The Uchiha Ancestral Hall

After the meeting, Shin and Madara left the conference hall together and headed for the Ancestral Hall. The Uchiha Clan kept B-Rank and lower ninjutsu in the Ninjutsu Attic. Only A-Rank and S-Rank techniques were stored underground in the Ancestral Hall, under the watch of a designated guard.

Before long, the two entered the Ancestral Hall, went around to the back, and opened a secret passage leading underground. They went in one at a time.

The space beneath the Uchiha Ancestral Hall was enormous. Shin had never been down here before, and couldn't help looking around.

A Black Shadow appeared with a whoosh, its whole body shrouded in a black robe. It was impossible to tell its age or what it looked like.

"Young Master Madara and Young Master Shin, I presume? The clan leader told me to expect you. Please, follow me." The Black-Robed Man's voice was strange, as though each word came out one at a time. It was impossible to tell whether the speaker was male or female.

After leading the two through a winding series of turns, the Black-Robed Man brought them to a stone door. He knocked three times on the third brick to its right, and the stone opened on its own. Beyond it was pitch-black; they couldn't see a thing.

"This is the place. You may go in on your own. You can only choose one A-Rank ninjutsu. The S-Rank techniques are all protected by Sealing Techniques, and cannot be opened without the proper mark." After speaking, the Black-Robed Man stepped back and disappeared into the shadows.

"Come on in, Shin!"

Madara called to him and stepped through the stone doorway first. Shin hurried after him.

Boom, boom, boom!

As soon as the two stepped inside, the stone lamps on the walls lit automatically, illuminating the entire stone chamber. The light wasn't especially bright, but it was enough to read the scrolls.

Uchiha Madara seemed familiar with the place. He immediately started looking through the scrolls one by one, saying as he went, "These are all A-Rank ninjutsu. The S-Rank ones are over there, but they're all sealed and can't be opened." He pointed to the far end of the chamber, where several raised platforms stood, each with what looked like a scroll resting on it.

Seeing how familiar Madara seemed with the place, Shin asked, "Have you been here before?"

Madara didn't even turn his head. "I learned the Dragon Flame Song Technique here."

Shin tilted his head and glanced at him, then ventured, "Did you sneak in?"

How did you know?

Uchiha Madara's hand paused for a moment, then he carried on as if nothing had happened. He gave a cold snort and didn't answer.

Shin chuckled. He knew he'd guessed right.

He examined the scrolls in front of him one by one. A-Rank ninjutsu were treasures among the various clans, and even a great clan like the Uchiha didn't have many.

Shin estimated that there were about ten scrolls on this shelf. There were fewer than four rows in all, meaning the entire Uchiha Clan had roughly forty A-Rank techniques. As for the S-Rank ones, there were even fewer. He'd taken a quick look earlier and seen nine raised platforms.

"Majestic Destroyer Flame, Majestic Demolisher Flame, Dragon Flame Song, Dust Concealment, Infinite Flame Great Breakthrough..."

Clearly, every technique in Shin's row was Fire Release Ninjutsu. In fact, most of the techniques here were Fire Style, with some Lightning Style and very few of the other kinds.

After all, the Uchiha Clan's primary affinity was fire. A small number of clan members awakened an affinity for lightning, while other affinities were rare.

For example, Shin had only a single fire affinity, whereas Uchiha Madara had both fire and lightning.

"I want them all! Even if some aren't much use to me, I could sell them to that lousy system for a ton of points!" Shin nearly drooled as he looked at the scrolls.

"I've got the Rasengan for single-target attacks, the Crow Clone to protect myself, the Flying Thunder God for movement, and the Sharingan's genjutsu. All I'm missing is a wide-area attack, and I'll be set."

As the thought crossed his mind, Shin picked up Majestic Destroyer Flame without hesitation. He remembered how Madara had used the Fire Style technique when he first appeared in the original story. It had been so awe-inspiring that dozens of shinobi had barely managed to hold it back with Water Style.

The Sharingan appeared in Shin's eyes, its Three Tomoe slowly turning as he committed every word on the scroll to memory. The Sharingan had an automatic memorization ability, so it didn't take long for him to memorize Majestic Destroyer Flame.

Shin put the scroll back and picked up Majestic Demolisher Flame beside it, chuckling to himself. "Who says I can only choose one? With the Sharingan's incredible memory, I'd be an idiot not to use it."

Still thinking, he unrolled the scroll, only to find...

"Damn it! Why is this scroll completely blank?" Shin shouted.

Not far away, Uchiha Madara broke into a gleeful grin and laughed out loud. "Hahaha, idiot! Did you think everyone else was stupid? Think about it—if you could just read the techniques here, how could I have learned only the Dragon Flame Song last time? Hahaha, you're killing me!"

Shin's face darkened. That guy had definitely done it on purpose. He acted all cold and aloof, but was actually a tsundere. He'd been watching Shin the whole time, just waiting for him to embarrass himself so he could laugh at him. No wonder Senju Hashirama would keep him under his thumb for the rest of his life.

He put the scroll back where it belonged, silently cursed Madara, then turned and left. You can stay here and read until your eyes fall out!

After leaving the Ancestral Hall, Shin saw that it was already getting late. If he wanted to reach Fujiwara Mine today, he'd have to travel through the night, and he definitely wasn't doing that.

When he returned to his room, a delicious aroma greeted him. The table in the living room was already covered with food, and six-year-old Chiyo Hotaru was bustling around.

"Ah, Lord Shin, you're back!"

The little maid noticed Shin, quickly set down the soup she was holding, and bowed to him.

Shin smiled and nodded, then sat down at the table. The little maid thoughtfully served him a bowl of rice.

"You don't have to follow so many rules at home. Just relax." Seeing her standing cautiously behind him, Shin smiled and tapped the table. "Sit down and eat with me!"

Chiyo Hotaru took a step back and shook her head, speaking softly. "How could I? I'm your maid. I'm not worthy of sitting at the same table as you."

Shin shook his head inwardly. He knew that notions of status and rank ran deep in the Warring States Period, and that words alone probably wouldn't change her mind. So he pretended to be angry. "That's an order. Sit down and eat with me."

As expected, Chiyo Hotaru fell silent. She lowered her head, sat down, and quietly served herself a bowl of rice, looking at Shin as though she were about to cry.

Shin paid her no mind and simply ate his meal. He had to admit, the little maid was a good cook.

As he ate in silence, Shin felt a strange sense of peace. In the years since he'd come to this world, he'd always been alone in his room. Sometimes, he'd felt a bit lonely. Now, with a little maid suddenly in the house, even though it hadn't been long, the place already felt more alive. It was no longer so lifeless and empty when he was by himself.

This is pretty nice... Shin thought.

As for the little maid, seeing that Shin was really just eating and wasn't paying attention to her, she secretly tucked a mouthful of rice into her own mouth. Eating with Lord Shin made her feel warm inside!