BORUTO'S MASTERS – CALL TO THE CONFERENCE

Jakka City, Seblix

Shao Chin walks into one of the many alleys in Seblix, sitting down on the ground with his freshly stolen newspaper in hand. He doesn't object to paying your way in the world, however, having been away for many years it would be difficult for him to do so right now. He reads the headlines, smiling to himself as he learns more and more about the world and how it has changed since he disappeared many years ago.

He looks for all the details he can on the new Queen of this land, on Queen Hirsch Nadia but then he jumps across something even more interesting. He reads an article accompanied by a picture of a man in his mid-twenties, a man with dark hair and a fine build. This man appears to be some sort of genetic peculiarity to Shao Chin who cannot find one single imperfection with his appearance. He is confused when he reads the identity of this man in the paper. This is Emperor Furst Jonas.

"You have a grudge against the emperor?"

Shao Chin looks up, an elderly woman is standing next to him, looking down at the paper. Shao Chin gestures for her to sit down next to him and she obliges having realised that he has questions to ask her.

"Who is this man?" Shao Chin asks.

"He is the Emperor of Homeworld, his name is Emperor Furst Jonas," the elderly woman explains, "He took the throne from Endou Akashi many years ago. He's not a leader that one, he's a ruler."

"It sounds like you don't like him?"

"Nobody likes him!"

Shao Chin notices that the elderly woman is shivering as she speaks with him. Clearly, this lady is not blessed with divine energy as he is, clearly, she won't last long out here in the cold in her state. The hunter thoughtfully removes his warm furs, lower them onto the lady's shoulders to keep her warm.

"Thanks."

"It's no problem," the hunter says dismissively, "I need to know more about this man, if he is so unpopular why does everyone do what he says?"

"He's supposed to be really strong. Some say that he killed the last emperor, I think the last emperor just couldn't handle it and left us."

Shao Chin smiles, these people at the top of the world are likely class 8 warriors or above. He knows that no class 8s lack experience. Everyone at the top of this world is a battle-hardened warrior who has had to endure much during their life, they have all suffered more than those without divine energy could imagine. There is no way they would give up on an empire. Although this woman may appear elderly that is because she has no talent and has not grasped divine energy. In reality, the lady is far younger than he is and was likely born long after the last emperor's death.

"What sort of man is Furst?"

"He used to be a scientist but now he gets someone else to do it for him. The queen, she is supposed to be clever but she's afraid of him, they all are those royals! He's far too scary for any of them to stand up to."

"It's as I thought," Shao Chin grins.

"Huh?"

"I've never encountered such a perfect prey in all my life," the hunter cheers before stroking his white beard, "Everything about him makes me want to hunt him. He's the most protected person in the world and probably the strongest too. Even the Queen of Seblix is afraid of him. He is not some dumb beast, nor is he a weak animal, he is the king of the jungle, the Emperor of Homeworld. Perfect."

"You're going to hunt the emperor?"

"That's right."

"Are you stupid," the old woman asks, "he is too strong for someone like you. He's ruled the world all my life, if he was so easy to kill why haven't you done it already?"

"I only just found out about him."

"But he's too powerful, even that coward Sora couldn't defeat him."

"I'll find a way. I've fought against prey stronger than me before. You see, that's the trick of being a hunter, you've got to lay traps and find your prey's weak spot. For some animals it is up here, for some it is down there and for others it's their mind that lets them down. I just have to find the emperor's weak spot."

"I don't think the emperor has a weakness."

"Well I'll prove you wrong," Shao Chin smiles eagerly.

"You'll never find him."

"I can find anyone."

The old lady glances to her side at Shao Chin. His long uncut white hair and rough skin gives him the look of a man in his seventies, certainly not someone blessed with youth. In reality he is far older than she is, and he has seen many things during his long life. However, what she notices in his eyes is a glint of excitement, like a child who has found a new toy. To her surprise, he appears to be completely sincere.

The elderly lady smiles, "I hope you can do what you say. If you find the emperor hit him once for the rest of us yeah, make him pay for all that he put us through."

"If you want to hit him you should learn to hunt yourself."

"You're a real spoilsport Mr Hunter."

