DECLARATION OF WAR – REUNION
The Tower
Naruto looks over at the moving images once more, seeing his wife on the floors above. Princess Endou Hinata, why did nobody ever tell him the princess's name before? He sighs, there was more than one person named Hinata in his village, in a world the size of Homeworld there are bound to have been countless people with that name.
He begins to run through the people who might have known. Clyde? He probably never met the princess. It's the same story for Lara. The aristocrats in the academy, they may have met Endou Akashi, but were unlikely to have met his daughter. Furst Jonas never came across her. Ming Dai is too young to have met her. Carmen was probably too far away to pick Hinata out of a crowd.
There is only one person Naruto can think of who should have known, that person being Headmaster Sora. He never said anything. But would he have said anything even if he had known? He said that he could help with unlocking Hinata's powers, something that not even Juan and Nina could do. He must have known the reason for her strength, her former identity as the Princess of Homeworld. Sora must have chosen to conceal Hinata's identity deliberately, perhaps that was the only way for her to unlock her true power. Either way, it is too late to question her uncle now, but it is not too late to ask the princess herself.
Naruto does his best to dismiss these idle thoughts about Hinata's identity. What matters is that she is alive now.
Naruto notices his family are struggling more and more with the divine energy on this floor. It is constantly pushing against them, applying pressure to their skin. It is the reverse of the normal situation, where the density of divine energy is greater inside your body. For them, the energy is now greater on the outside and it is difficult to tolerate. They wrapped Mito in a protective layer of divine energy some time ago and even that may not last much longer.
Approaching his mother, Naruto rests his hand on her shoulder and uses 'life' energy to replenish her vitality.
"Naruto, I won't be able to stand it here much longer."
"Is Mito safe?"
"As long as she's protected by this layer of divine energy, but even that may not hold. If anything happens to us, you'll keep her safe won't you."
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you guys."
'Light' and 'Darkness' energy covers Minato and Kushina as Hannah lends them her strength. She grins and swings her head from side to side as she lends aid to them, making what is a struggle for them seem effortless. While they express their gratitude for her assistance, Naruto offers the same protective energy to Claude and Himawari. The others are all struggling, more and more as each second passes.
"Hannah, I don't know if your instinct works like this but it's worth trying," Naruto says, "If everyone comes with us will they make it through the next portal?"
"Not a chance."
Naruto holds his head in his hand, the answer was straightforward at the very least. If they can't go forward though that means they have to go down or endure on this level. Enduring here won't be practical for much longer, not with a baby to look after. That means they have to go down and that will delay his progress towards his wife significantly.
Slowing down here is not something he can do. If the mercenaries' predictions are accurate then their leader poses a real threat to Hinata. If Naruto watches his wife die at the hands of a mercenary for a second time, he will never be able to forgive himself. Thankfully, there are two class 7 warriors here, there is always the splitting up option.
"I can send Hannah down with you to keep you guys safe," Naruto answers, "But I have to keep moving up the tower. I have to go after Hinata."
"Hey, who do you think you're talking to," Himawari responds to her father.
"We are not so pathetic that we need you two to hold our hand everywhere we go," Claude adds.
Naruto looks to his parents for a more reliable assessment of their capabilities and they nod their approval to him. As they go down their movements will no longer be resisted, everything should be easier. The only thing they have to worry about is the ghosts, and Naruto can tell from the confident look in his father's eye that those spirits will not be enough to stop him. Naruto knows what his father is capable of when protecting the people he cares about; he wouldn't let Naruto go if he wasn't absolutely certain.
"Dad, I won't you to promise me something before we go our separate ways," Himawari says.
"What's that?"
"You have to bring mom back. You're not allowed to return without her at your side, got it?"
They are a determined family. Himawari has seldom seen a look of apathy in her father's eyes, but in his response to this request she is particularly pleased. She sees a fire in Naruto's eyes that he has been bringing back with greater frequency lately. It is the same fire he had when he defeated Shao Chin. It is the same fire that burned when he went to face down General Rana. It is the same fire that allowed him to save Hannah. When this burning light shines behind Naruto's eyes, she knows there is nothing more she could ask of him.
"I will bring Hinata back if it's the last thing I do," Naruto answers. "I'm going to bring Hinata back, then I'm going to bring Boruto back, then I'm going to find Sarada. Then, when we can smile together as a family, I will fight Furst, knowing how much I have to live for, and I will win."
Himawari nods to her father.
Together, the Uzumaki family and Claude go towards the portal they arrived through and step into it. Naruto watches them leave, happy that his father will be able to guide them to safety. At the bottom Michel awaits them, and hopefully the horse will be able to keep all of them safe.
