BACK TO SCHOOL – THE NEW TECHNIQUES
Beneath the Military Academy
Sarada groans as she feels the long fingers tenderly ruffle her hair, resigned to the fact that she couldn't escape even if she wanted to. Naruto to resist, grabbing at the hand that runs through his mane and trying helplessly to force it away. Juan takes a drink as he waits for the situation to resolve itself, however long that may take. Nina continues to patronisingly rub her students' heads, as if praising a dog.
"So, the little disciple mastered 'Future Sight'," she asks.
"Yep," Juan responds.
"And our very own morale support has mastered the 'One True Sense' too?".
"Yep."
Naruto manages to get away from his teacher for a moment but remains wary of her. He turns back to look at her and flinches away as she threatens to reach out and grab at him once again. She is far too friendly for his liking.
"Everything feels different," Naruto explains, "It's like I've been blind for my entire life, is that how it's supposed to feel."
"Probably," Juan answers with uninspiring confidence.
Nina claps her hands childishly. Sarada glances back at her teacher through the corner of her eye. Is this really the master criminal that both Endou Akashi and Furst Jonas worked so hard to hunt down? Is this the effect of being Nina's ally, this feeling of incredible ease and familiarity? This must be the reason that Headmaster Sora chose her.
"OK then, there's only one good way to test out your new techniques, right?" Nina asks rhetorically, "Let's have a good old fashioned fight. No divine energy mind, I'll be watching you closely."
As Nina announces that the two Hokage will fight, a crowd begins to form a circle around the two warriors. Nina begins to take bets on which of the two will win drawing their ire. Once they finally have complete calm and silence around them, Naruto and Sarada walk to the centre of the circle, standing face to face with one another. A bead of sweat runs down Sarada's back, a pressure born not from the audience but from her own history. Every time she gets to spar with Naruto like this, the 9th Hokage considers it to be her privilege.
Naruto extends his fist towards his student.
"Ready Sarada?"
Sarada bumps her fist against Naruto and the two of the jump away from each other as soon as their knuckles connect. They both jump precisely and skilfully backwards, landing just a few meters from the edge of the clearing that has been created by their observers.
Upon landing, the two of them dash forward once again, the first melee of this particular encounter. Naruto strikes first with three successive punches aimed at Sarada's head, each of them blocked. Next, the 7th Hokage decides to go for something more dramatic, aiming a high-angled kick towards Sarada's shoulder. The moment Naruto pivots on his foot, it triggers Sarada's reaction and she kicks his other leg out from under him.
Naruto stumbles forward, recognising straight away that Sarada's reaction time was way faster than he expected. In fact, it's a reaction time that shouldn't be possible for someone exercising so little of their power.
As Naruto tries to rebalance himself, Sarada aims at the back of his head and throws her elbow out behind her. No wasted movement, the most powerful strike she can use directly at the area that will cause the most damage.
This time it's Naruto's turn to dodge. He places each of his hands forward and falls onto them, using them as a fulcrum to flip himself forward away from the incoming strike. It's his turn to surprise Sarada, he has avoided a strike towards what she believed was a blind spot. Dodging using these movements, avoiding the small blows that build up over time, that is something that Naruto has never taken so seriously before.
While Naruto is still flipping forward, he uses his rotary motion to add some power to his throwing arm. He pulls a kunai from his pocket and extends his arm in a wave like motion, efficiently and powerfully throwing the kunai towards the back of Sarada's head.
The 9th Hokage doesn't even need to turn around. She reaches one hand behind her head and catches the kunai perfectly by the handle.
Naruto grins, 'You've certainly learnt a new trick there Sarada.'
Sarada turns to face Naruto, takes the first step towards him and casts the kunai back in his direction.
Naruto watches the kunai and Sarada as they move towards him with speed. 'That kunai is a distraction, there's a second one above,' Naruto notices. He dodges the first kunai before doing a forward somersault, catching the falling second kunai with his heel and launching it towards Sarada with speed. He does this only for Sarada to quickly pull out yet another kunai and knock it from the air, once again her reaction time is too fast.
Naruto uses the short time frame which Sarada used to block his attack to get in close to her, realising that a long distance battle may not be his best way to win against someone with such impossibly quick reactions. As he throws another strike towards her though, she reacts too quickly again, using her kunai to slice Naruto along the length of his arm.
