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

Chapter 497 No one can defeat me with my background music playing.

at the same time,

On the other side of the battlefield, the battle between Tobirama Senju and his companions had reached a fever pitch. The towering wooden Buddha dummy had exhausted almost all of its arms, yet it still hadn't managed to obliterate the red giant in mid-air.

"Beep~ Beep~ Beep~"

Dodging the Buddha's attacks nimbly, the red giant transformed from Uchiha Kagami lowered his head, glanced at the red timer flashing on his chest, and roughly calculated that his remaining time was running out.

Something must be done before the transformation ends.

"Bang!"

"Snapped!"

Looking up, two figures were fiercely clashing above the wooden dummy. Tobirama Senju, with his exceptional combat skills, had become adept at using the Knight System's abilities after several rounds of intense fighting with the clone.

With the Nine-Tails' full assistance, his mastery of the Knight's power has now surpassed that of his previous master, Madara Uchiha. For a time, the clone was at a disadvantage, and after several exchanges, his strong body was covered with wounds of various sizes.

However, this is also largely due to the fact that the clone was multitasking. On one hand, he had to control the wooden puppet, and on the other hand, he had to deal with Tobirama Senju's harassment. His already not-so-high-end CPU was almost about to start smoking.

"Bang!"

After punching away the golden fox knight once more, the clone decided to deal with the red giant that was buzzing around like a fly first.

"Wood Clone Technique"

With a clasp of his hands, another version of himself sprouted from the clone's body. The wooden clone landed without a word, charging straight at Tobirama Senju, who wielded a spear blade, his fists wreathed in a chilling, eerie blue light.

"Bang!"

Tobirama Senju raised his sword to defend, but the Sage Art: Superhuman Strength Fist was no joke, and he was immediately forced to retreat repeatedly.

Seeing that the wooden clone had held off Tobirama Senju, the clone began to focus entirely on manipulating the giant Buddha beneath its feet.

Uchiha Kagami, who was searching for a weakness in the Buddha statue, was completely unaware of this. When he saw the Buddha's arms extend again, he was only slightly startled and didn't take it seriously.

"call!"

Faced with a fist suddenly aimed at him, he skillfully stepped back to create distance and dodge, but another fist, seemingly appearing from nowhere, slammed into his back.

"Bang!"

The red giant, unable to control its form, tumbled repeatedly in the air. Seeing this, the Buddha immediately pressed its advantage, unleashing its remaining few arms.

Each punch of the True Thousand Hands technique contains terrifying power capable of destroying mountains. Even the Nine-Tails in its Suspended Form, once controlled by Madara Uchiha, was rendered helpless by this attack.

"not good!"

Seeing the red giant transformed by Uchiha Kagami enveloped by countless fists, Tobirama Senju, who was fighting the wood clone, felt a pang of anxiety. He couldn't guarantee that Kagami could withstand his older brother's ultimate attack.

"Get out of my way!"

Tobirama Senju roared, and Kurama, sensing his emotions, immediately poured its tailed beast chakra into the driver at his waist as if it were free.

A dazzling golden light suddenly shone, and the nine fox tails on the golden fox knight's back instantly expanded, transforming into nine golden tentacles that bound the wooden clone in an instant.

"Bang bang!~"

The next moment, before it could even struggle, the wood clone was snapped into several pieces by tentacles formed from the tailed beast's chakra, turning into withered wood and falling to the ground.

Having successfully defeated the wooden clone, Tobirama Senju's momentum remained undiminished. He leaped forward, and nine tentacle-like arms behind him reached out to grab the clone who was focused on controlling the wooden figure.

"A Buddha image on the crown of the head."

But it was too late. The clone had already unleashed Hashirama Senju's ultimate technique, countless fists slamming directly into the red giant floating in mid-air like duckweed in rain.

At the same time, the clone, having regained its focus, used Wood Release, summoning several thick wooden branches that intertwined with Tobirama Senju's chakra tentacles.

Seeing himself surrounded by the giant wooden hand, Uchiha Kagami knew he couldn't escape. He made a tough decision and decided not to run away. He was going to fight to the death.

Stabilizing himself in mid-air, he quickly spread his arms, a dazzling red light shining from his pointed head. He assumed a horse stance, then clenched his fists and moved them to the sides of his head.

Red energy particles rapidly condensed, eventually transforming into a massive red light blade, upon which black flames were attached.

Sensing that all his power had converged on a single point, Uchiha Kagami stood up, leaned back, and slammed his pointed head down hard against the countless wooden hands in front of him, while simultaneously spreading his arms to guide the direction of the light.