Naruto looks at the other portal. If he can get through here, he will get to see Hinata again. That is his wish, the most he has ever wanted anything in his life. Now that the others are not there, he doesn't need to hold back so much. His only companion now is one of the greatest fighters he has ever had the privilege to fight alongside. She may not know her own weakness though, she he decides to check she is OK just to be certain.
"Are you ready?" Naruto asks.
"I haven't struggled at all so far," Hannah boasts.
Naruto smiles. She hasn't been struggling at all. Hannah may only be a class 7 warrior for now, but she still has room to improve. It is possible that one day she will become a class 9 warrior, and if that happens, she will be able to rival any royal. He had worried that she may not be up to the mental task of fighting in a war, but she is coping fine. Hannah was born in the fire; she won't struggle with the heat.
"Come on then."
Naruto and Hannah walk to the other portal which they presume leads to the floor above. They step into it and as they do the world spins in the same way as before. They fade out of the dimension that they are familiar with and into an empty red world.
Seeing the two mighty rebels walk into the portal, a few of the mercenaries get to their feet. A ringleader decides that they can't be allowed to make an attempt on reaching the next floor unopposed. That ringleader takes a group of mercenaries through the portal, despite knowing he probably won't reach the next floor, in hope of stopping Naruto and gaining his master's favour.
Naruto and Hannah progress step by step towards the next floor. They spot the portal that they must leave through and march on it. This ascent is much more difficult than the previous one but is still not enough to be a genuine challenge to the two of them. These are class 7 warriors who have pushed the bounds of that level's power higher than anyone thought possible.
"Keep going Naruto," Kurama says.
"I'm already doing that!"
"Every step you take is a step closer to her, don't stop moving!"
Naruto groans. Kurama's attempts to encourage perhaps aren't as helpful as the nine-tails thinks them to be. Nevertheless, it is good to know that everyone is on the same page. They are all supporting him as he advances towards that most important goal. This is going to be a reunion with the most important person in his life.
Suddenly divine energy hits Naruto in the back.
Several of the mercenaries are attacking him from a distance.
Naruto turns around to look his attackers in the eye. He had expected that together the mercenaries may be more powerful than this. Almost disappointed, he creates a rasen-shuriken and coats it in 'life' energy. He casts his arm forward, arching the shuriken at them in such a way that mercenaries are taken out one by one.
"You didn't fancy helping?" Naruto asks sarcastically.
"Their attacks were so pathetic I didn't think you needed any help."
"Fair enough."
The duo continues onwards towards their goal, unaware that the ringleader is still behind them, the only one with the skill to avoid the rasen-shuriken. He gets a crazed look in his eye; his comrades all having been taken out with that one blow. Overcome by rage, he charges forward, expending divine energy at a greater rate than any sensible person would do. He creates a blade of divine energy and swings it at the back of Naruto's head.
"Naruto!" Hannah shouts.
Naruto turns around quickly and slaps the blade with his bare hand, shattering it into a million pieces. That sort of attack from an opponent this far below him was never going to hurt him. Despite Hannah's concerns, the One True Sense alerted him to the incoming attack long before he reacted, he simply wanted to give his adversary a chance to back down.
"Naruto," the mercenary repeats the name as a question, "Uzumaki Naruto?"
Naruto glares back at him.
The mercenary tries to scramble away having learnt the identity of the man he has offended. That is not going to work though, because the 7th Hokage has a firm grip on his shoulder and he is not going to let him escape. He has licked his boss' boots countless times in the past and it has always helped his future prospects. How could he have known? How was he to know that the man he targeted this time was such a monster?
"I'm going to hit you now," Naruto says as he pulls back his arm and powers it up.
The mercenary closes his eyes, terrified of the consequences he has brought upon himself.
Naruto, in a moment of pure mercy, changes his plan and instead throws the mercenary back through the portal they came through.
"Why did you let him go?" Hannah asks as they continue towards the other portal.
"I don't like killing, not when there is still the capacity for good in someone's heart," Naruto answers, "I hope that he still has some good left inside of him. If he doesn't, then I will have to stop him again later. He won't be so lucky that time."
Hannah commits these words to heart. She vows to keep learning from her sensei and his little habits. Naruto fights on a battlefield that she cannot says, a battlefield of right and wrong, and he seldom loses. Morals and ethics are something she struggled to develop when her every action was driven by instinct; she could not have happened upon a better teacher to help her with that.
Eventually, the two of them reach the portal and step into it.
