Natsuki didn't explain right away when he saw Sasuke's expression.
Instead, he waved his hand.
A member of the Uchiha clan quickly entered from the outer yard.
"Go find a genin from our clan. The younger the better," Natsuki instructed.
Before long, a young Uchiha genin arrived—small in stature, only having graduated from the Academy last year.
"What's your name? Have you awakened your eyes yet?" Natsuki asked.
Though he could have checked such information in the clan's records, there were too many Uchiha to bother flipping through.
The boy answered calmly, "Reporting to Lord Natsuki, my name is Kōta. I haven't awakened my Sharingan yet."
Natsuki nodded. "Good. Now attack me with everything you've got."
Uchiha Kōta didn't waste words. He immediately assumed a battle stance.
"Sasuke, watch carefully," Natsuki reminded, then gestured for Kōta to begin.
Kōta darted rapidly side to side, then drew shuriken from his pouch and hurled them. His strength and accuracy, as a genin, were solid.
Natsuki took it seriously, dodging aside. As he shifted, Kōta quickly formed hand seals and launched a Great Fireball in the direction Natsuki was moving.
But Natsuki's body flickered away once more, slipping past the flames.
Abandoning the fireball, Kōta dodged Natsuki's counter and kicked sharply.
Though Natsuki easily blocked and parried, he allowed Kōta to complete a full round of offense.
Finally, catching him mid-air during a kick, Natsuki knocked him flying with a single blow.
"That's enough. You may leave. Before you awaken your Sharingan, don't use so many flashy taijutsu moves."
"Yes, sir! Thank you, Lord Natsuki!" Kōta replied with delight, leaving without protest.
"Did you understand, Sasuke?"
"Teacher… are you saying I move too much?"
Natsuki rapped him lightly on the head again.
Sasuke rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Your mistake isn't that your taijutsu movements are excessive. It's not that your shuriken throwing was poor, nor that your fireball was weak."
"It's that you lack control."
"Control?" Sasuke lifted his head.
"Exactly. The Uchiha-Style Taijutsu has many moves—that's not a flaw. More movements mean more variations of attack. Fist, foot, elbow, shoulder, knee… any part can become a weapon."
"Our style can be as elegant and dazzling as dancing on the edge of a blade."
"But this requires one thing: the Sharingan."
"The Sharingan…?"
"Without its support, you can't keep up with your opponent's speed, nor adjust your taijutsu in time. Without it, the extra motions are nothing but wasted effort."
"Oh!" Sasuke suddenly understood. When Itachi had praised his taijutsu before, it was only because Itachi had the Sharingan.
But he himself, without those eyes, couldn't control the technique at all.
"Your shuriken aim is good. But remember, your enemy won't stand still like a target dummy. Accuracy alone isn't enough—you must predict their movements."
"If you can't predict how they'll react, then what's the point of throwing shuriken? Do you expect them to just stand there and let you kill them?"
"Your brother Itachi's shuriken are famous. He can alter their trajectory mid-flight by striking them against each other."
"And when you cast your fireball—you couldn't even see where your enemy was. The enemy could be right in front of you, and you wouldn't even stop the jutsu. Do you think an enemy will wait politely until you're done casting?"
"A Great Fireball isn't about how big or how long you sustain it. It's about releasing it at the right moment, with control."
"Mm! Mm!" Sasuke nodded earnestly, realizing now how different battle was from training.
So all along, his brother really had just been humoring him, treating it like a game.
"When do you throw your shuriken? Which way will your opponent dodge? Do you continue with more shuriken to create an opening, or use fire release to drive them into your trap?"
"There's one thing you must understand." Natsuki raised a finger.
"The Great Fireball Technique, which every Uchiha knows—it's usually used to compress an enemy's movement space, or to mask one's body for an approach."
"But actual shinobi who die from a Great Fireball? Extremely rare."
"Yes, Teacher! I understand now!" Sasuke realized how much more he still had to learn.
Natsuki tapped him lightly on the forehead. "Right now, you can't control your own power. When you can stop or release your ninjutsu at will, and hit moving targets with your shuriken, then I'll teach you the next step."
"And until you awaken your eyes, you are forbidden from using Uchiha-Style Taijutsu."
"…Got it, Teacher. Huh, why do you tap my forehead like my brother does?" Sasuke muttered under his breath.
Still, it made him feel closer to Natsuki.
"Mastery over your abilities is a required course for any strong shinobi."
"Sasuke, if you want to be strong, every technique you learn must be mastered fully before you bring it into battle."
"Otherwise, it may very well kill you instead."
"Yes, Teacher!"
Seeing Sasuke so obedient and attentive now, Natsuki felt a quiet fondness.
It didn't matter how much Sasuke actually remembered. As long as he stopped being so arrogant and grounded himself, his achievements would be far greater.
"Alright, school starts tomorrow. Go get ready. You're almost six now. Your brother graduated at seven, remember."
"Don't worry, Teacher. I'm Itachi's little brother—I'll graduate early too!" Sasuke's face shone with confidence.
Natsuki only shook his head.
Itachi's early graduation was due to circumstances—there had been a shortage of manpower during wartime.
Anyone who could throw a shuriken or use a substitution jutsu was sent to the battlefield, let alone a genius like Itachi.
"The Academy is the best place to build foundations. You also need to learn how to get along with your peers. Learning to communicate with comrades is just as important."
"If you take first place at the Academy, then we can discuss early graduation."
"Teacher, I'll definitely be number one!" Sasuke said firmly.
At the Fire Country border.
After days of traveling in wind and rain, the Uchiha group finally approached the Land of Rice Fields.
Everyone was exhausted.
Itachi decided they should rest first before entering.
The clan members swiftly retrieved supplies from storage scrolls, setting up tents.
Water Release was used to fetch water, Fire Release to start fires.
Some went hunting nearby while others gathered wood and prepared cooking gear.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
Before long, a few members returned with a deer and a wild boar—enough to feed the group.
Itachi pulled out the strategy scroll Natsuki had given him earlier and began reviewing it.
Shisui sat down beside him.
Itachi looked up. "Has your eye power recovered?"
Shisui nodded. "The first time using Kotoamatsukami on so many people, I thought both eyes would be drained. But it seems I still have power left in one."
"Natsuki-senpai must have calculated this. That last Kotoamatsukami… it needs to be used here."
Shisui followed Itachi's finger on the plan. A familiar name appeared there—
Orochimaru.
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