Chapter 561: Uchiha Clan: Time to Eat! It Must Be Time to Eat!

"Haha. Ha."

In the center of the battlefield, the white fox knight knelt on one knee; Tobirama Senju, panting slightly, struggled to keep his blurred eyes wide open.

Through the cracks in his damaged faceplate, the ferocious fox monster before him was reflected in his scarlet pupils.

The surrounding environment was in ruins; the solid earth had been torn open by several bottomless gashes, and the area for several miles had been turned into scorched earth. There were no signs of life, and everything was terrifyingly silent, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

After settling the unconscious Kagami Uchiha, he had taken the lead in attacking, drawing the suddenly appearing stranger away from his disciple.

After a fierce battle, Tobirama Senju, who had already just experienced a brutal fight, quickly showed signs of fatigue and was easily crushed by the variant knight transformed by Number Nine.

It was only because the opponent was intentionally or unintentionally holding back that he had not been defeated outright, but at this moment, he had been driven into a desperate situation.

With such a strong enemy, did that annoying guy really lose just like me?

Tobirama Senju gritted his teeth, wanting to stand up, but the heart-wrenching pain throughout his body made him stagger, nearly falling over. Fortunately, he reached out his hands in time to support himself, avoiding an even more pathetic scene.

"."

Number Nine looked down at the fox knight he had easily defeated, a look of satisfaction at having avenged his great grudge appearing on the face beneath the mask. He had returned in full the humiliation he had just received from Madara Uchiha.

Sure enough, what he had encountered before was hell mode, and this side was the normal level.

Nodding to himself, Number Nine raised his hand, and tiny wooden branches sprouted from his palm, eventually condensing into a seed that emitted a scent of decay.

"That is..."

Looking at the strange seed in the enemy's hand, Tobirama Senju's heart tightened. Based on the detailed intelligence brought back by Gin Uchiha, he naturally knew the purpose of this seed.

"Don't even think about it..."

Even at this desperate moment, Tobirama Senju did not give up his resistance. Holding a resolve to die, he connected with the Nine-Tails inside the Tailed Beast Card at his waist.

In the space of the Tailed Beast Card, the Nine-Tails no longer had its previous high spirits. At this moment, it looked utterly dejected and had no intention of responding to Tobirama Senju's arrival.

"Nine-Tails, lend me more of your power."

After entering the space, Tobirama Senju got straight to the point with his request, his tone allowing no room for refusal. Hearing this, the Nine-Tails slowly turned its head, its thin, sharp voice filled with deep despondency.

"Don't waste your effort. You are no match for him. If it were that detestable human instead..."

Facing the high-spirited Tobirama Senju, the Nine-Tails ruthlessly poured a bucket of cold water. As a long-lived species that had seen countless people, it could naturally judge the upper limit of this white-haired man before it.

Compared to the ridiculously strong Madara Uchiha, this human, who was still somewhat pleasing to the eye, was simply like a green recruit who couldn't possibly defeat a clone possessing the power of Hashirama Senju and the Nine-Tails.

"How do you know if you don't try?"

Although the Nine-Tails didn't directly say he was too weak, Tobirama Senju could clearly feel the contempt revealed by the giant beast before him. Thus, he applied again, wanting to use his results to slap the other party in the face.

"Don't bother. I've heard from other beasts that after this seed is planted, you won't die for a while. When you go back, find a good physician; wherever the seed is planted, just cut that part off."

But after so many years of imprisonment, the Nine-Tails was no longer the simple and honest big fox it once was. Even though Tobirama Senju was silver-tongued and claimed to be speaking from the bottom of his heart, it remained unmoved.

Human hearts?

Too cold; I dare not touch them.

"Fine, fine, fine!"

Looking at the Nine-Tails standing by, Tobirama Senju said the word "fine" three times, his scarlet eyes filled with ruthlessness.

The bond that had just been established between man and beast quickly disintegrated; the golden divine fox was a flash in the pan, becoming a swan song.

In reality, Tobirama Senju, whose negotiation with the Nine-Tails had broken down, expressionlessly unbuckled the golden Nine-Tails belt, and the shattered armor on his body immediately dissipated into golden particles.

"Giving up? That saves me some effort."

Seeing this scene, Number Nine raised an eyebrow, thinking Tobirama Senju had lost the will to fight, so he raised his large hand, and countless wooden branches broke through the ground.

"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"

However, he still underestimated Tobirama Senju's will. Even without the support of the Knight System, he did not give up his resistance. Facing the wooden branches rushing toward him, he puffed out his cheeks, and a jet of water sprayed out instantly.

"Sshhh~"

A harsh cutting sound followed, and the wooden branches, split in two, fell in swathes. Seeing this, Number Nine looked displeased.

"Stubborn resistance."

