Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

The energy contained in the Tailed Beast Ball was instantly ignited, and a huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky. The powerful shockwave, carrying heat waves, turned the forest with a radius of hundreds of meters centered on Kurama into scorched earth.

"Crunch~"

The wooden shield with fangs and a demonic face slowly opened on the ground. Hashirama Senju, his hands still clasped together, leaped to the side of the fallen Kurama, tilted his head, and asked in a very concerned tone,

"Are you alright?"

"Cough cough cough"

Fortunately, Susanoo's defenses were quite strong; the Nine-Tails' blue mask only developed some cracks. Madara Uchiha, inside the cockpit, clutched his head and swayed as he stood up. The intense dizziness made him feel as if he'd suffered a concussion.

Although his mind was blank, Madara Uchiha, never one to back down verbally, immediately launched into a tirade without hesitation.

"Damn it, how dare they ambush me! I'll kill their whole family!"

Meanwhile, in the Land of Waves, across the sea from the Land of Fire, a silver Gundam wielding a massive shield slowly dissipated, and a wealthy-looking old man dressed in an elegant silk nightgown jumped down from it.

"Damn it, thankfully I'm still got it! If I find out which bastard was throwing out those skills, I'll kill his whole family!"

He landed in front of the magnificent Daming Palace, cursing and swearing, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the other side of the sea, his loose teeth almost grinding to powder.

Just now, Uchiha Tajima was awakened from his sleep by the alarm in his palace. The next moment, a guard on night duty came to knock on the door. Still half asleep, he was very confused. Could someone really dare to assassinate the daimyo?

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The observer in the watchtower has spotted a blue light on the sea surface, heading straight for your palace."

Because the incident happened so suddenly, the guard spoke quickly, summarizing the impending crisis in a single sentence.

"How much longer?"

Uchiha Tajima frowned and asked,

Since the Land of Waves is a relatively small island, in order to avoid natural disasters such as tsunamis, the capital was built in the highest place on the entire island. In particular, the daimyo's palace was built on the highest mountain peak, thus becoming the target of the Tailed Beast Ball.

"At most one minute left."

The guards who rushed over without stopping calculated the time the watchtower had just notified them and finally gave a relatively accurate number.

"Damage, the evacuation has begun. You should leave quickly too!"

Seeing that Uchiha Tajima was frowning and showed no intention of moving, the guard belonging to the Uchiha clan became so anxious that he activated his Sharingan.

"It's alright, you go ahead, I'll go take a look."

Having experienced a wealth of life experiences, Uchiha Tajima had seen all sorts of storms. With a wave of his hand, he vanished from the spot in an instant.

In the brightly lit palace of the daimyo, Uchiha Tajima moved at an extremely fast speed. In just a few breaths, he stood on the watchtower inside the palace. Through the telescope mounted on it, he saw a blue ball of light rushing rapidly from the direction of the Land of Fire.

Even without using his senses, Uchiha Tajima could judge the terrifying destructive power of this mysterious orb of light with just his naked eye.

"snort!"

Uchiha Tajima snorted coldly, his eyes instantly turning crimson. Three mysterious tomoe spun rapidly within them. Sensing the immense power of his pupils, he leaped onto the open space in front of the palace. With a thought, a silver phantom instantly solidified behind him.

"Susanoo!"

As chakra was poured in, a silver bull-horned giant wielding a huge shield rose from the ground, standing on its forehead. Uchiha Tajima, inside the cockpit, touched his protruding belly, his eyes filled with self-satisfaction.

The luxurious aristocratic life he has enjoyed over the years has made Uchiha Tajima plump and healthy. If you weren't very familiar with him, you would never imagine that this well-off nobleman is the same lean and capable Uchiha clan leader he once was.

"Ah! It's the clan chief!"

The Uchiha clan members, who were evacuating in an orderly manner, saw the majestic silver giant in front of the Daimyo's palace. An old clan member who had witnessed the battle between Gundam and Wood Golem shouted excitedly, his crimson eyes filled with fanaticism.

"Boom!"

Hearing the cheers below, Uchiha Tajima had no time to respond to his enthusiastic clansmen. The blue orb of light had already entered the territorial waters of the Land of Waves. People living along the coastline saw the blinding blue light through their windows and rushed out of their homes in surprise.

