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That evening, in the rear hall of the Uchiha Clan's shrine, "Release" was completed with a hand seal by an elderly man with graying hair and a kind face.
A faint rumbling sound of stones grinding against each other echoed. Then, a massive stone slab, nearly a foot thick and covering almost two square meters, slowly rose.
"Fuyu Shirou, follow me!"
After saying this, without waiting for Fuyu Shirou's reaction, Uchiha Fugaku nodded at the elderly man and led the way into the basement.
This was the Uchiha Clan's shrine, where they worshipped various deities such as the God of Destruction, Susanoo; the Fire God, Kagutsuchi; the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu; and the God of Thunder, Takemikazuchi, among others.
It was also the clan's ancestral hall. After each family member passed away, a memorial tablet would be erected here for their relatives to mourn.
The elderly man was appointed by the clan to serve as the Chief Priest and Shinto Priest, responsible for worshipping the deities and praying for the deceased. He also guarded the clan's secret meeting place and this hidden chamber.
Of course, this shrine was not staffed by him alone. There was also a Shinto Priest and four Miko (Shinto Shrine Maidens) who handled the daily tasks of receiving clan members who came to offer incense, draw lots, and pray, as well as occasional visitors from the village.
In the shrines of the Land of Fire, there was generally a Chief Priest, a Deputy Chief Priest who acted as the Chief Priest's deputy in their absence, and an Assistant Priest who acted as the Chief Priest's secretary and assistant.
Below the Assistant Priest was a Junior Assistant Priest, who handled tasks assigned by the higher ranks.
The Shinto Priest was primarily responsible for the rituals, and sometimes the Chief Priest would also serve as the Shinto Priest, though their status was not comparable to that of the Chief Priest.
The Shrine Staff were responsible for daily operations, and the Miko (Shinto Shrine Maidens) were the most common shrine staff, handling tasks such as selling amulets, exchanging prayer slips, and performing sacred dances. They were typically female, but not exclusively so.
Of course, this was the Uchiha Clan's shrine, and it was reasonable for the staff to be streamlined.
After a hurried bow to the elderly man, Fuyu Shirou followed Fugaku's footsteps down the stairs.
They passed through a dim corridor.
They arrived at the main chamber of the basement, which was square-shaped. It was not particularly large, but it was not small either, covering about forty to fifty square meters.
In each corner of the room stood a candle holder, and the candles had already been lit by Fugaku, casting a warm, yellow glow that illuminated the entire basement.
In the center of the basement stood two large sandalwood bookshelves and a granite altar with black flame carvings.
Unlike the somewhat cluttered archives within the clan, every book, scroll, and notebook here was neatly categorized and arranged.
Even the materials used to record this knowledge were different from those in the regular archives, being more durable and suitable for long-term storage, as well as more valuable.
"The Uchiha Clan's resources are truly extraordinary!" Fuyu Shirou couldn't help but exclaim as he looked around the basement.
One of the bookshelves was labeled with the elements Fire, Lightning, Wind, Earth, and Water. Under each label, there were hundreds or dozens of scrolls neatly arranged.
These were various elemental ninjutsu collected by the Uchiha Clan over a thousand years. With their Sharingan, they had an unparalleled advantage in this area.
Among these, there were a dozen or so scrolls that stood out. They were thicker and made of an unknown animal hide, with jade-like materials used for the spindles. Fuyu Shirou couldn't help but wonder if these were all S-rank techniques.
The other bookshelf was labeled with Sealing Techniques, Runes, Cursed Seals, and Genjutsu. There were also several exquisite scrolls similar to the ones on the other shelf, but without specific labels, it was hard to determine their exact nature.
On the granite altar in the center, there were several massive scrolls, each over half a meter long. These scrolls were also unmarked, but their size alone indicated their significance.
"These are the secret techniques and scrolls collected by the clan over the years!" Fugaku's voice rang out as Fuyu Shirou's gaze moved between the bookshelves, labels, and scrolls.
"The first bookshelf contains the regular ninjutsu collected by the clan over the years. They are all at least C-rank, with several reaching S-rank."
Seeing Fuyu Shirou's attention, he began to introduce them one by one, his eyes filled with pride and satisfaction.
He glanced at the young man's expression, ignoring his surprise, and continued in a proud tone.
"The other bookshelf contains sealing techniques, barrier techniques, regular genjutsu, and some secret techniques collected by the clan. Some of these secret techniques are incomplete, but they have great reference value!"
"On the granite altar, the massive scrolls contain the Fire Release secret scrolls, Sharingan-specific genjutsu, Yin-Yang Release, and forbidden techniques!"
These secret scrolls were accumulated by the Uchiha Clan over the years since the Warring States Period.
The Fire Release secret scrolls were the culmination of the efforts of countless Uchiha ancestors in mastering the nature and form of Fire Release.
The genjutsu secret scrolls contained Sharingan-specific genjutsu that could only be used by those who had awakened their bloodline limit.
The Yin-Yang Release secret scroll, particularly the Yin Release portion, was unique in the entire ninja world. The Yang Release portion, while the clan had made significant achievements, was still inferior to the Senju clan.
The forbidden techniques section included not only 'Kamui' and 'Tsukuyomi' but also several ninjutsu with great risks and catastrophic outcomes.
"You can choose any technique from these, except for the 'Genjutsu secret scrolls' and 'Forbidden Techniques secret scrolls' which require the Sharingan to practice. You can copy it here and take it home to train."
"Given your excellent performance in the graduation test, the Clan Head specifically instructed that you should cherish this rare opportunity."
Hearing this, Fuyu Shirou turned to look at the entire collection in the basement.
In the flickering light of the underground room, Fuyu Shirou stood before the large bookshelves and the massive scrolls on the altar, momentarily overwhelmed by the choice.
He truly wanted to move all the materials from this basement to his home, to read them one by one at his leisure, but life doesn't always go as one wishes.
(End of Chapter)