Penthesilea

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Beta: None besides my own eyes and spellcheck software at the moment.

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戦国時代

"But that's...that's impossible," Sakura says slowly, analysing what Sasuke said.

"Nohe Sasuke replies. "It just means that Danzō hasn't been idle."

"Danzō?" she repeats, and then it clicks. "Shisui's eyes were stolen. You think Danzō somehow...transplanted them, or—?"

Her speculation is cut off as another thunderous explosion echoes from up ahead. The green giant is joined by another leviathan of chakra—this one blazing the colour of a sunset. A flaming sword materialises in its right hand, shield in its left, and Sasuke's mouth goes dry.

"That's Itachi."

He slides back down through the leaves to the stronger tree branches and charges in the direction of the battle. Behind him, Sakura curses and does the same. She might know nothing about the Susanoo, but even she can figure out that if Itachi has had to activate it, things are dire.

Given how much chakra one needs to maintain it, we need to get to him fast!

On a normal day, a man like Danzō would be nothing for Itachi to defeat, either in single combat or like this. But the leader of the Uchiha, like his brother, is not at his full strength yet. And if he is using a Susanoo so quickly, it means he is hoping to end the battle fast, before he is too weak to fight.

He and Sakura burst out of the forest, intending to follow the path over the cliff and into the ravine, only to find their path forward obscured.

Around the smoking, caved-in ruins of the forest shrine, an all-out battle has broken out between the gathered forces. Main clans and their vassal forces clash, using their light weaponry and shinobi arts to tear each other apart in flagrant defiance of the supposed peace.

Naruto is in the middle of it all, splintered into several dozen clones which trade blows with their opponents. The scene is unfortunately too familiar to Sasuke, but to have it happen now of all places—

Wait.

His Sharingan picks up a detail that didn't immediately present itself: Naruto may be fighting, but he and his clones are not using lethal force. Even stranger, those people he is facing off against—are his own people.

Members of his own delegation.

A group of them—Senju, Uzumaki and their allies—surround the blond man. He vaults into the arms of a one of his clones, who swings him forward and around to kick his closest challengers in the face. The clone vanishes, but Naruto's momentum remains; in mid-air, he draws out his sheathed sword and whips it in a wide arc to down those coming at him.

"What's going on?" Sakura cries, stunned.

"I have no idea," Sasuke replies, distracted. He tries to see a way around the melee and get to where his brother is, but the moment he enters the clearing, several of his own allies attack him. Three members of the Hōzuki clan, judging by the swords.

Sasuke forces them backward, expelling a blazing katon in warning, but their place is taken by the bespectacled Uzumaki woman from earlier. She lunges, naginata sweeping at him in a deadly arc while chains of chakra lash out from her body, encircling his hands and sword before he can draw it.

Sakura darts forward, hands glowing, and with a quick movement slices through the chains with chakra scalpels, but the naginata nearly finds its mark. Sasuke manoeuvres into place to nudge it from its deadly path, taking a bruising wound to his shoulder in the process. In his peripheral vision, he sees the oldest Hōzuki swordsman approaching once more.