WAR NEVER ENDS – OPPOSING FORCES
That Night, the Hidden Leaf
Near the gate a brave section of guards patrol as usual. These guards are not alone however, the circumstances have brought a guardian angel to them. Standing near the gate, looking out for the slightest bit of danger is the 7th Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto has stationed clones around the perimeter of the village, perhaps the only one qualified to calm the villagers in this way. A few of the clones yawn, their sleep deprivation showing.
While they aren't on the same level as Naruto's true body each of them are elite-level and far surpass most shinobi. It is because of this that they are trusted to keep guard on the village. Their sensory abilities cannot compare to other shinobi who specialise in this area but they are good enough to detect any invading forces.
It is because of these clones and their round-the-clock watch that Tobirama finds himself sneaking around. From rooftop to rooftop, he leaps, focusing his attention to the utmost so that he can avoid the gaze of these clones. It has been a long time since he last had to sneak around but this unusual occasion and his current motivations call for it.
Tobirama has a unique advantage in sneaking, if there is any area in which he is likely to be seen, he can cross it using teleportation. The flying thunder god technique enables him to pass through space, the only visual clue being the kunai that he throws to execute the technique.
The 2nd Hokage arrives atop the last building. Now he only needs to watch the clones below and time his throw carefully. He can throw his kunai beyond the wall and leave the village without Naruto or his clones ever noticing. He waits patiently for that moment and when it arrives he pulls his arm back and skilfully launches the kunai towards the wall.
Put!
A hand catches the kunai, the hand of a man who managed to escape Tobirama's notice.
"Kakashi…".
The 6th Hokage looks at his friend with concern in his eyes. His trust for Naruto is absolute and he knows that lately Tobirama has been through a lot. For someone to sneak past Naruto, for someone to hide their actions from him, they are likely up to no good.
"Where are you going?" Kakashi asks.
Tobirama normalises his posture, raising his head to look Kakashi in the eye. He takes a deep breath and admits the painful truth. "My brother is dead, Kakashi. I… I'm going to find my brother's killer somehow, some way, I will find him".
"What will you do then?" Kakashi asks as he hands the kunai back to his predecessor, "You know that you cannot defeat such an opponent".
A man who can kill Senju Hashirama. A man that can kidnap Uzumaki Boruto. A man that can elude even Uchiha Sarada. These three individuals all boast strengths greater than Tobirama's, so how could the 2nd Hokage hope to do anything to him. If someone outmanoeuvred these three individuals, how could anyone in the village hope to stand up to him?
"I know… but…" Tobirama stutters as he looks around awkwardly. He has never found himself in this position before, a position of not knowing what to do.
"Will you become an assassin?" Kakashi asks as he widens his eyes questioningly, "You need to get a hold of yourself, you are Senju Tobirama".
Tobirama sighs as he thinks it over, it is a hopeless situation, even for someone as skilled as himself. "You're right, I won't do anything drastic I assure you, I am still of logical mind".
Kakashi steps forward and lowers his voice such that it penetrates the 2nd Hokage's very soul. "Don't lose yourself Tobirama, think of Tsunade, think of the rest of us" the masked Hokage demands, "We need you right now more than we have ever needed you before".
"I know, I won't lose myself Kakashi, I promise". The events of the last few days run through his head as he ponders whether he is right to do what he is doing. "The deeds I am about to perform, I am doing them not only as Senju Tobirama but also as the 2nd Hokage".
"Good" the 6th Hokage sighs as he lifts his hand up and straightens his mask. "In that case, I am coming with you".
"Kakashi…".
"I am not coming on a revenge trip. I am not going for your brother's killer".
"Of course, you are coming for the other reason to pursue this individual" Tobirama realises. This man didn't only kill his brother, he also took someone with him, someone very precious to the village they call home. "You are coming for Lord Shadow 9th, for Boruto".
