THE END WAR – STEALING POWERS

Outside the Imperial Palace

Naruto and the others dismount from the vehicle and look at the enormous dome in front of them. It has been a long time since they were here last and back then they were only saved by the fortunate intervention of Headmaster Muto Sora. If he had not seen Naruto's potential they would surely have died if they did their planned attacked on Jonas. The dome is made of the hardest synthetic material in the world and that presents them with a problem. The fight with Carmen was a long time ago.

"Does anyone remember where the secret entrance was?" Naruto asks everyone.

"Nobody will remember that," Hiruzen says. "It was too long ago and there aren't enough landmarks to use for navigation here. Lord 2nd, you haven't left any old markers around here for teleportation have you?"

"None that are in range."

"I can take you all through with Kamui," Kakashi says.

Naruto remembers why he is here, how Sarada brought him here to help save the Hidden Leaf so long ago now. The Hokage have all achieved more than anyone ever thought they could, they have gone above and beyond expectations. However, they still have one final mission ahead of them, one final duty to perform.

"Don't take us through," Naruto says.

"You have a better idea?"

"Yes. Let's end this how we started it."

Inside the Imperial Palace

The name Imperial Palace refers to two places, one specific and the other not. Some people refer to the building containing the throne room as the Imperial Palace, but that is technically only a throne building. Everywhere under the dome is the Imperial Palace, subject to an artificial day-night cycle simulated by projecting varying levels of light onto the inside of the dome. This was designed to prevent another invasion, to keep out Jonas' worst enemies and to limit the escape options of his captives. There should only be one way in and one way out. That much is true for the average Homeworlder at least.

Jonas stands ten miles outside of the Throne Building where he has tied Sarada to one side of an enormous tablet. Bindings strong enough to restrain a class 8 warrior are rare so he has requested that Head General Safura reinforce them with her golden 'diamond' energy. He inspects the bindings which are King Max's handiwork and nods his approval, for a change his subordinates have not let him down, Sarada is going nowhere.

"Master, I strongly object to this," Queen Petra tells him.

"Your objections are noted Petra."

"There are no scientists left from the Dark Dimension and this technology was experimental to begin with. Max has warned me that there is a good chance you will die if you go ahead with this process."

"Max's science is inferior to my own. Don't listen to his warnings Petra, listen to mine. There is no chance of this going wrong. I understand how this device works perfectly and after years the time has finally come to use it."

"How can you be certain she uses the right element? She could be deceiving us."

"Nadia and Swen would have noticed, but by all means test the theory yourself, you are more than qualified."

Petra watches as her teacher begins to bind himself to the other side of the tablet. She has never known him to take a risk like this before. When he first learned of Naruto's existence he personally destroyed the Military Academy. Throughout his time as a class 8 warrior he never took any risks, he always knew the outcome of a battle before he fought. If this goes wrong he will die and while she has been trained as his would-be successor for that situation she thinks the other royals would rebel against her.

Furst has taught Petra great strength over the years, more than the Queen of Fayoth has ever revealed to her fellow royals. Petra believes that if her full power was used she could defeat even Sabine, but that is a hypothesis she has never tested. If her teacher died and she claimed the title of empress there would rebellion on all sides, she could never hold the throne, not challenged by Naruto, Sabine, and Ashen.

Petra approaches Sarada and places her hand on the Hokage's head. She activates her golden cloak and forces golden 'control' energy through that hand directly into Sarada's head. Direct contact like this maximises the strength of her powers. Although her ability to control a class 8 is limited she does manage to force Sarada into creating a weak steel sword and a pair of wooden shoes. Petra sighs, wishing that they were mistaken about Sarada's powers, but they are not, she wields 'creation'.

"I am sure that everything will be fine my lady," Safura says to Petra.

"Re-join the other royals," Jonas orders his student. "If Uzumaki and his followers find a way into the Imperial Palace you are to eliminate them immediately. If you fail then the punishment once this is over will be severe, even for you."

Petra reluctantly bows and re-joins her fellow royals. This leaves only Safura to stand with her emperor and the rebellious 9th Hokage. She waits for a nod from the emperor before she approaches the stone tablet and presses a button that he has created. The second she presses the button both Jonas' 'destruction' and Sarada's 'creation' energy flow rapidly into the tablet between them. At the same time their minds and transported to a different realm.

