THE GENERALS – NARUTO ARRIVES
West Seblix
"What was the fifth number I said?"
"Seven."
"And the fifth number I showed you?"
"Three."
"What was I saying while I showed you that number?"
"You were talking about 2nd student, your 1st daughter, Lang Yu. She used 'lightning' as her element and had better than average talent."
"That's good," Nina says. "That's good."
Naruto hasn't had long to work at this but both he and Hannah have made tremendous progress. Nina has long been recognised as one of Homeworld's greatest teachers. Since the downfall of the academy she has the greatest reputation for education of anyone alive. She has however lived a long life filled with much pain. She hasn't felt like this in a long time, not since back then when Lang Yu and her sibling students were still alive.
"Do you remember all your students Nina?" Hannah asks.
"I don't remember everyone I've ever taught, that would be impossible," Nina admits. "Back when this started though I swore I would help my students. As they went through life, they began to understand the elements. I was so proud of them. I swore that I would keep helping them for the rest of my life. Since they were in that bad situation because of me I decided that I would treat them as family.
"I had eight students when it happened, four sons, four daughters. Everything was going great; it was the happiest I had ever been. Then General Nero appeared, she gave me these burns, and she… took them from me. Since then I have been afraid of taking pride in others' accomplishments. I taught lessons but the learners were never my students.
"For a long time the only thing that fuelled me was the prospect of revenge, making Nero feel the same way I felt. Then one day Headmaster Sora contacted me, he said he had this new batch of students he wanted help with. I learned that you were supposed to save Homeworld from Furst. I thought he was crazy to begin with. Then when I saw what you could do, I started to hope that one day we might be free of the emperor.
"Before I realised it, I was starting to take pride in students again. I felt like I wasn't just teaching for the sake of it, but I was actually making a difference. You and Sarada were amazing Naruto, doing things I had never seen before. Now teaching you I feel the same way again Hannah. I was planning to defeat Nero for my revenge, but that is no longer the way. Uzumaki Naruto, 9th student, 5th son. Uchiha Sarada, 10th student, 5th daughter. Hannah, 11th student, 6th daughter. After all these years I'm not fighting for revenge, I'm still fighting to protect my family."
Hannah smiles. Marti Nina always has a lesson to teach, even when you least expect it. She is right, family is more than the history of your blood. Hannah has been lucky not just to have a mother in Lara that fought for her until the very last moment, but to have family in Naruto and the others who have fought for her when nobody else would.
"Naruto!"
Naruto uses the One True Sense, recognising not only the voice but the step pattern and the smell. Shao Chin has returned to them. The hunter runs as fast as he can, arriving before Naruto, his teacher and his student not soon after coming into view.
"It's Safura. She has Hinata, and Ming Dai!" Shao Chin says.
"Are they OK? What happened to Hinata? Was Sasuke there? Is he still alive?"
"The generals are using them to lure you in. Hinata, Ming Dai, Sasuke, they are all OK for now, but they won't be for much longer. Safura wants me to bring you to her. If we don't go I don't know what she is going to do to them."
"Then we're going to save them. All of them."
"Hold on," Nina says. "Are you sure you're ready to do this."
"Nina, I'm going to ask Shao Chin to take me to the generals. I'm going to defeat them, every single one if I need to, and then I am going to get Hinata, and Sasuke, and Ming Dai, and I'm going to bring every one of them back safely."
Nina smiles. He spoke with conviction and she believes him. This is the Naruto that Sora promised would change things. This is the Naruto she trained with Juan. This is the Naruto who can win.
"Good," Nina says, punching her palm, "I'm going to battle with Nero once again. This time I'm not going to let her take my family away from me. This time, no matter what, we are going to win."
Only Naruto and Nina are class 8 warriors, only they can fight against the generals. It makes the others feel guilty. They approach, Kushina, Minato with Mito, Hannah, Mana, Michel.
"Are you going to tell me you believe in me?" Naruto asks.
