Chapter 73 – The Weight of Presence
The training ground had gone silent.
Tsunade stood firm, her golden eyes fixed on the towering figure before her. The last words he'd spoken still hung in the air.
"Our purpose is to avenge Naruto's teacher. To do that, we'll need information."
For a long moment, no one moved. The wind rustled the leaves, but even that felt distant.
Then Gaius lifted a hand to his helm.
The sound of locking seals releasing broke the stillness,soft clicks and a slow hiss of pressure. The giant removed the helm, setting it beside his waist with deliberate care. When he looked up again, Tsunade saw the man behind the armor for the first time.
His features were sharp and commanding, his skin weathered and lined with faint scars that told of years in battle. Dark hair cut short. A face that might've belonged to someone in his early thirties,if not for the eyes.
Those eyes were wrong.
Too steady. Too heavy. They carried a quiet, crushing gravity that made it hard to meet his gaze for long. It wasn't killing intent, nor was it chakra. It was something else, an aura born of experience and endurance far beyond human measure.
Kakashi's breath hitched. His hand tightened around the kunai at his side. Even after standing before monsters like Orochimaru, even after seeing war as a child, this… was different. The weight in the air pressed against his chest, slow and suffocating. He'd felt fear before, but not this kind of pressure.
Tsunade felt it too.
The longer she held Gaius's gaze, the clearer her thoughts became: this man has seen more wars than anyone alive in this village.
But how? Someone like this couldn't exist unnoticed. Someone like him should've been known across nations.
Her mind raced with questions, but she pushed them aside for now.
She turned slightly. "Shizune, get the Akatsuki files from my desk."
"Yes, Lady Hokage," Shizune said, vanishing in a flicker of motion.
Tsunade folded her arms, eyes returning to Gaius. "We'll wait for her here."
Gaius gave no answer. He simply stood, silent as a statue, his warhammer glowing faintly at his side. Beside him, Diana remained calm, though her posture was alert, like a warrior ready to move if she needed to.
Naruto glanced between them all, uneasy but trusting. "Hey… they're really not here to fight."
Kakashi said nothing. He didn't lower his kunai either.
~~~
Deep within the Root base, another conversation unfolded.
Danzo sat in the shadows of his chamber, one hand resting atop his cane. The whisper of movement reached him, one of his agents kneeling at his side.
"Report," he ordered.
"Unknown individuals have appeared at the seventh Training ground," the agent said. "They claim to be friends with The Jinchuriki."
Danzo's single visible eye narrowed. "Friends?"
"Yes, sir. The Hokage is with them now."
Danzo stood immediately, cloak shifting around him. "Gather Torune, Fū, and our elite. We're going."
The agent hesitated. "The Hokage—"
"I said we're going."
Minutes later, they emerged into the open air, moving swiftly across the rooftops. The Root operatives followed without question.
The scene at the training ground hadn't changed much when they arrived. Gaius and Diana stood like statues. Tsunade, Naruto, and Kakashi faced them in tense silence. The air was thick enough to cut through.
Danzo's voice broke it like a knife.
"Who are you," he demanded, stepping forward, "to stand so close to the Jinchūriki of Konoha?"
Every head turned.
Tsunade's shoulders stiffened the moment she saw him. "Danzo…" she muttered under her breath. "Just what I needed."
Diana's brow furrowed slightly. "And who is this?" she asked, glancing at Tsunade.
Tsunade sighed. "An elder of the village."
Danzo's gaze shifted between them before settling on Gaius. The old warhawk's expression tightened with faint disdain. Intimidating in appearance, perhaps, he thought, but to a true shinobi, just another slow, heavy target. Or so at least it's what Danzo's thought of Gaius.
"These strangers should be captured and interrogated immediately," he said, ignoring Tsunade entirely. "Their presence here is a threat."
Gaius said nothing, though his eyes met Danzo's, and held them.
That silent look was enough to make two nearby Root operatives shift uneasily. Even without intent, his gaze felt like the weight of a thousand marching soldiers.
Diana's jaw tightened. "You accuse us without knowing who we are."
"You stand beside the Jinchūriki," Danzo said coldly. "That's all I need to know."
He turned to his men. "Restrain them."
~~~
The moment the words left his mouth, the tension snapped.
Diana's hand moved to her sword in a blur. The soft rasp of steel sliding free cut through the air, sharp and deliberate. Around her, the Root agents reacted instantly, masked figures stepping into formation, blades flashing under the dim light, their movements silent but deadly.
Tsunade stepped forward, anger flashing in her eyes. "Enough!"
Her voice cracked through the air like a whip, but Danzo spoke over her, his tone sharp and cold.
"Capture them! Now!"
That was the last command he ever gave before Gaius moved.
