Chapter:-99

In the quiet forest, Naruto was impressed watching the girl move easily in the dark. He almost tripped twice, while she walked with confidence.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"My folks don't see it that way." She jumped over some stones by a small river, the sound of flowing water calming. "I was born blind. I've never seen light or darkness, but it doesn't bother me. I can 'see' my way."

"..." Following her, they reached a big green meadow where the wind gently swayed the surroundings.

"I can feel everything. My ears pick up even a bee's wings flapping far away. My sense of smell is so sharp; I can tell what's in complex dishes. And my hands and feet show me everything around."

Sitting on the grassy ground, she rested her hands and feet, smiling as she tapped the earth with her right hand.

"Wow!" Naruto quickly reacted to a noise, spotting a pillar of earth in the distance where something small was thrown. Catching it in the air, he saw a rabbit-armadillo.

"I can feel things far away and know in detail what they are. That animal was about 144 meters away digging a hole. Fifty meters to your left, there's a nest of ants with 13,754 of them working to gather everything necessary for winter."

"Is this what it must feel like to have the Byakugan?" Naruto asked a curious and somewhat ironic question, realizing that the Hyuga clan's renowned eyes were matched by a blind girl.

"I'd like to be like you." With a more subdued tone, she hugged herself, feeling the light breeze move her hair. "Not having parents, being free to go wherever you want, do whatever you want."

"Your parents love you. You can't just wish they weren't there because they take good care of you."

"You don't understand..."

"No, no puedo..."

"..." A lengthy silence enveloped them until the boy continued.

"I can't complain that they took care of me a lot because I never had anyone in the first place." He quietly approached the girl, sitting beside her. "Is it bad that they overprotect you because they love you? Yes. But it's worse not having anyone to worry about you."

"..."

"Although that has changed now. This year, I had a team, made friends, and met several teachers who cared about me."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Still, it's not bad that you want to be more than just a doll. It doesn't suit you. You're too rude and masculine."

"Ha, and you smell like a girl."

"Hey, it's just the soap!" Naruto admitted he couldn't stop using the soap that Mai gave him; it smelled too good. Apparently, it was also quite expensive, according to some town stores.

"Whatever lets you sleep at night, little girl."

"You know, hitting a blind brat isn't on my bucket list, but I swear I'll do it if you keep being so rude."

"You don't have the guts to do it. Hey!" Clearly, she did, and annoyed, the girl rubbed her head from the blow that almost made her fall. "What kind of idiot hits a blind girl?"

"Someone who doesn't give a darn if you're a girl or blind. Plus, you wanted to bury me underground for confusing you with a boy. I call this equality."

"I'm a girl, and you're a boy? What equality is there?"

"Since when does respect depend on gender?"

"..." Blinking a few times, Toph contemplated those words for a few seconds. "I think you're right..."

"Ufff." Naruto was left breathless when the girl delivered a hard blow to his stomach. He almost fell, but the earthbender grabbed his face and halted him. "I respect you for not crying like a baby." Smiling, Toph helped the boy to his feet.

"Ahgggg... and to think you seemed like a pretty girl," he complained while rubbing his stomach.

"Life is usually disappointing." With a smile, the girl couldn't help but feel calm and relaxed with the shinobi; there were few times when she could interact with people without them seeing her as someone needy because of her blindness.

"Hey... Do you want to come with us?"

"..." That question didn't surprise Toph; after all, they only needed an earthbender for Avatar, it was the main reason why they were here.

"I can go with you to ask your parents; I can convince people with just words! It's one of the many gifts I have!"

"..." That had been a surprise for her. Talking to her parents? It would be easier to find snow in the heart of a volcano.

"Come on Toph! There is a whole world out there that awaits you. Just imagine it, the blind bandit leaves her lands to go look for new challenges. With every step of her little feet, the mountains shake. It would be like writing your own legend," he spoke eloquently, jumping to his feet.

"You really are good with words, huh?" he murmured, chuckling at the boy's enthusiasm. He had never met someone so loud and talkative in his life.

"I told you, now we are going to look for your parents and say that you are going to accompany us. I will give them my word that nothing bad will happen because I will protect you. I give you my word," he swore with his typical bright smile and pointing at himself.

"Protect me? Of course, little girl," the girl mocked.

"Mmmmm, as I remember, I beat you cleanly in that tournament. I am stronger than you, and the strongest must protect others."

"That's so cheesy and sweet, you're going to make me vomit," complained the girl who got upset when she suddenly felt her hand being grabbed forcefully and lifted off the ground. Before she knew it, she was already being taken home by the golden-haired boy.

"Stop complaining; you look like a grandmother." Without stopping smiling, Naruto continued on his way, dragging the girl behind him.

In a few minutes, the two were almost at the entrance of the Beinfong mansion, where the girl's parents and their entire guard of soldiers were waiting for them.

Before the boy could say anything, he saw ground stakes emerge from the ground, forcing him to back away from Toph.

"I told you I didn't want you anywhere near my daughter!"

Nothing like making the father of the girl you accompanied home angry.

"Hey man, I didn't do anything wrong!" complained the Uzumaki, who had to move to avoid the large rocks that were thrown at him from falling on him. In his carelessness, he did not see that the ground under his feet became soft, and his legs were trapped in what seemed to be quicksand. "Oh oh," apparently, he had underestimated the earthbender army.

All of them easily numbering eighty soldiers, the first five moved at the same time to lift an immense rock as big as a house and threw it at the shinobi.

But the rock never touched him.

A large wall rose, protecting him from the large rock that hit the wall, raising a dense layer of dust, which little by little settled.

"That's enough..." all eyes focused on Toph who had walked to where the shinobi was. Calmly she took the boy by his hair and pulled him off the ground. "He didn't do anything; he was just going to say what he said. I should have said it a long time ago."

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