"How do I see it? With my eyes, of course!"
Kou spoke evenly and spread the scroll across the table.
Beneath its dark purple cover lay pages packed with narrow, sharp handwriting. One glance was enough to recognize Orochimaru's style.
Kou ran a fingertip slowly down the page, following the lines with his eyes. The farther he read, the darker his gaze grew.
"Uchiha Fan, the third clan head who spearheaded reforms in the early Warring States Period and established the ninja clan contract system that shaped the Ninja World for centuries—the world's first ninja.
"Uchiha Jiahao, the master of fire-style ninjutsu who developed the Great Fireball Technique, Majestic Destroyer Flame, Dragon Fire Technique, and other techniques still passed down today. He changed the Uchiha clan crest from three Tomo to a Gunbai.
"And Uchiha Jie and Uchiha Chiri—Demon Pill and Spirit Pearl—who developed Izanagi and Izanami, respectively, in the middle of the Warring States Period."
"...And that doesn't even include the figures from the Era of Ninshu before the Warring States Period, when they still bore the Otsutsuki name.
"With so many monsters up his sleeve, no wonder that old bastard Madara is so confident."
Kou studied the Uchiha ancestors listed under the Otsutsuki name and the detailed accounts of their Mangekyo abilities and methods. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Those monsters from the Warring States Period are nothing to scoff at, but we need to pay particular attention to these old relics from the Era of Ninshu.
"As the saying goes, the older the ninja, the finer the vintage.
"They might not be stronger, but most of that era's ninjutsu has been lost. I've learned a little through other channels, but not much.
"If they have any particularly nasty tricks, we could take a serious hit.
"This intelligence from