The air itself seemed to fold as the giant surged forward. One instant he stood motionless, the next the floor exploded beneath him, ground shattering and dust bursting outward like a shockwave. To the human eye, he was little more than a blur of gold and shadow, a living weapon in motion.
He crossed the training ground in a heartbeat. The sound of his impact hit a second later. Danzo barely managed to widen his eyes before a massive gauntleted hand clamped around his head.
Gaius lifted him effortlessly, one arm straightening as if raising a child rather than a man.
Every Root operative froze mid-step, kunai and blades held uselessly in the air. None dared move. The sheer force rolling off the Astartes wasn't just physical, it was pressure, weight, command. Even Kakashi, ever ready, found himself still, one eye narrowing behind his mask as he measured the impossible speed he'd just witnessed without using Chakra.
Gaius's voice was calm when he spoke, low, steady, but heavy enough to silence the field.
"You should keep your people from doing unnecessary things," he said, turning his gaze toward Tsunade.
"Misunderstandings lead to regret."
His tone carried no anger, no mockery. But his next words made even Tsunade blink.
"You'd better bring the information, girl."
The word hit harder than expected.
Tsunade's jaw tightened, half in irritation, half in disbelief. Few people alive dared speak to her that way. Yet she didn't move. There was no fear, only recognition that this man wasn't speaking out of arrogance. It was something else. Command born from a life where hesitation meant death.
Danzo's voice came strained through clenched teeth. "Y-You dare—"
The sentence ended abruptly when Gaius's fingers tightened, not enough to crush, but enough to make the threat real. The sound was sharp, a warning, not an act.
~~~
A flash of light appeared at the edge of the field.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune landed lightly beside her, a scroll clutched in her hands.
Gaius turned his head, then released Danzo. He tossed the elder aside with a motion that looked almost effortless. The force of it sent him flying back several meters. Three Root operatives rushed to intercept, catching him midair but staggering under the weight.
Danzo hit the ground, coughing, glaring furiously up at the towering warrior.
Diana, seeing the tension ease, slowly slid her sword back into its sheath. "Good," she said quietly. "Let's not waste any more time."
She turned to Tsunade, voice calm but firm. "It seems you lead this place. Then train your men better. Their arrogance will get them hurt one day."
Tsunade didn't reply. Her expression was blank, but her silence carried both anger and acknowledgment.
Shizune handed over the scroll. Tsunade opened it, her eyes scanning the inked symbols before closing it again. She handed it to Diana.
"All our current information on the Akatsuki, their leaders, known members, last sightings."
Diana nodded and took the scroll without opening it. "Thank you."
Tsunade folded her arms. "Now that you have what you came for… I'd prefer if you left."
~~~
Before they could respond, Naruto stepped forward.
"Wait! Granny Tsunade!" he called. "I was gonna introduce them to Sakura, and treat them to ramen!"
Tsunade stared at him flatly. "Not now, Naruto."
"But—"
Diana placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, Naruto. We're here for a mission. We'll do that next time."
Her tone was gentle, almost motherly. Naruto looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah… next time."
Kakashi stayed silent, his eye fixed on Gaius.
That speed… that strength… and that pressure.
He had no words for it. Even when he'd fought S-rank shinobi, it was never like this.
Naruto took a slow breath. "When the mission's over," he said, "will the two of you come back here?"
Since Naruto knows he isn't allowed to leave the village freely unless it's for an official mission, he tries to stay within the rules, though it frustrates him at times. Tsunade's orders keep him under close watch, and even short trips beyond the gates need approval.
Gaius gave a slow nod. "We will."
He turned, placing his helm back in place. The locks sealed with a sharp click. Diana stepped beside him, the scroll in hand.
As the two began to walk away, Tsunade's eyes followed them. Her fingers tightened unconsciously at her side. She couldn't explain it.
What kind of man carries that kind of presence? she wondered.
~~~
The gates of Konoha stood silent behind them. Diana and Gaius walked along the dirt road, heading straight ahead.
Diana held the scroll Tsunade had given her. The writing looked like Japanese. "I can't read this," she said quietly.
Gaius glanced over. "The local language, perhaps."
Before she could respond, the letters shifted on their own, reshaping into words she recognized. Diana raised an eyebrow. "It just translated itself."
Gaius gave a small nod. "It must be the Multiversal Chat."
The scroll contained all current information on the Akatsuki. It also mentioned that their base was likely in the Rain Village, the same place where Jiraiya, Naruto's teacher, had died.
Studying the text, Diana looked up at Gaius. "So… the Rain Village?"
"Likely," Gaius said.
They continued walking. The air grew cooler, heavier. The sound of insects faded, leaving only the wind and the heavy steps of Gaius walking On the Hard Ground.
End of Chapter 73 – "The Weight of Presence."
~~~
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