THE IMPERIAL PALACE – YOU'RE TOO WEAK
The Next Morning
As the morning comes around, the singing birds wake Hinata. As she sits up and stretches her arms wide, she notices that Naruto is not with her. A quick check with her byakugan confirms that her husband is not far away. She gets to her feet and heads outside to meet with him.
She is not the only one to have risen. As she approaches Naruto she notices that all around people have woken up, and they're all quiet. She always believed that people wouldn't be able to stop themselves talking, that everyone would have so many farewells to say, final admissions to make. That is not the case. As the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and the soldiers of Homeworld wake, they recognise that this is likely to be their final day.
The ground is slightly damp beneath the feet, Hinata notices for the first time, simulating the conditions of the outside world perfectly. As the artificial light brightens, there is no single moment in which the sun comes over the horizon, no final time the flowers will be illuminated by brilliant and unimpaired light. She realises as she walks past them, as she watches the insects float about in this garden paradise, that she will likely never see the sun again.
As she reaches Naruto, she walks to his side, the two of them looking out at the river meandering around corners in the distance.
"Good morning," Hinata says.
"Good morning," Naruto replies.
The two remain silent for a minute and admire the view. To each of them there is only one thing that is more comforting than such a paradise, and that's the presence of the other. In this moment, it is impossible to appreciate what dark forces lay in the centre of this utopia. Even the impending arrival is obscured to them.
"I think we got married last night Naruto."
"I seem to remember something like that too."
Hinata takes Naruto's hand in her own in a move unusually confident for her. There is no time left for doubts in her mind, this is it.
"If this is the last day of our lives," Naruto begins, "At the very least we will get to spend it with one another. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Don't talk like that. I know that you will find a way to win."
"I can't guarantee success," Naruto admits, "But if I gave up that would guarantee failure, right? I'm never going to give up. I have too much to fight for."
"Good, I love you Naruto."
"I love you too, Hinata."
The two remain together in this spot for as long as they can but behind them the rumblings of voices begin raise in volume. More and more people begin to raise from their tents for what they believe to be the last time. People begin to ready themselves for what is to come. This is their do or die moment.
Eventually, Shikamaru works up the courage to approach the two newlyweds. "Yo, if I haven't said it already, congratulations for last night."
"Thank you," they both reply to their friend.
"I know that it's probably not what you want to hear right now, but we'll be ready to go any time now," Shikamaru explains, "You're the most important part of this plan Naruto. We'll wait on you as long as we need to. When you're ready though, it's time to march on Furst."
Naruto nods, feeling the immense pressure on his shoulders. "OK, go and get everyone together, it would probably be appropriate to say a few words."
Shikamaru nods and walks away.
"What will you say to them?" Hinata asks.
"What can I say? I don't really have anything clever on the tip of my tongue. There are plenty of people here better at making speeches than me. But I owe it to them to thank them, to be honest with them, because they're following me to the end."
Hinata squeezes Naruto's hand tighter. "Don't worry about it, your words are clever enough for us. You have a gift. Your words will reach our hearts, just as they always have done."
"I hope you're right."
Hinata continues to look on at the river as Naruto turns around and looks at the force amassing behind them. Perhaps he should ask someone for advice. The other Kage must be experts at saying inspiring things at times like this right? What about Clyde, he's certainly spoken to his forces before. Naruto then considers asking Lara but immediately dismisses the idea, he doesn't want to inspire those who follow in the same way she does. There is always Shikamaru, he's very smart.
"Naruto."
"What is it?"
"There's someone coming from the trees."
"Would you mind telling them to fall in with the others?"
"She's wearing an aristocrat's robe."
"What?"
Naruto turns around and sees it plain. A woman is coming from the trees. Naruto immediately starts to put the pieces together, the skin a few shades darker than his own, the blue and red ribbon in her dark hair, the single blinded eye. This is the same aristocrat that he battled previously.
"Get back Hinata," Naruto ushers her aware before shouting, "It's Carmen!"
As Naruto begins to circulate 'life' energy in preparation for a fight, he is quickly joined by those who are most equipped to join him in this battle. Immediately Lara and Clyde appear on his left, the effect of her teleportation. It barely takes three seconds before Sarada dashes in on his right, using her comet form to travel faster than anyone else amongst them could hope to achieve. This creates a stand-off as Carmen comes face to face with the four warriors who managed to defeat her.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto asks.
"It's as you suspect," Carmen answers, "I am here to stop you. I can't let you march on Furst."
