WAR NEVER ENDS – A GENERAL'S POWER
The Spot Where Boruto Disappeared
Formerly the two silver-haired Hokage had been confronted with silence. The only sound the voices they used to convey their confusion to one another. This is the spot where Boruto vanished but it has now become a more important spot in the course of their lives. They are now in mortal danger. The silence has been replaced, now they can hear their own heartbeats, such is the adrenaline pumping through their veins.
Previously they have encountered two generals and both situations posed serious risks to their lives. The first of those generals was General Clyde, the leader of the original invaders, who was defeated only by Naruto himself. The second was not so long ago, an attack on the village by General Georgia, the sister of the poisonous Colonel Martin. That attack was survived only with the help of the other Hokage and of the newly ascended Peterson. This time they are on their own.
Is there a chance of winning in this situation? Or is the goal simply survival?
"Kakashi, this guy is a general" Tobirama states as he holds his gaze on Blackburn, not daring to move it, "If we want to beat him we are going to have to work together".
Only one of them has ever defeated a general in single combat. Uzumaki Naruto himself.
Kakashi knows this as well as anybody. "Of course, that was my intention from the beginning".
They both know that Kakashi's powers make him an expert at retreating. If Tobirama were to offer a distraction it would be enough for the 6th Hokage to make a getaway. Neither are willing to take that option. They are both leaders of the Hidden Leaf Village and are duty bound not to abandon another citizen of that village.
Kakashi pulls two shuriken into his hands, slowly raising them while everyone else remains motionless. Everything is about to kick-off. Once the first attack is truly thrown it will be a relentless blitz before the first pause in combat arrives. Two space-time users with basic control of the invaders power, a master of that power. There is no way this battle won't be one of incredible speed.
A gust of wind.
A twitch from the 2nd Hokage.
A glare from Kakashi's Mangekyo.
A smile from the attacking general.
Everything begins.
Kakashi is the first to react, he infuses his shuriken with the power of lightning. Lightning is the element that he has understood. He has become one of the few locals in history to understand the invaders' power. As that lightning reaches incredible levels of intensity within a fraction of a second, he launches both shuriken forward.
The power behind the throw worthy of a Hokage, the two dancing stars separate and a tether of electricity appears between them. It's an impromptu lightning blade, cutting through the air, on course to behead the enemy.
Blackburn is unperturbed by the power of the attack, instead he is happy. This is what he has been waiting for, a local who can put up a decent fight. The behemoth claps his hands together, summoning two giant pillars of stone as he does so.
The pillars have been placed perfectly. The shuriken collide with the pillars at great speed, creating a sizeable dent but not puncturing them. As the shuriken slow, the lightning loses power. As they come to a halt, so the electrical tether disappears.
As the shuriken come to a halt, Tobirama has long since started his run. Half-way to Blackburn from his starting position, he has already completed the sign pattern he has been weaving. He has always had great control over water as a shinobi and that has only been enhanced by his understanding of the element with the invaders' power.
"Water dragon jutsu!" he cries as he sprints towards his opponent.
The dragon of water that results is enormous and pure, dark blue. The new powers which Tobirama has mastered have increased the power of this attack several times over. It launches at the general at a speed that eclipses even its makers.
Blackburn reacts quickly, throwing his monster-sized hand forward and slamming it into the nose of the dragon. In spite of all the dragon's power and might, it cannot overcome the unstoppable force of Blackburn's fist. It stops in its tracks, it is eviscerated.
As the dragon dies Blackburn notices another call from nearby. Kakashi has also moved from his starting position, straight into the blind spot created by the dark blue dragon. "Kamui" the 6th Hokage calls as a bridge between two dimensions opens. The spiral tear in reality materialises just a few yards before Blackburn's face and a heavy kunai emerges from it, hurtling towards him at speed.
In this battle of speed and quickness, this kunai is par for the course, Blackburn can dodge things like this all day. He comfortably shuffles both his left and right feet to the right, grinning as the sharpened weapon wizzes past his ear. This confidence is the greatest weapon of his opponents, whose tricks and skills he could never have expected, for they are unprecedented even by the locals' standards.
A hand clasps around the handle of the kunai. With a flash, Tobirama has teleported behind Blackburn. He has been presented with a golden opportunity. He coats his foot in high-density water, pulling out all of the invaders' power that he can muster. He swings his foot forward and kicks Blackburn as hard as he can in the back. While the general flies forward, he doesn't stop, the 2nd Hokage continues to attack, firing from his foot a high-pressure beam of water to push his opponent forward.
