Chapter 5
Scene: Earth
"Citizens of the world,
It is with the heaviest of heart that I, President Mathew Ellis of the United States of America, provide you this statement. Three days ago, the incident that is known as the New York Massacre occurred over our country. Thousands of civilians were mercilessly shot down and killed by what have been confirmed as an extra-terrestrial military force.
As of three days ago, our planet is at war.
Conflict is not new to us. We have suffered the weight of war many a times in our history.
But this time, something changed. Because this time, war has been brought to our soil not because of ideological discourse or political scheming, but for our basic sentient right to exist.
The extra-terrestrial species known as the Chitauri did not invade as for resources, they did not attack us out of spite, they did not even attack us out of chance. They attacked us under orders, orders of a madman, a tyrant, a diabolic evil known throughout the galaxy as Thanos, The Mad Titan.
That is right ladies and gentlemen, our home galaxy is filled with life, the proof of it we perceived thanks to the Asgardian Prince Thor Odinson and his people. Humanity as a species were never alone in this cold and empty Universe. But the beauty and wonder of that particular discovery is marred with knowledge that thousands of species in thousands of worlds have been snuffed out by the tyrant Thanos. And now, our own planet has been chosen as the next target.
The Chitauri that attacked us have been confirmed to be part of larger military collective serving under the banner of this Mad Titan by various intelligence agencies of the world.
It has been confirmed that the attack over New York had been nothing more than the opening salvo of what is to be a bitter struggle for survival.
*Sigh*
It has been confirmed that our planet has been chosen as the staging ground for a galactic war that has been going on for nearly five decades. We are not the only ones hurt, but we are the latest.
It is a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that no matter how advanced a civilization uplifts itself; war and conflict will never truly go away. And now, our planet has been dragged into the largest conflict in our history.
I... I admit, I am afraid. This knowledge about the giants crashing down on us is terrifying. Knowing the fact that it was thanks to the efforts of extraordinary people that we are still here is disheartening. When I look at the terrified faces of my family, I am ashamed. This knowledge of my own powerlessness is a crippling curse. For some time, I didn't know what to do.
For a moment, I had given up.
But it was thanks to one of those extraordinary people that I found my resolve. They reminded me of the simple fact that it took an entire team of individuals to repel the initial attack. They reminded me that even though we are outgunned and outnumbered now, our united strength is more than enough to see our people to the future.
A simple reminder that the only thing that has changed is the scale of the war, not its nature.
We are now fighting for the right to exist against an axis of darkness that hungers for the destruction of our peace, security and way of life.
As such, I, as the President of the United States of America, implore my fellow world leaders to heed my plea for help, to take arms and ready the drums of war. I plead my fellow citizens of Earth to set aside our petty differences, to unite in solidarity against this existential threat, to rally together for our future. We will fight, we will win and by God Almighty we will live."
And with that one single speech, aired in every single language in every single country throughout the globe, the world changed forever.
-Scene Change-
Scene: Stark Tower (Under Repairs), New York.
"Not a bad speech. A bit dramatic at the end though, wouldn't you say?" Sasuke observed casually with Team 7+1.
They were of course, currently holed up in Stark Tower alongside the Avengers. Given the little stunt that Naruto and Sasuke had pulled on the World Security Council, things were a bit frosty. Tense may also apply, with a little dash of awkwardness. Yes... Awkwardness...
"Eh... I guess... To be honest I think there was a significant lack of The Power of Friendship™ myself." Our resident goofball that is Naruto quipped; his head tilted to one side as he scrutinised the speech with a critical eye.
"Hn, only a dobe like you would think of something asinine as friendship power would work for speeches. If you want people to move off their asses, then obviously you have to quote the Power of Darkness™ while insulting them and their families." Sasuke scoffed as he spoke his piece.
"One-armed-loser-that-still-lost-even-after-becoming-the-strongest-shinobi-in-the-world say what now?" Was the near instantaneous reply from the whiskered blonde.
"He said what now." Sasuke again, unwilling to back down.
"Oooh them fighting words duck-butt!" And on,
"Colour me impressed dobe, you actually understood that insult!" and on,
"That's it!" and on…
"Sasuke-san, Naruto-kun please don't fight!" Hinata's melodic voice interrupted the spite match that was revving up. Behind her stood Sakura who was nursing her headache from the sheer stupidity that was being emitted from the two 'best-friends'. Behind her was the sofa that was acting as the sole defence for the Avengers hiding from being collateral damage.
