After three hours of searching, Shishou, Mikoto, and Izumi finally pieced together a complete stone mural. After another half hour of deciphering by Mikoto, they finally found the approximate location of the lost Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror.
According to the stone's records, a legendary Uchiha warrior had once dueled an opponent in the mountains on the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire. Both combatants perished in the battle, and since the exact location was unknown to the rest of the Uchiha clan, the two artifacts had been lost for centuries.
The stone also recorded the Uchiha clan's frustration: "With these two artifacts, the Senju clan would have been no match for us..."
Shishou scoffed internally, "In front of Hashirama, everyone is equal."
Looking at Mikoto and Izumi, Shishou said, "Let's head out now."
"Yes," both Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Izumi nodded.
A few hours later, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.
"It should be around here!"
Standing on a cliff, Uchiha Mikoto pointed to the surrounding area, her face then falling. The mountains stretched endlessly, and finding the two artifacts in such a vast area seemed impossible.
"Don't worry, I have a plan."
"You two wait here."
Shishou left Mikoto and Izumi and headed towards a distant valley. Disappearing from their sight, Shishou took out Obito's severed leg from a storage scroll and used his parasitic insects and Sharingan to extract a White Zetsu.
"You..."
The awakened White Zetsu looked at Shishou in shock.
With his Sharingan spinning, Shishou quickly controlled White Zetsu.
"Find these two items!"
Retracting Obito's severed leg, Shishou's Sharingan spun again, imprinting the images of the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror into White Zetsu's mind.
"Yes."
Controlled by the Sharingan, White Zetsu's feet grew roots that dug into the ground, beginning to search the surrounding mountains, valleys, and caves.
With his mastery of high-level genjutsu, Shishou could control White Zetsu just as Obito controlled the Three-Tails.
This method was how Shishou had previously found Uchiha Itachi's exact location.
Not knowing if Black Zetsu might detect this method, Shishou chose not to use it in front of Mikoto and the others to avoid exposing their position.
Half an hour later.
White Zetsu finally found something in a cave.
Casually swallowing White Zetsu, Shishou checked himself with the parasitic insects, ensuring there were no issues before returning to Mikoto and Izumi.
"I found it, it's this way."
Shishou said, leading the way.
Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Izumi's faces lit up as they quickly followed Shishou.
It seemed nothing could stump him.
Mikoto looked at Shishou's back, pressing her lips together.
After about ten minutes, they arrived at a cave.
"No issues."
Shishou used his parasitic insects to check the cave before leading the way inside.
After walking a few meters, they found a wooden door.
"This..."
Pushing the door open, Shishou, Mikoto, and Izumi were stunned.
Inside the cave, the space expanded several times over, bright and spacious, with dilapidated wooden houses, a rotten well, and a collapsed chicken coop. Light shone through gaps in the cave ceiling.
This wasn't just a cave; it was a dwelling that had fallen into disrepair over time.
They had expected to find a corpse or the two artifacts, but the scene before them exceeded their expectations.
"A paradise, perhaps."
Shishou murmured, looking at the scene.
Entering one of the wooden houses, Shishou, Mikoto, and Izumi found three coffins, two large and one small.
On a small table in front of the coffins were three spirit tablets, a dusty journal, a sword, and a shield.
Shishou approached the altar, brushed the dust off the spirit tablets, and read the names: Uchiha Fuku, Shinichi, and Uchiha Shinji...
Wearing his parasitic insect gloves, Shishou carefully opened the journal and began reading.
It turned out that centuries ago, after defeating his opponent, this Uchiha warrior grew tired of the endless slaughter and abducted a common woman from the Land of Rain, hiding here and eventually having a son named Uchiha Shinji...
"Uchiha Shinji... what an odd name for an Uchiha."
Reading this name almost made Shishou laugh.
Seeing that the woman was abducted made Mikoto and Izumi a bit embarrassed.
However, they knew that with the Uchiha's peculiar tendencies after awakening their Sharingan, this kind of behavior was quite possible.
"This predecessor was quite the character..."
