DECLARATION OF WAR – APPROACHING DANGER
The Tower, Floor 2
Mana squeals with delight at the news. Hinata-sis is married? She got married while she was in the pocket-world. Of all people too, she married Uzumaki Naruto, the man who started the rebellion. Uzumaki Naruto and Endou Hinata, it's a match made in heaven as far as she and the other rebels are likely concerned. The two of them are the only two who could one day free Homeworld, the chosen champions of their predecessors, by Endou Akashi and Muto Sora.
Despite what is obviously fantastic news from a political standpoint point, it is even better news from a personal standpoint. Hinata always seemed so lonely before, preparing herself to one day stand at the top of the world. She was always by Hinata's side, but she could never hope to understand her. There is a pressure that weighed down on Hinata's shoulders, a pressure that only her father could understand. Now that Akashi is dead, Mana worried that nobody could empathise Hinata, but that isn't a problem now. There is one person under just as much pressure as Hinata, that is Naruto. Chosen by Clyde, Lara and Sora, he is expected to save the world.
"Hinata-sis, I'm so happy for you," Mana laughs.
"What are you talking about?"
"You're married now, I wish I could have been there to see it."
"I'm not married Mana."
"You are look, see the ring, that's the same ring as yours see!" Mana lifts Hinata's hand up, "You got married in the pocket-world. Uzumaki Naruto as well, I always thought you would be quite choosy, but you really are good at picking them."
Hinata sighs at Mana's childish excitement. She's the only one who is smiling at the moment. Uzumaki clearly came expecting a reunion with his wife. She expected to meet the leaders of the pocket-worlders and free them from their obligations, to send them back to the pocket-world and assume responsibility for the war. Naruto's student came here expecting to meet the woman her sensei doubtless regarded he highly. This is not a victory, no matter what Mana might think.
"Listen, what was my name in the pocket-world?" Hinata asks.
"Hyuuga Hinata."
"Hyuuga Hinata, that is who you married, that is not me, not truly. The person you loved was an echo of me, a reflection in the mirror of a dark room. You love Hyuuga Hinata, not Endou Hinata. That woman is your wife, not me."
"You're such a spoilsport," Mana says, "Come on Hinata-sis, stop being so rude. He's a guest in Homeworld after all, and he came such a long way."
"I don't marry people based on how far they travel to see me."
"But it's like you said, Hyuuga Hinata married him. That's an echo of you. If it weren't for you, Hyuuga Hinata may have been someone different entirely. He married the version of Hinata who was influenced by you. That was you in a way, that's what I think."
"I get the feeling that you just want something to gossip about," Hinata remarks.
Mana gasps sarcastically. "Me? A gossip? Surely you wouldn't think that of me. I want you to get along for the sake of your soul, that I promised your parents I would help to protect."
"Your jokes haven't got any better since I left."
Naruto tries to process everything the two of them are saying. The Hinata in front of him isn't really his wife, according to the Princess. The Princess' friend claims that she is still his wife in an unusual way. This isn't the Hyuuga Hinata he knew but Endou Hinata, who is still somewhat the person he knew in the pocket-world. He struggles to follow the logic behind this all. He dismisses Kurama's suggested explanations and tries to think of what to do. If there is still a Hyuuga Hinata that is where his loyalties lie.
"Do you really remember nothing?" Naruto asks.
"I am sorry but—" Hinata begins.
Naruto reaches out and touches her hand.
Hinata's mind is suddenly filled with a rush of images. A child. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. A silly grin. He leaves. A family. Eyes like hers. A young man. Like a brother. A cousin. The child returns. A teenager now. Taller. Stronger. A war. Death. Overwhelming odds. More death. A family death. All hope lost. Then him again. His hand. Warmth. Hope returns. Everything changes. Hope goes. Hope comes back. Hope goes. Hope comes back. A light fills the sky. It's him.
Hinata pulls her hand away from Naruto.
She starts to say something then stops, looking at him. This is a different look than before, not one of apprehension, but one of an old friend. This is the look of someone trying to remember another, looking at their changed face and trying to recognise the person underneath. Something changed when they touched, and now Uzumaki Naruto feels entirely different to her. However, as the seconds pass the feeling fades, she shakes her head and her mind returns to normal.