The kick wasn't without aim. Waiting in Blackburn's path is Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi has coated his hands with intense lightning, dwarfing the intensity he has demonstrated previously with his chidori and raikiri. Kakashi keeps an open palm to maximise the surface area of his attack and swings his arm. Three times! Three times he strikes his opponent without answer. Then the lightning increases its ferocity even further, it's a combination of the invaders' lightning and Kakashi's own raikiri. Kakashi pushes his hand like a knife towards the general's head.
Blackburn realises the power of the attack that is being levied at him, even he cannot afford to be hit by that. He pulls his enormous skull out of the way of Kakashi's attack and answers with a blow to his opponent's stomach.
Kakashi instantly falls to the floor, exhaling an entire lung-full of air as he does so. 'This guy, his element is earth, the way it enhances his strength is absolutely incredible'.
The Hokage pair have met an earth user before. As it happens, Lord 3rd, Sarutobi Hiruzen of the circle also uses earth as his element. Lord 3rd however, has only understood the power to the captain level. While Hiruzen's raw power is remarkable he doesn't enjoy the same benefits from his element that this monstrous general does.
Blackburn raises his hand in the air, mimicking Kakashi's open palm from before with a mocking smile and chops it down towards the 6th Hokage. That flash of a grin was a mistake, it allows Kakashi enough time to activate Obito's power and hence the attack passes through his body and into the ground below.
"Now Tobirama!" Kakashi shouts.
General Blackburn looks over his shoulder to see a remarkable transformation to his rear. During his brief scuffle with Kakashi, Tobirama has used the powers he inherited from Mito to transform into the nine-tails. He executes perhaps his most powerful attack by gathering a huge amount of chakra and firing the tailed beast bomb.
The explosion rocks the area, ruining any chance of finding traces of Boruto. This is the furthest thing from Tobirama's mind now though, all that matters is surviving this attack. All that matters is surviving to fight another day.
Kakashi rises up from underground next to his partner in this battle and upon truly re-entering the realm falls to one knee.
"Are you alright, Kakashi?".
The masked shinobi's breaths are slow and pitiful. "Barely" he breathes as he looks at the explosion a short distance before them. "His fists feel like they have the weight of a mountain behind them".
"His element is earth" Tobirama notes, recalling Sarutobi's similar abilities. "He is a specialist in heavy hitting".
"Yeah".
As the explosion dies down a silhouette begins to emerge. It is as the Hokages had feared, that blow wasn't going to be enough to finish Blackburn.
The damage dealt has been minimal.
"He took it and he's still OK" Tobirama groans as he prepares another kunai. It looks like they aren't out of the woods yet.
"A general's power is no joke" Kakashi concludes as he forces himself up off his knee and back onto his feet. "Just how did Naruto fight against one three years ago?".
"Hahaha" Blackburn bellows out as he places his hands on his hips. Unlike his opponents he is fearless. "You two are indeed worthy opponents".
"Will you tell me your names?".
The leader of team 7 breathes deeply, taking every second his opponent allows to get his breath back. While he doesn't wish to talk with him he is willing to use any opportunity he is presented with. "Hatake Kakashi" he finally answers.
"Senju Tobirama" the Senju clansmen follows.
"Senju, Hatake. I will not forget the two of you". As Blackburn finishes his sentence he begins to emit a terrifying amount of power. He wasn't going all out previously. "Remember my name, remember the name Blackburn".
"He's about to fight seriously" Tobirama croaks.
"Don't drop your guard" Kakashi barks, showing his will to keep on fighting. "We have to win here, we have to weather this storm or we have no hope of winning in the long run".
The Hidden Leaf Hospital
The white energy dances over the sick patient. The incredible medical staff of the Hidden Leaf Hospital cannot do anything. This is supposed to be a terminal illness, a death sentence. Some illnesses have to be dealt with within hours or they cannot be dealt with at all. Sometimes the patient will have progressed to far with their symptoms and the doctors can do nothing but watch. That is why this energy is so miraculous. It's the energy that defies death itself. The energy of life.
This power belongs to Uzumaki Naruto.
As the impossible happens before her eyes, Biwako can't help but shake her head. She smiles as she looks towards the 7th Hokage, finishing his rounds. He has saved yet another life.
"It still gets to me you know" she says with a wide smile.
"What does?" he asks.
"I've trained all my life to be as good at healing people as possible" she explains. The conditions Biwako learned to be a medic in were much harder than the ones she is presented with now. The technology and healthcare from the time of her tuition, far less advanced than that of today. "I've never seen a gift like the one you have, treasure it Naruto".
