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[NTU] [ARC-03-GENIN] Chapter : 38
🕑 Added 2024-05-25 16:54:00 +0000 UTCThe same evening, Fugaku and Toshiro can be seen walking towards the Naka Shrine temple. The temple had an old priest and a couple of helpers for its maintenance. After reaching the temple, they greeted the old priest and had some small talk.
"Toshiro, follow me!" commanded Uchiha Fugaku, without waiting for Toshiro's reaction. Nodding to the old man beside him, Fugaku led the way into the basement.
This shrine, dedicated to various deities such as Susanoo and Amaterasu, also served as the Uchiha clan's ancestral hall. Here, names were inscribed for deceased clan members, allowing relatives to mourn.
The Uchiha shrine was streamlined to fit the clan's needs. After bowing to the old priest, Toshiro followed Fugaku down the stairs, through a dark corridor, and into the main room of the basement. This room, square in shape, measured about forty or fifty square meters, providing ample space for their purposes.
In each of the four corners stood a candlestick, with the candles already lit by Fugaku, who had descended first. The dim candlelight flickered, illuminating the basement.
At the center of the basement were two large sandalwood bookshelves and a granite platform. Unlike the slightly cluttered clan library, every book and scroll here was meticulously organized and neatly arranged. The materials used to record this knowledge were also superior—tougher, more durable, and clearly more valuable.
"The treasure trove of the Uchiha clan is truly extraordinary," Toshiro thought as he took in the basement's furnishings.
One bookshelf bore labels for the five elemental chakra natures: fire, thunder, wind, earth, and water. Under each label were hundreds of scrolls, neatly stacked. These scrolls contained various elemental ninjutsu collected by the Uchiha clan over centuries, leveraging their Sharingan's advantages.
A dozen or so scrolls stood out among the rest, their appearance thicker and more robust, made of some unknown creature's leather. Toshiro wondered if these were all S-class jutsus.
Another bookshelf was labeled with categories like seals and illusions. Among these were several delicate scrolls, likely S-class ninjutsu, though their lack of specific labels made it hard to judge.
On the stone platform in the center lay several enormous scrolls, each over half a meter in length. These scrolls, though unmarked, were clearly extraordinary just by their size.
"These are the clan's collected secret jutsus over the years." Fugaku's voice broke the silence as Toshiro's gaze shifted between the bookshelves, labels, and scrolls.
"The first bookshelf contains the standard ninjutsu that our clan has collected over the years. All are rated C and above, with more than a dozen reaching S-level," Fugaku said, his eyes full of pride.
Seeing Toshiro's interest, Fugaku began to introduce the collections one by one, ignoring the young man's surprised expression. His tone was filled with pride as he explained.
"The other bookshelf holds various sealing jutsus, conventional illusions, and some incomplete but highly valuable secret jutsus the clan has gathered."
He pointed to the granite platform at the center. "On this platform, there are several large scrolls. These contain the Fire Release Secret Scroll, the Genjutsu Secret Scroll, the Yin-Yang Release, and the forbidden jutsus.
The secret art scrolls have been accumulated by the Uchiha clan since the Warring clans era. The Fire Release Secret Scroll is the result of countless ancestors refining the nature and form of Fire Release.
The Genjutsu Secret Scroll includes exclusive genjutsus that can only be used by those who have awakened the Sharingan. The Yin-Yang Release Scroll is particularly unique, with our Yin chakra affinity being unparalleled in the ninja world. Although our Yang Release jutsus are formidable, they still fall short compared to the Senju clan.
Finally, the forbidden jutsus include not only 'Izanagi' and 'Izanami' but also several other high-risk jutsu with severe consequences for misuse."
Fugaku continued, "Among these, except for the Genjutsu Secret Scroll and the Forbidden Jutsus Scroll, which require the Sharingan, you may choose any one, copy it here, and take it home to practice. This is in recognition of your outstanding performance in the graduation test. The clan head himself has granted you this rare opportunity."
Hearing this, Toshiro's eyes widened as he surveyed the treasure trove before him. The flickering candlelight cast shadows across the basement, illuminating the large bookshelves and the enormous scrolls on the stone platform.
The abundance of options temporarily overwhelmed him. He wished he could take the entire basement home and study each item at his leisure, but he knew he had to make a decision.
Inside a dimly lit basement, scrolls unfurled, revealing various powerful and ingeniously conceived jutsus, each more fascinating than the last. These innovative uses of chakra made his eyes shine with excitement, sparking new insights into its potential.
As he delved deeper into the scrolls, he couldn't help but marvel at the versatility of chakra, this mystical energy introduced to the ninja world by the Otsutsuki clan. Its applications were endless and often bizarre.
One jutsu, the "Shadow merging jutsu," captured his attention. According to its description, the user could meld into shadows, enabling silent assassinations or ambushes. While infiltrating, the jutsu ensured near-total silence, making defenses almost useless. It was ideal for stealth operations and intelligence gathering. However, it had a significant flaw: the caster's movement slowed considerably after casting, and hiding in the shadow of a person or animal risked exposure if the host moved. Nonetheless, at night or in the shadows of objects, this jutsu was indispensable for black-ops missions.
These jutsus, each with their own unique advantages and limitations, expanded his understanding of chakra's boundless possibilities and reinforced his appreciation for its mystical nature.
Earlier, he had come across an S-rank Fire Release ninjutsu called the "Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon jutsu." This extraordinary jutsu addressed the typical vulnerability of fire nature to water nature. By manipulating chakra to an extreme degree, both in nature and shape, it created a flame dragon stretching tens or even hundreds of meters. This dragon could drive into the enemy's Water Release ninjutsu, using its tremendous impact to crush the opponent's jutsus or maintain its form underwater. Its intense heat would gradually force enemies out of the water. Making it impossible for them to use the water as a resource.
The execution of this jutsu required extreme precision in chakra nature transformation, shape manipulation, and control, making it a formidable skill.
As he reviewed these jutsus, he felt overwhelmed but exhilarated. They fulfilled his fantasies of supernatural power from his previous life as an ordinary guy. The ability to command wind and thunder, to manipulate water and fire with a thought—such feats were both awe-inspiring.
"Hmm, it might be an exaggeration," he mused. "But if I learn the Flying Thunder God jutsu, teleporting a hundred miles might just be within reach."
The urge to copy all these jutsus and study them in detail was overwhelming. The intricate changes in nature and form, the creative ideas—they all expanded his understanding of chakra.
He was convinced that mastering all these jutsus would elevate his knowledge and application of chakra to new heights. To him, all ninjutsu, secret arts, and even bloodline limits were just variations of chakra. Understanding their principles made the seemingly unreachable Kage-level powerhouses not so distant after all.
"It's a pity the Flying Thunder God jutsu, the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu, and other forbidden jutsus developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, aren't here! I had a bit of hope since Madara knew how to release himself from the Impure World Reincarnation Contract. If the clan had that, it's not far-fetched to think they might have the Flying Thunder God as well. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so conflicted—I'd just choose the Flying Thunder God jutsu and give it a try, regardless of the difficulty."
With a regret that outsiders couldn't detect, he finished browsing through a lot of the scrolls and approached Fugaku, who was sitting with his back to him on the stone platform.
The reason for going through all the scrolls was to broaden his horizons and gain inspiration for jutsus and chakra manipulation. After confirming that the Flying Thunder God jutsu wasn't in this secret room, he had already made his choice.
"Fugaku-senpai, I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I've picked the scroll I want to copy.!"
Fugaku, sitting cross-legged on the futon in front of the stone platform with his eyes slightly closed, looked as if he were dozing off. He glanced back at Toshiro upon hearing his voice.
"Oh, you've already made your choice?" Fugaku asked, curious. "Which ninjutsu or secret jutsu did you pick?"
As he is a prodigious clan member, Fugaku was intrigued by his final decision.
"Did you go for one of those powerful S-rank ninjutsu? Or perhaps a mysterious secret jutsu?"
He knew that the former might be too powerful for someone of Toshiro's age. The chakra required to perform such jutsus and the demands for chakra nature and form transformation were immense. The latter, the secret jutsus, required harsh conditions and exceptional talent—not something an ordinary ninja could easily master.
He hadn't considered the sealing jutsus nearby, thinking a boy of Toshiro's age wouldn't be interested in them. Typically, young ninjas choose jutsus beyond their current capabilities. However, he didn't realize that the young man before him was actually quite interested in seals, though limited by his opportunities. Toshiro had to choose what would benefit him the most at the moment.
