Chapter 555: Guest Appearance by Zoffy

"Mirror, we will definitely come back to pick you up!"

A faint glimmer flickered in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. Knowing he could not play a role on the battlefield, he bowed to Uchiha Mirror, who had taken the initiative to stay behind to cover their retreat.

"Before that, please, you must hold on."

"Being so indecisive doesn't suit your style."

Uchiha Mirror gave a carefree smile, turned around, and waved at his teammates, who wore expressions of guilt. Then, he charged alone toward the two massive, mountain-like wooden figures.

"Mirror!!!"

Watching Uchiha Mirror's lonely, indomitable back, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others instantly had tears in their eyes. This moment was one they would remember forever.

Tobirama Senju also flew to keep up with his student's pace, his slightly puzzled gaze landing on the strange ninja tool with the altered design in Mirror's hand.

He remembered that when Mirror previously transformed into the blue giant with the pointed head, the prop he used shouldn't have been this bulky.

"Mirror, what is this?"

"Oh? The previous transformation device malfunctioned. This is an upgraded version that Uncle Gin just made."

While running, Mirror paused for a moment, held the blue gem cone with its ornate gold trim up in front of him, and gave a serious explanation.

"Sa-da-si-ne~"

Upon hearing the word "malfunction," Tobirama Senju's expression instantly became unnatural, and he dodged the question with a perfunctory remark. Fortunately, Mirror's attention was not on him, so he did not notice this subtle anomaly.

"Master, I'll hold off the two wooden figures later; I'll leave the clone to you."

Uchiha Mirror's gaze was extremely firm as he took on the most difficult task alone.

"Good."

Controlling two wooden figures simultaneously would inevitably consume a great deal of energy. If that happened, the clone's combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced, and Tobirama Senju's chances of winning would increase by several percentage points.

"I'm going in!"

After assigning their respective targets, Uchiha Mirror nodded and slowly pulled a card that exuded a thick, cold aura from his bosom. The sharp-eyed Tobirama Senju glanced at it, his pupils shrinking slightly.

On the card was not the ghost-blue Tengu Susanoo of Madara Uchiha, but another red giant radiating a predatory aura.

He had an impression of this colored giant; its owner was one of the Mangekyo users responsible for guarding the Tailed Beasts back in the day.

"Auntie Light, please lend me your power!"

Uchiha Mirror raised the red Susanoo card and pressed it onto the transformation device. The card instantly turned into a stream of light and merged into it, and the blue gem with the gold trim erupted with a dazzling red glow.

He gripped the handle of the blue gem cone with his right hand and placed it in front of his left chest. As the light on the surface of the gem became increasingly blinding, Mirror looked determined and extended the blue gem cone above his head.

"GAIA!!!"

The red Susanoo power within the blue gem cone was unleashed by Mirror's call. After enveloping his entire body, it transformed into a beam of red light that shot into the clouds.

"That is..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, who had already run several miles away, felt something and turned back abruptly. Seeing that dazzling beam of light, the shock in their hearts only grew.

"Rumble!"

The light dissipated, and a sturdy figure landed steadily. Perhaps due to the exaggerated tonnage, when the red giant landed, it assumed a half-squatting posture to dissipate the gravity.

The terrifying force poured in from its feet, causing the ground for hundreds of meters around to rumble, and sand and gravel mixed with the wreckage of trees were shaken dozens of meters into the air.

"Crackle~ Crackle~"

Accompanied by the falling dust and gravel, the destroyer of the earth made a brilliant entrance.

"Ha!"

The red giant struck a cool starting pose, and a long, deep battle cry rang out.

"Mirror..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others wore complex expressions. They had never realized how big the gap was between themselves and Uchiha Mirror.

But when a critical moment arrived, the chasm between them was laid bare, making them realize their own weakness.

"Ugh..."

Danzo looked as if he had just eaten three pounds of lemons; his whole body exuded a sourness that made people want to keep their distance. He might as well have had the word "want" written on his face.

He also wanted to transform.

"Let's go, we must trust Mirror."

After taking one last lingering look at the towering red giant in the distance, Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Danzo on the shoulder and signaled for the others to keep running.

On the battlefield, Mirror, whose body was filled with explosive power, squeezed his fists in disbelief.

"It's actually this strong."

As a human vessel who had used Madara Uchiha's Susanoo card to transform, Mirror naturally had a judgment of the power after transformation.

The giant currently transformed using the Light Uchiha Susanoo card was actually significantly stronger in power than the previous blue giant.

However, now was not the time to compare stats. The time for this transformation was still limited, and he had to take care of these two wooden figures before the light started flashing.

