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Naruto had slept for an entire day, during which Akane became increasingly active.
By the time evening came, Naruto got up from bed and started eating the roast meat Akane had just prepared.
Suddenly, Akane said to Naruto, "Kenji-uncle, I want to learn that jutsu you use to build houses."
"That way, I'll never have to worry about not having a place to stay. Also, I want to learn how to catch wild animals, so I won't go hungry in the future."
Naruto, looking at Akane's red hair, began to consider teaching her some jutsu.
He replied, "Learning that is tough. A girl like you might not be able to handle it."
Akane immediately protested, "What's wrong with being a girl? My mother always told me to be gentle, but I also want to be capable, just like my father."
Naruto hadn't expected Akane to be so resilient. However, he couldn't just reveal his identity as a ninja so easily.
Looking into her eyes, he asked, "Why do you think I should teach you? If your reason convinces me, I'll consider it."
Akane thought for a moment and said, "I don't know why, but from the first moment I saw you, I felt a sense of familiarity."
"Then, you gave me food and brought me to stay in the house. We've talked a lot, and slowly, you've started to feel like family to me."
Naruto was surprised by her words. He too felt something similar, like looking at a younger sister.
Akane's large, watery eyes stared at Naruto, filled with anticipation.
Naruto pretended to be troubled, which made Akane show a slight expression of disappointment.
Suddenly, Naruto smiled and said, "Since your cooking is pretty good, I'll take you as my student."
"That's great!" Akane exclaimed, jumping with joy, and spinning around in little circles.
Even though she was already seventeen, at that moment, she looked like a child. Watching her, Naruto was reminded of his younger self.
Even though they hadn't known each other for long, Naruto decided not to keep too many secrets from her.
He gestured for Akane to settle down, and she quickly sat opposite him, her eyes fixed on Naruto, eager to hear what he would say next.
Naruto asked, "Have you ever heard of ninjas?"
Akane thought seriously before responding, "I've heard my parents mention them occasionally, but they didn't seem to want me to know much about ninjas."
"Every time I asked, they would tell me not to inquire further. So, I haven't had much exposure to anything related to ninjas."
Naruto thought to himself that her parents were probably ninjas and, after going into hiding, didn't want their daughter to become one.
They likely preferred that she avoid any contact with the ninja world altogether.
Naruto explained, "In this world, ordinary people have very limited power. As you know, even basic things like food, clothing, and shelter can sometimes be challenging."
"However, there are people with abilities far beyond normal—those people are ninjas."
"Even an average ninja is much stronger than ordinary people, not to mention the truly powerful ones."
Akane quickly responded, "If ninjas are so powerful, then I want to become one too."
Naruto, now serious, said, "Becoming a ninja requires rigorous training and learning."
"And after becoming one, you'll likely encounter many difficulties."
"For example, you'll often be in danger and might be forced to kill people who've done nothing to harm you. Being a ninja comes with many such troubles."
Hearing this, Akane hesitated. "Then maybe I shouldn't become a ninja. I just want to learn how to build houses and hunt from Kenji-uncle. That should be enough for me."
Her response was exactly what Naruto had expected.
Girls like Akane, who hadn't experienced the harsh realities of the ninja world, typically sought happiness and peace rather than power.
Naruto looked at her and said, "I'm a ninja. The Jutsu I used to build the house and catch the animals are ninja techniques."
Akane was shocked and lowered her head, murmuring, "I can't believe someone as kind as Kenji-uncle is a ninja who kills people..."
Naruto gently explained, "Although ninja techniques can sometimes hurt others, being a ninja is a profession full of challenges."
"In this world, there are many people we need to protect, like your mother, or even ourselves. Often, we face problems that can't be avoided."
"If we aren't strong enough to deal with these issues, we could lose what's most precious to us."
Naruto's words left Akane deep in thought. However, given her age, it would be difficult for her to fully understand.
Naruto continued, "Take your time to think about these things. Starting tomorrow, I'll begin teaching you. Just focus on learning."
With that, Naruto returned to the wooden cabin to organize his ninja tools, then vanished before Akane's eyes.
Staring at the spot where he disappeared, Akane sat by the campfire, her head lowered in contemplation.
Though she hadn't outright rejected the idea, it seemed she was seriously considering learning ninjutsu from Naruto.
For now, Naruto didn't focus too much on her, as he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Night had already fallen, and Naruto returned to the ruins he had investigated the previous day. He carefully hid himself, patiently waiting.
As the sun slowly set behind the mountains, the moon began to rise, casting its pale light over the ruins, revealing the general outline of the area.
Just as the moon fully ascended, Naruto noticed a faint light in one corner of the ruins.
The glow gradually grew brighter, but unlike the moon's white light, this one was red, and Naruto could feel an unusual chakra emanating from it.
Naruto was about to move in and investigate when he noticed several figures approaching the glowing spot.
There were more than twenty of them. Hiding among the trees, Naruto remained undetected.
Judging by their speed and movements, Naruto estimated that they weren't particularly strong, though they were all wearing masks.
Without seeing any jutsu being used, Naruto couldn't determine their identity.
Once the group reached the glowing area, they entered one by one, suggesting this wasn't their first time there.