The blonde Hokage nods, "I will. I feel that I have this power for a reason. To help people".
"That's a good attitude to have".
Naruto knows that, there is no other attitude he can have in this situation. The entire village is metaphorically looking at him. Though it feels like they really are looking his direction most of the time. The villagers may have never been more frightened, more on-edge than they are now. With Hashirama dead and Boruto gone, now more than ever they are depending on him. In this situation what else can he do than help them. He would never be accepted back into society if he simply cowered, if he ran and left them to their own devices.
"Thank you for all of your help today" Biwako says as she politely bows. "These people wouldn't have pulled through if it weren't for you".
It is sad that he has become used to that now. Instead of receiving gratitude for curing people of their ailments or reliving people of their fears, it would be a greater reward for Naruto if they were no longer to be ill, injured or afraid.
"It's the least I can do" the Hokage answers modestly.
"However, I have to give you a warning".
"A warning?".
"Yes, not to Uzumaki Naruto but the 7th Hokage". After three years in which Biwako often called on Naruto or Hashirama for help she has come to know them both as close friends. She speaks to them informally under normal circumstances, unfortunately, those circumstances don't exist anymore.
"What is it?".
"The shear destruction caused by the last attack should speak volumes" Biwako explains as she raises her arms to her sides, gesturing the hospital full of people that Naruto has just witnessed. "All these injuries were caused by flying debris, by the side effects of battle. It's not just vulnerable citizens either, it's experienced shinobi, it's the workforce, the heart and soul of our village".
"I see" the Uzumaki clansmen admits as he gently tilts his head downwards. Right now, it feels as heavy as ever, "So, we have become so powerful that even being nearby to our battle is enough to hurt the villagers".
"Your battles are dangerous things Lord 7th" the medic details her issues. "This was just a single skirmish, with a single enemy battling a group of Hokage. If another battle is to take place in the Hidden Leaf Village, the results may be catastrophic".
"I understand how bad things are" Naruto replies. How could he not, he gets told about it by enough people. "I promise I am working as hard as I can to resolve things".
The 3rd's wife gestures Naruto over to the railings at the centre of the floor. From here they can see every floor of this hospital and many of the hard-working staff and desperate patients that operate it.
"I'm the hospital's director and perhaps that is why I can say these things. I'm afraid Naruto. If it gets much worse than this I don't know if the village can take it" she takes a deep breath, and turns with moist eyes towards the village's hero. "Please, please don't let that disaster happen. If anyone can stop it it's you so please… please…".
Naruto forces an assured smile to his face and places his hands on Biwako's shoulders. "Don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to the village. Not while I am still the Hokage".
The hospital director is usually the one in control, she is usually the one assuring people. It is good for once to have the boot on the other foot. "I've got to get back to my other patients. Please remember that we are all routing for you".
As Biwako walks away, Naruto walks the other direction, searching for and finding the first vacant room he can. He slips into it, leaving the lights off and rests his head against the wall. He closes his eyes and relaxes his shoulders, he feels so tense, so stressed, more than he ever did in his youth.
If he were to know the jeopardy his sensei is experiencing, he would feel even worse still.
The Spot Where Boruto Disappeared
The 2nd Hokage makes use of the nine-tails chakra within him, powering himself to the fullest. His skin changes colour along with his clothing, an orange tinge covering his entire personage as he lowers his posture to best match his teleportation-based fighting style. Once more, it looks like their battle will be one of speed. This time though, this time both sides will exhibit a power even greater than before.
Tobirama teleports, having previously marked Blackburn's back when he teleported last time. An expert battle analyst, he believed that this would catch the general off-guard. He has no such luck.
General Blackburn makes a quick turn and hits a thumping blow into his opponent's chest. Tobirama is sent backwards at a rate of knots, quickly creating separation between himself and his adversary.
As the 2nd Hokage is sent back, an opening appears for the 6th. During the brief moment of distraction created by his friend, he manifested a complete-body Susano. The complete body Susano brings its foot down, its aim Blackburn. Kakashi doesn't have any qualms with killing his opponent, he intends to crush him.
Blackburn is able to resist. The huge man raises his arms from his sides up towards the sky. As his arms rise, two arms made of pure stone, even larger than the general's own, rise from the ground up into the air, catching the dropping foot of the Susano. With his arms raised above him, Blackburn claps his hands together, forming a 3rd fist of stone that punches straight through the Susano's armour.
