Yoruha's words struck deep into Sasuke's heart.
He was angry but powerless to refute them.
Yes, he had once believed he was a genius too, that he could catch up to Uchiha Itachi's footsteps. He had thought that one day he would become strong enough to kill Itachi, to avenge the Uchiha clan and his parents.
But Yoruha's presence repeatedly shattered his already fragile confidence.
In Sasuke's mind, Uchiha Itachi was far too powerful. The stronger Yoruha became, the more Sasuke realized how immense the gap between himself and Itachi truly was.
He had even begun to doubt whether he could ever catch up to Itachi on his own. Could he really kill him?
Did he even have the strength to make it possible?
Would he be doomed to never avenge his clan or his parents?
After a long silence, Sasuke lowered his head and spoke in a heavy tone. "I want to believe that, but the stronger you are, the more I think about how strong he is. The gap between us is too big. I really have no hope of killing him."
For the first time, Sasuke voiced such defeatist words.
Even Yoruha hadn't expected this.
His earlier harsh remarks were intended to provoke Sasuke's competitive spirit.
Instead, they had extinguished what little hope Sasuke had left.
For a moment, Yoruha felt incredibly awkward.
"Don't forget, you are his brother. You share the same parents, the same bloodline. Why would your bloodline be inferior to his?"
"Maybe you're even stronger than he is."
"What you need most isn't learning some powerful ninjutsu. It's developing your Sharingan to its fullest potential."
"That's the core weapon of the Uchiha clan."
"Trying to learn ninjutsu from me is the most foolish thing you could do."
"I have no Sharingan, so I focus on ninjutsu because it's my only means of fighting. Can you be the same as me? If I had the Sharingan, I'd put all my effort into mastering it. Trying to learn ninjutsu from me is abandoning what makes you special—it's utterly stupid."
"Sasuke, I've never thought that you're weaker than your brother. Remember, you and he share the same bloodline. You can surpass him."
"And you'll do it with the Uchiha clan's eyes, with the legendary Sharingan. Your Sharingan has already awakened. If you keep honing it, you'll surpass him."
"You're an Uchiha, not some no-name ninja. Don't misdirect your efforts."
"Just as Naruto's greatest strength lies in mastering the power of the Nine-Tails, your eyes are your foundation."
"Ninjutsu is only there to complement those eyes."
Yoruha patted Sasuke's shoulder and spoke earnestly.
Of course, the main reason Yoruha said all this was to avoid Sasuke actually becoming his apprentice.
That would've been way too awkward.
Besides, with Sasuke's personality, even if Yoruha refused outright, Sasuke had to be willing to accept the refusal. If Sasuke didn't, Yoruha's rejection would mean nothing, and Sasuke would just keep pestering him.
Yoruha had no interest in dealing with such trouble.
After hearing Yoruha's words, Sasuke lifted his head and looked at him, asking seriously, "Do I really have a chance?"
It was rare for Sasuke to show such a lack of confidence.
Yoruha smiled and said, "Trust me. You'll become far stronger than your brother. You're just being too impatient."
"Training takes time. You can't rush it. You can't become strong overnight, and your eyes need to be developed step by step. You…"
"You're only twelve years old, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Remember, a ninja's peak combat power comes after the age of twenty."
"Do you think you're weak right now?"
"Ask Kakashi-sensei, you're already stronger than many Chunin."
"As long as you learn more from Kakashi about developing the Sharingan and awakening the power of your Uchiha bloodline, it's not impossible for you to defeat your brother, or even the Hokage."
"Don't forget, the reason the Sharingan is feared throughout the ninja world is because it truly possesses a power that can bring despair."
Lately, Sasuke had been feeling hopeless and defeated.
But after hearing Yoruha's words, he calmed down and regained his confidence.
However, Sasuke soon noticed something odd and asked Yoruha with a puzzled look, "But you're the same age as me, so why are you so strong?"
"Your strength right now surpasses even Jonin, and you've even defeated elite Jonin."
Yoruha hesitated for a moment, then quickly replied, "That's because I've hit my growth spurt, and you haven't yet."
"Let me give you an example. If Naruto suddenly mastered the power of the Nine-Tails, his strength would instantly rise to the level of a Hokage."
"I've been accumulating strength for years. You only see how strong I am now, but you didn't see the years of hard training and the blood and sweat I poured into reaching this level."
"Your growth spurt will come when your Sharingan awakens the Three Tomoe. By then, I'll be the one looking up to you."
"Kakashi-sensei is incredibly strong with just one Sharingan. Think about it—you have two. If you awaken the Three Tomoe, do you really think you'll be weaker than Kakashi-sensei?"
"Your brother only has the Three Tomoe Sharingan, right?"
"By the way, how old was your brother when he left the village?"
Sasuke frowned and answered, "Thirteen."
He remembered it clearly.
"See? Your brother left the village at thirteen, which means he hasn't had a teacher for all these years. On top of that, he's been on the run from Konoha. Do you think he's had time to train?"
"Maybe his strength has even degraded since he left Konoha."
"And what about you?"
"You have the peace and stability of Konoha, a systematic education, and excellent teachers."
"Konoha has plenty of Jonin, like Kakashi-sensei, who is not only a master of ninjutsu but also has deep knowledge of the Sharingan. There are also elite Jonin who specialize in taijutsu and genjutsu, many of whom are Kakashi-sensei's classmates and friends."
"What's your relationship with Kakashi-sensei? Of course, you can go to him for guidance on ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. I doubt your brother, wandering the ninja world, has such favorable conditions."
"Most importantly, you have more time to train, and by going on missions, you can turn your training into real combat experience."
"That's why I believe you'll surpass your brother."
Of course, Yoruha was making all of this up.
His goal was simply to keep Sasuke from bothering him.
Still, Yoruha's words weren't entirely without merit.
So Sasuke couldn't refute them and ended up believing him.
Not just Sasuke, but even Naruto and Sakura seemed deep in thought.
Yoruha secretly wiped his sweat.
Kakashi, on the other hand, was staring at Yoruha in confusion.
What is this kid's mouth made of? How is he so persuasive?
The most ridiculous part was that Kakashi knew Yoruha's entire speech had one purpose: Don't bother me, go to Kakashi. If Kakashi can't help, go to the other Konoha ninja.
It was a blatant attempt to shift the responsibility.
But Kakashi couldn't really say anything.
After all, Yoruha's points were hard to refute.
Kakashi was Sasuke's Jonin instructor, and it was his responsibility to guide him.
If Sasuke asked Kakashi to introduce him to Might Guy, Asuma, or even Kurenai, Kakashi really had no reason to refuse.
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