DECLARATION OF WAR – A DIVINE ODDITY?
South Aturia
Claude swoops down from above, perching on the shoulder of his comrade, deeply alarmed about the situation they find themselves in.
"Hannah, we're surrounded, Imperial Guard patrols in every direction."
Hannah turns her head to the sky and sighs, it's unusual to find herself in a situation like this. With her divine ability granting her superhuman instincts, she is usually able to tell where the patrols will go and how best to avoid them in advance. Perhaps today she is feeling under the weather. Regardless, her instincts are still working, and up until now they have been getting stronger day by day.
"Do I look scared Claude?"
"No but —"
"Then there's nothing to worry about."
The Imperial Guard have detected them now, Claude could tell from the way they have surrounded them that it cannot be a coincidence. They have probably come to take the two of them back into the custody of King Max, Hannah's maker. He has no intention of letting that happen though, he is a proud member of the beast clan and he is never going to let Hannah fall into the hands of people like that. Besides, her instincts are seldom wrong.
What neither of them know is that elsewhere in the Kingdom of Aturia, there is a man stalking them. They are being pursued by the one and only person who Hannah's instinct cannot elude. That man is Shao Chin, the hunter from the Jungle of Jakka. There is nobody who he can't find with his divine ability. He is coming for Hannah. Like the hunter he is, as Hannah readies herself for combat against the Imperial Guard, he considers how best to tackle his prey.
'This one named Hannah, she has almost no battle experience, but her instincts more than make up for that.'
Hannah takes on the first wave of her assailants, tackling them one after another. She works her way from the front of the group to the back, avoiding all of her opponents obvious attacks and downing each of them with a single heavy blow to the rear of the head. As she reaches the final attack she doesn't attack, instead dodging for a full ten seconds. She taunts the captain, letting him know he is powerless against her before throwing him backwards into his fallen comrades.
'She may have been born an adult, but in reality, she is very young. She likely has a childish attitude towards combat when fighting the weak.'
Hannah waits for the second wave, combining her 'light' and 'dark' energy to blind them before walking amongst the pack of captains. She stalks them all, watching as they cover their eyes and stumble around. Her instincts help her to work out which will be the first to recover their sight. She approaches that captain, and grabs her head, cooking it with pure 'light' energy. She waits for the others to recover, routinely tripping them and pushing them into one another as she does so. She toys with her opponents, waiting until the third wave has arrived before she eliminates the last of them.
'But you shouldn't overlook her abilities because she has moments of playfulness. Her talent is likely unmatched by any human.'
The third waves stays away from Hannah, having recognised her incredible powers now. They attack by creating weapons from their elements and throwing them at her. Claude flies up into the air, to get away from it all and to watch how his companion reacts.
To Hannah ranged attacks are not much of a threat. Her opponents have coordinated well, not that she has the experience to realise that, but it makes no difference to her. One of the weapons, an axe, is flying straight for her head, she first focuses on dodging that one. Then, driven by her instincts she jumps into the air, bending her airborne body as she shifts left. By the time she has landed, all the weapons have passed, and she hasn't suffered a scratch.
'She is probably a pack animal, but so far she has no leader that she respects. She's likely prone to fits of rage. That may just make her stronger.'
The third wave is not deterred by Hannah's initial evasion. On the contrary they have spotted a weakness, it is the owl that travels with her, Claude. The leader of this wave throws another weapon up into the air, targeting the bird. Claude dodges easily, hitting someone of his talents in the air is very difficult. Still, that is a huge mistake by the Imperial Guard. They have angered Hannah.
Lara's daughter sweeps into the pack of her attackers. Her first victim is the one who went after Claude. She presses the leader to the ground and strikes her repeatedly in the head. There is no mercy, not until the moment when she senses the next attack coming; by that time, her opponent is gone. Her assault continues through this group as she beats them all mercilessly, relying not on any manifestation of 'light' or 'dark' but simply on her barbaric brute strength.
