WAR NEVER ENDS – DESTINY BEGINS TO MOVE
Boruto takes a deep breath, doing his best to conceal it from Sarada. He looks out through the hole in the wall she has just made, noting that it is a clear and starry night. It is perfect, he had always hoped that it would be this sort of setting when he got to this most crucial part of his life. Naturally, he had also hoped rather that Sarada would be calmer than she is right now but everyone must make small sacrifices, mustn't they?
He looks back from the starry sky and into the eyes of his girlfriend and in his mind's eye there is very little change. To his left, the vast infinite reality of this universe, the sun, the moon, the stars and everything that lies beyond them. To his right, the infinite depth of the eyes of the Uchiha, and something that he can see even without his Byakugan, her unending potential, her ability to change everyone's world for the better.
"You see" Boruto begins with a wry smile, "I didn't tell my father about our relationship directly. I gave that as a backdrop to these questions I wanted to ask him, questions about you".
Boruto smiles as he walks closer to Sarada, ever more assured that she has calmed down. He is still wary though, he knows that he must watch his words. If there is one thing he knows about the last Uchiha, it is that she is very dangerous when she is angry.
"But why would you need to ask him about me" Sarada questions as she looks to the side for a moment before refocusing her attention on Boruto. "You know me probably better than anyone. There is no way that your father could know more about me than you".
"That's not true Sarada, not in some respects". Boruto turns to the side walking backwards and forwards, trying to burn off some nervous energy as he explains his situation. "I have always known you as an ally, Sarada. An ally, a companion, a partner, a loved one, I've known you in so many ways. However, I have never known you in the way he knows you".
"And how does he know me that you do not?".
"He knows what it is like to see you as a junior" the blonde shinobi clarifies. Boruto is the shadow Hokage, a man who almost everyone in the village looks up to, someone who protects the village in the dark but understands the lessons that world teaches cannot be integrated into society. Boruto is a guiding light for most people but one person he has never lead is Sarada, never Sarada.
"He sees you in the same way Konohamaru sensei did" Boruto explains, his voice cracking slightly as he references their deceased teacher. "He knows you in the same way your mother and father did".
The memories that come with the situation are difficult for Boruto. He has become accustomed to loss ever since their world was first invaded but the names he is mentioning now are among the toughest losses for him. His sensei. His master. Lady Sakura, a woman he looked up to.
He finishes. "I've only followed in your wake. I've only seen the path to Hokage that you have created. I have never done what they did, I've never been the one to show you that path".
Sarada pauses for a moment, removes her glasses and rubs her eyes. The memories are just as hard for her, memories of her parents. "That's not true Boruto" she refutes him as she puts her glasses back on. "You have walked beside me on this path. You are my most faithful friend and if it were not for you, I would never have made it to Hokage".
"No, you could have become the Hokage no matter what happened" Boruto modestly replies. It is not simply modesty, it is something he truly believes. "It's because you're amazing. You shine brightly like nobody I have ever seen before. It is because you are Uchiha Sarada".
"Are you trying to flatter your way out of a bad situation?".
"No, not at all. I'm telling you what happened" the shadow Hokage smiles and chuckles to himself. This is the one time he doesn't have to lie. This time he can tell her the truth. "I asked my father how he thought of you. I asked my father, how he thought of me".
"Boruto he thinks the world of you" the red-eyed Hokage explains, as if to reassure her boyfriend, "He's too naïve to do anything else".
"Normally, that would be true" Boruto begins, "But I thought he might be a bit more honest and critical if I asked him in a more important context. I asked him whether I was good enough for you".
"Did he think you were?" Sarada shrugs.
"Yeah" Boruto nods, a smile creeping onto his face, "I think he did". He continues, "It's the first time in a long time when I felt like he could be true to himself. That he could be Uzumaki Naruto and not the hero of the village".
Sarada is still confused about the situation, she doesn't understand the conversation Boruto had. "So, did he… uh… encourage you to pursue a relationship with me" she asks with a slight laugh, "It's not what I was hoping for but I suppose we could pretend…".
"No, no" Boruto joins her in laughing, "No, he didn't say that. He gave me permission to do something more important".