"Ha!"

Quickly collecting his thoughts, Uchiha Mirror took a step and charged toward the two menacing wooden figures with long strides, creating a ground-shaking commotion.

The clone seemed to sense the threat from the red giant, and for the first time, a frowning expression appeared on its calm, unruffled face.

"Hi!"

Clasping its hands together, the wooden figure under its feet immediately assumed a combat stance, holding its large hands in front of it, waiting to grapple with the red giant.

"Bang!!!"

Uchiha Mirror changed his posture less than a hundred meters from the wooden figure, turned sideways, and delivered a solid shoulder tackle to one of them. The terrifying impact pushed the sturdy wooden figure back hundreds of meters, its feet plowing two deep gullies into the ground.

"Boom!"

The other wooden figure took the opportunity to raise its fist and smash it toward Mirror's exposed back, but the opponent sensed it in advance.

"Rumble~"

Taking advantage of the momentum, he performed a roll, narrowly dodging the wooden figure's sneak attack. As he stood up, he fired a red-and-white crescent-shaped beam of light from his hand, which struck the wooden figure's blank face like a sharp shuriken, knocking it back dozens of meters.

"Well done!"

Seeing his student fighting with such ease, Tobirama Senju couldn't help but praise him, his gaze then falling on the head of the first wooden figure that had been knocked away.

As a teacher, he couldn't just sit back and be carried.

Although the Flying Thunder God Jutsu was forbidden, his Body Flicker Jutsu remained. As one of the fastest ninjas in the ninja world, Tobirama Senju's Body Flicker Jutsu could be said to be second to none.

"Swish~"

The clone standing on the head of the wooden figure was concentrating on multitasking, manipulating the two wooden figures in an attempt to flank Mirror, but it didn't expect a sharp sound of air being pierced to come from behind.

"Bang!"

Fortunately, having inherited Hashirama Senju's superhuman reflexes, the clone turned abruptly and raised its fists just before the buzzing Hard Whirlpool Water Blade could pierce its head, steadily bracing Tobirama Senju's arm.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz~"

The high-frequency rotating water blade stopped just a few centimeters from its nose. Tobirama Senju frowned, somewhat surprised by the opponent's reaction speed.

However, knowing the difference in their physical constitutions, he did not continue to wear it down. Instead, he withdrew his arm in time and disappeared from the spot just as the clone raised its leg to kick.

"It really isn't that simple."

Tobirama Senju's figure landed not far away with a hint of regret on his face. He hadn't expected the clone to perfectly inherit his older brother's reflexes; otherwise, that last strike would have cost it half its life, if not killed it outright.

On the other side, due to Tobirama Senju's interference, the wooden figures were temporarily stalled. Uchiha Mirror seized the opportunity and unleashed a flurry of attacks on one of them.

"Rumble!"

After a barrage of punches and kicks, the wooden figure collapsed to the ground. Uchiha Mirror turned his head and locked his target onto the wooden figure where the clone stood.

"Ha!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he bent his knees and leaped, his sturdy body tracing a perfect arc in mid-air, his raised fist falling with unstoppable momentum.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence."

Facing the fist about to smash into him from mid-air, the clone showed no panic. It slammed its palms, which were glowing with Wood Style power, onto the ground. A rumbling sound erupted, and the ground began to churn.

The next moment, countless large wooden hands burst from the ground, grabbing at the red giant in mid-air with extreme speed. Because it happened so suddenly, Uchiha Mirror didn't have time to react before his ankles were grabbed by the large hands.

"Bang!"

The massive body landed awkwardly, slamming hard into the ground with a deafening crash.

Before Mirror could get up, those large hands swarmed over, instantly submerging him in a "binding play," and no matter how he struggled, it was to no avail.

"Damn it..."

Not only was his movement restricted, but these wooden hands were also slowly absorbing his already limited power. The red Susanoo power flowed out through the decorative blue gem timer on his chest and was instantly refined by the wooden hands.

"Beep! ~ Beep! ~ Beep! ~"

A few seconds later, the blue timer began to flash a red light, and a rapid beeping sound followed. Mirror felt his whole body become incredibly heavy, his originally raised arms slowly dropped, and the light in his egg-shaped eyes gradually dimmed.

"Mirror! Don't give up!"

Tobirama Senju leaped high, the speed of the hand seals in his hands dazzling. His mouth puffed out, and a high-pressure water jet shot out.

"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"

This move was Tobirama Senju's most powerful offensive ninjutsu at the moment. The water jet, which could even cut through Izuna Uchiha's Susanoo, was aimed precisely at the clone, which was focused on manipulating the Deep Forest Emergence.

