Scatter, Senbonzakura

"The Anbu are outside; I'm leaving."

As soon as the words fell, Uchiha Ryūha utilized Flash Step, vanishing from the courtyard in a few blurs.

Hatake Sakumo rose and walked toward the gate.

Having rediscovered his "Way of the Ninja," he was now devoid of fear.

"Lord Sakumo, why did you just..."

The Anbu ninja stopped mid-sentence, sensing the Chakra surging from Hatake Sakumo's short blade, and immediately turned to leave.

It was clear that this former White Fang of the Leaf had, for some unknown reason, stood back up.

"Hatake Sakumo, do not leave your residence for the time being. Await a summons from the Hokage."

This news had to be reported to the Hokage immediately!

It was three in the morning by the time Uchiha Ryūha returned to his home in the Uchiha compound.

When they parted ways, Hatake Sakumo hadn't spoken, merely patting Ryūha's shoulder with great force.

The weight of that touch carried a heavy promise.

Everything had settled.

Ryūha closed the door, leaned his back against it, and let out a long breath.

His taut nerves finally began to relax.

Yet, he did not rest.

On the contrary, an unprecedented sense of excitement surged through his veins along with his blood.

Ten thousand Karma Points!

An SSR Selection Ticket!

He strode to the center of the room and sat cross-legged.

"System, open inventory."

[Acknowledged.]

A card shimmering with seven-colored light floated silently in his consciousness, like a star waiting to be plucked.

Ryūha's gaze fixed upon it, his heart rate quickening.

What should he choose?

He had pondered this question countless times on the way back.

Offense, defense, sustainability, special abilities... there were top-tier options in every category.

But in the end, one name solidified in his mind.

Not the flames of Ryūjin Jakka that could destroy everything, nor the ultimate piercing power of Shinso.

It was—

"Senbonzakura."

He whispered the name.

[Confirm selection: Zanpakuto - Senbonzakura (including Shikai and Bankai forms)?]

"Confirm."

The moment the words left his lips—

Hum!!!

Within his consciousness, the seven-colored ticket suddenly erupted in a dazzling pink-white light.

Amidst the radiance, countless phantom cherry blossom petals appeared out of thin air, swirling and dancing to form a massive vortex.

At the center of the vortex, a slender Zanpakuto slowly condensed into form—the blade was mirror-like, the guard was shaped like a hand-guard, and the hilt was adorned with a pink tassel.

Simultaneously, all information regarding this Zanpakuto flooded into Ryūha's mind like a tidal wave.

Senbonzakura.

Kuchiki Byakuya's Zanpakuto.

Shikai command: "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Ability: Decomposes the blade into countless invisible, tiny blades, manipulating them for both offense and defense.

The number of blades and the precision of control increase with the user's Reiatsu.

When the blades dance, they resemble falling cherry blossoms—beautiful yet lethal.

Bankai: "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Divided into three stages:

"Gokei": The billions of blades of Senbonzakura gather into long swords, surrounding the enemy to perform dense, omnidirectional cutting.

Senkei: Arranges the blades of Senbonzakura into a specific formation, creating a domain of blades.

Within this domain, the attack trajectory and power of the blades are significantly enhanced.

Shukei: Hakuteiken: Condenses the power of all blades into a single, massive sword of light, unleashing a final strike with power comparable to a nuclear explosion!

The stream of information came to an abrupt halt.

The light receded.

A brand-new card appeared in Liuyu's inventory.

[SSR]

[Status: Bound]

[Shikai Ability: Fully Unlocked (Base blade count: 1,000, can increase with Reiatsu)]

[Bankai Ability: Pre-loaded]

[Bankai Unlock Condition: Reiatsu must reach Lieutenant level (Met, barely able to drive)]

[Bankai Restriction: At current Reiatsu level, Bankai state can be maintained for a maximum of 30 seconds.

Exceeding the time limit will consume extreme mental energy, potentially leading to unconsciousness.

Requires at least 24 hours to recover after use.]

[Compatibility: 1% (Initial)]

[Note: Senbonzakura is a high-control Zanpakuto, requiring powerful mental energy and precise control to unleash its true power.

The host's Kyōka Suigetsu has excellent synergy with this blade; the rate of compatibility increase will be accelerated.]

Liuyu opened his eyes.

Inside the room, moonlight spilled in through the window, spreading a sheet of silver-white across the floor.

He looked down at the ninja sword at his waist—it was standard Uchiha issue, forged from ordinary steel, nothing special other than being sturdy.

But now...

Liuyu reached out and gripped the hilt.

The touch was ice-cold.

He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into his body, feeling that power which was of the same origin as Kyōka Suigetsu, yet distinctly different.

Sharper, and... more magnificent.

"Scatter..."

He chanted in a low voice, his tone as light as a lament.

"Senbonzakura."

Clang—!

A faint, crisp sound, as if glass were shattering.

The ninja sword at his waist began to decompose silently, starting from the tip.

The blade transformed into billions of silver blades, thinner than a strand of hair and nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Under the moonlight, these blades reflected a faint, cherry-blossom-like pinkish-white halo.

Like cherry blossom petals scattered by the wind, they drifted lightly into the air.

They circled around Liuyu, rotating slowly.

There was no sound or disturbance in the air; it was as quiet as a hallucination.

But Liuyu could clearly feel that every single blade was connected to his consciousness.

He "saw" them as if they were his own extended fingers.

With a slight shift of his intent, one blade broke away from the flow and shot silently toward the wall.

Puff.

A soft sound.

A pin-sized hole appeared in the wall, through which the scene outside could be seen.

The blade returned, merging back into the flow.

Liuyu opened his eyes.

He watched the dance of blades swirling around him like a rain of cherry blossoms, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

Beautiful.

Deadly.

And... a perfect match for Kyōka Suigetsu.

Kyōka Suigetsu dominates the five senses, plunging the enemy into hallucinations.

Senbonzakura, meanwhile, conducts omnidirectional physical attacks with billions of blades in the real world.

One real, one illusory; one phantom, one lethal.

"Perfect."

Uchiha Ryūha whispered to himself.

He shifted his focus once more.

"Withdraw."

The blades dancing across the sky instantly recoiled, condensing back into that ordinary ninja sword in his hand.

The blade was pristine, without even a single crack.

It was as if that brilliant rain of cherry blossoms had been nothing more than a dream.

But Uchiha Ryūha knew it was no dream.

It was the power in his hands.

The power to shatter every obstacle in his path.

"I'll save the Elite Ten-Pull for before the Third Great Ninja War; hopefully, my luck will be good."

He sheathed his sword and walked to the window, gazing at the sky gradually turning pale outside.

Dawn was approaching.

And Konoha was about to welcome a... "hero's return" that would catch everyone off guard.