Here's the BONUS CHAPTER as promised—thanks for the support, and let's keep this energy going!
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The strange bird crashed into the forest and vanished in a cloud of smoke, it had been forcibly returned to the Summoning Realm.
"You all, head back to Konoha,"
Guts said, landing softly on the ground, eyes still locked on the enemy.
Tsunade didn't hesitate. She nodded, then quickly left with Kushina, Kurenai, and Shizune.
Watching Guts knock out the massive summon with a single punch, Pain felt a jolt of surprise once again.
But there was no time for awe.
Their primary mission was the Nine Tails.
Without a word, the Six Paths of Pain prepared to pursue Tsunade and the others.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
Guts erupted in red lightning, his aura surging like a tsunami, the sheer pressure shaking the battlefield.
His Conqueror's Haki, surging for the first time in ages, tore open a deep gash in the ground, over five meters wide and seemingly bottomless.
Pain turned his gaze and saw Guts standing there like a Menace, his fist clenched.
"Normally, I wouldn't mind throwing down with you lot"
Guts muttered, raising his fist. His voice was now completely different from usual.
"But today… I'm really not in the mood."
Pain's expression darkened.
"You're a formidable obstacle. But no matter. I'll just kill you now and move on."
With a flick of his palm, the Deva Path activated a technique.
A powerful gravitational force yanked Guts forward. At the same time, the Asura Path shed its cloak, revealing a mechanized body.
A chainsaw-like tail whipped toward Guts with deadly speed.
"You really overestimate yourself."
The chainsaw struck Guts's body...but stopped cold, as if colliding with reinforced steel. Not even a scratch.
Nagato, observing through the shared vision of the Rinnegan, widened his eyes in disbelief.
Obito had warned him about Guts, but seeing this firsthand was another matter entirely.
Without hesitation, Guts's hands darkened, Armament Haki.
He grabbed the chainsaw tail, twisted it like it was a rope, and yanked the Asura Path straight toward him.
In one smooth motion, he caught it by the throat.
"You're nothing but a wind-up toy," Guts growled.
Holding the neck in one hand and the leg in the other, he sneered.
"I'm gonna tear you apart."
With a violent pull, Guts tore the Asura Path in half. Metal shards, gears, and wires spilled out as the puppet crumpled.
"Summoning Technique!"
The Animal Path slammed his hand into the ground again, conjuring two monstrous beasts, one with a bison's horns, the other resembling a hulking rhino, both bearing the Rinnegan and black chakra rods embedded in their bodies.
The summoned beasts charged, one from the left, the other from the right.
"Falling Meteor Fist!"
Both of Guts's arms shimmered with obsidian-black Haki. In a blur, he slammed his fists forward.
The air cracked and detonated as his fists connected. The two colossal summons were sent flying into the sky, their skulls bearing deep imprints of Guts's knuckles.
Before they even hit the ground, they burst into smoke and vanished, sent back to the Summoning Realm.
But Pain wasn't finished.
All Paths except Naraka closed in, wielding their black rods and attacking simultaneously.
Guts had seen through everything already.
"I told you…" he muttered, raising both fists.
"I'm not in the mood to play with your weak ahh."
"Rokushiki—Rokuogan!!!"
With a powerful double-fist shockwave, the air exploded outward, obliterating every chakra rod aimed at him.
Preta Path tried to absorb it but...
"Not chakra…?" Nagato realized, eyes narrowing.
Elsewhere in Konoha Forest
Namikaze Minato faced the masked man, Obito.
Without warning, Obito hurled baby Naruto into the air and threw a kunai directly at him.
In a flash of golden light, Minato vanished.
A split-second later, he reappeared mid-air, catching the kunai with one hand and cradling Naruto with the other.
"Incredible speed, Yellow Flash," Obito smirked.
"But you fell for it."
Minato's eyes widened as he looked down. The masked man's form began to dissolve into a milky-white, slime-like substance.
Obito had created a clone infused with his chakra, and used it to lure Minato away.
The real Obito had already slipped away...using Kamui to intercept Kushina.
The trick had fooled even the future Raikage and Killer Bee. And now, it had deceived Minato too.
But there was no time to linger.
Minato held Naruto close and vanished again, heading toward Kushina's location.
Under the crimson glow of the moon, Kushina stared at the masked man before her.
"You… what are you planning to do?"
"Hand over the Nine Tails."
Obito's tone held no hint of warmth or remorse...not even for the woman who once cared for him.
He reached for the seal on her abdomen.
"Summoning Technique—Come forth! Nine Tails!"
Red chakra burst forth, spiraling into the form of a massive demon fox.
The Nine Tails howled toward the sky, its voice echoing like a curse over the land. The ground quaked beneath its feet.
Minato arrived a moment too late.
He stared at the enormous fox and his fading wife, heart sinking.
Obito stood atop the Nine Tails head, arms crossed, grinning beneath his mask.
"You're always just one step behind, Yellow Flash."
"Now, Nine Tails… destroy Konoha."
Standing amidst the broken remnants of Pain's Paths, Guts remained silent as a message rang out in his mind:
[Achievement Unlocked: "Defeated Human Path Pain." Template Character: Monkey D. Garp. Completion Rate: 82.36%]
[New Skill Activated: Advanced Armament Haki]
Sweat beaded on Nagato's forehead, hidden in the shadows far from the battlefield.
"He… actually defeated three of them… that fast?"
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