"Boom!"
After a thunderous crash, a figure slammed into the sea like a falling meteorite, sending a column of water more than ten meters into the air.
A moment later, Madara rose to the surface. Not a single part of his body was intact; he was riddled with holes like a honeycomb.
Yet his face was wreathed in smiles. "What a thrill! What a thrill! As expected of power on the Sage of Six Paths' level. It really packs a punch!"
Six Paths Hashirama came up before him, far from unscathed himself. Madara had inflicted grievous injuries on him as well.
Unlike Madara, however, Hashirama's injuries healed in the blink of an eye.
"Madara, it's over."
"Over? It's far from..."
Madara had intended to continue, but suddenly realized that the holes in his body had not immediately healed as they had before.
Although this body's power did not come from Impure World Reincarnation, its regenerative ability was every bit as strong, if not stronger.
Now that it could no longer recover, Madara understood at once. "I see. So you figured out the Truth behind this power first?"
"That was always what would decide our battle. Either you held out until the Ten-Tails' power within me ran too low to sustain this mode, or I uncovered the source of your body's power and dismantled it first."
"A power even Yin-Yang Release couldn't unravel and the Rinnegan couldn't absorb... I never expected you to crack it so quickly. Then you have your answer?"
Hashirama nodded.
"Tch. In the end, I still didn't get my fill."
Once he confirmed that Hashirama truly understood this power, Madara was straightforward about it. "Then make it quick."
"Madara, before we fought, you promised that the loser would be at the winner's mercy. So before you disappear,