Ken was still unconscious, lying in the ground while Vico and Shiko took care of him. Meanwhile, Akio and Ann walked together, searching for the forbidden ninja scroll. As they walked, they started talking and getting to know each other.

Akio: “You look a lot like Vico, Ann.”

Ann (chuckling): “Of course! We are siblings. So, where are we going now? Do you know where the scroll is?”

Akio: “I was about to steal it, but I fell into a trap—it was a deep hole. Now, we need to find a way back up!”

Ann: “By the way, you haven’t told me your name yet, Ken san’s friend!”

Akio: “My name is Akio, and I will become the next Shogun!”

Ann (amazed): “Wow, that’s a great goal!”

Akio (surprised): “You’re not going to laugh at me?”

Ann (confidently): “Of course not! I also have an almost impossible dream… but I will achieve it! I will become the strongest ninja in the world!”

Akio: “That’s amazing! Is that why you want the scroll so badly?”

Ann: “That’s right! My ancestors hid the forbidden ninja scroll in this cave hundreds of years ago. They also created a series of tests that no ordinary ninja could pass. That’s why I came here—to prove that I am a strong ninja who deserves the scroll!”

After Ann finished speaking, Akio noticed a staircase in front of them. It seemed to lead to the upper floor of the cave. He pointed at it.

Akio: “Look, Ann! I found the stairs! The scroll must be up there. Let’s go!”

The two of them ran excitedly towards the stairs and began climbing. Ann moved carefully, feeling that something was off.

Ann (walking cautiously): “I have a strange feeling…”

Suddenly, as Akio stepped on one of the stairs, the ceiling cracked, and large rocks began falling toward them!

Akio (shocked): “What?!”

Before he could react, Ann grabbed Akio quickly, jumped up the stairs, and grabbed onto the ceiling with one hand! The broken ceiling then magically restored itself, as if nothing had happened. Ann flipped in the air while still holding Akio and landed safely on the upper floor.

Akio (amazed): “Whoa! How did you do that?!”

Ann (smirking): “That was just a simple test for a pro ninja.”

Akio (muttering to himself): “Ugh… Now I need to prove that I’m just as skilled as you…”

Akio and Ann continued walking. Suddenly, Akio stepped on a tile, and they immediately heard a clicking sound beneath their feet.

Ann: “Akio! Don’t move!”

But it was too late… a series of sharp arrows shot toward them at lightning speed from the walls!Akio jumped back and raised his sword, trying to block some of the arrows, but he lost his balance. Meanwhile, Ann flipped into the air, spinning at incredible speed, using her small throwing knivesto deflect the arrows perfectly!One arrow was heading straight for Akio, but he barely dodged it at the last second!When the attack finally stopped, Akio sat on the ground, sweating.

Akio: “Oh my god!”

Ann (smugly): “So? What do you think? My reflexes are perfect!”

Akio (grinning): “That was amazing, Ann! Why don’t you join us on our adventure? Ken and I each have a dream to achieve, and our dreams are connected!”

Ann’s eyes lit up with excitement when she heard Ken’s name.

Ann: “An adventure with Ken san?! Of course, I want to join!! Please let me, Akio!”

Akio: “Of course! From now on, you’re our ninja! We all have different abilities!”

After barely surviving the traps, Akio and Ann finally reached a massive hall filled with blue light. In the center of the room was the scroll… But it wasn’t alone, in front of it the Black ghost was standing and waiting for them in complete silence. Ann placed her hand on her sword.

Ann: “Oh no… Do we have to fight again?!”

But the ghost slowly raised his hand, signaling that he didn’t want to fight.

Black ghost: “You have shown strength and intelligence… But strength alone is not enough to deserve this scroll.”

Akio and Ann looked at each other, feeling uncertain. Was there another test?

Akio: “What do you want from us now, Black ghost?!”

Black ghost: “I need to hear your answers. Stand in front of me and listen.”

Akio and Ann stood in front of the ghost, ready for a sudden attack. But the Phantom simply continued speaking.

Black ghost: “Tell me, girl. Why do you want this scroll?”

Ann: “I want this scroll to learn the forbidden ninja techniques! With it, I will train to become the strongest ninja in the world! I want to prove that a woman can be stronger than any man!”

Black ghost: “And you, the boy with blue hair… Why risk your life to save a girl you don’t even know? You are not a ninja.”

Akio: “I don’t need a reason to save people. That’s human nature! How can I become a Shogun if I don’t care about others?”

Black ghost: “You are truly fascinating! I have tested many people before. Some of them were stronger than you… but they all failed because they lacked determination and perseverance.”

The ghost watched them silently, then slowly pointed at a pile of skulls and dead bodies in the cave. Akio and Ann stared at them in shock.

Ann: “So… it’s true… Everyone who entered this cave before us died?!”

Black ghost: “That is correct. But now, as the guardian of this cave, I shall grant you the Forbidden Ninja Scroll!”

Akio jumped with joy.

Akio: “Yaaaaay! Finally!!”

Ann: “Why are you celebrating? This isn’t even your scroll!”

Akio: “It doesn’t matter! This will help my new friend achieve her dream!”

The ghost handed the scroll to Ann.

Black ghost: “Remember, Ann… True power does not come from the book… but from the heart that carries it.”

As soon as Ann touched the scroll, she felt a strange energy and saw a faint glow inside the scroll. Then, suddenly… Akio’s stomach growled loudly. His face turned into a comedic crying expression.

Akio: “I’m SO hungry! Can we leave the cave now?!”

Ann: “Yes, we can finally leave. And thanks you for helping me, Akio!”

