Here's the BONUS CHAPTER as promised—thanks for the support, and let's keep this energy going!
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The majority of the Cloud Shinobi were close-combat specialists—shinobi who excelled in hand-to-hand warfare.
Because of that, they rarely rushed the enemy all at once.
After all, if they all charged blindly, they'd be easy targets for long-range ninjutsu.
White Fang knew this well. That's why, from the start, he hadn't launched a full-scale attack against Kumo.
The battlefield remained still, like two beasts watching each other, waiting for the first move.
Tension gripped both sides. Days passed in stalemate. Five, to be exact.
Then, as expected—or perhaps not—Third Raikage finally made the first move.
No one knew whether it was impatience or part of a larger plan.
But as soon as movement was detected, a Hyuga scout dashed into the Konoha command camp and reported to White Fang.
"White Fang-sama! Kumo forces have mobilized!"
White Fang didn't react with surprise. If anything, he looked like he had expected this.
"Hmph… That temper of his was never meant for waiting games," he muttered.
"The Third Raikage is leading the charge himself?" he asked, glancing at the Hyuga.
The Hyuga Jōnin shook his head.
"No. It's his son. He's been officially named as the next Raikage—'Ai'. He's leading the vanguard… along with the Eight Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee."
White Fang narrowed his eyes.
"So… testing the waters with the next generation, huh?"
He turned sharply and gave the order.
"Send word to the forward squad. And tell Guts—it's time. Wasn't he itching for a fight?"
On a rocky slope about five meters high, Guts stood tall, overlooking the field.
His cloak flapped with the mountain breeze. The ground beneath trembled faintly—distant thunder from marching feet.
"Sir! Enemy forces are less than two kilometers away!" reported a Hyuga Chūnin, veins bulging around his activated Byakugan.
Guts cracked his knuckles with a loud pop, grinning wildly.
"Time to make some noise," he muttered.
He turned and raised his hand.
"Bring the cannonball!"
From the rear, a large Akimichi clan ninja lumbered forward, cradling a massive black cannonball, easily larger than a basketball.
"Here you go," the Akimichi grunted.
The orb was heavy and looked crude, but Guts' eyes gleamed with excitement.
It wasn't an ordinary weapon. This was something Guts had specially commissioned—half firework, half explosive, infused with detonation tags.
He'd gone to the village's best blacksmith, possibly the future father of a certain ball-bun-wearing kunoichi named Tenten, and paid top ryo to bring this invention to life.
The weapon shop owner had warned him.
"This thing's too bulky. Not practical in battle."
But Guts didn't care.
"If it explodes big, it's perfect."
He lifted the cannonball, testing its weight. Around him, several Konoha shinobi, White Fang included, watched curiously.
In the distance, the Cloud Shinobi had come into view, marching in formation. Ai led the vanguard with Killer Bee at his side.
The ground quaked with their march.
"Falling…" he muttered.
He swung his right arm back.
The cannonball soared through the sky in a high arc, glinting in the sunlight before it plunged into the heart of the enemy formation.
One of the Kumo shinobi muttered as the black orb came into view.
"Whatever it is, it's not a gift," someone else said, drawing a blade.
"I've got it!" a Kumo Chūnin shouted.
He leapt high into the air, blade gleaming, clearly aiming to slice the cannonball in half!just like Zoro from one piece.
Unfortunately for him, there was one tiny problem.
The moment the blade made contact, a deafening explosion shook the battlefield.
Flames and smoke erupted outward, followed by a shockwave that blasted dozens of Cloud Shinobi off their feet.
"A-level damage!? What the hell!?"
Even Ai and Killer Bee, caught off guard by the sudden explosion, stopped in their tracks. Dust blew past them. Screams followed.
Konoha's shinobi looked equally stunned.
"That… was just one shell?" a Jonin muttered.
"Comparable to A-rank ninjutsu…"
White Fang stared at the impact zone, brows furrowed in thought.
But Guts only laughed.
"Haha! Better than I expected!"
He turned back toward the rear lines.
"Bring the rest of the shells! All one thousand!"
Logistics quickly mobilized. Wooden carts creaked forward, loaded with piles of black cannonballs.
"Fist Meteor Shower!!"
Guts grabbed one after another, hurling them toward the enemy like a machine.
Each throw was an explosion.
The Cloud Shinobi formation collapsed into chaos. Screams echoed. Fires rose. Smoke choked the battlefield.
It was like a storm of black meteors—
The Falling Meteor Group.
For the Cloud Shinobi—who relied on close combat—this was hell.
They couldn't dodge from afar. They had to meet every incoming projectile with their own strength.
But unlike Luffy's rubber resilience or Zoro's blade speed, they had no special defense.
"Damn you…!!" Ai snarled, veins pulsing.
His body crackled with electricity as he activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
In a flash, he kicked a cannonball mid-air, shattering it before it could hit the ground.
Another came. He smashed it too.
He became a wall of raw power—destroying each shell before it landed.
Casualties started to drop. But so did their momentum.
Ai had no choice. He had to devote his full speed and strength to intercepting the projectiles. The offensive came to a halt.
Killer Bee stepped beside him, frowning.
"Yo, bro… this ain't a show. This barrage is wild, and it's killin the flow."
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