Shao Chin smiles once again before getting to his feet and stretching. Compare to the pocket-worlds Homeworld is enormous, even for the most powerful alive it takes a long time to cross. For him it is a serious task. In this world there are hills and oceans, mountains and rivers, volcanoes and deserts. If a commoner were to walk from one side to the other, they would not be able to do it in their lifetime. With such a large area to search one would think it impossible to find Furst Jonas. There may be only one person in all the world who can find Jonas from nothing, but if there is one such person, that person is definitely Shao Chin.

His hunt has begun.

The Imperial Palace

Safura approaches the emperor and bows politely before him, awaiting the orders she was told to come and receive in person.

"What do you require my lord?"

"I foresee Uzumaki Naruto becoming more trouble than he is worth, wouldn't you agree Head General Safura?"

"Yes, my lord, underestimating someone like him is something we can only regret in the future."

Furst nods. "Then send out the signal to the other generals in the imperial guard. It's time for the royal conference."

Safura nods, acknowledging the order before turning and leaving the room. She shuts the enormous throne room doors behind her and immediately clutches at her chest. The royal conference, it has been many years since that last happened and it was the most terrifying experience of her life.

The royal conference, as the name implies, is the gathering of all the royals. It is very rare, happening once every few hundred years and only eight people are ever able to attend. The six royals who rule over the six nations, the head general of the imperial guard and the emperor himself. That is the gathering of the seven most powerful people in the world and she is always there to observe it. Safura could walk across Homeworld in a straight line and never encounter anyone who ever comes close to her power, but in that room for just a few moments, she is there with seven people who could easily kill her.

Whenever there is a royal conference two of the kings or queens are almost certain to bicker. When arguments break out, they are settled by the emperor himself, meaning that one party will always leave unhappy. These royals are not merciful people, the emperor deliberately picked people who would have no moral objections to assisting him; when they don't have their way, people die. Perhaps not other royals or generals from the imperial guard but the other ranks are in danger.

The royal conference is the single most dangerous event in Homeworld.

Safura pulls a communication out from within her jacket pocket and sends out her message, alerting her generals that the conference is to happen again.

Boni, Seblix Capital City

Nadia laughs, clapping her hands childishly as she watches a pair of thugs do battle in front of her. She has been watching these two for the past week to see what they would get up to, now she is betting with her right-hand man General Dodi on how accurately she can predict their sequence of moves.

Dodi is an empty man who very seldom shows emotion and cares nothing for the fight that is going on in front of him. He has little use for the lavish salary that the emperor grants him and doesn't care whether or not he loses that money to Nadia. He has grown to know Nadia well over his years of service and doesn't believe that she is a bad person. He doubts that she would hurt him if he disobeyed her, but he has no intention of finding out by rebelling against this stupid bet.

"See, look at that Dodi, look," Nadia says pointing at the writing in her notebook.

Dodi glances at the notebook as if there were any doubt in his mind. Of course, Nadia predicted their sequence of strikes perfectly. Her mind blesses her with the foresight of a god, there is no match for Queen Hirsch on the mental battlefield he is sure of that much.

As the thugs continue to fight one another, Dodi's eyes widen slightly in an unusual showing of emotion and Nadia doesn't miss it.

"What is it?" Nadia asks.

"The emperor is calling a royal conference," Dodi explains.

Nadia sighs, "So, I have to go and play nice with all the big boys and girls again. It's not fair is it Dodi, I thought we were having so much fun here with our little bet."

"You must do what duty demands of you."

"You're no fun general. Do you want to hear my latest prediction?"

"No," Dodi admits.

"Well I'm the boss here so you've got to listen to it anyway. So, here it is one day very soon a war will break out between Naruto's allies and the emperor's allies. When that war breaks out you are going to be fighting on the front lines. I don't know exactly who or what it will be, but you will meet someone there who will put an expression on that face. Uzumaki Naruto isn't an opponent you can so easily overlook. Even the emperor is admitting that now."

"Whatever you say my lady."

Otoriko, Gavaria's Capital City

General Odion climbs the stairs mounted to the outside of the royal palace. Climbing all the way to the top where only two people in this entire kingdom are allowed to venture, himself and his king. This is not for any sensible reason though, not for security or for safety, but because King Hoffman Swen doesn't like to be disturbed.