Kakashi nods and pauses for a moment. He then turns and looks at the village behind them. Marvelling in its beauty he considers everything that has happened in its history. It has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times. The attack of the nine-tails and Obito, the rampage of Pain, the first invasion.
"I am the sensei of the most famous team in this village's history" he explains, thinking of his two deceased students and the one that has been left behind. This is the same thing his own sensei once experienced. "Not only is Boruto the child of one of my students but he's also Sarada's fiancé".
Tobirama nods to Kakashi, recalling the news Naruto gave them previously. The 9th Hokage and 9th Shadow Hokage had been engaged, only for things to end in tragedy.
"He is someone important to every member of my team" Kakashi continues. "Given that, he is also someone greatly important to me".
"On top of that…".
"On top of that?" Tobirama prompts, seeing his friend's hesitation.
Kakashi simply smiles. "He's also our friend, isn't he?".
Tobirama smiles genuinely for the first time since his brother's death. "Of course he is".
In complete agreement and having understood one another's thoughts, Kakashi and Tobirama extend their arms and bump their fists together. As a team they can do so much that they could not do alone.
As Kakashi uses the gift left to him by Obito, the two silver-haired Hokage disappear in the whirlwind of the Kamui and slip past Naruto's clones without being noticed. They begin their search for answers, for Hashirama's killer and for Boruto.
Clyde's Headquarters
General Clyde and his troops do not enjoy the same luxury as their Hidden Leaf counterparts in terms of accommodation. They reside in a very modest, frequently damp collection of tents. The largest of which functions not as a residence but instead as a headquarters. Here those who once fought to destroy the village aim their enmity at another.
Gathered in the headquarters, the many executives of Clyde's forces prepare to give their reports and collect information from one another. Each of them have many subordinates who are terrified for their lives, who are terrified of the divine retribution that may soon come to them.
Colonel Sisto, the master water manipulator, who has brought experience to Clyde's unit for many years.
Colonel Burns, with flame-like hair and a powerful control of ice, who earned their first victory in the captained six contest.
Colonel Grace, the young but talented warrior whom Hashirama once dominated in the same contest.
Colonel Sheer, the experienced scientist who brought Sasuke back from the grave only to have him fight his own daughter.
Colonel Dred, the newly promoted colonel who first accompanied the 'locals' to the contest.
Most of them remain silent while they wait but the suspense is too much for Grace. She sits tapping a map and looking at the distance between the Hidden Leaf and themselves. It's a long way by the standards of the locals, at least historically. A distance that would take at least a day of running to cross but they are different, for them this should take far less time to cross.
Then, they all feel a familiar power and hear the heavy sounds of footsteps approaching.
"He's coming" Grace says as she looks towards the door.
"At last" Burns sighs as she massages her skull, "He has taken long enough".
Sisto nods, his experience usually allows him to maintain his composure but this time even he has been slightly on edge. "He was starting to make me nervous".
"Quiet you three" Sheer snaps, "He is here".
The last Colonel arrives, if he could still be referred to as a Colonel. He peels back the door to the tent and enters, approaching the comrades he has served with for many years now. The scars on his face a clear identifier of the pain of his past and the battles he has endured to get to this point.
It is Colonel Peterson.
"You're still alive then?" Sheer groans with mock disappointment.
"I wouldn't want to disappoint you, Sheer" Peterson replies with a wry smile.
Clyde sits down in his chair, at the table with maps and charts. "So" he begins, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table, "What happened?".
"I went to the Hidden Leaf Village to see what was happening" Peterson begins his recollection of events, "When I got there, Naruto, Hashirama, Sarada and Boruto all seemed to be elsewhere".
The other colonels look at each other knowingly, that means the situation for the locals is critical. Their four mightiest warriors being unavailable during a time like this can only be bad news.
"The village was under attack, from General Georgia".
While the others exchange murmurs of concern and express their fear at this new arrival, Clyde keeps calm. "General Georgia is here within our expectations" he notes, bringing the others back to reality, "But it can't have been good if she attacked the village".
"I went all out" Peterson explains, "There were no casualties within the village".
Grace sighs in relief, drawing the attention of the other Colonels. It is unprofessional to show your emotions so clearly in a military meeting like this. Still, they understand her position, her lack of experience is causing her anxiety and frankly they are not so different. To hear that Peterson's new power was enough to withstand an onslaught from General Georgia is a great relief, a genuine boost to their chances of survival.
Clyde lowers his eyes to his feet and nods. He feels the weight of it on his back, of the thousands of lives depending on his every decision. To go against their own world, such a thing has never been done before in this manner. Nobody has survived through any act of rebellion.
"Good, perhaps that will be enough to help placate Uzumaki Naruto" Clyde notes. If there is one thing he doesn't need, it's the local who was strong enough to defeat him getting angry. "You defeated General Georgia?".
"No" Peterson admits, "I combined forces with the other strong ones like Tobirama, together we forced her into a retreat?".
Clyde's head snaps up in surprise, "You fought alongside them?".
"Yes sir".
"I see" the general smiles, he had not expected such cooperation between the two factions. "Well done Peterson, you have truly helped to avert disaster for the locals".
Peterson smiles humbly in return, "It was merely what I should do, sir".
Clyde leans back in his chair, now a lot more relaxed than he was before. He has perhaps fallen into the same state as the villagers from the Hidden Leaf, a blissful state of truly believing in an omnipotent hero who will save them all. "Still, I am curious as to where Naruto was".
"I know where he was" Dred declares, his downcast expression lowering the General's momentary joy.
"You do?" Sheer asks,
"Hurry up and tell us" Grace asks with a child-like urgency.
"Uzumaki Naruto was rushing to the scene of a fight between a local and a General" Dred explains. "That local fought valiantly but in the end, he died at the hands of a General. He had understood our power to the Colonel level".
A gasp of shock travels around the group. A local understanding their power was something they had never even heard of before coming to this world. If it had happened it was an event so rare that it would be the study of scientists and the subject of conspiracy theorists. For one to have understood their power to not only the captain level but the colonel level, such a thing is unthinkable. That rate of learning, that speed of understanding was something that hadn't even been accomplished by those from their world.
"I noticed it when I went to the leaf" Peterson adds, "They are learning our power. Our speed of learning has improved since we got here but they are going even quicker than us".
"Did Naruto fight the General?" Clyde asks.
"No, the General left shortly after his first fight and Naruto didn't want to fight because there were children nearby".
Children. It had been a long time since they had the privilege of thinking about children ahead of themselves, Clyde ponders. "Which General was it?".
"Bad news sir. It was General Elliot".
"Lara's second-in-command" Burns leans forward and unravels her crossed arms, "That means she really is coming".
"Bad things keep happening one after another" Clyde notes. "This situation, it is only going to get worse from here".
The New Portal
Portals are the tools of teleportation used to reach from one world to another. It is the tool that Clyde and his followers used to cross into this world and begin their invasion. It is the tool that Boruto used to travel to their world when he first laid eyes on Lara.
Seeing an opportunity to prevent any further harm to their world, Naruto destroyed the portal bridging the worlds. Unknown to him, that actually caused the forces from Clyde's home to notice that something was wrong quicker than before. The portal was quickly rebuilt and this second attack on their world had begun.
Standing near to the portal, General Elliot draws out some plans on a table. He considers the general layout of the land that has been reported to him, the locations of certain key landmarks and does his best to formulate a plan of attack. Among the most important of his plans is a plan to flush out Clyde and his subordinates, for they can only cause trouble to them now.
Elliot respectfully and diligently dictates his plans and makes requests from the many colonels he has brought with him, as his pristine uniform suggests, he is a military man through and through. He understands the chain of command but knows that respect can inspire his subordinates to greater levels.
As he is doing this, General Georgia lands next to him and punches her hand down, violently through the table.
