"Heh. Only those who survive have the right to judge anything!" Suikazan Fuguki waved a hand, ordering his men forward as he led the charge, swinging his blade at Sen.
The three remaining Mist Ninja attacked at the same time.
Sen's Sharingan had already shut down from chakra depletion. Now he could only rely on instinct and experience, dodging desperately as the four of them closed in.
"Clang!"
Another attempt to break through failed, and two Mist Ninja pinned Sen's kunai in place with their own.
"Out of stamina? Then die!" One of the other Mist Ninja sneered and thrust his kunai toward Sen's heart.
Just then, a wave surged in from behind the Mist Ninja. Sen had no time to worry about it; as he tried to dodge the attack, his opponent suddenly brought his weapon down, forcing Sen to block and lock weapons with him.
As the two struggled, Suikazan Fuguki's figure suddenly appeared behind the wave.
The moment Suikazan Fuguki appeared above the water, he swung Samehada with all his might.
The swing whipped up a powerful gust, churning even the seawater below!
"Nice work!" Suikazan Fuguki praised from behind the Mist Ninja.
Though he was complimenting his comrade, the trajectory and force of Samehada's strike were aimed at killing both his teammate and Sen!
Alarm bells rang in Sen's mind, and he instinctively tried to leap backward.
But the strike was too fast and too powerful. There was nowhere to escape!
"Thud! Thud!"
The Mist Ninja in front of him was sliced in half at the waist, and the violent force traveled through the blade and slammed into Sen.
"Ugh!"
Sen was sent flying, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His arms trembled, and blood poured from the web between his thumb and forefinger, where he had just blocked the strike.
Worse still, Samehada had stolen most of the little chakra he had left.
Now, forget fighting—he could barely keep his footing on the water.
Seeing Sen's condition, Suikazan Fuguki stopped his men from attacking and waited on the water for Samehada to finish feeding.
Sen gasped for breath. This was the first time since he had crossed over that he had been driven to the brink.
He gritted his teeth and snarled:
"If I survive today, I'll wipe Kirigakure off the map!"
Suikazan Fuguki picked up Samehada, pursed his lips, and laughed. "Dreaming in broad daylight, and it's barely dawn?"
He lifted Samehada and walked toward Sen. Feeling its excitement, he continued, "Is it getting excited because it gets to kill a genius like you? Hahahaha!"
With that, he raised the great sword high and brought it down hard toward Sen's head!
But the fatal strike missed.
"What happened?!" A Mist Ninja nearby stared in shock. Sen, who had been on the verge of collapse, had suddenly unleashed a massive amount of chakra. Not only had he easily dodged the attack, but his scarlet Sharingan had lit up again!
Standing on the water, Sen watched as his Shadow Clone—after storing up chakra for nearly two hours—dispelled. His own chakra had now recovered by half!
It was the same chakra transfer technique Naruto had once used!
At that moment, he felt as though he had finally crossed a thousand mountains in a light boat.
Green Medical Ninjutsu gathered in his hand as he healed the wounds in the web of his thumb and forefinger and on his abdomen. He said coolly:
"You should regret not going after my other Shadow Clone."
"How is that possible?!" Suikazan Fuguki said in disbelief. "Shadow Clones only use up chakra. How could they transfer it back?!"
Sen's words sent a chill through them.
"How could you ordinary fools understand the power of the Uzumaki Physique? To you, Shadow Clones are disposable. To me, they're 'batteries' that can replenish my energy whenever I need!"
Before he had even finished speaking, Sen ignored their shocked expressions, drew his blade, and lunged straight at them!
Suikazan Fuguki swung Samehada hard, forcing Sen back, then ordered his remaining subordinates:
"Don't be afraid! We outnumber him! As long as Samehada hits him once and drains his chakra, we can win!"
"True enough." Sen, his chakra replenished, gave a sinister smile. "But I tricked you into running around and wearing yourselves out, burning through all that chakra and stamina. How could you possibly be a match for me now? I'm at full strength!"
He paused, a trace of tenderness flashing in his eyes.
"Most importantly—someone's waiting for me to come home for breakfast!"
Suddenly—
The moment his words fell, the sea erupted into towering waves!
Sen moved like a phantom, his short blade flashing in the morning light, carving out streak after streak of deadly white!
"Clang!"
Samehada and the short blade clashed again.
Suikazan Fuguki was about to speak when he suddenly saw blue chakra appear around Sen's hand.
"That's... Lightning Release Chakra?!"
"Zzzzt!"
A current of blue electricity raced along the blade in an instant! Suikazan Fuguki and his sword were paralyzed on the spot!
Seeing their captain injured, the three Mist Ninja hurriedly attacked Sen with their kunai, but their moves were far too slow for the Sharingan.
Sen leaped to dodge, spinning through the air as gracefully as a dancer.
The dance was elegant and beautiful, with no trace of aggression, but—
The blade in his hand was another matter!
"Whoosh!"
Blood sprayed! Suikazan Fuguki's right arm, along with the hand gripping Samehada, was severed at the shoulder!
Sen seized the chance to take Samehada. After putting some distance between himself and the others, he flung the severed hand from its surface.
Feeling Samehada struggle in his grip, Sen immediately hit it with another Lightning Release attack.
Looking at the lightning-covered Samehada, then at the men preparing to flee, Sen's lips curled into an evil grin!
Sen suddenly sped up, caught up with them, and swung the sword down.
The great sword had no edge, making it far harder to dodge than a short blade.
The Mist Ninja instinctively raised his kunai to block. But the instant it touched Samehada, he was paralyzed and couldn't move. The blow sent him flying, and he floated on the sea amid a spray of blood, his fate unknown.
Sen looked at his successful strike and remarked:
"That's a pretty good trick, but it does waste Samehada a bit."
He watched the two men flee and repeated the same move.
A few breaths later, only the one-armed Suikazan Fuguki remained on the sea.
Suikazan Fuguki had lost all his earlier swagger. He was now desperately fleeing across the water. He glanced back at Sen—
Alarm bells rang in his mind. Sen had disappeared!
"Over here!"
Suikazan Fuguki turned around and saw a wickedly grinning face—and Samehada, moving so fast it left afterimages!
"Thump!"
Like a stone skipping across water, he bounced dozens of meters over the surface. A huge gash was visible in his chest, his organs spilling out.
At that moment, Suikazan Fuguki was just a ninja without chakra—at most, a stronger-than-average ordinary man.
"You've killed a lot of people in the past. You would've killed many more in the future. You don't deserve any pity for dying by my hand today." Sen walked over to him, reduced the current running through his hand, and ordered Samehada:
"Eat him."
At the command, Samehada began struggling wildly.
"Hahaha..." Even as he lay dying, Suikazan Fuguki mocked him. "Samehada... chooses its own master..."
"If electricity can't kill you, fire should do the job. I know a little Fire Release, after all." Sen began forming Hand Seals as he spoke.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball—"
Before he could finish, Samehada immediately stopped struggling and became as docile as a cat. It even extended its hilt and gently tapped Sen's arm, restoring a little of his chakra.
Before you continue