THE END WAR – BATTLE LINES DRAWN

The Imperial Palace

The battle has already started to develop. Things are not going well for the rebels. One of the Hokage has already sustained an injury. Several of the most powerful rebels are outnumbered against their opponents. The worst fact of all is that Naruto seems to be hopelessly outmatched against Jonas. Naruto expected that he would at least be in the same league as Homeworld's strongest warrior. Naruto is shocked by how strong Jonas is. Jonas not only has more power than Naruto but the 7th Hokage suspects his skill level is greater too. Naruto has fought many Homeworlders, but none have been so capable in a fight as Jonas. Every time they exchange strikes the emperor seems to see through each movement. Nadia is a tactical genius. Max is a scientific genius. Jonas is every type of genius rolled into one, a monster unlike any other.

Although Ashen has Safura by her side she is still at a disadvantage. As competent is Safura is, she is not at the royal level. Ashen must fight both Max and Petra at the same time. Jonas said to Ashen that Petra may have been capable of defeating her, but the Dark Dimension Empress didn't believe him, dismissing this as distraction tactics. She believes him now. Although Petra is prone to the occasional mistake she is well-taught. She is better disciplined than any of her fellow royals and when she uses her power to its full potential she is in the same league as Sabine and Ashen. Max is also a difficult opponent.

Sarada's battle against Erik is going no better than the others. She was telling the truth; she is determined that she will find a way to defeat him. However, despite being the weakest of them all Erik is still a royal, the leader of the legendary Hertz clan. Fighting him is no small task. Additionally his understanding of 'cosmic' energy makes him a particularly tricky opponent for her. Many of her Rinnegan's unique powers are related to cosmic effects and he sees through them quicker than anybody else. She recognises that she is not the only one fighting above her level in this battle. While Naruto has his hands full fighting Jonas she has no right to complain about fighting Erik.

Fighting two royals at once is difficult. Ashen is doing it with Safura, but Boruto is doing it by himself. He is fighting Nadia and Swen at the same time, two very tricky opponents to deal with. Swen is a powerful warrior, even for a royal his raw strength is remarkable. Nadia is a challenging opponent for an entirely different reason. Since losing to Naruto, Nadia has been working hard to improve her fighting, incorporating her 'mind' energy to improve her reactions. Boruto recognises her actions as similar to Hannah's. Nadia is the best equipped of all the royals to be his opponent. He doesn't believe things will become any easier as the fight progresses and she is pushed into a corner.

Himawari deals with the final royal, with the powerful Queen Mauer Sabine herself. In her mind Sabine is a former royal, whose throne was taken by her father. No matter how much Himawari is in the right, she can't gain the upper hand in this fight. Sabine is a warrior who only an elite few people have ever defeated. Her grandfather, teacher, father, and maybe the emperor himself. She fears that she won't be able to join that elite few. Sabine is unlike any opponent she has ever fought. Unlike when she fought against Ashen she is alone, and Sabine started fighting fit. If she is going to win something will need to change. However, as something catches Himawari's eye she smiles, something has indeed just changed.

Emerging over the hill in the distance are a small group of rebels. The Imperial Guard laughs at their arrival, not expecting that this small group could bother them at all. Nadia frowns at her many subordinates, thinking to herself that they are all stupid. Now more than ever these people could make a difference. They are not ordinary rebels who have arrived to reinforce the lead group. These are the strongest of the rebels from Ewoa.

Jonas looks to the hill and mutters.

"Oh, she has arrived at last."

It is Princess Endou-Hyuuga Hinata. She has arrived at the head of an elite group of warriors. Contained within that elite group are Minato and Kushina, each elite members of the Hidden Leaf's 4th generation. They are also joined by Mana and Michel, two people who were last here before the coup as allies of Endou Akashi. King Swen's son Ming Dai has also arrived, the direct student of the world's greatest teacher. Shao Chin the hunter who Jonas once sent after Naruto is there as well. An owl flies over head before returning to the shoulder of his closest companion. It is Claude and Hannah, the experiment returning to Okarin after a long time. Lastly is the Shadow 7th Hokage Uchiha Sasuke.

Nearby, the Imperial Palace

"It seems an elite group of warriors has arrived," Jonas comments. "And Princess Hinata is among them."

"So what? Your opponent is me!"

Jonas glances at Naruto for a moment before smiling. Suddenly Naruto realises that the two of them appear to be moving towards the centre of the battlefield. The 7th Hokage doesn't understand how this is happening, as he looks at the ground beneath him it is not moving, the two of them remain stood in the same spot where the fight started. However, thanks to the benefits of the One True Sense he can feel the ground rumbling beneath his feet. He places his hand on the ground and inspects the life below him. He sends some insects down to retrieve information on what is happening below but they reveal nothing useful.

Several others pause in their fights and simply watch the two of them moving. When Naruto looks into the distance he finally understands what is happening. There is a huge circle around the two of them that is moving. The circle is drawn in tier 3 'destruction' energy and tier 1 'creation' energy. Jonas is physically destroying the earth on one side of the circle and creating it on the other. He is moving the very earth on which they stand. Formerly people spoke of moving mountains as hyperbole in Homeworld, but that is no longer the case, Furst Jonas really can move mountains now!

