WAR NEVER ENDS – A RED FLAG FOR WAR
The Hidden Leaf Village
Sarada walks timidly through the village streets. She looks for Naruto as she does this, or more specifically one of his clones. She has resolved herself to apologise but an apology is not something that can be done casually. The clone is not the intended recipient of the apology, it is merely a signpost by which she hopes to navigate to the original.
Truthfully, Sarada has already passed three clones on her walks through the village. Each of Naruto's clones she has passed have been occupied. Each time it's been small matters, like telling people what to do in an emergency, or reassuring a squad of shinobi. She could have intervened, there is no way anyone would berate her, a conversation between Hokage could be vital after all. No, she hasn't stopped and spoken to any of the clones yet because she is nervous.
Nerves. She tells herself that she shouldn't be feeling nerves right now, at least not about this. With the entire village on red alert, an apology to your master is a small matter. Her master is no normal man though, he is a Hokage, the youngest in history as it stands. He is also their mightiest warrior. Uzumaki Naruto is the most powerful piece on the chess board, the nucleus around which their entire strategy is based. He was also meant to be her father-in-law.
She stops, she has arrived at the village walls. There is nowhere else to go. She takes a deep breath and lets the atmosphere soak into her body. Now that she is like this, not using the sharingan nor the rinnegan, the walls look quite relaxing, just as they had done in her youth.
One of the clones is to her left.
"Sarada…" he mutters.
It almost breaks her heart to look at him. Not with chakra, not with any other-worldly power, just with her own eyes. She looks into his eyes and she can see it, he is just afraid as the rest of them. Yet at the same time she can see what everyone else has always seen, a determination, a fire which refuses to stop burning, a man who won't let anything bad happen to you.
"Naruto" she finally replies.
"What is it?".
"I want to apologise for what I said before. I put all of my hopes on you and expected you to do everything". She clutches her fist and casts her eyes downward in shame. "I know that you are the Hokage but I also understand that you are not unstoppable. You have limits just like the rest of us. I'm sorry for putting too much pressure on you".
The clone pauses, wondering what he should do in this situation. He asks himself, 'what would Sasuke do' and comes up with a simple solution. There is one way to take that shameful look from Sarada's face.
He taps her in the forehead.
"It's fine, there's a lot of pressure on both of us right now". The clone's cheerful tone is a contradiction to his guilty-looking face. "Boruto has been taken from us. Hashirama and Dan have been killed, so the situation is clearly bad. But together, the two of us will pull through, right?".
Sarada shakes her head with a smile. Just who is this cheerful idiot. How can this be the same person as the one who left the meeting earlier? How can someone find their resolve so quickly after losing it? Is it coincidence that Uzumaki Naruto was where he was when he was, is it because of his hard work, or is it because of some sort of divine intervention?
"I guess you're right" she says, "I wouldn't be your student if I didn't get us through this".
The clone nods in agreement, a childish and boastful grin advertising that he is pleased to be complimented.
"Uhm, if it's OK, I would like to speak to the original. Do you know where he went?".
"He went to find General Clyde" the clone explains.
Sarada takes a single step backwards. "To speak to General Clyde?".
She thinks on it and it makes sense, he is the only person they can turn to for help. Ever since the captained-six contest there has been no contact between the two groups. Those they have been in contact with have had no clear affiliation with Clyde. As for the rare occasions when people from the two groups have met, they have separated without more than a few words.
Relations with Clyde may not be good but they are not bad at the very least. Naruto has the advantage of being the man who spared them. She concludes that going to see him was a rational decision.
"Do you know which way I can go to find them?".
"Oh yes it was…".
POOF!
The clone disappears.
Sarada blinks twice in quick succession, confirming that she isn't hallucinating. Naruto's clone just dissipated. He disappeared right before her eyes.
"He's gone?".
Manipulating her chakra, she leaps up onto the village wall before running to the top. Ignoring the calls and greetings of the shinobi she passes, she runs along the top of the wall to the position of the next clone.
She skids to a halt and looks down to where Naruto should be. Nothing, only the faint remnants of white smoke. A clone was here just seconds previous.
'Idiot. He must know that this is the worst-case scenario, what does he think he's playing at?'.
Curious as to what exactly is happening, she activates her rinnegan, scanning for each position she knows Naruto's clones should be.
'Oh my god… something must have happened to him'.
She notices that no shinobi are panicking, obviously they wouldn't know that multiple clones have disappeared. A few seconds pass before she notices one or two others beginning to run around. She recognises one of them as a member of the Hyuuga clan, she must have noticed the disappearances as well.
