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

"roar!"

In the sea of ​​Shamen's consciousness, yellow sand swirled, and a gleaming bald head stood atop seemingly nonexistent fine sand. Before him, a gigantic, plump raccoon dog brandished its claws, head held high, roaring in fury.

The violent shockwave from the roar caused Shamen to instinctively squint. Just as he was about to speak to the ferocious beast about making a deal, the beast lowered its head first, its coin-like eyes filled with undisguised excitement.

"Baldy! You want power, huh? If you can beat that stinky cat to a pulp, you can have as much Magnet Release chakra as you want!"

Is this really true?

Shamon raised an eyebrow in surprise. Previously, it was harder than climbing to heaven to borrow some power from Shukaku, but he didn't expect it to take the initiative to borrow power this time.

"snort!"

Shukaku snorted coldly upon hearing this, having no intention of wasting any more words with this human. It raised its sharp claws and struck, causing the monk to feel a sudden dizziness.

"Uh, what's this?"

When Shamon opened his eyes again, he was surprised to find that the unstable halo on the buckle he had just inserted into the driver had slowly dissipated, revealing a yellowish-brown tanuki head buckle.

The adorable chibi-style tanuki is covered with intricate black patterns, exuding an overall mysterious and strange aura.

"Bang!"

Just as Shamon was wondering what was going on, the wind-style belt buckle that was originally stuck on the other side suddenly flew off on its own. Before he could react, a cunning glint flashed in the tanuki's big eyes on the tanuki headband buckle at his waist.

"Snapped!"

With a snap, the tanuki headband buckle suddenly popped open, revealing a chibi version of Shukaku standing proudly with its hands on its hips.

"Magnetic Release power, successfully loaded."

The emotionless electronic voice rang out again, and the yellow sand that appeared out of nowhere instantly swallowed up the Shamen's body.

"What's he up to, Youlv?"

Silver Horn, standing before Shamon, frowned deeply. Watching the opponent's extremely long transformation animation, a sense of unease crept into his heart. He calmed himself and questioned the Two-Tails within him.

"Tsk, he's even using his primal power. Is Shukaku risking his life?"

You Lu looked at the sand gate shrouded in yellow sand with a gloomy expression, his tone tinged with apprehension.

"It's just a competition, is it really necessary to go to such lengths?"

Upon hearing this, Silver Horn scratched his head, feeling a bit of a soreness. As one of the first Tailed Beast Riders, he naturally knew what it meant for a Tailed Beast to use its source power. The disdain on his face gradually faded, replaced by deep solemnity.

Wow~

Just then, the yellow sand dispersed, revealing the brownish-yellow raccoon knight inside. His body was covered with blue-black patterns, and his hands were wreathed in visible waves, with the surrounding yellow sand churning endlessly with the waves.

"Land of Wind, your emperor has returned!"

Raising his hand, the Tanuki Knight admired the aura of Magnet Release within it. A terrifying arc appeared in the gaping maw beneath his mask, and the voice emanating from it was utterly unfamiliar to everyone.

"Has it gone berserk?"

Silverhorn's gaze sharpened. With his extensive experience of berserk behavior, he could tell at a glance that the person currently controlling the body was not the previous Shamon, but the owner of the Tailed Beast Card.

"Hmm"

Just as the Tanuki Knight struck a cocky pose, a sudden headache made it grimace and forcefully suppress Shamon's consciousness. Shukaku, who was controlling Shamon's body, grinned savagely and said...

"Bald guy, don't rush. I'll come out and play for a while. Consider it the price for borrowing your power."

Having successfully completed the forced transaction, Shukaku raised its head, looking at the prepared Ginkaku, its voice shrill and high-pitched.

"You, Tatari, I'll tear your stinking mouth to shreds today!"

"Little silver coin, give it a good thrashing!"

It was no pushover either. Since Shukaku had provoked it like this, it would no longer hold back. It roared in Ginkaku's mind and its cold chakra surged out, pouring into the driver at its waist.

