To the Future

by cbehrills

Uchiha Sarada is the 9th Hokage. A legendary shinobi, the first Uchiha to have become a Hokage. However, her reign is not easy, the village is under attack from a threat greater than any that have come before. When even the Five Kage cannot stop the incoming threat there is only one person who could, Uzumaki Naruto. There is but one problem, he is dead.

165. Plans Must Accelerate

BACK TO SCHOOL – PLANS MUST ACCELERATE

Beneath the Military Academy

Naruto helps Ming Dai to his feet, then the senior of Headmaster Sora's two students dusts himself off. No significant damage came from their fight, but that is likely only because Naruto held back, not that Dai didn't hold back in the same way. The fight was just vicious enough for Ming Dai to ascertain the truth, that Naruto is his superior in the ways of combat, and that he is the great hope in the battle against the emperor, Furst Jonas.

"I must apologise for introducing myself to you in such a violent manner my sibling student," Dai begins as he pats the dust from his clothes, "But I was eager to see just how strong you were."

"Don't worry about it," Naruto says, "I've got to admit, I was kind of curious to see how strong you were too."

Dai smiles, "Your strength and skill are tremendous for one on such a level, I hope that I performed well enough myself so as not to disappoint you."

"You didn't disappoint me, you were crazy strong, I could feel it, but there was also something else."

"Oh?"

"I felt that there was a lot more power hidden inside of you," Naruto says, pointing to Dai's chest. "There's something in your head stopping you fighting with your full potential, I know how that feels, because I felt the same thing in the past."

Ming Dai had heard previously about this student from Sora, but he had understood that he wasn't an academic. In this moment he realises that Naruto's mind holds something greater than intelligence, something beyond wisdom. Uzumaki Naruto sees the truth, and the path his words travel to your heart cannot be blocked, no matter how strong your determination to oppose them.

Dai laughs. "Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. I'm sure we can tackle that issue together with our mighty teacher. But enough about strength and power, I'm eager to meet your family. I take it this is your wife."

Naruto gathers a few people round, introducing Dai to each of them in turn. "This is my wife Hinata, my daughter Himawari, my mother Kushina and my father Minato. He is also the 4th Hokage, the 4th leader of our village."

Dai shakes each of their hands, greeting them with great politeness. It's an unusual experience for the people of the pocket-world to be introduced to a mighty warrior of Homeworld who doesn't want to kill them. It is also an experience that they could get used to, and they instantly feel that Ming Dai will be another powerful ally in their war on Furst.

"The 9th leader of the village, Uchiha Sarada is over there training, she is going to be my daughter-in-law," Naruto explains.

"She's engaged to your daughter?"

"My son."

Dai starts, "I did not realise you had a son, is he here as well?"

"You'll get to meet him one day, but right now he's not feeling like himself. He's depending on us to help him get better."

"That's a shame, I look forward to meeting him, if he's as charming as the rest of your family."

Minato assesses what may happen if such an encounter were to occur. Ming Dai is a warrior with a strength level similar to Naruto and Sarada. However, he also has skill and dexterity on par with an average shinobi. Naturally, with this manoeuvrability level, he would not be able to stop Boruto. Boruto would be compelled to strike out against him as a warrior of homeworld. So naturally, that encounter will hopefully not occur any time soon.

"Do you have any family, Ming Dai?" Hinata asks.

"The people who are taken into the military academy are brought here by the imperial guard. The imperial guard are under Furst's command, and they use barbaric methods to make people forget their families, to forget their clan names. I am a student of the academy."

"But you were a secret, right?" Hinata continues, "Didn't Headmaster Sora recruit you personally."

"That's right, so you weren't made to forget your family!"

"You are right, but sometimes I wish I could forget them," Dai explains regretfully, "I'm afraid that I will never be able to introduce my family to you. Some of them because I can't, some of them because I wouldn't want to."

Nearby, Lara and Mirai stand side-by-side and watch the interaction between the Uzumaki family and their newest ally. Mirai, after a few moments of dumbly staring at them, realises just how much has changed. She would once have been terrified to stand so close to the woman who lead the invasion into her world. Now she feels totally at peace stood next to her, and the woman who once felt so cold to her, now feels so much warmer.

Mirai nudges Lara, "Hey Lara, you see the new guy who's just emerged, I think you know what that means for your position."

"What are you saying?"

"That means the military academy has produced two students stronger than you now."

"Shut up!"