Naruto and Hannah arrive on the next floor which is structured identically to the previous one. However, on this floor, the walls and the ceiling are all made of a very different material. A slippery crystal-like substance is all around them. The value of this room's material is so great that Hannah doubts the sword at the top can compare. She considers destroying the room bit by bit and asking Naruto to sell it off for the war effort. When Hannah looks at her sensei though, she notices his gaze is fixed elsewhere.
Hinata and Mana are sat on some nearby steps. While Mana looks at the newcomers inquisitively, Hinata gives them a moment's notice before returning to her thoughts. She has to focus on getting to the next floor and retrieving the Sacred Sword. It doesn't matter who arrives to oppose her, she has to win, she has to defeat Furst Jonas.
Naruto starts running in their direction.
Hinata and Mana both get to their feet. The former to help with a potential defence, the latter out of confusion.
Naruto doesn't attack though, putting his arms around Hinata and tightly pressing her to his chest. A year's worth of emotion floods from him all at once as he cries into her shoulder, balling about what he has been going through since they last saw one another.
"I thought you were dead," he says emotionally, "I thought I could tell with the One True Sense, I thought when his flames exploded, he killed you. I was awake Hinata, I saw Mars attacking you, I thought he killed you. Since then I kept fighting though, I met up with the War Council, and with Hannah, and I—"
Hinata pushes Naruto away from her, her entire face red with embarrassment.
"Do you not know who I am, I am the Princess of Homeworld, Endou Hinata?"
"I know but—"
"Has Furst's rule polluted the minds of Homeworld's warriors," Hinata asks Mana.
"I don't think so."
"I know that he now sits atop the throne of Homeworld, but he is a false emperor," Hinata continues. "I am the true empress and I should be afforded an appropriate level of respect. Honestly, have you people lost all the respect you used to have?"
Mana chuckles, "Hinata-sis, you're blushing."
"I am not!"
Naruto shakes, "Hinata. You… you don't remember me, do you?"
"Of course not. I met people in positions of great power when I was last in Homeworld. Most of them are gone now, and you were certainly not one of them," Hinata says, "I apologise for pushing you away, it has been a long time someone… well never mind. Who are you?"
"Do you remember anything from our world. The Hidden Leaf Village? Your family? You don't remember anything from the pocket-world?"
"Oh I see, we were friends in the pocket-world," Hinata nods. "I'm sorry, the memories of that Hinata are lost to me."
Hinata is overcome with dread. She doesn't dislike people like this man, in fact she quite likes them. Earnest and friendly people were the backbone of the empire that her father created. However, right now she needs to surround herself with competent and powerful people. Right now she needs to make anyone who would follow her confident of her abilities. A simple-minded pocket-worlder like this, no matter how honest he is, is not likely to inspire people into following her. She racks her brain for a way to keep him at a distance without offending him.
"Yeah, we knew each other in the pocket-world," Naruto nods.
"That makes sense."
"Ooh, you made friends when you were away," Mana says, nudging Hinata, "Perhaps you could introduce me to all of your friends from the pocket-world. Who knows what sort of people you met over there? Maybe you had a servant over there too!"
"I don't remember!" Hinata repeats, Mana winding her up as she always used to.
This is not the reunion Naruto was expecting. Even without the One True Sense he can tell that this is definitely his Hinata, but whatever happened to her memories has changed her. Perhaps because of her upbringing, the Hinata from Homeworld is better at faking confidence. She is still nervous underneath though, something that she can't hide from Naruto. If the two Hinatas he has met are entirely different people, they are more similar than most likely realise.
Mana looks at Naruto, wondering just who he is. No ordinary pocket-worlder could make it this far. He does seem to have some company though, and she doesn't appear to be a pocket-worlder. From the traces of energy disappearing around her, she very much appears to be from Homeworld. Perhaps she helped him to get this far. Or maybe he is as strong as he needs to be. There aren't many pocket-worlders who match that description.
A thought comes to Mana's mind. His face does have those marks. He has the same blond hair. He is wearing orange. He is roughly the same height as she expected. Could it be that this is the most famous pocket-worlder of all?
"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?" Mana asks excitedly.
"Yes, that's me."
"Prove it, go on, show us your energy, go on!"
Naruto holds his hand out, bringing 'life' energy to it.
This hits home with Hinata, a very nostalgic moment. She hasn't felt this energy since it was produced by her father. It is the same, very warm, comforting, giving you a feeling that nothing can go wrong. Unfortunately it lacks the potency of her father's energy, otherwise it could be useful. However, there is no doubt now, this is the man who started the war against Furst, the leader of the rebels and the pocket-worlders, Uzumaki Naruto.
"You knew Uzumaki when he was a pocket-worlder," Mana says, shaking Hinata by the shoulders, "So, what were you to Hinata-sis? Was she the boss before you, or after you? Were you in charge of different places? What was she like when she was a pocket-worlder?"
"Hinata was—"
Naruto finds himself at a loss for words. He has so many memories of Hinata, so much he could say about her. Is any of it appropriate if she can't remember who he is anymore? Would it be cruel to tell her more than so much? Would it be cruel not to? He realises that he can't maintain his silence though if nothing else Himawari will be waiting at the bottom of this tower. Hinata won't be able to overlook the physical resemblance between the two of them, it is more than a coincidence.
Naruto looks down at his wedding ring.
Hinata follows Naruto's eyes to the ring. She is startled immediately. The gold is immaculate, the mark of someone who has perfected her craft, a ring so high in quality that it is almost entirely unique, save for one. There is one matching ring in existence, and that ring is on Hinata's finger.
"You're my wife," Naruto says.
Author Note
Hi All,
So as is highlighted in some of the responses below, some of the answers prompted me to remember something.
I intended to include a flashback in this part of the story to explain how Hyuuga Hinata and Endou Hinata both exist.
When I wrote the plan for part 10 (Declaration of War), I forgot to include this chapter in the story.
It is required to help the story make sense, so I have written a plan quickly over the weekend (I hope there are no plot holes).
There are two choices for when this bonus chapter is released:
- Tomorrow
- At the end of part 10
Either way I will still be writing one chapter per weekday until part 10 is complete.
Personally I recommend tomorrow but it's up to you.
Sorry for messing up like this, I hope it doesn't affect the story too much.
Thanks for reading.
Battle Classes in this Chapter
Uzumaki Naruto (7) = Life (2) + Transcendent (2) + Shinobi (3)
Hannah (7) = Light + Darkness (3) + Transcendent (1) + Combo (1) + Manual (1) + Divine Ability (1)
Namikaze Minato (6) = Wind (3) + Shinobi (3)
Claude (6) = Flight (3) + Manual (3)
Himawari (?)
Kushina (?)
Hinata (?)
Mana (?)
In Response to Guest's Questions
On various subjects
There may be a way to temporarily boost power, but I haven't written one yet.
Some elements make you more suited to teamwork like 'wind' and 'fire' as you suggest.
On the hive mind I can't answer without giving away a potential spoiler.
I'm afraid I can't answer the Endou Akashi question without giving away a potential spoiler.
Also, if there were a power beyond Furst I couldn't say so without giving away spoilers.
Sorry that I couldn't really answer some of your questions.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to jenuzumakis Question
About why Sora didn't recognise Hinata
Sora did recognise Hinata, he just didn't say anything.
You will notice that Sora was the only person who claimed he could help Hinata master her true power, something even Juan and Nina couldn't do.
He believed that her ignorance of her true identity may have been an important part of that.
The other person who recognised her power was Queen Nadia when the two of them clashed.
Sora was expecting Hinata to return from a pocket-world which is why he recognised a pocket-worlder who look similar to Hinata and shared her name.
Nadia didn't recognise her because Hinata's appearance was slightly different in the pocket-world and she wasn't looking for her, she did recognise her power though.
Even now, despite some minor changes due to her identity switch, Hinata appears more like Hyuuga Hinata than the original Endou Hinata.
As stated in this chapter, Hinata doesn't remember her life as a pocket-worlder, at least not entirely, she did previously recognise the name Uzumaki.
She currently doesn't remember who Naruto is.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to lovebolito's Question
About how Hinata was born in the pocket-world
There is an answer to this which I've planned for ages, but I've stupidly forgot to include a flashback chapter to cover it.
See the author note for details about this.
I have now received both your reviews and believe this should help to answer.
Sorry about that.
Thanks for reading, and reminding me of something I blatantly forgot.
In Response to m'j doom's Question
About various subjects
Per the response to the question above, and the author note, I will reveal how Hinata came to the pocket world.
This should help to answer your other Hinata questions.
I cannot reveal what will happen with Boruto or Himawari's powers without giving away a spoiler.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to AyyMD VEGA's Question
About Hinata's identity
See the response to the question two above and the author note.
Sorry, this was a complete oversight to not include the backstory in this part.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to sarada chan san's Questions
About where Hinata
It's good to think of Hinata as two people, Endou Hinata and Hyuuga Hinata.
The genetic defect comes from Endou Hinata, which is why it appeared after she came back to Homeworld.
The other questions should be answered by what I've written about in the author note.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to Engineer's Question
About the protector of the academy
The person in question will appear in the story.
Thanks for reading.