Chapter 88 — Edge of the Red Moon
Itachi's Mangekyō spun slowly, the red glare cutting through the rain.
Kisame kept his distance, fingers tightening on Samehada.
Their breaths were steady… but tense.
Diana shifted her stance, her foot sliding slightly in the mud. Her calm eyes stayed on Itachi.
He raised his hand.
A surge of chakra sparked around him.
The ribcage of Susanoo burst outward in a blue glow, wrapping around him like a guardian of flame. The ribs expanded, then grew into the armored upper body. The spectral warrior towered over the field, raising its own massive blade.
Kisame immediately moved behind Itachi.
Diana took one step forward.
Itachi barely had time to tighten his stance.
She rushed him again, cutting through the rain like a golden streak.
Susanoo's sword came down.
Diana's own sword met it.
The impact sent a shockwave through the water-soaked ground, pushing the mud aside in a circular ripple. The clash echoed across the valley.
Itachi felt the weight of her strength even through Susanoo, his arm trembled slightly. He gritted his teeth and pushed harder, but Diana stepped back and swung again.
Their blades collided.
Then again.
And again.
The sound was like metal on metal, crisp and sharp even with the storm.
Kisame stayed far behind Itachi, throwing water sharks one after another. Each shark twisted through the rain, jaws snapping as they rushed Diana.
She didn't even look at them.
A quick swing of her sword cut one cleanly in half. Another shark burst apart when she moved aside at the last second. One slipped past her, but she turned her body barely enough that it grazed nothing but air.
She didn't waste strength.
She didn't rush.
She controlled every movement.
Kisame frowned. He could feel his instincts screaming not to get close to her. Even holding Samehada, even as a former monster of the Mist, he was no match in raw strength. Samehada couldn't even drain her, as she had no chakra at all according to Itachi, and he believes Itachi.
He gritted his teeth.
This woman is too Powerful.
Itachi parried Diana's next strike, but he felt the drain building. Susanoo wasn't a technique he could use lightly. His breath grew uneven.
He could feel the heat rising inside his eyes.
He still hadn't used Amaterasu.
But every time he considered it, Diana moved too fast. The slightest wrong timing, she would dodge it and it wouldn't work anymore as she will be on guard then.
He had to wait.
Had to find a clear moment.
But every second spent keeping Susanoo active was another second closer to collapse. He felt a tightness in his chest. His vision blurred for a fraction of a moment.
At this rate… I might die before I ever get the chance.
And yet, he couldn't drop Susanoo.
If he did, Diana's blade would reach him before he could take a breath.
Diana stepped forward, pushing him back again. Her movements never faltered.
Just as she lifted her sword for another blow
A heavy shock rolled across the field.
Diana paused.
Itachi's eyes widened.
Kisame turned instantly.
A massive figure approached through the thick mist.
Gaius.
Armor unscathed and gleaming with gold even under the rain, warhammer resting on his shoulder, Blue optics glowing through his helmet.
The pressure he carried with him felt heavier than the rain.
Itachi and Kisame exchanged a single look.
Both realized the same thing.
Kakuzu and Hidan were defeated.
Which meant… they were next.
Diana stepped back from the fight and looked at Gaius calmly.
"Are you done?" she asked.
Gaius nodded once.
He looked at Itachi's bleeding eyes, the shaking Susanoo, and at Kisame.
"It seems you are also close," he said. "We should finish this as well."
He lifted his warhammer, tightening his grip.
But then he froze.
His helmet turned slightly toward the distant path, where Naruto and Titus were stationed.
He sensed something.
He saw something.
Heat signatures, many of them, moving fast through the trees.
They weren't heading for Titus and the others
They were aiming straight at their direction.
His helmet's built-in sensors highlighted each moving shape, even through the rain, He can see it.
But he didn't care.
He turned back to Itachi and Kisame.
Diana frowned slightly. "What happened?"
Gaius answered simply, "Some enemy is coming here. But they will meet Titus and the others on their way here. They will stop them."
She nodded, trusting him instantly.
Then she lifted her sword again, pointing it toward Itachi and Kisame.
"Sorry for the wait," she said with a small smile. "It's been a long time since I fought someone like you."
Itachi didn't smile. Kisame didn't smile either.
They were not enjoying this.
From far above on the cliff, Obito watched silently. His Mangekyō spun as he took in the scene, Kakuzu and Hidan gone, Itachi and Kisame barely holding on, Danzo's men should be stopped by Those In Metal armors.
He clenched his teeth.
Losing too many Akatsuki at once would make capturing the remaining jinchūriki harder, and if he stepped in personally, he risked exposing information he couldn't afford to leak. In the shinobi world, information was everything.
And Itachi and Kisame were the ones who followed his orders the most.
He couldn't afford to lose them.
Obito vanished into Kamui.
Diana stepped forward, sword raised.
"I'll handle the bleeding one," she said lightly. "You handle the shark."
Gaius didn't respond with words. He simply charged straight toward Kisame.
Kisame raised a hand. "Time out…?"
Gaius did not stop.
Kisame yelped and leapt aside as the warhammer slammed into the ground, breaking the mud in a wide crater.
Diana dashed toward Itachi at the same moment.
Itachi felt his breath tighten again.
He forced his Mangekyō to flare.
Susanoo's armor thickened around him.
Diana's sword swung at him once more.
The entire valley shook.
Away from the battle, Naruto sat with Titus and three Bladeguard veterans. Rain dripped from Naruto's clothes, but he didn't seem to notice. Metaurus sat nearby with his helmet off, letting the cold air touch his scarred face.
Naruto looked at him with wide eyes.
"Woah… you look old. How old are you?"
Titus, standing near him, paused mid-turn. The two Bladeguard looked at each other. Titus let out a small chuckle through his helmet.
Metaurus looked at Naruto, calm and patient.
"I am more than four centuries old."
Naruto's mouth dropped open.
"Four… centuries?! That's crazy! Doesn't that mean Gaius is younger than you?"
Metaurus stiffened for a moment. Naruto spoke Captain Gaius's name so casually.
But since they had been assigned to guard the area and stay with Naruto, that meant the boy was considered an ally.
He forced himself to accept it.
Metaurus nodded.
"Yes. Captain Gaius is younger. But he has made enemies shed more blood than I. He is the Blade of the Primarch."
He emphasized the last part with deep respect. Guilliman wasn't just a leader, he was their gene-father, The Lord Commander of the Imperium, The Lord of Ultramar.
Naruto's eyes shined with amazement.
"That's incredible…"
Before he could ask another question, Metaurus suddenly stood up straight.
He turned sharply toward the woods.
Titus and the other Bladeguard did the same.
Naruto blinked, confused, then he saw them.
Dozens of dark figures moving through the rain.
Silent.
Precise.
Dressed in black gear.
Masks covering their faces.
Danzo's ROOT.
They came out of the trees like shadows come alive.
Naruto stepped back instinctively.
Titus stepped in front of him and rested his hand on the hilt of his Chainsword.
Metaurus lifted his helmet back onto his head, voice steady.
"Prepare yourselves."
The Bladeguard formed a wall.
End of Chapter 88 — Edge of the Red Moon