"Kakashi-senpai, I'm sorry."
Arima stared at the masked Kakashi Hatake across from him, a trace of apology on his face. From the moment he woke up to the final completion of this project, Kakashi had been the person in the Hidden Leaf Village who cared for him most. Although Kakashi never showed this concern on the surface, Arima could feel it.
"Just come at me," Kakashi replied without wasting words.
Although Arima's strength had improved significantly, it was still unrealistic for him to think he could defeat a shinobi of Kakashi's caliber. Arima knew this as well, but he had to demonstrate his value with everything he had to seize that sliver of a chance for revenge. Only by leveraging the power of the Hidden Leaf Village could he hope to drive those monsters out of this world entirely!
With a sudden burst of power that made the ground tremble, Arima charged forward. He thrust his massive, cone-shaped knight's lance directly at Kakashi.
Strength was not Kakashi's forte. He used a Body Flicker Jutsu to appear behind Arima and lunged downward with his ninja sword. Arima's lance was nearly as long as a person; while it granted the user great power, it seemed impossible for him to swing such a heavy weapon back in time to block.
Is he going to be taken down in a single blow?
Danzo Shimura watched the battlefield, a flash of disappointment crossing his face. If this newly developed weapon was only at this level, it was laughable. Has Hiruzen grown so old that he can no longer see the development of this world? Danzo thought, though he remained silent.
To the surprise of the onlookers, Arima turned the instant he sensed Kakashi's disappearance. His heavy lance suddenly liquefied. As he spun his body, the material reshaped itself into a massive shield in front of him!
Kakashi's sword struck the shield, sending sparks flying. Arima took the opportunity to shove forward with the shield, forcing Kakashi back a step. Immediately after, the shield transformed back into the heavy, lethal lance. Arima gripped it with his remaining arm and thrust forward with a powerful rotation.
This time, Kakashi did not dodge. He finished his hand signs in an instant.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
A stone wall carved with dog heads rose between them. Arima's lance struck the wall with undiminished momentum, its terrifying power causing dense cracks to appear on the rock. As the lance spun, the cracks spread rapidly until the entire wall shattered into debris.
A second later, several kunai pierced through the dust raised by the wall's destruction, heading straight for Arima's face. The sudden attack was once again blocked by the Quinque in shield form. However, Kakashi's assault was not that simple. Explosive Tags wrapped around the kunai detonated, swallowing Arima in intense flames and shockwaves.
As the smoke cleared, Arima remained unharmed behind his shield. However, the luster on the surface of the Quinque had dimmed; blocking such a violent explosion clearly came at a cost.
Seeing this, the advisor elders finally showed looks of genuine interest. Danzo, in particular, could already envision the impact of a weapon that could flexibly change forms in the hands of high-mobility shinobi. The significance of this weapon on the battlefield was certainly no less than the Secret Jutsu shown by Sunagakure.
As the battle continued, Kakashi stopped using Ninjutsu. Instead, he sparred with Arima to showcase the Quinque's flexibility, defense, and attack power. They also tested the whip-type Quinque held by Katasuke, which was made from a Rinkaku Kakuhou. While its attack power was lower than the lance, its flexibility was exceptionally high.
"Hiruzen, can these be mass-produced? What are the requirements for use?" Danzo was the first to speak.
He knew how vital this could be for the Hidden Leaf. If even ordinary people could use these weapons and they could be mass-produced, the Shinobi World might face a terrifying army of non-shinobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer directly, instead deferring to the scientist. "Katasuke, this is your project. You answer him."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Katasuke turned to Danzo excitedly. "Lord Danzo, the raw material for these weapons is the Kakuhou—the organ Ghouls use for combat. Generally, one Kakuhou can produce one Quinque. As for the user's requirements, it depends on their compatibility with the Quinque. There is no requirement for chakra."
At these words, numerous schemes surfaced in Danzo's mind. One involved capturing Ghouls and forcing them to breed to harvest their Kakuhou for weapon manufacturing.
"If these weapons can be popularized, they will be a force to be reckoned with, whether used by shinobi or ordinary people," Hiruzen noted. "In view of Katasuke's contribution to the Leaf, I am promoting him to Special Jonin. Any objections?"
The advisors had none; they were preoccupied with how to obtain more Quinque for their own subordinates. Danzo, especially, was eager to have Root hunt Ghouls worldwide.
With no opposition, Katasuke officially became a Special Jonin. As for Arima...
"Arima, haven't you always wanted to learn Ninjutsu?" Hiruzen looked at the one-armed youth. Honestly, when accepting the refugees from the Hidden Steam Village, he never expected them to bring such a massive surprise.
Arima nodded eagerly. He had a premonition that if he could combine his Quinque with Ninjutsu, he could forge an unprecedented path.
Hiruzen smiled kindly. "In that case, I will arrange a teacher for you." Before the Hokage could name the teacher, Kakashi spoke up.
"Lord Hokage, I already have a mission assigned to me."
Hiruzen thought for a moment and realized he was right. "I originally thought you would be a good fit since you know so many jutsus. In that case, recommend someone else."
Kakashi felt a secret sense of relief. "I recommend Itachi Uchiha of the Anbu," he said coldly.
"Itachi Uchiha..." Hiruzen mused for a moment before nodding. "Then let Itachi be responsible for teaching Arima Ninjutsu."