Shishou chuckled, trying to defend the diary's owner, earning glares from Mikoto and Izumi.
Feeling a bit awkward, Shishou continued reading the journal.
After having a son, the Uchiha warrior named Uchiha Fuku taught his son ninjutsu, living a peaceful life until his wife and son succumbed to illness. He followed them in death shortly after.
The last entries in the journal described the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror, as well as the self-created Explosive Flame Swordsmanship techniques, hoping future visitors would not disturb their peace.
"Sigh..."
Shishou, Mikoto, and Izumi sighed after reading the journal.
"The scroll is here."
Shishou picked up the Totsuka Blade, which was the size of a regular katana, and the Yata Mirror, which looked like an ordinary shield. Underneath the shield was a scroll.
After checking it with his parasitic insects to ensure there were no traps, Shishou said to Mikoto and Izumi:
"Let's go. Let's not disturb them any further."
Leading the way out, Shishou sealed the cave entrance with stones to prevent wild animals from entering.
"Here."
Using the Flying Thunder God technique, Shishou brought Mikoto and Izumi back to Fire Source City. He handed the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror to Uchiha Mikoto, and the Explosive Flame Swordsmanship scroll to Uchiha Izumi.
With his current strength, the Totsuka Blade, Yata Mirror, or even the Explosive Flame Swordsmanship didn't hold much use for Shishou.
If he needed a powerful weapon, he could summon his Susanoo combined with the Buddha Statue, providing more than enough firepower.
Additionally, according to the journal, once the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror bonded with Susanoo, they would become part of it and couldn't be separated.
This explained why in the original story, Uchiha Itachi didn't give these weapons to Sasuke.
Thus, Shishou preferred to give them to Mikoto to enhance her strength, hoping she would reach Kage level soon and assist him.
Since Mikoto lacked offensive capabilities, Shishou also gave her the Totsuka Blade.
Mikoto gave Izumi an apologetic look before accepting the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror.
Determined to avenge her loved ones, she had no choice but to accept the gifts.
Izumi, however, didn't mind.
"Shall we head to the Land of Iron? I haven't seen Yugao in a while, and I have a set of armor for her."
Shishou embraced Izumi, watching her blush deeply, and then disappeared with her.
Mikoto opened her mouth to say something but remained silent, feeling a bit jealous as she watched Shishou and Izumi disappear.
If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 311 at patreon.com/Betek.
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As dusk approached in the Land of Iron, Uzuki Yugao sat on a cliff, watching the gorge below, bathed in the sunset's glow. She was feeling restless and bored.
"I wonder if Izumi will come back tonight," she mused. "That jerk definitely won't miss the chance to be with her."
Resting her chin on her hand, she sighed. Just then, she heard voices behind her.
"There she is. Go ahead and give it to her," Izumi said, her face flushed, standing beside the very person Yugao was thinking about.
Of course, without his Flying Thunder God technique, Izumi wouldn't have been able to return so soon.
Uchiha Izumi quickly excused herself, eager to practice a new sword technique she had just learned.
"Let's go. I want to take you somewhere," Shishou said, approaching Yugao with a smile.
"Where to?" Yugao asked warily, fearing his intentions. Uchiha Izumi had already fallen under his influence; she didn't want to follow in her footsteps.
"You've always wanted my Kusanagi sword, right? I'm taking you to the Land of Craftsmen to forge a sword just for you," Shishou explained, standing at the cliff's edge and looking down.
"Really?" Yugao's eyes lit up but quickly turned suspicious. "No, you must have some ulterior motive. I'm not going with you."
"What do you think I'm planning?" Shishou laughed, looking at Yugao.
"I...," Yugao was at a loss for words. She couldn't possibly say she thought he was after her body, could she? That would be too embarrassing.
"Come on, I went through a lot of trouble to gather this much chakra metal to make you a powerful sword," Shishou said, pulling out a piece of chakra metal from his storage scroll and examining it in the sunset.
He had bought it from Mifune and, combined with what he had collected from Konoha and Kirigakure over the past few months, it was enough to forge two swords—one for Yugao and one for Izumi.
