"You're nothing but a reptile with horns!"
As soon as Sen finished speaking, an almost human terror appeared for the first time in Manda's arrogant, inverted triangular eyes.
From the enormous Wood Dragon coiled in the sky, Manda sensed the presence of a natural predator-a fear that came from deep within his soul!
It wasn't the oppressive aura of ninjutsu chakra.
It was... it was the most primal power of Wood Release, capable of draining every last drop of life force!
"Orochimaru! You bastard! What kind of monster did you pick a fight with?!"
For the first time, Manda's roar trembled.
His enormous body even recoiled involuntarily.
He wanted to run!
He, one of the three great rulers of Ryūchi Cave, was so frightened by a human brat's ninjutsu that he wanted to run!
"Trying to run?"
Sen sneered and swung his clasped hands sharply downward.
"Too late!"
Sen didn't need to give any further commands.
The enormous Wood Dragon hovering in midair seemed to possess a will of its own.
It gave a silent roar that seemed capable of shattering souls, then plunged downward with overwhelming force!
It moved so fast that even Sasuke's two-tomoe Sharingan could only catch a string of blurred afterimages!
"No!"
Manda raised his head in terror, opened his gaping maw, and spat out a great torrent of concentrated purple venom, trying to stop it.
But the Wood Dragon neither dodged nor faltered.
It burst straight through the poisonous mist, and its enormous wooden head lunged forward, sinking its teeth into Manda's vulnerable neck!
"Hiss-!"
Manda let out an agonized hiss.
His scales were harder than steel, yet beneath those spike-covered wooden fangs, they were as fragile as thin paper.
The dragon's teeth sank deep into his flesh.
Then the Wood Dragon's body, larger than