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

"Grandson! Come here!"

Shukaku is furious. As a tailed beast that can be killed instantly, it has been completely fooled by a human, who has been making all sorts of mocking gestures at it.

"That despicable bald man!"

The rage in his heart transformed into massive air bullets. Shukaku opened its mouth wide and sprayed them wildly at the agile Shamon. The wind bullets crashed onto the sand dunes, stirring up dust and creating a massive sandstorm that turned the entire sky yellow.

"Was it really too much of a stretch?"

Shamon narrowly dodged a training bullet, but his anxiety grew stronger. He had already used up most of his chakra to lure Shukaku away, and the yellow sand beneath his feet seemed about to collapse.

"Baldy, you think my Magnet Release is so easy to master?"

As if sensing Shamon's weakness, Shukaku cruelly grinned, shouting in a shrill voice, its tone brimming with undisguised schadenfreude.

"Huff, huff."

Slightly out of breath, Shamon frowned deeply, clenched his fists, and did his best to refine the little chakra left in his body.

The only option now is to escape. I hope Mr. Gin can get away safely. I wonder if Chiyo has protected them well.

"Just accept your fate, you bald man!"

"snort!"

Faced with Shukaku's relentless advance, Shamon gritted his teeth and raised his hand, causing the sand beneath his feet to stir once more.

"teacher!"

Just then, a pretty figure came running from not far away. It was Chiyo, whose face was full of worry. After seeing that Shamon was unharmed, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"You're not dead!"

"If you can't speak, you can donate your mouth."

Shamon, who was about to release the Sand Binding Prison, stopped supplying chakra, and the surrounding sand instantly fell silent.

"Why are you here? Did Mr. Yin and the others evacuate safely?"

"I'm here to deliver equipment!"

The violent aura of Shukaku nearby pulled Chiyo back to the harsh reality. She carefully opened her ninja tool pouch and took out a silver card that shimmered with a faint glow.

"Mr. Yin succeeded!"

Shamen trembled with excitement. He had waited more than ten years for this transformation card he had always dreamed of.

"This was made by Uncle Yin at the risk of his life for you, teacher. Please don't let him down."

Chiyo solemnly handed the blank Tailed Beast Card to Shamon, a look of relief appearing on her face.

Feeling the warmth emanating from the card, Shamon was moved to tears. He felt that the best thing he had ever done in his life was making friends with Uchiha Gin.

"We will win."

Wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, Shamon gripped the Tailed Beast Card in his hand, his gaze resolute and sharp.

"Teacher, let me help you too!"

Chiyo couldn't bear to see her teacher face the ferocious tailed beast alone, so she drew two useless clubs, preparing to join the battle, but was stopped by Shamon.

"Don't disturb the sacred battle. Kamen Rider Decade once said that only the one who defeats a Tailed Beast alone can use the Tailed Beast Card to seal it."

Recalling the knight's guide deeply imprinted in his mind, Shamen's blood boiled.

If you want to bear the name of a knight, you must have the courage to face your fears alone.

"Oh, I see, there's such a rule!"

Looking at her teacher's resolute face, Chiyo slowly put down the useless stick in her hand and nodded gently.

"Shamen! I'm here to help you!"

Suddenly, a deep voice rang out from not far away. The First Kazekage, Retsuto, with graying temples, came running as fast as the wind, followed closely by Ebizo, who had gone to deliver the message.

"First-sama!"

In the blink of an eye, Retsuto was already standing in front of Shamon. Their gazes passed over the master and disciple and landed on Shukaku, who was rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Didn't they say it would be another two weeks before the seal was broken? What have you done?"

Even after stepping down, Lie Dou still couldn't let go of his official airs. Looking at the Shamen he had personally mentored, he coldly asked,

"Lord Retsuto, we didn't do anything. It ran out as soon as we entered the temple gate."

Even when facing his former superior, Shamen still gave him ample face, behaving like a humble student.

"Never mind, where's the tea kettle?"

More than the truth behind Shukaku's breaking, Retsuto is now more interested in the status of the items used to seal the tailed beasts.

"My forehead is shattered."

"It's broken?"

"That's right, it's so shattered it can't be put back together."

The sudden bad news left Retsu completely bewildered. Their Sand Village had yet to find any other containers that could hold the Tailed Beasts. Their previous research on human sealing had been halted long ago by Shamon, who instead focused all his efforts on researching transformation items.

If things had gone according to plan, they might have already figured out a way to seal the tailed beasts into the human body.

"Then we'll have to prepare for the worst."

Lie Dou's old eyes narrowed, flashing with a chilling light, and his aged voice carried a cruel tone.

"Shamon, let's join forces and kill Shukaku!"

