DECLARATION OF WAR – CLYDE'S DAUGHTER
West Aturia
Minato teleports with Naruto safety.
Naruto arrives amongst his family just in time to wave off the departing Chang Ziyi and her crazed comrades. Watching them go is a strange sensation. Most of them spent the majority of their time trying to kill Naruto, and only Ziyi was his ally throughout the whole thing. However, they all endured the same torment, that instils the 7th Hokage with a sense of a camaraderie. He may never see those men and women again, but they will forever be part of his life.
"That was amazing Naruto," Minato says enthusiastically. "You suddenly became so strong and you were really able to fight on the same level as Hannah."
"Don't congratulate me yet," Naruto replies modestly, "I may have been able to fight her for a while, but I'm not on her level, not yet. That instinct that drives her is insanely strong. It's going to take something special if I'm going to keep up with her."
"What do you mean?"
"Down in the pit it took me 4000 attempts to escape. Every time I got better, my recovery rate accelerated, my stamina increased. I'm already feeling my vitality return to me after fighting her. Even with my increased strength I couldn't keep her down. I used my divine oddity twice in quick succession and all it did was make her angry."
Minato nods. "It's true, I've never known anyone fight the way she does. She moves in a way that nobody would naturally, its superhuman."
"Naruto don't be too hard on yourself," Kurama says. "Defeating Hannah should be impossible, but you have significantly narrowed the gap between the two of you. You did something that nobody else could have done, you landed a solid hit, you put up a fight."
"Putting up a fight won't be enough Kurama. She's going to come again, and when that happens, I'm going to have to win. Or else die trying."
Naruto groans and sits down on the dune. With the One True Sense he believes he can work out which direction they travelled, and roughly where Hannah is now. He looks firmly in that direction, as if staring at fate itself. The two of them will fight again. When that happens, he will win. He tells himself that again and again, he will win. He may have deviated from his naïve nature when fighting Hannah, the first time, but what he lost before he found again in the pit. There is a way to win, one path amongst the millions presented to him, and it's his destiny find that path.
"I'm the one who is supposed to change everything, that is what Headmaster Sora believed," Naruto recalls. "I can't afford to fall at this hurdle. There are more challenging fights ahead of me, more difficult tasks to overcome. To lose here would mean disappointing him, and everyone else who believed in me."
"He would be proud of you, Naruto," Ming Dai says, "You can't beat yourself up for not winning here."
"Yeah, I suppose so."
Naruto says that he agrees with Ming Dai out of kindness, but he has something on his path that nobody else has. Everyone is giving their all to get themselves to the final battle, to do anything to contribute. The strongest amongst the rebellion may even be preparing themselves to one day take down a royal, but it is different for him. At the end of his path Furst Jonas is waiting. The emperor has a talent practically unparalleled throughout history, a talent even greater than his predecessor Endou Akashi. He is brilliant, his element, his mind, his body, everything about him has been crafted perfectly to make him an unbeatable warrior. He is the only class 10 to have ever lived, a height that it appears mathematically impossible for Naruto to reach. Even Hannah cannot compare to that.
The 7th Hokage is not alone. There are so many people pushing him forward, working harder than they have ever worked just to get him to his destination. He believes in him and he believes in them. He looks around those he can see in front of him, at his family, and at Ming Dai and he smiles. When these guys are with him, he feels like he can do anything. He will defeat Hannah. He will defeat the generals. He will defeat the royals. And he will defeat the emperor!
"We will have to fight again now that your combat ability has gone up so dramatically," Ming Dai says excitedly.
"Fighting opponents who use many different styles is a good way to train," Naruto replies. "It is always good to have a competent training partner like you Dai."
"There is something we have to discuss first though."
"What is that?"
"Shao Chin, he isn't with us."
Minato looks around, immediately questioning if he made a mistake. Shao Chin has never been with them as an ally, last time he was around he was an enemy and only briefly joined with them at Naruto's request. Now that he has fulfilled his obligation to Naruto, the 4th Hokage is not even certain that the hunter is still on their side.
"I know," Naruto says.
Minato breathes a silent sigh of relief. Naruto would certainly have told his father to rescue the hunter if that were his intention. A master of the One True Sense, Naruto would have been acutely aware of where everyone was during his battle with Hannah.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"He's looking for a fight, he won't get it if he comes with us."
"What do you mean."
Naruto speaks while drawing a cartoon-like image of Shao Chin in the sand. "Shao Chin is a true hunter. He chases the most interesting prey he can find. To him the most interesting prey is the most challenging. He can't find that prey by staying with us right now."
Naruto grins. He knows exactly what prey Shao Chin is after. He is surprised that Ming Dai cannot see it too.