Of course, none of this mattered to the knuckleheaded duo that was Naruto and Sasuke. That is to say, none of it mattered to them until Sakura's fist crashed onto their heads, crushing the idiot duo to the floor in identical heaps of bruised egos and broken bones.
A day in the life of the strongest shinobis of the ninja worlds folks.
Hinata only giggled slightly seeing the two knocked out friends. "Oh Naruto-kun...".
"Friggin dumbasses!", Sakura let off an angry huff before turning towards the Avengers and blinked owlishly at the sight of them. Or more specifically, Sakura goggled at the sight of Earth's mightiest heroes standing firm with various fighting stances, looking positively grim at the thought of potential conflict, whilst simultaneously hiding behind agent Maria Hill, who herself had developed a twitching eyebrow.
Sakura sweat dropped lightly at the sight before coughing awkwardly into her fist. She then decided to completely ignore whatever the hell that was before turning her attention towards the new presence.
"Agent Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D. right? Your director said that you are to be our liaison with the people in charge?" Sakura asked the woman who was dressed in the tight catsuit.
The agent in question shook off her growing headache at the actions of both the Avengers and the shinobi guests before replying to Sakura.
"That is correct Dr. Haruno. I have been appointed to be your temporary liaison with S.H.I.E.L.D. until a more appropriate alternative is chosen. We will be working together to establish a working dialogue with the U.N in the coming days." Was the no-nonsense response of the agent in question.
Sakura only nodded her head at Hill. As they had previously established to the World Security Council, information regarding Thanos and his conquest was provided to every single governing body in the entire world. The leaders, who had convened in the U.N headquarters for emergency sessions were sceptical of the claims of the shinobi at first, but when Sasuke plugged his hand into the spine of a Chitauri carcass, brought it back online temporarily and then used its optics as holo projector which showcased the previous battle logs of the enemy, they decided to swallow their disbelief (and bile).
"Understand this… Whether or not you believe us, the fact of the matter is that as you are now, your species, as a whole, do not stand a chance against interstellar threats of such scales. Obviously, there are a lot more of them out there than you, and unfortunately for you, they also have the biggest stick. You can either bury your heads in the sand and ignore the warning or prepare for the hardest fight of your planet's life on the off chance we are right. It doesn't matter to us. Just don't forget, the only reason your planet even had a fighting chance was because of a handful of people, and unless you're like me and can make more; six people no matter how extraordinary they are, do not make up for an army."
Naruto's near clinical delivery was the last nudge they had needed to heed the warnings. Seeing blonde shinobi acting like the seasoned veteran that he is rather than the charming fool he played himself off as was the final nail in the coffin for Earth's leaders. Hours upon hours of bureaucracy and pee-pee measuring later, the World's Speech, as it would be called decades later, was delivered by the leader of the country that had become the first victim of war.
And now the present.
Sakura nodded her head at the agent that would be acting as a liaison for her team and the world they were temporarily stranded in before speaking up.
"Of course, Agent Hill. As you may already been briefed, Hinata Hyuga will be our chosen diplomat until someone appropriate has been chosen by our leaders. If you have any questions regarding that then please talk with her." Sakura nodded to the raven-haired princess, who was still fussing over the twitching bodies of the Sages of Six Paths in obvious worry.
She then immediately called out to the Hyuga in question as she walked towards the scene of the crime.
"Hinata-chan, could you please talk with the S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison while I sort out these two dumbasses?" She then casually picked up one of the legs of her two victims and started dragging them to the other side of the large room they had been sitting in.
The two dumbasses in question just made small whines and grunts of pain as their broken bodies cried out in silent protest.
Maria Hill, alongside the Avengers, shivered in absolute fear as the moaning and grunting of the two Gods in human form increased in intensity and desperation as the pink haired she-devil dragged them to their obvious doom. The sheer fact that the sounds the two broken bodies were making were actually out of fear was just a bit too much for the resident heroes and spy.
"Are they okay?" Agent Hill asked the Hinata as she approached them. She also may have been suppressing the shivers that were racking her body as the sounds of breaking and snapping bones were heard over the now clearly desperate escape attempt of the two male shinobis from the clutches of their beloved medic.
Hinata simply shook her head in obvious exasperation at the antics of the legendary Team 7. She then sighed before addressing the liaison/agent along with the rest of the Avengers,
"I apologize for their antics Miss Hill, they have always been the excitable sort even during our Academy days. You don't have to worry about them though, they like to play around like this every now and then." The Hyuga spoke in her melodic voice.
This of course didn't actually make anyone in that room sigh in relief. Most probably because of the fact that the two shinobi powerhouses that had been dragged off were trying their hardest to make horror movie victim noises.
