Seeing two Natsuros, Sasuke paused for a moment.
He understood the mechanics of the Shadow Clone Technique, Naruto had used it in front of him countless times.
Normally, for a shadow clone to relay information back to the original body, it had to be dispelled first.
However, Natsuro's shadow clone clearly had no intention of dissipating, yet the real body already knew that Sasuke had arrived.
This made Sasuke glance at the "shadow clone" who had started working at the desk. Perhaps Natsuro's shadow clone was more special than he had imagined.
"Sasuke, I need your help with something." As soon as Natsuro arrived, he didn't waste time and got straight to the point.
"You need my help?" Sasuke's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Of course."
Up until now, it had always been Natsuro helping him. Even the last time Natsuro had asked him for help, it had ended with Natsuro assisting him in unlocking Sage Mode.
Sasuke felt that, at that time, his contribution to Natsuro was nowhere near as great as Natsuro's assistance to him.
So now that he finally had a chance to help him, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
Natsuro smiled as well. After a brief thought, he took Sasuke to Shikkotsu Forest.
"This is…?"
Upon arriving at Shikkotsu Forest, Sasuke's pupils contracted as he gazed at the slug sage, which was larger than a mountain.
"This is Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands. It is similar in nature to Ryūchi Cave, which I previously introduced to you." Natsuro explained. "There is only one entity here, the Slug Sage. The area is vast, and typically, no one disturbs this place."
After all, the only known summoner of Shikkotsu Forest's slugs was Tsunade.
In the original timeline, Sakura was supposed to be another potential summoner. But now…
Could it be Hinata or Ino instead?
Sasuke nodded. He had already guessed as much, though he hadn't expected the Slug Sage to be this enormous.
"Sasuke, aside from the kunai you gave me earlier, have you marked any others?" Natsuro suddenly asked.
"I have one more," Sasuke replied, slightly puzzled but still taking out the kunai.
Natsuro took the kunai and also retrieved a scroll. Then, he began inscribing a sealing formula.
Before long, Natsuro tossed the scroll and the kunai back to Sasuke.
"This is…?" Sasuke had already guessed the function of the seal.
"A variant of the Sealing and Summoning Techniques, it allows you to summon objects. This way, after you swap positions with your kunai over a long distance, you don't have to worry about retrieving it."
Just as he had expected. Sasuke nodded and put the kunai and scroll away.
"This technique isn't too difficult. If you need to learn it, my shadow clone can teach you. Even if you don't fully understand the principles, you can copy the inscription. That way, you can engrave the seal on your future kunai as well." Natsuro explained.
"Got it." Sasuke agreed. Previously, he had been focused solely on increasing his combat strength for revenge. He hadn't paid much attention to auxiliary techniques. Now was a good time to make up for that. Even if he didn't master them deeply, he should at least understand them.
Natsuro then explained why he had brought Sasuke here.
His goal was to temporarily take over Sasuke's body and experience his power firsthand, just like when he had used Naruto's body to experience Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku.
However, this time, he wasn't particularly interested in experiencing Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode.
What he really wanted to experience was Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan!
It wasn't that he coveted the Mangekyō Sharingan itself. Rather, he wanted to study its Yin Release properties.
Ever since he started researching Yang Release, he had been considering this.
After all, the abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo were all Yin Release techniques.
Yang Release draws from the body's life energy, breathing life into form. While he still couldn't literally create life, he had developed a deep understanding of body energy and vitality. As a result, his lifespan and regeneration rate had significantly increased. Simply put, his "health bar" became thicker, and his HP regen rate improved dramatically!
The problem was that, despite possessing this power, he had never truly tested it.
After all, no one had ever injured him severely enough for him to put it to use…
Meanwhile, Yin Release draws from spiritual energy, creating form from nothing.
Natsuro had already mastered some Yin Release-related abilities, such as his Genjutsu and Spirit Transformation Technique.
However, these were still just techniques.
If he wanted to fully grasp Yin Release, he would need to dedicate a significant amount of time.
So, instead of slowly experimenting, he decided to use Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan, which contained pure Yin Release energy.
"What I want to do is… use the Spirit Transformation Technique to take over your body and activate your Mangekyō Sharingan."
Hearing this, Sasuke nodded, indicating that he had no objections. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh, Natsuro was constantly thinking about ways to grow stronger. No wonder he had managed to come this far.
"Don't resist," Natsuro instructed before activating the Spirit Transformation Technique.
At that moment, his physical body, now devoid of consciousness, remained seated where it was.
In no time, Natsuro entered Sasuke's body. As he adjusted to his new host, he could sense Sasuke's mental strength, it was far stronger and more resilient than that of an average person.
But that was to be expected. The mere fact that Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan through his own power already spoke volumes.
After all, it was well known that the primary factor in awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan was an individual's spiritual power.
Thus, it was inevitable that Sasuke's mental energy was exceptional. Moreover, since he had awakened his Mangekyō without undergoing the traumatic events typical of other Uchiha, his mind likely wasn't as prone to extremism.
Most Uchiha only unlocked their Sharingan through intense emotional turmoil, often involving the death of a loved one, close friend, or comrade.
Under such circumstances, it was hard not to spiral into extreme thought patterns.
Perhaps not every Uchiha became radicalized, but the likelihood was certainly far greater than that of other clans.
It was no wonder the Second Hokage, after studying the Uchiha clan's awakening process, had reached his infamous conclusion about them.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, now fully aware of Natsuro's mental strength, fell into silence.
To him, something about Natsuro's spiritual power was simply abnormal.
Why was it this powerful?
Despite everything Sasuke had been through. The childhood trauma and the awakening of his Mangekyō Sharingan, his mental strength still wasn't as formidable as Natsuro's?
Suddenly, Sasuke had a strange realization, if Natsuro were an Uchiha, he might have been the youngest person to ever awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
In fact, he might not have even needed any traumatic emotional triggers at all…
At this thought, Sasuke could only sigh, truly strong people have no weaknesses.
From Natsuro's abilities, Sasuke couldn't see a single path to victory for himself.
Previously, he had assumed that Sharingan-based Genjutsu might give him an edge.
But now… looking at Natsuro's spiritual presence, he dismissed that idea altogether.
At that moment, Natsuro was adapting to Sasuke's body. Since Sasuke was offering no resistance, the process was relatively quick.
After a short period of adjustment, he formed a familiar hand seal, one that Sasuke frequently used.
In the next instant, 'Sasuke' opened his eyes.
The distinct Three-Tomoe Sharingan glowed in his gaze.
"Sharingan!"
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