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Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.
A NEW WORLD – LARA'S DECISION
On the Way back to the Hidden Leaf Hideout
It wasn't too long ago that Clyde gave his speech about eight backs. He spoke that day of the eight leaders that fought at the head of the recently formed alliance between his group and the Hidden Leaf. He spoke particularly of himself, Peterson and the group of Hokage who were present that day. However, at the time one person wasn't able to be there with them, that was due to Clyde's actions of course. That person was naturally, Uzumaki Naruto, the man he believed to be key to saving his world.
He still believes that Naruto will be the key. He doesn't believe it is a coincidence that Naruto is only the second person to ever master the element of 'life'. He is an inspiration. He is something beyond a leader, a hero whose presence alone makes you feel like everything will be alright. He isn't like the rest of them who had to strain for a few hours not to turn around. Naruto has always showed them his back, just as he is doing now. He keeps walking forward, never turning around to see where he has come from. No regrets, simply determination.
It has been silent for a while now, he notices. Naruto has found his determination and is simply walking towards his goal. Witnessing her master's resolution was all that Sarada required to find her own. However, he is left simply to follow in their wake. This is the first time in a while he has seen such an expression on Naruto's face.
"It's all well and good that you have found some resolve" says the general, "But what do we do now?".
"We try again, and this time we win".
Clyde expected an answer slightly less fundamental. "You make it sound easy but has anything really changed. Surely the only difference from before is that your mental state has improved".
He looks to the two-shinobi accompanying him to gauge their responses. Nothing, not the slightest flinch on the face of either as he points out how much trouble they are still in. Have they thought of some incredible route to victory, or are they simply showing an iron will that they have obtained through a life of struggle?
"Carmen has perfect control over her position" Clyde continues, getting no response. "Even if you hit her with your strongest attack it does nothing".
"Then, I'll just have to hit her when she isn't expecting it" Naruto says, his eyes still firmly fixed to his front.
The environment around them changes as they leave the hilly moorland environment of the academy and return to the plain grasslands where the hideout is located. They are safe here, it's more idyllic, somewhat like home.
"What if we shatter her foundation" Sarada asks, recalling what she witnessed during their previous battle with Carmen.
Foundation, one of the battle principles. Carmen roots herself into the ground and maintains her position. She becomes an immovable object. A technique useless against those stronger than yourself but helpful against the weak who battle with manoeuvrability.
"Many have tried to shatter Carmen's foundation. The majority have failed" Clyde says, "However, it must have been done in the past at least once".
"It must have been done in the past? Have you seen it done?".
"No, I haven't" Clyde admits, "And I don't know that it has been done since Emperor Endou rose to power".
Thousands of years. That is the time scale they are dealing with, Sarada realises. It's quite possible that Carmen's foundation hasn't been broken since before Clyde's birth. That foundation will have become many times stronger in that time interval. Shattering it again may be impossible for those on the same level as Carmen, never mind for those, like themselves, who are weaker than the aristocrat.
After taking a few more steps, the trio stop in their tracks. It appears that they have no external stimulus, that they all became aware of impending danger simultaneously. It's as if they are all blessed with a form of telepathy.
"Hey, what's happening, why are you stopping" Kurama shouts, breaking his silence.
Naruto carefully turns his head to the side, looking in the direction of the impending danger. "He's coming".
His prophecy comes true as once more he does the impossible and ends up encountering three of their most familiar adversaries.
Hashirama.
Boruto.
Tao Ma.
The three of them change their course slightly and come face-to-face with Naruto, Sarada and Clyde once more.
It doesn't take a genius to work out how their fight against Carmen must have gone. Though clearly, given the time frame, they must have persisted in their battle for a long time. Their clothes are battered and torn, with Tao Ma's in an even greater state of disrepair than usual. The cuts and bruises on their faces appear deep and painful. Their injuries, Naruto decides, must have been much worse before, as Hashirama likely tended to them with his medical prowess.
The three of them lost against Carmen.
"Woah, woah, woah" Clyde rushes to say. He holds out his hands before him, gesturing for calm. "We don't want any trouble here, let's just go our separate ways peacefully".
Tao Ma laughs. Initially the same sadistic laugh as usual but Boruto looks at him with concern. There are almost tears in the eyes of the crazed 'death' user.
"I'm surprised you know the meaning of the word peace" Tao Ma says.
Ignoring Tao Ma, Sarada steps forward, looking only at her fiancé. "Boruto, you look hurt, are you alright?".
"Yeah" he answers. "You seem to have recovered from before".
"Yeah".
In any other situation, Naruto would take a moment to be delighted at the interaction. His son and student are talking again. They're concerned for each other's welfare. He can't afford to pay attention to details like that now though, all he has to worry about is this encounter and any long-term repercussions for the village.
