In Konoha, Naruto lies down

It was hard to predict how things would develop in the future, but Tayuya was the only way Naruto could escape. If the worst came to the worst, he could still turn to Tayuya.

Therefore, from the beginning, he had never thought of restricting her freedom. She could go anywhere and do whatever she wanted, and he had no objection to her taking on the task of exchanging gold.

But hiding from him is not an option.

The so-called soul debt is nothing more than a brand that keeps Tayuya in mind. Repeatedly, over and over again, the debt is virtual, but it will continue to grow as the feelings deepen.

"What do you mean you don't care?" Duoyou felt a little aggrieved. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have fallen into the trap of money.

She had never cared about money before, never spent any money at all. It was because of what he said about selling her soul that she started to care about money. Now that bastard said he didn't care!

"You don't need to pay me back. I can give you a lot of money if you need it." Naruto said bluntly.

"Then...then what do you want?"

"What's the point? Do I need a reason to give money to someone? Do I need one? I just gave it to him because I liked him."

"Do you like me?" Tayuya asked.

Naruto had to admire her train of thought, but in a sense, he was after something. So, it seemed that she was right.

"Yes." He nodded.

Tayuya froze for a moment, curling up in the tub. She didn't blush, didn't show any joy or disgust, and just stared blankly ahead, lost in thought at the plain tile.

Naruto subconsciously felt something was wrong, but he remained calm. He looked at Tayuya, who was curled up like a kitten leaving home for the first time, with a nervous look on her face.

He didn't know what Tayuya was nervous about, but he knew he needed to say something now to calm her down.

"It's not entirely without reason that I'm willing to pay for you. You remember, when we were in Konoha, we ate a lot together."

"I didn't have many friends during that time, so we should be considered...knowing each other well. Even though you lied to me back then. But I guessed it a long time ago and didn't care."

Naruto blinked and managed to utter these words.

"We have an emotional foundation. Eating and playing together makes it easy to develop feelings for each other. So I'm willing to give you money, mainly because I'm not short of money."

"You gave me money because you like me?" Tayuya asked in a muffled voice, "So those times you treated me well in Konoha were also because you liked me?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded.

"But there's nothing about me that's worth liking. I don't even know what liking is." Duoyou said a little confusedly, "Does liking mean giving money to someone?"

"It's not entirely like that. Giving money is just a way to show affection." Naruto didn't know why the topic turned to money, but at the moment he could only try his best to argue.

"There are many things about you that are worth liking, such as..."

"Like?" Damn it, Tayuya looked up at him.

Naruto was speechless for a moment. It was really not easy to find a few good points from Tayuya. Although he thought that Tayuya loved to take a bath, was clean, and could play with him without being awkward, these were also good points for him.

However, these advantages are not impressive enough when put on the surface. At least when they are said out loud, people will feel disappointed and think, "Ah, that's all."

But now, Duoyou was also looking at him. If he disappointed her at this moment, things might become more difficult. In the rush, he didn't have time to think.

“Install air conditioning!”

"Huh?" Tayuya was confused for a moment, as if she didn't understand what Naruto meant.

The water in the bathtub was clear, completely transparent. Ripples of water rippled across the water, reflecting Tayuya's dazed face.

"You can install air conditioners." Naruto gestured with his hands, feeling a little guilty. "Have you forgotten that time when you came to my house in Konoha, pretending to be an air conditioner installer?"

"Oh, that's not a pretense. We have no money for food. We can only do that temporarily and gather intelligence at the same time." Tayuya explained, "So, this can be considered an advantage?"

"Doesn't that count? Girls who can install air conditioners are pretty amazing, right?" Naruto said seriously.

"Really?"

"Really." Naruto nodded. He really thought it was cool that people could install air conditioners by themselves.

"...I know more than that," Tayuya said.

"Huh?" Naruto was also a little panicked. He didn't know if his random guesses would work.

He saw the girl look up, her wet red hair covering her small face in strands, and she slowly revealed a small and cautious smile.

Seeing this, Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you still living there?" Tayuya asked.

"He's gone. Something happened and he moved." Naruto said, "He lives upstairs at 404 Konoha Street now. He'll probably stay there for a few more years."