"No! No more Sakura-chan! Please le-Urk!"
"Oh god it's coming back out! It's comi-"
Maria Hill looked back at the smiling white eyed shinobi in barely concealed fear and asked in a small voice,
"This is them just playing around?"
Hinata only chuckled awkwardly at her incredulous voice.
-Scene Change-
Kamar Taj
"So, what you're saying is, the idiots who wrote most of the books here decided to put the warning note after all the potentially soul-destroying rituals and crap? Wait lemme rephrase that… The sadistic assholes who wrote the books here did that?" Naruto asked the Ancient One as they shared her brew of afternoon tea.
"Yes, and I must say the amount of time I and my sorcerers had to spend reversing the results of bad ideas and decisions makes me feel like I am hundreds of years old." The Ancient One quipped back as she blew on her tea.
Naruto chuckled at the obvious joke before looking around and marvelling at the view provided to him. All around him, kaleidoscopes of colours blinked in and out of existence, as if gravity was pushing and pulling rainbow tinted waterfalls in every direction. Magnificent bouts of fire and lightning illuminated the otherwise dark sky in the form of nebulous abstracts as a large multicoloured thread like structure spanning the length of the horizon slowly frayed into countless fractals and threads, each emulating the greater whole.
Between the looming branches that didn't exist yet did, flowers and fruits of unknowable origins spontaneously bloomed into existence and scurried around the empty void as if they are birds untethered and free. Starlight akin to pinpricks floated down the sides of the great stream yet they grew no larger, nor did they disappear. Instead, they too bloomed into tiny, winged fireflies which then fluttered about a grand bonfire of indetermined origin.
And in the midst of all this chaos and iterations and failures and life and death and on and on, there existed a single floating boulder, flat on the top, curved on the bottom, which housed a small round table, two chairs, two people sitting in said chairs, a teapot and two cups, and some damn good tea. A lifeboat in a storm.
And Naruto exhaled deeply.
"Thank you, for showing me this." He spoke to the ancient sorceress with a small, peaceful smile on his face.
"It was my genuine pleasure." The Ancient One replied with a tranquil smile of her own.
And then they drank tea.
-Line Break-
Forward Operation Base, Divine Steps Crater, Kaminari no Kuni
"Raikage-sama, we are currently 3 days ahead of schedule, are you sure about rushing production?" A young technician asked the imposing figure of the shinobi powerhouse.
The shinobi in question grunted in annoyance as he looked around the military base. Hundreds of technicians and shinobi hurried around the facility, manning various stations and machinery.
"The Chakra Disruption Cannon was to be our primary deterrent against the forces of Konoha in a situation of conflict, a secret weapon they'll have no chance to defend against. But now, thanks to the Otsutsuki, we not only had to reveal it to the entire shinobi world, but we also had to find out that Naruto alone could outmatch even its most powerful blast without effort! And to add insult to injury, there is a madman from outer space with an armed force numbering in the billions at least, hellbent on killing as many lives as he can!" A bellowed at the top of his voice at the poor techie, the force of his voice actually producing a light breeze that fluttered the technician's clothes.
"SO YES! Yes, I want you to rush the production of the next cannon, I want you to rush the production of every cannon! In fact, I want you lot to rush the production of every cannon you'll make inside this Sage damned fort! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME SOLDIER?!" Raikage A asked the poor technician calmly.
"SIR, YES SIR!" the poor man sobbed out and ran to his post, prompting the rest of the base crew that had stopped to watch the fireworks to rush to their posts as well.
"Raikage-sama! You should not be stressing yourself so much here!" A melodic voice spoke out in exasperation. A grunted in annoyance once again as he turned to the source of the voice and scowled.
"Hypocrisy doesn't suit you Mabui, didn't the fifth Hokage and Yamanaka-san tell you to distance yourself from stressful work environments?" A grumbled at the mocha-coloured beauty of that was his secretary.
Mabui huffed at the rebuke and adjusted the clipboard she was carrying.
"There is no need to be concerned about my state of being right now Raikage-sama, as I have been making solid improvements thanks to the Yamanaka clans help. You should be more concerned about your health, you still haven't recovered from your injuries, zetsu cells or no." She spoke in her typical no-nonsense tone.
A tsked again before focusing on the young shinobi.
"I'll worry about my health when I'm dead, now why did you seek me out in the FOB?" He grunted as he started walking towards the base entrance. Mabui quietly followed him as she leafed through her clipboard.