After saying that, he clasped his hands together, and a surge of fierce wind-attribute chakra rose up. It seems that this old guy did not stop training after retirement. It is truly not easy to maintain such combat power at this age.

"Hahahaha, humans, are you trying to make me laugh to death? You think you can kill me with just a few old, weak, and disabled people? You really think you're something special!"

Shukaku overheard their conversation clearly. After hearing Retsuto's rebellious words, he laughed in anger. He figured if you put the Eight-Tails in front of this old man, that stupid bull would be blown to pieces on the spot.

"Lord Retsuto, please let me do it."

A strange light flickered in Shamen's eyes as he spoke to Liedou, who was preparing to attack, in an extremely serious tone.

"Shamen, what do you mean?"

Frowning his aged brows, Lie Dou lowered his hands, which had been forming hand seals, in utter confusion, wanting to hear the other's explanation.

"I want to become a knight!"

Looking at the blank Tailed Beast Card in his hand, Shamon's long-suppressed desire finally found its release.

"That's... that wretched curly-haired guy?"

Lie Dou naturally recognized the Tailed Beast Cards and knew who the only person in the ninja world could create them was. His withered face instantly turned incredibly dark.

During the Five Kage Summit, he was often ridiculed by Uchiha Gin. Although their relationship wasn't exactly mortal enmity, it was certainly one where they wouldn't give each other a friendly look when they met.

"Thanks to Mr. Yin's help, I'm only one step away from becoming a knight."

"Shamon, don't play games at a time like this. If you die, the backbone of Sunagakure will be broken!"

Seeing that his carefully nurtured successor was going to fight a tailed beast one-on-one, the ever-cautious Retsudo naturally wouldn't agree, after all, Shamon was now carrying the future of the entire village.

"Lord Retsuto! Please believe me!"

Shamen shook his head firmly. As a fine man of the Wind Kingdom, how could he back down in the face of battle?

"But."

"Boom!"

Retsudou wanted to say a few more words of advice, but Shamon had already turned around, his feet moving like the wind, like a gleaming missile, and charged towards Shukaku's massive body.

Seeing this, Retsuto immediately took a step forward, ready to chase after him to help, but he was blocked by Chiyo, who had been waiting for a long time.

"Chiyo, get out of the way!"

Even though he had always doted on the woman before him as if she were his own granddaughter, Lie Dou still commanded her in a harsh tone.

"I'm sorry, First Generation, please do not participate in this battle."

Knowing that her teacher's battle could not be disturbed by any external factors, Chiyo shook her head, held the two useless sticks in front of her chest, and her eyes showed a resolute look.

"Hey you all, you think you're all grown up now? Ebizo, stop your sister for me."

Unexpectedly, the two people who were usually so respectful to him defied him at this crucial moment. Lie Dou waved his hand coldly.

Ebizo, who had been standing behind him in a daze, was instantly jolted awake by the words. After hearing this difficult order, he pouted and blinked helplessly at Chiyo.

Chiyo glared at her younger brother, and Ebizo, upon seeing that terrifying look, instantly shrank back, then lowered his head and stood motionless, as if ignoring Retsuto's orders.

"He has made his choice, First Generation Master. Please give your teacher a little more trust, okay?"

All the doubts stem from the lack of firepower.

The reason why Liedou was so determined to participate in the battle was because he knew exactly what Shamen was capable of.

As the second strongest ninja in Sunagakure after him, Shamon's strength can be considered top-tier in the Land of Wind, but Retsuto knows that he is just the tallest among the short.

If Shamon were placed in other major countries, he might not even rank in the top five. It is only because the overall level of ninjas in the Land of Wind is not high that he stands out.

"Sigh~ But your teacher's abilities..."

Retsuto looked at Chiyo, who was standing in front of him, and sighed helplessly.

"Master Shamon is the strongest man in the Land of Wind!"

Unlike the pessimistic Liedou, Chiyo had absolute confidence in her teacher. She always believed that Shamon was the chosen one who would lead Sunagakure to rise to power.

"That's all."

Seeing the light gleaming in Chiyo's eyes, Retsuto suddenly fell silent. Sure enough, as people get older, they become more cautious and hesitant. Recalling his youthful days of fearlessness, he suddenly felt enlightened.

At that time, he was not the strongest man in the Land of Wind, but he never feared battle. Facing enemies stronger than himself, he still rose to the challenge. It was with this spirit that Liedou successfully defeated one invincible enemy after another, unified the ninja world of the Land of Wind, and established Sunagakure, one of the five great ninja villages.

"Shamen, I hope you will not bring shame to the name of the Wind Shadow."

