Chapter:-98

The least favorite part of the day had arrived: taking a bath to rid herself of all the dust and dirt, returning to being the porcelain doll her parents believed her to be.

Drying her hair with a towel, she set it aside and finished dressing, knowing dinner was imminent. She could hear one of the many servants coming down the hall.

"Toph, your father asks you to prepare; today is a special dinner."

"Special dinner?" Her family rarely hosted guests, aiming to keep their blind daughter's existence private. "Who's visiting?"

"The Avatar and the Orange Pillar."

"Damn sons of..."

Toph silently entered the living room where her parents and guests awaited. Her focus honed in on distinct footsteps, recognizing the weight, pulse, and breathing pattern. Despite its oddity, she identified strange biological qualities compared to the average human.

"Wow, Mrs. Beinfong, I see that your daughter is just as beautiful as you."

"What a lovely boy."

Toph internally yearned to smash the flatterer's head into the ground.

But appearances had to be maintained. Taking a deep breath, she calmed down and bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Toph Beinfong."

"Hello, I'm Katara, my brother Sokka, Avatar Aang, and the moron trying to flatter you is Naruto."

"Hey, what do you mean?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ignoring Naruto's complaints, Katara kept up appearances. Once greetings were over, they all gathered at the large table where a grand banquet awaited.

"So the rumors are true," Yhu, Toph's father, initiated the conversation to break the ice. "The Orange Pillar and The Avatar work together to fight the Fire Nation."

"It seems to me that the Orange Pillar only helps the Avatar, as he appears to be a child with few manners."

Naruto lowered the chicken leg he was about to eat and smiled awkwardly.

"I have to contradict you, Master Yhu. Naruto is the strongest member of the team, and without a doubt, we wouldn't be here without him." Aang defended his friend, emphasizing Naruto's significant support and friendship.

"The rumors of his greatness are hard to believe. Fighting 1,000 soldiers alone and freeing thousands more prisoners of the Earth Kingdom? I find it hard to believe."

"Well, the old man is not wrong. In reality, there were 1239 soldiers. I only defeated a little more than half of them before my ass was saved by the prisoners I was supposed to rescue, who ended up rescuing me." Naruto explained casually as he took a big bite of the chicken leg, making quite a noise that bothered Master Yhu.

"Such a strong and noble young man, you are undoubtedly unique," praised the head of the Beinfong family.

"Thanks, old man!"

"Naruto! I'm practicing!"

"No problem, young waterbender." With a smile, he let everything go before the girl scolded the boy in orange. "I'm glad to see someone like you fighting for us. I'm happy that this horrible war can end. I'm glad to know that my little Toph doesn't have to get involved in anything like this. She's too small and fragile for the cruel world around us."

Toph's gaze darkened at those words. It wasn't the first time her father spoke this way, belittling her as the useless person they thought she was. Immersed in her disappointment, she reacted by raising her right hand and catching a rock that was thrown at his face.

Everyone remained silent, looking in disbelief at Naruto, who had been the one who threw the rock.

"Why do you call her weak? Have you seen her? Did you even bother to let her show what she can do?" He asked calmly, shaking off the dust that was left on his hand, staring at Toph, who was still surprised.

"Attacking my blind daughter in her own home! I don't care who you are! Get out of here!" The father's reaction was obviously very different from his daughter's.

Naruto didn't move an inch, remaining motionless, staring at the girl who kept her head down. "The girl is tough and strong, more so than many I've met. No matter what kind of difficulties you've faced from birth, you must be able to draw strength from it."

"I said leave!"

"I'm sorry for ruining dinner," muttering that apology, the shinobi got up from the table and headed to the door, followed by the Avatar team, who accompanied him outside before the guards kicked them out.

The awkward silence lingered within the family, everyone except Toph, who shook her head toward the direction where the boy had gone.

….

"You know, sorcerer, you could have said your thing after we had dessert," Sokka complained, pulling out a pebble from under his sleeping bag. The pebble ended up being as big as his fist.

"Be quiet, Sokka," scolded Katara, looking up at the shinobi resting in a tree, "I think what you said, Naruto, was nice. It's what his parents needed to hear."

"She's right," agreed the monk on Appa's head, who was sleeping without paying attention to his friend on his head.

"Thanks, guys," Naruto said gratefully, staring at the sky full of endless stars. "I hope her parents can see that their daughter is more than just a helpless blind girl."

"You're asking for a lot, crazy feet," Team Avatar was surprised when Toph appeared in the forest. "My parents are as stubborn as the rocks they bend," she said with a smile, tossing Sokka a bag.

"Careful!" Sokka barely caught it and unwrapped the cloth to find a bowl of pudding with cream. "Dessert!"

"I figured they might be hungry," Toph said, walking to the improvised campfire.

"Thanks, Toph."

"What are you doing up there?" The girl asked when she heard the blonde in the tree.

"I like high places. Want to come up?"

"No, hate having my feet far from the ground. It's frustrating to walk on the wooden floor at home. Can't see anything unless it's dirt, stone, or, though it's a bit harder, marble."

"You're missing out."

"Hey… Can we talk?" Toph surprised the shinobi with that question. He jumped down from the tree to join the blind girl.

"Sure, I'll be back, guys."

The rest of the Avatar team watched as both boys walked away from the camp until they disappeared into the darkness.

"I bet the sorcerer falls for that little tough girl."

"What?"

"What? That boy has a bad taste in women, that crazy lightning girl, the circus girl, and now this one. Though I won't deny it, they're attractive."

"Sokka… he's just a kid."

"Ha... your innocence amuses me."

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PAT REON I'D:- Alzero ]