'And when people realise what they are up against, they will try to run. They can't run though because her instincts will force her to pursue them.'
Hannah calls to Claude and he swoops down, catching her by the hand. He carries her after the fleeing fourth group. Yet no matter how hard they try, they cannot escape. There is the unavoidable urge to look over their shoulders, to see if they are getting away. That check, the momentary distraction, that is enough for Hannah and Claude to catch up on them.
Claude flies up into the air above them and drops Hannah down dead in the middle of the pack. The second she lands, she unleashes a terrible omni-directional wave of 'light' and 'dark', eviscerating all of her opponents simultaneously.
'She is the most dangerous beast I've ever hunted. More subtle than Naruto. More secretive than Furst. More elusive than even the most experienced beast. There have been hardly any confirmed sightings. She has never been defeated. But nobody can escape me, not even Hannah.'
Hannah takes a few deep breaths, calming herself. All the bloodshed used to upset her, but now it is much easier to cope with. Ever since the death of her mother she has felt herself growing more and more detached from the world. It's like watching all of reality through a window, when you realise there is nothing you can do to change the result, you start to care less about it.
"Claude, it's time we disappear, my instinct is telling me that we head west."
"Understood."
Elsewhere, Shao Chin finishes his contemplations.
'This will be the greatest thrill of my life.'
Weiss Max's Residence
"As the Imperial Guard General for Aturia, you bear the ultimate responsibility for everything that happens here Rana. I can't be expected to take the fall for the decisions of those above my post."
"Zahra, that doesn't sound very general-like of you," Rana replies, a grin on her face.
"I can't accept the responsibility of a position before I'm given the powers to match it."
"Powers? You are stronger than Uzumaki Naruto by far, you have received better training and more resources than he has ever dreamed of. You even oversaw the perfect hunter as he led you to him, and you still failed. Perhaps you are not the right person to be looking for Naruto. Perhaps it would be better if you were to get out of my way."
Zahra rolls her eyes. "I didn't fail, Shao Chin failed. He was the one who went too slowly, he was the one who ignored the Beast Princess approaching!"
King Max slams his foot down into the floor. He makes it look effortless but with this single move cracks begin to appear in the walls of his residence, a home built from especially durable materials. As his foot hits the ground both General Rana and Colonel Zahra fall silent, watching to see what he will do next. He does nothing though, not for the first few seconds, he just keeps reading the reports from the laboratories. Still no success to match Hannah, it is becoming more and more important to get her back.
Max drops the report onto a small table and looks over his shoulder at his two subordinates for a moment. They are still waiting silently. He turns back to his front, looking into the fire, wishing that he were face-to-face with this fool Uzumaki so that he could get it all over with.
"Shao Chin's talent was finding people, he was not a combat expert," Max eventually says, "You should have considered that when you decided to let him challenge Naruto alone."
"You'll have to report his failure to the emperor," Rana says.
Max leaps up from his chair, marching over to Rana and putting his face just an inch from hers. His crazed eyes meet hers and the scent of his breath fills her nostrils. She doesn't dare to move as he hovers in front of her seething.
"Did you think that was some great insight?" he asks.
"No sir."
"Did you think you were telling me something I didn't already know?"
"No sir."
"I am the King of Aturia Rana, you may have a high position in the Imperial Guard, but to me that just means you are my most useful servant. Think twice before you speak to me again."
Max turns around and retakes his seat, noting the slight curling of Zahra's lips. Every time General Rana makes a bad move or slips up like this it is a step closer to the top job for her.
"There is some good news sir, now that Naruto is awake, he will be easier to find," Zahra says.
"Oh?"
"Yes, previously his comrades were just moving him around to avoid us. Now that he is awake, he has to make meaningful moves if he ever wants to take the fight to the emperor. If he wants to stop being a nuisance, he will need to organise a sizable rebellion. If he wants to start a war, he will need to move the hearts and minds of the people. With that in mind there is only one place he can go next."