"Come back soon," Kushina says. "And when you return let us know that the Imperial Guard is afraid. Tell us how they sent their best to fight you and they still couldn't win. Tell us that the royals won't sit on their thrones much longer because you won."
Naruto nods.
"Don't worry, this will be easy for you," Minato says.
"I wish I could fight alongside you," Hannah says.
"Next time you will. You became a class 7 warrior quicker than anyone else. You are my student Hannah, never doubt yourself."
"Good luck, Naruto," Michel says. "Don't underestimate Head General Safura. Her reputation is well deserved. Show her that yours is too."
"All my life I have known that she was destined for the throne," Mana adds. "Win Naruto. Bring Hinata-sis back. Head General Safura is supposed to be the strongest class 8. It's time for someone to take that title from her. Win. Win!"
Naruto inhales deeply. There is tremendous pressure mounting on his shoulders yet for some reason he feels calm and confident. While everyone else is becoming emotional he is focused, determined to win like never before.
"Shao Chin, lead us to Head General Safura."
"Right away."
Nearby, the Imperial Guard
Safura approaches her three captives, "Do you mind if ask you about him?"
"Why should we answer your questions?" Sasuke says.
"I think I've been kind to you," Safura answers. "If anyone else were in charge we would have only kept one prisoner. I've given you food and water. I doubt the others have shown you the mercy I have."
"I won't reveal any information that could help you to defeat him," Hinata says.
"I wouldn't expect you to."
"Then what do you want to know?"
"You put yourselves at risk to protect him. You demonstrate more loyalty than anyone in the Imperial Guard. What makes him so special, why do you believe in him?"
"Have you ever seen something miraculous, something so incredible that it was beyond what you could believe?" Ming Dai asks.
"During the last war, I met this woman," Safura recalls, tapping her single diamond earring. "She showed me things I didn't think were possible. There was a time when I thought it was all over for me, that there was no way out of my predicament. She showed me something incredible. There is no such thing as a lost cause."
"Then you know why I believe in him," Ming Dai says. "I was introduced to him at the academy. Imagine it, my master introduced me to this pocket-worlder who had actually defeated General Clyde. He had already done something I thought was impossible before I even met him. Then we saw his potential, I watched him fight above his level, he rallied the War Council, he destroyed the Foundry, I saw more than one miracle.
"I've heard of people achieving the incredible before. Amazing people do amazing things and sometimes either luck or fate helps them on the way. Naruto isn't lucky though, and this isn't his destiny. He has a determination that makes both luck and destiny irrelevant. He can do these things because he is something we have never seen before. I believe that he will keep on overcoming the odds, and that he will never stop."
Nearby, the Rebels
Hannah gazes in the direction where her teachers left.
"Next time will be different," Claude says. "You will be strong enough to help him Hannah."
"How can you be so sure?"
"You are the daughter of two great generals. You are the student of two great warriors. You have an instinct beyond anyone else alive. Hannah, if you want to become strong and fight in the war for Homeworld, there is nobody who can stop you, that is your destiny."
Nearby, the Imperial Guard
"Believing in Naruto didn't work out for Sakura," Sasuke says. "He has this power which is dangerous. He speaks and his words reach people in ways that ours cannot. Those people who see what he can do end up following him, sometimes to the end of the world. Once they start, they can't stop themselves, no matter where their path will lead them. We all knew the decision Sakura made was dangerous, but because of his influence none of us could bring ourselves to stop.
"I wish I could be different. When I left Naruto, I was hoping I could break the pattern, but I can't. The longer I spent away from Naruto, the more I realised that I still believe in him. Attacking the Foundry was the right decision, and I know Sakura would still say the same. Believing in Naruto means that you will never walk the easy path, but you can't leave the path he sets you on, because it is the right one."
Nearby, the Rebels
"I don't believe in destiny," Hannah says. "But I do believe that you should never give up. No matter what it takes I will find a way to break through. I will become a class 8 warrior even stronger than Safura. I am going to keep fighting until we win because he is right. That is the right path to walk."
