Upon activating his power, tree roots began to emerge from Madara's right palm, spreading rapidly underground toward the spot where he intended to build his house. As they surfaced, four pillars made of intertwined roots rose up, each extending in a different direction. These roots continued to emerge, connecting the pillars with a web-like structure.

Over the next few minutes, the roots began to weave together, gradually taking the shape of a house. As this was happening, Madara envisioned in his mind the home he wanted—specifically, the house he had lived in back in Jiandan Village, the place he had always known as home. As the image became clearer in his mind, the roots started to harden and transform, taking on the appearance of solid wood. Slowly but surely, the structure formed, and Madara stood in awe as the once-living roots transformed into a fully functional house, just as he had imagined.

Madara couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness as he looked at the house he had created; it brought back memories of his past and the life he once knew. He walked slowly through the house, and as he reached for the door, it collapsed almost immediately. This failure didn’t surprise him, as he had encountered similar issues during his initial attempts with the Wood Clone Technique.

Undeterred, Madara sat down, crossed his legs, and began to meditate, focusing on perfecting the Four-Pillar House Technique. After a month and a half of rigorous trial and error, testing the house’s durability repeatedly, he finally succeeded in making it functional. Through continuous practice and refinement, his Four-Pillar House Technique progressed to the foundation stage.

With his mastery now heightened, Madara decided to put his skills to the test. As night fell, he positioned himself at the spot where he had practiced the technique so many times before. He bent his body and placed his right hand on the ground, then calmly said, "Release."

At his command, tree roots rapidly emerged from his palm and swiftly spread underground. Moments later, they surfaced at the chosen location, beginning to weave together. The roots converged and gradually took the shape of a house. After a few minutes, the roots had transformed into a fully functional building, demonstrating the effectiveness of his refined technique.

Once the house was complete, Madara walked to the door. As he opened it, he was greeted by the sight of a simple, one-floor home. Inside, he found a basic layout: a single window, wooden floors, a cooking area, and a chimney—just like the ordinary houses he had seen in Jiandan Village. After surveying the entire space, Madara said to himself, “Not bad. The only things missing are the furnishings and cooking equipment.”

He then retrieved a calendar he had hung on a tree branch and placed it inside the house. Next, he picked up a small piece of wood from outside and placed it in the cooking area. Using his fire affinity, he ignited the wood to roast some meat. After eating, Madara slept on the floor of his newly built home.

The following morning, after breakfast and a warm-up, Madara continued his training. He practiced his thrust technique, then focused on parries the next day and followed with ripostes, alternating between these techniques in succession.

...

After 2 months (winter)

That afternoon, the setting sun cast a golden-orange glow over the snow-covered ground, making the frost on the trees shimmer with a warm, ethereal light. Long shadows stretched across the forest, creating a striking interplay of light and dark on the snow. The mist in the air took on a soft, rosy hue, and the crisp, cool air was filled with the gentle silence of the approaching night.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

In the training area, Madara sat in deep meditation, his wooden sword lying in front of him. While the surroundings were blanketed in snow, the area immediately around him remained clear, thanks to his fire affinity. By maintaining warmth through his fire affinity, Madara was able to keep his body comfortable and avoid the cold, despite the intense training.

Soon, Madara opened his eyes from his cross-legged meditation. “Thrust, parry, and riposte have reached the intermediate stage,” he said as he stood up. Glancing at the sky, he realized, “It’s already getting late.” He decided to head back to his house to eat and rest.

That evening, after eating a yellow fruit, Madara lay down and looked at the calendar he had made. “203 days (0-2-0-3) have passed; time flies,” he thought. With a sigh, he noted that he had just 3 years and 11 months remaining. He also tried to advance the mastery of his other techniques (except for the Wood Clone Technique), but unfortunately, he found himself stuck with no progress.

The next morning, after eating a yellow fruit and completing his warm-up exercises, Madara resumed practicing the remaining basic sword skills. On that snowy morning, he sat on the snow-covered ground in a meditative position. Before starting to master a new technique, he used his fire affinity to keep warm and counteract the cold. Once he was comfortable, he concentrated deeply on studying the remaining basic sword skills.

---Feint: A deceptive move where the fighter initiates an attack but changes it mid-motion to catch the opponent off-guard.---

---Draw Sword Technique: A quick-draw technique focusing on speed and precision, often used for surprise attacks.---

---Sword Block: A defensive technique used to block or deflect incoming attacks.---

After several hours of deep meditation, Madara opened his eyes. He picked up his wooden sword from where it lay in front of him and stood up, ready to cut down a tree. Choosing an appropriate tree, he used his sword-cutting technique, channeling silver qi as he made three horizontal slashes with his wooden sword.

Once the tree was felled, he trimmed it to the right height and carried it on his shoulder to his training area. Upon arrival, he buried the log in the ground, just as he had done with the logs from his previous training sessions. After embedding the log securely in the soil, Madara positioned himself at a small distance from it, preparing to face the training challenge.

Madara bent his knees slightly, positioning his right foot forward. Holding his wooden sword in his right hand, infused with qi, he made sure his stance was correct before executing his feint attack. He began with a horizontal slash but smoothly transitioned into a vertical slash mid-motion, resulting in a vertical strike against the log.

Since this technique was closely related to sword-cutting, Madara found it easy to perform. He practiced various combinations, such as a left diagonal cut followed by an upward slash. Thanks to the yellow fruit he had eaten, which kept his hunger at bay, he repeated these moves 100 times. He then performed the same technique with his left hand.

After completing his practice, Madara meditated to replenish the qi he had used. When he finished and opened his eyes, he noticed that evening was beginning to fall.

The next morning, after eating a yellow fruit and doing his warm-up exercises, Madara resumed practicing his remaining basic sword skills. He removed the log from his previous training, which was now covered in slashes from various angles, and replaced it with another log from the tree he had previously cut down.

Once the new log was securely buried in the ground, Madara stepped back to give himself some distance. He then bent his knees slightly, positioning his wooden sword at his left waist with his right foot forward. After confirming his posture was correct, he quickly released his silver qi from his feet and started to run.

As he ran, each step was deliberate and powerful. When he got close to the log, he executed the sword draw technique with his qi-infused wooden sword, targeting the joints and vital points of the log. This practice was meant to simulate precise strikes on an actual opponent.

When Madara’s sword struck, it made a slash on the left side of the log. This motion caused him to end up behind the log, so he executed the sword draw technique again, targeting the right side. After making this strike, he returned to his original position and repeated the process 100 times, establishing a rhythm of alternating strikes.