THE END WAR – NINA'S VENGEANCE
The Imperial Palace
"The Beast King is more remarkable than his predecessors," Jonas decides. "They have always refused to work with the humans. That was foolish. Picking a fight with Endou Akashi was particularly stupid. Didier has decided to work with the rebellion though. He has correctly determined that you are a man of your word and that he will be rewarded if he works with you. That's smart."
"He trusts me," Naruto says.
"He should do. While you are the closest person to ever rivalling me in strength, you are not my equal in other areas. You could never think of a strategy to deceive the Beast Kingdom, nor would you have the acting ability to succeed in such a plan. Perhaps the Beast King is acting now, perhaps he intends to betray you when this is over. If that is the case then he is more of a threat than you are."
"If I defeat you he would be foolish to try betraying us."
"Yes, you would be put in the same position as Akashi was when the last war between our peoples began."
Naruto interrupts Jonas by throwing 'ink' into his face. The emperor quickly 'creates' water and uses it to remove the black liquid so that he can see again. Naruto then attacks with 'fire' energy from Matatabi. Jonas raises his hand, 'creating' a diamond shield to protect himself from the flames. Naruto sends 'lava' energy from Son Goku under the shield aiming for Jonas' feet, a strategy that the emperor admires. Jonas uses 'destruction' energy to dig just in front of him, creating an alternate path for the 'lava' energy and protecting himself. He then spots a wall of 'sand' to his left, thinking little of it. Naruto superpowers his leg, throws himself at the wall of sand, then rebounds from it towards Jonas. Naruto transfers the power to his arm and strikes towards Jonas as hard as he can. The emperor stretches out his hand, catching the attack before throwing Naruto through the diamond shield he created previously.
Jonas continues. "As I was saying, you would be put in the same position Akashi was. You would either need to defeat the Beast Kingdom with your overwhelming power or control them with underhanded means. Does your power qualify you to make those decisions? Do you have formal training for your leadership roles? I suspect that you do not. Maybe you would find a way to do what Akashi could not, in many ways you have already achieved more than him."
Naruto decides to use his 'sand' platform trick from before again, only this time on a greater scale. He creates numerous 'sand' platforms around Jonas, surrounding him on all sides. He sends 'might' energy to his leg and boosts it with Detonation Martial Arts. He throws himself towards the first platform before springing to another. He moves around all the platforms rapidly, creating as many clones as time allows to confuse Jonas. While springing around he concentrates, dividing his mind more than he ever has before. Usually a technique difficult to perform while moving, he gathers 'life' energy for the Life-Gathering Rasengan. He waits until he is in one of Jonas's blind spots and then launches at him. Jonas places a hand behind his head and creates a small shield from golden 'destruction' energy. The emperor's prediction is correct, this is exactly where Naruto aims the Life-Gathering Rasengan.
There is an earth-shaking explosion as the two powers collide. Many look away from their battle to the source of the disruption. Some are excited to see Naruto using the Life-Gathering Rasengan, those who have seen what it can do in battle before. At first the encounter looks promising for Naruto as the golden 'destruction' shield gives slightly. Jonas simply calms himself and uses his own divine oddity. Jonas uses Micro-Control to take apart the Rasengan at a microscopic level, removing the attack from Naruto's hand and letting the 7th Hokage collapse forwards pathetically. Jonas kicks his downed opponent, creating separation between them again.
The emperor continues to muse about the situation.
"It doesn't look like the Returning Empress is doing very well, but she is facing Sabine. She may share a background with those who defeated Sabine before but doing it herself is an entirely different prospect. Everyone capable of defeating Sabine is capable of becoming an imperial. People like you and I Naruto. Still her lineage is almost more threatening to me than you are at this point. If that last attack is anything to go by I will have no trouble winning this fight."
"I'll hit you harder next time."
"Perhaps your son will be joining this fight soon. He hasn't drawn as much attention from the royals as I expected. I believe they are underestimating him. After all, he is one of only three people who have mastered a divine oddity. The other two of us are here, fighting this battle to determine the fate of the world. Warriors are like blades; we are forged in the fire of battle. You and I have more experience than he does, but with every passing second his abilities are getting closer to your own. He may surpass you before long."
