THE END WAR – NEWS FOR SARADA
The Homeworld Command Centre
Ashen invites the others to step onto a steel plate with her. They all step on and briefly lose their balance as the plate begins to descend. Their descent increases in speed as Ashen pushes energy through her feet into the plate. She continues to increase their speed until she thinks that the weakest of them couldn't cope with going any faster. They continue at this maximum pace for several minutes before eventually arriving at the bottom. Shikadai looks towards Ashen, expecting her to make some remark but she just walks forward.
As they step from the plate they walk towards a small door. Having passed through the door they find themselves in an enormous hall. Himawari and Temari explain that this underground hall is even larger than the one that was below the Military Academy. The same types of paintings and artwork adorn the walls of this hall, but they are much taller, hundreds of meters tall in fact. Floating near those walls seem to be walkways, almost lining the outside of the room. Shikadai is convinced that they could keep tens or hundreds of thousands of people in here.
Boruto concentrates on something very different to the others though. He walks forward into the darkness before kneeling down and brushing something with his hands. Himawari approaches and jumps when she sees what he has found. It is a skeleton, the remains of someone who died down here. She stands and activates her Byakugan, seeing that there is not just one skeleton around her but dozens. She generates some 'fire' in her hand before casting it down the length of the hall revealing it and everything within.
The entire place is filled with the skeletal remains of the people who died here. There are too many to count, an appalling number. Himawari can't imagine how so many people could have been killed so mercilessly. She had thought that the brutality of the war was mostly suffered by the citizens of Homeworld, but this sight completely changes her view on the matter. However these people died it is clear that painful losses were endured by the Dark Dimension as well.
The command centre fills Boruto with a sense of dread. He can feel the innate 'death' energy in this place, the horror that these people must have gone through. He has never felt 'death' in such great numbers as in this place. In theory being surrounded by so many remains he should feel safe and powerful, after all he can control them. Right now he feels weak though. There is so much that can happen in this world, that can go wrong, that he will never be able to prevent.
"Did the Homeworld Empire do this?" ChouChou asks.
"No," Ashen answers. "The people of Homeworld never found this place."
"Then how did all these people die?"
"I killed them."
"You killed them?"
Ashen nods. "This room was filled with our elite warriors; they stood before me and declared their allegiance. This was to be the Dark Dimension's most glorious moment when we took Homeworld. That force may have won the war for us, perhaps even Endou Akashi would have been unable to stop us. But he didn't need to because that day I fought the elite force instead. They were expecting me to lead them, yet I killed every last one."
"Why would you do that?" Himawari asks. "These people trusted you; you swore to protect them. When you promised that you would serve the best interests of Homeworld is this what you had in mind for us too? Is this what you meant when you made your promise to my mother?"
"You don't understand Himawari."
"Then make me understand!"
Ashen sighs. "You can't see the other end of this hall; it is as big as you can imagine. This place was almost completely filled by those elite warriors I mentioned. We were ready to launch a crucial battle against Endou Akashi's army, a battle that if we won would have decided the war. It was our perfect moment for victory, and I thought that I would succeed in my duty. But that day did not go how I imagined it. You see they had taken a prisoner from Homeworld. We hardly ever took prisoners. They wanted me to… execute this prisoner, as proof of my loyalty."
"The Little Diamond," Boruto says.
Ashen nods. "I refused. I said that it was wrong of them to question my loyalty, but that argument did not work. I claimed that I wanted to keep the Little Diamond alive to make me laugh, but they didn't believe that either. They told me they knew what had been happening, that the Little Diamond and I were close. They reminded me of what the politicians said, we were to leave no Homeworlders alive. This world was meant for the Dark Dimension and the Dark Dimension alone.
"I wasn't going to let them kill the Little Diamond, so I fought them, our elite warriors. I fought from the other end of this hall all the way to the door. By the time I was finished I could barely stand. I collapsed and remained unconscious for days. In that time the Little Diamond nursed me back to health alone, knowing how dangerous it would be to be caught with me. That was when our bond became unbreakable. I had betrayed my world for his protection, and he had risked his life for mine.
"Killing the people in this place was the most horrible thing I have ever done, but I would do it again. To protect the Little Diamond I would go to any lengths."
"How do we know you won't kill us for the same reason," ChouChou asks.
"Because the Little Diamond is a Homeworlder," Shikadai answers. "If Homeworld is free there is no reason he should oppose us. Therefore there would be no reason for Ashen to protect him from us."
Himawari reluctantly claims to understand. They progress halfway down the hall before Ashen stops them, gesturing into the office at the side. This is not where her desk can be found, but where the office of her chief scientist was located. They enter the room and search for documents regarding the divine ability known as the Hive Mind. After several hours of searching they find the answer they are looking for. Or rather the answer they were not looking for.
Shikadai reads it aloud. "The Hive Mind cannot be destroyed until it has completed its mission. Once that mission is complete it will take over the body of its host and will become vulnerable."
"But that mission is…" Himawari stammers.
"Yes. To kill every Homeworlder."
Tamade, Gavaria
"Sarada," Kakashi says.
"What is it Lord 6th?"
"Hashirama is here."
Sarada quickly leaps up to her feet and runs to the city gates. She sees exactly what Kakashi warned her about, a group of people dressed in dark colours approaching from afar. She activates her Rinnegan and identifies exactly who is part of this group. Hashirama is there as Kakashi said, as are Tsunade and Mitsuki. They are accompanied by the same large group that accompanied them previously, but there is a very noticeable absence from their number. Boruto is not there.
Hashirama calmly approaches the city gate and gestures for everyone to stop. He bows politely to the 9th Hokage and greets her formally.
"Are you here to fight?" Sarada asks.
"No, I am not," Hashirama answers.
"Do you still want to kill the people of Homeworld? Several of them are currently under my protection and I have no intention of changing that. I won't let you hurt them Lord 1st, killing the people of Homeworld is wrong."
Hashirama inspects Sarada. It really has been a long time since they last met. Her eyes tell the full story, he can see from those eyes that she has experienced much turmoil, even as they are disguised by the pattern of the Rinnegan. He worries that most of Sarada's pain is because of his actions, by him leading Boruto astray when Lara's invaders came to their pocket-world. He can do nothing about that now though, there is no point lamenting the past when there is still a future to fight for.
"Do you know about the Hive Mind?" Hashirama asks.
"I've never heard of it."
"Tao Ma was not a resurrected sage mode user as he claimed, he was a Homeworlder who understood 'death' energy naturally. He was subsequently captured and experimented on by the Dark Dimension. They forced a divine ability on him called the Hive Mind. That divine ability overpowered him and took his free will away. This divine ability allowed him to grant other resurrected sage mode users 'death' energy. He was in our world much sooner than he claimed. He killed me and I was the first person from our pocket-world to fall under his control.
"Since that happened I understood 'death' energy by myself. Tao Ma was killed at one point and the Hive Mind transferred from his head to mine. I have mostly managed to retain my free will, but occasionally it takes over. There have been a few regrettable occasions that bad things have happened. At one point my power caused… well… as I say, bad things happened."
Sarada looks at Tsunade and can see some evidence of what Hashirama is saying. Tsunade appears devoid of her own will, just like the others who are following Hashirama. She waves her hand in front of the 5th Hokage's face and receives only a vacant stare in reply. She finds this distressing but she knows it must be worse for Hashirama, and for the 2nd Hokage standing somewhere behind her. On the other hand she is pleased to see her teammate who appears to still have his free will.
"Are you OK Mitsuki?" she asks.
"Yes."
"Can we trust him?"
"Since you last met Hashirama has broken through and become a class 9 warrior. If he meant any harm to you or the Homeworlders there would be nothing you could do to stop it. He is telling the truth Sarada, there have been issues but most of the time he has his free will."
"I cannot stay long," Hashirama admits. "We will have to depart for the safety of the Homeworlders. I don't know when this thing in my head may take over. When it happens it doesn't take long, a matter of seconds is enough to do a lot of damage."
Sarada nods.
"Mitsuki, can I talk to you?"
"Yes."
Sarada and Mitsuki walk into a nearby building that was previously being used by the Imperial Guard. As the door is closed Mitsuki watches his friend change from the powerful and reliable 9th Hokage into an ordinary person. She sits down at the bench and lets her head drop onto the table, sheer relief washing over her. She doesn't have to fight Hashirama at what would be a crucial time for her.
Sarada then sits upright and asks Mitsuki what she most wants to know.
"Is he alive? Is Boruto alive?"
Mitsuki sits down opposite Sarada. "Unlike Hashirama, Boruto understood 'death' energy before Tao Ma got to him. He was never under the influence of the Hive Mind. When… we had some luck, we bumped into some other shinobi. They spoke with Boruto and tried to convince him that Tao Ma couldn't be trusted. He eventually listened to reason and fought to save us against Tao Ma, Hashirama, and Tsunade."
"But you're still with Hashirama. Where is he?"
"He went to look for his father. Eventually he found and reunited with the 7th Hokage. They worked together on a mission. Between worlds there is an emptiness called the void. The empire had created a structure there and they used it to create divine abilities. It was called the Foundry. Boruto and his father worked together to destroy this place. Hashirama and Tsunade helped as well, but there were complications."
