Kusanagi Sword

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Kusanagi Sword (草雉剑)
Alias(es)	Legendary blade; Kusanagi Sword series
Affiliation	Kusanagi clan
Occupation/Role	Lineage of legendary ninja swords forged by the Kusanagi family
Status	Extant; several individual swords remain in circulation 279 358 466
First Appearance	Chapter 65

Classification

Kusanagi Sword is not the name of one weapon, but a designation for a series of exceptional blades forged by the Kusanagi family. Only the finest products of the clan could bear the name. Orochimaru and the sword later given to Sasuke are identified as Kusanagi Swords. 65

Kusanagi Swords are regarded as legendary blades, a category above Supreme Grade Blades. In the Land of Iron’s hierarchy, ordinary blades are ranked as Grade, Good Grade, Great Grade, and Supreme Grade; legendary blades surpass the limits of conventional craftsmanship. 108

Recorded characteristic	Details
Living will	Kusayama Ichiro states that legendary blades differ from top-grade weapons through the will within them; unlike ordinary swords, they are effectively “alive” and can exhibit powers beyond their material limits. 108
Chakra-conducting composition	Kusanagi Swords contain conductive metal, a key foundation for legendary-sword forging. 150
Superior durability and edge	Fukai’s ninja sword was chipped after clashing with a Kusanagi Sword, while the Kusanagi blade remained intact. 108
Individualized effects	The clan’s recorded swords possess different abilities rather than a single shared power. 108

Known Kusanagi Swords

Sword / type	Known properties	Known users or custodians
Orochimaru’s straight-bladed Kusanagi Sword	A straight blade used in close combat; one such sword can rapidly extend for long-range thrusts. 108 138	Orochimaru; later seized by Tamura Hiroshi. 108 137
Lightning Blade	A Kusanagi Sword with exceptional sharpness. It cut through Tamura Hiroshi’s Sage Jutsu Curse Mark scales and wounded him despite their protection. 151	Uchiha Hikari; later modified with a slight curve and given to Hatake Sakumo as an unfinished weapon. 125 153 279
Double-bladed Kusanagi Sword	Its blade can instantly extend up to one hundred meters; its straight-sword construction suits thrusting attacks. 108	Unknown
Extreme-sharpness Kusanagi Sword	Recorded as capable of cutting through anything. 108	Unknown
Sword of Totsuka	Also called the Ten-Tails Sword; described as the strongest Kusanagi Sword in one account. Its physical form is a sake gourd, while a later spiritual manifestation can instantly seal targets. 65 414	Associated with Uchiha Itachi’s Susanoo in later records. 65 414
Sasuke’s Kusanagi Sword	A Kusanagi Sword given to Uchiha Sasuke by Orochimaru. 358	Uchiha Sasuke

Abilities & Traits

Exceptional Sharpness and Hardness

Kusanagi Swords can outperform high-quality ninja tools and Supreme Grade Blades in direct clashes.

• Fukai’s blade sustained visible nicks when it met Orochimaru’s Kusanagi Sword. 108
• The Lightning Blade cut through Snake Scale protection and wounded Tamura Hiroshi in a near-instantaneous strike. 151
• Tamura Hiroshi considered his newly forged Masamune necessary before challenging Uchiha Hikari, since Big Meow and Small Meow were inferior to her Kusanagi Sword. 151

Chakra Conductivity

The series incorporates chakra-conducting metal, allowing chakra to flow through the blade and support chakra-based sword techniques. 150

• Hatake Sakumo praised the modified Lightning Blade for the smooth, fluid feeling when he infused it with chakra. 279
• Individual swords may be optimized for particular combat styles or chakra applications rather than sharing identical effects. 108 150

Variable Special Powers

The Kusanagi clan’s records describe nine Kusanagi Swords with differing effects. 108

• Extension — at least one blade can extend to one hundred meters for long-range piercing. 108
• Absolute cutting — one recorded blade possesses extreme sharpness capable of cutting anything. 108
• Sealing — the Sword of Totsuka can seal a target instantly in its spiritual form. 414

Empty Sword Style

The Kusanagi clan possessed a sword-control technique called Empty Sword Style.

• It launches or controls a sword at high speed to pierce an opponent. 108
• Orochimaru used the technique in the future Konoha Crush Plan; records state it could have killed Hiruzen Sarutobi if the Death God’s interference had not disrupted it. 108

History

The Kusanagi clan’s surviving records identify nine Kusanagi Swords, including Orochimaru’s two blades and the Sword of Totsuka. The records preserve weapon histories and the Empty Sword Style, but not the clan’s sword-forging method. 108

During the ambush on Orochimaru, Tamura Hiroshi’s group forced Orochimaru to reveal a straight-bladed Kusanagi Sword after his normal defenses proved insufficient. Uchiha Hikari’s genjutsu created the opening for the group to dismember Orochimaru and seize his two Kusanagi Swords. 108

Tamura brought the captured swords to Kusayama Ichiro for study. Ichiro spent a year researching them, but could only understand their superficial mysteries; his research nevertheless informed Tamura’s later attempts to forge legendary swords. 108 110

Uchiha Hikari claimed the straight-bladed Kusanagi Sword for herself, favoring its reach and form over her previous Lightning Blade. 108 She subsequently wielded the Lightning Blade against Tamura Hiroshi, but abandoned it after receiving a custom sword containing the spirit of her own Dark Side. 125 151 153

Tamura later altered the Lightning Blade from a straight sword into a slightly curved blade better suited to Hatake Sakumo’s chopping-oriented swordsmanship. The weapon still required a compatible sword spirit before it could achieve Unity of Man and Sword. 279

A later encounter outside Kirigakure ended with Tamura defeating Orochimaru again and obtaining two Kusanagi Swords alongside Manda’s remains. 466

Relationships

• Kusanagi clan — Original forging family; the Kusanagi Sword designation derives from its lineage. 65 108
• Orochimaru — A Kusanagi clan descendant who possessed multiple Kusanagi Swords and sought the Sword of Totsuka. 108
• Tamura Hiroshi — Seized Kusanagi Swords from Orochimaru, had them researched by Kusayama Ichiro, and used one in battle. 108 110 137
• Kusayama Ichiro — Researched two captured Kusanagi Swords for a year and identified their will as the source of their legendary nature. 108 110
• Uchiha Hikari — Wielded the Lightning Blade and later claimed a straight-bladed Kusanagi Sword from Orochimaru’s collection. 125 151
• Hatake Sakumo — Received the modified Lightning Blade from Tamura Hiroshi. 279
• Uchiha Sasuke — Received a Kusanagi Sword from Orochimaru. 358

Trivia

• The Kusanagi family records list nine Kusanagi Swords, each with separate effects. 108
• Kusanagi Swords are considered superior to Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swords as weapons, despite the latter’s specialized ninja-tool functions. 412
• Kusayama Ichiro’s research suggests that legendary blades use materials comparable to the highest-grade conventional swords; the decisive difference is the compatible will contained within the blade. 108