Here's the BONUS CHAPTER as promised—thanks for the support, and let's keep this energy going!
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With his newly gained observation haki, Guts felt like he'd unlocked another ability.
Through his sharpened senses and observation, he could now vaguely judge an opponent's strength by their chakra signature—sight, sound, and presence all merging into one instinctive awareness.
Whether this was a natural perk of Observation Haki or a unique variant all his own, he didn't know. But it worked.
Take Rasa, for example.
Though hailed as a future Kage, his current chakra only registered around the Jōnin level.
Even in the future, he'd barely scrape the entry level of true Kage-tier strength.
During the Impure World Reincarnation, he wouldn't even measure up to the likes of the Second Mizukage, Second Tsuchikage, or the monstrous Third Raikage.
Still, this was his home turf—the Wind Country's endless desert. That environmental advantage alone elevated his threat level.
Behind him stood over a dozen Sand Shinobi: more than half were elite Chūnin, and several were full-fledged Jōnin.
In contrast, Guts had a barely conscious Kato Dan and a near-vegetative man trailing behind him.
The odds looked crushing.
Then came the tidal wave of golden sand—Rasa's infamous quicksand waterfall technique, blinding in scope and density.
But rather than hesitate, Guts sprang forward.
"Hey! Wait—what are you doing?!"
The middle-aged Jōnin behind him cried out in shock, unable to believe his eyes.
Rushing headfirst into a desert-born avalanche—what kind of lunatic…
But Guts didn't pause. His voice rang out across the battlefield, calm and direct.
"Rasa. You know the flaw in your style, right? Wide area, low damage."
Even muffled beneath layers of sand, his words reached Rasa's ears, making his expression shift.
Guts appeared like a flash—piercing straight through the sand wall.
"Just a little new trick I picked up."
"Finger Gun... Cero."
The beam drilled forward, humming with pressure.
Rasa's eyes widened. He hadn't expected such a clean break through his Magnet Release.
Still, he wasn't some green rookie. Decades of experience kicked in.
He clasped his left hand into a single-hand seal, drawing the sand beneath him up like a golden shield.
A bright flash of impact struck the barrier—and then Guts vanished again, already retreating.
When the sand parted, a shallow cut had appeared beneath Rasa's left eye—only three centimeters long, but enough to draw blood.
"Tch… I underestimated you," Guts muttered coldly then grinned wildly.
"Future Kage-levels really don't come easy, huh?"
While Rasa's overall combat level wasn't overwhelming compared to true titans of the ninja world, a ninja of Guts's age getting the better of him—even slightly—was unheard of.
Shock spread across both sides of the battlefield.
The Sand Shinobi stared, stunned. The Konoha ninja behind Guts gawked in disbelief.
He landed a clean hit—on Rasa—on his home turf?!
"Konoha really is something else,"
One of the Jōnin muttered bitterly behind Rasa, part awe, part jealousy.
It wasn't just land and resources. Konoha bred monsters.
Rasa's tone shifted—cold and final.
Originally, the mission's focus had been Kato Dan, whose Spirit Transformation Technique made him troublesome.
But now? That kid had taken priority. If he were allowed to grow, he'd become another White Fang.
As Rasa's killing intent spiked, Guts turned his back to the Konoha Jōnin.
"Uncle, take the two wounded and retreat," he said flatly.
The older Jōnin blinked.
"Are… are you abandoning your comrades?"
His voice carried disbelief and a hint of accusation. Weren't Konoha ninja trained in loyalty, unity?
But Guts's tone didn't waver.
"I don't know them. And they're already burdens."
If it had been Tsunade, Kurenai… even Might Guy or Obito, Guts would've taken the risk.
One was annoying. The other, a stranger.
And right now, against five or six Jōnin and ten elite Chūnin, dragging around two half-conscious bodies would be suicide.
"You stay, that's your problem," Guts muttered.
Then he slammed his fist into the ground.
The desert shook violently. Even Rasa stumbled from the impact before regaining his footing.
But he didn't hesitate—sand surged again, forming dozens of airborne pellets.
His focus had fully shifted. Kato Dan was no longer the threat.
If this kid lived… he might one day challenge even a Kage.
But Guts stood still, smile never leaving his face.
To him, the falling sand seemed slow—far too slow. Observation Haki let him feel each grain's trajectory before it even fell.
With minimal movement, he weaved through the rain of death.
As effortlessly as post-timeskip Luffy dodging a Pacifista's barrage.
He wasn't just fast. He saw it all coming. He was reading the battle.
Which made one thing very clear:
Guts had to die here—now. ( PS: Weak ahh thinking)
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