WAR NEVER ENDS – A BATTLE WITH NO WINNERS
The Battlefield
Hashirama feels the temptation to cry as he looks at the man who has fallen before him. Even for he, Uzumaki Naruto is a saviour, someone who protected what he loved when nobody else could. He wonders what could have possibly been a more important objective of his struggle here, than saving Naruto. Naruto, the most important person when it comes to the village moving forward, he accepts that even now. He believes the method misguided but judges the intention of the 7th Hokage to be purer than any of those who came before or after him.
He wonders, has he killed him, the man who he admires.
Then he sees it, the hint of a monster. A tiny spark of two blending, contrasting energies. One last bit of 'life' energy and one last bit of orange chakra. They flow into Naruto's body and give birth to just the smallest sign of hope for so many. It's faint, small enough that if you weren't looking for it you wouldn't see it. However, the Hokage's lungs move slightly, and air enters them once again.
He is alive.
Hashirama's relief is accompanied by shock. Naruto must have deliberately stashed away that one last piece of energy. Or could it be that he never realised he had it to begin with? Or was it forced out by Kurama? Whatever the reason, Hashirama now realises what he has been dealing with. No matter how they did it, the combined team of Naruto and the nine-tails survived the most powerful attack he has. While they haven't won the fight, they have shown that together they can survive even the most lethal element.
'What a monster' Hashirama finally says in his head. 'Is it impossible to kill this man?'.
The healer notices that his unconscious opponent is still in bad shape. He needs medical attention immediately. He stretches out his hand, hoping to help. In the end, even if Naruto completely rejects him, he will still try to save Naruto. For if the 7th Hokage is to die like this, would the village ever be the same again?
As Hashirama's hand moves forward he feels the stiffening of his body. Of course, he hasn't got anything left to give. To win that clash he had given absolutely everything to his attack. He miscalculated, as he has done so many times before. He swears to himself that this will be the last time. That when the Lead requires him again, he will not fail them.
Two people arrive at the sides of the two exhausted Hokage. Boruto at Hashirama's side, Sarada at Naruto's.
"Master!".
"Naruto!".
Boruto checks his master is OK quickly before turning to his fallen father. His tenseigan active, he notes immediately that his father is breathing. Signs of life, despite all that just got thrown at him. Naruto had been distracted that fight, desperately trying to protect Hinata against the strongest opponent he had ever faced. He had been struck twice in ways that should have killed him, then endured an all-out collision of energy with a mighty user of 'death'. Surviving shouldn't be doable, not even for him.
Looking at his father, the shadow Hokage wonders how he was ever expecting this to go. He hasn't held his father's ideals for a long time and they have argued a lot throughout their lives. However, since his father came to the future, he has always been able to rely on him. He has never betrayed Boruto, and the same thing cannot be said in reverse. Boruto wants to be sick, was he expecting to feel any different when he chose this path. He knew that he would need to see his father in this state to fulfil his ambitions. What hurts isn't the distant eyes of his family; eyes he is certain are burning furiously. What hurts is that he knows when his father wakes up, he won't hate him. There are some sins it feels wrong to be forgiven of.
He has come this far now, he must see this through.
In his hand appears a spinning rasengan enhanced by 'death'. "Sarada, you know that it breaks my heart to see my father in this condition, knowing that I am responsible for it. But my first responsibility is to protect the Leaf from the invader threat, so I will beat you if I have to. This is your last chance, give up".
"I will never give up, that is the ninja way I have inherited from my master".
Hashirama looks past the two feuding students and into the distance. The medical shinobi and the military's medics are no longer seeing to the critically wounded, they have finished. Now their attentions have turned to those they need most. To Clyde and Lara. To Mirai and Elliot. Tsunade has also recovered some of her power, seeing to Hiruzen and the enemy generals. He has miscalculated before. He miscalculated his own power when fighting Grace in the captained-six contest. He miscalculated when fighting Naruto, leading almost to the 7th Hokage's death. He refuses to miscalculate again, especially in the face of such conditions.
