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Chapter 61: Scatter, Senbonzakura—The Sea of Blades
The cold glint of the blade dissolved into the wind, transforming into a cascade of falling petals.
An invisible wave of energy erupted from beneath Yuichi's feet. In an instant, the scattered petals were swept up by the gale, scattering across the entire dueling arena.
At this moment, eyes widened in shock. The onlookers stared intently, their gazes fixed on the scene unfolding before them.
Of the long sword tightly gripped in Yuichi's slender fingers, only the hilt remained. The blade itself had vanished, blown away by the wind.
Was his weapon so fragile? Or were they hallucinating? How could a fine blade suddenly disintegrate into flower petals and disperse?
Whether from the World of Ninja or the World of Pirates, countless gazes fixed upon the giant screens were filled with astonishment.
In the next second, pink cherry blossom petals fluttered down, covering the entire arena. The sky was filled with dancing flowers, lending a bleak, melancholic beauty to the tense battlefield.
The wind seemed to grow colder.
For the three Sannin—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru—seeing a sword turn into petals and drift away was an unimaginable sight.
"What did he do?" Jiraiya couldn't suppress the shock in his heart, shouting out in surprise.
"Genjutsu?" Tsunade offered an uncertain judgment.
Orochimaru, standing to the side, squinted at Yuichi. "How could he use Genjutsu without Chakra?"
The visible shock on their faces gave Fleet Admiral Sengoku a sense of grim satisfaction. Finally, it's your turn to be surprised, Ninja..
Whitebeard looked at the smiling Yuichi in the field. "The blade turned into flower petals? Is this a Devil Fruit ability?"
It was no secret that weapons could "eat" Devil Fruits. Could Yuichi's weapon have consumed one? But even if a weapon ate a Devil Fruit, one usually chose something useful. To become a flower? What use was that? Was it to confuse the enemy, or block their line of sight?
Ssst!
Suddenly, a line of blood bloomed on Jiraiya's forehead.
A tiny cut appeared on his face as a cherry blossom petal drifted past. A drop of blood slid down from the corner of his eye.
Drip!
The blood hit the ground. Jiraiya stared at the red spot on the floor, his pupils contracting and dilating rapidly. After a moment, realization struck him.
He looked up.
He stared coldly at the cherry blossom petals suspended in the sky, and then at the smiling Yuichi. Seeing that smile now, Jiraiya felt a terrifying chill rise from the soles of his feet, shooting straight up his spine to his scalp. His entire body trembled violently.
More and more flowers gathered before them. The trajectory of these petals clearly defied the wind.
Clang! Clang!
The fragments of the blade collided continuously, erupting with an astonishing roar. In the blink of an eye, a storm of blades swept toward the Sannin's position with a deafening crash.
To the eyes of others, this looked like nothing more than a vortex of flowers. Attacking with petals? What kind of joke was that?
Boom! Buzz!
When the storm of blades struck the ground at the Sannin's feet, the three legendary ninjas quickly retreated.
The ground shook slightly, and as the blade fragments scattered, they left deep gouges in the earth. Dense scratches covered the floor all around, as if the area had been slashed by thousands of swords in an instant.
Tsunade looked at the marks left on the ground. "This... what kind of flower is this?"
"It's not a flower at all!" Jiraiya's voice rang out grimly.
Not a flower?
The ninjas in the Hidden Leaf Village were stunned, staring at the petals covering the dueling field on the screen. How could petals possess such power? And why did Master Jiraiya say they weren't flowers? What were they?
"These things that look like petals... are all pieces of a blade!"
Jiraiya looked up, wiping the blood from his brow. He looked at the red stain on his fingertips. "Every single piece is an extremely sharp blade... They are all... that guy's sword..."
What?
Now, even Orochimaru couldn't maintain his composure. His eyes widened as he looked at the scattered pink clouds not far away.
"These... are his sword?"
How could such a technique exist?
These beautiful petals completely blanketed the arena. Just a second ago, the scattered flowers were intoxicating to behold. But now, they realized that beneath this beautiful scenery lay a terrifying, hidden murderous intent.
Jiraiya's words made countless ninjas gasp.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered, "In other words, the sea of flowers before them is actually a sea of blades?"
This description made people understand clearly what the Sannin were facing.
In the audience, the Fourth Raikage and Terumi Mei couldn't remain calm. Three people trapped in a sea of blades! How could they block an attack like this?
Boom!
Suddenly, another storm of cherry blossoms swept through.
"Back, quickly!"
The three Sannin scattered in three different directions.
Seeing them retreat, Yuichi's smile grew brighter.
Idiots.
Against the ability of Senbonzakura, the more distance you created, the more blade fragments would attack you. The farther you were from the "Safe Zone," the more dangerous it became!
