Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ What Might Be ❯ Chapter 3

A/N:

 

Thank you very much for all of your reviews! I received several who thought the story was already over after the last chapter. But I can assure you: there are two more chapters planned, and only then will the story be done.

 

I've been asked about how all knowledge of shinobi could vanish over the centuries. I do know how that has happened, but so far, there hasn't been a chance for Naruto to discover much about what had happened during those 300 years. So, please be patient, everything will be revealed. Eventually.

 

And, the most frequent question: Will Naruto meet Akira (or the other way round). You just will have too see, won't you? If I told you now, where would be the surprise?

 

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What Might Be - Chapter 3

 

Within ten months, General Minamoto has won just as many deciding battles. He has command of more than 50,000 soldiers now, almost a third of Sun's military forces. The original Golden Brigade has dwindled even more in numbers, but their name is as feared by the enemy as never before. Now, other countries think twice before trying to invade Sun's borders because they know what kind of resistance they can expect.

 

Even within neighboring countries, General Minamoto's name has almost become legendary. Not so much because of his unbelievable success on the battle field, but because he seems to be invincible.

 

Countless assassins have been sent to remove his threat; he has survived them all. Nobody can tell how exactly he does it, neither their spies within his troops nor their spies within the council. Nobody seems to know why so many assassins are found mauled by wild beasts, floating down rivers far away from their target, or simply rotting away behind some bushes.

 

Some of them aren't found at all.

 

Only two or three have come back, but they don't remember anything. Under drugs and hypnosis, they tell about meeting a beautifully tanned, blonde woman who told them that they should return home and forget about their mission. And they had done exactly that, obeying her every word. No matter how the failed assassins are questioned, their story remains the same.

 

Nobody knows what to make of it because most people of Sun are pale and have black hair.

 

---oooxxx!!!xxxooo---

 

Clinging to the ceiling with a thin film of chakra, he listens in on a conversation in the next room. Council members Hare and Bird discuss about General Minamoto and his refusal to attack Wind now that they finally have the strength to.

 

The angry, almost spitting voice belongs to Hare. “He's just a commoner with no ancestry! Who is he to defy our orders?”

 

Bird answers in a calm, deep baritone. “The soldiers adore him. People celebrate him as their hero. Everywhere in the streets, they are talking about how courageous he is to defeat Metal, Spirit, and Wind over and over again. They would do whatever he says. You should rather ask yourself: Who are we to give him orders?”

 

An outraged splutter. “That is heresy! We as the councilors are the embodiments of the Twelve Great Animals! We know what is best for Sun!”

 

There was a small snort of laughter. “Oh, come on, have you ever felt any of the Hare's power? I tell you: I'm abysmal at flying except down the stairs, and that's something everyone can do. Have you already forgotten that we have been appointed by the chancellor's wish?”

 

“The chancellor is an old fool! He should never have made that greenhorn a general! He has no idea what this country needs.”

 

“I think it's you who has no idea. We've been at war for how long? Certainly for longer than I've been alive. Have you looked into our streets lately? Only women! The only men who are here are either too young, too old, or crippled. Everyone else has been recruited into the army! And do you know how little food our food stamps allow families because most of our work goes into ammunition and weapon factories? Do you have any idea how much the `commoners' as you call them long for peace? They don't want to conquer any of Metal's territory. They just want to see their sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands!”

 

“The chancellor will hear about your betrayal!”

 

“I think the chancellor already knows that we need peace. Why do you think he hasn't demoted General Minamoto yet?”

 

“Feh, the chancellor is an old fool. And old fools can die any day!”

 

Sounds of angry footsteps chasing out of the room, doors slamming. Bird is still there, apparently not moving. After a few minutes, he hears rustling of robes, as if the man was walking away. He barely catches the last sentence on Bird's lips. “Not if I can help it.”

 

Silently, he melts away into the shadows, none of the Council Hall's security detecting him. Human eyes are ridiculously easy to fool with a slight application of chakra, especially now that they have lost all knowledge thereof. The electric eyes and ears throughout the building are a little bit harder to avoid, especially as he has never seen such advanced technology before.

 

But he has found out that despite their intelligent design, the machines are very stupid. They always follow a pre-programmed plan with exactly the same motions. If you get a hold of those plans, it is ridiculously easy to go unseen and unheard.

 

Additionally, those plans were made by humans who have long ago forgotten what ninjas are and were capable of. Ninjas are no more than material for fantastic narrations. He hasn't found any hints yet as to what had happened to the great shinobi villages. It is as if they had vanished, together with all their knowledge about chakra.

 

Sure, there are tales about epic ninja battles, but they are nothing more than bed-time stories for children. Nobody believes in them anymore although there probably is more truth to them than they know. Today, they only believe what they see and what they can do themselves.

 

Ceilings are almost never monitored, just like windows very high up. Slipping through one of said windows, he vanishes into the night. The next few months will tell whether that formerly small boy, now turned formidable general, has the strength to fulfill his dreams.

 

---oooxxx!!!xxxooo---

 

“Damn it, do you have any idea what the world outside these city walls looks like? Fields are covered in soot and blood from our fights. Every forest within a 20-mile-radius has been cut down to fuel iron production, digging for ore ruins large stretches of land, and you wonder why people are complaining?

