The power of Arata's Thunder Burial was staggering.
Even Madara's Susanoo couldn't claim it would emerge unscathed if it took that attack head-on.
Seeing this, Uchiha Madara finally cast aside the last trace of contempt he held toward Arata. An attack of this caliber made one thing clear—Arata truly stood at the peak of Super-Kage level.
He was an enemy that even Madara, at his prime, would have had to face seriously.
At that moment, Madara stopped holding back.
The Tailed Beast Bomb—fused with Susanoo's samurai blade—shot forward from the Nine-Tails' mouth!
Yet even as he launched the attack, Madara's expression remained grave. He knew this alone wouldn't be enough to overwhelm Thunder Burial.
Without hesitation, he stepped back several paces.
At the same time, Susanoo swung both arms, unleashing two massive slashes.
In that instant, two sword waves no weaker than Thunder Burial itself surged forth, chasing after the Tailed Beast Bomb and aiming straight for Arata's Lightning Armor!
From afar, White Zetsu watched as both sides finally began to fight in earnest. The sheer pressure of their clash left him stunned.
"So strong… both of them are monsters. Arata's 'knockoff Susanoo' isn't losing to Madara's Perfect Susanoo at all!"
Having said that, he didn't dare linger. He immediately sank back into the ground.
He knew full well—the shockwaves that followed would be even more terrifying. At his current distance, he still wasn't safe.
The moment White Zetsu vanished underground, Thunder Burial collided with the Tailed Beast Bomb midair.
This time, although the bomb's piercing power had increased yet again, it no longer carried its previous unstoppable momentum. Faced with a Lightning Armor slash rivaling Susanoo itself, the two attacks locked in a deadlock.
For a brief moment, neither side could overpower the other.
Seeing this, Arata's expression sharpened.
Madara's strength truly hadn't declined much at all.
Thunder Burial might look straightforward, but it was one of Arata's sharpest offensive techniques. If even this couldn't break through the enhanced Tailed Beast Bomb, it was clear just how well Madara had preserved his power.
The Demon of the Shinobi World was still the Demon of the Shinobi World.
Then—
Two more Susanoo slashes followed.
They looked like casual swings, but even these were already on par with the strike Arata had used to kill the Monkey Sage.
Arata immediately grew serious.
Even with his Lightning Armor, he couldn't guarantee he could tank attacks of that level without consequences.
In the next instant, he swung his blade again.
This time, however, the trajectory wasn't a straight line.
His slash curved around the locked Thunder Burial and Tailed Beast Bomb, sweeping in an arc that intercepted the two incoming Susanoo slashes instead.
The three attacks collided.
Arata's single slash was clearly at a disadvantage—but thanks to it, the trajectories of the two Susanoo slashes were forcibly altered, stripping them of any threat to Thunder Burial.
Even Madara couldn't help but feel impressed.
Arata's blade control and his fluid manipulation of attack angles were exceptional.
Moments later, Thunder Burial and the Tailed Beast Bomb detonated simultaneously.
Neither attack had managed to overpower the other.
Two peak Super-Kage–level ultimate techniques exploded in midair, once again shaking the heavens and earth. A devastating blast swept across dozens of kilometers.
Konoha, which had only just begun to recover, was thrown back into chaos.
This quake was even stronger than the previous one—so violent that even the Hokage Rock began to tremble.
After the explosion finally subsided, White Zetsu emerged once more, clicking his tongue.
"Seriously… with monsters like these fighting, who knows what the shinobi world will end up looking like?"
Still, he couldn't help adding:
"Two absolute freaks. Madara being this strong makes sense—he's a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths. But what about Arata? What on earth is his deal?"
White Zetsu knew the history of the shinobi world better than most. In his view, reaching Super-Kage peak without Six Paths blood should've been impossible.
Simply transplanting cells wasn't enough—if one's bloodline wasn't pure, the result would be rejection at best, death or paralysis at worst.
Madara could assimilate Hashirama's cells because the Uchiha and Senju shared the same origin.
For others, it shouldn't have been possible.
Otherwise, someone like Yamato—who barely wielded Wood Style—wouldn't be considered such a rarity.
White Zetsu wasn't the only one puzzled.
Even Madara himself was full of questions.
For the first time, he found himself doubting a belief he had held for decades.
Was Six Paths blood truly mandatory to reach that realm…?
If so—how could Arata exist?
Not far away, Arata still stood tall in Lightning Armor, showing not a single sign of heavy breathing.
The previous exchange clearly hadn't drained him much at all.
Madara could maintain this pace only because Hashirama's cells had greatly enhanced his recovery, offsetting the drawbacks of age.
There was no way—
Arata couldn't possibly have Hashirama's Sage Body too… could he?
Madara's gaze hardened.
He could no longer afford to hold back.
If he didn't use his true trump cards, he wouldn't be able to suppress this rule-breaking monster.
Arata was an anomaly—one that shattered the foundations of the shinobi world.
Madara had to capture him and study him thoroughly, or else he would never feel at ease carrying out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Across from him, Arata stared intently at Madara as well.
He hadn't expected that a man over seventy years old could still possess such terrifying stamina.
After unleashing so many slashes, Madara hadn't even shown a hint of exhaustion.
Then Arata remembered—
At this point in time, Madara had already transplanted Hashirama's cells.
That meant his recovery ability had been drastically enhanced—perhaps even comparable to Hashirama at his peak.
And that led Arata to an important realization.
If he has Hashirama's cells… then Madara should be able to use Wood Style.
At that moment, Madara's chakra surged violently.
Arata immediately sensed it.
He's about to pull out something big.
Without hesitation, Arata raised his right hand high, aligning it with the thunder dragon that had fully spread the storm clouds across the sky.
The instant his motion completed, Madara roared with exhilaration:
"Come on! Let me see how long you can keep dancing!!"
"All Things in Creation!!!"
As those words fell, Madara commanded the Nine-Tails to rapidly condense Tailed Beast Bombs, while Susanoo continuously forged massive blades—fusing the two techniques together.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen attacks, each no weaker than the previous fused Tailed Beast Bomb, were hurled forward in succession!