Boruto begins to increase the size of his rasengan when his master's hand clamps down on his wrist.
"… Boruto, I'm out of chakra".
"But master, I can win here".
Hashirama shakes his head.
"Look, they are recovering over there. If you fight against Sarada, you may not have enough power left to overcome the generals, even with Tao Ma's help. If that happens and they defeat our forces, there will be nothing to stop them turning their attention on the Hidden Leaf".
"Then we have to win" Boruto argues.
"No. If this goes on we cannot guarantee everyone's survival. If we leave now, Sarada will be here, still close to full strength. She can stop them. She can defeat the generals if she needs to. We cannot remove the threat right now, but we can protect the leaf if we leave and try again another day. Even if they reject us, we must continue to protect them. That includes Naruto, Sarada and everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village".
Boruto understands the logic behind Hashirama's words and looking at his injured father, he too feels that perhaps this shouldn't go any further today.
Lifting Hashirama's arm over his shoulder, he turns back to his followers. "Tao Ma, we're leaving!".
The hums start once again. A signal for the arrival or disappearance of a large group. Once again, the sound shows Sarada that her fiancé is to be taken from her.
Hashirama looks at Sarada, in full knowledge of his imminent disappearance.
"Uchiha Sarada, Lord 9th".
"Lord 1st".
"You summoned me here to the future. You wanted me to protect this world".
"Yeah, I did".
"I am not so easily swayed as Boruto, so you will hear m departing words".
"While we may fight, we will always consider you our allies, our friends and our loved ones".
"And while our methods may differ, the path we have chosen is not evil but simply different".
Sarada dismisses this as a hollow justification from someone who is in denial. He is denying making the same mistakes he has warned against his entire life. "You will end up just like…".
"Just like Madara?".
A silence passes between the three of them. It forces Sarada to consider if a path like this is possible to walk down without ending up like her vengeful ancestor and father.
"That regret is something only a very small group of people will understand. Only Naruto will understand the regret Sasuke felt. Only Kakashi will understand the regret that Obito felt. And only I understand the regret that Madara felt. I will not feel that same regret because unlike them, my objective is not to harm the people I once called friend, but to protect them.
In the distance, Kakashi reads their lips and is stunned by what Sarada says. Realising that Naruto has echoed Obito's teachings into the next generation once again.
"You are protecting this world on my orders" Sarada begins, her eyes on her own master. "Shinobi who disobey orders are trash but shinobi who abandon their friends are worse than trash".
Hashirama's eyes are fixed in position, impossible to read. "I see. Farewell, Uchiha Sarada".
Tao Ma raises his fist into the air and opens it. A loud screech is heard across the battlefield and an instant, the black-cloaked army disappears.
The battle is finally over.
A battle with no winners.
Days Later, The Hidden Leaf Hospital
There is a strange feeling in the Hidden Leaf. People don't know how they should be feeling right now. They know the result of the battle, they know the full story. The valour of their own warriors and the betrayal of the village founder and his student. They have beat impossible odds by surviving but how could anyone celebrate or claim to be happy with that. They have survived but at what cost, how much must they discard before they can say that the threat is over? How much must they endure?
The true dark cloud though is hanging over this hospital. Many of the critically injured have been brought here. Even a few captains came temporarily so that Tsunade and Biwako could use some of their more revolutionary medical techniques on them. They are gone now though and while the majority of shinobi are fine and recovering, just one injured warrior is enough to put them in a sour mood. That warrior, is of course, Uzumaki Naruto.
It is days later, in a hospital room crammed with those closes to him, that he finally wakes up.
His eyes open and he looks around to see who is watching over him. This is far more than he would have received during his youth. First, he spots Hinata, sitting on the chair next to the bed, concerned about him as ever. Next, he looks at the window, he can just about make out the silhouette created by the sunlight shining in through the window, his daughter, Himawari. Then, his eyes are drawn to the stunning red hair of his mother and notices the arm of his father around her shoulder. Lastly, sat on a seat at the end of his bed is his student, Sarada.