 

“They want to live! They don't want all that soot from the factories hover over their fields, they don't want all that dust from ore production rain down onto their crops! Have you never realized that whenever you touch a wall, your hand comes away black and dirty? That the water you drink tastes of hot metal?

 

“It's exactly the same in every town in this country! Don't you think it's time to stop that instead of going for more war?”

 

Murmurs fill the Council Hall. The chancellor has called a council meeting, and all twelve of them are present, including the three highest-ranking generals of Sun's army. Some look thoughtful, others angry. A few smile.

 

General Minamoto is answering to the council for refusing his orders. All have known that it would come to this, but not many have known about the General's way with words. That man is much, much younger than even the youngest council member, barely counting twenty-six summers. But with his conviction and his tongue, he can weave a magic that is rivaled by very few. No wonder all of his troops and the other generals stand behind him.

 

Councilor Bird, one of the younger members, stands up. “I have to agree with the general. Have you been looking into the streets? No, not those few around our esteemed council hall, but those further out? Those people want peace; they have been living in fear and hunger for far too long.”

 

An angry retort from Ox: “Those are only low, uneducated pawns. Do you really think they know what is good for this country?”

 

The general's face darkens several shades. “Those `lowly pawns' as you call them are the ones who fight this war for you. They are the ones who make your weapons. They are the ones who keep you fed and clothed. They are the ones who die on the frontiers. If anyone has the right to decide over the future of this country, it's them!”

 

Several more angry words fall, and a heated discussion starts. It goes on for more than three hours, turning round in circles again and again. None of the generals says much.

 

Finally, the chancellor lifts his hand and everyone quiets down. “I have been listening to your squabbling for much too long now. You are arguing like old women over the last piece of bread. But what if that last piece of bread is already long gone?”

 

After an artful pause, he continues. “I don't think you understand the situation at all, gentlemen. Do you really think you can stop the general?”

 

“We can arrest him,” Hare shouts, “and throw him into a cell!”

 

Murmurs erupt once again around the table, the generals tensing.

 

“Silence!”

 

Everyone flinches at the chancellor's shout. “Who would arrest the general? Military police? No. Military police is loyal to him. Anyone else you could think of? Do you really think that the other generals will arrest their closest friend? They might not be so bold to say it outright, but they share Minamoto's opinion. So, do you see how ridiculous such a venture is?”

 

During the following uproar, the general gets up slowly, an unreadable mask on his face. “Excuse me,” he bellows, and his voice, trained by countless battlefields, cuts through the riot like a sword through butter. He draws attention like a magnet draws iron files.

 

“Excuse me, your Excellency,” he repeats, “I don't think I have expressed myself clearly enough. I don't wish to control military police. I don't wish to rebel against your command. But I also hear my soldiers talk, and they want to go home and see their families. Some haven't been home for more than five years. Do you know how long that is?

 

“I also hear people in the streets talk, and they want more food, less weapons. They want peace because they have been fighting for more than forty years, and now that we can afford peace for the first time you want to deny them? I don't think such strategy is Amaterasu's will.”

 

“Who are you to know what Amaterasu demands of us?” an angry council member demands. His dark brown robes suggest that he either is Monkey or Horse.

 

The general shrugs. “Nobody. But do you really think Amaterasu would want to let her people bleed even further?”

 

The chancellor is silent for a very long time while the council members are talking quietly amongst themselves, throwing the generals more or less heated glares from time to time.

 

Finally, the chancellor raises his hand once again and everyone quiets down. “I have made my decision. I will not retreat our troops from the border, but we will not cross it, either. General Minamoto, due to circumstances, I will let your insurgency slide. But should you refuse your orders a second time, you will be relieved from your duties. Is that clear?”

 

“Yes, your Excellency. But if you plan on ordering me to attack Wind or Metal once again, you can relieve me of my duties immediately.”

 

The chancellor frowns. “That is enough; you have what you wanted. Do not provoke us any further. Dog, Serpent, and Bird, would you stay behind, please? Generals, you, too. Everyone else - dismissed.”

 

Distrustfully, Tiger asks. “Why would you want to talk to them, your Excellency?”

 

The chancellor focuses a hard stare on the councilor. “Because last night, Amaterasu sent me a vision in which I saw Dog, Serpent, and Bird trying to establish diplomatic relations with our neighboring countries. Do you need anything else, Councilor Tiger?”

 

“No, your Excellency.”

 

With a stoic face that barely conceals his anger, the councilor joins his fellow members in leaving the Council Hall. They have been waiting for him, trying to hear the chancellor's response. Apparently, none of them is happy about the chancellor making political decisions without consulting any of them.

 

But they cannot do anything because his position as Amaterasu's spokesman on earth gives the chancellor every right to lead Sun alone. That doesn't make the chancellor dear to them, though. The silent observer in the shadows wonders how long the council will keep playing by the rules.

 

__________

 

A/N:

 

As always, I'm glad for any comments. Especially ones that point out mistakes or other things you didn't like (I know that sounds strange, but that helps me improve)

 

~Sakiku~