Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

As Natsuro looked at Jūgo, he noticed the chaotic flow of natural energy within the latter's body and nodded in acknowledgment. Indeed, Jūgo's constitution was peculiar.

"Jūgo, channel your energy into Sasuke's curse mark," Natsuro said directly, revealing his intention.

"What?! But... this energy doesn't help Sasuke and might even harm him," Jūgo exclaimed in shock.

"It's fine, Jūgo. If Natsuro says so, let's give it a try," Sasuke interjected, recalling the modifications Natsuro had made earlier. His eyes lit up with anticipation, could it be that Natsuro had discovered a new power he could wield?

"Alright," Jūgo finally relented. Placing his hand on Sasuke's neck, his arm transformed into a monstrous, scaly claw, and he began transferring his energy.

Jūgo paused momentarily, surprised to find that not all of his energy was being transferred to Sasuke.

The curse mark seemed to be selectively filtering the energy, something that hadn't happened before. Previously, Sasuke had absorbed all the energy from his berserk state without issue.

Confused, Jūgo glanced at Natsuro. This change was clearly his doing, but was it for better or worse?

Still, recalling Natsuro's overwhelming power, Jūgo relaxed. Even if something went wrong, Natsuro would surely be able to resolve it. Fully trusting him, Jūgo focused entirely on transferring his energy.

"That's enough," Natsuro said after a while.

Jūgo stopped, while Sasuke frowned slightly, he didn't feel any different. Wasn't this just like before?

"Sasuke, the seal I've applied now is different from the one before. Try channeling your chakra into it. When I say stop... Stop immediately," Natsuro instructed, his tone serious.

"Got it," Sasuke replied without hesitation, injecting his chakra into the seal as directed.

Time seemed to stretch until Natsuro finally signaled Sasuke to stop.

Natsuro examined the energy within Sasuke's curse mark and smiled, satisfied with the results of his experiment.

"Excellent. Sasuke, I'll teach you the hand seals to activate this seal. In battle, you can use the stored energy within the mark," Natsuro said.

Sasuke froze for a moment before receiving a set of hand seals from Natsuro. He could now sense the unique energy within the mark, it was a strange yet potent force.

Additionally, the energy seemed to harmonize with his chakra, making it fully controllable and usable.

"Remember this sensation, Sasuke," Natsuro continued. "When I'm not around, don't inject too much chakra into the mark. Once you reach the current state, stop immediately."

"Understood," Sasuke nodded, his excitement barely contained.

"Why not test it now?" Natsuro suggested, wanting to observe the results firsthand.

Sasuke's eyes brightened. He had been itching to see what this power could do. Without hesitation, he performed the hand seals Natsuro had taught him.

The curse mark on Sasuke's neck began to spin, channeling its stored energy into his body.

Though his physical appearance didn't change much, both Jūgo and Natsuro could sense a distinct shift in his aura, it had become more mysterious and powerful.

When Sasuke opened his eyes, they had transformed into snake-like pupils, with purple markings resembling eyeshadow framing them.

Natsuro assessed Sasuke's power, nodding in approval. While not as refined as Naruto's Sage Mode or Kabuto's perfected Dragon Sage Mode, it was undoubtedly stronger than Jiraiya's imperfect Sage Mode.

Natsuro smiled. Sasuke's modified curse mark now functioned similarly to Madara Uchiha's Hashirama cells.

Madara himself hadn't mastered Sage Mode, yet the Hashirama face grafted onto his body allowed him to access senjutsu chakra.

Similarly, Sasuke now had access to senjutsu chakra. With Jūgo nearby, this energy was no longer a finite resource.

Even without Jūgo, the curse mark could passively absorb natural energy, albeit at a slower rate. The best option, of course, would be to visit Ryūchi Cave for more efficient absorption.

But with Jūgo, that step could be skipped entirely.

"This power..." Sasuke murmured, awestruck by the overwhelming strength coursing through his body.

"Chidori!"

Without hesitation, Sasuke gathered a Chidori in his hand and drove it into the ground.

BOOM!

A massive explosion followed, and the ground cracked under the sheer force of the attack. Dust and debris filled the air, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.

Jūgo's eyes widened as he muttered, "This... this is Sage Mode."

Natsuro crossed his arms, smiling faintly. "Not perfect yet, but a step in the right direction."

Sasuke clenched his fists, a confident smirk spreading across his face. The path to surpassing his brother Itachi had just become a little clearer.

Sasuke stared at the deep crater on the ground, his eyes brimming with astonishment. He knew that Chidori was primarily focused on piercing damage, and its area-of-effect power was typically not particularly strong.

