AFFLICTIONS AND ROYALS – DISHONOURABLE ROYALTY

Outside CheoCho

The group that came to CheoCho with Naruto is packed with some of the world's most elite sensors. Sasuke is one the two living users of the Rinnegan. Both Hinata and Himawari use the Byakugan. Claude the Owl regularly surveys the surroundings from above. Hannah is blessed with an instinct beyond anyone else's. That's why the group is quick to react when they sense something bad approaching, or more specifically someone bad approaching. One is an old man with a grey beard and a white lab coat, the other is woman with purple hair and thick glasses. This is King Weiss Max and General Rana.

"What do you want?" Mana asks as she sees them approach.

"It seems like there is good news from the city," Max says. "Our sensors would seem to suggest that CheoCho is now free of Fauna Blight."

"Are you being honest with us?" Hinata asks sceptically. "Naruto really did it? He eradicated Fauna Blight in humans?"

"Yes it would appear so. The only cases of Fauna Blight in this part of CheoCho are likely your two comrades here. What an interesting selection of pets you keep in your company princess. First you have the horse who betrayed his own clan to become the imperial steed, who was too weak to change the Beast Kingdom's policy. And then you have the mighty owl, who soars higher and flies faster than any bird we have ever seen. An owl whose greatest accomplishment was escaping my custody."

Michel and Claude are both infuriated by what they're hearing. They are reminded that while everyone else is celebrating freedom from Fauna Blight they are still afflicted with it. If this were anyone else they might attack, but this is King Weiss Max. Attacking a royal would be a death sentence, even with so many of them here to fight him.

"If Fauna Blight is gone why are you here?" Hannah asks.

"Ah if it isn't Hannah, my greatest creation, my finest experiment. Your instincts are just as sharp as I designed them to be, but there is always room for improvement. You should return with me and then we can get one step closer to perfection with the next experiment."

"Hannah doesn't need improving," Claude protests.

"Do not protest foolish owl," Max says. "After all, Hannah is my creation. I am the closest thing she has to a parent, and I know what is best for her."

Max reaches for Hannah's shoulder.

"If you move your hand any closer I will bite it off," Hannah says.

Max withdraws his hand. "It seems that you still have too much of Lara in you. Inheriting the flaws of your divine energy donors, that is definitely something I will need to resolve."

"She asked you a question," Sasuke says. "If Fauna Blight has been cured then why are you here? You weren't able to do anything before and there is no need for you do anything now."

Max and Rana simply smile. The king continues to watch Hannah's every action, watching for any flaw, for any improvements he should be looking to implement when he captures her next. The purple eyes are clearly a genetic flaw, much the same as Princess Hinata's mostly fire-red hair, but her instincts are clearly sublime. Max wonders if there is a limit to those instincts, some tiny inadequacy with his previous method that he needs to improve upon.

"Mother should have summoned us away by now," Hinata realises. "Ming Dai and Shao Chin were supposed to retrieve her. What is taking them so long?"

Hinata decides to remain focused on the situation at hand.

"We were made a promise when we agreed to come here," Hinata says. "It was agreed that no harm would be brought to us. Until the end of this incident we are supposed to be under the protection of the Imperial Guard."

"Under the protection of the Imperial Guard?" Max asks. "Rana, who is in charge of the guards stationed here in Aturia?"

"I am my lord."

"Then it sounds to me like you are in charge of the Imperial Guard's response to this situation. Tell me, have you ever made any assurances that we would let our greatest enemy leave without detaining them?"

"I made no such assurance," Rana says.

"You would tear up an agreement we made in good faith?" Hinata asks, doing her best to sound surprised. "We spoke with Head General Safura herself. She has supreme authority within the Imperial Guard, authority beyond Rana's. If she offered us Imperial Guard protection then it is your responsibility to honour it."

"Were you there when Safura made that promise?" Max asks Rana.

"No I was not."

"Would the pocket-worlders falsify a claim like that?"

"Of course they would."

"And are you here now as I am ordering you to eliminate Homeworld's enemies?"

"I am present and receive your order my lord."

Hinata draws the Sacred Sword in an exaggerated manner, throwing high-pressure air at the king and the general. She follows through on the motion before quickly lowering her sword vertically, the extended path of the blade cutting into the ground to the side of her feet. She once more raises the sword, holding it upright in front of her.

