The Future: Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 151-COLONEL ZAHRA

King Max's Residence

Rana enters the hall where King Max typically awaits her ahead of their scheduled meetings. Normally the door would be shut tightly but seeing as it was ajar and she could hear voices, she decided to enter. Inside she sees the king speaking with her most senior subordinate, Colonel Zahra. As she walks down the length of the room towards the duo, she meets eyes with Zahra, wondering what she wants.

Rana has known Zahra a long time, and while the colonel has always maintained a polite and subservient demeanour, they both knew that it was a façade. Rana knows better than anyone that Zahra is always plotting, that's how she managed to ascend to her high rank. Currently, Zahra is the third most powerful authority residing in Aturia and that is no coincidence. Still, all she has at the moment are rumours to go on, she doesn't know that she has done anything wrong yet.

Rana arrives beside Zahra and Max, bowing politely to the latter as is customary in these situations.

"I hope it's not a problem that I let myself in my king."

"No, it's fine," Max remarks.

Rana glances at Zahra again, noticing that her subordinate is being less courteous than usual. "I'll accept a salute from you Zahra."

Zahra smirks, saluting to her supposed superior.

The king can only benefit from the two of them trying to prove their superiority. By trying to outdo one another at the moment, they will be given more incentives to apprehend Uzumaki Naruto. Should the day come when they do arrest Furst's great enemy, then when he hands him over to the emperor, he will surely be given great rewards. However, right now he has no time to watch their games.

"I hear that you have ordered all unrecognised travellers be arrested or killed," Max says, "Rana, would you care to justify this policy?"

"Sir, I believe this policy to be necessary in times like these. Uzumaki Naruto isn't the only potential rebel we need to concern ourselves with, many of them flooded into Aturia following the destruction of the Military Academy and we can't recognise them all. This policy is aimed at preventing any rebels sneaking past our patrols."

"You will drop this policy immediately," Max demands, his eyes returning to his books, "During the royal conference we encountered a hunter named Shao Chin, the emperor sent him after Naruto. Thanks to this policy, Shao Chin was almost killed by one of your patrols. If that had happened, you and I would likely have been executed."

Rana is diligent when she revises reports from her patrols, there has only been one recent incident where they have had to stop someone, she heard no mention of any hunter though. The stop was made by a patrol with connections to Zahra and the release of the traveller was authorised by a colonel known to be loyal to her. Additionally, it was in the east, exactly where Zahra would have been when the arrest was attempted. This is obviously a power play.

"Colonel Zahra, I believe you were in the East when the stop was made, why did you not inform me about this issue?" Rana asks.

"Me? I knew nothing of the arrest," Zahra replies.

Her fake outrage at the suggestion fails to fool anybody, but it doesn't matter. Zahra lifts her signature top hat a short way from her head, a mocking show of respect to her superior on the surface. In reality this gesture is the starting gun for the power struggle between them. It is now clear that she has her eyes on the position of General, that she wishes to lead the Imperial Guard of Aturia.