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

Hearing the familiar voice beside it, the Nine-Tailed Fox's fur stood on end, and it instinctively tucked its tail between its legs, asking in a trembling voice, "..."

"How...how did you wake up?"

"snort!"

Madara Uchiha stood in the consciousness space with his arms crossed, coldly snorting, his scarlet eyes filled with a chilling intent.

"You beast, you've certainly grown bolder. It seems that not being leashed has given you the illusion of freedom."

"Hey! Let me explain."

The Nine-Tails shivered, its eyes darting around nervously. Just as it was trying to come up with an excuse, Madara Uchiha struck first.

His eyes narrowed, and a cold, ominous aura instantly filled the entire space of his consciousness.

The Nine-Tails is regaining control; the blood-red compound eyes on its mask are gradually losing their previous ferocity.

"You can't treat me like this! I've done my part, even if I didn't work hard. Look at that raccoon-headed guy outside, I almost beat him to death!"

Sensing that he was doomed, Kurama quickly tried to appeal to Madara's emotions and reason with him.

"If it weren't for your interference, I would have ended this match long ago. What a waste of time."

It would have been better if he hadn't brought it up, but the moment Kurama mentioned it, Madara Uchiha was furious. Kurama was nothing more than someone Madara could easily handle, yet this beast had ruined everything, forcing him to use his body to fight a weakling like Kurama.

If someone who doesn't know the situation sees this, they might think that Madara Uchiha couldn't defeat a tailed beast.

"I"

"Shut up! Wait until I've dealt with that guy outside, then I'll teach you a lesson, you traitor!"

Having regained control of his body, Madara Uchiha grabbed Kurama by the neck, tossed it back into his den, and vowed to make this traitor pay later.

"Mmm mmm mmm"

With a bitter expression, Kurama buried its head in the ground, groaning in pain. Seeing this, Madara Uchiha nodded in satisfaction.

After Madara Uchiha left, Kurama secretly raised its head, a ruthless glint flashing in its narrow eyes. It licked its sharp teeth and fixed its gaze on its drooping belly.

This guy actually dared to treat me like this! I will definitely make Uchiha Madara pay the price!

A man can be killed but not humiliated. Even if he enters the rebirth cooldown, Kurama will make Uchiha Madara feel pain!

"Bang!"

"what?"

On the battlefield, Shamen, who was struggling to defend against the fox knight's attacks, looked at his opponent who had stopped moving, his eyes filled with confusion.

Then, he saw the tailed beast cloak around the fox knight gradually dissipate, and the doubt in his eyes gradually turned into seriousness.

"Oh no, that idiot Nine-Tails has been captured and taken back!"

Sensing the change in its opponent, Shukaku jumped out to warn them.

"I can tell."

Shamon nodded, a hint of gloom on his tense face. What followed was going to be a tough battle. The Dark Lord of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara, was personally taking the field. Could he really withstand it?

"Crunch~ Crunch~"

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't leash my dog ​​properly, and it ran away."

After stretching his limbs, Madara Uchiha focused his gaze on the black tanuki knights who were waiting in battle not far away, his fighting spirit clearly visible.

"Phew~ Come on."

With a long sigh, Shamon slowly raised the katana in his hand, his entire body's power coalescing at that moment.

No matter how treacherous the mountain before him, he would become the lone one who reached the summit, and even if he perished halfway there, the monk would want to prove that he had been there.

"Commendable courage."

Without any hint of disrespect, Madara Uchiha raised his hand, releasing dazzling light particles that condensed into a white longsword, the blade pointing at Shamon as a sign of respect.

"Buzz!"

As a precarious pebble landed, two figures, one in black and one in white, vanished instantly. When they reappeared, their two sharp weapons had already collided, producing a piercing sonic boom.

"Thank God, Uchiha clan leader has actually suppressed the Nine-Tails!"

In the stands, Uchiha Kagami, who had been tense all day, slumped back into his seat, looking visibly shaken.

"What methods did that guy use?"

Tobirama Senju, standing to the side, frowned deeply as he watched Madara Uchiha regain his body.