"Max, the odds are in your favour if we fight here, but there are no guarantees. If you fight all of us, you may get unlucky. You may lose. You may die. Are you willing to risk your life in a fight with the true Imperial Family of Homeworld? If you are not I will give you this one final opportunity to keep to your word and let us leave. We will not attempt to liberate CheoCho, we will leave peacefully. All that you need to do is keep to your word. Have some honour for once."

Max grins. "Honour is the concern of fools like Safura. You will find that I have no such weakness, especially when I am greeted with a chance to kill Uzumaki Naruto."

Max launches himself in the direction of the city, leaving Rana to deal with those outside. He clearly has one target at the top of his list. He is going into the centre of CheoCho, and he is going to fight Naruto with his full power. Once again the rebellion is having one of those days where its existence is threatened. If Max wins it is all over for them. They cannot let him win!

The Royal Palace, Dunstone, Ewoa

Ming Dai and Shao Chin are sat calmly in the cage. There is nothing they can do to escape their current predicament. Queen Sabine's life philosophy may revolve around chaos, but she is not stupid enough to leave her fate to chance. She has prepared these bindings for them, they are strong, strong enough even to resist Ming Dai the 'strength' user. They both remain still, contemplating how they got into this situation and how they will get out.

Shao Chin's eyes open, "Someone is coming."

Ming Dai looks at the door. Someone is coming? Plenty of people have entered and exited the throne room since they have been here. What makes this person any different? Why did Shao Chin think this was worth mentioning?

Suddenly the doors fly off their hinges.

Ming Dai's jaw drops as the doors land on the ground, shaking the very foundations of the palace. Those doors are heavy by design, only the mighty are meant to open the entrance to a throne room. Others may be let in by permission of the strong, but only the strong may enter of their own free will. For doors like this to be taken from their hinges is not something Ming Dai has ever witnessed before.

Two people enter, walking presumptuously over the doors they just knocked down.

"Sabine! What is the meaning of this!"

It is King Hoffman Swen and Queen Hirsch Nadia. Ming Dai's father has arrived.

Very few people have seen Swen become angry in his life. Nadia is one of the few who has seen him like this before. The last time Swen was angry like this was when he learned that Ming Dai's mother was dead. Seldom does Swen's mask of laziness slip, but this is one of those few occasions. When he is like this people are rightly afraid to get in his way, at least most people.

Sabine grins like the crazed maniac she is. This is what she has been waiting for. The King of Gavaria has come to retrieve his son, the prince that never was.

"Hello Swen, I didn't think you liked travelling long distances. Did you come all the way here to see me?"

"Enough!"

Swen swings his arm forward, not even using his golden cloak, just a few tiny sparks of his pink 'psychic' energy. Two enormous splinters break from the door he knocked down and launch at Sabine. By Swen's intention they fly neatly over Sabine's shoulders, just scratching them to make a point. They hit the stone behind Sabine and don't stop, creating two large holes in the thick palace walls.

"Temper-temper. Have you forgotten about the emperor's decree? The royals shall not fight between themselves."

"You will release my son immediately," Swen demands. "Otherwise there is no decree in Homeworld that will save you from my wrath."

"Give it a go, I've always wondered just how strong you are Lazy King."

Nadia frowns, this is not good. Her strategies are supreme amongst the royals, and she has acquired more land than any of her counterparts. However, Nadia's speciality is tactics, not battle. Of course she is exceptionally good at fighting, herself having defeated the Tyrant King, but this is no ordinary situation. Sabine and Swen are both stronger than Tyrant King was and are both stronger than Nadia is now. Queen Sabine is the mightiest of all the royals who only Endou Akashi has defeated in the past. Swen is not to be underestimated either; his 'psychic' powers have the most offensive potential of all the royals' elements. Of course Nadia thinks that she and Swen could survive a fight with Sabine, but even for her this fight is hard to predict. The potential for serious injury has rarely been greater since she became a royal.

"Nadia, you won't ask me to hold back, will you?" Swen asks.

Nadia glances at Ming Dai, remembering all the pain that she has seen Swen endure in the past, the pain that has made him who he is today.

"Of course not, if you're going to fight her go all-out."

