Chapter 36 The Power of the Yata Mirror
"Neji, is there another entrance to the library besides the main gate?"
Uchiha Jin asked Hyūga Neji in a low voice.
Neji shook his head calmly, his pale eyes glancing briefly toward the sealed barrier surrounding the building.
"No, there isn't. Other than the main entrance, the entire structure is protected by a barrier tied to the Hokage's personal chakra. Unless you're authorized by the Third Hokage or the barrier master, you can't get in through any other route."
So it seemed they had no choice but to enter from the front.
Hiruzen Sarutobi might return at any time, so they needed to retrieve the target quickly.
With neither ninjutsu nor taijutsu sufficient to take down two trained Chūnin swiftly, illusion would be the only silent option.
Let's see, Uchiha thought, just how much the Yata Mirror amplifies my genjutsu output.
He moved quietly toward the corner. The voices of the two stationed guards drifted through the corridor.
"Hey… what was that earlier? Can anyone really have that kind of power?"
The younger ninja's tone trembled. The chakra he had sensed earlier—vast and sinister—reminded him of the night the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha. Back then, he'd been just a child hiding beneath his parents' arms.
"Relax," said the older Chūnin beside him. "The Third Hokage is leading the village's jōnin right now. There's no one alive who can stand against Lord Hiruzen."
Although he was only a few years senior, he tried to appear confident for his nervous partner, even while fear gnawed at his own chest.
"Still," the younger one asked, "if someone could master the jutsu inside this place… could they really become that strong?"
"What are you saying! We're not stationed here to learn forbidden arts. The Hokage ordered us to make sure no one but him enters. And besides—rumor says that even the legendary Sannin once coveted the knowledge sealed within."
"Oh, really? You mean Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, and Orochimaru-sama, right?"
"Yes… though Orochimaru is no longer a hero. He's a wanted traitor. Years ago, he murdered the previous guards of this very library to steal forbidden techniques."
"What?!" The young ninja froze, shocked. The Sannin were once the pride of the village—he had even admired Orochimaru as a child. Learning that his former idol had killed comrades for power filled him with disgust and disbelief.
The older ninja sighed. If those guards hadn't died back then, neither of them would be standing here tonight.
Normally, this post was mind-numbingly dull—hours of silence, watching for intruders who never came. The path to the library was lined with Anbu checkpoints; infiltrating this sector was nearly impossible.
But tonight was different. Hiruzen Sarutobi had left the village with the elite jōnin, and most of the Anbu under his command had followed, either guarding him directly or maintaining the perimeter beyond the gates.
"Keep your guard up!" the senior warned. "We have to prove we're worthy of the Third's trust."
At that moment, a chilling voice echoed from the shadows.
"Konoha… I've returned."
A tall, pale figure stepped out from the corner. His long black hair gleamed faintly under the moonlight, and his snake-like golden eyes glimmered with vertical pupils. Purple markings stretched down his face to his nose, giving him the appearance of a viper disguised in human form.
"O… Orochimaru!?"
Both guards froze. Sweat trickled down their temples. It was too coincidental—after speaking his name, the traitorous Sannin himself appeared before them. Could it really be him? Had he caused the disturbance outside the village?
No… that couldn't be. The Third Hokage was away with the elite units. No matter how strong Orochimaru was, even he couldn't challenge all of them alone.
"Stay calm," the older one muttered to himself, forcing courage into his voice.
Then, gripping his kunai tightly, he shouted hoarsely toward the intruder standing in the moonlight.
"Don't come any closer! The Third Hokage will return soon—and this time, you'll never escape his grasp!"
The older guard forced himself to shout, his voice trembling, for if he stayed silent, he'd end up frozen in terror like the young ninja beside him.
"Oh? But by the time that old man arrives," Orochimaru hissed, his serpent-like eyes gleaming, "I'll have already taken the Scroll of Seals."
He stretched out his unnaturally long tongue and licked the corner of his mouth with deliberate slowness.
The grotesque sight made the older Chūnin's stomach twist. He tried to swallow, but found his throat dry and constricted—his breath shallow.
I can't betray the trust the Third Hokage placed in me, he thought desperately. Even if I'm no match for Orochimaru, I must at least buy time until Lord Hiruzen returns.
With a defiant roar, he charged forward against the impossible foe.
"I won't let you pass!"
Orochimaru dodged his attack with that inhuman, boneless movement unique to him—like a snake shedding its skin—and from his sleeves burst a swarm of writhing serpents that coiled around the guard's body.
Am I dying? he thought faintly, as the pressure crushed his lungs. Lord Third… I'm sorry…
"It seems you're quite interested in me," Orochimaru murmured, his voice low and mocking, stepping up behind the trembling younger ninja.
"Would you like to come with me?" he whispered, his slick tongue brushing against the youth's ear.
"I'm not fond of ordinary humans," Orochimaru continued, smirking, "but since your eyes are filled with such longing… you should sleep."
The young man gasped as a sharp blow struck his abdomen. His vision darkened.
Why…? I only wanted to follow you too… Orochimaru-sama…
Suddenly, the heavy library doors burst open with a thunderous crack, scattering dust into the stale air.
There was no Orochimaru—only the empty library, Hyūga Neji stationed outside scanning the area with his Byakugan, and Uchiha Shin stepping forward, the illusion still fading in the minds of the fallen guards.
The amplification effect of the Yata Mirror was extraordinary. Uchiha Shin exhaled quietly.
The two Chūnin had been ensnared in his illusion without realizing it. Although tonight's confusion and their fear of Orochimaru had made it easier, his Demonic Illusion: Narakumi no Jutsu had evolved into a far deadlier art under the mirror's power.
He needed to find the Scroll of Seals quickly—among the countless forbidden scrolls hidden in this library lay the techniques he sought.
Illusion could kill, too. The older ninja's breathing slowed, his face turning a faint blue-purple, as though poisoned—his life slipping away quietly.
Guarding the library was their duty; Uchiha Shin felt no joy in their deaths. He had no wish to kill more than necessary.
The air inside reeked faintly of dust and decay—clearly, few ever entered this place. Uchiha Shin moved deeper, eyes scanning every shelf.
In the restricted section, there were fewer scrolls than elsewhere, yet each radiated powerful chakra.
Edo Tensei—the Reanimation Jutsu… he read silently. What a vile technique.
So this truly was the forbidden archive—its contents more dangerous than legend described.
A massive scroll lying across a high pedestal caught his eye. Uchiha Shin approached, unrolling part of it.
There were four bold kanji written upon it—Fūin no Sho—the Scroll of Seals.
He almost opened it on the spot, but curiosity overtook him first. The first jutsu listed—Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Wait… is the Book of Seals really just an ordinary oversized scroll?
"Shin! The chakra signatures outside the village have vanished! That means the Third Hokage must be returning!" Neji's voice called urgently from outside.
Without another thought, Uchiha Shin gathered every scroll and ancient record from the restricted archive, mixing several forbidden ones among ordinary research scrolls to obscure their absence.
"Let's go," he murmured, his voice low but firm. "Mission accomplished."