In the dream space, Orochimaru swiftly formed the seal.
"Psychic art!" A resounding bang echoed, revealing his colossal figure.
Natsuki shouted, summoning a massive chakra energy body from the ground.
Boom! Violent chakra fluctuations ensued.
Natsuki's Susanoo wielded Yasaka's Magatama, hurling it toward Orochimaru, whose colossal form couldn't evade.
"Ouch!" A low roar accompanied him leaving behind a layer of snake slough.
"Wind Release: Big breakthrough!"
A powerful wind erupted from Orochimaru's mouth, scattering sand and rocks, and creating a chaotic environment.
Within the blurred vision, Natsuki patiently concealed himself within Susanoo, awaiting the opportune moment.
"Bang!" Earth and rocks exploded as he leaped from behind Natsuki, while Orochimaru materialized instantly at the side.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Orochimaru pressed his hands on the ground, summoning a multitude of poisonous snakes.
Natsuki blocked his headbutt, swiftly releasing Susanoo, and placing his hand on Orochimaru's head.
"Contract seal!"
"Bang!" Amidst the thick smoke, Orochimaru's snakes were forcefully teleported back.
Orochimaru formed a hand seal.
The sound of flesh tearing apart accompanied the emergence of a massive white snake head, viciously lunging at Natsuki.
Enduring the substantial chakra consumption, Natsuki reactivated Susanoo and unsheathed the katana.
Eight Branches Technique's infinite regenerative properties led to the constant reappearance of snakeheads.
Natsuki found himself swiftly entangled in the relentless onslaught.
...
The dream shattered and spun; he opened his eyes, consciousness returning to reality.
Another failure.
Is Orochimaru really that strong?
After bombarding Orochimaru with questions and conjectures, Natsuki found his name featured prominently in the dream training.
Initially, Natsuki wasn't overly optimistic about Orochimaru's combat abilities. After all, Orochimaru excelled in scientific research, and his personal prowess was considered average.
He couldn't even get past a single move under Itachi's hands.
Despite numerous sparring sessions, Natsuki consistently found himself on the losing side against Orochimaru.
Whether succumbing to the infinite rebirth of the Eight Branches Technique or falling under the relentless blows of the Edo Tensei First and Second Hokage, or facing Orochimaru's formidable soft transformation and venomous snake attacks, Natsuki found himself meeting various deaths.
The one area where Natsuki struggled was the only illusion capable of restraining Orochimaru.
While Orochimaru couldn't resist Itachi's genjutsu, attributed to Itachi's profound knowledge of the technique, Natsuki relied on the surging power of his eyes to fight vigorously.
Unlike Itachi's finesse, his approach involved overwhelming force, such as using genjutsu to sever control of a specific limb.
While the illusion was easy to employ, it came at the cost of significant eye power consumption.
The effectiveness also depended on the opponent's willpower; stronger opponents exhibited greater resistance.
Facing Orochimaru without relying on illusions left Natsuki with little chance of winning.
Reflecting on the past competition with Jiraiya, even though he held back, the outcome of their final life-and-death fight remained uncertain.
It became obvious, particularly after engaging in a serious battle with one of the three ninjas, that Natsuki had numerous shortcomings.
His victories over Itachi, Shisui, and Fugaku were largely attributed to his high eye power causing their genjutsu ineffective.
In Susanoo, Itachi's Susano'o undoubtedly faced disadvantages, particularly in size.
Itachi's Susano'o had a limit of approximately thirty meters, while Natsuki's Susanoo could reach seventy meters and continued to grow with the increasing power of his eyes.
Setting size aside, Natsuki possessed numerous sealing techniques capable of swiftly containing opponents.
However, a significant gap existed in terms of potent eye techniques. Itachi's Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi presented promising options for Natsuki.
Although he had a disposable eye technique that could be used once, its utility was limited.
What Natsuki yearned for was an offensive eye technique—one with huge lethality.
As the thought emerged, Natsuki sensed a restlessness within his Sharingan.
Um!?
He was astonished!
Could it be!?
The Eye of Soul Reflection, as its name implies, requires a strong and compelling will to awaken the corresponding eye technique.
When Obito awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, it was triggered by the devastating loss of Rin, leading him to feel as if the entire world had crumbled.
In his desperation to escape this reality, he unlocked the "divine power" of another space to break free.
Similarly, Shisui's awakening stemmed from his profound love for peace and his dream of transforming the minds of his tribe and villagers to coexist harmoniously.
This led him to have the "Kotoamatsukami" capable of changing people's thoughts and wills.
Itachi's awakening into the mangekyo was triggered by Shisui's death, driven by Itachi's more extreme thoughts.
In his perspective, if peaceful coexistence was unattainable, one side had to be annihilated.
Thus, Itachi unlocked "Amaterasu," the power that consumes all things. The beautiful hope within his heart manifested as his other eye's technique, "Tsukuyomi," capable of reconstructing the world.
Fugaku, on the other hand, contemplated the future of his family daily. Every decision he made considered the potential impact on the family's future, leading to his awakening of an illusion that could shape this "future."
As for Natsukiu, he felt a profound sense of alienation from the entire world after traversing through time.
After all, he initially lacked a real understanding of time upon his arrival.
Upon awakening the Mangekyou, Natsuki distinctly recalled Susanoo's unparalleled power.
Consequently, he could effortlessly initiate Susanoo, progressing through its various stages without any complications.
However, the Mangekyo Eye Technique proved unreachable. Natsuki's lack of strong emotional will prevented its awakening despite possessing significant eye power.
His arrival in this world spared him from experiencing the harsh realities of war or life-and-death battles.
Even the formidable Killer B posed no significant challenge.
Upon realizing this, Natsuki couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration.
It appeared he had made a considerable oversight. Nevertheless, this revelation hinted at the possibility of building his Eye Technique.
The thought excited him. What if it is like Obito's, use Amaterasu to burn away all things, or rely on Kotoamatsukami to alter others' wills?
After careful consideration, he concluded that such approaches didn't align with his character.
What he desired was the ability to cut through chaos simply and directly.
With a strong will and intense fluctuations in his mental power, he couldn't resist opening his Sharingan.
The crimson eye spun rapidly, and as the outer sword and inner flower Sharingan rotated, three lines extended to the edge of the eye socket.
"Dong, dong, dong..." Like the fluctuation of eye power hitting a flat lake, the sensation spread out, resembling ripples on the water's surface.
Those engaged in Uchiha combat keenly sensed a distinctive eye power emanating from the deputy clan leader as soon as the mangekyo was activated.
After a moment, silence enveloped the scene.
Could Natsuki-sama be testing a new eye technique? Why does this power feel so uniquely exceptional?