The second afternoon, Tatsuya arrived at the Akimichi clan's secret grounds.
"Uncle Rou," Tatsuya greeted, respectfully bowing as he approached the entrance. He saw Akimichi Rou already waiting there. Tatsuya held a deep respect for this uncle who had always looked out for him.
"Kid, make the most of this opportunity. Don't disappoint the Clan Head!" Rou clapped Tatsuya on the shoulder, his expression a mixture of pride and encouragement. The immense change in Tatsuya, before and after, had not gone unnoticed. Rou truly hoped Tatsuya would be a great gift to him, as well to their family.
"Don't worry, Uncle Rou. I won't let you or the Clan Head down," Tatsuya replied, nodding firmly. This statement was as much for Rou as it was for himself. He was genuinely surprised and grateful that the clan had so readily agreed to his request. He would remember this kindness.
"Good. Go on in," Rou said, nodding towards the entrance.
Without hesitation, Tatsuya gave a final nod to Rou and strode into the secret grounds.
Upon entering, Tatsuya discovered that the clan's secret grounds weren't all that mysterious. It was simply a hidden underground chamber built within the core area of the clan's compound.
Two Akimichi clan ninja guarded the entrance. Both were powerfully built, wearing masks adorned with a butterfly pattern. They wore red armor emblazoned with the character (Shoku - "Food"), standing like guardian statues protecting the entrance.
They didn't stop Tatsuya. One of them simply nodded and led him further inside. Clearly, they had received instructions about his arrival.
The escorting ninja remained silent throughout the walk, leading Tatsuya several hundred meters until they reached a chamber door carved with the character (Nin - "Endurance/Ninja").
"Tatsuya, right? We've heard about you from the Clan Head. This is the clan's secret chamber. You have two days to study here. You must stay here the entire time. We'll deliver your meals regularly. Cherish this opportunity," the ninja said, pressing a hand against the wall. The chamber door slowly opened automatically. He then turned to face Tatsuya.
"Thank you, senior," Tatsuya replied with a respectful bow.
Although the ninja's mask obscured his face, Tatsuya could clearly sense the goodwill emanating from him. In the strength-obsessed world of Naruto, clans as tolerant and kind as the Akimichi were likely rare.
"Mm. Go on in," the escorting ninja nodded, saying nothing further.
Tatsuya quickly entered the chamber. As soon as he stepped inside, the door slowly closed behind him.
Unfazed, Tatsuya began to carefully examine the scroll chamber.
The Akimichi clan's scroll chamber wasn't particularly large, only a few hundred square meters. Several rows of bookshelves were packed with various scrolls, numbering over a thousand. According to the information Tatsuya had gathered beforehand, the chamber primarily contained scrolls documenting the insights of past Akimichi ninja on practicing the clan's secret techniques. There were relatively few actual jutsu scrolls.
Before his arrival, Rou had specifically pointed out several scrolls containing the insights of particularly powerful clan members, especially those focusing on the fundamental principles of chakra cultivation and release. The ability to absorb energy from food, store it within the body's fat, and then rapidly burn that fat to obtain a massive amount of chakra – this was the foundation of the Akimichi clan's powerful secret techniques.
Rou believed that, given Tatsuya's current abilities, learning the clan's secret techniques was a far-off dream. Building a solid foundation was key. He had repeatedly emphasized this point while Tatsuya was gathering information.
However, Rou had no idea that Tatsuya's ultimate goal was to "pack up" and "take away" all the information in the secret grounds.
This opportunity to study in the clan's secret chamber was incredibly rare. Whether he'd ever have another chance was uncertain. To this end, Tatsuya had even spent a considerable sum to purchase two packs of soldier pills, to replenish the chakra consumed by his bio-chip while recording the information.
After entering the chamber, Tatsuya went straight to the bookshelves marked with the clan's secret techniques, picking up a scroll and beginning to read.
For the next two days, Tatsuya completely immersed himself in the repetitive cycle of unrolling scrolls, taking them, and unrolling them again. He didn't want to waste a single moment. Even when a clan Jonin delivered his meals, Tatsuya quickly devoured the food and immediately resumed his copying work.
As a result, in those two days, Tatsuya's mind had copied over eighty scrolls of clan secret techniques. This included all of the Akimichi's secret techniques, numerous insights from past practitioners, and even some important records documenting the clan's history. It was a significant haul.
However, Tatsuya had paid a price.
"Kid, what happened to you?" Two days later, the Jonin guarding the chamber was shocked when he saw Tatsuya. He immediately rushed forward with a shunshin to support him.
Tatsuya was trembling, his spirit extremely weak. He collapsed backwards before he even made it out the door.
"Senior, I'm fine," Tatsuya said with a weak smile, cradled in the ninja's arms. Then, he fell asleep.
Two days of non-stop recording had almost completely drained Tatsuya's chakra. Towards the end, he had been running purely on willpower.
Seeing this, the masked ninja vanished with a shunshin.
A day later, Tatsuya slowly woke up.
"You were utterly reckless! What in the world were you doing in that chamber? You drained your chakra to such an extent that if Torikaze hadn't gone in to check on you, you might have died in there without anyone knowing!"
As soon as Tatsuya regained consciousness, he heard a furious voice. Turning his head, he saw Akimichi Rou standing beside his bed, arms crossed, staring at him with a furious expression. Beside Rou, Kyoko stood timidly, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Tatsuya.
"I appreciate your concern, Uncle Rou," Tatsuya said, not bothering to argue. He propped himself up with his hands, still a little weak, and offered his thanks.
"Hmph! You're a real handful, kid!" Rou frowned, coolly dropping this sentence before turning to leave.
From the bright glint in Tatsuya's eyes, it was clear that although his body was still weak, he had recovered significantly after a day of rest. He should be fine.
With his worries eased, Rou didn't stay any longer. As a clan Jonin, he had plenty of things to do.
"Tatsuya-san, are you feeling better?" After Rou left, Kyoko, visibly relieved, rushed forward to ask.
"Kyoko, don't worry, I'm fine," Tatsuya reassured her with a shake of his head. "How long was I asleep?"
"Tatsuya-san, you were unconscious for a whole day! Uncle Rou, who just left, and I were so worried," Kyoko said, patting her chest in relief.
"A whole day, huh?" Tatsuya murmured, his thoughts sinking back into his mind.
Deep within his memory, the clan's secret technique scrolls, recorded by his bio-chip, passed through his mind like books arranged on shelves in a library.
Everything was crystal clear.
A flash of excitement crossed Tatsuya's eyes. His heart finally settled. His efforts over the past two days had not been in vain.