There were no stalls that sold cooked food, so they bought all kinds of fruits: small mandarins, loquats, and dried persimmons; fruits that aren't too heavy to carry around and can be preserved longer. After they had feasted on some mandarins, they went to buy clothes in a shop. Kimimaro picked up a light lavender, loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt and black pants in 30 seconds. Tayuya flipped through the racks and took out a black shirt, a tan tunic with elbow-length sleeves, and black skin-tight shorts. Naruto insisted on choosing either an orange and blue jacket or an orange and black one despite getting yelled at by Tayuya that wearing a color that bright would get them all killed. He chose the latter under Kimimaro's suggestion that black is more unobtrusive than blue. Tayuya:"At least fucking unzip it"! Naruto: "ok ok sheesh"
Dressed in new clothes, the three children returned to the dock in contentment. A punt arrived ten minutes later. The boatman asked everyone waiting in line where they wished to go, to which Kimimaro replied the final station after looking at a map the boatman gave him. The people bought tickets and hopped onto the boat, with the three children paying 11250 Ryo for two and a half hours, about a third of the money they had after shopping. "Welcome aboard folks, my name's Daisuke. Please don't stand up abruptly while we're traveling, and make sure to keep your belongings safe," he told the 8 passengers. "Feel free to ask any questions. Now, off we go!"
The boatman pushed the punt away from the bank with a bamboo stick and started the ride. The sun had gone down, leaving saffron streaks in the dark blue sky. Three young men and a girl in her late teens sat on the bench on the left side of the boat, while the children and one middle-aged man sat on the right side. Naruto noticed Tayuya shifting uneasily, looking leery of the portly man next to her, who spread out a newspaper, elbow nudging Tayuya's shoulder.
"Daisuke-san," Naruto raised his hand and called the boatman. "May I exchange positions with her?" he asked, pointing to Tayuya.
"Sure," the boatman replied. "Careful, kid," he added as Naruto quickly stood up and gestured for Tayuya to move to Kimimaro's side.
Naruto sat down next to the man and flashed Tayuya a smile, who looked away pretending that she wasn't flustered by Naruto's chivalrous act then saw the teenage girl smiling at her in amusement. The man, now next to Naruto, realized that he had made Tayuya uncomfortable and felt a little awkward.
"Hey kids, I heard that you're getting off at the final station? It's almost at the border between this country and the Land of Wind," he said, trying to strike up a friendly conversation.
"Yes, we are going to the Land of Wind!" Naruto said, then noticed Kimimaro's worried stare.
"What are you kids going to do there?" asked a man sitting across from Naruto. "I've traveled to the Land of Wind once and got lost in the desert. I was lucky my friend Kentaro found me two days later," he said, pointing with his thumb at the guy next to him.
"We're visiting our family," answered Kimimaro. "We know the way to their place."
The man called Kentaro raised an eyebrow. "You must be very independent kids for your parents to trust you to go alone," he guessed.
"Ehehe, we can earn money ourselves after all," Naruto blurted. "Tayuya can play the flute really well!"
Tayuya glared at Naruto for suddenly calling on her.
"Oh, really? That's cool. Would you mind playing a tune or two for us, Tayuya-chan?" Kentaro asked. The sudden gazes from strangers that fell upon Tayuya made her a little anxious. "Oh great, the idiot is hyping me up before he ever heard me play," she thought.
"Now's your chance," Kimimaro whispered beside her ear.
Tayuya sighed. "Uh, sure…" she said and took out the flute before glaring at Naruto one more time, who was grinning at her with anticipation. "You're dead meat," she thought.
Holding the flute in place, Tayuya hesitated for a moment. She didn't want to play folk songs from the Land of Earth on the flute in case anyone on the boat recognizes where she came from. That leaves only one choice. Tayuya took a deep breath and began blowing notes. Mellow music wafted through the air, and all at once the breezes and the swash of water against the punt seemed to become gentler. Everyone, including Daisuke the boatman, was mesmerized by the soothing melody that conveyed a sense of safety and reassurance. Tayuya tried to keep herself composed, but memories of warm embraces and soft kisses on the forehead were tugging at her heartstrings. Her fingers felt stiff and her breath got shaky a few times. She sneaked glances at her audience. Luckily no one seemed to notice her flaws. Her eyes met Naruto's, who looked like he was in a daze. His dreamy expression almost made Tayuya smirk, but thanks to him, Tayuya shifted her focus solely on her performance. She played the rest of the piece with ease, and was met with a round of applause when she finished.
"Bravo!" cheered Kentaro. "That was amazing! We should pay Tayuya-chan for that. Right, Yohei?" He smiled at his friend.
"Yeah. You are very talented, little girl," said Yohei. "I don't know the first thing about music, but you certainly moved me," he praised Tayuya as he and Kentaro each placed 60 Ryo into a pouch that Kimimaro had taken out quietly.
"See, I told you she's the best!" Naruto gloated as he collected money from everyone else. Tayuya blushed and put away her flute.
"The music was beautiful, it sounded like a loving mother's lullaby," said a man sitting across from Kimimaro. "Does it have a name?"
Tayuya froze upon his words. Did the emotions that she unintentionally put in give it away? "Umm, no. I made it myself," she made up a lie.
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "I didn't know you're a prodigy in music, Tayuya!" he said.
Tayuya couldn't stand Naruto's exaggerated compliments. "Enough of your talking, shrimp!" she said, grabbing Naruto's jacket and pulling him back. "Shut up or I'll smack your head with my flute."
"Aww come on Tayuya, why are you being shy?" Naruto whined. Tayuya held up her flute again as if about to smack him. Naruto hunched his back and winced. The girl across from Tayuya who had been paying attention to their little interactions chuckled.
The river glimmered under the moon as the punt cut through its inky waters. Thanks to Naruto's high spirits, the group of passengers spent their night chatting away with each other. One by one people reached their stops and bid farewell to the three children. At the second last stop, the girl across from them got up and approached Tayuya while Naruto was talking to Daisuke, who was adjusting the boat lights.
"The blonde is a keeper," she whispered to her and winked before getting off the boat. Tayuya felt her face turn red. It hadn't occurred to her that people would see them this way. "Me and that shrimp? Never!" she thought.
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Kimimaro and tayuya are wearing their canon outfits but smaller Naruto is wearing his Shippuden outfit but smaller and the jacket unzipped.