The next morning, they set out for Sunagakure. Holding the map the hotel hostess in Yugakure gave him, Kimimaro led the way. They had left the Land of Waterfalls and entered the Land of Grass, walking for a whole day without much rest. The conversation between them stayed basically the same: Naruto bragging about his brave deeds in the Land of Hot Springs and praising Kimimaro's survival and people skills, at which Tayuya sneered and scoffed, and Kimimaro occasionally telling them to stop talking for a moment while he tried to focus on looking for the right directions.

As the sun slowly descended below the horizon, Tayuya was burned up with impatience.

"For fuck sake!" How much longer is this gonna take?" she grumbled.

"About a 5 days to reach the Land of Wind, then about 3 days to get to Suna," said Kimimaro.

"What?!" Tayuya stopped walking. "You fuckers are telling me I'm putting up with this loudmouth shit head for another 8 days? I'm out!"

"Hey, I'm not a loudmouth!"

"Oh shut the fuck up, you - "

"You can help me find the way instead," Kimimaro interrupted them. "If you would kindly take your focus off Naruto and lend me a hand."

"Ha! Who the fuck is paying him attention?" Tayuya turned her head away.

"Think of all the countries we'll see. We already passed the Land of Waterfalls and it was amazing, we even met you there!" Naruto said.

"Hmph!" Tayuya didn't want to admit it, but she was secretly happy that Naruto considered meeting her a good thing.

They walked for another hour. The first stars emerged overhead, flickering like distant lanterns.

"How about you, Tayuya, what do you like to do?" asked Naruto.

"Why the hell would I tell you, shrimp?"

"Kimimaro and I already told you what we like!"

"Yeah, thanks for telling me about your impressive interests in exercise and flower collecting."

"Flower collecting is a very fun hobby," Kimimaro said with a straight face. Tayuya gave Kimimaro the side-eye.

"Let's call it a day. We should get some rest." Kimimaro looked up at the starry night sky.

"Fuck no I'm traveling as fast as possible so I won't have to - "

"Sounds great, I'm tired!" Naruto cut Tayuya off.

"You fucking cut me off!" Tayuya glared at him. Naruto and Kimimaro exchanged looks.

"WHAT?"

Naruto giggled as Kimimaro said, "You're grumpy." Tayuya's nostrils flared in rage, but she couldn't refute the comment.

"Fine! Whatever the fuck you say!" She stomped off to a tree several meters away and squatted down, leaning against the trunk and facing away from them.

Naruto and Kimimaro sighed and began building a campfire. Tayuya looked over at the pile of materials they gathered.

"What're you doin'?"

"Building a fire to cook dinner. Come over and help!" Naruto gestured for her to come.

"Do you dumbasses actually know what you're doing? Where are the holes?"

"Holes?"

Tayuya rolled her eyes. "If I don't teach you fucking idiots how to build a fire, you're gonna get us killed with all that light and smoke." She got up and came back to them begrudgingly. "Do as I say," she ordered, arms crossed.

They dug a hole to lay the materials inside, then a smaller hole next to it for air supply, then a tunnel connecting the holes. The smokeless fire burned brightly underground as they boiled some potatoes in a pan Tayuya had brought with her.

"This fire is so hot, the potatoes already look ready to eat," Naruto licked his lips.

"Not only that, but because it doesn't produce smoke and the flames are confined below ground level, it is hard to spot from a distance," Kimimaro added. "So we can remain undetected by enemies. You're a genius, Tayuya."

Tayuya snorted. "It's a miracle you fuckers survived this long."

The potatoes turned out to be not enough for three people. Naruto reached into his bag and pulled out a cup of instant ramen.

"This is the last one I have, but I think you should try it. It's really delicious!" Naruto gave it to Tayuya, who raised an eyebrow at him. "We're sorry for making fun of you, Tayuya," he smiled apologetically at her.

Tayuya shook her head dismissively and tore open the lid. "Your favorite food? No wonder you're a shrimp," she said and poured some boiled water into the cup before gobbling the ramen up.

After they covered up the holes to put out the fire and conceal any evidence of their presence, the wind picked up on the grassy field. The scent of damp earth and foliage mingled with the chilly night air. Naruto insisted that they all share an old bed sheet Kimimaro had asked the hotel not to dispose of, to which Tayuya reluctantly agreed. They cuddled up together and drifted into sleep.

The next day, Tayuya woke up all refreshed, then realized something felt strange, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She turned around and saw Naruto with a faint smile on his sleeping face, then it occurred to Tayuya that she too, had been smiling. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled, and thought she had forgotten how to smile. But instead of contemplating her emotions, Tayuya shot up to her feet and yelled, "Alright fuckers, let's get goin'!" Naruto and Kimimaro got up bleary-eyed.

They headed for the Land of Rain.

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