The Unnoticed Supporting Villain

Naruto stared blankly at the huge pile of banknotes held in front of his chest for a long time before he came to his senses.

Several banknotes fell onto the bathroom floor, two of them stuck to Tayuya 'Tayuya wet face. The money she was holding was taller than her, and the floor was slippery, making her look a little unsteady.

The words, "Here, have some money," still echoed in his mind. Naruto subconsciously wanted to say that he was rich, and indeed he was very rich—rich Gato.

But at this moment, money is no longer money.

Naruto is rich, but while money is very useful to him, it can't really carry anything. Having so much money doesn't mean he's wealthy.

Just as Tayuya could offer him everything she had and share it with him, Naruto could take out all of Gato's money, enough to fill an entire house.

But that's different, because he doesn't care about that money. Compared to Tayuya, Naruto is impoverished at this moment, because he finds that he doesn't seem to have anything he truly cherishes.

He was simply sharing in the girls' summer and obtaining their cherished possessions.

"Okay." Naruto nodded in response.

With a whoosh, he caught all the money, some of it scattering in the air. Tayuya's pupils brightened slightly, reflecting the bathroom light and his face.

"I have money too, you can spend it," she said.

"Okay, okay." Naruto laughed. "Go take a shower first, I'll put the money away for you."

"Oh." Tayuya took a few more steps and splashed back into the bathtub.

Naruto tidied up the money and carried it out, then went downstairs to use the restroom. On his way back upstairs, he suddenly realized something: Tayuya actually had nowhere else to go.

They dared not encounter Orochimaru, for all their teammates had died.

She is now a child abandoned by the world, and what Orochimaru taught her was to fight using Cursed Seal. Overusing the power of Cursed Seal will eventually lead to being consumed by Cursed Seal.

It's like how monsters eventually go berserk and are then killed alone and helpless.

The next day.

Naruto had originally planned to go on a mission, but then he thought there was no rush; he was just delivering a letter to the Fire Temple. Master Jiraiya was still alive and well, so there was no need to hurry over.

"Where are we going?" Tayuya, looking at him with a puzzled expression, wearing loose pajamas.

"I'm not going anywhere."

In the morning, the two went out together and strolled around the market town of Tanzaku Town.

Naruto discovered that Tayuya didn't have high aspirations for external things. She lived a clean and tidy life like an ordinary person. She could learn things after watching them only once, and she spent money in a normal way.

But she doesn't seem to be affected by external things. It's as if she lives behind a screen, while her true self is hidden in her small heart.

She remained indifferent to whether people were crying or laughing on the street. Only when she saw couples walking hand in hand would she quickly glance at Naruto.

She seems unable to understand other people's emotions, so most of the time she chooses to ignore them. If you don't see it, there's no problem; ignore the problem itself, and there's no problem.

There were small open-air performances in the area where the crowds were gathered.

"What is that?" Tayuya asked.

"Hmm, it's a performance, about a love story, something like that," Naruto said, squinting at the stage.

The bustling town was filled with people, and a lively stage performance took place. Amidst the clamor of voices, actors with exaggerated makeup performed with great effort, as if trying to portray their characters vividly.

The script was clearly terrible, even though the villain actor tried his best, his expression almost contorted. But the script never followed the actors' lead; snap, the bad guy died, and the good guys had a perfect ending.

"Yeah, it's probably about a princess from a small country being kidnapped by bad guys, so the good guys step in to help," Naruto explained, then added a sentence for fear that Tayuya would find it boring.

"Let's go, it's not a good look anyway."

"That person is a bit pitiful." Tayuya suddenly pointed to the supporting actor who was silently leaving the stage. "Nobody was watching him, and he just died like that."

Naruto paused, glancing at the minor character who had only been on screen for two minutes. He wondered to himself, had this person really appeared just now?

No one would likely care about a minor villain, he probably wouldn't even have any lines or backstory. Since he's considered utterly wicked by the villains, nobody wants to know the story of a supporting villain.

If you're in the main cast, even supporting characters have a purpose—sacrificing their lives to create atmosphere. But villainous supporting characters are insignificant, like dust, merely there to make up the numbers.

"A supporting character, I suppose," Naruto said carefully. "He was killed instantly, so no one paid any attention to him, and he had to leave the scene in a hurry."

"In your eyes, am I also..." she asked, pointing to the supporting actors who had already changed their costumes below the stage.

"No," Naruto said seriously.

"I don't know what happened before, Konohagakure definitely won't accept you, but I don't plan to stay in Konohagakure forever. You don't need to think so much, anyway, I won't abandon you."