This Tailed Beast Ball from the Land of Fire descended upon the Land of Waves, skimming the sea surface and brushing past low-lying houses, before flying towards the Daimyo's palace, the highest point on the entire island.

Hashirama Senju's five Rashomon gates were not without purpose. If they hadn't slightly deflected the Tailed Beast Ball's trajectory upwards, it would have directly struck the plains inland of the Land of Waves, causing incalculable damage to the people living there.

As Uchiha Tajima watched the approaching blue orb of light, he manipulated Susanoo to raise the giant shield in his hand. He knew that if he dodged, the shelter that his clansmen had painstakingly built behind him would be destroyed.

As the former head of the Uchiha clan, even though he had stepped down, Uchiha Tajima still had a responsibility to protect the homeland on which his clansmen depended for survival. As the three tomoe spun rapidly in his eyes, the light shield in Susanoo's hand emitted a dazzling light.

"Uchiha Rebound!"

The Shield Counter Technique, an innate skill of Uchiha Tajima's Susanoo, took effect. A blue orb carrying destructive power crashed into the silver shield. Time seemed to stand still; such a terrifying impact failed to produce the expected booming sound.

"Get back here!"

A few seconds later, the blue orb of light was completely absorbed by the shield. An unhealthy crimson flushed across Uchiha Tajima's round face. He gritted his teeth and poured his chakra into Susanoo as if it were free.

The silver shield shone brightly once more, and a blue orb of light emerged from it, hurtling back towards the direction it had come from at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. Judging from its momentum, it was even stronger than when it had come from before.

"Phew~"

Having expended a considerable amount of chakra, Uchiha Tajima wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Fortunately, although he had lost his Mangekyou Sharingan, he could still summon Susanoo; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to withstand this area-of-effect attack.

"Long live the old clan chief! Long live the great name!"

The Uchiha clan members who were saved erupted in thunderous cheers upon seeing that the crisis was over, their eyes filled with even greater fervor than before.

The inhabitants of the plains of the Land of Waves watched the blue orb of light come and go, all looking bewildered.

"Could they be just dropping by?"

The crisis in the Land of Waves has been resolved, but the battle in the Land of Fire has only just begun.

"Motor, are you sure you want to continue?"

With his hands clasped together, Hashirama Senju looked at Madara Uchiha, who was swaying, and asked in a very concerned tone,

"We agreed to have a real, satisfying fight, how can we give up halfway through!"

After catching his breath, Madara Uchiha finally shook off the dizziness in his head, glared fiercely at Hashirama Senju, and once again assumed a fighting stance.

"That Tailed Beast Ball looked pretty painful. Why don't you rest for a bit?"

Hashirama Senju's words resonated with Kurama, one of Madara Uchiha's followers, who immediately nodded repeatedly.

I feel dizzy.

It wasn't that Kurama was faking illness. The Tailed Beast Ball that was just deflected by the shield was several times more powerful than the one Kurama released. Being hit in the face without any warning would make anyone dizzy.

"Stop nagging! Don't even think about slacking off! Otherwise, I'll expose your secrets to the world."

Unexpectedly, his own allies fell silent first. Frustrated, Madara Uchiha stomped his foot, his tone full of threat.

If Kurama dares to hold him back, Madara Uchiha will announce Kurama's scandal of not having Kunkun to the world, so that it will never be able to hold its head up again.

"Potato sack~ I feel great right now!"

The Nine-Tails, which had been under Madara Uchiha's control, instantly became docile, immediately standing up and baring its teeth at Hashirama Senju beside it.

"no way."

Seeing this, Hashirama Senju shook his head helplessly. It seemed that Madara Uchiha was determined to fight him to the bitter end. After sighing inwardly, he closed his eyes and whispered,

"Celestial Technique!"

Looking at Hashirama Senju with his eyes closed, Madara Uchiha suddenly felt a pang of unease. Could it be that Hashirama also had a trump card?

Just as he was wondering, Madara Uchiha saw through his Sharingan the strange energy field surrounding Hashirama Senju. It was a different kind of power from chakra, extremely violent, and just looking at it made his eyes sting slightly.

"Hassi Hot Mom, you really did have a backup plan!"