With Naruto's arm sliced, his fingers uncurl and reveal something unsightly to his rival, a smoke bomb. The smoke bomb drops towards the ground, ready to impair Sarada's unaided vision the moment it detonates. She tries to stop it, aiming a kick towards it to knock it away, but it is too late. Even with Sarada's supreme reactions she cannot beat Naruto to the explosive as the 7th Hokage slams his hands into the smoke bomb.
As the smoke engulfs the two of them, there is little sound while the fight concludes. Sarada knew the second that her vision was impaired she wouldn't have a chance, not against Naruto now that his senses are so great. They emerge from the smoke with Naruto's kunai pressed into the side of Sarada's neck.
"If you had used the Sharingan you would have been able to see me," Naruto points out.
"If you had used your sage powers, your attacks would have been harder to see."
Naruto withdraws his kunai and bows warmly to Sarada, thanking her for the sparring match.
"You're completely different from when I fought you before, there was no taking you by surprise," Naruto says, "You could see everything before it even happened. Blinding you was the only way to win."
"You did well too. The last time we fought blind spots were the only chance I had against you. With your new sensory powers it seems that you don't have those blind spots anymore."
The people around them begin to clap respectfully. Most of them know how great a skill improvement Naruto and Sarada have just exhibited, some of them even appreciate how important this will be in the days ahead.
"Well done you two," Nina says, leading the applause, "I've never seen anyone master those techniques so quickly, have you Juan?"
"Pah, it would have been better if they did it quicker," Juan answers, taking another drink from his bottle.
The second Juan lowers the bottle from his lips, Nina throws an elbow into his stomach, evacuating the built-up fluid from his mouth. Sometimes even someone as playful as Nina can get fed up with Juan's grumpy attitude.
"Now all we can do is leave you to learn from experience," Nina explains, "Headmaster Sora must be on his way back now, he will surely have a plan on where you should go from here."
"What do we do now then?" Naruto asks.
Nina smiles kindly. "Have a moment's rest moral support, because you may not have another for the rest of your life."
Nearby
Clyde approaches Lara from behind. Leaning to the side, he notices that his superior is scratching something onto the ground, a pair of vertical lines, a tally just like the one she kept when she was his rival in the academy. He wonders what she is keeping count of now, so deep in this underground passage, so far away from everyone else watching Naruto and Sarada. He decides not to pry, instead answering as Lara requested.
"You wanted to speak to me?"
Lara nods. "We're taking another gamble Clyde. We're betting that the headmaster will be back before Nadia and Swen find us."
"We are, but we're well hidden underground," Clyde answers. "The teachers are all down here with us, there is nobody else above ground who knows where we are, we just have to make sure Naruto doesn't do anything stupid. If we give away our exact position before the headmaster is back though, then I admit, it will be all over for us."
Lara goes silent once more, running her fingers over the two tally marks on the ground. She lowers her head and whispers something under her breath. Lara has never been one for prayer or hope, dismissing them as the fantastical delusions of the weak. Perhaps that is what Lara has now become, the weak.
"We should leave, whatever the Headmaster is going to say, it won't be worth risking Naruto's life."
"That's pragmatic of you. I must admit that I agree, but Juan and Nina must have a plan. Recently they were wondering if Naruto should leave immediately. I don't think they would change their mind so quickly if they didn't have insurance."
Mirai and Clyde have taught Lara something very important in recent weeks. They taught her how to care for others, they changed her. Unfortunately, that's brought out a new anxiety in the military's head general, something that she has never had to deal with before, the fear of loss. Clyde has risked the lives of those he cares about countless times, Naruto and Sarada have done it just as much, but Lara has never done it. Lara has never cared before. Right now, to her, every battle seems like a risk and no insurance seems adequate.
"It's my fault you know," Lara says, "If I hadn't gone to complain about my past, the imperial guard would never have found us."
"Mirai and I went with you, we share just as much of the blame."
"No, you accompanied me, but the stupid decision to go above ground was mine."
Clyde notices Lara playing with the tally marks again, distracted like a child. He walks over to her and sits down across the marks from her, looking into the dark underground as if it were even remotely interesting. If not for the synthetic 'light' divine energy that fills the corridors, seeing even the boring would be impossible.
"You know about the royals, don't you?" Clyde asks. "You know about Queen Nadia's mind, about King Swen's psychic abilities. They would have found us eventually no matter what."
