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Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.
A NEW WORLD – A CIVIL WAR BEGINS
Lara's Portion of the Hideout
Lara arrives back in her third of the living space. A large gap exists between this space and the spaces of Clyde's group and the Hidden Leaf, a space maintained by the requests of the Hokage. Unity between the shinobi and Lara's subordinates would take a long time to exit from its nascent stage, such is the hatred between the two factions. Fortunately, Lara now finds herself in a position to use that hatred to her advantage, something she is only too comfortable to do.
Lara walks to the front her enormous gathering of soldiers, each of them stood at attention, weapons and powers at the ready for yet another fight. The faction may not have the most powerful warrior, but the others are top heavy. From Lara down to the captains, there is a perfectly distributed range of power, reflecting on the handpicked nature of the army. Lara may be bloodthirsty, and her sociopathic desire for supremacy may have even driven her insane, but she is intelligent and has chosen her followers well.
"Hey! Listen up!" she commands her followers. "We have to act quickly, so I don't want any interruptions, got it?".
"Yes ma'am" they all reply.
"I said I didn't want any interruptions idiots" she shouts, silencing them all with a menacing grin.
"Now, there are some shinobi amongst this group who don't trust us".
"That's fine by me, they would have to be stupid to trust an old adversary like us".
"However, those shinobi have decided to move, a decision that threatens our lives".
"Uzumaki Naruto has been the victim of an assassination attempt, General Clyde is the only suspect".
Despite the order for silence whispers travel back and forward between Lara's various subordinates. While his long-time rivals, they are familiar with Clyde's methods, with his personality as a leader. An assassination attempt is not in Clyde's nature, after all, he even offered to fight the Hokage in a captained-six contest.
Captained-six contests often took place between military groups in the homeworld. It has proven a good way to work out who is the strongest. Of course, every time they have battled, that has proven to be Lara's group. Everyone started to resort to dirty tricks and underhanded tactics in order to defeat them, all to no avail unfortunately. However, only one group never sunk to that level, one group always fought fair and square, even to their own detriment. That group belonged to Clyde, a man whose pride outweighed his own sense.
"Some of the shinobi are planning to take the villagers and leave".
"If the villagers leave this hideout, the shinobi Hashirama and Boruto will come here to slaughter us".
"There is only one way we can survive this in one piece".
"We must kill the rebels".
"You must kill anyone who tries to take the villagers away from this place, no exceptions".
Lara turns her back and her army lets out mighty battle cry, their bloodlust roused by their leader's speech. Their shouts are deafening, the roar of a lion that is beginning to move, a lion with its prey well within sight.
The Shinobi Portion of the Hideout
The area is relatively quiet. Everyone is acting according to the urgent need to escape from this place, quickly picking up what's left of the supplies and sorting them into bags. Several of the more respected shinobi of the village such as Shikamaru group people together so that they can easily travel. They know that this is going to be a tough journey but also that they cannot stay here for one second longer than they need to.
The quiet atmosphere is ruined though, ruined by the battle cry of Lara's group.
Mirai stops what she is doing and runs to the front of the group.
"Everyone, grab as much as you can, we're leaving right now, come on" she says, clapping her hands urgently. "Shinobi, help the civilians, those of you with enough chakra make some clones to help out".
Nobody dares hesitate and with a soundtrack of crying children and screaming citizens, they begin to grab what supplies they can so that they can leave the village.
As Mirai prepares to lead the group of would-be escapees away, she turns around to find her path blocked by a familiar face. The face of someone she has watched grow from a young girl into one of the most talented shinobi in history.
It's Sarada.
"Mirai, you know what Boruto will do if you take the villagers to him" Sarada says calmly, "Someone is bound to tell him where we are, the people from this world will be slaughtered. You can't let that happen".
Mirai takes the silence of the villagers behind her as a bad sign. It seems that it has come down to a standoff between the Hokage and the military leader. If there is one person in this entire village she wouldn't want to have to face in a situation like this, it is Sarada. She swallows any hesitation that she may be experiencing and sternly stands up to the last Uchiha. If she has to have it out with her here then she will do it, it's for the safety of the village after all.