The next moment, a card depicting a ferocious tiger popped out of the card holder at Silver Horn's waist. He caught it and inserted it into the drive's card slot.

"The wild tiger has descended."

"roar!"

A deafening roar of a tiger rang out, and a silver tiger-like monster covered in blue tiger stripes appeared beside Silver Horn. Its huge claws gleamed with a chilling light, and its scarlet tiger eyes fell on the Tanuki Knight, flashing a ferocious light that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Clap clap clap!"

"Look, this is what a real fight looks like! Those guys over there are all throwing the match!"

Sitting in the spectator stands, Uchiha Gin clapped excitedly when he saw someone finally going all out. He turned to the several puzzled spectators and explained...

"Match-fixing?"

The spectators exchanged bewildered glances, then turned their gazes to the knights locked in fierce combat, their expressions growing even more puzzled.

"That's right, those guys were all bark and no bite. Every move they made was just a test, and they didn't even use the power of the tailed beasts."

In the arena, Wuzheng maneuvered his body at incredible speed, dodging the relentless water bullets in mid-air. Below him, Hozuki Gengetsu, with his hands raised high, continuously fired his signature Water Gun from his fingertips.

"Bandaged man! Come down here for a 1v1 man-on-man battle if you dare!"

Seeing that Mokumo nimbly dodged his attack, Hozuki Gengetsu, standing on the ground, was instantly furious.

"idiot."

Wu rolled his eyes in mid-air, then raised his hands in front of his chest. A dazzling white light suddenly shone, and Hozuki Gengetsu below saw it and skillfully dodged the oncoming dust escaping attack.

Rumble~

The seemingly powerful Dust Release technique, upon impacting the ground, merely left a small crater, leaving the spectators in the stands momentarily stunned.

Isn't it supposed to be the Bloodline Elimination that transcends the limits of bloodline limits?

That's it?

Not far from them, Katsura, wielding a long spear, was playing a game of throwing dumplings with Onoki, the "Flying Potato."

With a flick of his spear, several ice balls half the size of a person were created. Not to be outdone, Onoki waved his short arm, and several magma balls radiating intense heat appeared behind him. With a thought, they crashed into the oncoming ice balls.

"Sizzle~"

The clash between extreme cold and scorching heat may seem grand, but it's really just a superficial event, all show and no substance.

"That's true."

The few people present were tactical geniuses. After carefully studying the other people's battles, they realized that some people were indeed slacking off, and they were doing it quite well.

"Hmph~ These four guys are really cunning."

After a brief moment of thought, Tobirama Senju deduced the intentions of the four knights from Iwagakure and Kirigakure, and then spoke with a cold laugh.

"But isn't this also a tactic?"

Uchiha Gin rested his chin on his hand and sighed softly.

He finally saw through it all. The two groups from Kirigakure and Iwagakure combined probably had over eight hundred cunning schemes. They were pretending to fight to the death, but in reality, they were observing from the shadows, waiting for the other knights to be eliminated before making their move and reaping the benefits.

"That's so despicable!"

Chiyo frowned, raising her fist in protest, clearly indignant.

"They should be disqualified and forfeited outright!"

Her teacher was playing like crazy, while you guys were just sitting there weak and throwing the game.

"It doesn't matter, someone will step in."

As the organizer of the competition, Uchiha Gin naturally wouldn't allow such slacking off to exist. He crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and his consciousness followed the weft left on each of the tailed beasts.

"Hello, if you guys are like this, it's really difficult for me~"

Uchiha Gin suddenly appeared in front of the Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Six-Tails. Looking at the four tailed beasts who remained silent with their eyes closed, he waved his hand with a troubled expression.

"Let me out!"

The four tailed beasts initially showed fear upon seeing Uchiha Gin, but their desire for freedom quickly overcame their fear of having their tails severed, and they roared with their mouths wide open.

"Don't rush, don't rush. Do you remember what I told you before?"

