Chapter 20
The wind howled across the snow-covered battlefield as Naruto and Sasuke stood face to face. The air between them was thick—charged with tension, history, and something inevitable.
Orochimaru's golden eyes shimmered with fascination, his voice a low whisper only he could hear. "Ah… the two storms I've been dying to see clash… it's happening faster than I imagined."
Sasuke's eyes briefly shifted from Naruto to Orochimaru—the man who shouldn't be standing here, alive. His mind flashed with unease. Orochimaru's alive? So Naruto revived him too? Was that the reason he came after Jugo?
Then he recalled how that Akatsuki woman had suddenly appeared to delay him earlier—clearly a distraction.
Was Naruto trying to stop me from reaching Danzo? No… not stop. Buy time. Everything he's doing… it's what I wanted to do. But why is he doing it? Has he really changed that much? That idiot… always charging forward blindly… but now? I can't read him at all. Damn it…
Sasuke clenched his fists, the cold air biting at his knuckles.
Whoosh—
A familiar, spiraling vortex twisted space itself, and in an instant, a masked figure stepped onto the scene.
Obito had arrived.
Everyone turned, each with a different reaction.
Xiaonan narrowed her eyes, the chill in her gaze unmistakable. She subtly shifted into a battle-ready stance.
Orochimaru's smile tightened. He said nothing, but every muscle in his body braced.
Naruto silently pulled his mask back over his face. His thoughts churned like a storm-tossed sea. Obito… so we're meeting earlier than I expected.
In Naruto's heart, Obito was one of the very few people he considered an SSR-tier threat—a personal ranking system he jokingly borrowed from a ninja card game in Boruto's era, where Naruto himself had been rated as an SSR-class ninja. And Obito… was one of the few who deserved that title too.
Despite the tension, Obito showed no urgency.
"Don't mind me," he said coolly. "You two can talk. I'm just here to observe."
He dusted off his cloak and casually sat down on a nearby rock, completely unbothered by the dangerous company around him. His presence alone was enough to turn every eye his way.
The more composed he seemed, the more everyone's guard instinctively rose.
Rustle…
From beneath the snow-covered ground, a pale figure emerged beside Obito. It was White Zetsu.
Speaking in a hushed voice only Obito could hear, Zetsu asked, "So? The Rinnegan is right there. Should I grab it?"
Obito didn't look over. "No rush. Orochimaru and Konan are both here. This isn't the moment to make a move."
Zetsu tilted his head. "How'd things go with the Five Kage Summit?"
Obito's voice was calm. "Naruto got there first. After reconsidering, I've decided this isn't the right time for an all-out war. Kisame is hunting the Eight-Tails. Naruto—the Nine-Tails—is now a rogue from Konoha and a global target. Capturing them is the goal. If there's a shortcut, why go to war at all?"
Because of that sudden change, the Fourth Great Ninja War—meant to erupt immediately—was unknowingly postponed.
Zetsu muttered, "Sending Nagato to Konoha may have been a misstep. The plan's spiraled since then."
Obito's gaze deepened. "I underestimated Naruto. Who could've predicted he'd take the Rinnegan, revive Orochimaru, and even steal Konan from our side? He's not the boy I remember. He's grown wings… I want to see how strong they really are."
Back on the battlefield, Naruto eased a breath when he sensed no hostile movement from Obito. But he kept his Sage Mode awareness active, scanning every flicker of chakra for surprises.
Sasuke, meanwhile, had no interest in Akatsuki politics. He only had eyes for Naruto—and his patience had run dry.
"Jugo, Suigetsu," Sasuke commanded sharply, "watch that woman from Akatsuki—and Orochimaru."
"Got it."
Whoosh— Jugo stepped between Konan and the others, curse mark beginning to spread across his body.
Konan didn't flinch. She hadn't come for violence, and her composure said as much.
Suigetsu, meanwhile, nervously fingered the hilt of his massive blade.