The Different Realm

Sarada looks around and sees nothing but darkness. Then slowly things start to become clearer and she sees wooden planks forming beneath her feet. Walls begin to form to her left and her right. Part of the walls on the right disappears and is replaced by a door. She looks out the door and sees Head General Safura looking in at her. Safura does not meet her eyes, Sarada quickly works out that the Head General can't see her.

Sarada's attention is drawn by creaking wooden planks in front her. Jonas is here with her as well. She looks at Jonas but he seems to be completely ignoring her. She watches as he walks past her and she turns to continue watching. He seems to be walking forward down the corridor that was behind her. She glances momentarily down the corridor that was behind his back and sees nothing of significance. It looks like an endless corridor.

She follows Jonas for a few seconds before he suddenly launches himself forward. She is stunned by his pace. She leaps after him and after a minute she catches him. She finds Jonas sat before a giant stone tablet looking at it and reading small notes underneath a large word at the top. Not wanting to get too close to him out of fear she activates the Rinnegan and inspects the words that he is reading.

The large word at the top of the tablet is 'creation' and the words below are descriptions. After a couple of sentences Sarada begins to realise what these descriptions are, they are her thoughts about 'creation' energy, thoughts from a long time ago.

'You don't understand what we have been through and what we've built. We went through hell to survive against you. We agave everything to the fight, we left nothing behind and sacrificed everything. My father, my mother, my teacher, they all gave their lives because of what you did. But from the ashes of everything we built a home, we created a home. We created an emotion, a desire to live once again. Do you know how difficult that is, to create a home? So don't you dare tell me to throw it away because of your pathetic numbers.'

Sarada remembers these words, she spoke them not long before she understood 'creation' energy herself. This is a more detailed version of the tablet in her inner world, this is the tablet from which all her 'creation' energy flows. She recognises other thoughts on the tablet too, they are all her own. Jonas is learning from her understanding of 'creation' energy. She feels dread fill her entire body, that means that she is helping Jonas to learn a second double-transcendent element.

The world begins to dismantle around them.

Jonas stands and turns to Sarada.

"It is too late now. You have already lost."

Sarada turns and looks to the other end of the corridor, but the world is already dismantling. She runs forward, using the Rinnegan to the utmost of her ability and desperately looks for a way out of this situation. At the very opposite end of the corridor is Jonas tablet. She wonders if she has time to destroy it, but before her next step she realises there is no time. She doubts it would even work, otherwise the emperor have destroyed her tablet. She gazes at it as this fake world collapses around her, this is the worst scenario imaginable. She hasn't helped to defeat Jonas at all, she has made him stronger.

The fake world disappears.

Inside the Imperial Palace

The stone tablet Jonas and Sarada were tied to collapses. Safura quickly uses golden 'diamond' energy to change Sarada's restraints, binding her to the ground instead of to the tablet. She then looks at Jonas and uses her communication stone to confirm to Petra that her teacher is alright.

"Congratulations my lord."

Jonas looks at where the tablet was. "It seems that my prediction was correct, after one use the innate energy becomes inert and the tablet becomes unusable."

Jonas has long had this tablet, a relic he obtained from the scientists of the Dark Dimension in the aftermath of the previous war. His belief was that it would allow him to obtain the element of another warrior, from his experience in the other realm it seems that this belief was correct. It is a shame it could only be use once, otherwise there would be no limit to his power. He is glad that he waited for a 'creation' user to appear though. Dual element users are always at their most powerful when they understand two fundamentally opposite elements. That is what makes Princess Hinata's latest incarnation so strong. He has no reason to fear her though, even with his 'destruction' energy alone he is the most powerful fighter in Homeworld.

"Did it work my lord?" Safura asks.

Jonas looks at his hand. "I don't know, we shall have to wait."

"What shall I do with Sarada?"

"I doubt that her hopelessness will spread to the rebellion if we allow her to return. Eliminate her."

Jonas begins to walk away.

"I don't feel hopeless," Sarada says. "I feel… I feel… that you should never give up. He taught me that you know, Uzumaki Naruto. I can't help but feel that all I need to do is keep going, and everything will work out in the end. It doesn't matter how strong you become; he will find a way to defeat you.