"Why can't I do that? My conscience?".
Sarada is surprised by Mirai's rebellious tone. Is Mirai's conscience not something that she should cherish and be proud of. Mirai answers her.
"When you have to stand before a group of crying children, watching their teacher die, you tell me then that your morals are more important than the children".
Sarada doesn't say a word in reply. What can she say to that? Mirai has experienced so much pain on this journey. The leader of the military, also a frequent assistant to Boruto in his duties as the shadow Hokage, she has seen more death in a few years than most people see in their entire lives.
"Have you had to endure what I have Sarada?" Mirai asks. "Or are you like Naruto? Are you the type who has too much mental strength? Are you the type who doesn't realise that nobody else is strong enough to live by that moral code you have developed? Because, let me tell you Sarada, living like you is impossible for the weak".
Sarada curls her fist into a ball angrily. "Don't you dare tell me that! For all that time, I was the Hokage, a Hokage fighting against Clyde who lost time and time again. You think I don't know how it feels to be weak?".
The various civilians nearby begin to back away from Mirai, leaving the two powerhouses in their own isolated space right at the edge of the shinobi portion of the hideout.
"Do you know who had to apologise for every loss?" Sarada asks. "Do you know who had to make a choice about which of their friends died next? Do you know who made that decision! I did. Don't think that during that time I was different to Naruto because I was weak. Sticking with those ideals when we are weak is what makes us shinobi".
Both have said their piece, both of them knows how they must act to satisfy their own conscience and unfortunately, those actions are against one another. Mirai must walk away from this place, no matter what. Sarada must keep her bound to this place or suffer catastrophe.
"Sarada, I'm taking the villagers away from here. I won't let you stop me, no matter whose ideals you preach".
"Are those ideals no longer your own then?" Sarada asks. "The Mirai who helped me during my youth was different from what you are now. With how you used to be, why are you acting like this choice is difficult for you?".
"Because it is a difficult choice" Mirai explains angrily, her voice cracking with her own conflict. "We don't know that they won't betray us, if they all turn on us, do you really think you could stop them?".
"I believe that we could stop them, you and me" Sarada concludes. "I don't just believe in myself, I believe in all of us".
"You're delusional Sarada. You can't stop them alone, not even Naruto could. It's only together that you can truly be confident of that" Mirai says defiantly. "Naruto isn't around to protect us right now. We need two people on your level to be safe, so I'm going to take them to Boruto and Lord 1st".
"… I can't let you do that, I will stop you with force if I have to".
Mirai nods, taking a deep breath and looking Sarada dead in the eyes. Her chances of winning are admittedly slim, but her concerns are entirely different. Sarada has never let her down, she has been a friend for many years and that is not something she wants to lose. To go against the Hokage in the face of such overwhelming conviction is truly difficult. At the same time, she feels a slight burst of adrenaline kick in when Sarada threatens her with violence. As a proud warrior, she must react when challenged.
"Get the villagers back!" Mirai shouts.
Shinobi are quick to swoop in, with a slight hesitation, they act right in front of their Hokage and take the villagers back away from the two of them.
"I have to protect them. I hope you understand that".
"Of course I do" Sarada replies. "We each have our own ideals, our own experiences. Right now you don't want to hurt anyone, it's just that the circumstances are forcing it upon you".
Mirai bolts her eyes on Sarada. "I will try and convince them not to come here. We probably still have allies amongst them, people I want to protect".
"That's a kind offer, but I am stronger than you Mirai. You won't be getting past me".
"I'm well aware that I am weaker than you, but I also know that you won't kill me no matter what" Mirai explains. "If I attack you with everything I've got, I may just get past. I may just save the villagers. I hope that you will forgive me".
Mirai raises her right hand, gathering 'wind' energy upon it.
Sarada activates her rinnegan. "I'll forgive you".
Mirai nods. "Then let's do this".
The villagers and warriors in each direction are simultaneously shocked as an enormous 'wind' powered explosion collides with a stone wall created by 'creation'. The first crack has become a tear as Sarada and Mirai begin their battle.