Upon hearing this, the four tailed beasts frowned, suddenly recalling that this detestable human had also appeared once during the group chat, saying a bunch of inexplicable things before logging off.

"Fight?"

The four-tailed Son Goku grinned widely, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

"That's right, you know about the competition outside, right? As long as you win the final victory, you'll gain permanent freedom~"

Uchiha Gin nodded, raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The four tailed beasts suddenly felt lighter all over, and the restraints in the tailed beast cards were much lessened.

"Go, fight! One self-heal, one tower open!"

As the seal loosened, the deep malice of the tailed beasts suddenly erupted. Uchiha Gin, with his back to the tailed beasts, raised his hands high, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement.

"roar!!!"

Whoosh!

A water bullet grazed past Wu's visor, and feeling a burning sensation on his face, his expression darkened. After regaining his footing in mid-air, he angrily questioned Hozuki Gengetsu, who was firing a pistol on the ground.

"Little Mustache, are you serious?"

"That damn bandaged man!"

On the ground, the ghost lantern, Huan Yue, had its yellow compound eyes turn into a bloodthirsty scarlet, its voice filled with madness, and its body uncontrollably emitted a pungent acidic gas.

"This is."

A hint of surprise flashed in Wu's eyes. When the competition started, the two groups were prepared to fight to the death. However, during the match, Hozuki Gengetsu secretly asked the alliance to eliminate the others first before they would settle the score.

As the Tsuchikage with a broad perspective, Mu naturally had no objection to the proposal. After informing Katsura and Onoki of the plan, the four of them began a match that was all bark and no bite. It looked like they were fighting fiercely, but in reality, not a single hair was hurt.

After playing for a long time without any knights being eliminated, just as they were about to sigh and prepare to continue throwing the game, they discovered that something seemed to have happened to them and their temporary allies.

"Human, have you forgotten who ruined your stunning good looks? It was this bearded man in front of you. If it weren't for him, how could you be covered in ugly bandages, and how could your beloved girl have left you?"

As Mu was frowning and pondering whether Hozuki Gengetsu was preparing to make the act real, his consciousness was suddenly struck hard, and his spirit became listless. At the same time, a malicious voice quietly appeared in his mind.

The scene after being injured by Hozuki Gengetsu replayed in his mind like a revolving lantern. When Wu saw his beloved girl turn away with a look of disgust on her face, he was instantly engulfed by overwhelming malice.

"That wretched little mustache!"

The blue compound eyes were replaced by a savage crimson, and scorching steam billowed from the white body, distorting the surrounding air. A murderous gaze fell directly on Hozuki Gengetsu, who stood on the ground with his hands raised. A blast of boiling, foul air escaped from the large mouth beneath his mask.

"Give me back my stunning good looks!"

On the other side, the same situation was happening to Katsura and Onoki. At this moment, both of them had a violent look in their eyes. The two who had just been throwing the ball at each other were now fighting hand-to-hand.

"Bang!"

"You're the one who just called me 'Little Potato'? You wretched, squinty-eyed, gloomy wig guy!"

"A wig? Hahaha."

A chilling laugh emanated from beneath the mask. Katsura, already driven mad by the Three-Tailed Fox's malice, was filled with images of slicing potatoes.

"Huh? They're already fighting? Weren't they all lovey-dovey just now?"

Chiyo, sitting in the stands, scratched her face in confusion, watching the four fake riders suddenly start throwing punches. She turned to ask the silent Uchiha Gin beside her.

"Maybe she's had a change of heart~"

Uchiha Gin, who had already returned, shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either.

Inside the arena, ignoring Shinji who was treating Kakuzu, Madara Uchiha turned his gaze to the stands. Looking at Tobirama Senju, whose brow was furrowed, he curled his lip in disdain.

"Is that white-haired guy here to oversee the battle?"

"Hmm"

Kakuzu, who had been unconscious, finally awoke thanks to Mako's tireless efforts. He looked up at the dark red knight beside him and scratched his head in frustration.

