THE IMPERIAL PALACE – GOOD LUCK NARUTO
The Hidden Leaf Camp
Hiruzen looks on, almost in disbelief at the sight before him.
"He did it!".
Naruto takes a couple of steps forward and arrives before his kneeling opponent. With fists down by his sides and an upright back, he looks every bit the victorious fighter he has become. When Hashirama looks up into his eyes he doesn't even need the following words to confirm everyone's thoughts on the matter, he already knows. Yet Naruto is not the same man he was yesterday, he is now the old Naruto, a man with an indescribable kind of power.
"You've lost Hashirama".
Hashirama glances up at him again. It is agonising, there is a shred of arrogance in this young man that only he can detect. Now, what everyone thought before would appear to have been confirmed. At his peak, Uzumaki Naruto is not only the greatest Hokage, he is also the strongest.
"I may have lost our fight" Hashirama begins through gritted teeth, "But this battle is far from over".
The two of them are interrupted by a whirring sound, by incredibly fast movement that eclipses even the two of them. If Naruto were to look behind him he would see a dozen flashes of gold, he would see a series of key people appear and disappear. He doesn't need to turn around though, he knows exactly what is going on. The look on Hashirama's face confirms his suspicions, it must be the same face Hashirama pulled when he first sensed Naruto coming.
With one final flash of gold they arrive.
Tobirama.
Hiruzen.
Minato.
Kakashi.
Shinki.
The five of them appear beside Naruto and in front of Hashirama, creating a moment that will most likely go down in the history of their pocket world as it's defining moment. The six mighty warriors, each champions of their alliance with the homeworld military, face down their greatest opponent.
"Thank god you're here dad, I can barely stand" Naruto admits.
Minato takes his son hold by the shoulders, making sure that he remains standing and stable. "You've done a good job Naruto, I'm proud of you".
Tobirama tilts his head. "Go on Sarutobi".
Hiruzen walks forward to the front of their group and makes their declaration.
"Senju Hashirama, we five Hokage and one Kazekage, call upon you to surrender this battle".
As Hiruzen looks at Hashirama, he was certain just a moment prior that this was a true declaration of victory. But then Hashirama groans, and his knee unbends. First he gets up from his knee and onto his right foot. Next he gets up onto his left. He shakes as he slowly but surely stands up. Hiruzen is terrified, what a monster his former mentor is, to display such an impossible level of power.
'He's actually getting up?' Naruto wonders.
Hiruzen quickly calms down. 'There is no cause for panic, his divine energy is incredibly weak right now, just keep calm. Any of us could defeat him right now'.
Hashirama doesn't seem like he cares.
"I will not surrender here" he proclaims as he glares at them.
The six of them all look at him aghast.
Naruto realises something, it's about his eyes, they are terrifying.
In his life he has seen many terrifying eyes. He has seen the mighty eyes of Kaguya. He has faced down the omnipotent eyes of Madara. He has faced the vengeful eyes of Sasuke. He has endured a battle against the Tenseigan and Rinnegan at the same time. He has more experience than anyone alive facing an intense stare, but he has never felt anything like this. The intensity in Hashirama's regular eyes eclipses them all. Perhaps, this is what people once saw in his eyes.
Tao Ma tries to take this opportunity to come to the rescue. He dashes towards Hashirama and the six Kage who oppose him but he is cut off. Lara teleports into his path, bringing Clyde with her and cutting off the final hope for their opponents.
"Nice try" Clyde says, "But we're not letting you anywhere near him".
Tao Ma cackles at them sadistically.
"Uzumaki Naruto! You seem to have let something slip your mind" he shouts. "Your son is to the south. He has your 5th Hokage with him at this very moment. If he killed her and returned, the tide of the battle would change instantly".
Kakashi turns to his student. "Naruto?".
"It's true, if Boruto were to return here now, he would probably turn the battle around" Naruto admits, "I wouldn't be able to defeat my son in my current state".
Tao Ma grins triumphantly at the Uzumaki. "Then perhaps it is you who should be giving in. Perhaps you should be the one to surrender to Hashirama".
"Don't be stupid" Lara shouts as she points at Tao Ma.
Clyde for once agrees. "Even if Naruto surrendered, Lara and I could take over and eliminate you all right now".
"But he wouldn't let you do that. He wouldn't let you kill us, would he?".
Minato looks at his son and wonders exactly what he will do. If lethal force is necessary would Naruto be willing to condone it. Is lethal force even necessary to begin with? Would they be able to stop Boruto without Naruto if he were to come north? Does he know his son well enough to judge what he will do here?
Lara snorts. "Naruto is injured, if I want to kill you he won't be able to stop me".
"Lara!" Clyde snaps.
"You can seriously mean to stop me killing him Clyde? This is our chance!".
"If I have to stop you to preserve our alliance, that's exactly what I am willing to do".
Hashirama looks at the two of them and wonders. He is what first brought them together in many ways, their first union was a desperate attempt to defeat him. Perhaps, he is what was holding them together all this time, a greater enemy to worry about. Perhaps, now that he is no longer there, this fragile alliance will splinter. It could well be that he needs to do nothing at all, and that Naruto will eventually come running back to him begging for an alliance.
