WAR NEVER ENDS – PRESSURE
Kushina and Minato's House
Red alert!
The situation in the village is dire. It's all hands on deck for every shinobi available. The village is surrounded by the finest barrier of warriors. The walls are walked by the available Kage and senior shinobi, while the streets and the alleys are patrolled by the others. If anyone were to attack the village from beyond the walls the Hyuuga would detect them and report them. The response would be so quick that the entire might of the village would be prepared before the attacker even reached the wall.
Kushina enters her house after a long and tiring shift. That's over 14 hours she has been on patrol without rest. Her closeness to various members of The Circle also an additional burden, the villagers frequently asked her what the situation is and whether they should be worried. It's a difficult thing to bear, being so close to a problem and knowing nothing of what will happen about it. The truth is that Kushina's situation is the same as her husband's, the same as her son's, she doesn't know what will happen with the village.
'That's the most tiring patrol I think I have ever been on' Kushina notes to herself as she strolls over to her most comfortable chair and falls into it. Closing her eyes, she allows herself one last thought as she begins to drift to sleep. 'Could we even do anything if a General were to attack'.
Just as she begins to lose herself to her dreams, a knock comes on the door.
Normally when this tired she would ignore anybody coming to her door but the situation is bad right now, it could be of vital importance. It could well be that the village is under attack. So, Kushina pulls herself to her feet and picks her kunai up as she makes towards the door.
Answering the door, she is met with a face almost as drained as her own, her son's. "Naruto" she starts as he returns her fatigued gaze.
"Hi mom" he replies with a sombre tone, "Can I come in?".
Kushina yawns, it's impossible to give your full attention to someone when you're this tired. She does her best to wake herself up though, if Naruto needs something then it is vitally important that she helps. If she oversleeps it probably won't be the end of the village. If Naruto isn't at one-hundred percent however, it could well be that all life in this world dies.
"Of course, come in" the mother gestures the 7th Hokage in as she opens the door to its full width. As Naruto heads in and sits himself on a sofa, Kushina closes the door, pausing as she looks at his pained face. This can't be good.
She approaches the sofa and sits down next to Naruto. She leans forward in an attempt to keep alert, "So, how can I help you, Naruto?".
Naruto claps his hands together, almost as if confessing his deepest secret. "I uh… I don't really know what I should be doing right now, mom, I feel kind of lost".
Kushina smiles faintly, "I'm not sure that I am very qualified to tell you that" she replies, comparing Naruto's heroic status to her own, "You're protecting the village with thousands of clones simultaneously. Nobody else in history could do as much as you're doing".
"I know that but…" Naruto tries to look his mother in the eyes but hesitates as he does so. He looks away, casting his eyes to his feet as Boruto drifts through his mind, "I just feel so useless".
The red-haired shinobi places a hand on her son's shoulder, "Naruto, you're the most useful person in the village, right now everyone is looking to you and do you know why?".
"Because I am the Hokage?".
She shakes her head. "No, you're more than that to them. Minato is a Hokage. Tsunade is a Hokage. Sarada is a Hokage. But you, you're something more".
Kushina gets to her feet as she continues, looking at the four walls of the room containing them. "Both you and Hashirama during your lives reached that status above the Hokage. You became the villages heroes".
"The people of this time still remember you, they still remember the stories they heard of your victories, of your heroism. They remember that you, Uzumaki Naruto, are the hero of the Hidden Leaf Village".
Snorting, Naruto laments his situation. "Being looked to for help doesn't feel very good right now".
"That's what it means" Kushina awkwardly admits. "That's what it means to follow your dream, to be the Hokage".
"I know" the 7th Hokage admits as he gets to his feet. He walks past his mother and to the nearby window. It doesn't have much of a view but through it he can see it, the panic, the horror, the terror that this latest attack has brought to the village.
"I'm supposed to be the strongest Hokage, you know that?" he sighs. "Senju Hashirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, my father, all those who came before and after me, I'm supposed to be the strongest of them all. Yet I couldn't do anything as my son was taken. I couldn't do anything to stop Dan from dying".
"Am I really of that much worth to the village?".
"You are worth so much to this village, to this family and to me personally" Kushina insists, her passion acting as adrenaline, waking her from her own tired state. "I wasn't there for your birth but I am still your mother and I love you".