"I have to, it's for the villagers, for my home."
"You are certain to be defeated, that is something I cannot allow."
Clyde steps forward to the front of the group, seemingly taking responsibility for the situation. "I have tremendous respect for you Carmen, I thought that you had developed the same respect for the four of us. I thought you had changed your mind and were going to put your faith in us. Why? Why would you slap us in the face now?"
"I did decide to trust you Clyde."
"Then what changed?"
"I was paid a visit," Carmen explains. As she reaches into her pocket and takes out a small badge, showing it to the four of them.
Clyde and Lara are shocked into silence, much to the confusion of Naruto and Sarada. They lean forward slightly to look at this item. It's just a badge. By sharpening their senses they can detect some lingering divine energy that is still present on the surface, but that is likely just from Carmen holding it for an extended period of time. For the badge to shock Lara into silence though, something about this item must be exceptional.
"That's…" Clyde begins before stopping himself.
Lara breaks her silence. "Where did you get that Carmen?"
"I obviously couldn't have taken this if he didn't want me to have it," Carmen cryptically answers, "It came here from the source Lara. He is waiting to talk with you all. He thought it would be a nice surprise for you and your friends."
"… we should go with her," Clyde decides.
"What is going on?" Sarada asks.
Clyde explains. "That is the family crest of a very old and respected family. Very few people possess this item and all of the people who do are remarkable world-shaking individuals. Only one of them could have given it to Carmen, and he is the only person Furst still fears. We should go and speak to him."
Naruto takes a moment to look at Carmen, trying to judge whether she is being honest or not. He comes to the same conclusion about Carmen that he did when he fought her previously, she is an exceptionally honest individual. She may have wishes contradictory to his own, but never did she attempt to deceive him during his attempts to defeat her.
"Alright then, let's go and see this man."
Heading South
"General Peterson, do you know exactly who this man is? What makes him so important that we would abandon our plans to go and meet with him?" Hiruzen asks.
"I don't know, I'm surprised that we agreed to this, it seems obvious to me that Carmen is leading us into a trap."
Hiruzen contrasts Peterson's impatience with the group at large. The vast majority of the fighters they have brought along seem elated, with only a few seeming agitated. Despite them likely being led into a trap, they appear happy. Hiruzen understands, he is happy for the same reason, they're delaying their death. Even if it's only for a few more minutes, it's natural to want to live.
"This isn't a trap Peterson," General Clyde explains, "Carmen showed me the Muto family crest."
"The Muto family crest?" Peterson yells, his mood change causing Hiruzen to jump. "We're really meeting someone from the Muto family? Are you certain that the crest wasn't fake?"
"No, the lingering divine energy was beautifully patterned and distinct. There is no way that Carmen would be able to forge such a brilliant family crest. It could only have been given to her by one man. Carmen wouldn't deceive us like this, it would be too cruel. We're really going to meet him Peterson."
"Who is this person?" Hiruzen asks, "Why is it so worthwhile meeting him?"
"Our plan to assassinate Furst had a one-in-a-hundred chance of working. If this man were to work with us, our chances would be closer to one-in-ten."
Hiruzen considers the enormity of that chance. That represents a ten times improvement in their chances of success. That means that in terms of battle power this one individual is worth ten times Naruto, Sarada, Clyde and Lara put together. Just what sort of person is it that they're going to meet. This man must be a battle hardened veteran of ten thousand years.
"Homeworld still has hope against Furst then?" Hiruzen asks.
Clyde smiles as he answers. "There is hope if he is willing to help."
Amongst the Group
"Are you sure that it's sensible to be following Carmen at a time like this?" Minato asks his son.
"What do you mean?"
"We could be throwing away our only chance to assassinate Furst," the 4th Hokage says angrily. He is quite right of course. "Carmen never wanted us to attempt this in the first place. She risked her life to try and stop you from doing it. Now she has tricked us and our victory over her counts for nothing."
"Lord 4th, under the circumstances we couldn't do anything else," Sarada says as she pats her predecessor comfortingly on the back, "We couldn't fight Carmen again in present circumstances. Anyway, Clyde and Lara both seemed to think that she was being sincere."
"Do you agree, Naruto?"
Naruto groans, comically scratching his chin. "I think we can probably trust her, even if it annoys me that she won't say where we're going. I think that we will meet someone who could really help us."
"Couldn't it be a trap?" Minato presses, "Could she be luring us to someone who will kill us all?"