His figure turned into a stream of light and disappeared from where he stood. Tobirama Senju, who was still spraying water, felt his internal alarm bells ringing wildly. His sensory radar screamed frantically, and he immediately leaped backward, but it was ultimately a step too late.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Number Nine's ghostly figure appeared behind him without a sound. Tobirama Senju's gaze sharpened, and he immediately gathered a Hard Whirlpool Water Blade in his hand, slashing fiercely behind him.

"Whoosh~"

But unfortunately, for some reason, his attack seemed to be a few inches short, grazing past Number Nine's chest without causing any damage.

"Your hit-box from behind is a bit ridiculous."

Number Nine, having had a narrow escape, shook his head and sighed, which made Tobirama Senju's already dark face even darker.

"I just don't have anti-air, that's all!"

In a fit of rage, a tornado formed from water swirled around Tobirama Senju. The water tornado expanded rapidly, and it looked like it was about to engulf Number Nine.

Not only that, but Tobirama Senju also fished a stack of explosive tags from his ninja tool pouch, threw them into the water tornado, and pressed his hands together.

"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

As a puff of white smoke rose, the explosive tags, which had only been a few, multiplied to over several hundred.

"Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Jutsu!"

The damage of the water tornado, mixed with countless explosive tags, instantly changed in quality. A faint look of gravity appeared on Number Nine's face.

Although he had superb defensive power, he was somewhat stretched thin when facing such a massive number of explosive tags.

"Ha!"

Tobirama Senju waved his hand, and the water tornado expanded again. He decided to use this move to perish together with Number Nine; even if he died, he would not bow his head to the enemy.

"I think you're crazy."

Number Nine, who was too late to retreat, was swept into the water tornado. He looked at the death-defying Tobirama Senju in disbelief, unable to understand why humans did not cherish their hard-won lives.

These clones lived for nothing but to become human. Their greatest dream was to experience this colorful world properly as humans.

Therefore, every clone that awakened its intelligence cherished life exceptionally.

"I don't care about all that, explode! Explode! Explode!"

Tobirama Senju had no time to deal with the bewildered Number Nine. After successfully trapping the opponent in his water tornado, he didn't hesitate for a second and pressed the detonation button.

Each explosive tag simultaneously emitted a blinding light, instantly illuminating the entire water tornado. A scorching heat rushed toward them.

"Damn it!"

Feeling the powerful destructive force contained in the explosive tags, Number Nine cursed angrily. The rich Tailed Beast power burst out of his body, and the nine fox-tail cloaks trailing behind him expanded rapidly.

The surrounding explosive tags began to smoke; this was the precursor to the explosion.

The fox tails behind Number Nine shook, and his figure began to move.

Seeing this, Tobirama Senju curled his lips in disdain; no one could escape from the range of this move of his.

"What a pity for this body."

According to the original steps of this move, he would have already used the Flying Thunder God to leave the range of the explosion, arms crossed, back to the blast—the whole scene would have been incredibly cool.

But now that the Flying Thunder God Jutsu was forbidden, he could only sacrifice this body to complete the feat of taking one clone down with him.

"Huh? What are you trying to do?"

Just as he was lamenting his body, Tobirama Senju noticed a figure flash before his eyes and immediately widened his eyes in surprise.

"You can't die yet!"

Number Nine, who had entered a high-speed movement state using the fox tails behind him, grabbed Tobirama Senju by the neck and pulled him to his side. The heat of the surrounding explosive tags soared.

The moment before they were about to be engulfed by the explosion, the fox tails behind Number Nine expanded and grew larger, wrapping the two of them inside.

"Boom!"

The next moment, flames shot into the sky. The scorching heat wave generated by the violent explosion swallowed everything around it. Hard rocks were burned into fragments, and sand and gravel turned into glittering crystals.

Fortunately, the current battlefield was still some distance away from Kagami Uchiha, otherwise, poor little Kagami would definitely have been roasted into a freshly baked suckling pig by the aftermath of the explosion.

As the smoke and dust filling the sky dissipated, a bottomless pit appeared in the center of the explosion. At the bottom of this pit, a scorched black sphere was slowly rising.

"Crunch~ Crackle~ Sizzle~"

The surface was dilapidated and covered in cracks, with debris falling off from time to time.

Before long, the black sphere unfolded, revealing the two people inside, completely unharmed.

"Why did you save me?"

Tobirama Senju frowned. Although he had been shaken to his core by the impact of the explosion, there wasn't a single wound on his body.

"My tail~"

Number Nine looked at his scorched fox tail with some heartache. That was condensed from his limited Nine-Tails chakra; every time he used it, there was less left.

"Save you? You think I wanted to save you?"

The furious Number Nine met Tobirama Senju's eyes, which were full of confusion, and instantly became enraged.

Without wasting more words on him, Number Nine used practical action to tell this white-haired man why he had saved him.

"Get in there, you!"