"Thank you".
"During these times, there is only one person who can give you better advice than I can and that is the you of yesterday" the 4th's wife admits with a smile. "The Naruto of yesterday told me that his ninja way was to never give up".
"As for the Naruto of today, what is his ninja way?".
The Hokage's response is delayed but resolute nonetheless.
"Never give up" he says.
"Never give up" Kushina smiles, nodding in return.
"I guess that is my ninja way".
"And that's the way it always should be".
"Thank you, mom, I've got to go now" Naruto says as he heads towards the front door. "It was, nice to have some encouragement".
"It's no problem".
As the door closes and the Hokage leaves his parent's residence, it as if an invisible wave hits Kushina, her former tiredness returning to her with only seconds delay. She heads back towards her comfy chair.
'Don't lose your belief in yourself, Naruto' she prays in her thoughts.
'Because if you are lost, the whole village will be lost with you'.
The Hidden Leaf Streets
Naruto walks through the back alleys, doing his best to avoid any attention that he may receive from the villagers. He knows that he should walk openly, that he should reassure all those who are worried but that right now his own mental state is more important. Despite the general panic in the village, it is surprisingly peaceful here, with only the rats and the garbage for company.
A discarded can in his path, he pulls his foot back and kicks it like a football. As it hits the wall a loud 'clink' is heard. It would have startled anyone who heard it. Naruto simply smiles to himself and shakes his head for a moment. The impact when it hit the wall, he's certainly a lot stronger than when he did this sort of thing during his childhood. Thinking back to that time Naruto realises how hard his path is. Most people with such a difficult childhood would want an easier adulthood, they would work hard for the things they never had when they were young, comfort, warmth, wealth. None of those things interested the Uzumaki clansmen, all he wanted was to be Hokage. He didn't leave the struggle behind him, he moved on to an even greater one.
Sliding his hands into his pockets he walks around a corner and down an even darker alley. 'Mom was right, yeah, of course she was. Mothers are always right'.
Another thing he lacked in his childhood, a mother. Kushina died within hours of his birth, leaving him without maternal support until he would finally 'meet' her many years later. Some things can't change though, a mother's word is always a mother's word and it would be wrong to ignore it.
"Hey Naruto, are you OK?" Kuruma asks, breaking his long-held silence.
"Yeah, I'm OK Kuruma" he responds with a sigh.
"She was right you know, you shouldn't forget your ninja way, never".
The 7th Hokage is forced to smile. He never had a mother during his youth but he was never as alone as he had thought. Since the beginning someone has been watching over him, since the very beginning. That is the nine-tailed beast, the demonic fox, Kurama.
"You never used to be like this in the past" Naruto muses as he continues to walk through the dark alleys, reminiscing about his past, "You always used to be such a miserable tailed beast".
Kurama huffs and turns his head, shamed by his own historic treatment of his jinchuriki. "Things have changed now, remember that even if everyone else goes, I will not Naruto". Though, they both know that this may be helped by Kurama's inability to leave his host. "If ever you want to talk, I will be here with you, so long as you live".
"Thank you Kurama".
Naruto is about to offer some more words of gratitude but overhears a conversation. The voices, one male and one female are familiar to him. Indeed, they are very familiar. He knew the parents of both these people and he has come to know them to.
Shinki of the Kazekage clan.
Sarutobi Mirai.
Two people he knows well indeed. He presses his body up against the corner, not wanting to be seen right now and concerned for their feelings on the situation. He acts as he always has done, putting everyone else before himself.
"How are keeping so clam with everything that's happening?" Mirai asks as she leans back against the alley's wall.
"That's a strange thing to ask" Shinki replies as he dusts off his Kazekage robe. "You seem to be keeping fairly calm yourself".
"I'm the leader of the military" Mirai asserts under her breath, as if keeping a secret from the world at large, "I have to maintain an appearance of calm to give others comfort but you are different. Even when it's just the two of us, you really are calm, aren't you?".
"Yeah" the Kazekage admits with a gentle voice, "I am calm".
This admission surprises Naruto, even he isn't managing to keep truly calm. This situation has flustered the villages population and not without good reason.