The Space Between the Camps
In the space between the Hidden Leaf and Lara's portions of the camp, the great army of Lara advances. She shudders as she feels the mighty collision of power ahead of her, knowing instantly what her greatest obstacle will be. Sarada won't just let her kill the rebels, defeating her will be almost impossible. However, if she can put herself near enough to the villagers, then her short-range teleport ability will allow her to do what she needs to do.
As their thousand footsteps shake the ground, Lara's group advance and in a rush, a single man stands before them ready to oppose them.
Clyde.
Lara comes to a halt at the head of her army, gazing at the man she still considers her subordinate.
"Clyde, are you really going to block me. You're an idiot. If you let them escape, then you're going to die as well" she says arrogantly. "It won't just be you and I who die, all those beside me, all those beside you, everyone who has ever looked up to you and admired you. All of those people will die too".
Clyde remains determined, walking forward in spite of the great army in front of him. Their silence is almost intimidating, the sound of his own feet lifting and falling is matched only by the thundering of his heart in his ribcage.
"Sarada won't allow the villagers to leave. Call of your attack, we can deal with this peacefully" Clyde declares. "Nobody needs to die here, let's all just nurse Naruto back to health and deal with this with his assistance".
"Who do you think he is!? Why do you all look at him this way!?" Lara asks, stamping her feet in frustration. "Like it or not, Uzumaki Naruto is just one man. He is a human being of flesh and blood. One day he will die, and the situation then will be just like it is now".
Clyde doesn't shift an inch. Often Lara says things that throw him off balance, such is her strange psychological disposition. He is certain of his belief in Naruto though, he will not waver when using that name as his justification.
"He didn't rid the shinobi of this animosity, he held it at bay. One day, when he is not around anymore, the situation will be exactly as it is now" Lara explains, arguably correctly. "We must crush the rebels, pull the weed out at the roots, that is the only way of establishing our ongoing cooperation with this people".
"What a joke" Clyde harrumphs in reply. "Before now you haven't made much of an effort to cooperate, have you? You actually used their two strongest shinobi as a distraction to prepare your own attack. To act like you want us all to get along now is pathetic Lara".
Lara's frustration builds to an even greater level, it's been a while now since she felt like this. In her last battle against Clyde, she felt a rage born out of years of juvenile rivalry with the man. Now the battle is one of principles and she has lost completely. The loss of the moral battle has left her with no solid justification to her logic, it has left her without a leg to stand on in this argument. Her past is smothering her voice moving into the future.
"Whether my motivations are pure or not is irrelevant. My course of action is what is best for this world, and for our ambition of killing Furst Jonas" Lara pleads with her subordinate. "Would you risk all this to do the right thing Clyde. This is not the time to let your heart rule over your head".
"Lara, listen to me, with Sarada on our side we can end this non-lethally. Just give us a chance, just for one moment supress your bloodlust and deal with this like a good leader should?".
"I see, that's what you think is it? You think because of the outcome of our last battle, you think that makes you a good leader" Lara mocks laughter, "How deluded can you get my dear subordinate. Half the warriors who sided with you in that battle are trying to run away now, they're going to leave you to die. You have inspired them with your morals and principles, but look behind me, I still have plenty of people who would follow me without them".
"Your point being?".
"You are mistaking being soft for being a leader, Clyde. A leader has to make hard decisions sometimes. Leaders have to look a problem dead in the face, they cannot reason the problem to death, they must destroy that problem".
"You would be making an even greater problem. If we do what you are suggesting, Naruto will never forgive us".
"And if we let them live, this will happen again on an even greater scale. You have to be a leader and make the right decision".
The two opposites are perhaps destined to spend their life fighting with one another just like this. Carmen saw that this would likely be their fates a long time ago. One of them so enamoured by her own talent that it has blinded her to her own imperfections. The other so desperately clinging to his own moral superiority that it is all others can see, the wise leader whose principles outweigh his ability to preach them.
