Chapter 82 – I don't know.
High above the wreckage, on the slanted remains of a collapsed tower, two shadows stood watch.
Obito gazed toward the distant glow, the red of his Sharingan burning faintly behind his orange mask. Black Zetsu loomed beside him, his form half-merged with the steel, the rain sliding down his inky surface like oil.
"Deidara and Sasori," Obito muttered, voice muffled through the mask. "Both gone."
He turned his head slightly, tone sharpening. "Who are they? The ones who did it?"
Black Zetsu's yellow eye shifted toward him. "I don't know."
Obito stiffened. "You don't know?"
His disbelief cut through the rain. "You have White Zetsu clones buried across half the continent. How can you not know?"
The creature's tone darkened. "They appeared without warning. Even the ones who saw them couldn't describe them properly, only that they were tall, and armored in metal."
Obito's single visible eye narrowed behind the mask. The thought unsettled him more than he cared to admit. Someone out there was capable of hiding so well that even the White Zetsu couldn't find them, and there wasn't a shred of information about who they were.
For a while, neither spoke. The wind moved through the empty metal frames around them, groaning softly like a dying city.
Then the ground below shivered.
A pale figure rose up through the steel floor, White Zetsu, dripping mud and water. His tone carried quiet panic.
"You guys… Nagato's puppets, the Pains, they've been defeated."
Obito turned sharply, his cloak shifting with the motion. "What?!"
Even he, with the Sharingan and Kamui, doubted he could face Nagato's Six Paths directly. That army of godlike bodies, controlled with perfect synchronization through the Rinnegan. For them to fall, so quickly, was unthinkable.
"Who did it?" Obito demanded, his single eye narrowing behind the mask.
White Zetsu shook his head, looking helpless. "We don't know much… but one of them is tall, heavily built, and wears golden armor. The other is a woman."
Black Zetsu's gaze dropped. "It's as if they never existed… we don't know anything about them at all."
Obito clenched his gloved fist, his frustration evident. "Then what's the point of all your eyes and ears if they can't even see what's coming?"
No one answered. The silence felt heavier than the rain.
The White Zetsu swallowed. "There's… there's more." He glanced toward the east, toward the outskirts. "The ones who killed Pain's puppets, they're coming here. Fast."
Black Zetsu's body rippled unnaturally, melting into the floor as if he were never there. His voice echoed once more before fading completely into the earth. "I won't face someone like that head-on…"
Inside, Black Zetsu assessed the truth. Whoever these two were, able to slip past White Zetsu's network and strong enough to destroy a Nagato puppet, they were far beyond anything he should confront.
To face them now would be pointless. Worse, it's dangerous.
Better to disappear, to wait, and to watch from the shadows until their nature and weaknesses revealed themselves.
And just like that, Black Zetsu dispersed entirely, slipping beneath the surface.
Obito remained still. The rain trickled down his mask, dripping from the spiral ridge. His single red eye gleamed.
"Hide if you want," he muttered. "I'll see what kind of People who can defeat Nagato's puppet."
Far away across the open plains, Gaius and Diana were already on the move.
The ruins behind them still smoked faintly, the air thick with dust and the iron scent of battle. The land sloped downward into the basin where the Rain Village rested, a maze of steel towers and flooded alleys, veiled under sheets of rain.
Gaius's stride was heavy but relentless, each step crushing the mud beneath his armored boots. Beside him, Diana kept perfect pace, her steps light, her balance effortless even across the uneven terrain. The rain beaded off her gold and red armor and blue skirt, streaking her skin but never hindering her.
Thunder rolled overhead.
From above the clouds, shadows move, Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai flew on Sai's enormous ink bird, its wings beating through the rain. The air smelled of ozone and damp smoke as lightning flickered across the sky.
Naruto leaned forward, scanning the ground below. When he saw two figures moving fast through the flooded plain, his heart leapt. "Kakashi-sensei! I'm going down!"
Kakashi's eye widened. "Wait, Naruto!"
But he had already jumped.
The wind roared in Naruto's ears as he dropped, rain stinging his face. He quickly formed hand signs mid-air, summoning shadow clones beneath him. They appeared one after another, each catching and cushioning his fall until he landed lightly on the mud with a splash.