A crimson energy beam, wreathed in black flames, poured forth, striking the massive hand of the Buddha atop the statue with lightning speed. Like a destructive force, it instantly annihilated arm after arm.

"Boom!!!"

The deafening explosions echoed across the battlefield, sending up plumes of dust thick with sawdust of all sizes, filling the air with the acrid smell of burning wood.

When the smoke and dust cleared, only a solitary figure remained in mid-air; the once menacing wooden hand had been completely destroyed.

"Mirror, well done!"

Seeing this, Tobirama Senju clenched his fists in excitement, his nine tentacles waving wildly behind him, crushing the wooden branches summoned by the clone into dust.

"Beep beep beep beep—"

The red giant hovered above the giant, breathing slightly. The red light on its chest flashed more and more rapidly, before turning into a silent signal after a few brief seconds.

"Teacher, I'm counting on you from now on."

As he watched the black flames pierce the wound across the chest of the giant Buddha statue, Uchiha Kagami's consciousness began to blur, his massive body began to fade, and he slowly began to fall.

"Thump~"

After landing safely on the ground, the illusory body began to disintegrate, eventually turning into countless light particles that dissipated into the world. Where the giant disappeared, lay Uchiha Kagami, who had fainted from exhaustion.

"Boom!"

A moment later, a violent rumble resounded. The clone, who was locked in combat with Tobirama Senju, tensed up, realizing that the Great Buddha he had summoned was nearing its end.

The final strike from Uchiha Kagami contained an inextinguishable flame of destruction, burning away the Buddha's life force at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

"Boom~"

The wounds, which could not heal, spread rapidly, causing the Buddha's enormous body to sway precariously. Its smooth surface began to crack, with cracks spreading across its entire body.

The clone coldly lowered his hands, which had been channeling chakra. Under the corrosive influence of the black flames, no amount of chakra he poured in could repair the Buddha statue.

Without a chakra supply, the Buddha's collapse accelerated, and its massive body began to topple.

The clone turned around, preparing to separate from the Buddha, but as soon as it leaped up, it found itself frozen. Looking down, it saw a chakra tentacle shimmering with golden light tightly gripping its ankle.

Did I let you leave?

Below, the golden fox knight raised his spear blade, unleashing a torrent of golden tailed beast bullets.

"Boom!"

Caught off guard, the controlled clones had no choice but to accept the Tailed Beast Bombs, and the explosions rang out like firecrackers.

"call"

As the smoke cleared, the clone's disheveled figure was revealed, his arms covering his face. Just as he was about to retaliate, the golden fox knight, sword in hand, leaped forward.

"Bang!"

The swift clone disarmed Tobirama Senju with a single move, narrowly blocking his spear. Before he could even catch his breath, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.

"Bang!"

The fox tail behind Tobirama Senju transformed into a giant golden hand, slamming it heavily into Tobirama's abdomen. The terrifying force was so great that even with the clone's top-tier human physique, it couldn't withstand the blow.

"puff!"

Blood mixed with stomach acid gushed from his mouth. Suppressing the pain of his displaced internal organs, the clone swung the gun away and delivered a groin kick—a move considered a male-killer—to the golden knight before him.

However, his plan backfired. The golden knight had already prepared a chakra tentacle beneath his crotch, which seized the clone's calf.

"ha?"

The clone was completely bewildered; he couldn't understand why the Golden Fox Knight would have a defensive stance between his legs.

"Hmph! I despise those despicable people who sneak up on Kun Kun!"

Nine-Tailed Fox bared its teeth menacingly. The painful memory of Duan Kun was still fresh in its mind. Ever since then, it would always keep a tail between its legs to commemorate its deceased Kun Kun.

"Boom!"

The thousand-meter-tall Buddha statue was still collapsing and tilting, and the clone whose leg had been grabbed was still struggling. Tobirama Senju seized the opportunity, assumed a Thousand Hands swordsmanship stance, bent down, and slashed at the opponent's waist.

"Bang!"

The blade sliced ​​through the air, and the clone took the brunt of the attack to the kidneys, but also managed to break free from the chakra tentacles' restraints. It immediately clutched its kidneys and retreated a few steps, distancing itself from Tobirama Senju.

"Whoosh!"

Adhering to the principle of striking a fallen dog to the ground, Tobirama Senju pressed his advantage, wielding his spear with dazzling skill. His golden figure appeared and disappeared, forcing the clone to cautiously raise its hand to block.

"Bang! Bang! Bang~"

The golden attacks rained down like a storm. The clone, which initially handled the attacks with ease, gradually became unable to defend itself until it was finally suppressed by Tobirama Senju.

