Kakuzu's gaze remained fixed on Kirito's left hand, where the blade had just vanished. He murmured in a low voice,
"So that's how it is. The blade splits into thousands of miniature blades that appear like cherry blossoms, but in truth, every single one of them is razor-sharp. That's what shredded my tendrils just now, wasn't it?"
"Hmm?"
Kirito raised his left hand, and the scattered petals in the air suddenly gathered as if drawn by some invisible force. In an instant, they condensed into five distinct blades, each identical to Senbonzakura's base form.
With a flick of his finger, the five floating blades launched downward, hurtling toward Kakuzu like meteors.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
With a slap of his palm on the ground, a towering wall of stone erupted upward, intercepting the oncoming blades.
Crack!
The wall took the brunt of the attack, deep fissures etched across its surface, but it held.
"Hmph. If that's the extent of your ranged assault, I've got nothing to worry about," Kakuzu scoffed.
But Kirito was already on the move.
With a blur of speed, he flashed to the wall's base, Sode no Shirayuki raised in his right hand, and with one graceful slash, the stone wall was cleaved cleanly in two.
Like slicing tofu.
Without hesitation, Kirito lunged, blade aimed straight for Kakuzu's throat.
Kakuzu immediately leapt back, narrowly dodging the lethal strike. His eyes locked onto Kirito's weapons, mentally analyzing.
The long white sword in his right hand possesses overwhelming frontal power and seems to release ice-style chakra with every swing. The left-hand blade, though less powerful in direct combat, can act as long-range support and split into thousands of micro-blades capable of swarming and ripping through targets. A dual-style swordsman, each hand built for different applications. Dangerous.
As Kakuzu retreated through the forest, his tendrils extended like primate limbs, allowing him to swing through the canopy with agility. Although Kirito wasn't any slower in raw speed, his pursuit couldn't keep up due to Kakuzu's enhanced mobility.
"Tch… If I can't match your movements in the trees, then I'll just take away your footing altogether!"
Kirito stopped running.
He reversed his grip on Sode no Shirayuki, stabbing it straight into the ground. Instantly, a flood of freezing chakra surged outward in all directions, covering the nearby forest floor and tree trunks with layers of frost and snow.
"Shirafubuki," Kirito muttered. (TL/N: Maybe a Skill not canon from Bleach)
"Huh?"
Kakuzu suddenly felt something was off, his tendrils were slowing. The moment they touched tree branches for leverage, they became slick and rigid, frozen mid-swing.
Quick to react, Kakuzu immediately cut chakra output to the frozen sections and yanked hard, tearing off the immobilized parts to free himself.
But in that instant of delay, Kirito was already there.
Though he couldn't lift Sode no Shirayuki while it channeled frost into the ground, Kirito raised his left hand.
Once more, cherry blossoms danced through the air, and five glowing blades formed from Senbonzakura.
He launched them with precise aim, pinning down five of Kakuzu's tendrils, including the ones sprouting from his limbs and mouth.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
All five impaled exactly as intended, locking Kakuzu in place.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed.
Kirito was now pointing that silver weapon at him again, Desert Eagle in hand.
This was the perfect moment. With Kakuzu immobile, this was the prime opportunity for a clean shot.
"Hmph. That tiny weapon of yours certainly has its uses. It's fast and strong, but as a main offensive tool? You're overestimating it."
Kakuzu didn't flinch. He feared the snowy white sword far more than the handgun. If Kirito landed a clean hit with Sode no Shirayuki, even he would be in real trouble.
Kirito said nothing, but agreed in silence.
In this world, the Desert Eagle was considered an assassination tool. Its large-caliber bullets didn't just pierce, they shattered. A direct hit would tear through muscle, organs, and bone. Against normal people, a single shot meant death or permanent crippling.
But ninja were different. Especially high-level ones. Their bodies were tougher, trained to withstand injury. Even though Kakuzu wasn't a taijutsu fighter, his body had been modified through forbidden jutsu, especially the Earth Grudge Fear, which wove his insides with toughened black threads acting as both nerves and armor.
A basic bullet wouldn't cut it. Kirito had to amplify the power.
He raised his right arm and aimed.
But he didn't shoot.
Kakuzu tensed, waiting for the moment to strike back.
Come on… the first shot won't kill me. I'll block it, then strike when he reloads-
"Trace On."
Kirito whispered.
Invisible circuits extended from his arm, unseen to the eye but very real, linking him with the gun.
"Analyzing composition…"
"Reinforcing structure…"
The Desert Eagle's frame shimmered, its steel turned pristine silver, glinting with faint arcane light.
BANG!
The shot rang out.
Kakuzu's eyes widened. He immediately sensed it, this bullet was different. Faster. More refined. Deadlier.
Just in time, he raised his arm, using Earth Style: Hardening to reinforce his hand.
BOOM!
The round exploded against his arm, shattering the hardened layer. The bullet tore through his hand and burrowed through the web of reinforced tendrils inside, finally exiting through the back.
SCHLICK!
Blood splattered.
A long cut traced across Kakuzu's cheek.
His forehead protector slipped off, revealing a searing groove where the bullet had nearly blown a chunk out of his skull.
<><>---------------------------------------
45 Advanced Chapters on p(a)treon
p(a)treon.com/Aaltairr
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters