Sasori grinned under his mask, and replied,
"Well, let's see if you can live up to your reputation, wicked-eye Fugaku."
Saying this, the puppet master moved his hands, and a dozen puppets were onto Fugaku. The Uchiha took out his sword, and attempted to fight back, the other two Uchiha also came to his aid. They were excellent swordsmen, and easily cut down the wooden puppets. One of them, a puppet with a large torso and six arms, had mechanical tentacles with blades prodding out of its back. The puppet attacked with great speed, none could follow its movements, but that was no problem to a sharingan-wielder.
Yamato also joined in, attempting to attack Sasori himself. The fight was intense and fast, but the puppets were disadvantaged. In no time, all the puppets Sasori had summoned were lying on the ground, in broken pieces. Fugaku was grunting and breathing heavily, in a battle stance with his Katana. The puppet master in front of him was awed and shocked by the Uchiha's abilities, and spoke,
"You all are truly remarkable opponents. But now, brace yourselves for my masterwork."
As he said this, one large puppet appeared in front of him. The puppet was tall, wore a black cloak, and had a black wig for hair, and floated in the air.
"Do any of you recognize this man? Lord Hokage probably does, he's met him." All stayed quiet for a while, as Fugaku and the others glared at the puppet. Only Sasori's voice could be heard,
"Well if you don't, then let me introduce you. This, is the third Kazekage, the famed shinobi with magnet release." Shikaku and Hiruzen's eyes widened, this was shocking and unbelievable.
"Is he right?" Hiruzen asked with visible worry and surprise in his voice, Shikaku remained calm,
"We can only see." Saying this, he directed his attention back to the fight.
Sasori smiled from under his mask, and there was movement in the third kazekage's puppet. The puppet opened its mouth, and a black element came out. But everyone present was aware of what it was, it was the famed magnet release; the third kazekage's chakra molded in such a way to manipulate any nearby magnetic objects. The black chakra spread around the battlefield, attaching itself to all the darts, blades, and weapons of the fallen puppets.
The 'iron sand' of the third kazekage latched itself onto the metallic weapons, and the blades started floating. Once all those weapons were up in the air, the puppet sent them rapidly towards his opponents. Yamato was quick, and immediately raised a giant wooden wall, the weapons almost pierced the wood but failed. The iron sand returned, and this time shaped into arrows and spears; flew towards the Konoha shinobi.
This time, Yamato's wood release was unable to stop the iron sand, as it went right through and in the direction of Fugaku. The Uchiha's hand was forced, and he activated the rib cage of his Susanoo to save himself and the others, but this further strained Fugaku. Noticing this, Shikaku spoke to Hiruzen in a worried manner that betrayed his stoic attitude,
"We must send others in, Fugaku and the others wouldn't last long after the last fight's strain." Hiruzen agreed,
"But whom shall we send?" Shikaku was silent for a moment as if judging the abilities of the puppet and the best counter to it, and then spoke,
"I suggest we should send Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake." Hiruzen nods, and signals a nearby Anbu to do so while replying,
"But, what about the axe-wielding Romans we saw? They were also able to defeat 16 Kumo ninja." Shikaku answers in an uninterested tone,
"The Third Kazekage's magnet release renders any metallic weapon useless against him. So if we send in our Roman allies it will be a mere slaughter. Besides, they're... oh there they are."
As Nara finished his sentence, loud noises and battle cries could be heard from the back of the enemy line. Hiruzen was still puzzled,
"What?" Shikaku turned his eyes toward the Hokage and explained,
"Well, they went all the way round to flank the enemy and help their besieged comrades. Send all our forces in once the puppet has been taken care of." As Shikaku looked back, he could see Kakashi and Might Guy on the battlefield, fighting Sasori's puppet.
Might Guy was fast, too fast, and the puppet could not keep up with him. Moreover, the other four shinobi must face, Sasori was in peril. The puppet master grew desperate, as he summoned the last remaining puppets he had left. From the back, one of the Kumo shinobi, who was the captain of the invasion force approached him,
"Shall we help, Sasori?" The puppet master looked back to meet the gaze of the commander, and replied coldly,
"No, your men stay back. I will finish this myself, and I don't wanna put any restraint on my puppets."
In truth, Sasori needed help. The third Kazekage puppet, although strong, wasn't enough to equalize the power balance. It did all it could, trying to impale the Uchiha, dodge the wood release, and parry the attacks from Kakashi and Guy. But in the end, it was defeated and smashed into pieces by one of Might Guy's kicks.
Sasori was taken aback, he had not expected this from his best puppet. But as he thought of his next move, a shadow appeared over him. He looked up, to find Might Guy ready to land another kick on him, he seemed to have activated his second gate, as chakra covered his body. He was too fast to be perceived, and Sasori too only got a hint of what was happening, when the next moment Guy landed his kick right on Sasori's skull, cracking it open.