South-East Aturia
Clyde wakes up and immediately begins rubbing the back of his head. Mirai hit him hard when they last spoke. He feels like he needs to sleep for a thousand years. For all the pain he has endured for the sake of absorbing his divine ability, he has received significant gains in return. He feels the improved quality of his energy, representing that he has now gained power and become a class 7 warrior.
There is also something else there, in the back of his mind as if has always been there, like a muscle he has never used. He knows how to teleport over a short distance. There was no training required, no hours of practice as was required for Naruto's development. This is the difference between a divine ability and a divine oddity. Clyde used an object specially designed to increase his strength, Naruto worked out a quirk in the laws of reality, a way to manipulate the world itself.
Clyde sits up and looks across at the only other occupant of the tent. Mirai is sat cross legged on the floor, finishing up her breathing exercises.
"Hello Mirai."
"Hi Clyde. Did it work?"
"Yep, it's just like I was told it would be."
"Why did I have to knock you out?"
Clyde groans. "I don't really understand it either, I'm not a scientist. Divine abilities are best absorbed when you're unconscious. I think of it like the brain is less busy and has nothing else to do."
"Your brain has nothing else to do?"
Mirai and Clyde laugh together. It feels like the first moment of relief in a lifetime. Since Lara died, they have had no hope in their lives, nothing to look forward to. Finding her divine ability was a blessing from the heavens, one last piece of her that can remain with them forever, or at least as long as Clyde can stay alive. Hopefully, he will be there until the end and will find himself alongside Naruto and Hannah when they finally challenges the emperor.
"Well, are you going to try it out," Mirai asks.
"Of course."
Clyde gets to his feet, closes his eyes and imagines moving very quickly, unsure what else to compare the upcoming experience to. It's hard to know how teleportation will feel until you have done it. It is difficult to know the sensations that Lara experienced as she darted around, attacking from every angle.
Clyde teleports away. He appears in the middle of a circle of military captains, making them jump back in surprise at his sudden arrival. Before saying a word to them he teleports again, arriving in the mess where the food is being cooked, trying just a little bit of it before it is served to the squadron in question. Next, he teleports up into the air, looking down at Elliot, Peterson and Sheer as he falls towards the ground. He teleports backwards several times, moving out of the encampment and observing it in its entirety. It is a beautiful thing, a gathering of so many people, each of whom suffer so much and yet they keep moving.
Clyde teleports one last time, returning to Mirai in his own quarters. He smiles to her and holds up his thumb, showing her that everything was a successful as they hoped it would be.
"That's excellent Clyde," Mirai says happily. "You're a class 7 warrior now, a major player in this war. I'm happy for you. Now you can really start to make a big difference. Perhaps we can even save your daughter."
Clyde smiles, stepping outside the tent and looking into the distance. He thinks of his daughter and what she did to Lara. He is confident in his own abilities, but he knows that defeating his own daughter is something he will never be able to do. If the stories are to be believed, there is only one person who he can hope for to do that. He hopes and prays that Naruto and Hannah come face to face, and that Naruto is able to do what nobody else can. He prays that Naruto will save Hannah.
Mirai follows Clyde outside and rests a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm just concerned about Hannah. She must feel so alone. All this time I've been acting so depressed, but she's gone through so much more than I have. Even with that owl following her around, she is not free to act how she wants, she is trapped by that instinct of hers. That is the loneliest anyone could ever be."
"We'll find her Clyde. We're going to save her, whatever it takes."
Clyde nods.
"It's natural to be worried," Mirai continues.
"No. No. I'm not worried, I'm not."
"No?"
"Before we all separated, I asked Naruto if he would look after her," Clyde recalls. "I haven't known him as long as you have, but I've been through hardships with that man. Never have I known anyone stick to their words so religiously. Reality mirrors his convictions and when he truly puts his mind to something he doesn't fail. He never gives in and never gives up. With a man like that doing his best for her, there is no reason I need to be worried."
"He's like a godfather to her isn't he."
Clyde nods. Godparents is an odd concept in the military. Many of them are not yet used to exercising their new freedoms as part of the rebellion. For countless years they have been forced to behave in a certain way, forced to live life without family or friends. Now they fight alongside Naruto to have privileges such as this. Clyde hopes that one day he will be able to tell Naruto that he considers him that way, that he can ask Naruto to officially be her godfather. There is nobody more qualified for the job.
West Aturia
Claude lands on Hannah's shoulder.
"That went quite well, didn't it?"
"He couldn't beat me."
"Maybe not today, but that's the first time anyone has even come close to challenging you," Claude counters. "That man is the one you've been looking for. You might get lucky; your instincts may have a bad day and you may leave an opening. I'm certain that if you do, he will not let the opportunity slip by."
Hannah sighs, "My instincts don't have bad days."
