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Chapter 57 is out on patreon
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After the meeting adjourned, Xuan and Madara left the hall together and headed toward the shrine.
The Uchiha clan's Ninjutsu collection was divided: B-Rank and lower Jutsu were stored in the library loft, while only A-Rank and S-Rank Jutsu were kept underground beneath the shrine, guarded by specialists.
Before long, the two entered the shrine, circled to the back, and opened the secret passage leading underground, entering one after the other.
The underground area of the Uchiha Shrine was massive. It was Xuan's first time down here, and he couldn't help but look around curiously.
Whoosh. A black shadow suddenly appeared. The figure was completely shrouded in black robes, making it impossible to determine their age or appearance.
"Young Master Madara, Young Master Xuan. The Clan Head has given his orders. Please, follow me."
The robed figure's voice was strange, sounding as if each word was popping out individually, making it impossible to distinguish if it was male or female.
After a series of twists and turns, the robed figure led them to a stone door. He reached out and knocked three times on the third brick to the right of the door.
The stone slab slid open automatically, revealing a pitch-black interior where nothing could be seen.
"This is the place. The two Young Masters may enter on your own. You may only choose one A-Rank Ninjutsu. The S-Rank Ninjutsu are all protected by Sealing Jutsu; they cannot be opened without the correct seal."
After speaking, the robed figure took a step back, melting into the shadows and vanishing.
"Come on in, Xuan!"
Madara called out to him and stepped through the stone door first. Xuan quickly followed.
Boom, boom, boom!
The moment they stepped inside, stone lamps on the walls ignited automatically, illuminating the entire stone chamber.
The light wasn't overly bright, but it was sufficient for reading scrolls.
Madara seemed to know the place like the back of his hand. He went straight to the scrolls, picking through them one by one as he spoke.
"These here are all A-Rank Ninjutsu. The S-Rank ones are over there, but they have seals and can't be opened."
He pointed to the far end of the room, where several high pedestals stood, each holding a faintly visible scroll.
Seeing how familiar Madara was with the layout, Xuan asked, "You've been here before?"
Madara didn't even turn his head. "I learned my Dragon Flame Release Song here."
Xuan tilted his head, looking at him sideways, and probed, "Sneaked in?"
How did you know?
Madara's hand paused for a split second before he recovered his nonchalance. He snorted coldly and didn't answer.
Xuan chuckled. He knew he had guessed right.
He began examining the scrolls in front of him one by one. A-Rank Ninjutsu were considered treasures in any clan. Even for a great clan like the Uchiha, there weren't many.
Xuan made a rough estimate. There were about ten scrolls on his shelf, and there were less than four rows in total.
That meant the entire Uchiha clan possessed roughly forty A-Rank Ninjutsu.
As for S-Rank, there were even fewer; he had glanced over earlier and counted only nine pedestals.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame, Fire Style: Majestic Demolisher Flame, Dragon Flame Release Song, Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning, Infinite Flame Great Breakthrough..."
It was obvious that the row Xuan was looking at consisted entirely of Fire Style Ninjutsu.
In fact, most of the techniques here were Fire Style, with a portion being Lightning Style, and very few of any other nature.
After all, the primary affinity of the Uchiha clan was Fire. A small number of clansmen would awaken a Lightning affinity, while other natures were extremely rare.
For example, Xuan only possessed a single Fire affinity, whereas Madara possessed dual affinities for Fire and Lightning.
"I want them all... Even if some aren't useful to learn, selling them to that scammer System would net me so many Points!"
Drool practically dripped from Xuan's mouth as he looked at the scrolls.
"Right now, for single-target attacks, I have the Rasengan. For survival, I have the Crow Clone. For mobility, I have the Flying Thunder God. And I have Sharingan Genjutsu. The only thing missing to make my arsenal complete is a large-scale, Area-of-Effect (AOE) Ninjutsu."
Xuan thought it over and unhesitatingly picked up the scroll for Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.
He remembered that in the original story, Madara had used this Fire Style immediately upon his resurrection.
It was extraordinarily domineering; it took dozens of Alliance ninjas using Water Style simultaneously to barely block it.
The Sharingan appeared in his eyes, the three tomoe spinning slowly as he committed all the text on the scroll to memory.
The Sharingan possessed an automatic memorization function, so it didn't take much time to memorize the Majestic Destroyer Flame.
Xuan put the scroll back in its original spot and picked up the Fire Style: Majestic Demolisher Flame next to it, snickering internally.
"You say 'pick one,' so I can only pick one? With the Sharingan's powerful memory, I'd be an idiot not to use it."
Thinking this, he opened the scroll.
The result...
"What the f*ck? Why is this scroll blank?!"
Xuan shouted out loud.
Not far away, Madara revealed a gloating smile and laughed heartily.
"Haha, idiot! Do you think everyone else is stupid? Think about it—if you could just read the Jutsu here freely, how could I have only learned Dragon Flame Release Song last time? Haha, you're killing me!"
Xuan's face turned completely black. This guy definitely did that on purpose.
He acts cold on the surface but is actually a Tsundere. He was definitely watching me the whole time, waiting for me to make a fool of myself so he could mock me.
You deserve to be suppressed by Senju Hashirama for your whole life.
Angrily putting the scroll back, he silently cursed Madara in his heart and turned to leave.
You just stay here and read slowly. Read until you die!
Leaving the shrine, he saw it was getting late.
Going to the Fujiwara Mines today would mean traveling through the night, and there was no way he was doing that.
Returning to his room, a fragrant aroma hit his nose.
The table in the living room was already full of food, smelling delicious.
Six-year-old Hotaru was bustling back and forth, busy with preparations.
"Ah, Lord Xuan, you're back!"
The little maid noticed Xuan, quickly put down the soup in her hands, and bowed to him.
Xuan nodded with a smile and sat at the table. The little maid thoughtfully filled a bowl of rice and placed it in front of him.
"In the future, at home, you don't need so many rules. Just be casual."
Xuan saw her standing cautiously behind him, smiled, and tapped the table.
"Sit down, let's eat together!"
Hotaru took a step back, shook her head, and whispered, "How can I do that? I am my Lord's maid; I am not qualified to sit with my Lord."
Xuan shook his head internally. He knew the concept of hierarchy and status was very strong in the Warring States period; mere words would be hard to change her mind.
He feigned anger and said, "This is an order. Sit down and eat."
Sure enough, Hotaru stopped talking.
She sat down with her head lowered, silently filled a bowl for herself, and looked at Xuan with an expression like she was about to cry.
Xuan ignored her and just ate and drank. He had to admit, the little maid's cooking skills were good.
Eating quietly, Xuan felt an inexplicable sense of comfort.
In the few years since he transmigrated, he had always been alone in his room. Occasionally, he would feel a trace of loneliness.
Now, with a little maid suddenly in the house, although it hadn't been long, there was a bit more vitality.
It was no longer the dead silence of being alone.
"This isn't bad..." Xuan thought to himself.
As for the little maid, seeing that Xuan was really just eating and not paying attention to her, she quietly shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth.
The feeling of eating together with Lord Xuan... it makes my heart feel warm!