"Ehehe... Lord Orochimaru! What a surprise to see you alive again…"
Orochimaru tilted his head, smirking. "Suigetsu, my adorable little subordinate. You seem full of energy. I wonder if you've gotten any better at fighting…?"
Suigetsu waved his hands frantically. "I'm just here to help! No need for sparring today!"
"Hmph. What a pity." Orochimaru turned to Naruto, teasing. "Naruto-kun, maybe you'd like to give him a little training session?"
"NO, NO THANKS!" Suigetsu cried. "Let's just keep chatting! Nice, peaceful, friendly chatting!"
Karin adjusted her glasses. "Sasuke, what about me?"
He didn't even glance her way. "You… just stay there."
Karin's eyes sparkled. Does that mean he's worried about me? Aww… Sasuke!
But on the surface, she only said sweetly, "If you get hurt, I can heal you immediately!"
Sasuke snorted coldly. "I won't get hurt."
With a sharp breath, his eyes snapped open—his Mangekyou Sharingan gleamed.
Swish!
Sasuke formed seals in rapid succession, his chest swelling.
—Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!
Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh!
Flaming projectiles burst from his mouth in rapid fire, scattering across the battlefield like blazing flower petals. They were impossible to dodge—each fireball sealed off an escape path. The technique wasn't flashy, but it was brutally efficient—Itachi had once favored it for exactly that reason.
"Here it comes!"
Naruto reacted fast. He reached for the katana left behind by one of the Kage guards and dashed forward, swinging the blade to deflect the incoming flames.
CRACKLE!
Sasuke appeared mid-charge, Chidori surging in his hand, his eyes locked on Naruto like a predator closing in.
CLANG!!
Naruto parried the last fireball with his sword, and in the same breath, formed a Rasengan in his right hand—smashing it into Sasuke's lightning spear!
BOOM!!!
The clash exploded in a violent shockwave. Both were blown backward, skidding across the snow.
Sasuke grinned, unsheathing the Kusanagi blade. "Tch… let's try that again!"
Naruto grinned right back. "Thought you'd never ask."
They rushed each other, swords flashing in the snow. Blades collided—clang, clang, clang!—a storm of sparks flew with every strike. Their swordsmanship had reached a level where even the falling snowflakes refused to touch their duel.
As the battle dragged on, Sasuke's surprise grew.
When did that idiot—who used to just brute-force everything—learn such refined swordplay?!
Naruto was equally impressed. This is the result of years of Sharingan-aided training... Sasuke's skill is ridiculous. I only caught up because I spent years grinding the basics after sealing Kaguya.
"Let's kick it up a notch!"
Lightning surged around Sasuke's blade—his Kusanagi now crackled with chakra.
Naruto smirked. "My turn."
Wind chakra hissed to life, swirling around Naruto's katana in a deadly spiral.
CLANG!
Their blades locked again—lightning vs. wind—sparks and chakra dancing between them.
"You gonna use that fancy left eye of yours or not?" Sasuke growled.
Naruto narrowed his gaze. "I don't want to use its power on a friend."
"Friend?" Sasuke's voice was ice. "You're still that naive? That's going to get you killed!"
His Sharingan shimmered—Illusion: Sharingan Genjutsu!
Naruto blinked. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Sasuke froze. It didn't work…!?
Naruto's Rinnegan had effortlessly shrugged off the illusion—so effortlessly, in fact, that Naruto hadn't even noticed he'd been targeted.
Snap!
"Enough!" Sasuke pulled back, blood leaking from the corner of his left eye, trickling down like a tear in the snow.
His gaze was pure frost. "Naruto… if you're not going to fight seriously—then you're going to die."
—Amaterasu!
If you want to read more there's 15, 30, 50 chapters there of my written fanfictions and translated works in my Pat.Reon.
Here is the link: https://patreon.com/ChainsofChaosCC?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
And if you can't find it just type my name: http://patreon.com/ChainsofChaosCC