"What complications? Is Boruto alive? Is Naruto alive?"
"Yes, both of them are alive and well. They didn't act alone though, they had other shinobi helping them as well. It was the same shinobi who helped convince Boruto that Tao Ma was not what he appeared to be. Sarada, those shinobi were your father Uchiha Sasuke and your mother Haruno Sakura."
"They… it worked… my parents are here?"
"That is where the complications come from. They both participated in the mission and journeyed through the void with Lord 7th. This was against the recommendation of Princess Hinata."
"Princess Hinata?"
"Yes, Boruto's mother. As far as I understand she is the reincarnated daughter of Endou Akashi. Last time I saw her she didn't have any of Hyuuga Hinata's memories, but they were undoubtedly the same person. I know that it is a lot to take in but you need to trust me for now."
"Then what were the complications?"
"Princess Hinata and your mother quickly became friends. Hinata didn't want her or anyone to travel through the void, she said it was dangerous. Your father used divine energy to navigate the void, it was very impressive. He took everyone to the Foundry and brought them back again, but the attack wasn't easy. King Erik of Cheqitori was waiting for them. He fought the 7th Hokage and took more of his energy than anyone was expecting.
"Lord 7th was saving his energy because of a plan to resurrect Himawari. Because of his fight with King Max he barely had any energy left to do that, but he still succeeded. Himawari survived and it looked like the mission had gone perfectly. Then the Hive Mind overtook Hashirama for a second. Since Himawari was a revived Sage Mode user she was subject to its control. It made her attack your mother with 'death' energy.
"Normally fixing something like that would be Lord 7th's greatest strength, just like he saved you during the fight with Clyde. However, the fight with King Erik drained too much energy from him. I'm sorry, but your mother died shortly afterwards."
Sarada does her best to maintain her composure. She rests her head in her hands and her elbows on the table. She does a terrible job of hiding the movement of her shoulders from Mitsuki. He can tell that she is crying. Her teammate stands up and walks around to her side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"She would have wanted you to keep fighting."
"I know."
"I realise that telling you this won't make things much easier, but she was with your father at the end. She was not afraid; she was glad that she had fought for something she truly believed in. It is said that a shinobi is not defined by their life, but by their death, your mother was an exceptional shinobi."
Sarada nods. "Thank you, Mitsuki."
Half an Hour Later, Tamade, Gavaria
Hashirama, Tsunade, and Mitsuki prepare to leave. They must now take the next step in their plan to assassinate Furst Jonas. They wish that they could remain here where they all have friends and family, but the Hive Mind does not grant them that luxury, so they get ready to depart. They say their final goodbyes having brought much news with them.
"There is one thing worth mentioning to you, Lord 9th," Mitsuki says formally.
"What is that?"
"We were able to open a portal to our own pocket-world. If you look in the right place in the Military Headquarters there are details on how to open a portal safely. If you are worried about the civilians you could open a portal to pocket-world that has not been invaded yet and accompany them through. Destroy the portal after you have entered and it would guarantee their safety for many years."
"Thank you Mitsuki."
Hashirama steps forward and bows once more. "Thank you for receiving us Lord 9th. I hope that we meet again after this conflict is over."
"As do I."
With the Hive Mind victims departed Sarada turns to the others in her group. Mitsuki is right, the idea of sending the civilians to another world is tempting indeed. As suggested destroying the portal would cut off the connection between that pocket-world and Homeworld, something that would likely remain undiscovered for many years. Lara took several years to realise that Clyde was gone even though he was her greatest rival.
"Who is going with them?" Sarada asks.
"I still wish to remain in Homeworld and see this fight through to the end," Tobirama says. "My brother and Tsunade are still in a difficult position. I would never be able to look Mito in the eye again if I abandoned them now."
Hiruzen speaks next. "I wish to remain here and fight to the end. I have made friends from this world and I have seen what terrifying things that Furst has done to those people. I can't forgive him for that, I won't run away. If I can make any difference in this fight I want to stay."
"I want to look my student in the eye and tell him he has done well," Kakashi admits.
"My father is here," Sarada says. "I can't leave, not while he is still fighting. I want to see Naruto again too; I want to see what a powerful warrior he has become. I want to see him defeat Furst and become the saviour of this world. I want to help him in any way I can."
"I am the last Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village," Shinki declares. "Furst Jonas is responsible for that. I can't start the village again, I can't protect my ancestors dreams, but I can help to make Jonas pay for what he has done. I wish to remain."
