Here's the BONUS CHAPTER as promised—thanks for the support, and let's keep this energy going!
--------------------------------------
"Mr. Guts! Please don't say that!"
Sasuke's simp, Haruno Sakura, shouted immediately.
Kushina outside the door couldn't stop her angry son.
Naruto rushed in and yelled anxiously, "It must be Akatsuki who made Sasuke like that! As long as we see Sasuke, he will definitely change his mind!"
For these two Sasuke dogs, Guts was too lazy to say anything and simply winked at Namikaze Minato.
Seeing this, Minato gestured to Kakashi.
Although Kakashi was also surprised, he remained calm and was about to pull Naruto and Sakura out.
After the two loudmouths were removed, the ward finally quieted down.
Konan couldn't wait to stand up. "Where is Nagato? How is Nagato!?"
Shisui looked confused.
He and Itachi had only known Nagato as "Pain" all these years, and he genuinely didn't know his real name.
"It's the owner of the Rinnegan. That's his real name," Konan clarified, not in the mood for long-winded explanations.
Shisui nodded solemnly. "Ah... I was surprised by that myself."
He paused, lost in thought for a moment before continuing. "After Sasuke decided to destroy Konoha, I had no reason to stay in Akatsuki. I knew the masked man would target me, so I left the organization."
"Then you were intercepted by that guy, right?" Guts asked, already guessing the outcome.
Shisui nodded again. "When I saw the Rinnegan in his left eye, I was stunned. We fought. It ended in mutual injuries. Fortunately, he hasn't fully mastered the Rinnegan."
Konan stumbled slightly, and Tsunade caught her just in time.
The Rinnegan had been transplanted into the masked man. Nagato was... gone.
"Shisui, rest up," Guts said before leaving the hospital with the others, heading straight to the Hokage's office.
Namikaze Minato stood solemnly behind his desk. "So the only remaining Jinchūriki are Cloud's Killer Bee and Kushina. Is Akatsuki's leader really Madara?"
Konan had already explained Akatsuki's true background. But this masked man calling himself "Madara" still raised doubts.
Even if Uchiha Madara were alive, he should be over 100 years old.
"He just called himself Madara," Konan said coldly. "Over time, Nagato and I got used to it. But aside from his strange space ninjutsu, we never saw him in battle."
Knowing Nagato's fate, Konan's desire for revenge burned even stronger.
Minato frowned, then looked at Guts. "Guts, what should we do next?"
Guts, half-asleep on the couch, opened one eye. "Besides getting stronger and protecting Kushina, do we have any other options?"
The original plan to destroy the Rinnegan had failed. The only path forward was to stop Kaguya's resurrection and deal with Obito and Madara early.
Although Guts was curious to face Kaguya, he had no interest in being caught by the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Minato nodded. "Right. I'll keep Kushina with me at all times."
With that, the strategy of staying still and preparing for war was decided.
Everyone returned to their roles, silently preparing for the final battle.
According to Guts speculation, Obito wouldn't recklessly attack Konoha like Pain had.
Even with the Rinnegan, Obito would hesitate with Minato, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Konan, Shisui, and others still in Konoha.
Most likely, he would rally 100,000 White Zetsu and spark the Fourth Ninja World War.
After learning Sasuke wanted to destroy Konoha, Naruto made up his mind. On the recommendation of Minato and Jiraiya, he headed to Mount Myōboku to train in Sage Mode.
With no Nine Tails, this was his best chance to get stronger.
Shisui had returned with Itachi's body, leaving behind his eyes for Sasuke as per Itachi's final wish.
Even though Sasuke had chosen vengeance, Shisui honored Itachi's last request.
Itachi's body was buried alongside Uchiha Fugaku, Mikoto, and other fallen Uchiha.
As a traitor, Itachi wasn't granted a hero's funeral.
Only Guts, Tsunade, Minato, and a few others who knew the truth attended the quiet midnight burial.
Though Guts didn't support Itachi's choices, he respected his willingness to sacrifice.
In the Forest of Death, Guts' private training ground...
A spiral-shaped chakra blast erupted, obliterating everything in a thousand-meter radius.
From a distance, it resembled Minato's new Spiral Shuriken but this one was turquoise, not wind-based.
As the chakra settled, a lone figure emerged from the crater.
Yin-Yang Revolving Heaven.
By combining the techniques of the Ōtsutsuki brothers with Revolving Heaven, she had evolved the Hyūga clan's strongest technique.
Hamura Ōtsutsuki himself had been skilled in this.
Guts felt it clearly: Hinata had broken into the Kage-level.
Hanabi cheered and hugged Hinata tightly.
"Now you'll be able to protect yourself in the war," Guts said, walking over with a rare look of approval.
"It's all thanks to your guidance, Sensei," Hinata said with a soft smile.
--------------------------------------
Support me at .com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and Exclusive R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 100 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.