He can only identify this group one way. His family.
"Hello" he groans, sitting up slowly. "It's good to see you all".
"You're awake" Hinata says a little more loudly than she should as she turns to look at him.
"It would be uncool if the Hokage slept forever, wouldn't it?".
Any medic looking at Naruto would call him a freak of nature. They would be right. Recovering from all the abuse his body took in such a short time shouldn't be doable, even with modern medical techniques. He isn't an ordinary patient though, an Uzumaki clan member, a sage mode practitioner, the jinchuriki for the nine-tailed beast, the second ever user of 'life'. His recovery time is naturally far quicker than anyone else they have ever met.
His family probe him with various questions, asking about certain injuries and how he is mentally. They ask about the pain he feels in his limbs and whether he is feeling sick or has a headache. He insists to them that he is fine though, even going so far as to reject their offer to call for a doctor.
Finally, Sarada addresses the elephant in the room.
"Master, you have to know the truth about why they did what they did. You have to know the full story".
"Sorry, but Sarada is right" Minato sighs. "It's best that you the full story about what happened".
Naruto is initially reluctant to hear about his son and his friend. He doesn't want to taint his own impression of them any further than it has been. He also knows that he is the Hokage though, and reluctantly admits that he should know all of what happened on the battlefield that day.
Himawari, Minato and Kushina are privy to the full details of the battle. They tell him everything. They detail how the groups split up. They re-tell Clyde's speech and how he told them the difference between them and Lara. They tell Naruto who battled who and what abilities and elements they used. They tell Naruto of their amazing victories and of how he was likely the one who inspired Clyde to win in the way he did. Lastly, they tell Naruto of Boruto and Hashirama's stories after they emerged onto the battlefield. The hardest part of this all for Naruto, is the look on Himawari's face as she tells him what Boruto said.
"He had unlocked the element of 'death' and deceived us all in the process".
Naruto nods. "I see" he says, unknowing of what to say.
"I just wish that he could be here now. I wish he had decided to fight alongside us, to protect Clyde and the others" Himawari explains. "Even with everything they did to us".
Minato puts a comforting hand on his granddaughter's shoulder. "Naruto, this is a lot to take on-board. I know that I shouldn't pressure you for an answer, but I need to know. What will you do next?".
Confronted with five miserable faces, each of them asking the same question, Naruto wonders what he should say. As a son, fiancé, a father, a master, a Hokage. They are like lost sheep without him, like they have lost their own ability to make a decision. They have all acted as they think he would, they have all resolved never to give up in their own little ways, but they no longer know which direction they are moving.
The 7th Hokage can only think of one way he wants to steer them. Towards happiness.
"Well, the first thing I'm going to do is make you all smile again" he says with an uncharacteristic laugh.
They are all slightly stunned by his response, but he finds a way to justify it.
"You are all treating this like a total defeat when it's not too bad" he says. "We feared the worst. We thought Boruto and Hashirama were dead, but they are both alive. And you are all incredible, you went to war without my help and you all survived".
"But dad, he's gone" Himawari says, "He's no longer on our side".
"If Boruto's still alive there is always hope that we can laugh together again. We're closer to that moment than we were before, you have to believe that Himawari".
Himawari accepts the word of her father. "Yeah… you're right".
"Hinata, we went to see Clyde and we swore we would get our son back, didn't we?".
"Yes, that's right".
"I trust that promise still stands?".
She smiles. "Yes, of course it does".
They realise that what Naruto says is right. Their ultimate goal may be very difficult, but they previously feared it impossible. That is not the case. What may not have been achievable has become so. And, when something is difficult to achieve, who better to have on your side than the people in this room?
"Then, I will stand by my ninja way, just as I always have done".
"I won't give up".
"I will bring them both back to the village, no matter how long it takes or how hard it is".
Seeing how strong Boruto and Hashirama, how convinced they were that they were right, it seems unlikely at first. Yet, there is something about the way Naruto speaks these words that make them ring true.
