Sword of Kusanagi: Longsword of the Sky



The Kusanagi Sword: Long Sword of the Heavens is the Kusanagi of Japanese legend. Orochimaru retrieves his Kusanagi by opening his mouth and extending a snake which then opens its mouth and produces the sword. Orochimaru was seen producing the sword handle first so he could use it freely, or blade first to attack his opponent instantly. The sword can extend its blade to attack from long distances and it can cut through almost anything. Even Enma who is able to merge himself into a diamond-hard staff, stated that the Kusanagi blade could damage him greatly. Should the wielder be disarmed, the sword can fly back to them by use of a hand motion. It can also return to the wielder by transforming itself into a snake and slithering back to them.

The Kusanagi appears differently from the manga to the anime. In the manga, the Kusanagi looks more like a standard katana, while in the anime it is a double-edged jian. It should be noted that Orochimaru's Kusanagi could not pierce Naruto in his Four-Tailed form.

Sasuke Uchiha refers to the chokuto he carries as a "Sword of Kusanagi", but it carries none of the unique attributes that Orochimaru's does.