Fujimoto Tōma studied Jūgo carefully, watching the wild natural energy rampaging through his body. As expected, Jūgo's constitution really was abnormal.
"Jūgo," Tōma said directly, "channel your power into Sasuke through the curse mark."
"What?!" Jūgo froze. "But that power doesn't really help Sasuke. It could even be dangerous."
"It's fine," Sasuke said at once. After remembering the modifications Tōma had just made, his eyes lit up. "If Tōma says to try, let's try."
"…Alright." Jūgo hesitated, then placed his hand on Sasuke's neck.
In an instant, his arm transformed, scales spreading as it warped into a monstrous claw. His power surged forward.
Then Jūgo paused.
Not all of his energy was going in.
It felt as if the curse mark itself was selecting what it wanted, rejecting the rest. That hadn't been the case before. In the past, Sasuke could absorb everything when suppressing Jūgo's rampages.
Jūgo glanced instinctively at Tōma.
This change had to be his doing.
Uneasy at first, Jūgo soon relaxed. Whatever Tōma had done, if something went wrong, he clearly had the ability to fix it. With that thought, Jūgo focused and continued feeding his power in.
"That's enough," Tōma said after a short while. This was only a test.
Jūgo stopped. Sasuke frowned. He didn't feel much different. It felt… the same as before.
"Sasuke," Tōma said seriously, "the seal I set up isn't the same as before. Now, inject your own chakra into it. Stop immediately when I tell you."
"Got it." Sasuke didn't hesitate.
Time passed. Only when Tōma spoke did Sasuke finally stop.
Tōma sensed the state of the curse mark and smiled faintly. The kind of smile that came from a successful experiment.
"Good. I'll teach you the hand signs to activate the seal. Once you've memorized them, you can use this power in battle."
Sasuke stiffened. As the hand signs imprinted themselves in his mind, he finally felt it.
Power.
Strange, unfamiliar, yet unmistakably his. It was mixed with his chakra, responsive and controllable.
"Remember this feeling," Tōma warned. "When I'm not around, don't overdo it. Once it reaches this level, stop."
"I will," Sasuke said, excitement creeping into his voice.
"Then let's test it now."
Sasuke's eyes gleamed. He immediately formed the hand signs.
The curse mark rotated, releasing the energy it had stored. It poured into Sasuke smoothly, without changing his physical appearance.
Yet both Tōma and Jūgo could feel it.
Sasuke's presence had changed. Sharper. Heavier. Dangerous.
When Sasuke opened his eyes, they had become slit like a snake's. Purple markings spread around them.
Tōma nodded. It wasn't as refined as Naruto's Sage Mode or Kabuto's perfected form, but it easily surpassed Jiraiya's.
This curse mark now played a role similar to the Hashirama cells Madara once relied on. Madara couldn't use Sage Mode himself, but borrowed it through another medium.
Now Sasuke had something similar.
And with Jūgo around, it wasn't a one-time boost either.
"This power…" Sasuke whispered, clenching his fist.
"Chidori!"
Lightning screamed as he drove the technique into the ground.
Boom!
A deep crater exploded outward.
Sasuke stared at it in disbelief. Chidori was meant for piercing, not wide-area destruction. This output was far beyond normal.
And it wasn't just jutsu. His body felt stronger. Faster. There was even a strange new perception, like sensing the world through a snake's instincts.
"This kind of power…" His fingers trembled. "With this… I might really be able to kill him."
"It looks effective," Tōma said calmly. "Dragon Cave Sage Mode doesn't amplify ninjutsu as much as Mount Myōboku's, but this is more than enough."
Sasuke withdrew the energy back into the curse mark. "Tōma. This power… what exactly is it?"
"Sage Mode," Tōma answered.
"Sage Mode?" Sasuke frowned. Another unfamiliar term.
"It's a power mastered by the Three Great Sage Regions. What you used just now belongs to Dragon Cave."
"So I'm cheating my way into Sage Mode?" Sasuke said, amazed.
"In a sense," Tōma admitted. "It's incomplete. You can't reach the full potential this way. It's safe, but it limits growth."
He paused. "To truly master it, you'll have to train properly yourself."
"I understand." Sasuke nodded, then hesitated. "Tōma… you fought him before. If I use this power, can I kill him?"
Tōma thought for a moment, then nodded. "If you master it, you have a very high chance. Even without the Sharingan."
He wasn't exaggerating. Even an imperfect Sage Mode was already top-tier. It resisted genjutsu well, and combined with Sasuke's Sharingan, it closed many gaps.
The real issue wasn't strength.
It was Itachi's Susanoo.
Specifically, the sealing sword and the mirror.
And that was assuming Itachi didn't hold back. In reality, his body was already failing. He didn't have much time left.
"…I see." Sasuke's eyes shone.
"Thank you," he said quietly. He'd thought today was about helping Tōma. Instead, he'd been given something invaluable.
"No need. I got what I wanted too," Tōma replied with a smile. "I took all the natural energy you'd stored over the years."
"I couldn't use it anyway," Sasuke said without hesitation. "Take it."
"One more thing," Tōma added seriously. "Don't try to learn Sage Mode on your own yet. It's dangerous."
"I won't," Sasuke said. Power like this was never meant to be easy.
"For now, work with Jūgo to get used to it. Once you're stable, go to Dragon Cave and learn properly. With this experience, you'll learn much faster."
Sasuke nodded, then turned to Jūgo. "I'll be counting on you."
Jūgo gave a small nod in return.
A new path had opened.