"Stop focusing on the others," Naruto says. "Jonas, your opponent is me."
"Then show me something new. Make me believe that you can fight harder."
Naruto has in mind a way to do just that. It is not flashy or exciting, but it is a way to improve the strength of his strikes. He borrows 'wind' energy from Chomei for a very basic application. He fills the air behind him with the energy and uses it to propel himself forwards, granting him an increase in movement speed. Pushed forward by 'wind' energy, 'might' energy and Detonation Martial Arts Naruto moves faster than ever before. Everyone can hear the air being cut apart as he dashes through it like a knife. In less than a second he is in front of Jonas and he strikes the emperor as hard as he can. Jonas puts his hand up to intercept the attack but is surprised by how strong it is. He thinks that he could overpower Naruto but he is unwilling to take any chances. Jonas pushes Naruto's fist to the side slightly, causing Naruto to stumble past him.
Naruto regains his balance and looks back at Jonas with a smile. Again it isn't much progress but it is progress. He can now combine his powers in a way that will hurt Jonas when he hits him. He can try this several times, improving his coordination each time. This technique will only get more reliable as the fight progresses. If he can add yet more to his repertoire there may be an outside chance of victory.
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
Dominance is rare in a class 9 battle, but that is exactly what Boruto has achieved in his fight against Nadia. He was quietly confident even when he was fighting both Nadia and Swen, but now he is sure that he is going to win. Nadia's attention has been divided between this fight and the tactical match she is engaging in against Shikadai. Boruto was also distracted during that moment, he mentally congratulated his friend on an apparent victory. Shikadai's tactical know-how is growing quickly.
Nadia became concerned about her own lack of battle strength when Naruto cured Fauna Blight. Although her mind arguably makes her the most dangerous royal of all, in a one-on-one fight she was not the best. She has trained since then, using Hannah's instincts as a template for her own style. She now uses her 'mind' energy to calculate how the fight will progress with inhuman accuracy. Unfortunately, that ability only helps to a point. Knowing how the fight will unfold is indeed useful, but against an opponent who is too strong for you it achieves nothing. Boruto is simply a better fighter than Nadia, no amount of thinking can change that.
'He is getting closer to defeating me,' Nadia notes. 'That cannot be allowed to happen, with his element it could really mean dying if I lose. If that happens everything will have been for nothing. I have to at least hold him off for a little longer.'
Nadia chooses to adopt a similar strategy to the one she gave to the Imperial Guard previously. Conserve energy with Regulation and run away. She continues with this for ten seconds at most before realising the flaw in her plan. Boruto is using Regulation as well. His Path Light technique has helped him to learn the technique from his ancestors. The particular one who mastered this technique is one of his maternal grandfather's Endou Akashi.
Boruto waits until Nadia has stopped. She is willing to remain at a distance if it will delay him further. Boruto is not willing to accept that delay, he uses the Flying Thunder God technique to pursue Nadia. The Thinking Queen correctly anticipates this and even strikes Boruto, predicting accurately where he will arrive. She doesn't give him any breathing room, attacking him with a series of strikes. She doesn't leave him any room to counter.
Usually Boruto would use the Flying Thunder God again to escape here, but he knows that Nadia would accurately predict his escape route and remain on the offensive. He uses his maternal grandmother's knowledge of 'fate' energy to make a miracle happen. Nadia's golden 'mind' energy provides her with inaccurate information and the Thinking Queen misses with two strikes in a row. Boruto has created this opening with golden 'fate', he takes advantage of it with golden 'death'. He creates a golden 'death' enhanced Rasengan and drives it towards Nadia. Thankfully for the Queen of Seblix her 'mind' doesn't let her down three times in a row. She dodges this attack and jumps backwards.
