Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

As a mutated individual among Hashirama's clones, 009 not only perfectly inherited its mother's abilities but also possesses extremely strong compatibility with the Karma seal of the Otsutsuki clan.
A typical clone can only unfreeze a maximum of 10% of its power within the wedge to enter what's called State Two; any higher and its body will collapse.

The power that 009 can unfreeze is a terrifying 50%.

"What are you"

Madara Uchiha frowned as he watched the black patterns gradually emerge on 009's fiery red armor.
"State Two".

As the power contained within the wedge spread throughout its body, a thumb-sized horn slightly rose from the head of the 009 visor, emanating a terrifying aura far surpassing its former size.
"Power, 20%."

009 tentatively clenched his fist, feeling the surging power from within the Karma seal fill his entire body. He silently nodded, looked at Uchiha Madara, and his sword trembled.
"Hmph! Pretend to be a ghost."

Feeling provoked, Madara Uchiha snorted coldly, raised his card-shaped sword, and lunged forward in a flash, his crimson figure moving like a ghost.

009 remained motionless, seemingly waiting for something. The next moment, a terrifying glint flashed in his eyes beneath his mask, and he abruptly raised the white-bladed longsword in his hand.
"Bah!"

Seeing 009 block his tricky sword strike, Madara Uchiha frowned, pressing down hard with both hands, attempting to repay the humiliation he had just suffered.

"Crack!"

A sound of the ground cracking followed, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground beneath 009's feet as it could not withstand the terrifying force.

But to Madara's surprise, even so, 009's raised arm showed no sign of bending.
"I'll see how long you can hold out!"

With a displeased expression, he immediately increased his strength, which caused 009's arm to tremble.

"Oh!"

Seeing this, Madara Uchiha smiled smugly and, in a completely unsportsmanlike manner, kicked his opponent in the wide-open abdomen, sending him flying, along with several innocent Tailed Beast Rider clones.
Seeing 009 land in a disheveled state, Madara Uchiha executed a beautiful sword flourish with a backhand flourish, his disdain evident.
"Nothing."

Using the Ashura Card, he is now more than five times stronger than usual. Even someone as strong as Jigen would dare to challenge him.
"boom!"

However, before Madara Uchiha could utter a few words of trash talk, 009, whom he had knocked away, stood up again, his horns on his head swelling even more under the power amplification of Karma.
[Thawing progress 30%]

"Come again!"

Guided by his internal fighting spirit, 009 displayed an unprecedented fighting will.
"despair!"

With a powerful leap, his black and red figure vanished from the spot.

The next moment, an iron fist enveloped in crimson chakra appeared in front of Madara Uchiha.
In the heat of the moment, Madara Uchiha raised his fist to meet the attack. The instant the two auras, one red and one purple, collided, a violent roar resounded throughout the entire island.

"Oh!"

The misty sky was torn open by the surging air currents generated by the burst of power, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone down, illuminating the two figures passionately fighting.

001, who saw this scene from not far away, frowned. 009 actually used the power of the Karma. He was really irrational. Why couldn't he just slack off and throw the game like him?
Do I really have to roll it up?
"Whoosh!"

As he pondered, a blue energy blast grazed his face. 001 reached up and touched the deep marks on his mask, his gaze complex as he looked at the battle-ready Uchiha Izuna.

It's all that idiot 009's fault. If this drags on any longer, his master might discover his true identity as a slacker.

"Sigh, state two."

001 shook his head helplessly, and without any warning, activated the Wedge. The horn on his forehead stood out, and black patterns instantly covered his entire body, even turning the longbow in his hand black.

"What the hell?"

As Uchiha Izuna was aiming his gun, he saw 001's drastically changed appearance. Before his doubts could even arise, he was astonished to find that the enemy not far away had vanished right before his eyes.

"What about people?"

"Here it is~"

Upon hearing the immediate response, Uchiha Izuna looked up and saw that the vanished 001 was now hovering above his head, its longbow slowly drawing.

Looking disdainfully at 001 drawing his bow, Uchiha Izuna had already clashed with him several times and was no longer interested in this move. He then raised his gun, preparing to engage in a sniper duel at the center.
"I thought there would be some new tricks, but this is so boring!"

Before he could even unleash the energy blast from his chakra-converted form, the dense green raindrops falling from the sky caused his expression to change drastically.

"Boom~"

Swish!
Gently releasing the bowstring, which was empty of arrows, the dull thud sounded like a referee's starting pistol. Countless green arrows, suspended high behind 001, fell vertically, their speed like a torrential downpour sweeping across the land, their momentum overwhelming.
"Rain of light."

001, listening intently, spread her arms wide, like an angel descending from the rain of green light. Her magnificent form was reflected in the strangely patterned pupils of Uchiha Izuna, who was shrouded in a rain of arrows.
"Boom!"

The next second, smoke and dust, accompanied by a violent explosion, completely engulfed Uchiha Izuna's tiny figure.

A moment later, the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, revealing Uchiha Izuna kneeling on one knee at the epicenter of the explosion. To 001's surprise, Izuna's injuries were much minor than he had expected.
"Huhu."

