THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – SARADA'S PLIGHT
Tobirama and Peterson's Starting Point
The 2nd Hokage is an expert sensor. His greatest sensory technique involves him pressing his finger to the ground, allowing him to sense chakra, even in another country. The starting points for this final match are far away from one another but they are not that far away. That means that Tobirama is able to keep track of each and every member of his team, he is best able to understand their situation. Regrettably though, even after his training, everyone is outside his teleportation range.
What he focuses on at this moment is the biggest fight of all. The battle between Naruto and Clyde. The two continue to trade blows while he monitors their conflict. 'Naruto' he says in his head, 'I know you were strong, that you had inherited my brother's will but this power… this is something else'.
Naruto had originally used six paths sage mode to great effect, when working together with Uchiha Sasuke, he could fight on a level similar to the sage of the six paths. However, Naruto has now improved upon his original level, getting even stronger than before. Now his strength has become comparable to those on another level, to Hagoromo and Hamura. This sort of power for a shinobi, it is like stepping from the realm of man and into the world of the gods.
Tobirama steadies his resolve upon understanding just how hard Naruto must be fighting. 'If you are going to fight so hard, I can't afford to fail you on this front'.
The 2nd Hokage rotates his head, looking behind him to the black metallic structure. This is the prison that the invaders have provided for the match. This structure is impossible to escape from, even for a General like Clyde who wields the element of darkness. Naturally then, it is not possible for a Colonel to escape from the prison. 'I need to make a decision here; do I attack or do I defend'.
He looks at Peterson's prison as he continues to speculate about the match's progression. 'We have the advantage in numbers since Boruto's opponent run away… also…'.
Recalling his battle with Peterson, Tobirama frowns. That battle was his victory only through trickery and outsmarting his opponent. Likely such a thing would not work again. On top of this, if you were to compare the powers of each and every Colonel it is likely that Peterson would be ranked very highly. It is no coincidence that he was able to fight to a standstill against both Hashirama and Naruto simultaneously.
'Peterson is perhaps the strongest of the Colonels' Tobirama notes, 'In that case I have to stay here and defend this prison. No matter what, I cannot let him escape'.
Sarada and Sheer's Starting Point
Sarada stares vacantly at Sheer's prison, not to admire the architecture or not to contemplate what Sheer's plans are, her thoughts are far away from this match. While she should be concentrating, her mind is fixed on the changes she has seen in a blonde-haired shinobi. Not on the spectacular development of Naruto, not on the miraculous recovery of Minato, her thoughts are on the gradual change of Boruto. Boruto has become one of if not her closest friend, someone she can talk to anything about, someone who she could entrust any job to. He had always agreed with her philosophy, inspired from his own father but lately that has started to change. Boruto has started to change.
To interrupt her thoughts, someone arrives.
Colonel Sisto, Mirai's opponent, attacks Sarada from behind.
It's a blind spot attack, there is no way to see it coming.
Yet somehow, somehow, Sarada avoids the punch. Spinning around Sisto's still moving arm, Sarada positions herself towards the outside of his body, slamming her left hand down to take hold of Sisto's left wrist. It's not like she does this slowly either, it takes an instant for her to dodge and take hold of her opponent's hand, this is true speed.
Sisto starts as he looks at Sarada's face. She is not even looking at him. 'How, she shouldn't be able to sense me, the power I use is above her realm of comprehension'.
The answer to his question is far from complicated, it is a skill that many shinobi develop through their careers. Sarada's greatest asset may be her eyes, or perhaps her enormous reserves of chakra but she has another talent picked up through experience alone. A shinobi of her level depends not just upon sight, but also upon sound, smell and even the feeling of the air moving. Through practice, all of these variables can be combined, a true picture of your surroundings can be produced without even opening your eyes. This is an advantage that Sarada has because she is the Hokage, because she is a shinobi.
While Sisto wastes, time trying to work this out, Sarada gathers solar energy on her hand. She tightens her fingers into a ball, creating a well-formed fist emblazoned with the suns energy before slamming it into her opponent.
As Sisto skids backwards he realises the power his opponent wields. To slow his backwards momentum, he points his palms behind him, firing high speed water jets. As he decelerates and eventually comes to a halt, he raises his head, looking Sarada in the eye. 'This woman may not have such an amazing ability as Mirai but her power is great. I can't afford to go easy on her'.
The Colonel doesn't hesitate. While he delayed the activation of his elemental cloak in his battle against Mirai he dares not do the same thing against Sarada. In the blink of an eye, a blue translucent cloak surrounds his body, the water elemental cloak.