The Kage all glance at one another. It seems that none of them are willing to leave at this critical moment. Realistically Sarada is the only one who needs to remain in this world, the only one who can make a big difference in the fights to come. However, eventually someone volunteers who is not a Kage.
"I will do it."
It is Sarutobi Mirai.
Hiruzen and Biwako approach their granddaughter.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Biwako asks. "If you go through that portal and destroy it behind you, there won't be any way back. Even if we win we won't see you again for years, or decades, or maybe never."
"I know," Mirai says. "I will miss you, all of you, but I thought I found something important in this world. I found someone here and grew closer to her than I have ever been to anyone in my life, and then she died. Every day I remain in this place reminds me that I couldn't save her, that I was weak. I will be OK starting again in another pocket-world."
"You will probably meet other pocket-worlders," Hiruzen says. "As the Leaf's only combatant you will have to reason with them. Only the diplomatic approach is going to help. Are you sure that you are ready for that, Military Leader?"
"I am," Mirai says.
Sarada approaches Mirai and holds her two hands out in front of her. She pours 'creation' energy towards those hands and focuses on a soft fabric she wishes to create. Within her left hand appears her hat, and in her right hand appears a cloak. They are red and white in colour. Sarada lifts these items and presents them to the Military Leader of the Hidden Leaf. By doing this she takes Mirai's previous title away from her and bestows her with a new one.
"Good luck, Sarutobi Mirai, 10th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf."
Mirai takes the two garments from Sarada and begins to bow. Sarada stops Mirai from doing this before bowing herself. She knows that remaining in this world is selfish, but she is glad that Mirai is willing to do this. In this crucial moment for the villagers it is not she who has acted like a Hokage, it is not Tobirama, Hiruzen, or Kakashi. Mirai has acted more like a Hokage than any of them.
"I will round up the villagers," Mirai says, beginning to walk away.
On her way to collect the villagers Clyde stops Mirai. Mirai knows what he wants to talk about and she hates it, she knows how much pain it will bring up, the bad memories it will force her to relive. However, this is the last time the two of them will be able to share their thoughts about someone who was special to them.
"Mirai…"
"Yes Clyde."
"You know this already, but I think it is important I tell you. Lara loved you. I believe that she is watching over you now and that she will be until your final day. Please never forget her Sarutobi Mirai, because you were the one who helped her to smile again."
"I loved her too," Mirai admits. "I know that she felt the same way about you Clyde. It was never one person who helped her to smile again, it was always the two of us. She loved you too Clyde, and I'm sure that she will be watching you as well."
Clyde nods and offers his hand to Mirai. The 10th Hokage takes his hand and shakes it, then deciding to hug him instead. They have been fighting together for a long time now. She once considered him her most terrifying enemy, but since Lara died he has been her closest friend. She wishes that they could depart under better circumstances, but she has a duty to perform.
"Could I ask you one final favour?" Mirai says.
"Anything."
"Her daughter, your daughter Hannah, find her, help her."
"I promise, I will find her if it is the last thing I do."
In Response to m'j doom
Who asks about Furst's chakra weapon
The chakra weapon is the device he used to attack Dunstone.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to Engineer
Who asks several questions
Q1: Could Naruto still have used weaker energy to fight Sabine?
A1: Yes, assuming Kurama had the energy to spare.
Q2: If Wuying sealed Naruto could Naruto still use the tailed-beasts' divine energy?
A2: No, they count as one divine energy being.
Q3: If the tailed-beasts reached the golden cloak level how would that benefit Naruto?
A3: A marginal increase in his energy reserves in most cases, a more significant one in Kurama's case. No overall battle class difference.
Q4: Does having 9 cores boost Naruto's energy reserves?
A4: Yes but it is not noticeable with such weak elements/tiers.
Q5: Does Ashen's crown boost her energy reserves?
A5: Yes, it does significantly.
Q6: Why does Ashen have a divine ability?
A6: Furst copied/adapted divine abilities from the Dark Dimension, training manuals were his original design.
Q7: Does Ashen have elements independent of the crown?
A7: No.
Q8: How does Ashen's battle class stack up?
A8: That's a complicated subject that I will discuss in the future.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to S
Who asks several questions
Q1: Can Nadia use her 'mind' energy to lock people in their inner world, slow their perception, or affect their senses?
A1: I haven't revealed as much, doing so now would be a spoiler.
Q2: What happened to the energy that missed Dunstone?
A2: It left a big crater beside the city.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to Kinguuu
Who asks if joining two elements could bring you down a class by removing the sync bonus
You can't join two elements.
Understanding 'space' and 'time' is not the same as understanding 'spacetime'.
Thanks for reading.