"Carmen would have just done that herself. Someone even stronger wouldn't need a cunning plan to dispose of us. They could just do it on a whim. I think we will be OK."
Minato remains uncomforted by his son's logic. What if the strongest people in this world are just playing games with the weak pocket worlders? What if all their progress so far has been engineered for someone else's amusement? Perhaps there is someone who couldn't attack them where they were, perhaps they are using Carmen to draw them out. He makes a quick plan in case the worst happens. If they come under attack, his first priority is to get Naruto to safety, then he will come back for the others.
Amongst the Group
Mirai watches as Lara walks ahead of her. The 'Light' using general is kicking at the floor angrily as she walks along. This is a scene that Lara's subordinates have become rather accustomed to. However, it is significant progress in their eyes that Lara could be so annoyed with the circumstances and not have killed any of them out of spite. The head general used to be so vengeful, but there is something about this group of pocket-worlders that has managed to calm her down. It is typical then that only Mirai, one of those pocket-worlders, has the confidence to approach Lara in this mood.
"Lara, why is Clyde acting like this? Just who are we going to see?"
"I don't know why everyone is so happy," Lara huffs as she kicks a stone along the ground. "It's not like this guy is anything special."
"Who isn't? What's his name? What's known for?"
Lara kicks the stone again, amusing herself by watching it hurtle just past Clyde's shoulder. "Don't worry about it Mirai. This guy's just a miserable old man, he stopped caring about the real world a long time ago."
"Is that so?" an old man asks from beside Lara.
Mirai starts. She's never seen any of Lara's subordinates talk to her so confidently. But it quickly becomes clear that this man is not Lara's subordinate. The red vest over his white t-shirt is clearly not a military uniform, nor is it the uniform of an aristocrat. His grey hair is neatly trimmed and unimpaired by a head protector, this man is not a shinobi either.
"Who are you talking to old man," Lara begins before looking, "It's you!"
As soon as Lara raises her voice the entire combined force of soldiers and shinobi turn to face this one old gentleman, surrounding him, many with weapons at the ready. The single word from the head general and the unidentified status of this gentleman is enough to inspire such a tremendous reaction, yet nobody knows why. Everyone reacting to him does so on instinct. The strongest instinct in their body calls out to them and implores them to be careful around him. They become driven by their survival instincts.
"Hello Lara," the old man says with a wave.
"How long have you been stood next to us?"
"At least thirty minutes now. I thought my lack of a uniform would have stood out a bit more."
Mirai has both hands raised, ready to fire an explosion if it is required. "Lara, who is this?"
"I'm surprised that she hasn't mentioned me more," the old man says while scratching the back of his head. "Come on Lara aren't you happy to see your old headmaster again?"
The apparent familiar would comfort Lara's allies in a normal situation, but this is not a normal situation. The circle encloses around the headmaster as the various Kage and generals shuffle to the front. Only Carmen and Clyde refrain from hostilities. Within seconds divine energy completely surrounds the elderly gentleman as Naruto watches on cautiously. Many look to him for commands in this situation but he gives none. This causes the air to be filled with the crackling and hissing sounds of the various divine energy elements.
"Thank you for bringing them Carmen," the headmaster says with a nod, leaving Naruto unsure whether or not he is being sarcastic. "You can return to the secret entrance now, it still needs protecting."
"I will," Carmen replies, immediately departing.
The headmaster sighs as he looks around at the group. "I'm surprised at you Lara, it seems like you've changed a lot since we last met. Look at all these people who rush to your defence, you've started to make friends."
"Shut up old man, you don't know what you're talking about."
"Well you certainly seem to like this lady," the headmaster says, gesturing to Mirai, "Young lady, do the two of you have a lot in common? Lara doesn't usually make many friends."
Lara holds her head in her hands. It's like being embarrassed by a father, or at least how she imagines such a feeling. Just who does this old man think he is talking to her like that.
"I don't think Lara's so bad," Mirai answers, "You just need to learn to cope with her lack of manners."
"I'm glad to hear it, stick with her, we will need her moving forward."
"I will."
Seeing the exchange between the headmaster, Mirai and Lara, the shinobi and members of the military begin to dissipate their divine energy and lower their weapons. Although there is something intimidating about this old man, as time passes his presence begins to feel more and more calming. The air density seems to be different around him, ever fluctuating and making you feel different things. Some shinobi begin to wonder if it deliberate, if it is part of a technique, or whether it is just this old man's unshakable charisma.