The puppet master fell, his skull in pieces. But then, a mechanical object like a scorpion's tail came out of his back and tried to hit Might Guy, but he was fast enough to dodge it. After this, a figure started appearing out of Sasori's body, like a butterfly leaving its cocoon. The human that came out was young, had bright red hair, and a small smile on his face. The 'former' body of Sasori lay on the ground, seeming like an old broken shell. The Konoha shinobi got back, ready for another trick Sasori may have,
"You see this? This is the real me, and the 'thing' laying there used to be a friend of mine, but now it was my shell-" He was cut short by Kakashi, who appeared right in front of him with a chidori in his left hand. He attempted to strike at his opponent's heart. But he missed, as Sasori dodged the Chidori. Kakashi was pulled forward by the momentum of his attack, and Sasori took the opportunity; his forearm folded back like paper, and a blade appeared from where his elbow joint should've been, and he tried to stab the masked ninja.
Kakashi looked back in time and saved himself from the blade using the metal forearm guards he wore. From behind, Yamato also sent elemental wood to crush the puppet master, but a large blade appeared out of the latter's back and blocked the attack. Fugaku and the other two Uchiha were out of chakra and stamina after the fight, so they backed out. But Might Guy was still on the battlefield, with the second gate unlocked.
As Sasori was in this deadlock position with Kakashi on one side, and Yamato on the other, Might Guy went for another kick from the top. But as he was about to proceed with his attack, Sasori's head mechanically dislocated from his torso, turning sideways but not severed, and from inside his throat Yamato could see a complex system of wires and mechanisms. But there was another thing, a small blade projecting upwards. The puppet master had some sort of weapon fitted in all parts of his body.
As Might Guy was coming down upon Sasori, Kakashi could see it all, even the blade that was pointing upwards, ready to strike. This puppet master was crazy, Kakashi thought, first his previous 'body' was just a puppet shell made out of a human. And now, it seems that he isn't alive at all. But just a robot with weapons in his body, and the consciousness of a puppet master. Kakashi had to act quickly, the blade was now elevated, ready to pierce Guy's Achilles' ankle, maybe even go right through. At this moment, Kakashi went out of his way and sent a wave of lightning chakra to break the blade, but this in turn broke the deadlock in Sasori's favor; the puppet master's blade pierced into Kakashi's forearm, and blood began dripping.
But the wound was worth it, as the blade broke and a devastating kick landed on Sasori's body, almost going right through downwards, since Sasori's 'body' was made of metal and wires, something Guy could easily break. The kick proved effective, as the next moment Sasori's body began to act odd, and dropped the blades that were currently struggling against Kakashi and Yamato's elemental wood. Then, as Kakashi groaned in pain, he quickly took out a knife and with it pierced Sasori's chest. The puppet master's entire body was just a puppet fitted with all sorts of weapons, only a core in his chest was the living thing that kept him alive.
Kakashi wasn't aware of this, but he attacked there instinctively, as something like the heart being damaged can end any life. This guess had proven fateful, as the single thing keeping Sasori alive was pierced, and the puppet master's body fell dead. Kakashi breathed heavily and sighed in relief. Blood was dripping from his wrist, he was in great pain and groaned, and the wound was probably deep.
Sasori's defeat had also shocked the Kumo ninjas, who were shocked. But a moment later, they also gave battle cries and charged to meet their opponents. Might Guy and Yamato appeared in front of Kakashi, ready to face their foes; all the other Konoha shinobi also charged forward. Guy looked back at Kakashi who was tightly holding his wrist and gasping for air, and spoke with a wide smile familiar to Kakashi,
"You go and heal, Kakashi. We will handle this." Kakashi nodded and jumped behind the lines and back inside the village. Might Guy be prepared for the fight ahead, and in a few seconds Kakashi could hear Guy cracking skulls and the screams of enemy ninjas. The ninja was energetic but deadly, he had probably awakened his third gate to face such a large host of enemies.
On the other side of the enemy lines, the Varangian guard had flanked the enemy. Over the last few days before the attack, the Roman cohort had built a series of small but tight fortifications in the forest surrounding Konoha, manned by a few dozen experienced soldiers each. These 'mini forts' were small but very hard to breach, as Konoha had helped by putting chakra restriction seals around them, forcing the shinobi to fight hand-to-hand; something the Romans had proved themselves deadly proficient in. These forts did the trick to halt the enemy advance to some extent, and not let the entire brunt of their forces fall upon Konoha. But as the fight was going on, the Kumo ninja had diverted their attention from these fortifications to Konoha itself, this allowed the Varangians to easily come to the aid of their comrades. They went to each fortification, clearing any Kumo shinobi that might be there fighting.
Finally, as the Konoha shinobi battled their Kumo counterparts at the front, in the rear of the enemy lines Brutus had assembled all the forces here. The cohort had been reduced to four hundred men but was still strong, while his guard of two hundred Varangians, only eighty of each Brutus had led inside Konoha while the rest manned the fortifications, were also deadly.
