Neji listened absentmindedly as Uchiha Hikaru and Tobirama continued their discussion. His fingers rested on the sniper rifle he'd chosen—the one he liked best—but his thoughts had already drifted. He pictured a weapon outfitted with dozens of barrels, providing continuous firepower at full speed, just as Hikaru had described.
Bang, bang, bang...
The thunderous reports of the rifle jolted him out of his fantasy. The sniper's recoil pounded his body, causing a full-body tremor. Shaking off the daze, Neji adjusted his stance and tightened his grip on the weapon.
"This thing is seriously powerful..."
He realigned his posture, planted his feet firmly, and resumed shooting with full concentration.
Three shooting rounds later, Orochimaru approached Hikaru and Tobirama again, scrolls in hand, data neatly compiled.
"The average accuracy results for the sniper rifle tests are in."
"At 200 meters: 9.4 rings.
At 500 meters: 9.1 rings.
At 1000 meters: 8.8 rings."
"As expected," Orochimaru continued, "the longer the distance, the more significant the deviation caused by air currents."
"This kind of variable still has to be accounted for manually by the shinobi. Judging wind direction and speed—there's no shortcut for that yet."
Hikaru and Tobirama both nodded in agreement. What Orochimaru said was technically correct.
But Hikaru added his own insight.
"You can boost your chakra output like I did. With stronger chakra reinforcement, you can overpower air resistance. Both accuracy and range will improve significantly."
"Still, there's no need to modify the firearm structure for now. What we should focus on is optimizing the ammunition."
He turned his gaze to Tobirama and Orochimaru, eyes gleaming.
"Now, where's the artillery? That's the real highlight—the ultimate battlefield trump card. Let me see what you've made."
Hikaru's eyes sparkled like a child in a toy store.
Tenten and Neji leaned in closer as well, curiosity piqued. While they had worked on the artillery's outer design and some structural components, their technical knowledge hadn't been enough to take it further.
That was no issue for Tobirama and Orochimaru.
After all, Orochimaru was the mad genius behind countless taboo experiments, including the mechanical Naruto in the original timeline...
A smug grin curled on Tobirama's lips. His Impure World Reincarnation face twisted in a strange mix of pride and ghostly amusement.
"Since you asked so nicely, I suppose I'll show you what real artillery looks like."
Orochimaru called out toward the camp behind them.
"Bring out the Second Hokage's Konoha No. 1 Cannon!"
At his command, fifty Hyuga branch clan members moved into action, working in pairs. Each pair wheeled forward a massive barrel—nearly a meter tall and two meters long—with slanted muzzles and large rollers on either side. The weapons came to a stop in front of the main testing group.
Meanwhile, the previous group of Hyuga snipers had returned to the rear.
Twenty-five artillery units now stood in formation, an impressive sight that reminded Hikaru of military parades from his past life.
They actually built it... and damn if it doesn't look like the battalion commander's Italian cannon. A bit smaller maybe, but still—
("Italian cannon" refers to the French M1897 75mm field gun. Stats have been fictionally adjusted for the Naruto world.)
"Wanna introduce your masterpiece?" Hikaru asked with a smirk.
Tobirama cleared his throat, his expression still smug.
"I named it the Konoha No. 1 Cannon."
"It has a 70mm caliber, weighs 1,060 kilograms, with a 2.1-meter-long barrel. Firing angle range: -10° to 18°, and the muzzle rotates 7°."
"Effective theoretical range? Ten kilometers. The shells weigh 5.6 kilograms each."
As he spoke, Tobirama and Hikaru approached the lead cannon. Two Hyuga Chunin, who had been manning it, instinctively stepped aside. Their eyes lingered on the artillery with reluctant admiration.
Hikaru noticed.
"We're just firing a single test round. Relax. You'll get your turn."
The two Hyuga brightened immediately at the reassurance.
For safety, they decided to fire the cannons one by one, rather than in a salvo. These weren't toys—one misfire could devastate the entire area. The Hyuga ninjas, including Neji, retreated a safe 50 meters away, leaving only Orochimaru, Hikaru, and Tobirama near the front.
Hikaru gripped a single shell in his hands—it was over 20 centimeters long and shaped like a bullet.
He opened the chamber valve, loaded the shell, and sealed it shut.
Tobirama adjusted the firing angle and gave the signal.
"Fire!"
Hikaru yanked the bolt.
BOOM!
A monstrous thunderclap tore through the air. A black projectile burst from the barrel, too fast to see clearly.
More than ten seconds passed...
KA-BOOM!
An earth-shaking explosion erupted in the distance.
Flames flared in the far field. The sheer impact of the blast left everyone stunned.
Hikaru raised his binoculars and examined the damage.
The shell had gouged a deep crater—nearly a meter deep and over five meters wide. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surrounding earth.
Most of the iron shrapnel had scattered out of sight, though a few mangled fragments still lay in the blast crater.
Tobirama snatched the binoculars from Hikaru and observed with a nod.
"That's consistent with my expected explosive yield."
But Hikaru had one more question.
"What's the effective killing range?"
Tobirama answered coolly.
"Without chakra-based defense? About thirty meters. If someone isn't hit in a vital spot, they might survive."
"But within fifteen meters? Don't even bother with medics—they're gone instantly."
It was horrifying.
More lethal than the average shinobi's jutsu, and dropped from above with almost no warning. Unless you were a Jonin with acute sensory perception, you'd never react in time.
Even if you did react... it'd likely be too late.
Hikaru and Tobirama stepped aside, allowing the Hyuga teams to take over.
The artillery squads fired in pairs—each group got one round.
Why only one?
Because loading and firing these cannons demanded substantial chakra. The inner chamber bore a spiraled pattern, designed to draw chakra from both users. Their energy streams twisted together like a twin helix—reminiscent of an unlit mosquito coil—to ensure stability and distribution.
The dual-chakra system also served another purpose: preventing chakra nature clashes. Repulsion between elemental natures was redirected into raw destructive force, making each shot even deadlier.
The thunder of cannons echoed across the field.
And with each blast, the shinobi watching knew:
This was the future of war.
The battlefield was changing.
And Uchiha Hikaru stood at the heart of that transformation.
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Send Power Stones
Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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