Even without the Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Sasuke, relying only on the Three Tomoe Sharingan, couldn't possibly use Genjutsu to directly control the Three-tailed Isobu; at most, he could only manipulate it for a few seconds.
Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but recall Uchiha Itachi's final words.
"Foolish little brother, without the Mangekyo Sharingan, you're nothing but a worthless waste. I can easily defeat the Three-Tails with my Mangekyo Sharingan, yet your power can't even pierce its scales...
If you want to stand before me and challenge me after capturing the Three-Tails, then desperately remember the pain I gave you! Only pain and hate will give you eyes like mine, only then will you, this waste, be qualified to stand before me."
"That bastard..."
After recalling Itachi's words, Sasuke couldn't help but curse silently. He slowly caressed his own eyes and sneered, "Hmph, Uchiha Itachi, I must thank you for your arrogance, for allowing me to obtain information on the Three-Tails..."
That demon-like elder brother was truly too arrogant!
Uchiha Itachi treated his younger brother as if he were an ant, just like a god would, unaware that the ant had spent years secretly collecting information on his every move and word!
Sasuke was very confident. With his understanding of Itachi over the years and his targeted training, as long as he's given a chance to duel, he's certain he can face and kill Uchiha Itachi!
"What are you thinking?"
Uehara Naraku's words pulled Sasuke back to reality.
Sasuke shook his head, touched his eye sockets, and whispered, "Nothing, I was just thinking about when I can officially start taking action. After all, I can't wait to capture the Three-Tails and then go kill that guy Itachi!"
"..."
Uehara Naraku glanced oddly at Sasuke, nodded, and said, "Alright, if you're that confident. After all, we were comrades during the Chunin Exams. If you indeed manage to kill Uchiha Itachi, I'll acknowledge your strength and let you take his place."
"Oh?"
Sasuke's eyes lit up immediately.
If he remembered correctly, Uchiha Itachi had defeated Uehara Naraku before; if he could defeat Itachi, wouldn't that mean his power surpassed Uehara's?
No, that's not how it should be calculated!
Sasuke looked at Uehara Naraku and made a request: "Hey, Uehara, if I manage to defeat the Three-tailed Isobu, will you fight me? I want to test my strength on you!"
"Huh?"
Before Uehara Naraku could say anything, Deidara was the first to look at Sasuke and challenge him, "Hey, kid, are you crazy? You want to challenge this guy Uehara!"
After a moment, Deidara rubbed his chin with his finger, contradicting his own words, "Seems like it's possible. Uehara's mind and Summoning Beast are amazing, but aside from that one time he made a super volcano, we've never actually seen him fight! Maybe his strength isn't that great?"
"Idiot!"
Sasori of the Red Sand couldn't help but glare at Deidara, saying in a deep voice, "Even if you've never seen Uehara fight, you should remember that he was the one who killed Salamander Hanzo the Half-God, the Fourth Kazekage, and the Third Hokage."
Zabuza added in his gruff voice, "He also killed our Hidden Mist Village's Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura!"
"Eh? Is that so?"
Uehara Naraku curiously turned to look at Zabuza, scratching the back of his head, "Yagura's power wasn't all that much; I really forgot I did that!"
Zabuza felt Uehara Naraku was singling him out.
Back then, when Zabuza attempted to assassinate Yagura, he risked almost everything, yet couldn't take him down, only for Yagura to be easily handled by Uehara...
Zabuza truly felt Uehara was insulting him under the pretense of reminiscence.
Unfortunately, Zabuza was self-aware enough to know he couldn't defeat Uehara.
Zabuza snorted coldly in dissatisfaction, "I remember, you were only twelve back then! After so many years, it's natural to have forgotten..."
"Tch, who would remember such trivial matters!"
Uehara Naraku waved his hand indifferently; he truly didn't want to remember those who couldn't pose a threat.
Besides, with his current power, there seemed to be no one in the Ninja World who could stand as his rival. Possibly, only the resurrected Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama could stir his desire for a challenge.
Uehara Naraku turned to look at Sasuke, seriously gazing at him, and said word by word, "Once you successfully capture the Three-Tails, I will fight you..."
Uehara Naraku stretched open his hand and then clenched it again, adding, "I can completely understand your thought process, wanting to challenge someone capable of testing your strength before your battle with Uchiha Itachi...
So I will try my best to simulate Itachi's fighting style, whether it's Genjutsu, Taijutsu, or Ninjutsu, except for the Mangekyo Sharingan's dojutsu."
Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows and refused, "No need; I want you to show your full strength..."
"Hmm? Full strength?"
Uehara Naraku couldn't help but chuckle lightly at Sasuke, raising a finger, and showing an overwhelming confidence, "Sasuke, don't be too overconfident... I agreed to fight you as a reward for defeating the Three-Tails."
"..."
Sasuke's expression turned unpleasant, as if it brought back memories of himself being overwhelmed by Uehara during the Chunin Exams. He gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's talk after I've captured the Three-Tails! Hurry up and start, I can't wait any longer!"
Uehara Naraku looked at Sasuke, who was checking his equipment, and spoke softly, "We're heading out to attack the Hidden Mist Village now, and they'll soon send reinforcements. They're about a four-hour march from here, which means you have four hours to rest and recover..."
"Understood."
Sasuke nodded.
Seeing Sasuke checking his gear, Uehara smiled and said, "But since it's an exam, someone should monitor you... Summoning Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke appeared in front of everyone.
As everyone watched with surprise, a mechanical puppet with a very aesthetic feminine form appeared beside Uehara Naraku. Her body was composed entirely of small alloy pieces, tightly constructed into a complex puppet.
But this puppet seemed not to be connected to any Chakra Line, standing there with her head lowered, her body without any motion, revealing no hint of its mechanism.
Nevertheless, the mere appearance of the puppet was enough to inspire awe, even if its metal-crafted face still possessed a sense of beauty, resembling that of a teenage girl.
This was Uehara Naraku's puppet, the Clockwork Demon Spirit, Orianna.
Sasori of the Red Sand's eyes narrowed, he couldn't help but praise the puppet as he observed, "To be able to craft such a precise puppet, it's unimaginable art... Uehara, did you make this puppet, or was it a gift from the boss?"
"Actually, it was made by Orochimaru."
Uehara Naraku shrugged, casually throwing the blame onto Orochimaru. Placing his hand on the Clockwork Demon Spirit, he infused her with fifty thousand points of Chakra and whispered, "Awaken, Orianna!"
Click, click...
Click, click...
The sound of machinery began to resonate...
The springs at the puppet's back started to turn...
The alloy plates started rotating, gradually forming a circular automaton in the puppet's hand, hovering in the center of her palm.
The next moment, a bright blue glow emanated from inside the puppet. A beam of light shone from her sockets, and a somewhat gentle mechanical female voice came out of her mouth, "We... will help you kill the enemy... this is sure to be fun."