Mirai chuckles to herself as Lara storms down the enormous corridor further into the darkness. Teasing the general can be so fun. Few people throughout history have ever had the pleasure of pressing Lara's buttons and getting away with it. It can be so addicting to have the power of being her ally.

Despite her teasing, Mirai realises that today must be debilitating for Lara. She woke up the strongest student in the history of the military academy, one who may even have been considered for promotion to the aristocracy. Yet, today Clyde has broken through using his training manual, and Sora's student has emerged, more powerful than her and Clyde as well. Once being the strongest was Lara's only certainty in life. What does she have now?

"Where are you going general?" Elliot calls after his leader.

"I'm going to train without all these distractions," Lara huffs, "Mirai, you come with me, the rest of you will just get in my way."

Mirai sighs and shakes her head before pursuing Lara down the corridor. "Hold on Lara don't go so quickly. Honestly, if you keep doing this we're always going to miss the most interesting bits."

From her vantage point close by, Biwako watches as her granddaughter pursues Lara down the corridor. "Hiruzen, do you think it's OK for Mirai to be spending so much time with Lara? She did kill us after all."

"I think it's probably OK," Hiruzen replies.

"If she gets too close to Lara it's likely to end in heartbreak isn't it?"

Hiruzen has seen much heartbreak throughout his life. He has witnessed the deaths of two Hokage. If he hadn't travelled forward into the future he would have witnessed more, the death of his successor, the anguish of the 5th, 6th and 7th Hokages. He would be involved with the downfall of the Uchiha, the betrayal of Orochimaru and would witness the greatest war to ever befall their planet. However, despite all that heartbreak, life has kept moving forward, and Mirai was born.

"If we only considered what may go wrong, nobody would ever grow attached to one another," Hiruzen explains.

Five Minutes Later

Sarada maintains the barrier of diamond in front of her using her powers of 'creation', watching as it continues to absorb blows from her two training partners. The aristocrats can't spend all their time with these Hokage, they spend a lot of it on the weaker members of the shinobi and military forces, getting them ready for their job of taking on the imperial guard. Now they must train themselves, they must force each other to become more powerful.

This is why Sarada is defending herself against the attacks of Kakashi and Tobirama.

'Come on guys, there is definitely a way the two of you can get through this barrier if you work together.'

Suddenly, the two of them begin to work in perfect unison, their energies of 'water' and 'lightning' combining with one another. With the tremendous new power barraging it, the barrier of diamond begins to crack.

Tobirama's mind begins to fill with realisations about the chemical makeup of water.

Kakashi's head is abundant with thoughts of the requirements for making electricity flow.

Together, their collective energy manages to break through the barrier, forcing Sarada to evade their collective strike. She evades just in time to see the exact sight she wanted to see. For her it is hard to make a breakthrough, she studies a double-transcendent element on par with Naruto, Boruto and Furst, but Tobirama and Kakashi study regular elements, it is natural that they would breakthrough quicker. That is exactly what happens.

Sarada watches as two divine elemental cloaks appear around Tobirama and Kakashi, she watches as they are surrounded by surging energy.

'They're power is rising tremendously,' Sarada smiles, 'That means they've done it. Lord 2nd and Lord 6th have broken through.'

A Military Outpost, Near the Academy

BANG!

Another explosion as the outpost seems to be engulfed entirely in flames. If it were not for the stony walls of this place they would have surely all died by now. The colonel runs down the corridor, determined to find his superiors for instructions. There is no way to send for help, but surely their assailants will not get far. So close to the military academy, whoever has done this is certain to be hunted down and killed.

"General, where are you!" the colonel bellows. "General, we're under attack."

As the colonel runs down the corridor, a man drops through the ceiling and lands in front of him.

The man wears black armour, with a few isolated pieces of dark red armour intermingled with it. On his back he wears a ragged grey cloak. On his head the man wears a head protector, something the people of this world do not use.

This is Senju Hashirama.

The colonel is overwhelmed by Hashirama's energy the moment he first feels it. He turns and runs back down the corridor, knowing that there is no chance to stand against such incredible power. He runs for ten meters before his path is blocked in the other direction. He's blocked by a man with a dead general in each hand.

He's blocked by Uzumaki Boruto.

"You won't get away with…"

Boruto drops the two generals, dashes to the colonel and lifts him by the scruff of his neck.

"You people killed my subordinates," Boruto explains, "You don't get to tell me what I can and can't get away with."

Boruto swings his arm out to his side, releasing the colonel and smashing him through the wall. When the colonel breaks through the fifth successive wall and lands outside of the outpost, he is gone.