"Tsk, they actually got the employer to get involved personally."

"It's alright, Senior Sword, I can fight too!"

The understanding Mako shook her head, not blaming Kakuzu for accepting her employment, but instead offering words of comfort.

"Sorry, he was indeed a bit too overconfident."

After a brief moment of disappointment, Kakuzu stood up, leaning on his short sword. Looking at Madara Uchiha, who was looking around in the distance, a very bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Are you awake? Then all of you come at me together, I'm in a hurry."

After glaring at Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha turned his gaze back and forth, looking at Kakuzu and Shinji, and beckoned with his hand expressionlessly.

Time is of the essence; the hot mom from Harbin is waiting for her to go back and save him.

"Cough cough cough, do you still remember what I taught you?"

Looking at Uchiha Madara, who exuded a terrifying aura, Kakuzu coughed a few times, turned his head, looked at Shinji who looked nervous, and spoke softly.

"Sorry, I don't understand it."

"Okay, I understand."

Seeing the troubled look on Shinji's face, Kakuzu instantly understood, nodded, and stepped forward, holding his short sword.

"If you can't reach a consensus with it, you can't be of much help. If I fail again this time, you should just surrender. After all, you're not fighting alone."

Kakuzu didn't even turn around. He simply gave Shinji a casual instruction and then walked towards Uchiha Madara.

"My divine beast, please."

Within Kakuzu's sea of ​​consciousness, Chongming, floating in mid-air, remained silent. After hearing the man's words, it pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded, its sharp voice tinged with worry.

"Kakuzu, if we fail, you might die."

"Don't worry, my divine beast, I have many lives."

Kakuzu smiled, and a resolute look flashed in his eyes, which had turned emerald green at some point.

"You came alone, are you looking down on me?"

Madara Uchiha crossed his arms and looked at Kakuzu, who was walking towards him with a short blade in his hand. His brows furrowed slightly. Did this bounty hunter have a death wish?

"I'm sorry, I must adhere to my professional ethics."

As a hired ninja, Kakuzu's primary task is to protect his employer's safety; otherwise, who would he ask for his payment?

"In that case, I have no choice but to completely crush you."

Nodding, Madara Uchiha acknowledged Kakuzu's professionalism, then raised one hand, and the overflowing white light particles instantly condensed into a sharp spear blade.

"I don't know if you've ever heard of a secret technique called Earth Grudge Fear."

Kakuzu, who had stopped not far from Madara Uchiha, suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"Earthly Grudge?"

Madara Uchiha frowned; he had never heard of this secret technique.

"Don't you know? That's right, how could people from big villages know about such secret techniques from remote and impoverished areas?"

Kakuzu, who had initially been somewhat hopeful, shook his head slightly in disappointment upon seeing Madara Uchiha's puzzled expression. He then planted his short blade into the ground and began forming hand seals.

"That is?"

The crowd in the stands was captivated by Kakuzu's actions. After seeing him form hand seals, they all craned their necks, trying to guess what kind of ninjutsu he was about to unleash.

"What kind of forbidden technique is this? What a strange name."

"Never heard of it, it must be from a small town~"

"It doesn't feel very impressive, it looks pretty bad."

"Isn't Earth Grudge Fear a forbidden technique of the Land of Waterfalls?"

A glint flashed in Tobirama Senju's eyes. As a master of ninjutsu, he had heard of the forbidden techniques of various countries. He had vaguely seen the Earth Grudge Fear mentioned by Kakuzu in records.

"That's right, it's that forbidden technique that comes with the power of deformed immortality."

Seeing that the crowd didn't quite understand the Earth Grudge Technique, Uchiha Gin kindly gave them a general explanation of the main function of this forbidden technique.

"The power of immortality!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up, and they exclaimed excitedly. After all, in this era, no forbidden technique dared to claim to possess the power of immortality.

"The power of immortality? Hmph~"

Tobirama Senju, a master of ninjutsu, curled his lip in disdain upon hearing this explanation; he didn't believe in any kind of immortality technique.

