Secret Chamber

The funeral had not yet begun, but many family members were already in tears. Konoha might be strong as a whole, but each ninja who died was an individual, a living person.

War had raged across the Shinobi World for years. To outsiders, the ninja killed in battle were just numbers. Only those who had been there could feel the cruelty behind them.

Seeing an Uchiha who had once talked with him at length reduced to a line of text on the Stone Tablet left Fugaku Uchiha heavy-hearted.

He glanced at his father, Uchiha Tenjo. Tenjo stared without expression at Uchiha Ueno's name on the Stone Tablet, sorrow showing beneath his calm face.

The funeral went smoothly. Once everyone had laid down their small white flowers, it was essentially over.

As Captain of the Security Force, Uchiha Tenjo was busy and hurried away after the funeral. Fugaku was about to leave as well when a voice stopped him.

"Fugaku."

It was Orochimaru's distinctive rasp, the kind of voice no one forgot after hearing it once.

Fugaku Uchiha turned. "Orochimaru."

Orochimaru's gaze was gentle now, showing none of the cunning and ruthlessness he would display later. Perhaps he had not experienced enough or seen enough of the Shinobi World's darkness to change completely.

After all, Orochimaru was only five or six years older than Fugaku Uchiha. They could just about be considered members of the same generation.

But the Third Hokage had taken Orochimaru as his Disciple and taught him personally as soon as he graduated. Over the years, Orochimaru had completed many difficult missions, steadily raising his standing in Konoha.

"A few days ago, I read a Battle Report from the Land of Rain," Orochimaru said. "It made special note of your outstanding performance there. You truly deserve to be called a Genius Ninja of the Uchiha."

Under Orochimaru's almost tangible gaze, Fugaku answered modestly, "You flatter me. My teammates and I simply worked well together. Another Jonin would have performed much the same."

"You're too modest. I've read your teammates' files. None of them stand out; they're a typical Konoha squad.

"The fighting in the Land of Rain has reached a stalemate. I expect I'll head to the battlefield before long," Orochimaru said. "I hope you won't turn down my invitation when the time comes."

Fugaku understood. Orochimaru had come to win him over in advance, hoping Fugaku would serve under him in the wars ahead.

At the rate Konoha's Three Sannin were growing, it would be only a few years before they had both the experience and strength to lead troops into battle. The performance of the ninja under their command would count toward their own records.

Fugaku's performance in the Land of Rain made him worth recruiting early. As the son of the Uchiha Clan Leader, he could also lend support to Orochimaru's future standing in Konoha.

The Konoha leadership might exclude the Uchiha, but no one underestimated the clan's size or strength.

To Fugaku, Orochimaru was a good choice at this stage—and the only one. Jiraiya's whereabouts were uncertain. Perhaps, after hearing the Great Toad Sage's prophecy on Mount Myoboku, he was traveling the Shinobi World in search of the child of destiny. The Third Hokage would not recall him before the war escalated on every front.

Tsunade, meanwhile, was researching Medical Ninjutsu and looking for a way to spread and develop it. Fugaku also had no idea how she felt about the Uchiha. After all, the Uchiha bore some responsibility for the First Hokage's death.

As for Hatake Sakumo, Fugaku Uchiha had never considered him. His rise must have caught the Konoha leadership by surprise; he had neither a blood tie nor a teacher-student connection to the Senju line.

The Konoha leadership would not stand by and let power in Konoha fall into an outsider's hands. For now, Hatake Sakumo was a blade they could draw to kill enemies in wartime.

Once the war ended, that blade would be put away again. He was a perfect example of a tool discarded after it had served its purpose. His failed mission after choosing to save his teammates was merely an excuse. The Konoha leadership had plenty of ways to frame someone.

The Third Hokage's compromise made it clear that he, too, was unwilling to let the Hokage position fall into an outsider's hands, even if that person had inherited the First Hokage's Will of Fire and rendered great service in the war.

"I'd welcome the chance to work with you, Orochimaru," Fugaku said. "I hope you'll give me plenty of guidance when the time comes."

Satisfied with Fugaku's answer, Orochimaru nodded. They talked a little more about the situation in the Land of Rain, then went their separate ways.

Fugaku had mastered the basics of Sealing Jutsu and felt no hurry to continue his research. He returned to his room, took the key to the Secret Chamber beneath his father's study from a hidden compartment under his bed, and headed there.

It was the same Secret Chamber as before. Stepping inside felt like entering a current of history.

The Uchiha clan traced its lineage back to Indra, the son of the Sage of Six Paths, making it one of the Shinobi World's oldest clans. Some of its history had been lost to time and war.

What remained was still more than enough for Fugaku to read.

He glanced over the Scrolls in the Secret Chamber. There were very few concerning the Mangekyo Sharingan—only three. Most were probably hidden in Naka Shrine or had been taken by Madara Uchiha.

He picked up and opened one of the Mangekyo Sharingan Scrolls. It described a Sealing Jutsu available after awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan: the Transcription Seal.

It allowed the user to seal a specific Pupil Power in their own eyes or someone else's, set to activate automatically after a certain time or when particular conditions were met.

Later, Itachi would seal Amaterasu in Sasuke's eye to ambush Obito. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he would use Shisui's eye to override Impure World Reincarnation and regain his freedom. In both cases, the Transcription Seal played a crucial role.

Fugaku had not yet awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. Using the Transcription Seal with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan would be difficult, and he had little use for it anyway.

He put the Scroll back and went to the shelves of Ninjutsu records. The Uchiha clan specialized in Fire Release, and most of the Ninjutsu on the shelves concerned it.

Everything from the Great Fireball to the Majestic Destroyer Flame was recorded there. This was the foundation of a clan: a complete system of Ninjutsu that its members could study from their days as Genin until they were strong enough to dominate the Shinobi World. All those Fire Release techniques had their uses.

While some Civilian Ninja took pride in acquiring a single C-rank or B-rank technique, children of the great clans could choose from a wealth of Ninjutsu to find what suited them best.

That was why few Civilian Ninja rose to prominence in the Shinobi World. Those who did were usually taken on as Disciples and trained personally by powerful ninja or those with influential backgrounds.

Fugaku took down the Ninjutsu Scroll labeled Majestic Destroyer Flame. He remembered the technique vividly: the first one Madara Uchiha had used after appearing in the Fourth Shinobi World War, a B-rank Ninjutsu of immense power and sweeping range.

(End of chapter)