Twilight Spring Valley

"Argh, it just won't pop!"

In the middle of the forest, Naruto's exasperated roar startled a flock of birds into flight.

"What kind of hellish jutsu is this? It's so hard!"

Uchiha Kei strolled over, swaying slightly, and casually picked up the water balloon from the ground.

"Hard? It's because your heart isn't calm enough."

Something seemed to be flowing inside the water balloon; sharp, needle-like protrusions pushed against the surface, and the balloon burst instantly.

"Chakra acts as a flow of energy. You must maintain a steady, continuous stream. Being impatient and frantic won't work."

Naruto watched the water balloon in his hand with envy.

He then glanced at the scattered remains of the water balloons at his own feet, his eyes growing increasingly resentful.

This was their fifth day since leaving the village.

Twilight Ninja Village was not too far from Konoha, located at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.

Logically, they should have arrived at Twilight Ninja Village long ago, but Uchiha Kei had insisted on putting Naruto through special training, causing them to cover less than two-thirds of the journey.

For the past five days, Naruto had felt like he was living in a nightmare.

First, it was all kinds of taijutsu instruction, involving endless punches and kicks.

Then came the ninjutsu training—chakra wall climbing, chakra water walking, and so on.

In short, Uchiha Kei had transformed into a demonic teacher; if anything didn't go his way, he would subject Naruto to a barrage of punches and kicks.

"Alright, that's enough training for today. Get ready to eat."

As soon as he heard the word "eat," Naruto's dejected state vanished instantly.

"I'll go gather some firewood!"

With a turn, Naruto's figure disappeared.

Uchiha Kei shook his head and chuckled.

This guy couldn't get motivated for anything except food.

After a brief observation, a shuriken suddenly appeared in Uchiha Kei's hand, and with a flick of his wrist, he threw it like a phantom.

"Thwack."

A plump rabbit was pinned to a tree.

By the time Naruto returned with the firewood, the rabbit had already been prepared by Uchiha Kei.

"It smells so good."

Watching the rabbit sizzle and drip oil over the fire, Naruto could barely contain his drool.

Uchiha Kei sprinkled some seasoning on it, feeling it was necessary to remind Naruto of something.

"As a ninja, you don't start fires to cook while on field missions. It will expose your position."

"Understood, understood."

Naruto nodded repeatedly, though he secretly curled his lip.

Talk is cheap. From the moment we left until now, you've been having a barbecue for every single meal, yet you have the nerve to lecture me...

"Alright, it's ready to eat."

Uchiha Kei split the rabbit in two and was just about to hand a portion to Naruto when his gaze shifted.

"Come out."

Uchiha Kei said coldly.

"Huh?"

Naruto's hand, stretched out in mid-air, froze as he hurriedly scanned his surroundings with vigilance.

Just as the tension reached its peak, a filthy child crawled out from the woods, staring longingly at the rabbit in Uchiha Kei's hand.

"What the, it's just a kid."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, took the rabbit Uchiha Kei handed him, and walked toward the child.

"Little guy, are you hungry?"

The dirty child raised his bright eyes, his throat bobbing involuntarily.

"Here, you can have this."

Naruto felt a twinge of reluctance, but he still handed his portion of the rabbit to the child.

The child hesitated for a moment, but driven by hunger, he took it and, ignoring the heat, stuffed it directly into his mouth.

Naruto clapped his hands and walked back to Uchiha Kei's side.

"How pitiful."

"Indeed, indeed."

Uchiha Kei watched Naruto warily, his speed in eating the rabbit unconsciously increasing.

"Compared to him, I actually have it pretty good. At the very least, I have you with me."

"Yeah, yeah."

He's starting to get sentimental!

Uchiha Kei's speed in eating the rabbit increased by another notch.

"Kei, I suddenly feel like I'm still quite happy."

"Yeah, yeah, urgh..."

Uchiha Kei's eating came to a sudden halt.

"What's wrong, Kei?"

