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Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.
A NEW WORLD – CHAOS IN THE CAMP
Near the Hidden Leaf Hideout
The walk is almost silent as the now much larger group journeys back towards the Hidden Leaf. Joined by the thousands of soldiers who call Lara their leader, a feeling of awkwardness has overcome the young blonde shinobi Uzumaki Naruto. He even hides his thoughts from Kurama as he occasionally glances back at them.
To Naruto's immediate left is Sarada, walking the closest to him of anyone. Naturally, they are family to one another, a close part of each other's life for several years now. To his right, about six paces away is Clyde, every bit as cautious as Naruto. Clyde's glances are more frequent, more panicked and perhaps more conscious of the dangers this situation poses. Then, about the same distance further again walks Lara, somehow the calmest and most collected of the four leaders.
Naruto cannot help but wonder if he has made a mistake. "Sarada, you know the villagers and their minds better than I do. Tell me, will it be hard to convince them that this is the right decision?".
Sarada's gaze snaps around from the soldiers at her rear to Naruto instead, stupefied by such a question. "Are you serious?".
For years, soldiers like the ones behind them, captains and colonels have been the bane of Sarada's existence. People in those very uniforms have slaughtered her allies, killed her friends, psychologically assaulted her loved ones. Looking back at them is enough to give her a slight fright, even though she is probably capable of defeating them all at once. For the villagers, most of whom would be powerless against this force, it would surely be ten times worse.
"Lara has been the chief organising force behind the village's suffering for years now. Within the last few weeks, she has been attacking them at their homes" Sarada explains, recalling tales of Georgia's poison net. "Furthermore, unlike Clyde, she has shown no remorse nor has there been any sort of cooldown period. So yeah, convincing them that she is worth trusting may be difficult".
Naruto looks back toward Lara, convinced that despite their distance she must know what they are saying. Her toothy smile, while child-like in its nature, is more terrifying than he could have foreseen. Those teeth are stained in blood and sharpened with bone, both metaphorically and literally.
Clyde approaches from the right, getting closer to his two more-powerful allies. "Your villagers aren't the only ones who may struggle with your forgiving her, Naruto".
"They're not?".
"Even my subordinates will likely struggle to let this go" Clyde says glumly. "After years of serving her, Lara has showed no hesitation in killing them. If her subordinates were ever to question her orders she would immediately kill them without remorse".
Killing people without remorse once they have outlived their usefulness. Naruto remembers when he had to work with such a person. Sasuke had fallen into that deep abyss where his connection with reality had been all but severed. Naruto reached his hand into that abyss and pulled Sasuke back by the scruff of the neck, the two of them went on to become the most revered duo in their world's history. Of course, Lara is not Sasuke, there is no guarantee the same thing can be done with her. However, when everybody gives up on bringing someone back from that abyss, that is when they are truly lost. Nobody ever need be lost to that darkness when Uzumaki Naruto can help them.
"I know that Lara has wronged your people in the past, but don't they realise that she is worth betting on as we move forward?" Naruto asks.
"If we were to look at it logically, it would be hard to make a rational argument for siding with Lara" Clyde says.
Clyde is right, there must be a rational element involved with redemption, reality must be forgiving. Sasuke was forgiven but it wasn't straightforward. Many of the villagers who learnt of his treachery never forgave him. He only avoided the harshest possible sentence because of a small group of people, his team. Naruto and Sakura were both heroes of the village, each of whom had tremendous political sway in the aftermath of the war. Perhaps the only person with more sway was the Hokage, Sasuke's sensei, Kakashi. Kakashi was also willing to forgive Sasuke. It could be argued that coincidence was on his side, that destiny had grouped him with the three people he would need most in his quest for forgiveness. Otherwise, what Naruto is wanting for Lara would have proven impossible for Sasuke.
"I hope my word holds enough sway with the villagers" Naruto says with a sigh.
Sarada snickers, "I'm sure that if yours doesn't then nobody else's will".
Naruto looks past Clyde and shouts to their new accomplice. "Lara, could you at least try to be friendly in front of the villagers".
"Shove it" the top general shouts in reply.
Naruto resists the urge to drop his head into his hands. He has always tried to do the right thing, to live by the high level of ethics and morals he sets himself. However, sometimes people like Lara certainly make that difficult for him.
"Give us a break, Naruto has already shown you more patience than anybody else would" Sarada says, "You could at least help us out a bit".