Kakashi begins to fall to the ground and Tobirama tries an old trick again. This time it is his clone that teleports to Blackburn's rear. The general has seen this trick many times and won't fall for it again, especially when his eye is caught by the bright orange glow of the 2nd Hokage's body. Blackburn turns and swings his fist right at the clone far quicker than the recipient can dodge.
Tobirama does dodge though.
Tobirama seems to dodge without moving his body.
This is the trick he developed during the last conflict with invading forces. He swaps his real body and his clone such that the attacking body is always in the right position to dodge the incoming blows. This works the first few times Tobirama employs it and the Senju clansmen is able to get a few solid shots in before he is countered. The bearded general grabs hold of the 2nd Hokage's ankle and slams him down into the ground.
The general attempts to follow with another blow but he is stopped at the last moment by a quick punch from Kakashi. The Hokage's are grasping at straws now, trying anything they can to desperately last just a few seconds longer. In hope of anything. In hope of a miracle.
Kakashi's stalling tactics don't work for long. Blackburn grabs him by the ankle similarly and before he can activate Obito's powers slams him into the ground next to Tobirama. They have both been crippled, a brief contact by their arms as Kakashi was slammed disabling them for the moment.
Victory belongs to Blackburn!
The invader lifts his fist one final time to deliver the killing blow.
'I will remember your names, Senju, Hatake'.
Blackburn's fist plunges downwards, the last attack in the fight.
"Wait a moment if you would, General".
All three combatants stop in their tracks. They all recognise that voice.
Tobirama strains himself to tilt his neck. He has heard that voice before, he needs to confirm its who he thinks it is. He needs to know if the miracle is about to come.
"General… Clyde…".
"Hahaha, this is exciting indeed" Blackburn bellows as he draws himself up to his full height and inspects the new arrival.
Clyde is an elite general with a transcendent element. He is famous to his pears as someone who greatly values his subordinates. A controversial figure who you either despise for his lack of ability to follow protocol or who you adore for his devotion to all those who work beneath him. Blackburn wouldn't mistake this man, this man who's power he has always admired and strived to surpass.
This is General Clyde.
"I see you have already activated your golden elemental cloak, good, it looks like you have come here to fight". Blackburn loves to fight, that is part of the reason he was sent to this world. The promise of fighting someone as powerful as General Clyde, such a thing is hard to resist for him. "I have always wanted to fight you but I have to make sure that it's true. Whose side are you on, General Clyde?".
Clyde is reluctant, there is one person he thinks highly of amongst the locals. That person is Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto is rare ray of hope that he wants to protect but he is not so sure about the others. The others had fewer resignations about killing his subordinates, it is hard to know if they can truly be trust.
Finally, Clyde comes to a decision. He raises his finger and points it at Blackburn. "Not yours".
Blackburn smiles widely, this should be far more interesting than his fight with the locals. He pulls his fist back and casts it forward as hard as he can, he intends to kill Clyde in a single blow.
Faster than Blackburn could have ever anticipated, his fist glides over Clyde's shoulder and their shoulder's touch together. Kakashi and Tobirama had believed their battle to be one of high-speed. The pace which Clyde just demonstrated to close the distance between himself and Blackburn was on another level. It was greater than even Blackburn himself had anticipated.
Clyde's counterpunch is less dramatic, he simply drives his fist as hard as he can up into Blackburn's gut. A punch so simple, yet so powerful that it causes blood to spew from the mouth of the victim. As Blackburn falls to his knees and looks up at Clyde he can't help but be shocked. He is sure that he had a gauge of Clyde's power. He is sure he knew what to expect. His opponent however, is on another level. This is the power of an elite general. This is the power of Clyde.
Clyde lowers himself to one knee, coming down to Blackburn's level and places a hand on his opponent's chest. He raises his head to look into the behemoth's eyes one final time. "Tell Lara, I'm waiting for her". Clyde draws darkness from the stone tablet in his inner world, pushes down his arm and blasts Blackburn into the distance, ending the fight in an instant. For Blackburn to continue would be pointless, everyone knows that Clyde has one this fight.
As the enemy general disappears from view Clyde turns cheerfully to the two silver haired Hokage.
"General Clyde" Tobirama repeats as he forces himself up onto his knees, "What is happening, who are all these people who…".
"Is Naruto back with your people?" Clyde asks, interrupting the 2nd Hokage.
Tobirama pauses, irritated that Clyde has no intention of answering questions. "Yes" he admits, "Uzumaki Naruto is in the village".
"Good… Good" Clyde mutters to himself. "The task he has before him is much greater than he realises. Much greater than anyone realises".
"Make sure he is ready" Clyde finishes, "He will need to be".