Absolute, crushing power certainly brings the satisfaction of destroying everything, but the 'clash of skills,' the 'growth on the brink of life and death,' and the 'exhilaration of meeting a worthy opponent' that should exist in battle had long since vanished in the face of such overwhelming might.
It had been too long... far too long since he had encountered an opponent who could truly rival him in terms of power, let alone one who could force him to constantly polish his combat skills in actual combat!
The appearance of Six Paths Madara, with his fusion of Ten-Tails power, Rinnegan ocular techniques, and battle instincts honed through a thousand trials, perfectly filled this void.
For the current Takuno, Six Paths Madara—with such strength, potential, and fighting will—was also his best whetstone!
Takuno's laughter gradually subsided, and the playfulness in his eyes was replaced by a pure anticipation for the battle itself.
He no longer held back, and a deeper, more majestic power that seemed to originate from the very source of the world began to surge around him.
Space itself distorted slightly due to his power, and even Tobirama, watching from a distance, felt a pang of palpitations.
"Uchiha Madara," Takuno's voice was calm, yet it carried a force that pierced the soul.
"This fighting spirit and this capacity of yours have indeed not disappointed the patience I've had until now. Well then..."
He lowered his stance slightly, making a seemingly ordinary starting posture that contained infinite mysteries.
The Six-Tomoe Rinnegan in his left eye and the blue Tenseigan in his right eye simultaneously lit up with soul-stirring brilliance.
"Come! Let me see just how sharp you, as a whetstone, can hone my skills!"
The moment the words fell, Takuno's figure vanished.
It wasn't the Body Flicker Technique or space-time Ninjutsu; it was pure speed pushed to the absolute limit!
In the next instant, he appeared before the Truth-Seeking Orb formation Madara had condensed.
A palm enveloped in a strange halo of energy, carrying a force that seemed capable of shaking the very laws of reality, pressed toward the core that compressed destructive energy with no fancy tricks!
BOOM!!!
An unprecedented, terrifying explosion instantly tore apart the already shattered earth!
The passage of time seemed to lose its meaning in the duel between these two peak powerhouses.
Every collision tore through space, and every shockwave reshaped the landscape.
However, Madara's battle skills, honed through a thousand trials, gradually began to show signs of decline in the face of Takuno's unreasonable absolute power, which was still rapidly evolving during the fight.
Takuno's offensive was like an unceasing tide; every punch and kick carried an irresistible force, putting heavy pressure even on the physique and techniques Six Paths Madara was so proud of.
"Ha! Exhilarating! But this is still not enough!"
After being knocked back once again by Takuno's violent fist force, the fighting spirit burning in Madara's eyes was mixed with an unprecedented solemnity.
He clearly realized that with the power he was showing now, he could no longer compete against the bottomless might of his opponent.
"Limbo: Border Jail!"
Madara no longer hesitated and gave a low shout as his Rinnegan suddenly burst with an eerie light.
In an instant, four invisible shadows separated from his side, like the most loyal guards and the deadliest assassins, instantly blending into space.
From four extremely tricky angles, coordinating with Madara's main body, they launched a fatal encirclement toward Takuno at speeds exceeding the limit!
This was an ultimate ocular technique that only a Rinnegan wielder could perceive and counter, and it was one of the strongest trump cards Madara could produce at this moment.
However, those four Limbo shadows, enough to make any expert despair, were as clear as candlelight in the dark to Takuno's eyes, which sparkled with the faint glow of the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan and the starlight of the blue Tenseigan.
Their attack trajectories, capable of tearing space, were also perfectly visible within Takuno's perception.
"Oh? Finally bringing out something decent?"
Facing this encirclement that could instantly wipe out all the top experts of the Allied Forces, Takuno showed no sign of fear; instead, he let out an even more hearty laugh.
His laughter was filled with a fanaticism for battle and appreciation for a strong enemy.
He wasn't underestimating Madara; on the contrary, it was precisely because he viewed Madara as a rare whetstone that he needed to go all out!
"But with just this, you're still far off! Eight Gates: Seventh Gate of Wonder, Open!"
BOOM!!!
Some invisible shackle within Takuno's body shattered!
A torrent of power—more violent, pure, and arrogant than before—instantly erupted from every one of his cells!
Dazzling blue steam rose like physical flames, enveloping his entire being.
