Chapter 261: Sasuke, It's Time...

Uchiha District

Natsuro strolled leisurely through the Uchiha district.

Initially, he had gone straight to Sasuke's house, but finding it empty, he set out to search for him elsewhere.

If Sasuke wasn't home, then he was most likely at the training grounds.

And sure enough, upon arriving at the training field, Natsuro saw a familiar figure collapsed on the ground.

"So dedicated, huh?" he commented as he walked over to Sasuke, who was still panting heavily, his entire body drenched in sweat.

"…Mm. Before I face him, every bit of strength I gain is worth it."

Sasuke had already noticed someone approaching. But when he saw that it was Natsuro, he relaxed.

He wanted to stand up, but his body was completely resisting his commands.

Natsuro, seeing Sasuke struggle, said casually, "If you're this exhausted, don't bother getting up. I'm in no rush, I'm done with work anyway."

"…Alright." Sasuke didn't argue.

Instead, he focused on recovering his strength.

Natsuro looked around at the devastated training field.

The last time he had come here, it had been fairly well-maintained, now, it was in shambles.

But he wasn't surprised. After all, he himself no longer trained in Konoha's public training grounds.

At this point, any technique he practiced would likely obliterate the entire area in an instant.

If the village had to rebuild a training field every time he used it, Konoha's earnings probably wouldn't even be enough to cover the costs.

And now, Sasuke was approaching the same level, his growth was starting to outpace what normal training grounds could handle.

After a long time, Sasuke finally managed to stand up, albeit with difficulty.

Then, he led Natsuro back home.

Once inside, Sasuke instinctively went to prepare tea for Natsuro.

"I'll do it myself," Natsuro said, wrinkling his nose slightly.

"I already know where everything is, you should go clean up first."

That strong scent of sweat was hard to ignore.

"…Alright."

Sasuke glanced at Natsuro, noticed his reaction, and felt a little awkward.

But since Natsuro had visited plenty of times before, there was no need for formalities.

Not long after, Sasuke returned, freshly changed into clean clothes, and sat across from him.

He wasted no time and immediately asked,

"You wouldn't come here unless it was something important. What's going on?"

Sasuke knew that Natsuro was well aware of how hard he was preparing for his final battle.

If it wasn't something major, he wouldn't have interrupted his training.

Instead of answering right away, Natsuro simply handed him a letter.

"It's from Itachi."

The moment Sasuke saw the letter, his whole body tensed.

With slightly trembling hands, he took the envelope and began reading.

Natsuro, meanwhile, continued sipping his tea. He had to admit, Sasuke kept good tea at home. Even the tea he prepared for himself at home wasn't necessarily as good.

After thinking for a moment, Natsuro suddenly realized something...

As Hokage, he had completely forgotten that he had the power to assign ninja to bring him high-quality tea from other lands.

If he recalled correctly, the Land of Flowers had some pretty decent tea…

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Natsuro discreetly observed Sasuke's reaction.

Just as expected, even without using any special techniques, he could clearly sense Sasuke's emotional turmoil.

After a moment, Sasuke closed his eyes.

He sat silently, lost in thought. "…So it's finally time, huh?" Sasuke murmured, his voice hoarse.

It hadn't been that long since his last conversation with Natsuro about this.

And yet, Itachi had actually contacted him already…

"Yeah," Natsuro nodded. "To be honest, even I didn't expect it to be this soon."

In the original timeline, Itachi had still held on a bit longer.

But now, Itachi was probably at the very limit of his endurance.

If he didn't act soon, he wouldn't be able to act at all.

Sasuke's emotions were complicated.

This was the moment he had waited for his entire life. And according to Natsuro, he now had the advantage...

Itachi was already at death's door. Sasuke's chances of victory were high. And yet, for some reason…

Sasuke wasn't sure what he was feeling right now. It was almost like… that feeling of hesitation when nearing home.

The closer he got to his long-awaited goal, the more uncertain he felt.

"I'll go with you in a few days," Natsuro suddenly said. "But don't worry, I won't interfere. This is between you and Itachi."

"…Alright." Sasuke nodded.

He had expected that someone from the Akatsuki might observe the battle.

But knowing Natsuro would be there, Sasuke felt a little more at ease.

Because if him was present, then he could fight without any distractions.

Even if members of Akatsuki were watching, they wouldn't be able to touch him.

Sasuke knew for a fact, none of them were a match for Natsuro now.

Because he had seen it with his own eyes, Natsuro's power only continued to grow at an inhuman speed.

Sasuke himself had become much stronger, but Natsuro…

He was always stronger.

In fact, Sasuke suspected that even the strength Natsuro displayed during his Hokage Inauguration was now outdated.

Natsuro stood up and spoke one last time. "Best of luck, Sasuke."

"And don't forget, there are people in the village waiting for you."

"Naruto, Sakura, Jūgo, Karin, Shikamaru and the others."

"Thanks, I understand."

Sasuke nodded. Unlike in the past, he didn't try to keep Natsuro from leaving, right now he really wanted some time alone.

"Mm."

Natsuro looked at Sasuke and smiled.

Compared to the original version of Sasuke, this one was much calmer and less rebellious.

And that was, without a doubt, partially thanks to him.

Natsurohad no doubts about Sasuke's chances of winning.

If Sasuke were facing a completely healthy Itachi, the battle might be more difficult.

But against an Itachi whose body was already failing, there was nothing to worry about.

Even if this version of Itachi fought at full strength and didn't hold back, Sasuke still had a high chance of victory.

Not to mention, everyone knew what Itachi's real goal was.

Previously, Natsuro had been a little concerned about Sasuke's refusal to take Itachi's eyes, which would prevent him from obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

But now?

Natsuro didn't care anymore. If Sasuke didn't want them, then so be it.

For all he knew, Sasuke might just "cheat" his way into awakening the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan later on anyway.

After all, he was Indra's reincarnation, the chances of some kind of power-up happening were pretty high.

And even if it didn't happen, Natsuro could just work harder himself and make sure things stayed under control.

At this point, he was slowly gaining the confidence that he could handle the Fourth Shinobi War on his own.

In fact, he was starting to think that rather than being a piece on the chessboard, he wanted to be the one playing the game.

After Natsuro left, Sasuke quietly cleaned up the teacups, as if nothing had changed.

As if this was just another ordinary day.

In truth, Sasuke wasn't much of a tea drinker.

The reason his house was stocked with tea was solely for guests.

Of course, when he said "guests", in reality.

There was only one person he ever hosted.

Natsuro.

The only other person who occasionally had tea here was Jūgo.

As for the rest?

Even among the Konoha 12, no one really visited him.

It wasn't their fault, even though this Sasuke was friendlier than in the original story, he was still seen as distant and somewhat solitary.

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