"Hmph. The power of Martial Arts… interesting."
Even while helping everyone train, Uchiha Madara never once halted his own cultivation. At his current level, only Martial Arts offered a path for further improvement.
After obtaining the Martial Arts cultivation method and several foundational techniques from Naruto, Madara quickly adapted. Relying on his vast experience, deep reserves, and terrifying comprehension, he immersed himself in close-quarters training with the others. Every exchange strengthened his body more than the last.
These days, Madara didn't use a single ninjutsu—yet the steadily rising power he displayed stunned everyone present.
In truth, the strength he revealed each day wasn't his original power at all, but his rapidly increasing physique after cultivating Martial Arts. Even so, not a single person could force Madara to exert himself. Instead, Madara pushed them deeper and deeper, dragging out potential they didn't know they had.
But his extreme training gradually produced… strange results.
Under Madara's relentless pressure, many shinobi found that their escape techniques, evasive footwork, and life-saving skills advanced far more quickly than their actual combat arts. A few even refined their survival techniques to near-perfection.
Madara paused one afternoon, feeling the roar of power in his veins.
"Blood-qi… This power fits the body far better than relying on raw physique alone. Refining the flesh—evolving life itself!"
After a period of cultivation, Madara's body-refinement had already reached the Marrow-Refining Stage.
At this stage, the bone marrow's ability to produce blood is drastically strengthened. New blood constantly replaces old blood—what practitioners call blood exchange. The old blood is pushed out of the body, leaving behind blood that is extraordinarily dense.
Thick like paste.
After achieving this level, one can actively wield blood-qi for offense. It is one of the most crucial stages in Martial Arts cultivation.
Beyond this lies Organ Refining—where the entire body becomes like Vajra steel. A practitioner at this level surpasses even the original Raikage in physical durability.
After all, the Raikage's famed toughness came largely from chakra reinforcement and his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, not pure physical strength.
During his training, Madara also discovered one of Martial Arts' greatest strengths:
Martial Arts naturally increases the amount of chakra the body can refine.
However, once chakra is refined, Martial Arts progression slows. But with the new Chakra Refining Method and Martial Arts Guidance Technique, no one uses Martial Arts to produce chakra anymore—because the new methods are vastly more efficient.
Most people now choose a single path—either Chakra-focused cultivation or Martial Arts. Few attempt both. Those who do often fall behind specialists of either path unless they heavily prioritize one over the other.
For example:
Sasuke relies primarily on his Rinnegan, making chakra cultivation his primary path, while Martial Arts supplements it.
Might Guy has embraced pure Martial Arts.
Naruto, creator of the modern path, can progress freely along both without hindrance.
In a way, Naruto is now the creator of both systems.
The Sage of Six Paths bestowed chakra and allowed the world to develop it freely. Ninjutsu was later expanded by his sons and countless shinobi through millennia, ultimately giving rise to the modern ranking system and the pinnacle known as Kage-level.
Now, Naruto continues this evolution.
The old ceiling has shattered. Previously, ordinary geniuses could only dream of reaching the level of a Kage in their lifetime. But with the birth of a new era—and with Martial Arts and chakra refinement united—the path forward has widened once more.
Naruto is forging the next age with his own hands. The Ninja World steps onto a new road.
A road with no end in sight.
For example, Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi's father, was famed across the entire shinobi world for his unparalleled Hatake Blade Style.
He was a true prodigy—one who had already reached the summit of the shinobi world while still in his twenties. And this "summit" was not figurative. It referred to the absolute peak each Village recognized as its highest combat standard.
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Naruto's father, was likewise a once-in-a-generation genius. Had he never mastered Sage Mode, he too might have been confined to the limits of the Kage level.
In the old era, only a handful of figures had genuinely surpassed the Kage realm:
Senju Hashirama
Uchiha Madara
The most gifted members of the Hyūga Clan in ancient times
And later, Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan.
Even the founders of the great Hidden Villages—despite their unprecedented talent—had only barely exceeded the Kage level.
But now? Things were different.
Ordinary shinobi could accumulate chakra, refine their bodies, and upon reaching the Kage level, begin drawing in Natural Energy. From there, they could step naturally into a realm beyond the Kage.
A path that could be followed. A path that could be reproduced.
It meant Naruto had reopened the road forward for the entire shinobi world.
As for the Six Paths level and beyond—though the direction now existed—the difficulty was monstrous. It was impossible to popularize. Even Hashirama and Madara were stuck here. Their battle power had reached the Six Paths tier, but they had not achieved the fundamental transformation of life required to cross that final boundary.
Thus, they could only be called Half-Step Six Paths.
Before Madara lay two books. Each bore three characters on the cover:
Foundation Establishment Method
One book was written for Martial Artists, the other for Shinobi. Because the principles of the two systems diverged so greatly, Naruto had separated the teachings into distinct volumes.
Madara slowly opened one of them. Though the book was not thick, it far surpassed any traditional ninjutsu scroll in both depth and scope.
This was not a secret technique. It was an overview of an entire cultivation stage—a comprehensive guide.
Despite being labeled "Foundation Establishment," the sheer breadth of knowledge inside was astounding. The book contained explanations of the entry process, subsequent advancement paths, and even Naruto's personal insights. It was practically a complete cultivation encyclopedia.
Naruto had clearly poured a great amount of effort into it—so future generations would avoid the countless detours he and others had taken.
The first section explained the general framework. This was followed by cautions, concepts, and proper methods for beginners. While most adults didn't need entry-level instructions, Naruto had also considered newborns and civilians who had never cultivated before.
Newborns received the full version, while academy students were issued the initial version, receiving more advanced techniques only after reaching the required stages.
This prevented students from overreaching—and prevented leaks. In a vast "forest" full of all kinds of birds, Naruto maintained strict control over the flow of techniques.
Madara soon became completely absorbed, occasionally raising an eyebrow in surprise or letting a faint smile tug at the corner of his mouth—clear signs that the material was yielding insights.
He was not alone. Many across the world were experiencing the same.
Time flowed on quietly…