"Don't you have the same fears I do? The invaders this time are far stronger than last time. This time there isn't just one general, there are several. Presumably with one being stronger than Clyde" Mirai's voice begins to crack slightly as she watches Shinki's unflinching face. How? How could anyone be so calm in the face of such adversity? "Given all that, how can you be like this? How can you possibly stay so calm?".
Mirai is right. Naruto agrees with her completely. Perhaps it is because they have seen what they have seen, a mighty general like Elliot in action. They have seen the enormity of the task they are battling. They have collided with the brick wall head on. They are perhaps the only ones who realise just how hard the task ahead of them is.
Shinki takes a deep breath.
"After I was adopted everything was great for me. I had a home, a family, a father whom I thought the world of. Sometimes I would ask him, ask my father, how did he rise so far, how did he reach that summit in life". Shinki smiles as he remembers his father, Gaara had become a truly great man by the time they had met. "My father smiled, he said that sometimes it seemed like the world was so low, like everyone was sinking. However, he said that no matter how low everyone got, one person could rise to great heights. Heights never seen before…".
"That someone, was Uzumaki Naruto".
"Lord 7th…". Mirai whispers.
Naruto feels an aching in his chest. From Shinki's tone, he had been hoping to find something to grip onto himself, somewhere to look for hope. There is nowhere to look though, for the hope everyone is gripping to is him.
"That's not all he said" Shinki continues. "He said that Naruto had a way of changing things, of turning darkness into light".
"He said that Naruto's true power isn't his ability to rise from the pit of darkness, it isn't how far he is able to climb. His true power is that when he climbs he brings everyone else up with him".
Mirai nods reluctantly. It is perhaps for this reason that it is Naruto, not Sasuke, who was able to become the Hokage. "I admit it" she says, "Lord 7th is incredible, he does indeed bring everyone up with him when he rises from the darkness".
Shinki catches hold of Mirai's wrist, garnering her full attention.
"Believe in Naruto" he firmly demands, "My father believed in him, my uncle believed in him and I'm sure that inside, you believe in him too".
The military leader takes a moment before she reaches out into the darkness. She grasps the last light of hope just like everyone always does. She grasps onto the hope of Naruto. "Of course I do" she replies.
"He will rise from this pit of darkness" the Kazekage smiles, "And when he does, he will bring all of us with him".
Naruto rests his head in his hands.
'Everyone is depending on me' he tells himself as he shakes his skull slowly from side to side. 'Gaara, did you really tell him those things?'.
'Can I really rise from the pit of darkness again?'.
Outside the Village, The Last Place Boruto was Seen
This spot will forever be a scar. A scar in the hearts of the hidden leaf's many citizens. Uchiha Sarada had done her absolute best in the fateful pursuit. She had pursued Tao Ma, she had tried to rescue Boruto, she had tailed them to this very spot. This is that spot, where with the gentle hums of that tune, Boruto had disappeared from this world.
Two silver-maned Hokage approach.
"This is the spot Sarada described to us" Tobirama asks as he struts over and examines the ground for any traces of the shadow Hokage.
Kakashi follows at his side, looking left and right for any significant features of this area. Without the trees and grass this area would be lifeless. It's as if all life that could run has already done so. "Yeah" he mutters, "This is the spot".
Between them they are perhaps the most qualified duo in the world to search for a missing person. Each Hokage has legendary sensory prowess, one able to find a trace of chakra on the other side of the world, one able to trace a shinobi for miles after several days delay.
"Can you smell anything?" Tobirama asks hopefully.
Kakashi tries but shakes his head. "Nothing. Less than nothing. It's as if the smells they left have been erased from existence. I doubt even the Inuzuka could find a trace of his smell here".
Tobirama nods his head before bending his knees and touching his forefinger on the ground. He stretches out his senses and searches, searches desperately, praying that he can find even a trace of their incumbent shadow Hokage.
"I can't find anything" the 2nd Hokage explains aloud, "Not even when I enhance my power with the invaders' energy, not a trace of him".
This situation is irregular, Kakashi knows that. For someone to disguise the fact they ever existed is difficult, from the two of them it is almost impossible. He activates his Mangekyo Sharingan, the eyes left to him by his best friend. The red eyes dart hither and thither, scanning for just a trace. Just a hint.
"Anything?".
"Nothing" Kakashi answers once again. "It's like he vanished from thin air. No, it's more like he never even existed".
