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

"Ha!"

Having gained an unknown power and risen again, the red giant let out a heart-shaking battle roar, his massive body leaping into the air and performing a front flip.

As it landed, it adopted a swallow-style flying kick stance, using the gravitational acceleration brought by its weight to deliver a powerful kick to the wooden dummy's arm that was tightly gripping Tobirama Senju's.

"Snapped!"

The massive wooden hand snapped in two, and Tobirama Senju felt a sudden release as the pressure around him lessened. However, he had been severely drained by the Wood Release technique, and unable to replenish his chakra, he could only watch helplessly as he crashed headfirst to the ground.

"Whoosh~"

Just as the white head was about to split open like a watermelon falling to the ground, the quick-thinking Jingzi slid in and caught Tobirama Senju at the last moment.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Kagami breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to place his teacher in a safe place when he was suddenly struck hard from behind. The brute force almost made him fall flat on his face.

"roar!"

Having regained his footing, Jing heard another roar behind him. Sensing something, he rolled away, creating distance between himself and his attacker.

Looking back, two ferocious wooden dragons were circling where he had just been. If he had been a second later, another bondage play might have taken place.

"Boom! Boom!"

The two wooden figures stood together again. With the continuous supply of chakra from the clone, the wooden figure whose arm had been broken had now fully recovered.

"Tsk"

Having regained some of his strength, Tobirama Senju stared intently at the clone atop the wooden doll's head. Even after such a long battle, the katana's aura remained undiminished.

As expected of someone who inherited the template of the peak-level elder brother, ordinary ninjas are no match for him.

Realizing that he hadn't provided any useful help to Uchiha Kagami so far, Tobirama Senju clenched his fists, a glint of light flashing in his crimson eyes.

If ordinary ninjas are not enough.

Then

He reached out and touched something he didn't own, which was tucked into his pocket, and a bold plan began to take shape in his mind.

"Teacher, please take good care of yourself. I might not be able to look after you in the upcoming battles."

Unaware of his teacher's plans, Uchiha Kagami carefully placed Senju Tobirama on the ground and turned his gaze to the two menacing wooden figures.

If it weren't for the clone using the "All Cloth Bag Technique," he might have already dealt with one of the wooden figures.

"Jing, just go ahead and do it. This time, I won't hold you back."

Tobirama Senju nodded, then fixed his gaze on the expressionless clone.

"Ha!"

Without wasting any more time, Uchiha Kagami stood up, assumed a fighting stance, and strode forward, kicking up dust and stones as he charged toward the two wooden dummies.

"Boom!"

He leaped up from dozens of meters away from the wooden dummy, delivering a simple, unadorned flying kick aimed directly at the number one wooden dummy where the clone was sitting.

"Thump!"

The heavy wooden figure was suddenly struck hard, staggering back several steps. After landing, the red giant twisted his body, and his mountain-like fist slammed into the head of the second wooden figure, instantly sending wood chips flying everywhere.

"Ha!"

Mirror pressed his advantage, grabbing the second wooden dummy who was leaning back, hoisting him onto his back, tripping him to lose his balance, and then executing an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming the dummy hard to the ground.

"Crack!"

Cracks of all sizes instantly spread across the wooden figure's entire body, and in the next second it shattered at a visible speed, eventually collapsing into a withered, decaying log.

"roar!"

Seeing this, the first wooden figure, staggering backward, panicked and immediately unleashed the two wooden dragons wrapped around its body, aiming to bite at the red giant's back.

"Ha!~"

However, its little tricks had already been seen by Mirror. Faced with the sneak attack from the two wooden dragons, the red giant raised its hand and shot out several orange-red crescent-shaped light darts.

"Bang!"

The two collided in mid-air, but the wooden dragon still didn't gain any advantage. It was quickly cut in half by Mirror's Gaia, turning into withered wood and falling to the ground.

Moreover, before the smoke and dust from the explosion had even cleared, the red giant suddenly emitted a silver light, its entire figure transforming into a streak of light with afterimages, rushing straight towards the number one wooden figure that stood frozen in place.

"Whoosh~"

Using his high-speed movement ability for the first time, Jing steadied himself, concentrating all his strength in his fist. As he approached the number one wooden figure, he unleashed the Gaia Fist, imbued with terrifying power.

The clone, who was distracted while manipulating the wooden figure above the number one figure, sensed the threat of death. His hair stood on end, and without hesitation, he leaped backward, flying away from the wooden figure.

"Snapped!"

Almost simultaneously, the red giant's fist fell, shattering the wooden man's hard head into tiny splinters, and the thick, headless body slowly fell backward.