"STOP!".
A woman's voice, distant but audible. The Hokage turn to look. Tobirama reacts fastest, teleporting to the source of the voice and bringing back the speaker.
It's Tsunade! And she has brought Sarada back with her!
"Lady 5th… Lady 9th" Naruto nods gratefully.
Hashirama stumbles backward, putting distance between himself and the Hokage before him. Now all the Kage are there. Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Tsunade, Kakashi, Naruto, Sarada. With the exception of the unconscious Sarada, they all look upon him with judgement. Now it is beyond all doubt, he has lost. His breath rate increases and he tries to claw at something behind him, an imaginary surface to rest on. He and Tsunade know straight away what is happening, he's panicking, he's run out of options.
"Sarada bravely fought against Boruto to save my life, and together the two of us defeated him" Tsunade explains. "Boruto won't be returning here any time soon".
That is all Tao Ma needs to hear. Even if they can escape, this has been a total defeat. This make-shift alliance has overcome every obstacle that has been put in their way.
"Grandfather, it's time to admit it" Tsunade says, "You have lost this battle!".
Hashirama takes a moment to calm down and assess the situation. It's not good but look at how far he has come. He has moved to another world, he has defeated Uzumaki Naruto twice, he has turned people to his cause. Since Mito died, he realised the truth, and from that moment he has gone from strength to strength with only a single defeat. Just because he is outnumbered doesn't mean he can endure so little. Naruto has endured more than a single defeat, there is no way that he cannot do the same.
Besides, he has a plan.
Sighing, Hashirama balances himself "A shinobi's life is one of sacrifice".
"Sometimes we shut ourselves off from the rest of the world Hashirama" Naruto explains, "When we do that, we often forget what is worth sacrificing and what must be protected".
The words echo within his brain, more so than any of Naruto's did in days gone past. Again, Hashirama is reminded truly how fearsome the true 7th Hokage is. However, he cannot falter now.
"I believe the villagers must be protected" Hashirama counters, "I believe that any shinobi must be ready to sacrifice their lives in that cause".
"As if you believe that" Tsunade shouts, stepping closer to her grandfather. "You may be ready to sacrifice your life and the lives of others, but you refuse to sacrifice the single thing that is most important to you. You now value your pride more than your own life".
"… Tsunade, I'm sorry".
"Then don't apologise, fix the situation, come back to us".
This makes Hashirama pause.
Tobirama wonders what will happen if Hashirama accepts this request. If he switches sides what will happen to them? Will Tao Ma attack, will he lash out at Hashirama, Boruto and Ino-Shika-Cho? Will he accept and become a powerful ally? If the 1st Hokage could be brought around to their way of thinking he would be a powerful ally, their chances of assassinating Furst Jonas would greatly increase.
"I want you to know that I did what I did for a good reason" Hashirama explains. "I wanted you to see the world through my eyes, just once. I wanted you to understand how I feel, how Mito's death changed me, but it seems that won't happen".
"I have no desire to change just yet" Tsunade answers. "I don't ever want to see the world like you do, I can only imagine that it must look like hell. Whether you are right or wrong, my grandmother would never have wanted me to see things that way".
Hashirama nods. "Maybe she wouldn't have. Very well, I admit that I have been beaten here, but I do have one last bargaining chip".
Suddenly, a black-cloaked man runs past the Kage and ruins to Hashirama's side. His movement is slow, especially compared to the mighty warriors who allow him to run past. Each of them watch him, unable to react, more out of bewilderment and shock than exhaustion. They watch as he approaches and closes the last few meters between himself and his leader.
'He's going to try escaping?' Naruto asks himself.
"Don't let him get away" Shinki yells.
Tobirama uses the flying thunder god technique, a technique of his own invention to place himself at his brother's rear. Within a split second he has a kunai pointing at the back of Hashirama's neck. With Hashirama weakened so much by Naruto's life-gathering rasengan, a strong enough strike would be powerful enough to kill Hashirama.
"Don't try anything brother".
Hashirama grins. "I'm afraid that your threat won't do you any good in this case Tobirama".
Within a split second, a dagger of 'death' energy is pressed to the front of Hashirama's neck. His own subordinate is threatening his life.
Tobirama starts, unsure of what to do.
Naruto watches as this happens three more times. Blades go to the necks of Shikadai, ChouChou and Inojin, the three traitors. In a short space of time, suddenly four Hidden Leaf shinobi are being threatened with death. What Tao Ma said earlier was correct, Naruto won't want any harm to come to the four of them.
'Is this really happening?' Naruto asks himself.
"This man" Lara groans.
Clyde nudges her. "If you were pushed, how many of them would you be able to stop from killing their targets?".
"I could only stop one of them, the same would apply to the two pocket-world teleporters as well" Lara explains with frustration. "Four targets, three teleporters, no matter what we do, one of them would die".
Hashirama is of the same mind.
"I've done the calculations here Naruto, I know your side's abilities" Hashirama explains, "one of us will certainly be killed, unless you meet my demand. Let us go".