Logically speaking, Madara Uchiha should have no other means to counter the Nine-Tails, right?

"The teacher absolutely has to win!"

Chiyo, sitting next to Uchiha Gin, clenched her small hands tightly together, her gaze fixed on the black tanuki knight fighting, never looking away.

"Bang!"

Madara Uchiha calmly exchanged blows with Shamon, displaying complete ease in the face of the Tanuki Knight's fierce attacks.

In stark contrast to the reckless and clumsy appearance of the Nine-Tailed Fox just now, her elegant figure seemed to be dancing.

"Huff, huff."

After several exchanges, Shamen's heart grew heavier, and his soft breathing gradually became more labored.

As expected, the real deal is different; Madara Uchiha's swordsmanship is far superior to his.

"You're very good, and you certainly deserve to stand on the final stage with me."

Madara Uchiha executed a graceful sword flourish, his gaze calmly fixed on the slightly disheveled Shamon, devoid of any contempt.

"You're very strong, but I also have reasons why I can't lose."

Shamon stroked the katana in his hand, a resolute look on his face. He shook his head at Madara Uchiha before turning to communicate with his companions.

"Shukaku, please help me one last time."

"Hmph! Since you've put it that way, then I'll reluctantly help you one more time."

Shukaku clutched his stomach, but his coin-like eyes were filled with an unusual determination.

"Lord Dragon Vein."

"Shamen, this time it's my turn to protect you."

A slightly immature voice came from behind. A giant dragon formed from purple chakra was looking down at Shamon, who had an apologetic expression, but there was no blame in its eyes.

"Thanks."

After saying that, Shukaku and the Dragon Vein transformed into two beams of light, which poured into Shamon's body, maximizing the power of the Knight System.

"Oh?"

Madara Uchiha raised an eyebrow, looking at Shamon who had suddenly unleashed a terrifying aura, a hint of anticipation appearing in his eyes.

"Very well, among the outsiders who have fought against me, I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge you as the strongest!"

With all his energy focused on the next move, Shamon could no longer hear Madara Uchiha's praise.

The power of Shukaku and the dragon vein intertwined and flowed into the driver at his waist, causing the katana belt buckle to immediately flash with a dazzling light.

The monk slowly raised his hand, repeatedly buckling the katana twice, after which a lifeless electronic voice sounded.

"Bujin Sword Victory!"

The samurai sword in his hand once again drew a scarlet full moon in the black mist. When Madara Uchiha saw this, a red light flashed in his eyes, and he held his white longsword in front of his chest, waiting for Shamon's final performance.

"Whoosh!"

Shamon, with his back to the full moon, strode forward and charged towards Uchiha Madara. His katana was wreathed in dark green energy, and he unleashed several sharp slashes.

"Well done!"

Madara Uchiha's eyes sharpened, and he swung his white longsword, unleashing a blue slash.

"Bang!"

The two colored slashes collided, instantly creating a violent explosion that kicked up a cloud of dust. Madara Uchiha moved; using the smoke as cover and guided by his Sharingan, he charged towards Shamon.

With his white longsword extending into a blue blade several meters long, he decided to give Shamen, this worthy opponent, a perfect farewell.

"Bang!"

A massive energy blade slashed down, and the running Shamon had no time to dodge, so he had to raise his katana to block it.

"Hmm"

The heavy weight pressed down on Shamen, and his arm holding the knife trembled uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth and held on as he watched the blue blade about to touch his face.

"Was that the final blow?"

Everyone in the stands held their breath, their eyes glued to Shamen, who was using his sword to block the blue energy blade.

They knew this might be the final show of the game, and regardless of who won or lost, this would be the final scene at the end.

"Boom."

Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound drew everyone's attention. The katana in Shamon's hand was shattering at an incredible speed, about to be devoured by Madara Uchiha's energy blade.

"Bald guy! This is my last bit of power, take it and use it!"

At this critical moment, Shukaku's sharp voice rang out in the arena.

Immediately afterwards, the katana in Shamen's hand emitted an unusual light, black patterns appeared on the silver blade, and the cracks that had just appeared healed completely.

"This is?"

