BACK TO SCHOOL – WITHOUT NARUTO
Mars' Home
Mars enters with Naruto over his shoulder, immediately receiving vigorous applause from the many servants in his employ. Mars is not just any mercenary, he's good at his job, maybe not the best but certainly one of the most reputable. He has worked for both Headmaster Sora and Emperor Furst on previous occasions, gaining favour with the most influential people in the world.
He approaches one of his servants and dumps Naruto on the floor at her feet.
"Here, take him and secure him. Don't take any chances, this is the most valuable man that has ever lived."
The servant is quickly joined by another. Together they lift Naruto by the arms and legs, carrying him into one of the adjoining rooms. While the other servants return to their duties, the chief servant approaches his master to speak with him about the situation, clearly this isn't just going to be another day.
"Sir, do you mind if I ask what you intend to do?" the chief servant asks, "This clearly isn't a normal job, and I have heard nothing of this man before."
"Oh you will be hearing his name crop up very soon. A bounty will appear in his name and it will be enormous," Mars says, "I'm going to hand him over to the emperor in person. Once I've done that I will become rich."
"The emperor will come in person? Just who is this man?"
"He is the greatest threat to have ever emerged. This man is Homeworld's greatest enemy."
Nearby
Hinata awakens but keeps her eyes shut, recalling her lessons from her youth about what to do if you are kidnapped. She uses all of her senses to try and gauge her situation. It's cool, and there is a breeze blowing so she must be outside. The ground is hard, grassy but hard, she's still in the same moorland area as the academy. There are no apparent sounds other than the blowing of the wind, but there is a slightly familiar smell. She opens her eyes, and realises she is surrounded by family.
Hinata sits up, "What happened?".
"You were attacked by that mercenary, he tried to take you away with him," Himawari explains, "Thankfully dad and Dai pursued you until-"
"Where is Naruto?" Hinata asks.
She is not given a quick response, something she assumes must be a bad sign. Instead she notices the shame on the face of Ming Dai, the sadness in the eyes of her daughter and Naruto's parents. She also realises that Mars isn't nearby, so that means he got away. She understands it all without needing the reply, Naruto has been taken by Mars.
"It was all a trick, Mars was never interested in you, he was using you to lure Naruto in," Dai explains, "He's probably looking to sell Naruto to the emperor."
Hinata jumps to her feet. "If he's going to give Naruto to the emperor then we need to go and get him back. Why aren't we doing it already, what are we waiting around for?"
"Because he's too strong. You and I are class 6 Hinata, he's class 7."
"If we work together we can probably defeat him."
"Naruto said the same thing."
Dai instantly feels the bitterness of his last statement strike him. Naruto may well have been right, the two of them were never able to cooperate in their fight against him, Mars effectively managed to separate them. Even then, thanks to Naruto's supreme skill, he was able to endure the volley of Mars attacks. It wasn't until the mercenary used a cowardly tactic that Naruto was forced to take a direct attack.
"He will have servants too," Dai explains, "There may even be other class 6 fighters among his servants. Barging into Mars' home won't be so easy."
"Are you saying we should do nothing?"
"It's too risky to do anything. I'm not worried about our lives, but if we mess this up then Naruto could die. We should get help, there are aristocrats out there who would be willing to help the resistance if we told them about Naruto."
"We don't have time for that!" Hinata yells.
Dai rubs his head, nothing but yelling today. It's fallen to him to be the voice of reason in some of the most trying circumstances. He's had to be Naruto's brains as the Hokage's tried to go back into the fight. Then he had to try and keep calm as Naruto's wife was taken away. Now he has to argue with Hinata's plea to make a daring attack on a class 7 warrior.
"I don't know as much about this world as you," Hinata admits, "But I know that there is no aristocrat who can get here before the emperor does. He's too fast."
Minato steps forward. "She's right Dai, we need to get Naruto ourselves. It's risky but this whole rebellion is one enormous risk to begin with. It's now or never."
Dai sighs. Minato is right.
"Very well, I suppose you are right. We don't have any other choice but I don't like it. We will need to be very careful."
Kushina pats Dai on the back, offering him some gentle encouragement for his courage.
"Let me get one thing straight though, this isn't about any of us," Dai says, "I know you're family but today you are soldiers. We're not putting sentiment ahead of pragmatism here, we're going to rescue Naruto. No matter what happens to any of us, we get Naruto out of there, is that understood?"
"That's what I was going to do anyway," Hinata says.
"Fine," Himawari nods her assent.
"OK," Minato raises his hands.
"I'll do whatever you need as long as we get him out of there safely," Kushina says.
"Fine then, in that case, we march on Mars' home."
Dai runs the numbers in his head, how many servants will Mars have, how strong will they be? Will his home have any other defence? He recalls it's location from previous discussions with Sora, but not any of the specifics of the layout. Dai puts this down to Sora's lack of concern, for there is no defence that could have stopped him. The same cannot be said for weaker class 6 fighters. However, there is one variable he can't predict, one that would have a dramatic impact on the battle, will Naruto be able to help them?