"Sarada described a portal" the 2nd Hokage recalls as he taps his finger on his head protector. "Do you think that you could find any traces if he disappeared through a portal?".
"Yeah, I am sure that I could". Team 7s leader is flummoxed by the present scenario. Just what is going on? Evasiveness on this level shouldn't be possible, not even for the invading forces. "It's almost as if they were able to erase his scent and chakra as they moved".
"Just what was that power?" Tobirama murmurs to himself, "What has been plaguing Boruto all this time?".
"I don't know" the 6th admits, "But I get the feeling we are going to find out".
"Wait" Tobirama suddenly shouts, drawing the gaze of his comrade. "I feel something…".
Kakashi walks towards his predecessor. "Is it Boruto?".
"No but…" Tobirama winces slightly as he tries to focus on the new senses he is experiencing. "It feels like it is getting closer…".
Kakashi feels his Mangekyo Sharingan being driven upward, like diving intervention. Over Tobirama's shoulder he spots something, someone approaching. A giant hulk of a man, his uniform emblazoned with the number 1, his cape hanging from his back decorated with beautiful gold colours.
This man is surrounded by a golden cloak.
This is the new arrival, General Blackburn.
"Look out!" Kakashi shouts as he runs at Tobirama.
Blackburn's approach is quick, incredibly quick. He pulls his arm back and throws a heavy punch in Tobirama's direction. This sort of blow would be impossible to survive if you were unprepared.
Kakashi is prepared fortunately. He activates Obito's power, allowing him to run straight through Tobirama's relaxed body. He activates what little of the invaders' power he can control, coating his arms in the most terrifying lightning he can muster. He places both his forearms out before him, a shield of skin and thunder.
As fist and arm collide, Kakashi winces. The power of the punch is truly incredible.
'This guy' the 6th Hokage curses, 'He moves so fast that he can almost nullify Obito's power'.
Blackburn doesn't waste any time, he digs his feet into the ground and uses the great power of his tree-trunk legs to push himself forward. Twisting his hips, he launches Kakashi backwards. It is only thanks to a quick use of Obito's power that Kakashi can avoid hitting Tobirama.
The 2nd Hokage has now had time to react. As Kakashi is punched back through him, he turns to face Blackburn, throwing a kunai towards the behemoth as hard as he can. The force is only a deception, a sleight of hand to force the general into ducking.
As Blackburn dodges the kunai, the Hokage's chance has arrived. He activates his teleportation power, the flying thunder god. A technique which he invented. With a flash, he is behind his assailant. He uses his new-found powers, coating his leg in a swirling layer of water as he unleashes a powerful kick at the general.
To the 2nd's great surprise, the general outdoes him, his speed insurmountable, even by the mighty power that is teleportation. Blackburn catches Tobirama's leg before throwing him into the path of an incoming attack.
It's like a Tsunami of the earth. The ground rises like a wave and crashes into the Senju clansmen. The contact is a horrifying crunch, so tough that it cracks Tobirama's armour severely.
As Tobirama flies backwards he is caught by his saving grace, his partner in this endeavour, Kakashi. Digging their kunai into the ground and combining their powers, the duo manages to halt the incredible momentum they assimilated from that attack. Neither have ever felt an attack of that force before, not even during the captained six contest. Their situation finally sinks in, they don't have any reinforcements this time. There is no hope, there is no help. It's just them and a general. It's just them against this incredible might.
A bellowing laugh comes from the giant man they are facing. He looks happy, truly happy. Like a father watching his child ride a bike for the first time.
"So you really do understand our power" he shouts as he continues to laugh, "As I thought, you locals are impressive".
In their flustered state, Kakashi and Tobirama aren't so quick to agree. Seldom have they been made to feel like this during a fight.
"You guys really are worthy of spending some time on" Blackburn declares as he punches his two fists together.
"Come" he demands, "Let's fight to our heart's content".
Author Note:
Hi Everyone,
I would like to apologise for the long period since my last update. I have had a lot to do elsewhere other than my writing.
I should have more time clear for writing now.
I would like to assure you, I haven't lost any of my determination to write this story.
I would, as always, like to thank you for supporting me while I write this story, it's great to see that people are enjoying reading it.
Thanks for reading,
Cbehrills.