Madara Uchiha frowned. He noticed that the katana in Shamon's hand was imbued with the power of a sealing technique; the chakra within the sword was being slowly sealed.

"Nine-Tails! Give me a hand."

Now is the time to test one's reserves. Madara Uchiha, relying solely on his own chakra, certainly cannot sustain a prolonged battle against Shamon, who possesses Shukaku's chakra. In desperation, he had no choice but to drag out that scheming fox once again.

"Okay, okay~"

This time, the Nine-Tails surprisingly didn't say much and cooperated very well.

"Don't mix anything with me again."

Madara Uchiha, who had a vague feeling that something was wrong with Kurama, warned in a cold voice,

"Wrapped up, wrapped up~"

The nine-tailed fox nodded repeatedly, its enormous beastly eyes filled with sincerity.

"I absolutely do not add my own personal agenda."

I only said it wasn't mine, not that it wasn't anyone else's.

"Hmph~ I bet you wouldn't dare."

After plucking a ball of bright red Nine-Tails chakra, Madara Uchiha turned and left, completely unaware that within that ball of chakra, there was a faint trace of ink.

"roar!"

With the help of Shukaku's power, Shamon's pressure was greatly reduced. Just as he was preparing to seize the opportunity to counterattack, he suddenly felt the blue blade's force increase again. At the same time, the blue was mixed with a lot of scarlet blood accompanied by a violent roar.

"It's that stinky fox's power, damn it!"

Shukaku was stunned when he saw the red chakra; he was about to win.

"Roar~"

The next moment, a dragon's roar resounded, and the nearly exhausted Shamen suddenly felt a warm power rise from within his body, winding up his arm and onto his katana.

With a flash of purple light, an exquisite dragon pattern appeared on the sharp blade, radiating an inexplicable power that caused the surrounding space to ripple slightly.

"Lord Dragon Vein!"

Shamen looked excitedly at the fully buffed katana in his hand, deeply moved, and then rallied his spirits once more.

He cannot let everyone down!

"Teacher! Keep it up!!!"

Chiyo's cheers reached his ears at the same time, and Shamon's gaze hardened, his arms brimming with power.

"Huh? You still have strength?"

Madara Uchiha, who had reinforced the blue blade with the power of the Nine-Tails, stared in astonishment at Shamon, who was slowly raising his attack. He couldn't fathom where the other man's power came from.

"I am the ace ninja of Sunagakure, the mighty general of Loulan, and the strongest guardian of the Land of Wind!"

Raising the blue-red blade above his head, Shamon's voice grew louder, echoing throughout the battlefield. Chiyo in the stands was already in tears, and the other spectators also showed expressions of admiration.

"I didn't expect this bald guy to have such awareness."

Kinkaku stared speechlessly at Shamon, who was fighting on equal footing with Uchiha Madara. The admiration on his face seemed genuine.

I'm currently reading the error-free version! This is the first time I've published this novel.

"He's working so hard, it makes us look like we're slacking off."

Silver Horn pursed his lips, but a hint of admiration flickered in his eyes.

"Isn't that right?"

Hehe~

"A commendable level of awareness."

Even though his attack was blocked, Madara Uchiha's expression remained calm. He first affirmed Shamon's will, then poured all the chakra given by Kurama into his weapon.

"But unfortunately, power is different from will; it is the interaction between matter."

The blue energy blade turned completely crimson, with a black mark imprinted on it, inconspicuous yet concealing danger.

"It's an honor for you to end it like this."

A crimson light flashed, and Madara Uchiha pressed down with his longsword once more. Shamon, struck by the sudden force, had his legs embedded in the ground, leaving only his upper body struggling to support him.

"We won! Now we can make a wish, right?"

Upon seeing this, Tobirama Senju immediately opened a bottle of champagne and excitedly rushed to Gin Uchiha, his face full of anticipation.

"Don't rush~"

"Do I even need to look? If I lose, I'll eat his thunderbolt right here and now!"

Tobirama Senju, who did not believe that Madara Uchiha would lose, pointed to Kinkaku, who was craning his neck to watch the match not far away, and confidently made a promise.

"Ugh~ Are you sure?"