Boruto reaches into his pocket, his eyes darting to the corner of their sockets as he fidgets around trying to find something. "You see, I'm back slightly later than usual because I have been shopping. I've never concentrated on shopping so hard, I promise".
As Boruto pulls a box from his pocket, he lowers himself slowly onto one knee and opens the box for Sarada to see. Inside is a ring, decorated with a beautifully cut jewel as blue as his eyes.
"Uchiha Sarada, will you marry me?".
The Valley
In the valley, things are less serene than in the hidden leaf. A huge group of people trained to go into war, the academy students, the military leader and amongst them all, only one is staying calm, the 7th Hokage.
Every bone in Naruto's body is aching to pursue Elliot. That indifference on his face, he was a long way away but Naruto could still see it, he could feel the lack of empathy and it bugged him. Everything about Elliot, his perfect uniform, his short and efficient haircut, his well-toned body. If he didn't enjoy his job he certainly acted like it. If a job entails killing and you revel in all the death, if you don't even show a hint of regret, Naruto won't be able to stand it. The Hokage can't tolerate it, it goes against his very nature.
The young Hokage understands something though, he is not the same shinobi who fought in the 4th great war anymore, he has a position of responsibility within the village. He is the Hokage. He recalls that when you are the Hokage, everyone in the village is your family, that it is your job to take care of each of them. It's the looks on the children's faces that he cannot abide by most of all. After what they have just seen, after what they have been put through, how could he possibly leave them? So, against his better judgement, Naruto stays.
To calm down he takes a single deep breath, the condensation of the air before him telling of the atmosphere. Even with his benefits of Kurama's chakra and the energy of 'life' he still feels freezing. It is so cold, this place, in all so many ways.
Mirai runs over to Naruto's side and starts looking around frantically. It is a sensation Naruto has seen before, it is the reaction of a terrified soldier. Mirai is searching on the floor, in her mind Dan is still alive, she cannot bring herself to accept his death. This terrifying battle, it has turned her mind, snapped something inside of her.
"Oh god" she says as she remembers that Dan truly is dead, "Oh god, what do we do? Lord 7th, what do we do?".
"I'm sorry Mirai" Naruto offers gently, "There is nothing we can do. He is dead".
"There must be something we can do Mirai" the military leader snaps, her eyes a mixture of rage and terror, "Hey, you have the power of 'life' right? You can save him, can't you? You can bring Dan back to life?".
Naruto shakes his head. "It's impossible. I can't save everyone with this power Mirai. Besides, I don't even have a body to revive, he was smashed into a thousand pieces".
The military leader grabs him by the vest. She is furious, this is a Hokage she grew up with. This is the man who she was always told of as a child. Nothing can hurt the hidden leaf village or its people, not when Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke are here to protect them.
"Hey, you're supposed to be the 7th Hokage aren't you?" she screams in his face, "There is nothing you can't do. You're supposed to be the Hero of the Hidden Leaf". Releasing him she continues through heavy breaths, "You must be able to save him somehow… you must be….".
Just then, Naruto takes hold of Mirai by the shoulders, taking a firm grip and forcing her to look into his eyes. "Mirai, look at me".
She does just that, taking another heavy breath as she looks.
"You need to calm down. Focus! You are a shinobi Mirai and there are children over there". He says this firmly but quietly so the students won't overhear him. "You have to go back to the children and you are not allowed to seem phased when you do it. They need you to be the picture of calm, can you do that Mirai?".
The fury in her eyes dissipate as she remembers what she saw earlier, the same sight he saw, the eyes of the children, their fears. "Yes, Lord 7th, yes, I can do that".
As the two shinobi begin to make their way back towards the children, a man appears nearby, another wearing the uniform of the invading force. This time, the less threatening bronze cape adorns his back and the number three his chest. His shoulder length black hair has small flecks of ice on it, the cold getting to him after only a few moments.
As he looks to the epicentre of the freeze, where Elliot had fought a few moments ago, he is shocked as his gaze drifts leftwards and falls upon someone he recognises. With a gasp, he calls his name, "Uzumaki Naruto…".
"What the hell do you want?" Mirai shouts back.
