Chapter 84: Who Says Infiltration Has to Be Stealthy?
The atmosphere on the ship froze instantly.
Not only that, but a faint smell of blood seemed to seep through the thick fog surrounding them.
A chilling killing intent surged with the ocean current, waves crashing violently against the hull and splashing water droplets everywhere.
The seemingly honest, dark-skinned, short middle-aged sailor curled his lips into a cruel sneer: "Uchiha Kazuki, you've got some nerve—not even bothering to disguise yourself, just openly walking into our Hidden Mist Village territory. Do you really think we're blind?"
"Huh?"
Uchiha Kazuki seemed surprised, raising an eyebrow: "I didn't expect I'd become so famous. Even lowly grunts from Kirigakure know my name."
Lowly... grunts?
A vein bulged prominently on the man's forehead, his dark face contorting as muscles twitched. He gritted his teeth: "Don't you dare underestimate me! I'm not some nobody!"
Being treated with such blatant disrespect ignited a surge of murderous rage, even for a seasoned shinobi.
"When you arrive in hell, make sure you remember my name!"
Biting his index finger and smearing blood across a summoning seal, the man called forth a strangely shaped greatsword. He sneered: "One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of Shibuki the Explosive Blade—Murasaki Genji!"
He swung the peculiar greatsword—which resembled a massive door panel covered in scroll segments—in a half-circle arc, using centrifugal force to swing it horizontally with devastating momentum.
Whoosh!
With a heavy whooshing sound, the greatsword moved with overwhelming force, its power immense enough to split the very air.
It seemed poised to cleave the man before him clean in two, creating a violent shockwave that rippled across the deck.
Just as the thick blade was about to strike, Uchiha Kazuki remained completely calm. With lightning speed, he reached out from his loose sleeve, two fingers gently pinching together as if plucking a delicate flower—a slow, deliberate, yet perfectly timed movement.
Clang!
The thick blade was effortlessly caught between two fingers.
Murasaki Genji's pupils constricted sharply, completely unprepared for this outcome. His all-out attack had been so easily intercepted.
He defiantly resisted, veins bulging along his arms as he strained with all his might.
But alas, the thick blade of Shibuki seemed to have encountered an impenetrable wall, held firmly by those two fingers, utterly immovable.
"You're asking for death!"
Murasaki Genji's expression hardened, his eyes flashing with ferocity: "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you blocked one strike. My Shibuki isn't so easily handled!"
Suddenly, countless explosive tags spread from the scroll-covered surface of the massive blade.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion shattered the deck into splinters.
Countless fragments flew through the air, and amidst the raging flames, a tremendous shockwave surged across the water.
Murasaki Genji leaped backward, landing gracefully on the water's surface. His feet created ripples as he stood on the churning waves. Gazing at the deck now completely engulfed in flames, he couldn't help but burst into arrogant laughter: "Hahahaha! Uchiha Kazuki? He's nothing special after all! I took care of him so easily!"
Being hit point-blank by explosive tags at such close range meant virtually no chance of survival.
After all, shinobi were generally high-attack, low-defense combatants.
Even the strongest ninja couldn't possibly withstand the explosive power of dozens of explosive tags detonating simultaneously at point-blank range!
At least, he'd never witnessed anything like it.
"Hmph, that Iwagakure contact was right—Uchiha Kazuki really wasn't anything special."
Standing confidently on the turbulent sea while carrying Shibuki, Murasaki Genji felt increasingly disdainful: "Konoha has clearly fallen from grace. The Uchiha are only this weak now. I should suggest to the Mizukage that we revise our invasion plans when I return."
Just as he was about to depart, a figure slowly emerged from the thick fog and rising flames.
"So, you've already formed an alliance with Iwagakure."
Uchiha Kazuki stepped out of the smoke, his clothes completely spotless without a single speck of dust or soot. He adjusted his glasses calmly: "Looks like my luck is exceptionally good today. We haven't even reached Kirigakure proper yet, and the mission is already halfway complete."
"No... this is impossible!"
Murasaki Genji stared at the scene before him, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief: "You were clearly hit directly by Shibuki's explosive barrage! Why... why are you completely unharmed?!"
"Want to know the answer?"
Uchiha Kazuki suppressed a smile, a hint of mockery gleaming in his eyes.
