Shanks and Madara stood opposite each other in the sky.
The battlefield around them had long since ceased to resemble a normal landscape. Stone cliffs had vanished, forests had been erased, and enormous scars stretched across the land as far as the eye could see. Yet neither of them paid attention to the destruction below; their focus remained entirely on each other.
Madara raised his hand. The Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind him began to move, their shapes rapidly shifting and merging until they formed the legendary Sword of Nunoboko. The black DNA shaped blade radiated tremendous power.
Madara swung it.
At the same moment, Shanks tightened his grip on Gryphon. Black Thunder Vitalization surged around the weapon, dark lightning crackling violently and illuminating the sky.
Then, both weapons collided.
BOOM!
The Sword of Nunoboko and Gryphon slammed into each other, unleashing a massive shockwave. The sky itself seemed to tremble from the impact. Clouds were blown apart, the ground below cracked further, and entire sections of already damaged terrain collapsed under the pressure.
Yet despite the spectacular collision, neither gained a decisive advantage. Madara had expected the Sword of Nunoboko to give him greater momentum, but Shanks continued to match him blow for blow.
Clang!BOOM!Clang!BOOM!
Again and again, the weapons collided. Every impact released enough force to devastate large portions of the landscape. The shockwaves became increasingly severe, leaving the atmosphere unstable as the sky roared and the earth trembled without pause. To ordinary people, it would have looked as though the world was approaching its end.
Madara did not rely solely on close combat. From time to time, he unleashed overwhelming techniques designed to crush his opponent. At one point, he summoned the God Tree. The enormous entity towered over the battlefield, its roots twisting as multiple Tailed Beast Bombs began to form from the flowers growing on them. Each one contained enough condensed chakra to erase vast regions.
One. Five. Ten. Dozens.
The giant spheres rapidly flew toward Shanks. Yet Shanks remained calm, his expression unchanged. He simply swung Gryphon.
A single sword slash expanded across the sky.
BOOM!
The first Tailed Beast Bomb exploded.
BOOM!
The second shattered.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
One after another, the Tailed Beast Bombs detonated before they could even reach him. Massive fireballs bloomed across the sky, illuminating the heavens, yet none successfully landed.
Madara frowned slightly. Meanwhile, Shanks launched a counterattack.
Lightning surged around him as an enormous amount of chakra erupted from his body. Soon, a colossal avatar of pure lightning chakra formed, towering above the battlefield. Countless arcs of electricity danced around its body, releasing a sheer pressure that weighed heavily on distant observers.
The gigantic lightning construct attacked the God Tree.
BOOM!
One strike landed, tearing apart large portions of the tree.
BOOM!
Another strike followed, exploding entire sections into fragments. For a moment, it appeared as if the God Tree would be completely destroyed. Yet its regeneration was equally terrifying; the damaged portions rapidly recovered, branches regrew, and within moments, it was as though the damage had never occurred.
The same was true for the two monsters fighting each other. Madara possessed extraordinary regeneration—if Shanks injured him, his wounds quickly healed. Likewise, if Madara landed a powerful attack, the injuries did not last long. Cuts sealed, broken flesh regenerated, and damaged organs recovered. Shanks's high-speed regeneration continuously restored his body. The battle had become a contest between two beings who simply refused to stay injured.
And so the fight continued.
Minutes passed. The moon moved across the sky. Minutes turned into hours, and hours turned into an entire day. Yet neither warrior stopped.
Day one passed. Then day two.
The destruction continued to spread, the land suffering more damage with every passing hour until entire regions became unrecognisable. The battlefield itself expanded as both combatants shifted from one area to another during their clashes.
News of the battle rapidly spread throughout the world. People could not ignore such an event, and shinobi from various villages began gathering at safe distances. Ninjas from large villages, small villages, independent mercenaries, veterans, and young prodigies alike—everyone wanted to witness the outcome. After all, the victor of this battle would decide the future of the world.
Most of them found themselves hoping for the same outcome: Shanks's victory. They wanted Madara defeated and the nightmare threatening the world to end. Many silently prayed while watching from afar.
Yet as they continued to observe, they grew increasingly shocked. The fight was unlike anything they had ever witnessed. Sometimes Shanks appeared to dominate, his swordsmanship overwhelming Madara and forcing him backward, causing the gathered shinobi to grow hopeful. Then, suddenly, the momentum would shift. Madara would retaliate, his overwhelming techniques and relentless pressure pushing Shanks onto the defensive while the spectators held their breath.
And then there were long stretches where neither side held an advantage. They would simply clash endlessly.
Equal. Perfectly equal. As if two natural disasters were colliding.
Thus the battle continued, day after day. Neither side retreated, surrendered, or showed any intention of stopping.
Eventually, ten full days passed. Ten days of continuous battle, destruction, and unimaginable chakra expenditure. Yet even then, Shanks and Madara were still fighting.
BOOM!
Their weapons collided once more, expanding the shockwave outward. But now, for the first time, signs of exhaustion were visible. Both men were breathing heavily. Their clothes were badly damaged, covered in tears and cuts, while dust, dirt, and dried blood stained their bodies. Madara's usually pristine appearance had become battered, and Shanks looked no better. Their hair was disheveled, and their movements, while still terrifyingly fast, no longer possessed the same effortless grace as before.
