From the celestial perspective of Shen Mo, the sight was magnificent: Kakashi's right arm was no more. In its place was a monstrous, scaled, dragon-like limb, spewing widespread, scorching orange-red flames—a torrent of destructive power unlike anything the shinobi world had ever produced.
"Not good!"
A raw surge of terror washed over Zabuza. The intensity of the heat was staggering, a physical force that radiated across the arena. His previous defensive ninjutsu would be utterly useless; the magma-like fire would simply vaporize any conventional water or earth barrier. There was no time to weave a complex sealing jutsu or summon a water clone.
"Lord Zabuza!" Haku screamed, driven by desperation. He unleashed a sweeping wave of ice shards, creating a momentary, fragile shield of frozen air, but the intense heat immediately began to crackle and dissipate the ice.
It was just enough. Haku managed to grab Zabuza and pull him clear of the worst of the eruption before the terrifying flames completely engulfed the spot where they stood.
Zabuza, his Earth Armor components smoking and peeling away, sustained only superficial, blistering burns. However, half the battlefield was now a hellish inferno, a landscape of superheated steam and molten ground. The terrifying heat waves radiating from the dragon arm made it clear: that half of the arena was now a zone of instant death for any unshielded human.
"Wh-woof."
Sasuke unconsciously swallowed, his eyes wide as he gazed at the devastating power emanating from Kakashi's grotesque, scaled arm.
The process of using it is intimidating, terrifying, and utterly self-destructive... but the power! He clenched his fists, a burning jealousy overriding the shock. Why couldn't I pull something so devastatingly potent? Why are my Jars always so subtle?
On his side, Kakashi was far from recovering.
"Hfff... hfff." He was gulping air, his breath coming in ragged, painful bursts.
The drain is immense. He realized that the Sharingan, his permanent chakra leech, now had a terrifying new partner: the Dorjeri's Sword Scales. Though incredibly powerful, the sheer energy required to manifest a demonic dragon limb was astronomical. He felt a deep, debilitating plunge in his chakra reserves.
He hastily swallowed several Qi-Enhancing Pills simultaneously, forcing his body to metabolize the raw energy until his breath began to stabilize.
Testing the limb, he found it terrifyingly versatile: fully mobile, capable of stretching, hardening, and, most critically, breathing that hellish flame. Based on the power he had just unleashed, Kakashi grimly calculated that if he could somehow sustain the chakra cost, this single arm could potentially threaten a full-fledged Tailed Beast.
"Zabuza," Kakashi's voice was rough, strained from the exertion, but his authority was absolute. He raised the massive dragon head, pointing it directly at the Demon of the Mist. "If you have no further recourse, and if you still insist on fulfilling your doomed mission, I foresee your fate: Death."
"What an arrogant boast!"
Zabuza ripped the tattered remains of the bandage from his mouth, revealing sharp, predatory fangs beneath his grimace. He panted, his eyes filled with a desperate combination of fear and deep resentment toward Kakashi's sheer, dumb luck.
A large-scale fire attack, comparable to an S-rank jutsu, usable without seals, and God knows what other effects it possesses. Zabuza's mind raced, his envy spiking. Is he truly that lucky to have pulled such overwhelming equipment?
"Lord Zabuza!" Haku whispered urgently, his face pale with worry over the destructive power they had just barely avoided. "We must use it. With that ability, Lord Zabuza will have nothing to fear from his fire attacks."
Zabuza's lip curled, a mixture of profound reluctance and crushing inevitability washing over him. He knew exactly what Haku meant—the ultimate, final power residing in his Kempf Bracelet. It promised immense strength, the ability to generate and control fierce flames, and total immunity to fire-based attacks.
The problem wasn't the physical cost, though. Zabuza, the merciless killer, would gladly pay any physical price. The problem was the sheer humiliation of the price.
"Lord Zabuza!" Haku pressed, his voice rising, unaware their conversation was now audible to the opponents across the charred arena. "A ninja is a being who stakes his life, even his soul, for his goals. You taught me this! What is this paltry price compared to the dream you risk everything for?"
The words resonated across the smoky battlefield.
"As expected..." Kakashi murmured, pulling his focus from his headache. "So, he has his own ace, one that requires a heavy toll to use? I wonder what kind of power it is?"
"Naruto, brace yourself!" Sasuke commanded, instantly on high alert. The unpredictable nature of the Jar's gifts was the most dangerous factor in this bizarre war.
Naruto, clenching his fists in frustration, reluctantly retreated closer to his teammates. He was angry—his meager Jars had granted him such limited strength; he was entirely dependent on his sensei and his rival in a battle that had spiraled far beyond conventional taijutsu or ninjutsu.
On the other side, Zabuza let out a roar of absolute frustration. He was torn between his iron ambition and his deep-seated fear of public ridicule.
Even the self-destructive maniac Kakashi, piercing his own arm, wouldn't shy away from this cost!
He envisioned himself in the throes of battle after activation. If he failed to kill these three, his terrifying reputation would be permanently shattered. His title would not be "Demon of the Mist" but likely "The Perverted Ninja" or some other ridiculous, humiliating moniker. The thought of those contemptuous, powerful beings watching from the cracks above only magnified his internal terror.
"Lord Zabuza!" Haku shouted one last time, injecting every ounce of his conviction into the address.
"I know! I KNOW!" Zabuza yelled back, his voice thick with fury. His gaze locked onto Kakashi. "You forced me into this, Kakashi! You will regret this for the rest of your pathetic life!"
Kakashi's focus sharpened, his attention at its absolute peak. Sasuke and Naruto leaned in, their tension mounting. What price could be so terrible that even Zabuza balks?
Taking a ragged, shuddering breath, Zabuza silently repeated the mantra, "For the dream, for the dream," until his gaze hardened to diamond-like resolve.
Gritting his teeth against the inevitable, he thrust his arm forward and activated the Kempf Bracelet!
A brilliant, pulsating blue light erupted from the mismatched wristband, enveloping Zabuza's large, muscular frame completely. Kakashi's transformed dragon eye dilated in surprise. The physical changes were not localized to a single limb or area; the transformation was total, morphing his entire physiology.
Under the collective, wide-eyed gaze of Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto, the blue halo finally dissipated.
In place of the scarred, hulking Demon of the Mist stood a woman.
She was stunning: tall and slender, with an aggressively sculpted, bronze-skinned physique and long, flowing hair. Her battle-hardened features were softened into the elegant, dangerous beauty of a lethal supermodel, scantily clad in the uniform of her transformation.
The arena was plunged into a stunned silence.
Zabuza... had turned into a beautiful woman? Was this an illusion? A genjutsu?
"Heh. Hehehe," the transformed Zabuza laughed, a sudden, clear, high-pitched feminine sound replacing his gravelly snarl. She sarcastically extended a delicate hand, flexing the newly formed, elegant fingers.
Suddenly, massive, curling flames erupted from the ground beneath her feet, crackling with fierce, burning power, confirming the immense elemental control she had gained.
"Not bad," her voice, now refined and clear, resonated across the battlefield. She tilted her head, the lethal confidence of the Demon of the Mist perfectly preserved in her new, gorgeous form. "Since you forced me to this point, Copy Ninja... are you ready to die?"
The comedic element has been introduced with Zabuza's transformation into a Kämpfer—a female warrior. The high-stakes battle is about to continue with fire vs. fire.