Chakra Crystal and Fire Obsidian

December 31st, the Year-End Festival!

The cold front this year arrived earlier than usual; snow swirled through the air, biting and bone-chilling, and people had long since donned thick clothing to ward off the winter freeze.

Yet, the bitter cold could not dampen the spirits of the bustling, excited villagers on the streets, for the New Year was nearly upon them.

The calendar system for the New Year in this world was identical to the one used in Japan after the Meiji Restoration, following the Gregorian calendar.

Night was falling. The evening sun left a trail of orange afterglow on the horizon before slowly fading away, leaving the sky plunged into darkness, save for the high-hanging moon and the stars dotting the firmament, which cast a faint glimmer of light.

By now, the lights in Konohagakure had begun to flicker to life. Villagers walked in groups through the streets and alleys, purchasing festive goods and visiting one another.

The streets were filled with young girls dressed in kimonos and shrine maiden robes, waving around objects that were unclear whether they were toys or ritual implements, imitating the look of the festival and the year-end rites.

Konohagakure at this moment was a scene of joy and laughter, harmonious and warm, with ten thousand homes lit up; it seemed as if nothing worrisome had occurred this year.

Yet, within the vast expanse of Konohagakure, in a remote corner, the pitch-black and desolate Uchiha Clan Compound appeared completely out of place compared to the brilliantly lit village outside.

"Compared to that, this is truly pathetic."

Standing at the gates of the Uchiha Clan Compound and looking toward the distant, brightly lit Konohagakure, Sasuke muttered to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

Seen in this light, it was no wonder his predecessor had been so angst-ridden and desperate for revenge.

Anyone who had suffered betrayal by the person they loved and respected most, only to return home every day to be reminded of them, while looking at the contrast of the happy village in the distance—it would be a miracle if a normal person didn't go insane under such circumstances.

"Time to go."

Sasuke chuckled softly and headed toward the Naka River in the east, carrying a few items in his hands.

These were the offerings for the annual clan memorial service, which he knew about from his memories.

Since he had taken over this body, he would live on as Uchiha Sasuke from now on.

When it came to matters of ritual, he didn't mind spending a little time doing what he could.

Naka Shrine!

After entering the shrine and walking into the main hall according to the memories in his mind, Sasuke set the items aside before he began to examine the place.

Come to think of it, Sasuke hadn't carefully inspected this shrine before. In the five-plus months he had been here, he had only visited twice, and each time he had gone straight to the secret Uchiha underground gathering point beneath the seventh tatami mat in the side chamber.

This was a shrine in the Japanese style. Because it hadn't been cleaned or tidied in a long time, the main hall had accumulated a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. After a cursory glance, Sasuke decided he would clean the place up later.

"Is that a black magatama being worshipped?"

The main hall of Naka Shrine did not enshrine any deity, nor even an ancestor of the Uchiha; instead, it held a comma-shaped object, entirely black, with a texture like stone or perhaps crystal, roughly the size of an adult's forearm.

The magatama usually symbolizes the shape of the soul or spirit, and also represents the shape of the moon.

Both of these were closely linked to the Uchiha.

In particular, the Sharingan of the Uchiha itself was shaped like a magatama, so it was only natural to worship one.

"Huh?"

Sasuke took a closer look and discovered something strange. A magatama usually has a distinct head and tail; the tail is sharp and thin, while the head is wide and round, with a hole drilled in the head for a cord.

But this one had no hole in the head—or rather, the hole was filled with a crimson, diamond-like crystal the width of two adult fingers.

"This thing is not simple!"

The moment Sasuke saw the red crystal, he sensed that it was extraordinary, for he had used Fire Release to light the lamps here just moments ago.

When he used the Fire Release, he had felt a strange sense of resonance, but he hadn't thought much of it at the time, assuming it was just because this was a shrine where the Uchiha had held rites for generations.

Now it seemed that this mysterious red crystal had reacted to the Fire Release in his body.

Curious, Sasuke walked up, removed the embedded red crystal, and examined it closely.

The red crystal was diamond-shaped, warm to the touch, with a dense, fine texture, smooth and soft, possessing a greasy luster. Beyond that, it seemed like nothing more than an unremarkable piece of crystal.

"Chakra Crystal!"

"This thing is a Chakra Crystal!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the origin of the object after a moment of scrutiny.

Sasuke was no stranger to Chakra Crystals; he had known of one such item in his previous life: the crystal necklace left behind by the First Hokage.

The First Hokage's necklace was formed from the crystallized chakra of the First Hokage, containing the Wood Release chakra sealed during Hashirama's lifetime, which possessed the power to suppress the Nine-Tails.

The First Hokage's necklace was a crystallization of Wood Release chakra, while the one in Sasuke's hand was formed from Fire Release chakra.

When Sasuke had previously browsed the books in the shrine, there had been vague mentions that the Uchiha clan also possessed a Chakra Crystal.

To think it was here!

The books were unclear about who had left the chakra crystal behind, but it likely wasn't Indra, otherwise, it would have contained more Yin Release chakra in addition to the fire attribute.

It was likely left by some ancestor in Uchiha history who had cultivated Fire Release to a masterful level.

"If this red crystal is indeed the Uchiha Chakra Crystal recorded in the books, then this black magatama..."

Storing the Fire Release Chakra Crystal in his pocket, Sasuke walked back to the front to examine the black magatama again.

"Obsidian? Black chrome?"

Touching this black magatama that looked more like crystal than stone, Sasuke muttered to himself.

He discovered that the moment he placed his hand on it, the black magatama began to absorb the warmth from his palm, and was even continuously absorbing the light waves and heat emitted by the surrounding candles.

Obsidian is a natural glass formed after the magma flowing from volcanic lava cools suddenly, while black chrome is a loose, dendritic oxide crystal.

The material of this black magatama resembled obsidian, but its properties were like the black chrome often used in his past life for solar absorbers and optical instruments.

"It's Fire Obsidian!"

A flash of inspiration struck Sasuke as he recalled a record he had seen in the clan book, Mineralogy of the Ninja World.

Fire Obsidian is very similar to obsidian, also formed after magma flowing from volcanic lava cools suddenly, but the difference is that obsidian is glass, while Fire Obsidian is a metal!

The predecessor of Fire Obsidian is Chakra metal, but the conditions for its birth are extremely harsh, whether formed naturally or artificially.

Natural formation requires two conditions:

1. Volcanic lava.

2. The volcanic lava itself must also be a Chakra metal vein.

Artificial formation requires throwing Chakra metal into volcanic lava and burning and forging it for at least a century to have a chance of success.

Fire Obsidian is the best material for forging fire-attribute weapons, bar none.

This might be difficult to understand.

According to the records in the clan's Mineralogy of the Ninja World, the Seven Ninja Swords' Kiba was forged from Thunder Pattern Steel, which is similar to Fire Obsidian.

The predecessor of Thunder Pattern Steel is also Chakra metal, formed like thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood, by chance encountering multiple strikes of natural lightning without being destroyed.

"It seems I am also going to have a divine weapon of my own."

A hint of a smile appeared in Sasuke's eyes as he sealed the black magatama into the storage scroll he carried with him.

Clap! Clap!

After putting everything away, Sasuke stood up and clapped his hands, intending to continue completing the tasks for the clan ceremony.

"Uh..."

Looking at the empty offering table in the center of the main hall, even with his thick skin, he couldn't help but feel a bit awkward at this moment.

He had indeed intended to come and complete the clan ceremony.

But he hadn't expected that after arriving, he would end up taking away all the sacrificial items for the Uchiha clan ceremony in one go.

My bad, my bad...