Ten days of continuous combat had finally begun taking its toll. Yet even now, neither man's eyes had lost their determination.
Madara stared at Shanks. Shanks stared back. Both understood the same thing: after ten days of fighting, neither had managed to defeat the other. And yet, neither was willing to back down. The greatest battle of the era continued, with the world waiting anxiously to see which monster would finally emerge victorious.
Now standing on the ground, the two faced each other, breathing heavily. For the first time since the battle began, neither immediately launched another attack.
Ten continuous days without rest had pushed even these monsters to their limits. Their chests rose and fell heavily. Dust, dirt, blood, and scorch marks covered their torn clothing. Yet despite their exhaustion, neither lowered his guard.
Far behind Madara stood the enormous God Tree. Its massive trunk stretched toward the heavens, towering over the battlefield like an ancient divine pillar, still standing after everything.
At a great distance, numerous shinobi had gathered. No one dared come too close; the aftershocks alone were enough to kill most people instantly. Among those watching were all of the Uzumaki siblings: Guy, Antares, Benimaru, Yoko, etc. They stood silently, eyes fixed on the battlefield. Nearby stood Minato, who had fully recovered after receiving treatment from Erza. Naruto and Sasuke were present as well, alongside the Kages of the major villages—the Fourth Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, and the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara. Several surviving members of the Akatsuki stood among the veteran shinobi, elite Jonin, and village leaders.
Everyone who could reach the battlefield had come. Nobody wanted to miss history in the making.
Many had heard stories about the legendary battle between Madara and Hashirama, but seeing this confrontation with their own eyes brought them to the same conclusion: this battle had surpassed that legendary duel. The scale was simply too enormous, the power displayed beyond reason.
The battlefield itself served as proof. Within a radius of nearly fifty kilometers, almost everything had been destroyed. Hills had disappeared, forests had vanished, and rivers had been diverted or completely erased. The terrain was unrecognizable—filled with gigantic craters, deep trenches, flattened plains, and shattered rock formations. The earth looked as though it had suffered a global catastrophe, all caused by only two people: Shanks Uzumaki and Madara Uchiha.
Madara stared at Shanks. Throughout the entire battle, Shanks had never allowed him a single opportunity to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Not once. Every attempt had been interrupted, every opening denied, and every plan countered. That fact continued to frustrate Madara.
At the same time, another realization settled into his mind: Shanks had become far stronger than he had ever anticipated.
When Madara first considered Shanks years ago, he had acknowledged his talent, expecting him to eventually reach the level he and Hashirama once occupied—a level where one stood above the rest of the world, unchallenged by ordinary shinobi. But Madara had expected his growth to stop there. He had never imagined Shanks would go beyond that, let alone reach the level of the Sage of Six Paths.
Yet here he was. Standing before him after ten days of battle. Still alive. Still fighting. Still matching him.
The thought was astonishing, and Madara could not deny it: Shanks Uzumaki had exceeded all expectations.
A faint smile appeared on Madara's face, and he spoke. "Let's finish this with one final attack."
The battlefield fell silent. Even the distant spectators could feel the weight of those words.
Shanks looked at Madara, then nodded in agreement. Both had reached the point where dragging the battle out further served no purpose. They were exhausted, their chakra reserves heavily depleted, and their bodies pushed to absolute breaking points. It was time to decide everything.
Madara moved. Without wasting another second, chakra surged throughout his body as he opened his mouth.
"Sage Art: Light Fang."
A blinding beam erupted forward. The laser-like attack traveled at a terrifying, near-instant speed, cutting through the atmosphere. Many of the observing shinobi couldn't even follow it with their eyes.
Fortunately, Shanks had already seen it. Future sight had shown him the attack before it was even launched. The moment Madara activated the technique, Shanks moved, and the Light Fang narrowly missed him, shooting past his body and continuing onward.
Far behind him—
BOOM!
An enormous section of distant terrain was sliced apart, the sheer destruction making countless spectators turn pale.
But before Shanks could fully capitalize on his dodge, something unexpected happened. One of the remaining Limbo clones moved, instantly appearing beside him to activate its technique.
Shanks suddenly felt his movements stop. His body became restricted, frozen in place by an invisible force wrapping around him. To the distant spectators, it looked as though he had simply frozen for no reason, but Shanks understood immediately.
A Limbo clone.
His eyes narrowed. The remaining hidden clones had finally made their move. Without hesitation, Black Thunder Vitalization erupted from his body.
BOOM!
Dark lightning exploded outward in every direction. For nearly a full second, Shanks's body became pitch black as countless arcs of lightning ravaged the surrounding area. The invisible Limbo clone was struck directly, shattering the restraining effect and violently damaging the clone.
But Madara had been waiting for exactly this moment. The instant Shanks focused on breaking free, the final Limbo clone attacked.
It had already closed the distance—completely undetected and hidden. While Shanks was dealing with the first clone, the second had moved perfectly into position for a flawless sneak attack.
By the time Shanks realized it, it was already too late.
The invisible Limbo clone thrust its arm forward, its hand passing directly through Shanks's left chest.
Time seemed to freeze. The eyes of the distant spectators widened, and Madara's gaze sharpened.
Blood erupted from the wound. The invisible attack had successfully landed. For the first time in the entire battle, one of Madara's most dangerous hidden attacks had pierced completely through Shanks's defenses.