"If I can't do that, may I be childless and have no descendants!"

No, why are you making an oath about something that doesn't exist?

"Are we going to lose?"

Feeling the burning heat against his face, memories of the first half of his life flashed before his eyes, and a deep regret filled the monk's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Shukaku, Lord Dragon Vein."

"Hmph! I knew you bald guy couldn't be trusted."

Shukaku pouted, seemingly blaming, but his eyes were filled with worry. After Madara Uchiha's attack, Shamon would either be dead or crippled.

"I'm sorry, that's all I can do for you, the distance is just too far."

The dragon vein shook its head, lowered its head with a hint of self-reproach, and dared not look directly at the monk.

"It's alright. I was supposed to be the one protecting you, Lord Dragon Vein. I never imagined that I would have to rely on your help when I'm about to die."

Shamen shook his head. He was about to give up. He had been able to fight this far thanks to the help of these two. He was too grateful to blame them.

"Hey? Wait a minute! Baldy, hold on a little longer!"

With a long sigh, Shukaku was already planning how many tables to set up for Shamon's funeral when, with its keen sense of smell, it caught a familiar scent. After a few seconds of stunned silence, the expression on its face instantly became quite interesting.

"ha?"

"Little Jin Jin, I'll make a bet with you, Nine-Tails is going to lose."

In the Golden Horn's consciousness space, the Bull Demon, who had been recuperating from his injuries for half a day, suddenly spoke, his tone filled with a strangeness.

"How is this possible? If I can lose like this, I'll just eat that white-haired guy's giant thunderbolt!"

Jinjiao, who was intently watching the game, rolled his eyes and scoffed at Niugui's words.

"Alright, then you'd better keep your eyes wide open and watch the power of my Ink Cow Dung. Eating random things will give you a stomachache~"

"ha?"

Madara Uchiha, confident of victory, had already begun preparing his acceptance speech, considering who to thank first.

Okay, thank you in advance, cousin.

However, before he could finish listing the thank-you notes, he felt a faint restraint on his body, and then looked down in confusion.

Madara Uchiha was surprised to find that, without his knowledge, several pitch-black tentacles had crawled up his body and were tightly attached to his joints, not only hindering his movement but also possessing a strange sealing power.

"What is this thing? Is it one of that bald guy's tricks?"

Even so, Madara Uchiha still didn't suspect that a certain fox was behind it.

With a cold laugh, Madara Uchiha didn't take this trick to heart. He was just about to use some chakra to crush the tentacles on his body...

"A mere sealing technique? Watch me... *sobs*..."

As a result, after these tentacles came into contact with the tailed beast's chakra, they began to grow wildly as if they had taken a stimulant, instantly binding him tightly, covering his mouth and nose, and many even reaching towards his genitals.

"What is that? The bald guy from Sunagakure still has this kind of trick up his sleeve?"

Tobirama Senju, who had been sitting comfortably, stared wide-eyed at Madara Uchiha, who was now entangled by black tentacles, his face filled with disbelief.

"Alas!"

The women present all wore strange expressions upon seeing the tentacles that were brazenly binding Uchiha Madara, their eyes filled with indescribable meaning.

"Eighth Brother! That's not yours."

Kinkaku stared wide-eyed at the tentacles crawling on Uchiha Madara, his face filled with disbelief.

He recognized the move, but he had been in the arena for so long, how did the Ox Demon manage to secretly unleash it?

"Hmph~ That's right, it's Yi Nu Duan Shu Fan Liu Nu. I originally wanted to trick that bastard Nine-Tailed Fox, but I didn't expect it to find out and use it on its own knight."

【Sealing Technique: Countless Wrathful Slaves】

The sealing technique, which uses the ink of the Ushioni as a medium, can bind the target and completely blacken them after a period of time, thus sealing them away.

"Hehehe, I knew it! That guy Niugui's ink was indeed poisonous~"

In the realm of consciousness, Kurama saw Madara Uchiha's embarrassing moment and excitedly clutched his stomach, laughing heartily.

After drinking the ink and dung from the bull demon, it felt unwell in its stomach, constantly feeling as if tens of thousands of tentacles were wriggling inside.