Nearby, the Imperial Guard
"I'm not sure that I 'believe in' Naruto," Hinata admits. "He is a crazy fool. He believes that determination can get you through almost anything. He believes that we should turn our enemies into our allies and that we should fight non-lethally. It sounds like what they preached in the temples back before all this happened. Yes, Uzumaki Naruto is a crazy fool, and while I'm often too focused to say it, that's exactly what I like about him."
"I understand. I can't promise anything, but I will request we spare your underlings," Safura says.
"You won't get the chance!"
The generals all turn to face a man with a dual-element cloak activated. Part 'life' and part 'fate'. It is exactly who they have been waiting for. It is Naruto!
Nero's golden 'hot' cloak.
Dodi's golden 'absence' cloak.
Yasmine's golden 'lightning' and golden 'water' cloaks.
Odion's golden 'time' cloak.
Rana's golden 'space' cloak.
Alaa's golden 'sound' cloak.
Safura's golden 'diamond' cloak.
Naruto is hit by an overwhelming wave of divine energy. He once fought General Rana during the battle of Taigai. Back then he and Ming Dai fought together, and he thought he had the perfect attack, but she absorbed it like it was nothing. Now he finds himself opposite seven people on the same level. He has come a long way.
"One vs six," Naruto declares confidently.
Safura notices before the others but she has no time to stop it. Nina emerges from behind using the distraction that Naruto posed. The former bandit grabs Nero and forces her away from the others, bringing all of her golden 'fire' and golden 'lightning' energy to the surface. Their energy clashes with intensity reflecting the animosity between them. Nero refuses to admit it, but Nina is her greatest enemy, and Nina despises Nero for what she did to her family.
"Who wants to go first?" Naruto asks.
While Nina fights Nero, Dodi and Odion charge Naruto. He remembers them from before having seen Nina fight against the two of them at the academy. One can pass through things, the other can manipulate the flow of time. They used their synchronised attack just as they did against Ming Dai, the strongest combination of their powers. Dodi uses his golden 'absence' powers to pass through Odion's body at infrequent intervals. They move together leaving Naruto no idea at which moment either of them will strike.
Naruto takes the two generals' attacks, blocking and evading where he can and allowing the rest to hit him. Thanks to his recent training with Nina he escapes without much damage or pain, and he notices so much more than before. He watches for the point at which Odion uses golden 'time' to increase his perception rate, and for the change in Dodi's footwork when he moves to attack. When the perfect moment arrives Dodi is retreating, and Naruto raises his hand to block Odion's sight. Then he uses his divine oddity, he works with Kurama to power-up his right hand and strikes Odion as hard as he can, a strike with such speed that even the general's advanced perception rate makes no difference. Naruto's timing is perfect, he catches the moment Dodi materialises and at which Odion can't stop him, the punch drives Odion into Dodi, knocking them both away with the one blow.
Rana runs around Odion and Dodi in an arc. She fought Naruto and Ming Dai once before, but she knows that this is a very different opponent to the one she encountered that day. She uses her Sonic Scream divine ability, blasting a beam of sound at Naruto.
Naruto dodges to the side of the beam before throwing a pair of kunai towards Rana. The kunai take perfect paths over her shoulders, keeping the Aturia General's run on a straight path for a moment. With Rana's approach fixed, Naruto uses the other hand to throw a smoke bomb.
The generals all have better senses than an average warrior. But only Naruto and Safura have a good understanding of the One True Sense, along with Sasuke and Hinata they are the only ones who can see what is happening in the smoke. The others make their deductions from the sounds and the vibrations in the ground. Naruto has landed ten strikes in the smoke; Rana has not landed one.
Yasmine sends a wave of golden 'water' at the cloud of smoke. The wave hits Rana, but the general's sacrifice is worthwhile because it hits Naruto as well. The smoke clears and the golden 'water' washes Rana and Naruto away from the other generals.