The news is shortly announced to the Circle and then to the rest of the village that Naruto is alive and well. The mood picks up as he exits the hospital, many people far happier than they were before. There is a sense, even amongst the non-shinobi of the village, that if the 7th Hokage is on their side they can do anything. Uzumaki Naruto is determined to prove them right.
With all the facts presented to him. Once more, he leaves the Hidden Leaf Village.
Clyde's Headquarters
Clyde and all of his colonels reside within one tent, making plans for their next move. Things are looking good for them, now there are three people amongst their group with access to a golden cloak. Of course, that alone will be nowhere enough to fulfil their ambitions of taking back their own world. For that they will need a miracle. Luckily for them, a miracle approaches.
Peterson smiles. "Do you feel that?".
"Yes" Sheer nods.
Colonel Grace walks up to the entrance of the tent, peeking out through the door. She looks back and smiles cheerfully at Clyde. "Sir, he is here to see you".
"Then show him in".
Grace opens the door, politely gesturing in the same guest as they had not so long ago. Naruto enters the tent, a smile on his face that is shared by the whole group. They already know where this meeting is going but are happy to play along with it all the same.
"Welcome Uzumaki Naruto".
"It's good to be here and let me thank you on behalf of my village" Naruto says. Clyde offers the Hokage a seat at the table on it is gladly accepted. "Thank you for saving the Hidden Leaf".
"You know, I didn't realise how strong you were during our last fight" Clyde admits, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Your exhaustion back then made you seem beatable when truly, you were completely out of my league".
"Don't put yourself down Clyde, unlike me you were victorious that day".
"So I was".
There is no bitterness in Naruto's praise. His smile showing that he is just as happy to be here as all the colonels are that he is here. He asks the correct formal questions on behalf of those who he represents.
"What happened to Lara and her followers?".
"They went back through the portal. What they will do on the other side I do not know. Not that it matters, our course is already set". Clyde leans on the table gesturing to an enormous map between himself and Naruto. "Destiny is on the move, Uzumaki Naruto and you are right at the centre of it".
"That's a lot to take in. I am now not only the hope of my people but of yours too".
Sheer nods. "It seems that you have the weight of two worlds on your back".
"We understand it's a lot of responsibility for one person to bear" Peterson adds.
Naruto lowers his head, dropping his voice to a whisper as he states the inevitable conclusion of this alliance. In the end it is all going to come down to a collision between himself and the one he has targeted since he heard of him.
"… I have to defeat him right; Jonas?".
"… that's right".
"He is the man forcing oppression onto your people. He is the main driving force behind the invasion of my world".
"It won't be easy" Clyde confesses, "But, he is the one who has caused all of this heartache and death, I can assure you of that".
"In that case, isn't he the one that Boruto is going after too?".
"I would have thought so".
Those around the table understand Naruto as a person now. He is someone that they all look up to, someone just like the previous emperor of their world. Perhaps he is the one chosen by destiny to take them back to the promised land. The doomed children have found their saviour and he couldn't be more perfect to them. He won't make the wrong decision, he won't think poorly of them for what they have done, he won't stop at anything to right the wrongs that have caused all this heartache. He will never give up.
"There is only one way forward from this point for me" Naruto announces. "I'm going to save both my world and yours. I'm going to bring my son home to where he belongs".
Clyde knows what this means, he leans back comfortably.
"Give me the order and I will follow it".
Naruto does just that.
"General Clyde…".
"… take me to your world".
Author Note:
Hi All.
That was the end of 'Part 5 - War Never Ends'.
I hope you guys enjoyed this part. It was by far the longest I have written yet.
As the ending suggests, I will naturally be continuing this story in Part 6, which has yet to be named.
There will be a significant break while I script Part 6 before I can write it. I may write a few short things in that period if I get bored.
I will try to script Part 6 as quickly as I can without sacrificing quality, so I will thank you in advance for your patients.
As always, thank you for continuing to read this story, it is always great to see that you continue to do so. It gives me a lot of motivation to write more.
So, thank you, for everything, see you soon,
Cbehrills