After the initial shock faded, everyone looked around in terror.
The ground had completely caved in with Senju Yukika's landing point as the center. The collapse extended for dozens of meters in radius.
Though the range wasn't immense, and the depth not overly exaggerated, the fact that the terrain had sunken at all proved one thing—Yukika's power had grown strong enough to affect the entire battlefield.
If one looked closely, they would see it was raining in the dark sky above the area. But this wasn't ordinary rain. There was a strange energy embedded within every droplet. A painting of ominous power.
Large black wings stirred again. Yukika took to the sky, stepping into mid-air. At last, the full form of the Black-Winged Demon was unveiled.
There was no doubt about it—even if he still didn't reach the level of Ulquiorra, the manifestation was already overwhelming.
"Come out, Demigod."
His voice had changed—deeper, heavier, filled with bloodlust. Yukika's eyes scanned the area, eventually locking onto a single point below.
Of course, the Fire Salamander Hanzo hadn't died so easily. In truth, the moment Yukika touched him, he sensed something was wrong.
It wasn't the real Hanzo. Just a Shadow Clone.
Yukika wasn't surprised. In the original storyline, Hanzo was notoriously paranoid, trusting neither guards nor allies, and constantly rotating those around him.
"As expected of a Senju. Young and promising,"
A flicker of movement—and the real Hanzo appeared below. His iconic sickle now in hand, with a translucent violet liquid glistening on the blade. The Salamander's poison.
He was finally getting serious.
Yukika, by contrast, remained completely calm. In fact, he might've been more focused than ever before.
When he returned to his released form, his burning desire for battle was compressed into pure, destructive stillness. He had become the true Black-Winged Demon.
"Using poison doesn't require my permission," Yukika crossed his arms with a mocking smirk.
At that moment, he looked just like Hanzo had when he first arrived. Pretending to be a master? Anyone could play that role.
But Yukika knew Hanzo's secrets well.
He knew the limitations. Hanzo could only store poison for about five minutes before needing a recharge from the salamander's glands. Even in the original story, Lady Chiyo had cracked the poison's composition.
If given enough time, Tsunade could do the same.
But for Yukika… this poison meant nothing.
His words clearly struck a nerve.
Hanzo suddenly felt like he was completely exposed. The young man's eyes pierced through him like glass—like he knew everything about him.
He looked around at the devastated land in disbelief. Had that really been this kid's doing?
If he hadn't used a clone out of habit, he wasn't sure he could've escaped. Was this truly the Senju Clan? Every generation of its leaders was simply… shocking.
Those wings—could they be the strange power whispered about in the outer lands?
Trying to breach the Iwagakure encirclement using this bloodline barrier… was the right decision.
"Among shinobi, battle means killing the enemy. Tactics are strength."
A flash of seriousness passed through Hanzo's eyes. As much as it angered him, he had to admit—this youth was not to be underestimated.
If he kept thinking of him as just a junior, he might not live to regret it.
"Warrior's faith, shinobi's will… What exactly are you people?" Yukika asked quietly, calm as ever.
This time, he didn't wait for an answer.
"Whatever you call yourselves, in the end… everything fades into nothingness."
"And you, your will… is far from unshakable."
"Demigod? If you'd ever faced my grandfather—Senju Hashirama—you'd never dare call yourself that."
"Let me show you what kind of existence you truly are."
For the first time using a blade in this form, Yukika had completely grasped the extent of his power.
How strong was a system-enhanced Ulquiorra with 20% amplification? How overwhelming could a fully released Black-Winged Demon be?
He wanted to find out.
Hanzo's poison and swordplay were formidable. But in many ways, Yukika had the advantage.
He wasn't afraid of poison. The fusion with his hollow-like body made it nearly impossible for toxins to affect him.
His regeneration would force the poison out before it could spread.
So… no, poison wasn't enough.
And as for swordplay—
Whoosh!
Hanzo instinctively hurled his sickle at the airborne Yukika.
He didn't dodge.
He even opened his wings—welcoming the strike.
Clang!
Sharp claws caught the blade. All eyes widened in horror.
That metallic screech—his claws had caught the sickle midair.
Is this your strength?
With a light push, the sickle was knocked away. As Yukika watched his spiritual pressure and chakra drain rapidly, he paused.
It seemed that maintaining this demon form consumed his own energy. Every attack—whether received or delivered—drew from both power sources.
The system even provided a clear calculation of how long he could sustain this form.
But from what he could tell now—Hanzo's swordplay no longer matched him.
Yukika wasn't afraid of being wounded. In fact, Hanzo's thrown attacks lacked the force of direct strikes.
"You've seen what I can do." "Let's test your strength now, Demigod."
Wings flicking slightly, he descended slowly to the ground.
With tears of shocking intensity streaming down his face, Ulquiorra's form beckoned to Hanzo with a single finger.
The ultimate insult.
With his act torn away, Hanzo's rage boiled over.He charged with his sickle in hand.
Still, he'd learned one thing:Never touch the claws.
Not even his own blade could scratch them.
In shinobi battles, information was key.Unlike samurai duels, where force clashed for days—shinobi only needed the right intel to kill.
Of course, legendary figures like Hashirama or Madara were exceptions.This was a war of attrition.
"Flash Cut!"
Hanzo wasted no time.His deadliest move launched instantly.
He had to kill this Senju now,for the sake of his pride and title.
If he lost, Rain Village lost.And everything he'd built would disappear.
This wasn't just about survival.
Flash Cut—the move he used to defeat Mifune of the Land of Iron not long ago.He even spared Mifune's life by giving him an antidote—out of pure pride.
He was a warrior, after all.
Clang!
It was like steel colliding.When the light faded, Hanzo's eyes widened in disbelief.
His blade had stopped.Caught—by a single feather on Yukika's wing.
"That's your strength?""Yeah… but mine's stronger."
In this released form, Yukika's power doubled.
Even blocking that sickle revealed how deadly the technique could be—but the demon's force erupted violently in every direction.
Hanzo couldn't even resist.
This was the power of Hollowfication.
Before releasing his blade, Yukika might've been suppressed.But now, the augmentation was terrifying.
The demon form offered no new tricks.It just elevated everything.
Speed, power, reflexes…even Cero.
But it wouldn't last forever.
This was a legacy ability.Only when Yukika's Zanpakuto fully awakened and fused with the demoncould he return home as a true soul reaper.
And when that happened, he'd reach the next level.No doubt.
Hanzo wasn't weak.But poison and swordplay just weren't enough.
In the world of soul reapers, Hanzo's swordsmanship had holes everywhere.
In the original, the Three Legendary Sannin couldn't beat him mostly because of the salamander's poison.
But now, Yukika watched closely.