THE END WAR – STRATEGIES
The Imperial Palace
King Didier is a powerful warrior from the Beast Kingdom, a class 9 warrior. His element is 'leadership', a power which he understands to the third tier. In a battle like this, that makes him a very fearsome participant. Every second that he is left unchecked he rallies the troops against the Imperial Guard. Every second where he is in play the rebellion slowly gains an advantage. The rebellion is fortunate that the royals are being engaged by other warriors, this gives Didier the freedom to run the battlefield. This is where he is at his best, where he can make as much trouble for the Imperial Guard as possible.
There are three remaining generals from the Imperial Guard. Currently their former leader is fighting Queen Petra. Their new leader is fighting against her rival Marti Nina. The best team among them, Odion and Dodi, are fighting against the Princess and the Duke. That leaves only them to take on the King. They don't hold onto much hope of defeating the mighty Didier, but they believe that they can delay him long enough to make a difference in the battle to come. These remaining three generals are General Alaa of Ewoa, General Rana of Aturia, and General Yasmine of Cheqitori. They approach the king and stand ready to fight against him.
Didier glances at the three of them, noting that at the very least they are brave. With his King's Eyes divine ability he can see all that his subordinates see. He can see a battlefield filled with Imperial Guardsmen and Guardswomen who are terrified of him, but only these three who are not. He respects that determination, even if he doesn't respect their cause. He runs towards the three of them and picks his target based on the latest information he has. General Yasmine uses the Lucky Three divine ability, he decides to force her into using one of her three recoveries right away.
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
Kakashi and Tobirama have stuck together as the other Kage have started to work in smaller groups. They lead a small group of shinobi, elite shinobi who need no instruction on how to act in a battle. Their method of combat is simple but elegant, they each use their spacetime powers to avoid as much damage as possible, making their way calmly towards the enemy who seems to be constantly retreating. When they reach that enemy they combine their golden 'lightning' and golden 'water' powers to strike many enemies at the same time.
Tobirama now understands how Kakashi has felt for a long time. Losing family is hard, probably the hardest thing you will ever go through. However, the loss of those closest to you doesn't mean you need to be alone. You can still find companions in the strangest of places, where you would never expect to find them. Kakashi once found the place that he belonged when he took on his three students. Tobirama has found the place he belongs here in the future, with the 6th Hokage and the others.
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
Minato and Kushina do a good job of pursuing the Imperial Guard who seem to be in a perpetual retreat, but they are distracted. Their thoughts at this time are all of their family. They worry for Himawari, who is fighting one of the world's most feared royals along with her mother and grandmother. They worry for Boruto who is pitting himself against the most quick-witted of all the royals. More than anyone else they worry for Naruto who is fighting the strongest opponent in the world.
As the Imperial Guard keep getting away Minato's attention becomes more divided. He wish he knew how to efficiently divide his mind as Naruto and Boruto do. He is often the target of class 7 warriors, those more powerful than himself. It is a result of the tactics that the Imperial Guard have decided to employ, it makes him a difficult opponent to fight back against. Kushina often intervenes with Adamantine Sealing Chains to protect Minato. The attacks are happening more often. Something unusual is happening in this battle and neither of them can understand what it is.
But what happens in this battle is probably not going to make the difference in the end.
Minato glances back at Naruto. 'Naruto, I don't know how you do it. Somehow you always find a way to win. Please find that way one more time. Let's all go home together.'
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
Mana and Michel have each taken on leadership roles in this battle. They are coordinating people from the military rebels and a few from the War Council. Although their battle experience is little they know this area like the back of their hand. Michel spent most of his time here after he was exiled from the Beast Kingdom. Mana spent most of her life here before the coup, she is the Untitled Princess. It is certain that her status will be made official if the war is won.
They had waited for the return of Princess Hinata for years. They always believed that her return would mark a change for the better in Homeworld. They believed that Hinata would be the one to change the world, to remove Furst from the throne and return the Endou-Muto clan to their rightful position as the world's protectors. They could never have imagined that Hinata's return would coincide with the emergence of a pocket-worlder who could fight back. A pocket-worlder understanding divine energy appeared as a miracle to them. A pocket-worlder as strong as Naruto still makes them doubt their eyes. They are proud of them both, their Returning Empress and their Pocket Emperor.
'Just a little bit more now. He would be proud of both of you,' Michel thinks. 'Just defeat them now. Defeat Sabine, defeat Jonas. Save Homeworld, I know you can do it.'
'You're almost there Hinata, you've almost done what you were born to do. Now finish this. Win! Win!' Mana thinks.
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
"They are running away Shikadai," Temari says.
Inojin nods, "Yeah, they must realise that the numbers are on our side. They have no choice but to retreat."
"This isn't good," Shikadai says.
"What are you talking about?"