"I know the stories better than you," Lara answers glumly, "Soon the imperial guard will hunt us down on their behalf. They will get rid of us one at a time, separate us from the pack. It won't be so different from what I tried to do in their pocket world. The only difference is that the imperial guard are stronger, and that they will probably win."
Clyde titters. "The odds of victory were never very good."
"Yeah."
"But you need to try and cheer up a bit Lara, this is not going to be a one-sided hunt. This time it's going to be a war. War is your speciality; the imperial guard know less of it than we do. Head General Safura is a veteran of one big war, but Head General Lara, you have led a thousand campaigns against powerful enemies."
Lara knows that Clyde is running out of claims to make, she's surprised that he's even bothered to try and cheer her up. In reality, she has not lead campaigns against powerful enemies. She has drilled captains and colonels into punching slightly above their weight by conquering pocket worlds. If she herself had stepped in, there was not a single warrior in any pocket world who could have stood up to her, save for one. Dragging everyone else to power with him, Uzumaki Naruto was a freak that she could never have foreseen.
"If this is a war, we need more people on our side, not just strong people," Lara says, "I want to speak to everyone in the military. I want to let them know what their leader is doing, I want to ask them for their help."
"If you ask our fellow generals for help, the conflict will begin immediately. It's not a good idea Lara, right now we need to hide, at least until Sora returns."
"The time for hiding is almost over Clyde. I've shown my hatred, I've shown my subordinates that I hate them, I've shown my enemies that I hate them, but I've never shown the empire. The time has come to stand up. Once Headmaster Sora returns, I will be sending someone to summon the military to this academy. Once the other generals are here, I will appeal to them for support in the upcoming conflict, and you will help me with that."
Clyde blinks. "I will help you?"
"You may be stronger than me, but I'm still your boss. You are popular with a lot of the generals and you will ask them to help me, is that clear."
Clyde smiles and nods. "Yes ma'am."
"Good work, General Clyde."
Outside the Military Academy
A young-looking woman looks up from her notebook at the superstructure in front of her. She looks down and scribbles a few notes on what she sees, notes that will forever remain a mystery to this world. Her companion glances at it with a feigned interest, more interested in fact in why she never needs any new paper considering how much she writes.
"OK Swen, Headmaster Sora is still away in foreign climbs," she says with a grin, "This should really be quite easy if our mystery protect doesn't show up."
"Nadia, why won't you tell me who this protector is?"
"Superstition, if I don't say their name then they won't show up."
"It's unusual for you to speak such nonsense."
Nadia simply smiles and ignores Swen's plea to know what it is she speaks of. She takes a deep breath and looks back at the academy once again. This place always did have a touch of destiny about it. Who knows, perhaps here is where the last hope of rebellion against the emperor will die. Perhaps this is where hope will blossom. Chance is a wonderful thing, but Nadia knows that probabilities will play little into the outcome of their encounter today. The conditions are either present for them to win, or they are not.
"Come on Swen, let's get this over with," she says.
Swen approaches the colonel guarding one of the doors. He immediately stands to attention, standing perfectly strait and saluting, his index finger so perfectly in line with his eyebrow.
"It is an honour to welcome you to the military academy, King Swen, Queen Nadia."
"Go and get the most senior aristocrat you can find," Swen demands, "I want to speak to them about their newest students."
"I'm sorry King Swen, all the aristocrats have recently left the academy and have asked not to be disturbed no matter the circumstances. Perhaps I could be of assistance instead."
"How incredibly stupid," Nadia remarks.
Nadia folds her notebook and tucks it gently into her pocket. She steps in front of Swen and right up to the colonel guarding the door. She opens her arms wide, as if inviting him to hug her. Then, she slaps her hands together, into the side of his arms. The force of her strike is so great that her fingers drive straight through the man's limbs, all the way through his torso and meet in the middle. In one single ironic strike she tears him in two.
Beneath the Military Academy
Ming Dai's eyes roll to the top of his head. "He's here…"
Himawari runs to her sister-in-law as quickly as she can. "Sarada, do you feel this power?"
Sarada nods, for the second time today she feels sweat running down her back, only this time a much colder sweat. This isn't pressure, this is intimidation, intimidation she has not felt since she was very much younger. This is the same feeling she felt as a child when she saw just how much stronger than her Naruto and her father were.
