Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 153 Shift in Cultivation Goals

As Uchiha Touyu emerged from Orochimaru's Root base, a girl with blue hair followed behind him.

The girl looked completely bewildered, her eyes filled with the expression of someone about to cry. She was none other than Guren, the former reincarnation vessel for Uchiha Touya, who was "given" by Orochimaru and possessed the Crystal Release bloodline limit.

Although Orochimaru's personal appearance is not very appealing, and his temperament tends to be cold and ruthless, giving people the feeling of a cold-blooded animal, it must be admitted that he is very skilled at abducting and brainwashing those orphans.

If Danzo had Orochimaru's brainwashing and bewitching abilities, he wouldn't even need the cursed seal to control the Root ninjas.

This vessel of Orochimaru, the Crystal Release ninja Guren, was naturally also bewitched by Orochimaru. Her greatest desire was to offer her body to Orochimaru.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a sacrifice in that sense, but rather being directly possessed by Orochimaru as a vessel!

As a result, in order to get more funds, soul pills, and unknown knowledge from Uchiha Tou, Orochimaru simply gave away this fanatic.

This was a devastating blow to Honglian, leaving her completely distraught and unable to maintain a pleasant expression.

However, Uchiha Touyu was too lazy to pay attention to her. He had played with too many beauties these days. Although the little beauty behind him was of good quality and even had the potential to become a Kage-level ninja, she was just an ordinary plaything to him.

The price Uchiha Touyu paid for this beautiful young woman was nothing more than some of his own cells and having Orochimaru perform a physical examination.

Uchiha Touya's Sage Body is now considered to be at its peak. To some extent, his body cells can even be compared with Hashirama Senju's Wood Release cells, making him a precious material.

Anyway, Uchiha Touyu is constantly improving. He believes that even if he gives his cells to Orochimaru, Orochimaru will never be able to develop anything that surpasses his own. Just like how Orochimaru could never defeat Senju Hashirama even if he researched Wood Release cells until his death.

What Uchiha Touyu is really considering now is the conclusion Orochimaru reached after examining his physical remains.

"My body has reached the limit of flesh and blood... and is beginning to show signs of energy transformation? This must be a precursor to the transformation into something like the Otsutsuki clan!"

The Otsutsuki clan are almost all energy beings. This can be seen in Otsutsuki Isshiki, who was only half a body but still managed to survive; Otsutsuki Kaguya, who was sealed on the moon for thousands of years but is still alive and well; and Six Paths Madara, who recovered immediately after being kicked in a hole by Might Guy.

However... to be honest, Uchiha Touyu still had a lot of doubts about whether he should evolve into the Otsutsuki clan.

In the world of Naruto, pure-blooded Otsutsuki are naturally at the pinnacle, possessing an energy body, immortality, immense chakra, and catastrophic ninjutsu akin to innate divine powers...

In some weaker worlds, such power would be no problem to call them gods, and judging from the later Boruto series, the Otsutsuki clan has an even stronger evolutionary mode.

For example, Otsutsuki Shibai, the legendary god of the Otsutsuki clan, is the final form that the Otsutsuki clan evolved into after consuming countless planetary fruits. It is said that he has transcended the material world and entered a higher dimension.

But in the end, Uchiha Touyu still felt that the limits of these Otsutsuki were too low. Even the so-called Otsutsuki gods, whether they entered a higher dimension or could not withstand the energy in their bodies and naturally disintegrated, still had no conclusion!

Even if he were to enter a higher dimension, judging from the current situation, he would probably become some kind of conceptual god or something. Although Uchiha Touyu yearns for great power, if he were to cultivate himself into some kind of conceptual thing and lose his physical form, he would still politely decline.

Of course, most importantly, Uchiha Touyu had the Book of Demonic Path as his foundation, and he was confident that even if he did not evolve along the path of the Otsutsuki, he would still be able to surpass these Otsutsuki in the future, and even surpass the entire ninja world.

Otherwise, if he were truly a native of the ninja world, why would he have the mind to be picky? He would have already gone to learn from Orochimaru and tried every means to make himself more like the Otsutsuki clan.

