Chapter 24

Finally, after traveling for another two days, they reached their destination. The other group was already waiting for them. Guy had already told Blake about them beforehand, but Blake was still a bit surprised.

There were four people. There was a man with yellow hair, who was pointing at Blake with a confused expression, while periodically glancing at Kakashi. Just from his expression alone, Blake guessed him to be quite an idiot.

Also, there was a woman with pink hair, who seemed much more composed, though didn't strike Blake as someone overly powerful.

Finally, there was a man with white hair and textile covering his right eye. Blake could feel that the man was powerful, as they stared at each for a few moments before Blake eventually glanced down at his hands. Kakashi was carrying a really old, unconscious lady. She was frowning even when in deep slumber.

"Kakashi, what happened?! Were you also attacked by Akatsuki?" Guy asked in a hurried voice, breaking the building-up tension between Blake and Kakashi.

"We were, but we have managed to defeat him without too many difficulties," Kakashi said, putting the old woman into Sakura's hands. "However, we were then attacked by another man who had some strange mental powers. He attacked Chiyo and then immediately run away."

'An otherworlder?' Blake thought. Maybe that man had a mission somehow connected to harming this elderly woman. Were their quests somehow correlated? Or was it the Ruthless Heaven once again pulling the strings in the background to make things more difficult for him?

As Kakashi said this, Neji and Tenten glanced at Blake. Similarly, Kakashi and his group also did the same, and Blake suddenly caught himself in the epicenter of everyone's attention.

"I have no connection to whoever attacked you," Blake said, sighing. "Look, I understand that none of you trust me, but if I wanted to attack you, I would have done so long ago, when you were exhausted. I didn't do so, because I have the same goal as all of you, and now we are just wasting time on useless conflict."

There was a moment of silence as everyone thought over what Blake said before Kakashi eventually nodded. He pointed at the huge boulder blocking an entrance into the cave. "Their secret base is there, but there is some sort of an array placed. We can't break through with just sheer strength."

"It's an array that is based upon five elements, like the one you see inducted in the middle of this rock." Blake pointed at the boulder, trying hard to remember all the facts from Kisame's memories. Once again, everyone glanced at him with some confusion. "There is one Northwest, South, West, and East, not too far away from here. They have to be removed at the same time."

Neji didn't hesitate, activating his Bakyagan as he glanced in every direction. It was indeed true, so he nodded. There were identical papers dispersed within the vicinity.

"What?" Blake sighed, feeling the stares descend upon him once again. He really didn't feel comfortable in this group, as they were a bit too cautious. Was it the case with everyone from this world? Or was it just them?

They pretended to not hear Blake talk and instead started forming a plan on how to proceed further. Blake took a step back. Yes, he was there, but he wasn't trustworthy enough to remove those papers. Well, it wasn't like he wanted to do so.

Eventually, they decided that Guy's team would be up for this task, and Blake felt like that was fair. However, he was still a bit reluctant. He had grown comfortable with them, well, maybe not all of them. Still, it wasn't like he had any word in it.

Kakashi took out five pairs of headphones from his bag, giving Guy's team one each. Blake raised his eyebrow at this, not really expecting to see any form of technology here. Knowing that time was running out, Guy's team was trying to depart as soon as possible.

Kakashi also decided to give the old woman to Guy, as she would be much safer with him and wouldn't be a burden to their operation. Blake started liking this guy a bit more, he seemed like a professional.

"Be careful," Blake added just before they left. "I am not too sure, but there might be some traps placed there."

All he received was a nod from Guy and Lee, while those two others just moved without glancing in his direction. Now, left alone, the atmosphere was even more awkward. However, Naruto broke the silence.

"So, what's your name?"

"You can call just call me Blake."

"Are you maybe from the Hidden Mist? That mask looks similar to what they wear."

"No, I am not. I am... from really far away. You probably won't know that place."

"Really? That's pretty cool."

The pink-haired woman, whose name Blake heard to be Sakura, suddenly came over and smacked Naruto in the back of his head. "Stop talking nonsense and prepare for battle."

Surprisingly, instead of throwing a tantrum, Naruto nodded, determination arising in his eyes. He once again turned his face towards Blake, rising a thump up. "Guy sensei said you are quite strong, so I hope that you can help us save my friend."

