39. Summoning Technique

Uchiha Fugaku watched as Sora burned two scrolls without hesitation, and his fury nearly exploded.

Even though the scrolls were merely copies, they were incredibly precious.

One scroll contained the Uchiha clan's generational legacy of Fire Release Ninjutsu. Techniques such as Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation, and Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique were meticulously recorded within it.

Although the Great Fireball Technique was well-known across the ninja world, the version mastered by the Uchiha clan was on an entirely different level compared to those practised by others.

However, the most invaluable scroll was the one documenting the experience of using the Sharingan. This scroll detailed everything from mastering the Single Tomoe Sharingan to achieving the advanced Three Tomoe state, making it a priceless treasure for the Uchiha clan.

But Sora showed no regard for its worth and set it ablaze without hesitation.

To Uchiha Fugaku, this was nothing short of a public humiliation to the Uchiha name.

His chest heaved with suppressed rage as he glared at Qianyu with an intense, fiery expression.

Meanwhile, Sora leaned casually against the doorframe, his expression dripping with mockery as he stared back at Fugaku.

Uchiha Fugaku took several deep breaths to regain his composure, forcing himself to remain calm despite the insult.

In a measured tone, Fugaku finally said, "Since you refuse to accept the goodwill of the Uchiha clan, I will not waste any more of my time."

Without another word, Fugaku turned on his heel and walked away.

Sora's sharp eyes followed Fugaku's retreating figure, studying him intently.

He couldn't help but notice that Fugaku seemed...different. Most Uchiha, confronted with such blatant provocation, would have reacted with violence on the spot. Yet, Fugaku remained composed.

The fact that Fugaku had come alone to apologize on behalf of the Uchiha clan suggested that his status was far from ordinary.

Breaking the silence, Sora called out, "Hey, what's your name?"

Fugaku paused briefly before replying, "Uchiha...Fugaku."

Without turning back, Fugaku continued on his way and disappeared from view.

A smirk spread across Qianyu's face.

"Uchiha Fugaku," he murmured, savouring the name. The future leader of the Uchiha clan. The father of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.

The sarcasm in Sora's expression deepened. "You really raised two fine sons."

In Sora's eyes, Uchiha Itachi's future actions were anything but righteous.

Sacrificing the entire Uchiha clan to protect the village may have seemed noble on the surface, but to Sora, it was no justice at all.

The target of Uchiha Itachi's massacre was none other than his own people—his blood relatives.

Uchiha Itachi, in his loyalty to Konoha, betrayed the Uchiha clan. For the sake of what he believed to be Konoha's righteousness, he chose to annihilate his clan. To Konoha, this act might be considered justice.

But for the Uchiha clan, especially those who trusted Itachi until the very end, believing they would fight for a better future together, Itachi was nothing more than a traitor.

This was his sin.

And the blood ties he shared with his victims only made this sin all the more heinous.

Had Itachi only killed those Uchiha who actively chose to rebel—or had he even gone so far as to kill his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke—Sora might have been able to respect his resolve.

But Itachi did not.

Together with Uchiha Obito, Itachi slaughtered everyone, regardless of age or gender—women, children, the elderly—all fell by his hand.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Itachi's decision to wipe out his own family was unforgivable.

And Sasuke? He was spared, not because Itachi sought to preserve the Uchiha bloodline, but because Itachi couldn't bear to kill his beloved younger brother.

After carrying out the massacre, Itachi made only one demand of Konoha: that Sasuke's life be spared. In return, he would provide critical information to protect the village.

In Sora's eyes, this single act rendered Itachi's so-called noble mission absurd.

To Sora, Uchiha Itachi was no hero. He was nothing more than a hypocrite—a man brainwashed by the Will of Fire into blind loyalty to Konoha, a pawn foolishly convinced that his actions were righteous.

Sora thought bitterly that the Uchiha clan was a truly hopeless people capable of destroying themselves without anyone else's intervention.

But Uchiha Sasuke...now, he was interesting.

As Sora prepared to return to his base and continue his training, a familiar voice interrupted him from the shadows.

"You're quite cunning, Sora," Orochimaru drawled.

Sora turned toward the voice and spotted Orochimaru leaning casually against a tree, a sly smile playing on his lips.

Sora smirked back. "Since the bait came right to my doorstep, why not take it? The Uchiha clan's Fire Release Ninjutsu and Sharingan training scrolls will be very useful to me."

With a flourish, Sora revealed two scrolls in his hands.

The scrolls he had burned earlier? Nothing more than blank ones he had taken from his ninja pouch. When Uchiha Fugaku turned away, Sora quickly switched the real scrolls and used his lightning-based chakra to create the illusion of them being incinerated.

Orochimaru crossed his arms and approached Sora. "Aren't you worried the Uchiha clan will retaliate?"

Sora tucked the scrolls back into his pouch and flashed a confident grin. "Not at all. After all, I still have you, Orochimaru-sensei.

Besides, Uchiha Fugaku came to me to represent the Uchiha clan. It's obvious they're in a bad situation. He wanted to use me to establish a connection with you."

Orochimaru chuckled, his amber eyes glinting. "Oh, you're very perceptive. What you really mean is that the Uchiha clan is trying to invest in your future—using you to build a bridge to the Hokage, who happens to be my former sensei."

Sora feigned innocence, shrugging with a smile. "Orochimaru-sensei, I didn't say that."

Orochimaru smirked but said nothing more, turning toward the underground base. "Let's go. I've been busy lately. Today, I'll take you to Ryūchi Cave to sign the contract and create a training plan for you. Afterwards, I'll be away for a while."

Sora followed Orochimaru inside, his interest piqued by the mention of Ryūchi Cave.

Once they were inside, Orochimaru began explaining, "The Summoning Technique is a space-time ninjutsu that allows a user to summon a contracted Summoning Beast.

To form a contract, you must sign a blood pact with the Summoning Beast. Blood serves as the medium that identifies you as the summoner, leaving a unique mark in the contract. Once the Summoning Beast acknowledges you, you'll be able to summon it at will.

During summoning, you'll typically use blood on your palm to activate the contract. You channel chakra into the mark and focus on your intent to summon. The strength of the beast summoned depends on the amount of chakra you channel—the more chakra, the more powerful the Summoning Beast."

As Orochimaru spoke, he demonstrated the technique.

Biting his thumb, he smeared the blood across his palm and performed the seals with precision.

"Summoning Technique!"

A cloud of smoke erupted in front of them, and when it cleared, a massive blue snake coiled before Sora, its gleaming scales reflecting the dim light.

Sora's eyes lit up with interest as he stared at the Summoning Beast, his mind already racing with the possibilities.

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