Uchiha Izuna, panting heavily, scanned the scorched earth within a hundred-meter radius with his scarlet eyes. His fading Mangekyou Sharingan was filled with relief.

Fortunately, I summoned Susanoo at the crucial moment to defend myself, otherwise I would have been riddled with arrows.

However, this move was truly ruthless; it cost Uchiha Izuna nearly half of his eye power to defend against it.

"Sigh, wouldn't it be better to just lie down obediently?"

Seeing Uchiha Izuna struggling to get up, 001 sighed with a headache.
"I only gained a slight advantage, don't underestimate me, I haven't even used my full strength yet!"

Seeing that 001 was actually starting to act arrogantly towards him, how could the proud Uchiha Izuna swallow this insult?

With that, he abruptly pulled open the card box at his waist, inside which lay a stack of gleaming silver Tailed Beast cards, the very cards Madara Uchiha had returned to him after he had just acquired the Ashura cards.

"Kamen Ride!"

As Izuna inserted Tailed Beast cards one by one into the card slot on the side of his gun, a variety of uniquely designed Tailed Beast Riders slowly emerged from the light screen that appeared behind him.
Suppressing the waves of emptiness washing over him, Uchiha Izuna waved his hand, and nine Tailed Beast Riders silently stepped forward, drawing their personal weapons and surrounding 001. The oppressive aura was terrifying.
"Beat him up!"

"Sigh~ It seems like I'll really die if I don't take it seriously."

Sensing that the nine Tailed Beast Riders before him were far from the inferior imitations of his own army, 001 couldn't help but curl his lip, and the horns on his head instantly swelled up.

"Power, 30%."

On the other side of the battlefield,
With the Uchiha brothers held back by two mutated clones, the previously blocked clone army was finally able to set off again, trudging heavily towards Jiraiya and the others.
With the clone army in front and the Great Heavenly Prison behind, they have no way to escape.

Glancing at Uchiha Hikaru, who had just experienced a "great battle" behind him, the future Sannin, after a brief silence, chose to stride forward. The three of them stood side by side, their young faces filled with a fighting spirit that dared to challenge everything. "Gin, are you going to continue with OMO?"

Witnessing this, Uchiha Hikaru turned her head away and whispered in Uchiha Gin's ear,

"What could be more interesting than witnessing the younger generation grow through adversity?"

Uchiha Gin is only now understanding the joy of OMO (Online-Merge-Offline). Tachibana-senpai is truly a seasoned connoisseur.
"Play around, joke around, but don't delay my dinner."

Seeing that Uchiha Gin was so interested, Uchiha Hikaru gave him a slightly indulgent glare.
"I'm timing it!"

Uchiha Gin gave her a reassuring look, then his gaze drifted to his older cousin, who was engaged in a passionate brawl with 009.
[There are 2 minutes and 15 seconds left in the battle.]

"You stinky snake, wanna have a contest?"

Looking at the massive, dark army of Tailed Beast Knights before him, Jiraiya licked his lips and suddenly turned to Orochimaru, who stood guard nearby, and asked...

"At a time like this, you still have the mind to compete?"

Orochimaru frowned. The upcoming battle was no child's play; a single misstep could mean certain death.

"This might be our last chance to compete. What, are you scared?"

"Hmph! You think I'm afraid of you?"

Tsunade, watching the two encouraging each other even in dire straits, felt a complex mix of emotions.
"You two, hey, me too."

After a few seconds of thought, she smiled with relief, raised her hand, and prepared to join what might be the final battle between the three of them. However, Jiraiya's next words abruptly erased the emotion she felt.
Jiraiya was staring lewdly at Orochimaru's black-stockinged legs, licking his lips with a look of utter lust.

"That's good. Same rules as before: whoever defeats more enemies wins, and the loser has to unconditionally grant the winner one request, like washing socks for a month."

Good heavens, he used to at least try to tone it down, but this time he's not even bothering to act anymore. You can hear his silvery laughter as he taps the abacus beads from far away.

"It has come!"

Boom!
Tsunade's punitive fist arrived late, but within seconds, Jiraiya's already disfigured face, a result of Sage Mode, became even more gruesome.

"Waaaaah, I was just joking to lighten the mood."

With tears welling in his eyes, Jiraiya looked as aggrieved as a 200-pound child. He did enjoy romance, but he was definitely not a pervert.
How could anyone in this world like smelly, oversized stockings worn by a cross-dresser?
"Gudong~"

Feeling resentful, he subconsciously glanced at Orochimaru's slender legs; the delicious look hidden inside those ninja sandals made him involuntarily swallow.
right?

"I have no opinion."

"Huh?"*3
Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were directly involved, and even Gin Uchiha, who was eavesdropping nearby, all exclaimed in surprise. Their gazes were fixed on Orochimaru's cold expression, trying to find a hint of something amiss on his face.
"Smash! One self-drawn tap to open!"