He took off immediately, sprinting after the two figures ahead.
Diana was the first to notice, glancing over her shoulder. "Naruto," she called, her tone firm but not unkind. "Why did you come down? You should stay with your friends. It's too dangerous."
Naruto shook his head stubbornly, his soaked blond hair sticking to his face. "No way! I'm not letting you two handle this alone!"
Diana wanted to reprimand him, but seeing the stubborn set of his face, she let out a soft exhale, rain dripping from her hair. Once he made a decision, there was no changing him. "Fine," she said finally, her voice steady. "But stay close."
Naruto grinned, nodding. "Got it!"
Gaius said nothing. He only turned his helm slightly, acknowledging the boy's presence, then focused again on the horizon. The village loomed ahead, its metal towers jutting like broken spears into the gray sky.
They reached the outer edge of Amegakure.
Rain poured harder, hammering the steel walls and filling the alleys until they resembled rivers. The air smelled of oil, rust, and smoke. Faint lights flickered from within the buildings, civilians peering out, faces pale and silent behind fogged windows.
Diana slowed for a moment, taking note of the people living here, but she ignored them and pressed on.
Gaius said, "Our mission isn't over yet. Let's go," and continued forward.
Naruto followed, uneasy but determined.
The deeper they went, the more evidence of the fight appeared. Bodies were strewn across the courtyard and alleyways, Rain shinobi, their armor torn, some missing limbs, others with bodies riddled by bolter fire, a few even missing heads entirely. Spent bolter casings gleamed among the puddles like dull gold. The rainwater ran red where it had mixed with blood, carrying the metallic tang through the air.
Diana's pace slowed slightly as she surveyed the scene. "Looks like Titus and his squad cleared this area," she said evenly. Her voice carried neither anger nor sorrow, these were enemy combatants, after all. "They didn't hold back."
"They were enemies," Gaius replied, his tone calm and detached. He stepped past the fallen without looking down.
Naruto paused for a moment, uneasy at the sight. These were shinobi, and though they were opponents, the carnage still unsettled him. He shook off the feeling, forcing himself to move forward and catch up.
They turned a corner, and Gaius suddenly raised a hand. "Contact."
Diana halted beside him, eyes scanning the rooftops. Naruto followed their gaze upward.
There, standing on the edge of a high steel tower, was a figure wrapped in a dark cloak marked with red clouds. Rain ran down the swirling orange mask that hid his face, the single eyehole glowing faintly red.
Gaius stepped forward, his posture firm but relaxed, the warhammer resting comfortably at his side. There was no anger or show of force, just the steady focus of someone who understood the situation. Another Akatsuki member had appeared, and to him, it was simply the next threat they would have to deal with.
Diana shifted her stance, one foot forward, sword angled loosely at her side, ready but not drawn. The rain fell harder between them, hissing against the steel.
For a moment, no one moved.
The masked man tilted his head slightly, studying them. His voice, when it came, was low, almost calm. "So… you're the ones who killed Nagato's puppets."
No one answered. The rain spoke for them.
Then, as if satisfied, A faint glow spiraled in the right eye beneath the mask, like a tiny star spinning faster and faster. The space around him twisted unnaturally, and his form began to stretch and twist inward, pulled into the spiral. Within a heartbeat, the figure collapsed into nothing, leaving nothing.
Only the rain remained.
Diana lowered her guard slowly. "He Disappeared," she murmured, scanning the rooftops again.
Naruto frowned, staring at the spot where the masked man had vanished. "Who was that guy?" he muttered. He didn't recognize the voice, or the mask, yet something about the presence felt strangely familiar, like a memory he couldn't quite reach.
Gaius's voice was steady and low through his helm. "An enemy," he said, eyes fixed on the figure. The Akatsuki uniform made it clear enough.
He turned toward the heart of the village. "Move."
Diana nodded, following silently. Naruto hesitated for a moment longer, then ran after them.
The rain eased slightly as they advanced, the storm breaking into a gentler drizzle that washed over the wrecked streets. The fires in the distance burned lower, their smoke trailing off into mist.
End of Chapter 82 – "Echoes in the Rain"
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