For some inexplicable reason, Murasaki Genji's heart began racing violently. A sudden sense of overwhelming dread washed over him like a tidal wave.
The unease intensified exponentially—a primal feeling of his life hanging by the thinnest thread—causing cold sweat to pour down his face and soak his clothes completely.
"Don't try to fool me with tricks!"
Unable to withstand the oppressive pressure any longer, Murasaki Genji roared and charged forward recklessly: "You must have used genjutsu! That's right—the intelligence reports mentioned your specialty is genjutsu!"
The explosive blade came crashing down with immense force, like a mountain falling from the heavens.
To ensure a fatal blow this time, he expended a massive amount of chakra, summoning the maximum possible number of explosive tags.
Both sides of the thick black blade became covered with densely packed explosive tags arranged in overlapping layers. As one spark ignited the chain reaction, the entire blade became wreathed in flames, carrying a deadly and incredibly dangerous aura.
"Explosive Blade Secret Technique: Bursting Cremation!"
The thick blade descended—but just inches away from contact, it was blocked by a layer of chakra rising like flames around Uchiha Kazuki's body.
BOOM!!!
An explosion even more violent than the previous one engulfed an area spanning tens of meters in every direction.
Giant waves nearly ten meters high surged from the sea surface. The terrifying flames of the massive explosion evaporated vast quantities of water into steam like a demonic force. The visible, raging shockwave pushed seawater outward from the two combatants, forming a massive semi-circular depression in the ocean itself.
The surging waves roared like the furious bellow of an enraged sea god.
Murasaki Genji was also thrown backward by the tremendous shockwave, skipping across the water's surface and leaving a clear trail. Panting heavily, he wiped the nervous sweat from his brow, his eyes fixed intently on the center of the explosion: "Damn it... he absolutely has to be dead this time, right?"
However, from the waves still surging outward from the explosion's epicenter, Uchiha Kazuki emerged once again—completely unscathed.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Murasaki Genji's pupils dilated violently to their absolute limit, his face twisted in pure horror. He screamed desperately: "Uchiha Kazuki, what did you do to me?! What kind of genjutsu is this?!"
Yes—he firmly believed everything happening before his eyes was an elaborate genjutsu.
Otherwise, how could one possibly explain that Shibuki's explosive barrage clearly made direct contact, yet the opponent remained completely unharmed without even a scratch?
"Unfortunately for you, this is reality."
Uchiha Kazuki spoke calmly, his tone almost bored: "Dealing with a small fry like you isn't even worth activating my genjutsu techniques."
As he spoke, the chakra burning around his body intensified dramatically.
Invisible energy drew in the surrounding atmosphere with tremendous force, creating towering waves that rose like mountains.
WHOOOOSH!
A massive tidal surge erupted from the sea within a radius of several dozen meters around him.
The raging waves roared and thundered with deafening intensity, creating a sound like the wrath of nature itself.
"Aren't you curious?"
Three tomoe spun rapidly in Uchiha Kazuki's blood-red Sharingan eyes, then merged together into a completely new pattern: "How exactly did I remain completely unscathed from your explosive blade's barrage?"
A bone-deep chill ran down Murasaki Genji's spine, as if he had suddenly fallen into an ice-filled abyss. His entire body felt frozen solid despite the warm ocean air.
"Normally, I wouldn't even need to reveal this technique to deal with someone like you."
Uchiha Kazuki clenched his fist suddenly, his surging chakra erupting like a volcanic torrent. His overwhelming aura exploded outward like a collapsing mountain: "But for the first time in a long while, I'm operating completely alone... so I'll indulge myself just a little bit."
BOOM!!!
The burning chakra flames suddenly solidified into physical form.
A pale golden skeletal structure began rapidly growing tendons and flesh, then donned tough armor plating—transforming into a massive humanoid warrior standing upon the ocean's surface like an ancient god from mythology itself.
Uchiha Kazuki stood within the giant warrior's translucent body, blood flowing freely from his eyes as the Mangekyō Sharingan's four-pointed pinwheel pattern rotated hypnotically.
The colossal armored giant raised one massive hand, chakra concentrating into the shape of an enormous ethereal blade.
"This technique is called Susanoo."
Uchiha Kazuki's voice echoed with divine authority as the giant warrior's blade descended like the judgment of heaven itself.
"Now then—shall we continue this little test of yours?"
[End of Chapter 84]
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