If it truly exists, the copyright absolutely belongs to him.

"Don't be so happy yet, this power of immortality comes at a price."

"cost?"

"To become an undead beast, neither human nor ghost, whose goal is to create a living heart."

Kakuzu rapidly formed hand seals, his speed so fast that afterimages appeared. As the last seal ended, a viscous black liquid suddenly gushed from his body, like living tentacles, crawling towards the driver at his waist.

"Hmm"

As black tentacles burrowed into the Driver, Kakuzu's face contorted in pain. Amidst the dense network of tentacles, numerous white masks with varying expressions appeared, also surging into the Driver along with the tentacles.

"One, two, thirty-two, there are actually twelve cards?"

As he carefully examined the masks on Kakuzu's Jade Veil, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Unlike the five masks of the five attributes in the original work, Kakuzu now has twelve masks. Does that mean he has thirteen lives?

As for why he was able to break through the limit of five masks, only Chongming, being a tailed beast, could do it.

"Kakuzu, are you sure you don't want to keep one?"

In his mind's eye, Chongming looked at Kakuzu, who was pouring the last mask into the driver, with a worried expression, and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Only in this way can we possibly win."

Despite the excruciating pain, Kakuzu slowly placed his hand on the restless belt. As the driver flashed with a golden light, twelve cards shimmering with various lights jumped out and floated beside the silver-white knight.

Each card depicted a monster that was neither human nor inhuman. Kakuzu looked at the familiar face on the card and a relieved expression appeared on his face.

"You traitors, now you finally have a chance to prove your worth."

Upon closer inspection, one will find that the people depicted on these cards bear a striking resemblance to the high-ranking members of the Takigakure organization who framed Kakuzu back then.

"Playing tricks."

Watching Kakuzu manipulate the beasts, Madara Uchiha felt a vague unease, but despite boasting of being able to defeat a tailed beast in a swift fight, he still stubbornly scoffed.

"You'll know once you try it."

Kakuzu calmly shook his head; his mind was utterly at peace. He raised his left hand and silently called out to Shigeaki in his heart.

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

"I've caught Kakuzu; this is my strongest primal power!"

In order not to disappoint Kakuzu's resolve, Chongming decided to go all out. He unleashed his boundless Tailed Beast chakra, which transformed into a dazzling golden light and gathered on his raised left arm.

As golden light shone, a heavy-looking card slot appeared on the gauntlet on his left arm, while a Seven-Tails Tailed Beast Card with gold trim appeared in Kakuzu's right hand.

Holding the incredibly heavy Seven-Tailed Beast Card in his hand, Kakuzu could feel that it was formed from Chongming's primordial power, which also meant that if the card broke, the beast would perish.

"Mythical Beast, thank you for your trust."

A glint appeared in Kakuzu's eyes. He felt an unprecedented sense of trust from Chongming, a trust that his former colleagues could not give him.

"Seven-tailed Fox, Loading"

He solemnly swiped the Seven-Tailed Card through the card slot on his left arm, and a emotionless electronic voice followed.

"Hmm"

As expected, an ordinary person's mortal body simply cannot withstand the power of a tailed beast's essence. The moment Kakuzu swiped his card, his entire body trembled violently, and he couldn't help but let out an extremely painful groan.

Just as Kakuzu was about to be tormented to the point of physical collapse by this power, the twelve cards floating around him suddenly began to stir, and the power of Earth Grudge Fear began to take effect.

The cards lit up with a dazzling light, circled around Kakuzu once, and then pounced on various parts of his body.

"Snapped!"

"Slap! Slap!!"

Kakuzu's body began to glow with the same dazzling golden light. He stood up straight, and with the help of the twelve cards around him, the violent power of the Tailed Beast Cards was compressed within his body.

Each card governs a part of the body, and the distinct powers transform into golden armor, which is systematically attached to the legs, waist, chest, back, arms, and faceplate.

[Royal Straight Flush] (End of Chapter)