Chapter 78 — Clash in the Rain
Thunder rumbled overhead, though the sound of the downpour was enough to drown most other noises. From behind Gaius, Naruto stepped forward, his orange jacket plastered to his body. His fists clenched tightly, and his face burned with fury.
"Are you the bastards who killed Jiraiya-sensei?!" he shouted, voice cracking over the roar of the rain.
The figure in the center of the Six Paths paused, its expression calm and unreadable. All six figures turned their attention to Naruto, but only one spoke.
"Indeed," the man said slowly, "I was the one who killed Jiraiya."
Naruto's chest heaved. His eyes widened, and his hands twitched as if he wanted to strike immediately. "Why?!" he demanded, voice sharp with grief and anger.
"Because he was in my way," the figure answered, as impassive as a statue.
Naruto took a step forward, his body trembling. His instincts screamed to attack, to retaliate, to punish. The urge to run forward and strike was nearly irresistible. But before he could act, a firm hand pressed against his shoulder.
"Leave it to us, Naruto," Diana said. Her tone was gentle but carried a weight of authority. He tried to pull back but found himself restrained by just her grip, and her presence projecting over him, made him stop.
Naruto groaned, frustration and grief mingling in his chest. He knew he should obey, but it burned inside him, a fire that refused to die.
Meanwhile, Gaius stepped forward. His calm presence contrasted sharply with Naruto's raw emotion. He looked at the central figure of the Six Paths and asked, "Where are the others, Akatsuki?"
The reply was cold, almost dismissive. "They are not much needed for me to kill you all, mortals."
Gaius nodded slowly, as if digesting the information. "I see… they are not here, then." He paused, then leaned slightly forward, voice low but filled with deadly intent. "Since if you don't call them, the village you hold will be razed to the ground."
Inside the tower, Nagato's face darkened with anger. Veins throbbed on his forehead, his hands clenched tightly around the armrests of his chair. His calm mask cracked just slightly, enough to show his fury at Gaius' audacity.
Outside, Pain's expression did not change. His hands straightened in preparation, but his composure never faltered. Gaius, sensing the moment, readied himself.
"Shinra Tensei," Pain intoned.
A repulsive force erupted from Pain, sweeping outward in a visible wave. Rain and mud flew back, and the wind howled from the sheer power. Gaius did not dodge. He planted his feet firmly in the mud, gripping his warhammer in one hand. His posture remained steady even as the force slammed into him, digging a shallow pit under his feet.
When the repulsion finally faded, Gaius rose from the mud, brushing himself off, and remarked, "It seems you don't want to call your friends." His tone was calm, almost teasing, but the underlying challenge was clear.
Gaius raised his hand slightly, and the air beside him wavered, as if reality itself had been touched. Ripples spread outward like light bending across water. It was the Shared Gate, an ability rewarded to him by the Multiversal Chat. He hadn't used it once since the mission began, but now, standing at the edge of the Rain Village, he finally chose to call upon it.
A circle of light slowly formed in the rain, humming softly as it spun. The glow grew brighter, steady and calm despite the storm around them.
Then the silhouettes appeared.
Light wrapped around them as they stepped through the gate. Titus was the first, tall, firm, bolter already raised and ready. Behind him followed three Bladeguard veterans, their heavy armor reflecting the muted gray of the rainy sky. They took formation beside Titus without a word, each one mirroring his stance, weapons lowered but prepared.
Titus' eyes scanned the scene and then shifted to Gaius. "Are they our enemy, Captain?" he asked, voice steady.
Naruto blinked in disbelief. "Titus! And his squad… How?!"
Diana's gaze followed his, equally surprised. "They… they shouldn't be here," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else, as she knows only members of the group chat can accept the mission, how did they travel with Gaius.
Gaius spoke, voice low and commanding. "They are the enemy, but I will handle these six. Titus, I want you and your squad to infiltrate their territory." He pointed toward the village gates. "Kill anyone wearing the same clothes as them. These six are just puppets."
