Chapter 240: The Cave
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 240: The Cave
Naruto placed his hands on the cold stone, and it moved aside, revealing the entrance to another chamber.
"Come on, what I want to show you is in here."
The two girls followed Naruto inside, expecting to enter a small room within a cave. However, they immediately realized how wrong their assumptions had been.
"Whoa!" Ino exclaimed as she looked around.
Hinata had her Byakugan active, and her eyes widened in shock. But it wasn't just the sheer size of the chamber that surprised her the most. She could see an unusual flow of chakra traveling across the walls. It resembled cascading waterfalls of energy, flowing downward and pooling into a thick, dark liquid that covered the circular floor.
Ino, on the other hand, focused on the chamber itself. It was immediately clear that this was no natural cave. The walls had been carefully carved into a perfect sphere, and beautifully decorated pillars stood at the center, surrounding an altar with a sitting area where comfortable-looking cushions had been placed.
"What do you think?" Naruto asked as he walked toward the core of the chamber.
"Did you build this?" Ino asked in amazement.
"I did. Well, my clones did it."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
"You built this in one day?!"
"You'd be surprised what one can accomplish with enough workers," Naruto replied with a grin.
"No… I can see that," Ino muttered, still inspecting the chamber. "Your clones put a lot of effort into decorating those columns."
"Forget about the columns. What is that dark liquid flowing around the chamber? There's an unusual chakra signature emanating from it," Hinata pointed out.
"You can feel it already? That's a good sign," Naruto said, nodding approvingly. Then, he pointed at the center. "Go sit over there."
"Hold on… I can't feel anything. Is that bad?" Ino glanced at the dark liquid but struggled to see through the dim lighting. The only source of illumination was a small hole in the ceiling that allowed some natural light to seep through.
"No, it's completely normal not to sense anything at first," Naruto reassured her. Once they were both seated, he continued, "As for the purpose of this chamber, it's simple...this is a cultivation cave."
"You mean like the ones inside those sects?" Ino asked.
"What sects?" Hinata asked, unfamiliar with the concept.
"I've placed several arrays here to attract the natural energy in the surrounding area and concentrate it inside this cave," Naruto explained.
"The dark liquid you see is actually a special type of oil. This oil is capable of accumulating large amounts of natural energy, making it easier for us to absorb into our bodies."
"Natural energy? Is that the same as chakra?" Ino asked curiously.
"Chakra can only exist inside living beings," Hinata reminded her.
Even though they could externalize chakra through jutsu or concentrate it within their bodies, chakra itself did not naturally exist in the air. This meant the energy Naruto referred to was something else entirely.
"Correct," Naruto affirmed. "Natural energy is different from the chakra you're used to. It exists in nature, and once you get used to it and align yourself with this energy, you'll be able to feel it everywhere."
"And what do we use this energy for?" Ino asked.
"To become Sages."
Ino didn't react at first, but Hinata, who had studied history extensively, immediately realized the significance of his words.
"You mean like the Sage of the Six Paths?" Ino finally said in astonishment.
"And the First Hokage," Hinata added. "The Three Legendary Sannin were also rumored to have achieved this…"
"Lady Tsunade is a Sage?" Ino asked, turning to Naruto.
"I don't know about Tsunade, but Jiraiya was capable of using an incomplete version, and I believe Orochimaru also experimented with it," Naruto answered.
"Naruto… there's no way we can achieve something like that. We aren't legendary ninjas like them," Ino said doubtfully.
"She's right. You said Lord Jiraiya was unable to completely master Sage training… what chance do we have?" Hinata asked hesitantly.
"I never said it would be easy," Naruto replied, glancing at Ino. "You said you wanted to be strong...this is the path to achieving that goal."
"But…" Ino was still unconvinced.
"Besides," Naruto continued, "you have something that none of those legendary figures had."
"What would that be?" Hinata asked.
Naruto pointed at himself. "You have me, of course."
He knew that wouldn't be enough to convince them, so he began explaining the training plan he had designed for them.
Today, they would meditate to open their senses to natural energy, allowing them to cultivate it anywhere they went. The chamber was specifically designed for him, meaning the concentration of natural energy here was extremely potent. In fact, it was too potent for them at their current level. If they stayed for too long, it could become dangerous.
However, this place was perfect for their first session.
After instructing them on what to do, Naruto remained close, keeping a careful watch. He absorbed any excess natural energy from their bodies to prevent them from turning to stone.
He lacked the Toad Elder's staff, but his ability to absorb energy made it unnecessary.
Naruto had a strong feeling that in just a few months, these two would at least be able to use a partial Sage transformation. Even that alone would be enough to multiply their strength.
And the stronger they are, the more he would benefit when they cultivate together. So at the end of the day, this was one more thing that would get him closer to his final goal.
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