Watching Shamen's departing figure, Lie Dou stopped and muttered to himself, a dazzling light flashing in his dull eyes.

"Bald guy, are you here to die?"

Shukaku scratched his head in confusion. Was the monk in front of him out of his mind? How dare he rush over to find him all by himself? Did he have a death wish?

"Shukaku, from now on, I will go all out and have a fair and square 1V1 manly battle with you."

Standing before Shukaku's massive body, Shamon appeared as small as a grain of sand, but his eyes showed no fear, only intense fighting spirit. The blue dragon tattooed on his face also gleamed faintly as his emotions surged.

"1v1? Are you out of your mind? You dare to fight me one-on-one?"

In all its life, it had never seen such an arrogant human. Of course, this was all thanks to the protection of the teapot, which allowed Shukaku to escape the Tailed Beast Capture Tournament back then. Without personally experiencing the beatings of wooden golems or Gundams, it could spout such nonsense.

"Sandstorm Burial!"

Shamon ignored Shukaku's foul mouth, slammed his hands on the ground, and the calm sand dunes burst open as if boiling water had been poured into them.

The battle declaration has been made; now it's just a matter of Tata opening fire.

"Are you serious?!"

Feeling the sand beneath his feet suddenly become incredibly soft, Shukaku's eyes widened, and he shouted in disbelief,

"Keep touching the tartar!"

Working diligently to manipulate the vast desert, beads of sweat appeared on Shamon's gleaming bald head, dampening the blue dragon tattoo on his face. Ordinary wind-style techniques were utterly ineffective against Shukaku; his only remaining trump card was Magnet Release.

"Damn it! The Hand of Sand!"

Due to its own weight, Shukaku sank extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, half of its body was already in the ground. Enraged, it raised its claws, and the floating sand instantly turned into several sharp claws, which it used to grab at the sand on the ground.

"Shield of Sand!"

If he dodges, the Sandstorm Burial will be interrupted. Facing the ferocious claws, Shamon gritted his teeth and silently used the Sand Shield to defend. A thick sand shield appeared out of thin air and blocked his way.

Bang!

Bang! !

Bang! ! !

The explosions grew louder and louder, and Shamon felt his dwindling chakra rapidly draining away. But for now, the only way was to restrict Shukaku's movements before he could use a deadly escape technique to complete this underdog victory.

"Hmph! You think you can trap me like this? You're dreaming!"

After struggling in the soft, sticky sand for half a day, Shukaku let out a cold snort, opened its foul-smelling mouth, and the black orb of light gradually solidified.

"Ah! It's a Tailed Beast Ball!"

The onlookers, seeing the black orb of light emanating terrifying energy from Shukaku's mouth, immediately felt their hearts leap into their throats. If they were to take this attack head-on, even if Shamon had nine lives, it wouldn't be enough to kill him.

"Human, please give my regards to the old man!"

With the Tailed Beast Ball ready, Shukaku's eyes were full of pride. Although its Tailed Beast Ball had the lowest purity among all the Tailed Beasts, it was still a Tailed Beast Ball, wasn't it?

Sizzle~ Sizzle~

The black Tailed Beast Ball was about to be uttered when Shamon, sensing the threat of death, experienced a surge of adrenaline. Recalling the Sand Hand technique that Shukaku had just used, he raised one hand, frantically constructing a mental framework.

Trace on?

"Huh? What's that on the teacher's head?"

Chiyo, filled with worry, stared wide-eyed at the enormous hand that was coalescing in the sky, and gasped in astonishment, covering her mouth.

"Uh, my hands are on my body?"

Shukaku, who also saw the enormous wrist, glanced at his own hands while a Tailed Beast Ball was hanging from his mouth, and found that they were both intact.

So whose is that giant hand that appeared out of nowhere?

"The Strange Arm of Sand!"

"Snapped!"

Just as Shukaku was filled with doubt, the large hand that was exactly like its arm was raised high and slapped down with lightning speed, the sound of the huge slap echoing through the sky.

"boom!"

The Tailed Beast Ball, which hadn't even been spat out yet, exploded in front of the bewildered Shukaku's mouth, and the destructive force it generated could be clearly felt even from several miles away.

As the smoke cleared, Shukaku, his face completely disfigured, remained frozen in the position he had been in after being slapped, as if he had lost his soul.

After a long while, Shukaku slowly turned his head, his two coin-shaped pupils staring intently at Shamon, his trembling voice carrying a hint of grievance.

"Even the old man couldn't beat me!"

P.S.: As expected of a legendary banned drug, the side effects are terrifying! My whole body aches as if I've been played with by a gay maniac for seven days and seven nights. I can't take it anymore, fans! (End of Chapter)