"My lord," Odion bows politely.

"I want to go to sleep, just say it."

"The emperor has called you to the royal conference."

Swen groans and sits up, looking back at Odion with spite. Odion is always nagging him to be more proactive and to train during his spare time, if he weren't so loyal, he would have gotten rid of the annoying general a long time ago. The young-looking king wonders if Odion is lying to manipulate him into doing something else, so he wanders into his mind.

Swen uses his 'psychic' powers on his subordinate and immediately realises that he is telling the truth.

"Safura called us to the royal conference," Swen groans, "That's never good. OK Odion, pack my bag, I've got a long way to go and you're not allowed to come with me."

The Laboratories

Rana knocks and enters into the lab where Max is conducting his latest experiment.

"How dare you," Max shouts at the top of his voice as he storms towards Rana, "I gave you instructions that I was not to be disturbed. You should be in Aturia trying to find Uzumaki Naruto, not here bothering me! Do you have any idea how far your intrusion will set back my work!?"

Rana lowers her head, "I'm very sorry my lord."

Max, unsatisfied with the apology, snatches the glasses from Rana's head and smashes them with his bare hands. Rana does nothing to interfere as her sight is robbed from her having grown accustomed to the king's foul moods long ago.

"The emperor has called. It's the royal conference," Rana says.

Max glares at Rana. The imperial guard generals never do anything for him, they just get in his way and spoil his day with their incompetence. Now she brings news of the royal conference. There are people there at that conference that can do so much more than annoy him, there are people there that can turn his very life upside down.

Max storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving Rana to wonder just how long she should wait before leaving herself.

Farmwell, Fayoth's Capital City

Petra sits on her throne listening to the complaints of the people in her city. Farmwell is one of the best and worst cities to live in. Homeworld has problems with poverty in just about every city other than this one and that is because Petra is diligent. Queen Huen Petra is the student of the emperor and his most loyal follower because of help she received from him during her youth.

Farmwell has no problems with crime because Petra has stamped it out, however, the price Farmwell has paid for this lack of crime is a lack of free will. Petra's divine energy is of the 'control' element. With her incredible powers she can bend people to her will controlling even some of the mighty warriors in the imperial guard. Using this power, she has gained total control over Farmwell by using the very people she swore to protect, sacrificing their freedom for the greater good.

Under Petra's leadership the nation of Fayoth has gained much land, particularly from Cheqitori to the west. However, Queen Huen continues to work hard every day to perfect her domain for there are those that still hold status greater than her own. She aims for nothing more than to please her master, Furst Jonas, but those who stand ahead of her are not so easy to overcome.

Queen Nadia is known to be the most effective strategist amongst them, having gained the most land and having the largest kingdom as a result. King Max has made his skills more useful to the empire than she has. Then there is the most hated royal of all, one that she has a personal grudge against. Indeed, no matter how hard she tries, she is a long way from being the strongest royal.

She does have a famous general at her side though, someone who has been the bane of many criminals during her life, General Nero. Nero hides behind her looks which paint her as a frail old lady, she is anything but frail. Nero is the most heartless General in the imperial guard, a name that Naruto became familiar with during his time at the academy.

Naruto learned techniques from the former bandit Nina during his time at the academy. Nero was the one who killed Nina's children.

Of all the royals to be told about the royal conference Petra is the least upset. While she appreciates that the situation at these conferences is always volatile and that a lot can go wrong, she welcomes the opportunity to learn from her teacher once again. She is certain that her grudges won't matter because Furst Jonas will protect her ahead of anybody else.

A royal conference is a power play and it's hers to lose.

North West Cheqitori

Yasmine is something of a rarity in Homeworld, she is a master of two elements, in her case 'lightning' and 'water'. She is a General in the Imperial Guard, reporting to the King of Cheqitori, Homeworld's smallest nation. However, despite the recent decline of the nation and its King's power she feels no less privileged to serve the man who rules over this most important of lands.

