After their initial collision, both Shanks and Hiruzen took a few steps back, the ground beneath them cracking from the sheer force of their clash.
Hiruzen shrank back his Adamantine Staff and stabbed it into the ground with a resounding thud. His hands blurred through a rapid series of seals before he inhaled deeply. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique!" he roared. A massive dragon of roaring flame erupted from his mouth, its fiery eyes glowing as it surged forward, jaws wide open and heat rippling through the air.
Shanks didn't flinch. With a swift vertical swing of his sword, Gryphon, he unleashed a blazing crimson slash that split the fire dragon clean in half. The two burning halves scattered into fading embers as the red sword energy continued its path, tearing through the air toward Hiruzen in an instant.
By then, Hiruzen had already retrieved his staff. With a powerful upward flip, he met the incoming slash head-on, deflecting it skyward in a burst of light and force that sent ripples through the surrounding air.
Without hesitation, he hurled the Adamantine Staff straight toward Shanks. The staff spun like a blur of gold and steel, whistling sharply as it cut through the air.
Shanks' eyes narrowed. He could clearly trace its trajectory through his Observation Haki—too easy. With a casual swing, he prepared to deflect it aside, the faint smirk on his lips betraying his confidence as the weapon neared.
But just as the Adamantine Staff neared Shanks, it suddenly erupted in a burst of white smoke accompanied by a loud boom. The shape within twisted and shifted—and in the next instant, a fierce-looking monkey emerged from the smoke. With surprising agility, the monkey—Enma—lunged forward and drove its fist straight into Shanks's face.
Shanks wasn't completely caught off guard by the attack. So that's how it is, he thought calmly, his expression steady. The blow landed squarely, but it lacked any real harm. He had already coated his face with Armament Haki the moment Enma's fist was about to connect, the obsidian sheen flashing faintly before impact. Even so, the sheer force sent him hurtling backward, smashing through several stone walls before he finally came to a stop amid a storm of debris.
For a brief moment, the area was consumed by dust and smoke. Then, a sudden surge of overwhelming energy erupted from within. The pressure of it made the air quiver. As the dust parted, Shanks was already standing tall—his crimson hair crackling with static.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight, diving forward at a blinding speed. Red lightning danced wildly across his body, arcing over his shoulders and down his blade. Gryphon gleamed with lethal brilliance as Shanks entered his Thunder Sword God Mode.
When he reappeared before Enma, it was almost instantaneous. The monkey's eyes widened, barely managing to register the movement before Shanks's sword cleaved through him in a single motion. A deep, searing cut tore across Enma's body, the impact sending him flying backward like a broken cannonball—straight toward Hiruzen.
Just so that Shanks couldn't immediately follow up on his attack, Hiruzen slammed his hands together and shouted, "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!" The ground trembled violently as an enormous dragon-shaped head of mud rose before him. Its gaping maw opened, and in rapid succession, several massive mud bullets shot out, roaring through the air toward Shanks.
Shanks's sharp eyes caught every movement. The mud projectiles whistled as they tore through the air, but he didn't flinch. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung Gryphon again and again, each strike releasing a precise arc of energy. The slashes ripped through the incoming mud bullets, shattering them midair into clouds of dust and dirt that scattered harmlessly around him.
When the last mud projectile crumbled, the battlefield was filled with drifting debris and the faint echo of Shanks's sword slashes cutting through the air.
By then, Hiruzen had turned his gaze toward Enma, who was still reeling from the earlier blow. "Are you all right? Can you continue the fight?" he asked, his tone steady but edged with concern.
Enma straightened, his body bearing a deep slash mark, and replied, "In my current state, it will be difficult for me to fight him in close quarters… but I can still serve as your Adamantine Staff."
Hiruzen gave a firm nod. "So be it."
Enma nodded back solemnly before his body shimmered and was once again enveloped in white smoke. As the haze cleared, the familiar Adamantine Staff rested in Hiruzen's grasp, its surface gleaming faintly under the fiery light of the battlefield.
Then, both Shanks and Hiruzen charged forward, their movements blurring as they collided in a storm of speed and power.
Shanks's strikes were relentless—each swing of Gryphon trailed red lightning, the very air crackling and splitting with every motion. His Thunder Sword God Technique amplified both his strength and swiftness, making him appear almost untouchable. But Hiruzen Sarutobi was no ordinary opponent. He wasn't called The Professor of Ninjutsu for nothing, nor was his reputation as someone rivalling the First Hokage, Hashirama, an exaggeration.
Hiruzen met Shanks's ferocity with calm precision. His Adamantine Staff spun, flipped, and struck in perfect rhythm, parrying Shanks's lightning-infused sword without hesitation. Every impact between Gryphon and the staff sent shockwaves through the ground, the sound of their clashes echoing like thunder across the battlefield.
Sparks and lightning illuminated their forms, the two figures moving too fast for ordinary eyes to follow. Even among the onlookers—seasoned Jonin—most could barely track their silhouettes. Dust and wind swirled violently around them as each exchange grew sharper, heavier, faster.
Only the strongest—Guy, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and even Danzo—could truly keep up with the flow of their battle, their keen eyes narrowing as they followed the breathtaking duel between two titans whose power felt almost unreal.
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