The Future: Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 59 MIRACLES

The Battlefield

Brooks has victory in her sites. With Hiruzen desperately flailing around at this point, Tsunade's morale shattered and Peterson on death's door defeat is almost unthinkable.

She dares not be complacent at this point though.

If the reports are to be believed then one of these locals actually defeated Clyde, someone much stronger than herself.

If one of them were capable of doing that then it isn't unthinkable that the same could happen to her.

She runs towards Hiruzen, the childish smile from before now gone and replaced by a laser focus. For her this is the closing stretch.

Hiruzen's deep breaths are telling of his position. He is exhausted, hanging on by his fingertips. He has resolved himself to losing this fight and is instead hoping to weaken Brooks, if only slightly, for the fights she is yet to have.

Just as Brooks is about to reach the 3rd Hokage, he creates an 'earth' wall between them, creating a momentary respite.

The respite is just that though, momentary. In less than a second Brooks has thrown herself around the wall and behind Hiruzen's back. She jumps up so her waist is level with his head before kicking his face into the stony wall. A small dent is left in the 'earth' wall as Hiruzen's head separates from it and he falls towards the floor.

Brooks smells blood, literally and figuratively. Her opponent lands on his back but she wants to see this end. She wants to see the look on his face when she defeats him. She uses her foot to roll him over onto his back. The light in his eyes is gone now. There is a decided lack of determination about him. She brings out some movement on him by brutally stamping on his chest, an attack that would make it difficult for him to breathe.

Hiruzen feels done, looking up at her, he wonders what he could have done. There is an air about her different to General Clyde. Hiruzen, even without fighting, could feel a humanity from Clyde. Although he didn't fully understand it at the time, Clyde was fighting to protect his comrades. Brooks is different, fighting with a machine-like efficiency where no such positive emotions come through in her body language. All there is to her is a frantic self-preservation instinct and a childish pleasure in her own superiority. Could anyone have won this fight?

Brooks raises her hand into the air, a golden 'ice' sword slowly forming in it. She too understands that he has given up.

'Could anyone have beaten her?'.

As the sword lowers, four people come to mind as an answer.

Uzumaki Boruto.

Uchiha Sarada.

Senju Hashirama.

Uzumaki Naruto.

A brief moment of defiance, he stretches his hand forward and catches Brooks' wrist, stopping the lowering of the sword.

That light is back in his eyes.

Brooks pulls her sword back, throwing her hand sideways as if to slap someone. As she makes this gesture, golden 'ice' raises from the ground and freezes Hiruzen's hands in position, preventing any possibility of him moving.