"Will you still come here?" Tayuya's head had already turned away, curled up in the tub, her legs hugged, the water reaching her chin. Her voice was emotionless, and she glanced at him quickly from the corner of her eye.

"Yes, I will probably come here often in a while." Naruto expected that after a while, when facing Pain, there would be no need to hide the secret that he was not the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Since he is no longer the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he does not have so many restrictions with Tsunade and Jiraiya around.

"Oh." Tayuya nodded.

The bathroom fell silent, but this kind of atmosphere was inherently strange. After all, who would reason in front of a bathtub? Normally, this was considered abnormal behavior.

Naruto coughed slightly when he realized he should leave, "Um...you take a bath first, I'll go to the bathroom downstairs."

Hearing this, Tayuya suddenly stood up from the bathtub with a loud splash, which scared Naruto.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

Tayuya didn't seem shy at all. She just stared into his eyes for a second or two, then stepped out of the bathtub dripping wet. She brushed past him and ran out of the bathroom.

Under the bright yellow light, Naruto was slightly dazed.

"Ran?"

Wasn't that shy reflex a bit too long? Did he just run back to his room? Anyway, that's okay. This time, we finally talked it out.

As long as she wasn't trying to avoid him, it didn't matter what Duoyou did, even if it meant going to a faraway place. As long as she accepted this place, she would eventually come back.

She had nowhere else to go, so this place would at least be her home.

As long as he could think of her again, it would be fine. As for the question she was thinking about, why should he be nice to her? Naruto had a hundred reasons to convince her, so what reason was needed to be nice to someone?

There was no need for that, whether it was lust or simply a way to pass the time. But none of that mattered anymore, judging by the actions rather than the heart, he wanted to treat her well without asking for anything in return.

But just as this thought came to his mind, he heard footsteps outside the wide-open bathroom door. He turned his head and looked at them, wondering why they were back again.

Outside the bathroom door, a girl as white as jade was holding a handful of Fire Nation currency in her arms, her red hair wet and stuck to her face.

She held the scattered banknotes in front of him and said.

"Here you go, flowers."

Chapter 192 The villain supporting role is always ignored

Naruto looked at the pile of bills held in front of his chest and was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses.

Several bills fell to the bathroom floor, two of which clung to Tayuya's wet face, one on each side. The money she was holding was taller than she was, and the slippery floor made her look a bit shaky.

The words, "I'll give you flowers," were still echoing in his mind. Naruto subconsciously wanted to say that he was rich. He was indeed rich, with Cardo's money.

But at this moment, money is no longer money.

Naruto has money, but in fact, money is very useful to him, but it can't bear anything. Having so much money does not mean that he is rich.

Just like Tayuya could bring all of her things to him and share them with him, Naruto could also take out all of Kado's money, which might not even fit in the whole house.

But that was different, because he didn't care about the money. Compared to Tayuya, Naruto was poor at the moment, because he found that he didn't seem to have anything that he valued very much.

He just secretly shared the girls' summer and got what they cherished.

"Okay." Naruto nodded in response.

With a clatter, he took all the money, some of which scattered in the air. Tayuya's pupils lit up slightly, reflecting the bathroom ceiling light and his face.

"I have money too, I can give it to you," she said.

"I know, I know." Naruto smiled, "Go take a shower first, I'll help you put the money away."

"Oh." Duoyouye took a few more steps and returned to the bathtub with a splash.

Naruto packed up the money and carried it out, going downstairs to use the bathroom. Halfway up the stairs, he suddenly realized that Tayuya actually had nowhere else to go.

I didn't dare to run into Orochimaru, and all my teammates died.

She is now a child abandoned by the world, and what Orochimaru taught her is to use the curse seal to fight. Overusing the power of the curse seal will eventually devour her.

It's like monsters will eventually go berserk and be killed helplessly.

The next day.

Naruto had originally planned to go on a mission, but then he changed his mind and decided there was no rush. He was just delivering a letter to the Fire Temple. Master Jilu was still alive and well, so there was no need to rush over.

"Where are you going?" Tayuya, wearing loose pajamas, looked at him puzzledly.

"Not going anywhere."