"What are we supposed to do against that sort of power?" Sarada asks, "This must be them. The royals have found us before Headmaster Sora."
Nina and Juan patrol the underground area, making gestures to aristocrats who in turn make the same gestures to everyone else. Silently, everyone in the underground area huddles into a tight group with Juan and Nina at the centre.
"OH everyone, we need to stay down and here and not make a sound, understand," Nina whispers.
"Pass the message on to those behind you," Juan says, "Quickly now, we can't afford to mess this up."
The whispers travel through the mass of people, many but almost silent. Everyone is paralysed with fear except the two of them who have felt this sort of power before, Juan and Nina. They knew when they encountered Nadia and Swen on their way to the academy that it wouldn't take long for the royals to catch up with them, they knew that their power couldn't compare to the royals. Nadia and Swen are two of the seven people who control the entire world, two of the strongest people to have ever lived.
Suddenly, a booming voice breaks the silence.
"I don't want to stay down here while people up there…" Naruto shouts.
Nina urgently covers Naruto's mouth with her hand.
Juan strikes Naruto in the stomach with slightly more strength than usual, incapacitating the 7th Hokage who falls to his knees in agony.
"You are going to stay down here and keep quiet," Nina tells him firmly. "If you go up there and die, I'm going to spend the last few seconds of my life making everyone else regret your decision, OK?"
Naruto nods and Nina removes her hand from his face.
"But…" Naruto begins before being instantly interrupted.
"All the students up there have been told the same story, they don't know that their teachers are down here with us," Juan reassures Naruto. "Queen Nadia may be brutal, but she won't slaughter all the students senselessly when it brings her no closer to the answer she wants."
"How can you be certain?"
"I'm your teacher Naruto, is it so much to ask that you have faith in me for just a few more moments and stay quiet?"
Hinata approaches her husband from behind, tugging on his sleeve to grab his attention. When even the few tugs on the fabric make a noise that seems so deafening, everyone lowers the volume of their whispers even further.
"I think it's for the best Naruto," Hinata says, "Let's just stay down here and stay quiet."
Naruto reluctantly nods.
The killing above has stopped.
The silence soon follows.
Cracks start to appear in the ceiling above the hidden group. The cracks multiply at a rate of nots, filling them with fear that the ceiling will drop down on them and bury them. Wisps of purple divine energy begin to appear through the cracks, like little pieces of string. Those strings start to pull the ceiling in opposite directions. The ceiling, over one hundred meters of the hardest stone they could find, begins to tear apart, giving way to the first natural light many of them have seen in days as the real world opens up above them.
As the sunlight hits their faces, the purple divine energy extends, piercing into the floor below them and gripping hold of it like a harpoon. Suddenly, the purple divine energy begins to lift them up. The floor itself raises and the shinobi, captains, colonels, generals and aristocrats are all brought up to the surface, filling the now vacant space above them before finally coming to a halt at ground level.
Those who are familiar with the rulers of homeworld look around in terror at the two imposing figures who are looking inquisitively towards them.
Queen Nadia and King Swen. They have found them.
"Well hello, it's nice to meet the pocket worlders amongst you for the first time. Perhaps we should begin with introductions," the dark haired woman welcomes them. "I'm Queen Nadia. This lazy looking man here is King Swen, he is the one who just gave you a lift."
"Hello," Swen says.
"And look who we have amongst our numbers, Juan, to think you have been using my money for such evil purposes, I'm ashamed."
Juan averts his eyes, not daring to meet Nadia's gaze. As a teacher, he always does his best not to show his students any fear, but that is difficult right now, because he is absolutely terrified.
"And we haven't met have we Martin Nina? I was under the impression you were dead ages ago."
"Go to hell."
Nadia laughs. "She's as pleasant as ever I see. And oh, who is the man standing next to the two of them. Orange is certainly an interesting colour this time of year."
A few people step into Nadia and Swen's path, blocking the 7th Hokage from their vision. The glares of the two royals intimidate them though, scaring them back out of their way. The shinobi and the military are all aware that this is his time to show his face to the rulers of this world, to announce that he is standing up to them.
Naruto turns to look in Nadia and Swen's direction.
"That's the man from Carmen's memory," Swen says.
"Well-well, aren't we blessed then," Nadia gushes sarcastically, "Fancy meeting someone like you in a place like this. It's so nice to finally meet you, Uzumaki Naruto."