Naruto’s Strongest Force [translation]

Natsuki didn't mind losing. After all, there was still so much he had to learn.

Ever since defeating Obito in the Land of Water, Natsuki had been practicing his sword techniques in the dream space while traveling. This was to make sure his Totsuka-style attacks wouldn't miss in the future and to help teach Sasuke.

Luckily, the Uchiha Clan in his power template had many skilled swordsmen, allowing Natsuki to pick up the techniques quickly.

When he arrived at the Hidden Sound Village, Natsuki gained a few abilities. However, he hadn't sorted through them to find which ones he could use right away.

The earth affinity enhancement pleased him greatly, but there was a problem.

The Earth Release techniques listed in the Leaf's Ninja Handbook were mostly basic ones. The advanced ones, like the Lightweight Boulder Jutsu that could enable flight, weren't there.

As for the most coveted Flying Thunder God Technique? Sorry, that required a specific talent.

Without that talent, no matter how hard one tried, it couldn't be learned.

It was like Orochimaru when Hiruzen taught him ninjutsu—he learned most things instantly. But even Orochimaru couldn't master the Flying Thunder God.

So, even though Natsuki had Orochimaru's talent for analyzing ninjutsu and could easily pick up other techniques, the Flying Thunder God remained out of reach.

After experimenting for several nights, Natsuki had to give up researching time-space ninjutsu for the time being.

During tonight's battle, an idea popped into his mind.

Could he use the techniques he acquired in the dream space? The answer was no.

For now, Natsuki spent his days planning with Orochimaru and his nights training relentlessly in the dream space.

Among the new talents he acquired, the one that immediately boosted his combat ability was Kimimaro's battle instincts.

This talent allowed Natsuki to predict his opponent's next move with incredible accuracy during close combat, giving a significant boost to his swordsmanship.

As for the earth affinity, since there weren't any suitable Earth Release techniques to learn, it was set aside for now.

Natsuki also wanted to master the Sage Mode from the three great sanctuaries.

Kabuto had just left and hadn't been heard from yet.

As for Mount Myoboku, Natsuki considered finding someone to act as a mediator or asking Tsunade's summon, Katsuyu. The Sage Mode plan had to be postponed as well.

Though Natsuki had the chakra of the Uzumaki Clan, he mainly used it to power his Susanoo.

He tried creating a bunch of shadow clones like Naruto.

It didn't go well. When the clones dispelled in the dream space, the feedback nearly overwhelmed his brain.

This confirmed one thing—only Naruto could use shadow clones so recklessly.

Natsuki imagined using clones to activate Susanoo like Madara did.

But when he tried, he realized how incredible Madara was.

In theory, Susanoo, like the Nine-Tails Chakra, could be distributed among shadow clones.

In practice, however, opening Susanoo required both chakra and ocular power.

If you didn't have enough chakra, it wouldn't activate.

If your ocular power was insufficient, it still wouldn't activate.

And if a shadow clone managed to use Susanoo but got destroyed, the energy loss was enormous—a total waste.

Things might be better with wood clones since they're harder to destroy.

But Natsuki didn't know Wood Release, so he had to rely on his own Susanoo for now.

Moments like these reminded Natsuki of how far he was from Madara's strength.

Even with wood clones, you'd still need immense chakra and ocular power to sustain Susanoo.

Fortunately, Madara was still lying in his coffin. Natsuki had time to catch up.

Among his other talents, mastery of music and archery didn't appeal to Natsuki. He had no intention of changing his combat style, so these were set aside.

But Sakon and Ukon's "dual mind" ability was a pleasant surprise!

Typically, Uchiha relied solely on Susanoo in battle without using other ninjutsu.

Susanoo drained so much energy that combining it with other jutsu was exhausting and inefficient. Plus, Susanoo's punches and kicks were usually enough.

Of course, Madara was an exception, using Susanoo and performing planetary destruction techniques simultaneously.

Natsuki discovered that even while using Susanoo, his "dual mind" talent allowed him to cast other jutsu effortlessly. It didn't interfere with his control of Susanoo.

The more he experimented, the more Natsuki realized how extraordinary this talent was.

In the dream space.

This time, Natsuki faced Fugaku.

"Susanoo!"

Fugaku activated his Susanoo after just a few exchanges.

Since Natsuki had sealed his ocular power, Fugaku could open his Susanoo to the third stage, complete with armor.

Natsuki also saw Fugaku's unique Susanoo weapon for the first time—a massive chakra claw.

"Susanoo really comes in all forms," Natsuki thought. Most had swords, while Sasuke's had a bow and Shisui's had a spiral blade. Fugaku's claw was unexpected.

Boom!

Each clash between the Susanoos shook the ground violently.

But Fugaku rarely fought head-on with Natsuki.

Compared to Fugaku, Natsuki's control of Susanoo was far less refined.

Fugaku only fully powered up Susanoo when necessary. Most of the time, he would briefly activate it to block an attack and then deactivate it, making his usage much more efficient than Natsuki's.

Natsuki realized just how crude his Susanoo handling was.

After settling down in the Hidden Sound Village, Natsuki finally had time to organize his abilities.

Every day, he refined his combat system in the dream space.

Kisame spent his days eating and drinking with Kyoko and sparring with Shisui or Itachi in the evenings. Their matches often escalated into large-scale water battles, becoming a daily spectacle in the village.

Kimimaro's condition had stabilized after taking Orochimaru's medicine.

Orochimaru praised Kimimaro's combat talent, calling him a natural genius. Even without his bone abilities, Kimimaro could easily defeat lower-level Sound ninja.

Recognizing Kimimaro's potential, Orochimaru started training him personally.

Meanwhile, Haku's body had recovered enough to begin basic chakra refinement.

Haku was diligent and pure-hearted, quickly grasping theoretical knowledge. If not for his fragile health, he'd already be learning ninjutsu.

Since he was already teaching Kimimaro, Orochimaru decided to teach Haku as well, seeing his talent as a worthy investment.