Sasuke glanced at the stone tablet for only a moment before turning his attention to the rest of the room.
He had no interest in the tablet itself and didn't bother activating his Sharingan to decipher the inscriptions.
He was far more interested in whether any of the other contents of the room might prove useful.
He approached a bookshelf lining one wall. Rows of books were neatly arranged on the shelves, clearly well-maintained by the Uchiha clan.
Sasuke casually picked up a book titled "Clan History." A thin layer of dust coated its cover, indicating it hadn't been handled in nearly two weeks. It seemed even these cherished volumes were prone to neglect.
After flipping through it briefly, Sasuke confirmed it was merely a simple historical record, devoid of any Ninjutsu or Technique Formulas. He returned the book to its shelf and continued his search.
Time ticked by as Sasuke sifted through the collection, opening any book with an intriguing title while quickly scanning through others like "Geography of the Ninja World" and "Travel Diaries of the Ninja World." Finally, he found two books that caught his interest:
Uchiha Style Fire Release Ninjutsu
Uchiha-Style Genjutsu
The [ Uchiha Style Fire Release Ninjutsu ] scroll detailed several B-rank Uchiha Fire Release Ninjutsu techniques, such as Great Fire Annihilation, Great Dragon Fire Technique, and Great Fire Extinction, as well as A-rank techniques like Dragon Flame Ballad and Wind Flame Dance.
Each entry included detailed explanations of the techniques' properties and key training points.
The [Uchiha-Style Genjutsu ] scroll contained common genjutsu techniques like Bubble, Hell Viewing Technique, and Fox Mind Technique, as well as Sharingan-specific genjutsu such as Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, and Demonic Illusion: Binding.
"No Izanagi or Izanami?"
Sasuke wasn't surprised by the absence of the Uchiha's ultimate genjutsu techniques in the books.
Although the library was located in a secret Uchiha gathering place, the anime and manga showed that twenty to thirty Uchiha clan members had access to this place.
Naturally, techniques like Izanagi and Izanami wouldn't be kept in such a public location for anyone to peruse.
"Those must be reserved for the Clan Head and Elder lineages," Sasuke reasoned.
Though disappointed by the omission of Izanagi and Izanami, Sasuke wasn't interested in learning these ultimate genjutsu.
Instead, he wanted to understand their properties and find methods to counter or break them.
He would inevitably face Danzo in the future. Knowing one's enemy and oneself ensures victory in a hundred battles. The use of Izanagi were simply too broken.
As for Uchiha Itachi, even if Sasuke didn't seek him out, Itachi would definitely come looking for him eventually. Sasuke was absolutely certain of this.
Compared to Izanagi, Izanami was even more impossible to guard against—a Genjutsu that didn't require eye contact to cast.
What if Itachi discovered that Sasuke hadn't grown as he expected, that Sasuke's thinking was worlds apart from his younger brother's? If Itachi used Izanami on him, how would Sasuke counter it?
Izanami traps its victims in an eternal loop, unable to escape until they confront their true selves. Only by confronting one's true self could the illusion be broken.
But was this "true self" his current self, or the original Uchiha Sasuke's true self?
And after breaking free, would he be the current Sasuke, or the younger brother Uchiha Itachi still remembered?
In some ways, Sasuke feared Izanami even more than Kotoamatsukami.
Since he hadn't found the scrolls he sought, Sasuke didn't dwell on it for long.
After tucking the two books into his waist pouch, he continued flipping through the remaining volumes, hoping to find more cultivation manuals.
Ideally, he wanted to find books on Lightning Release techniques.
Sasuke's Chakra nature was Lightning and Fire.
Although born into the Uchiha clan, his innate talent for Lightning Release, as demonstrated in the original story, surpassed his affinity for Fire Release.
While he didn't harbor high hopes of finding any Lightning Release techniques, he figured it was worth a shot. Finding them would be a bonus, but their absence wouldn't be a deal-breaker.
After sifting through the shelves for half an hour, Sasuke found no Lightning Release techniques, nor even a single cultivation guide. It seemed the only books on the shelf were the two Uchiha training techniques.
"Hmph," Sasuke chuckled softly, a playful glint in his eyes. A unique book, utterly out of place among the others, caught his attention. He picked it up immediately.
"Will of Fire? Hmph."
This incongruous volume was none other than 'The Will of Fire', authored by Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage.
Each subsequent Hokage had added their own annotations to it.
Had it been his original self, Sasuke wouldn't have found this odd.
Before the truth was revealed, the original Sasuke had believed the Uchiha to be Konoha's most honored clan.
The presence of The Will of Fire in the clan's shrine, though unexpected, wouldn't have seemed out of place.
Now fully aware of the complex conflicts and grudges between the Uchiha clan and Konoha, Sasuke knew that the Uchiha would never leave such a book lying around.
He casually flipped open the book. The title page read "Uchiha Shisui," indicating that the book belonged to him.
The blank spaces within the book were filled with Shisui's reflections on the Will of Fire, the meaning of the village, and other such topics.
Sasuke meticulously turned each page. Although the text contained personal musings, he read with unwavering focus, determined to miss no detail.
Finally, when he reached about two-thirds of the way through, the style abruptly changed.
No longer about the Will of Fire, the text now detailed Shisui's research on combat techniques, including his studies on Uchiha Genjutsu and swordplay, his Body Flicker Technique, and his original techniques: Sword Leap Flame, Sun Halo Dance, and Wild Wind Sword, which combined the Body Flicker Technique with Uchiha Fire Release Ninjutsu and swordplay.
"So it was you who left this behind, Uchiha Itachi. You truly went to great lengths," Sasuke murmured, scrutinizing the handwriting.
The script perfectly matched Shisui's earlier entries, indistinguishable from his original notes.
However, judging by the ink and paper marks, Sasuke immediately deduced that these final pages had been written recently, likely within the past two weeks.
Uchiha Shisui had died two years prior.
This book was naturally written and placed here by Uchiha Itachi, under Shisui's name. Itachi and Shisui were arguably the closest people in the world.
Itachi regarded Shisui as a brother, confidant, and even a mentor.
They often trained together, knowing each other inside and out. Itachi's Body Flicker Technique, Genjutsu, and swordsmanship were all honed under Shisui's guidance.
Itachi's purpose in leaving this book was simple. Beyond wanting Sasuke to learn from its training methods and rapidly grow stronger, his primary hope was that his younger brother would become like Shisui, whom he revered—a person who would inherit the Will of Fire.
This way, when Sasuke eventually learned the truth, he wouldn't seek revenge on Konoha but instead become one of its pillars.
A perfect win-win scenario.
However, when the original owner of this body had come here, consumed by his desire for revenge, he hadn't even opened the book.
After finding the two Uchiha training techniques, he had left.
"Thanks. You've done me a favor," Sasuke chuckled softly, tidying the bookshelf. He then left Naka Shrine with his three newly acquired training techniques.