Blake simply nodded, grabbing the axe attacked on his back. It shone with a brilliant luster, reflecting the sunlight. Kakashi spared a glance at the dreadful weapon before walking up the boulder, preparing to execute his part of the plan.

It came much sooner than expected, as those four were probably in a hurry, and Kakashi ripped away the paper. Followed after that, Sakura punched the enormous rock with her first, causing it to shatter into many little pieces.

Blake couldn't lie, that was some pretty terrifying power, with it probably being over 200 in attributes. Forcing himself out of his momentary daze, Blake focused on the unfolding scene before him. Dust rose in the air, though it settled a few seconds later, revealing a dark cave.

With Kakashi in the lead, they strolled inside, Blake preparing himself mentally for the upcoming battle. Two figures, dressed in red-clouded coats, stood in the distance. One of them seemed hunched over and had a fearsome tail coming off from the back of his attire. The other one had yellow hair and a smug on his face, as he was accompanied by a peculiar, hollow white bird.

"Damn, you guys from Hidden Leaf are really crazy! You came here much faster than we expected." The yellow-haired shouted, smiling a bit too much for someone who was about to face an enemy. "Unfortunately for you, it is still a bit too late."

As he said those words, the bird next to him spat a body out. Blake didn't recognize it, but he understood who he was. Gaara. He truly didn't look that alive.

Anger flooded Blake's mind as he stared at the screen. It said that it wouldn't give him missions that were impossible to complete, so how the hell did it turn out this way? Killing intent surrounded his body, yet no one felt it, for it was overwhelmed by something else.

Blake glanced back, seeing Naruto's eyes shining with red color. For once in a long time, Blake felt intimated as if a beast was staring back at him. Following Naruto's line of sight, Blake saw Deidaru standing on top of Gaara with one of his legs.

Naruto seemed to be ready to rush forward at any moment, but Kakashi managed to somehow bring him back to saneness for a moment.

"That's right. Show your true colors, you freaking monster." Deidara started laughing, punching Gaara in the gut, even though he was clearly not alive.

He continued doing so when he suddenly felt danger coming from beneath. Instinctively, he took a step back, and a fearsome axe rose from the darkness, missing him by a few millimeters.

Instead of following up with another attack, Blake's clone grabbed Gaara and disappeared into the shadows once again. This was a trick he had found out a few days ago, he could actually transport other people together with him, though it required much better control and more Chaos Energy.

"Kisame did say that there was a pretty strange guy, but I didn't expect him to be actually saying the truth." Deidara's smile vanished for a moment before resurfacing once again. "Are you from a hidden clan? That's some strange abilities you have there."

Deidara united his hands together. "However, nothing can beat the art of explosion."

Blake's [Authority of Time] activated and he frowned. A tremendous explosion suddenly shook the entire cave, and Blake felt his Chaos Energy depleting drastically. Once the dust settled, there was a vast hole between both groups.

"You are pretty smart. You stopped your clone at the right time." Deidara continued smiling. "However, don't raise your hopes. Gaara is truly dead."

The bird once again opened its mouth, revealing another unmoving body there. This time it didn't spit it out, as Deidara hopped on top of it. "Yo, monster from the Hidden Leaf. Follow me if you ever want to see your friend again."

Deidara then flew away from the cave, not being hindered by anyone. Blake stared at his disappearing figure, while Naruto run away without even thinking twice. A stupid teenager. Or was he influenced by that monster deeply hidden in him?

Blake glanced at his mission bar, seeing the luster disappearing from it. He still had some hopes that there was still a way to complete this mission, but it had actually been deemed as failed.

Blake's hand turned into a fist, blood dripping from it. He had done everything that was possible to complete this mission. Even if he decided to go off alone, he wouldn't have been able to get inside without disinforming the array.

So why then? Why had the system set him up for failure? It shouldn't have given him an impossible mission, or was it finally showing its true colors?

Did it want him to die?

His questions were answered when another quest popped up in his vision.

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[Quest: Kill an Akatsuki member of your choice]

[Description: You have failed at the quest provided by the Ruthless Heaven, but it is not the end! Prove that you deserve your Unique Class!]

[Reward: No Penalty]

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"This fucking system..."