Two of Lara's generals creep up to her from behind, trying their best to reason with their leader.
"Lara, perhaps it would be best to try and show some restraint here" says the burly General Blackburn.
"There isn't much to gain from fighting" Brooks adds, "We do have plenty to lose though".
"Both of you should be quiet as well!" she shouts at her two subordinates.
Lara is certainly proving to have the short fuse that Sarada had predicted.
"Everyone, let's just calm down" Clyde says loudly and clearly. His leader voice, Sarada notes. "These trust issues that we have developed regarding one another won't be solved easily with words, they must be solved with actions. I say that if we can't be civil with one another, we should just ignore each other for now".
Lara's expression changes to disgust. "Clyde, you are not the man you once were?".
"No?" he asks passively.
"The old Clyde was more… he was a proud warrior, a worthy foe who strove to move forward. He wouldn't ponder obstacles or negotiate with those weaker than himself. He wouldn't have taken this route, he would have made a path with his fists, not his brains. Just what happened to you?".
"All people evolve Lara" he says reflectively, "We change to stop history from leaving us behind. Once you change you can either be forgotten or you can become something greater than before. I wasn't ready to take that gamble in the past, but now I am, that's why I changed".
"You're too philosophical. Just do what you want and don't let anyone stop you" she rebukes.
Nearby Blackburn makes his own observations of Clyde.
'Yes. Lara is right, Clyde has changed' he notes, 'But he may well have changed for the better'.
Sarada, beginning to recognise the surroundings, activates her rinnegan. The glowing purples eyes dart left and right for a couple of moments before coming to rest on the place she was looking for.
It's the village hideout.
She groans. 'This is going to be interesting'.
Naruto can tell from Sarada's sudden reaction and the familiarity of the surroundings that they must be approaching the village. Only now does he begin to fully understand just what this must look like. Certainly, he may be walking at the front of the group, but just behind him is Lara and a group that went to war with the village just a short time ago. If you didn't have your wits about you, you could be forgiven for mistaking this as an invasion.
He wonders just what sort of response time there will be. Will the village already be on red alert at this point? Has everyone already started to prepare their weapons. It's likely to only be a few more moments, Sarada was able to see the hideout, it's likely that either the Hyuuga will see them coming or the Inuzuka will smell them. Just what will they do when that happens, how extreme a situation will he have to dissolve?
The villagers do indeed begin to panic, running and shouting so loud that it can be heard even as far away as they are. Hysteria, that's the best way to describe it. The panicked screams of the weak are only drowned out by the orders barked out by the military leaders. Naruto considers that many of his own friends are likely to be the ones shouting.
Chakra begins to flare up all across the hideout, accompanied by barriers of stone, fire and water rising up to defend it. Along with the barriers of chakra comes the mounting divine energy, an entire army's worth. The combined army of General Clyde and the Hidden Leaf Village, together they have enough might to intimidate any group in this world's military, except for one, Lara's group.
Sarada barely prevents herself from panicking. This outpouring of pure energy is likely to aggravate some of the colonels and captains in Lara's group, perhaps even to the point of eliciting a response. The last thing she needs is to have to calm them all down as they try to one-up each other with their divine energy reserves.
"… here we go then…" Clyde whispers to Naruto's concern.
A miraculous piece of luck, Minato appears out of thin air, arriving directly in front of his son Naruto.
"Naruto, what is going on? Why have you brought these people here?" Minato asks.
"Dad, we've called a truce, we're going to be working with Lara's group, at least for now".
Minato glances sideways at Lara. Unlike the trio who went on the excursion, he would not be able to survive a fight with her, he lacks comfort on a completely different level. Examining her face for the instant he dares to do so, he judges that she isn't exactly impressed with the response to her arrival. Then again, judging from the response back in the hideout, the villagers aren't impressed with her arrival either.
"I assume you can see the chaos taking place behind me?" Minato asks, pointing back over his shoulder, "I have to say that my first impression of this idea is that it's pretty bad".
"We need to give this a chance dad, it may be our only way to defeat Carmen. It may even be our only chance to successfully assassinate Furst".
Naruto looks over Minato's shoulder and sees two brilliant illuminations of gold accompanied by a wave of divine energy. He immediately realises that both Sheer and Peterson have powered up in response to the threat. The hideout as a whole is preparing for a full-scale collision.