"Taigai," the king nods.
"Getting into Taigai undetected is not easy," Rana says, "We will be looking for him. I suggest that I take the lead this time Zahra. We wouldn't want to let him slip through your fingers again."
Max gazes into the fire and rests his bearded chin in the palm of his hand. As if he hasn't heard enough of their bickering. The reason the royals tolerate the Imperial Guard having so much influence is because they are supposed to get results. Sometimes he wishes he could just kill them and employ someone more reliable. Alas, if he were to go against the Imperial Guard, the emperor would likely kill him.
"I have heard enough bickering. Bring me his head. You are dismissed."
As Zahra walks away, Rana remains, making it clear from her body language that she still has something to say to the king. Zahra wishes that she could stay and eavesdrop, that she could hear what the two of them were saying, but that is not within her power. Right now, Rana is her immediate superior, and disobeying a direct order from her will be met with devastating consequences. Hiding herself between her glasses and her kind outward persona, when Rana is crossed, she is not merciful.
When Zahra closes the door, Rana speaks.
"Sir, I don't think I've ever known the emperor to be more concerned than he is about this pocket-worlder."
"It's just his latest obsession."
"I don't mean to be argumentative, but the emperor is rarely wrong about these things. If we are unable to catch Naruto, will the royals step in?"
"Don't tell me you need my help Rana?"
"Of course not, right now he is manageable. Frankly if I were to do nothing, I'm sure that Zahra would catch him herself eventually. But some people are beyond our calculations. People like you and the other royals. People like the emperor. People like Endou Akashi. Now that he's awake there is no knowing what he may be capable of."
Max pauses.
"You are dismissed, General."
"Yes sir."
Near the Volcanic Ring
Having fully recovered, Ming Dai approaches Naruto and pats him on the back. For all this time he has been the one taking care of their groups wellbeing. He knows that he still has a lot of work to do in the future, helping Naruto to take the fight to Furst and his empire. For now, though, he is grateful that the 7th Hokage will once again be taking the lead.
"Thanks for saving us, we really would have died if it weren't for you."
"I'm the Hokage, it's my job," Naruto says with a certain smugness.
"And I know he was trying to kill us, but you were right about that guy Shao Chin. He was doing it for sport, he will be a great ally for us in the future I'm sure."
"It would be easy to unite the world if everyone agreed with me from the beginning. It's uniting with our enemies, that's what's hardest, it's also what's most important."
Ming Dai, content with what he has heard, leans back, and takes a breath of fresh air. Everyone here agrees with Naruto's principles. In their own way, everyone here is brilliant enough to change the world just a little bit. However, there is nothing like hearing the words come from Naruto himself, he has a confidence about him that the others don't. Even if you can think of contradictions or inaccuracies in his arguments, you don't want to point them out. When he talks, he is just so right.
Naruto puts his hands-on Ming Dai's shoulders. "Still, you need to get your head straight again."
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen you go before Dai. That guy Shao Chin is a good fighter, but his speciality is finding people, that's why I sent him after Hannah. You are a combat specialist, a fighter! If your head were in the right place, I'm certain that you could beat somebody like that."
"Thanks Naruto. I'll work on it."
Naruto pats his hands twice on Ming Dai's shoulders before walking away and in a short circle. He takes in the air, breathing it, the world is so alive. He has never appreciated how much 'life' there is in the world until now. From enormous animals to tiny ones, all the plant life around them, it's all so much clearer now.
"Oh, by the way, I'd like to test out this idea I had while I was meditating."
"What idea?"
"I think I've worked out the trick for a divine oddity."
Ming Dai staggers backwards, almost tripping over his own feet. He rubs his ears, checking that they aren't failing him. It seems that they are not. Naruto really thinks that he is onto something that could prove to be a divine oddity.
"Don't be ridiculous, you can't just work out a divine oddity."