"Hello everyone, I expect you have heard a few things about me on your way here, but I shall give you a quick summary," the headmaster offers, "I am the Headmaster of the Military Academy, I oversaw the training of Lara, Clyde and indirectly, every member of this world's military. My name is Muto Sora."
Muto Sora. A man with two names. Naruto recalls that Clyde once told him that the people of this world were not allowed to keep their surname except for extremely rare circumstances. There are two possibilities. Either Sora is someone truly exceptional who has been granted the right to keep his clan name, or he doesn't fear the consequences of daring to claim it once again.
"They know a few details of this world's story sir," Clyde yells to his old headmaster, "You may want to tell them about how you know the previous emperor."
"Of course Clyde," Sora responds, "The previous ruler of this world was Emperor Endou Akashi. He was my brother-in-law."
This causes a commotion among the shinobi, those who didn't already understand just how important the man before them is. Muto Sora, the brother-in-law of the last emperor. He is recognised by many as one of the key figures in the last war to save this world. The best friend of this world's hero, the most trusted advisor of the old empire and the only person who could stand alongside Endou and Furst.
Importantly for Naruto, this confirms his previous thoughts. If this man wanted to kill them, he wouldn't have needed Carmen's help.
"The previous emperor stood up to Furst and tried to save us didn't he?" Tobirama asks, "Doesn't that make this man our ally?"
"Yeah," Kakashi nods, "Unless this guy has an entirely different view on the world."
"We need proof," Minato says, daring to step out in front of the other Hokage, "The people of this world almost destroyed ours. You are responsible for training the many students who infiltrated our world and killed our friends. How do we know that we can trust you?"
Sora takes two steps towards Minato. The 4th Hokage feels a bead of sweat roll down his head. The headmaster hasn't even done anything yet and Minato is convinced of how terrifying he can be. He refuses to back down though, even in spite of the most terrifying potential adversary he has ever come face to face with. His priority is the safety of others, and the preservation of hope. No matter what, he can't let any tricks slip past them. If this is a way for the emperor's servants to get to Naruto he absolutely cannot let it succeed.
Sora notices that Minato's afraid, but he knows that fear is only temporary. He cups his two hands out before him, as if begging. Minato notices that for a quarter of a second Sora's eyes flicker. In the cup of Sora's hand a tiny dark blue speck of energy appears. Then two. Then four. As the seconds pass, the energy in Sora's hand builds to a level beyond what Minato has ever felt before, beyond what any of them have ever felt before.
'What terrifying energy,' Minato realises, 'It makes Carmen's look non-existent. How can people like this even exist?'
Content with his answer, Sora dissipates the energy, calming the atmosphere. "If I meant to harm you, there is nothing that could stop me. I mean no offense but your power is of no threat to me."
Minato steps back and to his own surprise, a smile comes to his face. "I guess I have no choice but to trust you then."
Sora nods and then turns to the man who looks just like Minato. "I've heard a lot of fuss about a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. I'm a teacher, I like to think I know potential when I see it. This one is him isn't it? You're Uzumaki Naruto right?"
Sora has heard of Naruto.
"Yes, I'm Uzumaki Naruto," the 7th Hokage declares, "I'm the 7th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, it's nice to meet you."
"Would you mind showing me your element?" Sora asks eagerly, "Please, I need to know that it's true."
Naruto holds out a single hand and fulfils Sora's request. Energy far less abundant than before surges forward, a translucent shade of white fills Naruto's hand and a pleasant feeling overtakes all those who look on. This is very different to Sora's energy. This is 'life' energy.
Sora laughs and quickly shakes Naruto's hand. "Oh, it's an honour to meet you. This really is an honour, a privilege, wow, I can't believe it, wow. It's been so many years since I've felt this elated."
"Th… thanks, it's good to meet you to," Naruto replies, slightly overwhelmed by Sora's power and his attitude.
Sora then points to Hinata. "You must be his wife, am I right, nice to meet you too, I'm Muto Sora."
"Uhm, hello, my name is Hinata."
"Nice to meet you Hinata," Sora says. He steps back and takes in the sight of the shinobi group. "Wow, what a group, I can scarcely believe you are all pocket-worlders, you have such incredible potential."
"Are you going to help us then?" Naruto asks.
"I'm willing to help you, but not in the way you want," Sora admits, scratching his cheek, "I know what you have been planning and I'm afraid that I just can't let you do it. You aren't ready to make an attempt on Furst's life yet. And unlike Carmen, I am going to stop you from doing it."
"Why?"
Sora frowns. "Because right now, you're too weak."