She spots her king laying along the branch of a tree, looking up into the sky above into the stars as he always does. The King of Cheqitori is not a hard man to spot, with sky blue hair and eyes, always wearing a red and black suit and tie with a white rose in his pocket. He dresses himself to stand out, yearning for every bit of importance and status he can get despite being one of the lesser recognised royals. Nevertheless, he is a king and is feared by most because of that.

Yasmine does not fear him though, even if she should. She sneaks up the tree, stealthily climbing up above him before dropping upside down in front of his face. Before he can startle, her long white hair falls down onto his lap and she pushes her face as close as she can to his.

"Boo!" she yells.

"Please be serious Yasmine," the king says.

Yasmine drops down beside him, pouting childishly to see if she can get a reaction, but she cannot. So, instead she looks up into the same sky he sees and questions just what is going through his mind.

"What are you looking at?" she asks jokingly.

"The stars," the king answers, "All life once came from the stars. The stars also help my clan to see the future. All that has happened and all that is yet to happen, it is defined by something beyond this world."

"Go on then, predict the future!"

"You're about to tell me something important Yasmine."

The general grins, "That was an easy one."

"What is it?"

Yasmine shows the king the communication stone, pointing at it childishly and telling him that she received a message from someone "very, very, very important." Normally when she says that it is something trivial, unless you would consider a new menu at your nearest restaurant to be 'very, very, very important'.

"There is going to be a royal conference."

The king jumps up, now that's what he likes to hear. He is one of the least experienced royals and has been looking for an opportunity to improve his standing for a long time now. A royal conference is always a chance to get one-up over the other royals, it's a chance he cannot pass up. The king is a dreamer and is very naïve, dismissing instantly the possibility that any of his rivals could instead get one over on him. He dismisses Nadia, Swen and Max, narcissistically believing everything will be OK.

Smiling he tells his general, "Tell them King Hertz Erik is on his way."

Dunstone, Ewoa's Capital City

General Alaa is a tough man. He grew up in the forests to the south of Dunstone where he had to be diligent every day. One oversight would mean freezing to death or starving. He would go out into the woods each day to hunt, to collect wood, to gather water, he did everything for himself. That is the way his parents raised him, to be self-sufficient. When he joined the imperial guard, he often got into fights, but he was protected by senior ranks who saw greatness in him, one time even by Head General Safura herself.

Indeed, Alaa is said to be fearless, but that isn't quite true, he isn't stupid, he knows there are some people he should fear. He is relaxed around King Swen, cautious around King Max and Queen Nadia, distant around Queen Petra, but around his own royal he is very different.

There are only two people who scare General Alaa, one of them is the emperor and the other is the woman he stands before now. Homeworld's most notorious killer, Queen Mauer Sabine.

Sabine is deranged and psychotic. As Alaa looks at her now she wears clothes that are old and torn. Her brown eyes are calculating yet passive at the same time. She has the privileges of a queen, yet she has not tended to herself in months, her hair knotted in several places and grown just below her shoulders. Most people pursue the path of a criminal for selfish yet understandable reasons, Sabine is not like those people. Sabine doesn't make any sense, her childhood was not difficult, her parents were not cruel.

Furst liberated Sabine from prison but has done a good job of keeping her obedient since he did so. Prior to Sabine's arrest she was considered the greatest threat to then Emperor Endou Akashi by all those who did not see Furst coming.

Alaa struggles to contain his fear as he looks at his Queen.

"Well!" Sabine barks, deliberately widening her eyes and marching towards her General, "What did you want to tell me Alaa?"

"There is… there is going to be a royal conference," Alaa explains.

Sabine smiles. She is the only one with no need to be cautious. The other royals may think that they are great, with their intellect, their strategies, their unique advantages, but she is a different kind of monster. She is so incredibly skilled in combat, a nightmare that only Endou Akashi was able to subdue she relies on no tricks. Her confidence comes from somewhere else entirely.

Without even acknowledging what Alaa has said, she makes her way to the door, pushing it open and charging out.

Mauer Sabine is going to the royal conference.

Mauer Sabine is the strongest royal.

Update Notice (Monday 9th March 2020)

Hi All,

Apologies for not having written anything these last two weeks.
I was away on business last week and seem to have caught a nasty bug.

I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks for your understanding,
Cbehrills