Chapter 26: Guts Today

Author Note:

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

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"Come on, kid… Show me what you've got."

Tsunade stood in the center of the training ground, arms crossed, one eyebrow lazily raised.

She looked relaxed, but her eyes were focused. Sharp.

She wasn't here to babysit him—this was still a spar.

Still, she wore a small smirk, like she already knew how this was going to go.

Across from her, Guts quietly reached into his pouch.

He pulled out… a single shuriken.

Tsunade tilted her head slightly. Huh. That's new.

She'd seen the kid punch, kick, flip, scream, and once even throw a tree. But a shuriken? Never. Not once.

With a flick of his wrist, he launched it straight at her.

And it was… bad.

Like, spectacularly bad.

It wobbled through the air like a dying pigeon. Off-balance, off-target, and off-putting.

The kind of throw that made you want to apologize to the laws of physics.

Far away, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen spat out his tea.

He stared into his crystal ball, brow furrowed like a disappointed grandpa watching his grandson glue bread to a ceiling.

"What in the world was that?" he muttered, wiping his mouth with a sleeve.

Back on the field, Tsunade watched the sad excuse for a shuriken with one raised brow.

Then—

Thunk.

With a simple stomp, she sent a pulse of chakra through her leg and kicked it—and the three others he'd tried to sneak in behind it—right back across the room like soccer balls.

They clattered harmlessly against the wall.

Tsunade shook her head.

"Seriously? You're gonna throw junk at me and hope I blink?"

But then her expression shifted. Something was off.

Wait—where is he?

A gust of wind brushed past her.

Her eyes flicked upward.

"Above—?!"

Guts came down fast, fist raised, his usual yelling swapped for quiet focus.

Tsunade didn't panic.

She just lifted one palm.

Wham!

Fist met palm with a loud smack.

BOOM!

The shockwave shattered the silence like a bomb. Windows rattled. Dust fell from the rafters.

Half the academy thought the building was under attack.

A small group of academy students huddled near the edge of the viewing deck, eyes glued to the training ground below.

"Whoa… did you see that punch? He actually made Lady Tsunade move!"

"Yeah, but did you also see the bounce when she landed?"

One of them elbowed the other.

"Hey, hey—focus on the technique, man."

"I am," the boy replied with a straight face.

"It's called studying chakra flow. Especially in the upper body."

Another student snorted.

"Sure. You're just a man of culture, huh?"

They all nodded slowly in solemn agreement.

"Culture… and respect."

---

Tsunade blinked. "Whoa…"

For the first time, her arm trembled—just a bit.

"That's new."

She gave no time for follow-up.

Her other hand shot forward, grabbed his arm, and with one clean twist of her hips, she flipped him over her shoulder like it was second nature.

"Nice try—"

CRASH!

Guts went sailing through the training hall's open window.

Mid-flight, time slowed.

The wind whipped past his face. A bird squawked nearby.

Somewhere, a squirrel dropped its nut and looked up in awe.

Guts blinked, his thoughts suddenly clear.

"…Wait a second."

"I was above her… had the angle… had the momentum… So why—"

Then it hit him.

Not the ground.

The truth.

"Oh no. I saw it. The bounce. The legendary bounce."

He grimaced in shame.

"I got… dickstracted."

Tsunade winced. "Okay, that wasn't supposed to happen…"

But—

"Soru!"

A faint gust followed, and before his body could hit the ground outside, Guts spun mid-air, twisted his body like a cat, and landed on the earth with a clean slide.

The dirt beneath his sandals cracked slightly as he pushed off again without wasting a second.

Back inside the hall, Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"He's not just brute force anymore…"

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