DECLARATION OF WAR – ZAHRA'S PLAN
Outside the Tower
Hinata watches the Imperial Guard retreat into the distance, breathing a sigh of relief. If Naruto had not been with her, they may have seen fit to attack, she may not have been able to survive. That is a weakness she vows not to repeat. This war is her responsibility, the pocket-worlders must be allowed to live safely without interference from Homeworld, that is the lesson the past has taught her.
"Mom!"
A woman runs up to Hinata and hugs her tightly.
Hinata doesn't know how to react. This is her child. Having children was always in her future, a member of the imperial family of Homeworld it was almost expected of her. She has no memory of this child now, she's an adult, she grew up under the watchful gaze of another. Is it even right to claim that this woman is her daughter, how can she claim to be the mother of child she doesn't know?
"I don't—" Hinata begins.
"I don't think it really matters if you have never met," Hannah interrupts the princess. "You probably noticed I had two forms of energy, 'light' and 'darkness'. I got this energy from my parents, but I was born as part of an experiment. I never spent any time with them, and I have been raised mostly by Claude. But I trust Naruto, he's been good to me. My parents trusted him too, so I think that what's important is your soul. My soul came from my parents, and I think Himawari's came from you."
Naruto smiles at Hannah, nodding to her. He couldn't have put it any better himself.
"You don't remember us?" Himawari asks.
Hinata hugs Himawari tightly. "It doesn't matter if I can't remember you. I am Princess Endou Hinata of Homeworld, it's good to finally meet you. You're my daughter."
"See-see-see," Mana runs over and leans down to look in Hinata's eyes, "You belong in this family. It's so cool, you're all so cute together."
"Mana, please be quiet."
"Hello young princess, what's your name?"
"Are you talking to me?" Himawari asks.
"Yeah, you're Hinata's daughter after all. Think of it, all these years and you never knew that you were a Princess of Homeworld. You must be 2nd in line to the throne."
"Uh—" Himawari blanks, having not thought of that.
"You can call me Aunt Mana," she says presumptuously, "I grew up with your mother. I call her Hinata-sis. She thinks I talk too much though."
"Does she really?"
"You're going to have to tell me everything about what she used to be like."
Before Himawari can answer Mana moves on. She introduces herself to Minato and Kushina. She insists that they should tell her all about Naruto and Hinata's relationship in the pocket-world, wanting to know all the gossip from the years of her friend's life that she has missed out on.
Naruto walks away from the others to catch his breath. He still struggles to process all this. Until now he hadn't even thought of the ramifications of the revelation for the future. Himawari is a princess of this world. Despite Mana's former assumption, Boruto is actually the crown prince. Last time he met his son he was hoping to destroy Homeworld, now it turns out he is part of it's most prestigious family.
Michel approaches Naruto while Mana speaks with the other members of the Uzumaki family.
"Are you OK Mr Uzumaki?"
"I've been better."
"Did something happen up there; I am struggling to understand your interactions since your descent."
"I knew Hinata back home. She wasn't called Endou Hinata back there, her name was Hyuuga Hinata. She was my wife."
"I am so sorry Mr Uzumaki."
"It hurts that she doesn't remember me, but that's a small price to pay for her to come back from the dead. I thought I saw Mars kill her, and I almost lost her to another mercenary today. The road ahead always seems so much longer than the one behind me. How far will I have to go before I can stop putting on a brave face? How far will I have to go before she and I can smile together once more?"
"Most people would have given up a long time ago, I don't know how you've kept going this far."
"It's my ninja way," Naruto explains, "I never give up. Sometimes that's not as easy as I make it sound."
"Did the princess ask you to stop fighting in this war?"
"Yes."
"I thought she would," Michel admits. "I know it is disloyal of me to ask this of you but keep going. She isn't as tough as she makes herself out to be and she will need someone by her side who will keep going when things get difficult. I have known you and your family for a very brief period of time, but I have already learnt something. You are the only man I have ever met who is every bit as stubborn as she and her father."