"Sizzle~"

A gruesome wound appeared on the clone's waist. A few seconds later, Tobirama Senju, who was attacking, narrowed his eyes.

He discovered that the wound was healing more slowly.

Although Hashirama Senju was known for his large chakra reserves, the refinement and sustaining of Sage Chakra was not easy. The True Several Thousand Hands he had just unleashed had already put a considerable burden on him, and the rate at which his chakra recovered had begun to slow down, showing signs of fatigue.

"Sizzle!"

As the golden blade sliced ​​through, another deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on the clone's waist, and crimson blood slowly flowed out, not healing instantly as it had at the beginning.

"We're going to win!"

Senju Tobirama's eyes lit up as he noticed the clone's condition deteriorating. With the Knight System's enhancement, he felt no fatigue whatsoever.

Of course, this is also related to the special circumstances of his current body.

"Bang!"

Barely deflecting Tobirama Senju's blade aimed straight at his face, the clone's dark makeup began to dim, and its aura weakened.

Seizing the opportunity, Tobirama Senju's golden figure moved with lightning speed, and the spear blade in his hand suddenly lengthened.

Seeing this, the clone immediately held its breath, staring intently at Tobirama Senju, and raised its hands to protect itself, preparing to receive the attack.

However, the moment the ghostly figure landed in front of him, the clone's pupils contracted, and three black tomoe were reflected in his eyes. His tense body froze, and the defense he had just formed instantly crumbled.

"Pfft!"

As the sound of flesh tearing rang out, crimson blood spurted out, and the golden figure was bathed in scalding blood. The three black tomoe patterns that had appeared on the surface of Senju Tobirama's red compound eyes gradually faded away.

The clone with the golden gun blade embedded in its chest slowly collapsed to the ground, the black markings on its cheeks fading away as its vital energy visibly dissipated.

"Boom!"

At the same time, the Buddha statue collapsed to the ground, its enormous body rapidly withering away and eventually turning into nourishment for the earth.

"Phew, I never thought I'd need it in the end."

With everything settled, Tobirama Senju looked at the fallen clone, let out a deep sigh of relief, raised his hand to stroke the red compound eyes on his visor, and revealed a very complex expression.

He thought he could defeat the clone with the Knight System, but in the end, the decisive blow came from the very power he had always hated.

"Never mind, let's go check on the mirror first."

Tobirama Uchiha shook his head, ignoring the clone's pale face, and pulled the blade from the other's heart.

"Pfft!"

Another spurt of blood gushed out, the clone's body trembled violently a few times, and the divine light in its eyes dimmed. It was only a matter of time before it died.

"Whoosh~"

Without lingering, Tobirama Senju took one last look at his defeated opponent, turned and leaped towards Kagami Uchiha.

However, shortly after he left, a dark, shadowy creature slowly emerged from the ground, surrounded the dying clone, blinking its tiny, beady eyes as if deep in thought.

"Jing! Are you alright?"

Following his senses, Tobirama Senju found the unconscious Kagami Uchiha. He quickly went to check on him and discovered that his disciple had simply collapsed from exhaustion. He immediately showed a relieved expression.

But soon, a serious expression appeared on his face, and his gaze turned to the distance.

Over there, Madara Uchiha, who was covering the rear alone, was missing and his fate unknown. The enemy he had fought so hard to defeat now faced seven of them all at once. Tobirama Senju, who had initially held onto a sliver of hope, was now filled with a desolate sense of loss and shared fate.

If we went back now, we probably wouldn't even be able to collect the body in time.

Thinking of this, Tobirama Senju carried the unconscious Kagami on his back, preparing to admire Madara Uchiha's remains, but he stopped abruptly after taking just one step.

"clatter!"

Accompanied by unfamiliar footsteps, a sudden, inexplicable sense of terrifying oppression arose. Tobirama Senju turned his head stiffly, and what he saw was a fox-headed monster whose appearance was somewhat similar to his own.

He saw a deep greed in the other person's ferocious face, as if they were about to devour him at any moment.

"Human, he's different from that guy before, run!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox in the card at its waist spoke up at the right time, its anxious voice no longer carrying its previous arrogance. The alien knight in front of it was like its natural enemy, instilling in the Nine-Tailed Fox a fear that came from the depths of its soul.

"Run? Do you think you can escape?"

Tobirama Senju gave a bitter smile, glanced at Kagami Uchiha behind his back, and knowing he couldn't escape, a resolute look flashed in his eyes.

Taking a few steps back, he placed the unconscious disciple on a flat, open ground. Tobirama Senju turned and walked to the Other Rider, slowly raising the blood-stained spear in his hand and softly chanting.

"Thinking back to those days, my tears never dry."

(End of this chapter)