Zander
patreon
Chapter 104 – The Armor and the Rift
🕑 Added 2025-07-10 23:17:08 +0000 UTCChapter 104 – The Armor and the Rift
The desert sun glared above the ruined remains of Rōran, where ancient stone and fractured chakra veins baked beneath the wind. The ruins stretched far and quiet, broken by wind-scoured pillars and shattered domes, a memory of what had once been a thriving kingdom.
Sakura and Yamato stood at the edge of a collapsed chamber, their expressions anxious, their chakra depleted from the recent skirmish. Sai sat nearby, quiet and alert, scroll in hand, but his gaze frequently flicked toward the sealed stone blocking off the central sanctum.
Suddenly, the heavy slab groaned.
Stone scraped against stone as it shifted, not by jutsu or psychic power, but pulled, slowly and deliberately, by immense strength. Fingers wrapped in silver gauntlets emerged from the gap, and with one final heave, the entire seal was dragged aside and cast down in a thunderous crash.
The three inside turned, startled.
And then he appeared, Hajime.
Clad in a suit of gleaming silver-grey armor, far bulkier and more refined than the one they had last seen. At 2.5 meters tall without it, Hajime was already massive, but in this new power armor, with its reinforced pauldrons, integrated life support, and layered adamantine plating, he stood nearly 2.65 meters tall.
His helmet gleamed with golden trim, the skull-and-wing motifs along the chest and shoulders a clear tribute to the Grey Knights etched in his memories. On his pauldrons, a stylized flame symbol had replaced the old markings, running from top to bottom like a vertical streak of divine fury.
Sakura took a half step back, her breath catching.
Even Yamato, a veteran ANBU, blinked in quiet awe.
“That’s…” Sakura whispered. “New…”
Hajime gave a faint nod as he stepped inside. The chainsword hung along his lower back, its chakra-forged teeth resting dormant. His bolter was magnetized to his thigh, and the halberd, a silent titan of psychic potential, was secured behind his shoulder.
“Report,” he said plainly, his voice calm but modulated by his helm.
Sakura stepped forward. “Naruto is missing. When Mukade activated some sort of jutsu tied to the underground veins, it triggered a massive surge. Naruto tried to stop him, but… he vanished.”
“He was pulled into it,” Yamato added. “The energy collapsed a moment later. We’ve searched the entire perimeter, but there’s no trace.”
Hajime turned toward the ruined core of the chamber. His gaze settled on the softly pulsing remnants of the Dragon Veins, natural, living conduits of raw chakra webbed beneath Rōran's foundation. The jutsu had been a trigger, not the true source.
He moved forward slowly, metallic steps echoing over the dust-coated stone. He knelt, placing a palm against the crystalline residue embedded in the earth.
The moment his skin touched it, the sensation flowed into his mind, an immense web of energy, ancient and volatile, reaching not just through space but something else.
Time?
No.
Not time.
He opened his eyes, sharp and thoughtful.
“Not time travel,” Hajime muttered. “This… is a parallel reality. A neighboring thread.”
Sakura blinked. “A what?”
Hajime paused, glancing over his shoulder. He saw the confusion on their faces and realized the terms meant nothing here.
He simplified: “He wasn’t sent to the past. He was sent… somewhere else. Another place. Like our world, but not ours.”
Yamato frowned, but nodded faintly. “Can you trace it?”
“Yes. I already have,” Hajime answered, standing tall again. “Naruto’s chakra still resonates through the Dragon Veins. It’s faint, but stable.”
Sakura looked hopeful. “You can reach him?”
“I will,” he said.
The crystalline light of the Dragon Veins began to react to his presence again. Not violently like before, but curiously, as if responding to something familiar in him. He didn’t rush. He let his psychic field align carefully, probing gently, stabilizing the rift. The veins twisted into a spiral of soft light.
Hajime turned to them again.
“Stay here. Guard this place. I’ll retrieve him.”
Sakura stepped forward. “Be careful. Please.”
“I always am,” Hajime said, the smallest twitch of warmth in his otherwise even tone.
Then, in a flare of silver and white light, the portal reacted to his will, and Hajime vanished, leaving only silence behind.
He emerged not into ruins, but into the heart of the living city.
Rōran stood untouched, tall and radiant. Its chakra bridges pulsed with color, its towers gleamed beneath the sun. The city bustled with life, merchant stalls, noble avenues, and flowing fountains carved from sandstone and crystal.
But it was not safe.
A warning flickered in Hajime’s field. Armored soldiers, no, not men. Puppets. Chakra-fueled constructs crafted from desert stone and reinforced steel, marching in synchronized rhythm, their eyes glowing with violet fire.
They moved as one and charged the moment they saw him.
Hajime’s chainsword growled to life, chakra coursing through its metal teeth. No elemental infusion, just raw energy. It spun to full speed with a screech, and when the first puppet struck with its blade, Hajime sidestepped and cleaved it in half with one swing.
Stone exploded. Sparks flew.
Another puppet leapt from above, he caught it mid-air, slammed it into the ground, and bisected it cleanly. Each swing of his blade was controlled, deliberate, but overwhelming.
They came in waves, and fell in pieces.
As the last puppet collapsed, twitching and flickering out, Hajime turned slowly, sensing new chakra signatures arriving at high speed.
A golden flash.
Minato Namikaze, Yellow Flash of the Leaf, appeared instantly in front of him, kunai in hand, eyes narrowing.
He was not alone.
Behind him stood Shibi Aburame, silent and calculating. Chōza Akimichi hefted his massive spiked club. Kōshi Sarutobi, the Third’s nephew, was already weaving hand signs.
They surrounded Hajime instantly.
“He’s controlling the puppets,” Kōshi muttered.
“He destroyed them all,” Shibi corrected, “but that armor… It’s not one of ours.”
“Stay sharp,” Minato warned.
In a flash, he struck first.
Kunai blurred, Rasengan began to form, but Hajime moved with subtle grace, deflecting each strike with minimum motion. He didn’t attack back, only blocked and shifted.
He had no desire to harm them, as he knows who they are.
More strikes followed, Chōza's club smashing down, Kōshi’s Fire Jutsu spiraling. Hajime let the heat wash over him. The armor held effortlessly.
And then
A loud voice rang across the plaza.
“STOP! WAIT! Don’t attack him!!”
All heads turned.
Naruto sprinted toward them from the edge of the plaza, eyes wide. His jumpsuit was dusted from battle, but he looked unharmed.
“That’s not the enemy! That’s Hajime!!” Naruto shouted.
Everyone froze.
Minato hesitated. “You know him?”
Naruto nodded quickly. “He came to find me. That armor, it's his! It’s just... stronger now!”
Hajime finally lowered his halberd, nodding once toward Naruto.
“Found you,” he said simply.
Naruto broke into a grin.
“Hajime, I knew you'd come.”
