'm no older than you."
"The fact they sent you after me shows how foolish they all are. Your stupid best friend, that fool who calls herself your pupil, and the idiotic Princess Hinata. If they think that you can defeat me they are wrong. I don't know where it has come from but I have been finding new energy. I am becoming stronger! Soon nobody will be able to stop me, much less my weaker counterpart."
Naruto smiles. "The thought that I could lose to someone like you. An Uzumaki Naruto who behaves that way could only be weak."
"I am not Uzumaki Naruto! Don't insult me by giving me that name. My name is and always will be Ugokanai Mada!"
Naruto watches Mada. He is happy to let this conversation continue as it will give him precious time to recover his energy. He is concerned about this new energy that Mada is gradually getting, energy that is making him stronger by the moment. However, Naruto is confident that he has advantages over his evil counterpart. He has been training for this moment with Kasumi and the tailed beasts. Together he knows that they have the skills and determination to defeat Mada. Uzumaki Naruto is a man who is at his strongest when he works with many other people.
"I notice that you still carry this thing around," Mada says, his voice filled with contempt as he removes a folded-up cape from his pocket. It is marked with the words '7th Hokage'. "You really do always take pride in such foolish things. This means nothing. What has your acknowledgement accomplished? Nothing, all that you have achieved has been because of your strength. I will show you what I think of this Hokage title you value so much."
Mada throws the cloak up into the air and fills his hand with deadly divine energy. He aims the divine energy and throws it at the cloak. A gust of 'wind' takes the cloak out of the path of Mada's attack and carries it gently towards Naruto. It seems to float into the hands of the old man. Mada doesn't understand what just happened.
Naruto lifts the cloak onto his shoulders. Now that he is wearing the official attire of the 7th Hokage he feels young again.
"No more," Naruto says.
"What did you say?"
"This fake Naruto business has gone on long enough. You have failed to impress anybody. The whole world has seen you. They all know that someone like you could not possibly have become so strong. The reason is that all of your strength is borrowed from me. You think you know strength; your spirit is the weakest I have ever come across.
"Let's go Ugokanai Mada, it's time for you to learn just how weak you are."
In Response to iloveffn
Who asks several questions
Q1: Is there anyone who understands the 'order' element on a level equal to Furst?
A1: I couldn't say either way at risk of giving spoilers.
Q2: Is there an opposite of Furst?
A2: If you mean a counter-aspect then yes, there is one for everyone. If you mean someone with the opposite element that would be Sarada.
Q3: Shouldn't opposites understand opposite elements?
A3: I guess I could have written it that way, I never really thought about that.
Q4: Does Mada use 'life' energy to cause death?
A4: Yes he absorbs 'life' energy from people unreservedly.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to S
Who asks could chakra itself become an element
Possibly, that's an interesting idea.
I don't see why not.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to m'j doom
Who asks if the two Hinata's have completely synced
Not yet, but that is what is gradually happening.
Thanks for reading.