He held Tobirama Senju by the neck with one hand, and with the other, he fiercely shoved the seed he had just condensed into the back of the other's head.

"Ah!"

Suffering a sudden heavy blow, Tobirama Senju was in agonizing pain. The tearing pain in the back of his head made him think the other party was sucking his brains.

However, the actual situation was not as he thought. After the seed was inserted into the back of his head, it quickly extended roots to take hold, and the hard shell turned into a green, viscous liquid that seeped in along with the roots.

A few seconds later, the seed disappeared without a trace, and there was no wound left on the back of Tobirama Senju's head, as if the pain just now had been an illusion.

Having completed the planting of the God Tree spore, Number Nine tossed Tobirama Senju aside. Summarizing the lessons from the previous failures of the clones, he already knew that not only must the seed not be planted in an obvious place, but it also had to be planted in the vital points of the Tailed Beast knights.

"Hmph! I don't believe it can fail this time."

Watching Tobirama Senju rolling on the ground in pain while clutching the back of his head, a smug smile curled the corners of Number Nine's mouth. Unless this white-haired man didn't want to live anymore, he couldn't exactly cut off his own head, could he?

"Ahhh! What have you done to me?"

The inexplicable tearing sensation deep within his brain caused Tobirama Senju to lose his usual composure; amidst agonizing howls, he gritted his teeth and questioned the culprit before him.

"Merely nourishment."

Number Nine's mission was complete. After taking one last deep look at Tobirama Senju, who was sprawled on the ground, he offered no explanation, leaped into the air, and rushed toward the direction where Jigen and Madara Uchiha were locked in battle.

As for this fruit that belonged to him, he only needed to wait quietly for it to bloom and bear fruit.

"Huff... huff... huff."

Watching helplessly as Number Nine departed, Tobirama Senju, lying on the ground, was already too weak to stop him; the only remaining strength in his entire body was being absorbed at a visible rate by the roots deeply embedded in his brain.

Having been implanted with the spore, he was extremely weak, and even the speed at which he could refine chakra had become incredibly slow.

"Is this the seed that curly-haired one spoke of?"

Once the pain deep in his brain subsided slightly, Tobirama Senju forced himself to sit up, stroked the slightly swollen back of his head, and a strange, brilliant light flickered in his eyes.

"Should I call this a misfortune or a stroke of luck?"

After resting for a while, Tobirama Senju followed his memory to find the location where he had previously placed Kagami Uchiha. Looking at his still-unconscious disciple, his face was filled with relief.

"It's good that you're fine, otherwise that curly-haired one would have fought me to the death."

The purpose of the seed planted by the clone inside the jinchuriki was, in all likelihood, to plunder the Tailed Beast's original chakra through some means; if Madara Uchiha had truly fallen for it, Konoha would likely have lost both its people and its wealth.

But now, fortunately, he had replaced Madara Uchiha as the second Nine-Tails jinchuriki.

Although his tenure was extremely short, he had taken the bullet for Madara Uchiha.

Not only that, but even more fortunate things were yet to come.

Now that he had been implanted with the seed, he was not the real her.

"This time, your schemes have come to nothing."

Looking down at the glowing Tailed Beast card in his hand, a hint of triumph appeared in Tobirama Senju's eyes.

A moment later, his expression turned wistful again.

"Nine-Tails, although I haven't spent much time with you, I can feel that you are not as evil as the legends say."

"Human, what are you trying to do?"

The Nine-Tails inside the Tailed Beast card space was bewildered. After it had actively accepted Tobirama Senju's call earlier, it had already established a connection with this white-haired human.

Even though their views had diverged later on, the bridge of communication between the man and the beast had not disappeared; Tobirama Senju could still use the Tailed Beast card to transform, though he could no longer become the Golden Divine Fox.

"I hope you can continue to be Konoha's Tailed Beast and protect everyone's smiles."

Tobirama Senju chuckled and took the initiative to sever the connection with the Nine-Tails; the Tailed Beast chakra that had been continuously supplied to his body vanished instantly.

"No, you're crazy—"

The Nine-Tails widened its eyes, and its voice vanished along with the collapse of the bridge between them. The light of the Tailed Beast card gradually dimmed until it turned gray and white.

Lacking the supply of Tailed Beast chakra, the Divine Tree spore buried in Tobirama Senju's brain went on a rapid rampage, devouring his already depleted chakra in the blink of an eye.

In his final moments, Tobirama Senju placed the driver and the shackled Tailed Beast card into the arms of the unconscious Kagami.

After completing this series of actions, his life force was completely exhausted, and he slowly fell backward.

A generation of heaven-sent talent, Tobirama Senju, had fallen (lol)~

The Senju clan flew their flags at half-mast in mourning, while the Uchiha clan hung lanterns and streamers, congratulated everyone they met, and held banquets for three days, then another three days, and then another three days... (End of chapter)