"I won't give up Michel, I can promise you that. My path may be long and difficult, but my wife is waiting at the end of it. There are some causes which I am happy to spend my entire life pursuing."
"You have the weight of the world on your shoulders Mr Uzumaki. I wholeheartedly admire you. If you ever wish for someone to talk to in these situations you may approach me. I lack your experience, your tenacity, and your charisma, but I believe I can offer some advice which may prove invaluable. I believe that when you are in trouble, I could tell you what Akashi might have said."
"You're a good m… horse Michel, I hope that you and I can see this through to the end."
"As do I."
Naruto looks back to see Mana still eagerly lapping up the gossip about Hinata's previous life, he watches as his wife pretends not to listen to the details of her alternate self. Mana fires question after question, just as eagerly as Hannah did previously, scrapping for even the tiniest details. Naruto fears the awkward moment when they get onto the subject of Boruto.
"Does she ever stop talking?" Naruto asks.
"Not if she can help it."
Elsewhere in Aturia
Colonel Jaad is the man who lead the mission to capture the enemies of the empire. He was tasked with capturing Uzumaki Naruto and Endou Hinata, but he proved unsuccessful. He had intended to take the prisoners straight to King Max had he caught them, but now, having failed, he returns to the colonel who sent him there. He returns to his lowly spot as a subordinate to one of his warring superiors. He returns to Colonel Zahra, ready to do whatever he must to help her become the new General of Aturia.
This day has not gone well for him. Colonel Zahra, while appearing gentle on the outside, is truly a vicious adversary when she wants to be. She has never let go of a grudge, she has never left an enemy alive, denying them the chance to come back and attack her later. Since Zahra is a colonel without mercy, he fears what fate will befall him as he returns.
There is one hope for him, one that he hopes will win out. That is the lingering fear that is surely still present within Zahra. General Rana is in charge of the Imperial Guard in Aturia, as she has been for many years now. Nobody has defied Rana before now and lived to tell the tale. The reason that Zahra has plotted her schemes prior to this is to weaken Rana's position and to strengthen her own. If she were truly confident of her superiority, she would have attacked Rana head on. Jaad hopes that Zahra will be cautious in the face of Rana's threat, and that she will decline to kill him.
Jaad cautiously enters into Zahra's command centre. She is sat with her feet raised on a table, a wine glass in her hand, her top hat next to her feet. She looks like she is just lounging about here, rather than making any sort of tactical decisions. However, since the War Council started to act up, he knows that she is doing anything but relaxing. There are probably several plans running through her head, ways to crush the rebellion and get one up on Rana.
"Colonel Zahra, I have returned."
"Do you think I can't see that?"
"No, of course not. May I sit down?"
"No you may not. Since you Naruto and Hinata are not behind you in chains I assume that you have failed your mission."
"Yes. I am very sorry."
Zahra goes silent for quite a while. She gently rotates the wine glass in her hand while staring into space past Jaad. He doesn't dare to say anything while she is thinking, not when she is in a mood like this. Eventually, she takes her feet from the table, places her wine glass down and puts the top hat on.
"That's OK, I forgive you," Zahra says as she approaches.
Zahra cups the underside of Jaad's face with her hands. She tilts his head side to side, examining him like a doctor or a doting parent. She rubs his cheeks with her thumbs as she does so.
Jaad resists his instinct to tremble before Zahra. He knows that she could kill him on a whim at this point, all it would take is a sudden pressure from her thumbs. By the time he called his divine energy to the surface she would have already killed him. Despite what she said earlier, it is obvious that Zahra has not forgiven him at all. This is her poor attempt to cover up her considerable rage.
"Why don't you tell me what you learnt about the targets?"
"They are united," Jaad answers.
"United?"
"It seems that Uzumaki Naruto and Endou Hinata intend to work together going forward. I would guess from the body language of their comrades that they will be travelling together from now on."
"You are certain?"
"Eighty percent."