In the morning, the two went out together and strolled around the market town of Tance Street.

Naruto discovered that Tayuya wasn't particularly interested in external things. She kept herself clean and lived like a normal person. She learned things by just looking at them once, and spent money normally.

But... she seemed unaffected by the outside world. It was as if she were living through a screen, the real her tucked away in her little heart.

Seeing people crying or laughing on the street, her expression was indifferent. She would only glance at Naruto quickly when she saw a couple walking hand in hand.

She seems to have difficulty understanding other people's emotions, so most of the time she chooses to ignore them. If you don't see it, there is no problem. If you ignore the problem itself, there is no problem.

There are small open-air performances where the crowds gather.

"What is that?" Tayuya asked.

"Well...let's do the performance. It's about a lover's story, I guess..." Naruto couldn't be sure either, and squinted his eyes at the stage.

Amidst the throngs of people in a bustling market town and a lively stage performance, actors in exaggerated makeup diligently perform, seemingly intent on portraying their characters to perfection.

But the script is obviously a bit bad. Even though the villain actor has tried his best and his expression is almost ferocious, the development of the script never follows the actor. Pah, the bad guy is dead, and the good guy has a perfect ending.

"Well... the story is about a princess from a small country being kidnapped by bad guys, so the good guys take action." Naruto explained, but worried that Tayuya would find it boring, he added another sentence.

"Let's go, it doesn't look good anyway."

"That guy is a bit pitiful." Tayuya suddenly pointed at the supporting actor who left the stage silently, "No one saw him, and he died like this."

Naruto was stunned for a moment, looking at the supporting character who had only appeared for two minutes. He thought to himself, had this person really appeared just now?

No one would care about a villain's minions, they wouldn't even have lines or background stories. Anyway, being in the villain's camp means they're full of evil, so no one would want to know the story of a villain's supporting character.

If they were among the protagonists, the supporting characters would still have the meaning of sacrificing their lives to create atmosphere. But the villains and supporting characters are so lowly that they are just filling the numbers.

"Supporting role," Naruto said, choosing his words carefully. "He was killed instantly, so no one noticed and he had to leave in a hurry."

"In your eyes, am I also..." She said, pointing to the supporting actors who had changed their clothes in the audience.

"No." Naruto said seriously.

"I don't know what happened in the past. Konoha will definitely not accept you, but I don't plan to stay in Konoha forever. You don't need to think too much. Anyway, I won't abandon you."

This statement was straightforward enough. Tayuya stared at him for a long moment before nodding and saying "hmm".

Their relationship would continue forever, so he held the girl's hand and led her through the bustling streets, through the quiet alleys, and arrived at the other end of the town.

There is no sea here, and as night falls, the open plain is shrouded in darkness.

"I'm very happy today. It's the first time I've been this happy." She suddenly spoke, a cautious smile on her face. "But I'm a little nervous. There are a lot of things I don't understand."

"You know more than me. I also know that you are good to me. Give me the money to spend." Duoyuya looked at him with a lonely look in her eyes.

"But I have nothing but money. I don't understand drama and I don't know what to do on a date. I saw them playing and I wanted to join you. But I'm afraid I can't do it. Actually, I'm still very smart and I learn things quickly, but today I'm so stupid. My brain can't work and I don't know what to say."

"You didn't give me the cold shoulder and patiently explained everything to me, but I just couldn't understand. I've never played it, and I've never seen it before. Those things are even more difficult than the missions I've done."

"I put on my best clothes, but I messed up everything. I felt out of place and couldn't adapt to that kind of life. If you had walked with me all day, I'd definitely..."

Tears welled up in Tayuya's eyes. She wanted to ignore all the problems, but she found that she failed. She could no longer care about what Naruto thought of her. Not thinking about it would only make her more anxious.

"I feel very happy. I'm not that interesting to begin with." Naruto put a hand on Tayuya's face. "You're already very beautiful. Everything I do with you is fun."

Tayuya looked at him, but she didn't cry. A slightly doubtful smile appeared on her face as she asked.

"really?"

"Of course it's true. As long as I'm with you, I won't be bored even if I walk for a whole day," he said.

"It's not that boring, is it?" she muttered.

"Ah."