Alaa and Yasmine charge towards Naruto and Rana. Naruto wants to limit the number he needs to focus on at any one time. Not even he can win against the generals if they are all attacking at once, he keeps his focus on Rana.
Naruto creates a 'life' and 'fate' enhanced Rasengan. It is a weaker technique than the Life-Gathering Rasengan he used against Rana in the past, but now Rana fears even this attack. Naruto pulls back the Rasengan and Rana braces for impact. Naruto outsmarts her, powering-up his left arm and landing a punch to Rana's forehead with his divine oddity. The General for Aturia staggers before falling to the ground, the Rasengan was only a dummy.
Naruto spots the two approaching generals, Yasmine and Alaa. He notices that Odion and Dodi are back up as well, and they won't be far behind. He doesn't know as much as he would like about Alaa's powers, but he does know that Yasmine can completely recover three times, so taking her down early is important.
Not waiting for the generals to arrive before him, Naruto converts his 'life' and 'fate' Rasengan into a Rasen-Shuriken and throws it on a curving path towards Alaa. This serves two purposes, first as a test of his reflexes and foresight. Alaa ducks beneath the Rasen-Shuriken, just as Naruto hoped. The second purpose is to attack Yasmine. The Rasen-Shuriken flies over Alaa's head and strikes Yasmine.
Yasmine's divine ability is Lucky Three. She can recover up to three times in a day. She uses the first of these recoveries while Alaa continues to charge. Then it is the turn of Alaa, the General of Ewoa, to use his own divine ability, the Berserk Switch, boosting his power at the cost of self-control.
Alaa creates a blast of golden 'sound' energy, forcing Naruto to pause. Sensory overload is one of the weaknesses of the One True Sense, the 7th Hokage remembers Clyde and Lara using it against Carmen. Rana holds out her hand, using her golden 'space' energy to artificially shorten the distance between Alaa and Naruto. At last Alaa strikes the Hokage, landing a solid blow to Naruto's abdomen.
Naruto skids back along the ground a short way before digging in with his. He crosses his fingers, creating hundreds of clones that surround him in a spherical formation. This is a trap for the out-of-control Alaa. Alaa charges ahead recklessly. Dodi uses his golden 'absence' powers to enter the sphere in an attempt to stop his rampaging comrade. Odion uses his golden 'time' powers to help Dodi by improving his perception of time, but it is all too little too late.
Alaa reaches the centre of the sphere and grabs the central Naruto, wrestling him to the ground with surprising ease. In his berserk state he fails to recognise that it is a clone. The real Naruto creates a 'life' and 'fate' enhanced Rasengan, pushing it towards Alaa's chest with a deliberate sluggishness. Dodi fails to recognise this and tries to reach out and stop Naruto, but by doing so he materialises, making himself vulnerable, just as Naruto planned. The Hokage hits Alaa with the Rasengan with his right hand and uses his divine oddity to strike at Dodi with his left.
Unfortunately, the generals are starting to coordinate. Rana uses her golden 'space' energy to artificially increase the distance between Naruto and Dodi. Combining this with Odion's manipulation of 'time' for Dodi, and the 'absence' using general is able to avoid Naruto's initial attack. It is not like Naruto to give up though, so he keeps pushing forward determined to make the attack connect. However, he is suddenly electrocuted by Yasmine's golden 'lightning' energy, following a golden 'water' path she has created along the ground.
Despite Naruto's best efforts, his attack doesn't connect with Dodi. Kurama insists he keeps trying, so Naruto does just that, attempting another strike. This strike doesn't make it either, Alaa has already recovered from the first attack and has a firm grip on Naruto's arm, he pulls the Hokage away from his comrade. Dodi leaps forward and hits Naruto's head with his own. Yasmine follows this up with another golden 'lightning' attack. Finally, Alaa flips Naruto over his head and into the ground.
