"You really... never make things easy."
Sen's words came with a helpless sigh.
He sounded like he was complaining about his own troublesome child, always getting into trouble.
Zabuza's water clone froze on the lake.
His eyes beneath his browless forehead went wide.
How had this brat gotten here?
With his eyesight, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of an afterimage!
"Arrogant brat!"
After a brief moment of shock, the water clone laughed in fury.
He was the Demon of Kirigakure!
How could he let some snot-nosed brat intimidate him?
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"
The water clone roared, his muscles bulging.
Gripping the hilt with both hands, he raised the broad Kubikiribōchō overhead.
With a shrill whistle that tore through the air, he brought it straight down at Sen's face with the crushing force of a mountain!
The blow carried such tremendous weight that it could have cleaved even solid rock in two!
"No!"
Sakura screamed behind Sen, squeezing her eyes shut in terror.
Naruto and Sasuke, who had been kicked away, forced their heads up, their faces full of horror.
To them, no matter how strong Sen was, he couldn't possibly withstand that infamous Ninja Blade with flesh and blood.
And yet.
Faced with a strike that could sever the line between life and death.
Sen didn't even consider dodging.
He simply raised his right arm extremely slowly-or at least, that was how it looked to everyone else.
There were no hand seals, no shout as he summoned chakra.
In the final microsecond before the gleaming edge touched his skin.
Something changed!
An eerie, dark brown sheen suddenly spread across Sen's right arm.
A dense, hard layer of wood grain, gleaming like metal, instantly covered his entire forearm like living armor!
*Wood Release: