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

"roar!"

As the familiar wooden dragon roared and charged towards him, Madara Uchiha's stubborn spiky hair fluttered in the wind from the roaring aura, but his face showed no fear; instead, he wore an expression of great interest.

"Well done!"

With a leap, he charged straight at the arrogant wooden dragon, his mouth bulging, spewing forth thick, scorching flames.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"

Four enormous fiery dragon heads lunged at the wooden dragon from above, below, left, and right. Number Nine, standing atop the dragon heads, narrowed his eyes and decisively abandoned the wooden dragon beneath his feet.

"Boom! Rumble!"

The abandoned wooden dragon, like a duckweed in the rain, offered little resistance and was devoured by the fire dragon, turning into black embers that vanished with the wind.

"despair!"

The black figure landed steadily on the ground, facing off against Uchiha Madara, who had also landed.

The F6 members watching from a short distance, except for Uchiha Kagami, all wore strange expressions, their mocking gazes shifting back and forth between the mysterious man and Uchiha Madara, looking as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Teacher, what kind of new play is this?"

Finally, unable to contain his curiosity, Hiruzen Sarutobi whispered to Tobirama Senju, whose face was grave, and asked...

"?"

Tobirama Senju was taken aback by these words, then turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others who seemed largely unaware of the danger. His quick thinking immediately made sense of it.

So Hiruzen and his gang were mistaking pirated goods for genuine ones.

"Don't let your guard down, it's the enemy coming."

"Well?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Did they really have to go all the way with this act?

Are we also part of the play?

"Yes."

The group, who had been harboring a strange sense of anticipation, immediately adopted serious expressions, drew their weapons, and assumed a stance ready for battle.

"Teacher, when is our turn to go on stage?"

Danzo could hardly contain his excitement. The thought of sharing the stage with his long-lost teacher made him tremble, and his big face turned bright red.

"Wait for my orders."

Looking at Danzo, who was trembling with fear, Tobirama Senju secretly shook his head in his heart. This guy is so cowardly, he will be difficult to rely on in the future.

"No need to hide anything, I already know your identity. If you truthfully reveal your boss, perhaps I can be lenient with you."

Madara Uchiha crossed his arms, looking arrogantly at the silent, mysterious man, while secretly plotting something.

If I could subdue this clone in front of me, wouldn't I be able to enjoy double the happiness in the future?

"Initiate recycling."

Unfortunately, the unevolved Number Nine did not accept Madara Uchiha's offer of surrender. A faint red light flashed in his emotionless eyes beneath his cloak, and he slowly raised his hands, making a gesture that everyone present was very familiar with.

"Damn it, retreat!"

Seeing the mysterious man's clasped hands, Tobirama Senju's alarm bells went off immediately. Before the surging Wood Release chakra could even overflow, he quickly told the expectant F6 to run away.

"what?"

Despite their doubts, the F6 fighters chose to obey orders and retreat in a flying motion.

As soon as they moved their front legs, the spot where they had stood began to crack, and thick, grayish-brown tree branches burst forth from the ground, covering the entire battlefield in the blink of an eye.

"Wood Release: Advent of the World of Trees"

"This move does have a bit of the feel of the hot mom from Haxi."

Madara Uchiha, standing rooted to the spot, didn't dodge. Just before the wooden branches beneath his feet entangled him, he summoned a ghostly blue skeletal frame to protect himself, deflecting all the branches that tried to bind him.

"Let me try and see how you differ from him!"

Madara Uchiha's crimson eyes swept over the gray-brown Wood Release forest, and his fighting spirit reached its peak once more. The three slightly rotating tomoe instantly stuck together, transforming into a complex and bewitching pattern.

The cold and obscure power emanated from his eyes, and even those far outside the range of the Tree World's descent could clearly feel the chilling aura emanating from them.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Since the clone had set up the Wood Release: Field Card, how could Madara Uchiha fall behind? He immediately formed the Noon Hand Seal, his cheeks puffed out, and a thin wisp of flame spewed from his mouth.

boom--

After the flames shot out several meters, the surrounding air seemed to ignite, unleashing a powerful firestorm that instantly turned most of the Tree Realm into a sea of ​​fire.

After doing all this, Madara Uchiha stood on the scorched ground, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Are we playing this high?"

Seeing the exaggerated displays of both sides, the F6 spectators were dumbfounded. Was this really a battle between top-level experts? The warm-up rounds alone were already the limit they could reach in their lifetime.

"Don't let your guard down."

Tobirama Senju gave a brief instruction, his cold gaze fixed on the cloaked figure, his brows furrowed tightly.

"It's that powerful! What kind of technology is so advanced?"

Under his extraordinary sensory scanning, he discovered that the aura emanating from the attacking clone faintly resembled that of his elder brother at his peak.

"Hopefully there are only two."

While the exact number of clones cannot be determined, based on the information Tobirama Senju currently possesses, it is known that two clones have already appeared simultaneously.

Taking a conservative approach, let's assume for now that the enemy only produced two peak-level Hashirama.

If there were only two, Konoha could barely handle them.

Madara Uchiha can handle one of them, and he, along with the idiot Izuna and Konoha's elite fighters, should be able to barely hold off the other.

However, if the mastermind behind the imprisonment of the elder brother has already mass-produced Hashirama, then even if the five great nations joined forces, they would not be a match for him.

While Tobirama Senju was having a brainstorming session, Madara Uchiha was already engaged in battle with his clone.

"Bang!"

A blue fist, imbued with monstrous strength, slammed heavily onto the skeleton of the same color, producing a dull thud.

"strong enough!"

Madara Uchiha glanced at the cracks spreading across his skeleton, a slight smile playing on his lips. This evenly matched battle was exactly what he wanted. A red glint flashed in his eyes once more.

The pupa-like skeleton began to grow flesh and blood, and four large hands holding long knives solidified behind it.

"Whoosh!"

The blue-clad half-Susanoo wielded four long swords, forcing the black-robed mystery man into a retreat.

"Sizzle!"

As the saying goes, even two fists can't beat four hands. Under Madara Uchiha's relentless attacks, the man in black robes was caught off guard, and his cloak was ripped open by a blue longsword, revealing the jet-black hair hidden beneath, as well as a face that felt both familiar and strange to everyone.

Seeing the expressionless face of "Hashirama Senju," Madara Uchiha paused in his sword-wielding motion, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

The familiar scent, the familiar face—even knowing the person before him was an enemy, not a friend, he still didn't choose to continue the pursuit. Instead, he murmured to himself with a hint of sadness.

"I think of you every day while you're gone."

Unfortunately, his response was a giant hand descending from the sky.

"Wood Release: Wood Man Technique"

"Teacher, can we go on stage now?"

Seeing that Hashirama Senju had revealed his true form, F6's tense mood instantly relaxed. Now, the act should be coming to an end, and they should finally show their faces, right?

"The future belongs to you, but not now."

Mistakenly believing that Hiruzen Sarutobi and his companions were heading to provide support, Tobirama Senju, feeling greatly relieved, gently shook his head. These disciples were the future of Konoha; they absolutely could not perish here.

The elder brother's revered Will of Fire is about burning to protect young seedlings.

"Let's take another look. I'm worried there might be an ambush."

Fearing that another clone might be lurking in the shadows, Tobirama Senju decided to hold off on taking action for the time being.

He acknowledged Madara Uchiha's strength, believing he could easily handle a clone.

"Is there an ambush?"

Are there any special guests?

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others exchanged glances, secretly wondering who was hiding in the shadows.

"Who do you think it could be?"

"Ugh, this is so hard to guess~"

"It definitely won't be Yin San San."

"Of course, he's definitely not qualified to participate in a battle of this level."

Watching his classmates' enthusiastic discussion, Uchiha Kagami remained silent, a bitter smile playing on his lips. As the only one in the F6 who knew the truth, he didn't know how to explain this to his friends.

"Everyone."

"Jing, do you think it could be your deputy clan leader?"

"I have something to say, please listen carefully."

The latest novel is first published here!

Finally, Uchiha Kagami, taking a deep breath, interrupted the discussion with a serious expression. Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others blinked in confusion.

Is Jing so deeply immersed in the role?

"Didn't you all notice that that person is somewhat different from Hachiman?"

Uchiha Kagami pointed to the clone in the arena that was manipulating a giant wooden doll and engaging in close combat with Uchiha Madara, and said in an extremely serious tone,

"Forehead"

Everyone was completely baffled. They then shifted their attention to that spot and observed it carefully for a long time, but found nothing amiss.

Superhuman strength is correct.

Wood Release is correct.

Her jet-black hair is correct.

It is undoubtedly the teacher himself.

"Mirror, did you peek at the script?"

Those who didn't see anything amiss stared at Uchiha Kagami with suspicious eyes.

"Tsk!"

Speechless, Uchiha Kagami covered his forehead, composed himself, and slowly began to speak.

"This Hachiman is actually a clone of the missing Hachiman. He has already attacked several Tailed Beast Riders, making Konoha take the blame for many things without any reason."

"ha?"

Hearing Uchiha Kagami's unbelievable explanation, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were utterly dumbfounded.

