 Nyorera kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Panguva yekurwiswa kwePearl Harbor, Uzuki yaive chikamu cheDesron 23 pasi peCarrier Division 2 muIJN 1st Air Fleet, uye yakatumirwa kubva kuHahajima muOgasawara Islands sechikamu chesimba reJapan rekupinda muInvasion yeGuam. Akadzokera kuTruk mukutanga kwaJanuary 1942 kuti afukidze kumhara kwemauto eJapan panguva ye Operation RpaKavieng, New Ireland musi wa23 January, achidzokera kuTruk mwedzi mumwe gare gare. Muna March, Uzuki akabatsira kufukidza kumhara kwemauto eJapan panguva ye Operation SR kuchamhembe kweSolomon Islands, Lae neAdmiralty Islands. Mudzvanyiriri akaendeswa kuIJN 4th Fleet musi wa 10 April. Munguva yeHondo yeGungwa reCoral kubva musi wa7 kusvika musi wa8 Chivabvu 1942, Uzuki yakapiwa basa rekuperekedza ngarava inotakura mafuta Hoyo Maru munzvimbo yeShortlands, ndokudzokera kuSasebo Naval Arsenal kunogadziriswazve musi wa28 Chivabvu. Pakupera kwaJune, Uzuki yakanga yakavakirwa paTruk, uye yakapiwa kuti iperekedze makondirakiti anotakura mapurisa ekuvaka ndege kubva kuTruk kuenda kuBougainville neGuadalcanal, uye kufamba-famba kunopoteredza Rabaul. Mukupinda kweBuka 2122 Chikunguru, Uzuki yakapfurwa nendege dzeAllied, nekurasikirwa nevashandi gumi nevatanhatu. Musi waAugust 11, Uzuki yakabva kuRabaul kunonunura vapukunyuki vechikepe. Pakupera kwaAugust, paakanga ari muTokyo Express kutakura kuenda kuGuadalcanal, Uzuki yakakuvadzwa nekurohwa nekurwiswa neUSAAF B-17 Flying Fortress vabhomba, uye vakadzokera kuburikidza neRabaul, Truk neSaipan kudzokera kuSasebo kunogadziriswa musi wa14 Gunyana. 