"Furst Jonas, as long as there is still a Hokage, there will always be hope."

Jonas ignores Sarada.

An explosion rocks the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Guard and royal defenders that have assembled look around in a panic at first, not understanding where the explosion came from. Sarada's Future Sight lets her realise the truth slightly in advance, Jonas realises straight away. After a couple of seconds enormous pieces of the dome fall to the ground, almost hitting some warriors from the Imperial Guard.

Everyone looks to the sky.

The dome has been broken, and there are a group of people dropping down from above.

Naruto, Boruto, Himawari, Tobirama, Hiruzen, Kakashi, Shinki, Ashen. They fall from the sky. Memories from back when this all started return to Sarada. The dome looks a lot like the clouds from back then. Naruto and the others are falling from above, just like when she summoned them from the past. She smiles at the memory of when hope was reborn for the Hidden Leaf Village, it is being reborn once again.

One of the royals sends an attack up at the falling group, one that Sarada at first doesn't recognise. The majority spread their arms to slow their descend and Boruto holds his tightly against his body to move ahead of the others. He holds his hand out below his falling body and gathers golden 'death' and golden 'fate' energy upon it. He uses the pure class 9 golden 'death-fate' to puncture through the ascending attack and protect the others.

There is another attack that comes shortly afterwards. Hiruzen reaches into Tobirama's pocket and throws a marked kunai to the side. Naruto uses Kurama's chakra to bind them all together. Tobirama teleports them to the thrown kunai and out of the way of the attack. Another attack follows quickly afterwards and he throws the kunai back in the other direction, teleporting them a second time to avoid it.

King Swen uses his 'psychic' energy to tear a boulder from the ground. He throws that boulder up towards the group of rebels. He then uses the same power to throw a second one. Ashen descends to the bottom of the group and uses her bio-hardened skin to break through the first one. Kakashi uses a Kamui to send the second to a different realm.

Himawari mentally marks a landing location for them as they continue their descent. She throws the Sacred Dagger downward. She uses her telekinetic control of the dagger, circling the selected landing site with it at great speed, preventing anyone from approaching. Nadia recognises their intention and rushes towards the landing site to prevent them landing smoothly. She believes that she can move fast enough to avoid the Sacred Dagger. She proves to be right, neatly weaving through its perimeter.

Naruto uses Detonation Martial Arts and 'might' energy to superpower his arm. The last few seconds of their fall and he moves to the bottom of the group. Landing just a few meters away from Nadia he slaps his superpowered hand into the ground, creating a shockwave powerful enough to knock even the Queen of Seblix from her feet. He times it perfectly, allowing his weaker colleagues to land unharmed just a few seconds later.

The rebels have dropped from the heavens and have landed unharmed with the Imperial Palace.

"Which way to Sarada?" Naruto asks.

Boruto quickly scans the surroundings with the Tenseigan. "East."

"And where is Furst."

"Also East."

Naruto nods. Boruto places a mark on his father's back and tells him to go. Naruto power-transfers to both legs and runs east as fast as he can. He moves towards Furst Jonas, towards the opponent he has been destined to face all this time. Every three steps he takes Boruto uses the Flying Thunder God to keep up with him. They are bearing down on their targets, the reunion with Sarada, the fight with Furst Jonas.

The final battle to determine Homeworld's destiny has begun.

In Response to Xzsdyk Delos Santos Samonte
Who asks what Naruto's predicted greatest moment was

I couldn't say without giving away spoilers.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to S
Who asks if Hashirama had any unique 'death' based powers

None that I revealed.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to S
Who asks if Furst created an infinite progenitor cycle by creating the pocket-worlds

No, pocket-worlders have only one progenitor which is Naruto.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to secret love writer
Who asks what would happen if someone understood 6 transcendent elements

I don't know. Since that's not something that has happened in Homeworld (except for briefly with Kasumi), it's something I've never thought about before.
Breaking through can never make you weaker.

I'll think about this more after the story is complete and reply then.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to S
Who asks if all the nine-tails joined would they still understand 'might' energy

I think so. It's hard to say, it depends if they share all their memories and insights or not.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Guest
Who asks if Naruto could take the Sacred Armor now and become class 10

The Sacred Armor was destroyed by Hashirama's core detonation.

Thanks for reading.