Swen clenches his fists tightly. Golden 'psychic' energy begins to pour out of his body like steam. It surrounds him and a whirlwind begins to form along with it. The rotary speed of this whirlwind increases without stopping. Within seconds the door to the throne room is torn to pieces by the storm. Fragments of wood and iron spin around Swen at an incredible rate, making it impossible for anyone to approach. Even Sabine would be unlikely to escape serious injury if she tried it. Swen's golden cloak continues to expand until it completely encapsulates the spinning debris and his eyes begin to glow the same pink as his 'psychic' energy.

Ming Dai had thought he had seen his father's full power. He has seen his father battle Headmaster Sora; he has tried to fight back as his father bombarded the Hertz Family Compound. Clearly Swen was holding back both times. Ming Dai is himself a class 8 warrior, he thought that his energy wouldn't much weaker than Swen's. He was wrong, he failed to take into account that the difference between each successive battle class is greater than the last. The man he sees before him now, the man who is his father, is absolutely terrifying.

Swen throws his hand forward, using golden 'psychic' energy to throw all of the swirling debris towards Sabine.

Sabine immediately activates her golden 'chaos' cloak. Like when she battled Ming Dai, she pushes golden 'chaos' energy through her feet into the floor. The floor explodes, the carved stone scattering in all directions, blocking Swen's line of sight to Sabine. Sabine uses this opening to construct a forcefield of golden 'chaos' to intercept Swen's attack. When Swen's debris hits the forcefield half of it flies back at him, its speed even greater than before, the other half continues on its path and hits Sabine.

Sabine is hurt, but she can take an attack like this. She stops pumping golden 'chaos' through her feet so the stone stops obscuring her vision. She looks to see the result as her ricocheted debris strikes back at her opponent.

However the debris has not hit Swen.

It is floating in front of the King of Gavaria, levitated by his golden 'psychic' energy.

"Have you forgotten that my 'psychic' energy lets me read your mind?" Swen asks rhetorically. "Sabine! I said that I would go all out from the start. Release my son, or you and I will fight to the death!"

CheoCho

King Max arrives in the centre of CheoCho and finds that Uzumaki Naruto is already waiting for him, golden 'life' cloak activated. Max responds by activating his own golden 'particles' cloak. Now that he looks at him he really can see what they all worried about from the beginning, a reflection of Endou Akashi. Still, Naruto is only a class 8 warrior, he feels confident, it is finally time to end the war. When he tells Furst that he defeated Naruto himself, he will surely be rewarded. He will become the most respected of all the royals and his experiments will continue uninterrupted.

He should be worried about his other opponent though. He has forgotten something important.

Max is suddenly struck by a Rasengan in the back. For a fraction of a second he looks over his shoulder and catches a glimpse of something. He knows that he just saw the Crown Prince wearing his Death Mask, but he instinctively wants to look away from him. This repulsive instinct is strong, and Boruto's recent breakthrough has made that repulsion stronger than ever. Enhanced with golden 'death' energy, the Rasengan is easily powerful enough to get Max off his feet, pushing him towards Naruto.

Naruto power-transfers to both legs. He leaps forward to intercept Max and then kicks him with the other leg. This knocks Max through the bottom level of an adjacent building and into the park on the other side. Naruto then rushes after the king straight away, bursting through the remnants of the lower level and into the park alongside the royal.

Max tries to be careful to watch for Boruto, but again misses an important detail. The tree from behind him grows instantly, wrapping itself tightly around his arms with the strength of a weak class 8 warrior. The king knows that it is impossible for a tree to be a class 8 warrior, so this strength must be Naruto's. Naruto is controlling the tree. Max easily breaks free of the trees grip, but then he looks down and sees a pair of reanimated skeletons gripping hold of his legs. It seems that both the rebel and the Crown Prince have acquired unique now powers.

Max breaks free of the skeletons holding his legs. The second he is free Boruto strikes him in the chest, effectively appearing at the last moment thanks to the effects of his Death Mask. He strikes the King of Aturia two times quickly before preparing another golden 'death' Rasengan. This time he drops to his knees and aims the Rasengan at the king's abdomen. At the same time his father kicks the ground with his divine oddity, throwing himself at the king, aiming his own golden 'life' Rasengan at Max's chest. Both of them attack with their Rasengan at the same time.

A royal with much battle experience, Max is no fool. He concentrates most of his golden 'particle' divine energy on his chest to absorb much of the impact. He redirects the rest of the energy to his hands and claps, creating an explosion of energy. He is thrown backwards, but he lands with the elegant backflip of a much younger man, meanwhile Naruto and Boruto both land in a heap, having taken a more powerful attack than they delivered.

