## Naruto and Sai's Side ##
Naruto and Sai stared at the girl.
Naruto wiped away the mist from the transparent barrier. She had her eyes closed, wearing a peaceful expression. Her long white hair flowed down her back, framing sharp, angular bangs in front.
The two teens guessed she was around their age.
She was lying there, completely nude.
The two boys stared at the girl for a long moment. Then Sai pointed at her:
"So, are you planning to get her out of there, Naruto-senpai?"
Naruto kept staring at the girl:
"How am I supposed to get her out, Sai? I don't know any Fire Release techniques, and this isn't even ice."
"You've come all this way; you must have a plan."
Naruto shrugged:
"Maybe, but would she even be able to walk after coming out? It's pretty dangerous around here right now."
Sai frowned:
"Are you saying you want to leave her here forever?"
Naruto lowered his head shamefully:
"She doesn't really resemble my family. Her face shape is different, her eyes are shaped differently too. Who exactly is this girl?"
"There's only one way to find out, senpai," Sai said, pointing toward the frozen girl.
Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes, then cut his hand again and pressed it against the substance encasing her. The material started melting away fast.
Naruto stared at his hand in surprise:
"Wow, my blood works great. Did you see that? It was like lava."
The girl almost collapsed, but Naruto and Sai caught her almost mid-fall.
The two exchanged glances.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing golden amber eyes.
Confused, she blinked up at Naruto and spoke in a soft, sweet voice:
"Hello."
Naruto replied expressionlessly:
"Hai."
She looked around bewildered:
"Umm, who are you, and why am I here?"
Naruto shrugged:
"My name's Naruto. This is Sai. We don't know how you ended up here either."
"I see… okay… just one more question."
Naruto nodded:
"Ask."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Why am I naked?"
Naruto and Sai glanced at each other, then Naruto turned back to her:
"We don't know either."
The girl simply gazed at them without showing any discomfort.
She scrunched up her nose cutely:
"I hate to bother you, but do you have any clothes I can borrow? The floor feels freezing."
Naruto and Sai exchanged another glance. Then Naruto pulled out a sealing scroll from his pocket, unsealed it, and pulled out some clothes.
The young ninja left the vault so she could change.
Quietly, Sai asked Naruto:
"So what now, senpai?"
Naruto glared at Sai:
"Not a clue! We can't just leave her here. Can you take her back to Konoha?"
Sai frowned:
"Where would I even put her? My place barely has space for me alone, and Lord Danzo won't accept her either."
Naruto began pacing:
"What a mess. I came here looking for scrolls, maybe some family lineage documents. Then I ran into Akatsuki, a cursed statue, and now an attractive girl sealed naked inside a vault."
"Why is my luck so bad?"
"Who are you two?"
Naruto and Sai turned around. The girl had tied her white hair into twin ponytails hanging down her back.
She wore black ninja pants similar to Naruto's, rolled up to her knees, along with black sandals and a short black top.
The way she fidgeted with her clothes strangely caught Naruto's attention.
"Geez, I'm so stiff after being stuck in that place."
"Same here," Naruto blurted out, then slapped his own face. "Uh, don't you think you should introduce yourself before asking for others' names?"
She quickly bowed low.
"I'm sorry. My name is Shimizu Tamako, an apprentice to a 9th-level Sealing Expert from the Uzumaki Hidden Village."
Naruto gaped at her.
"You're a Sealing Expert? Impossible! You're so young—how are you already level 9? My teacher's only level 8!"
She placed her hands on her hips.
"Well, I'm only the Sealing Expert's apprentice. I haven't reached level 10 yet to become a fully recognized Sealing Master." She blinked, as if thinking. "We need to fight! Where are the master and the others?" Then she noticed the forehead protectors on the two boys and smiled brightly. "Konoha ninjas are here! The master said they would come! You must've taken down those bastards."
She looked at Sai and Naruto.
"Sorry for my earlier rudeness. May I ask your names?"
Naruto answered hesitantly.
"Uh, he's Sai." Sai nodded in confirmation. "And me? I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."
Tamako's eyes widened at his surname.
"Mr. Uzumaki—from Konoha? You must be related to Lady Mito!"
Naruto stared at her confused.
"Lady Mito? Who's Mito? And why'd you call me 'Mr.'?"
Tamako grabbed Naruto's arm.
"A member of Lady Mito's clan rescued me... I'm so lucky. Have you seen the master? Others might call him the village headman."
Naruto hesitated slightly.
"Um, Tamako, I'm not sure how to say this. Let Sai explain it to you. Go ahead, Sai."
Sai nodded.
"When you entered that room, the Uzumaki Hidden Village had already fallen. You've been asleep for almost twenty years, Tamako."
Tamako stared at them for a while, then smiled.
"You guys are joking, right? If Konoha's here, then we've already won!"
Naruto lowered his head with a sorrowful expression while Sai remained expressionless as he looked at her.
Tamako's smile faded.
"You're kidding me, aren't you? Tell me. Is the Uzumaki clan okay?" she pleaded anxiously.
**THUD THUD THUD**
Naruto and Sai turned toward the nearest wall, both muttering simultaneously, "Damn it."
The wall collapsed, and the guardian smashed through, glaring intently at Naruto and Sai.
The two prepared to grab Tamako and run, but she walked toward the statue.
"Enough fooling around, Kobun-kun!"
At Tamako's command, the statue stopped moving. Naruto stared at it in amazement.
"How did you manage that? Have you any idea how much trouble this thing has been over the past two days?"
Tamako turned to Naruto.
"What do you mean? I'm the one who created and activated the seal, of course I can control it."
"Tell me now..." Her voice turned serious. "What happened to Uzumaki?"
As she spoke, her voice began to tremble.
Quickly, Naruto pulled Tamako into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Tamako, but Sai wasn't lying. It's true—I wish it weren't, but it is. Long ago, the Village Hidden in Whirlpools was destroyed. You're the only one we found alive here because you were in that mysterious sealed chamber."
Tamako stood there silently, leaning against Naruto's shoulder, until finally breaking down and sobbing in his arms.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>