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The next morning, Akane woke up early. Since they had already eaten all the wild game from the previous day, she woke Naruto up too.
Tugging at his clothes, she asked, "Uncle Kenji, can you teach me how to hunt?"
Naruto replied, "My hunting technique is quite simple—I just run straight at the prey and catch it."
Akane hesitated. "But… how do you catch it?"
Naruto, now more serious, said, "That's one of the skills of a ninja. It's not something you can learn easily; it takes time and practice."
Before Akane could respond, Naruto continued, "All right, let's start with how to create and use chakra."
He then began teaching Akane the basics of chakra control.
To Naruto's surprise, Akane's aptitude was impressive, though not on his level, it was still remarkable.
However, Naruto didn't have much time to guide her in-depth, so he only taught her the fundamentals and left her to practice on her own.
After preparing some food for her, Naruto set off to observe the ninja group. When he arrived at their camp, he noticed they were just waking up.
It was already past nine in the morning, and they looked exhausted from the previous night's activities.
Their captain yelled, "Get up, everyone! We've rested long enough, it's time to prepare for tonight's operation!"
The remaining ninjas, still groggy, sluggishly got up, complaining about how tired they were.
Naruto, hidden in the shadows, listened closely to their conversations.
Due to their low spirits, they didn't talk much, and it seemed like they had been repeating this same routine for about a month.
As they ate casually, Naruto overheard one of the ninjas who was close to the captain start a quiet conversation with him.
The man whispered, "Captain, we've been here for so long, and everyone's exhausted."
"Judging by the barrier's strength, it may take much longer than we thought. Maybe our approach isn't the right one."
The captain thought for a moment before responding, "You might be right."
"There's likely a proper way to open the barrier, but we've tried several methods already, and none have worked so far."
The other man suggested, "Captain, I think it's related to the jewel you're holding."
"We followed the person carrying it here, so he must have known the correct way to unlock the barrier."
"But unfortunately, he's dead now. We could investigate whether he had any companions or relatives."
The captain replied, "We found him by chance on the road. His jewel caught our attention, and we ended up following him here."
"We don't know anything about his associates or connections, and it's unlikely we'll find out now. This jewel is our only clue."
The other ninja warned, "Captain if we wait too long, other shinobi villages might discover this place."
"We're closest to the Land of Fire, so we need to act soon, especially concerning the locals."
The captain thought for a while before responding, "We've avoided troubling the island's residents to keep things simple, but we've delayed too long."
"It seems we'll have to take drastic measures. We'll attack the barrier tonight, but for now, let's move against the villagers."
Having heard enough, Naruto understood the entire situation. He quickly returned to his cabin as the group began to mobilize.
When Naruto arrived, Akane was practicing her chakra control as he had taught her.
Although she wasn't particularly eager to learn, she couldn't refuse Naruto's instruction. Seeing Naruto return, Akane happily ran up to him.
Naruto said, "You must be tired from all that practice. Let's take a walk."
Akane, overjoyed at the suggestion, quickly prepared and eagerly urged Naruto to hurry.
Together, they walked through the forest toward the seaside. The scenery was beautiful, and Akane, in good spirits, chatted and laughed along the way.
Before they knew it, they had reached the village where the aloof island residents lived.
Seeing the village, Akane felt a bit sad, reminded of her mother, though she didn't dwell on the cold attitude of the villagers.
Sensing her mood, Naruto offered a few comforting words, and the two found a rock to sit on, letting the ocean breeze calm their minds.
Time passed without them realizing it, but suddenly, the quiet was shattered by screams.
The group of ninjas had reached the village and began slaughtering the residents without warning.
The once peaceful atmosphere was now filled with the sounds of terror. The villagers ran in all directions, but their efforts to flee were futile.
The masked ninjas swiftly chased them down, cutting them down one after another. The bloodshed spread rapidly.
Akane, though disconnected from the villagers emotionally, was kind-hearted by nature.
This was the first time she had witnessed such carnage. Seeing the villagers fall one by one, she cried out, "No! Stop! Stop!"
But her pleas were in vain; the massacre continued.
Naruto, watching beside her, said calmly, "This is the first time you've seen something like this, right?"
"For the sake of personal gain, things like this happen all the time in our world."
"This time, it's strangers we're watching die. Next time, it could be our family or friends."
Hearing Naruto's words, Akane snapped out of her daze.
Gripping Naruto's clothes tightly, she begged, "Uncle Kenji, you're strong, right? Please, save them! You have to save them!"
Naruto responded, "There are about twenty of them, and I'm just one person. If I go to save them, you'll be in danger."
"But if you're willing to help, we can fight them together and have a chance to drive them off."
Naruto's words stirred something in Akane. She grabbed her hair, shaking her head in frustration.
"It's all my fault! I'm weak! If I weren't, maybe my mother wouldn't have died. I have to become stronger, I have to!"
At that moment, just as Naruto was about to intervene, Akane suddenly released a surge of chakra.
Seeing the massacre before her, her chakra grew even stronger, and in an instant, she charged forward at an incredible speed.
With one punch, she took down a masked ninja. Naruto was shocked by this sudden display of Akane's latent power.
The ninjas, too, were startled by this unexpected attack. Before they could react, Akane had already taken down another enemy.
However, her lack of battle experience quickly showed.
Despite her raw power, she soon found herself overwhelmed by the group's coordinated assault, falling into a dangerous situation.
