AFFLICTIONS AND ROYALS – CLYDE'S NEXT STEP
CheoCho
Lang Zhou approaches Hinata tentatively.
"Hello, you are Endou Hinata, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
"It's an honour to meet you," Zhou says, bowing before her. "We have heard stories of the days when your family ruled the empire. They have been passed down from generation to generation, but it always seemed like a myth to me. Now that you are here before us, the true Empress of Homeworld. Wow, it's such an honour my lady, such an honour."
"Stand up," Hinata says.
Zhou returns to an upright position.
"My adopted sister has told me about you as well," Hinata says. "Apparently you have done a lot to combat poverty in this city under very challenging conditions. When we retake Homeworld from Furst we will need help from people like you to rebuild. I hope that I can count you as an adviser if we are successful."
"You certainly can my lady. We owe the rebellion everything for what Naruto did today. Is he going to be OK, I saw your children take him into the hospital? I don't think there are any doctors on duty at the moment."
"He will be OK," Hinata says. "He uses golden 'life' energy now. I happen to know a lot about what that sort of energy can do for you. He will be fine in no time at all."
Zhou nods. "My lady, if I may give you my advice going forward, an important part of being a leader is admitting when you don't know something. When you are struggling and don't know the answer, ask the people, they will help you."
"I will remember that."
Naruto emerges from the partially-destroyed hospital with Himawari and Boruto.
"Yo Hinata, looks like we won," Naruto says, a big grin on his face.
"That's not possible," Zhou gasps. "You were unconscious only ten minutes ago. You fought a royal and cured Fauna Blight. How could you possibly be walking around like nothing happened?"
"As it turns out my breakthrough means I recover from my wounds even faster now. If any of you guys have any injuries let me know, I feel like I'm almost back to my best again."
"Remarkable. Truly remarkable. You were right princess, he recovered very quickly. We were hoping that tonight we could hold a party in your honour. The four of you not only saved this city but you defeated Weiss Max. Please, remain here and be our guests."
"Is there a chance any of the royals will attack?" Himawari asks her mother.
"It's unlikely. Max has never had many friends. If any of the others helped him it would probably be Petra, but even then I don't see him asking her for help. Most of the royals prefer to act alone. Unless Sabine or Jonas come here I think we are capable of defending ourselves."
"I say we should stay then," Naruto says. "We have to celebrate somehow. This is our biggest victory right?"
Hinata shrugs. "OK then. Let's celebrate."
Later that Night
Hannah approaches Naruto, she mimics something she has seen Boruto do and extends her fist to Naruto. Naruto of course replies in kind. There is a question burning in Hannah's mind.
"What are you wearing?" she asks.
Naruto looks down and rolls his eyes. It is supposed to be formalwear. The people of CheoCho created it in a hurry, coloured it with red, blue and yellow, the colours of the empire founded by Akashi. Naruto knows what Hannah's instincts are telling her, and they are correct, this clothing is not comfortable at all.
"I didn't want to wear it. Hinata told me I might be important to Homeworld's future and that I should dress myself properly."
"I think it suits you."
"I'll be happy to wear orange again," Naruto replies.
Hannah laughs. That makes Naruto happy, he has heard that Sasuke wanted to teach her a difficult lesson about willpower. He did wonder if she would cope with it. Hannah has always been a great warrior because of the voice in her head telling her what to do. Naruto worried that when asked to rely on something other than her instincts Hannah may begin to struggle. It looks like she is coping well.
"I want you to know I'm proud of what you did today," Naruto tells her. "I know that Lara would have been proud of you too."
"Thank you, sensei."
Nearby Hinata has questions for Lang Zhou.
"Are you ready for an evacuation?"
"Yes but we cannot survive long away from our homes, even with the assistance the rebellion is offering us," Zhou admits. "Our hope is that if we leave for a short while we will be able to return without suffering the King's retaliation."
"That sounds like a good idea," Hinata says.
"Truthfully princess we are hoping that this latest victory means we won't have to wait much longer. We have seen the four of you defeat the king and the people believe that you can still become stronger."
"We will."
"When that happens defeating one royal will be old news, you will be able to beat several. Surely you can even mount an offense against the emperor then. When that happens the people of Homeworld will be free again, we won't have to worry about retaliation from the likes of Weiss Max."
"I hope that day is coming soon," Hinata answers, "But I don't want to make any promises that I can't keep. If I remember the stories correctly Max is at his strongest when he has time to prepare for a fight. He has potential to be stronger than what we just saw, perhaps far stronger. Defeating the royals will be an uphill battle, even when we reach their level. As for defeating the emperor himself, I don't even know if it is possible. However, I get the feeling we will find a way."
"The people believe in you princess, remember that."
Naruto catches Hinata's eye, waving her over.
"Excuse me," Hinata says before approaching her partner.
"Do I have to wear this uncomfortable robe?" Naruto asks.
"Did you really interrupt my conversation with Mayor Lang to ask that?"
"No. No I didn't. I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?"