"How is that possible? Such a thing..."

They instinctively wanted to refute, but then they suddenly remembered the inexplicably tough attitude of the other ninja villages during the meeting, and their doubts gradually began to dissipate.

The relaxed expressions on their faces vanished without a trace in just a few seconds, their breathing became heavier, and beads of cold sweat appeared on their palms as they gripped their weapons.

"Mirror, when did you find out?"

After a brief silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face grave, finally spoke.

"Sorry, Hiruzen, this is confidential."

If they hadn't encountered the clones' attack on their journey, Uchiha Kagami would never have revealed this secret to Hiruzen and the others.

But with a formidable enemy at hand, it would only harm them if these friends were still in a playful mood.

"Does he really possess the same abilities as Hachiman?"

After facing reality, the F6 huddled together, and their discussion shifted from gossip to tactical analysis.

"According to the available intelligence, this clone has mastered all of Hachiman's abilities and can easily suppress most of the Tailed Beast Riders."

Under these dire circumstances, Uchiha Kagami did not hold back and shared the information he knew.

"Not all."

Unexpectedly, Tobirama Senju, who had been focused on the battle, took the time to interject. Everyone turned to look at his eyes, which were filled with satisfaction.

Having overheard the conversation between Uchiha Kagami and the others, Tobirama Senju held his disciples, who had shown remarkable courage in the face of danger, in high regard.

Of course, he felt no remorse whatsoever for his riddle-solving behavior.

Didn't Jing help him patch things up? No wonder he's the village party secretary candidate I've been eyeing; he's good at finding and filling in the gaps.

"Celestial Arts".

Faced with the curious gazes of his disciples, Tobirama Senju stopped being the riddle-maker and simply uttered two words.

According to the known information, although the clone is very skilled in using Wood Release: Super Strength, it has never demonstrated Sage Mode, so it is likely that it has not mastered this amazing technique.

"After all, even I haven't mastered it. How could I possibly learn such a foolish scientific research product?"

He shook his head, his gaze falling on the wooden dummy that Madara Uchiha had sculpted into a human stick with his Susanoo, a faint look of disdain on his face.

But the next second, his face was slapped red and purple by cruel reality.

The clone leaped down from the collapsed wooden dummy's head, clasping its hands together in a gesture of prayer. Within seconds, its aura began to surge, and complex black markings appeared on its fair face.

"Immortal Technique: Bright God Gate!"

"He even knows this move."

A massive red torii gate descended from the sky, crashing heavily onto the arrogant giant Susanoo. Standing on the forehead of the giant Susanoo, Madara Uchiha frowned, secretly raising the danger level of the clone several notches in his mind.

Myojinmon possesses the miraculous ability to seal chakra, and even the Susanoo with its Vajra body is not immune to this. Caught off guard, the Susanoo, suppressed by Torii, is dissipating at a visible speed.

"Tsk, what a troublesome ability."

Knowing the troublesome nature of Sage Mode, Madara Uchiha decisively and proactively dispelled Susanoo.

Although the completed Susanoo is strong, it has no advantage at all when facing Hasi Hot Mom's Thousand-Armed Buddha, and is like a small blue plastic figurine.

"State 2 has been activated."

The clone's emotionless eyes were fixed on the Uchiha who had fallen to the ground. Its right foot moved slightly forward, assuming the classic stomp stance of Hashirama Senju.

"Whoosh!"

With the blessing of Sage Mode, the clone's stats exploded, and with a leap, it vanished from its spot.

When it reappeared, its monstrous fist, infused with Sage Mode, was only centimeters away from Madara Uchiha's face.

"not good!"

Tobirama Senju, who had been maintaining an OMO (Online Motion) state, finally couldn't hold back any longer and raised his hand to form the hand seals used by the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Because he couldn't be sure if Madara Uchiha could withstand that punch that could instantly kill a tailed beast.

The next second, however, something happened that completely surprised him. Madara Uchiha simply sidestepped, relying solely on the dynamic vision of his Sharingan, and narrowly dodged the clone's lightning-fast attack.

"Falsehood is not as good as truth."

As the fist grazed past his face, Madara Uchiha revealed a mocking smile, reached into his four-dimensional anus, pulled out a gray driver, and casually fastened it to his waist.

"You're nowhere near as good as him."

At the same time, a card radiating intense heat appeared in his hand. As soon as the Tailed Beast Card was revealed, everyone simultaneously heard the ferocious roar of the Nine-Tails.

"Woof~~?"

What? I'm attacking Hashirama?

Once the cards are pushed in, the real battle has only just begun.

"Henshin!" (End of Chapter)