"Hashirama, did you lose to Carmen as well?".
Screwing his fist tightly, Hashirama responds, "Don't get too cocky Naruto. I may have lost but I am still confident in my ability to defeat you".
"Maybe… perhaps 'death' is an element that 'life' is destined to lose against. But if you force me to fight we can find out, there is nobody around after all".
"Yeah" the 1st Hokage agrees, "We can definitely fight with our full power here".
Clyde's entire body goes cold. That is a large part of why they didn't fight before. At the bottom of each group's philosophy is a desire to do what is best for the Hidden Leaf Village. Each group simply has a different view on how to achieve that. They are willing to fight one another but never to the immediate detriment of the village that they love. However, now there is nobody around from that village. There is nothing to stop Hashirama from attacking and trying to wrest control of the village from Naruto.
One after another, combinations of chakra and divine energy flare.
Boruto.
Sarada.
Tao Ma.
Clyde.
Hashirama.
Naruto.
If anyone with less power than this group were to stumble by they would be absolutely stunned. On their respective levels, each individual has a claim to fame. Each one of them puts out such a tremendous pressure that it shakes the very grass around them without their even moving.
Just as the howling pressure of the wind appears to be steadying, it intensifies further as Naruto holds his hand out and begins to generate a 'life' enhanced tailed beast bomb. This may not be quite as strong as a concentrated attack, but it has all the power it needs to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.
Contrary to the power he is faced with though, Hashirama stands opposite his adversary unphased, ready to take on any impending attacks.
"Please wait a minute" Boruto says, placing himself between his father and his master. "Now is not the time to be fighting, it would only weaken each other. No matter what, we have the same ultimate goal here, to kill Furst Jonas".
"Good point".
Boruto, Sarada, Tao Ma and Clyde are all quick to calm their aura's, leaving only the two most powerful ones left. Naruto and Hashirama are still at pistol's drawn.
"Well Hashirama?" Naruto says with the tailed-beast bomb still in hand, "Are you willing to stand down for now?".
After a moment, the 'death' user answers. "Yes, for now".
Both the 1st and 7th Hokage retract their expanded aura's. This causes the other four to exhale lungs full of oxygen they hadn't realised they accumulated.
"Boruto is right. There is nothing to gain by fighting here" Hashirama admits. "Conversely, if you were die here then both sides would suffer a great personal loss".
"I'm glad you've seen sense".
"It is you who refuses to see sense Naruto. You continue to ally yourself with Clyde instead of us, it will come back to haunt you".
Clyde worries each time Hashirama speaks on the subject. The 1st Hokage may not be an intellectual academic but his speeches have a charisma to them, just like Naruto's. Each time he speaks Clyde is left to wonder who will pay attention. Yet, he looks at Naruto's back for any signs of hesitation and Naruto doesn't move. This world's greatest hope isn't willing to change sides, at least not for now.
"Let's go" Hashirama says, waiting just long enough to see Naruto's reaction.
They do just that. Hashirama, Boruto and Tao Ma move past the three of them, converging back with their original course and presumably heading towards their own hideout. Clyde finally relaxes his shoulders as he realises that his plans aren't going to fall apart today.
The three of them don't move on. Instead, they stay in silence for a few minutes. Clyde would quite happily leave right now but he knows that he has the fewest decisions to make amongst the group. There is no choice left for him, simply hopes and prayers. Naruto on the other hand still has a large part of destiny that is his to determine. That is why both Clyde and Sarada wait on his first actions.
He turns around to face the two of them, offering a weak smile.
"I'm glad Boruto is still thinking clearly" he says.
"I'm not. I could deal with this if he had made an irrational decision" Sarada replies. "But knowing that he made a logical choice to turn his back on us, it hurts just that little bit more".
Naruto nods, lowering his head after he does so. He knows that perhaps Sarada is right. Perhaps if Boruto had gone insane or had been corrupted by a dark incomprehensible force, this would be easier on them. However, thanks to the dying words of the deceased and the war Clyde once brought to their world, Boruto has made a rational choice to fight against them.
The general walks over to the two of them, patting them comfortingly on their shoulders. "The two of you should calm down. If there is anyone who can make him return to the way he was, it is you two. He will eventually be forced to see what the rest of us see. He will see how brilliant the two of you are. Then, he will regret the decisions he has made".
"I hope you are right".
'So do I' Clyde says to himself.
His words were not simply to comfort his companions though. They were truly spoken from the heart. If there is one thing he understands about Boruto, that is that he cares for both Sarada and Naruto. That is the sort of emotion that isn't easily destroyed. That is the sort of emotion the two of them have restored his faith in.