Boruto anticipates this escape or more accurately his Path Light ability does. He uses the Step Burst to pursue Nadia at high-speed. He uses his unique power to bounce a series of kunai off the air, throwing them towards his opponent. Just as they are about to reach Nadia, Boruto converts each of the thrown kunai into a Rasengan, forcing her to dodge them. Nadia dodges with minimal movement, but even she is limited by her reaction time. Boruto has created an opening for himself, he stands before her and strikes with the golden 'death' enhanced Rasengan. It is a powerful strike, but not quite enough to kill Nadia.
Nadia is down. While she is not dead the last attack hurt more than any she has sustained so far. She looks at Boruto in the knowledge that things aren't going to get any better. She decides to re-evaluate her approach to the problem.
"I have a request," Nadia says.
"You don't get to make requests of me."
"Don't kill me, capture me. I know that as the son of Uzumaki Naruto and the Crown Prince of Homeworld you will be honourable. I believe that I can trust you with something as important as this. Uzumaki Boruto, win this fight, but don't kill me, capture me."
"Are you surrendering?"
"No, if I surrender and you lose then the emperor will kill me."
"Then help us win!"
"He would kill me if I tried that as well."
"You don't care who wins, you just want to live!? I have known about you for years now Nadia, I've never understood your motivations, but I have never believed you to be a coward. Why are you doing this, what do you have to gain?"
"If you want what is best for Homeworld I need to survive," Nadia declares. "Your idealism and your power is nothing compared to my plans. When this battle is done if Furst Jonas still lives my plans will be the only way to keep balance in Homeworld. Let me live and losing this battle won't be a complete disaster, kill me and everything you care about will end."
Boruto is stunned. He suspects that Nadia is bluffing, it wouldn't be the first time. She is an expert at deceiving people and can create reasonable explanations for her behaviour faster than anyone else. Is that what she is doing here, or is there truly merit in letting her live as an enemy? He says the question in his head, hoping that his Path Light divine ability will guide him to the answer. Is Nadia lying, or is she telling the truth.
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
Nina has a plan, but it involves a great deal of risk. She is willing to do anything to defeat Nero, such is her hatred for the new Head General. The most challenging part of fighting Nero is close-range combat. That is because Nero has a divine ability that gives her an advantage and turns her into a horrifying grappler. Nero's divine ability Razor Skin inflicts pain to her opponent ever second they are in contact, a worst nightmare for a close-range fighter. That is why Nina must endure if she is going to win.
Nina holds out her hand and attacks Nero with a series of golden 'fire' attacks. These attacks do little to the head general who has been getting stronger by the minute. Nero's element is 'hot', a power that gives her an even greater advantage over Nina. Nevertheless golden 'fire' is what Nina chooses to use, that is because she is focusing her other power elsewhere. She is using golden 'lightning' to charge the ground, preparing it for a Lightning-Gathering attack. Nero is fully a ware of what Nina plans to do by charging the floor, but she fails to anticipate the means by which Nina will use this energy.
The teacher suddenly stops using golden 'fire' energy and sprints towards Nero. Nero has seen Nina use Lightning-Gathering more than anyone else now, she knows that the attack is not yet ready. This latest approach can only mean that Nina intends to use the attack from very-close range. That suits Nero. Nero lands a solid punch to Nina as soon as she gets within range. Nina, barely able to hold herself up, begins to fall, but Nero catches her. Nero holds onto Nina tightly, using both her golden 'hot' energy and Razor Skin to inflict as much damage as she can.
Valiantly, Nina perseveres. Her plan always meant enduring pain. Nero thinks that she can make her rival give up using this tactic, but she is wrong. Nina has had three students in recent years and she has learnt as much from them as they have from her. She is never going to give up again, not when there is a chance of victory. She holds on, she endures the pain and continues to charge the ground.
Nero realises that the situation has become alarming for her. All this physical strength that her rage has granted her, all the heat that her golden 'hot' energy brings, all the damage that her Razor Skin ability is inflicting, none of them are forcing Nina to quit. What can she possibly do to stop the Lightning-Gathering attack from being used once again? She has one hope left, that she can survive the attack.