Naruto has an idea. He knows that if he exerts control of local lifeforms without any control of divine energy he can distract Jonas for a moment. He starts with the insects, prompting them to raise out of the ground and climb towards Jonas. With the insects on the move Naruto's next step is the plant life. He moves thousands of blades of grass in intricate patterns, using his power to make them grow, then he extends all those blades of grass towards Jonas in quick succession. It's an attack from every direction, contributed to by both Fauna and Flora. Jonas disappears in the chaos for a moment but after a flurry of golden 'destruction' energy he emerges unharmed.

Inspecting the carnage with the One True Sense, Naruto realises that every blade of grass and every insect has been destroyed, a consequence of Jonas' Micro-Control. The 7th Hokage feels tempted to collapse to the ground and give up. If not for everyone depending on him he is sure that he would do just that. He has his ninja way and he intends to stand by that philosophy, but in the face of such overwhelming power it feels hopeless.

"Hey Naruto, we're all here with you," Kurama reminds his host.

"Yeah, we'll find a way to win," Shukaku adds.

Naruto wishes he could believe them. He has experienced the pressure of others' beliefs for a long time now. Every time they found themselves in a tight spot they looked to him and believed that he would win. Often at the opportune moment he would find a way to become stronger, but now there are no more routes to becoming stronger. Everyone has adapted to believe that he will save them but he doesn't know how, this makes him feel like the most lonely warrior in the rebellion.

Naruto suddenly sees something in front of him. It's himself. This is not one of his clones so he worries for a moment that Mada has returned, but no it is not Mada. Naruto looks into the eyes of this copy of him and sees determination, self-belief, and resolve. He then realises what this is, it's one of Sasuke's illusions. Naruto resists the temptation to laugh, he doesn't know if he has found that same resolve again, but Sasuke has certainly put him at ease.

Naruto throws caution to the wind. He superpowers his leg and throws himself towards Jonas at maximum speed. Jonas quickly 'creates' a diamond sword to attack Naruto with. As the Uzumaki approaches Jonas swings the sword downward quickly. Naruto stops himself mid-leap, moving his 'might' and detonating energy from his leg to his arm. He punches the swinging sword as hard as he can, putting all his strength into the strike. Amazingly he manages to break the sword in half. Sasuke and the other newcomers pause and look for a moment, amazed at Naruto's sudden strength. However, Jonas quickly replaces the missing diamond with golden 'destruction' energy. He swings it at Naruto again and deals significant damage to the 7th Hokage.

For now Jonas can only use tier 1 'creation' energy, but he is learning dangerously quickly. Despite his momentary success as the seconds pass in this fight Naruto's chances are not improving, they are getting worse.

Nearby, the Imperial Palace

The Sacred Dagger dances about Sabine, moving as quickly as Himawari can make it. Unfortunately, Sabine rhythmically forces golden 'chaos' energy into the earth. Each time the ground beneath her explodes it sends debris everywhere. While that debris occasionally hits Sabine it hits the Sacred Dagger every time, protecting the former Queen of Ewoa from any harm. Sabine smiles as she finally catches the Sacred Dagger. She throws it back towards Himawari with a severe increase in power.

Himawari holds out her hand. She applies as much control as she can to the flying weapon, but it is moving too fast for even her to stop. However, she is not struggling for resolve. She uses the Byakugan to rapidly calculate the flight path of the weapon and starts to shift to the side. As unlikely as it is that it will work, she is going to try catching the weapon. Halfway through her evasion it becomes clear that she won't be able to dodge. Fortunately, she is the beneficiary of a saving grace, her saviour knocks the Sacred Dagger back just long enough for Himawari to regain control.

"Lots of royals to pick from, I'm surprised you're not helping to fight Jonas," Sabine says. "Instead you have given me the chance to fight you again. I am delighted Endou Hinata."

Hinata checks that her daughter is OK. Himawari confirms that she has yet to suffer any major injuries. This is music to Hinata's ears. Now they both turn to face Sabine.

"Not helping Naruto?" Sabine asks again.

"I have accepted that this fight is his. Even if I wanted to help him I would only be getting in his way," Hinata admits. "But helping Himawari here is perfect. Right now this is exactly what I need to be doing. Our family has fought you your entire life. We are destined to stop you every time. That won't change here and today. Himawari and I will fight together, and we will defeat you."

"Your family has fought me? I suppose that's true," Sabine muses. "Every time you people enter my world 'chaos' energy goes wild. You are all symbols of chaos more than you could ever realise. I respect that you are the perfect opponents to defeat me, but still you cannot. You failed to defeat me when you fought with Naruto, you will not win by fighting me with the Blaze Princess."

"Are you ready to put that to the test?"

"The Endou's defeat me more than anybody else. The two of you may be members of the Endou clan, however, you are not members capable of fighting someone like me."