Zahra bursts out laughing, a primordial cackle. She walks back over to the table and drinks the last of her wine before continuing to excitedly patrol the tent. Unable to control herself, she unleashes golden 'gale' energy from her body, using the same transcendent element as Shao Chin. The tent surrounding them is instantly blown away and amongst a wide-open camp full of soldiers, Jaad finds himself standing just a few feet away from Zahra. Being out in the open like this is somehow even more intimidating.
"Colonel Zahra, if I may boldly ask, why are you so happy about this?"
"Don't you understand anything Jaad?" she asks condescendingly, "The two of them are sticking together, and General Rana doesn't know. That means my window of opportunity is still open. I can apprehend the empire's two greatest enemies at once."
"Yes, I suppose so."
"If I can do this, arrest Sora's chosen student and Akashi's daughter at the same time, the king will have no choice but to promote me. I will ascend to the highest ranks in the Imperial Guard. Rana will be cast out into the shadows for her failure. This is excellent news Jaad, your failure's consequences are not as dire as you thought."
"I'm glad to hear that Colonel Zahra."
"When I become the General of Aturia, I shall need somebody to step into my shoes, as the second in command. I hope you bear this in mind Colonel Jaad."
"I will."
"It won't be you, but I'll need your help picking the most qualified of your colleagues."
"Right."
Zahra walks back and forward excitedly. Now she has only one thing she has to work out before she can claim her place at the top of this nation's Imperial Guard. Where are Naruto and Hinata going? Where does she need to go to intercept them?
Nearby a man and a woman in captains uniforms and masks walk past Zahra and Jaad. They continue down the row of tents until the man points to one on their left. They break to the side and enter it without slowing down. Once inside this empty tent they sit down and remove their masks. They are not captains at all, they came into the lion's den, in hope of learning something about the current situation. They had hoped they would get a clue as to where they might find a comrade and they have received that clue.
They are not captains.
They are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura.
"Can you use your abilities to get us to safety?" Sakura asks.
Sasuke nods, opening his palm to the space before them. From his hand pours viridian coloured 'spacetime' energy. It forms into a portal, similar to the ones from the tower. The others in the camp may notice the divine energy, but it is doubtful they will realise that it is from an enemy.
Sasuke allows Sakura to go first. She moves into the portal and he follows, the 'spacetime' energy dissipating shortly after he steps through. They move several thousand meters away, where they are unlikely to be intercepted and most certainly not by one of the colonels. At this distance, anyone who would patrol this area would be too weak to defeat the two of them.
"It sounds like Naruto and Hinata are safe," Sakura says.
"That's assuming that this Endou Hinata is the same Hinata we know. She could be somebody else entirely."
"It's probably a case of mistaken identity. It would be a bit of a coincidence if Naruto were travelling with another Hinata."
"You say that, but the Hinata from our world is dead, remember. Boruto's latest breakthrough was caused by her death. I'd be happy to hear that she was still alive, but you need to be prepared for the possibility that your friend is dead."
Sakura puffs her cheeks. Sasuke has never been afraid to look reality in the face, but right now she could do with a dose of cheer. There is nobody she would rather spend all this time with than him, but sometimes he could do with thinking before he speaks. They are not truly complete at the moment. To operate most effectively as a team they need to be in a trio, they need to work with Naruto.
"This Colonel Zahra seems to be a big player in this world," Sasuke remarks. "I'm guessing that she is a class 8 warrior. I don't like my chances of taking on her alone. I don't know how strong Naruto is, but it's possible that he won't be able to defeat her either."
"He may not be able to beat her alone," Sakura admits. "But when the two of you work together miracles happen."
Silence descends on the pair. They each know they have a choice to make. When they parted ways with Boruto their intention was to seek out and meet their daughter. They agreed that they would leave Naruto to his son. But in a year of searching they have not heard a whisper about Sarada's location, and now they have a clear route to Naruto. If they follow Colonel Zahra, they can find him.