Upon activating the cloak, Sisto bends his knees, leaping towards Sarada with great speed. As he approaches he notices that a yellow coloured ribcage is forming around her. He doesn't know the name of this technique but a shinobi would know it to be the Susano. While he doesn't understand, it he has no intention of underestimating it, he gathers water in a tight layer around his hand and throws a punch at the ribcage.
Of course, Sisto's punch immediately penetrates the Susano ribcage. This is a low-level technique by Sarada's standards, if it were enough to fight a Colonel she would not have needed to summon help from the past. However, after the punch passes through the ribcage, she dodges it comfortably.
Sisto drags his tongue off the roof of his mouth, 'She altered my timing with that ribcage'.
Before he has time to react, his eyes are drawn to a brilliant light in Sarada's hand. Once again, she is preparing a solar punch. Once again, she throws the solar powered fist towards the chest of her opponent.
The Colonel has no chance of dodging this, he instead creates a small whirlpool of water, it cannot block Sarada's incredible punch but it does slow it down noticeably, it slows it down enough. While the 9th Hokage's punch is being slowed, Sisto throws his own punch, hitting Sarada on the underside of the chin with his fist.
Sarada flips backwards but struggle to land on her feet, she relies on her off-hand to balance herself as she attempts to steady her rocking legs. 'This guy has seen my battle with Sheer, he definitely won't underestimate me. I'm at a disadvantage though, his battle with Mirai didn't show me too much about his fighting style'.
As Sisto fires a high-pressure jet of water at Sarada her rinnegan contracts. 'I don't need to win this fight though, all I need to do is…'. Her thoughts are impeded as she is forced to lean backwards, she contorts herself so her back is parallel to the ground and uses her gravity manipulation power to change its direction from up-to-down to down-to-up.
The high-pressure beam sails narrowly over the top of her nose as she finishes what she was thinking. 'All I need to do is hold on until Naruto can defeat that General'.
With Sarada off-balance, Sisto charges towards Sarada once more. This is a unique chance to pressure her while she has lowered her guard. Naturally, Sarada rebalances and readies herself quickly, she is a shinobi, balance exercises are nothing to her, Sisto is like a chess amateur challenging a master.
'Changing gravity is a unique ability' Sisto smiles as he fires yet another high-pressure water beam towards Sarada, 'But it won't help you from this range'.
Yes, that moment in which Sarada was off-balance may not have been enough for the Colonel to reach her, but it was enough for him to get close enough for this. So, that gravity cannot save her.
"Amaterasu" Sarada calls as black flames launch from her eye.
As the water collides against the black flame, both energies dissipate, instead leaving behind a huge cloud of steam. This is a great shock to Sisto who has never experienced something like this before, 'Flames made from chakra that can evaporate my water?'.
Sarada can see fine through the steam. She is a user of the most impressive eye in shinobi history. The rinnegan. She transforms herself into a comet and flies through the white gas. Upon reaching her opponents side she changes back to her human form and begins to gather solar energy in her hand. In the most devastating combination she can think of, she manipulates gravity, pulling Sisto towards her as she slams her solar powered fist into the side of his face.
The Colonel is sent flying back away from the prison. He spits blood as he hits a rock behind him. It's an unfavourable landing though not a fatal one. It's at this point that he finally starts to realise what is happening before his eyes. Not so long ago he could dominate Sarada, now one on one, she is undoubtedly the stronger of the two.
'It's like she has gotten even more mature since her fight with Sheer'. Sisto gets to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, 'In that case I can't win this fight alone, I will have to free her'.
Sisto raises his arm into the air above his head, keeping it there for just a second before he swings it down towards the ground. For a few seconds, nothing happens, leaving Sarada to contemplate, 'What is this technique?'. The sound of incoming water, provides her with a quick answer. A huge tidal wave appears from behind Sisto, carrying him towards the Prison.
"Not good" Sarada inadvertently speaks aloud as she tries to stop Sisto from reaching the prison. She copies a technique used by her father, manifesting a humanoid Susano and readying a bow and arrow.
As the Uchiha clanswomen fires an arrow towards Sisto, the Colonel raises his hand, a collection of super dense water forming before him. The super dense water forms a shield like structure, it's currents prove not enough to block the arrow but just enough to drive it off course.
Sarada's eyes widen as she realises it is too late.
Sheer surfs past Sarada, touching the corner of the prison before his waves dissipates.
The prison opens.
Sheer steps out.
She grins maliciously at Sarada before looking towards her comrade, the one who freed her, Sisto. "Sisto, what is the situation?".
"It seems like Burns is down for the count".
