The first voice to cut through the haze of tension was Naruto's.
"I knew you'd co."
He grinned wide, relief plain on his face as he looked up at the massive figure standing over the scattered remains of the puppet soldiers. Clad in towering, silver-gray armor engraved with wings and skulls, his tribute to the Grey Knights of ancient mory, Haji stood like a sentinel of another world, his height towering at 2.65 ters in full armor, the golden halo of the Iron Halo shining softly behind his head.
The air still crackled faintly from the energy used in his chainsaw's last sweep, but Haji remained perfectly still, his armored fra outlined against the burning light of Rōran's sun.
Before more could be said, a new voice broke in, sharp and composed.
"Not here," said Minato Namikaze, stepping forward, calm but alert. "We're surrounded."
More puppet soldiers were approaching from the eastern streets, tal bodies moving with eerie synchronicity, eyes glowing with unnatural chakra. Haji's senses extended outward. He could feel them all. He could destroy them if he wished. But...
He had no map of this tiline.
No certainty about what it could affect.
He gave a short nod. "Understood. Lead the way."
Minato didn't hesitate. "Team, fall back. Rooftops. Formation three."
Shibi Abura, Chōza Akimichi, and Kōshi Sarutobi responded instantly, vanishing into movent. Naruto dashed after them, but what stunned all of them wasn't the enemies behind or the retreat itself.
It was Haji.
Despite his enormous fra, armored from neck to toe in ceramite and adamantine, he moved with terrifying grace. Each step was ghost-quiet, each leap perfectly balanced. He crossed rooftops with the ease of a panther, not a titan.
Chōza whispered mid-leap, "How does sothing that big move like that?"
Minato, who had kept pace with many prodigies in his life, said nothing. But even he was impressed.
Minutes later, they arrived on a secure rooftop, high above the city streets. Protective seals already lined its corners, a makeshift safe zone.
Naruto panted slightly, then turned to Haji with open excitent. "That armor is so cool! How'd you even find here?"
Haji stepped forward, his halberd secured to his back, and responded in his even voice. "I tracked your psychic imprint."
Naruto blinked. "My… what?"
He rubbed his head awkwardly, confused. "Eh. Guess I wasn't that sneaky."
Haji said nothing, but a flicker of humor passed through his eyes beneath the helm.
Minato, standing across the rooftop with his arms crossed, studied Haji closely. He'd watched this stranger join their team in formation without hesitation. Not just strong, but trained. Experienced. Dangerous.
His eyes shifted to Naruto again. They moved in sync, he noted.
Naruto looked over at Haji, blinking once, then grinned. "Heh… figures it'd be you."
Haji tilted his head slightly. "Didn't think I'd find you here either."
"You never make a normal entrance," Naruto said, laughing. "But hey, glad you ca."
Haji gave a small smile. "Would've co sooner if I knew you were about to get lost in ti."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… that part wasn't exactly the plan."
They both chuckled, the tension between them easing into sothing familiar and warm.
Naruto laughed, then plopped down onto a nearby crate.
As the others took a mont to breathe, Haji stepped to the edge of the rooftop. The entire city stretched out before him, living, vibrant. But below the life, he could feel it. The Dragon Vein. A monstrous, unnatural chakra current twisting beneath the city like a buried serpent.
"This place…" Haji finally said, scanning the streets. "It isn't just displaced in ti. It's sothing else."
Minato turned his head. "What do you an?"
Haji paused for a mont, choosing his words. "It's not just ti travel. This… this is another version of the world."
The others stared at him blankly. No one had any concept of parallel dinsions or split tilines.
He adjusted, more simply, "Another place. Not ours."
That, they could understand, barely.
Naruto tilted his head. "Wait… so I didn't just get flung into the past?"
"You did," Haji replied, "But not exactly our past. Sothing diverged. The energy here doesn't match our world."
Minato absorbed that quietly. His gaze moved to Naruto.
He had known from the start that sothing was off about the boy. The Rasengan. The mannerisms. The uncanny resemblance. He had his suspicions. He always did.
But for the sake of balance… for the integrity of whatever fragile thread kept ti from unraveling… he said nothing.
Instead, Minato stepped forward and simply said, "He's with us now. And if he's here for Mukade… then we work together."
Haji nodded once.
Chōza grinned. "If we're all together, then let's crack those puppet freaks."
Naruto pumped a fist. "Yeah! Let's show 'em!"
But Haji remained quiet, arms folded, gazing out over the sun-baked city.
He could feel it now, where Mukade was.
He could feel the Dragon Vein's warped path stretching downward into the city's core, where energy humd and pulsed with unnatural intent.
And he could feel the presence that had dragged Naruto here.
More than a seal. More than a temporal distortion.
It was a construct. A bridge of chakra woven by forgotten technology and will.
He'll try to rewrite sothing, Haji thought. But he doesn't know what he's tampering with.
Haji's hands flexed briefly, the armor's servos hissing faintly.
Soon, he would face this Mukade.
Reviews
All reviews (0)