Rapid Ascension

Hidden Sound Village

Every day, under the intense battles, Natsuki's control over his abilities, combat experience, and skills grew significantly. He had finally developed his own combat style.

Dream Space

"Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

Itachi exhaled a series of fireballs from his mouth, igniting the shuriken he threw. The flaming shuriken scattered like a blossoming flower, crashing into the ground and leaving craters everywhere.

Natsuki moved gracefully, dodging left and right with ease.

In a swift motion, his Kusanagi sword was drawn.

Clang!

The blade met Itachi's shuriken.

Cling… Cling cling…

Blocking the spinning blades, Natsuki quickly closed the distance to engage Itachi in close combat.

Itachi wielded a kunai in his left hand and a long blade in his right, his movements sharp and elegant.

He spun gracefully, aiming the kunai at Natsuki's head. Natsuki raised the Kusanagi sword, deflecting the strike.

Itachi flipped midair and brought his long blade down in a reverse slash.

Natsuki, with his left hand free, quickly formed a single-handed seal.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

Boom!

A massive surge of water erupted from the ground, knocking away Itachi's weapon and obscuring his vision.

As the water receded, Natsuki's Kusanagi sword pierced through it, aiming for Itachi's ribs.

"Susanoo!"

A red skeletal frame formed around Itachi's body.

Clang!

Natsuki's Kusanagi sword struck the Susanoo, producing a sharp, ringing sound.

Natsuki smirked. "Finally, I made you bring out your Susanoo."

Itachi's Susanoo blocked the strike, and then he immediately dispelled it.

Taking advantage of Natsuki's brief moment of relaxation, Itachi raised his head.

His Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly.

"Tsukuyomi!"

A surge of immense ocular power invaded Natsuki's mind.

For a split second, Natsuki froze. But as his own Mangekyō Sharingan spun, he resisted being pulled into the world of Tsukuyomi.

Natsuki's ocular power far surpassed Itachi's, rendering the technique ineffective.

The Itachi in the dream space lacked memories or emotions.

When Tsukuyomi failed, Itachi showed no reaction. His hands moved in a blur, forming seals so quickly that Natsuki could barely follow.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball emerged from Itachi's mouth, growing larger as it sped toward Natsuki.

Natsuki used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge to the left.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Shuriken flew through the air, colliding mid-flight and making their landing spots impossible to predict.

Natsuki drew his Kusanagi sword, his Sharingan spinning rapidly.

Cling… Cling cling… Clang!

Each kunai and shuriken was struck down perfectly by the blade.

While deflecting the projectiles with his sword, Natsuki used his free left hand to form one-handed seals.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

A high-pressure stream of water shot from Natsuki's mouth, cutting toward Itachi like a blade.

Shhhrrrrk…

The Water Severing Wave moved incredibly fast, slicing through Itachi's body in an instant.

Itachi's body cracked open.

"Ah… Ah…"

The cracks spread, and Itachi's body dissolved into a flock of crows.

"Crow Substitution Technique!"

Itachi disappeared from Natsuki's sight.

Natsuki's eyes narrowed as his Mangekyō Sharingan spun furiously.

"Susanoo Eyes!"

His gaze darted around until he locked onto one specific crow.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

In an instant, Natsuki closed the distance. The Kusanagi sword in his hand plunged toward the crow.

Bang!

The crow transformed into Itachi's true form.

"Susanoo!"

Clang!

The Kusanagi sword was once again blocked by Susanoo.

Before Natsuki could pull back his sword, Itachi's right eye twitched and suddenly opened wide.

"Amaterasu!"

Black flames erupted instantly, latching onto Natsuki.

"Susanoo!"

A golden Susanoo projected itself from Natsuki, shielding him from the Amaterasu flames and allowing him to escape.

"Tch," Natsuki clicked his tongue. "I wanted to beat Itachi without using Susanoo."

Amaterasu was a technique that could only be blocked, not easily avoided. The flames ignited wherever Itachi's gaze focused. This reminded Natsuki of the time Itachi fought Sasuke—his use of Amaterasu seemed surprisingly lenient then.

Could Sasuke's movement speed really be faster than Itachi's gaze?

With the Amaterasu flames blocked, Itachi paused for a moment, likely from the strain of using his ocular power.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Itachi's red Susanoo emerged.

In the dream space, Itachi's power mirrored his real-world self. Over the years, his ocular power had been suppressed by Orochimaru's medicines.

Itachi's Susanoo only reached the second stage, without the full armor of the Crow Tengu.

From within his Susanoo, Itachi released a flash of red light—Yasaka Magatama.

The spinning beads of chakra shot forward at incredible speed. Natsuki, without activating his Susanoo, relied purely on instinct to dodge to the right.

Shing!

The attack shredded Natsuki's left sleeve and left his shoulder bleeding heavily.

Gritting his teeth, Natsuki raised his left hand and bit into his arm. Almost immediately, his shoulder began to heal rapidly.

Itachi's semi-flesh Susanoo reached out to grab him.

Natsuki shook his head.

"Susanoo!"

A golden Susanoo flared to life, colliding forcefully with Itachi's.

Boom!

Both Susanoo clashed fiercely, with Natsuki's golden frame mirroring Itachi's semi-flesh Susanoo.

Even in the midst of the clash, Natsuki remained calm and split his focus to perform other jutsu.

He formed a seal with one hand.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

Whoosh!

With a surge of powerful chakra, a high-pressure water blade shot forward, slicing through Itachi's Susanoo.

The impact created a gap, forcing Itachi to bend and narrowly avoid the water blade.

Natsuki's Susanoo charged forward, slamming into Itachi's, causing it to stagger.

The golden Susanoo extended its hand, attempting to grab Itachi's Susanoo.

But before it could connect, Itachi dispelled his Susanoo to avoid the attack.

At that exact moment, Natsuki reached out from his own golden Susanoo, extending a left hand covered in sealing markings.

He struck Itachi directly.

The sealing patterns crawled across Itachi's body, instantly suppressing his chakra.

Natsuki deactivated his Susanoo, drew the Kusanagi sword, and closed in for hand-to-hand combat.

Though the seal could only hold Itachi's chakra for a short time, it was enough for Natsuki to gain the upper hand.

In the final moments, Natsuki deflected one of Itachi's attacks, grabbed him with his other hand, and slammed him to the ground. Then, he drove the Kusanagi sword through Itachi, pinning him firmly to the ground.

Natsuki slowly opened his eyes, exhaling deeply.

The recent training had brought his combat style closer to perfection. Now, he could defeat Itachi without relying solely on overwhelming ocular power or brute force with Susanoo.

Natsuki had also become more comfortable with the new talents he'd acquired. Among them, Sakon and Ukon's dual mind ability stood out as the most powerful.

With this ability, Natsuki could now form hand seals for jutsu during close combat, even while wielding the Kusanagi sword with one hand.

He could also use his left hand for sealing techniques, allowing him to quickly immobilize summoned beasts in close-range fights.

Even while using Susanoo, he could supplement his attacks with Tobirama's Water Severing Wave.

The Water Severing Wave had the advantages of being fast and highly destructive, making it particularly effective in mid-range combat.

Karin's healing abilities had also proven invaluable. With her regenerative power, Natsuki could maintain peak condition during battles, preventing injuries from reducing his combat effectiveness. It was like having an endless supply of energy.

As Natsuki's combat system improved, he no longer recklessly burned through the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan's power. His fighting style had grown more precise and refined, no longer as rough and wild as before.

As Natsuki continued to grow stronger, three months passed in the blink of an eye.