From their rear, they hear the rumbles of a travelling group, like the footsteps of approaching wildebeest.
Clyde is quick to recognise that this is likely a group of humans. Animals are common in this region but are never brought together in such large groups. He prepares to ask Sarada to use her rinnegan and see who the approaching group is, but his question is answered before he can do so.
"You!" a voice screams as its owner approaches.
He is stunned.
"Lara!".
Lara arrives at the head of a large army, the broken and battered remains of what invaded the pocket world not too long ago. A group containing Elliot, Brooks and Blackburn. This is a group that a short time ago struck fear into the heart of the pocket world, however, now is a very different story. Now Naruto and Sarada are ready to fight.
"… are you here to fight?" Naruto asks Lara, "If you are, I am ready, I won't go easy on you".
Lara simply smiles at Naruto, flexing her fingers as if to reach for an invisible weapon. This is a look she has given to her prey for hundreds of years, the look of the military's greatest leader that strikes fear into the hearts of her victims.
"No" Clyde says, calming Naruto. "She's not here to fight. That wouldn't be possible. You could defeat her alone. With Sarada and me by your side it would be easy".
"Clyde. Do you think I am afraid of you because of a single defeat" she asks, raising a used glass from her pocket and throwing it into the ground. With the shattered glass, Lara marks her comfort zone. "Do you think the most feared general in the history of the military is going to lie down and roll over?".
"I don't know what you will do now Lara, I found you impossible to understand, a mystery that nobody will ever solve".
Clyde's comments clearly frustrate Lara. She frowns and the murderous look in her eyes is replaced by one of contempt. She hates it when people do this to her, look at her as if she is a puzzle to solve. However, for many people that is what she always has been. How could someone with so much talent and potential end up such a way? How could a person such as her come to exist? What differed between Clyde's path and her own that she would end up so broken?
"Clyde. I no longer care about killing you. I have decided to set my sights high above you. Yes. So much higher than you" she announces.
"Are you going to start killing again?".
Her smile returns. "I am going to remind you that you are my subordinate, just like they are" she says, point to the other generals with her thumb. "So stop standing beside those two and get behind me, because that's where you belong".
Clyde is uncertain of how to interpret Lara's orders. Is there no longer animosity between them? He could get use to that. However, the tone is slightly condescending, unbefitting of his status as her equal. Either way, he knows where he belongs now. It is not behind Lara.
"… I have no intention of obeying that order".
"You would disobey me? I don't believe that you have the guts to do so. You are a man of principles and honour".
"Then why would I follow a woman who has neither".
"Because you still wear that cape of gold on your back. You are still in the uniform you have always worn. By wearing that uniform, you are announcing to the world that you are under my command" Lara explains. "So either stop wearing it or stop disrespecting me by doing so".
Clyde reaches his hand up and clutches hold of the golden garment. This has been part of his attire for so long now, it's like part of his body. He berated Martin on countless occasions for disrespecting this uniform. Has he ever respected it though, why has he wore it for so long if he doesn't fight for the emperor. Then he realises why he wears it. It's because he does respect the emperor. The true emperor.
"This uniform does not symbolise my falling under your command. It shows my loyalty to the man named Endou Akashi" he tells his former leader. "I will not stand at your rear, I will proudly stand beside this man, Uzumaki Naruto".
"Very well!".
A golden 'light' cloak appears around Lara, putting her into her most powerful state as divine energy emits from her core.
"I knew that you wouldn't make this easy Clyde".
In an instant, Naruto pulls a kunai to his hand and shrouds it in the element of 'life'. This isn't an element that transcends a level life 'light'. This is an element that transcends two levels. This is the element of the previous emperor. While Naruto's understanding of his element is inferior to Lara's, when he combines his divine energy with his chakra, he outpowers her enormously.
Out of fear, everyone under Lara's command takes a single step backward.
This is the man they didn't have to fight before. This is the man at the head of the Hidden Leaf Village. This is the one who they have had nightmares about since witnessing his power.
"It looks like I will be made to fight after all" Naruto says. "Lara, you haven't fought me before, but you surely know how this is going to go. Will you fight me regardless?".
It is a fight she will certainly lose, what will Lara say?
"I am who I am, no matter who I stand in front of, next to, or behind".
Naruto takes that as a yes. "Very well".
Lara teleports to Naruto's front before he can react. He is amazed straight away by her teleportation speed and technique. Unlike his father's it requires no marker or prior preparation. Unlike his sensei's it requires no time to traverse gaps in space-time. It's a seemingly perfect teleportation technique.
Lara grabs hold of Naruto's collar with both hands.