"I am not your wife, I'm sorry," Hinata says before walking away.
"Is that it?" Naruto asks tearfully, "You're just going to walk away, never look at me again? I'm your husband Hinata."
"You are a pocket-worlder, we have never met before!"
"Fine, then look at me as a pocket-worlder you have never met. I defeated General Clyde and saved our pocket-world. I came to this world, I worked with Sarada, Clyde and Lara to defeat Carmen. Your uncle made me his student and made a bet that I could free Homeworld. I stood up to General Rana, I made the War Council declare war and I defeated Hannah. Deny me as a person if you will, but you cannot deny me as a warrior. You need me as an ally."
"I am sorry for what happened to the pocket-worlds, you have my assurance that I will stop that happening again," Hinata says, "But this is my world, not yours. You should focus on rounding up the people of your world and going home. When this place is safe, we will make reparations for the pain we have caused you."
"I refuse."
"What?"
"This is my war just as much as it is yours," Naruto answers, "If you want to reject me as an ally it would be stupid, but that's your decision. I will continue to fight, and I will keep going until Furst is defeated."
"How stupid. I'm telling you that you don't need to."
"Well I'm going to, even if all the others leave. So if you want me to be of any help to you, we're at least going to need to discuss tactics."
Hinata considers her options. She really doesn't want to be fighting alongside the pocket-worlds but what choice does she have. This man is clearly staying here no matter what she says, and he will probably stay by her side. He cannot be shaken, and she doubts Mana and Michel will be any help. The only other option is to make him her enemy. Given that Naruto is the sole 'life' user she doesn't want to do that. All she can do is accept his help.
"Very well, I will accept your help in this conflict Mr Uzumaki."
Mana laughs, "That's generous of you Mrs Uzumaki."
"Mana if you keep making jokes then your help will not be accepted."
Mana presses her fingers to her lips and turns an imaginary key.
"Let me be clear though, you are just here to help Homeworld," Hinata tells Naruto, "I am leading the resistance against Furst. I will climb to the top of this tower quickest and take the Sacred Sword. I will lead us in a series of battles across Homeworld, where we take back the six outer nations. Then, when the battle of Okarin comes, I will take Furst head on, and I will defeat him."
Naruto sighs and nods his acceptance for now. It's a start.
While Hinata rejects this notion that she and her pocket-worlder counterpart are the same person, Mana can see the truth easily, Naruto's presence has made it even clearer. Hinata is a different person now. There is a kindness to the princess that she lacked in her previous life. She would never have compromised before, she would have been too concerned about the strength of the empire, the dignity of the people of Homeworld. Now, there is a tiny voice inside of her that made her accept Naruto's help. It seems that a tiny spark of Hyuuga Hinata is still hiding under the surface, and she is at her strongest when Naruto is around.
Now Mana wonders about something even more important to the future of Homeworld. She wonders about the fate of Hinata's soul. Will Hyuuga Hinata's influence on her disappear, or will Naruto's presence grow it ever more?
The Tower, Ground Floor
The Uzumaki family, along with Claude, emerge from the portal.
Michel examines their condition. Thankfully the baby is fine. Kushina seems to be struggling, having been carrying Mito all this way. Minato looks like he has dragged the others through single-handedly and has probably been doing most of the fighting. Himawari and Claude the Owl both look fine. What a relief, he would hate to have to tell Naruto that his family have been hurt, that would be a blemish on the spotless flag of the former empire.
"It is good that you have returned safely," Michel the Horse tells them.
Claude takes only a few seconds rest before flying up into the sky to look around. At the same time the others gather their breath, having just been through quite an ordeal.
"Things didn't go as smoothly as we planned," Minato admits.
"Climbing the tower is hard, don't blame yourselves. On the bright side it seems that Uzumaki Naruto is still climbing."
"Princess Hinata is one of ours," Minato says.
