Chapter 84 – Clash in the Valley
Gaius was at the front, towering and silent. Diana walked beside him, her dark hair tied back, her armor light and flexible, made for movement rather than protection. Behind them, Titus and the three Bladeguard veterans advanced in a tight formation, shields angled, steps steady, the mud barely slowing them. Naruto moved closer to the center of the formation, trying to match their pace.
They passed through the last twisted arch of the village, stepping beyond the massive perimeter wall. The world opened into a broad valley, rolling hills soaked in rain, scattered trees, and a long strip of wet grass that stretched toward the fog.
Naruto exhaled, tension easing. "Feels good to be out of that place…" he muttered.
Diana gave a small smile but didn't answer. Her eyes were scanning the terrain, every sense alert. Out here, without the metal walls and narrow alleys, threats could approach from any direction.
With Gaius at the front, he opened the Mission Board within the multiversal chat. A faint blue holographic interface unfolded before the group, lines of text scrolling into place.
Mission:Help Naruto Uzumaki avenge his teacher, Jiraiya.
Objective 1:Destroy Nagato's puppets. — Completed
Objective 2:Defeat or kill Nagato. — Not Completed
Optional:Eliminate any Akatsuki members for bonus rewards.
Progress: 2 Akatsuki members eliminated.
Titus walked a step behind Gaius, helmet turning slowly with each shift of the landscape. "Visibility is poor," he said. "Mist density increasing."
"Then remain vigilant," Gaius replied. His voice was calm, steady. "We are not alone in this land."
He could still feel the Rain striking against his armor, each droplet laced with chakra. The enemy was still sensing them. The Enemy awareness had never left.
The valley wind blew against them, pulling at Diana's cloak and making thin ripples across the puddles covering the field. They walked another few minutes in silence.
Then
Gaius stopped.
It was instantaneous. No warning. No gesture. Just absolute stillness.
Naruto froze behind him, nearly colliding with Titus. The Bladeguard shifted slightly, shields lowering half an inch, the kind of subtle movement that meant they were ready for violence at any moment.
Diana's eyes narrowed. "You sense something."
Gaius didn't respond immediately. He lifted his head slightly, as if catching a faint sound beneath the rain. Droplets tapped steadily against his armor.
"…Movement," he said at last.
Diana glanced at him, a brief thought passing through her mind. He heard that? Through this rain?
Even for someone of her strength, that level of perception was impressive.
Naruto blinked. "Movement? I don't hear anything."
"You wouldn't," Titus said, stepping forward. His tone wasn't smug, just matter-of-fact. To him, it was simple truth. Astartes senses were made for war, far sharper than anything a human could naturally match. And Gaius, as the Emperor's Champion, carried an even keener edge to his instincts.
Naruto started to ask what that meant,
when he suddenly noticed them.
Shapes emerging through the fog.
First one… then another… then four.
They came into view near the center of the valley, walking in a straight line through the mist. With every step, their silhouettes became clearer, more defined.
Kakuzu. Hidan. Itachi. Kisame.
Naruto's expression hardened. "So they're here…"
The Akatsuki walked with deliberate, steady confidence, their cloaks swaying gently with the breeze. They didn't speak. They didn't call out. They just continued forward until the fog peeled away completely, revealing their faces.
Kisame cracked a grin, Samehada strapped across his back like a monstrous serrated shark.
Hidan twirled his triple-bladed scythe lazily, whispering something under his breath, likely a prayer to Jashin.
Itachi was silent, unreadable, his gaze shifting briefly to Naruto before returning to the armored giants.
And Kakuzu…
His eyes narrowed the moment he saw the Bladeguard.
"…You," he muttered, his tone sharp. "The ones responsible."
Titus shifted his stance at the sound of the words, but he didn't draw a weapon.
Kakuzu didn't speak again. He didn't show anger or grief, only a cold, calculating focus. He simply raised his hand.
Two masks detached from his back, Fire and Wind. They hovered beside him, glowing with elemental chakra.
Diana's grip tightened on her sword. "Gaius~"
"I see it," Gaius muttered.
The Fire mask inhaled.
The Wind mask spun.
The valley trembled.
And then
A massive tornado of fire and wind erupted forward, spiraling with lethal force, tearing the rain into steam. The ground beneath it scorched black as it tore a path straight toward them.
Naruto reflexively raised his hands, chakra gathering for a defense
But Gaius didn't move.
Titus didn't move.
Diana didn't move.
Instead
Two Bladeguard veterans stepped forward.
They slammed their shields deep into the mud, bracing their entire weight.
The fiery cyclone crashed into them with a roar that shook the valley. Flames burst outward in blinding waves, heat thick enough to sting Naruto's skin even from behind their lines. Steam exploded upward as rain met fire.
