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

boom!!!

"That is."

"Such a powerful aura!"

"Can we really win?"

As Madara Uchiha's transformation effect appeared, the entire island trembled under the aftershocks of his terrifying power. The knights who were fighting stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity, shock, and fear.

The blinding white light slowly dissipated, and standing before Kakuzu was the ultimate fox god, dressed in white and red. In his yellow compound eyes, there was a faint scarlet afterglow, which made people subconsciously look away in fear.

"Gulp~"

Kakuzu swallowed hard. Only those who had experienced it firsthand could truly understand the terror of Madara Uchiha. He felt a pang of regret for his impulsive actions.

But there's no going back in life, so Kakuzu had no choice but to grit his teeth and go for it. Unlike its master, the short blade in his hand didn't hesitate and remained incredibly sharp.

"Bang!"

If this sword were used on an ordinary ninja, it would probably have already torn their skin and flesh open. However, for Madara Uchiha, Kakuzu's exquisite sword strike had no killing power whatsoever. With a simple wave of his hand, the wind force from a distance sent him flying several meters away.

"Cough cough cough"

Kakuzu, who had blocked Madara Uchiha's casual attack, felt a surge of emotion in his chest. After landing, he looked down bitterly at his trembling arm.

"My divine beast, please lend me your strength!"

At the crucial moment, Kakuzu chose to seek help from Shigeaki Amu.

"It's hopeless, just wait to die."

Seven-Tails was prepared to be humiliated by Nine-Tails, after all, even the eight of them combined might not be a match for Nine-Tails, let alone a caterpillar like it.

"If that's all there is to it, then just cancel the transformation and admit defeat."

Madara Uchiha looked at the silent Kakuzu and shook his head slightly. He had no interest in an opponent of this caliber.

Unexpectedly, Kakuzu did not comply. Instead, he stood up and blocked Madara Uchiha's path, the trembling short blade in his hand beginning to steady itself.

Frowning, Madara Uchiha vanished from his spot in an instant, entering a state of high-speed movement. In less than the blink of an eye, he was already standing behind Kakuzu, casually throwing a punch.

"Bang!"

Sensing the devastating aura behind him, Kakuzu reacted swiftly, drawing his sword and thrusting it towards Madara Uchiha's wide-open ribs.

"It's done!"

Just as he thought he had succeeded in his counterattack, a disdainful smile flashed across Madara Uchiha's lips beneath his mask. Ignoring the short blade aimed at him, he forcefully slammed his fist into Kakuzu's back.

"Sizzle~"

"boom!"

Two voices rang out one after the other, and Kakuzu's sharp short blade left no mark on Madara Uchiha's armor.

But Kakuzu, having taken a punch, slammed into the ground like a cannonball, instantly creating a large crater on the hard stage.

"puff!"

Kakuzu spat out a mouthful of blood, his body embedded firmly in the ground.

"Sword-senpai!"

If Mako could continue OMO at this moment, it would truly be a birth. In a flash, she landed next to Kakuzu, stretched out her small hand and pulled hard, actually pulling the silver knight that was deeply embedded in the ground out.

"Cough cough cough"

"Senior Sword, are you alright?"

"Huff~ Huff~ Huff~"

Kakuzu, already suffering from severe internal injuries, gasped for breath, pushed away Shinji who was supporting him, bent down to pick up the short sword from the ground, and turned to limp toward Uchiha Madara.

"Still want to fight?"

Madara Uchiha raised an eyebrow in surprise; this guy was indeed courageous.

"I haven't lost yet!"

As Kakuzu walked, he inserted a clip into the slot at the end of his short blade.

"Absorb Queen! Fusion Jack!"

As golden light shone down, Kakuzu, enveloped in it, began to move with increased agility. A pair of insect wings unfurled behind him, and the short blade in his hand transformed into a long sword.

"Round two! My turn to attack!"

Having successfully upgraded, Kakuzu's injuries were instantly healed. The long sword in his hand emitted a chilling light, and with a flap of his wings, he charged towards Uchiha Madara at an extremely fast speed.

"That's more like it!"

Sensing that Kakuzu's current aura was several levels stronger than before, Madara Uchiha's mind stirred, and light particles condensed in his hand, instantly transforming into a bladed spear.

"Bang!"

The two weapons clashed, producing a sharp explosion. The shockwave from the clash nearly sent Onoki, who was dodging the ice blades in mid-air, flying away.

"That guy can actually be on par with Madara Uchiha?"

Onoki, regaining his footing, blinked in surprise. As a man who had been ravaged by Madara Uchiha multiple times, he was well aware of the latter's terror.

"Bang!"

"Snapped!"

"Bang!"

With the speed boost from his wings, Kakuzu could barely keep up with Madara Uchiha's movements, but his long sword was repeatedly blocked by Madara with ease, and his mentality gradually began to change.

"Thump!"

Finally, Kakuzu's relentless, torrential attacks found an opening in the moment of Kakuzu's distraction. Madara Uchiha, having exhausted his options, then simply raised his hand and delivered a swift thrust, ending the "exhilarating" battle.

Unable to dodge in time, Kakuzu was sent flying again, landing on the ground with a slightly grim expression.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm just teasing the idiot~"

To everyone's surprise, Madara Uchiha actually nodded, which infuriated Kakuzu to the point of near collapse. However, his years of self-control had kicked in, and he knew he couldn't let Madara's words sway him.