This was already quite straightforward, Tayuya stared at him for a while before nodding and humming in agreement.

Their relationship would continue, so he took the girl's hand and led her through the bustling streets. They passed through quiet alleyways and reached the other end of the town.

There is no sea here, and as night falls, the open plains are shrouded in darkness.

"I'm so happy today, the happiest I've ever been," she suddenly said, a cautious smile on her face. "But I'm a little nervous, and there are many things I don't understand."

"You know more than I do, and I know you're good to me, and you give me money to spend." Tayuya looked at him, her eyes filled with a profound loneliness.

"But I have nothing but money. I don't understand plays, but I know what to do on a date. I saw them having fun and I wanted to join you. But I'm afraid I don't know how. Actually, I'm quite smart and learn everything quickly, but I'm just being stupid today. My brain isn't working properly, and I don't know what to say."

"You weren't just giving me the runaround; you patiently explained everything to me, but I just couldn't understand it. I've never played it before, nor have I ever seen it, and those things are much harder than any of the tasks I've ever done."

"I wore my best clothes, but I messed everything up. I felt out of place with everything, unable to adapt to that kind of life. You must have walked with me all day."

Tayuya's eyes welled up with tears. She wanted to ignore everything, but she realized she had failed. She could no longer disregard Naruto's opinion of her; trying not to think about it only made her more anxious.

"I'm really happy. I wasn't originally such an interesting person." Naruto placed a hand on Tayuya's face. "You're already very beautiful. Everything I do with you is interesting."

Tayuya looked at him, but ultimately didn't cry. A slightly doubtful smile appeared on her face as she asked.

"Really?"

"Of course it's true. As long as I'm with you, I won't be bored even if we walk all day," he said.

"It's not that boring, is it?" she muttered as she asked.

"Um."

Two days later, Naruto finally prepared to set off for the Fire Temple to deliver the message.

Tayuya prepared breakfast very early in the morning, and Naruto was somewhat surprised to see the sumptuous breakfast after he finished washing up.

"Aren't they sold on the street?"

"It's a bit expensive," she replied.

Naruto blinked, and it seemed like he was hallucinating again. Tayuya said, "My money!"

For the past two days, the two of them have explored every accessible spot in the vicinity, all because of Naruto's words. "I won't be bored even if I walk all day with you." So, the two of them walked for two days.

He wasn't bored, but he was a little tired.

This kind of date is too hardcore. If the deadline for the mission wasn't approaching, this situation could probably have continued for a few more days.

"I'm leaving." Naruto had already reached the door when he suddenly noticed Tayuya hiding behind the sofa, only her head peeking out. "What's wrong?"

Tayuya let out a slightly awkward "ah" and then stood up abruptly, taking small steps to the door, turning her head to one side and whispering.

"Please be careful while you are out, Master."

"What?" Naruto was stunned.

Before he could Tayuya shoved him out the door, which slammed shut with a bang. Naruto stood there for a moment, stunned, then instinctively reached for his keys in his pocket.

But after thinking it over, I left anyway.

In the living room, Tayuya was rolling around on the sofa in embarrassment! No! It's too embarrassing, I won't give him any more money! Just a little less.

The Fire Temple.

Naruto met with Master Jiraiya and successfully delivered the letter.

Chiriku had a calm demeanor and handsome features, exuding the reserved air of a highly accomplished monk. The surrounding monks all addressed Chiriku as Lord Chiriku, their expressions respectful.

"The Fire Temple is huge," Naruto remarked, glancing quickly at the enormous Buddha statue inside the main hall. It was a Buddha with a ferocious appearance, with dozens of disciples sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Chiriku stood there in a thin monk's robe, a peaceful smile on his face.

"After all, it is a ninja temple in the Land of Fire, so it has some reputation and its incense is more popular."

"It must be because of Master Jiraiya's great reputation, right?" Naruto said with a smile. "I imagine it must be very hard for Master Jiraiya to run this temple, after all, reputation is a double-edged sword."

Chiriku nodded with a slight smile in his eyes.

"There is no hardship in spiritual practice, and running a temple is just a duty."

"Master, you see things very clearly." Naruto could sense the neutral and peaceful goodwill in the other person's words and couldn't help but offer a reminder.

"Master Jiraiya should be careful."

Before he could finish speaking, Chiriku suddenly interrupted him.

"Now that Lord Tsunade's letter has been delivered, why don't you invite Naruto to the back hall for tea? The tea at the Fire Temple is more famous than mine."

Naruto opened his mouth, knowing that Chiriku had something to say.

"Good."