At Naruto's behest a massive flock of birds dives off the building behind him, flying between him and King Max. He protects himself and his son for a few moments with this distraction tactic. Interfacing with living beings, he never knew that tier 3 'life' energy would help him to master such a power. He realises now that he can do this with all life that has no divine energy. He assumes that Boruto's control over the dead is similar. What's more the recipients of their control also seem to gain a small portion of their own power.

"Are you OK?" Naruto asks.

"That last attack hurt a bit, but I am OK."

Naruto holds his hand out for a moment, sending golden 'life' energy in a beam straight to Boruto's wound, immediately alleviating his pain. Naruto's healing has gotten even more precise. Boruto smiles, he thought his own skillset improved significantly, it seems that his father benefited from the breakthrough even more.

"He is stronger than King Erik was," Boruto says.

"Everything will be fine. We just need to win. So we will."

"Then let's do it!"

Outside CheoCho

Hinata knocks Rana back with the Sacred Sword, drawing her power from a source that the general still fails to comprehend. It seems the energy that powers the Sacred Sword isn't Hinata's alone, that it comes from nowhere. She has no time to rest and contemplate, the second she is stationary she is bombarded by a stream of attacks from Himawari's Sacred Dagger. The dagger gives Himawari a chance to approach the general, first she kicks Rana's ankles twice, forcing her back a couple of steps, then she dodges an incoming attack and delivers a solid palm strike to Rana's face. Himawari then retreats, leaping back, summoning and catching the Sacred Dagger mid-air before landing next to her mother.

Rana admits that her king seems to have left her in a hopeless situation. She has little chance of defeating so many opponents. But she is quickly given a ray of hope.

"This isn't your fight. Go to the city and fight with Naruto and Boruto," Sasuke says.

"That would leave you the only class 8 warrior here," Hinata says. "We can't afford to do that. We can't let you fight her alone."

"Hannah is here."

"Hannah is only class 7!"

"Then I will make her breakthrough," Sasuke announces. "Naruto's teachings and mine are not the same, but we compliment each other well. I am the perfect person to teach Hannah the lesson that Naruto cannot. I am the perfect person to teach her the hardest lesson of them all."

Hinata looks to Hannah for confirmation. Hannah nods back to the princess. The decision is made. Hinata and Himawari rush into CheoCho to help Naruto and Boruto with their battle against Max. Hannah is going to remain and fight Rana with Sasuke. If she is to break through she must learn Sasuke's toughest lesson. If they are to win she must break through. A crucial moment approaches for both battles, battles the rebellion cannot afford to lose!

Author Note

Hi All,

I didn't realise until I checked reviews that I have now written 1,000,000 words as part of this story.

Thank you all for supporting me and this story.
I have had a lot of fun and hope I can continue to entertain you all until this story is complete.

Thanks for reading,
Me

In Response to Engineer
Who asks several questions

Question: Why is Himawari independent of the Hive Mind?
Answer: Good question. It is a case of when the Hive Mind was active. The Hive Mind gradually affected the actions of Tsunade and the others over many months. It only had an instant's contact with Himawari which is why she has retained her free will.

Question: Is Himawari a 'death' user?
Answer: Himawari is not a 'death' user as such. Hashirama can grant 'death' energy to any of the Hive Mind's followers, including Himawari, but he seldom does. He cannot deny 'death' energy to Tsunade because since first being made a follower of the Hive Mind she has understood 'death' energy herself. The Hive Mind was never in control of Boruto for example who had traces of 'death' energy before he met Tao Ma. Himawari has never understood 'death' energy herself, but in theory Hashirama could grant her access to it.

Question: Why doesn't 'death' count towards Himawari's battle class?
Answer: Even if Himawari had tier 1 'death' energy it would be insignificant compared to the power generated by combining her three elements.

Question: Can Naruto learn a concentrated defence?
Answer: Yes he can.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Guest
Who asks why the Hive Mind doesn't increase battle class like other divine abilities

It does in a sense. The Hive Mind is still Tao Ma's divine ability, but the mind itself is using Hashirama as a host. It is not like other divine abilities and was created with great difficulty by the Dark Dimension. It persists after death.

Hashirama himself wouldn't be able to benefit from a divine ability as they are incompatible with pocket-worlder physiology.

Thanks for reading.