Teaching Sage Mode
Either the Natural Energy was too little, and it was completely absorbed by the Chakra in the blink of an eye;
Either the Natural Energy suddenly surged, almost rupturing his meridians.
Fugaku slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, opened his eyes, and looked at the two brothers, Yaoyu and Yakumi, who were meditating opposite him. He found that their condition was not much better.
The Yaoyu and the Yakumi caused them to open their eyes simultaneously, exchanging a helpless glance.
Their teamwork was unmatched in the Uchiha Clan; they could execute deadly techniques like the Lightning Release: Twin Duet Dance, which required perfect coordination, with ease.
However, Sage Mode doesn't recognize tacit understanding— Susanoo summons itself independently, and the Natural Energy is absorbed separately, causing the two forces that should complement each other to interfere with each other instead.
Just as the Yaoyu stabilized on one side, the Yakumi fluctuated on the other.
The Yakumi subsided on one side, but the Yaoyu on the other side exploded again.
Uchiha Kei's side, however, represents the other extreme.
His Mangekyo Sharingan Dōjutsu, "Itsumade," is inherently biased towards Yin Release, giving him a more acute perception of Natural Energy than others.
He can clearly perceive the flow of every bit of Natural Energy around him and accurately channel it into Susanoo.
The problem lies in the refining step—his Susanoo like an overly picky filter; Natural Energy enters through Susanoo, it either lacks purity or is simply blocked from entering.
He tried dozens of times, and each time he failed.
In the corner, the Uchiha Yashiro sat cross-legged, his eyes closed and his breathing steady.
He was the only one of the six who hadn't failed yet—because he hadn't even started.
His Mangekyo Sharingan was activated in the aftermath of the Summit War, and compared to the other five, he had the weakest control over Mangekyo Sharingan.
Forget Sage Mode, he already needs to concentrate fully just to keep his Susanoo from being backfired by the Mangekyo Sharingan Sharingan's power.
He took a deep breath, focusing his consciousness back into his body, intending to solidify his foundation before discussing anything else.
The quietest is Uchiha Izumi.
She sat alone in the innermost corner of the cultivation room, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and a fine layer of sweat beading on her forehead.
Her Mangekyo Sharingan was activated for Natsu. Compared to the other five, she had the least practical combat experience and was the least proficient in controlling Susanoo.
Instead of rushing to introduce Natural Energy, she first tried to get Susanoo into a semi-activated state that was between reality and illusion—this was the first and most basic step that Natsu had repeatedly instructed her to take.
She could do this much, but as she went further, the Natural Energy seemed to deliberately avoid her, refusing to get close to her Susanoo.
She bit her lip, determined not to give up, and tried again.
"That's all for today," Natsu's voice came from the doorway of the training room.
He had somehow gotten to the door frame, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the six people one by one.
His tone wasn't harsh, but everyone could tell he wasn't satisfied with the progress.
"Everyone's problem is different: Fugaku is that his Chakra to Natural Energy is not precise enough; Yaoyu's Yakumi is that your synchronization rate is being negatively affected by your tacit understanding; Kei's problem is that the filtering threshold of Susanoo needs to be recalibrated; Yashiro's problem is that his foundation is not stable enough; and Izumi's problem is that he has not fully unleashed his power."
He paused, his tone softening slightly, "Sage Mode isn't something you can master overnight. I had Kunwu's assistance and took some shortcuts, but you didn't, so you have to rely on your own efforts for every step you take."
He turned and walked towards the door, stopping at the entrance and glancing at the six of them. "We'll continue tomorrow. Only when all six of you can master Sage Mode will the Uchiha truly stand at the top of the food chain in this ocean. Don't keep me waiting too long."
Natsu stepped out of the secret chamber, paused at the door, and turned to the Night Owl Guard standing outside, instructing, "Notify Elder Setsuna, Tekka, Taoho to come to the Naka Shrine."
"Yes, Lord Natsu!" The Night Owl Guard bowed and replied, his voice still tinged with excitement.
He was standing in the shadows outside the secret room, on his shift, when that warm current surged through his body.
At first, it was just a warm sensation, as if something was gently brushing against his bones. He didn't pay much attention to it—after all, whenever Natsu Uchiha clan would benefit from it. They had already been warned, and although they were shocked, they were used to it.
But this time is different.
He is nearly forty years old this year.
In the world of ninjas, this age signifies both the peak and the beginning of the decline.
From the Sengoku period to the era of the ninja villages, the Uchiha Clan lost too many of its strongest members who had once stood at the pinnacle—not because they died on the battlefield, but because they were defeated by the passage of time itself.
Chakra flow slows down, muscle explosiveness declines, old injuries ache on rainy days, and those high-difficulty Ninjutsu that you could easily master in your youth will always be a beat slower than your conscious awareness as you get older.
He himself has experienced this firsthand—in the past two years of carrying out missions, his body has been able to hold up, but his energy is definitely not what it used to be.
After finishing a full night watch, he sometimes couldn't even muster the enthusiasm to practice Shuriken with his child. He thought it was an irreversible thing.
But at this moment, he felt as if he had been re-tempered by some force.
It's not that I've returned to being twenty years old—it's that I'm in a better state than I was at twenty.
Sixteen or seventeen years old, the age when you've just awakened your Sharingan and feel like the whole world is at your feet.
Energy surged from my body, as if someone had dug a spring out of a nearly dry well.
More importantly, his physical functions remained at their peak and did not actually regress, but the feeling of fatigue was truly erased.
Along with things that had been puzzling over in his mind for a long time— the Chakra manipulation sequence of a certain Ninjutsu, the timing of a prediction he had failed to grasp in a certain battle—they all became clear at this moment, as if the thin mist covering his mind had suddenly been pierced by sunlight.
This is what Long-Lived Species like. Compared to lifespans that will often be thousands or tens of thousands of years in the future, what are forty or fifty years old?
It's just the period of childhood when we have the most energy.
For Long-Lived Species, several hundred years is only the beginning of adulthood.
Those experiences and insights that were once worn down by time now have enough time to be honed.
Those breakthroughs that were missed during their peak years now have a chance to start over.
The Uchiha Clan's overall combat strength will not suffer a break, those at the top will not be worn down by old age, each generation will be able to leave behind a legacy when they are in their prime, and that legacy will not be lost with the passing of a generation.