But this… The sheer power of this attack… It felt exponentially stronger.

Not just ninjutsu, Sasuke clenched his fists. Even his physical abilities had experienced a massive boost. Beyond that, there was something else like an odd sense, an awareness… Like that of a snake.

This power… This strength…

Sasuke couldn't help but tighten his fists. If he had this kind of power, then perhaps… perhaps he truly had a chance to defeat Itachi.

"It seems to be working well," Natsuro said, nodding as he observed the massive crater created by Chidori.

After all, the Dragon Sage Mode didn't amplify ninjutsu to the same degree as the Toad Sage Mode. This level of enhancement was more than satisfactory.

"Sasuke, this power… what is it?" Sasuke asked, retracting the energy back into the curse mark. He could sense that the amount of energy wasn't abundant, it was likely because Jūgo hadn't transferred much.

"Sage Mode," Natsuro replied.

"Sage Mode?" Sasuke frowned. This was a new term to him, something he had never heard of before.

"Yes," Natsuro nodded. "It's a form of power mastered by the three great summoning realms. The state you just experienced is the Dragon Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave."

"So, this is a shortcut to using the Dragon Sage Mode?" Sasuke recalled the strength he had just felt, his expression filled with amazement.

"Exactly. But your Sage Mode is far from perfect and can't yet unleash its full potential," Natsuro confirmed. This method essentially involved preparing sage chakra externally before channeling it into the body for use.

While it avoided the dangers of directly handling natural energy, it also eliminated the possibility of further growth, it was a trade-off, as all things are.

"It's impossible to achieve perfection with this method. To truly master sage chakra, you'd need to train in the traditional way," Natsuro explained.

"I understand," Sasuke nodded, then hesitated before asking, "Natsuro, you've fought that man before. With this power, can I kill him?"

Natsuro paused, then nodded thoughtfully. "If you can master this power and use it proficiently, you'll have a strong chance of defeating him, even without relying on your Sharingan."

Natsuro wasn't exaggerating. Even an imperfect Sage Mode placed Sasuke among the top-tier Kage-level fighters. Sage Mode naturally offered significant resistance to genjutsu. Combined with Sasuke's Sharingan, his defenses would be formidable.

Sasuke might still struggle against techniques like Tsukuyomi, but the snake-like sensory ability of the Dragon Sage Mode meant he didn't necessarily need to rely on sight.

The real challenge lay with Susanoo. Sasuke's current abilities were likely enough to break through it except for two factors: the Sword of Totsuka, a sealing blade, and the Yata Mirror, an impenetrable defense. These weapons posed the final hurdles, assuming Itachi didn't hold back.

Of course, Itachi's health was deteriorating rapidly. Given the toll his condition had taken on him, he was unlikely to even match his strength from the original story.

"Is that so?" Sasuke murmured, clenching his fists tightly as a glimmer of determination flickered in his eyes.

"Thank you," Sasuke couldn't help but look at him. He had initially thought Natsuro had come to ask for his help today.

Sasuke had been eager to finally contribute to Natsuro, only to find that, once again, it was Natsuro who gave him an incredible surprise in return.

"You're welcome. Besides, I've already gotten my reward. I extracted what I wanted, including all the natural energy you had accumulated in the past," Natsuro said with a smile.

"That's fine. I couldn't use it anyway. If you need it, feel free to take it," Sasuke replied directly. He saw no point in keeping something he couldn't utilize.

"Good. One more thing. Sasuke, don't attempt to learn Sage Mode on your own. The process of mastering Sage Mode is incredibly dangerous," Natsuro warned seriously.

He was worried that Sasuke might secretly try to train in Sage Mode. The method of learning Sage Mode in Ryūchi Cave might differ from that of Mount Myōboku, but it was undoubtedly just as perilous.

Even for someone like Sasuke, attempting it alone without guidance could lead to disastrous consequences.

"I understand," Sasuke nodded. A power as formidable as this couldn't possibly be obtained easily. That much, he already knew.

Still, the path was now open, and it was one worth pursuing.

"Good. Your primary focus now should be on working with Jūgo to familiarize yourself with this power. Once you've mastered its use, you can visit Ryūchi Cave to seek out the White Dragon Sage and learn the proper method for attaining Sage Mode. With your prior familiarity with sage chakra, you'll likely progress much faster," Natsuro said thoughtfully, outlining a simple plan for Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded again, then turned to Jūgo and said, "Looks like I'll be relying on you from now on, Jūgo."

Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance

Currently on Chapter 268 - Sasuke vs. Itachi (Final)