Uchiha Madara, gritting his teeth, loudly complained. Hearing this, Senju Hashirama slowly opened his eyes, and eerie black patterns appeared out of thin air around his piercing eyes. He loudly responded to his indignant friend.

"This isn't just one move, it's Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"

"Boom!!!"

The celestial Buddha has made a grand entrance!

Madara Uchiha, standing atop the Nine-Tails' head, stared wide-eyed, while the Nine-Tails beneath him wore the same expression. The two were perfectly synchronized, both swallowing hard as they looked at the wooden Buddha statue, which was several times larger than the Nine-Tails in its armor.

"Human, what's the point of this? Why don't we just order it? He seems pretty easy to talk to, maybe we can just knock some wine and that'll be the end of it."

After a brief moment of confusion, Kurama's trembling voice reached Madara Uchiha's ears.

"Hahahaha!!!"

However, the only response to Kurama was Madara Uchiha's near-maniacal laughter. His crimson eyes showed no fear, only a burning fighting spirit.

"That's more interesting, Hashi Hot Mom, you've been keeping this a secret for a long time!"

"Don't be foolish, human! You're no match for him!"

Madara Uchiha's actions may seem fearless, but in Kurama's eyes, it was blatant ignorance. Kurama had seen a Buddha of the same size a thousand years ago.

That power was enough to render several of those little karaomis unable to take care of themselves with just a single punch.

"Enough with the nonsense. If you don't want to fight, that's fine too. Just remember to check tomorrow's headlines~"

Madara Uchiha, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, sneered and uttered words that sent chills down the spine of the Nine-Tails.

"No way, you human are so despicable!"

Kurama was so enraged by Madara Uchiha's words that her head spun. She secretly made a mental note of this guy and vowed never to believe in idiots again.

Standing atop the nearly 1,000-meter-tall Buddha statue, Hashirama Senju was also feeling the strain. This was the first time he had used this killing move, and he hadn't expected it to consume so much energy. Just summoning the Thousand-Armed Buddha had used up half of his chakra.

"I'm on! The engine's up!"

But to let Madara Uchiha have his fun, he felt it was all worth it. He roared and activated the Great Buddha, a power capable of destroying the world, and charged towards the cat-like Nine-Tails in front of him.

"Come on, hot mom from Hashi!"

Even with such a vast difference in size, Madara Uchiha's fighting spirit remained undiminished. With a wave of his hand, he forcefully manipulated Susanoo to meet the towering wooden figure.

Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails, trapped within Susanoo, was utterly despondent and unable to break free of the blue armor, so it was swept up in the battle against the Buddha.

Grandpa, I'll come visit you later~

With tears in her eyes, the Nine-Tailed Fox could only watch helplessly as the wooden figure stretched out countless large hands from behind its back and pounded towards it.

"A Buddha image appears on the crown of the head!"

The wooden doll's back arms have a one-time skill. If you find carrying them too cumbersome, Hashirama Senju will immediately unleash his ultimate skill at the start of the game, discarding four twos and two kings after drawing all the cards.

"Boom!"

"Nine-Tails, don't just stand there, load!"

Madara Uchiha was not one to back down easily. A red glint flashed in his eyes, and his hands behind his Susanoo swiftly brandished his twin swords. He glanced at the grieving Kurama, stamped his foot in exasperation, and spoke a warning.

"Oh? Sigh~ Well, either way, I'm doomed."

Kurama sighed, opened its huge mouth, and began to prepare Tailed Beast Balls. Then, dozens of Tailed Beast Balls, each wrapped with a sharp Susanoo blade, rushed towards the countless wooden golem hands with unstoppable force.

"biubiubiu~"

"Boom!!!"

Initially, the Tailed Beast Ball technique held the upper hand, its sharp blade tearing the wooden hand to shreds. Madara Uchiha was quite pleased with himself, feeling that Hashirama Senju's technique was not outdated or merely for show, and was no match for him at all.

However, as time went on, Madara Uchiha noticed that the momentum of the Tailed Beast Ball was weakening, while the opponent's massive hand seemed to have an inexhaustible supply.

"Damn it, I thought the 'Hot Mom of Hasi' was just talking, but I didn't expect she really has a thousand arms."

"boom!"

