Chapter-60

The first sensation that washed over her as she regained consciousness was an intense headache.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and realized she was in motion, held by strong arms. A peculiar warmth surrounded her, and as her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was a pair of bright blue eyes radiating happiness.

"What happened?" Ty Lee asked, her confusion evident. She took in her surroundings and noticed Mai walking nearby, following them.

"This looks like a good spot to rest," the teenager replied, brushing aside Ty Lee's question. He surveyed the area and determined it would be suitable for setting up a basic camp after nearly two hours of navigating the vast labyrinth.

"Are you okay?" Mai unrolled a thick animal skin near them, which would serve as a makeshift bed for her injured friend. Naruto carefully lowered Ty Lee onto it, his worry still etched on his face. Ty Lee, however, wore a playful smile.

"I'm fine!" She had different plans as she wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck and nestled against him. A blush crept onto Naruto's cheeks as he felt her closeness, although he couldn't deny that he enjoyed it.

"You should rest." Naruto wasn't accustomed to physical contact with girls his age, and Ty Lee's affectionate gesture left him feeling slightly flustered, even though he secretly relished it.

"Ty Lee, stop fooling around." Mai scolded gently as she helped her friend recline on the fur bed, urging her to rest.

"Oh well, I was getting sleepy anyway." Ty Lee put on a childish pout as she settled down on the fur bed. As she lay there, she noticed someone was missing from their group, and she looked to Mai, who appeared stiffer than usual.

"Mai... Where's Azula?"

That question caused Mai to pause in her camp preparations, and for a moment, she simply stared at the dagger in her hand. "She's not here," she muttered vaguely.

"That?!" Ty Lee's reaction caught Mai off guard as the circus girl abruptly got up and shook her shoulders like a maraca. Her voice echoed painfully in the cave as she bombarded Mai with questions. "Was she crushed by the rocks?! Is she hurt?! Dead?!" She shouted at a shrill pitch.

Mai released Ty Lee's hands and hesitated, uncertain of how to begin explaining what had transpired. How Azula had left them behind to face imminent death under a pile of rocks due to her obsession with capturing Naruto. However, before she could utter a word, Ty Lee was interrupted.

"She's exploring while we set up camp." Naruto smiled reassuringly, gently guiding Ty Lee back down onto the fur bed. "I'll go look for her. You just rest."

Relieved, Ty Lee seemed to regain her composure and lay back down to rest. Mai remained silent, her gaze fixed on the boy who had just told a blatant lie to her friend. She couldn't comprehend why he did it—was it for Ty Lee's sake? To preserve the faith and friendship she believed she shared with someone like Azula, someone who had been willing to abandon them to fulfill her mission?

In silence, she watched as Naruto walked away from them, disappearing into the tunnels of the cave.

...

Azula winced, her hand gingerly touching her slightly purple and swollen jaw. The blow had been painful, but it had wounded her pride even more. That boy had made her feel like a helpless girl, a feeling she had despised ever since her father began her training.

She loathed feeling weak.

Detested being overshadowed by others.

Hated... being alone.

That last thought caught her off guard. She paused in her journey through the dimly lit tunnels, her right hand covered in bluish fire casting eerie shadows around her. She stared doubtfully into the infinite darkness ahead.

What should she do now?

Her father would not tolerate this failure.

Would she suffer the same fate as her banished brother due to this failure? It was a possibility.

Execution, she highly doubted it. Her father would see it as a waste.

Perhaps he'd dispatch her on a suicide mission to attack the impregnable Ba Sing Se fortress.

Dying while taking down as many enemies as possible, many in her nation considered it one of the most honorable deaths. It was essentially a way of saying they would be mere cannon fodder, and their corpses would be the foundation for the roads on which the strongest would tread.

Azula understood it all too well. She knew that if she left this cave, nothing awaited her but misery unless she had the golden-haired boy's head in her hands.

"You took your time." She didn't even flinch as her flames illuminated Naruto's face, just a few meters away. Between them, the air was heavy and cold, much like the rock walls surrounding them.

Their gazes remained locked.

"You have two choices," Uzumaki spoke, walking until he was mere centimeters from Azula. He had to look up because she was taller. "We can pretend to support each other and help each other escape from here..."

"Or?"

"Break your bones and drag your damn ass out of this place." His threat was delivered with a serious and determined look, and he appeared more than ready to follow through.

"You tempt me... you tempt me..." Fire began to envelop both of Azula's arms, but her expression shifted in a split second from threatening to more relaxed and passive. "Let's do it."

For several long minutes, Naruto merely stared at the hand she offered him. Hesitantly, he raised his own to shake it. Their handshake lasted only a few seconds, but the mutual challenge was evident in both their expressions.

Silently, Azula followed the lead of the shinobi as they made their way back to the makeshift camp they had set up. In the silence, the firebender's eyes remained fixed on the boy's back. She needed to play her cards wisely. She knew that a fight in the confines of the cave, where she'd have to face him hand-to-hand, wouldn't be the wisest move. She had seen what he was capable of.

The boy had grown strong, very strong. She'd known it from the moment she witnessed him lift that massive rock above his head and deliver a blow that still stung on her cheek.

If there was ever a time to pick her battles, this wasn't it.

"Azula, you're here!" When they arrived at the small shelter, Ty Lee didn't hesitate to run up and embrace her friend tightly. Azula returned the hug with a softer expression. "What happened to your face?"

"One of the rocks hit me when we entered," she replied, her little lie aimed at Naruto. She glanced over her shoulder at him, where he stood, arms crossed and clearly not buying her story. Meanwhile, as the two friends continued to interact, Mai approached Naruto and led him a bit away from the camp.

This didn't go unnoticed.

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