Nina weakly reaches her hand into the air. She mentally notes her gratitude to Naruto for developing this technique. Then, she summons golden 'lightning' down from the sky, energy more intense than she could ever create herself. She catches the energy in her hand and slams it back into Nero. The moment Nina's hand connects with her most hated opponent the shock is intense. Nero is lifted into the air, her muscles uncontrollable. She remains airborne for seven seconds before falling to the ground. Nina forces herself to her feet and looks at the Head General.
No movement from Nero.
Nina looks to the sky for a moment. She whispers a few words to her students, praying for strength. She doesn't pray for strength in the future, she prays for it now. She knows that the attack wasn't strong enough, and when she lowers her head her fears are confirmed. Nero is somehow standing.
"Was that your best shot Nina?"
Nina gasps for air. That was the strongest Lightning-Gathering attack she has ever used and somehow Nero resisted it. Now she is in trouble. She has barely any energy left to attack, no way of winning in a close-range fight and a very angry opponent on her hands. If Naruto were watching he would be terrified for his teacher. Unfortunately Naruto, Sarada, and Hannah are all busy, Nina must do this by herself.
Nero spreads her arms and spreads golden 'hot' energy about the battlefield. She creates a circle around herself and Nina with this energy and begins to walk closer. Every step she takes the heat becomes more unbearable and Nina is showing it. By the time Nero is halfway from her original position to Nina the teacher has fallen to one knee. She maintains her pride though, keeping her head up, looking into Nero's eyes right until the end.
When she is stood five paces in front of Nina, with an incredibly 'hot' ring around the teacher she stops. Nero has decided to sadistically enjoy this moment. The two of them stand at the centre of an enormous burning circle. No sane fighter would enter that circle without expecting to be burned. The mere presence of this circle increases the temperature of the battlefield by several degrees. This is where the story of Head General Nero and Bandit Marti Nina will come to an end.
"You've made life difficult Marti Nina, but do you want to know what I think? I think this has all been worth it for me. I like knowing that there is someone out there who hates me as much as you do, and that there is nothing that you can do about it. I think it's fitting that you die the same way as they did, in this scorching heat. Nina, this is the ultimate sign of your failure, as a bandit, as a teacher, as a parent. You have lost."
"… you…" Nina mutters.
"Oh, you have some final words?"
"Thank you… for hating me…"
The burning landscape around them suddenly cools. All the fires are put out and their energy rushes towards the centre, into the arms of Marti Nina. The previously exhausted Bandit gets to her feet and takes one step closer to Nero. She has in her hands intense energy that can only be obtained with gathering techniques. Only this time Nina has not used Lightning-Gathering, she has used Fire-Gathering.
Nero understands too late, this was Nina's plan all along. She never believed that the Lightning-Gathering strike would be enough to defeat the Head General. Her plan was to appear weak enough for Nero to drop her guard. When that happened Nero's hatred would rush to the front of her mind and she would want to kill Nina with 'hot' energy, making up for her failure from before. That 'hot' energy would undoubtedly create fire that Nina could use to gain power with Fire-Gathering.
Nina lifts her hand and uses it to throw all the golden 'fire' energy she has at Nero. She takes two more steps forward, using up all the energy she can with this flame barrage. This is her last option, her most desperate plan. She continues to fight until she can't anymore, all the time motivating herself by reciting those names.
'Liang Huo, Lang Yu, Shi Ju, Qian Xun, Shen Hui, Jiang Zexi, Kong Lan, Cao Fen.'
When Nina's energy runs out the golden 'fire' energy stops. Her view is cleared and all that she can see is a pile of ash.
Head General Nero is dead!
Nina falls to her knees, she has only the stamina to do one last thing. She lets out a guttural roar and collapses to the ground.
The motionless Nina smiles to herself.
She has done it.
In Response to Engineer
Who has several questions
Question: What class is Shikadai?
Answer: He is class 6 [ Shinobi (2) + Darkness (3) + Transcendent (1) ].
Question: What would happen if Naruto mastered three basic elements and then a fourth to tier 2?
Answer: I don't know. That is such an unlikely combination that I have never considered it. Maybe he would become class 10.
Thanks for reading.