Seizing the opportunity, Naruto quietly followed them toward the light source. He discovered that there was a hidden passage within the ruins.
The entrance was small and had been concealed before, which explained why Naruto hadn't noticed it the first time he came.
However, he saw that the red light could penetrate the barrier blocking the entrance, making it clear that this wasn't an ordinary light.
To avoid being discovered by the group ahead, Naruto carefully entered the passage, using Earth Release to conceal himself within the walls.
After traversing the long, narrow passage, Naruto once again spotted the ninjas he had seen earlier.
This time, however, the area ahead had opened up significantly. The ninjas had all stopped moving, standing in two lines, seemingly focused on something ahead.
Naruto scanned his surroundings and noticed that not only had the space expanded, but strange carvings also adorned the walls.
There were many odd patterns, most of which Naruto had never seen before—except for one.
It was the familiar spiral pattern that appeared on the Leaf Village ninja uniforms.
Though this confirmed to Naruto that the ruins belonged to the Uzumaki clan, it didn't offer much else of value. Just then, the group of ninjas began to move.
Ten of them, standing in the rear, suddenly drew their weapons and charged forward with what appeared to be their strongest attacks.
Their strikes seemed to be blocked, but there wasn't the usual sound of impact.
Naruto noticed that the area they attacked emitted a red glow, forming a strange pattern, like an invisible barrier blocking their assault.
The remaining ten ninjas, following suit, launched similar attacks, while the first group fell back to prepare for another strike.
Seeing this, Naruto deduced that there was a barrier ahead, and the group was attempting to break through it by wearing down its energy, likely their only method to overcome it.
The ninjas continued their attacks in turns while a man, presumably their leader, watched from the sidelines.
Suddenly, Naruto saw this man take a glowing jewel out of his pocket. Naruto squinted and recognized the spiral design on it.
If there was only one such jewel, it had to be the one Akane had mentioned, the jewel belonging to her father.
This meant that these people had likely taken it from him. Naruto continued observing from the shadows.
The twenty ninjas kept attacking the barrier, but it showed no signs of breaking.
Their constant efforts were exhausting them, and soon they were out of breath.
The leader, holding the jewel, said, "Let's take a short break. We don't have much time to waste."
One of the ninjas wiped the sweat from his forehead and approached the leader.
"Captain, after all this time, the barrier doesn't seem to be weakening. At this rate, we have no idea when we'll break through."
The captain replied, "I know, but we don't have a better way to break it. The Uzumaki clan's jutsu is extraordinary."
"The stronger the barrier, the more valuable the things inside. We've finally gotten this lead, so we can't waste this chance."
Another ninja chimed in, "Captain, we only have two hours inside each time we enter. Once the red light disappears, everything here vanishes. Attacking after that would be pointless."
The captain, clearly anxious, responded, "Everyone rest for five minutes and take your ration pills. Then we'll attack with our strongest techniques."
"You all saw it—compared to a month ago, the barrier's strength has diminished somewhat."
After their brief rest, the group took their ration pills and resumed attacking the barrier.
From their techniques, Naruto could tell that most of them weren't particularly strong, except perhaps the captain.
However, Naruto hadn't fully grasped the situation yet, so he continued watching without intervening.
After about two hours, a slight tremor shook the ground, and a large stone wall began to rise, its thickness far beyond normal.
This wall slowly ascended, shielding the barrier behind it, and at the same time, the red glow faded away.
The ninjas, exhausted from their relentless attacks, had drained their chakra and were now lying on the ground, resting before they sluggishly made their exit.
Once they left, Naruto emerged from the wall and tapped the stone surface with a kunai.
The sound it made revealed it wasn't stone but some kind of metal that had been disguised to look like stone.
Naruto channelled chakra into his kunai and struck the wall again, but it didn't leave a scratch; instead, part of the kunai snapped off.
It was clear this wasn't an ordinary wall. Naruto carefully inspected the area. With the red glow gone, the space ahead was dark.
He took out a small light and examined the surroundings but found nothing but the impenetrable wall.
Realizing there was no point in staying, Naruto decided to leave.
The entrance had been blocked with debris, likely placed there by the ninjas to conceal it.
Using the Flying Thunder God technique, Naruto teleported outside. Judging by the time, the group of ninjas hadn't gotten far.
Naruto quickly followed their trail and soon spotted them again.
Moving quietly, he tailed them for a while until they reached their camp, where they had set up a few straw huts in the forest as temporary shelters.
Exhausted, the group ate a little and soon fell asleep. Naruto considered eliminating them on the spot but decided against it, suspecting they still had information he hadn't uncovered.
After leaving a mark at their camp, Naruto returned to his cabin. By this time, Akane was already asleep.
Naruto quietly entered the cabin, careful not to wake her.
Sitting in a wooden chair, Naruto thought to himself, "It seems the entrance only opens when the moon first rises."
"No wonder I didn't notice it before. From now on, I'll have to time my visits carefully. But to be safe, I'll observe those ninjas again tomorrow."
Naruto also pondered Akane's father's jewel. It was undoubtedly connected to this situation.
Otherwise, the ninja leader wouldn't have been carrying it.
Naruto planned to question Akane further about her father, hoping to gather more valuable information.
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