"The battle is over," Tao Ma proclaims as he approaches Boruto from behind, "Lord Hashirama, Lord Boruto, we have won this day."

Hashirama grins, "You are becoming stronger Boruto, I didn't even have to do anything to take this outpost."

Boruto looks around him, wondering how he should be feeling in this moment. All this death and he feels like he has achieved very little. Is this how the people of homeworld felt when the trampled through the pocket-worlds. Is this how the people of homeworld felt when they killed his father, his master, and all of his subordinates.

"Outposts like this are pathetic," Boruto declares, "We have achieved little."

"It amazes me that you sell yourself short like that. You were able to defeat Sarada you know, and you're getting more powerful still," Hashirama counters. "I sense that when the battle to decide our destiny arrives it will not be I, but you who fights Naruto."

"If that day comes, when that day comes, I will atone for my father's mistakes. I will defeat him, you just watch. The sacrifices of our shinobi world, the deaths of all those shinobi will not be in vain."

"I know they won't."

Tao Ma steps forward, resting his hand on Boruto's shoulder. "I believe that either of you could lead us to freedom, it doesn't matter which one of you does it. I truly believe that the saviour of the pocket-worlders is standing before me, whichever one of you it is."

Boruto nods, when Tao Ma took him hostage he never realised that it would be for this purpose, that he would become such a loyal follower. He never knew that his father would dedicate so much time to the freedom of the world that had tried to kill them, that he would ignore the plight of so many pocket-worlds. He never knew that he would feel such rage and passion, and that it would be down to him to save his people from the enemy they have learnt not to see.

"What do we do now?" Hashirama sighs.

"Isn't it obvious? Even if we overcome my father, the emperor is too strong," Boruto concludes, "He needs to die for peace to be born, and as controllers of 'death', we must be the ones to kill him."

"Then we need to get stronger."

"Yes, much stronger. There is only one person that has used the element of 'death' to activate a divine elemental cloak, that is you Tao Ma," Boruto says, "You're the most proficient user of 'death' who has ever lived."

"Yes, I suppose I am."

"Then you must train us. If we are ever going to defeat my father or Furst, we need to reach the second level of 'death' energy."

Tao Ma agrees to this. He also offers each of them a stark warning. "I can teach you about the element of 'death' but I must reiterate what I told you when you first obtained the power. It is a burden. To understand more of 'death' you must know more pain. The anguish you must feel is the price for the strength it will bring you, anguish that you can never relinquish until the moment of your own 'death', do you understand?"

Hashirama and Boruto agree to this. They set themselves on a more agonising path than they ever have before, all in the name of freedom for the homes of their allies.

Nearby, ChouChou shakes Shikadai by the shoulder.

"What is it?"

"What do you make of the situation," Inojin asks, "Are Boruto and Hashirama thinking clearly?"

"I can't read their minds Inojin, but I can tell that they are being driven by painful memories," Shikadai explains, "I know how it is to be driven by pain, that's how I broke through when Shinki threatened my father's life. They are being driven by the past, but their actions will protect the present."

"Does that mean we can trust them?"

"If Boruto were completely lost to darkness, if he went crazy and turned fully against the people of our world, what would you do?" Shikadai asks, "Would you leave him, would you betray him, would you fight him?"

"… I would save him," ChouChou answers.

"Loyalty to him has never let us down before and it never will, so all we can do is stand by him and believe in our shadow Hokage."

The Military Academy, Sora's Quarters

Sora returns to his quarters after seeing his two students introduce themselves to one another. Another successful day as far as he is concerned. As soon as he gets into the chamber he pauses, staring vacantly into the space in front of him. Each time he makes a request like this it's more dangerous than the last time, each time he has pushed Furst's patience a bit further and eventually it will wear thin. When the emperor finds out that Naruto is here, he will surely kill him.

"Aren't you slightly too old to be playing hide and seek?"

"That's rich," a voice comes from the shadows, "At least coming from someone who hides his true intentions as well as you do."

The man who emerges from the shadows is someone who has been particularly active in the last few days, a red-haired mercenary named Mars.

"I can't believe the emperor still believes you to be loyal to him, but if you pay me, I will keep quiet," Mars says.

"The emperor doesn't think me loyal you fool, he simply hasn't decided to kill me yet."

"Have you got the money?"

Sora throws a bag full of coins to Mars, mostly cyan and blue in colour. In return, Mars throws a small bag containing a single item back to Sora. The two fighters check the content of their bags, Mars making sure he has got his money, Sora making sure that he has got his prize.