The ground beneath his feet silently turned to dust the moment this pure power erupted, forming a massive crater.
The air was compressed to the extreme, letting out ear-piercing sonic booms and forming visible shockwaves that spread in all directions.
With the Gate of Wonder open, his power once again reached a higher peak!
At this moment, Takuno's aura underwent an earth-shattering change.
If his power was an unfathomable ocean before, then right now, this ocean had whipped up world-ending waves!
That pure Taijutsu power, originating from the very source of life, instantly overwhelmed the eeriness of the Limbo shadows and the powerful chakra of Madara's main body.
Facing the seamless encirclement of Madara's body and the four Limbo shadows, Takuno's movements became simple, direct, and incredibly fast!
He no longer dodged but met them head-on with the most primitive and violent Taijutsu!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four dull thuds that could make one's heart stop exploded almost simultaneously!
Takuno's figure pulled several blue afterimages in place; his fists, elbows, knees, and feet turned into the most terrifying weapons, accurately striking the incoming trajectories of the four Limbo shadows!
Those Limbo shadows, which could withstand Dust Release and ignore physical attacks, actually trembled violently under this pure, extreme violent strike.
Like glass hit by a heavy hammer, they let out an overwhelmed wail, and their attacks instantly collapsed.
They were even sent flying by that immense force, their forms blurring for an instant!
And facing the thunderous strike from Madara's main body, Takuno laughed wildly, not dodging or hiding. His right fist, wrapped in thick blue steam and carrying the momentum of crushing stars, boldly met the attack!
RUMBLE!!!
At the center of the fist collision, space seemed to freeze for a moment, followed by an explosion more terrifying than any before!
Blinding light swallowed everything, and violent energy turbulence raged like out-of-control dragons.
Madara only felt an indescribable force surge madly along his arm; even his body, strengthened by Six Paths Power, felt a burst of sharp pain and numbness.
His whole person was like a boulder thrown by a catapult, flying backward uncontrollably and crashing heavily into a mountain peak that hadn't completely collapsed, kicking up clouds of dust!
Takuno stood proudly at the center of the energy storm, the blue steam around him flapping like a battle flag.
He shook his fist and looked in the direction where Madara had flown, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning even more intensely.
"That's more like it! Uchiha Madara, show me all the skills of the 'Ghost of the Uchiha'! Don't disappoint me!"
In the dust-filled mountain ruins, a more violent chakra that seemed ready to drag the entire world into the abyss slowly woke up like a sleeping beast.
Six Paths Madara slowly rose from the mountain ruins where he had been sent flying by Takuno's punch, rubble and dust falling from him.
The Sage of Six Paths Robe on his body was slightly damaged and stained with some dust, making him look a bit disheveled.
However, far from feeling any sense of defeat, he let out a burst of deafening, wild laughter.
"Hahahaha! Good! Very good! The Collector!"
Madara's laughter echoed across the deathly silent battlefield, filled with pure excitement and fighting spirit.
His terrifying aura, which had fluctuated slightly due to the injury, instantly reconsolidated and climbed back to its peak state during his laughter.
The sky, shrouded by the blood moon of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, seemed to tremble slightly because of his aura.
He wiped away a non-existent trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his crimson Rinnegan locked onto Takuno, who was floating in mid-air surrounded by blue steam.
Takuno's heterochromatic eyes looked back at him calmly, as if that strike just now, which was enough to shatter a mountain range, was merely an ordinary probe.
"Your power indeed exceeds my imagination! This speed of evolution even surprises me!"
Madara's voice carried fanatical praise, but then his tone shifted, revealing a bone-chilling coldness and absolute confidence.
"But, The Collector! You are ultimately just a 'human' body!"
Before his voice finished, Madara's right hand suddenly raised.
In his palm, chakra surged violently, and a strangely shaped weapon instantly condensed into form.
It was a crescent-shaped staff, entirely black and emitting an aura of misfortune and destruction!
The staff's body was wrapped in profound patterns, and the top was inlaid with tomoe symbolizing the power of Yin and Yang—it was one of the artifacts of the Sage of Six Paths, the six paths staff!
"How can a mortal body resist the Six Paths Power!"
Madara shouted sharply, pointing the six paths staff toward Takuno from a distance.
"Do you see? This is the boundary between god and man!" A cruel arc hooked at the corner of Madara's mouth.
