Chapter-65

"It will be difficult to get rid of the stench." Mai rubbed the folds of the jacket to remove any stains and traces of odor. She had already washed her pants and was now working on the jacket using one of the helmets they had on the saddle they arrived on.

"This is adorable." Ty Lee held up the blonde's underwear, trying to resist a smile at the childish toad drawings all over the fabric.

"Give me that." Mai took it from her before she could damage it. "It stinks." She wrinkled her nose and had to quickly dip it in the soapy water to start washing.

"Why are you doing this? I don't remember you being so helpful. You wouldn't even wash your little brother's clothes, why would you wash his?" Azula sat against the cave wall, observing her friend washing the boy's clothes. She never expected to see Mai doing something like that.

"Because I respect him."

"?" Azula raised an eyebrow at Mai's swift response.

"He saved my life, and Ty Lee's. Two people who were after him to capture and possibly kill him, just as your father intended, right?"

"So what? Are you doing this out of a sense of debt?" Azula questioned as she watched Mai continue to carefully wash the boy's clothes.

"No, it's because he's a good kid. Even now, he's helping us get out of here. Someone like that... deserves my respect." With those final words, the slender teenager continued to scrub and rinse the clothes for a few more minutes until she finished. She then laid the wet clothes on some rocks. Drying them would be a challenge, but they would figure something out.

Mai stepped back when a fireball passed over her head. Raising an eyebrow, she looked at Azula, who was using her blue flames to dry the clothes in a matter of seconds.

"You're right, he's a good kid." Mai watched Azula with a hint of worry as the princess wore an arrogant and elegant smile that Mai had always disliked, "A young boy, innocent, and easily influenced."

"He'll never follow someone like you."

"Do you think so?"

"I think... he can change you," Azula's smile faded, replaced by a penetrating look. Her friend held her ground, unimpressed.

The tension between the two girls dissipated when they heard an odd laugh. Both looked up to see Ty Lee, perched on the edge of a wall, looking through a gap in the stones with an amused and smiling expression.

"What a nice butt you have," she commented, not missing any details of her young friend's bath. Ignoring that she had been caught watching, the spectacle abruptly ended when a blade landed next to her head. Distracted, she tumbled from the wall and ended up at the feet of her two friends.

"Hello," she greeted them awkwardly, feeling small under their stern gazes.

"What were you thinking?" The authoritative glare from Mai sent shivers down the brunette's spine.

"I was just learning about the male human body," Ty Lee's smile faded when she received a light blow on the head with the handle of Mai's fan. "Ouch..." She couldn't help her curiosity; it was the first time she had a chance to see a real boy.

And to top it off, he was adorable!

So cute that she couldn't control her teenage hormones—or whatever they were called. She was merely repeating what she had heard from older girls.

"Keep your curiosity in check," Mai ordered, holding her knives between her fingers.

"What's curiosity?"

"On a scale of one to ten, Mai, how much to ten?" The teenager felt like she might pinch her nose off with how tightly she squeezed it, trying to control herself.

Minutes passed, and the girls watched as Naruto got dressed. He felt refreshed after his bath.

"Where are you going?"

"It's our turn," Mai replied dryly as she started to remove her heavy kimono and took out the metal needles from her hair.

"Oh, well, I'll go for a walk," Naruto wisely took a step back when he saw how the girl toyed with that sharp needle, a clear hint that he understood very well.

"Are you sure?" Ty Lee removed the top of her suit, leaving herself in just a cloth bra.

Naruto couldn't help but stare at the girl's flat stomach, small waist, and generous neckline. It wasn't like he could help but look; the girl was attractive.

"Yes, I'm sure," he quickly replied when Mai's needle pointed dangerously close to his crotch. Raising his hands, Naruto turned and made a hasty exit.

Wow, those girls were crazy.

...

"This place is strange," Naruto conducted an experiment with his clones, sending more than two dozen of them running in random directions to see if any would reach an exit. It was a significant discovery that the memories of his clones could be transferred to him when they disappeared.

Though it gave him a tremendous headache, he had to remember not to let several clones vanish at once. But one memory in particular caught his attention: one of his clones encountered something that struck him. He couldn't explain it; it was as if the very tunnel of rocks had attacked him.

"I'm hungry." Retrieving one of his bags, he took out the last items he had left: two rice balls. It was better than nothing. He was about to take the first bite when he felt a strange tremor, lasting only a few brief moments.

Confused, he looked up and almost dropped the rice ball when he saw the enormous creature. It resembled a fusion of an anteater and a mole, easily reaching about ten meters in height, almost as tall as the tunnel itself.

The beast remained silent, staring at him for what seemed like hours. Its fur bristled as it observed the shinobi take out a weapon from his bag.

Naruto held the kunai for a few seconds, then stowed it away. In this world, the animals seemed friendlier than in his own, or at least that's what he hoped. "Hey, friend," he addressed the creature, wondering if Appa could understand people to some extent too.

Seemingly so, as the creature stopped baring its teeth and appeared submissive, sniffing Naruto and directing its attention to the rice balls.

Naruto took one of the rice balls and tossed it to the large animal. It opened its enormous jaw, extending its long tongue to catch the treat in mid-air and devoured it. Testing his luck, Naruto reached out his right hand but halted as the creature began rising from the ground.

The beast approached slowly, pressing its nose against the teenager's palm. Naruto smiled as he felt the warm breath brushing his fingers. "Do you... know how to get out of here?" he asked with uncertainty in his gaze, waiting for a response.

The guardian of the lovers' cave emitted a soft growl and moved one of its paws, causing the cave's structure to shake. After a few moments, a corridor opened between the walls, revealing a passageway illuminated by glass on the roof.

"Thank you!" Naruto couldn't resist the urge to jump and hug the creature's hindquarters, which responded with a grunt and a shake of its head, causing Naruto to fall. "Goodbye." He watched as the animal turned around and stamped its foot, creating a path for him to exit peacefully.

Excited, Naruto hurried to inform the girls that he had finally found a way out. He reached the last curve and skidded to a stop when he saw them. Apparently, in his joy at discovering the exit, he had forgotten they were having a private moment.

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