They assembled on the rear of the enemy line, as the shinobi were busy with their Konoha counterparts. The Romans were in a tight formation, with the Roman cohort in the middle with their shields drawn, and the Varangians in the flanks. The company of the knights had remained back at the fortifications. Brutus himself was at the back of the line, urging his men forward. The Romans and the Varangians charged forward, their equipment and stamina greatly enhanced with the help of chakra. As they crashed into the Kumo shinobi from the rear, the latter was put in a precarious position.
From the front, the Konoha shinobi were pounding them and pushing them back, while now on the rear the Romans slaughtered through them. Why were they failing? Because the Kumo ninja was employing a simple strategy of sending waves of shinobi to tire the enemy: as one wave began losing its chakra and stamina, it retreated to the rear while a fresh wave of shinobi entered the battlefield. This way, while the ablest shinobi were busy with their Konoha counterparts, the already exhausted ninjas had to deal with the Romans who were now also reinforced with chakra.
The Romans charged forward, giving battle cries and shouting, they fell like a storm on the tired Kumo ninjas. The impetus of their charge almost immediately broke the enemy line, which was spread thin around the front and also tired. The Varangians cut through their opponents, their axes reddened with blood, and giving war cries that sent chills down one's spine. The actual Romans were fighting in a more defensive and contained manner after the initial charge, grinding slowly through the enemy and wearing them down with their tight formations. It didn't help either that the Romans' armor was seemingly impenetrable with normal weapons and jutsu, and that they could now chase the shinobi and were very flexible.
As the battle continued, the Kumo shinobi were losing. Their morale had already suffered after Sasori's defeat, and now they were being pushed from both sides. The battle was fierce, with much bloodshed. At this time, the commander of the invasion forces ordered a retreat. They had already lost about half of their forces, and couldn't continue fighting. But the discipline and cohesion of the Kumo forces were lost a while ago, as each squad now fended for itself to survive the battle. What little fighting spirit was left shattered as soon as the order to retreat was passed down the squads and platoons, and they all fled desperately, only causing more casualties.
But at the end of the day, the allied powers had won, and Konoha was saved.
In the evening of the same day
The sun was beginning to set, the sky appeared orange, and the disappearing sun appeared a light shade of red like the blood that was shed today. The forest around Konoha was desolated, with many trees having fallen, and corpses scattered around.
And in this forest, Marcus was wandering with a handful of his soldiers. The governor wore decorated cuirass, leg, and forearm guards, and carried a short sword, he wasn't wearing his helmet. There were a dozen soldiers, who casually went around the forest, they were searching for any survivors and finishing them off. These shinobi were talented so not even a single one could be let go if possible. The enemy force had been two thousand strong, but only about three hundred had survived.
Brutus was walking around the forest with a stern look, as he saw one of the young Kumo shinobi lying on the support of a tree, breathing heavily. The shinobi was tightly holding his left thigh and groaning, this was a serious wound as any cut on the thighs can cause serious blood loss. Brutus walked close to the shinobi, who looked up with terrified but stern eyes. Brutus' face was cold and emotionless, he merely readied his short sword, and in a moment planted the blade into the shinobi's chest. The latter merely groaned and grunted, he didn't even have enough energy to scream, and in a few seconds, he was dead.
Marcus pulled out his blade from the man's chest and shook the blood off with a jerk. As he put the sword back in its scabbard, a figure approached Marcus from behind,
"A bloody day this was." Marcus recognized the voice, it was the lame councilor Danzo. The man had an unusual calmness in his voice, that seemed unlikely as compared to his political beliefs and ideology.
"Indeed, Lord Danzo, but we won." Marcus looked back, and he was right. There was the same crippled veteran with bandages over half of his body and a walking stick in his hands. The man continued in his calm voice,
"Yes, our victory was surely worthy and hard-earned. And you were right about those bodyguards of yours, they're fine warriors." Brutus smirked at hearing this, and answered,
"I told you, sir, those men are one of the best warriors you'll find in all of Rome, even though they aren't Romans." Danzo gave a nod of acknowledgment and turned his head back towards the village.
"Hiruzen has requested for you, they're holding a meeting." Marcus sighed and started walking toward the village at a slow pace,
"I'll come after I've rested a little." Danzo didn't say anything, and he didn't seem to mind. The old man too made his way back to the village, with the same intention in mind.
Author's notes
How did you like the chapter? I know some will say that I didn't properly portray Sasori, but I can't expect much from someone who was defeated by a retired kunoichi and a pink trashcan. Also, I may tell you that the 'Rome' in my fanfic would be a mashup of Rome of the antiquity that you're expecting, the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) empire, and medieval European martial traditions. But don't worry, what you're probably expecting from the fic will be maintained.
Do rate the chapter, it helps me not get writer's block :)