But the Bladeguard held.
Feet planted.
Shields locked.
The firestorm broke against them like a wave against a cliff.
Naruto's eyes lit up. "They didn't even flinch… this is amazing!"
Hidan snarled. "Tch, if Kakuzu's gonna waste time, then I'll kill them myself!"
He rushed forward, scythe spinning wildly.
"SO YOU'RE THE BASTARDS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO KILL!? DIE FOR JASHIN-SAMA!"
Titus exhaled once. His eyes tracked the charge, calm and measured. Hidan's reckless approach seemed almost naïve, weak, even, compared to the two Akatsuki members he had faced before.
Yet Titus did not underestimate him. This world and its people were unpredictable. Strange, mysterious abilities could appear at any moment.
He didn't take a step.
He didn't aim for long.
He simply raised his bolter, pressed the trigger
BOOM.
The bolt round tore through the rain, punched straight through Hidan's chest, and blew him backward. The immortal zealot hit the ground hard, rolling through the mud as the hole in his torso gushed blood.
Naruto's eyes widened. "He dropped him with one shot…"
Is this really an Akatsuki? he thought. He seemed… almost too easy.
Hidan groaned. "AARRRGH, damn it~!"
Kakuzu cursed under his breath. "Idiot…"
From his back, the Earth mask detached, threads spilling out like black roots. They launched forward, wrapping around Hidan's limp body. The tendrils dragged him back like a corpse being retrieved from a battlefield.
Kakuzu worked quickly, sewing flesh with practiced motions, patching the wound with brutal efficiency.
Hidan grumbled the entire time. "That hurt, you bastard! Next time shoot the other guy!"
Titus didn't even acknowledge the complaint. His eyes locked at Hidan's movements carefully. Still alive… even after a bolter round through what looks like unarmored flesh. This one's more resilient than he appears.
Itachi and Kisame finally stepped forward, their demeanor far calmer.
Kisame eyed the massive armored forms with amusement. "Man… these guys are something else. What even are they?"
He wasn't intimidated by their size, they looked slow, at least from what he could tell.
Itachi's gaze lingered on Naruto.
Why have these strangers brought the Nine-Tails here? he thought. Pain is nearby… and he is too strong. This could be disastrous.
Then he shifted his attention to Gaius.
Then to Titus, who still held the bolter lowered at his side.
He was reading the battlefield, evaluating threats, but he didn't speak. Words carried risk, and Itachi couldn't risk giving away more than he should.
He did not know of Nagato's defeat.
He did not know of the Rain puppets.
All he knew was this:
These enemies had Naruto.
And they had blocked Kakuzu's strongest elemental fusion without a single step backward.
Kisame gripped Samehada's handle, chuckling. "Heh… this'll be fun."
Kakuzu finished repairing Hidan, then stood tall.
The rest of the masks detached from his body, Lightning, Earth, and Water.
They floated around him in a rotating pattern, like demonic elemental spirits.
Naruto tensed. "Now there's five of them…"Gaius stepped forward through the fading smoke.
The Bladeguard closed in around him, forming a natural spearhead formation, Gaius at the tip, Titus at his right, the Bladeguard in a tight triangle behind them.
Diana stepped beside Gaius, sword drawn, the rain sliding down the blade.
Naruto inhaled deeply.
Then formed the seal.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Dozens of shadow clones popped into existence around him, spreading out in a wide perimeter. The Titus glanced at the duplicates, intrigued but accepting them as another form of sorcery.
Kisame tilted his head. "Heh."
Up on a distant ridge, obscured by trees and fog, two more figures observed quietly.
Obito and Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu leaned forward with a half-smile. "Won't you help them… Madara?"
Obito didn't answer immediately.
His eyes were fixed on the armored warriors.
The destructive power they displayed.
The effortless defense.
The weapons he did not recognize.
"…No," Obito finally said. "Not yet."
Black Zetsu chuckled. "Curious, are we?"
"I want to see what they can truly do."
Meanwhile…
Miles away, hidden beneath an outcropping of rock near the Rain border, Root operatives knelt in a dark bunker lit by dim lanterns. Danzo stood before them, bandaged eye narrowed.
A messenger kneeled. "Lord Danzo, reports confirm massive destruction across the Land of Rain's outskirts. Unknown forces involved."
Danzo's grip tightened on his cane. "It should be Naruto's'friends'… and Naruto should be with them."
He turned sharply.
"We move. The jinchūriki has escaped Konoha. We will retrieve him."
Twenty Root operatives rose immediately.
As they sprinted through the dripping forest, leaping across branches, Danzo muttered under his breath:
"Tsunade… you will regret this."
~~~
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