Chapter 267: Thought Long and Hard About a Title, Decided to Call It ‘Right?’, Right?

Sasuke had no idea the scrolls were sealed. He had read the Fire Release manual many times, but the Sharingan insights weren't particularly useful to him—by the time he got them, he already had the Mangekyou. 

After his visual power had improved, he never really touched these scrolls again, so it was no surprise he hadn't noticed the seals. 

Thinking it over, Sasuke nodded. "I'd appreciate that." 

"What about this last one?" Fugaku asked, holding up the scroll marked **'Do not open.'**

Sasuke hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. "Yes." 

"Alright." Fugaku nodded, placed three scrolls on the table, formed a hand seal, and let his chakra flow. "Transcription Seal: Release!" 

The Transcription Seal was a sealing technique unique to the Uchiha clan—no one outside the clan knew how to use it, at least not in the original story. 

As Fugaku activated the seal, smoke rose from all three scrolls. When the chakra faded, the sealed items appeared. 

From the first scroll came another scroll. The second scroll revealed a sword over a meter long. As for the third scroll, it didn't produce anything—only the text on it vanished. 

 Fugaku picked up the third scroll and handed it to Sasuke. "Open it. I have a rough idea of what's inside." 

Sasuke hesitated before finally reaching out and taking it. He had a feeling he already knew. 

Taking a deep breath, he unrolled the scroll. As the signature sealing smoke appeared, a small bottle, about the size of a fist, suddenly materialized on top of the scroll. 

Seeing the two Sharingan inside the transparent bottle, Sasuke let out a helpless chuckle. "I knew it—Father's Mangekyou Sharingan." 

"You guessed?" Fugaku took the bottle and glanced at it. The two Mangekyou Sharingan, marked with their unique patterns, floated gently in the green liquid inside. 

"I did." Sasuke nodded. "When you said you wrote that symbol and mentioned that this scroll had a seal on it, I pretty much figured it out. Other than this, what else would need such a special seal?" 

He wanted to laugh, but more than anything, he felt an inexplicable sting in his nose, as if he was about to tear up. 

Fugaku smiled, set the bottle down on the table, and shifted his gaze to the other two items—a scroll and a sword. "Do you know what these are?" 

Sasuke shook his head. 

Fugaku picked up the scroll but didn't open it. Instead, he said directly, "This likely contains the Uchiha clan's secret techniques—things like the Transcription Seal, Izanami, Izanagi, and others." 

Sasuke clenched his fists and stayed silent. 

Fugaku put the scroll down and picked up the sword. "This should be the Kusanagi Sword, an Uchiha heirloom. It's also known as the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword—the strongest weapon alongside the Totsuka Blade." 

"Kusanagi Sword…" Sasuke immediately thought of Orochimaru's weapon. 

But it didn't really matter. 

He looked at the sword in his hands with mixed feelings. It had a straight, single-edged blade with no guard. When he drew it from the scabbard, the cold steel gleamed sharply under the sunlight. Just by looking at it, he could feel its chilling presence. 

Even someone like Sasuke, who didn't know much about swords, could tell this was an exceptional blade. 

But there was something else on his mind. He sheathed the sword and fastened it to his waist before turning to Fugaku. "Will losing your Mangekyou Sharingan affect you in any way?" 

Fugaku smiled and shook his head. "I can transplant another person's eyes if needed. Honestly, whether it's for me now or even for my future self, I never wanted the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan. If I could trade it for the lives of my comrades, I would." 

Sasuke fell silent, staring at the Mangekyou Sharingan on the table. 

He didn't know exactly what his father had been through, but if he had awakened the Mangekyou, it meant he had gone through deep emotional turmoil—whether it was love, hatred, or something else. 

Most Uchiha never wished to awaken the Mangekyou at such a cost. 

Compared to that, maybe it was a blessing that he had unlocked his Mangekyou with the Sage of Six Paths' help… 

No, even without the Sage's power, when my brother died, I would have awakened these eyes anyway… Sasuke shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. 

"Speaking of which, Sasuke." Fugaku didn't seem to notice Sasuke's change in mood. He picked up the scroll containing the Uchiha's secret techniques and smiled. "Did you know that sealing script can actually be translated into normal writing?" 

"Huh?" Sasuke was stunned. "Sealing script is considered writing?" 

Wasn't sealing just a bunch of random symbols drawn while forming hand seals? How could that count as writing? 

Having never learned sealing techniques, Sasuke was completely lost. 

Fugaku saw his expression and laughed. "Well, not exactly writing. But certain symbols, when put together, can create something similar to written text. Some sealing patterns might look complex, but they can actually represent a single, simple word—like 'seal.'" 

"You've probably seen sealing jutsu that, once activated, form the word 'seal' at the center—"

"You mean the text?" 

Sasuke blinked. This was the first time he had heard about it, but… 

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?" he asked, puzzled. 

"Haha." Fugaku picked up three scrolls and placed them in front of Sasuke, smiling. "I wanted to tell you that the sealing characters on these scrolls were deliberately arranged in a complicated way by 'my future self' to form a message." 

Sasuke clenched his fists. "What message?" 

Fugaku spoke softly, "No matter what happens, you will always be my proud son… Something like that." 

After saying this, he sighed and shook his head. "This sealing technique is probably something only I can understand. I have no idea why my future self chose this method to tell you this. He could've just said it directly." 

"Right?" 

But Sasuke didn't respond at all. 

Right now, it felt like Sasuke had been hit in the head with a hammer. His mind was buzzing, completely blank. 

He had never imagined that his father would say something like this to him. He had never even considered that, aside from his brother, he was also someone his father was proud of. 

Sasuke suddenly shut his eyes, clenching his fists tightly. His lips pressed together, and his whole body trembled. 

Fugaku was stunned. "What's wrong, Sasuke?" 

"Sorry… Could you leave for a bit?" Sasuke's voice was shaky, hoarse—like a traveler stranded in a dry desert. 

Fugaku froze. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he seemed to understand what Sasuke meant. 

He put down the scrolls, patted Sasuke's shoulder, and turned to leave the room. Before stepping out, he hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sasuke, no matter what happens, don't forget that you still have me and your mother." 

With that, he closed the door and walked out. 

Inside the room, Ichikishimahime also realized she probably shouldn't stay. She bowed slightly to Sasuke, then disappeared into a puff of smoke without saying anything. 

In an instant, only Sasuke was left in the silent room. 

Slowly, he opened his eyes, a thick mist covering his pupils. 

To stop his tears from falling, Sasuke tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling, his expression dark and distant. 

"I'm sorry… but I'm not your Sasuke." 

Note: In Naruto, there isn't just one Kusanagi Sword. The one Orochimaru spits out is a Kusanagi Sword, the one Sasuke wields later in the series is also a Kusanagi Sword, and according to the lore, Itachi's Totsuka Blade is also considered a Kusanagi Sword. 

So with all these Kusanagi Swords around, adding an Ame-no-Murakumo shouldn't be too much, right? 

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