Chapter 20: What Kind of Protagonist Setup Is This?  

Ever since Madara showed up, Shanks had been feeling that something was off. 

Especially when he was training—old man Madara would always watch him with a scrutinizing look. 

"The world of pirates should still be relatively normal, right?" 

"No one has tried to break off an engagement with me, and I don't have some mysterious ring on my hand." 

Shanks thought about it. Fate had given him an old man mentor, but he definitely wasn't following the typical underdog path. 

Looking at his current situation, he was clearly on the path of a genius who just keeps getting stronger, never stopping for a moment. 

"Madara-senpai, what do you think of me?" 

Madara had been observing Shanks for days, and Shanks had noticed. The old man clearly wanted to give him advice, but every time he was about to speak, he held back. 

Fine, Shanks decided to stop pretending. Since the old man was so proud, he'd just take the initiative. Besides, after all these days, the old man must have recognized his skills. 

"Hmm?" 

Madara was caught off guard. He didn't expect Shanks to ask him directly. 

What do I think of you? 

You actually have the nerve to ask that? Do you not know your own clan's inherited ninjutsu? Who taught you to train like this? 

Just thinking about it made Madara furious. 

Even though he himself was an unparalleled genius—one of a kind in history—he had still followed the traditional training path. 

But what about Shanks? 

The way he trained… Madara had never seen anything like it. It made no sense at all. No chakra training, no chakra nature transformations, nothing. 

And yet, Shanks was incredibly strong. That meant his bizarre training method, even though it seemed completely illogical, actually worked. 

"Not bad. Your talent is no less than mine." 

Of course, there was no way Madara would ever say that out loud. 

If he admitted it, wouldn't that mean he didn't understand what was going on? 

It wasn't a big deal right now—Shanks didn't necessarily know Madara's true identity. 

But a few years down the line, when Madara revived himself, that would be a huge embarrassment. 

"Madara-senpai, is there anything I should improve in my training?" 

Shanks asked sincerely. 

Since he had the chance to meet such a strong person, he figured he should take the opportunity to ask for guidance. 

But to Madara, it sounded completely different. 

Mockery. Blatant mockery. 

Especially with that genuine and honest look in Shanks' eyes—it was full-on, undisguised mockery. 

"Everyone has their own path to walk. Your talent is no less than mine, and in the future, you are bound to carve out your own road." 

"What needs improvement in training is determined by one's own talent." 

Even though he was annoyed, Madara still spoke truthfully. 

He and Hashirama were both terrible teachers—not because they weren't skilled enough, but because they were too skilled. Their "low point" was already beyond what most people could ever reach. 

For geniuses like them, their minimum standard was other people's maximum limit. 

How could someone like that possibly be a good teacher? 

And Shanks—clearly, he wasn't some once-in-a-lifetime genius. 

But he didn't know that. 

And neither did Madara. 

"My talent, huh?" 

Shanks thought for a moment. His talent… That would be his Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki, right? 

"My talent is Conqueror's Haki and Observation Haki, but honestly, I have no idea how to train them, hahaha."

Shanks gave an awkward smile. After making rapid progress in his Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki, his improvement suddenly stopped. 

"I understand Observation Haki, but I haven't had much exposure to Conqueror's Haki." 

Madara replied. He had already figured out the strength of Shanks' Observation Haki, but since he had only encountered Conqueror's Haki once, he didn't fully understand it. 

If Shanks' previous Observation Haki had been formed through the special powers of the Uzumaki bloodline, then now he had completely broken free from that influence. 

The same was true for Madara. Because of that, he could see things more clearly. 

The real Madara had died more than ten years ago. 

The Madara standing here now was only able to exist because of Hashirama's power. The Sage energy within Hashirama had caused some changes in Madara's body as well. 

This gave him a sharper sense of natural energy and a deeper understanding of Sage Mode. 

Shanks' Observation Haki didn't require chakra, nor was it the same as the Uzumaki clan's "Mind's Eye of the Kagura." 

His current Observation Haki was completely dependent on natural energy. 

Whether it was a regular ninja's sensory jutsu or the Uzumaki clan's Divine Music Eye, they were both forms of sensory techniques that relied on chakra or other forms of energy. 

But Shanks was different—he used the ever-present natural energy to sense his surroundings, directly linking his mind with nature itself. 

No matter how you looked at it, this technique was very similar to Senjutsu. 

"Madar-senpai, do you know how I should train my Observation Haki?" 

Hearing Madara's words, Shanks' eyes lit up. He had finally met someone who understood. 

"I don't know the exact method, but I can give you a general direction." 

"Observation Haki isn't just about sensing people or hearing their thoughts, right?" 

Madara asked. If Shanks was using natural energy, then in theory, he should be able to sense everything in nature, not just people. 

When Shanks heard this, he was even more excited. 

As expected, this old man wasn't ordinary. 

After all, Shank's former captain, Roger, could hear the voices of all things. 

That meant his Observation Haki still had a long way to go. 

"You're right. Observation Haki can hear the voices of all things, not just detect enemies." 

Shanks nodded. 

Madara silently praised himself. 

Even though he was old, he was still a genius. 

Madara didn't see himself as teaching Shanks—he saw it as exploring together, just like when he and Hashirama used to train. 

"Alright, then let's start by focusing on sensing everything around us. As long as you head in the right direction, it shouldn't be too hard." 

Shanks suddenly thought of something. 

Madara paused for a moment. That made sense in theory, but how exactly was he supposed to sense everything? Could he tell what a rock was thinking? 

"It's not that simple. Can you see the shape of the wind?" 

Madara shook his head. Shanks was making it sound way too easy. 

But when Shanks heard Madara's words, something clicked in his mind. 

"The shape of the wind… That's it!" 

"Sensing everything is definitely difficult, but if you can understand how things react, then sensing them becomes much easier." 

"The wind has no shape, but when it blows against the leaves, the leaves show its shape. Sensing everything doesn't mean directly sensing it—I get it now!"

Shanks understood everything in an instant. 

Wait, could it be… am I actually the main character? Madara-senpai only said two sentences, and now I get it all? Is this Madara-senpai standing in front of me some kind of cheat that fate has given me? 

Madara was stunned when he heard Shanks' words. 

Wait, does this mean… I'm not the main character? How did Shanks figure it out after I barely said anything? I didn't even explain anything! And yet, what he said actually makes a lot of sense… 

Could it be that I was stuck in this world for so long just for this moment? 

Shanks really is someone who can open up a new era. This kind of talent is terrifying. 

But that's fine. Now that he's figured it out, it's my turn next. I, Uchiha Madara, am someone who's going to live a second life. There's no way I'll be left behind by this era. 

"What terrifying talent… Good thing I'm not bad myself." 

Watching Shanks run off to train his Observation Haki, Madara felt a little uneasy inside. Good thing I also know quite a bit about Sage Mode. 

This Observation Haki… I can train it too. 

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