"Phew~ The world is so beautiful, yet you're so irritable, is that okay? That's not good!"

After a period of self-reflection, Kakuzu regained his spirits, brandishing his golden longsword, and charged at Madara Uchiha once more.

"But I'm tired of it now."

Facing the menacing Kakuzu, Madara Uchiha merely shook his head slightly, and several fiery red beams of light burst forth from the bladed spear in his hand, shooting towards the approaching Kakuzu.

Rumble~ Rumble

With a loud explosion, thick black smoke enveloped the entire area. When the smoke cleared, Kakuzu, who had degenerated into his basic silver-white form, lay in a large crater, his body emitting blue smoke. If it weren't for the still-bright red compound eyes, Madara Uchiha would have been ready to start a feast.

"Da~Da~Da~"

Madara Uchiha transformed his bladed spear back into light particles, walked past Kakuzu, and headed towards the direction where Shinji was hiding. However, he hadn't taken more than a few steps when he found his foot being grabbed.

"what?"

Looking down at the large hand gripping his calf, Madara Uchiha frowned, then spoke calmly.

"Is it worth it? You clearly have no desire to fight."

"Cough cough."

Madara Uchiha could sense from the very beginning of the battle that the man beneath his feet had never intended to fight seriously; what motivated him was perhaps only the money promised by that woman.

"Cough cough cough I...don't...have...dreams, but I can protect other people's dreams."

"Even though the dialogue is a bit off, I'm not watching this year's Top Ten Touching Figures in the World and National Model Workers."

Kakuzu stood up tremblingly, his voice revealing an unwavering conviction. The power of this conviction drew the attention of Uchiha Gintoki, who had been watching the battle intently.

"Well said, I can spare your life."

Except in necessary circumstances, Madara Uchiha was not usually a bloodthirsty person, so even though Kakuzu kept pestering him, he did not have any intention of harming anyone, especially since this guy seemed to have some superhuman beliefs and was quite a character.

"Sword-senpai!"

Just as Madara Uchiha was about to raise his hand to push Kakuzu away, Mako's figure appeared like a ghost between the two. This time, the roles were reversed, and she was the one protecting the seriously injured Kakuzu.

"Cough cough cough, idiot! What are you doing? You're the employer! If you die, who am I supposed to get my money from?"

Kakuzu, who had been slowly recovering under the nourishment of the Seven-Tails' power, looked at Shinji blocking his way, his veins bulging with anger.

"Senior Sword, rest and recover. Leave the rest to me. I'm very strong~"

Turning around, she gestured with her small muscles to the exasperated Kakuzu. Then, back at the same time, Mako's innocent charm vanished, replaced by a serious expression that gave Madara the illusion of seeing a female version of Hassan's hot mom.

"The thing on you is quite interesting."

Beneath the visor, the scarlet eyes had already seen through Mako completely—not in a lewd way, but with a clear understanding of the monster lurking within her.

"Madara Uchiha has approached that woman. She's doomed. She's just an ordinary person, yet she insists on participating in this kind of battle."

The knights, unaware of the truth, shook their heads regretfully as they watched Mako confront Madara Uchiha. In their view, a woman who wasn't a Tailed Beast Knight had simply stumbled into this battle of the century, and her ultimate fate would likely be nothing more than death.

"Is it interesting? I find it troublesome, and it even secretly does some despicable things."

Upon hearing this, Mako pursed her lips, and then, to the surprise of most people, pulled out a gray driver identical to theirs from the small bag on her back.

"ha?"

"What?! Baka dazed!"

"Could there be other, unknown, secret tailed beasts besides the nine tailed beasts?"

In an instant, all the knights stopped fighting and stared intently at Mako, who had fastened the driver to her slender waist. Their compound eyes, each with its own color, were filled with curiosity.

After securing the driver, Mako slowly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a savage glint flashed in her beautiful eyes, chilling everyone to the bone. A crimson card, radiating a bloodthirsty aura, appeared in her hand.

"This is a creature I've never seen before; it doesn't seem to be a tailed beast."

Kinkaku, who had done considerable research on the Tailed Beasts, frowned deeply as he looked at the ferocious monster on the card in Mako's hand.

"Eighth Brother, do you know that guy?"

In his mind's eye, he sought help from the Eight-Tails in the Golden Horn Field. These tailed beasts had lived for so many years and were very knowledgeable; they should recognize that monster.

"So Chongming wasn't bragging after all?"

The Eight-Tails stared blankly at Shinji as he pushed the scarlet card into the driver, recalling the boast that Chongming had made in the Tailed Beasts chat room years ago, saying that he and the old man had fought a monster for eight hundred rounds. They had scoffed at it, thinking it was just a caterpillar's daydream.

"Stop playing riddles, what is it?"

Seeing that the Eight-Tails recognized the monster, Kinkaku couldn't help but urge it on.

"It is Wu, a monster that feeds on humans."

In the stands, Chiyo frantically rubbed her large, bright eyes. She had painstakingly collected information on all the knights, but she never expected to have missed one. She then turned to Shinka, who looked distressed, and asked...

"Your wife can transform too? She's a knight too?"

"A knight? No, Mako prefers to call herself that."

"Amazon!" (End of Chapter)