A flash of lightning struck, and one of the enemies had his head severed before he even knew what had happened.
Within moments, the ninjas surrounding Akane were felled by the lightning's strike.
The lead ninja shouted, "Who's there? How dare you interfere with our mission?"
Naruto swiftly cut through the remaining ninjas, and as the situation worsened for the group, they attempted to surround him.
But Naruto's lightning-fast attacks made their efforts futile.
As their numbers dwindled, fear set in, but it was too late—Naruto finished them off one by one. In the end, only their captain remained.
Naruto's Lightning Sword was at the enemy captain's throat.
Watching his comrades fall at Naruto's hands in mere moments, the experienced ninja couldn't suppress the fear rising within him.
Naruto could see the terror in his eyes. With a quick release of Lightning Style, the captain's body went numb, and Naruto easily retrieved the jade from his pocket.
Akane, shocked by Naruto's lightning-fast attacks, stared at the blood-soaked ground, her expression complex.
Her gaze shifted to the jade in Naruto's hand, and her face hardened as she stepped forward and shouted at the captain, "Tell me, where did this jade come from?"
Although the captain was scared, he glanced at Akane and replied, "We took it from someone. Yeah, he had the same red hair as you."
Akane demanded, "What happened to him?"
Realizing he had no chance of survival, the captain coldly responded, "He seemed to value the jade a lot, so we killed him to get it."
As he uttered the word "killed," Naruto noticed an unprecedented hatred in Akane's eyes.
Her chakra surged once again as she threw a fierce punch at the paralyzed captain.
Despite being a skilled ninja, he was defenseless under Naruto's Lightning Style and died instantly from Akane's strike.
The force of her blow even surprised Naruto. The island's residents had been fleeing in panic, unaware of Naruto's quick action.
Only after Akane had dealt with the last enemy did they realize their attackers were all dead.
Slowly, the villagers stopped running and turned their attention to Naruto and Akane. Akane, overwhelmed, collapsed to the ground.
Though she had killed her father's murderer, it was the first time she had taken a life, and the emotional toll was immense.
The villagers began to gather around. An older man approached Naruto and said,
"Was it you, sir, who saved us? I remember seeing you before. Please forgive our previous coldness. We had no other choice."
Naruto replied, "I understand your situation. I don't hold it against you. Go ahead and clean up here. I need to take her somewhere to rest."
With that, Naruto helped Akane to her feet and planned to return to their previous cabin.
A young man approached them and offered, "Sir, why don't you rest at my place instead? We're preparing a feast to thank you."
Seeing Akane's weakened state, Naruto agreed. "All right, we'll rest at your place for a while. Please take care of the dead as well."
The young man led Naruto and Akane to his home, where Naruto laid Akane down on a bed and sat beside her to rest.
The conditions here were much better than Naruto's wooden hut, making it a good place for Akane to recover.
The young man treated Naruto with great hospitality, doing his best to meet his every need.
Meanwhile, the villagers began clearing away the bodies, mourning those who had lost their lives.
After ensuring Akane was comfortable, Naruto removed the masks from the fallen ninjas, only to find that they bore no village headbands.
Judging by their appearance, Naruto concluded they might have come from an unknown, small nation.
Deciding it wasn't worth further investigation, he turned his attention to the jade in his hand.
He could sense it was no ordinary object, but its specific purpose remained a mystery.
Akane lay in bed for a long time, slowly recovering. Her first use of such a large amount of chakra had taken a toll on her body.
Coupled with the emotional trauma, she appeared weak as she sat up. Naruto took care of her gently, and gradually, she began to regain her strength.
Naruto took out the jade he had retrieved earlier, and Akane, noticing it, asked, "Kenji-uncle, may I have a look at that jade?"
Naruto replied, "Take a closer look. Could this be something your father owned?" He handed the jade to Akane.
Akane took the jade and examined it carefully, pressing it to her face as tears welled up in her eyes again.
Naruto stood quietly, knowing she was thinking about her father.
After a moment, Akane wiped her eyes, and Naruto asked, "Can you tell me everything you know about this jade?"
Still, in her grief, Akane thought for a while before replying, "I don't know much about it.
I only know that my father cherished it and always kept it close. Even I only saw it a few times."
"It's a family heirloom, passed down for generations. I remember my father mentioning it once or twice, but I never knew the details."
"Whatever it is, it's very important. That's all I can recall for now."
Seeing that Akane was struggling to remember more, Naruto decided not to press her.
The ninjas were all dealt with, but the mystery of the jade remained unsolved.
As the sun began to set, Naruto said, "Would you mind letting me borrow the jade for a while? I'll return it soon."
Akane hesitated before handing it over reluctantly. "Since Kenji-uncle recovered it, if you need it, you can take it."
Naruto accepted the jade and reassured her, "I'll return it to you soon." He then asked the young man to look after Akane while he went out.
The young man, concerned, said, "Sir, we're preparing a feast tonight to thank you. Would you stay until after the celebration?"
Naruto smiled and replied, "Don't worry. I'll be back in about two hours. I won't miss the feast. Just take good care of Akane for me."
The young man nodded. "You can count on us. We'll take care of her."
Naruto returned to his wooden cabin to gather a few supplies and then headed toward the ruins of Uzushio Village.
By now, the sun had set, and the moon began to rise. That familiar red glow appeared once again.
Naruto quickly cleared the entrance of the underground passage and made his way inside.
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