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In the Land of Waves, Neji paused from his preparations as a coded transmission arrived from Obito.
He read it, chuckled softly, and murmured, "They all know exactly what's going on yet everyone keeps pretending otherwise."
He tilted his head slightly. "Still, that works in my favor… Let's give him what he wants."
Raising his voice, he commanded:
"Ai-chan, send the sealed cocoons containing Kinkaku and Ginkaku to Kabuto's lab. Tell Black Zetsu to collect them personally."
[Understood, Boss.]
Within minutes, two white, rune-etched containment pods were lifted by puppets into a teleportation circle. The energy pulsed once, and they were delivered to Kabuto's underground base.
Neji resumed work on the massive stone structure before him, hammering chisel to rock as his voice dropped to a whisper.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra has been sent. Now, will Obito take the bait and go after the Eight-Tails next? I'm curious to see how that plays out…"
A faint smirk curved beneath his mask.
"Let them tear each other apart."
His hand traced along the ancient surface strange patterns glowed faintly across the monolith.
While Neji calmly shaped his designs, the rest of the shinobi world burned with motion.
---
The five Kage prepared to depart for the Land of Iron, while every hidden village rumbled to life.
Barracks filled, Armories opened, Blacksmiths worked through the night.
The brief Edo Tensei attacks had left deep scars both physical and emotional.
Every ninja had seen it with their own eyes: former comrades rising from the grave, forced to fight.
Some battles ended in embraces; others, in tragedy.
Fists met tears; blades met hesitation.
To face your own teacher, your own brother…
It left a rage too heavy for words.
---
Inside Konoha
Compared to the other villages, the Hidden Leaf remained calm and focused.
The Uzumaki sealing arts still thrived here entire Fūinjutsu units were ready for deployment.
Many shinobi, though shaken, secretly harbored anticipation.
If Edo Tensei returned, perhaps they'd see their loved ones again if only for a moment to share regrets, pride, or simply to show how far life had come.
---
The Workshop
Within a quiet workshop at the edge of the village, a projection of Neji, his phantom clone, was hard at work refining seals.
Across the table sat Tenten, her chin resting on her hands, eyes curved into crescents as she watched him with open affection.
"Neji," she asked softly, "you're adding sealing arrays to all of them?"
He nodded, inspecting the first of the twin pistols he'd once gifted her its surface worn and scratched from battle.
Her voice was gentle, almost sheepish.
"I really did take care of them, you know. I clean them, polish them… but their design means they have to take hits. I can't help the scars."
Neji chuckled, tapping her nose. "I never blamed you. The more scars they carry, the more they've protected you. That was the point when I made them."
Tenten blushed, sitting up, fingers fidgeting with a strand of hair. "But… they're yours. I could never just let them—"
Her words trailed off into a shy pout.
Neji smiled and reached out, lightly squeezing her cheek.
Her breath caught when he opened his eyes.
Those pale, crystalline pupils focused directly on her steady, calm, but unbearably close.
For a heartbeat, she froze, eyes darting aside.
Her pulse raced; the air seemed to thicken.
When Neji finally closed his eyes again and released her, she exhaled quietly, one hand pressed to her chest…
And wondered, strangely, why she felt a little disappointed.
---
"These guns need reworking," Neji said, laying the weapon down.
"I've been studying ways to merge chakra flow with metallurgy. I'll use this chance to turn them into true chakra weapons."
Tenten brightened. "You think I'll be able to handle them?"
"With your control and precision?" Neji smirked. "You'll adapt in no time."
As she nodded eagerly, he began his work. Thin chakra threads of metallic ore wound through the gun's frame, forming glowing lines of script.
Where most shinobi saw weapons, Neji saw sealing matrices a network of command nodes ready to channel jutsu.
"Each round," he explained, "will be a sealed bullet. When it hits, it'll trigger a capture array just like Sai's [Tiger-Seal Binding] technique."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning…" Neji smiled. "Anyone you shoot gets sealed on impact. Instant containment."
Tenten's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing!"
He looked up from the workbench, lips curving.
"I'll finish these soon. When the real war begins, you'll be ready."
Outside, the village bells tolled signals for the Kage Convoy's departure.
War clouds gathered once again over the shinobi world.
But in that quiet little workshop, surrounded by the hum of chakra and the warmth of shared resolve, there was only the rhythm of hammer and heart.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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