The next day.
Naruto had originally planned to go on a mission, but then he changed his mind and decided that he didn't need to rush to do that. He just had to deliver a letter to the Fire Temple. Chiriku was still alive and well, so there was no need to hurry.
"Where are you going?" Tayuya, wearing loose pajamas, looked at him puzzledly.
"Nowhere."
In the morning, the two of them went out together, wandering around Tanzaku Town.
Naruto noticed that Tayuya had very little interest in material things. She lived cleanly every day, like an ordinary person. She learned things quickly after just seeing them once, and she spent money in a normal way.
But she didn't seem to be influenced by the world around her. It was as if she lived behind a screen, with her true self curled up deep within her small heart.
Seeing people on the street crying or laughing, her expression remained indifferent. Only when she saw couples holding hands and walking past them did she quickly glance at Naruto.
She seemed to have difficulty understanding other people's emotions, so most of the time, she chose to ignore them. If she didn't see them, there was no problem. By ignoring the problem itself, the problem ceased to exist.
In the crowd's center, there was a small outdoor performance.
"What is that?" Tayuya asked.
"Hmm, it's a performance, I think it's about a love story." Naruto couldn't be sure and squinted his eyes at the stage.
The bustling town was filled with the lively atmosphere of the stage performance. Amid the clamor of the crowd, the exaggeratedly made-up actors were trying hard to portray their roles with deep conviction.
But the script was clearly poor. Even though the villain actor was giving it his all, his expression nearly grotesque, the script's development was always the same: snap, the villain dies, and the hero has a perfect ending.
"Uh, it's probably about a princess from a small country being kidnapped by a bad guy, so the hero comes to the rescue." Naruto explained, but was afraid that Tayuya would find it boring, so he added another sentence, "Let's go, it's not really worth watching."
"That person seems a bit pitiful." Tayuya suddenly pointed to the minor character quietly exiting the stage, "No one is paying attention to him, and he just dies like that."
Naruto was taken aback and looked at the minor character who had appeared for just two minutes. He thought to himself, 'Did that person had really been there just now?'
No one would pay attention to a villain's minion, and they wouldn't even have lines or background stories. Anyway, if someone is in the villain camp, them they are inherently evil, and no one would be interested in a minor villain's story.
If the minor character were part of the protagonist team, there might be some meaning in sacrificing themselves to set the mood. But a minor villain is a lowly existence, something so lowly that they are just there to make up the numbers.
"Minor character." Naruto said, choosing his words carefully, "He was taken out quickly, so no one noticed and he had to leave in a hurry."
"Am I also…" She said, pointing at the supporting actors who had changed his clothes and was now backstage.
"No." Naruto said seriously.
"I don't know what happened in the past, but Konoha definitely wouldn't accept you. However, I didn't plan to stay in Konoha forever either. You don't need to think too much about it; I won't abandon you."
His words were direct enough. Tayuya stared at him for a while before nodding and humming.
Their relationship would continue, so he held her hand and led her through the bustling streets. They walked through the quiet alleyways until they reached the other end of the town.
There was no sea here, and as night fell, the open plain was covered by darkness.
"I'm very happy today. This is the first time I've been so happy." Tayuya suddenly said, her face showing a cautious smile, "But I'm a little nervous. There are many things I don't understand."
"You know more than I do. I know you care for me, and you gave me money to spend." Tayuya looked at him with a sense of deep loneliness in her eyes.
"But I have nothing but money. I don't understand the drama or what to do on a date. When I see others having fun, I want to join you. But I'm afraid I won't be able to. I'm actually quite smart and learn quickly, but today I felt so dumb. My mind is blank, and I don't know what to say."
"You're not just humoring me, and patiently explain things to me, but I still find it hard to understand. I've never played or seen these things before, and they seem harder than the tasks I've done."
"I wore the best clothes, but I messed everything up. I feel out of place with everything, unable to adapt to that kind of life. You've spent the whole day with me, so..."
Tears welled up in Tayuya's eyes. She wanted to ignore all her problems, but she found she couldn't. She couldn't avoid Naruto's opinion of her and found herself growing more anxious by not thinking about it.
"I'm really happy. I wasn't that interesting of a person to begin with." Naruto said, gently placing a hand on Tayuya's face, "You are already very beautiful. Everything I do with you will be interesting."
Tayuya looked at him, and although she didn't cry, a faint, uncertain smile appeared on her face as she asked, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. As long as I'm with you, even if it's just walking for the whole day, it won't be boring." He assured.
"Actually, it wasn't that boring, right?" she asked.
"Hmm."
…
Two days later, Naruto finally prepared to head to the Fire Temple to deliver the letter.
Tayuya had almost made breakfast early in the morning. Naruto was surprised to see such sumptuous breakfast after he finished washing up.
"There are places selling breakfast in town, right?"
"It's a bit expensive," she replied.
Naruto blinked, and he seemed to hear Tayuya say, 'My money!' again.
Over the past two days, they had explored all the nearby places, driven by Naruto's statement that even a day with her wouldn't be boring. So they spent two days walking around.
Naruto didn't find it boring, but he was a bit tired.
This kind of date was pretty intense. If it weren't for the urgency of the mission, this situation might have lasted a few more days.
"I'm leaving." Naruto said, reaching the door. He suddenly noticed that Tayuya was hiding behind the sofa and looking at him, with only her head sticking out, "What's wrong?"
Tayuya let out an awkward sound and stood up directly. She took small steps to the door and spoke in a low voice while tilting her head to one side, "Please be careful out there, Master."
"What?" Naruto was momentarily stunned.
Before he could savor the thought, Tayuya pushed him out the door, and the door closed with a bang. Naruto was stunned outside the door for a moment, and subconsciously reached for the key in his pocket.
But after thinking it over, he decided to leave.
Inside the living room, Tayuya was rolling on the sofa in embarrassment.
'No! It's too embarrassing! I won't give him money! Well, I'll just give him a little less.'
…
Fire Temple.
Naruto met with Chiriku and successfully delivered the letter.
Chiriku had a calm demeanor, handsome features, and radiated an air of a sage. The surrounding monks all addressed him as 'Chiriku-sama', showing great respect.
"The Fire Temple is indeed vast." Naruto remarked, quickly glancing at the huge Buddha statue in the main hall. It was a fierce-looking Buddha, with dozens of monks sitting cross-legged there, meditating and practicing.
Chiriku stood there in his simple monk's robe, with a peaceful smile on his face.
"After all, it is a Shinobi Temple of the Land of Fire. It has some renown, and the incense offerings are more prosperous."
"Chiriku-dono is probably famous, right?" Naruto said with a smile, "I think it must be very hard for Chiriku-dono to run this temple like this. After all, fame is a double-edged sword."
Chiriku's lips were slightly closed, and he nodded with a smile in his eyes.
"There is no such thing as hardship when it comes to spiritual training. Managing a temple is just one's duty."
"Chiriku-dono is indeed insightful." Naruto could feel the fairness, peace and kindness in the other party's words and couldn't help but remind him.
"Chiriku-dono, you should be careful…"
Before Naruto could finish his words, Chiriku suddenly interrupted, "Since Tsunade-sama's letter has been delivered, why don't I invite you to the back hall for tea, Naruto-dono? The tea of the Fire Temple is even more renowned than my own reputation."
Naruto opened his mouth, realizing that Chiriku had something to say.
"Okay."