"Sasuke—!"
Naruto screamed, the panic in his voice raw and genuine. He snapped out of his shock, frantically rolling to the side to avoid a spreading tongue of flame before scrambling in the direction Sasuke had been hurled. His primary fear had always been to lose a comrade.
"First." A cold, cheerful smile bloomed on Zabuza's delicate, bronzed face. The juxtaposition of her sharp, predatory fangs and the inexplicable beauty of her transformed features was profoundly unsettling.
"Your physical attributes have genuinely been enhanced, not just altered," Kakashi stated, his breathing ragged but controlled. He planted himself defensively in front of Zabuza, his eye narrowed in intense scrutiny. "You have truly drawn something extraordinary."
"Hmph." Zabuza scoffed, effortlessly hefting the colossal executioner's blade and pointing the massive scissors-like tip at Kakashi. "That means your defeat is inevitable. But do not fret, I won't bother taking your membership badge once you've fallen."
The implication was clear: Zabuza believed the battle was already decided, and he wouldn't waste the energy to perform the ritualistic act required to permanently erase Kakashi from the Merchant Guild's register—the act of taking the badge from the corpse.
In the sky, Shen Mo, munching on sunflower seeds, allowed a slight, knowing smile to curve his lips. Zabuza's Kempf Bracelet was indeed a spectacular draw—a Tier Two grand prize whose true utility and value far surpassed its initial categorization. In purely transactional terms, Shen Mo was currently taking a minor loss on the immense power Zabuza was wielding.
But the grand prize has its purpose. It was an incredible motivational tool. Shen Mo mused that for future Tier Three Jars, he might introduce elaborate special effects and quality grades, ensuring players instantly recognized when they pulled an ultra-rare item, further fueling their addictive pursuit of power.
He fed a small piece of dried fish to the flying goldfish, Fei Ju, perched on his shoulder, effortlessly peeling another sunflower seed with telekinesis, maintaining his role as the cosmic, detached spectator.
On the ground, Kakashi refused to yield. Death, even with the promise of resurrection, was a devastating expense—better to spend those points on power-ups. Besides, the psychological toll of dying was too high.
"I apologize, but no," Kakashi managed, swallowing another bottle of healing potion—his expression pained at the dwindling supply. "That Lord proclaimed that our fate is entirely in our hands. It is far too soon to determine the victor!"
As he spoke the final words, Kakashi made a desperate, final investment. He simultaneously chugged the contents of three Forbidden Tier Two Secret Medicine Jars.
WHOOSH!
A monstrous, violent aura erupted from his body. His muscles swelled instantly, veins bulged and pulsed, and his skin strained under the immense pressure, splitting open in several places to ooze fresh blood.
A guttural scream of pure, biological agony tore from Kakashi's throat. He felt multiple, aggressive energy currents fighting for dominance within his system. Shen Mo raised a knowing eyebrow. Kakashi wasn't just using secret drugs; he was using secret techniques to amplify the drugs' effect. A reckless, life-threatening gamble.
Even if he wins, he's looking at permanent disability, unless he has backup healing. Shen Mo mentally confirmed Kakashi's possession of a few vials of high-end healing serum and noted the known presence of Rin Nohara, the resurrection subject and highly competent medical ninja, in the corner. Kakashi is betting on his medical support.
The result was instantaneous and staggering.
"Zabuza, this is my final wager!"
Kakashi's outer clothes shredded and flew off his super-muscled form, revealing a ferocious, intimidating physique. He was a demonic muscle man, his skin glistening with blood and sweat.
He pushed off the ground—
KRAK! The stone arena floor cracked under the immense explosive force.
With a speed that bypassed the limits of human perception, he appeared before Zabuza as if by teleportation. His dragon-headed arm, now massive and charged with a terrifying wind, delivered a searing punch aimed at Zabuza's comparatively slender body.
Shen Mo almost expected a yell of "Ora Ora Ora!"
Even Zabuza, boosted as she was, was barely able to withstand the ferocious, amplified assault. She took a hit, and large, smoking burn marks immediately appeared on her bronze skin.
But instead of fear, her eyes flared with delight.
"Excellent! Burn out that last spark, then perish, Kakashi!" Zabuza's eyes glittered with a berserk warrior's spirit. The savage side of the Demon of the Mist seemed to thrive on the pain. Gripping her gigantic blade, she charged forward, engaging Kakashi in direct, fierce close combat, trading devastating blow for devastating blow.
Every collision was accompanied by a deafening roar and towering plumes of fire and steam. Zabuza appeared to be retreating under the relentless onslaught, but she was far from alone.
"Lord Zabuza!"
Haku emerged, wreathed in a chilling frost. His forest bow was drawn back so rapidly that it created an illusion of countless dense, shimmering arrows. These projectiles—icy, needle-sharp, and driven by immense force—were aimed accurately and fiercely at every vital point of Kakashi's body: throat, heart, and the exposed eye.
The battle instantly escalated into a brutal, chaotic flurry of action. As Zabuza willingly sustained heavy burns to maintain the pressure, Kakashi's body was pierced repeatedly by the sharp, insidious ice arrows.
In the viewing corner, Sakura gasped, instinctively grabbing Rin's hand. Rin, her gaze fixed on the demonic figure of Kakashi, squeezed back, her heart hammering with a painful mix of terror and devotion. The reality of this fighting was beyond their comprehension—a war of god-like, self-destructive power.
"Hahaha!" Zabuza's laugh—high-pitched, uncontrollable, and chillingly insane—echoed across the fractured arena. "Kakashi, your speed is diminishing! How much more of that fleeting power can you draw on?"
Zabuza, fighting in her transformed state, found the massive executioner's blade strangely fluid and easy to wield. No longer relying on brute force, she used the scissor-like weapon with the agility of a rapier, exploiting the incredibly sharp inner blade in quick, slicing motions. The pain only intensified her excitement.
"Don't worry about me, your own injuries are mounting!" Kakashi roared, forcing himself to leap back, and a terrible, magma-dense flame erupted from his dragon arm, aimed at sweeping Zabuza away.
Zabuza recklessly used the Kubikiribōchō to shield the center of her body, sustaining minor, glancing burns on her limbs. In return, Kakashi was struck by two more ice arrows, piercing his thigh.
"I believe it is time we conclude this affair," Zabuza stated, her lips curling into a dominant, merciless smile.
"You are correct," a faint, grim smile finally touched Kakashi's own lips. "It is time we put an end to this madness."
Zabuza sensed a shift—a strategic calm amidst the chaos—and realized something was terribly wrong.
But before she could react, Kakashi's dragon-headed arm suddenly shot out, elongating unnaturally. The great, scaled head snapped down, clamping its jaws hard onto the blade of Zabuza's Executioner's Blade just above the hilt.
"NOW!" Kakashi screamed, pushing the last remnants of his amplified strength into the command.
The intense showdown has reached a critical, physical grapple.