Chapter 22. Dream Practice

It's been a while since Itachi left.

As time passed, the popularity of the Uchiha clan declined. Natsuki, who had been mindful of public opinion, found himself busier than ever due to a new function in his power template.

[Excellent leader: As an excellent leader, you must lead by example, and if your subordinates can do it, be stronger.]

In the power template, portraits of individuals with high loyalty or closeness to him would be highlighted. Clicking on them revealed a dream button.

The current personnel included Fugaku, Itachi, Shisui, and some Uchiha clan members. Natsuki clicked on Fugaku's avatar, and the combat options were broken down into categories. Natsuki selected the Taijutsu button.

[The dream is being constructed... The dream is constructed. Uchiha Fugaku - Taijutsu]

He lay on his bed, closing his eyes as his consciousness entered a martial arts arena. On the opposite side, Fugaku appeared, showcasing his physical skills one by one.

Each movement of Fugaku's taijutsu exuded a strong Uchiha style, dazzling and magnificent. With the Sharingan's blessing, he moved gracefully, defying the expectation that a strong man would possess such refined body coordination.

After Fugaku finished his demonstration, he swiftly approached with a keen glance. Natsuki instinctively attempted the Substitution Technique but realized that chakra could not be mobilized.

With a resounding bang, Natsuki exploded like a shadow clone.

He opened his eyes and found himself back in the bedroom.

"Oh, the virtual training room?"

Natsuki reopened the power panel and noticed that Fugaku's profile picture had dimmed, with a countdown next to it indicating a twenty-four-hour simulation cooldown.

Natsuki then clicked on Itachi's Taijutsu.

[The dream is being constructed... The dream is constructed. Uchiha Itachi - Taijutsu]

Natsuki closed his eyes and returned to the martial arts arena. On the opposite side stood Uchiha Itachi, adorned in ANBU attire and wielding a sword.

Itachi began by showcasing taijutsu moves similar to Fugaku, but he delved deeper into the use of shurikens, demonstrating remarkable control even during high-speed movements. He showcased changes in shuriken direction through mid-air impacts.

Natsuki was genuinely impressed. Despite spending months navigating perilous situations as a time traveler, he believed he had mastered his skills and achieved the status of a qualified Uchiha jounin.

It became apparent, however, that there was still a significant gap between ordinary ninjas and true geniuses.

After Itachi completed his demonstration, he swiftly advanced toward Natsuki, much like Fugaku. This time, Itachi moved at high speed and unleashed a barrage of shurikens.

Mentally prepared, Natsuki exercised caution. With the Sharingan's blessing, he adeptly dodged Itachi's shurikens.

'I still have some talent,' Natsuki thought to himself.

Ping! The clang of shurikens echoed in the virtual arena.

The dodged shuriken suddenly changed direction, homing in on his reserved path.

He dodged with a mix of danger and precision. Itachi threw another shuriken, not only intercepting Natsuki's front but also blocking the escape routes with two additional projectiles.

While Natsuki deftly parried the shuriken with his sword, Itachi swiftly advanced. In one seamless motion, Natsuki was reduced to smoke.

He abruptly opened his eyes.

'Itachi's shuriken technique is truly an art,' he marveled.

Still not entirely convinced, he opted to simulate a dream battle with the fourth elder.

[The dream is being constructed... The dream is constructed. Uchiha --- Taijutsu]

Once again, he closed his eyes.

After a considerable duration, he reopened his eyes and released a heavy sigh. In the dream, the fourth elder had aged significantly.

Even facing an elderly guy, Natsuki had to invest considerable effort before meeting his demise alongside him. It wasn't a victory but a shared fate of death.

Indeed, opponents seasoned by the battlefield were not easily overcome.

However, on the power board, his Taijutsu column vanished.

He scratched his head, contemplating whether to try another approach. He clicked on the fourth elder's ninjutsu once again.

[The dream is being constructed... The dream is constructed. Uchiha --- Ninjutsu]

With newfound experience, Natsuki entered the dream to find him standing there, explaining the ninjutsu he knew. The majority were fire releases, with a small assortment of earth releases.

Natsuki excelled in ninjutsu, particularly with fire release, but he lacked proficiency in earth release due to the absence of the corresponding attribute.

However, using the technique proved advantageous, allowing him to achieve results with less effort.

Natsuki, who was an earth escaper, had tested this previously. Despite having fire and thunder escape attributes, the power of earth escape in the dream remained undiminished.

Successfully executing the Fire Release based on his guidance, Natsuki completed all the jutsu. Surprisingly, the dream did not transition into a ninjutsu battle session as expected; instead, it promptly exited.

Elder still had one remaining simulation.

He clicked, and it remained the same.

[The dream is being constructed... The dream is constructed. Uchiha --- Genjutsu]

Upon entering, theoretical courses unfolded, covering the release and dispelling of illusions. The predecessor's proficiency in genjutsu was lacking, but Natsuki swiftly progressed through the course.

Still perplexed, his powerful visual abilities allowed him to counter his genjutsu swiftly. Exiting the illusion space, Natsuki observed that the fourth elder's avatar in the power template had lost the taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu options, leaving only one active button.

Refreshed, Natsuki once again clicked.

[The dream is being constructed... The dream is constructed. Uchiha --- Actual Combat]

Entering the dreamland again, this time with unrestricted practice.

After a while, he opened his eyes, wearing a somewhat disgruntled expression.

To his surprise, the elderly had planned cunning traps using shurikens and detonating charms, leading Natsuki to inadvertently fall into the trap. Ultimately, Susanoo emerged victorious.

Natsuki found his actual combat performance to be worse than he had envisioned.

Upon revisiting his interface, the actual combat button remained but entered a cooldown period, indicating the potential for repeated challenges.

With this in mind, Natsuki redirected his focus to the third elder, Uchiha Takuya, entering the dreamland once more.

...

The morning sun streamed in, and he blinked blankly as he opened his eyes.

Surprisingly, the time within the dream was synchronized with reality. Despite not sleeping at all that night, he felt mentally drained and on the verge of exhaustion.

The night's efforts resulted in the successful elimination of the elderly and frail elderly. However, Natsuki also faced defeat in the actual battle against the third elder, Takuya, without resorting to Susanoo.

In the case of Fugaku, Shisui, and Itachi, there was no option for actual combat. In the realm of taijutsu, Natsuki found himself on the losing end.

In ninjutsu, there was no combat, but practicing incorrectly could lead to chakra explosions, turning the practitioner into smoke if not careful.

Concerning genjutsu, his talent could only be described as poor, struggling to grasp many concepts.

Despite numerous attempts, he reluctantly accepted that he was an illusion novice. However, his keen eyesight allowed him to break free from illusions quickly.

Yet, when it came to executing genjutsu, chaos ensued. Only some elite Uchiha with three tomoe or two-tomoe practitioners could proficiently handle this aspect.

Most Uchiha elites demonstrated excellence across the board. Uchiha Yōya, for instance, excelled in taijutsu, particularly in swordsmanship. His agility and ruthless sword skills set him apart, a stark contrast to his usual naive demeanor.

Itachi stood out as the best shuriken thrower, showcasing exceptional insight by redirecting shurikens mid-air. This technique required an extraordinary level of perception.

Shisui, on the other hand, excelled in genjutsu, leaving Natsuki feeling like a fool in their encounters.

Shisui could control him with genjutsu without even meeting face to face. Only the powerful eyes of Mangekyou provided Natsuki with a chance to fight back.

After a night of intensive training, he was utterly exhausted. Observing the power template interface, he noted that almost everyone's dreams had entered the cooling mode.

Closing his eyes, he fell into a genuine sleep this time. Upon waking up, he headed to the training ground for exercise and continued his dream simulations.

Days passed with him dedicating himself to rigorous training alongside his dream deductions.

When other Uchiha witnessed Natsuki in action at the training ground, he would move around for a while before leaving. Whether showcasing physical skills or ninjutsu, he left everyone amazed.

The combination of efficient daily training and dream combat simulations accelerated hi's growth. Natsuki transformed into a seasoned warrior, no longer resembling the jounin constantly on the brink of death for minor tasks.

However, Natsuki faced challenges in learning the unique pupil techniques of the Mangekyo Sharingan. His own Mangekyo pupil technique showed no signs of awakening.

He exercised patiently, waiting for the results.

Previously, the infusion of three kaleidoscope Mangekyo Sharingan powers significantly enhanced Natsuki's pupil abilities, leading to continuous improvement with each passing moment.

Now, he found himself growing stronger effortlessly. He continued his nightly sparring sessions with Fugaku, Shisui, and Itachi in his dreams, a routine that contributed to his ongoing development.