As the last Tailed Beast Ball dissipated, Madara Uchiha, standing atop the Nine-Tails' head, looked up at the remaining nine hundred-plus arms behind Hashirama Senju and fell into deep thought.

"K-haired chicken!"

In this situation, you, Madara Uchiha, only need to hide in the cockpit and contemplate life, while I, Kurama, have to endure much more.

"Clap clap clap clap."

The seemingly robust Susanoo couldn't withstand the onslaught of over nine hundred fists for more than a few seconds. Hashirama Senju, who was controlling the wooden puppet, deliberately avoided Madara Uchiha's cockpit. All nine hundred fists slammed into the innocent Kurama, and in no time, it was beaten so badly that it was running for its life, its mouth agape and its eyes closed.

"Waaaaah"

The dust kicked up by the fist slowly dissipated, revealing the battered and bruised Nine-Tails. Crying and wailing, eighty percent of its Susanoo armor was destroyed, and its massive beast head was bruised and swollen.

In contrast, Madara Uchiha stood unharmed in the cockpit, looking around at his Susanoo, and pursing his lips in amazement.

"Was Susanoo destroyed?"

"Creak!"

The Buddha statue atop the head had been fully released, and the burden on its back could now be removed. Hashirama Senju, controlling the Buddha, dropped the bare arm from its back and approached Madara Uchiha step by step.

"Ha~ha~ha~"

Even without the thousands of arms behind it, the Buddha's oppressive aura was still immense. Hashirama Senju, standing atop the Buddha's head, was panting heavily. The previous move, Top Transformation Buddha, had drained 30% of his chakra, so he was now finding it slightly difficult to control the Buddha.

"Nine-Tails, you're too dangerous!"

With little energy left, Hashirama Senju prepared for a swift victory. He then manipulated the Great Buddha to grab the Nine-Tails, who was secretly grieving. Without any power to resist, it was easily caught in his arms.

"You idiot, how dare you be distracted during a fight!"

Madara Uchiha cursed angrily, then leaped high into the air, brandishing his fan. His target was Hashirama Senju, who was positioned atop the Buddha's head. If he could interrupt Hashirama's spellcasting, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) could escape.

"They're here! Let's go!"

Hashirama Senju, who was focused on capturing the Nine-Tails, saw Madara Uchiha heading straight for him. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he channeled his remaining chakra into the wooden dummy beneath his feet.

This wooden Arhat figure, which looked like an ornament on the head of a Buddha, actually stood up. The wooden dragon wrapped around its waist instantly broke free and lunged at Uchiha Madara.

"Bang!"

Madara Uchiha, suspended in mid-air, had no choice but to raise his fan to defend himself. Taking advantage of this opening, the Wooden Man Arhat pressed his large hand towards the small Nine-Tails held in the Buddha's grasp. Hashirama Senju's brow unfurrowed, and he stretched out his hand, shouting...

"Kuo'an enters the palace with ease!"

The character "座" (seat) appeared in the palm of the wooden Arhat. Seeing this, Madara Uchiha's heart tightened. If this move hit, the Nine-Tails would be controlled by Hashirama Senju, and then his last trump card would be gone.

"Kotoamatsukami: Radiance!"

Now that things had come to this, Madara Uchiha no longer held back. His bewitching Mangekyou Sharingan spun, and several golden beams pierced the dark sky above.

Hashirama Senju raised his head in confusion, wondering where the sun came from in the middle of the night. However, the next moment, a golden giant sword descended from the sky, severing the wooden dummy's large hand that was pressing on the Nine-Tails' head. Then, golden light fell like a rain of swords, tearing the wooden dummy and its wooden dragon to shreds.

"Motor! What kind of move is that?"

Hashirama Senju, skillfully dodging the golden rain of swords, couldn't help but ask Madara Uchiha, who had fallen to the ground, "..."

"I didn't want to use this ability because the cost was just too high."

Standing in the light of Kotoamatsukami, Madara Uchiha touched his eyes with a somber expression. This was the Mangekyou Sharingan eye technique he inherited from his father, which he usually kept hidden because every time he used it, it would stir up inexplicable hatred in his heart.

"Feel sorry."

Upon hearing this, and considering Madara Uchiha's expression, Hashirama Senju instantly understood. Tobirama Senju had given him considerable training on the Mangekyou Sharingan, so he knew a little about how to awaken the Eternal Eye.

