He has even mastered Haki, and you say this is Naruto?

His powerful physique and strength were even more absurd than some tailed beasts.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

At the same time, noises echoed from the forest not far away.

Shanks had started training his body again.

In the blink of an eye, Madara disappeared from the room.

When he arrived in the forest, he saw Shanks running with a massive boulder strapped to his back.

That boulder had to weigh at least dozens of tons.

"..."

Madara fell silent. He didn't gasp, but he truly was speechless.

"Shanks is pursuing nothing less than ultimate strength.So that means his training has only three focuses: defense, offense, and endurance."

"Completely different from a ninja."

Madara also noticed a key issue — Shanks had never used ninjutsu.

His training path was incredibly straightforward.

Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) represented defense, swordsmanship and Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) stood for offense, and the body represented endurance.

All the miscellaneous ninjutsu — Shanks had no interest in learning them.

"And I can only sense a faint bit of chakra… Hmm? No, that's not right."

"That's all of Shanks's chakra? How can it be so little?"

Suddenly, Madara realized: the chakra in Shanks's body was only at the level of a normal genin.

Impossible. That just couldn't be — this man was supposed to be a powerful member of the Uzumaki Clan.

Madara narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't adding up.

Chakra is created by the fusion of physical and spiritual energy. But Shanks's training now seemed to be more about using chakra to enhance his physique.

"Life Return? So that's the path he's taken — using Life Return, rapidly restoring through food, and then using chakra to temper his body, creating a positive feedback loop."

The Uzumaki clan was known for incredible recovery ability, which naturally meant their physical attributes were stronger from birth.

Shanks's current training method was to abandon chakra usage, and instead use it to nurture his body.

This wasn't just about physical strength. During this process, the body would fuse again with the spiritual energy within chakra, leading to...

"Breaking the limit."

Yes, Shanks had already surpassed the human limit.

In all his decades in the shinobi world, Madara had never seen pure physical strength reach such a level.

Shanks felt like Madara had been muttering to himself quite a bit lately.

"Senior Madara seems to have little time left. His body is getting weaker and weaker..."

Shanks sighed.

Madara looked normal on the outside, but Shanks's senses were too keen.

Madara's body was already like a flickering candle in the wind. After too many battles, it could no longer resist the erosion of time. From the current outlook, three more months — that was the most he could live.

Shanks never imagined he'd be the one to see Madara off.

Boom!

Shanks set down the massive boulder. His daily training was finished.

But today, Madara didn't just leave like usual.

All of Madara's efforts recently were just to catch up to Shanks — to not be left behind by the future era.

But clearly, some things were more important than himself — like the truth of the past.

"Senior Madara, is something the matter today?"

Shanks asked curiously.

"There's something I'd like to confirm."

"You probably know by now — history has been intentionally altered and buried, right? The real history… is not the one we've been taught."

Madara's sudden words startled Shanks.

Ordinary people didn't concern themselves with such things — like the Poneglyphs.

But then Shanks's eyes lit up. If Madara knew this, it meant he really was different.

He remembered that Roger had also been searching for the Poneglyphs — which contained secrets of the entire pirate world.

The so-called "Poneglyphs" documented the Void Century — the hundred years of history buried and erased by the World Government.

This was one of the biggest secrets in the One Piece world.

Of course, Shanks knew about that — but what he didn't know was, Madara was talking about a completely different thing.

Yet in an absurd twist of fate, because of Black Zetsu's manipulation, the history of the ninja world had also been tampered with.

So, two people from entirely different worlds, with completely different worldviews — had their thoughts coincidentally align.

Madara saw Shanks's reaction and understood — Shanks knew about those things.

"I do know a bit about the Poneglyphs," Shanks said, "but I've never actually seen one myself, so even if I know they exist, I don't know exactly what they say."

He nodded. Since Madara brought it up, he figured he might as well share what he knew.

"Have you been investigating that forgotten history too, Senior Madara?"

"I just suddenly remembered… an old friend of mine might've been involved with it."

Madara shook his head.

The friend he was referring to was Izuna — and Izuna's death had always seemed suspicious.

"I see. Once I set sail, I'll keep an eye out for you."

Shanks didn't say too much, simply agreeing on the spot. He was going to pursue the Poneglyphs anyway, so he might as well.

"Although… I'm not sure you'll still be around by then, Senior Madara."

"Hah? What are you saying? Don't let my age fool you — even if you die, I might still be alive!"

Madara's face darkened at Shanks's words.

The heavy atmosphere from before was instantly broken.

"Don't underestimate me, brat. Of everyone from my generation, I'm probably the only one still alive."

"You'll see."

Madara said proudly.

He, Uchiha Madara, wasn't just powerful — he had absurd longevity. What could others even compare?

Compete in strength? They lost. Compete in survivability? They still lost.

To Madara, "thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank" didn't apply. Hell, ninety years had passed, and everyone from back then was long dead — but he was still alive.

"Alright then. Once I go out to sea and find the Poneglyphs, I'll come back and tell you everything."

"Just wait for me here, Senior Madara."

Shanks smiled as he rested his hands behind his head.

"Set sail? With that rickety boat of yours?"

"That must be a materials issue. If I had some branches from the God Tree, I could build a real ship."

Madara froze when he heard that.

Using the God Tree… to build a ship? Did this guy even know what the God Tree was?

Wait… something's not right. How did Shanks know about the God Tree?

Then he remembered — Shanks clearly had some knowledge about the forgotten history, so it wasn't completely unreasonable.

"You dare even think about using the God Tree…"

"I'm a pirate. A pirate's ship is their most valuable possession. It's normal to invest a little more."

Shanks said confidently.

Using the God Tree to build a ship? That's how high-end pirates roll. He was going to be a future Emperor of the Sea, and he had the Face-Face Fruit — so of course he had to care about appearances.

"How much of the God Tree do you need?"

Madara asked.

That completely stunned Shanks. Wait — how much?

Senior Madara… what's your background if you're casually asking me how much of the God Tree I need?