Having guessed that there was something fishy about these ink-stained cow dung, Kurama temporarily put aside the matter. Unexpectedly, Madara Uchiha dared to ask it for chakra.

The wicked Nine-Tails naturally wouldn't be polite and directly gave Madara Uchiha his ink-stained chakra for free, hoping to see him make a fool of himself. Little did it expect that it would witness such a spectacular scene so soon afterward.

"Mmm mmm mmm"

Enveloped in black ink, Madara Uchiha was unable to utter a sound, trapped in a pitch-black space where he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.

"Pat~"

With his entire body sealed in black, Madara Uchiha's white longsword fell to the ground, and his crimson chakra instantly dissipated.

Shamon, who had been struggling to hold on, suddenly felt his body lighten. He then looked up in confusion and saw that where Madara Uchiha had just been, only a dark mass was still wriggling in place.

"Bald guy! Great opportunity, what are you waiting for!"

Knowing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Shukaku immediately urged them on.

Upon hearing this, Shamon unleashed his chakra once more, pulled his leg from the ground, brandished his katana, and charged towards Uchiha Madara.

"Ugh! Damn it, don't even think about it!"

Even when caught off guard and ambushed by a small, sentient black object, Madara Uchiha gritted his teeth and struggled. His eyes suddenly unleashed their power, and golden light descended from the sky, piercing straight towards him.

【Kotoamatsukami - Radiance】

"boom!"

After absorbing several blows of divine justice, the black seal began to shrink, eventually revealing Madara Uchiha's head. Just as he was about to rejoice, he saw a gleaming blade, and Shamon, wielding the sword, was already close enough to touch him.

"Kotoamatsukami!"

The pattern on the eyes began to rotate, and golden light tore through the gloomy clouds, transforming into a giant golden sword that pierced towards the Shamen.

"Whoosh!"

With victory within reach, Shamen was not about to back down easily. He immediately swung his sword, unleashing several black-green energy blades that shot into the sky, shattering the lightsaber that was still in flight.

But the next moment, an even greater rain of swords fell.

"Boom!"

For a moment, the sound of violent explosions was deafening.

Several large craters were smashed into the ground, and rubble of all sizes tumbled down. Amidst the dust and smoke, a cold glint of light pierced through the air, undeterred.

"Pfft!"

With the blade embedded in his body, Madara Uchiha, his bloodshot eyes wide, turned his head in disbelief to look at the katana stuck in his back, its black patterns and purple dragon motifs clearly visible.

The sealing power attached to the katana took effect, and Madara Uchiha felt his meridians instantly stop, his chakra vanish, and he felt like he had become an ordinary person.

I lost?

Without chakra support, Madara Uchiha's driver gradually dimmed, and the Nine-Tails straps popped out on their own, turning into two blank straps that fell to the ground.

After reverting to his most basic fox-head form, Madara Uchiha looked somewhat pale. Recalling the beginning and end of the match, he realized that he seemed to have shouldered everything, not only facing the challenge of the Knights, but also having to guard against the backstabbing of his former teammates.

This is so hard for me!

"Boom!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out again, and Madara Uchiha felt a void at the wound site. It turned out that the katana embedded in his back was breaking apart inch by inch.

"Cough cough cough... As expected of the infamous Darkness of the Ninja World, even with only a pair of eyes left, he can still achieve this level."

Shamon's weak voice sounded behind Uchiha Madara. The black-clad general's heavy armor was completely shattered, and his imposing headgear was pierced, revealing his weary eyes.

Even the general's heavy armor could not be protected under the baptism of the light of the god Kotoamatsukami.

The katana in his hand turned into yellow light particles and disappeared into the world. Shamon, whose body was covered in lumps, finally collapsed to the ground.

The katana buckle at his waist returned to blank. Shamon closed his eyes bitterly, and his armor gradually dissolved into particles—a sign that the transformation was ending.

"As expected, we still can't win."

"No, there are no winners in this match."

Madara Uchiha's cold voice rang out, and the fox-head armor also began to disappear.

"Shamon, Uchiha Madara, out!" (End of Chapter)