Titus nodded sharply, lowered his weapon, and with the three Bladeguard veterans, began moving toward the gates with methodical precision. Their steps were silent, but each was filled with purpose.
Inside the tower, Nagato's eyes widened in fury. Four figures, almost Gaius-sized and lacking any chakra as well, had appeared on the battlefield. He pointed his hand forward, ready to attack them, but Gaius anticipated the movement.
Gaius charged toward Pain without hesitation, his heavy steps splashing through the shallow rainwater. Pain, who had originally aimed his Shinra Tensei at Titus and his squad, shifted his stance at the last moment. His hand turned toward Gaius, expression still calm and unreadable. The invisible force burst outward, Shinra Tensei, redirected entirely at Gaius.
The ground cracked beneath the pressure. Gaius braced himself, boots digging trenches into the wet earth as he slids backwards.
At the same time, the remaining five Paths split apart and rushed toward Titus and his team, their movements coordinated and precise, like pieces of a single mind.
Diana moved.
Water splashed as she sprinted forward, stepping past Titus and his Bladeguard. Her sword was already in her hand, rainwater trailing along its edge. She positioned herself between the incoming Paths and the armored warriors, body low and ready.
The Asura Path was the first to strike. With a harsh metallic whir, its back split open, revealing hidden mechanical limbs and weaponized joints. Extra arms shot forward, trying to grab and restrain Diana. It moved with the confidence of something that believed victory was certain, she had no chakra signature, no energy they could sense.
But Diana stepped aside at the last moment, her movement sharp and smooth. Her sword flashed once through the rain.
Metal and flesh split cleanly.
The Asura Path's body fell in two, crashing into the mud with a dull thud. Sparks flickered from its broken metal parts. The other Paths halted momentarily, their blank Rinnegan eyes shifting toward her.
Rain continued to fall, steady and unforgiving.
The Animal Path raised its hands, slamming one palm into the ground. A summoning seal spread across the mud. Thick smoke erupted, mixing with the rain and turning to mist. From it came monstrous shapes, dog-like creatures with multiple heads, and a massive centipede with armored plates covering its long body.
They charged as one.
Diana tightened her grip around her sword. The first of the hound-like beasts lunged, teeth bared. She swung once, clean, controlled, cutting it in half.
But instead of falling still, each half twitched… and then split further, becoming two full-bodied dogs. They growled and continued their assault.
The ground trembled as the giant centipede barreled forward, its many legs churning the mud. Diana didn't back away. She stepped toward it, then jumped. Her boots landed on its head, using its own forward momentum to push herself off. She vaulted into the air, landing lightly on the wet ground beside it as the centipede slid past.
Her eyes flicked toward the dog she had cut earlier, now multiplied. A quiet thought formed in her mind: "It multiplied after I split it." Her brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't speak it aloud.
Meanwhile, the Human Path stepped forward. It calmly picked up the broken body of the Asura Path, limbs dangling lifelessly. It carried the body to the Naraka Path.
The Naraka Path pressed its hands together. The ground cracked as a large, demonic head rose from the earth, its eyes shaped like the Rinnegan, its mouth wide and dark. It opened with a deep rumbling sound.
Without hesitation, the Human Path tossed the Asura Path's body into the creature's mouth.
A series of sharp, wet cracks echoed beneath the rain. The mouth closed, then opened again, and the Asura Path stepped out, fully restored. No wounds. No damage. As if it had never fallen.
Diana's breathing was calm, steady. She stood alone before them, sword lowered but ready. She watched each movement, the roles they played.
One summoned beasts. One was heavily modified with machinery. One could restore the others. The rest stood poised with different purposes, their actions careful and exact.
There was no hesitation. No fear. No signs of being alive.
Her mind pieced it together.
These bodies didn't fight like people. They didn't react like people. Their eyes were the same. Their movements exact. Their roles never overlapped, never broke formation.
They were not human anymore.
They were puppets, constructed and controlled by someone else, far away from the battlefield.
~~~
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