One Piece: I am Imu

Chapter 336 - 336: Who Brought a Gun to a Ninjutsu Fight?

Firearms did exist in the ninja world.

However, due to the influence of a certain creator god's power, their development had always been capped at the handgun stage.

But that didn't mean Kumogakure shinobi were so dense they couldn't recognize an automatic rifle when they saw one.

Which only made the situation feel all the more absurd.

This was supposed to be a battle between ninjas. And you're pulling out guns?

What happened to shuriken?

What about ninjutsu?

Even explosive tags would've made more sense. Sure, they're dangerous, but at least everyone knows how those work, right?

And yet—

The shinobi from Umigakure showed zero interest in debating the 'noble way of the ninja'. Without hesitation, they pulled the triggers beneath their fingers and unleashed a storm of bullets.

[RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT——————]

In an instant, gunfire erupted like thunder. The flashes of muzzle fire lit up the battlefield, unrelenting. Paired with the explosive orbs dropped from the sky by the Kasugai crows, the scene turned chaotic in every sense.

It was a massive blow to the Kumogakure side.

Already disoriented by the intense bombardments, they were suddenly caught in the crossfire of forty to fifty automatic rifles. A number of genin, unable to react in time, were killed on the spot.

Several chūnin managed to evade or block the bullets using ninjutsu—only to be swallowed by the next explosion.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

By this point, the jōnin from Kumogakure had finished weaving their signs.

In the blink of an eye, a fierce wind roared out from one shinobi's mouth. Midway through its path, it fused with a massive fireball spat out by another—merging into a fiery tidal wave that crashed into the southern wall of Rōran.

Not only did it halt Umigakure's offensive, it even blasted apart a section of the wall, taking several unlucky genin and chūnin with it.

"Smoke bombs!"

Yazaemon, the commander of this defensive zone, shouted the order while holding his longbow and leaping backward.

A moment later—

Over a dozen Umigakure shinobi tossed smoke bombs toward the rapidly advancing Kumogakure troops. With a series of muffled blasts, thick black smoke poured out, flooding the battlefield.

No further orders were needed. Those with ammo still left in their guns fired blindly into the smoke, emptying their magazines.

And once their bullets were gone, they didn't bother checking if they'd hit anything—they simply tossed their rifles aside, pulled out their kunai, and followed closely behind Yazaemon.

"Explosive orbs!"

Yazaemon turned his head and shouted again.

At the same time, he reached into the small pouch on his leg, grabbed all the little black orbs, and hurled them with force.

"Blow them back!"

Two Kumogakure jōnin who had just picked up speed to pursue suddenly froze when they saw dozens of black balls flying toward them again. Cursing under their breath, they hastily began weaving hand signs.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Another burst of gales surged from their mouths, linking together to form a massive wind wall that sent the descending orbs soaring back into the air—straight toward Yazaemon's squad.

The move stunned many of the Umigakure shinobi.

"Keep retreating! Lure them into the city! Split into squads and take them out one by one!"

At that moment, Yazaemon let out a thunderous roar.

Somehow, without anyone noticing, his black longbow already had ten obsidian arrows nocked.

The very next second—

[Whum!]

The bowstring thrummed violently.

All ten arrows transformed into black lightning, shooting forth in unison.

In a flash, they collided with the incoming black spheres and the howling gale.

A split second later, the black spheres exploded midair—triggering a chain reaction that ignited the others.

The resulting series of violent detonations created a brief pause in the raging storm.

But only for a few seconds.

Soon, the flames and thick smoke surged forward again, hotter and more ferocious than before, pushing ahead like a tidal wave of destruction.

The road in front of them was visibly melting under the heat.

"Damn it! I want to see just how long less than fifty of you can keep running. Sooner or later, we're going to slaughter every last one of you!"

A Kumogakure jōnin scowled as he glared at the backs of Yazaemon and the others, who had used the blast to pull away and widen the distance.

"...Still, we'd better be cautious. The things they've brought out are strange. Who knows what tricks they still have up their sleeves."

Another Kumogakure jōnin warned in a more serious tone.