"Lord 4th, we need to calm the situation now" Sarada says urgently, "Please teleport back and tell everyone that Lara is here peacefully".
Minato shakes his head. "This won't be a popular decision". He then teleports back to the village.
Sarada continues her attempts to diffuse any tensions, futile as it may seem. "OK Lara, your group will have to set up camp next to ours, any sort of distance you can maintain may comfort the villagers".
"This setup…" Lara begins, "This is pathetic… why are they bothering to put up this resistance…".
Lara, in less than a second, teleports away.
'Not good' Naruto shouts in his head.
Lara arrives in the hideout shared by the Hidden Leaf and the Clyde group, standing exactly in the middle of Peterson and Sheer, one arm's length away from each.
The two generals panic immediately upon the arrival of their perceived enemy. Sheer reacts by lowering herself towards the ground and sweeping her leg around toward the rear of Lara's ankles. Peterson, demonstrating some of his years of experience, spins the opposite way to Sheer, volleying a punch toward Lara's face.
Once again, the response to her arrival fails to impress Lara. She teleports to Peterson's rear, pushing him forward and allowing him to be the one that takes Sheer's attack. As Sheer's leg sweeps around, she trips Peterson to the ground.
No time to do anything fancy. Sheer creates a spear of 'wind' and thrusts it twice towards Lara.
The head general dodges each of the thrusts of the 'wind' spear. Minimising her movement partially to conserve energy but mostly to mock the abilities of her inferior opponents. After dodging the spear, the second time, she creates an orb of pure 'light'. She doesn't even need to bother with divine cloaks of any kind, these opponents are too weak to justify such an excessive response.
As Lara is about to use the orb of 'light', Tobirama teleports to her side and kicks the orb of 'light' away. He then quickly grabs hold of Sheer and uses his own teleportation ability to escape as quickly as possible. As Peterson begins to fire 'lightning' towards Lara, Tobirama realises that he has made a mistake, he should have teleported further away.
Lara teleports to Tobirama's new position, grabs the 2nd Hokage and Sheer, then teleports back, using the two of them as a shield to protect against Peterson's 'lightning attack'. She finally uses an attack of blunt 'light' energy to knock the three of them down at once.
In less than ten seconds, Lara defeats three general level fighters.
"This is pathetic" she shouts. "Don't you know what this place is supposed to achieve. We are trying to kill Furst Jonas Here. After that pathetic display, tell me exactly how you are supposed to help us in any way".
"You bastard" Tobirama curses through gritted teeth, "why are you attacking us now?".
"I'm helping you to realise the truth, the truth that you are helpless in front of my superior power" she says, her hand still whirling in divine 'light' energy. "What do you hope to do when confronted by Furst Jonas?".
The frantic looks on the faces of the fallen three warriors intensify as they realise their death may be imminent, such is Lara's temper. They are only calmed by the grasp of a familiar hand.
That familiar hand grabs Lara's wrist from behind.
Lara turns to face the man who grabbed her.
It is Naruto. The speed with which he approached incomprehensible to her.
"I invited you here but don't go thinking that I'm letting you do whatever you like" he says., "You cannot talk about your superior power here, because the superior here is not yours. It is mine".
Lara doesn't say a word, she has seldom been confronted by a situation like this. Naruto is right, she is not the one with the power here. He is the one with the power. She cannot do as she likes without reserve, because he will not allow it.
"Remember what you said to me Lara, this alliance is likely temporary, and it doesn't make us friends".
A sudden warm sensation of safety wraps itself around the onlookers like a blanket. Born from Naruto's intense gaze, the knowledge of their good position is born. While he is here they are untouchable, because as intimidating as Lara is to them, Naruto is ten times worse to her followers.
Naruto throws Lara's hand to the side. The sudden burst of motion brings without a feeling of terror for the powerless. However, in an instant, Naruto takes all of the divine energy that Lara has externalised and crushes it with his own. It is as he says, the superior power is his.
The first big name to run to the scene of the action is the Circle's administrator, Nara Shikadai.
"Lord 7th" he says as he gasps for air.
"Shikadai, everyone, I'm sorry that I let my guard down for a moment" Naruto says, "But Lara's little talk shows why she is here, she isn't here to kill any of us, she is here to kill Furst".
Sheer, Peterson and Tobirama all begin to pull themselves to their feet, still reeling from the heavy blows landed on them during their ten second skirmish. Lara is a monster, but Naruto is something beyond that.