"I know that showing mercy to Max wasn't easy for you. I know that you feel responsible for the people of Homeworld and that you wanted to punish him for what he has done to them. You didn't kill him though. He would have killed you. That is why you are a worthy empress Hinata, you are better than him."
Hinata nods. "Thank you, Naruto."
Local Imperial Guard Headquarters, Ewoa
There is a knock at the door to General Alaa's office. The general knows that this is Elliot who he summoned with his communication stone not ten minutes ago. He asks the colonel to enter and he does so, standing to attention and saluting before being offered the chance to sit down. As Elliot takes his seat Alaa admires him for his punctuality and his continued dedication to the Imperial Guard's formal procedures. This man is truly a great loss to the military, and Alaa wishes that Elliot instead of Clyde had succeeded Lara as the Head General.
"I wanted to give you an update on our latest efforts to supress the rebellious entities in Ewoa," Alaa says.
"Please, go ahead general."
"Since you joined our ranks you have been instrumental in our efforts to find and eliminate General Clyde and his treacherous colleagues. We are very grateful for your support in this area. There are other colonels who report to me though, and some of them have been focusing on other enemies of Homeworld. We recently identified a large group of people without permanent residence. They were not near any cities or large towns; we therefore believe that these are the civilian pocket-worlders who came to this world with Uzumaki Naruto. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"
"We did travel in a large group sir. Naruto was one of the leaders of a society known as the Hidden Leaf Village. It was considered unsafe for the citizens to remain in the pocket-world as it was thought that the Imperial Guard may send soldiers into the portal to take them as hostages. This appeared a wise strategy at the time, by staying with us they had the protection of both Head General Lara and of Naruto himself."
"You have spoken before of the pocket-worlders brain, Nara Shikadai and his team. These pocket-worlders have been providing a significant challenge to the colonels under my command. Tell me were there other leaders of note among them?"
"Out of interest was Naruto himself with this group?" Elliot asks.
Alaa smiles. "We have recently received a new order regarding Uzumaki Naruto. Several sources are now claiming that he is dead at the hands of King Max. Regardless of the truth, our orders are now to assume that he is dead and that when the remnants of the rebellion are eliminated Homeworld will know peace again. Please, tell me what you can about these remnants."
"Most of their leaders will be no great threat to you running forward, mathematics makes it impossible for them to reach your battle class with their elements. Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Namikaze Minato, Senju Tsunade and Hatake Kakashi all match this description. The last time I saw them was at the academy."
"And who should we worry about?"
"Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Boruto betrayed Naruto as I have mentioned to you before, they both have potential to cause problems for the empire. The other one to watch out for is Uchiha Sarada, their 9th and most recently selected leader. She has tremendous powers that I have never seen before. If it had been required she could have stopped our invasion to Homeworld with her 'creation' powers all by herself. As it happened she didn't participate in our battle with Clyde, only arriving after Hashirama and Boruto betrayed Naruto."
"What does this Uchiha Sarada look like?"
"Mid-thirties, shoulder length dark hair, red-framed glasses and sometimes her eyes turn red or purple. I know it sounds unusual but it is true, part of her pocket-worlder powers."
"I see. Elliot, our reports indicate that someone matching the exact description you just gave me defeated the colonels we sent to apprehend that group."
"Sarada is alive?" Elliot asks, leaning forward.
"So it would seem."
Elliot puts his hand on Alaa's desk, tapping his fingers on it and contracting his thumb rhythmically. Alaa resists the urge to frown, but he doesn't understand this habit of Elliot's. Is the new colonel a lover of music or dance? He is not a man who is easily distracted and he seldom forgoes formalities. He dismisses this for now as a question for another day.
"Elliot, as you know Queen Sabine is in charge of Ewoa," Alaa says. "Her chaos philosophy makes her behaviour erratic at best. She is in her position because of her power, not her responsibility. When things go wrong in Ewoa the emperor chooses not to direct his complaints to Queen Sabine, instead he asks Safura to speak with me. That means that I am responsible for rebellion activities in this country, understood?"
"Yes general."
"With both Clyde and the pocket-worlders here in Ewoa, I need to get results now, otherwise my superiors will be angry with me."
"I understand that general."
"You have been continuing your work to track Clyde's movements. We need to catch him and soon. Tell me that you have good news. Eradicating Clyde would surely placate the Head General and the Emperor."
"I have good news regarding that general. It would seem that Clyde is plotting an attack against the city Genzee. I believe that he is capable of eliminating the colonel responsible for defending the city. He plans to liberate the city from the empire and use the city's resources to mount a more serious attack against us."
"He's going to attack Genzee? That's a very specific prediction," Alaa muses.
"I am the Imperial Guard's expert on Clyde sir," Elliot offers. "I have learnt to think how he would and I believe that this is very likely to be his next action."
"Very well then, I will go in person. Attacking Genzee will be the last mistake of Head General Clyde's life."
