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

bang~

"Ape Demon!"

The ape demon, grieving the loss of Kun Kun, withdrew from the battle before he could even recover his true form. He turned into a wisp of white smoke and ran back to Flower Fruit Mountain to seek a way to save Kun Kun.

Seeing that his attempts to persuade him to stay were futile, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only slowly raise his hand in a salute to express his deepest condolences to his comrade-in-arms with whom he had shared life and death.

A glint of light flickered in his eyes, as if he had made a decision.

Ape Demon, rest assured, I will take care of your wife and children.

Danzo landed next to Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression grave as he looked at the complex black mask on Number Six's face.

"Monkey, what do we do?"

They couldn't even defeat clones in their normal state, let alone in Sage Mode.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the massive battle raging in the distance and knew that no one could help them at this moment; they had to rely on themselves.

"Our mission is to buy time for our teacher and the Hokage; every bit of time counts."

The F6 never even considered defeating the clones; the God of Ninjas wasn't someone any Tom, Dick, or Harry could mess with.

All they could do was try their best to hold off the clone in front of them and relieve the pressure on Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

"How's the wind gathering going?"

"I'm fine."

Thanks to Koharu's treatment, Akimichi Torifu, who had nearly died of suffocation, had recovered, but a hint of fear had crept onto his face.

It seems the shadow of being defeated by the clone in one move has not yet dissipated.

"He seems different from the other clones."

Uchiha Kagami, his Sharingan still fixed on the figure, observed Number Six for a long time before speaking with some uncertainty.

"Mirror, what did you see?"

The others immediately perked up, keeping an eye on Number Six's sudden outburst while urging Uchiha Kagami to stop keeping them in suspense.

"He lacks a fighting spirit."

Combat awareness refers to the keen awareness of combat participants regarding the objectives, situation, and actions of combat, as well as their corresponding responsiveness.

It was obvious that the clone they were fighting lacked the most basic fighting awareness and had little desire to fight.

It's not really the fault of clone number six for not putting in the effort; he was created to collect the chakra of the tailed beasts.

Although they were assigned by Number One to deal with F6, these humans do not have any trace of Tailed Beast chakra in their bodies, so they cannot awaken his desire for intelligence.

To put it simply, his body was telling him that he didn't want to work for free.

As for the task assigned by Number One, he can just do a shoddy job if he can, since Cixian won't blame him for it anyway.

After listening to Uchiha Kagami's words, everyone frowned and pondered for a moment, and found that it was indeed as he said, this clone was highly suspected of slacking off.

"This is very advantageous for us."

Hiruzen Sarutobi squinted, feeling a sense of relief. If this clone maintained this state, they could buy themselves more time.

The others also looked pleased and expressed their approval of the ELO matchmaking mechanism.

"Hehe, we're definitely going to win!"

Unable to contain himself, Danzo even started popping champagne halfway through the event.

"Number Six! Take care of those humans quickly, we need backup!"

Just then, an exasperated voice rang out on the battlefield. A giant wooden figure was being chased around by the blue Susanoo, and a clone standing on its head looked terrified.

Although Number One was the first clone to develop sentience, it absorbed the One-Tailed Beast, so its strength was only so-so.

Of course, it would be fine for dealing with an ordinary Tailed Beast Rider.

But this time, he'd met his match. This red-eyed human was even more irritable than the curly-haired guy he'd encountered before. He wouldn't offer him sunflower seeds or chat with him; instead, he just started hacking at him indiscriminately.

Left with no other choice, Number One had to urge the two dispatched clones to come and help, but he did not find Number Five. He could only call out to Number Six, who was slacking off not far away.

Upon receiving the command again, Number Six was forced to exit the paddling mode, slowly raised his hands together, and the thick wooden dragon rose from the ground and bit towards F6.

"roar!"

The F6 members froze, their smiles vanished instantly, and they scattered and fled.

Rumbling--

The F6 members, who had moved aside, subconsciously swallowed hard as they watched the huge furrows the wooden dragon had plowed into the ground.

"Everyone, pay attention! He's coming!"

Before the group could exchange further words, Jing, who had been keeping a close eye on the enemy, shouted a warning, then transformed into a streak of red light, heading towards the oncoming clone.

[Ninja Technique: Dance of the Sun Halo]

With a flick of his crimson longsword, he unleashed several streaks of light formed from condensed flames.

Facing the scorching slash, Clone No. 6 neither dodged nor evaded, but raised its hands in mid-air as if to block.

Bah!

Bah!Bah!

"What?!"

Uchiha Kagami stared wide-eyed in astonishment, disbelief in the clone that had blocked his Sun Halo Dance with a mere gesture and stomp of the foot. A deep sense of powerlessness welled up within him.

No wonder the opponent was unharmed despite being surrounded by their escape techniques; they possessed such terrifying parrying abilities.

"Mirror, don't be discouraged!"

Without Enma's cooperation, Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not engage in close combat with the clones like Kagami did, but he did not back down. Instead, he used the Shadow Clone Technique to create four clones.

The four clones and the original body leaped high into the air, surrounding the clone. Each of the five formed a different hand seal.

"Five Elements: Great Combo Bullet Technique!"

Five distinct types of chakra erupted instantly, transforming into five incredibly powerful escape techniques that slammed into the clones in mid-air, who were unable to dodge.

Rumble!

"Huff, huff."

Hearing the roar in his ears, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled faintly.

The Great Bullet Technique is a deadly compound ninjutsu that he has practiced for many years. Its destructive power is the greatest among conventional ninjutsu. Even Uchiha Gin couldn't help but praise its power, saying that it could be used when he had to go all out.

Even a clone of someone as powerful as Hachiman is still just a mortal being. Faced with such destructive power as a complex ninjutsu, it would be lucky to escape with its skin intact, if not killed.

Mirror, equally focused on the explosion, dared not relax for a moment. The Sharingan's extraordinary vision pierced through layers of smoke, finally revealing the figure standing at the epicenter of the blast.

Not only that, the opponent also bent over and knelt down, assuming a sprinting posture.

whoosh-

"Hiruzen, watch out!"

"?"

Upon hearing the warning, Hiruzen Sarutobi was initially taken aback, but trusting Mirror, he immediately leaped backward.

But in the blink of an eye, a figure leaped out of the smoke and stood before him.

The remaining clothing on clone number six was completely tattered, with only a few tattered strips of cloth hanging from his waist, barely covering his exposed genitals. His robust body was covered with various wounds.

Burns, frostbite, lacerations

It's clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi's Five-Shot Combo wasn't ineffective; it actually broke through the clone's defenses.

The next moment, something astonishing happened.

These gruesome wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few breaths, the clone's skin returned to its original state, as if the injuries were just an illusion.

Move! Move faster!

Overwhelmed by the terrifying aura emanating from the other party, Hiruzen Sarutobi momentarily lost control of his body. He could only stare in despair at the clone standing before him, resigned to closing his eyes and awaiting death.

The sixth clone raised his fist, radiating monstrous strength, expressionless. Empowered by Sage Mode, this punch could even pierce through Susanoo, let alone Hiruzen Sarutobi's fragile body.

Just before the clone's fist slammed into his head, a flashback of his life began in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind—his parents, his lover, his comrades-in-arms.

A surge of wind from the punch rushed towards him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to close his eyes.

Goodbye, everyone.

"puff!"

However, a few seconds later, the expected pain did not come, and the sharp wind from the punch suddenly disappeared, replaced by a warm drizzle that sprinkled on his face.

Bloody smell?

Am I already dead?

Thinking that the clone's punch was too powerful, causing him to die before he could even react to the pain, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly opened his eyes, but the scene before him shocked him to his core.

Blocking his path was Danzo, his face ashen. The clone's devastating punch slammed into Danzo's massive, round buttocks, turning the once firm and bouncy flesh into a limp mass of flesh, which slumped helplessly to the ground.

Danzo himself was also injured by the impact, with blood and bits of flesh constantly gushing from his mouth. Even as his life was drawing to a close, he forced a smug smile.

"Cough cough cough monkey, you owe me one."

Having said that, the light in his eyes faded, and he slowly collapsed towards the bewildered Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"No!!!"

Unlike the grief-stricken Hiruzen, Number Six showed no emotion whatsoever. Expressionless, he withdrew his hand from the limp buttocks and once again locked onto the target he had missed.

"Super Pusher!"

Just as he raised his fist again, Akimichi Torifu, his eyes bloodshot with rage, struck out with a powerful, forceful blow.

Caught off guard, Number Six was shoved dozens of meters by the giant hand, but his body remained as steady as a mountain, only carving two deep furrows in the ground.

"Hurry up!"

Taking advantage of the moment, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado leaped forward, lifting the limp Danzo and the ashen-faced Hiruzen, and swiftly retreated to create distance between themselves and the clone.

Seeing this, Number Six slammed his fist into the large hand that was pushing him down. The terrifying force shattered the hand's palm bone, and the shock traveled up the meridians.

"Boom!"

Akimichi felt a sharp pain and hurriedly withdrew his hand. After returning to its normal size, his arm hung limply to one side.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Kagami leaped into the air, took a deep breath mid-air, suppressed the burning chakra in his throat, and then exhaled it forcefully after gathering it to its limit.

A massive fireball formed from dense fire-attribute chakra and pressed down on the clone.

Seeing this, in order to preserve the last few strips of cloth covering his body, Number Six immediately clasped his hands together, and thick wooden branches rose from the ground, forming a cone-shaped arch in front of him to envelop his body and protect him from the fireball.

【Wood Release·Wooden Spindle Wall】

"boom!"

Upon contact with the target, the incredibly destructive fireball exploded instantly, filling the entire battlefield with scorching heat. The F6 players took this opportunity to retreat to a relatively safe distance and catch their breath.

However, Jing did not relax at all. He raised his hand and formed the same hand seal again, and the huge fireball smashed into the crumbling wooden wall once more, buying more time for his teammates.

"Danzo! Don't fall asleep!"

Koharu Utatane, kneeling on the ground, had her hands glowing with a blue light as she poured life force, converted from chakra, into Danzo's barely breathing body, but with very little effect.

His chest heaved slower and slower. Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face smeared with his best friend's blood, stared blankly at everything. A deep sense of powerlessness welled up within him, his mind filled with images of his childhood with Danzo.

"Thump!"

"Damn it! I should have been the one to block it!"

Akimichi Torifu slammed his fist into the ground, his chubby face filled with remorse.

Mitokado Homura stood to the side with his head down, his glasses obscuring his tearful eyes.

Their bond with Danzo was no less than that with Hiruzen Sarutobi, and they were equally grieved by the loss of their dear friend.

"It's all my fault. If he hadn't tried to save me, he wouldn't have..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo, whose face was deathly pale, and muttered to himself.

this moment,

He no longer blamed Danzo for not sharing the lollipop with him.

He no longer cared that Danzo wouldn't lend him five hundred yen.

I'm not annoyed that Danzo didn't share the good deals in his magazines with me.

His only wish now is that his dearest friend can survive.

"Danzo, can you hear me, Danzo! If you survive, I will forgive you no matter what mistakes you make in the future!"

Helplessly clutching Danzo's limp arm, Hiruzen Sarutobi's trembling voice was like a sob, instantly bringing the already sorrowful atmosphere to its peak.

Having failed to save Danzo, Koharu Utatane collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably in despair.

"Waaaaah. Waaaaah."

"The Great Fireball Jutsu won't last long. How's Danzo?"

Just then, Uchiha Kagami, who had bought himself precious time by using the Undying Technique, landed in front of everyone. Seeing the grief-stricken expressions on his friends' faces, he immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

not good!

Has Danzo died suddenly?

He absolutely cannot die!

"Kagami, come quickly to see Danzo one last time."

Akimichi Torifu stepped aside, revealing Danzo lying on the ground behind him. Uchiha Kagami immediately stepped forward to check on him, touching his neck and finding a slight throbbing. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew, at least he's not dead yet!"

"Mirror, what do you mean by that?"

Those immersed in grief were taken aback upon hearing this, and looked at Uchiha Kagami, whose face showed relief.

The other person didn't say anything more, but instead rummaged in the backpack behind them, finally pulling out a bottle of scarlet, unidentified liquid.

"Help me lift him up."

Upon seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately pulled up his half-dead best friend, and Kagami then forcefully poured the red liquid in his hand into Danzo's stomach.

"Ton ton ton~"

As the large bottle of liquid disappeared, everyone was astonished to find that Danzo's previously deathly pale face regained a healthy glow, his chest heaving more steadily, and his lost vital signs returned.

"He's alive! Danzo is alive!"

After checking everything, Xiaochun, who had just moved to the next room, instantly stopped crying and started laughing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head, his blood-soaked face filled with gratitude.

"Thank you, Mirror."

"It's what I should do."

Uchiha Kagami waved his hand, a serious expression appearing on his handsome face. He saved Danzo not solely out of friendship.

"Danzo still owes me a lot of money, how can I let him get ahead of me?" (End of Chapter)