Sarada and Clyde soon arrive too, ready to help should Lara decide to react violently once again.
"You really think that she is an appropriate ally of the village" Shikadai asks, waving a pointed finger at Lara, "Even after what she just did to Lord 2nd and the two generals".
Lara speaks up. "I would remind you that the two generals are under my command, not yours Uzumaki Naruto".
"They may not be under my command, but they are under my protection".
This statement brings great comfort to Peterson and Sheer, both of whom would much rather serve under Naruto than Lara.
"Listen, Lord 7th, this woman will not aid our efforts in any way, in fact she will surely act as a hinderance and will disrupt our unity". Shikadai argues his case with a passion not usually seen from the Nara clansmen who typically only oversees debates.
"Shikadai, in the end I left this decision to Naruto" Sarada admits, "As the Hokage, he had every right to make this decision".
"He should have spoken with the Circle on the matter first".
Tobirama dusts himself down. "What Shikadai says is correct Naruto. Personally speaking, I would have been grateful for some warning prior to the new arrival".
Clyde takes a moment to observe the body language of those around him. Sheer, Peterson and Tobirama are still very much in defensive positions, only natural given that they were just in a fight. Shikadai is unusual, one of the only people present who is showing no fear, perhaps driven by his rage. The most relaxed person is Naruto, seemingly unfazed by the verbal thrashing he is being dealt by his parliament's administrator.
"Everyone, let's just calm down, we don't need to fight this issue right now" Clyde says, "It might be best if the newcomers set up camp and we all had a little rest for a while. I think we could all do with a drink for now, don't you Lara?".
Lara takes a moment to note any potential aggressors before relaxing her shoulders. "Fine by me, I have bigger things to worry about than you people".
Together with Brooks, Elliot and the remainder of her subordinates, Lara heads off to set up camp nearby to the other two groups. She leaves only one person behind, perhaps unknowingly, that person is General Blackburn.
"General Clyde, allow me to praise you for how you handled a dangerous situation" Blackburn says, "We've had a rough start, but I promise I will do my best to maintain strong relations between our three groups".
Sarada agrees. Clyde defused the situation with a few well-placed words rather than by using his fists. He acted as a leader should and managed to calm what had previously been a violent encounter. His actions have indeed been praiseworthy. Had he been born a shinobi instead of a general, he would likely have made a good Hokage.
"Blackburn, if nothing else you have always been an honourable soldier, thanks for your kind words" Clyde replies. He isn't particularly in the mood for pleasantries but must act as he speaks. "Now go, it would be best for us all if you were to be near Lara and offer her a rational voice".
Blackburn salutes. "Of course". He then leaves.
A moment of silence passes while everyone collects themselves and the beating of their hearts slows. As per usual, one of the quickest to transition from alert to calm is the 2nd Hokage Tobirama.
"General Blackburn appears to be the most civil member of Lara's group" the 2nd Hokage declares, "He should probably function as a messenger between the two of us".
"A messenger?" Shikadai's brow creases as he questions the decision. "Have you changed your mind about their remaining here Lord 2nd?".
"I don't know".
"Surely you don't believe…".
"Look, we're all getting a bit too hot about this right now" Sarada says, silencing everyone once more. "I think we should take Clyde's suggestion. Let's all head back home, cool down, have a drink and relax".
Shikadai has none of it. "This isn't the time for that, the enemy is right at our doorstep".
"The enemy is in the imperial palace" Naruto retorts.
The two share an intense glare. The most respected voice within the Circle and the man who administers the debate. The man who thinks profoundly with the soul and the man who thinks profoundly with the mind. It is the latter whom, after a moment's pause, reduces his intensity and gives way in the argument.
"You are right Lord 7th. I am sorry" Shikadai says. "However, as the administrator of the Circle, I have to do the right thing for the village and call an emergency meeting".
"OK" Sarada says, "That's a good idea. Give us an hour to…".
"No, we're having an emergency meeting now" Shikadai insists. "Lord 2nd, please gather the other members of the Circle".
The teleporter accepts the suggestion and agrees with Shikadai. He uses the flying thunder god technique, disappearing to quickly collect the village's remaining decision makers.
"I hope you've got some strong arguments prepared, Lord 7th, Lord 9th. You may struggle to convince the Circle of this decision".