Naruto: Reborn with the Template System

Author Note:

Here's the BONUS CHAPTER as promised—thanks for the support, and let's keep this energy going!

--------------------------------------

The sudden disappearance of the Third Kazekage had sent ripples through the shinobi world, but now those ripples were turning into waves.

War was no longer a looming shadow—it was a storm building on the horizon.

In just under two weeks since the news of the Kazekage's disappearance reached Konoha, something even more shocking arrived.

And Guts didn't hear it from an official report.

He heard it from Tsunade.

It happened near the northern border of the Land of Fire—dangerously close to Konoha's frontier defenses.

A Chūnin elite squad, dispatched by Sarutobi Hiruzen himself to find his runaway son, Asuma, was found dead. All of them.

Slaughtered.

And not far from the bodies—barely two kilometers away—they found a bloodied, unconscious teenager barely clinging to life.

Sarutobi Asuma.

The Hokage's youngest son.

Konoha's Anbu rushed him back to the village. Straight to Tsunade.

She performed emergency surgery the moment he arrived.

They saved his life—but only just.

Half of his stomach had been blown apart. His internal organs were in shambles. The blood loss alone had nearly killed him.

Even with Tsunade's abilities, Asuma fell into a deep coma, now breathing through a ventilator.

When she told Hiruzen and Biwako the truth, she didn't sugarcoat it.

"Asuma… might never wake up. And even if he does… he won't be a shinobi again. He might not even walk."

Biwako nearly collapsed on the spot.

The Hokage sat silent for a long time, shoulders sagging under the weight of a pain even a hardened war leader couldn't suppress.

Konoha's leadership was in shock. Not just because of who it was—but how clean the kill had been.

No witnesses. No traces. No signatures.

Whoever had done this wasn't just powerful… they were precise.

Professional.

When Tsunade returned home from the emergency council meeting, she shared the details with Guts. He listened quietly, eyes lowered.

He didn't smile. Didn't gloat either.

Just sighed.

Sarutobi Asuma wasn't his favorite person, sure. In fact, in the anime, Guts remembered finding him somewhat irritating.

But unlike others—Kato Dan, for example—Asuma had never done anything to him personally.

And now, this?

It was hard to feel anything but… hollow.

"Guts…" Kurenai's voice was soft as she leaned against his shoulder.

"Should we… visit Asuma?"

Guts glanced at her.

There wasn't much connection between the two, but Kurenai had always been kind-hearted.

Even if they'd barely exchanged words, hearing about a former classmate in such a state clearly affected her.

"…I'll go," he said at last. He brushed her lips gently with his own.

"You stay home and rest."

She nodded obediently, trusting him without question.

When Guts stepped into the hospital room, he found a small crowd already gathered.

Kakashi. Obito. Might Guy. Izumo. A few others from their academy class.

All standing quietly around the bed.

"…You guys are all here?"

Guts asked casually, strolling in like it was just another day.

He plucked an apple from a fruit basket left by Izumo and took a bite, the crunch sounding oddly loud in the silent room.

Obito glanced at him and sighed.

"Something like this… it's just too tragic."

He looked over at Asuma's unconscious body. Pale. Hooked up to machines. Barely alive.

You'll have it worse soon, Guts thought silently, glancing at Obito with an unreadable expression.

"Guts,"

Kakashi spoke suddenly

"Who do you think did it?"

Guts raised an eyebrow.

"You want an answer? Try asking with a 'please,' at least."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

But Guts wasn't here to fight.

His smirk faded, replaced by a calm seriousness.

"Rock Shinobi."

Kakashi's irritation instantly dropped. His body tensed.

"…You think so too?"

"In the northwest, there's only one major village with both the nerve and the motive. Sand is already in an alliance with us. That only leaves one option."

"Iwagakure," Kakashi muttered.

"Exactly," Guts nodded.

"They've always wanted to push our borders. This was a message. Clean, quiet, and brutal. Classic Rock tactics."

"Damn it! We have to make them pay!"

"Yeah! Those bastards won't get away with this!"

Izumo and Kotetsu were practically shaking with anger, fists clenched as they glared at Asuma's unconscious body.

Guts glanced at them casually, his voice cutting through their emotions like a blade.

"Before you talk about revenge, maybe focus on becoming Chūnin first. You're not even qualified to be on the battlefield."

That shut them up.

His words stung, but they couldn't argue.

Their powerless frustration only deepened as they looked at Asuma's bandaged body, pale and barely breathing beneath the tubes.

Guts stared at the still figure.

If Asuma's crippled like this… who'll lead Team Ten in the future?

The thought crossed his mind, fleeting but real.

News of Asuma's condition sent a ripple through the village, but for Sarutobi Hiruzen and Biwako, it was a wave that crushed everything.

Tsunade hadn't sugarcoated the diagnosis.

"He'll live. But he won't walk again. And… he'll never be a ninja."

That was enough to make Biwako nearly collapse, and even the Third Hokage, so often calm and composed, showed cracks in his resolve.

Yet before Konoha's leadership could even gather themselves, another bombshell dropped.

Three days later.

Explosive news hit the village like a Shinra Tensei.

Iwagakure had mobilized thousands of shinobi. Their forces crossed through the Land of Grass and were heading straight for Konoha's northwestern border.

Not scouts.

An army.

The suddenness of the move was terrifying.

Even before Jiraiya—who'd been urgently summoned—could return to the village, the enemy was already at the gates.

And the motive?

Simple.

The Kazekage had vanished. The Sand Village was thrown into disarray. As Konoha's ally, they were in no position to offer support.

That left Konoha exposed.

Too tempting for the old warhawk Onoki of the Rock to resist.

The Third Ninja War had begun. And Iwagakure had fired the first shot.

Back in the Hokage's office, the air was thick with urgency.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's patience was gone. His youngest son was half-dead, and now his village was under threat. There was no hesitation.

Orders came swiftly:

Orochimaru as Commander-in-Chief.

Tsunade as Deputy Commander.

A 2,000-strong force to meet the Rock head-on.

And at the tip of the spear, leading the assault division—Namikaze Minato.

At just over twenty years old, already Kage-level, Minato was the village's brightest rising star.

It was a golden lineup—the kind of deployment only Konoha could afford in this chaotic shinobi world.

When Guts found out, he immediately asked Tsunade to take him along.

But Hiruzen had already anticipated him—and denied the request.

"You're staying in Konoha," he said firmly.

There was no room for debate.

Konoha was always the target when the ninja world descended into war.

Rich in resources, fertile land, and central positioning—it was a prize everyone wanted a piece of.

When the war began, every village turned their gaze toward the Leaf.

So Sarutobi Hiruzen made a strategic choice: Leave the strongest behind.

People like Guts and White Fang—names that sent shivers down spines.

Figures. Makes sense.

Guts wasn't thrilled, but he understood. Still, that didn't stop the unease curling in his chest as he watched Tsunade prepare to leave.

But compared to the original timeline, this world had shifted.

Tsunade wasn't broken by hemophobia. White Fang hadn't taken his own life. Both remained powerful, unbroken, and determined.

So perhaps… this time, Konoha would stand taller.

--------------------------------------

Support me at patreon.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.