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!

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Three months of war had passed.

The Third Raikage stood tall on the battlefield, once again facing the young Konoha ninja who had become a thorn in his side. Guts had grown...stronger, sharper, more dangerous.

The Raikage narrowed his eyes, silently cursing fate. Why wasn't a taijutsu prodigy like this born in Cloud instead? Still, admiration didn't stop him from making a silent vow: this kid has to be eliminated.

Despite Cloud's aggressive tactics, Konoha maintained the upper hand on this front since the start of the war.

The terrain, however, made strategic maneuvers difficult. Most of the fighting devolved into brutal head-on clashes.

Exactly the kind of brawling the Cloud shinobi thrived on.

And so, the battlefield had turned into a war of attrition.

Later that evening...

Campfires flickered outside the tents. The smell of weak vegetable soup drifted through the crisp night air.

Small groups of Konoha ninjas huddled together, each surrounding a pot, scooping soup into wooden bowls.

Guts sat cross-legged across from White Fang, his bowl steaming but unappetizing. He stared into it, clearly displeased.

"There's barely any meat,"

Guts muttered, poking at the broth with his chopsticks.

"I thought we were doing well. Shouldn't supplies be better?"

White Fang gave a faint chuckle.

"This is better. At least it's hot."

Guts set the bowl aside, uninterested.

"If this pace keeps up," he added, "the war could be over within the year."

White Fang nodded, though his expression remained thoughtful.

"A year sounds long," Guts continued, "but compared to the Second Great War's six-year grind, it's fast."

"That war dragged on," White Fang said.

"Back then, the only Kage-levels we had were Hiruzen and… Danzō, if you could even call him that."

Guts scoffed. "Barely Kage-level."

White Fang smirked. "Exactly. Hiruzen carried most of the weight. The real shift came when I reached Kage-level, followed by the Sannin. And then Minato began to rise."

Guts leaned back, arms folded. "So even Kage-levels can't decide a war alone… but they can tilt it."

"If the enemy doesn't have someone to counter them, yes."

There was a brief pause.

Guts's gaze shifted toward the forest.

"If we could take out Ai or Killer Bee," he said casually, "this war would end in days."

White Fang let out a sharp laugh, then shook his head.

"If only it were that simple. Killing a Kage-level ninja during full-scale war, while surrounded by allies? Not easy."

He placed his bowl down.

"I could take either one in a fair fight. But they fight together. And they're never alone."

"They're too valuable," Guts muttered.

"They'd die before letting them fall."

White Fang's expression darkened.

"Exactly. The Cloud would throw bodies at you just to buy them time."

A silence settled between them.

After a while, White Fang looked at Guts again.

"You look pale. Something wrong?"

Guts stood up. "Just lost my appetite."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll go see if I can catch something."

White Fang watched him leave, the younger shinobi disappearing into the darkness beyond the tents.

Moments later, in the forest...

Two wild rabbits darted out from the underbrush. Guts raised a finger and let a small pulse of chakra zip out, but the rabbits were gone before it hit.

He sighed. "Guess that's dinner."

The quiet returned. The distant crackle of campfires was the only sound left.

A month later...

On the fourth month of war, a Konoha messenger hawk descended into White Fang's camp, carrying news that made the entire command tense.

White Fang gathered the top-ranking officers, including Guts, in the main tent. The atmosphere was heavy.

"The Rock battlefield has been hit by a surprise attack," White Fang said.

"Casualties are high. Reinforcements are needed."

One of the Jōnin frowned. "But we're winning here. Who's leading the Rock front?"

"Orochimaru."

Guts narrowed his eyes. "He's sharp. If he's struggling, something's off."

White Fang nodded. "He was injured. Claims the enemy acted on leaked intel. Sensitive information—only available to top command."

Everyone exchanged uneasy looks.

"How badly is he hurt?" one asked.

"Not life-threatening," White Fang replied, "but serious enough that Hiruzen has ordered us to send reinforcements to the logistics team."

Guts spoke up, tone dry. "They've got three Kage-levels over there. Reinforcements sound unnecessary."

White Fang's silence was telling.

Guts looked thoughtful,

'Compared to the original timeline… this doesn't make sense. Tsunade didn't have her hemophobia, and White Fang is still alive. We should be better off.'

White Fang gave him a long look.

"The report says the ambush was caused by an intel breach. Orochimaru and Tsunade are both investigating it."

Guts's eyes narrowed.

"Could it be… Konoha's Black Pot King?"

White Fang raised an eyebrow.

"The what?"

"Shimura Danzō."

"Ah." White Fang exhaled sharply, shaking his head.

"Don't say that name carelessly. Especially not here."

He turned toward the rest of the room.

"That's all. Dismissed. Return to your tents, we need to finish this war before it drags any longer."

"Yes, sir."

The Jōnin filed out, murmuring among themselves.

But before Guts could follow, White Fang gave him a look and motioned for him to stay.

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