"Why not?"
"Naruto, only one person has ever used a divine oddity, the name was created to classify his power. People like my master and Endou Akashi tried and failed to work out divine oddities themselves. It's a trick so great that it made Furst Jonas unparalleled within his own class. You can't have just worked it out while you were bored of meditation. You're far too young to have done it."
Naruto listens as Ming Dai continues to talk about how difficult it would be to use a divine oddity. He stops listening fairly quickly when he loses interest. He's fairly certain that this trick is at least going to make him several times stronger. He's sure that if he shows Ming Dai his trick that he will be convinced as well.
"Why don't you let me show you?" Naruto says, "I always keep a bell spare for a bell test, this will prove that my idea is worth something."
Ming Dai reluctantly takes the bell and stands ten paces away, far enough that he can react to anything that Naruto is likely to do. With his superior dexterity, Naruto is almost certain to win in a bell test against Ming Dai, he must be expecting to win quicker than usual.
"I call it Detonation Martial Arts."
Minato wonders if Naruto is joking. Still, he stands alongside Kushina and Himawari as they watch what Naruto is about to do.
Naruto plants both feet in the ground and lowers his centre of gravity slightly, concentrating on his energy on his right leg like he never has before. He goes into his inner world and begins the procedure of detonating his core.
Suddenly, Naruto's entire leg lights up with energy, burning so brightly that it could illuminate the darkest void.
Ming Dai knows what this, this is the same thing his master did when fought Furst. Naruto is detonating his core. He steps forward, ready to stop Naruto no matter the consequences to himself. Everyone who detonates their core dies, it's the user's final attack. However, as his foot lowers to the ground he notices something different. Usually the user's entire body is lit up, for Naruto only his leg is shining.
Naruto suddenly bursts forward with incredible speed, snatching the bell from Ming Dai and flying past him before he can even take a second step.
Naruto comes to a halt ten steps behind Ming Dai. As he stops there is a terrible sound as he injures his leg and his cries of agony fill the air. His family run to his side to check that he's alright and he falls to the ground, grasping at his leg. To them this is horrible, he has only been back for a short while and now he is horribly injured. This is instinct, they have yet to recall that in a couple of seconds Naruto can use 'life' energy to completely nullify his wounds.
Meanwhile Ming Dai is still facing the same direction, shaking. His eyes are wide open, staring at the spot that Naruto disappeared from.
'How are they all staying so calm?' he wonders. 'Don't they realise what they just saw? It may have only been a partial detonation, but he detonated his core and survived. Nobody is supposed to be able to do that.
'This may truly be the birth of Homeworld's second divine oddity. If Naruto masters this power, there's no knowing how strong he can become!'
Author Note
Hi All,
I think I've completed the plan for part 11. That means I am now going to attempt to update part 10 every weekday.
Recent events may not make this possible, but I'm certainly going to try.
I would like to think that in spite of my own doubts, my weekday updates for part 9 have given me some credibility.
Thanks as always for the support, lately the feedback in the reviews has been very encouraging.
Thanks for reading,
Me
In Response to Anon's Question
About tailed beasts and whether they can unlock a type of divine energy
I'm not sure if I can comment on this either way without giving spoilers.
I'm not sure that I even know the answer to that question myself though.
There will be relevant developments in the future though, so keep reading and you'll find out more.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to m'j doom's Question
About a possible second element for Naruto
I can't comment on this without giving away spoilers sorry. I'd love to hear what you think though.
As for when the others will converge, that would also be a spoiler, but the story will follow all of them at some point.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to tarunfiction1's Question
About a possible link between divine energy and the inner gates
I'm not sure if I can make such a link given what I've planned for the story in the future.
Then again I won't rule it out.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to borusarafan
About when some characters will reunite
I can't say exactly when or if characters will reunite without giving away spoilers.
However, I'm sure that if you keep reading as I release new chapters you won't be disappointed.
Thanks for reading.