"It's alright, it's all in the past. You spared my life back then, so this is a life for a life, and we're even now."

The light of Kotoamatsukami slowly faded, and Madara Uchiha's illuminated face sank back into darkness. He shook his head and replied in a complicated tone.

"Let's call this a draw."

With most of his fighting spirit gone, Hashirama Senju looked at the Great Buddha, who had only been slightly injured by Kotoamatsukami, and proposed a draw.

"Hmph! Impossible! This time we must settle this once and for all!"

If the two don't settle things with a clear victor, then Madara Uchiha's years of wandering and hardship will have been in vain.

"But."

Hashirama Senju glanced at the Nine-Tails, which was being held in the Buddha's hand, and his meaning was quite clear.

What do you have left to fight me with?

"Is this your last trump card, Hasi Hot Mom!"

As it turned out, Madara Uchiha didn't care about the captured Nine-Tails; instead, he stared at the strange markings on Hashirama Senju's face and asked, "..."

"Hmm, Sage Mode is my last trump card~"

Without any intention of hiding anything, Hashirama Senju readily admitted it.

"It's quite strange, it's a bit like my older cousin's Yin Seal."

Madara Uchiha stroked his chin, noticing that Hashirama Senju's Sage Mode mask looked somewhat familiar. His eyes then lit up, and he exclaimed, "..."

"Haha, what a coincidence!"

Hashirama Senju scratched the back of his head and chuckled heartily a few times.

"In that case, I will no longer hide my talents."

After a brief exchange, Madara Uchiha took a deep breath, his gaze hardening. He nodded solemnly to Hashirama Senju, and under Hashirama's questioning gaze, pulled a silver briefcase from the four-dimensional chrysanthemum behind him.

"Madara, you're not trying to bribe me, are you?"

Upon seeing the somewhat familiar briefcase, Hashirama Senju's expression instantly turned strange. He had seen plenty of these kinds of briefcases, usually used to store money, in gambling dens. He hadn't expected that Madara, after years of dealing with people outside, would become so adept at navigating social situations.

"Don't underestimate me, I won't admit defeat without a million!"

Hashirama Senju crossed his arms, striking a pose of noble character, but what he said made Madara Uchiha roll his eyes.

"Are you an idiot, Hassey Hot Mom?"

"Huh? Aren't you trying to bribe me, the village chief?"

Hashirama Senju felt a little embarrassed being looked at like he was an idiot by Madara Uchiha. Was he really that shameless as Hokage? In all the years he had been in office, no one had given him any gifts.

Except for Brother Yin, we never miss a single year, and we never lack anything at any festival.

"This is my winning chip, but before that..."

Madara Uchiha, carrying a briefcase, shook his head, turned to look at the Nine-Tails lying lifeless in the Buddha's hand, and raised the blank Tailed Beast Card high.

"Come back, Nine-Tails!"

"what?"

The nine-tailed fox, who was pretending to be dead, twitched upon hearing this. It was already in such a miserable state, yet that descendant of Indra still wouldn't let it go.

Waaaaah! I'm going to appeal to the Pure Land!

Knowing that struggling was futile, the Nine-Tails was wrapped by the chains extending from the Tailed Beast Card, turning into a thick wisp of scarlet chakra. In the blink of an eye, it was absorbed into the Tailed Beast Card, and the lifelike Nine-Tails once again leaped onto the card.

"Snap!"

Looking at the Tailed Beast Card in his hand, Madara Uchiha's eyes were filled with anticipation. He then lowered his head, opened the portable device in his hand, and took out a gray driver to Hashirama Senju's surprised gaze.

"You're crazy!"

Hashirama Senju, who was well-versed in information about the Tailed Beast Riders, immediately recognized that what Madara Uchiha was holding was the necessary item for the Tailed Beast Rider transformation. He wondered how Madara had obtained this item and couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Men should transform!

Satisfied, Madara Uchiha fastened the Driver to his waist, and the automatically extending belt instantly secured it.

"I was the one who won in the end."

Raising the Nine-Tails card, which radiated a scorching aura, Madara Uchiha smirked and slowly pushed it into the slot. Then, he snapped his fingers crisply towards Hashirama Senju with one hand.

"Entry!" (End of Chapter)