"Do you know what being a leader means to me, Lara?" Clyde asks rhetorically. "It means inspiring people by always striving to achieve the best solution for all of them. It means never giving up in the pursuit of that best solution".
Lara shakes her head. "If you refuse to listen to reason than I will have to let my fists speak for me. I need you alive, so I won't kill you, but I guess I could hold you back and let my subordinates do what needs to be done".
"I beat you last time, I will do so again if you fight me".
"Let's put that theory to the test!".
Lara teleports to Clyde's front, throwing three quick punches towards his chest. As she expected, he is more than familiar with her movements, even when they are shrouded by her teleportation, she planned for that. She uses the false premise of punches to disguise her true intentions as she grabs Clyde's shoulders, teleporting high up into the air. With the duo airborne, she punches spins and kicks Clyde down toward the ground.
As Clyde is pulled down to the ground, he and Lara both activate their golden divine cloaks. Clyde attacks for the first time, creating a series of golden 'darkness' darts and throwing them at Lara as he continues to fall.
Lara deflects each of the golden 'darkness' darts away as she begins to fall under the power of gravity.
'Let's see what happens this time shall we? Clyde, I will beat you!'.
While Clyde and Lara exchanged words, Peterson and Sheer have been successful in gathering their forces and marching them to oppose any remnants of Lara's forces. Together, this group that they have gathered will be responsible for stopping Lara's advance, the others will be responsible for stopping the villagers' retreat.
"So, who do you want to fight Sheer?" Peterson asks as he watches Lara's forces advance around her battle with Clyde.
"There isn't much of a choice in the matter" Sheer replies, "Haven't you assessed just who is amongst this group opposite from us".
"I have" the bulky Blackburn says as he walks to his fellow generals' side. "We're going to have to be very wary of what he does next".
"Of course we are" Peterson says, agreeing with his new ally. "Elliot is among them".
Elliot is a name that terrifies them. While he cannot claim to be on the same level as Clyde and Lara, he is one of the very few transcendent element users within the military of this world. To use a transcendent element, normally that is something only this world's aristocrats can claim to do. Elliot has a terrifying reputation, a military man and a staunch supporter of Lara, he has led many of the quickest and most successful missions into the pocket worlds, having only failed on one occasion previously. That was against Mirai. Mirai is not there to help them at the moment.
Elliot advances on the trio, running until he is within meters of them before slowing to a walk. All three of them tense their muscles and prepare for the fight of their lives.
"I'm sure that you all realise that you would have to work together to defeat me" Elliot muses as he advances towards them, a smug smile on his face. "Even then your chances of victory are poor. Tell me, have you ever defeated anyone on a level higher than your own".
Sheer ignores the taunts. "Blackburn, you deal with close range attacks, I'll deal with medium range and tying him down, Peterson, you can handle long range attacks".
Elliot smiles as Blackburn acknowledges the order. Normally this is the sort of thing he would praise in another general. Quickly, Sheer has assessed their strengths and weaknesses and formulated the best general strategy to fight against him. It probably wouldn't work but it's an admirable try either way, exactly what he would have recommended.
"I'm afraid, you are not the enemy I am interested in fighting" he tells them. "And since you are unable to keep me here by yourselves, there is absolutely no reason for me to bother with you".
Kicking the ground, Elliot sends himself past the general trio at tremendous speed. He is too fast for them to stop and he is heading straight for the traitors, ready to execute any that he can get his hands on.
"Peterson, stop him" Sheer shouts, knowing him to be the speediest of the trio.
"I can't, he's too fast".
Two of the retreating shinobi shout to the target of the first attack. That target is the Circle's administrator, Nara Shikadai.
"Shikadai!".
"Watch out, sir!".
Shikadai calmly turns his head and shifts himself into a fighting position but it looks hopeless. Surely, he would not be able to defend himself against such a mighty adversary. Indeed, he knows that is true, but will hold on until the very last second if he must.
But Elliot doesn't reach Shikadai.
SLAP!
Elliot is launched away from Shikadai and violently strikes the ground some hundred meters away.
Peterson is taken aback. "What the…".
"Who was that" Blackburn asks, "Is there someone amongst the shinobi group as fast as Naruto and Sarada".
Nearby, Minato heads up the group preparing to prevent any shinobi taking the villagers away from the village. He watches as Elliot is smacked away with astonishment. He has seen Elliot fight before, but he has never seen a blow like that struck against him, not even by Mirai. That sort of attack would surely require power equivalent to Naruto and Sarada. He is lost for who it could be.
"There's nobody else in our group as fast as that… unless…".
Himawari, inspired by her grandfather's words, looks to her left and finds that nobody is there.
"Mother!".
The attacker lands just meters away from the fallen Elliot, standing unafraid in the face of his great power. That attacker is of course the one who Himawari identified seconds ago.
The attacker is Hyuuga Hinata.
Hinata stands before Elliot, seemingly unresponsive to the cries and shouts from her daughter, or any other signal from her allies. Her only response seems to be to the movements of Elliot, her only sense her crystal-clear eyesight which has been centred upon him.
"It's the same as before" Himawari says, "She's not there. She can't hear anything. It's like she's gone into a trance".
Minato shakes his head. He warned Naruto about this. "Just what is this, what has happened to you Hinata?". Whatever it is, he is grateful for it now, Hinata most likely just saved Shikadai's life.
Elliot gets to his feet, "You… I remember you from before".
Hinata remains silent, her feet fixed to the spot where she landed as she ignores Elliot's meaningless comment. It's just as he suspected, she appears cut off from the outside world, with one exception, his movements.
Elliot throws himself at Hinata, keeping his body low knowing that it is the best direction to attack from. Against an opponent like this, who is not thrown by any psychological ploys, the best way to fight is with superior technique. He simultaneously throws both fists up towards Hinata's face.
Hinata, taking a single step back, holds out both her palms. She waits for Elliot's fists to come within one inch of her hands and then throws both of them down, violently slapping each of his hands and dealing damage instead of taking it. As Elliot reels from the pain of this attack, she throws a second, delivering a single powerful punch to his head, driving him back along the ground.
Elliot digs his feet into the ground, trying to slow his own backward momentum, but Hinata doesn't let him have his way so easily.
Hinata creates a lasso from 'water' divine energy, throwing it around the backward-moving Elliot and pulling him toward her once more. For the second time in a row, she lands a strong punch to his head, sending him backward. Mercifully, after this second blow, she decides not to attack again.
To call the reprieve in Hinata's attack merciful is to state the opinion of many shinobi but Elliot knows better. He had adjusted his body position slightly, readying himself for the third iteration of such a punch. In this trance-like state, Hinata saw through that intention and averted disaster. Her fighting talents haven't dulled with her mind, they've seemingly been amplified.
"Gramps, you have to stop her" Himawari begs, "This was only temporary last time and when it wears off she will be killed".
"But it isn't wearing off" Minato says hesitantly. "Right now she is the only one who can stand up to Elliot".
"Then are you saying we have to take the chance on her holding out?".
"Yeah" Minato nods, slightly guiltily, "I don't like it, but that's exactly what we need to do".
Meanwhile, Elliot uses his powers of 'cold' to freeze the air itself, condensing several icicles in the air. Once he has assembled his collection of freezing weapons, he propels each of them in Hinata's direction. If he cannot win in a close-range battle he will have to fight this battle at a distance.
Hinata brings a kunai into her hand, coating it in a thin layer of 'water' energy. As the icicles are about to reach her, she flips through the air, using the all-around vision granted by her byakugan to track each of the incoming projectiles. She times her counter-attacks perfectly, using the kunai to slice each and every one of them in half. As she lands, the danger has been completely averted.
Elliot foresaw the possibility of this dodge, opting to follow up his first attack by launching a massive block of ice at Hinata.
Hinata uses her free hand to slap the massive block of ice, shattering it instantly. It is when she does this that Elliot truly gets a scale of what he is up against.
'This isn't a fluke; this woman's strength is for real' he realises. 'With her mental state as it is right now, I don't need to worry about not killing her…'
'… I need to worry about her killing me'.