"No matter how strong your Taijutsu or how great your power, in the face of this all things power that can erase everything, it is nothing more than a futile struggle!
Your fists cannot touch these Truth-Seeking Orbs in the slightest, let alone withstand the might of this six paths staff!"
He took a step forward, and the space beneath his feet seemed to distort due to his power.
"Collector! Your path of evolution ends here! Let me use this divine authority to personally measure your so-called 'unfathomable' depth!"
Madara's figure vanished instantly, carrying a space-tearing shriek and the destructive trajectory of nine Truth-Seeking Orbs as he charged straight at Takuno suspended in the air.
The six paths staff sliced through the sky, aimed directly at Takuno's heart; its inherent power of annihilation was enough to instantly turn any non-Six Paths body into ashes!
Meanwhile, the surrounding Truth-Seeking Orbs blocked all of Takuno's possible evasion space, forming a certain-kill situation.
Takuno raised an eyebrow at this, a hint of playfulness appearing in his eyes.
Facing Six Paths Madara, who was charging with the posture of divine authority, his reaction exceeded everyone's imagination.
In the instant Six Paths Madara approached, Takuno's hand was as fast as lightning; under the opponent's unbelievable gaze, he actually accurately grabbed the handle of the six paths staff!
The expected annihilation did not occur; Takuno's palm didn't even ripple, as if it weren't a supreme scepter that could erase everything, but just an ordinary wooden stick.
He was actually able to use his body to touch the six paths staff, which contained the power of all things, without anything happening at all!
This inconceivable sight caused a huge shock in Six Paths Madara's heart, and a strong, ominous premonition instantly seized him.
And sure enough!
After grabbing the six paths staff, Takuno only applied a little force with his wrist.
The monstrous strength displayed far exceeded Six Paths Madara's imagination and endurance limit!
This force wasn't a crude tug, but carried an exquisitely destructive vibration that instantly transmitted along the staff.
Six Paths Madara only felt an irresistible force suddenly twist his posture and the trajectory of his power; his carefully prepared offensive instantly deformed.
His entire defensive stance was completely dismantled, and he couldn't make any effective defensive moves at all!
In that split second, Takuno's other free fist, wrapped in the violent blue steam of the open Gate of Wonder and an inexpressible pure power, had already swung out!
In his haste, Six Paths Madara only had time to use his mental control to barely mobilize three Truth-Seeking Orbs surrounding him, forming a pitch-black, deep barrier containing destructive power in front of them.
However, this absolute defense, which could withstand the strongest combined attack of the Allied Forces, appeared so fragile before Takuno's fist.
"BANG, CRACK!!!"
A battlefield-shaking boom accompanied by a piercing cracking sound rang out.
Takuno's fist smashed into the Truth-Seeking Orb barrier without any fancy tricks.
To the disbelief of everyone witnessing this scene, that barrier, which symbolized Six Paths-level absolute defense, was like fragile glass.
It instantly shattered and disintegrated, turning into specks of black light that vanished into the air!
And Takuno's fist was still perfectly intact; even the blue steam enveloping it hadn't weakened in the slightest.
Carrying the residual force of breaking the barrier and Takuno's unfathomable power, it landed without hindrance on the chest of Six Paths Madara, whose defense had collapsed, leaving him wide open!
Wait—BOOM!!!
A dull, terrifying boom, far greater than any before, erupted.
Six Paths Madara's body was like it had been struck by a divine mountain; at a speed far exceeding his previous charge, he turned into a blurred white shadow and was once again smashed away!
His Sage of Six Paths Robe tore under the violent impact, and his body tumbled uncontrollably, embedding deeply into a huge rock wall in the distance that had risen due to the Infinite Tsukuyomi and was tangled with God Tree roots, kicking up clouds of stone and dust.
Six Paths Madara, who had just flown up from the ruins and rushed over to launch another attack, hadn't even truly approached the core of the battlefield before being sent flying again by this crushing punch.
The battlefield fell into a dead silence, with only the faint sound of the God Tree branches entangling the masses and the blue steam on Takuno's fist slowly dissipating.
This scene left the two spectators below, Hashirama and Tobirama, dumbfounded.
The Collector's power was actually this terrifying!
No one could have imagined that The Collector's power would be even greater than Six Paths Madara, who had become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, and no one knew how he had obtained such power!