What terrifies Hannah is that her instincts may actually improve if she were to fight Naruto again. She was ill-prepared to fight him because her instincts can only respond to phenomena that have previously been recorded. The way Naruto attacked her was using a rule-breaking divine oddity. Only General Rana has fought against that technique before and thanks to Naruto's visual trickery she didn't even realise she was doing it. Now Hannah is the most experienced counter-Naruto fighter, an expert in his strange powers. If they fight again, he probably won't be so lucky in his attempts to strike her.
"Speaking of instinct, I know you're there," Hannah says.
Shao Chin chuckles, hiding behind Hannah wasn't the most sophisticated covert plan he has used in his many years of hunting. He walks around so that he is standing in front of Hannah, seemingly fearless in spite of the brutal beating she hit him with last time they fought one another.
"Why are you still here?" Hannah asks, "You know that if you don't give a good reason, I will be compelled to kill you."
"I'm always after a challenge," Shao Chin answers.
Claude looks at the hunter in horror. Is he threatening to fight Hannah again? He can only conclude that Shao Chin is crazy if that is his plan. One cannot expect to take the same fight again and again with no difference in result. The only thing that saved him last time was his ability to take Hannah to Naruto's side, a commodity that he can no longer trade in.
"You want to fight me again?" Hannah asks.
"Of course not, I'm ambitious not stupid. I've decided that I'm going to side with you. That man was your best hope, and your most successful challenger. Its inevitable that you're going to fight him again, but there are things you should know about Naruto. He is the great hope for countless people, a hero to some he has never met, a saviour to places he has yet to go. If the others think that he is going to lose they will step in to try and save him."
"So?"
"I'm willing to keep the others at bay. If you let me live, then when we find him again it will be just be the two of you. You can have your own little duel and leave the rest to me and the owl."
"I have a name," Claude interjects.
"What is in this for you?" Hannah asks.
"As I said, it's a challenge."
"There must be more than that," Claude argues.
Shao Chin grins. "Come on, you know how this goes. You need Naruto to score a victory over you, but you have the instincts of a beast. If the others help him, your instincts won't accept him as your superior. You need him to beat you one on one. In other words, if the rest of us team up to beat you, you won't just be losing your freedom. We will have to kill you in order to keep you down."
"Are you threatening her?" Claude asks, doing his best to sound menacing.
"Of course not, I am offering to help. You need me to prevent that from happening. Let me keep the others away."
"But why, if Hannah wins then you will surely be next?"
"I truly believe that Uzumaki Naruto can beat you. It wasn't long ago when I fought him, and he made me seem like a pathetic fool. He's improved leaps and bounds since then and it barely took him any time at all. That is why I am looking for a challenge. I feel confident that I will be OK regardless of what I do in this upcoming battle."
Claude hopes that Shao Chin is right.
"So, Mr Owl, will you help me to keep the others away from her?"
"What do your instincts say Hannah?"
"They haven't made me kill him yet," Hannah replies. "He seems to be telling the truth."
"OK then. Yes, I'll help you keep the others away. Together we can make this a duel between the two of them."
Shao Chin wishes that it were his destiny to fight Hannah again, but he knows that to do so would mean instant death. She truly is the ultimate beast, the greatest hunt he has ever participated in. Now that hunt is Naruto's, and he can't wait to see what happens when the two of them collide for the third and final time.
The two of them are in a contest to decide who is the strongest class 7 warrior in all of Homeworld. History will remember that one of them had true ability, and that the other possesses a fake power. One of them will emerge from this conflict looking like a god to anyone who hears about this fight. The other is just a false deity, a pretender to the throne of true power.
He knows which way he thinks this will go.
He knows which way he hopes this will go.
However, setting the stage for a fight between the two of them was never his true intention. For Naruto was not the only one to notice the hidden potential of one of his comrades. During their fight, Shao Chin noticed that a certain student of Headmaster Sora was holding back his true power. By all rights, Ming Dai should have won when the two of them fought. There is a powerhouse hiding behind that façade of a protector, a powerhouse that Shao Chin wants to glimpse with his own eyes.
Shao Chin and Ming Dai.
Hannah and Naruto.
What will happen when this battle reignites?
In Response to m'j doom's Question
About if the pit is destroyed
The pit really is destroyed.
It was created by 'space' and 'time' users.
As a 'spacetime' user if Sasuke had sufficient practice he should be able to create something similar.
The problem with the pit is that it was a dark empty place that drove people mad.
If you wanted to create a training zone, like the chamber from DBZ, you'd want something that doesn't drive you crazy.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to 4Sigma's Question
About why clones can't use divine energy
Well, there are two reasons for this.
Narrative: It was within the range of Naruto's 'life' cloak.
Reality: I didn't think it through thoroughly enough before I wrote it.
Thanks for reading.