Yugao's eyes sparkled at the sight of the chakra metal. As a swordsmanship expert, she knew what a weapon forged from such material meant.
If she had known he was offering to forge her a weapon from chakra metal, she would have agreed immediately. Having witnessed battles involving Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi, Yugao constantly dreamed of possessing such formidable power herself. A sword made from chakra metal would bring her one step closer to that goal.
However, she had already refused, and conceding now would hurt her pride. She needed to maintain her dignity, especially in front of him.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Shishou couldn't help but chuckle internally. He knew she was too proud to back down, so he grabbed her hand and activated the Flying Thunder God technique.
Yugao pouted but didn't resist. "Fine, but this is you forcing me to go."
"Yes, yes, I'm forcing you," Shishou said, squeezing her hand as they arrived in the Land of Craftsmen.
"Let go of my hand," Yugao said, blushing as she looked at their intertwined fingers.
"There might be danger ahead. It's better to hold hands in case we need to escape using the Flying Thunder God technique," Shishou said, making up an excuse as he led her toward the city.
He had actually visited the Land of Craftsmen before but left a Flying Thunder God mark because he didn't have enough chakra metal at the time.
"You're lying. I don't believe you. Let go," Yugao said through gritted teeth, but she didn't dare pull her hand away forcefully.
Following the information he had obtained from Tenten's father, Shishou quickly found a master craftsman named Tetsusuke in the city who specialized in forging chakra weapons.
"You want to forge a weapon entirely from chakra metal?" Tetsusuke asked, shocked by Shishou's request. "Did I hear that right?"
Shishou nodded and corrected him, "Two weapons." He then placed all the chakra metal he had collected in front of Tetsusuke.
"Adding a bit of chakra metal to regular weapons already enhances their power significantly. Using this much chakra metal for just two swords seems wasteful," Tetsusuke advised, looking at the pile of chakra metal with a mix of awe and caution.
Shishou shook his head, insisting that Tetsusuke follow his instructions.
"Alright, if you insist," Tetsusuke relented, his eyes gleaming with excitement. The opportunity to forge weapons entirely from chakra metal was a dream come true for him.
After explaining his requirements, Shishou left Yugao in Tetsusuke's workshop to choose the blade and scabbard designs while he disappeared.
In the Craftsmen Village, Shishou, wearing a single-eyed spiral mask, appeared at the village gate. Any craftsman ninja who made eye contact with him collapsed instantly.
"Using Sharingan genjutsu against small fry is just too easy," Shishou mused as he continued his approach.
He was here to craft a wind-enhancing sword for Yugao, which reminded him of the Peacock Swords used by the Four Celestial Symbols Men in the village. These swords reduced wind chakra consumption and increased its power—perfect for Yugao.
Additionally, Shishou was curious about the various tools the Four Celestial Symbols Men possessed and intended to eliminate the potential threat of Seimei.
"Who are you, daring to intrude into the Craftsmen Village?" a woman with dual swords demanded, appearing before Shishou.
Shishou activated the Binding Illusion technique, and she froze, her body trembling as she realized she had fallen into a powerful genjutsu.
Taking the Peacock Swords from her, Shishou examined them. "So these are the Peacock Swords. They seem rather ordinary."
He then noticed three figures charging at him—it was the remaining members of the Four Celestial Symbols Men.
With a glance, he incapacitated two of them, leaving only a large man with a flail and unusual armor to face him.
Roots of wood suddenly sprang up, binding the man tightly and crushing his armor, rendering him unconscious from the pressure.
"In the face of absolute power, your special ninja tools are just toys," Shishou remarked, picking up the Dragon Eye retractable sword. "No wonder even Gaara struggled against you."
After extracting information about Seimei's whereabouts from the woman, Shishou teleported to retrieve several scrolls before leaving the village.
Seimei's body was devoured by his parasitic bugs, and the ninja tools were destroyed. Shishou doubted the Craftsmen Village would pose any significant threat in the future.
Back in Tetsusuke's workshop, Yugao looked curiously at Shishou and asked, "Where did you go?"
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 330 at patreon.com/Betek.