"There are a few minor things that you need to go over before the end of the day, but the most important thing is the latest communications we received from Konoha. They have currently finished 90% of their departure preparations and preliminary tests on the portal. They are now waiting for the go ahead from the Gokage Summit alongside Suna." Mabui recited out loud from her cliff notes.
A once again grunted as he and Mabui walked outside the base entrance to the crater in which the FOB was situated in. Thousands of shinobi wearing the Shinobi emblem on their persons could be seen scurrying about doing various things. Gigantic pieces of destroyed spacecrafts were scattered about the interior of the crater, each being looked over by a team of shinobi and scientists alike.
"Take a break Mabui, that's an order. I'll need you in full strength for the coming days." The former annoyance was gone from his face, now fierce determination replaced it. He watched as a shinobi wearing the Konoha chunin vest joke around a young lady in Iwa red, a battle-hardened veteran from his own village looks over the work of a Kiri youth critically. He closed his eyes and drew a long breath.
"I don't know how long this peace will last, but seeing this, this progress, the idea of defending it against a monstrous threat…" His determined scowl twisted into an excited yet furious grin as he spoke to himself quietly,
"Well, I'm feeling a little excited all of a sudden…"
-Line Break-
Near Planetary Orbit, Planet 3264512, (Former Garden World Gisei)
In the confines of the harsh red light of the star, the desolate surface of the dead planet stood in stark contrast. What was once a lush world of greens and blues was now nothing more than an endless desert, all sign of civilisation seemingly erased into oblivion. The monotony of the planet surface was broken by large, blackened craters the size of cities, a chilling coincidence, and what looked like giant spires with a stylised pagoda like tops. Orbiting the desolate planet outside its atmosphere was an exceptionally large and very unique space station. It looked like a mixture of a traditional Japanese castle from planet Earth and a large science fiction spaceship. It was understandably huge, the entire station looking like a snow globe encompassing a castle, its silhouette casting a solar eclipse every time the native star passed behind it.
The space station, unlike the planet, was well populated, the occupants themselves being pale skinned humanoids, with bony protrusions of various shapes and sizes enveloping their heads. One of these alien occupants could be seen rushing through a corridor towards the R&D equivalent of the station clutching a pitch-black rod. He quickly unlocked the door to his destination and hurried over to the commanding officer with the rod. The officer in question was wearing a dark black haori with black see-through veil attached to his horns, the bottom half of his face was hidden as per tradition with the Otsutsuki Star embossed on his back. He quickly took the black rod and seemingly stared of into space, his white eyes furrowing in concentration. After a quick word with the younger clansmen still waiting for further orders, he immediately stoved the rod up his sleeve and with a flourish, stepped into a dark static like portal.
The portal exited onto to the entrance of a richly decorated pavilion, which was filled with the sounds of running water and other luxuries. The path to the entrance was ended in a magnificent archway, with two branch family guards on either side of the arch, also wearing the traditional black of the clan and another clan member, this time wearing the white kimono of the main family, stood vigilant in the middle, barring entry without permission. The officer ignored all of the comforts of the place along with the branch family guards and quickly moved towards the heavy-set individual standing over the entrance.
The officer bowed low to the white clad individual and spoke, "Kinshiki-sama, forgive me for interrupting your duties, but our sensors have picked up some peculiar data from one of the derelict Space-Times. What appears to be a surge of extra-dimensional chakra spiked out from a harvested reality exactly eighteen micro-cycles ago, which was then followed by an even bigger surge of exotic energy. Since it was confirmed to be chakra that caused the initial spike and since the Space-Time was specifically monitored on the orders of the Prince, I decided to bring the dark receiver to you."
Kinshiki, as the white clad individual was called, simply accepted the black rod being given to him without speaking. The rod was then promptly stored up his sleeves and he nodded to the officer.
"Your insight is commendable. Tell the sensor team to sweep the Space-Time until further notice. I will inform Momoshiki-sama as soon as I am able."
The officer bowed low one more time, and spoke,
"It is simply my duty Kinshiki-sama. We will notify you immediately if there are any further developments."
"Hmm, you may leave."
"As you say, Kinshiki-sama."
The officer bowed low once more and promptly left to his duties, leaving Kinshiki Otsutsuki to quietly ponder on the future.
'Interesting times are ahead of us it seems. Fate truly is fickle.'
End Chapter
I am still... ALIVE!
I am also writing! I have no excuses for the hiatus (actually I have plenty but I'm not gonna bother you lot with it) but here it is! The fifth chapter of Vacation! Usually I write like a shortish author note at the end, but since I'm drawing a blank this time I'll just leave this weird scribble,
Warframes are cool...