"The upper limit of the Demonic Path Inheritance Book is undoubtedly far beyond that of the Otsutsuki clan. Putting aside everything else, the fact that I was able to obtain the secret method of the Devouring Heaven Demon Art means that there is at least the entire Devouring Heaven Demon Art in it."

Even if the Otsutsuki clan in the Naruto world is overestimated, they still can't defeat the Great Emperor in the Shrouding the Heavens world. Let alone the Great Emperor, even a random Saint could probably wipe out the entire Otsutsuki clan.

Aside from lifespan, the Otsutsuki clan really has nothing to compare with those in Shrouding the Heavens. Not to mention their upper limits, even at the same energy level, their chakra systems are far inferior to the secret realm techniques of Shrouding the Heavens that use the body as a seed.

Of course, the chakra system isn't without its advantages; its biggest advantage is that it's very easy to cultivate!

There's no need for cultivation at all. Planting trees and eating fruit are things anyone can do, and you can easily gain immense power. This is much easier than the Sky-Covering Technique, which is all about fighting and getting struck by lightning, and constantly living on the brink of death.

"However, the Book of Demonic Path Inheritance is definitely not limited to the Covering Heaven Technique. Popular cannibalistic schools like the Yangshen World and the Eternal Life World probably also contain its inheritance."

"Compared to the powerful figures in 'Covering the Sky,' the cannibalistic cultivation style in Shenji's works is much easier to develop. As long as you have enough resources and population, and a ruthless enough mentality, even a pig can cultivate to a higher level!"

"If the Book of Demonic Path Inheritance were more powerful, and there were also inheritances like the Primordial World and the Supreme Being of an Era, the upper limit would be unimaginable... In comparison, the Chakra system is somewhat lacking."

Uchiha Touyu has never changed his chakra system, simply because he knows very well that this most fundamental training system is also the most costly!

Moreover, there are some cultivation systems that even Uchiha Touyu might not be able to successfully master.

To cultivate the Yangshen cultivation method of the Human Immortal in the Yangshen world, you first need acupoints and tribulations.

If you want to cultivate the secret techniques of the world of Shrouding the Heavens, you must first find the Desolate Heavenly Emperor to leave you a secret realm seed.

To unlock the genetic lock in Infinite Terror, you first need to find "Gu" to add a setting for you...

It is precisely because of this consideration that Uchiha Touyu must use precise sacrifice to obtain a foundational cultivation method that suits his wishes. Otherwise, if he finally obtains a powerful cultivation method, only to find that he does not meet the cultivation conditions at all, Uchiha Touyu would probably be so angry that he would die.

"But in any case, since I'm not going to follow the path of the Otsutsuki clan, I can't continue absorbing chakra. Otherwise, I estimate that my body will start to become completely energy-based in a short time."

The chakra system isn't particularly mysterious; it's simply about using a large amount of chakra to create a qualitative change. Ordinary ninjas might have a limit to what they can handle, but Uchiha Tou, who had already absorbed the Gedo Mazo and was essentially the human form of the Divine Tree, didn't need to worry about that at all.

According to Uchiha Touyu's estimation, he has already reached a certain critical point. If he continues to absorb like this, he will probably have to transform into an energy body in a year or two.

By then, even if he wanted to make changes, the path he could cultivate would become even narrower. After all, most of the so-called demonic arts are for cultivation by flesh and blood. Demonic arts that can transform into energy bodies are extremely rare.

Moreover, energy bodies are not as durable as flesh and blood bodies. When a flesh and blood body undergoes a transformation, if an energy conflict occurs, it might only result in spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood and taking a few days to recover. However, if an energy body undergoes a transformation, it might explode into a giant firework!

Of course, not absorbing chakra doesn't mean that the chakra is useless. Chakra is a kind of thing that is both mediocre and versatile. Its biggest advantage is that it can be converted and absorbed at will, making it an energy source specifically for those who are easily exploited.

Even if Uchiha Touyu changes his training system in the future, he can still absorb chakra and convert it into true qi, magic power, and other forms of energy to improve his own power, so there is no issue of wasting anything.

……

In the blink of an eye, nearly three years have passed.

In the past three years, the entire Naruto world has undergone earth-shattering changes, the biggest of which is that more and more people possess chakra.