Boom! Boom!
In an instant, two storms of blades pursued Jiraiya and Orochimaru respectively. Significantly fewer cherry blossoms fell toward Tsunade's side. In the Shikai state of Senbonzakura, the number of blade fragments was relatively limited.
But it didn't matter. As long as the Sannin before him were defeated, the number of fragments released by Senbonzakura could be doubled.
[Mission: Defeat Konoha's Sannin]
[Quest Reward: Double the number of blades of Senbonzakura Shikai]
A new task posted by the Character Template System. Doubling the blades would greatly strengthen Yuichi's combat effectiveness.
Two roaring sounds echoed across the field.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru rushed out of the Senbonzakura siege. Their clothes were tattered, and their bodies were covered in small cuts. Although no serious injuries had been inflicted yet, being surrounded by Senbonzakura made them feel as if they were trapped in a meat grinder.
The pain of skin being constantly torn was like thousands of ants biting their bodies simultaneously. It was not a pleasant sensation.
Seeing the state of Jiraiya and Orochimaru, no one doubted Jiraiya's words anymore.
"These beautiful cherry blossoms really are blades!"
Bang! Bang!
Yuichi stood motionless, but the blades in the distance swept like two spirit snakes, constantly chasing and biting at Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Every impact caused damage. Although a single hit wasn't fatal, if this continued, Jiraiya and Orochimaru wouldn't last long.
Jiraiya frowned at the shards he couldn't shake off. "There are too many... the speed is incredible. There's no way to avoid them completely!"
Rip!
Jiraiya's right hand was entangled by Senbonzakura. His sleeve shattered instantly, and his arm was covered in tiny wounds.
Meanwhile, Tsunade, who had only dodged a few stray petals, carefully observed her surroundings.
"The number of these blade fragments is limited. This guy is attacking Orochimaru and Jiraiya at the same time. There are no fragments left to manipulate toward me!"
Her eyes flickered. Tsunade saw her opening.
In an instant, she accelerated, rushing straight toward Yuichi from the right.
Although this ability is strong, you are still only one person!
The sound of breaking wind heralded her approach as Tsunade flew straight at Yuichi.
At that moment, Jiraiya, who was dodging Senbonzakura's attack, shouted, "Wait... Tsunade...!"
The observing ninjas were excited. They had also noticed that there were no blade fragments on Lady Tsunade's side. She could easily pass through the net of knives and hit Yuichi directly.
Yuichi glanced back at Tsunade, who was charging straight at him. The smile on his face deepened.
Seeing that smile, Tsunade froze for a moment. Is this guy still laughing? Does he think I can't hurt him? Humph! If he underestimates me, let him taste the power of my Chakra Enhanced Strength!
"You're too slow."
Suddenly, when Tsunade was only three meters away, she heard Yuichi's voice.
What does he mean?
Gently waving the hilt of the sword in his hand, Yuichi pointed at Tsunade.
"Your speed, compared to Senbonzakura... is too slow!"
Boom!
The moment Yuichi swung the hilt, the Senbonzakura fragments—those petal-like blades scattered all around—accelerated instantly. They gathered toward Yuichi with blinding speed.
Almost within a single breath, they congregated behind Tsunade.
The suddenly accelerating cherry blossoms finally looked like blade fragments in that split second. The abrupt change in velocity caught everyone off guard. Senbonzakura's attack speed was already fast—neither Jiraiya nor Orochimaru could dodge it completely—but now, it had surged even faster.
When the high-speed Senbonzakura gathered behind Tsunade, Yuichi looked at her indifferently.
The hilt in his hand slashed down gently. There was no blade attached to it.
But in the next second, countless Senbonzakura fragments tore into Tsunade's back frantically.
A scarlet light bloomed, accompanied by a shower of petals.
BOOM!
Explosions of blood spilled over the patches of Senbonzakura. Devoured by the blades, Tsunade fell heavily to the ground, completely submerged.
"Tsunade...!"
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!!"
Swish! Swish!
A mass of white hair shot out from the impact zone, knocking away the Senbonzakura and entangling the swallowed Tsunade, pulling her out from the swarm of blades.
Jiraiya caught Tsunade. He looked down.
The woman in his arms was covered in blood, with countless wounds on her body.
"Tsunade..."
On her back, deep, bone-exposing scars spilled copious amounts of blood. Tsunade had passed out.
A beam of light descended from the sky, wrapping around Tsunade's body and transporting her out of the field.
[Konoha Sannin Tsunade loses consciousness]
[Eliminated]
In less than a minute after the start of the battle, an enemy had been resolved.
With such terrifying fighting power, was he really just a candidate for Admiral? Countless people in the World of Pirates were completely shocked by Yuichi's efficient bait-and-kill tactic.
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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