"Yes, she ascended the tower with Mana. She only came back to us from a pocket-world recently. I understand that she came from your world and I should have mentioned that. I don't suppose that you knew her in the pocket-world."
"Better than you would think," Himawari answers.
A cry of despair comes from above, leading them all to look upwards. Claude quickly descends to their level, landing on Michel's back and relaying to them a warning of approaching danger.
"There is a huge Imperial Guard force coming this way," Claude says.
"How huge?"
"There were a lot of captains and a couple of colonels. I know that we said we weren't hopeless, but at our level if they attack us, we are certain to be defeated. I doubt they will have mercy on us."
"We could claim we don't know Naruto," Minato suggests.
"You look like just like him, they'll probably think you're Naruto," Kushina says, hitting Minato on the head. "Besides, even if we hid you on the other side of the portal, they must know that someone is here otherwise they wouldn't be coming."
"What if we said we were with the princess?" Claude asks.
"I wouldn't have thought that was any better. Soldiers loyal to the current emperor are hardly going to pleased when they learn that the last one's daughter has come back from years in hiding."
"Then we're mercenaries?"
"They won't fall for that," Michel says, dashing all hopes.
"Then what do we do?"
Minato's first instinct is to retrieve either Naruto or Hannah with the flying thunder god technique, but he finds that he cannot. He looks at the thick walls of the tower and is reminded of the captained-six contest he participated in when he was first brought forward in time. Those prisons were trapped in a different dimension which made it difficult to escape from. Perhaps the walls of this tower are made from a similar material. Perhaps that is why portals are used to climb instead of stairs.
"There is only one way we are getting out of this alive," Michel explains, "We had better pray that Uzumaki Naruto and Princess Endou return quickly."
The Tower, Floor 2
Hannah has grown bored of the Uzumaki family's drama. She owes Naruto her life and thinks that he is great. Hinata seems OK too, though more stubborn than she should be about accepting his help in the war. When she asks, her instincts tell her that if they are going to win this war her sensei's help will be very important.
Hannah herself has only two family members. One of them is probably hiding on the opposite side of Homeworld, mounting tiny offences against the empire's weak points. The other she killed. If Hannah could forget about her family, she would be tempted by the prospect. Regardless, Claude has always stuck by her, and Naruto has only ever wanted the best for her. They are her family now; they are everything left that is important to her.
Hannah looks across the room at a man on sitting alone on the other side.
The man is wearing a black mask that covers his face from the bridge of his nose downwards. His eyes and hair are just as dark, as if nature is trying to hide his jade-like skin under a shadowy jungle. He wears a green trench coat, hiding most of his body behind it. All this time he has been watching the four of them, Naruto, Hannah, Hinata and Mana. He has been lurking on the opposite side of the room, waiting to make his move.
This is the leader of the mercenaries, Neptune.
Hannah walks curiously towards Neptune.
"Stay away from him," Hinata yells as she gets to her feet. "That is Neptune, he is the leader of a ruthless band of thugs. Stay over here with us where you have the numbers advantage. I promise that if you stick with me, he won't be able to hurt you."
Naruto examines Neptune with the One True Sense. He certainly has the body of a warrior. All his muscles are moving in the right way, his breath is regular and strong. These are all qualities he would expect of someone who could climb this high. He has little doubt that this man Neptune is a class 7 warrior, the same as Hannah and himself. This is relaxing to Naruto, given this information there is no way he could defeat them.
Neptune cackles, his voice higher in pitch than Hannah was expecting.
"The lady is right to warn you about me, I am dangerous with my current powers, when I obtain the sword you will not be able to stop me."
Hannah stops to question herself. She feels that perhaps she isn't reading this situation correctly. Princess Hinata seems honest if nothing else, and this man seems to be taking himself quite seriously. She looks back at her sensei who simply shrugs his shoulders at her. Naruto's apathy matches her own. She can only conclude that the two of them are right, as her instincts, and continue with her original plan.
"You don't seem very impressive to me," Hannah says.