The Next Morning – The Hospital

After a long day full of adventure, it was finally over. Now, we move to the next morning. Inside a small town hospital, Ken was lying in bed, wrapped in bandages. Akio and Vico were sitting near the room’s door, while Ann and Shiko (in cow form) sat beside Ken, who was slowly regaining consciousness.Shiko stared at Ken’s face with concern, watching for any sign of movement. Finally, Ken slowly opened his eyes, feeling his body heavy from exhaustion. The first thing he saw was Shiko’s big face staring at him with wide eyes. Then, she mooed loudly.

Ken (weakly): “… Why is there a cow staring at me?”

Suddenly, Shiko jumped onto the bed and tried to lick Ken’s face with excitement.

Ken (shocked, struggling): “Get away from me! I don’t want to die like this!!”

Everyone laughed at Ken’s reaction, while Vico tried to pull Shiko away. Akio ran toward Ken with a big smile.

Akio: “Finally, you’re awake, my friend! I knew you wouldn’t die that easily!”

Suddenly, the hospital room door burst open! A beautiful doctor with long black hair and dark blue eyes walked in, holding Ken’s medical report. Her name was Koto. She walked with firm steps, still reading Ken’s file as she spoke.

Koto (reading aloud): “Yukaji Ken… 16 years old… multiple wounds, extreme exhaustion, and fever… Hmm…”

As soon as Koto entered the room, Ken reached into his bag, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one. Koto was still focused on reading his file, not noticing what he was doing.

Koto: “You were lucky. The injuries weren’t too serious, but they were enough to make you lose consciousness from exhaustion and fever. You need at least two days of rest.”

Finally, Koto looked up from the file and saw Ken’s face for the first time—only to find him smoking inside the hospital, completely unconcerned! Her expression turned into pure shock.

Koto (furious): “Hey, kid! This is a hospital! Smoking is not allowed here!”

Ken looked at her calmly, took a deep drag from his cigarette, and exhaled the smoke slowly.

Ken: “Oh, sorry… I didn’t see the sign.”

Koto clenched her fists around the medical file as if she was about to hit him with it.

Koto (yelling): “This is a hospital! You don’t need a sign to know that! Put it out, now!”

Akio and Vico watched in silence, enjoying the scene of someone finally controlling Ken. Vico looked worried, while Shiko made a sound as if she was agreeing with Koto.

Ken (mocking): “Hah… This is the first doctor I’ve seen who cares so much about a patient with this much aggression.”

Koto (crossing her arms angrily): “And you’re the first patient I’ve seen trying to kill himself inside a hospital!”

Koto clenched her fist again, took another look at Ken’s file, and then suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in shock.

Koto: “… Wait a second, you’re only 16?!”

Akio and Ann burst into laughter in the background, while Ken looked away.

Koto (glaring at him): “Aren’t you a little too young to be smoking?! Who let you destroy your lungs like this?!”

Ken (casually): “I’m mature enough to make my own decisions.”

Koto stared at him, then suddenly grabbed the cigarette from his hand and crushed it with her fingers!

Koto: “Mature?! You’ve barely left childhood! Do you want to die before you reach your twenties?!”

Ann stepped in, defending Ken.

Ann: “Stop bothering Ken-san! He’s free to do whatever he wants!”

Koto: “Huh?!”

Vico looked at Ken calmly and added:

Vico: “I told you before, smoking is bad for you.”

Ken sighed and raised his hands in surrender.

Ken: “Alright, alright, I get it… No need for a full health lecture.”

Koto shook her head and wrote something in Ken’s medical file, as if she was making a note about his bad habit.

Koto (serious tone): “If I catch you smoking again, I’ll make sure you get a full medical treatment that will make you regret every cigarette you ever smoked.”

Akio laughed and whispered to Ann.

Akio: “I think Ken finally met someone who can control him.”

After scolding Ken, Koto took a deep breath, then finally looked around the room properly. She raised an eyebrow, realizing that the room was filled with a group of strange people.

Koto (looking at Akio, Ann, and Vico): “… Wait a minute, who are you all? And why are you even here?”

Ann, Vico, and Shiko burst into laughter, while Akio smiled confidently, placed his hands on his hips, and spoke proudly.

Akio: “I am Akio, the future great Shogun!”

Koto stared at him for a few seconds, then raised her other eyebrow.

Koto (flatly): “… Great. Now I’m dealing with a bunch of weird teenagers.”

Ann laughed loudly, while Akio crossed his arms, looking annoyed.

Akio (muttering): “Why does no one ever believe me…?”

Koto looked at Ann, then at Vico, but before she could say anything else…

Suddenly, she heard a strange noise behind her.

She turned around slowly, only to find a small white cow staring at her with wide eyes. Then, the cow mooed loudly.

Koto (completely shocked): “Wait a second… Is that a cow?! Why is there a cow inside the hospital?!”

Ken lifted his head slightly and smirked.

Ken: “Oh, her? That’s Shiko. She’s my therapist.”

Koto stared at him for two seconds in complete silence. Then, she gently smacked his head with the medical file.

Koto (muttering to herself): “… I think I need to quit this job.”

After all the chaos, Koto finally calmed down and checked Ken’s condition again.

Koto (serious): “Your condition is stable, but you need two days of rest before leaving.”

Akio suddenly cheered.

Akio: “Yaaaay! We should celebrate with some soufflé! Let’s go, guys!”

Koto (confused): “Okay… I won’t lie… You guys are the weirdest group I’ve ever met.”

Vico tried to hold back his laughter.

Vico: “Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Ann held the forbidden scroll, looking at it deeply.

Ann: “It seems like our journey has just begun… And there are still many secrets to uncover.”

Akio stretched his arms and smiled.

Akio: “I have a feeling this peace won’t last long, right?”

To be continued…