The Hokage Group
In a completely different part of the moorland environment, Sarada runs at the head of a pack of shinobi. After several hours of this running, she finally stops and turns to look back at the others. Many of them are gasping for breath, particularly those who haven't mastered any form of divine energy yet. Activating her rinnegan, she has a quick scan of the surroundings but can't find any threats within range. If the royals are following them then they are hidden too well to ever be found.
"Alright, everyone, take a break," Sarada says.
A lot of the shinobi lay down in the grass, some even collapse, adrenaline having been the only thing keeping them going. As a downcast mood falls upon the group, Sarada's mind is moving too fast to even notice. She buries her head in her hands, her eyes moving side to side as if reading a book as she thinks through how to proceed from here.
Tobirama and Kakashi approach Sarada but are forced to call three times before the 9th Hokage wakes from her trance.
"Sarada!"
The Hokage's head snaps up, "Sorry guys, I was lost in thought."
"I'm sorry to put this pressure on you but since Naruto isn't with us at the moment you're in charge," Kakashi says, "What do you want us to do?"
Sarada nods. "Lord 2nd, are any of the others close enough to reach with the flying thunder god technique?"
"There was so much energy flying around before I couldn't even feel anyone else, the emperor's power overwhelmed me," Tobirama admits, "Since we got clear of the headmaster's blast range I haven't felt anyone's chakra outside our group. I'm sorry Sarada, but we're in this alone."
Sarada looks towards the sun, hovering near the horizon, perhaps a symbol of the Hokage's significance in this struggle. The sun is so far away, but right now it feels like Naruto is even further away. When Sora died, he did so believing that Naruto would be the one to end this suffering, that he was the second coming of Endou Akashi. Without him, Sarada feels that her role in the rebellion has diminished significantly.
"There isn't much we can do," Sarada concedes, "We'll keep training until we're ready for the fight. We'll stir up rebellion where we can, but this isn't our show anymore. Let's just try and keep calm. Naruto will act soon, and I'm sure that he won't be subtle enough to escape our notice."
Kakashi smiles, "Luckily for us subtlety has never been Naruto's greatest strength."
Hiruzen and Tsunade join the trio.
"We should go and find the villagers and take them to safety," Hiruzen suggests, "If nothing else it would be a weight of Naruto's shoulders."
"Yes, good idea," Sarada agrees.
"Do you think there is any hope Sarada, honestly?" Tsunade asks, "I don't' mind telling everyone else what we agree upon but I would like to know the truth. You saw what Furst did, Sora made us look like children in battle but he couldn't lay a finger on the emperor. How can we against those odds?"
"I…" Sarada stutters, "I think there is hope."
"Why?"
"I think there is hope because of how far we have already come, all the way from what we now know is a pocket world," she says. "I think there is hope because even when we had to abandon our homes we took on an opponent we couldn't hope to beat, and then we did it again and again. We changed the military with our determination and we won when it mattered most.
"Each and every shinobi has contributed to that cause, it hasn't all just been Naruto. We have all made a difference, all of us. We started this rebellion the moment I brought you guys to the future, the moment you brought hope forward in time with you. Since then this rebellion has grown so much larger but one thing hasn't changed. At the front there is a man who doesn't give up, who doesn't quit no matter what. We are being lead by a man who can't be stopped."
"And you think he will beat Furst?" Tsunade asks.
"I don't believe in immovable objects. I do believe in an unstoppable force. No matter what Furst throws in Naruto's way, the 7th Hokage will protect the Hidden Leaf Village. We have to help him to do that, but with our support there is nothing that can stop him."
"You believe there is a real chance at victory because you believe in Naruto?"
"Not just Naruto. I'm the Hokage, I believe in the will of fire, don't you?"
"Yes," Tsunade nods, "To the end."
Mars' Home
Mars sits patiently on a stool, tapping the fixture which Naruto has been secured to, waiting for him to wake up, or for the emperor to arrive. He dare not take his eye off the Uzumaki clansmen for a second, if he does losing his bounty won't be his biggest concern, that will be the fury and rage of the emperor. If Mars lets Naruto go, Jonas is certain to kill him. Even if Mars were able to escape, he would have to go on the run for the rest of his life, and not just from Jonas. If Naruto were to escape it would only be a matter of time before he surpassed Mars and returned to exact his revenge upon him.
A servant enters the room, bowing slightly towards his mater.
"You have news?"
"Yes sir, the bounty just become active as you predicted it would, it is by far the largest bounty I have ever seen. If you take this one you will be one of the richest people in the world, certainly the wealthiest mercenary in history."
"Good, that's good. You don't need to worry, you shall all be rewarded for your loyalty with a fraction of the profits. I always reward loyalty."
"Thank you sir."
Mars taps the fixture with his index finger again.
