Chapter-21

"Did you doubt me?" Naruto asked, lifting the boy onto his shoulder.

"Yes, several times, but look at you, you won!" Unable to hold back his emotions, the boy cried tears of joy as he hugged the Uzumaki's head, who smiled calmly. Amidst the celebration, the sound of footsteps approached. It was a solemn Wao, carrying a wooden box. He dropped the box and his cane, then started clapping slowly and without enthusiasm.

"For twenty years since I started this tournament, and no one had won..." His claps came to a halt as he bent down to open the box, revealing thousands of gold coins. Dororo's eyes lit up at the sight.

"And it will continue to be like this." Wao closed the box and let it fall to the ground. Behind him, several armed mercenaries under his command watched the shinobi with malicious intent.

"But…but…he won, wasn't that part of the deal?" Dororo's voice held a mix of confusion and anger as he questioned the man, having descended from Naruto's shoulder.

"Yes, but your fighter cheated. That strength and speed aren't human. What guarantees that this boy hasn't used some skill I don't know about?" The arrogant smile on Wao's face returned as he reclaimed his cane, leaning on it. His words earned the ire of the spectators, and boos filled the air. However, the bald man paid no attention, raising his hand to signal the mercenaries to raise their weapons.

"That's rubbish! You son of a bitch!" Dororo was ready to lunge at Wao, but a restraining hand on his shoulder from Naruto halted him. Looking up at the blonde, he saw him shaking his head.

"Listen, egghead… I'm not leaving without my prize." Naruto positioned Dororo behind him and stepped forward, fixing his gaze on the smirking 'noble' figure with his mercenaries still at his back.

"Even if you can fight, you're finished and tired. But not the rest of my fighters. Leave, boy, or we'll have to take you out in a wooden box." Wao was about to reach for his box of gold, but Naruto's foot blocked his path. With an annoyed sigh, the bald man rose to his feet.

"Okay, if you want it that way, kill him… huh?" His confusion was palpable as he witnessed a misshapen sphere forming in the boy's right hand. Before he could inquire further, the sphere transformed into a compact shape surrounded by a fierce gust of wind.

"Rasengan!" Out of nowhere, a powerful gust of wind erupted as the strange attack struck Wao's stomach. He and his mercenaries were sent flying by the force, crashing against the walls of the underground arena. The display of power left everyone in disbelief, especially one individual more than the others.

"An airbender? That's impossible... unless..." On the ground, the waterbender observed as Naruto secured the gold box in one arm and lifted the other boy with his free arm, sprinting at remarkable speed out of the premises.

"The Avatar!" Quick to react, she manipulated her fingers, causing her white hair to produce a stream of water that cut through her jacket, freeing herself. Without hesitation, she rushed toward the exit, only to find it empty.

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"Sister…" Near the gate stood the geisha twins alongside the mute earthbender, the latter having just woken up.

"...it's the" finished the strawberry-haired younger twin, exchanging glances with her sibling. Without speaking, they left in silence, discreetly trailed by the earthbender.

....

How could they do this? Just leave after he asked them not to?

Those were Mio's thoughts as she paced around her home, arms folded. A few minutes earlier, she had woken up feeling thirsty, only to find neither Dororo nor Naruto at home. She stopped when she heard the door being opened.

"Can you tell me where you two were?!" Mio exclaimed. Dororo entered the house without paying his sister much attention. He tightly embraced her waist, a concerned look on his face. This worried Mio even more when she noticed tears in the young boy's eyes. "What happened?" Kneeling down, she held him by the shoulders, only to realize he was crying with a wide smile on his face. Before she could ask anything, the door opened again.

Breathless and disheveled, Mio saw the sorry state of the golden-haired boy. His forehead was bleeding, his face bruised, and his borrowed shirt was missing, revealing multiple purple and black bruises on his torso. Yet, none of this seemed to matter to the pre-teen, who sported a radiant smile.

"Mio-chan…" The injured shinobi lowered himself to pick up a box placed outside the house. He walked up to the brunette and set the box down, then opened it. "I know I shouldn't have taken the risk...but you let me stay in your home and fed me, even if it meant you didn't eat. I know it's probably silly, but I wanted to give you this. What you did for me… no one else would've done." Opening the box, he revealed a collection of gold coins and stepped back a few paces. "Please accept it."

A solemn silence enveloped the house, lasting a few seconds until Mio's tremoring shoulders and glistening eyes broke it. Her lower lip quivered as she bit it to hold back tears. This sight concerned Naruto, who watched as the chestnut-haired girl in the red kimono burst into tears.

"Naruto…" Mio's voice cracked as she took a step forward to reach the shinobi. He nearly stumbled as the teenager embraced him tightly. Naruto, motionless, felt her tears fall onto his hair. With his forehead against Mio's neck, he returned the hug, allowing her to cry. "Thank you… thank you… thank you… thank you…" She continued to repeat her gratitude, squeezing him to her chest. Naruto, holding his eyes shut, was afraid to open them, fearing that this might all be a dream.

"…" Naruto tightened his arms around the brunette, feeling a comforting warmth that made him forget his injuries. Looking down, he noticed that Dororo was also hugging his waist, joining the embrace. "This feeling?" Naruto smiled slightly, feeling even more connected to the teenager. This warmth and comfort were entirely new to him. "It feels good…" With tears brimming in his eyes, he could only cherish this brief moment.

....

"..." The great nine-tailed beast observed every recent event that his Jinchuriki had gone through. Opening his red eyes amidst the darkness, he snorted.

Such sentimentality from the brat—instead of maintaining a low profile, he acted like a fool, moving from one place to another, wanting to aid all the unfortunate souls he encountered. "Not bad... brat, not bad," he muttered, closing his eyes once more to sleep. "But you'll learn the hard way that not everything concludes with happiness." With those thoughts, he returned to his deep slumber, allowing his jailer to relish in this fleeting moment of happiness.