This confirms it. Naruto is gone.
Their greatest defender has disappeared.
The enemy have infiltrated the village before. They have sent people to kidnap Boruto, to kill Hashirama. They have sent people to try and massacre the entire population. They could definitely send someone to find out that Naruto is gone.
The walls of the city have crumbling down and the attackers-in-waiting probably know.
This is a red flag for war.
They will come under attack soon.
Sarada stands dumbfounded for a moment, watching as the panic spreads. A shinobi to her side calls to her, asking for instructions but she doesn't respond. If Naruto is dead, if he isn't here to defend them, that will likely mean the end of the village, forever.
She resolves herself, she must do as Naruto would do. She must do everything she can to save the village.
She runs along the wall, all the way to the Hokage monument. She activates her rinnegan and sets about tracking Naruto and Hinata. She failed to follow Boruto and she won't fail again.
'I can at least figure out which way these two went. So don't worry everyone. I will bring the 7th Hokage back'.
The Circle
Hiruzen runs towards The Circle as fast as he can. He cannot remember any situation like this during his many years as the Hokage. Running towards a meeting of the villages most powerful people to discuss what to do when one of them has disappeared.
He feels so useless, relegated to just another member of the meeting. Once a mighty warrior renowned for his strength the world over. He won't shirk his duty though, he has always known that this will be his place in history. He is the stabiliser for this village, the builder, the calm foundation on which the likes of Naruto, Hashirama and Sarada could build.
He enters and sits down in a hurry. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get here any quicker".
He has been helping his granddaughter to reallocate the positions of shinobi groups. Naruto disappearing is an enormous pain.
"It's fine" Shikadai says, "We're all here now".
Hiruzen leans forward and looks left and right. He appreciates that they are low on numbers but he never imagined it would be this low.
"What happened to Sarada, is she not here?".
Minato is the last one to see Sarada. "I saw Sarada head up to the top of the Hokage monument. She had her rinnegan active, I think she was intending to track down Naruto. Wherever his original body went".
Shikadai looks up from his papers. "Does anybody know where he may have gone?".
Nobody does. The administrator knows it was a stupid thing to even ask but things are desperate.
"Hinata went with him wherever it is. Perhaps they went to the same place as Lord 2nd and Lord 6th" Minato suggests.
Tsunade looks to her right with wide eyes. "Are you suggesting that Lord 7th encountered resistance and was defeated?".
"I'm not suggesting anything and I hope that isn't the case. No, I don't believe he would be defeated so easily, I can't believe it, but we can't rule out the possibility".
"If Lord 7th dies, then that is about as bad as things can get" Tsunade adds, "That is a death sentence for the village".
She ponders the chaos around her, what her life has become? She has lost Dan, she has lost her grandfather, how much worse can it get? She can't help but think back to the things that her grandfather told her. He warned them all about the dangers of letting the invaders live, of accepting their continued existence in this world. If she had believed him back then, would everything be OK now?
"Lord 2nd, can you sense him?" Shinki asks. The Kazekage is perhaps the calmest man in the room.
Regrettably Tobirama has not sensed him. "Believe me, I have tried Lord Kazekage. I can't find him, it is like he has dropped off the face of the planet".
Hiruzen grew up watching Tobirama locate so many people with his incredible sensory techniques, he knows that something must be wrong if Naruto cannot be sensed at all. He cannot formulate a logical reason for such a thing.
"There must be some way we can tell if he is alive. The combined sensory prowess of this village is unrivalled throughout history".
"Perhaps, but is that still the case without Lord 9th and Lord Shadow 9th here?" Kakashi asks.
Minato crooks as his mouth as he looks at his student. He knows how Kakashi is feeling. The sharingan, legendary eyes, eyes that he inherited from Obito. Kakashi should be the undisputed master of locating people yet without a long drawn out search he is stumped. That is not something he has time to do at the moment. Only Sarada could act under these circumstances.
"There is another way" Shikadai says.
"What are you suggesting?".
"Hinata went with him. Lord 2nd, can you find Hinata?".
Tobirama understands the logic. Even if Naruto is gone from the world, he should still be able to find Hinata if she is alive. If they are together, that is a definite clue. He rises to his feet, the tension in the room rising with him and walks a few steps from his chair.
Everyone watches on eagerly as Tobirama places a finger on the cold ground.
"… Yes" he says, the pitch in his voice risen, "Yes, I can sense her. Hinata is alive".
Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, especially Minato. "What a relief, that means there is a good chance that Naruto is alive too. It's unlikely she would survive an attack if he didn't".
