The terrifying shock force caused the ground to fracture nonstop.
Crack! Crack!
Every bone in Senjin's body let out horrifying sounds, as if they were about to shatter. In sheer terror, Senjin unleashed all his remaining strength, desperately using the Kusanagi Sword to drill deeper underground.
At last, the shock force subsided.
But Senjin couldn't help coughing up a mouthful of blood—mixed with fragments of internal organs.
His face was filled with uncontainable shock.
He had never imagined that Yuya's attack would be this horrifying the moment he went all out!
Compared to Void Shatter: Consecutive Flash, Senjin's secret techniques were simply not on the same level. The difference in power was like heaven and earth.
Above Ground
Even Yuya himself was impressed by the destructive power of five overlapping Void Shatters.
His body trembled slightly—one of the minor side effects of rapidly releasing shock force in succession. However, with the first stage of the Lightning Release Body-Forging Technique nearly complete, Yuya endured it effortlessly.
Noticing that Senjin had vanished and that a deep pit had formed in the ground, Yuya's lips curled into a faint smile.
This again… trying to hide underground?
As the trembling faded, Yuya suddenly lifted his leg and stomped down hard.
"Shock Release: Earth Tremor Technique!"
BOOM!!
Yuya's current shock force was unimaginably powerful—worlds apart from when he had fought Uchiha Han in the past.
The stomp landed like a meteor falling from the sky.
The earth split open instantly.
Countless terrifying cracks spread outward from beneath Yuya's foot, racing into the distance.
At the same time, the entire ground began to quake violently.
Far away, Konan and Yahiko—still in training—had previously heard some distant rumbles and hadn't paid much attention.
But now, feeling the earth itself shaking beneath them, both of their expressions changed in shock.
What's happening?!
Underground
Senjin swallowed a secret medicine meant to temporarily suppress his injuries, preparing to retreat from another direction and abandon the mission to assassinate Yuya.
Yuya was simply too strong.
In direct combat, there was no way Senjin could kill him. If Yuya were to be slain, it would have to be through a surprise assassination.
But before he could figure out his next move—
A terrifying shock force roared down, causing the earth itself to surge like molten lava!
"Not good!!"
Senjin's expression changed drastically. In panic, he swung the Kusanagi Sword at extreme speed.
"Secret Technique: Falling Leaves Dance!"
His body spun like an autumn wind sweeping through fallen leaves—those on the ground and those still drifting through the air.
Sword energy erupted in all directions, continuously slicing apart the surging soil and rock.
This technique was somewhat similar to the Hyūga Clan's Rotation, a rotating defensive form of Kusanagi Sword Technique.
When Orochimaru obtained the Kusanagi Sword, he was already a Kage-level shinobi. He didn't rely on the sword to develop techniques, instead using it to complement his own abilities.
Senjin was different.
He relied entirely on the Kusanagi Sword—almost all of his techniques were developed around it.
Though he barely managed to block Yuya's attack, Senjin was still in terrible shape. Already severely injured, using such a secret technique placed an enormous burden on him.
"So… he even has a move like this. Looks like there's no escaping after all."
At this moment, Senjin's gaze calmed instead.
Cold light flickered in his eyes.
Then there's only one choice left… a final counterattack!
The Kusanagi Sword Strikes Back
In the next instant, Senjin gripped the Kusanagi Sword with both hands and poured chakra into it.
A white edge appeared along the blade—
Then, in the blink of an eye, the sword extended!
It pierced straight through the layers of earth and stone above.
Above ground, Yuya was just about to stomp again when—
A sword blade suddenly burst up from beneath his foot!
Seeing this, Yuya showed no surprise at all.
Instead, his lips curved slightly.
"So you finally used this move."
With a small sidestep, he avoided the strike—and calmly placed his hand on the blade.
The Kusanagi Sword was, in essence, a tachi.
A single-edged blade.
In the shinobi world, however, all such weapons were loosely referred to as "swords."
Yuya's hand rested gently on the back of the blade.
Humm—!
Shock force erupted instantly from his palm, traveling straight along the length of the Kusanagi Sword.
The extended blade vibrated violently—
Yet under Yuya's shock force, it showed no sign of breaking!
BOOM!!
The shock traveled through the blade, pulverizing the surrounding earth and rock—
And finally surged directly into Senjin's hands.
"Not good!!"
Senjin reacted quickly, releasing his grip at once.
Even so, the shock force exploded around him, causing him to spit out another mouthful of blood.
Whoosh!
With no one controlling it, the Kusanagi Sword rapidly retracted.
Since Yuya was holding the other end, the blade shrank straight into his grasp.
"The Kusanagi Sword… is finally mine."
Yuya looked at the sword in his hand, smiling faintly.
The Kusanagi Sword trembled lightly, letting out a clear, ringing hum.
This wasn't Yuya's shock force—
It was the sword itself reacting.
Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Samehada was the most unusual, almost alive.
The Kusanagi Sword was similar.
However, ordinary people could not sense its will.
Only one group could—
The Kusanagi Clan, who had forged the sword.
The Truth Revealed
Enduring his injuries, Senjin forced himself back to the surface and immediately raised his hand, trying to summon the Kusanagi Sword back to him.
But the sword remained in Yuya's grip.
It trembled faintly—
Yet showed no response at all.
Senjin froze.
Even if suppressed, the Kusanagi Sword should have answered his call.
But now—
Nothing.
That meant only one thing.
In that brief instant, the sword had completely changed owners.
The answer was obvious.
"No… impossible!!"
"You're a surviving member of the Kusanagi Clan?!"
"That clan wasn't completely wiped out?!"
Senjin finally shouted in disbelief, staring at Yuya.
Yes.
Yuya came from a small shinobi village.
That village had been founded by the Kusanagi Clan—the very people who forged the Kusanagi Sword.
Yuya's true name should have been Kusanagi Yoru.
But since his name in his previous life had been Yuya, he continued to use it.
The ones who destroyed that small village—
Were Sunagakure shinobi.
And Senjin himself had been one of them.
When Konohagakure received the news, it naturally couldn't allow the Kusanagi Sword to fall into Sunagakure's hands. They immediately dispatched forces—but they arrived too late.
The Sunagakure shinobi had already withdrawn.
Konoha ultimately saved only one survivor—
Yuya.
That was how he came to Konoha.
The Kusanagi Sword had always belonged to the Kusanagi Clan.
In canon, even after Orochimaru was sealed by the Reaper Death Seal, unable to use chakra, he could still command the Kusanagi Sword with his mind alone.
For Yuya, this was even more natural—
He didn't need to consciously try at all.
And the strange sensation Yuya felt when Senjin approached—
The reason he could sense him from afar—
Was precisely because of the Kusanagi Sword.
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