In the blink of an eye, the two wooden figures, who had been so arrogant just moments before, were blasted to pieces by the red giant who had regained his power, turning into rotten, withered wood.

"despair!"

On the other side, the clone, who had just escaped death, landed steadily. Looking at the red giant's strong and imposing body, he hesitated for a moment, then decided not to pull the wooden figure up again.

It was obvious that the wooden Arhat was no match for the red giant, and even if it were summoned again, it would be of no use.

Thinking this, the clone clasped its hands together, closed its eyes, and a strange, visible aura emanated from its body.

"Oh no! Mirror, interrupt him!"

Just as Tobirama Senju was about to pop champagne for his disciple, he sensed the sudden surge of natural energy in the area and quickly locked onto the clone with its eyes closed in the distance.

Hearing the teacher's reminder, Uchiha Kagami didn't hesitate. He raised his hands to his chest, and a bright red light shone forth.

"Ah Ha!"

When the light solidified to the point of being almost tangible, a beam of red energy radiating scorching heat erupted from the red giant's arm, aimed directly at the closed-eyed clone.

"Boom!"

A violent explosion rang out, and the spot where the clone had stood was replaced by a bottomless crater.

"Beep~ Beep~ Beep~"

After unleashing his ultimate attack, the red giant slowly lowered his hands, and the timer on his chest flashed red again. However, despite this seemingly victorious outcome, Tobirama Senju maintained a furrowed brow.

In his perception, the natural energy extracted from the clones had not disappeared.

"boom!"

Sure enough, with a deafening roar, the entire ground shook violently. The red giant barely managed to steady its swaying body when it saw a gigantic Guanyin Buddha head burst forth from the deep crater created by its own beam of light.

The enormous figure climbed steadily, quickly surpassing the red giant, and finally stopped at a height of nearly a thousand meters.

The majestic Buddha lowered its head, gazing at the somewhat awkward red giant, while above its head, a tiny figure slowly opened its eyes.

The clone that entered Sage Mode at the last moment not only survived the baptism of Mirror's ultimate beam, but also managed to summon the True Thousand Hands.

"Damn it, I'm still a step too late."

Tobirama Senju slapped his thigh in frustration. Now that the Great Buddha had appeared, the red giant transformed by Kagami Uchiha was as weak as a newborn baby in front of it. The battle, which originally had a slight chance of victory, ended prematurely.

"Beep~ Beep~ Beep~"

With his lights flashing, Uchiha Kagami looked up at the towering Buddha statue, showing no sign of fear. Instead, he adopted his usual fighting stance, leaped up, and began to attack the Buddha.

"Mirror you."

Seeing this, Tobirama Senju was somewhat moved. He had almost given up hope, but Uchiha Kagami still had the will to fight; this passion was truly admirable.

In comparison, he seemed somewhat timid and hesitant.

"In the end, I, as a teacher, was taught a lesson by my own student."

Tobirama Senju took a deep breath, his eyes hardening as he looked up at the clone a thousand meters above the ground. The last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished.

At present, attempting to defeat the Thousand-Armed Buddha head-on is a pipe dream. Compared to the overwhelming pressure of the real Thousand Hands, the clone of the caster has become the breakthrough point.

If they can eliminate the clones, the threat of the Buddha will disappear, and their victory will be assured.

"Zi"

The red giant, hovering in mid-air, nimbly dodged the Buddha's attacks, occasionally using beam attacks to exploit the Buddha's clumsiness, but with little success.

The beam of light that could instantly kill a tailed beast struck the Buddha, but only created a small crack, which was instantly repaired.

Even so, Jingzai did not give up. As the red light on his chest timer grew increasingly rapid, his attacks never ceased. Countless orange-red light projectiles rained down, all to stop the Buddha's advance.

However, his strength was ultimately limited. Constantly squandering his already meager energy, the red giant's figure began to sway precariously.

"call!"

Just as Jing fired an energy ray, he was caught off guard and slapped hard by the Buddha, who seized the opportunity. He crashed to the ground like a cannonball.

"Bang!"

Lying in the deep pit, dozens of meters deep, Jing tried to struggle to stand up, but found that her whole body felt like it was filled with lead, and she couldn't even do a simple movement like lifting a finger.

Lying helplessly in the dark mud, the dripping sound in his ears gradually faded away. Looking at the Buddha's raised hand, a bitter expression appeared on Jing's face.

I'm sorry everyone, I might be dying.

He had truly tried his best, but he still couldn't change the cruel reality.

"I really want to eat Da Lang's barbecue again, I really want to drink another glass of iced lemonade, I really want to be with everyone."

