The Future: Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 90 THE IMPERIAL GUARD

The Imperial Guard Headquarters

From the outside the imperial guard headquarters looks about as intimidating as is possible. A hexagonal building, each of the six outer walls is guarded by the subordinates of one of the guard's mighty generals. Each wall is stony and black like an old castle but laced with thin jagged lines of a different and unique material. A dark yellow glow comes from this material, a glow so dark and ominous that it seems to make the surroundings themselves darker. With each wall the size of a mountain, guarded by thousands of mighty warriors, any attacker of such a building would have to be either very brave or very stupid.

The imperial palace as a structure is massive, an indoor space spanning a small central part of the continent, everything within is the safehouse of Furst Jonas. The imperial guard headquarters occupies a large part of that space, straight to the North of Furst's own private residence, the imperial core. Unlike the rest of the environment, this place is no luscious garden nor is it a rolling hill, the surroundings of the imperial guard HQ are bleak by design. Grassy planes have been stripped away and the green hills have been replaced by grey stones. This place is not designed for the sake of its inhabitants. This place was designed for Furst Jonas, to house his own private defence force.

The imperial guard was created for that very purpose, to be Furst Jonas' personal army. The military's purpose, albeit tenuous, is to protect the citizens of Homeworld. The imperial guard does not share that goal and would happily watch Homeworld burn to save their almighty dictator. Each member had been stripped of their true ambitions long ago.

At the very centre of the imperial guard headquarters one level below the ground there is a lounge. That lounge may be the room that fewest people have ever entered. Ever since the lounge's creation only two servants have ever served the patrons and only seven patrons have ever existed. These seven individuals are the six generals of the imperial guard and their leader, the head general.

One such general returns to the lounge one day, having been out to receive his report and returns with no information of interest. But what he doesn't realise is that one report will go through this room today, a report with repercussions beyond what he could ever have imagined.

Odion is his name. General Odion. A slender man, with dark hair and a neatly trimmed moustache. To those who knew nothing of divine energy and immortality, he would appear 35 years old, which is roughly when he made his breakthrough. He enters the generals lounge with his usual pristine uniform. Gold and silver are the colours of an imperial guard general, colours that look bright dazzling and important. He looks around to see that only one of his colleagues is present, General Rana.

General Rana is a similar age to Odion, but their natures are very different. Regardless, all the generals get along with one another. Rana also dons the same uniform as Odion, gold and silver. Both generals wear the same tag around their neck, standard issue to justify their name and rank. With her dark purple hair and skin a few tones lighter than his own, Rana is easy to pick out of a crowd. Nevertheless, as she turns around her familiar freckled face comes as a welcomed sight to Odion.

"Welcome back, I assume there is nothing to report for today" she asks?

"Nothing to report today, nothing to report any day" Odion sighs in reply, "It's only natural, you would have to be stupid to try attacking the emperor. An imperial guard is not necessary".

"It never existed in the days of Endou Akashi's rule" Rana muses, "I wonder why it exists now".

"The common theory amongst the military and lower ranks of the imperial guard is that our current emperor is unpopular with some unwise citizens. But you and I know that isn't the real reason, Rana. The real reason is control".