To be honest, I thought Mr. Yamada was a frightening and suspicious man, and I felt that following him would be dangerous. However, I couldn't ignore the fact that he claimed to know about my parents, so I decided to go with him.

Just in case he tried something strange, I kept my distance and followed him cautiously.

"Are you wary of me?"

Mr. Yamada spoke without turning around.

"Well... we just met, and you did something strange to Ms. Hatakeyama. To be honest, yes, I am."

When I answered, Mr. Yamada stopped walking, turned around, and smiled.

"Being cautious around someone you think is suspicious is a good thing."

With that, he resumed walking.

I didn't understand why a man who was being treated with suspicion would praise me for being cautious, but I decided not to think too deeply about it and focused on following him.

As we walked, keeping some distance between us, Mr. Yamada turned onto a deserted street.

Going somewhere isolated with someone I didn't trust was dangerous, but he looked like a man with poor eyesight. If things went wrong, I could probably run away.

I widened the distance between us even more.

Just as I did, Mr. Yamada stopped and turned toward me.

"There are no people around here. This seems like a good place to talk."

As he spoke, he pulled a round stone from his suit pocket.

"Are you going to tell me about my parents?"

"I will talk about your parents, but first there's something else I need to explain. To begin with, I have no intention of adopting you."

That statement didn't surprise me.

Somehow, I had already felt that he hadn't brought me out of the orphanage to adopt me.

"Then why did you bring me here?"

"Because I wanted to ask whether you would like to enter a ninja training academy."

"A ninja training academy? You mean a school where you can become a ninja?"

"That's right. It's the academy your parents attended. It's called the Iko Ninja Training Academy."

I couldn't hide my shock.

The fact that my parents had been ninjas was unbelievable.

At the same time, a question came to mind.

"So my parents were ninjas, and because I was born to them, that means I'm qualified to become a ninja too?"

"Exactly. You have the qualifications to enroll in the ninja training academy. Ever since you were born, haven't you been able to move without making a sound or see strange creatures that other people can't? Those creatures are called yokai. They're like evil spirits that sometimes harm people. People with ninja blood are born with abilities like those."

He was right.

I could move silently, and I could see strange creatures that nobody else could.

The abilities that had troubled me all my life were actually signs that I could become a ninja. I had never imagined such a thing.

"So, I'd like you to enroll in the academy. But I should warn you, the training to become a ninja is harsh and demanding. If you decide that you don't want to become a ninja, I'll take you back to the orphanage, remove the ninjutsu I cast on that woman, and you'll continue living there. So, what will you do?"

I thought about his question.

I would be attending the same academy my parents had attended.

Maybe I could learn more about them there.

I was also interested in ninjas.

But I didn't have much confidence in my abilities.

I wasn't particularly good at studying or sports. The only thing I could really do was come up with unusual ideas.

I wasn't sure someone like me could survive at the academy.

"I'm interested in the world of ninjas, but I'm not good at studying or sports, and I don't think I have any special talents. Even if I go to the academy, I might never become a great ninja."

"No, you do have talent. Talent is a double-edged sword. If you recognize your gifts, understand your strengths, and act accordingly, you can make use of them. But if you live your life without ever realizing your talents, you'll remain ordinary. Worse, you may spend your entire life living below even that. The ninja blood flowing through your veins is itself a special gift. So you should have confidence in yourself."

As I listened to Mr. Yamada's words, I reflected on my life.

Maybe the reason I had never believed in myself was because I had been living in the wrong place.

If I lived as a ninja, perhaps I could finally achieve something and gain confidence in myself.

The opportunity to change my life and learn about my parents was right in front of me.

I made my decision.

"I understand. I'll believe that I have talent as a ninja and enroll in the academy. I want to know what kind of place my father and mother attended, and I want to become a first-rate ninja."

At my answer, Mr. Yamada smiled warmly.

"I'm glad to hear that. Then let me introduce myself properly. My name is Keizo Fujimura. I'm a teaching ninja, an instructor who trains students at the Iko Ninja Training Academy."

"So you're a teacher at the academy. Why were you using a fake name?"

"Ninjas have something called an alias. It's common for us to have more than one name. Using our real names can expose personal information or interfere with our missions."

"I see. Then from now on, I'll call you Fujimura-sensei."

"Yes, please do. Now that the explanations are over, it's time to head to the ninja training academy. We need to stop somewhere first. Do you have any objections?"

"No, I can leave right away. But traveling and moving to a new place must cost a lot of money, right? I don't have any money. I can't pay for transportation or rent."

"You don't need to worry about money. Enrolling in the ninja training academy costs nothing, and both meals and housing are free. As for transportation, that won't cost anything either. With this Ninja Stone, we can get there in an instant."

Fujimura-sensei held up the round stone in his hand.

"How does that stone let us travel?"

"I'll show you. Grab hold of my clothes."

I did as he said and grabbed his sleeve.

After confirming that I had a firm grip, he moved both hands and spoke.

"Teleportation Technique!"

The moment he uttered the words, darkness swallowed us.

A world of brilliant light immediately spread before us. Then the light vanished, and I found myself in a place I had never seen before.

"Where are we?"

I asked, still clinging to his clothes.

"This is Adachi City in Tokyo. The place in front of us is called Entenji Temple."

I looked where he indicated.

There was a black stone engraved with the characters for "Entenji," along with a tiled roof and a small gate.

"Come on."

Fujimura-sensei passed through the gate and continued onward.

I followed him.

Beyond the gate stood a small shrine.

In the distance was a statue of a man, and to the left were several gravestones.

"Is the academy here? It just looks like a shrine."

"Just follow me."

He began walking again, and I hurried after him.

However, he suddenly stopped in front of a small pond on our right.

The object he was staring at was a stone frog statue.

There were several frog statues around the pond and two in the middle that looked as though they were wrestling.

"Those frog statues look like they're sumo wrestling."

"Yes. Those wrestling frog statues are exactly why we came here."

"Are you planning to take one home?"

"No, of course not. Those frog statues are the entrance to the ninja training academy."

"The entrance to the academy?"

"Throughout Japan, there are frog statues in certain places. Since ancient times, they've served as gateways to the world of ninjas. Of course, ordinary Japanese people know nothing about this. Only those with ninja blood, like us, know the truth."

"I see. So we're going to use these frog statues to get to the academy?"

"That's right. So grab my clothes again."

I did as instructed.

Just as before, he moved both hands and spoke.

"Teleportation Technique!"

Darkness once again enveloped us.

A brilliant world of light appeared. Then it vanished.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a room filled with countless frog statues.

"Welcome to the world of ninjas."

Fujimura-sensei said with a smile.