Chapter-67

"Do you want fish? It's the best on the dock!"

"No, thanks."

"Child, do you want to buy cabbages?"

"Honestly, no."

"Clearance sale! Clothes by the kilo!"

"…"

"Hammocks! You can't live a quiet life without them! Only 10 silver coins!"

"Hmm... I would've liked to buy one," Naruto thought disappointedly as he glanced at his nearly empty coin pouch. He had only a few copper coins and three silver coins, which wasn't enough to buy the hammock he'd been eyeing. He'd never owned a hammock before.

Feeling disheartened, he continued walking along the dock. He had arrived at this bustling place earlier that morning after parting ways with Azula's team. He hadn't slept yet, but it didn't bother him much. He once set a record of staying awake for nine days as a child, and he was confident he could surpass that if needed.

Setting that aside, he strolled through the bustling marketplace on the pier. Numerous vendor stalls lined the area, and since there were no Fire Nation soldiers around to pose a threat, he could walk freely without resorting to a henge. However, his appearance still drew the curious gazes of some passersby.

"I need information," he mumbled to himself as he paused midway through his walk. He reminded himself that he was still on a mission to locate his friends, who were likely already at the North Pole. He had quite a journey ahead of him, and he briefly considered just heading straight north in the hopes of stumbling upon the tribe. But he quickly dismissed that idea as overly simplistic. It was akin to running into the Land of Fire and expecting to find Konoha; it just wasn't that simple, especially during a full-scale war. He needed information, and he could only think of one person skilled at gathering it.

What would Ero-sennin say?

"I'm an old pervert who enjoys peeping on women in hot springs." Some people cast puzzled glances his way as he spoke aloud, but Naruto paid them no mind. He continued with a pensive expression, trying to channel the wisdom of the perverted sage.

"What are you staring at?!" A young woman became indignant when a kid had the audacity to ogle her breasts.

"Beautiful old folks."

*Slap.*

"Maybe I shouldn't think like him," Naruto muttered, sporting a red mark on his swollen right cheek. It seemed that emulating his perverted teacher wasn't as great an idea as he initially thought.

Or maybe it was.

His attention was caught by a sign that read 'cantina.'

Alright, it was time to put to use everything he'd learned from observing that eccentric old man.

Approaching the cantina, he pushed open the doors with a loud slam, capturing the attention of everyone inside. In retrospect, that might not have been his brightest idea, but he wore a stern and intimidating expression as he entered. He brushed off the piercing stares from the eclectic crowd within—pirates, mercenaries, and elemental masters without allegiance.

When he reached the bar, he produced the meager coins he had. "A glass of milk, please."

It wasn't exactly the way to make a favorable impression in a place where folks were imbibing beverages so potent they could practically blind someone.

"Hahahahaha! Did you lose your babysitter, kid?"

"Did you park your stroller outside?"

"And your diaper, baby?" Naruto simply blinked as one of the men at the bar lowered his pants, revealing his underwear and sending the laughter in the room to a crescendo.

"Dear, I think you might be in the wrong establishment," the woman tending bar remarked, nonchalantly polishing one of the many glasses.

"Just like you, such a lovely lady in a dive like this, and more so than all these people who look like they've never had a shower in their lives." Naruto wore his most charming smile as he adjusted his pants, delivering one of the lines frequently used by Ero-sennin. Ignoring the hostile glares of the other patrons, he achieved his goal.

"Hah... you're quite the charmer." Smiling, the bartender reached under the counter, retrieved a glass bottle, and poured a glass of milk for her customer, who drank it down eagerly, more than relieved. "Your face seems familiar to me," she mused aloud. The brown-haired woman seemed rather puzzled as she scrutinized the boy, who, in and of himself, was an oddity with his golden hair.

"Many people say that."

"No, dear, I've definitely seen you." The woman pointed to a board behind her, adorned with various wanted posters. At the top of the board was one offering the highest reward—1.5 million gold pieces, dead. "Wait, I remember! You're the Orange Pillar!"

Every eye in the cantina fixated on the boy. A bounty so substantial for a kid sounded almost too good to be true. In fact, it sounded too good to be true to one of the mercenaries, who hurled the table he'd been using to the side and lunged at Naruto with a dagger in hand.

*Thud.*

Everything transpired at lightning speed. The reckless mercenary was barely visible as he was forcibly ejected from the bar, his belly on the receiving end of a well-placed kick.

"Anyone else?" Naruto inquired gravely, twirling the mercenary's dagger between his fingers, his face betraying no emotion.

They quietly settled back into their seats, eyes cast downward.

"Shit, that was impressive," praised the bartender as she refilled the boy's glass with milk.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any more money."

"Courtesy of the house darling"

"Thank you!" The woman smiled sympathetically at the boy's enthusiasm and joy. She continued to sip her drink until the glass was empty.

"So, what brings you here?" she asked curiously while she was occupied cleaning one of the many dirty glasses on the bar. Without looking up, she addressed the boy, who had paused mid-sip, blissfully unaware of the milk mustache on his face. "Adorable."

"Oh yes, I'm looking for a way to get to the North Pole."

"Hmm, that's kind of hard, honey. I hear that only waterbenders know how to get there, and trying to go without their help is suicide. The North Pole isn't known for being an easy place to survive—lots of ice, not much to eat, and so on."

"Ohhh."

She couldn't resist seeing him so discouraged. "But hey, I have an acquaintance who can help you."

"Really?!"

"Yes, she's a bit moody, but I think she can assist you. She's over there in the private areas, door three." She gestured toward an area with several doors, the VIP section, so to speak. Just as she was about to say more to the boy, she was taken by surprise when he nearly vaulted off the bar to embrace her, lifting her off the ground.

"Thank you Nee-chan!" Naruto jumped from the bar to run to the indicated door and enter, leaving the bartender alone with his other customers.

"Hey Nee-chan, give me some milk," one of the customers mocked, causing some to laugh.

"Go get the milk out of your mother's old tits."

What a way to respond.

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PAT REON I'D:- Alzero ]