"I see" the purple-haired Colonel sighs, "So we have to make our numbers count here. Uchiha Sarada, it seems I can make up for my earlier loss here".
Sarada bends her knees, getting herself ready for the fight of her life. 'I won't give up in this fight but I can't do this alone. I'll send out the emergency signal'. As the 9th Hokage makes this decision, she relaxes before slowing pulsing her chakra. A beating heart of chakra, representing the final struggles of Uchiha Sarada in this battle. A call for help, a call understood by so very few people.
The Hidden Leaf Hill
"This is…" Mitsuki's eyes go wide in horror as he realises what is happening. He looks away from Naruto's screen and towards Sarada's. 'Damn, while I wasn't looking Sarada has bumped into a terrible situation'.
Shino approaches his former student, "Mitsuki, what is it?".
"This is the signal Konohamaru sensei taught us" Mitsuki explains, thinking back to the days of his youth when he teamed with Sarada and Boruto, "It was a way we could let one another know that we were in trouble".
As Hanabi sheds a tear Hinata places a hand on her younger-sister's shoulder. The two share a hug as Hanabi's complicated emotions begin to return. In this battle, it looks like once again the 8th Hokage would play his part, even from beyond the grave.
"It's two on one" Minato grits his teeth as he looks at Sarada's hopeless situation, "In that case she is summoning help from him, right?".
"Yeah" Mitsuki nods, knowing better than anyone who Minato is talking about, "She is asking Boruto for help".
Kushina looks towards the screen following her troubled grandson. Alone from the beginning of the match he is now met with an incredibly tough predicament. "Boruto…".
Boruto's Location
Upon feeling the pulsing chakra, Boruto stops in his tracks, looking over his shoulder towards the source of this chakra. He knows there is only one shinobi who this could possibly be. 'That's the emergency signal, only I know it on this battlefield'.
A frown comes to his face as he turns his whole body around to face the direction Sarada is calling from. 'In that case Sarada must be asking for my help'.
He turns his head once again, looking over his shoulder back towards his previous destination. Previously he had been looking to end this brawl quickly, there is only one man on either side who can do that, Senju Hashirama. The man Boruto has taken on as his master, the man who dominated a Colonel in his match and only lost due to his own carelessness, the man who had helped Boruto to unlock the Tenseigan.
Boruto clenches his fist tightly and lowers his head, his anguish clear, 'I've been heading towards Lord 1st this entire time. He is much more valuable than Sarada in this fight… I'm closer to him too, I'm so close'.
As Boruto continues to contemplate the best action, he notices the chakra pulse coming from Sarada. It is becoming more and more sporadic, as if she is panicking, as if she is in a truly hopeless situation.
Previously, Hashirama has forced Boruto to think about his philosophy. It's not like he believes that absolute power is always right, just that it is what is needed in this fight. It is only acceptable for one reason though, because Sarada is there to save him. To him Sarada's a friend, someone who has been there for him ever since he was young. Perhaps she was the only one who truly understood how he felt, to always be living in the shadow of a giant. When that giants head has already reached the highest height, you cannot possibly outgrow him.
After being put on the same team, Sarada and Boruto had become closer with Mitsuki and Konohamaru but even they were different. Mitsuki was determined and Konohamaru was a workhorse but they would always leave before the children of Naruto and Sasuke. With only one another for company, Sarada and Boruto realised that only they could prop each other up, only they could support one another as they strived for greater and greater heights. This is a special bond that is nearly impossible to break.
Still, Boruto's grandfather had encouraged him to have confidence in his own thinking. Suggesting Minato be left to die was the wrong decision back then but any other time it could have been the right decision.
So Boruto asks himself, 'Is there any bond too special, too important to be broken in this match?'.
He clenches his fist even more tightly as he turns to face Hashirama. 'Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. DAMMIT. It's the wrong choice to help Sarada. What we need in this tournament isn't good morals, it's absolute power'.
Boruto takes the most important step in his life. A step away from Uchiha Sarada and a step towards Senju Hashirama.
'Sorry Sarada. I've made my choice'.
The Hidden Leaf Hill
Everyone is in shock. It is the correct tactical decision but it goes against all the principles developed by the Hokage of the hidden leaf. Everyone believes that Boruto has made his final decision, except one person.
Except Mitsuki.
'Don't think you've tricked me Boruto, I know you have yet to resolve yourself. You can't leave Sarada just like that, you don't have it in you. You could leave anyone else but not her'.
Mitsuki balances the options.
'Absolute power or the will of fire'.
'Hashirama or Sarada'.
'Now Boruto, show it to me'.
'What is your real choice?'.