Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Throwing a Shuriken from 800 Miles? Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi
Uwa narrowed his eyes slightly, completely unfazed by the insult.
"So what? Leader Pain personally appointed me as the vice-leader of Akatsuki. That makes me the vice-leader. Every member of this organization has to follow my orders. You're no exception."
Kakuzu's eyes flashed coldly. "Do you believe I won't rip your heart out right now? You'd regret being born."
"Go ahead and try," Uwa sneered. "Let's see whose heart gets ripped out first."
He looked at Kakuzu with disdain. "So throwing a shuriken from 800 miles away at Hashirama Senju counts as a failed assassination attempt on the First Hokage? You've got some nerve spinning that into a heroic tale. Honestly, I feel embarrassed on your behalf."
"..."
The words struck a nerve.
Kakuzu, who had always taken pride in his battle history, instantly boiled with rage.
"What 800 miles?! I fought Hashirama Senju head-on! It was a brutal fight, and I only retreated after my chakra was completely depleted. Don't talk nonsense!"
"Oh really?" Uwa raised a hand to cover his mouth in mock surprise. "Then I guess you were fighting a clone, huh? You lost to a shadow clone? That must've been tough. I'm proud of you."
"You little bastard!"
Kakuzu exploded in fury.
With a snarl, countless black threads burst from his wrists.
Whoosh!
He launched one of his fists straight at Uwa, the threads propelling it forward like a harpoon.
Uwa tilted his body slightly and easily dodged. "Too slow. You think this kind of toy is enough to kill me? You're far too naive."
"You arrogant brat!"
Kakuzu no longer bothered with verbal sparring.
His gaze darkened as he ripped off his cloak, revealing his grotesque body underneath.
On his back were four masks, each a different color, sewn directly into his flesh.
Shzz! Shzz!
With a surge of black threads, the red mask detached and transformed into a humanoid black monster.
"Fire Style: Flame Vortex!"
Kakuzu barked the command.
The red-masked creature opened its gaping mouth and released a raging inferno that engulfed the entire cavern.
Roar!
Flames swept across the space in a tidal wave of heat.
Uwa remained calm, drawing his Zanpakutō and raising it to his chest.
Reiatsu radiated from the blade, forming a translucent shield that blocked the sea of flames entirely.
"Completely unscathed? It's that blade…"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes.
So he had underestimated him.
Anyone appointed by Pain, the wielder of the Rinnegan, couldn't possibly be weak.
But he had already thrown down the gauntlet. Backing down now would make him look cowardly.
Almost as if reading his thoughts, Uwa grinned. "What's wrong? The so-called Immortal Ninja is hesitating? You're not chickening out, are you?"
Kakuzu forced a sneer. "Me? Afraid of you? Don't kid yourself. You're just relying on some fancy weapon. That won't scare me!"
He clenched his teeth and unleashed another wave of black threads.
This time, he summoned all the remaining masked beasts.
The red and green masks joined together, twining their powers.
They opened their mouths simultaneously.
"Combination Jutsu…"
"Scorching Wind: Turbulent Wave!"
Roar!
The inferno returned, but this time amplified by wind-style chakra. The flames burned several times hotter, filling the cavern like an erupting volcano.
Uwa gave a deadpan stare. "You're just increasing the area of effect. It's not like the damage changes. What a waste of effort."
With that, he calmly raised his Zanpakutō again.
The reiatsu shield reformed, completely absorbing the incoming flames.
Suddenly, an unexpected shift occurred behind him.
The blue and white mask monsters had circled around and were preparing a coordinated strike.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
"Water Style: Water Curtain Dome!"
The blue mask unleashed a massive lightning spear, while the white mask launched a torrent of pressurized water.
The combined attack surged forward with terrifying force.
At the same time, Kakuzu released another storm of black threads, aiming to entangle Uwa.
"Die, you little punk!"
His eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
As the attacks closed in, Uwa lifted his sword.
He whispered under his breath, "Scatter, Senbonzakura."
Shing!
The blade shattered.
It dissolved into thousands of tiny pink blades that fluttered into the air like cherry blossoms.
They whirled around him with incredible speed, forming a barrier that deflected the incoming blasts.
Boom!
The cavern trembled from the force of the explosion.
Although many of the petal-like blades were blown away, not a single one of the enemy attacks reached Uwa himself.
"This weapon… it can release so many blades?"
Kakuzu's green eyes flickered with awe, then excitement.
"But no matter," he growled. "Now I'll get serious. If you can survive this, I, the Immortal Ninja Kakuzu, will acknowledge you as acting leader!"
As he spoke, he summoned both the fire and wind mask monsters and fused them into his own body.
His shoulders sprouted two additional mask heads, and countless black threads twisted together into eight massive tendrils.
Uwa narrowed his eyes, his tone calm but serious.
"So he's going into Earth Grudge Fear Mode… Looks like Kakuzu's done playing. Then I guess it's time I stopped holding back too."
Truthfully, with his own Super Kage-level strength, Uwa had no reason to fear Kakuzu.
However, he had only just acquired his Zanpakutō. It was still in its initial Shikai state, and he wasn't yet fully proficient with it.
Moreover, he couldn't use Kido techniques without risking exposure of his identity as the leader of Amegakure.
So taking things seriously was necessary.
Swish! Swish!
Kakuzu, now fully merged with his masks, lunged forward.
The eight tendrils of black thread surged toward Uwa's head like spears.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The countless petal blades reacted with their own will, colliding with the tendrils.
Though many blades shattered on impact, two tendrils still managed to break through.
"What? Even Senbonzakura couldn't block them?" Uwa's eyes narrowed.
He stepped forward.
Flash!
With a single Shunpo, he vanished, avoiding the strike.
"Used Body Flicker, huh? But let's see how you dodge this!"
Kakuzu's two shoulder masks opened their mouths again.
"Fire Style: Flame Vortex!"
"Wind Style: Pressure Gale!"
Another hellstorm of fire and wind flooded the cavern.
Meanwhile, the water and lightning mask monsters continued harassing from the flanks.
Uwa frowned, forced into defense.
Minutes passed.
As the onslaught dragged on, it seemed he was being slowly overwhelmed.
But then a faint smile curled at the corner of Uwa's lips.
"Thanks for the practice, Kakuzu. You've helped me get used to this blade. Now… it's time for the main event. I hope you can last."
As he spoke, the scattered blades of Senbonzakura gathered in mid-air and reformed into a single sword.
Holding the newly reassembled blade, Uwa reversed its grip, the tip pointing downward.
In front of everyone, he slowly released the sword from his hand.
With a soft murmur, he spoke the words:
"Bankai…"
"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."