Just as everyone's mood improves slightly, the door bursts open.
"Shikadai!".
It is Shikamaru. The man who occasionally fills in for Shikadai as a backup administrator for The Circle's affairs.
Shikamaru clutches at his knees as he struggles for breath. Not unfit for a shinobi of his age, clearly, he ran here as fast as he could.
Shikadai's father should have known this was a bad time. "Father, not now. We're having an emergency meet…".
"There is someone really important to see you all!" Shikamaru interrupts.
Footsteps!
Footsteps are coming from down the corridor.
It's like the ticking of a clock, a countdown to either doom or salvation for the Kage of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Into the Circle steps a man who they thought would never do so. A man whose raw power inspired the fear that created the Circle.
He is here.
Along with Colonel Peterson, General Clyde has arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Everyone gets to their feet.
"Clyde!" Tsunade yells as she prepares herself for a fight.
"Why are you here?" Tobirama asks.
"It seems this village is in a pinch" Clyde says to Peterson, as if oblivious to the hostile reception.
"We're in a bad situation right now" Tsunade barks, "If you have something to say then hurry up and…".
Clyde knows what is coming and has prepared a short few words to grab their attention.
"I just spoke with Uzumaki Naruto".
"You spoke with Naruto, where is he?" Minato asks.
Clyde smiles, he has their attention now. Just as he had suspected, Naruto's absence is a big worrying point for a village potentially on the verge of war. Of course, what they do not appreciate, is that the war isn't meant to be the village's, it's meant to be Clyde's.
"I can't tell you much about Naruto's whereabouts. I can promise you that no harm will come to him though".
"We need him" Kakashi says, his voice deep but urgent, "We need Naruto for the upcoming battles. Don't forget that three years ago he defeated you and spared your life".
"I know" Clyde admits with a smile, "When I spoke with Naruto, we agreed on alliance".
The words shake the room. A mixture of emotions passes between them. Shikadai is astonished, such a thing was beyond his calculations. Tobirama and Kakashi are also amazed, all they ever did was follow Naruto's lead and protect the village. Tsunade doesn't know what to think, can she really trust these people, was her grandfather wrong? Minato is proud of what his son has accomplished, seeing Clyde standing here, an ally.
Shinki however, Shinki is different than them all. He once tried to risk everyone's lives to kill the invaders. He was willing to kill Naruto in exchange for the power to defeat Clyde, deeming him an evil that needed extermination. He feels the sensation of his own foolishness. Is this what Naruto could see from the start, is this his emotional foresight that transcends common logic? Is this what his father had truly seen in Naruto?
"An alliance?" Shikadai finally asks.
"Yes. These new invaders pose a threat not only to you but also to us".
"In Naruto's place, all of my captains, along with Peterson and myself, will march into battle alongside you".
Shikadai hesitantly smiles. This seems too good to be true. Losing Naruto had been a disaster. However, this represents a change in the winds.
Their odds have just gone up.
Clyde's Headquarters
Hinata feels stupid now. She should have seen this coming. She should have kept her byakugan active and watched the people outside. They were being deceived. She knew how naïve Naruto could be and she should have protected him from it.
She slumps into Sheer's firm grip. "The others have all gone?".
This place was quiet before. The captains barely said a word as the Hidden Leaf couple walked through their encampment. However, now that there is nobody here, it has entirely different feel. It's like a ghost-world. The only person who could bring some life to this place is inside an inescapable prison, recovering from a head wound.
"Do you see what our general is willing to do? He is serious about this alliance" Sheer says, finally releasing Hinata now that she has relaxed.
Sheer walks around to the Hyuuga's front, the conflict on her face clear. "I know what you think about us doing this. But the General, Peterson and all the others are going to put their lives on the line to fight for your world".
"And Naruto must do the same for your world?".
Sheer dislikes this. In the captained-six contest, Sarada taught her that if something was impossible you should do it anyway. This battle seems impossible given how week the locals are. However, if there is one person who could tip the balance, it is Naruto. She wants to take that chance but then tells herself she should believe in the General's power. The conflict drives her insane.
Grace steps forward, speaking gently as if to a friend. "Naruto has a destiny that stretches far beyond this place. He is hope not only for this world but for every single world".
Hinata knows that they won't listen. They don't sound very confident. They sound like they are prepared to lose this war, and for everyone they know and love to die. She is not prepared for that. She understands, unlike them, that there may be an even greater force at play here.
She looks at the cube. A prison. That is what they had called it during the captained-six contest.