"So, is he coming, is the emperor coming?"
"News will reach the emperor at any moment if it hasn't already," the servant answers calmly, "Emperor Furst will come sir, please do not worry."
"Excellent."
Nearby
The group readies themselves for the attack on Mars' home. Hinata, Himawari, Minato, Kushina and Dai stand in a straight line, each observing the structure they are about to attack. Between them they have a rich catalogue of experiences and five unique perspectives on the best way to attack. Is it surprise? Should they flank the enemy?
"Minato, you couldn't just teleport him out and get this over with could you?" Hinata asks hopefully.
"I can't feel Naruto's chakra," Minato answers, "I suspect they're using the same type of prison Clyde used during the captained-six contest."
Hinata thinks back to the captained-six contest, everything was easier back then. Although she does not resent the power she has obtained since that day, it has put a burden of responsibility on her shoulders. That contest was fought by Naruto, Hashirama, Sarada, Boruto, Kakashi, Tobirama and Mirai. None of them are here now, none of the champions of that day can be depended upon now. Hinata has to do this herself.
"Where's Lord 6th when you need him," Himawari remarks, as if reading her mother's mind.
Indeed, if Kakashi were here now his power would allow him to bridge the gap between the dimensions and walk straight up to Naruto without being detected. Unfortunately, Kakashi was with the other Hokage, discussing how to bring Boruto and Hashirama back when Jonas attacked. Now they are separated and are likely to remain that way for quite some time.
"We won't hold back then, if we can't approach covertly we will try the louder approach," Dai says, "Hinata, you're the strongest, take aim and fire."
"OK."
Hinata raises a palm, taking her time to carefully aim at the building. She chooses a portion of the structure she is confident that Naruto isn't being housed in, something with a lot of windows and other structural weaknesses. He can't be in there otherwise Minato would be able to reach him. She visualises the stone tablet in her inner world, emblazoned with the word 'water'. As the energy flows from her soul to the tip of her hand she forms it into a circle before extending it half way to the building and releasing it.
The beam of 'water' blasts away a large portion of Mars house.
Mars' Home
In the most secure room in his house, Mars can hear the structure being blown away. He jumps to attention and turns to face the door. Whatever is going on outside, he cannot leave Naruto here, he cannot!
Mars' chief servant runs into the room.
"Sir, we are under attack, it must be the target's allies."
"You are powerful enough aren't you, deal with them," Mars demands, "I am staying with the target."
As the chief servant leaves the room Mars is shocked by a voice.
"You're afraid, aren't you?"
Mars turns back rapidly to see that Naruto is awake. He pauses and wipes the shocked look from his face, not wanting to give the 7th Hokage a moment's satisfaction more than he needs to.
"Ha, you're clearly delusional, my servant is a class 6 warrior, just as yours are," Mars explains, "When the battle outside is over if your followers get lucky they might win, once that happens they will be easy pickings for me. Trust me, they don't share your value so I'm going to enjoy picking them off one by one."
Naruto chuckles aloud. He wondered when he awoke a moment ago just how strong the security in Mars' home would be, but now that the mercenary has given everything away he is not afraid at all. The only person he needs to fear here is Mars himself.
"Hinata and Dai are no ordinary class 6 warriors," Naruto explains, "They won't struggle to fight off your subordinates."
Mars grinds his teeth in frustration before a punch into Naruto's gut.
The 7th Hokage winces, "That hurt you know."
Mars turns back to the entrance to the room, listening to the sounds of fighting outside. The violence sounds more terrifying than usual, more terrifying than any battle he has ever witnessed. This is his first moment experiencing true fear during a battle. Naruto's words have got to him, he believed everything that the young shinobi said and he was right to. The battle outside is not going his way.
Suddenly, the chains binding Naruto to the fixture begin to vibrate furiously as he tackles them with the full force of his divine 'life' energy. As the seconds pass the intensity of the vibration increases and increases, until the chains begin to glow red hot. As the tenth second passes, Naruto's wrists break through the chains.
Mars practically falls off his chair before staggering backwards.
"You were a fool Mr Mercenary," Naruto says as he gets to his feet and dusts off his orange clothing, "You may think that you're so much better than us pocket-worlders, but you were a fool to look down on a Hokage."
Mars tries his best to show confidence. "Pah, so what, I defeated you before and I will-"
"You don't defeat me again," Naruto declares confidently.
"Oh?"
"I'm going to make you regret underestimating the Hidden Leaf Village."
For the first time on this tragic day luck has favoured Naruto's group. All three class 6 warriors are in the battle. Naruto has broken free and found a new air of confidence. Mars now finds the dread he felt before escalating. He felt as soon as the attack came that it was going wrong, he is about to find out just how right he was.
Update Notice - Written 13th November 2019
Hi All,
Apologies for this but there won't be any update tonight or tommorrow because of work commitments.
I will try and use the limited time I have available over these two days to start planning part 9.
Thanks for your support,
Me