All eyes turn to Naruto, this is clearly a negotiation. The Hokage, Shinki, Clyde, Lara, they all look to him as their leader. This man younger than any of them is going to negotiate a hostage situation on their behalf. He is going to try and think of a way out of this, and all of them trust him without reservation.
Naruto stops leaning on Minato, standing under his own esteem as if to elevate his authority.
"There are three teleporters amongst us, so in theory we could only save three of you" he begins. "Unless someone else could move fast enough to stop you. How fast do you think I can move?".
"Stop it!" Hashirama shouts.
"Hashirama, how fast do you think I can move?".
"In that state, you won't be able to move fast enough, you won't be able to!".
"Are you willing to bet everything on it?".
"Are you trying to call my bluff, Uzumaki Naruto?".
"Hashirama, are you trying to call mine?".
The Kage, along with everyone else, watch as the two stare at one another, unmoving. This is a stalemate in every sense. Even if they were to wait ten hours and Sarada and Boruto were to come around, the two of them would make no difference to this situation. This is a hostage situation where only one person could possibly make a difference, and that person is ready to go.
Kakashi leans towards his sensei and begins to whisper.
"Minato sensei, I could make a marked kunai appear right next tone of their heads with my kamui" he suggests, "Would you be able to react fast enough to put me next to one of them".
"No, not even I could react that quickly Kakashi".
His eyes fall back on Naruto. Lara, Tobirama and Minato each prepare themselves to teleport the instant Naruto requests it or one of the assailants moves their blades. A do or die situation.
Mirai runs forward, past the Kage group and to Naruto's side.
"Naruto, why don't we call his bluff?".
"Mirai?".
"There is no way you're going to do it after all, is there Lord 1st" she scoffs at him. "You've already shown today that your mind is the opposite of what it used to be. You realise how important you are to your rebellious movement, there is no way you would be willing to sacrifice yourself".
Naruto has been questioning that for the last thirty seconds. Just how far is Hashirama willing to go to ensure the escape of his allies? Would he be willing to sacrifice his own life so the others can escape? Would he sacrifice Inojin first so that they knew he was serious? Mirai's assessment is right though, if Hashirama were to die, surely his subordinates would never succeed in their objective.
"If I sacrifice myself to help my allies escape in the chaos, I will be giving Boruto an army" Hashirama says, "I believe in my student, he will defeat you one day Naruto. He will defeat you even if I die here and now".
Naruto finally understands, this is not his conflict with Hashirama, this is his conflict with Boruto. The 1st Hokage is simply an admirer, a copycat. The true preacher of this 'death' based philosophy is the person who had it all along, that is Boruto. If Boruto is able to keep going then this argument will never cease, it is his son who must be brought around, not Hashirama.
"You are all under the wrong impression anyway" Tao Ma says, "You are not negotiating with Lord Hashirama here, he foresaw this potential circumstance well in advance. The decision of whether or not to execute him isn't with your 1st Hokage, it's with me".
Naruto groans. It just became a lot harder to call the bluff.
'They've got you on all fronts, so what will you do now Naruto?' Shikamaru wonders, 'Is it a bluff? Will he go ahead with it? What will you do?'.
"… very well, let them go" Naruto finally says.
Tobirama keeps his kunai ready at the back of his brother's neck, not moving his eyes as he calls out to the man acting as his commander. "Naruto, are you sure? If we let them get away now there is no guarantee that we will ever have another chance to bring them back".
"It's fine Tobirama, I know what I'm doing".
Tobirama withdraws his kunai from its position near his brother's neck. He teleports back to Naruto's side, still watching like a hawk for any change in the situation.
After a few moments, Hashirama's followers begin humming, the same familiar tune that they have hummed every time. Behind Hashirama, a giant portal begins to form, much the same as it did when they arrived. Whatever this technique is, it's very convenient for surprise attacks and last minute retreats.
Slowly, the evacuation begins, as the forces of 'death' begin to retreat.
"You surprise me Hashirama, you lost and refused to take responsibility" Naruto says, "You've run away even when you knew that I would let you live. You are a coward, Senju Hashirama".
The 1st Hokage lowers his head. "Maybe I am. But Naruto, I am a coward whose cause is as true as his heart. You must realise by now that your cause is false, that more and more people will continue to betray you".
Naruto looks back at Sarada, his student, and smiles.
"No matter who turns their back on me, no matter how many people betray me, I won't give up" he says, "There is an eternal hope within me, that's all I need to keep going".
"I wonder if I will ever understand you, or if I ever did, Lord 7th" Hashirama turns and begins to walk into the portal.
"If you're going after Furst Jonas, I have only one thing to say to you. Good luck Naruto".
Author Note
Hi All,
Apologies for the long gap in writing, I had no access to my chapter plans.
I would also like to apologise for another similar long gap that is about to happen.
I am having to re-plan a few of the last chapters with some obvious improvements. It shouldn't take too long but I can't promise anything.
I will try to keep writing as fast as possible.
Thanks,
Cbehrills