A moment later, Jiraiya, who was the first to regain his senses, wore an unprecedented fighting spirit on his face, while Fukasaku, the sage perched on his shoulder, wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Was the Great Toad Sage's prophecy wrong? Is it really okay to entrust the future of Mount Myōboku to this pervert?
But Jiraiya had to go too, and the others couldn't hold him back, so they immediately began to fulfill their duties as physical support characters.

"Old woman, it's time to get down to business!"

Fukasaku clasped his hands together, and the dense natural energy around him rapidly converged, intertwining and fusing with the spiritual energy within Jiraiya's body, ultimately transforming into a powerful Sage Chakra.
Feeling the surge of energy within him, Jiraiya, who stood alone in front of the Tailed Beast Knights, slammed his hands on the ground, and a continuous stream of Sage Chakra poured into the earth.

"Immortal Technique·Earth Release·Yellow Spring Marsh!"

The brownish-red mud churned up, causing the advancing Tailed Beast Knights to pause, sway a few times, and then slowly begin to sink.
Some of the more combat-ready clones began attempting to break free from the constraints of the Swamp of the Dead, only to discover that the power of the tailed beasts within them seemed to be interfered with by some kind of special energy, causing its circulation to become extremely slow.

Jiraiya seized the opportunity, refining Sage Chakra into oil and holding it in his mouth, his cheeks instantly puffing out like a toad's.
"Sage Art: Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

As thick kerosene splattered, he inhaled again and exhaled a large mouthful of flames, which instantly ignited upon contact with the fire.

"Boom!"

Amplified by Sage Chakra, the fireballs almost completely covered the entire clone army. The clones, whose movements were restricted, could only watch helplessly as they were engulfed by the fireballs.
"Cough cough cough hahaha!"

After unleashing his prized combination technique, Jiraiya practically had the word "smug" written all over his face.
However, before they could even finish laughing, the clones trapped in the Swamp of the Dead began to break free of their restraints and continued their journey despite the man-eating flames.
While Sage Mode chakra has a restraining effect on Tailed Beast chakra, it's only temporary. To completely defeat the clone, area-of-effect (AoE) skills like Fireballs won't work; a highly targeted, single-target attack is still needed.

"idiot."

Just as Jiraiya was staring in disbelief, a blue-green figure slid past him, leaving behind a cold, mocking remark.
"Stinky snake? You...you're asking for it?"

Seeing Orochimaru charging alone towards the clone army, Jiraiya was so shocked he could barely speak.
As Orochimaru ran, he raised one hand, and the snake-shaped chakra floating behind him began to dance as if activated.
"Immortal Technique: Dance of the Snake".

As golden lightning flashed, Orochimaru's figure suddenly accelerated, transforming into a streak of emerald green lightning, as swift as a dragon.
The clones, whose armor was charred black from the heat and hadn't been repaired, were noticeably slower than usual.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Orochimaru quickly locked onto three of the weaker targets, raised his hands, and spat out several small snakes formed from Sage Chakra towards them.
"Immortal Technique: Water Serpent".

"Crack!"

The gleaming, sharp teeth tore at the clone's weak points, spurting blood as natural energy containing deadly toxins invaded its body. A serpentine mark crackling with lightning appeared in an inconspicuous location.
"interesting."

Watching Orochimaru move with incredible speed, his body radiating golden light, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow. Truly worthy of being the pinnacle of ninjutsu among ordinary people in the original story, Orochimaru has truly mastered the art of ninjutsu development, drawing upon the strengths of countless masters.

This move is clearly a homage to the white-haired character's Flying Thunder God technique. Not only are the visual effects similar, but even the way the character leaves a mark is copied perfectly.

"boom!"

The agonizing clone, naturally, wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die. Its blazing tailed beast chakra transformed into a scarlet cloak, driving away all the biting snakes.
Orochimaru, seeing this, was not disappointed. He turned and retreated, creating distance between himself and the three clones that were unleashing tailed beast chakra. After landing, he wore a strange smile.
"Orochimaru, all that nonsensical maneuvering of yours didn't even deal any real damage, did it?"

Jiraiya looked at the three "unharmed" clones with a hint of mockery on his face. The toad sage on his shoulder, however, seemed to understand the situation, his round, bulging frog eyes filled with seriousness and regret.

If I had known, I should have forced Orochimaru to dye his hair white back then. How could they have given up such a promising talent for Sage Mode to Ryuchi Cave?

Orochimaru remained unmoved by Jiraiya's sarcasm, instead narrowing his eyes and raising his hand to form a hand seal.

"Immortal Technique: Great Serpent Thunder".

The toxins hidden inside the clones' bodies were detonated, causing the meridians that were rapidly refining the tailed beast's chakra to explode instantly. The soaring natural energy, accompanied by blinding lightning, devoured the three clones in an instant.
Unfortunately, only three marks can be activated at a time.

Watching the three clones turn to ashes, Orochimaru shook his head with a sigh, then turned his slightly mocking gaze to the dumbfounded Jiraiya behind him, a rare smile appearing on his usually cold face.

"Jiraiya, are you ready? I've accumulated a lot of unwashed socks over the years for my livestreams." (End of Chapter)