"Wait" Naruto speaks more quietly than the explosive shinobi, still trying to bring calm to the situation. "I remember you from three years ago. You accompanied us, you brought us to this place, didn't you?".
"That's right" he answers respectfully.
Naruto clicks his fingers as it comes to him. "I remember, it's Captain Dred isn't it?".
"Colonel Dred now" Dred declares as he smiles to himself. "I have been promoted but they didn't have time to find my new uniform".
"You haven't answered my question" Mirai points out, though this time more quietly, "What do you want?".
Dred wastes no time answering, he knows what these two could do to him if he annoyed them too much. "As I'm sure you have seen, a new group has invaded this world, a new wing of our military".
"That man just now, the one with the black hair, the immaculate uniform and the physique" Mirai mutters.
"That was General Elliot" Dred explains. "I could tell someone was fighting him but I dared not get too close. Whoever it was fought valiantly, it was a truly heroic effort".
The 7th Hokage's remind returns to three years ago, he runs through the events of the captained six contest in his head. "That guy who fought against Boruto during the contest, he used poison. He threatened us with something like this, has that threat finally come?".
"Yes".
"I see".
"I feel I should warn you, Uzumaki Naruto" Dred begins, "This was a tough battle and you have my condolences for what I'm sure is a tough loss".
"But if this is all that General Elliot did…".
"… Then there is much worse to come".
Near the Hidden Leaf
Tao Ma, Hashirama's mysterious visitor sits on the branch of a tree just outside the village. The tree is immaculate and very convenient as a vantage point, leading Tao Ma to ponder the possibility that the 1st Hokage himself put it here.
With one hand he runs his fingers through a lock of his long brown hair, with the other he strokes his big busy beard. It's a cold night but the stars light the village for him. It is also, at least here, a quiet night. No birds, no dogs or cats, no cattle, not a soul around for some distance. Tao Ma jokingly ends the silence by whistling a children's tune to himself as he swings his legs back and forward like a child.
Then, he raises his arms and legs into the air in a sudden explosive movement, before laughing to himself, a child on the inside of the world's funniest joke. As his arms move down to cradle his plump stomach, the laughter changes. As the seconds pass he changes from a child into an adult fully aware of what he is doing.
His laugh becomes menacing.
"Senju Hashirama, your proclaiming faith in this village means nothing to me" he begins.
"Senju Hashirama, your saying you will defend this village means nothing to me".
"A village like this, in a situation like this, it is nothing to someone like me".
"This village is but an instant in an endless timeline of events".
"It's about to play a significant part though… yes… yes, very significant".
"Right now, you are here but things have gone rather awry for the village"
"Uzumaki Naruto, he has gone to look after his friend, this is the perfect moment".
Tao Ma drops from the trees, landing with an ungraceful thud as he hits the ground. He brings himself up to his full height and looks down at his tattered and torn clothes before sarcastically dusting them off.
He walks forwards towards the village a few steps before stopping and resuming his conversation with himself. "This village, I'll burn the sight of it into my mind".
"It would be a shame to forget the place where such an amazing thing began".
And from wide-open and frenzied, his eyes change, they shut. The sight of the village has been burned into his mind.
Then he begins to hum, the melodious tune that defines his destiny. "Hm Hmm Hmmm" he hums to himself as he throws his arms out to his side.
He starts quiet and gradually raises the volume and as he does, something happens that shouldn't be possible.
Portals open around him.
As the portals open, figures in long black coats step out. Men with no emotion on their faces, with long black cloaks adorning their bodies and with their eyes fixed to the ground. Step by step, these figures move forwards, forwards from their portals, making way for wave after wave. Together, they move towards the Hidden Leaf village.
As the men move out from the portal, they join Tao Ma in a musical ensemble. Tens, if not hundreds of people, all humming the one tune together. "Hm Hmm Hmmm".
As the last of the men make their way out of the portals, and the rifts between worlds shut, the open-armed Tao Ma slowly opens his eyes, his him interrupted by a crazed cackle as the village of destiny once again fills his eyes.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Senju Hashirama".
"Your village hidden in the leaves is about to get a shock".
"Another cog is about to turn in the machine"
"And destiny will begin to move".