"Why would they be running away? Who would come up with a strategy like that? Are they gaining the high-ground? No, they are just running around in circles. They aren't even sending their strongest warriors to confront us. There is a small struggle but we are winning the battle against the Imperial Guard. That doesn't make any sense. They are holding them back. Are they planning a counter-attack at the end by preserving those strongest warriors?"
"Do you think they're going to attack us when we're tired?" ChouChou asks.
"No, if they run non-stop they're going to get tired too. Either way I would rather not wait for our fighters to get tired in the first place. Do we have a communication stone to hand Inojin?"
Inojin throws Shikadai the communication stone.
"Lord 2nd, Lord 4th, Lord 6th, listen carefully. I need you to accompany the fastest members of the Beast Clan in an attack. You need to get around behind the Imperial Guard as quickly as possible and stop their retreat. There will be a few minutes when they will be attacking you frantically, you will need to find a way to survive that. Once that happens the rebellion will catch up to the retreating Imperial Guard and we can start to win."
"Hey, you realise that will be very dangerous don't you?" Inojin says. "If we use that plan there is a good chance they will die."
"I don't think so."
"Why?"
"I have a suspicion that they will be fine."
The four of them watch from the top of the hill as the key rebels outflank the Imperial Guard. The fastest of all rebels use a combination of fast-running and teleportation to move faster than the Imperial Guard can react to. They get to the rear of the retreating pack where Shikadai theorises the strongest guards are being held in reserve. He watches keenly to see what will happen. Naturally the fighting starts and those powerful class 7 and class 8 warriors attack the speed-fighters, but the majority of the conflict is non-lethal. Like sheep the Imperial Guard change direction, fleeing from their quick assailants.
"Now why would they do that?" Shikadai asks rhetorically.
"That makes no sense. If they are the strongest guards they should have been able to kill the rebels you sent to intercept them. Why didn't they?"
"There is only one answer, that is that they are deliberately holding back."
"Holding back?"
"They are getting the high-ground, though not in the usual sense of the word. They are using that Battle Principle to preserve their energy, Regulation. That is why their attacks are non-lethal. There are more of them with Regulation than there are of us. If they keep waiting long enough most of the rebellion will be exhausted. Some of them will be tired too, but they will still have plenty of warriors who can keep fighting. They will walk through us with ease. It's a cunning strategy and one that's difficult to prevent. We don't have enough warriors to keep them contained, even with the quick-movers."
"Then how can we win?"
Shikadai turns his head to the right. He sees a fight happening that the rebellion is winning more comfortably. Specifically he sees Boruto fighting Nadia, winning over her where it matters. He wishes the same were true for him. He knows the stories about the strategic genius of Queen Nadia, now he finds himself engaged in his own battle against her. How can one become smarter than the Queen of Seblix, she who is a master of her own mind? Thousands of years of training and war have culminated in one great tactician, one who has never had a rival, that is the Thinking Queen. Now he must reach that same level if he is to defeat her.
Shikadai sits down and crosses his legs. His teammates and his mother look at him like he's crazy. He simply stares at the ground, thinking through all the possibilities. If he is going to find a way to defeat this strategy he is going to need to understand the thoughts of his enemies. He needs to get in their head as only one person has ever done before him. He needs to understand their mind and his own. He is fortunate that this is the moment he fully understands this principle. The most vital part of strategy and tactics, understanding the minds of yourself and others.
Light blue energy surrounds Shikadai. This is different from the 'darkness' energy he typically wields. It is an energy type that one other notable figure is using on this battlefield. She catches sight of him breaking through out the corner of her and is surprised. It seems that after such a long time someone else has understood the same thing as the Thinking Queen. Nara Shikadai has truly become her rival and has understood 'mind' energy.
"Their strongest warriors could cause problems for the speed-fighters among us," Shikadai admits. "But they aren't going to defy the orders that Nadia has given them. Let's turn that strategy against them, cut them in half."
Temari watches as her son sends out a message with a communication stone. "Shikamaru, he is just like you. I am proud of him."
This time the speed-users react to Shikadai's commands and run to the middle of the retreating pack of Imperial Guards. Once they have reached the middle they cut the retreating pack in half with a huge line of golden 'fire' energy. This creates two groups of Imperial Guard, those at the back who are weak and can't use Regulation, and those at the front who are strong. Shikadai instructs the rebellion to ignore the strong fighters at the back and concentrate on the weak. They can no longer act as a shield for their superiors at the front. If those superiors want to continue running away they will need to defend themselves at full power, without the use of the Regulation battle principle.
Nearby Nadia grins. It seems that the rebellion's strategist is quite skilled.
Terukatsu sees the strategy working. He approves. Shikadai will surely find great fame if they win this battle, the only tactician in the same league as Queen Nadia. With people like him, Naruto and Hinata to look after the future Homeworld is surely in good hands.
In Response to Guest
Who asks if there is a tier 4 platinum cloak
Not that I have revaled.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to NicoFics
Who asks if Kasumi is stronger than Jonas
Yes, Kasumi (the pregnitor) is many times stronger than Jonas.
Thanks for reading.