The surrounding colonels step backwards in fear. That punch would have likely crippled any of them for life.
Elliot simply sighs as he looks sideways at the new arrival. "You're making a nuisance of yourself, General Georgia".
Elliot's relaxed demeanour doesn't do anything to quell Georgia's anger. Instead, she continues to lash out at the table, she kicks it as hard as she can, sending it into the distance. The table almost decapitates a colonel who is sharp enough to duck out of the way at the last second.
This is all much to Elliot's annoyance. "What happened exactly?" he asks.
"I went and found the locals" she shouts into Elliot's face, "It seems they have built themselves a nice little home since Martin last saw them".
"Of course" Elliot nods gently, "You can hardly have expected them to remain homeless for three years".
"Oh but that isn't what has annoyed me" Georgian continues to shout, furious with those who dared to lay their hands on her brother, "I was there, just about to lay waste to their pathetic town and guess who showed up".
Elliot groans, "I have no idea".
"It was a colonel from Clyde's unit, a colonel named Peterson!".
"A colonel has put you in this bad of a mood" Elliot asks as he raises his eyebrows.
"He made a breakthrough" Georgia snaps as she points back in the direction she came from. "If he was still in the military he would be General Peterson right now".
Elliot looks at the floor momentarily. "You couldn't defeat a new general? I was told stories of your great prowess General Georgia" he raises his head to look her in the eyes, "It seems they were just that then, stories".
Georgia shakes her head as she paces back and forward. As a general she has no transcendent powers like Elliot or Clyde but she certainly has talent. Her years of experience as a general and the convenience of her powers as a poisoner have earned her a fearsome reputation amongst her colleagues. "He teamed up with the locals, Martin was right, these locals are stronger than the others, they understand our power".
Elliot smiles, he knows that far better than she does. "Don't worry, Lara is sending yet another ally to us".
At that very moment, a man steps through the portal. He is a giant, an enormous hulk of a man, at least seven-foot-tall with huge bulking muscles. His face is covered in the same short blonde hair as his head. His enormous hand strokes his thin beard gently and just masks the giant grin he has on his face. He knows what he is here to do and he knows he is going to enjoy every second of it.
"General Blackburn" Georgia sneers.
"You disapprove?".
"I approve of Lara's choices as always, I just don't like him personally" Georgia justifies her position. "Blackburn is more of a beast than a man, he is a true savage".
"Georgia" Blackburn shouts, a friendly giant as he approaches with a huge grin still plastered on his face, "Don't tell me you are still looking down on me, we are on the same level you know".
"I only look down on savages that I am qualified to look down upon" Georgia snarls as she looks away from her comrade.
Blackburn happily chuckles to himself, "You are as charming as always I see".
Georgia spins around to look at Blackburn again, angrily poking him in his chest which towers above her, "Don't try to be sarcastic with me, I don't like you Blackburn and I probably never will".
She takes a moment to think of how to act. "However, you are here now, you may as well try and make yourself useful". Pointing in the direction she came from she continues, "That way, the locals are that way, why don't you go and wreak havoc with them and leave the camp in peace".
Blackburn grunts, "I've been looking forward to this anyway".
With that, the behemoth takes flight and heads in the direction of the locals, hoping that at long last he can find a worthwhile fight.
"On the subject of leaving the camp in peace" Elliot speaks up, "Why don't you go and calm down before you come back".
"I don't have to…".
As Georgia begins speaking, she and the rest of the colonels realise that the temperature has started dropping rapidly in the last few seconds. As a clear aura begins to appear around Elliot's body, she realises that his patience has run out. Lara's second-in-command is not a man that anyone can afford to make angry.
"I… you… yes sir".
Despite her anger Georgia leaves the camp. She consoles herself using Blackburn's mission. If nothing else, he will make a mess of the locals village. They will continue to suffer for what they did to her brother.
She knows that eventually Lara will arrive.
Then their true suffering will begin.