It surprises them that Naruto has managed to put up such a fight against them, but now they are in control, or so they think. Naturally, Naruto has another trick up his sleeve, and he suspected that taking on so many generals at once would be too difficult. He creates five new shadow clones, which in turn produce five Rasen-Shuriken. The clones are only class 3 beings, they do not worry the generals at all, not until they throw the Rasen-Shuriken.
Naruto quickly uses his divine oddity to break free of Alaa's grip and gets to his feet. All five of the Rasen-Shuriken are moving on different paths towards him. He leaps into the air, flipping upside down and letting the Rasen-Shuriken pass beneath his head. Just as they pass beneath him, he enhances the clones' attacks with 'life' and 'fate' energy, turning the five class 3 attacks into class 8 attacks!
Some of the generals are hit by the Rasen-Shuriken, others manage to avoid them, but it is a perfect distraction for Naruto's true intention. Fighting the generals by himself is too much, but with help he can do it. He uses his divine oddity to propel himself towards the rebel prisoners. He intends to free Hinata, Sasuke and Ming Dai. He knows that with their help winning this battle is possible.
But Head General Safura gets in Naruto's way.
Naruto grinds his teeth, this is problematic. Until this point, he has been fighting the generals by himself, but Safura has not intervened. Not only has he failed to get help, but he is now facing the strongest warrior in the Imperial Guard.
"I can't let you do that," Safura says. "This isn't your rescue mission Uzumaki Naruto. This is my mission. This is the day I end the rebellion."
"Then call off your friends, Safura. Let's end this now, you and me."
Safura smiles, "Very well."
The intensity of the Head General's golden cloak suddenly increases. Naruto pauses. He knew that Safura's reputation was that of the strongest in their battle class, but he didn't expect anything like this. He feels the same way he did the day Clyde showed him the golden cloak for the first time. He is about to fight on a level where everyone is a prodigy, where there is no such thing as a warrior who is not a fighting genius.
"Now let me show you why they call the strongest class 8."
The fated battle, Naruto vs Safura, begins.
Author Note
Hi All,
Hopefully this chapter has got you excited for the next one.
I'm happy to say that I've already written chapter 277 and after a quick review I'll release it tomorrow.
An update on planning, I've very nearly finished the planning for the entire story.
If everything goes well I will be increasing the update rate soon.
Thanks for reading,
Me.
Battle Classes in this Chapter
Uzumaki Naruto (8) = {Life + Fate} (2) + Combo (1) + Transcendent (2) + Shinobi (3)
- Divine Oddity: Detonation Martial Arts
Nina (8) = {Fire + Lightning} (3) + Combo (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Yet to be revealed
Hyuuga-Endou Hinata (8) = Fire (3) + Shinobi (2) + Divine Ability (2) + Sacred Sword (1)
- Divine Ability: Double-Level Jump
- Second Element: Also has lower tier 'water' powers.
Uchiha Sasuke (8) = Spacetime (3) + Shinobi (3) + Transcendent (2)
Ming Dai (8) = Strength (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Yet to be revealed
Shao Chin (7) = Gale (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (2) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Perfect Tracking
Head General Safura (8) = Diamond (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Quick Step
General Alaa (8) = Sound (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Berserk Switch
General Rana (8) = Space (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Sonic Scream
General Odion (8) = Time (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Hover
General Yasmine (8) = {Lightning + Water} (3) + Combo (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Lucky Three
General Dodi (8) = Absence (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Perfect Memory
General Nero (8) = Hot (3) + Transcendent (1) + Manual (3) + Divine Ability (1)
- Divine Ability: Razor Skin
In Response to rickyless
Who asked why Sarada didn't bring back Konohamaru at the start of this story
If I'm being honest I've forgotten the reason.
And it looks like the reason may be that I forgot.
Looking back there was no logical reason for me to omit him.
I'm amazed to discover it has been four years since I started this story, hopefully I wouldn't make a similar mistake if I started again today.
Thanks for reading.