For Sasuke to actually say the words "Please teach me" was quite rare. After all, this guy had always been proud and had always been ranked first in his year. It wasn't in his nature to ask for help.
But Natsuki wasn't surprised.
Sasuke, in order to take revenge, would do anything to become stronger.
In the original story, he had even gone as far as turning to Orochimaru, completely disregarding any sense of camaraderie or bonds.
Now, although he still had the Cursed Seal placed on him, he hadn't yet fallen to the dark side. After seeing Natsuki's impressive display of power, it was only natural that he would seek guidance.
Natsuki didn't make things difficult for him and smiled.
"What do you want to ask? Just say it. We're friends—no need to stand on ceremony."
Sasuke's eyes gleamed with intensity.
"I want to know—how do you train? How did you get so strong? What was the technique you used to defeat the Bijuu? And… do you have any advice for me?"
A flurry of questions came tumbling out—he was clearly desperate.
Natsuki nodded.
"My path to becoming stronger isn't really a secret. I don't mind sharing it with you. But everyone's situation is different, and the methods that worked for me may not work for you.
That's why I'm more inclined to give you advice rather than a specific roadmap.
You've seen how strong Tenten has become, haven't you? Her progress is the result of following my suggestions."
Sasuke nodded earnestly.
"Tenten really is strong. That much is undeniable."
"Good, I'm glad you acknowledge that."
Natsuki pulled out some snacks and started munching while talking.
"When I was courting Tenten, I gave her this piece of advice:
I told her she needed to identify her strengths and weaknesses, then enhance her strengths while overcoming her weaknesses. That's the key to true strength.
Tenten's strengths are her Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique), her skill with ninja tools, and, well… being rich.
She's now mastered her summoning techniques, has incredible proficiency with ninja tools, and her arsenal of special tools keeps growing because she can afford them.
See? That's the result of developing her strengths. You need to figure out your own strengths and weaknesses too!"
It made perfect sense!
That was the core principle!
Sasuke, of course, understood that Natsuki's reasoning was sound. Tenten was living proof, and Sasuke had seen it firsthand, so he accepted it wholeheartedly.
Kakashi had also given Sasuke plenty of guidance before, but it was mostly just techniques and methods. Sasuke had followed along, learning whatever Kakashi taught, chasing after any chance to get stronger.
But he had never grasped such simple yet profound principles.
Now, with Natsuki's explanation, Sasuke finally felt like the fog had lifted, as if he had found a direction for growth.
"Then… Natsuki, what do you think are my strengths and weaknesses?"
Sasuke seemed reluctant to think about it himself and wanted a direct answer.
"Your strengths and weaknesses, huh… Let me think."
Natsuki picked up a pen and paper, jotting things down as he spoke.
"From what I know about you, your main weaknesses are twofold: one, your unstable mental state; and two, your lack of chakra.
Or to put it more accurately, you don't have enough chakra to reach higher levels of strength."
The chakra deficiency—that much he could accept.
But an unstable mental state? Was that really a problem for him?
Natsuki pointed at Sasuke.
"Don't doubt it. Your mental state really is unstable.
Think back to when we fought at the academy—remember when I hit you with a basic Genjutsu, the Naraku Genzai no Jutsu (Hell Viewing Technique)?
You're an Uchiha with the Sharingan! Even if you hadn't awakened it yet, you shouldn't have been caught so easily by a Genjutsu, right?
I think the trauma you experienced during the Uchiha massacre left a huge mark on you. That's why your mental state is so unstable."
Natsuki's voice was calm.
"Don't underestimate this. Chakra is the mixture of mental and physical energy.
If your mental state is unstable, it affects your chakra growth and control.
Remember when you were learning to tree-climb? With your talent, that should've been easy, but you struggled for a long time. Right?"
Sasuke's mouth opened slightly, and his mind flashed back to the memory of himself constantly falling while trying to climb trees. That scene came rushing back, and he suddenly understood.
So his talent wasn't the problem… it was his unstable mental state that had affected his chakra control, making him struggle even with tree climbing!
As for the night of the Uchiha massacre—he had suffered an overwhelming trauma.
He had witnessed the entire clan being slaughtered, watched his parents die at the hands of his own brother, and was tormented for days by his brother's Genjutsu. It was no wonder his mental state was so unstable.
No wonder Natsuki was so strong—he was so smart. Sasuke felt like he should've come to him for guidance a long time ago!
He nodded vigorously, his eyes blazing with anticipation as he waited for Natsuki's next words.
Natsuki continued,
"An unstable mental state has more consequences than just chakra control. It affects your sleep quality, your appetite, and ultimately your physical growth during these critical years.
Poor health means less chakra, which affects your progress.
Most importantly, it affects your intelligence and critical thinking ability.
Have you ever found yourself getting irritable for no reason?
Have you ever sat down to reflect on yourself calmly?
Have you ever, after learning something new, become arrogant?
All of that comes from long-term mental instability!"
Sasuke nodded furiously.
"Keep going! You're making so much sense!"
Natsuki paused for a moment, feeling like Sasuke's tone was a bit perfunctory. If it weren't for the burning look in his eyes, he might have thought Sasuke wasn't really paying attention.
So he pressed on.
"I don't know the full truth behind the Uchiha massacre, but I've heard that your goal is to kill Uchiha Itachi.
His Sharingan Genjutsu is incredibly powerful.
Your first step should be to learn to stay calm—completely calm.
Otherwise, the moment you face Uchiha Itachi, you won't even have a chance to speak before you're caught in his Genjutsu.
If that happens, you can forget about revenge—you'll probably die a hundred times over.
So first, address that flaw. Learn to calm yourself, stabilize your mental state, and find ways to strengthen your mind.
Or better yet, find a Genjutsu master and train your resistance to illusions.
If you do that, your chakra should also grow naturally, your control will improve, and your learning speed for new techniques will increase.
And when you face your enemy in the future, you won't be so easily caught in Genjutsu.
That's the benefit of overcoming your weaknesses. What do you think?"
Sasuke fell into deep thought.
As he reflected on the past few years, the more he thought, the more he realized Natsuki was right.
His mental instability really was a huge problem.
He almost never slept soundly at night, often waking from nightmares. He couldn't eat properly, and that had seriously impacted his growth, his chakra development, and even his ability to learn techniques.
That's why he had struggled so much with tree climbing.
That's why, even after awakening the Sharingan, his progress with the White Fang's sword techniques and the Chidori had been so slow.
It was all because of his unstable mental state!
And the most terrifying thing was that it made him so vulnerable to Genjutsu.
How could he ever avenge the Uchiha Clan if he kept falling into Itachi's illusions?
Just like Natsuki said—he wouldn't even get a chance to speak before he was trapped in an illusion.
How could he get revenge like that? Might as well just die!
(End of Chapter)
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