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After the Chūnin Exams, both Neji and Shikamaru had officially been promoted though things had shifted slightly compared to the original timeline.
It had now been half a year since then. Neji had been grinding nonstop conducting experiments, refining his labs, and training others but high-value missions were still rare. Most of his progress came from using others as experience sources, which he found oddly satisfying.
Even with all that effort, he'd only managed to grind out two more levels, just barely hitting Level 43, which aligned with his internal projections.
His daily life had become monotonous but methodical. He rationed his energy between research, maintaining multiple labs, creating shadow clones to train the rookies, and teaching Sakura medical ninjutsu.
As for Konoha, things were changing.
His "mentor," Tsunade, had steadily wrested power away from the elders. She began redistributing responsibilities among the elite jōnin, decentralizing authority. The three senior advisors had resisted at first, but in the end, the interests of their clans outweighed tradition.
Danzo's Root remained tightly controlled, but otherwise, Tsunade now held the reins.
The elders had underestimated her, dismissing her as just a beautiful figurehead but Tsunade had turned out to be sharp, calculating… and motivated by one simple goal:
"Less work. I hate this endless paperwork."
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Meanwhile, back to Neji—
His experiments were beginning to bear fruit. He finally had something tangible to offer…
And Tenten was the perfect candidate for his next test.
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Training Ground Seven – Hidden Forest
Tenten followed Neji into a familiar grove with excitement sparkling in her eyes.
"You said you had a surprise for me! What is it?!"
Neji smiled and revealed two sleek handguns, holding them up with a little flair.
Tenten blinked, confused.
They looked like guns but the design was strange, unfamiliar. Exotic.
"Wait… are those real guns?"
"Yup."
Her face twisted in disbelief.
Guns existed in this world, yes but they were rare, impractical toys for nobles or non-shinobi elites. Too slow, too weak, and too noisy. A kunai with an explosive tag was far more effective.
(I think there was a gun once… maybe in that filler arc with Hiruko? And possibly with Gato's men? Can't quite remember…)
To any ninja, guns were a joke.
Neji knew that.
The firearms of this world were laughable. That's why… he reinvented them.
What he held wasn't just a gun. It was a chakra-tech hybrid, crafted from Slash Shells and Impact Shells scavenged from Sky Island tech.
These guns could not only absorb slashing and concussive force as defensive charges, but they could also release that energy as raw firepower.
There were limits, of course. Material scarcity, energy cap too much pressure and they'd shatter. If overloaded or struck with force beyond their design threshold, they'd rupture.
But according to Neji's tests?
"They can take five of Guy-sensei's regular strikes… or a single 'Gate of Life' level attack. That's more than enough for most enemies."
Tenten still looked doubtful until Neji aimed at a nearby tree and fired.
SWOOSH!
The projectile tore through the tree with a clean whomp, leaving behind a gaping, smooth-edged hole.
Tenten gasped.
"That… was insane."
She rushed up, examining the weapon in awe. It was lightweight. Balanced. Almost artistic in its design.
"You made this?"
"Mhmm."
Neji handed her one of the guns. She took to it naturally, her aim shockingly precise for someone who'd never used a firearm.
Tree after tree got shredded, until Neji had to step in before she deforested the whole training field.
"Tenten… my gun's no toy. It doesn't need ammo, but it has a capacity limit. Still, it can fire continuously as long as it has absorbed enough force."
Her eyes widened.
Most guns were noisy, inaccurate, and required constant reloading a fatal flaw in ninja combat. Worse, bullets were susceptible to jutsu, especially Water and Lightning Release, and carrying one took up a hand needed for forming seals.
That's why firearms had never taken off in the shinobi society.
But this? This was different.
Neji's weapon was silent, seamless, and functioned almost like an extension of her chakra toolset.
"So… how does it work exactly? I couldn't find any opening besides the barrel. And it doesn't fire real bullets…"
"Because it doesn't need to," Neji said proudly. "It converts impact and slashing force into kinetic energy. What you saw just now was stored shock force being released through the barrel."
Tenten nodded slowly. She could tell those holes in the trees weren't shattered, but sliced. The damage was too clean to be blunt trauma.
"So it's... a mix of blunt and sharp force?"
"Exactly. It uses a rare new material I found. Extremely difficult to obtain. That's why I could only make two of these."
"And it charges by… getting hit?"
"Correct."
To demonstrate, Neji suddenly lunged with a punch.
Instinctively, Tenten raised the gun to block.
THUMP.
The wind from the punch lifted strands of her hair, but she didn't feel any impact. It was like the force had been… absorbed.
She blinked in disbelief.
"You didn't hold back?"
Neji pointed to a nearby tree and with another punch, blasted it apart, leaving a massive crater in the trunk.
"Same strength. Your gun absorbed it."
"Its safe limit is around Guy-sensei's third gate strike. After it absorbs enough, fire to release it. Then it can recharge again."
Tenten looked down at the gun in her hand eyes shining.
She caressed it like a sacred treasure.
She was in love.
With the gun.
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Author's Note: Sorry for the delay had to dig around to confirm if guns ever appeared in canon. Even the fandom wasn't sure 😅.
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