Sabine rushes towards Hinata. Hinata rushes forward to meet Sabine, a more confident close-range fighter than her daughter. On their way to intercepting one another, Hinata throws the Sacred Sword towards Sabine. Sabine dodges the throw easily. Himawari uses the Sacred Dagger to stop the sword getting any further away. Sabine begins to trade strikes with Hinata, feeling very confident at first. But as the seconds go by Hinata's strike rate increases dramatically. Sabine is shocked, Hinata's hand-to-hand combat suddenly exceeds even her own. If not for Super Healing she would have real cause for concern. What she fails to realise is that this is Hinata's shinobi reflexes kicking in.

Still, Sabine is not about to lose to these two. She waits until the Sacred Dagger is about to hit the back of her head before dodging it. She grabs the dagger by the hilt and pulls it back towards the rear of Hinata's head. Hinata rolls forward to avoid the strike, picking up the Sacred Sword as she does so. Hinata strikes the Sacred Dagger out of Sabine's hand before flipping over the Crazy Queen's head, hitting her back with the Sacred Sword mid-motion.

When Sabine comes to a halt she smiles. The Sacred Dagger veers of course mid-flight and strikes Hinata in the shoulder, knocking the Returning Empress to the ground. Himawari runs over to her mother's side and helps her up. It looked like Hinata got the better of that exchange, but that single blow changed things. Not only is Hinata's shoulder in significant pain, but Sabine has also already recovered thanks to the benefits of her Super Healing.

Hinata sighs, the royals were never going to be easy opponents.

Nearby, the Imperial Palace

Boruto removes the Death Mask mid-fight as he recognises someone coming to join them. Nadia foresaw this happening and frowns; this makes things complicated. Swen hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but he feared that it would.

Ming Dai has arrived.

"It's not too late to change your mind," Swen says hopefully. "Just say the word, Nadia and I will protect you. There is a chance for you to survive this battle, just do the smart thing."

"I'm through doing the smart thing," Dai says. "Crown Prince, Uzumaki Boruto, I hope you don't mind me taking this one off your hands. I know that you could defeat him, but this is personal."

"He's a royal Ming Dai. You're only a class 8 warrior. Are you certain?"

"I have no intention of holding back anymore."

Boruto is satisfied. Nearby Shao Chin is smiling as well. He has watched Ming Dai's training closer than anyone. Ming Dai is the son of a king and spent most of his life being trained by the world's greatest teacher. It is inevitable that he is strong. Shao Chin realised before anyone else that Ming Dai has been holding his true power back all this time, refusing to use it even when the circumstances were dire. Now the time has come to unleash that power.

Ming Dai approaches Swen, standing not a meter away from him. He takes a deep breath, calm in the face of the storm. He then draws back his arm before striking Swen in the chest with as much golden 'strength' energy as he can muster. Even as a class 9 warrior Swen struggles to bring himself to a halt. A class 8 'strength' user has striking ability almost on par with a warrior from the class above. This strike separate the King and Prince of Gavaria from Boruto and Nadia by some distance.

"One on one then," Boruto says.

"I thought as much," Nadia replies.

"I have a divine oddity. Even with your unique skills defeating me will be difficult for you. If you're going to turn your back on Jonas this would be a good moment to do it."

"You don't understand at all, do you?" Nadia observes. "You people are not capable of stopping someone like Furst Jonas. No, everything must go according to my plan instead. You aim for the perfect world but you will miss every time. Leave matters like this to those of us who can actually make a difference."

"I don't understand why you are so determined, Hirsch Nadia. With all your brains you must realise that he will kill you eventually. Oh well, it doesn't matter." Boruto creates the Death Mask in his hand. "Let's fight."

Boruto places the Death Mask on his face and disappears.

Nearby, the Imperial Palace

Swen comes to a halt and stands across from his son.

"I am glad that you have decided not to hold back anymore, though I do not know what it was you were holding back. If you prove that you are a valuable warrior then there is a chance he will spare you. We can survive this and return to Gavaria."

"You won't be glad for long," Dai says.

"You think that you are going to defeat me?"

"They call you the Lazy King for a reason. You have sat on the throne for all these years and done nothing. During that time I was training with the best, I am the student of Muto Sora. I experienced combat along the best in Homeworld, alongside Naruto, Hannah, Hinata, and the others. All this time I have been preparing for the day that I would fight you. Now that we stand here I am ready to fight with nothing held back, can you say the same?"

"If you're going to stop holding back, now would be the time to do it. Show me Dai, show me what the Prince of Gavaria can really do."

In Response to S
Who asks if someone could re-work the Manuals for pocket-worlder use

Jonas could almost certainly do it.

Thanks for reading

In Response to jenuzumaki
Who asks if the others will arrive

I couldn't possibly reveal if any more will arrive.
Some did arrive in this chapter though.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to kodakohl
Who points out a typo

Thanks for pointing that out.
I'll fix that if I have time.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Sarada chan san
Who asks who the weakest royal is

I will answer questions like this in more detail at the end of the story.
For now I will say Erik is the weakest.

Thanks for reading.