Naruto watches Hinata and Mana growing more and more nervous when it clicks with him why they are so cautious. Recently he and Hannah battled, a battle that proved something to the two of them. They are the most powerful class 7 warriors. Of course, Hinata and Mana didn't see this. To them, he is only strong because he uses power from both worlds and Hannah is just an above average Homeworlder.
"Hannah, why don't you test him out," Naruto suggests.
"Are you insane!"
By the time Hinata has protested it is already too late. Events have been sent in motion and Hannah is rushing towards Neptune.
Hannah runs very close to the ground, mimicking a big cat. She reaches Neptune's feet and avoids the obviously incoming kick. He proceeds to strike at her several times, but she avoids each and every hit. She hits the floor with her hand each time she dodges, sending out a small shockwave. Hinata and Mana are amazed at Hannah's carefree attitude, she is turning this contest into a child's game.
Eventually, the inevitable happens and Neptune lands a blow on Hannah's cheek.
Hannah immediately jumps backwards, rubbing her wound. She is disappointed but the fun could only last so long. She looks back at her sensei and receives confirmation that he is pleased with her performance.
Oddly, Neptune seems happy with himself as well.
"Nobody gets away from me for long. When I have the sword that one blow will be enough to kill you."
"It's a small price to pay," Hannah counters, holding up a pair of strings.
Mana finally realises what Hannah has done. With their respective sensory boosts, Naruto and Hinata both saw it as it was happening, but Mana lacks that advantage. The strings that Hannah is holding in her hand, they are Neptune's shoelaces.
Hannah dangles the shoelaces in front of Neptune and makes silly faces at him as she goads him. What could he possibly do? Hannah just made him look like an idiot without attacking. If he were to fight her head on its obvious what the outcome would be.
Mana laughs, "That was really something wasn't it Hinata-sis."
"Yeah."
Hinata inspects Hannah with her eyes but sees nothing particularly unusual. She has a slight genetic deformation in her eyes, making them purple, but that is it. She just fought in a way that should be impossible though, making a warrior on her own level look completely stupid. Whoever Hannah is her power is special. She looks now towards the man who claims to be her husband. Didn't he say he defeated Hannah.
Hinata is left to ask herself, 'Just who are these two?'
"Go on, give him his laces back," Naruto tells Hannah.
Hannah scrunches the laces into a ball and throws them back to Neptune.
"Sorry, she's still very young," Naruto says as Hannah returns to his side.
Now all eyes move towards the portal. The four of them will be OK so long as Neptune doesn't get the sword, but there is a big question about who among they will take it. Are they all capable of taking the sword? Is one of them destined to take it? If Naruto ends up taking the sword will that escalate the friction between him and Hinata.
There isn't much time left until the Imperial Guard arrive.
Who will take the Sacred Sword?
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)
Neptune (7) = Darkness (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3)
Himawari (?)
Kushina (?)
Hinata (?)
Mana (?)
In Response to Guest's Questions
About various subjects
Naruto does combine chakra with divine energy. He often uses the latter to enhance techniques he does with the former. The pinnacle of this combination is probably his life-gathering rasengan.
I'm not sure that there is anything in the divine energy system that is equivalent to Kekkai Genkai.
I don't really know if the Rinnegan's soul-stealing ability would work on someone like Furst.
I haven't really considered with the reanimation technique could be used on someone like Endou Akashi.
I believe it is chakra dependent, but there may be a way to adapt it. An interesting thought.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to Demon90340's Questions
About various subjects
I always include all of Naruto's chakra based powers under the tag "Chakra" when calculating his battle rank.
At full power he is a class 7 warrior.
It might be possible for Hinata to acquire either the Tenseigan or Jougan.
I'm sure there are at least actions that could be taken to make it possible.
You haven't made any mistakes.
Thanks for reading.
In Repsonse to ultimusred's Question
About Hinata's strength and constitution
I can't really give many answers about this now.
I think the best time would be after the flashback chapter, hopefully that might make things clearer.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to sarada chan san's Question
About Hinata's divine energy
I think I can say this without giving away any significant spoilers.
Hinata understands two forms of divine energy, 'fire' and 'water'.
Her current preference is 'fire' energy.
Thanks for reading.