Then he frowned in confusion. "But how come I've never heard of a jōnin from Konoha skilled in archery?"

In fact, he had never imagined there were even ninjas who practiced archery at all.

While the two jōnin paused to speak, waves of genin and chūnin had already surged ahead.

Then they saw it.

The leading shinobi—those at the very front—were suddenly struck down by a barrage of black arrows screaming through the air, each one hitting with terrifying precision.

Their anguished cries echoed as they crashed to the ground.

These arrows were just too fast.

Some arrows even pierced through one body and continued on to threaten the next.

The sheer power behind them was terrifying.

"Ugh—! You bastards! You're dead! I swear, we won't let any of you live!"

The two Kumogakure jōnin couldn't hold back any longer.

Fueled by fury, they activated Body Flicker and dashed forward in hot pursuit.

Their target: the bow-wielding shinobi.

If they didn't take him out soon, their forces would keep getting slaughtered one after another.

...

On the western side of the city wall—

Uzui Tengen was locked in a one-on-one battle with the Third Raikage.

[BOOM!!]

Above the city wall, lightning crackled, and flames roared.

The sheer force of their clash compressed the air around them into violent bursts, even cracking the stone surface of the wall below.

The two figures clashed and then separated, each landing on opposite ends of the wall.

"What kind of jutsu is that?! You're completely unaffected by my Lightning Release—and those blades... they're explosion-type weapons?!"

The Third Raikage's expression darkened to a terrifying degree.

"I see now... You're not from Konoha's Root at all. You're Kirigakure shinobi!"

Once again... he had been deceived.

Faced with the Third Raikage's fierce and intimidating gaze...

Uzui Tengen's expression remained calm and composed. But deep down, he was startled by the man's strength.

This Third Raikage's speed and power... actually surpassed his own in some ways.

"You're not going to answer me?"

"Then allow me to show you the power of the Raikage!"

With a roar, the Third Raikage surged forward, his Lightning Release chakra flaring even more violently around him.

His pale yellow hair stood on end, every strand crackling with electricity.

The next second—

He transformed into a blinding bolt of lightning and appeared right in front of Uzui Tengen, his hand shaped into a blade, surging with tremendous lightning-charged force, aiming straight for Tengen's neck.

It wasn't Hell Stab—just a normal hand blade strike.

But with the power of the Lightning Release Armor, even that was on par with a full-scale Lightning Release jutsu.

"Hm?"

That lightning-fast attack—executed at a speed worthy of the name—was dodged by Uzui Tengen with nothing but a smooth, seemingly effortless sidestep.

And before the Raikage could adjust, Tengen had already reacted, evading the clawed hand that lunged for his throat.

The whole exchange took place in the blink of an eye. All that a normal person would've seen was a blur of lightning cutting through the air.

"Sound Breathing, Second Form: Exploding Flash Barrage!"

As offense and defense switched roles, Uzui Tengen shouted, both blades flashing into a storm of strikes that rained down like a violent tempest upon the Third Raikage.

But—

The Raikage disappeared again in a flash of lightning at the last second, reappearing behind Tengen like a thunderbolt, his right hand-turned-spear stabbing fiercely toward the back of his neck, a killing intent surging with it.

Uzui Tengen didn't even try to turn around—there was no time. Instead, he spun his Nichirin Blades in a wide, sweeping motion to counter the attack.

At the same time, the sense of danger flaring in his heart made him release even more Armament Haki, coating his body in an additional layer of defense.

[BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!]

A barrage of explosions rang out one after another, never stopping. Blinding flashes, shockwaves, and fire engulfed the entire western wall of the city—leaving the Kumogakure shinobi outside stunned.

The scorching heatwave alone violently forced back those standing too close.

Then, in the next moment—

A blurred figure shot out from the thick billowing smoke like a cannonball, white sonic booms rippling outward in rings. A flash of brilliant blue lightning followed close behind.

The battle had shifted into the spire-laden heart of Rōran City.

Seeing this, the Kumogakure shinobi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Oddly enough, they had just felt... nervous.

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