She revises it in her mind. 'That prison. To unlock it you have to touch the outside. If I can do that, Naruto will be free'.
Suddenly, Hinata makes a break for it!
She ducks beneath Sheer's outstretched arm and leaps towards the prison. She doesn't care what happens to her, all she has to do is touch it and they win.
She is outpowered though. Dred runs at a modest speed and intercepts her full speed dash. Captains have defeated the elite shinobi of this world before. Someone on the Colonel level wouldn't struggle to fight Hinata.
Dred unleashes a reserved punch into Hinata's gut, sending her tumbling back along the floor.
The newest member of the group cringes as he watches her tumble. What they said before was no lie, they are allies now. To be forced to do this to an ally, it tears at his heart. Isn't he supposed to be a good man?
The colonels walk calmly towards the prison, creating a block which it would be impossible for Hinata to get around.
The shinobi still clambers to her feet though. She asks herself what she can do, how she can win. She has no answers, there is no way she can overcome this group. However, she will always take that one lesson from Naruto, about the one way to live her life. She will never give up.
Hinata runs towards the prison. Straight towards the powerful group who fought on par with the Hokage.
Sisto raises his hand, hesitating. He hoped for a moment she would stop but she doesn't. He fires a beam of water, pushing her back along the ground. It is painful but it is the most humane method of supressing her he can think of. He is not trained to keep people alive, he is trained to kill, much as he laments his fate.
"She is still persisting" Sheer says, screwing her eyes shut. "Despite us giving up everything to help her, she is still persisting".
As Hinata gets to her feet, Sisto momentarily detects something. A premonition of what's to come.
"Oh".
"What is it Sisto?".
"She seems to have understood water. She is controlling it look" he says. He is right, water is flowing according to Hinata's will. "However, it's only to the captain level. Even with her foundation as a shinobi, we can still easily restrain her".
Yes. Hinata's inner world has given birth to a tablet, the word 'water' engraved on it.
They feel it as her divine energy begins to swell.
Her understanding is at the captain level. She has no water cloak or golden water cloak. Her powers as a shinobi cannot help her defeat them. However, there is something they couldn't have foreseen.
The lifeless look in Hinata's eyes.
Hinata kicks the ground, firing herself at the prison like a bullet.
All the colonels react the same way. Shock. 'What incredible speed'.
Burns just about reacts in time, positioning herself between Hinata and the prison at the last moment. In theory, her element of 'ice' should be ideal for fighting against water. Things don't go as she suspects though.
With a single punch, Hinata ricochets Burns off the prison and forces her into a messy heap on the floor.
Grace is the next to react, holding her hand out and firing a strong and steady beam of fire at the newly awakened Hinata.
It is no good. Even as Grace activates her fire cloak, she cannot overpower Hinata. Hinata uses a simple beam of water to overpower the colonel. It seems she defies their understanding; her power is above theirs comfortably.
What scares them most is that Hinata is barely even trying.
Sisto's legs move automatically, positioning himself to attack. 'This sort of power. Considering where she was before it shouldn't be possible. She's far too strong. Almost like Naruto'.
As everyone panics, Sheer grabs Hinata from behind, pulling the shinobi's arms together. The colonel summons all the strength she can muster and wrestles Hinata to the ground. She forces her down like her life depends on it. She won't let her move.
Hinata struggles in Sheer's grip but cannot get free.
Slowly, the vacant look disappears from her eyes.
The other colonels are quick to pile-on. They all work together to hold down each of Hinata's limbs. If she is to display power like that again they may not be able to stop her.
"Please" Hinata yells. "You have to free him, otherwise all of our friends may die".
Sheer takes a few deep breaths. Considering Hinata's previous power, she seems to have given up rather quickly. "That is the sacrifice our General is willing to make. It's for our home. For everyone's home. We intend to honour him for that".
"Please, I'm begging you. Naruto hasn't agreed to this. We have to save our friends".
Deaf to her please, the colonels continue to hold her down. Their caution as extreme as if holding down a lion or a bear, not a pleading human.
"Please!" Hinata yells again.
The screams almost get through to Sheer, but the colonel holds firm.
"Don't let her up no matter what. If that strength returns, we may not be able to stop her again".
Luckily for them, they seem to have survived. That strength came out of nowhere, they have never seen anything like it. They can only put it down to adrenaline, or a fluke, or some other shinobi trick they know nothing of.
Their thoughts matter little though. If they could hear Hinata's thoughts it would scare them. It would show them a ticking time bomb.
'Strength? What strength are they talking about?'.