"I have to admit, you have almost as good aim as Mai."
"I wouldn't be a good shinobi if I didn't know how to throw knives."
"I can see."
"Hey, I was able to win something for you, you're supposed to be happy." The couple had passed by one of the many amusement stands, where the unfortunate guy who was serving them had to watch how a brat destroyed his target shooting game.
May God forgive him, but he would ban the Orange pillar from his game, forever.
Luckily for the stall owner, Naruto only chose one of the prizes instead of taking them all.
"Of all the prizes... Did you choose a knife?"
Azula looked in detail at the blade in her hands. It was one of the most recent, retractable, and tasteful models. The sleeve was black with red details and a sharp blade about 15 centimeters long. It was quality, she would not deny that.
"No offense, but you don't look like the kind of girl who would accept a teddy bear," he said with the 'soft' tact and subtlety that characterized him.
Naruto was sure that if he had chosen one of those plush animals, the princess would have burned it.
And it was not far from reality.
"Hmmm... you're smarter than I thought." With a playful smile, Azula caressed the boy's cheek with her nails, while with her other hand she played with the knife, moving it from side to side.
"I don't know why I spent so much time with Mai, not knowing how to use a knife."
"Don't do that." Naruto took a step back as she caressed his face. Her nails were very sharp, and he wasn't used to being touched in such a way, which made him tense.
Azula noticed this, and her frown deepened as she recognized a familiar look in the ninja boy's eyes.
A look of discomfort.
A look of doubt.
A look full of fear.
It reminded her of her mother's expression the last time she saw her.
Fear.
That word made her grip on the knife tighten.
"Check it out!" Azula's grip loosened as Naruto took her hand and dragged her through the crowd, his eyes brightening as he spotted a large stone platform in the middle of the city.
A woman stood on the platform, holding a metal speaker in her hands.
"Conquer the challenge of the path of pain! Brought to you by me!" The entire platform shook as several earthbenders surrounded it, altering its shape and density. "Do you want respect? Do you want to be the king of the world? Do you want something expensive? Here you have it!"
The crowd's gaze lit up as the woman displayed a red ivory box, elegant and undoubtedly expensive. They couldn't imagine what treasures lay inside.
"Wooowww! I want it!"
"Do you even know what it is?" Azula mocked Naruto's enthusiasm, who was almost jumping onto the platform to take the challenge.
"No, but I bet it's amazing," he said without hesitation, continuing to pull Azula forward.
"The challenge is simple!" The woman with the megaphone called everyone's attention. "Enter and survive! To make it more fun, this challenge is for couples! Who's up for it?"
"Us!" Naruto pushed through the crowd, carrying a stunned Azula on his shoulder, who found herself standing before the event manager before she could protest.
"Ok, we have our first couple," the woman announced, eyeing the singular pair who were the first participants in her game. "First-time boyfriends, brave or foolish enough to give it a try."
"You fool," Azula growled, attempting to adjust her dress. The boy nearly tore it in his attempt to carry her here. "Now tell me how to win, so I can leave."
"Ah! A tough girl. At least I know who wears the pants in the relationship."
The woman on the speaker produced a ribbon and before either of them could react, their wrists were already bound by it.
"That-"
"If the ribbon is cut, you automatically lose. Now, do you want your prize?" Holding up the box once more, the woman displayed it to the audience and then to the participants. "Go get it!" With a toss, she dropped the box into the middle of the platform, which shook as a pillar rose, elevating it several meters above the ground.
The earth platform trembled, plates shifting and crashing into each other. Sharp pillars emerged from various places, and a layer of mud made the ground slippery.
"I'm leaving." Azula wasn't about to step into that death trap. She valued her life and turned to find the stairs to descend.
"Not so fast!" Naruto tightened his grip on her hand, preventing her from leaving. "We can do this."
"I remind you that I'm not an earthbender. I'm not risking my skin for what's in that box." Azula cursed the boy's strength, struggling to free herself from his iron grip so she could go find something to eat.
"Oh, come on."
Uzumaki Naruto never backed down from a challenge, especially one promising a surprise prize in a mysterious box. Curiosity was too strong a pull for the hyperactive teenager.
"No."
But Azula had already made her decision. She wouldn't step foot in there for anything in the world.
Unfortunately for him, Naruto had a secret weapon.
"Don't tell me you're scared?"
Immediately, Azula stopped struggling to free herself and fixed Naruto with a piercing gaze, while he maintained a mischievous smile.
"I'm not afraid of anything," he declared dryly. His pride would never allow him to shy away from a challenge.
"I think you are. Either you're scared or you don't want to dirty your pretty dress, princess." From the look on Azula's face, Naruto knew he had hit a nerve.
She was a princess, yes. But there were different kinds of princesses.
"..."
And Azula would never let anyone call her a princess, as if she were some submissive fool, waiting for her prince in shining armor.
"Well, not everything is possible. Let's go—Hey!" Naruto felt his fingers nearly break from Azula's grip as she dragged him and jumped onto the platform, which immediately began to shake as if there were an earthquake.
"Move, you idiot!" Azula ducked just in time to avoid a rock thrown by one of the organizers, who, at their boss's signal, began to work.
And they worked hard.
"Ahg!" Naruto stifled a cry of pain as his right little toe collided with a stone protruding from the ground. That hurt.
But he didn't have time to dwell on it. The ground shook, and several pillars began to emerge. Without hesitation, he had to jump and pull Azula with him, avoiding the thrusts of those sharp pillars.
"Right!"
Obeying Azula's orders, I leaped to the right, narrowly avoiding being crushed by two walls.
She grabbed me by my jacket, narrowly avoiding a sharp rock that almost cut my genitals. I felt like I now owed more than my life to her.
We both fell into a mud pit, stumbling and landing on top of each other. Eventually, I managed to stand up with Azula in my arms, and we climbed out of the pit, rolling down the middle of the platform.
"The box!" Azula almost lunged for it, eager to end this ordeal, but gasped as the ground beneath her gave way to a long drop. Luckily, she managed to grab onto a rock protruding from the ground.
Unfortunately, I wasn't as fortunate. The floor beneath my feet collapsed, and I ended up hanging on tightly to Azula's hand, who now had to bear the weight of both of us.
"How much do you weigh?!" Azula shouted angrily, struggling to hold on and prevent us from falling.
[ If you want to read advance Chapters then go to Pat reon and support me there.
PAT REON I'D:- Alzero ]