"You know, you didn't have to stick with me," Sakura says. "When we found out we had a daughter it was weird, we weren't even together. Since that day though, you've been with me, and you've been kinder than I ever knew you could be. If you want us to go our separate ways here, I will understand."
"Don't be stupid, I'm staying with you."
"Really?"
"You really have to stop doubting yourself like that Sakura. I'm staying with you because I want to, not out of any sense of obligation."
"OK, then what do we do now? We said that we would find Sarada."
"Yes we did."
"But now we are close to finding Naruto."
"Yes we are."
"What's the best answer from a tactical standpoint."
"You already know that Sakura. Finding each of them is important. One of them we have almost no chance of finding. The other we may be able to find in the very near future. The pragmatic choice is obvious."
Unfortunately, the pragmatic choice has consequences. If they are to go after Naruto, they have to abandon Sarada. That could have serious ramifications. Without their assistance, Sarada may end up a victim of the oncoming war. They may live to regret that they never met their daughter, the woman who brought them forward to this time so they could save Boruto's soul.
"Do you think she will be OK?" Sakura asks.
"If our daughter is as resourceful as her mother then I'm sure she will be fine."
"She's the only family we have left. You know what that's like better than anyone. Could we live with ourselves if she died?"
"If we spend our entire lives worrying about what might happen then we will never get anything done. I think we should believe in Sarada."
"OK."
At this moment, Colonel Zahra plots to become a general. She works out what the rebellion's next step will be and plans to intercept Naruto and Hinata. This leaves the shinobi duo with the opportunity to follow her.
Colonel Zahra has overcome many obstacles in her career, as has Uzumaki Naruto. When they clash, surely Zahra as a class 8 warrior will emerge the victor. She does not lack for skill, nor talent. It would take something extraordinary to defeat her in those circumstances. However, something extraordinary may just be coming her way.
Colonel Zahra can defeat Uzumaki Naruto. She can defeat Endou Hinata. She can defeat Hannah. There is no individual in class 7 who she cannot beat.
Class 7 doesn't stand a chance against her.
Does Team 7?
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)
Endou Hinata (7) = Fire (3) + Divine Ability (2) + Shinobi (2) - Also has tier 1 water understanding
Yoshida Mana (6) = Lightning (3) + Manual (2) + Divine Ability (1)
Colonel Fadel Zahra (8) = Gale (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
Uchiha Sasuke (7) = Spacetime (2) + Transcendent (2) + Shinobi (3)
Haruno Sakura (6) = [Healing + Strength] (1) + Combo (1) + Transcendent (1) + Shinobi (3)
Himawari (?)
Kushina (?)
In Response to SnakethZero's Question
About the lead character in the story
So I can't say who will be taking the lead in the war for the spoilers reason.
I can say that Naruto will remain the main character though.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to Thatguy2502's Question
About Hinata's maximum power
No, Hinata doesn't have that potential right now for reasons I've not properly explained.
Elemental understanding is one category of strength, I have combined this using square brackets above.
If you understand two elements to the same level they are considered to be in balance.
When these elements are in balance you also get the combo boost.
This is why Hannah is only a class 7 warrior, otherwise she would be a class 10 warrior already.
Doing the maths Hinata's current maximum potential looks like this:
8 = [Fire + Water] (3) + Combo (1) + Divine Ability (2) + Shinobi (2)
However, something may happen to increase that in the future.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to Ghost14712's Question
About how Hinata would become class 8
This builds on my answer to Thatguy2502's question above.
To become class 8, Hinata would need to understand tier 3 'water' energy.
Doing this would boost her to class 8 because the balance would mean she could readily use the 'fire' and 'water' in combination.
This would give her the same "combo" point attributed to Hannah above.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to Engineer's Question
About Sarada bringing forward other people
Sarada could bring other people forward.
It would carry the same risk to her life it did on the previous two occasions she did it.
As to whether this will happen, I couldn't say without giving away spoilers.
Thanks for reading.