"It is indeed what you claimed," Sora remarks, almost sounding surprised.

"Be careful with that thing, it would be real shame if the chance to use it were lost forever."

"… tell me Mars, are you doing any jobs for Emperor Furst right now?"

"I couldn't tell you if I were, but I can tell that I'm not."

"Why do you eve take jobs from that man, you must know that when consolidates his power beyond any doubt he will destroy all mercenaries," Sora explains, "Shouldn't you hate him like the rest of us? Surely there is something you love that he has destroyed, after all, he took your names too didn't he?"

"You overestimate my morals old man Sora, money is money, regardless of where it comes from, and with money I can do whatever I like. I see it's not the first time you have misread someone, it looks like it's all going wrong for you lately."

"What exactly do you mean by that."

Mars begins to pace back and forward in the room, owning the floor as if he can intimidate Sora like the rest of his adversaries. "I hear that your two top students, Generals Lara and Clyde have both gone rogue, a terrible mark against your reputation, you must be disappointed."

Naturally, Sora has Lara and Clyde both hidden downstairs.

"If my students go up against Emperor Furst, then they are fools," Sora smiles innocently, "He is the emperor for a reason, I doubt they can change that."

"So you haven't heard from them recently?"

"Should I have?"

"You're avoiding the question old man, indulge my curiosity, you wouldn't be using them as assassins would you? Furst did kill your best friend after all."

"Furst may have killed Akashi Endou, but do you think if I wanted him dead I couldn't do better than to send Lara and Clyde to fight him?"

Mars grins, stopping his pacing as if he has only just remembered who he is stood across from. When small pockets of resistance have emerged in the empire they have been quickly stamped out. Many times he was paid to help the resistance out, not as a fighter but as a messenger, to send a message to one man. Every resistance wanted the help of the same person, the man once known as Muto Sora. This old man is no pushover, he is the greatest threat to the emperor to have ever lived.

"Considering what I just gave you, I suppose you have many plans in the works," Mars admits as he lights a cigarette, "I suppose you have your affairs in hand, don't you?"

"My affairs are under control Mars."

Mars nods.

"I notice there are several bruises under your sleeve," Sora notes, "Don't tell me that the imperial guard was more than you could handle."

"I had a very unusual journey old man, I thought I had bumped into a pair of pocket-worlders at one point, one of them with the most unusual ability."

"How curious."

Sora doesn't say what he knows, while he trusts Mars' confidence he sees no reason to push it at this point. What he knows, is that there are two mighty pocket worlders from the Hidden Leaf village out there, causing chaos at the moment, two people who wouldn't dare to call him an ally, who hate all the people of this world.

But what he doesn't know, is that Mars is referring to two new pocket worlders.

"I'm surprised someone so weak as a pocket-worlder was able to do any harm to you," Sora says.

"Oh they didn't, but the one who did this to me wasn't a member of the imperial guard."

"Then who was it?"

"You may not believe me, but I bumped into a young girl and an owl."

Sora resists the temptation to hold his head in his hands. He has trained many people at the military academy, including a few aristocrats who would be able to defeat Mars. Each of them is blessed with a lifetime of experience, a powerful element, and a training manual. To hear this life-long mercenary of such power and talent talk of losing to a child is beyond belief. Not even Naruto could defeat him yet.

"You got injured by a young girl, and an owl?" Sora asks with raised eyebrows.

"She was weaker than me, the owl was too, but there was something about them," Mars explains, "There was a part of me, maybe instinct, but when I was fighting her I just heard this little voice in my head. 'Run away' the voice said, so I got out of there as quickly as I could. Before I could escape, she injured me, do you have any idea what happened, Headmaster Sora?"

Mars looks to Sora with honest curiosity, knowing that only the emperor would be able to answer if he could not.

"Perhaps, it was a divine ability?" Sora says, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, it wasn't a divine ability. It was as if… as if I was fighting a wild animal, rather than a person, a wild animal."

Sora grows tired with this conversation.

"I suppose an owl could be considered a wild animal," he says sarcastically.

Mars laughs and shakes his head. "If you're not going to take me seriously, I guess my business here is finished. You know how to contact me if you want anything else, Headmaster Sora."

Sora's concerns are not alleviated by what he has just heard. He knows that King Weiss Max has a great number of experiments in that laboratory of his, god knows what he could have gotten up to.

The girl and the owl, just who could they be?