Memories of his first half of life began to flash through his mind like a revolving lantern, and suddenly a cold, sharp voice rang in Uchiha Kagami's ears as his eyes glazed over.

"Mirror! Never give up until the very last moment!"

"teacher?"

With difficulty, he opened his eyes and, through the increasingly blurry vision of the giant, saw a familiar figure standing at the edge of the pit—it was Tobirama Senju, who had been slacking off the whole time.

His face was resolute, and his words sounded like encouragement or an instruction.

"You get some rest, leave the rest of the battle to me!"

"ha?"

Having regained some of his senses, Uchiha Kagami looked utterly bewildered. To be clear, he didn't mean to look down on his teacher, but considering Tobirama Senju's previous lackluster performance, he simply couldn't believe that the latter possessed the ability to turn the tide of battle.

"Teacher, why don't you just leave me behind and run away? Don't worry, Uncle Yin definitely won't blame you!"

"Do you think I'd be afraid of that curly hair?"

Glaring at his disciple who had uttered such nonsense, Tobirama Senju turned around, facing the approaching Buddha, and slowly pulled out something from his person that made Uchiha Kagami's pupils tremble violently.

"Teacher, you wouldn't be thinking of..."

"As you expected."

Ignoring the stunned red giant, Tobirama Senju somewhat awkwardly fastened the driver to his waist and took out the Nine-Tails Card, which radiated a scorching heat.

"But the Nine-Tailed Fox..."

Uchiha Kagami blinked. Wearing the driver doesn't guarantee you'll become a Tailed Beast Rider. The only prerequisite for becoming a Rider is to first defeat the Tailed Beasts.

How will you know if you don't try?

Upon seeing the ferocious red fox on the card, a red glint flashed in Tobirama Senju's eyes, and his consciousness was instantly drawn into it.

"Tick-tock~"

In the dimly lit card space, the Nine-Tailed Fox lay comfortably in its imagined cozy little nest when it noticed a strange figure land in front of it. It squinted its vertical pupils, curiously scrutinizing the newcomer.

"Who are you."

"I am."

Feeling the scorching heat so close at hand, Tobirama Senju frowned slightly, preparing to introduce himself first.

He never thought tailed beasts were easy creatures to get along with, but the situation was urgent, and he only hoped that the tailed beast could make a deal with him to get through the immediate crisis.

"It's you!"

However, to Tobirama Senju's utter surprise, before he could even introduce himself, the enormous fox before him straightened up and brought its massive head close.

A strange, complex look appeared in the eyes that were fixed on him.

There was excitement, joy, and an indelible sense of mutual appreciation.

Do you know me?

Seeing Kurama's expression, Tobirama Senju felt a pang of anxiety. Could it be that Madara Uchiha had said a lot of bad things about him in front of Kurama?

"Have you forgotten? Oh! Right, we met online before, this is the first time we've met in person."

Seeing Tobirama Senju's tense expression, Kurama suddenly slapped its forehead, a knowing look appearing on its ferocious beast head. It then uttered words that were incomprehensible to everyone.

"What online or offline? This should be the first time we've met face-to-face."

Could it be that this guy has been driven mad by Madara Uchiha?

A hint of pity immediately appeared on Tobirama Senju's face. As expected of the Uchiha, who were born evil, they didn't even spare the tailed beasts.

"Last time, when you fought the octopus steak monster, wasn't it me who lent you my power?"

Seeing that Tobirama Senju's doubts seemed genuine, Kurama patiently explained, her gaze towards the white-haired man filled with admiration.

It took the opportunity to see all of Tobirama Senju's memories and expressed high approval of his repeated sneak attacks on Madara Uchiha, wishing it could immediately become sworn brothers with him.

"Oh!!! So that voice was yours!"

Long-buried memories were awakened, and Tobirama Senju's eyes widened instantly. He had always believed that the reason he transformed into a giant was because Kagami Uchiha had tampered with the transformation device, but he never imagined that Kurama (the Nine-Tails) had secretly helped him.

"That's right, it's me."

"We can reminisce later. Now, please lend me your strength again!"

Seeing the Nine-Tails' face full of satisfaction, Tobirama Senju raised his hand to interrupt it, and solemnly extended his fist.

Kurama was slightly taken aback. Although it didn't have a deep connection with Tobirama Senju, Tobirama's feat of stealing Madara Uchiha's kidneys was enough for Kurama to go to great lengths to help it.

"A thief!"

A man and a beast, their fists vastly different in size, collided, unleashing a dazzling light.

"Henshin!" (End of Chapter)