Sasuke only examined the stone tablet for a moment before turning to inspect the other things. He had no interest in the tablet and did not activate his Sharingan to read the words on it. What interested him more was whether the other items in the room could be of any help to him.
He walked step by step toward a bookshelf in the room. Rows upon rows of books sat neatly arranged on its shelves. Clearly, the Uchiha had taken good care of them.
Sasuke casually picked up a book titled Clan History. A thin layer of dust had already settled on it. No one had come to tend to the place for nearly half a month, so dust was unavoidable.
He flipped through it for a while and found that it was indeed just a simple chronicle. After confirming that it contained no records of ninjutsu or techniques, Sasuke returned it to the shelf and continued searching for the next book.
Time passed second by second. Sasuke sorted through the books, opening those with particularly eye-catching titles while merely glancing over books such as Geography of the Ninja World and Travelogues of Ninja Nations. At last, he found two things he needed.
Uchiha Style Fire Release Ninjutsu and Uchiha Style Genjutsu.
Uchiha Style Fire Release Ninjutsu recorded several Uchiha B-rank Fire Release ninjutsu, such as Majestic Destroyer Flame, Great Dragon Fire Technique, and Great Fire Annihilation, as well as several Uchiha A-rank Fire Release ninjutsu like Dragon Flame Song Dance and Wind Flame Dance. Beneath each technique were descriptions of its characteristics and key cultivation points.
In addition to common genjutsu such as Bubble Technique, Hell Viewing Technique, and Fox Mind Technique, Uchiha Style Genjutsu also recorded Sharingan-specific ocular genjutsu such as Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes, Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, and Demonic Illusion: Binding.
There's no Izanagi or Izanami?
Sasuke was not surprised that the book contained no records of the Uchiha's two ultimate genjutsu. Although the book had been placed in this secret Uchiha gathering place—
Judging from the anime and manga, there were more than twenty or thirty Uchiha clan members qualified to enter this place. Naturally, Izanagi and Izanami would not be left somewhere for anyone to browse at will.
Presumably, only the clan head's line and the elder's line possessed them.
Without Izanagi and Izanami, Sasuke was somewhat disappointed. He did not want to learn those two ultimate genjutsu; he wanted to understand their properties and find ways to counter and break them.
One day, he would definitely face Danzo. Only by knowing himself and his enemy could he emerge victorious from every battle. Izanagi's properties were simply too overpowered.
As for Uchiha Itachi, even if Sasuke did not seek him out, Itachi would definitely come looking for him someday. Sasuke was completely certain of that.
Compared to Izanagi, Izanami was even more difficult to guard against. It was a genjutsu that could be cast without making eye contact.
If Itachi discovered in the future that Sasuke had not grown as he expected and that his way of thinking was vastly different from that of the younger brother he remembered, what would Sasuke do if Uchiha Itachi used Izanami on him?
The effect of Izanami was to trap its victim permanently in a loop of the period when the technique took effect, unable to break free on their own. Only by facing one's true heart could it be undone.
Would that true heart be his current one, or the true heart of the original Second Pillar?
And after the genjutsu was broken, would it be the current him—or the Second Pillar that Uchiha Itachi saw as his younger brother?
To a certain extent, Sasuke was even more wary of Izanami than Kotoamatsukami.
Since it was not there, Sasuke did not dwell on it for long. He placed the two books into his waist pouch and continued going through the remaining books, hoping to find more cultivation manuals.
Preferably, manuals related to Lightning Release.
Sasuke's chakra natures were Lightning and Fire. Although he had been born into the Uchiha clan, judging from the original work, the original Sasuke's talent for Lightning Release had been even more exceptional.
He did not hold much hope of finding manuals related to Lightning Release, but finding some would naturally be best. If not, it did not matter.
After picking through the shelves for more than half an hour, Sasuke found no manuals related to Lightning Release—not even a single cultivation manual. It seemed that the shelf contained only those two Uchiha cultivation books.
"Heh..."
Sasuke's eyes gleamed with amusement as he chuckled softly. A unique book that did not fit in with any of the others on the shelf caught his attention, and he immediately picked it up.
"Will of Fire? Heh..."
That out-of-place book was Will of Fire. It had been written by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and every new Hokage added annotations to it.
If it had been the original Sasuke, he would not have found this book strange. Before learning the truth, he had always believed that the Uchiha were Konoha's most glorious clan. Having a copy of Will of Fire in the clan shrine might have seemed abrupt, but it would not have been odd.
But Sasuke, who now understood the many conflicts and entanglements between the Uchiha and Konoha, knew that the Uchiha clan would never place such a book here.
Sasuke casually opened it. Uchiha Shisui's name was written on the title page, indicating that the book's owner had been Uchiha Shisui.
The blank spaces throughout the book were filled with Uchiha Shisui's understanding of the Will of Fire, the meaning of the village, and so on.
Sasuke turned the pages one by one. Although it was mixed with plenty of personal bias, he read it extremely carefully, not overlooking a single detail. Finally, at around two-thirds of the way through, the tone suddenly changed.
The contents were no longer about Will of Fire, but cultivation experiences researched by Shisui. They recorded Shisui's research into Uchiha genjutsu and swordsmanship, as well as his Body Flicker Technique and the Sword Leap Flame, Sun Halo Dance, and Gale Sword he had developed by combining the Body Flicker Technique with Uchiha Style Fire Release Ninjutsu and swordsmanship.
"So you were the one who left this behind, Uchiha Itachi. You really went to great lengths."
Sasuke carefully examined the handwriting. It was identical to Shisui's handwriting in the earlier pages, without the slightest difference. It appeared to be something Shisui had left behind.
But judging from the traces left by the ink and paper, Sasuke immediately determined that these pages had been completed recently, no more than half a month ago.
And Uchiha Shisui had died two years earlier.
Naturally, this book had been written in Uchiha Shisui's name by Uchiha Itachi and left here by him. Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui could be said to have been the closest people in the world.
Uchiha Itachi regarded Shisui as a brother, a confidant, and even a mentor. The two often trained together and knew each other inside and out. Uchiha Itachi's Body Flicker Technique, genjutsu, and swordsmanship had all been cultivated under Uchiha Shisui's guidance.
Uchiha Itachi's purpose in leaving this book was simple. Besides wanting Sasuke to learn from the cultivation experience within and grow stronger quickly, the more important reason was that he hoped his younger brother would become someone like the Shisui he admired—a person who inherited the Will of Fire.
That way, when Sasuke learned the truth one day, he would not seek revenge against Konoha. Instead, he would become one of Konoha's pillars.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
It was just that when the original Sasuke came here, consumed by his desire for revenge, he never opened this book. After finding those two Uchiha cultivation books, he left.
"Thank you. You've done me a favor."
Sasuke chuckled softly. After rearranging the bookshelf, he left Naka Shrine with the three cultivation books he had gained that day.
Before you continue