Chapter 89 — The Quiet Before the Break
Titus stood at the front of the line, one hand gripping his bolter, the other ready to draw his chainsword. Metaurus had already locked his helmet back into place, the faint hum of internal servos sounding beneath the rain.
Naruto stood behind them. Not knowing what to say, since they seems to be an enemy, and they also look Familiar.
ROOT.
Masks blank, movements precise, each one stepping out of the treeline in perfect rhythm. Their uniforms darkened by the rain, they formed a line opposite Titus and the Bladeguard.
At the center, walking calmly through the mud, was Danzo.
His single eye scanned the group, Titus, Metaurus, the three Bladeguard veterans, and finally Naruto.
Danzo froze for a brief moment.
Metal armor. Gigantic frames. The sigil on the shoulder pads.
His eye twitched.
The same mark as the golden armored man… the one who humiliated him publicly.
Danzo clenched his jaw, feeling heat flare in his chest.
He pointed at Titus.
"You bastards," he snapped, voice sharp through the rain. "Release the jinchūriki of Konoha immediately. Unless you intend to start a war with the Leaf."
Titus didn't move.
Metaurus didn't move.
None of the Bladeguard took a step backward.
Their immobility made the air feel heavier.
Naruto stepped forward instinctively and shouted, "Why are you even here, old man?! Grandma Tsunade gave a mission to help Gaius and Diana! I'm with them!"
Danzo didn't even glance at Naruto.
"I do not care," he said coldly. "You are the property of Konoha. You do not leave the village without permission."
Naruto clenched his fists. His breath hitched, ready to yell again
"Enough."
Titus' voice cut through the air like a blade.
Naruto froze and looked up at him. Titus stepped in front of him, forming a shield of ceramite and unshakable presence.
Titus raised his bolter slightly toward Danzo.
"You cannot pass here," he said plainly. "If you attempt to force your way through, you will be killed."
Danzo narrowed his eye.
Behind his mask of calm, he felt insult burning deep. To be threatened by outsiders twice in his life… and both times by men in matching armor.
He exhaled through his nose.
"Hmph. Attack them."
His ROOT moved instantly.
They spread out in multiple angles, fanning through the trees to surround the Marines. Danzo smirked slightly. These armored men looked heavy. Their movements earlier, steady, strong, but nowhere near the speed of the golden one.
As long as they aren't as fast as that monster, they can be overwhelmed.
ROOT Shinobi leapt forward.
But Titus and the Bladeguard had already moved.
TItus barked a low command. "Form wall!"
The Three Bladeguard spread their stance, stepping in front of Titus and Naruto, shields raised, weapons ready.
The ROOT reached mid-range,
Titus fired.
The bolter roared with a heavy thump, and the round smashed into the first ROOT operative, blowing him backward in a burst of torn cloth and blood.
The other Bladeguard fired a split second after.
More ROOT operatives leapt aside, but their timing was imperfect. Two more were shot down before they could form proper seals.
The survivors reacted instantly.
They hid behind the trees, shifting positions as they realized the bolters' power.
Their captain hissed, "Avoid straight lines! These projectiles!"
The next shot blasted chunks of a tree clean off.
ROOT operatives swallowed hard.
They had underestimated them.
Jutsu began to fly next, fireballs, wind blades, water dragons. The Marines didn't flinch. Bolter shots tore through some jutsu on impact, exploding them in mid-air. Others reached too close, forcing the Bladeguard to cut them down.
A fireball hit too low, Metaurus stepped forward and split it cleanly with his double-bit axe, embers scattering across the mud.
A wind blade curved toward Titus. He raised his chainsword and cut through it, sparks flying.
But ROOT were skilled.
A water whip curled around one Bladeguard's leg, trying to pull him off balance, he planted his boots and yanked hard, dragging the ninja forward before swinging his sword downward in a clean strike.
The ROOT operative fell instantly.
Danzo didn't approach.
He hid behind a cluster of trees, watching. His earlier arrogance faded. They're stronger than expected… physically powerful and their weapons are dangerous. Still, their movements were slower than Gaius'. Slow enough to strike.
He waited.
Waited for a gap.
Then
He appeared behind a Bladeguard, hands already forming a seal.
Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet.
A compressed, razor-sharp blast of wind shot forward without warning.
The Bladeguard heard the sound at the last second. He raised his sword horizontally.
The wind blade smashed into it.
Metal screeched.
The blade took the attack, but when the Bladeguard looked down, he saw a small crack carved across the edge.
Danzo clicked his tongue.
Even his sneak attack hadn't done anything… well, not that he had actually hit the armor at all.
He shifted away, slipping back into the shadows, unwilling to risk another direct clash.
The battle continued, ROOT hurling jutsu, the Marines firing back, swords and axes breaking apart anything that got too close. Already eight ROOT shinobi had fallen.
Danzo grit his teeth.
This wasn't going as he planned.
...
The clash between Diana and Itachi had carved deep trenches into the soaked ground. Each strike of her blade pushed him further back. His vision was hazy, his breath ragged. Even with Mangekyō spinning, his body was reaching its limit.
Diana's eyes narrowed slightly. She saw Itachi wobble.
He was close to collapse.
That was when he made a choice.
A risky, desperate one.
His Mangekyō flickered.
Black flames appeared.
Amaterasu.
Diana's instincts screamed. She moved on pure reflex, twisting her body aside the moment the flames ignited. The black fire struck the ground, hissing in the rain.
She exhaled slowly, not expecting this Person still has this trump card, that was quite dangerous.
Itachi's Susanoo flickered, then collapsed.
He dropped to one knee, gasping.
Diana turned just in time to see Gaius approaching.
He held Kisame by the neck. The shark-man's body hung limp in his grip, twitching only faintly.
Kisame had already been overwhelmed, crushed by Gaius.
Gaius' grip tightened.
But suddenly
A hand materialized around Gaius' wrist.
A hand that hadn't been there a second ago.
Obito.
He had appeared silently, slipping out of Kamui without producing even a ripple of chakra or killing intent.
Gaius immediately sensed the threat. Without hesitation, he swung his arm sideways, trying to smash the intruder with Kisame's body.
His arm passed straight through Obito.
No resistance. No impact.
Gaius' eyes narrowed behind his helmet.
Diana stopped mid-step, sword raised, gaze fixed on the masked man.
Obito tilted his head.
"You're the one who's been watching us," Gaius said, voice steady.
Obito nodded slowly.
"Yes. It was I… Madara."
He expected fear.
Or confusion.
Or even hesitation.
He got nothing.
Diana blinked once.
Gaius didn't shift his stance or posture, he only tilted his head slightly.
Obito felt a tiny sting of embarrassment but he kept his composure.
He pointed at Gaius and Diana.
"Release them," he ordered. "Both of them. If you refuse… you will die here by my hands."
Gaius looked down at Kisame in his grip.
Then he simply tightened his hand.
A dull crunch.
Kisame's body went limp, completely still.
Obito froze.
His single visible eye widened behind the mask.
He had been ignored.
And Kisame, one of his most loyal agents, was killed without hesitation.
End of Chapter 89 — The Quiet Before the Break
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