In places like the Land of Fire, where the universal chakra policy is best implemented, roughly one in ten people possesses chakra. Even if that amount of chakra makes it difficult to even use the Transformation Technique, it is still beyond the range of normal people.

In addition, the Land of Wind and the Land of Water are also continuously promoting this policy. However, because the economic conditions of the two countries are poor and there are many illiterate people, the rate of chakra possession is far lower than that of Konoha. Only about one in fifteen or sixteen people possesses chakra.

As for the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, their development speed was far slower than the other three countries. After all, Uchiha Hiu didn't use genjutsu to control them. The infighting between the ninja villages, daimyo, and nobles alone wasted a lot of time.

Initially, the two major powers threatened war to force other countries to stop this strategy. Unfortunately, the top leaders of the three countries were all controlled by Uchiha Hiyu. They were determined to implement the national chakra policy and were not afraid of war at all.

In this situation, it was ultimately the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth that backed down – there was no way around it, even the stubborn stoneheads of Iwagakure and the hot-tempered barbarians of Kumogakure knew that they could not defeat the three countries working together on their own.

Let alone the three kingdoms joining forces, even if Konoha alone were to fight, the combined forces of the Lightning and Earth Kingdoms might not be able to defeat them. Add the Mist Ninja and the Sand Ninja to the mix, and they would definitely suffer a crushing defeat.

Moreover, with the implementation of the policy of universal chakra cultivation, the number of powerful individuals in the three opposing countries will inevitably increase. The biggest advantage of the chakra system is its rapid development. As long as one has good aptitude, an adult can develop considerable combat power even after only one or two years of training.

After all, chakra is not like internal energy, which is not based on the number of years of training. The amount of chakra you can extract from your body is the amount of chakra you possess. It doesn't mean that if you have trained in chakra for 20 years, your chakra amount will exceed that of someone who has trained for only one or two years.

Therefore, the next year or two is not for training chakra refining techniques, but for training ninjutsu and taijutsu. As long as the aptitude is good enough, an adult can become a decent fighter in one or two years.

Even among ordinary civilians, those with exceptional talent are one in a thousand. With a population of hundreds of millions, the Land of Fire could easily field an army of hundreds of thousands of ninjas. How would the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth possibly fight them then?

After nearly two years of back and forth, seeing that the three great powers were going their own way and that chakra cultivation methods had spread beyond their control, the Lightning and Earth nations could only grumble and follow suit immediately to avoid falling behind in strength.

Both countries started late, and when implementing their strategies, there was a lack of unity among the people, with many people constantly hindering their progress. Even now, the universal chakra policy has only just begun, and the chakra ownership rate among ordinary civilians is less than one percent.

Regardless, the policy of universal chakra training has taken root, and even if the monarchs and Kage of the major powers wanted to abolish it, they would be unable to do so given the widespread chakra refining methods.

The spread of chakra extraction techniques led to social chaos. After all, even extracting chakra at the level of a ninja trainee and applying it to the body was enough to turn an ordinary person into a fierce warrior from a historical novel, capable of taking on dozens of people by themselves.

When a person suddenly gains immense power, they will naturally become dizzy and do things they wouldn't normally dare to do. Because of their practice of chakra refining techniques, many ordinary people who have gained some strength have started to commit all sorts of evil deeds.

Of course, these commoners, blinded by power, eventually became nourishment for the Hunyuan Treasure Box.

Having chakra but not ninjutsu is easy; any genin could easily take down seven or eight of these weak ninjas. Soon, the ninja village ninjas taught these commoners who had acquired chakra the lesson that your father is still your father.

Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had several times more chakra than Kakashi when he first graduated. However, in a one-on-one fight, Kakashi could easily defeat 100 Narutos who had just graduated. This shows that having chakra but lacking ninjutsu and combat experience makes him nothing more than a punching bag with a bit more strength.

However, the three countries, including the Land of Fire, have now passed the painful period because more and more commoners possess chakra. No commoner thinks that they are invincible just because they have awakened chakra—you might just be about to dine and dash when you get beaten up by the restaurant owner who has also awakened chakra!

(End of this chapter)