In the days that followed, Tetsuhiro and Madara devoted themselves wholeheartedly to brutal physical training.
Madara was the same as ever, determined to compete with Tetsuhiro—or, more precisely, the "Hashirama Senju" he saw in him—in everything.
They drew on stamina, built on the body as their foundation, and supplemented their training with a specialized cultivation method.
With chakra use forbidden, their initial training was excruciating.
Their physical condition barely put them among the very best, but they still had not surpassed the limits of ordinary humans.
Only after gradually adapting did they begin to improve. Madara first practiced Soru, Geppo, and Tempest Kick.
Tetsuhiro abandoned everything else and threw himself into mastering Kami-e.
With remarkable mutual understanding, neither of them touched Iron Body at first.
It had to be said that even without chakra to assist him, Madara was still extraordinarily talented. Perhaps it had something to do with Asura's chakra, because his progress later shot up like a rocket.
Of course, Tetsuhiro was no slouch either. Even setting aside his "Hashirama Senju" body, his hidden class as a transmigrator alone meant it was only a matter of time before he caught up with Madara!
Under Madara's deliberate and inadvertent mockery, and the healthy competition between them...
Before long, both had gained a basic grasp of all the Six Powers. However, Tetsuhiro still had no idea how to master the more advanced Life Return. He suspected he would either have to fully integrate everything he had learned or open up another path of cultivation.
Eventually, Madara also stripped off his clothes and began grappling with Tetsuhiro.
After all, actual combat had to take priority. They fought from dawn until dusk, then from dusk until dawn. When they grew tired, they rested; when they got hungry, Maya brought them food, and