Sarada is the first to respond to this, gathering the energy of the sun on her fist and preparing to attack. She is interrupted by Clyde's hand though as he beckons to the 9th Hokage not to attack.
"Listen to me" Lara whispers, before shouting. "You will listen to me, Uzumaki Naruto!".
She lowers her head as she speaks, yet her voice has the imperious nature of a queen speaking to her citizens.
"I despise you Uzumaki Naruto".
"Ever since you have shown up, my entire world has been turned on it's head".
"Before you were here, Clyde was a coward afraid to act".
"He was afraid to act how he knew he should, he was weaker than I was".
"I was on top of the world, the strongest general ever, destined to join the aristocracy and live an easy life where I could do no wrong".
"But then you show up".
"You understand an element. And not just any element, you understand 'life'. The same as the damn old man".
"And you're strong, stronger than Clyde, stronger than me for god's sake".
Naruto looks down at the lowered head of Lara as her grip slowly weakens on his collar. He can see the shaking of her bald head, feel the trembling of her hands, sense the shaking in her voice. He doesn't know whether this is a rant or a cry for help.
"Lara, I don't know who you are but…".
"Shut up" Lara says, tightening her grip on his collar once again. "I said you will listen to me and you will".
She lets go of his collar and steps backward.
"It's not just Clyde who annoys me, you do as well. So, I won't just finish above him, I will finish above you too. I will…".
The three of them all wonder what she will say.
"I will be the one who kills Furst Jonas" she shouts into his face.
Clyde is the first to react. "You?".
He's never heard something so ridiculous. "Lara if there is one person this world system favours, it's you. You probably came from a troubled background, but your ruthless attitude, your bloodlust and above all your talent has allowed you to do whatever you want in the pocket worlds. Before now, nobody, not even I, has stopped you from doing what you want, so why kill the man who enabled it all. Your freedom can only be attributed to Furst, so why kill him?".
Sarada nods. She understands that Lara is some kind of insane killer, that she must have had a hard life to drive her to this mindset. Still, she should be a reasonably intelligent woman if she has gotten this far, how could she possibly think killing Furst would help anything?
"I don't have to explain myself to you Clyde. You are my subordinate, you work for me" she snaps, shaking her fist angrily at him. "But I have been forced to look back at my subordinates and realise there is nothing I can do to bring them up. No matter how much they train, Blackburn, Brooks and Elliot will never be able to threaten that crazy guy".
Clyde knows that Lara is telling the truth. The three of them are just too weak.
"I have only one subordinate who can help me to kill him" Lara explains, "That subordinate is you".
"Lara…".
"And not only do you have power that I need, you also have allies more powerful than yourself" she continues. "I'm looking at you two, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sarada, you are the allies of my subordinate".
Sarada suddenly grows very weary of being pulled closer to Lara, even by this tenuous connection. Lara isn't like Clyde, she has shown no remorse for her actions whatsoever. She has shown no decency nor any value for human life. Her goal revolves around killing Furst rather than saving the empire. Even now she is trying to order them around rather than apologising for the suffering and death she caused.
"We ally ourselves with Clyde" Sarada says, "What he is to you is his own business".
"That's why… that's why… you are going to help me get past Carmen" Lara says, albeit with a struggle. "You two are going to help me kill Furst Jonas, so then I can wipe this foul taste from my mouth, got it!".
The Uchiha laughs. "That's the worst way of asking for help I have ever heard!".
Then, the dreaded voice of her master comes from beside her.
"Alright" Naruto says.
Sarada turns towards him in horror. "Naruto!".
He has always been willing to give people a chance, no matter what they have done. He spoke and reconciled with the man who destroyed his entire village. Naruto used the power of speech to talk down the man who started the 4th shinobi war. However, those decisions seemed to have some merit behind them. This decision could surely only be fuelled by a childish idealism.
"I see no harm in giving her a chance" Naruto says with a shrug of his shoulders. "Besides, if we don't then how are we any different from Hashirama and Boruto".
Clyde steps Naruto's direction, pulling his shoulder. "Naruto, you are playing a dangerous game here".
Lara doesn't help herself. "Your friends are right. This doesn't make us friends. This just makes you a stepping stone on my rise to the top".
"See that, we can't trust her!".
"Let's just relax, we could definitely use the assistance of a strong ally" Naruto says, doing his best to laugh the situation off. "None of us know what may happen tomorrow or the day after. If we don't take this chance we may end up regretting it".
Clyde puffs his cheeks. "I will follow your lead Naruto".
"What you say is true" Sarada sighs. "But we may also not get the chance to regret it".
The decision stands. Naruto begins to play Lara's dangerous game.