Naruto turned his head and, seeing Uchiha Kei's face flushed red, immediately grew anxious.

Desperately pounding on his own chest, Uchiha Kei's eyes welled up with tears.

Choked...

After a flurry of activity, Naruto looked at him with a reproachful gaze.

"Why are you eating so fast? Would I even steal from you? Honestly."

"When have you ever not stolen from me?"

"Nonsense! That's slander! It's a trampling of my character!"

"Fine then, I was originally planning to roast another one..."

"Hehehe, my character is yours to trample. I'll lie flat, please do as you wish~"

The child to the side watched the two of them fooling around and let out a sudden giggle.

Both of them turned their gazes toward the child.

Under their scrutiny, the child stiffened, and his movements while eating slowed down significantly.

It wasn't until he was full and hiccuping that Uchiha Kei finally spoke.

"Little one, what's your name?"

The child fidgeted, nervously clutching the corner of his clothes.

"My name is Twilight Spring Valley."

His voice was soft and carried a crisp tone.

"You're a girl?"

Uchiha Kei clicked his tongue in wonder.

Though, it was understandable; the little one was disheveled, his clothes were tattered, and given his young age, it was hard to tell.

"Which village are you from? How come you're all by yourself?"

Naruto, not wanting to be outdone, leaned in to ask as well.

"I... I am..."

Twilight Spring Valley's eyes misted over, and large, bead-like tears began to stream down.

"Huh? Don't cry! I was just trying to ask so I could see if I could send you back to your village."

Seeing Twilight Spring Valley crying, Naruto panicked, scratching his head and fidgeting in distress.

"I come from Twilight Ninja Village..."

"Twilight Ninja Village!"

Naruto exclaimed, quickly turning his head to look at Uchiha Kei.

Uchiha Kei was also stunned.

Wasn't it said that Twilight Ninja Village had been wiped out? Could there be a survivor?

"How many people are left in Twilight Ninja Village?"

"None, they're all dead. The uncles and aunts, the grandpas and grandmas, they're all dead."

Twilight Spring Valley covered his face and wept.

Naruto, who was naturally a person who hated evil, felt even more indignant upon hearing Twilight Spring Valley's account.

Holding down the agitated Naruto, Uchiha Kei looked at Twilight Spring Valley.

"How did you manage to escape?"

"A ninja uncle put me in a water vat and told me not to make a sound."

"When I came out, everyone was dead."

Uchiha Kei's eyes shifted, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"We are ninjas from Konoha, and we came here specifically for Twilight Ninja Village. Why don't you come with us?"

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he nodded hurriedly.

"Yeah, you can come with us. Once we finish investigating the situation at Twilight Ninja Village, you can even come back to Konoha with us."

"Is that allowed?"

Twilight Spring Valley looked up, but her gaze shifted toward Uchiha Kei.

She could tell that between the two of them, Uchiha Kei was the one who made the decisions.

"Of course it is."

Uchiha Kei said with a smile.

"Then... then thank you, big brothers."

A forced smile appeared on Twilight Spring Valley's face.

Even while smiling, she could not hide her sorrow.

"Don't cry anymore. Let me tell you, the two of us are super strong; we'll definitely be able to find the culprit who destroyed your village!"

Wiping the tears from Twilight Spring Valley's face, Naruto patted his chest firmly before turning his head to look at Uchiha Kei.

"Right, Kei?"

His words carried a hint of uncertainty.

"Ah, yes, yes, you're absolutely right."

Uchiha Kei watched Twilight Spring Valley, appearing somewhat distracted.

"But... they are very strong."

Twilight Spring Valley hesitated.

"How do you know they're strong? Didn't you hide in a water vat from the very beginning?"

Uchiha Kei suddenly looked up, his gaze deep as he stared at her.

"I..."

"Hey, why are you being so fierce, Kei? You've scared her."

Seeing Uchiha Kei suddenly turn serious, Naruto felt a bit displeased.