A long while later.
Six Paths Madara finally staggered up from the deep pit that had been blasted into the ground. His magnificent Six Paths Sage Robe was in tatters, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and uncertain shock flickered in his Rinnegan.
The wounds on his body looked horrifying, the result of Minamoto Takuya's heaven-shaking punch that had shattered the Truth-Seeking Orb barrier.
And yet, at that moment, Six Paths Madara paid no attention to his injuries at all.
His eyes were locked on Minamoto Takuya, who stood proudly in midair, shock and disbelief almost becoming tangible.
An indescribable pressure lingered around Minamoto Takuya. Those mismatched pupils calmly looked back at him, as if smashing the absolute barrier of Yin-Yang Release just now had been nothing more than brushing away a speck of dust.
"Why?!" Madara's voice carried a trace of hoarseness so faint it was almost undetectable, an instinctive reaction after his understanding of power had been overturned.
"Truth-Seeking Orbs... They are the ultimate creation of Yin-Yang Release, the cornerstone of All Creation! They are a power only gods can control!
A mortal who touches them is erased instantly. Even a body of Impure World Reincarnation cannot be exempt! You... why can you shatter them with your bare hands, and even... even remain completely unaffected?!"
Madara's questioning echoed across the deathly silent battlefield.
On the other side, the only two remaining spectators, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, were equally puzzled by this.
Hashirama was firmly pinned to the ground by several pitch-black Black Receivers, unable to move. He could only turn his head with difficulty and look toward the center of the battlefield;
Tobirama was half-kneeling beside him. Although his Impure World Reincarnation body was unharmed, his face was filled with unprecedented gravity.
"Tobirama..." Hashirama's voice