This action of his completely annoyed the opponent. The clone's gaze hardened, and it jumped up. Tobirama Senju looked up to pursue, the water jet tracing an upward arc in mid-air.

Seeing that he was about to catch up to the leaping clone, a look of excitement appeared in Tobirama Senju's eyes.

Unexpectedly, in the next second, he found himself tightly gripped by a large hand. In pain, he had to interrupt the release of the Water Severing Wave.

It turned out to be the wooden figure; in the gap while he was focused on pursuing the clone, the wooden figure, having received the command, struck fiercely and grabbed the caught-off-guard Tobirama Senju.

"Ah!"

Tobirama Senju tried to use the Body Replacement Jutsu to escape, only to find that the chakra in his body was rapidly draining away. For a moment, he was unable to release any ninjutsu, and even lifting a finger was a luxury.

"Tap~"

The clone's figure landed. Tobirama Senju raised his head with difficulty, looking at the expressionless enemy in front of him, and could not help but show a bitter look on his face.

Without the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, his performance is truly pathetic.

Most of his skills stem from space-time power; without those signature escape techniques to rely on, he can only be considered a mediocre, weak Kage-level ninja.

"Kagami, Master is sorry."

Tobirama Senju closed his eyes in despair; his current body is a special case, so if it dies, it dies—there would be no real loss.

But Kagami Uchiha is different; could this disciple, to whom he had just entrusted such a heavy responsibility, be about to die young?

"How am I supposed to explain this to that curly-haired one?"

Turning his head to look at Kagami Uchiha, whose warning light was beeping, Tobirama Senju had already begun considering researching forbidden techniques for resurrecting the dead; otherwise, given Uchiha Gin's temper, he could basically forget about ever closing his eyes to sleep again.

"Beep~ beep~ beep~"

On the field at this moment, only the fading beeping sound remained, and the red giant that Kagami Uchiha had transformed into began to turn ethereal, as if it would dissipate into light particles between heaven and earth at any moment.

"Am I going to die?"

In a space of absolute darkness, Kagami Uchiha, having lost consciousness, felt himself falling at an extreme speed.

"Cosmic Superman."

"Open your eyes."

"Who is it?"

In a daze, a familiar voice echoed in Kagami Uchiha's ears; he opened his eyes with difficulty, only to see a blurry, giant figure gazing at him.

On the top of the other's pointed head, there was actually a flame burning fiercely, looking exceptionally intimidating.

"I am... Zoffy~"

Zoffy?

Who is that?

Still feeling hazy, little Kagami was completely bewildered; he did not recognize this strange giant with fire on its head.

"From the M78 Nebula... sigh~ forget it."

The vaguely shaped giant raised a fist, looking as if it wanted to say more, but seeing little Kagami's light about to go out, it had to lower its arm regretfully and instead sent over a wisp of black light.

The black radiance, exuding a profound aura, compressed and condensed before Kagami Uchiha, finally turning into a card shimmering with an inexplicable light.

Sensing a tiny trace of a familiar aura carried on the card, little Kagami subconsciously clutched it in his hand.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the dark space began to shatter, the blurry giant dissipated along with it, and Kagami Uchiha blinked in confusion, fixing his gaze on the brand-new card in his hand.

"This is..."

Looking at the unfamiliar dark-black Susanoo on the card, little Kagami had no time to think before the card took the initiative to turn into a stream of light and pour into his body.

"Beep... beep..."

In reality, under the restraint of countless wooden hands, the timer flashing on the red giant's chest finally went silent; unable to bear seeing his disciple's tragic state, Tobirama Senju closed his eyes in despair.

He realized his own weakness; at this moment, Tobirama Senju craved power.

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Hum——"

However, the next second, the urgent beeping sound actually started up again; immersed in grief, Tobirama Senju snapped his eyes open and turned his head with difficulty.

The flashing frequency on the red giant's chest gradually stabilized, and the timer finally returned to blue.

A soft light spilled down from the sky, enveloping the red giant; as the light faded, a black pattern exuding a profound aura appeared on his robust pectoral muscles.

"Ha!"

Tearing apart the wooden hands wrapped around him with ease, little Kagami, who had just fallen, miraculously stood up again.

"Rumble!"

The clone frowned slightly, pressed its hands together, and the wooden figures, having received the order, surrounded the resurrected little Kagami once more.

Looking at the two wooden Arhats exuding dangerous auras, Kagami Uchiha stepped forward and struck a very handsome starting pose.

"I cannot fall, because behind me are the lights of ten thousand homes." (End of chapter)