The Next Day, Outside CheoCho
Naruto and Sasuke leave CheoCho side-by-side. They speak of their many mutual students. Naruto tells Sasuke about Sarada and how he trained her during their time together. Sasuke tells Naruto about the lesson he taught Boruto after arriving in Homeworld. Finally they discuss Hannah's path from here. A regular student asks their master a question and the master answers with rigorous training. Hannah asks a different kind of question, and as time moves forward they need to think of a different kind of answer. She can learn techniques like Safura did, but that will only boost her abilities to a point and will be insignificant next to her instinct. They both want to know now if it is possible for her instinct to get stronger, and if there is any way to hone that instinct other than experience.
"What's the plan now Hinata-sis?" Mana asks. "Recruitment will surely be a lot easier now that we can walk into the capitals without being too afraid of the royals. We can start an honest war with the empire."
"I fear that we cannot do that yet," Hinata says. "Max is at his strongest when you move to him, and the other royals don't need preparation to fight at their strongest. Right now we are still a rebellion, striking precisely and opportunistically. We must become stronger before this is a real war. Until that happens we must continue to think of ways to make things difficult for the empire."
"I have a great way," Claude the Owl says.
"What's that Claude?" Hannah asks.
"We should turn to the Beast Kingdom for help. The King is a mighty warrior and I can make some helpful introductions if needed. Normally asking the Beast Kingdom to help humans would be impossible, but now we have something to offer that nobody else can. Naruto can cure Fauna Blight, the greatest threat to our survival. Imagine what they would do in exchange for a cure, they could make such a difference. With them on our side this would become the war you speak of."
"We cannot do that," Michel the Horse says vehemently. "Naruto, I left the Beast Kingdom for a reason. I met with Akashi and I negotiated a peace treaty that was advantageous to my people. I took it back and that treaty was ripped up. The Beast Kingdom was not aiming for peace, land or wealth, we were aiming for dominion of all Homeworld. It was no different from what the Dark Dimension tried to do."
"How many beasts have been born since that day?" Claude asks. "How long have we had to reflect on the mistakes of our past. How many of us are guilty of the bad decisions made back then? I do not deserve to live the rest of my life in fear Michel, and neither do you."
"And you propose we give them a chance to try again? What happens when they make the decision, do we wait another generation before trying once more? How many times will we give them a chance to redeem themselves before we stop trying? Can we allow innocent humans to die every time having done nothing wrong?"
"Is that any different to letting the innocent beasts die?"
"They fight wars."
"The new generation hasn't started any wars yet!"
"And we will convince them not to by immediately asking them to help us with a war?"
"A just war, not a war to destroy our enemies but to liberate the masses."
"How many chances will they be given Claude?"
"One is all I'm asking for."
"Akashi gave the Beast Kingdom a dozen chances. He spared no effort in trying to create a lasting peace between us. If anyone else had been in charge that fight would have continued to the end, like the war against the Dark Dimension. It was only thanks to the forgiving nature of one kind man that the Beast Kingdom still lives on."
"Do you call this living? Spending each moment terrified that it is your last."
Naruto power-transfers to both hands and claps them together loudly. The shockwave knocks everyone back and silences the two bickering beasts.
"Michel, I understand why you are worried. It sounds like you believe peace will never work," Naruto says. "But you are the reason I don't like Fauna Blight. You say you tried to negotiate peace, and now you live with this affliction."
"I am willing to live with this," Michel says.
"I'm not willing to let you," Naruto counters. "There must be others like you, friends in the Beast Kingdom who agreed with you and wanted peace. Is it fair that they live with it too, even though they did nothing wrong?"
"Our sacrifices save billions of lives."
"If the Beast Kingdom is as bad as you say, then we can stop them, we will find a way like we always do. But I can't accept a solution that hurts people like you, our friends."
"There is no other way, Akashi tried."
"I haven't. Hinata hasn't either. Perhaps we could do something that the last emperor could not."
Naruto looks to Hinata. She doesn't look very happy, nor very willing to go along with this line of thought.
"You are a remarkable man Uzumaki Naruto. You are capable of many things, but even you are not capable of that," Michel says calmly.
"Maybe not, but Claude is right, since the war many Beasts have died, and many new ones have been born. Perhaps they can change things. I think we at least owe them the chance."
"They know humanity is to blame for Fauna Blight, they won't look kindly upon any of us, not even you."
"Then I think it's time I knew the full story. Tell me what happened, how did Fauna Blight begin?"
In Response to TidusFFX1997
Who asks if Naruto and Boruto could understand each other's elements.
While in theory it is possible it would be very difficult to understand a completely opposite element.
Hannah was able to do it because she was engineered and inherited her parents energy.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to Engineer
Who asks various questions.
As I hope I hinted at in this chapter, Max's full powers have yet to be revealed.
Hannah's power is still inferior to Safura's, but thanks to her instincts she would probably still win a battle between the two of them.
Max's divine ability will be revealed later.
Thanks for reading.
In Response to ultimusred
Who asks how many Sacred Weapons were created.
I haven't ever given an exact number.
I can't reveal if there are any more without giving away potential spoilers.
Thanks for reading.